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A nanoanyagok egyedülálló alkalmazási tulajdonságokkal rendelkeznek, melyek főként méretbeli jellemzőiknek köszönhető. Ezen anyagok ugyanis jóval nagyobb fajlagos felülettel rendelkeznek, mint ugyanezen anyagok normál mérettartományba eső részecskékből álló változata. Ezen tulajdonságnak köszönhetően a nanoanyagok alkalmazása az iparban széles körben elterjedt. Az élelmiszeripar és agrár szektor egyre nagyobb mennyiségben használja ezeket az anyagokat. A nanoméretű alkotóelemek és adalékok bevetésének fő célja elsősorban az élelmiszergyártási folyamat bizonyos paramétereinek javítása, az élelmiszerek eltarthatósági idejének javítása, mindezen túl a termékek állagának, stabilitásának, konzisztenciájának javítása. Minden bizonnyal a nanoanyagok a jövőben jelentős hatást gyakorolnak majd az élelmiszeripar fejlődésére, sőt előreláthatólag a nanotechnológia megjelenik majd és hatást gyakorol az egész élelmiszerláncban. Megjegyzendő, hogy az élelmiszeripar több olyan nano mérettartományba eső anyagot használ föl, amelyet ennek ellenére nem emlegetnek nanoanyagként. Ilyenek bizonyos fehérjék(példáulatejfehérje), zsírsavak micellái. Mindezeknek a figyelembevételéveljelen tanulmány célja ezen anyagok alkalmazásának széleskörű áttekintése és összefoglalása

Coastal climate impact studies make increasing use of multi-source and multi-dimensional atmospheric and environmental datasets to investigate relationships between climate signals and the ecological response. The large quantity of numerically simulated data may, however, include redundancy, multi-colinearity and excess information not relevant to the studied processes. In such cases techniques for feature extraction and identification of latent processes prove useful. Using dimensionality reduction techniques this research provides a statistical underpinning of variable selection to study the impacts of atmospheric processes on coastal chlorophyll-a concentrations, taking the Dutch Wadden Sea as case study. Dimension reduction techniques are applied to environmental data simulated by the Delft3D coastal water quality model, the HIRLAM numerical weather prediction model and the Euro-CORDEX climate modelling experiment. The dimension reduction techniques were selected for their ability to incorporate (1) spatial correlation via multi-way methods (2), temporal correlation through Dynamic Factor Analysis, and (3) functional variability using Functional Data Analysis. The data reduction potential and explanatory value of these methods are showcased and important atmospheric variables affecting the chlorophyll-a concentration are identified. Our results indicate room for dimensionality reduction in the atmospheric variables (2 principle components can explain the majority of variance instead of 7 variables), in the chlorophyll-a time series at different locations (two characteristic patterns can describe the 10 locations), and in the climate projection scenarios of solar radiation and air temperature variables (a single principle component function explains 77% of the variation for solar radiation and 57% of the variation for air temperature). It was also found that solar radiation followed by air temperature are the most important atmospheric variables related to coastal chlorophyll-a concentration, noting that regional differences exist, for instance the importance of air temperature is greater in the Eastern Dutch Wadden Sea at Dantziggat than in the Western Dutch Wadden Sea at Marsdiep Noord. Common trends and different regional system characteristics have also been identified through dynamic factor analysis between the deeper channels and the shallower intertidal zones, where the onset of spring blooms occurs earlier. The functional analysis of climate data showed clusters of atmospheric variables with similar functional features. Moreover, functional components of Euro-CORDEX climate scenarios have been identified for radiation and temperature variables, which provide information on the dominant mode (pattern) of variation and its uncertainties. The findings suggest that radiation and temperature projections of different Euro-CORDEX scenarios share similar characteristics and mainly differ in their amplitudes and seasonal patterns, offering opportunities to construct statistical models that do not assume independence between climate scenarios but instead borrow information (“borrow strength”) from the larger pool of climate scenarios. The presented results were used in follow up studies to construct a Bayesian stochastic generator to complement existing Euro-CORDEX climate change scenarios and to quantify climate change induced trends and uncertainties in phytoplankton spring bloom dynamics in the Dutch Wadden Sea.

Az 1953-ban útjára indult, immáron hetvenéves Belügyi Szemle tudományos folyóirat jubileumi „70 év, 70 gondolat” című kiadványában megjelent tanulmány olvasható a felkért szerzőktől.

Az 1953-ban útjára indult, immáron hetvenéves Belügyi Szemle tudományos folyóirat jubileumi „70 év, 70 gondolat” című kiadványában megjelent tanulmány olvasható a felkért szerzőktől.

The EU Commission has agreed with us that the laws that we have analyzed in our series of four blogposts did not in fact constitute an effective anti-corruption plan. And the Commission has attached a €13.3 billion price tag to non-compliance. Now the Hungarian government is scrambling to unlock this cash by introducing two additional laws that attempt to address the Commission’s concerns. But these new laws repeat the errors of the prior laws. They create the appearance of an independent corruption-fighting system while digging in political allies at all of the chokepoints and tying up whistleblowers and anti-corruption fighters in red tape. The new laws do not make things better and they may even make things worse.

It’s crunch time for the Conditionality Regulation at the European Commission. In its College meeting on 22 November, the Commission is scheduled to discuss whether Hungary has actually made the 17 changes it proposed in order to avoid cuts to its Cohesion Funds. What the Commission chooses to do will depend on whether it believes that Hungary’s anti-corruption program will in fact allow Hungary to be entrusted with billions of Euros without having a sizeable fraction of those Euros pocketed by cronies. We believe that Hungary’s reforms are designed to be ineffective and will not even begin to halt the massive corruption that is the hallmark of Hungary’s kleptocracy.

This paper analyses the structural changes of the European stock markets by using a minimum spanning tree graph. The aim was to point out similarities and differences of the previous recessions, namely the Subprime crisis around 2008, the European sovereign debt crisis of the 2010s and the recent COVID-19 period. Focusing on the structural changes of the graph, we were looking for the emergence of shock-propagating hub. During each of the three examined recession periods, we could see a constant change in the stock market network, where stock market indices are connected mainly through one central index during turbulent times, while the connections became more diverse in calm periods.

BackgroundIncreasing evidence shows that lifestyle interventions can improve the symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and even overall survival of patients with cancer. Digital therapeutics (DTx) can help implement behavioral modifications and empower patients through education, lifestyle support, and remote symptom monitoring. ObjectiveWe aimed to test the feasibility of a DTx program for patients with cancer, as measured by engagement, retention, and acceptability. In addition, we explored the effects of the program on cancer-related QoL. MethodsWe conducted a 4-week single-arm trial in Iceland, where DTx was delivered through a smartphone app. The intervention consisted of patient education about mindfulness, sleep, stress, and nutrition; lifestyle coaching; and the completion of daily missions for tracking physical activity and exercise, reporting patient-reported outcomes (PROs), practicing mindfulness, and logging healthy food intake. Information on program engagement and retention, step goal attainment, as well as PROs were collected throughout the study. QoL was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 at baseline and follow-up. ResultsIn total, 30 patients with cancer undergoing active therapy were enrolled, and 29 registered in the app (23 female, 18 with breast cancer; mean age 52.6, SD 11.5 years). Overall, 97% (28/29) of participants were active in 3 of the 4 weeks and completed the pre- and postprogram questionnaires. The weekly active days (median) were 6.8 (IQR 5.8-6.8), and 72% (21/29) of participants were active at least 5 days a week. Users interacted with the app on average 7.7 (SD 1.9) times per day. On week 1, all 29 participants used the step counter and logged an average of 20,306 steps; 21 (72%) participants reached their step goals of at least 3000 steps per day. On week 4, of the 28 active users, 27 (96%) were still logging their steps, with 19 (68%) reaching their step goals. Of the 28 participants who completed the satisfaction questionnaire, 25 (89%) were likely to recommend the program, 23 (82%) said the program helped them deal with the disease, and 24 (86%) said it helped them remember their medication. QoL assessment showed that the average global health status, functioning, and symptom burden remained stable from baseline to follow-up. In all, 50% (14/28) of participants reported less pain, and the average pain score decreased from 31 (SD 20.1) to 22.6 (SD 23.2; P=.16). There was no significant change in PROs on the quality of sleep, energy, and stress levels from the first to the last week. ConclusionsThe high retention, engagement, and acceptability found in this study demonstrate that multidisciplinary DTx is feasible for patients with cancer. A longer, full-scale randomized controlled trial is currently being planned to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention.

In part III of our analysis of the anti-corruption framework, we will look at another aspect of the Hungarian “reforms”: a new procedure that seems to allow the general public to challenge in court the decisions of Hungarian public prosecutors to drop corruption cases. The new procedure is nearly impossible to use and adds little value to existing controls on the public prosecutor. In addition, the Hungarian Constitutional Court may declare it unconstitutional in any event.

In this blogpost, we’ll analyze the Anti-Corruption Task Force, sometimes translated as the Anti-Corruption Working Group. This is another institutional innovation that the Hungarian government proposes to establish in order to transform a kleptocracy into an accountable government. Like the Integrity Authority, the Anti-Corruption Task Force also looks like it might be a good idea on first glance but its significance dissolves on closer analysis. The Task Force is structured like hens trying to organize a safety plan when the local foxes have packed the meeting and dominate the discussion.

The Hungarian government is trying to convince EU institutions that it is taking adequate steps to ensure proper spending of EU funds going forward. At the center of this effort is a new ‘Integrity Authority’. The law establishing this authority, Bill T/1260, just passed the Hungarian Parliament on 3 October 2022. We have carefully read the laws enacted so far that establish a new anti-corruption framework and can confidently say that neither the Commission nor the Council should accept what the Hungarian government is offering because the proposed changes do not begin to alter business as usual in Hungary. In this blogpost, we will analyze the ‘Integrity Authority’ which forms the centerpiece of the government’s program, showing that it is not independent from the government nor are its powers real.

Cornus mas grows in the “Cornelian Cherry Valley” in Lower Austria. The characterization of the biodiversity of this underutilized crop was undertaken to increase its visibility and to develop breeding parameters. To determine the genetic relationships among Austrian Cornelian cherries, a collection of 447 mainly wild accessions originating from four regions in Lower Austria were genotyped. Analyses of seven microsatellite loci detected a total of 74 alleles, with 10.57 being the average number per locus. Shannon’s index was calculated to be 0.95 in locus CM008 and 1.80 in locus CM020. The average values of observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.54 ± 0.11 and 0.70 ± 0.12. The analyses revealed a high level of diversity. All accessions could be distinguished from each other, and wild and cultivated accessions could be separated. The pattern of grouping of the accessions based on the STRUCTURE (version 2.3.4) analyses suggested a greater number of subpopulations (K = 9). Karyotyping consistently yielded diploid chromosome numbers 2n = 2x = 18 for a millennial accession. The evaluations yielded a high degree of diversity, which provides excellent starting conditions for considerations of breeding strategies for the genetic enhancement of C. mas in Austria.

Plastics have inundated the world, with microplastics (MPs) being small particles, less than 5 mm in size, originating from various sources. They pervade ecosystems such as freshwater and marine environments, soils, and the atmosphere. MPs, due to their small size and strong adsorption capacity, pose a threat to plants by inhibiting seed germination, root elongation, and nutrient absorption. The accumulation of MPs induces oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity in plants, which also impacts plant development, mineral nutrition, photosynthesis, toxic accumulation, and metabolite production in plant tissues. Furthermore, roots can absorb nanoplastics (NPs), which are then distributed to stems, leaves, and fruits. As MPs and NPs harm organisms and ecosystems, they raise concerns about physical damage and toxic effects on animals, and the potential impact on human health via food webs. Understanding the environmental fate and effects of MPs is essential, along with strategies to reduce their release and mitigate consequences. However, a full understanding of the effects of different plastics, whether traditional or biodegradable, on plant development is yet to be achieved. This review offers an up-to-date overview of the latest known effects of plastics on plants.

Salt meadows, protected within National Parks, cannot be directly surveyed, yet understanding their soil condition is crucial. Our study indirectly estimates soil parameters (Total Salt Content (TSC), Na, and pH) related to salinization/sodification/alkalinization using spectral indices and UAV survey-derived elevation model, focusing on continental lowland salt meadows. A vegetation map was created using 16 spectral indices and a Digital Elevation Model calculated from RGB orthophotos using photogrammetry. Field observations helped define habitat types based on the General National Habitat Classification System (Hungary), and quadrats with complete coverage of specific plant species were identified. Machine learning was employed on 84 training quadrats to develop a prediction algorithm for vegetation patterns. Five saline habitat types, representing variations in soil properties and topography, were identified. Spectral and topomorphometric indices derived from UAV were key to the spatial prediction of soil properties, employing random forest and co-kriging methods. TSC, Na, and pH data served as indicators of salt-affected soils (SAS), and thematic maps were generated for each indicator (57 samples). Overlapping with the vegetation map, the probability range of estimated SAS indicator values was determined. Consequently, a model-based estimation of soil pH, TSC, and Na conditions is provided for habitat types without disturbing protected areas.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the etiological agent of a haemorrhagic disease that threatens the global pig industry. There is an urgency to develop a safe and efficient vaccine, but the knowledge of the immune–pathogenetic mechanisms behind ASFV infection is still very limited. In this paper, we evaluated the haematological and immunological parameters of domestic pigs vaccinated with the ASFV Lv17/WB/Rie1 strain or its derived mutant Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L and then challenged with virulent Armenia/07 ASFV. Circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), 13 key cytokines and 11 haematological parameters were evaluated throughout the study. Lv17/WB/Rie1 triggered an inflammatory response, with increased levels of CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and induced lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia and a decline in red blood cell (RBC) parameters, although this was transitory. Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L triggered only transitory thrombocytopenia and a mild inflammatory reaction, with no increase in serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but it raised IL-1Ra levels. Both strains counteracted several adverse reactions elicited by virulent challenge, like thrombocytopenia, a decline in RBC parameters, and inflammation. Within this paper, we provided a deep portrayal of the impact of diverse ASFV strains on the domestic pig’s immune system. A better understanding of these immune–pathological mechanisms would help to design suitable vaccines against this disease.

Global mapping of essential vegetation traits (EVTs) through data acquired by Earth-observing satellites provides a spatially explicit way to analyze the current vegetation states and dynamics of our planet. Although significant efforts have been made, there is still a lack of global and consistently derived multi-temporal trait maps that are cloud-free. Here we present the processing chain for the spatiotemporally continuous production of four EVTs at a global scale: (1) fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), (2) leaf area index (LAI), (3) fractional vegetation cover (FVC), and (4) leaf chlorophyll content (LCC). The proposed workflow presents a scalable processing approach to the global cloud-free mapping of the EVTs. Hybrid retrieval models, named S3-TOA-GPR-1.0-WS, were implemented into Google Earth Engine (GEE) using Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI) Level-1B for the mapping of the four EVTs along with associated uncertainty estimates. We used the Whittaker smoother (WS) for the temporal reconstruction of the four EVTs, which led to continuous data streams, here applied to the year 2019. Cloud-free maps were produced at 5 km spatial resolution at 10-day time intervals. The consistency and plausibility of the EVT estimates for the resulting annual profiles were evaluated by per-pixel intra-annually correlating against corresponding vegetation products of both MODIS and Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS). The most consistent results were obtained for LAI, which showed intra-annual correlations with an average Pearson correlation coefficient (R) of 0.57 against the CGLS LAI product. Globally, the EVT products showed consistent results, specifically obtaining higher correlation than R> 0.5 with reference products between 30 and 60° latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. Additionally, intra-annual goodness-of-fit statistics were also calculated locally against reference products over four distinct vegetated land covers. As a general trend, vegetated land covers with pronounced phenological dynamics led to high correlations between the different products. However, sparsely vegetated fields as well as areas near the equator linked to smaller seasonality led to lower correlations. We conclude that the global gap-free mapping of the four EVTs was overall consistent. Thanks to GEE, the entire OLCI L1B catalogue can be processed efficiently into the EVT products on a global scale and made cloud-free with the WS temporal reconstruction method. Additionally, GEE facilitates the workflow to be operationally applicable and easily accessible to the broader community.

editorial

The origins of the soft gamma-ray and high-energy neutrino backgrounds remain unknown. Here, the authors show radiatively inefficient accretion flows of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei can produce the soft gamma ray and high energy neutrino backgrounds simultaneously.

After a dry spring, in June 2020 several intense storms occurred at the headwaters of the small basins of the Muráň and Zdychava rivers in the territory of the Muránska planina National Park (Slaná River basin, Slovakia). In the first part of the study– according to a hydrological survey made by the authors after the flash flood – the peak discharge was reconstructed at several Muráň River profiles. Next, the flash flood waves were reconstructed by the rainfall-runoff model NLC (non-linear cascade). The results of modelling based on field investigations show that, despite the extreme precipitation event (108 mm per 1 hour at the precipitation gauging station at Predná Hora), the peak flow rates were not exceptional in selected profiles on the Muráň River. The fact that extreme precipitation above 120 mm fell in a relatively very small area at the division of the Muráň and Zdychava rivers’ water contributed to this result. In the second part, a catastrophic 1000-year rainfall event scenario on the Zdychava River basin has been prepared. In analysing time series and identifying T-year daily rainfall depths, daily data was used from six precipitation stations in the vicinity of Muránska planina. Then, the 1000-year discharge of the Zdychava at Revúca was simulated by the calibrated NLC model. In such an extreme precipitation scenario, the peak flow rate would reach 105.15 m3 s−1, i.e. with a specific runoff of 1.78 m3 s−1 km–2. The total runoff in an 18-hour period would be 1.119 million m3, representing 21.11% of the rainfall (5.301 million m3).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effective population size based on linkage disequilibrium and the trend of inbreeding derived from runs of homozygosity (ROH) in the Slovak Spotted cattle. The ROH segments longer than 4 Mb were then analysed to identify selection signals. Eighty-five individuals were genotyped using the ICBF International Dairy and Beef chip (dams of sires) and Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip (sires). The ROH segments > 1 Mb occurred most often in the autosomal genome with an average number of 16.75 ± 7.23. The ROH segments > 16 Mb covering 0.41% of the genome pointed to the long-term effort of breeders to reduce inbreeding in the population of Slovak Spotted cattle. However, the average observed heterozygosity indicated a decrease in overall diversity in the current population. The decrease of heterozygosity per generation also confirmed the estimates of historical and recent effective population size (a decrease of 6.88 animals per generation). The predicted current effective population size was 58 animals. Twenty-one regions across 12 different autosomes were fixed due to the high selection pressure. Within these genomic regions were identified various genes associated with reproduction (SLC9C1, PTPN12), milk production (IGF1, ABCG2), beef production (IFRD1, PTPN4), developmental processes (FMNL2, GLI2), immune system (CD96, CSK) and coat colour (KIT). These selection signals detected in the genome of Slovak Spotted cattle confirm the constant effort of breeders to preserve the dual-purpose nature of this breed.

Cattle have been essential for the development of human civilization since their first domestication few thousand years ago. Since then, they have spread across vast geographic areas following human activities. Throughout generations, the cattle genome has been shaped with detectable signals induced by various evolutionary processes, such as natural and human selection processes and demographic events. Identifying such signals, called selection signatures, is one of the primary goals of population genetics. Previous studies used various selection signature methods and normalized the outputs score using specific windows, in kbp or based on the number of SNPs, to identify the candidate regions. The recent method of iSAFE claimed for high accuracy in pinpointing the candidate SNPs. In this study, we analyzed whole-genome resequencing (WGS) data of ten individuals from Austrian Fleckvieh (Bos taurus) and fifty individuals from 14 Chinese indigenous breeds (Bos taurus, Bos taurus indicus, and admixed). Individual WGS reads were aligned to the cattle reference genome of ARS. UCD1.2 and subsequently undergone single nucleotide variants (SNVs) calling pipeline using GATK. Using these SNVs, we examined the population structure using principal component and admixture analysis. Then we refined selection signature candidates using the iSAFE program and compared it with the classical iHS approach. Additionally, we run Fst population differentiation from these two cattle groups. We found gradual changes of taurine in north China to admixed and indicine to the south. Based on the population structure and the number of individuals, we grouped samples to Fleckvieh, three Chinese taurines (Kazakh, Mongolian, Yanbian), admixed individuals (CHBI_Med), indicine individuals (CHBI_Low), and a combination of admixed and indicine (CHBI) for performing iSAFE and iHS tests. There were more significant SNVs identified using iSAFE than the iHS for the candidate of positive selection and more detectable signals in taurine than in indicine individuals. However, combining admixed and indicine individuals decreased the iSAFE signals. From both within-population tests, significant SNVs are linked to the olfactory receptors, production, reproduction, and temperament traits in taurine cattle, while heat and parasites tolerance in the admixed individuals. Fst test suggests similar patterns of population differentiation between Fleckvieh and three Chinese taurine breeds against CHBI. Nevertheless, there are genes shared only among the Chinese taurine, such as PAX5, affecting coat color, which might drive the differences between these yellowish coated breeds, and those in the greater Far East region.

Chapter 15 of the Vegetable Production Handbook.

Chapter 7 of the Vegetable Production Handbook.

Chapter 9 of the Vegetable Production Handbook.

Chapter 8 of the Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida.

In this study, we developed electrically conductive nano- and hybrid composites with a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix for different melt processing technologies. We used short carbon fiber and multi-walled carbon nanotube reinforcements to enhance electric conductivity. We prepared the composite compounds with twin-screw extrusion; then the compounds were processed via injection molding and fused filament fabrication. We showed that electric conductivity only slightly increased by when only carbon nanotubes were added to the PLA matrix. However, when carbon fibers were added to the nanocomposites, the higher shear during melt mixing helped the uniform dispersion of the carbon nanotubes, resulting in a highly conductive reinforcement network in the composite. On the other hand, the hybrid reinforcement resulted in higher viscosity, making melt processing difficult and the material also became more brittle. Therefore, we added an oligomeric lactic acid plasticizer to the hybrid composites, and produced specimens by injection molding and 3D printing. The tensile strength increased by 140% and the elongation at break increased by 56%, and at the same time, the electrical conductivity of the material remained at a high level.

Patients facing severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections with comorbidities, especially patients whose immune system is weakened have higher chances to face severe outcomes. One of the main reasons behind the suppression of the immune system is iatrogenic, in patients who have autoimmune diseases and/or had an organ transplant. Although there are studies that are examining immunocompromised and/or transplanted patients with COVID-19 infection, furthermore there is a limited number of studies available which are dealing with COVID-19 in pregnant women; however, it is unique and is worth reporting when these factors are coexisting. In this study, we present the case of a 33-year-old Caucasian pregnant woman, who had a kidney transplant in 2009 and contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the 26th gestational week, in 2021. After her infection, superimposed preeclampsia was diagnosed and due to the worsening flowmetric parameters, she gave birth to a premature male newborn with cesarean section. Our kidney transplant patient’s case highlights how COVID-19 disease can lead to preeclampsia and artificial termination of gestation.

In dem Beitrag wird auf die Frage eingegangen, wie durch diskurslinguistische Analysen gewonnene sprachliche Daten außerhalb der Sprachwissenschaft vermittelt werden. Im Fokus steht dabei die DaF-Didaktik mit besonderem Blick auf die universitäre Deutschlehrerausbildung in der Slowakei. Es wird untersucht, wie man über die klassische Sprachwissenschaft hinaus auch die neuesten Disziplinen wie die Diskurslinguistik effektiv in das Curriculum integrieren kann. Hierzu ist eine interdisziplinäre Perspektive erforderlich, die hier durch die Visualisierungen angeboten wird. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird anhand von Fallbeispielen aus dem deutschen und dem slowakischen Migrationsdiskurs von 2015 gezeigt, wie durch den Einsatz von Visualisierungen auch über komplexe Fachbereiche ein optimiertes Wissen vermittelt werden kann.

The concept of logistics efficiency, especially reverse logistics efficiency measuring has become one of the key factors in our modern society as business and transportation become increasingly complex and networked. However, reverse logistics involves a high degree of uncertainty, which affects and makes evaluation more difficult. Our motivation and purpose is to present the efforts of one of the world’s leading retail companies to improve overall efficiency with a new supplementary measurement and analysis tool. Our initial hypothesis was that unladen logistics returns are inefficient and improvements in this area are more sustainable, so in our design and methodology approach we try to analyze logged data. According to our goals, this study is meant to demonstrate the significance of the reasons and the way to customize data analysis to formulate more adequate suggestions. Through a live practical example, a presentation is given how we can identify and highlight the hotspots to improve reverse logistics. The main results and originality of the paper are to develop a practical scalable model framework which can be customized by companies having a similar problem. Contrary with the well-known DEA models the presented model a system thinking method that provides (up-to-date) information which enables better flexibility and highlights areas of interdependency for development projects.