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Past decades have seen substantial efforts devoted to observing, assessing, and documenting the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon. However, the discrepant criteria of non-urban references and ambiguous distinctions between urban and rural landscapes pose great challenges in measuring UHI magnitudes and spatial extents. This study goes beyond the conventional urban-rural dichotomy and introduces a new two-step approach based on the continuous transition of thermal environments along urban-rural gradients. The approach is applied to quantify Surface UHI (SUHI) intensities and footprints across 283 Chinese cities from 2005 to 2018 using multiple satellite-derived data sources. The results include: 1) The two-step approach avoids the limitations in subjective rural reference selections and provides reliable quantification of SUHI characteristics in various cities over time. 2) The SUHI footprints extracted by our approach are more reasonable than those obtained by two existing methods, with footprint ratios generally ranging within 0 − 6 times the urban area. 3) The two-step approach provides more concentrated estimates of SUHI intensity. Typically, ignoring heat sources in non-built-up areas can cause an overestimation of SUHI effect and misidentification of remote rural areas with high temperatures. Overall, the two-step approach enables more accurate estimates of SUHI effect, thereby facilitating policy-making for SUHI mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Rubber Industry is the property of Editorial Office of China Rubber Industry 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.)

Copyright of China Rubber Industry is the property of Editorial Office of China Rubber Industry 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.)

The intentional combination of two or more marine activities with the purpose of sharing space, infrastructure, resources and/or operations, referred to as multi-use, is gaining attention as a means to reduce the spatial footprint of human activities but possibly also its ecological footprint. In this study, the Spatial Cumulative Assessment of Impact Risk for Management (SCAIRM) method was adapted and applied to assess whether multi-use can reduce the ecological footprint in terms of the cumulative impacts on the marine ecosystem, by integrating multiple offshore activities in different configurations as compared to these activities separated in space, referred to as single-use. These configurations combine renewable energy, aquaculture, nature restoration and tourism activities, in different combinations. For the sake of this multi-use assessment these activities were subdivided into actions, their allocation in space and time represented in scenarios (e.g. single-use versus multi-use) which were then evaluated in terms of their ecological footprint (i.e. Impact Risk). The main finding is that the calculated Impact Risk in multi-use is often lower than that in single-use and in any case never higher. This study also shows that there is still much to be gained in terms of further reduction in Impact Risk through an optimization of the multi-use design by comparing the scenario based on actual pilots deemed more realistic (i.e. co-existence with limited synergies) with a hypothetical optimal scenario (i.e. multi-functional). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate identification and recognition of newborns hold significant importance in ensuring their safety and security within healthcare environments, particularly in hospitals and nurseries. This review article delves into the realm of biometric recognition techniques applied to newborns. The motivation behind this exploration lies in the pressing need for dependable methods that can prevent instances of mix-ups and mismatches, contributing to the overall welfare of infants and peace of mind for caregivers. The review encompasses an analysis of pertinent literature, focusing on authors, methodologies, databases, challenges faced, algorithms employed, performance metrics, and overarching observations. The authors examined a variety of biometric modalities, including footprint recognition based on minutiae features, handprints, facial recognition, and voice recognition. The study considers the distinct challenges associated with newborn biometrics, such as the limited availability of comprehensive databases containing diverse newborn biometric samples. The goal of this review paper is to conduct a thorough analysis of relevant research on biometric recognition of newborns, including the current state-of-the-art, potential challenges, and opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted during December, 2020 to June, 2021 at Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India to evaluate the ecological footprint of 15 hospitals that were chosen at random. The purpose of this study was to assess the ecological impact of these medical facilities-which included both government and private hospitals--across five blocks of district. The ecological footprint framework was utilized to analyze factors such as food waste, solid waste, water consumption and energy consumption and material use, determining their impact on biocapacity. The average ecological footprints of the hospitals ranged from 116.5 to 271.4 global hectares (g ha). The ecological footprints varied across different blocks as follows Jawalamukhi (349.7 g ha), Dharamshala (535.6 g ha), Nurpur (698.3 g ha), Palampur (722.3 g ha), and Kangra (814.0 g ha). Notably, the hospitals in the Jawalamukhi block were the most sustainable, exhibiting the lowest ecological footprint. These results underscore the significant environmental impact of hospitals and the urgent need for initiatives to reduce their ecological footprint, particularly in the Kangra block. The results emphasize the importance of sustainable resource utilization in healthcare institutions to minimize their ecological footprint and promote environmental sustainability. To achieve a balance between providing healthcare services and protecting the environment, the research recommends extensive actions to enhance the effectiveness of resource utilization, waste management, and energy consumption in hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eukaryotic gene transcription is fine-tuned by precise spatiotemporal interactions between cis-regulatory elements (CREs) and trans-acting factors. However, how CREs individually or coordinated with epigenetic marks function in regulating homoeolog bias expression is still largely unknown in wheat. In this study, through comprehensively characterizing open chromatin coupled with DNA methylation in the seedling and spikelet of common wheat, we observed that differential chromatin openness occurred between the seedling and spikelet, which plays important roles in tissue development through regulating the expression of related genes or through the transcription factor (TF)-centered regulatory network. Moreover, we found that CHH methylation may act as a key determinant affecting the differential binding of TFs, thereby resulting in differential expression of target genes. In addition, we found that sequence variations in MNase hypersensitive sites (MHSs) result in the differential expression of key genes responsible for important agronomic traits. Thus, our study provides new insights into the roles of CREs in regulating tissue or homoeolog bias expression, and controlling important agronomic traits in common wheat. It also provides potential CREs for genetic and epigenetic manipulation toward improving desirable traits for wheat molecule breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• S tability and regularity analysis of bare footprint measurements at different motion speeds. • Significant differences were found in length measurements (A1-A5). • MPJ and Calc width showed no significant differences across different speeds. • Mean length measurements decreased gradually as walking speed accelerated among young adults in eastern China. In some crime scenes, there may be bare footprints. Analyzing and testing the linear measurements of bare footprints in crime scenes can play an important role in personal analysis and individual identification. However, the linear measurements of bare footprints may be influenced by different motion states, leading to changes in length and width or even significant deviations. Previous studies focused on the linear differences between static and dynamic footprints, and failed to take the speed factor into consideration. This paper studied the stability and change regularities of the linear measurements of bare footprints in four different motion states: standing, normal walking, fast walking and trotting. Dust footprints of the right feet were collected from 80 healthy young adults under these four motion states. Seven linear measurements were obtained for each footprint using the Reel method, totaling 2240 data sets. One-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess the measurement variations across the four states. The results showed that there were statistically significant variances in the length measurements (A1-A5) between the standing state and other motion states, whereas no statistically significant variances were observed between the three dynamic states. It was found that the mean values of the five length measurements (A1–A5) increased from static to dynamic state, and then gradually decreased slightly as the walking speed increased. Additionally, no significant differences were found in the two width measurements (MPJ Width and Calc Width) between the four motion states. As a preliminary study, this study can provide a reference for the analysis of bare footprints in different motion states extracted from crime scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reflected ceiling plan (RCP) is a two-dimensional drawing of facilities with ceiling equipment, such as lighting, fire alarms, sprinklers, and inspection holes. The RCP is often created from existing facilities for safety standard verification, renovation, and inspection. However, the creation of RCPs of large-scale facilities requires significant time and effort. In this study, a method for extracting ceiling equipment information from point clouds acquired using a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) was developed for RCP creation. The proposed method is based on footprint detection for ceiling equipment and involves three steps. First, circular and quadrilateral footprints of the ceiling equipment from point clouds of each scan are detected. Next, the footprints are merged for multiple scans and clustered using their dimensions and point distributions. Finally, the labels of pieces of equipment are interactively assigned to each cluster. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated for four facilities using TLS point clouds. The experimental results showed that the detection rates of footprints (recall) exceeded 90% within a scan distance of 6 m, and the labeling accuracy was also more than 90%. For 79 scans (point clouds) of a facility, the time for extracting 80% of equipment information for RCP creation was approximately 25 min, which corresponds to 2% of the manual RCP creation time of the facility. This demonstrates that the proposed method achieves efficient RCP creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Research in Agricultural Sciences is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals 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.)

Pamuk üretimi üzerine yapılan çalışmalar, pamuk yetiştiriciliğinin yüksek su tüketimine sahip olduğunu dolayısıyla, özellikle kurak bölgelerde su kaynaklarının sürdürülebilirliği üzerinde olumsuz bir etkiye sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Pamuk sulamasında ihtiyaç duyulan suyun az olduğu bölgelerin tespit edilmesi, ülke bazında su kaynaklarının korunması adına önem arz etmektedir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, Türkiye'deki pamuk üretiminin yeşil ve mavi su kullanımı üzerinde derinlemesine bir analiz sunarak su ve tarım yönetimi çalışmalarına katkı sağlamaktır. Bu bağlamda ulusal iklim ve bitki verileri sanal su (SS) ve su ayak izi (SA) metodu kapsamında analiz edilmiştir. ArcMap 10.7 yazılımı ve alansal interpolasyon araçları kullanılarak ülke genelinde ekimi yapılan pamuğun yeşil ve mavi su ayak izi yüksek mekânsal ve zamansal çözünürlükle hesaplanmış, sonuçlar 24 il ve 141 ilçe genelinde görselleştirilmiştir. Buna göre, 2019-2023 yılları arasındaki üretim verileri dikkate alındığında Türkiye genelinde yıllık kütlü pamuk üretimine yaklaşık 3.68 milyar m3 mavi suyun harcandığı görülmektedir. Tarladaki pamuğun birim yeşil ve mavi su ayak izleri ise ortalama 205 ve 1641 m3/ton olarak bulunmuştur. Hali hazırda Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır ve Aydın illeri, ülke için en önemli pamuk ekim merkezleri olup, pamuk yetiştiriciliği için tüketilen suyun yarıya yakını Şanlıurfa ilinde kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın sonuçlarına göre, pamuk üretiminde kullanılan birim mavi su (m3/ton), bazı bölgelerde iki katına kadar çıkmakta, bu durum özellikle toprak neminin az olduğu kurak bölgelerde aşırı miktarda su tüketilmesine sebep olmaktadır. Buna göre, Türkiye’deki pamuk yetiştiriciliğinin Güneydoğu bölgesinden Çukurova bölgesine kaydırılması, ülkenin su kaynaklarının korunması adına önemli bir strateji olacaktır. Bu çalışmada pamuğun su tüketimini azaltmaya yönelik stratejiler de tartışılmıştır.

Oases play a crucial role in arid regions within the human–environmental system, holding significant ecological and biological importance. The Oasis Cold Island Effect (OCIE) represents a distinct climatic feature of oases and serves as a vital metric for assessing oasis ecosystems. Previous studies have overlooked the spatial extent of the Oasis Cold Island Effect (OCIE), specifically the boundary delineating areas influenced and unaffected by oases. This boundary is defined as the Oasis Cold Island Footprint (OCI FP). Utilizing Logistic modeling and MODIS data products, OCI FPs were calculated for the Ejina Oasis from 2000 to 2019. The assessment results underscore the accuracy and feasibility of the methodology, indicating its potential applicability to other oases. Spatial and temporal distributions of OCI FPs and the intensity of the Oasis Cold Island Effect Intensity (OCIEI) in the Ejina Oasis were analyzed, yielding the following findings: (1) OCI FP area and complexity were smallest in summer and largest in autumn. (2) Over the period 2000–2019, OCI FPs exhibited a pattern of increase, decrease, and subsequent increase. (3) OCIEI peaks in summer and reaches its lowest point in winter. Lastly, the study addresses current limitations and outlines future research objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computationally expensive data processing in neuroimaging research places demands on energy consumption—and the resulting carbon emissions contribute to the climate crisis. We measured the carbon footprint of the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) preprocessing tool fMRIPrep, testing the effect of varying parameters on estimated carbon emissions and preprocessing performance. Performance was quantified using (a) statistical individual‐level task activation in regions of interest and (b) mean smoothness of preprocessed data. Eight variants of fMRIPrep were run with 257 participants who had completed an fMRI stop signal task (the same data also used in the original validation of fMRIPrep). Some variants led to substantial reductions in carbon emissions without sacrificing data quality: for instance, disabling FreeSurfer surface reconstruction reduced carbon emissions by 48%. We provide six recommendations for minimising emissions without compromising performance. By varying parameters and computational resources, neuroimagers can substantially reduce the carbon footprint of their preprocessing. This is one aspect of our research carbon footprint over which neuroimagers have control and agency to act upon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) holds enormous potential for accurately estimating terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP). However, current studies often overlook the spatial representativeness of satellite SIF and GPP observations. This research downscaled TROPOMI SIF (TROPOSIF) and its enhanced product (eSIF) in China's Saihanba Forest Region to obtain high-resolution SIF data. SIF was simulated using the SCOPE model, and the downscaled SIF's reliability was validated at two forest eddy covariance (EC) sites (SHB1 and SHB2) in the study area. Subsequently, the downscaled SIF data were matched to the EC footprint of the two forest sites, and the relationship between SIF and GPP was compared at various observational scales. Additionally, the ability of downscaled TROPOSIF and eSIF to track GPP was compared, along with the correlations among several vegetation indices (VIs) and GPP. The findings reveal the following: (1) Downscaled TROPOSIF and eSIF showed a strong linear relationship with SCOPE-modeled SIF (R2 ≥ 0.86). The eSIF closely matched the SCOPE simulation (RMSE: 0.06 mw m−2 nm−1 sr−1) and displayed a more consistent seasonal variation pattern with GPP. (2) Comparisons among coarse-resolution SIF, EC footprint-averaged SIF (SIFECA), and EC footprint-weighted SIF (SIFECW) demonstrated significant improvements in the linear relationship between downscaled SIF and GPP (the R2 increased from the range of 0.47–0.65 to 0.78–0.85). SIFECW exhibited the strongest relationship with GPP, indicating that matching SIF to flux footprints improves their relationship. (3) As the distance from the flux tower increased, the relationship between SIF and GPP weakened, reaching its lowest point beyond 1 km from the tower. Moreover, in the highly heterogeneous landscape of the SHB2 site, the relationship between VIs and GPP was poor, with no clear pattern as distance from the flux tower increased. In conclusion, the strong spatial dependency of SIF and tower-based GPP emphasizes the importance of using high-resolution SIF to accurately quantify their relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper proposes that all methodologies create a footprint like the carbon footprint. Design and implementation of new methodologies require limited resources and funding, and these resources are not equitably distributed on a global scale. Thus, we argue for more ecological uses of methodologies, especially in the context of data collection and interdependent relations of knowledge/information creation. Like the excessive use of energy sources, potentially unnecessary productions of new data, information, and evidence should not be regarded as unproblematic, let alone virtuous. Rather, qualitative researchers, funding agencies, and other bodies that evaluate research, should question whether new data, information, evidence are needed and at what cost. We also propose more data recycling, data sharing, open access data, and other ecological ways of supporting shared knowledge and monitoring excessive data production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The detailed complexity of triceps brachii insertional footprint continues to challenge surgeons as evidenced by continued reports of triceps-associated complications following elbow procedures. The purpose of this study is to describe the three-dimensional footprint of the triceps brachii at its olecranon insertion at the elbow. Methods: 22 cadaveric elbows were dissected leaving only the distal insertion of the triceps intact. The insertion was defined and probed with a three-dimensional digitizer to create a digital three-dimensional footprint allowing width, height, and surface area of the footprint to be recorded relative to the bare area. The insertional soft tissues of tendon versus muscle along with the shape of the footprints were qualitatively described. Results: The mean width and surface area of the lateral segment was greater in males than in females (30.07 mm vs. 24.37 mm, p = 0.0339 and 282.1 mm vs. 211. 56 mm, p = 0.0181, respectively). No other statistically significant differences between the sexes were noted. The triceps insertional footprint was "crescent-shaped" and consisted of three regions: central tendon, medial muscular extension, and lateral muscular extension. Discussion: These findings can help explain the importance of avoiding these muscular structures during triceps-off approaches and provides the framework for future clinical studies. Clinical Relevance: Basic Science, anatomy study, cadaver dissection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a story of inspiration and (intellectual) freedom. This is a story of the of arts and multidimensional scholarly expression. This is a story of R emembering and gratitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hyperbolic code is an evaluation code that improves a Reed–Muller code because the dimension increases while the minimum distance is not penalized. We give necessary and sufficient conditions, based on the basic parameters of the Reed–Muller code, to determine whether a Reed–Muller code coincides with a hyperbolic code. Given a hyperbolic code , we find the largest Reed–Muller code contained in and the smallest Reed–Muller code containing . We then prove that similar to Reed–Muller and affine Cartesian codes, the r th generalized Hamming weight and the r th footprint of the hyperbolic code coincide. Unlike for Reed–Muller and affine Cartesian codes, determining the r th footprint of a hyperbolic code is still an open problem. We give upper and lower bounds for the r th footprint of a hyperbolic code that, sometimes, are sharp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight fossil tetrapod footprints from lake-shore deposits in the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site (SGDS) in southwestern Utah cannot be assigned to the prevalent dinosaurian (Anomoepus, Eubrontes, Gigandipus, Grallator, Kayentapus) or crocodyliform (Batrachopus) ichnotaxa at the site. The tridactyl and tetradactyl footprints are incomplete, consisting of digit- and digit-tip-only imprints. Seven of the eight are likely pes prints; the remaining specimen is a possible manus print. The pes prints have digit imprint morphologies and similar anterior projections and divarication angles to those of Brasilichnium, an ichnotaxon found primarily in eolian paleoenvironments attributed to eucynodont synapsids. Although their incompleteness prevents clear referral to Brasilichnium, the SGDS tracks nevertheless suggest a eucynodont track maker and thus represent a rare, Early Mesozoic occurrence of such tracks outside of an eolian paleoenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane cultivation involves several operations with vehicle traffic. Tires for cargo vehicles are responsible for soil compaction, which is the main impact caused by machines in agriculture. Thus, the present research aimed to evaluate load wheelsets interaction on deformable and rigid running surfaces. We use three tire models used on transshipment vehicles to sugarcane crops, one road and two agricultures, described as p1, double road radial wheelset; p2, agricultural radial tire; and p3, bias ply tire. We adopted a completely randomized design with three replications, for the total contact area and punctual area claws. In the deformable surface, the resistance to soil penetration was verified. Road tires had the largest punctual contact area to the total area, the total area/punctual area ratio was 66.9% in double road radial tire (p1), 34.8% in agricultural radial tire (p2) and 54.8% in bias ply tire (p3). Road tires may be applicable in situations where traffic is controlled in the field; however, for areas where traffic control measures are not applied, the radial tire has better performance. In a deformable surface, the contact areas increase in relation to the rigid surface, this occurs due to the soil particles rearrangement, and this causes the compaction process. Higher soil penetration resistance was obtained by bias ply and road tires (p1 and p3), and their application must be careful in sugarcane crops, mainly under conditions of high soil moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intentional combination of two or more marine activities with the purpose of sharing space, infrastructure, resources and/or operations, referred to as multi-use, is gaining attention as a means to reduce the spatial footprint of human activities but possibly also its ecological footprint. In this study, the Spatial Cumulative Assessment of Impact Risk for Management (SCAIRM) method was adapted and applied to assess whether multi-use can reduce the ecological footprint in terms of the cumulative impacts on the marine ecosystem, by integrating multiple offshore activities in different configurations as compared to these activities separated in space, referred to as single-use. These configurations combine renewable energy, aquaculture, nature restoration and tourism activities, in different combinations. For the sake of this multi-use assessment these activities were subdivided into actions, their allocation in space and time represented in scenarios (e.g. single-use versus multi-use) which were then evaluated in terms of their ecological footprint (i.e. Impact Risk). The main finding is that the calculated Impact Risk in multi-use is often lower than that in single-use and in any case never higher. This study also shows that there is still much to be gained in terms of further reduction in Impact Risk through an optimization of the multi-use design by comparing the scenario based on actual pilots deemed more realistic (i.e. co-existence with limited synergies) with a hypothetical optimal scenario (i.e. multi-functional).

Understanding how forest ecosystems respond to environmental factors, particularly in the context of global climate change, is essential for devising effective mitigation strategies. This study focuses on quantifying the interaction between forest ecosystems and atmospheric gases. To achieve our objectives, we are using the eddy covariance (EC) flux method to measure air turbulence and gas concentrations above the forest canopy at the Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR) in southern Estonia. We apply a flux footprint (FFP) model to describe the spatial extent and position of the surface area contributing to the turbulent flux measurements. The FFP analysis provides valuable insights into the long-term changes in SMEAR Estonia, the FFP and its relationship with forest management and land use changes. Our findings reveal that the FFP area varies from year to year due to changes in wind speed and direction, affecting the contribution of different land cover elements to the overall FFP. The average changes in the FFP area at a height of 30 meters were approximately 4.9%, while those at a height of 70 meters were only 1.6%. Moreover, human activities, such as thinning and clear-cutting, influence the growing stock and increment of forest stands.

Eddy-covariance (EC) flux measurements in Indianapolis were used to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on CO and CO2 emissions from a highway and a suburban neighborhood. CO2 fluxes were measured for 6 weeks pre-lockdown (January 22, 2020–March 3, 2020) and during lockdown (March 25, 2020– May 5, 2020) using EC instrumentation at 41 m AGL. Fossil fuel CO2 emissions (CO2ff) were estimated by calculating eddy diffusivity to obtain CO flux and then scaling by the CO:CO2ff emissions ratio (RCO). Flux measurements segregated by wind direction were compared to hourly emissions from the 2020 Hestia inventory model. The lockdown CO2ff average weekday emissions from the highway estimated by EC decreased by 51.5 ± 10.9% (11.2 ± 2.2 µmol m−2 s−1) compared to pre-lockdown, similar to Hestia’s estimate 56 ± 7% (12 ± 1 µmol m−2 s−1). The EC measurements detected a significant (2.2 ± 0.7 µmol m−2 s−1) but smaller magnitude decrease in CO2ff emissions from the suburban neighborhood. The daily cycles of CO2ff emissions were significantly correlated with Hestia estimates from the highway but not from the suburbs. This study demonstrates that EC flux towers and high-resolution inventory models in regions with mixed and spatially heterogeneous sources can quantify abrupt changes in sector- and source-specific CO2 fluxes.

For eukaryotic cells to heal wounds, respond to immune signals, or metastasize, they must migrate, often by adhering to extracellular matrix (ECM). Cells may also deposit ECM components, leaving behind a footprint that influences their crawling. Recent experiments showed that some epithelial cell lines on micropatterned adhesive stripes move persistently in regions they have previously crawled over, where footprints have been formed, but barely advance into unexplored regions, creating an oscillatory migration of increasing amplitude. Here, we explore through mathematical modeling how footprint deposition and cell responses to footprint combine to allow cells to develop oscillation and other complex migratory motions. We simulate cell crawling with a phase field model coupled to a biochemical model of cell polarity, assuming local contact with the deposited footprint activates Rac1, a protein that establishes the cell's front. Depending on footprint deposition rate and response to the footprint, cells on micropatterned lines can display many types of motility, including confined, oscillatory, and persistent motion. On two-dimensional (2D) substrates, we predict a transition between cells undergoing circular motion and cells developing an exploratory phenotype. Small quantitative changes in a cell's interaction with its footprint can completely alter exploration, allowing cells to tightly regulate their motion, leading to different motility phenotypes (confined vs. exploratory) in different cells when deposition or sensing is variable from cell to cell. Consistent with our computational predictions, we find in earlier experimental data evidence of cells undergoing both circular and exploratory motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose was to determine the accuracy of the techniques of Lopes et al. and Michels et al., compared to ultrasound, to locate the center of the calcaneal footprint of the CFL in healthy volunteers. The authors recruited 17 healthy adult volunteers at 1 center with no current ankle pathologies and no previous surgical antecedents on either ankle. The authors recorded the age, sex, height, BMI, and ankle side for each volunteer. Measurements were made on both ankles of the 17 volunteers to increase the sample size and ensure less dispersion of data, independently by 2 surgeons: 1 senior surgeon with 15 years' experience and 1 junior with 3 years' experience. The location of the center of the calcaneal footprint of the CFL was determined by each surgeon using 3 methods: (1) the cutaneous technique of Lopes et al., (2) the cutaneous technique of Michels et al., and (3) ultrasound imaging. The 17 volunteers (34 feet) had a mean age of 26.3 ± 8.7 and a BMI of 21.7 ± 2.9. The Michels point was significantly closer (4.6 ± 3.7 mm) than the Lopes point (11.1 ± 5.4 mm) to the true center of the calcaneal footprint of the CFL determined by ultrasound, notably in the vertical direction. The Michels point was located significantly closer to the true center of the calcaneal footprint of the CFL and demonstrated less dispersion than the Lopes point, indicated by significantly lower absolute mean deviation from the true center of the calcaneal footprint of the CFL, and that ultrasound is therefore preferred to locate the footprint the CFL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comparison of foot insole impressions using the Reel measurement methodology. • Measurements to the first and fourth toes were least variable. • Measurements from the heel to the third and fifth toes were most variable. • Foot insole impressions were assessed by experienced and inexperienced analysts. • The measurements of experienced analysts were more precise. In forensic podiatry, footprints have been shown to provide a valuable source of discriminatory information. Footprints may be found in various forms, such as bare footprints, sock-clad footprints, or as impressions on insoles within footwear. This study utilized quantitative measures of foot impressions on pairs of insoles from shoes worn by the same person from a population of 31 adults. The measurements were determined by using the Reel method and comprised measurements from the heel to the tips of the toes and width of the ball. The purpose of the study was to assess the margin of error for these measurements to determine whether they were sufficiently accurate for forensic use. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine whether the analyst's experience or lack thereof in forensic podiatry had an impact on the precision of measurement data. The insole foot impressions were assessed by two podiatrists with forensic podiatry experience in footprint analysis, footprint research, and in using the Reel method of footprint measurement, as well as by three students of podiatric medicine without any such experience. A statistical analysis of the data from the study was performed using SPSS v28 (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). The most reliable measurements were of forefoot width, heel to first toe, heel to second toe, and heel to fourth toe. The greatest variation occurred in the measurements of the heel to the third and fifth toes. The measurements of the forensic podiatrist analysts showed less variability than those of the podiatry students, suggesting that measurement precision is related to the experience of the analyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial data represent the geomorphological phenomenon occurring on the earth's surface. Several geological phenomena undergo changes over a period of time due to natural and man-made reasons. A footprint is defined as the spatial extent of any geomorphology, ecology or human activity at a particular instant of time. Change detection includes the study of change in footprint of a particular class. In this work, we proposed a footprint extraction method, footprint extraction using spatial neighbourhood based on spatial neighbourhood property. The proposed footprint extraction method proves to be highly effective than different state-of-the-art methods in terms of silhouette score value. An unsupervised change computation framework has also been proposed. The experiments are performed on five temporal Landsat 5 thematic mapper images of the Delhi region. Spatial polygons have been used to identify the spatial footprint of the predetermined class. Some non-spatial parameters like the size, the area, and percentage of area out of the total area of the targeted class have been used to study the extent of a predetermined class. The temporal change vector has been proposed to find the temporal change pattern in the observed concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Organisationsberatung, Supervision, Coaching is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

Over the past few years, the term individual carbon footprint has gained enormous popularity. Carbon footprint calculations are in great demand since climate change is a major concern to individuals. Growing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are upsetting the ecosystem and resulting in severe global warming and related effects. This study determines carbon footprint among individuals in Benin city Nigeria. The carbon emissions of the individuals, awareness of greenhouse gases and efforts taken by the individuals to reduce the emission rate were obtained through a questionnaire designed in Likert scale. 180 of these questionnaires were distributed to the respondents. The carbon footprint was calculated using ISO 14064 model. Other data were analyzed used descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation. The result showed that the range of the carbon footprint is between 0.1 and 57.2 tonnes of CO2 per household most of which were within the ideal carbon footprint, as defined by ISO 14064 (2.72 and 7.26 tCO2). The result also showed that there was low awareness of greenhouse gas and efforts taken by the respondents to reduce their carbon emission are low. The carbon footprint of the residents is generally low. More efforts should be done by relevant agencies to increase awareness of greenhouse gas and other climate change related to the study area [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare is a major generator of greenhouse gases, so consideration of this contribution to climate change needs to be quantified in ways that can inform models of care. Given the availability of activity-based financial data, environmentally-extended input–output (EEIO) analysis can be employed to calculate systemic carbon footprints for healthcare activities, allowing comparison of different patient care pathways. We thus quantified and compared the carbon footprint of two common care pathways for patients with stable coronary artery disease, with similar clinical outcomes: coronary stenting and coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Healthcare cost data for these two pathways were disaggregated and the carbon footprint associated with this expenditure was calculated by connecting the flow of money within the economy to the greenhouse gases emitted to support the full range of associated activities. The systemic carbon footprint associated with an average stable patient CABG pathway, at a large tertiary referral hospital in Sydney, Australia in 2021–22, was 11.5 tonnes CO2-e, 4.9 times greater than the 2.4 tonnes CO2-e footprint of an average comparable stenting pathway. These data suggest that a stenting pathway for stable coronary disease should be preferred on environmental grounds and introduces EEIO analysis as a practical tool to assist in health-care related carbon footprinting.

Eight fossil tetrapod footprints from lake-shore deposits in the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site (SGDS) in southwestern Utah cannot be assigned to the prevalent dinosaurian (Anomoepus, Eubrontes, Gigandipus, Grallator, Kayentapus) or crocodyliform (Batrachopus) ichnotaxa at the site. The tridactyl and tetradactyl footprints are incomplete, consisting of digit- and digit-tip-only imprints. Seven of the eight are likely pes prints; the remaining specimen is a possible manus print. The pes prints have digit imprint morphologies and similar anterior projections and divarication angles to those of Brasilichnium, an ichnotaxon found primarily in eolian paleoenvironments attributed to eucynodont synapsids. Although their incompleteness prevents clear referral to Brasilichnium, the SGDS tracks nevertheless suggest a eucynodont track maker and thus represent a rare, Early Mesozoic occurrence of such tracks outside of an eolian paleoenvironment.

Assessing plantar pressure is crucial for fabricating diabetic insoles and preventing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), which are caused by increased plantar pressure. However, the commonly used methods for assessing plantar pressure distribution involve professional sensor-based equipment and expertise, which are costly and time-consuming. Given the qualitative association between ink footprint images and plantar pressure, this study proposes using the footprint images to predict the quantitative values of dynamic plantar pressure in barefoot and 4 different insole conditions (including Nora Lunalastik EVA, Nora Lunalight A fresh, Pe-Lite, and PORON® Medical 4708) based on a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network model. To provide more precise insole material recommendations for specific foot regions for better plantar pressure distribution, the plantar of the foot is divided into 5 regions: the toes, metatarsal heads, medial midfoot, lateral midfoot, and heel. Patch-based MLP with localization embedding is introduced to learn the correspondence between ink density and plantar pressure information. Ground-truth data collected from 52 diabetes patients is constructed as a dataset named diabetes-footprint-to-pressure and used to train and validate the model. The mean absolute error (MAE) of the models for the barefoot and 4 insole conditions is 5.51% (33.06 kPa), 3.99% (23.94 kPa), 4.85% (29.10 kPa), 4.25% (25.50 kPa), and 3.57% (21.42 kPa) of the sensing range, respectively. Compared to traditional methods for plantar pressure assessment, this approach streamlines the process of acquiring the overall and regional dynamic plantar pressure with barefoot and 4 different insole materials. Clinicians can quickly provide recommendations on the type of insole material for individual patients.

The health care sector exists to support and promote human wellbeing; however, its operations contribute to environmental degradation undermining nature's capacity to support the same wellbeing. Biodiversity loss, in particular, creates threats to wellbeing through a reduction in ecosystem service provisioning and increases in disease. This study aims to estimate the extinction-risk footprint associated with the health care sector, focusing on Europe. We created an environmentally-extended multi-region input–output model using data on the extinction risk of species available from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Using input–output analysis, we then quantified the extinction-risk footprint of the Dutch health care sector and, for comparison, that of the 30 European nations which use similar sector classifications in their National Accounts reporting. We found that the Netherlands has the highest health care extinction-risk footprint on a per-capita basis and that health care contributes 4.4% of the Dutch consumption extinction-risk footprint compared with an average of 2.6% across the comparator set. Food and beverage supply chains make a disproportionate contribution to health care's extinction-risk footprint, while supply chains implicated in the sector's carbon footprint make a limited contribution. These results suggest that reducing the environmental impact of the health care sector may require a differentiated approach when multiple environmental indicators are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the accuracy of the barefoot footprint-based person identification algorithm, a deep learning-based foot recognition algorithm was proposed. The differing pressure experienced by different regions of the foot sole results in variations in the amount of information they contain. In order to obtain more stable and discriminative features, ResNet50 was utilized as the underlying network, and block processing was performed on the feature layer. A barefoot footprint database containing 2 000 individuals was constructed for training, and another database containing 3 000 individuals was used for testing. The algorithm achieves a top-1 recognition accuracy of 98. 50% on the testing database using 1 000 test images from 500 individuals, surpassing the performance of the conventional ResNet50 network. It is observed in the experiment that the feature-based segmentation approach achieves excellent recognition results in barefoot footprint identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroplaning, a phenomenon prevalent in high-speed vehicle movement on wet surfaces, poses a significant risk by compromising tire traction and inducing slippage. This risk is particularly pronounced in motorcycles due to their reduced surface area and heightened susceptibility to rollovers. The hydroplaning force acting on motorcycle tires is intricately tied to tire-ground interaction and tire contact characteristics. This study endeavors to formulate a mathematical model to predict the contact area and contact pressure of motorcycle tires, with a specific focus on the impact of tread and groove geometries. A set of 2.5-17 inch motorcycle tires commonly used in Thailand was selected for comprehensive investigation. Eight commercially available tires, each featuring distinct tread and groove profiles, underwent testing utilizing a vertical tire testing machine. Standardized conditions, encompassing a vertical load of 850 N and an inflation pressure of 29 psi, were consistently applied. Testing was conducted at five positions along the tire circumference to minimize position-related variability, and results were averaged for accuracy. Pressure measurement film captured footprints at each load and inflation pressure, with a conversion algorithm employed for interpretation. The resultant mathematical model seeks to elucidate the dynamic alterations in the tire-ground contact area and predict both the contact area and contact pressure. This model's applicability extends to forecasting hydroplaning forces for motorcycle tires with diverse tread and groove profiles, thereby contributing valuable insights to the broader understanding of tire characteristics and enhancing safety considerations for motorcycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rating agencies that assess a company's environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) impact have been subject to public and academic scrutiny due to divergent and often biased rating outcomes. Concurrently, an evolving regulatory environment mandates publicly listed companies to report on ESG and climate emissions, taking into account supply chain risks as well. As a result, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly asked as suppliers to present a credible sustainability certificate. The esg2go rating and reporting system aims at improving the credibility and practicality of corporate sustainability assessment. It was jointly developed with its users and relevant stakeholders and is based on a calibrated benchmarking system from verifiable data. The rating method enables the measurement and comparison of sector- and firm size-specific sustainability performance. Its underlying adaptive parametrization is derived from a coherent and pragmatic definition of SME sustainability as the 'ability to co-exist'. Our data analyses indicate that our scoring function is able to minimize bias and deliver a fair comparability between SMEs. We conclude that esg2go represents a pragmatic and innovative approach to enhance the fairness and accuracy of corporate sustainability assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article conceptualises the link between firms' value chains and distribution networks and the requirements for double-materiality assessments in contemporary reporting regulations worldwide. The new European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and the standards for sustainability reporting issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), called IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, require companies to report their own direct (scope 1) and indirect (scope 2) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as GHG emissions in their value chains and distribution networks (both scope 3). However, GHG emissions comprise just one dimension of information that is relevant to understand when assessing, managing and reporting the footprints and impacts of a firm and are, therefore, only a fraction of the key performance indicators (KPIs) related to ESG that should be disclosed. Through a case study, this article demonstrates the connection between a due diligence analysis of a firm's value chains and distribution networks; an analysis of the competitive parameters of its business model; the identified impacts, risks and opportunities; and the double-materiality perspective. The double-materiality perspective prioritises actions based on probability and significance, creating a natural space to identify KPIs. The implication of this study is that firms can be assisted in identifying relevant KPIs based on double-materiality assessments aided by applying the REGS model because it guides firms in choosing the most relevant KPIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how forest ecosystems respond to environmental factors, particularly in the context of global climate change, is essential for devising effective mitigation strategies. This study focuses on quantifying the interaction between forest ecosystems and atmospheric gases. To achieve our objectives, we are using the eddy covariance (EC) flux method to measure air turbulence and gas concentrations above the forest canopy at the Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR) in southern Estonia. We apply a flux footprint (FFP) model to describe the spatial extent and position of the surface area contributing to the turbulent flux measurements. The FFP analysis provides valuable insights into the long-term changes in SMEAR Estonia, the FFP and its relationship with forest management and land use changes. Our findings reveal that the FFP area varies from year to year due to changes in wind speed and direction, affecting the contribution of different land cover elements to the overall FFP. The average changes in the FFP area at a height of 30 meters were approximately 4.9%, while those at a height of 70 meters were only 1.6%. Moreover, human activities, such as thinning and clear-cutting, influence the growing stock and increment of forest stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The avifauna of South America is one of the most widely studied groups of vertebrates. However, certain species, such as the Andean Ibis (Theristicus branickii), have received limited attention regarding their ecological patterns, biology, current distribution, and environmental requirements. This study analyzed observation data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) on the Andean Ibis in four countries to identify and understand critical variables that determine the species' presence, assess the proportion of its habitat within protected areas and identify possible threats to the species. Additionally, this study considered environmental and ecological variables to model ecological niches using the maximum entropy approach in MaxEnt to map the suitable habitat of the species. The findings revealed the extent of suitable Andean Ibis habitats in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. The variables that most determined the presence of the species were: altitude (36.57%), distance to lakes (23.29%) and ecological isothermality (13.34%). The distribution area of the Andean Ibis totaled 300,095.00 km2, spanning both sides of the Andean mountains range. Human activities have left a significant impact on the Andean Ibis habitat, with 48% of this area impacted by the human footprint and only 10% of the territory falling within protected areas designated by the respective countries. The results of this study show that the Andean Ibis presents characteristics of a specialist species due to its adaptation to the climate conditions of the plateau and highlands, including low temperatures, herbaceous vegetation and the presence of water bodies. The species is distributed in disconnected Andean landscape areas, whose functionality could be compromised by increased human activities. Complementary studies will be necessary to understand the ecological role and effectiveness of protected areas for conserving the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of VAD: Veredes, Arquitectura y Divulgación is the property of Alberto Alonso Oro 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.)

In the future, sustainability and CO2 neutrality requirements will come from both customers and regulatory compliance. Each company should provide the greatest possible transparency regarding its sustainability efforts. In addition to the Footprint, the Handprint has to be considered, which can have a significant positive impact on sustainability during the product’s life span, including its development and production processes. In the case of dynamic seals, the reduction of friction, i.e., the optimization of the tribological system, makes a significant contribution to the Handprint. Based on this insight, a pressure rotary shaft seal has been developed with a specific sealing edge profile that reduces friction and wear, and thus increasing energy efficiency and service life.

Abstract Background Idiopathic flexible flatfoot is a common condition in children which typically improves with age and remains asymptomatic. However, the condition can sometimes be more severe, and cause mechanical impairment or pain. The aim of the study was to perform a prospective clinical, radiological, podoscopic and pedobarographic assessment (static and dynamic) of subtalar titanium screw arthroereisis for the treatment of symptomatic, idiopathic, flexible flatfeet. Methods A prospective, consecutive, non-controlled, cohort, clinical follow-up study was performed. In total, 30 patients (41 feet), mean age 10 (6 to 16 years), were evaluated. Clinical and standing radiological assessments, static and dynamic pedobarography, as well as podoscopy, were performed before surgery and at final follow-up. Results Treatment was associated with significant improvements in heel valgus angle, radiographic parameters (lateral and dorso-planar talo-first metatarsal angle, calcaneal inclination angle, talar declination angle, longitudinal arch angle) and podoscopic parameters (Clark’s angle, Staheli’s arch index and Chippaux-Smirak index). Significant increases were noted for lateral loading, forefoot contact phase and double support / swing phase, and reduced medial loading (dynamic pedobarography), as well as lateral midfoot area and loading, but decreased were observed for medial forefoot loading (static pedobarography). Four patients reported persistent pain in the sinus tarsi region (six feet), and in one case, the implant was replaced for a larger one due to undercorrection. No overcorrections or infection complications were noted in the study group. Conclusions Subtalar arthroereisis is a minimally-invasive and effective surgical method for treating symptomatic, idiopathic, flexible flatfeet; it has an acceptable complication rate with good early clinical results. Level of evidence II b.

Objective The accurate understanding in morphological features of the lateral ankle ligaments is necessary for the diagnosis and management of ankle instability and other ankle problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anatomical morphology and the attachment areas of lateral ligament complex of ankle joint based on the cadaveric study. Methods Fifty‐four fresh frozen cadaveric ankles were dissected to evaluate the lateral ankle ligaments. Each ligament was separated into two or three small bundles. In the investigated footprint areas, acrylic colors were used as a marker point to locate specific areas of ligament bundle attached to the bone. The Image J software was used to measure and analyze the sizes of the specific footprint areas to achieve descriptive statistical analysis. Results The double bands of anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) were found as a major type in the present study with 57.41% (31 of 54 ankles) while the single band of ATFL was observed in 42.59% (23 of 54 ankles). The attachment sizes of the ATFL, posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL) and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) were evaluated into two areas; proximal and distal attachments. The average of proximal or fibular part of ATFL, PTFL and CFL were 85.06, 134.27, 93.91 mm2 respectively. The average of distal part of ATFL, PTFL and CFL were 100.07, 277.61, 249.39 mm2 respectively. Conclusion Considering the lateral ankle ligament repaired or reconstruction especially using arthroscopy, the precise understanding in specific detail of the lateral ankle ligament may help both diagnose and select the appropriate treatment for solving the ankle problems. These observations may help the surgeon to perform the surgical procedure for determining the appropriate techniques and avoid complication to patients.