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In the field of transport, and more precisely in supply chains, if any of the vehicle components are damaged, it may cause delays in the delivery of goods. Eliminating undesirable damage to the means of transport through the possibility of predicting technical conditions and a state of failure may increase the reliability of the entire supply chain. From the aspect of sustainability, the issue of reducing the number of failures also makes it possible to reduce supply chain disturbances, to reduce costs associated with delays, and to reduce the materials needed for the repair of the means of transport, since, in this case, the costs only relate to the replaced elements before their damage. Thus, it is impossible for more serious damage to occur. Often, failure of one item causes damage to others, which generates unnecessary costs and increases the amount of waste due to the number of damaged items. This article provides an author's method of technical condition prediction; by applying the method, it would be possible to develop recommended maintenance activities for key elements related to the safety and reliability of transport. The combination of at least two artificial intelligence methods allows us to achieve very good prediction results thanks to the possibility of individual adjustments of weights between the methods used. Such predictive maintenance methods can be successfully used to ensure sustainable development in supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technological boom and tremendous technical development that the world is witnessing today has led to the emergence of new terms. As a term, Islamic financial engineering is considered modern, and as a transaction it is an ancient transaction with historical roots in the jurisprudence of financial transactions. Within this research, I have explained the history of its inception and its differences and distinctions from its traditional counterpart in that it is characterized by legal legitimacy, economic efficiency, the momentum of financial products, and their multiplicity and diversity, such as the Murabaha contract, the Ijara contract, the Salam contract, Istisna'a, Tawarruq, Ijtijarar, and Islamic Sukuk. Within this research, I highlighted the importance of Islamic financial engineering in Islamic banks and its effective role in hedging risks, such as liquidity risks, credit risks, and market risks. I also raised the issue of financial engineering related to disasters and pandemics, especially after the Corona pandemic. And the extent of the readiness and flexibility of the Islamic Financial Engineering System in containing these calamities and developments, removing hardship and embarrassment from customers and banks, and finding solutions and jurisprudential, legal and technical solutions to such pandemics and emergencies, including the issue of postponing the payment of financing installments granted during the period of the height of the global pandemic Covid-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gazdalkodas is the property of Herman Otto Intezet Nonprofit Kft. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the last 30 years, a natural return of wolves has been recorded at local, national and international levels over several mountain ranges in the Alps and, more recently, in both hilly areas and plains in Europe. Accepting the natural return of wolves in human-dominated landscapes is a major challenge, especially in places where memories and experience of coexistence have been lost. After the success of the LIFE WolfAlps project, which ended in May 2018, the European Commission has approved and co-financed LIFE WolfAlps EU (2019-2024), a new project to support wolf--human coexistence at European and pan-Alpine scales. As the expansion of the wolf population knows no administrative boundaries, the presence of the species requires actions effective at local level to improve its coexistence with humans on an international scale. The new, international project works to support local communities in the prevention of wolf attacks, and decision makers in the adoption of the best possible solutions to improve management of wolves, thus improving public acceptance of their expanding distribution and populations, notwithstanding the potential risks. Concrete actions are being implemented to involve all stakeholders interested in and affected by the wolf's presence, in order to make human--wolf coexistence possible across borders, traditions and beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of transport, and more precisely in supply chains, if any of the vehicle components are damaged, it may cause delays in the delivery of goods. Eliminating undesirable damage to the means of transport through the possibility of predicting technical conditions and a state of failure may increase the reliability of the entire supply chain. From the aspect of sustainability, the issue of reducing the number of failures also makes it possible to reduce supply chain disturbances, to reduce costs associated with delays, and to reduce the materials needed for the repair of the means of transport, since, in this case, the costs only relate to the replaced elements before their damage. Thus, it is impossible for more serious damage to occur. Often, failure of one item causes damage to others, which generates unnecessary costs and increases the amount of waste due to the number of damaged items. This article provides an author’s method of technical condition prediction; by applying the method, it would be possible to develop recommended maintenance activities for key elements related to the safety and reliability of transport. The combination of at least two artificial intelligence methods allows us to achieve very good prediction results thanks to the possibility of individual adjustments of weights between the methods used. Such predictive maintenance methods can be successfully used to ensure sustainable development in supply chains.

The ability to locate underground utilities is imperative for the protection of these facilities and for the coordination of these facilities with transportation projects. The proliferation of underground facilities in the United States has led to an increase in dig-in strikes resulting in loss of services, project delivery delays, injuries, and even deaths. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration found utility-related issues to be one of the top causes of delays for transportation projects. These delays are often attributed to unknown or inaccurate utility location information. This scenario has led to a vast industry of utility location service providers. Additionally, national and state damage prevention laws led to the creation of one-call systems for the purpose of providing a communication conduit between designers or constructors and utility owners and operators. The importance of accurate utility locates and the risk and liability of providing utility location services also led to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standardizing the practice of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) into a professional service. Even with this standard, there remains misinformation and misunderstandings regarding SUE and non-SUE services provided by private utility location firms. The differences between the services provided by SUE investigations and non-SUE private locating services that do not meet SUE standards has largely been anecdotal. This study serves as an advancement in understanding the distinction of SUE services versus non-SUE services and provides evidence of industry misunderstanding of differences in these service types.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a kind of joint inflammation which can be ascribed to the age, obesity, gender, depression, genetic predisposition, and cyclic or heavy cartilage loading. There is no definitive treatment for OA; hence, as far as possible the best practical resort is the prevention. We herein propose a simple mathematical model that receives the age, obesity, gender,and overloading by considering the impact of cartilage self-repair and predicts the cartilage damage. Python programming language using Numpy library was used for modeling and solver module. Assuming body mass index (BMI) > 27, we assumed that with the damage to cartilage increases by 6.5% with an increase of each BMI unit, whereas for a BMI

Governments around the world invest considerable resources to reduce damages caused by large carnivores on human property. To use these investments more efficiently and effectively, we need to understand which interventions successfully prevent such damages and which do not. In the European Union, the LIFE program represents by far the largest financial instrument to help EU Member States with the implementation of conservation activities, including mitigation of damages caused by large carnivores. However, we currently lack information about the effectiveness of this funding program in reducing carnivore damages. We reviewed 135 LIFE projects dealing with large carnivores between 1992 and 2019 to provide an overview of the use of damage prevention methods and evaluate their functional and perceived effectiveness. Methods evaluated ranged from non-lethal and lethal interventions, to information dissemination and compensation schemes. The largest number of the projects was focused on grey wolf (Canis lupus) and brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the Mediterranean countries and in Romania. Electric fences were reported as the most successful method for reducing damages by large carnivores, and most of the non-lethal methods used showed at least moderate effectiveness. However, standards of measuring and reporting effectiveness were in general relatively low, which limits our ability to measure actual impact. We urge project managers and evaluators to improve these standards, as well as the dissemination of the project results. We provide a list of recommendations for improving measuring and reporting success of implemented interventions for the benefit of future projects aimed to reduce damages caused by wildlife.

The subject of the considerations contained in the article is the analysis of selected issues related to the legal regulation regarding the civil law obligation to prevent damage that may result from mining plant operations. It is about the regulations contained in the Act of June 9, 2011, Geological and Mining Law, and to a certain extent also in the Act of April 23, 1964, the Civil Code. This analysis includes not only theoretical considerations, but also refers to the practice of applying the law. It contains a discussion and a critical assessment of the Supreme Court’s judgment of February 20, 2018.

The radulae of chitons are chitinous structures that form ribbons bearing tiny denticles used principally to scrape rocky surfaces. Associated teeth have a distinctive interlocking mechanism conferring both flexibility and stiffness to protect the structure against excessive damage caused by high frictional forces. Here we examine the interlocking mechanism and its influence on frictional behavior were examined using numerical modeling and friction tests involving experimental manipulation of the structure. Radulae of the chiton Acanthochitona rubrolineata were compared with those modified to cut the interlocking effect by removing the main lateral teeth (MLT) while leaving the other parts of the structure intact. Results indicate that the interlocking effect significantly enhanced the stiffness of MLT translation/rotation and frictional force through contact constraints from neighboring teeth while substantially reducing the maximum strain of the radulae. The interlocking effect was primarily facilitated by three contact constraints from neighboring second lateral teeth and MLT. The low elastic modulus of the membrane and the connection between MLTs-membrane contribute to the flexibility of the radular structure, which allows for greater freedom of translation/rotation for the loaded MLT, resulting in a strong interlocking effect. This study therefore provides valuable insights into the damage prevention mechanism of a rigid-flexible biological structure under conditions of high friction. [Display omitted] • Rigid-flexible structure of chiton radulae generates an interlocking effect. • Interlocking effect prevents radular teeth from extreme motion to increase friction. • Interlocking effect also reduces the strain-induced damage and failure of radulae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is a major production tree species for the European wood industry. However, it is highly sensitive to bark stripping (BS) by red deer (Cervus elaphus L.), which causes large timber losses. Because the red deer population has increased over the last decades, a better understanding of the underlying causes driving BS is urgently needed. BS outbreaks are multifactorial: winter food shortage, local and regional deer abundance and stand properties (thermal and visual cover, and scarcity of herbaceous layers) have been found to drive BS rates. Although the influence of each of these factors is well studied, there is still no consensus on their relative contributions to BS or what mitigation strategy is best. In this study, we made use of a long-term, large-scale BS inventory (13 years over 2570 km2) to fill these gaps. We modeled winter and summer BS rates in response to the most explanatory variables, selected from a large set of environmental variables. Our results highlight the prevalence of deer abundance combined with high sensitivity of coniferous thickets and pronounced habitat selection by deer for these stands. Our findings show that the control of red deer populations is a key measure for reducing BS in Norway spruce stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the pantograph of a rail vehicle on the overhead contact line depends on many factors. Among other things, the type of pantograph, i.e., the material of the sliding strip, influences the wear and possible damage to the sliding strip. The possibility of predicting pantograph failures may make it possible to reduce the number of these kinds of failures. This article presents a method for predicting the technical state of the pantograph by using artificial neural networks. The presented method enables the prediction of the wear and damage of the pantograph, with particular emphasis on carbon sliding strips. The paper compares 12 predictive models based on regression algorithms, where different training algorithms and activation functions were used. Two different types of training data were also used. Such a distinction made it possible to determine the optimal structure of the input and output data teaching the neural network, as well as the determination of the best structure and parameters of the model enabling the prediction of the technical condition of the current collector.

Nature is considered the first mentor to humans, comprising its own organisms, which are characterized by the ability to adapt to the environment, and also the ability to repair and clean themselves without the need for external interventions. Many designers can achieve sustainable design solutions by understanding and analyzing ecosystems. By looking deeply in the human body, we will find that it has self-healing ability. So what if interior design raw materials have characteristics of cleaning and repairing themselves? In the twenty-first century, researchers have begun to recognize the importance of the integration of mixed disciplines to find solutions for industrial problems. The research aims to highlight self-repairing materials and their applications to provide solutions for deformation of internal surfaces, which is reflected in the longevity of materials, contributing to sustainability. The study derives its significance from real problems in interior design and architecture, and finds technological alternatives that contribute to the reduction of costs and the efforts of maintenance. The article deals with the concept of self-healing materials, their importance, and utilizing these materials in interior spaces to achieve more a sustainable environment. The development of research led to the production of self-repairing materials applied inside interior spaces as protective coatings, self-repair materials using natural bacteria and shape memory alloys, or by adding external catalysts such as polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitigation of conflicts associated with large carnivore damage to livestock and agriculture is pivotal to their conservation. We evaluate current programs to compensate and prevent large carnivore damage in 27 European countries and the factors related to the economic costs of these programs. Overall, high compensation costs are associated with free-ranging livestock (68% of total costs) and with national economic wealth. Contrary to general belief, the return of large carnivores does not always translate into higher compensation costs. We identify a tendency towards prioritizing compensation over prevention; only a few wealthy countries pay the majority of the money allocated for prevention programs to adapt husbandry practices to the presence of large carnivores. We conclude that programs mainly focused on paying large compensation amounts will often fail to build tolerance towards predators. To mitigate conflicts and optimize the cost-effectiveness of publicly funded measures, responsible agencies should be proactive, focus on prevention-based policies and periodically evaluate the effectiveness of compensation and prevention programs in an adaptive manner. With this purpose and to identify further solutions for conflict mitigation, we call for a pan-European database of damage occurrence, management actions and associated costs. • Wealthy countries tend to spend more to compensate large carnivore damage in Europe. • High compensation and prevention costs are associated with free-ranging livestock. • Large carnivores' return does not always translate into high compensation costs. • Only few European countries subsidize preventive measures on a regular basis. • Compensation alone will often fail to build tolerance towards predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, industrial single-story RC precast buildings are investigated. Twenty-four case studies have been considered, in which the column height, the beam spans and the seismic hazard level are varied. The seismic design of the selected case studies is performed according to the Italian building code and additional technical documentation. Three-dimensional nonlinear models are defined to perform static and dynamic analyses for the seismic assessment of the selected case studies. Demand/capacity ratios in terms of the selected engineering demand parameters are computed for ten increasing values of the seismic input return period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species are important elements in ototoxic damage to hair cells (HCs), appearing early in the damage process. Higher levels of natural antioxidants are positively correlated with resistance to ototoxins and many studies have shown that exogenous antioxidants can protect HCs from damage. While a very wide variety of antioxidants with different characteristics and intracellular targets exist, most ototoxicity studies have focused upon one or a few well-characterized compounds. Relatively little research has attempted to determine the comparative efficacy of large variety of different antioxidants. This has been in part due to the lack of translation between cell culture and in vivo measures of efficacy. To circumvent this limitation, we used an in vitro assay based on micro-explants from the basal and middle turns of the neonatal mouse organ of Corti to screen a commercial redox library of diverse antioxidant compounds for their ability to protect mammalian HCs from a high dose of the ototoxic antibiotic gentamicin. The library included several antioxidants that have previously been studied as potential treatments for HC damage, as well as many antioxidants that have never been applied to ototoxicity. The micro-explants were treated with 200 μM gentamicin alone, gentamicin plus one of three dosages of a redox compound, the highest dosage of compound alone, or were untreated. HC counts were determined before the gentamicin insult and at 1, 2, and 3 days afterward to evaluate the HC survival. From a total of 81 antioxidant compounds, 13 exhibited significant protection of HCs. These included members of a variety of antioxidant classes with several novel antioxidants, not previously tested on HCs, appearing to alleviate the damaging gentamicin effect. Some compounds previously shown to be protective of HCs were correspondingly protective in this in vitro screen, while others were not. Finally, one of the three pro-oxidant compounds included in the library as well as six antioxidants exhibited evidence of toxicity in the absence of gentamicin. The results demonstrate the wide variability in the ability of antioxidants to protect HCs from high-dose gentamicin damage, and identify promising candidate leads for further study as potential drug targets.Highlights• A medium-throughput assay based on micro-explants of the organ of Corti was developed to screen mammalian cochlear hair cells for protection from damage by ototoxins.• Eighty one antioxidants and 3 pro-oxidants were evaluated for hair cell protection from high-dose gentamicin.• Thirteen antioxidants were significantly protective, while 6 proved to be damaging.• The use of a common assay permitted an evaluation of the relative capacity of different antioxidants for the protection of hair cells.

During the 3.8 billion years of biological evolution, a multitude of functional principles has been developed in all kingdoms of life enabling the sealing and healing of diverse types of damage. Inspired by this treasure trove, biologists and engineers have become increasingly interested in learning from biological insights for the development of self-repairing materials. In this review, particular attention is paid to the systematic transfer of knowledge from wound reactions in biological role models to technical applications with self-repair function. This knowledge transfer includes bioinspiration in terms of the conscious implementation of an idea from nature or biomimetics in the form of a systematic transfer of underlying functional principles found in selected biological role models. The current overview presents a selection of breakthroughs regarding bioinspired or biomimetic self-repairing materials, including the initial basic publications and the recent publications of the last eight years. Each reviewed publication is presented with reference to three key criteria: (i) self-repair mechanisms in plants or animals as role models; (ii) knowledge transfer from living nature to technology; and (iii) bioinspired or biomimetic materials with self-repair function. Finally, damage control is discussed with a focus on damage prevention and damage management.

Reactive oxygen species are important elements in ototoxic damage to hair cells (HCs), appearing early in the damage process. Higher levels of natural antioxidants are positively correlated with resistance to ototoxins and many studies have shown that exogenous antioxidants can protect HCs from damage. While a very wide variety of antioxidants with different characteristics and intracellular targets exist, most ototoxicity studies have focused upon one or a few well-characterized compounds. Relatively little research has attempted to determine the comparative efficacy of large variety of different antioxidants. This has been in part due to the lack of translation between cell culture and in vivo measures of efficacy. To circumvent this limitation, we used an in vitro assay based on micro-explants from the basal and middle turns of the neonatal mouse organ of Corti to screen a commercial redox library of diverse antioxidant compounds for their ability to protect mammalian HCs from a high dose of the ototoxic antibiotic gentamicin. The library included several antioxidants that have previously been studied as potential treatments for HC damage, as well as many antioxidants that have never been applied to ototoxicity. The micro-explants were treated with 200 μM gentamicin alone, gentamicin plus one of three dosages of a redox compound, the highest dosage of compound alone, or were untreated. HC counts were determined before the gentamicin insult and at 1, 2, and 3 days afterward to evaluate the HC survival. From a total of 81 antioxidant compounds, 13 exhibited significant protection of HCs. These included members of a variety of antioxidant classes with several novel antioxidants, not previously tested on HCs, appearing to alleviate the damaging gentamicin effect. Some compounds previously shown to be protective of HCs were correspondingly protective in this in vitro screen, while others were not. Finally, one of the three pro-oxidant compounds included in the library as well as six antioxidants exhibited evidence of toxicity in the absence of gentamicin. The results demonstrate the wide variability in the ability of antioxidants to protect HCs from high-dose gentamicin damage, and identify promising candidate leads for further study as potential drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood damage results in economic and environmental losses in the society, but flood prevention also entails an initial investment in infrastructure. This study presents an integrated eco-efficiency approach for assessing flood prevention and avoided damage. We focused on ephemeral streams in the Maresme region (Catalonia, Spain), which is an urbanized area affected by damaging torrential events. Our goal was to determine the feasibility of post-disaster emergency actions implemented after a major event through an integrated hydrologic, environmental and economic approach. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and costing (LCC) were used to determine the eco-efficiency of these actions, and their net impact and payback were calculated by integrating avoided flood damage. Results showed that the actions effectively reduced damage generation when compared to the registered water flows and rainfall intensities. The eco-efficiency of the emergency actions resulted in 1.2 kg CO 2 eq. per invested euro. When integrating the avoided damage into the initial investment, negative net impacts were obtained (e.g., − 5.2E + 05 € and − 2.9E + 04 kg CO 2 eq. per event), which suggests that these interventions contributed with environmental and economic benefits to the society. The economic investment was recovered in two years, whereas the design could be improved to reduce their environmental footprint, which is recovered in 25 years. Our method and results highlight the effects of integrating the environmental and economic consequences of decisions at an urban scale and might help the administration and insurance companies in the design of prevention plans and climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Derecho Privado is the property of Universidad de los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Highway agencies worldwide strive to ensure that highway users pay fees that not only recover the costs of pavement damage but also are equitable. In addressing the limitations of past research and quantifying the resulting adverse consequences on their analysis outcomes, this paper presents a comprehensive framework to derive more representative estimates of pavement damage cost. The developed framework incorporates practical pavement repair schedules that include all the key repair categories as a basis for estimating the marginal pavement damage cost (MPDC). The framework was applied to pavements of different surface type, functional class and age. On average, the MPDC was found to range from $0.0032 per ESAL-mile on Interstate highways to $0.1124 per ESAL-mile on non-national highways. It was determined that in each highway functional class, the marginal cost of pavement damage is influenced significantly by the pavement material type, traffic levels and age. Within any specific functional class, it was determined that the marginal cost increases with increasing traffic level and pavement age. The study also determined that non-consideration of at least one key repair category such as reconstruction or routine maintenance leads to significant (27–45%) underestimation of the actual MPDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel methodology is presented for pre-conditioning a polymer-coated steel used in food and beverage packaging. Mechanical rejuvenation of the coating via rolling is studied in order to prevent interface damage in subsequent forming operations. The simulations reveal that the thermodynamic state of the polymer coating after rolling depends on the rolling reduction. This dependency can be used to tailor the thermodynamic state of the coating prior to can production. A proof-of-principle simulation was performed to study the effects of rejuvenation on subsequent deformation processes. Deformation-induced interface roughening was studied for the initial and rejuvenated polymer coating. The predictions for a rejuvenated polymer coating indicate a significant decrease in interface damage. The presented numerical framework allows for a detailed study of the effects of pre-conditioning on the interface integrity during subsequent forming operations. With properly identified material parameters, it becomes possible to tailor the polymer–steel material properties before and during production to minimize interface damage during production and storage of cans or canisters, e.g. for food and beverage packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among free living animals in Slovenia, wild boar (Sus scrofa) damages agricultural land by rooting and primarily by directly feeding on open fields. In some areas of Slovenia this large wildlife animal causes more than 50% of all estimated damage to cultivated plants grown on arable and forage fields. Many techniques for controlling wild boar and preventing damage are known, but none of them is optimal. In a trial for preventing wild boar ingress into maize fields different designs of electric fence system were used. The trial in which we used an electric fence to prevent wild boar from entering a maize field was erected in the area of Šmihel near Postojna (Slovenia). We decided to erect the electric fence at the end of July, after the fertilization of the maize. The following designs of electric fence systems were used: 1) a plastic post with a polywire and two polytapes with spacings of 15, 15, and 30 cm between them; 2) a plastic post with polywire and a polytape with spacings 25 and 25 cm between them; 3) a steal post as a wire offset in an inverted L shape on which three screws on rod insulators were fixed at a height of 15, 30, and 55 cm from the ground. A polytape at a height of 30 cm acted as depth and it was a so-called three-dimensional design of electric fence. No breaks through fencing were observed until the harvesting time of the maize for silage, although boar tracks on the outside of the fenced field were observed. Damage to arable fields in the vicinity of the protected field was also recorded.

Wild boar populations have dramatically increased in the past decades and the species has spread all over Europe. As the wild boar expanded its activity range into agricultural land, conflicts with humans have intensified. Today, the damage caused by wild boar amounts to millions of dollars every year. In Switzerland, farmers usually protect fields with electric fences, which have proven to be effective in preventing damage, but are also expensive. Alternatively, various cheaper deterrents and repellents are commercially available. However, most of them lack scientific proof of efficacy. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of the odor repellent 'Wildschwein-Stopp' against wild boar. We conducted field experiments with free-ranging wild boars at baited luring sites, which were placed in three different regions of the Canton Basel-Land, Northwest Switzerland. The odor repellent was not able to prevent the wild boars from entering our luring sites. We recorded a minimal and non-significant deterrent effect of 0.4%. Our results lead to the conclusion that the repellent is ineffective and, therefore, not recommendable for crop protection. On the basis of the present study we generally doubt fear-inducing repellents to be effective against wild boars and feral pigs. Our findings may indicate seasonal variation in wild boar activity outside forests since the probability of wild boar visits at the luring sites differed according to the season. The visits at the luring sites peaked in spring and fall which coincides with the occurrence of damage to agricultural land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts with human interests have reappeared following recovery of large carnivores in Europe. Public acceptance is higher than historically but there is a need to identify effective, acceptable techniques to facilitate coexistence. We present a case study of predation on livestock in Slovakia. Damage, mitigation measures and public opinion were assessed using compensation records, analysis of farm conditions, questionnaire surveys, semi-structured interviews, diet analysis and on-farm trials of livestock-guarding dogs. Economic damage was inconsequential on a national scale but high locally: c. 80% of reported losses occurred at 12% of sheep flocks. Grey wolves Canis lupus were held responsible for four to six times more damage than brown bears Ursus arctos, although livestock occurred in only 2 of 78 wolf faeces during spring–autumn, when sheep and cattle were most vulnerable. Losses to Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx were negligible. Compared to other sectors of society shepherds had the most negative attitudes, particularly towards wolves, despite compensation payments. Appropriate use of livestock-guarding dogs was associated with fewer losses: median loss at trial flocks with predation was 70% lower than at control flocks. We conclude that identifying vulnerable farms and targeting them for mitigation could reduce damage, although lack of motivation and awareness are obstacles. This study shows that damage levels need not be excessive despite high predator densities in human-dominated landscapes. Conflicts were unevenly distributed, with much of the variation explained by local conditions and husbandry practices, especially preventive measures. Livestock-guarding dogs are particularly appropriate where wolves are present in proximity to unfenced pastures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The increasing awareness of some local and international authorities has promoted the appearance of new legislation and the rising of research works focused in the prevention of damage to the cultural heritage in karstic caves. Nevertheless, karstic areas usually imply complex studies, and a universal methodology is very difficult to establish. This work exposes the basic methodology for the geological risk assessment in archaeological site and/or rock art bearing karstic caves getting a strategy that provides flexibility to adjust specific methods according to the conditions of different cases. The integrated use of basic geological (mapping, petrology, stratigraphy…) and geotechnical (rock mass quality analytical methods and indexes) techniques used in engineering geology is proposed. Those techniques permit the geological characterization of the rock mass, the hazard identification and the analysis and the geological risk assessment of the research area. Obtained geological risk areas could be included in protection areas that could be used as the basis for the selection of the areas where further investigations and the application of prevention/mitigation measures would have a better cost/benefit ratio. The geological risk should be considered together with other type risk evaluations in order to define effective protection areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Environmental education also needs to introduce to the hazards of nature, such as pollution and UV radiation. For these purposes resources are needed as means of curriculum realization. A curriculum has been developed with emphasis on information and protection from UVR with particular focus on young children at kindergartens. This provides recommendations that will reduce skin damage and skin cancer risks during the most sensitive period of a child's life through education. Particular curriculum elements include: knowledge about the origin, presence, the general and health effects of UVR; skills in sun-avoidance and protection as well as awareness of combined effects of UVR with other environmental hazards (e.g. industrial photosmog that deplete stratospheric ozone). The UVR curriculum is meant as an additional instrument besides the provision of physical, social, and organizational environments that facilitate protection from UVR at kindergartens. Besides young children themselves, focus is directed on the professional development of staff and the involvement of families to implement knowledge and change of attitudes towards the threats of increasing levels of UVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the pantograph of a rail vehicle on the overhead contact line depends on many factors. Among other things, the type of pantograph, i.e., the material of the sliding strip, influences the wear and possible damage to the sliding strip. The possibility of predicting pantograph failures may make it possible to reduce the number of these kinds of failures. This article presents a method for predicting the technical state of the pantograph by using artificial neural networks. The presented method enables the prediction of the wear and damage of the pantograph, with particular emphasis on carbon sliding strips. The paper compares 12 predictive models based on regression algorithms, where different training algorithms and activation functions were used. Two different types of training data were also used. Such a distinction made it possible to determine the optimal structure of the input and output data teaching the neural network, as well as the determination of the best structure and parameters of the model enabling the prediction of the technical condition of the current collector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the largest carnivore in Turkey and has been legally protected since 2003. However, increasing levels of conflict between brown bears and humans have been reported for several regions, especially for Artvin in northeastern Turkey. We documented the conflict in an attempt to understand human attitudes and responses and evaluate existing and potential damage prevention techniques. The study was conducted within landscapes at different scales, ranging from a core area defined by a large valley system to the whole of the Artvin Province. Data on close encounters, injuries, and damage caused were collected through government records, published literature, and open-ended interviews with the local people. On more than two-thirds of close encounters recorded, no harm occurred to bear or people. Bear attacks on humans were rare and only occasionally led to non-fatal injuries. Nevertheless, several bears were shot and killed in the study area during the study (2002-2005), apparently as a consequence of damage experienced by farmers. Interviews indicated a widespread belief that bears have become more of a problem. Bear damage was reported mostly in late summer for field crops and orchards and in spring for beehives. Precautions taken by villagers relied mostly on locally available technologies and varied in effectiveness against bears. We propose that introduction and implementation of modern techniques of exclusion such as portable electric fences around valuable resources (e.g. bee yards), improvements in bear awareness, and effective cooperation among various stakeholders would reduce human bear conflict to acceptable levels in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested whether grazing by cattle is effective for deterring persistent sika deer intrusion into two pastures (HB and DB) in Tochigi, Japan. The relative abundance of deer appearance at the pastures (RAIdeer), as evaluated by camera trapping, was compared at various cattle stocking densities (CSD) in HB (0–2.5 cow-days ha−1 camera-day−1) and DB (0–14.3 cow-day ha−1 camera-day−1). For controlling the several factors affecting RAIdeer, the least-squares means (LSM) of RAIdeer in HB and the adjusted values of RAIdeer (adjRAIdeer) in HB and DB were calculated usingancova. In HB, a significant positive correlation was observed between RAIdeer and CSD ( r = 0.295, P < 0.001), but not between adjRAIdeer and CSD ( r = 0.101, P = 0.15). The LSM of the RAIdeer was significantly ( P < 0.05) higher during the grazing period (May–October) than during the nongrazing period. In DB, there was no significant correlation between the RAIdeer and CSD ( r = –0.023, P = 0.76) or between the adjRAIdeer and CSD ( r = –0.118, P = 0.13). These results suggest that the increment of cattle stocking density will not deter sika deer from intruding into a permanent pasture that has been persistently grazed by cattle. Grazing cattle is not sufficient for preventing pasture damage by sika deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationship between state requirements for preparation of local government comprehensive plans and claims paid by property insurance companies for losses due to weather-related natural disasters between 1994 and 2000. During the period studied, insurance companies paid out more than $26 billion (in constant 2000 dollars) for disaster-related claims arising from losses to residential property. Although a majority of states do not require local governments to prepare comprehensive plans, 24 states do require plans, and 10 states specifically require that mandated plans pay attention to natural hazards. Multivariate analyses indicate that insured losses to residential property over the period studied could have been reduced by 0.52% if all states had required local comprehensive plans and by a further 0.47% if, in addition, they had required consideration of natural hazards in local plans. Over the period studied, if all states had required comprehensive plans with hazard mitigation elements, the toll in insured losses to residential property from natural disasters would have been reduced by approximately $213 million in constant 2000 dollars (±$98 million at the 95% level of confidence). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No consensus exists as to whether cotherapy is effective in the short-term prevention of severe NSAID-related gastroduodenal damage. The aim of this study was to provide a quantitative systematic review of the efficacy of gastroprotective drugs, such as misoprostol, H2-blockers, and proton pump inhibitors (PPI) in preventing the severe acute NSAID-related gastroduodenal damage. Placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials on the use of misoprostol, H2-blockers, and PPIs as preventative agents published between January 1986 and May 1999 were identified through Medline and reference lists from clinical reviews. Studies on patients or healthy subjects were considered to be eligible for data pooling if they were performed in acute NSAID users (not longer than 30 days) and with at least one endoscopic evaluation during therapy that reported results specifically for gastric and duodenal damage. Risk difference (RD), heterogeneity χ2 test, publication bias assessment and number needed to treat (NnT) were calculated for each meta-analysis by a customized program. Twenty-one trials met the inclusion criteria evaluating a total of 636 healthy subjects and 1904 patients with arthritis randomized to active drug or placebo. The baseline risk of NSAID-related gastric (68% vs 16.6%, P < 0.001) and duodenal (22% vs 8.5%, P < 0.001) damage was higher in healthy subjects compared to patients with arthritis. Meta-analysis demonstrated a significant heterogeneity between trials performed in the two populations (P < 0.0001). In healthy subjects the active drug treatment induced a significant prevention of severe gastric (misoprostol RD = 69%, 95% CI = 60.3–77.7, H2-blocker RD = 38.3%, 95% CI = 17.8–58.9 and PPI RD = 43%, 95% CI = 28.2–57.7) and duodenal damage (misoprostol RD = 22.3%, 95% CI = 13.6–31, H2-blocker RD = 13.2%, 95% CI = 5.2–21.3 and PPI RD = 17.7%, 95% CI = 3.5–31.8). NnT values were, respectively, 1, 3, and 2 for gastric and 4, 8, and 6 for duodenal damage. In patients with arthritis lower RD and higher NnT values were found compared to healthy subjects. In conclusions, cotreatment with gastroprotective drugs for short-term prevention of severe gastroduodenal NSAID-related damage was more effective in healthy subjects than in patients with arthritis; misoprostol and PPIs were more effective than H2-blockers in the prevention of both gastric and duodenal severe damage; more studies need to evaluate the role of short-term prevention in patients with arthritis who require acute NSAID treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage to the pantograph or sliding strip may cause the blocking of the railway line. This is the main reason for which the prediction of pantographs' failure is important for railway carriers and researchers. This article presents a sliding strips failure prediction method as a main means of preventing disruptions to the transport chain. To develop the best predictive model based on the decision tree, the complex tree, medium tree and simple tree machine learning methods were tested. Using a decision tree, the categorization of the given technical conditions can be properly realized. The obtained results showed that the presented model can reduce sliding strip failure by up to 50%. Special attention was paid to the current collector (AKP-4E, 5ZL type), measured during periodic reviews of locomotives EU07 and EU09. To assess the reliability of the selected pantograph strips, a non-destructive degradation analysis was carried out. On the basis of the wear measurements of the strips and the critical value of wear, a failure distribution model was developed. Operational data, collected during periodic technical reviews, were provided by one of the biggest railway carriers in Poland. The results of the performed analyses may be used to build a preventive maintenance strategy to protect pantographs. The applied reliability models of wear propagation can be extended by the parameters of the cost and repair time becoming the basis for estimating the costs of operation and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the pantograph of a rail vehicle on the overhead contact line depends on many factors. Among other things, the type of pantograph, i.e., the material of the sliding strip, influences the wear and possible damage to the sliding strip. The possibility of predicting pantograph failures may make it possible to reduce the number of these kinds of failures. This article presents a method for predicting the technical state of the pantograph by using artificial neural networks. The presented method enables the prediction of the wear and damage of the pantograph, with particular emphasis on carbon sliding strips. The paper compares 12 predictive models based on regression algorithms, where different training algorithms and activation functions were used. Two different types of training data were also used. Such a distinction made it possible to determine the optimal structure of the input and output data teaching the neural network, as well as the determination of the best structure and parameters of the model enabling the prediction of the technical condition of the current collector.