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The environmental temperature and humidity are crucial factors for the normal growth and development of arbor tree cuttings by altering their hormone levels and influencing their physiological activities. Developing a temperature and humidity environmental model for arbor tree cuttings serves as a key technique to improve the adjustment performance of environmental parameters in facility agriculture systems and enhance the rooting rate of cuttings. This paper provides a comprehensive summary of current research on the inherent characteristics of cuttings and the factors influencing environmental temperature and humidity. It explores the mechanisms of interaction between the inherent characteristics of cuttings and the factors influencing environmental temperature and humidity. This paper investigates the interactive relationships among the factors affecting environmental temperature and humidity. It analyzes methods to improve the efficiency of constructing temperature and humidity environmental models for arbor tree cuttings. To enhance the transferability of the environmental model, the necessary physiological activities under the influence of plant hormones are generalized as common physiological traits in the growth and development of cuttings. In addition, this paper explores the factors influencing the air and substrate temperature and the humidity in facility agriculture systems as well as two types of facilities for controlling environmental temperature and humidity. Furthermore, it reviews the research progress in environmental models from both mechanistic and data-driven perspectives. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the characteristics associated with these two model categories. Building upon this, the paper summarizes and discusses methods employed in constructing temperature and humidity environmental models for arbor tree cuttings. In addition, it also anticipates the application of deep learning techniques in the construction of temperature and humidity environmental models for arbor cuttings, including utilizing machine vision technology to monitor their growth status. Finally, it proposes suggestions for building physiological models of fruit tree-like arbor cuttings at different growth stages. To enhance the transferability of environmental models, the integration of physiological models of cuttings, environmental models, and control system performance are suggested to create an environmental identification model. This paper aims to achieve control of the common physiological activities of cuttings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design process of a Mars rover is driven by multiple design constraints, namely overall mass, power consumption and volume (dimensions). Various systems, such as mobility, manipulation, handling, power, thermal, communication, navigation, avionics and science instruments, together make a complete rover vehicle and they should function collectively to perform a given task. Each of the subsystems can be thought of as modular building blocks that are integrated together to form a fully functional rover vehicle. When approaching the design of such a vehicle, the designer should take into account of cross design dependencies existent between different subsystems and technology limitations. Performing any particular task, would lead to many design possibilities. Choosing the final design from many feasible solutions is arguably a daunting task. In order to make this process simple and convenient, as well as to understand the design non-linearity existing in this solution space, the authors have employed a systems engineering approach to develop a tool comprising subsystem models. The subsystem models comprise parametric and physics-based models. For designing suitable user-defined objectives, these models when integrated with Genetic Algorithm forms an effective tool to support design trade-offs during the conceptual design process. This integrated modeling and optimization approach is thought to be efficient in identifying rover system concepts.

The environmental temperature and humidity are crucial factors for the normal growth and development of arbor tree cuttings by altering their hormone levels and influencing their physiological activities. Developing a temperature and humidity environmental model for arbor tree cuttings serves as a key technique to improve the adjustment performance of environmental parameters in facility agriculture systems and enhance the rooting rate of cuttings. This paper provides a comprehensive summary of current research on the inherent characteristics of cuttings and the factors influencing environmental temperature and humidity. It explores the mechanisms of interaction between the inherent characteristics of cuttings and the factors influencing environmental temperature and humidity. This paper investigates the interactive relationships among the factors affecting environmental temperature and humidity. It analyzes methods to improve the efficiency of constructing temperature and humidity environmental models for arbor tree cuttings. To enhance the transferability of the environmental model, the necessary physiological activities under the influence of plant hormones are generalized as common physiological traits in the growth and development of cuttings. In addition, this paper explores the factors influencing the air and substrate temperature and the humidity in facility agriculture systems as well as two types of facilities for controlling environmental temperature and humidity. Furthermore, it reviews the research progress in environmental models from both mechanistic and data-driven perspectives. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the characteristics associated with these two model categories. Building upon this, the paper summarizes and discusses methods employed in constructing temperature and humidity environmental models for arbor tree cuttings. In addition, it also anticipates the application of deep learning techniques in the construction of temperature and humidity environmental models for arbor cuttings, including utilizing machine vision technology to monitor their growth status. Finally, it proposes suggestions for building physiological models of fruit tree-like arbor cuttings at different growth stages. To enhance the transferability of environmental models, the integration of physiological models of cuttings, environmental models, and control system performance are suggested to create an environmental identification model. This paper aims to achieve control of the common physiological activities of cuttings.

The design process of a Mars rover is driven by multiple design constraints, namely overall mass, power consumption and volume (dimensions). Various systems, such as mobility, manipulation, handling, power, thermal, communication, navigation, avionics and science instruments, together make a complete rover vehicle and they should function collectively to perform a given task. Each of the subsystems can be thought of as modular building blocks that are integrated together to form a fully functional rover vehicle. When approaching the design of such a vehicle, the designer should take into account of cross design dependencies existent between different subsystems and technology limitations. Performing any particular task, would lead to many design possibilities. Choosing the final design from many feasible solutions is arguably a daunting task. In order to make this process simple and convenient, as well as to understand the design non-linearity existing in this solution space, the authors have employed a systems engineering approach to develop a tool comprising subsystem models. The subsystem models comprise parametric and physics-based models. For designing suitable user-defined objectives, these models when integrated with Genetic Algorithm forms an effective tool to support design trade-offs during the conceptual design process. This integrated modeling and optimization approach is thought to be efficient in identifying rover system concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has a long history of leveraging environmental models and integrated modeling frameworks to support the regulatory development of numeric ambient water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life and human health. Primary modeling types include conceptual, mechanistic, and data‐driven empirical models; Bayesian and probabilistic models; and risk‐based modeling frameworks. These models and modeling frameworks differ in their applicability to and suitability for various water quality criteria objectives. They require varying knowledge of system processes and stressor‐response relationships, data availability, and expertise of stakeholders. In addition, models can be distinguished by their ability to characterize variability and uncertainty. In this work, we review USEPA recommendations for model use in existing regulatory frameworks, technical support documents, and peer‐reviewed literature. We characterize key attributes, identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for future research, and highlight where renewed USEPA guidance is needed to promote the development and use of models in numeric criteria derivation. These outcomes then inform a decision‐based framework for determining model suitability under particular scenarios of available knowledge, data, and access to technical resources. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:191–201. © 2022 SETAC KEY POINTS: •Environmental modeling types used in support of numeric water quality criteria development in the United States are reviewed.•Conceptual, mechanistic, empirical, Bayesian, and probabilistic models, as well as risk‐based modeling frameworks, are discussed.•For each model type, key attributes, knowledge gaps, and opportunities for renewed USEPA guidance are highlighted.•A decision‐based framework examines model type suitability under scenarios of available knowledge, data, and access to technical resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal environments such as the Chesapeake Bay have long been impacted by eutrophication stressors resulting from human activities, and these impacts are now being compounded by global warming trends. However, there are few studies documenting long‐term estuarine temperature change and the relative contributions of rivers, the atmosphere, and the ocean. In this study, Chesapeake Bay warming, since 1985, is quantified using a combination of cruise observations and model outputs, and the relative contributions to that warming are estimated via numerical sensitivity experiments with a watershed–estuarine modeling system. Throughout the Bay's main stem, similar warming rates are found at the surface and bottom between the late 1980s and late 2010s (0.02 ± 0.02°C/year, mean ± 1 standard error), with elevated summer rates (0.04 ± 0.01°C/year) and lower rates of winter warming (0.01 ± 0.01°C/year). Most (~85%) of this estuarine warming is driven by atmospheric effects. The secondary influence of ocean warming increases with proximity to the Bay mouth, where it accounts for more than half of summer warming in bottom waters. Sea level rise has slightly reduced summer warming, and the influence of riverine warming has been limited to the heads of tidal tributaries. Future rates of warming in Chesapeake Bay will depend not only on global atmospheric trends, but also on regional circulation patterns in mid‐Atlantic waters, which are currently warming faster than the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As researchers globally work towards a fully digital representation of the earth and its processes – i.e. a true Digital Earth – the need grows for software and systems to link disparate computer simulation models of various parts of the earth in a reliable and highly functional way. Web services have been demonstrated as an effective way to share and reuse models as they enable communication and interoperation among applications via the Internet. However, even using well-designed software tools, it remains a daunting process to publish heterogeneous environmental models as web services and provide long-term maintenance in response to changing computational environments. We present an approach that enables environmental models to be published as long-term functional web services on the same platform regardless of execution mode, programming language, and computational environment conflicts. The approach adopts the OpenGMS Wrapper System (OGMS-WS) for service publishing and Docker containers for model isolation. A streamflow prediction service is developed using this approach and is applied to analyze historical streamflow trends in Bangladesh. We demonstrate that this approach can lower the barrier to deploying heterogeneous environmental models as long-term functional web services, contributing to the development of a Digital Earth.

We agree that this review may lead to interesting administrative speculations. The aforementioned concept was put to the test by creating and distributing a survey to representatives of 18 Italian states nearby, ranging in size from small areas (population 10,000) to large cities (population > 250,000). An important shift in regional aid in Italy took place in 2009, with the goal of giving local government employees a greater sense of ownership over their job and a greater sense of accountability to the people they serve. The findings show that implementing environmental models with late open area alterations isn't detrimental to government personnel' commitment. Both environments that emphasize flexibility and growth, as well as those that emphasize execution and goal-setting, go against the grain and increase commitment. Despite this, the influence of development and adaptation in a given setting is more fragile, giving the sense that advancement ideals are at odds with the traditional regulatory culture that is still prevalent in many places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) develops, maintains, and updates orbital debris environmental models, such as the NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM), to support satellite designers and operators by estimating the risk from orbital debris impacts on their vehicles in orbit. Updates to ORDEM utilize the most recent validated datasets from radar, optical, and in situ sources to provide estimates of the debris flux as a function of size, material density, impact speed, and direction along a mission orbit. On-going efforts within the NASA ODPO to update the next version of ORDEM include a new parameter that highly affects the damage risk – shape. Shape can be binned by material density and size to better understand the damage assessments on spacecraft. The in situ and laboratory research activities at the NASA ODPO are focused on cataloging and characterizing fragments from a laboratory hypervelocity-impact test using a high-fidelity, mock-up satellite, DebriSat, in controlled and instrumented laboratory conditions. DebriSat is representative of present-day, low Earth orbit satellites, having been constructed with modern spacecraft materials and techniques. The DebriSat fragment ensemble provides a variety of shapes, bulk densities, and dimensions. Fragments down to 2 mm in size are being characterized by their physical and derived properties. A subset of fragments is being analyzed further in NASA's Optical Measurement Center (OMC) using broadband, bidirectional reflectance measurements to provide insight into the optical-based NASA Size Estimation Model. Additionally, pre-impact spectral measurements on a subset of DebriSat materials were acquired for baseline material characterization. This paper provides an overview of DebriSat, the status of the project, and ongoing fragment characterization efforts within the OMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As researchers globally work towards a fully digital representation of the earth and its processes – i.e. a true Digital Earth – the need grows for software and systems to link disparate computer simulation models of various parts of the earth in a reliable and highly functional way. Web services have been demonstrated as an effective way to share and reuse models as they enable communication and interoperation among applications via the Internet. However, even using well-designed software tools, it remains a daunting process to publish heterogeneous environmental models as web services and provide long-term maintenance in response to changing computational environments. We present an approach that enables environmental models to be published as long-term functional web services on the same platform regardless of execution mode, programming language, and computational environment conflicts. The approach adopts the OpenGMS Wrapper System (OGMS-WS) for service publishing and Docker containers for model isolation. A streamflow prediction service is developed using this approach and is applied to analyze historical streamflow trends in Bangladesh. We demonstrate that this approach can lower the barrier to deploying heterogeneous environmental models as long-term functional web services, contributing to the development of a Digital Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal models are necessary to investigate the pathogenic features underlying motor neuron degeneration and for therapeutic development in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Measures of model validity allow for a critical interpretation of results from each model and caution from over-interpretation of experimental models. Face and construct validity refer to the similarity in phenotype and the proposed causal factor to the human disease, respectively. More recently developed models are restricted by limited phenotype characterization, yet new models hold promise for novel disease insights, thus highlighting their importance. In this article, we evaluate the features of face and construct validity of our new zebrafish model of environmentally-induced motor neuron degeneration and discuss this in the context of current environmental and genetic ALS models, including C9orf72, mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 mouse and zebrafish models. In this mini-review, we discuss the pros and cons to validity criteria in each model. Our zebrafish model of environmentally-induced motor neuron degeneration displays convincing features of face validity with many hallmarks of ALS-like features, and weakness in construct validity. However, the value of this model may lie in its potential to be more representative of the pathogenic features underlying sporadic ALS cases, where environmental factors may be more likely to be involved in disease etiology than single dominant gene mutations. It may be necessary to compare findings between different strains and species modeling specific genes or environmental factors to confirm findings from ALS animal models and tease out arbitrary strain- and overexpression-specific effects.

Many components of the innate immune system are evolutionarily conserved and shared across many living organisms, from plants and invertebrates to humans. Therefore, these shared features can allow the comparative study of potentially dangerous substances, such as engineered nanoparticles (NPs). However, differences of methodology and procedure between diverse species and models make comparison of innate immune responses to NPs between organisms difficult in many cases. To this aim, this review provides an overview of suitable methods and assays that can be used to measure NP immune interactions across species in a multidisciplinary approach. The first part of this review describes the main innate immune defense characteristics of the selected models that can be associated to NPs exposure. In the second part, the different modes of exposure to NPs across models (considering isolated cells or whole organisms) and the main endpoints measured are discussed. In this synergistic perspective, we provide an overview of the current state of important cross-disciplinary immunological models to study NP-immune interactions and identify future research needs. As such, this paper could be used as a methodological reference point for future nano-immunosafety studies.

Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs) are used in intensive aquaculture production to treat a wide range of bacterial and parasitic infestations. Their release into the environment poses concerns regarding their potential ecotoxicological risks to aquatic ecosystems, which need to be evaluated making use of appropriate Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) schemes and models. This study presents an overview of the major aquaculture production systems in Europe, the VMPs most commonly used, and the environmental quality standards and regulatory procedures available for their ERA. Furthermore, it describes the state‐of‐the‐art on the development of environmental models capable of assessing the fate, exposure, ecotoxicological effects and risks of VMPs in aquaculture production systems, and discusses their level of development and implementation within European aquaculture. This study shows that the use of environmental models in regulatory ERA is somewhat limited in many European countries. Major efforts have been dedicated to assess the fate and exposure of antiparasitic compounds in salmonid cage systems, particularly in Scotland, while models and scenarios for assessing dispersal of antimicrobials, in general, and antiparasitic compounds in the Mediterranean as well as in Scandinavian regions are less available. On the other hand, the use of ecological models for assessing the effects and risks of VMPs is almost absent. Recommendations are provided to improve the chemical exposure and effect assessments and the ecological realism of the modelling outcomes, paying special attention to the protection goals set for the regulatory ERA of VMPs in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional environmental model simulations often use archived data as inputs. Recent advancement of Sensor Web technologies in Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) allows real-time observations to be fed into models to generate "live" models. A key challenge is how to efficiently process observation streams in models, which is particularly important in time-critical cases like disaster management. This paper presents an observation stream computing model for live modelling, which couples Sensor Web and models in stream computing environment to provide timely decision-support information. Observation Streams are proposed as information models to deal with observation stream processing. The approach shows how MapReduce and Apache Spark stream processing can be leveraged to support coupling of observation streams and models. The approach is applied in a disaster management case, where in-situ observation streams are processed to compute the waterlogging information in near real time. The results illustrate applicability and effectiveness of the approach. • A framework for coupling Sensor Web and models in a stream computing environment. • O-Stream information model facilitates the observation stream processing in SPARK. • Case study of the live waterlogging model to support the model cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being a widespread phenomenon, land use changes are being increasingly evaluated by modeling methods, including statistical modeling. Land use changes models facilitate interpreting the causes and consequences of land use dynamics and support policy-makers in taking rational decisions. Literature offers numerous land use models developed by researchers from various fields. The goal of the article was to review the existing methods of land use change modeling, in particular, statistical models. It is, therefore, a synthesis of the knowledge found in previous studies in this domain. The discussion is based on four areas: (1) the role of modeling and models in land use changes studies, (2) major land use changes modeling methods, their advantages and limitations, (3) integrated approach to modeling, (4) and land use changes modeling in Poland. Results indicate that there are many land use changes modeling methods, each with its advantages and drawbacks. It is not an easy challenge to select the right one. Such factors as the goal of the model and research problem should be taken into consideration. The article is intended first of all for researchers and modelers in pursuit of new research methods or improving their models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work was carried out in an area located at the mid-Mesopotamian plain, Wasit province/Iraq, and nearly 15 km. south of Kut city and aimed to develop a pedotransfer function to aid in predicting cation exchange capacity value using readily measured soil physicochemical properties. Soil data were subjected to descriptive statistics (minimum, maximum, standard deviation, the coefficient of variation, the coefficient of skewness and kurtosis). Three different combinations of soil physicochemical attributes bulk density (Bd), porosity (p), volumetric moisture content (Pv), texture class (T.C), total available water content (Taw), soil color (col.), clay (C), sand (S), silt (Si), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil reaction (pH), electrical conductivity (Ec), sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca+2), magnesium (Mg+2), organic matter (O.M), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and exchangeable sodium percentage (Esp) were used in developing models. Consequently, 25 mathematical models were generated. The generated model was cross-validated by means of coefficient of determination (R2), standard estimated error (SEE), root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), relative error (RE). In addition, the accuracy and precision of the constructed models were checked by assessing the strength of the relationship between observed and estimated values of cation exchange capacity. The results showed that the model physicochem.1.1 (Y = a * TC + b * Bd + c * T.a.w + d * col. + e * SAR + f * EC + g * Ca+2 + h) was best in predicting the value of soil cation exchange capacity with R2 = 0.98, SEE = 2.243, RMSE = 0.709, MAE = 0.510, RE = 0.016, r = 0.99, S = 0.745. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document reports on a specialist meeting held under the auspices of the project, in Santa Barbara, California in December 1997, to assess the state of research in GIS interoperability, define research needs, and develop a research agenda.The workshop was held immediately after Interop ‘97, an international conference on interoperating GISs—this juxtaposition of a conference and a workshop on the same topic allowed many of the ideas to be presented and discussed before the workshop began, and led to greater focus.The report begins with a general discussion of the nature of interoperability, and the consequences of progress toward its goals. This is followed by sections that review the meeting’s efforts to define the conceptual framework of interoperability, and appropriate theory; identify efforts that could help build the organizational infrastructure for research; outline research needs; and identify specific research topics. The report also includes a selection of position papers provided by the meeting participants in an appendix.

• Using laboratory tests to model on-orbit fragmentation events. • Modern-day spacecraft fragmentation events may differ from previous spacecraft era. • Non-spherical shape investigation shows influence of novel spacecraft materials. • Investigations into optical size estimation models: phase function and albedo. To develop, maintain, and update orbital debris environmental and break-up models, such as the NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) and the NASA Standard Satellite Breakup Model (SSBM), the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) relies on the most recent validated datasets from various measurement sources, both laboratory and environmental. One key project that will provide insight for break-up events using modern-day spacecraft materials and construction techniques is the DebriSat laboratory hypervelocity-impact test. Based on the mass of the target, the projectile, and the impact velocity, the expected number of fragments greater than 2 mm, generated using the NASA SSBM, was estimated to be close to 85,000. To date, the DebriSat fragment database continues to grow, with over 200,000 fragments collected that will help inform updates to the SSBM. Additionally, the growing fragment ensemble will support key parameters for the next release of NASA's environmental models, employing fragment shapes, densities, and size distributions. To further support these environmental models, specifically the size parameter used in ground-based optical measurements, optical characterization on a subset of DebriSat fragments is being conducted in ODPO's Optical Measurement Center (OMC). Broadband bidirectional reflectance distribution (BRDF) measurements will provide insight into the optical-based NASA Size Estimation Model (OSEM). The OSEM equates an object's brightness to size (e.g. , diameter of a disk or sphere) given several assumed parameters, including a defined phase function, albedo, and range. To address the first defined parameter, the ODPO has been using ray-tracing software to simulate light conditions in the OMC and to generate phase functions (i.e. , specular, Lambertian, and experimentally derived) of known shapes, materials, and sizes. This simulated data, in addition to the experimentally derived measurements collected in the OMC, will aid in determining whether a new phase function would be suitable for an updated OSEM. The OSEM also assumes a single-value albedo, thus pre-impact spectral measurements on a subset of DebriSat materials were acquired for baseline material characterization and to provide insight into spacecraft material taxonomies. This DebriSat spectral data, along with spectral measurements from other known spacecraft material samples, will allow for better analyses of albedo variations and the effect on size calculations of defined laboratory targets, thus further supporting OSEM updates. This paper provides an overview of DebriSat, the status of the project, updates on the parameter distributions, an overview of the NASA SSBM, and ongoing fragment characterization efforts within the OMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time simulation is crucial in time-critical situations within the environmental modeling domain. The advancement of web technologies has facilitated the sharing and integration of various resources over the Internet. Web-based real-time modeling has gained increasing attention. However, interoperability remains a challenge when integrating environmental models and real-time observations in a web environment. This paper proposes an interoperable and service-oriented approach for real-time modeling by coupling the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Processing Service (WPS) and SensorThings Application Programming Interface (API). The SensorThings API provides a unified way to interconnect environmental sensors, data, and applications. The OGC WPS defines standard operations for accessing online processes. We extended OGC WPS to support the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol and integrated it with SensorThings API. This integration enables real-time access to sensor observations and time-series simulation results. A prototype system using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) demonstrates the applicability and effectiveness of our approach. • We proposed an interoperable and web-based approach for integrating IoT real-time observations into environmental models. • OGC WPS and SensorThings API work collaboratively for environmental modeling using the MQTT protocol. • Key issues, including network protocol, data exchange, and execution workflow, are considered to improve interoperability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work presents the methodology to calculate the concentration of mercury that it is volatilized toward the atmosphere of the city of Andacollo present in the tailings cakes that are inside the city. To calculate the amount of mercury which is volatilized, we used the Penman-Monteith equation modified by applying the thermodynamic variables for mercury and sector climate. The distribution of this element is predicted in the atmosphere of the city of Andacollo with the application of the program Screen 3. It was determined that within the city of Andacollo may exist areas with high concentrations of mercury, which can affect the population’s health

Integrated environmental modeling (IEM) provides a systematic way to couple models for integrated analysis. Coupled models in IEM often exchange data at runtime for time-step based executions. It is a challenge to track which raw observations or intermediate data exchanged at runtime contribute to individual model outputs. Time-step level provenance is needed to audit the trail of model execution or perform diagnosis in case of anomalies. This paper introduces a method to support provenance awareness in IEM. It suggests that individual models should expose necessary interfaces for provenance capturing in IEM environments. The provenance is represented using the W3C PROV model for interoperability. Fine-grained provenance is inferred based on coarse-grained provenance and temporal characteristics of computations of numerical time marching models. The approach is implemented in OpenMI-compliant models. A case study of model provenance tracking and inference on the watershed runoff simulation scenario illustrates the applicability of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of various semi-analytical models to predict soil temperature profiles in an experimental plot during a 16-year monitoring study for soil depths up to 120 cm is evaluated. The models are developed from an analytical model by replacing the steady-state soil temperature with easily obtained hourly and daily average temperature values. Such values include the hourly air temperature, the daily average air temperature, the hourly soil temperature of selected soil depths from three daily observations, the daily average of the soil temperature profile and the hourly soil temperature for the bottom depth. The performance evaluation results show that, in principle, all models exhibit high correlation (R2values in the range 0.85–0.97), indicating a very good agreement between measured and predicted values. In addition, error statistics reveal that the best performance in terms of Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is the model based on the daily average of the soil temperature profile with MAE values in the range of 0–0.4°C and RMSE values in the range of 0.1–1.5°C. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article discusses two models of environmental simulation that emerged in landscape architecture with the rise of the environmental movement in the United States: Ian McHarg's (1969) ecological method and Carl Steinitz and Peter Rogers's (1968) systems analysis model of urbanization and change.1 Attempting to integrate a spectrum of environmental factors, both models reflect a wider use of systems thinking in design. In this way, the models exemplify tools to visualize (not control) complex environmental interactions. The models attempt not to obtain equilibrium but to insert a planning mechanism that could evolve with environmental conditions, allowing users a participatory and performative role in the computation. The models are compared based on explicit assumptions each makes about the human role in evaluating environmental information. By combining systematic and automated processing with human judgment, the models appear objective. The article argues that this appearance of objectivity was intended to validate the planning outcome(s) from each model (a matter of reassurance) and may have served, intentionally or unintentionally, as a means of promoting the changing landscape architecture profession in the 1960s and 1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of future climatic changes on some high pollution levels that can cause damage to plants and human beings is studied in this paper. The particular area of interest is Hungary and its surrounding countries. Three important quantities, which are closely related to ozone concentrations, have been investigated. We shall mainly focus on cases where the critical values, prescribed in the directives, are exceeded. Six scenarios, which allow us to compare directly the future and the present levels, have been run over a period of sixteen years. Some of the results obtained in the selected domain by using these scenarios have been carefully studied. The major conclusion is that an increase in temperature in combination with some other factors might lead to rather considerable increases of the damaging effects of ozone on plants and humans.

Extensive studies were performed to decipher the mechanisms regulating feeding due to the worldwide obesity pandemy and its complications. The data obtained might be adapted to another disorder related to alteration of food intake, the restrictive anorexia nervosa. This multifactorial disease with a complex and unknown etiology is considered as an awful eating disorder since the chronic refusal to eat leads to severe and sometimes irreversible complications for the whole organism, until death. There is an urgent need to better understand the different aspects of the disease to develop novel approaches complementary to the usual psychological therapies. For this purpose, the use of pertinent animal models becomes a necessity. We present here the various rodent models described in the literature that might be used to dissect central and peripheral mechanisms involved in the adaptation to deficient energy supplies and/or the maintenance of physiological alterations on the long term. Data obtained from the spontaneous or engineered genetic models permit to better apprehend the implication of one signaling system (hormone, neuropeptides, neurotransmitter) in the development of several symptoms observed in anorexia nervosa. As example, mutations in the ghrelin, serotonin, dopamine pathways lead to alterations that mimic the phenotype, but compensatory mechanisms often occur rendering necessary the used of more selective gene strategies. Until now, environmental animal models based on one or several inducing factors like diet restriction, stress or physical activity mimicked more extensively central and peripheral alterations decribed in anorexia nervosa. They bring significant data on feeding behavior, energy expenditure and central circuit alterations. Animal models are described and criticized on the basis of the criteria of validity for anorexia nervosa.

Objective: to describe some of the theoretical and methodological perspectives of the environment as a health determinant, this is a contribution from the conceptual standpoint to this complex field in constant construction and deconstruction. Methodology: the subject was reviewed through an analysis of the literature performed after finding and reading official documents and scientific papers that made it possible to structure the text around the subject. Results and discussion: throughout history, in various discourses and in individual and collective experiences, the environment has been present in the continuum of the health-disease process. Hygiene and sanitation solve the problem in a scenario where there are risks and hazards that should be identified in order to be controlled or removed. However, since the last decades of the twentieth century, the economic interests, along with the global and local environmental damage and the need to preserve health, have caused the environment to be understood, at least theoretically and methodologically, as a determinant of health. This conception in turn implies considering mankind not as the master of nature but as part of it. Conclusions: throughout time it has been observed and experienced that the anthropic interventions of humankind over nature have been disrespectful and have led it to consistently move from the status of victimizer of its surrounding to that of victim of the constructed environments. Environmental health models built with a stronger focus on health should be integrated with other disciplines for the analysis of complex situations in environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Environmental benefits are one of the motivations for management restoration of depleted bivalve populations. We describe a series of linked modules for benefits calculation. The modules include: oyster ( Crassostrea virginica) bioenergetics, materials transport via the tidal prism, and benefits quantification. Quantified benefits include carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal and shell production. The modules are demonstrated through application to the Great Wicomico River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, USA. Oysters on seven reefs (total area 2.8 × 10 m) are calculated to remove 15.2, 6.2, and 0.2 tons per annum of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, respectively, from the Great Wicomico. Oyster mortality contributes 108 tons per annum dry weight shell to the reefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive studies were performed to decipher the mechanisms regulating feeding due to the worldwide obesity pandemy and its complications. The data obtained might be adapted to another disorder related to alteration of food intake, the restrictive anorexia nervosa. This multifactorial disease with a complex and unknown etiology is considered as an awful eating disorder since the chronic refusal to eat leads to severe, and sometimes, irreversible complications for the whole organism, until death. There is an urgent need to better understand the different aspects of the disease to develop novel approaches complementary to the usual psychological therapies. For this purpose, the use of pertinent animal models becomes a necessity. We present here the various rodent models described in the literature that might be used to dissect central and peripheral mechanisms involved in the adaptation to deficient energy supplies and/or the maintenance of physiological alterations on the long term. Data obtained from the spontaneous or engineered genetic models permit to better apprehend the implication of one signaling system (hormone, neuropeptide, neurotransmitter) in the development of several symptoms observed in anorexia nervosa. As example, mutations in the ghrelin, serotonin, dopamine pathways lead to alterations that mimic the phenotype, but compensatory mechanisms often occur rendering necessary the use of more selective gene strategies. Until now, environmental animal models based on one or several inducing factors like diet restriction, stress, or physical activity mimicked more extensively central and peripheral alterations decribed in anorexia nervosa. They bring significant data on feeding behavior, energy expenditure, and central circuit alterations. Animal models are described and criticized on the basis of the criteria of validity for anorexia nervosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a spreadsheet modeling is introduced as a tool for studying fully distributed real-world engineering problems. The merits of using the spreadsheet are the following: its simplicity, the spreadsheet is very well known to many researchers and engineers; it performs fast calculations; it has a user-friendly graphic interface; and it can also provide animated graphs. These merits provide engineers and scientists with a flexible tool to tackle environmental problems and quickly performing solution scenarios to their problems. A real-world case study has been presented to illustrate the application of such spreadsheet models. The groundwater level rise in Jeddah city is one of the problems that Jeddah city are facing. The reasons of groundwater level rise in Jeddah are the following: the leakage from septic tanks, leakage from freshwater pipe networks, landscape irrigation, annual rainfall, flash floods from eastern wadis, etc. These sources have been complied with a regional groundwater flow model (the general form of the partial differential equation for steady groundwater flow in a heterogeneous, unconfined aquifer with a fully distributed recharge, evaporation and pumping rates, and with a variable aquifer bottom elevation), discritized with a finite difference method, then formulated on a spreadsheet, and solved with the built-in macro-solver on the Excel software. The spreadsheet model has been tested and compared with analytical solution. The model has also been calibrated with observations, and the correlation coefficient was 0.96 for the hydraulic head data. The results have been displayed graphically in one, two, and three dimensions. Various scenarios have been investigated to show solutions of the problem. The results have shown that the spreadsheet modeling is a powerful, flexible, and a user-friendly tool in modeling fully distributed real-world engineering problems. Results can be transferred from spreadsheet to GIS software to present results over satellite images or base maps. Analysis of various solution scenarios can be done efficiently, and one can get quick answers to the decision makers at a preliminary stage of a project before going to a sophisticated modeling approach with specialized software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chesapeake Bay is not only North America's largest estuary, but it is also home to one of most comprehensive computational modeling efforts that seeks to study and integrate a very large range of the complex socio-ecological dynamics within its watershed. Known as the Chesapeake Bay Modeling System (CBMS), this suite of models are invaluable to scientists, environmental policymakers, resource managers, and local government and community leaders, all of whom are engaged in efforts to reduce the negative impacts of population growth and development in the watershed on the ecosystems and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay. Until recently, the results of the CBMS were used to guide voluntary efforts to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. However, the results are now being used to guide and evaluate the implementation of Watershed Implementation Plans at the state and county levels, which in turn are based on CBMS estimates of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for these sub-watershed regions. The use of the CBMS for these regulatory efforts has also increased the number of public stakeholders who are now able to directly inquire about the how the CBMS works and raise questions about its ability to accurately represent their land use decisions and practices. This "going public" of the CBMS has raised many societal and cultural issues, including the articulation of local expert and scientific knowledge, and modelers, scientists, policymakers, and resource managers are now realizing the need to understand more of the human dimensions arising from the translation and implementation of the CBMS. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to understand these rapidly emerging societal and cultural dimensions of the expanded use of the CBMS. In this paper, we draw upon our collective experience as social and natural scientists, with modeling experience, to describe a range of social, economic, political, and cultural issues that have emerged as a result of the CBMS being used to support mandatory nutrient reduction regulations (TMDL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A systematic analysis of how environmental factors affect the virus spread. • Examination of transmission pathway of COVID-19 into built and natural environment. • State of art review of systems analysis tools to assess the dynamics of COVID-19. • The One-Health based decision tool that would help policymakers to combat COVID-19. COVID-19 is deemed as the most critical world health calamity of the 21st century, leading to dramatic life loss. There is a pressing need to understand the multi-stage dynamics, including transmission routes of the virus and environmental conditions due to the possibility of multiple waves of COVID-19 in the future. In this paper, a systematic examination of the literature is conducted associating the virus-laden-aerosol and transmission of these microparticles into the multimedia environment, including built environments. Particularly, this paper provides a critical review of state-of-the-art modelling tools apt for COVID-19 spread and transmission pathways. GIS-based, risk-based, and artificial intelligence-based tools are discussed for their application in the surveillance and forecasting of COVID-19. Primary environmental factors that act as simulators for the spread of the virus include meteorological variation, low air quality, pollen abundance, and spatial-temporal variation. However, the influence of these environmental factors on COVID-19 spread is still equivocal because of other non-pharmaceutical factors. The limitations of different modelling methods suggest the need for a multidisciplinary approach, including the 'One-Health' concept. Extended One-Health-based decision tools would assist policymakers in making informed decisions such as social gatherings, indoor environment improvement, and COVID-19 risk mitigation by adapting the control measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main design criteria for the modern sustainable development of vehicle powertrains are the high energy efficiency of the conversion system, the competitive cost and the lowest possible environmental impacts. An innovative decision making methodology, using multi-objective optimization technics is currently under development. The idea is to obtain a population of possible design solutions corresponding to the most efficient energy system definition. These solutions meet technical, economic and environmental optimality. This article applies the methodology on an electric vehicle, in order to define the powertrain configuration of the vehicle, to estimate the cost of the equipment and to show the environmental impacts of the technical choices of the powertrain configurations in a life cycle perspective. A physical model of the electric vehicle is made and coupled with a cost model for the vehicle and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) technics are used for the environmental assessment. After multi-objective optimizations with thermo-economic and environmental objectives, the solutions obtained from the Pareto frontiers curve are analyzed. Conclusions about the environomic design of the vehicle for optimal mobility service are made. The greenhouse gas emissions are calculated from a well-to-wheel perspective for different countries of use of the electric vehicle, according to their respective electricity production mixes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]