Search

People demonstrate indirect support for a nation's identity by consuming products representing their nationality. In such context, this article focuses on how people react toward brands with national associations when the nation faces threats perpetrated by institutions. Institutions are important as they are one of the core elements defining national identity. Institutional threats to national identity can come from within the nation (internal threat) and from outside (external threat). Weekly supermarket scanner data from 2004 showed that sales of American-sounding brands declined in counties that saw higher coverage of the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal (internal threat), and sales of American-sounding brands increased in counties with more war casualties (external threat). Seven additional experiments demonstrated that (1) self-enhancement derived from national identity mediates these main effects, (2) advertisements that refocus attention on how the brand helps cope with external threats mitigate the negative effects of internal threats for American brands, and (3) such advertisements do not mitigate the negative effects of internal threats for non-American brands. Qualitative surveys (N = 218), surveys (N = 1,603), experiments (N = 3,123), and secondary data analyses (encompassing sales of over 8,000 brands across more than 1,100 U.S. stores) were used to triangulate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite observations of the Antarctic surface since the 1990s, coupled with geophysical surveys of the flow and form of its giant ice sheet, have revealed accelerating loss of ice to the oceans. This, coupled with a reduction in floating sea ice surrounding the continent and the occurrence of unprecedented heatwaves, point to a continent being changed irreversibly by fossil-fuel burning and the global heating that results. A changing Antarctic continent will have global consequences, including sea level rise of possibly more than 1 meter in this century (and much more afterward) and by a reduced ability to naturally reflect incoming solar energy—which would lead to further heating by absorption on land and at sea as the ice pack retreats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, which is based on actual events, presents a dynamic analysis of the development, implementation, and post-implementation review of establishing an enterprise risk management (ERM) system for a U.S. multinational nonprofit firm over a 5-year period, 2015–2020. Using the Risk and Insurance Management Society Risk Maturity Model (RIMS RMM), questionnaire-based risk data and multi-dimensional risk mapping indices are used to identify and prioritize the firm's key strategic risks leading to the development of mitigation strategies whose performance are reviewed post ERM implementation, including during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. The results reveal that the firm's risk management system has been ad hoc and uncoordinated. Post-implementation review of the ERM program shows improvements in financial and operating positions resulting from risk diversification, enhanced profitability, exploitation of natural hedges, and improved board governance. The results further show that the recommended mitigation strategies have been effective in managing the adverse impact of the pandemic. Overall, the evidence offered in this study provides further support on the valuation benefits of ERM maturity within a real-world environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is a rapid, global push for wind energy installation. However, large numbers of bats are killed by turbines each year, raising concerns about the impacts of wind energy expansion on bat populations. Preventing turbine blades from spinning at low wind speeds, referred to as curtailment, is a method to reduce bat fatalities, but drawing consistent inference across studies has been challenging. We compiled publicly available studies that evaluated curtailment at six wind energy facilities in North America across 10 years. We used meta‐regression of 29 implemented treatments to determine fatality reduction efficacy as well as sources of variation influencing efficacy. We also estimated species‐specific fatality reduction for three species that comprise most fatalities in North America: hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) and silver‐haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans). We found that curtailment reduced total bat fatalities by 33% with every 1.0 ms−1 increase in curtailment wind speed. Estimates of the efficacy for the three target species were similar (hoary bats: 28% per ms−1, 95% CI: 0.4%–48%, eastern red bats: 32% per ms−1, 95% CI: 13%–47% and silver‐haired bats: 32% per ms−1, 95% CI: 3%–53%). Across multiple facilities and years, a 5.0 ms−1 cut‐in speed was estimated to reduce total bat fatalities by an average of 62% (95% CI: 54%–69%). Mortality reductions at individual facilities in any given year were estimated to fall between 33%–79% (95% prediction interval). Inter‐annual differences rather than inter‐site or turbine characteristics accounted for most of the variation in efficacy rates. Species‐specific average mortality reduction at 5.0 ms−1 curtailment wind speed was 48% (95% CI: 24%–64%) for hoary bats, 61% (95% CI: 42%–74%) for eastern red bats and 52% (95% CI: 30%–66%) for silver‐haired bats. Practical implication. curtailment reduced bat mortality at wind turbines in this North American study. Efficacy increased proportionally as curtailment speed is raised, and patterns and rates of efficacy were similar across species. This indicates that curtailment is an effective strategy to reduce bat fatalities at wind energy facilities, but exploration of further refinements could both minimize bat mortality and maximize energy production.

Uranium is a highly hazardous heavy metal and radionuclide. The distribution of uranium in rock, soil, fruit, and water has been measured in the Balod area. Samples were collected using one square kilometer griding technique from Jhalmala Paragaon, Parsoda, Dewerbatt, Pakurbatt, and Jagarata Deur tarai. The distribution of uranium is quantified within the ranges of 0.7–3.6 (ppb) in soil, 0.5–4.4 ppb in rock, 0.2–52.6 ppb in groundwater, and 0.2–0.7 ppb in fruit.The presence and movement of uranium has been verified through a systematic statistical investigation, and its mobility in environmental components has been established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, the Norwegian management for cultural heritage has increased its focus on finding effective solutions for protecting Norway's wooden cultural heritage from fire damage. The medieval churches in general, including the wooden stave churches, with their interiors and inventories, are of special interest. However, the usefulness of protecting valuable interiors and inventories when fighting fire has been questioned. An experiment was carried out to find manageable solutions for protecting large inventories by using fire covers in case of fire. An experiment using seven commercially available products was conducted by fire fighters to investigate whether these products could protect historic interiors from water and fire. The preliminary results show that it is possible to find manageable, large format covers for the protection of large, immovable historic inventories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovations in plant and soil sciences are revolutionising our approach to sustainability, offering solutions with broad societal impacts. Discoveries in these fields hold great potential for combatting, mitigating and adapting to climate change; enhancing food security; and revitalising urban environments. By harnessing the power of plants and the soils they grow in, it is possible to cultivate resilience in the face of environmental challenges, informing policy and practice, and thereby guiding us towards a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon pricing is a key component of current climate policy agendas. There are a variety of societal and health impacts from carbon pricing interventions (e.g. from improved air quality). A better understanding of potential health impacts and how they depend on context and policy design is crucial to improve the political feasibility and fairness of carbon pricing. Recent reviews have synthesized evidence on the effectiveness, equity and perceptions of carbon pricing and on the health co-benefits of mitigation. This review provides a narrative structured synthesis of the health impacts of carbon pricing. We identified 58 relevant publications of which all were modelling studies. We classify review findings into policy-relevant categories, synthesizing information on how carbon pricing affects health outcomes when implemented in different contexts, in isolation or as part of policy mixes. Findings suggest that internalization of health co-benefits in optimal price level estimates could lead to substantial mitigation in some regions. There are also opportunities to design carbon pricing to improve health outcomes, including through progressive or targeted use of revenues to improve food security, subsidize healthier diets or promote active transportation. Revenue use, price differentiation, market size and permit allocation of emissions trading schemes (ETS), and interaction with other public health or mitigation policies all influence health outcomes. Overall, the health impacts of carbon pricing are highly context-specific and further evidence is needed, particularly on health inequalities and ex-post analysis. However, existing evidence suggests that it is possible to design health-beneficial carbon pricing policies, thus enhancing policy acceptability and feasibility. Key policy insights: Internalizing health co-benefits into optimal carbon pricing estimates could lead to substantial emission reductions in some regions, although additional action is needed to encourage price levels compatible with climate targets Health co-benefits can be boosted through key elements of policy design including price differentiation across commodities and regions, revenue use or ETS design Careful policy design can enhance health gains at a small or insignificant cost in terms of climate mitigation effectiveness and efficiency. The implementation of carbon pricing as part of broader policy mixes with a strong focus on progressivity and equity is crucial to achieving health co-benefits [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional network administration required manual programming of routing policies and related parameters on specific routers and switches, which was expensive. Therefore, software-defined networking (SDN) technology has been introduced, which has boosted flexibility and decreased hardware development costs by centralizing network management. Since intrusion detection is vital in the SDN environment, this centralized architecture makes information security vulnerable to network threats. To evaluate and recognize these attacks, many researchers have recently adopted cutting-edge approaches like machine learning. However, most of these methods are not very accurate and scalable. To address this issue, this paper proposes an EfficientNetV2-RegNet-based effective deep learning technique. It effectively extracted the network features and classified the intrusions in SDN-based IoT (Internet of Things). Afterwards, an effective mitigation process was performed by a remote SDN controller to mitigate the assaults and reconfigure the network resources for trusted network hosts. Furthermore, the Conditional Generative Adversarial Network (CGAN) based data augmentation approach efficiently tackles the data imbalance issue. The most recent realistic datasets, named InSDN and IoT-23, were utilized to train and assess the presented framework to validate its efficiency. The results of the experiments demonstrated that the suggested system surpassed competitors in identifying various attack types and achieved 99.53 and 99.56% accuracy for IoT-23 and InSDN datasets, correspondingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the projected impacts of climate change in upcoming decades, innovative educational approaches should encourage inventive problem-solving techniques and societal change, fostering transformative climate adaptation. The value of drama in climate adaptation education remains a novel area in the environmental education research literature and requires further exploration of its potential benefits to Climate Change Education (CCE). This article presents a proposal for CCE to include various elements in a drama workshop by evaluating a methodological framework. Participants in the workshop studied the vulnerabilities that arose from flooding and droughts while dramatizing different social conflicts to develop building adaptation scenarios. Through the exploration of problems via playful activities, participants collaboratively construct narratives and texts rich with meaning, based on a critical and creative perception of themes, needs, desires, and overlapping ideologies. This short-term experience manifests efficacy in elucidating the underpinnings of social systems structures, human values, and motivations. This article analyzes workshop results, providing a pedagogical structure and theoretical foundation, contributing to a better comprehension of drama in education and the creation of capacities towards CCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In medical settings, disagreement between doctors and patients frequently occurs, and it is considered a potential trigger to elicit conflicts. Hence, the point of departure for this study is the widely accepted view that these kinds of "face-threatening" and "dispreferred" acts need to be modified. Thus, this study sheds light on analyzing doctor-patient's discourse in 25 episodes of online radio medical consultation, reporting on Chinese doctors' mitigated disagreement forms and offering a novel perspective on how Chinese doctors use these mitigated disagreements to turn divergent ideas into alignment with patients in online radio medical consultation. The findings in this study provide preliminary empirical support for the idea that mitigated disagreements can be seen as a sign of relational work and may not destroy but rather strengthen doctor-patient's relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, ammonia (NH3) is one of the key air pollutants and reducing NH3 emissions and the associated indirect emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide remains challenging for the agricultural sector. During the past three decades, a number of urease inhibitors have been placed on the market with the goal of reducing NH3 loss from urea containing fertilisers. N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), N-(2-nitrophenyl) phosphoric triamide (2-NPT), a 3:1 ratio of NBPT + N-(n-propyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NPPT) and the maleic and itaconic acid co-polymer (MIP) are registered urease inhibitors under the European Commission Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR). However, the availability of several inhibitor options has raised questions from farmers, policymakers and emissions inventory compiling authorities regarding the field efficacy of the different options available for reducing NH3 loss. Despite many disparate NH3 field studies existing for NBPT, 2-NPT, NBPT + NPPT and MIP there is presently no review that brings these results together, a significant and important knowledge gap. This review addresses the gap by summarising the published field trial literature on NH3 volatilisation mitigation offered by NBPT, 2- NPT, NBPT + NPPT and MIP. Our review identified 48 peer reviewed studies where NH3 loss mitigation was measured in a field setting, giving 256 replicated comparisons. The synthesised literature results revealed that NBPT + NPPT reduced NH3 loss by 75% (95% CI = 58-82% n = 32), 2-NPT reduced NH3 loss by 70% (95% CI = 63-76% n = 19) and NBPT reduced NH3 loss by 61% (95% CI = 57-64% n = 165), giving on average a 69% reduction by these three urease inhibitors. In contrast, MIP increased NH3 loss by 0.3% on average (95% CI = -8-9% n = 40). The results presented in this review broaden the understanding of urease inhibitor efficacy in field conditions and demonstrate that not all products behave the same in terms of field NH3 reduction efficacy. This review is important for farmers, policymakers, emission inventory compilers and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme weather events are becoming more severe and frequent worldwide. This study employs the Mann–Kendall test and Thein-Sen estimator for analysing the mean temperature trend in India’s four densely populated metropolitan cities of New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai under representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. The trend reveals rising temperatures across four Indian regions with the change being more dominant under RCP 8.5 scenario. By the end of the twenty-first century, RCP 4.5 and 8.5 anticipate a significant rise in mean temperature of 6.0°C and 9.0°C in the Western Himalayas, 5.0°C and 7.5°C in East India and 4.0°C and 7.0°C in the Thar Desert’s south-eastern region. Spatio-temporal variation also indicated the influence of heat waves across different regions of India in the late twenty-first century. There should be relevant long-term and short-term policies to mitigate the effect of climate change and optimise the mortality rate caused by heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We claim that a moral obligation to take climate leadership by means of unilateral mitigation depends on the existence of a plausible follow‐the‐leader mechanism whereby unilateral mitigation by some increases the probability of sufficient mitigation by others to avert catastrophic climate impacts. By understanding these mechanisms, we can better articulate the obligation for climate leadership across various sectors, from government to individual actors, in the fight against climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current evidence linking long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and mortality is primarily based on persons that live in the same residence, city and/or country throughout the study, with few residential moves or relocations. We propose a novel method to quantify the health impacts of PM2.5 for United States (US) diplomats who regularly relocate to international cities with different PM2.5 levels. Methods: Life table methods were applied at an individual-level to US mortality statistics using the World Health Organization's database of city-specific PM2.5 annual mean concentrations. Global Burden of Disease concentration-response (C-R) functions were used to estimate cause-specific mortality and days of life lost (DLL) for a range of illustrative 20-year diplomatic assignments for three age groups. Time lags between exposure and exposure-related mortality risks were applied. Sensitivity analysis of baseline mortality, exposure level, C-R functions and lags was conducted. The effect of mitigation measures, including the addition of air purifiers, was examined. Results: DLL due to PM2.5 exposure for a standard 20-year assignment ranged from 0.3 days for diplomats' children to 84.1 days for older diplomats. DLL decreased when assignments in high PM2.5 cities were followed by assignments in low PM2.5 cities: 162.5 DLL when spending 20 years in high PM2.5 cities compared to 62.6 DLL when spending one of every four years (5 years total) in a high PM2.5 city for older male diplomats. Use of air purifiers and improved home tightness in polluted cities may halve DLL due to PM2.5 exposure. The results were highly sensitive to lag assumptions: DLL increased by 68% without inception lags and decreased by 59% without cessation lags for older male diplomats. Conclusion: We developed a model to quantify health impacts of changing PM2.5 exposure for a population with frequent relocations. Our model suggests that alternating assignments in high and low PM2.5 cities may help reduce PM2.5-related mortality burdens. Adding exposure mitigation at home may help reduce PM2.5 related mortality. Further research on outcome-specific lag structures is needed to improve the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare systems are major emitters of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The resulting climate crisis harms human and planetary health and increasingly impacts lives on Earth. Because of their status as high emitters and their social role in society, healthcare systems have a clear obligation to decarbonise. This study investigates how healthcare systems worldwide can lower their greenhouse gas emissions and thereby contribute to global climate action. We performed a systematic literature review, searching PubMed, GreenFILE, Business Source Complete and CINAHL for relevant empirical studies, non-research papers and grey literature published between 1 January 2018 and 28 March 2023. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol applied to healthcare systems guided thematic and descriptive analyses to explore interventions targeted at scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. The PRISMA guidelines were followed for reporting and synthesising the results. A total of 742 publications were initially identified, 230 of which were included in the systematic literature review, comprising 96 empirical studies, 132 non-research papers and two governmental reports. Numerous conventional and unique decarbonisation actions related to healthcare have been reported in the literature. Eight themes were identified: transportation, anaesthesia, energy, travel, supply chain, clinical practices, planetary health literacy and system changes. This study shows the abundant potential for healthcare decarbonisation while highlighting key uncertainties around decarbonisation in healthcare and providing ambitious recommendations to lower emissions globally. Decarbonisation actions are needed at the personal, organisational and system levels. The health workforce is vital in driving transformative change but needs to be adequately trained and educated about the importance of low-carbon solutions in healthcare. Countries worldwide must exchange knowledge about successful decarbonisation interventions and best practices to push global progress. Looking forward, action plans and audits at the local level combined with large-scale measures and policies are needed to influence the system as a whole. Plain English summary: Climate change caused by greenhouse gases, which are mainly emitted via the burning of fossil fuels and biomass in the form of carbon dioxide but also include methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases, harms both human and planetary health. Health effects can be direct and indirect and range from infectious to chronic diseases, mental health impacts, malnutrition and forced displacement. Highly developed healthcare systems are crucial for meeting the rising demand for health services related to the climate crisis. However, healthcare systems worldwide have a large climate footprint, and they themselves contribute to this problem. They emit greenhouse gases directly (scope 1) and indirectly (scopes 2 and 3)—most greenhouse gases are emitted through the global healthcare supply chain (scope 3). We reviewed the literature for possible actions that healthcare workers and decision-makers can take to lower the climate footprint of healthcare systems. We found that healthcare system emissions have abundant potential to decrease, for example, by reducing emissions from transportation, anaesthesia, energy, travel, the supply chain and clinical practices. Practical actions at the personal and organisational levels can be supported by promoting the planetary health literacy of healthcare workers, patients and their caregivers and system changes that need to be implemented at a higher level. The health workforce is vital in driving transformative change but needs to be adequately trained and educated about the importance of low-carbon solutions in healthcare. We recommend that countries worldwide exchange knowledge about successful decarbonisation interventions and best practices to push global progress. Future research is needed to substantiate these decarbonisation efforts. However, the time for action is now—and through this research, we hope to empower everyone to take the necessary steps towards a climate-friendly healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The real estate sector is significantly impacted by climate change, with effects ranging from increasing risks of flooding and wildfires to shifting demand for certain types of property. These impacts influence insurance prices, property maintenance procedures, and the overall desirability of specific homes. While climate risk is acknowledged in the financial industry, its implications for the commercial and residential real estate sector are mostly studied in developed countries, with limited research in developing countries like Nigeria. This study attempts to fill this gap by exploring the potential impacts of climate change on residential properties in Lagos State, Nigeria, using Wemabod properties as a case study. The methodology involved analyzing primary data collected from residents of Wemabod Estate, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, with purposive sampling used to recruit 100 participants due to absence of reliable census data. Data analysis was conducted using mean rank, t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings showed that most respondents demonstrated a good level of awareness about climate change. Analysis revealed that residential characteristics such as age, gender, level of education, and knowledge level of climate risk significantly influenced residents' climate change coping and adaptation strategies, with notable mean differences in knowledge and perception based on these factors. The major perceived effects of climate change included extreme heat and flooding, followed by strong winds and irregular rainfall, leading to property impacts such as peeling paint, wall cracks, roof leakage, foundation shake, and burst pipes. These findings indicate that extreme heat and flooding are the primary climate change manifestations affecting residential properties in Lagos State. Property owners should implement measures to protect against these effects, regularly inspect and maintain their properties, consider climate risk in their insurance and maintenance plans, and stay informed about climate change impacts. This study underscores the need for further research on climate change's impact on real estate in developing countries to better understand and mitigate these risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate mitigation efforts seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions require more renewable energy generation and utilisation. In Aotearoa New Zealand there are initiatives underway to develop offshore wind, or in the future, arrays of tidal turbines or wave energy converters, as a new energy resource. Here we synthesise available knowledge from international developments in offshore windfarm installations and discuss in a local Aotearoa New Zealand context. Aspects described include habitat modification, consequences of physical water column changes, and effects on benthic organisms, fish and fisheries, seabirds and marine mammals. Importantly, there is a need to adhere to Te Tiriti o Waitangi which defines Māori sovereign rights and expectations in terms of guardianship of resources (kaitiakitanga). Based on recent regulatory applications in marine spatial planning, where developments have been subject to the precautionary principle for environmental impacts, comprehensive environmental information will be critical for obtaining approval to proceed. The present synthesis identifies environmental pressure-points, footprints, and knowledge gaps, such as New Zealand-specific seabird and marine mammal behaviour and discusses potential opportunities to leverage the positive impacts of marine renewable energy developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In the marine environment, seaweeds (i.e. marine macroalgae) provide a wide range of ecological services and economic benefits. Like land plants, seaweeds do not provide these services in isolation, rather they rely on their associated microbial communities, which together with the host form the seaweed holobiont. However, there is a poor understanding of the mechanisms shaping these complex seaweed–microbe interactions, and of the evolutionary processes underlying these interactions. Here, we identify the current research challenges and opportunities in the field of seaweed holobiont biology. We argue that identifying the key microbial partners, knowing how they are recruited, and understanding their specific function and their relevance across all seaweed life history stages are among the knowledge gaps that are particularly important to address, especially in the context of the environmental challenges threatening seaweeds. We further discuss future approaches to study seaweed holobionts, and how we can apply the holobiont concept to natural or engineered seaweed ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deserts and semi-arid environments are habitats to rare species, rich cultural heritage, and essential ecological processes. Approximately 46% of the world's surface area is covered by drylands (arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas), where 3 billion people live and unfortunately witness water insecurity and desertification implications. In this context, the present study argued that reduced dryland ecosystem services and decreased ecosystem health have resulted from the individual and compounding impacts of desertification, water scarcity, and climate change. At 1.5 °C, 2 °C, and 3 °C of global warming, under the shared socio-economic pathway SSP2, the number of people living in drylands who will be affected by various effects on water, energy, and land sectors is projected to reach 951 million, 1152 million, and 1285 million, respectively. Due to combinations of land use change, rainfall variations, fire suppression, and CO2 fertilization, as well as unsustainable management, widespread woody encroachment has occurred in many shrublands and savannas in Africa, Australia, North America, and South America. This has altered biodiversity and reduces ecosystem services, such as water availability and grazing potential. The north side of the Mediterranean, southern Africa, and North and South America are projected to have the most semiarid expansion. Contrarily, drylands are expected to shrink in India, northern China, eastern equatorial Africa, and the southern Sahara. Growing research evidence highlights the adoption of policy frameworks deriving the solutions from soil land management (SLM), indigenous and local knowledge (ILK), early warning systems coupled with adaptation and mitigation responses, and targets of sustainable development goals (SDGs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigation practices for nitrogen leaching losses from livestock agriculture are needed to protect freshwater quality and increase the efficiency of agricultural production. Within New Zealand, the most common pasture type is a twospecies mix of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens). Ecological theory suggests that increasing species and functional diversity improves ecosystem function, including nitrogen (N) retention. Use of more diverse pasture types, including a mix of pasture grasses, legumes and other forbs, particularly plantain (Plantago lanceolata), with functional traits, including winter activity, deep-rooting, N fixation, and biological inhibition of nitrification in the soil, is a potential mitigation practice that requires further verification with long-term field measurements. Here we utilize a network of large lysimeters to make field-based measurements of N leaching from 5-8 species diverse pasture, including plantain, under a range of soil, climate and management conditions, for comparison with losses from traditional ryegrass-clover pasture. Over 3 years of measurements, leaching from fully established diverse pasture was 2-80 kg N ha-1 y-1. No differences were observed in dry matter production or N leaching of diverse pasture compared to ryegrass-clover lysimeters. Large losses, up to 120 kg N ha-1, were observed during periods when pasture was not fully established, including cultivation and sowing of new pasture, depending on season. Timing of management activities could be optimized to minimize these losses. These data provide critical assessment of diverse pasture as a mitigation approach for reducing N losses. Further work on diverse pastures should include higher diversity mixes as well as consideration of animal mediated effects of diverse pasture diets on N inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: On intensive grassland dairy farms in high rainfall areas with poorly drained soils, networks of open drainage channels linked to in-field drainage systems are needed to enable farm operations. Nitrogen and phosphorus point and diffuse sources may be connected to this open drainage channel network along surface and subsurface pathways, with negative impacts upon delivery to the downstream aquatic system. Methods: This study developed a semi-quantitative risk assessment model by: (1) selecting parameters (categorical or continuous) representing the nutrient transfer continuum and (2) scoring (relative magnitude and impact) the risk of nutrient source connectivity and delivery for every open drainage channel section across seven dairy farms. Results and Discussion: A Risk Index Classification System consisting of low, medium, high, or very high-risk class was developed, with high or above requiring a mitigation plan. Results showed that 23%, 68%, 9% and 0% of all open drainage channels on study farms were identified as low, moderate, high and very highrisk, respectively. A range from 2% to 25% per farm of the open drainage channels was classified as high-risk that potentially needed mitigation, although none was identified as very high-risk. Two-thirds of the high-risk open drainage channels were connected to the farmyards, with potential for high nutrient loss from point sources. A combined approach of source management and targeted breaking of the pathway (e.g., in-channel filters, water diversion bars) may help minimise nutrient losses from high risk open drainage channels on poorly draining soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind farms are a clean and efficient source of renewable energy. However, they cause negative impacts on raptors. Here, we present a review of the existing scientific literature on the effects of wind farms on raptors' ecology with a particular interest in the potential solutions. After collecting 216 studies, we found a consensus in the literature that raptors exhibit avoidance behaviors, and that the abundance of raptors decreases after wind farm installation, although it might recover over time. The position of wind farms on mountaintop ridges poses a particular danger to large soaring raptors, as they rely on orographic uplift to gain altitude. Adult mortality significantly affects population dynamics, particularly in endangered species, but young inexperienced individuals show a higher collision risk. The combination of different methods including field monitoring, GPS telemetry and systematic search for carcasses is an adequate approach to further investigate the problem and solutions. Shutdowns on demand, the installation of deterrents, turbine micro‐sitting and the repowering of wind farms have been suggested as potential solutions, although results are contradictory and case‐specific. Furthermore, it is essential to report the potential occurrence of conflicts of interest in scientific papers, as they can influence the interpretation of the results. Finally, from a future perspective, it is crucial to assess the effectiveness of solutions to mitigate the negative effects of wind farms to promote raptor conservation. This becomes increasingly relevant in the context of renewable energy development and increasing energy demand worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen (H 2) accumulation in confined areas can pose a threat to the structure's integrity in case of an undesired ignition. Therefore, mitigation measures are critical in preventing such devastating accidents. Passive Autocatalytic Recombiners (PARs) are defined as safety devices developed for preventing H 2 accumulation in confined environments. During PARs operation, the ambient oxygen (O 2) concentration decreases due to the H 2 reaction on the catalyst surface, possibly reaching oxygen-limited conditions. In this work, a 2D transient numerical model was validated against experiments conducted at low O 2 dilution ratios. After validation, the model was also verified by comparing the results with numerical simulations from literature. It was found that oxygen-limited conditions occurred due to low O 2 concentrations at the catalyst surface. At these conditions, H 2 was not entirely recombined, decreasing the PAR efficiency. This indicates that in case of a H 2 release in a confined space, oxygen-limited conditions would cause H 2 accumulation due to limited PAR operation, increasing the risk of an undesired ignition. • Hydrogen recombination under low O 2 conditions can affect the PAR performance. • Oxygen-limited conditions occurred due to low O 2 concentrations at the catalyst surface. • High air flow resulted in a low O 2 residence time at the catalyst surface. • A single step mechanism produced reliable results at low O 2 concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Research Aims: Human-wildlife conflict is a significant issue worldwide mainly in developing countries where livestock husbandry and crop production are important aspects of rural people's livelihoods and income. This study on human-wildlife conflict was conducted in and around Chebera-Churchura National Park from September 2019 to August 2021. The main aim of the study was to investigate the extent of human-wildlife conflict in the study area. Methods: Data were collected using semi structured questionnaire and direct observation on crop damage. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the collected data and responses were compared by using chi-square test (χ2) and one-way ANOVA. Results: The result indicated that problems encountered by the local people due to wildlife species were crop damage (99.2%), livestock predation (67.8%), disease transmission (28.8%) and human attack (11.9%). According to the report of those who are affected, the average number of livestock predated by wild animals in and around Chebera Churchura National Park was 2.69±0.17 per household per year. Maize was the most highly affected crop type by different raiders in the study area, for instance the average maize loss by olive baboon (Papio anubis) was 303 ETB (Ethiopian Birr) (6USD) per household per year. Generally, the loss of the total estimated cost of all crop types during the study period due to crop raiders was 320,515.00 ETB (Ethiopian Birr) (6410 USD). Conclusion: Conflict has occurred in the study area for many years and the rate of conflict is increasing from time to time. Implication for Conservation: Integrated conflict mitigation measures should be implemented by the park administration and stakeholders to alleviate the problem and ensure sustainable coexistence of wildlife and human in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High nitrogen (N) fertiliser rates are usually applied to increase agricultural yields, leading to high nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. This is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and depletes the ozone layer. This study aimed to optimise N use efficiency and quantify N2O emission factors (EF1) by measuring the effect of N rates on the yield of a potato-cover crop rotation, apparent N use efficiency (NUE) and N2O emissions. The two-year experiment was carried out on volcanic soils (1.6% carbon, 1.4% N) in southern Chile (40°52′ S, 73°03′ W). Three N application rates were evaluated (80, 150 and 300 kg N ha−1), 35% of which was applied at the planting stage (granular) and 65% at the tubering stage. A control treatment with no N addition was also included. Reducing N fertilisation to 80 kg N ha−1 increased NUE by three times, reduced N2O-N emissions by 33% and reduced emission intensity by 27% without a detrimental impact on crop yield and marketable tuber calibre. No significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in the N2O emission factor (EF1) because of a low rainfall year. The results suggest that in rainfed agriculture systems, N fertiliser application can be significantly reduced without sacrificing potato yield, favouring the economic and environmental sustainability of potato production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review addresses the fragmented literature on administrative interventions for cybercrime mitigation within e-government services, which often prioritise technological aspects over a unified theoretical framework. By analysing 32 peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases, supplemented by additional sources located through Google Scholar, this study synthesises factors within the technical, managerial and behavioural domains using the Theory, Context and Method (TCM) framework. The findings reveal a predominant focus on managerial and technical factors, with behavioural aspects frequently overlooked. Cybercrime mitigation is often treated as a procedural step rather than a holistic process. This study advocates a well-established, context-specific mitigation plan, integrating regional factors through the Human–Organisation–Technology (HOT) framework to develop a comprehensive model for effective cybercrime mitigation in e-government services. This research has practical, theoretical and policy implications, offering actionable insights for improving operational practices, advancing theoretical frameworks and guiding policymakers in formulating effective cybercrime mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the socio-ecological model of social and behavior change communication, our review highlights current trends in understanding message design factors and media technologies promoting proenvironment and climate mitigative behaviors. We explain that much of this research has focused on the individual level, and relatively few studies have been conducted at the interpersonal and community levels. With respect to changing communication ecology, we note the potential for research on the use of social media platforms to influence positive behavior changes and, conversely, the challenges of misinformation and its impact on behavior shifts. This area requires further investigation as these communication platforms transform and become increasingly relevant. Additionally, we need to explicate the long-term shifts and impacts of behavior change interventions as well as track behaviors over time. Overall, our review underscores the continued need for research across different geographical, sociopolitical, and technological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake recurrence intervals, surface-rupture extents, and interactions between faults provide insight into how faults behave and are critical for seismic hazard mitigation and earthquake forecasting. Investigating the paleoseismology of spatially related faults can reveal strain distribution and whether faults rupture as a system or independently. Summer Lake basin, a graben in the northwestern Basin and Range with four active faults (three of which have prior paleoseismic investigations), provides an opportunity to investigate fault interactions. To expand the paleoseismic record, two trenches were excavated across the previously undocumented Thousand Springs fault, exposing a normal fault zone that offsets a sequence of deep- to shallow-water lake sediments, sand dunes containing reworked Mazama ash, and other Cascades-sourced tephra. Tephra units were correlated to known units by their physical characteristics, stratigraphic sequence, glass chemistry, and two new radiocarbon dates from the uppermost lake sediments. Using trench exposures, measured vertical separations through auguring, colluvial wedges, and extrapolated offsets based on a constant sedimentation rate, we identified at least five surface-rupturing earthquakes with a total offset of 3.4 + 2/-1 m in the past ~65 ka. The oldest event (EH5) occurred at 63.8 ± 1.5 ka, event horizon 4 at 36.2 ± 12.7 ka (which could be more than one event), and event horizon 3 at 24.6 ± 0.3 ka. Event horizon 2, a warping event at our site, is likely more than one event and occurred between 7.5 and 10 ka; and the most recent event (EH1+), most likely more than one event, occurred between 3.3 and 7.7 ka. Several events correlate, within error, with events on other faults in the Summer Lake basin, suggesting that (1) the faults generally rupture together as a system, (2) the most recent earthquake may have ruptured all faults in the region, and (3) fault rupture is influenced by the rapid regression of Lake Chewaucan (~13 ka). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines tourism professionals' perceptions of climate change and their reactions to the associated challenges. Sixteen in-depth interviews with tourism professionals who work at Arctic destinations in Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark (i.e. Greenland), reveal that the professionals acknowledge several pressing issues arising from climate change, such as glacier retreating and snow shortfall. It discovers one salient adaptation action in association with snow-related activities. Further, three streams of driving forces prompt the professionals to devise sustainable mitigation actions entailing (1) staging socially responsible and wellbeing tourist experiences, (2) implementing waste programmes friendly to the Arctic ecosystem, and (3) cultivating eco-friendly practices through certifications and educational programmes. Lastly, to further construe the attitudes of tourism professionals, this study elicits the Climate Resilience Model on Arctic Tourism, characterizing the interplay among climate impacts, driving forces, and climate actions by the tourism business across four Arctic nations under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban forests, as an integral part of nature-based solutions (NBS), are significant contributors to improving urban air quality, delivering ecological service functions and environmental benefits to human health and well-being. Suitable urban forest management, including proper species selection, needs to be defined to efficiently reduce air pollutants in cities, with a focus on the removal ability of the main air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, O3, and NO2), the ecological adaptability to O3 and NO2, and allergenic effects. This study ranked 73 urban greening tree species in northern Chinese cities based on their ability to maximize air quality and minimize disservices. This study proposed a novel Species-Specific Air Purification Index (S-API), which is suitable for air quality improvement for tree/shrub species. Urban managers are recommended to select species with an S-API > 1.47—that is, species that have a high removal capacity of PM2.5, PM10, O3, and NO2, are O3- and NO2-tolerant, and are non-allergenic (e.g., Castanea mollissima Blume, Ginkgo biloba L., Hibiscus syriacus L., Ilex chinensis Sims, Juniperus procumbens (Endl.) Iwata et Kusaka, Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg., Morus alba L., Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott, Syringa oblata Lindl., and Ulmus pumila L.). The S-API of urban greening species thus represents a potentially useful metric for air pollutant risk assessment and for selecting appropriate species for urban greening in cities facing serious air pollution challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European spongy moth, Lymantria dispar dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), originating from Eurasia, is found in Europe, Africa, and North America. Its polyphagous larvae infest deciduous and coniferous trees, causing severe damage during mass outbreak years. Thus, it is listed as one of the top 100 invasive alien species worldwide. The management and containment of this pest vary significantly between Europe and North America, with North America exhibiting a more robust response regarding the containment of the outbreaks. This study evaluates the current state of the European Union (EU-27) forests' legal, political and cooperative protection frameworks concerning L. dispar dispar. We identified active and potential new stakeholders to assess the level of national and international collaboration in forest protection. We conducted a SWOT analysis to propose new strategies and solutions, aiming for enhanced cooperation in protecting EU forests from L. dispar dispar outbreaks. Our findings highlight the potential of new monitoring and reporting technologies and the importance of increased social and political awareness through social media and public campaigns. These measures would enable more centralized and coordinated efforts among member states. A few of the most significant results in each category of SWOT analysis are as follows: for strengths, a well-established network of EU and national stakeholders exists; for opportunities, emerging innovative technologies, such as IoT, AI, and 5G, are transforming our approach to forest protection; for weaknesses, there is a lack of informed choices regarding proactive measures to contain the outbreak due to a lack of centralized EU coordination and the inefficiencies of national state policies. Finally, the numerous threats to the well-being of EU forests competing for the attention of institutions and relevant stakeholders is by far one of the most important parameters regarding the threats to the EU's forest protection. The study advocates for a unified, technologically advanced approach to manage and mitigate L. dispar dispar impacts in European forests, emphasizing the need for strengthened international cooperation and the strategic implementation of innovative solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic literature review (SLR) explores the role of community-based catastrophe insurance (CBCI) as a tool for sustainable economic loss risk mitigation. Utilizing bibliometric analysis and a literature review, this study aims to reveal the methods employed in CBCI schemes from a novel perspective, highlighting their effectiveness in mitigating catastrophe risks. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology was employed to systematically collect and analyze articles sourced from the Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Dimensions databases. The findings provide a comprehensive summary of the CBCI implementation, including various considerations such as risk-sharing mechanisms, premium determination, and policy frameworks. This research offers a fresh perspective on CBCI as a sustainable approach to catastrophe risk mitigation, contributing valuable insights to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interested in community resilience and disaster risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potatoes are a crop that thrives in highland areas, and Bandung Regency is one of the major potato production centers in West Java. This production center is located in an environmentally focused village development area within the Cisangkuy Sub-Watershed of Bandung Regency. The purpose of this study is to identify risks arising from various risk sources and to formulate risk control strategies for potato production in this region. The method used is the house of risk (HOR) method. In farming activities, farmers must comply with environmental regulations. However, many farmers are still unaware of the importance of environmental sustainability, particularly in their use of chemicals. To actively engage in environmental management efforts, it is crucial to understand the characteristics of potato farmers in Bandung Regency, especially those located in the development area of environmentally focused villages within the Cisangkuy Sub-Watershed. The results of this study identified 33 risk events. The risk event with the highest impact is waterlogged plants (E10), with an impact value of 8.9. Based on the Pareto diagram, 16 priority risk sources need to be addressed. The most significant risk source identified is the use of uncertified seeds (A29). To mitigate risks in potato production, 21 preventive actions (PAs) have been proposed. One of the most effective strategies is for farmers to purchase seed potatoes directly from Balitsa (PA1), with an effectiveness ratio (ETD) of 4372. Another recommended strategy is to purchase certified seeds from other breeders (PA2). These strategies are prioritized to reduce the risks faced by potato farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review focuses on empirical research about contemporary challenges to the death penalty in the United States. Challenges are factors that obstruct capital punishment, including legal or political restrictions; elimination at the federal or state level; or the hindrance of the process at its operational stages of charging, adjudicating, appeals, clemency, or executions. By the best-known measures, the death penalty has been in decline in the United States since the turn of the century. Lethal injection errors—"botches"—are arguably the most important current challenge to the institution. Wrongful capital conviction has made capital punishment less tolerable to the general public. Mitigation remains an important challenge to the death penalty. This review emphasizes botches, innocence, and mitigation but also touches on disparate impact, failure-to-deliver a social benefit, and cost. Along the way, this review proposes a framework for considering challenges as they occur on two continua of impact, a micro/meso/macro axis and a narrow/wide axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With nearly 40% of the total plastics produced being used for packaging, up to five trillion plastic bags are consumed in the world annually. The inadequate disposal of plastic waste and its persistence has become a serious challenge/risk to the environment, health, and well-being of living creatures, including humans. The natural degradation of plastics is extremely slow; large pieces of plastic may break down into microplastics (MPs) (1 μm–5 mm) or nanoplastics (NPs) (<1000 nm) after protracted physical, chemical, and/or biological degradations. A brief overview of the transport of micro- and nanoplastics in the aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments is presented. Details are provided on the exposure routes for these waste materials and their entry into humans and other biota through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. The greatest concern is the cumulative impact of the heterogeneous secondary MPs and NPs on planetary and human health. Inhaled MPs and NPs have been shown to affect the upper respiratory tract, lower respiratory tract, and alveoli; prolonged exposure can lead to chronic inflammatory changes and systemic disease. These can also lead to autoimmune diseases and other chronic health conditions, including atherosclerosis and malignancy. Sustainable mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of MPs/NPs include source reduction, material substitution, filtration and purification, transformation of plastic waste into value-added materials, technological innovations, etc. Multidisciplinary collaborations across the fields of medicine, public health, environmental science, economics, and policy are required to help limit the detrimental effects of widespread MPs and NPs in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate temperature and rainfall variations and their effects on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Konso cultural landscape, Ethiopia, using dense merged satellite–gauge-station rainfall data (1981–2020) with a spatial resolution of 4 km-by-4 km and observed maximum and min temperature data (1987–2020), together with qualitative data gathered from cultural leaders, local administrators and religious leaders. The Climate Data tool (CDT) software version 8 was used for rainfall- and temperature-data analysis. The results showed that the north and northeastern regions of Konso had significant increases in rainfall. However, it was highly variable and erratic, resulting in extreme droughts and floods. The study confirmed that there were significant (p < 0.05) increasing trends in the number of days with heavy rainfall, very-heavy rainfall days, and annual total wet-day rainfall (R10 mm, 20 mm, and PRCPTOT). The highest daily minimum temperature, lowest and highest daily maximum-temperature number of warm days and nights, and number of cold days and nights all showed significant rising trends. The increasing trends in rainfall and temperature extremes have resulted in flooding and warming of the study area, respectively. These have led to the destruction of terraces, soil erosion, loss of life and damage of properties, loss of grasses, food insecurity, migration, loss of biodiversity, and commodification of stones. The continuous decline in farmland productivity is affecting the livelihood and traditional ceremonies of the Konso people, which are helpful for the transfer of traditional resource-management knowledge to the next generation. It is therefore necessary to implement local-scale climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in order to safeguard the Konso cultural landscapes as a worldwide cultural asset and to bolster the resilience of smallholder farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The logic structures implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are often critical and their correct operation is vital. FPGA devices are often used in areas where there is increased ionising radiation (space, medical diagnostics, aviation or nuclear power). There is therefore a need for mechanisms to correct radiation-induced errors. A common approach is the redundant implementation of particularly critical parts of the logic structure. By triplicating selected fragments, it is possible not only to detect potential errors but also to correct them. Such an approach is called triple modular redundancy (TMR), and its essence lies in the use of specialised voting circuits called voters, which allow the erroneous results of individual subcircuits to be eliminated by voting. The triplicate circuit under consideration, together with the voter, constitutes the mitigation structure. It becomes necessary to develop a test environment to assess the correct operation of these circuits. Also key is the efficiency of the implementation of these structures, which can be related to the occupation of logical resources or the power consumption of a given implementation. This paper demonstrates the essence of implementing a test environment to test the correctness of the mitigation of logic structures using TMR voters. An error injector mechanism using the Pseudo-Random Bit Sequence (PRBS) register is proposed, which introduces an element of randomness into the testing process. The aim of this research is to determine the implementation efficiency of the proposed test environment. In the experimental part, the implementation costs of the proposed solution were examined. The results indicate that between 66 and 109 LUT blocks were required to implement the error injector, corresponding to a relatively small increase in dynamic power consumption: by 22% for combinational circuits and by 37% for sequential circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variation in the population of pathogenic microorganisms in wastewater over time can be predicted by single-spectral analysis, which outperforms conventional multivariate methods. This type of information is important for the performance of sewage treatment plants. The objective of this study was to monitor the variability of the population of microorganisms and the removal of microbiological attributes of sanitary wastewater in a treatment plant equipped with a septic tank and solar reactor. Effluent samples were collected monthly upstream of the septic tank and inside the solar reactor, and the effluent was exposed to solar radiation. Total coliforms and Escherichia coli were analyzed by means of descriptive analysis and singular spectrum analysis. Solar disinfection obtained bacterial inactivation levels of 99.94%, equivalent to 4 log units for the Escherichia coli population, and 99.45%, equivalent to 3 log units for the total coliform population. For the inlet effluent, the prediction showed a trend of growth alternating with periods of stability. For the outlet effluent, the prediction was able to provide regular data up to the first six months, showing error and overestimation of the data for the final six months of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we conducted an analysis of health risks faced by residents of Salamanca, Mexico, who were exposed to fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm (PM2.5) through inhalation. The characterization and analysis of these particulate matter samples were undertaken. A total of 131 samples were collected from two different sites: 65 from the Red Cross site (RC) and 66 from the Integral Family Development site (DIF) in 2014–2015. These samples were analyzed for a set of chemical components, including metals and ions. Non-cancerous health risk levels associated with PM2.5 exposure through the human respiratory system, as per the WHO benchmark (assigned a value of 1), revealed notable risk values for two elements: Manganese (Mn) with a range of 1.19–2.12 in the adult population and 1.59–2.84 in the child population, and Nickel (Ni) with a uniform risk value of 1.39 for both evaluated population groups. However, concerns arose regarding potential non-cancerous effects as the cumulative risk levels for various assessed elements showed elevated indices. These ranged from 3.81 to 4.4 in adults and 4.48–5.24 in children. This study provided comprehensive data on composition and its potential impact on human health, offering valuable insights for the implementation of mitigation measures aimed at reducing inhalation-related exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat loss and encroachment lead to conservation challenges such as human-elephant conflicts (HEC). Understanding the patterns and predictors of HEC is crucial to identify priority areas for mitigation efforts. Accordingly, a study was conducted across the forest divisions of Tamil Nadu, India. We collected HEC data for 2016–2021 from the forest department compensation database maintained in forest divisions. Our analysis encompassed division-wise, crop-wise, conflict-wise assessments, temporal analysis and conflict risk modelling (CRM). We divided the forest divisions into 4 different zones based on the variables that likely influence HEC. The results revealed that conflict frequency was higher in the forest range Denkankottai, located in the Hosur division, which falls under Zone 1. HEC was higher from November to January in correspondence with the cropping season. Elephants primarily damaged millet (ragi) (Eleusine coracana), with n = 2,182, particularly during November and December, followed by banana (Musa genus) with n = 1,690. The CRM predicts that the southwest and northwest regions of Tamil Nādu had higher conflict risks and area coverage of medium and high conflict risk zones as 17,025 km2 and 3521 km2, respectively. The CRM revealed that the most significant variables in predicting conflict risk are the annual mean temperature, human modification index, and digital elevation model. Areas with higher conflict risk were closer to forest cover, croplands, roads, and water bodies. These regions typically had lower terrain ruggedness, higher human modification, lower temperatures, and dense vegetation. The present study's findings underscore the need for a comprehensive and multidimensional approach to managing HEC, which is crucial for fostering coexistence between humans and elephants in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ambiguity is part of most of the daily life decisions. It can affect the way people deal with environmental threats, especially when they face a social dilemma. Method: We run an experiment where every group of four subjects is exposed to a risk that may result in a loss for each member. Subjects must decide on the allocation of their resources between mitigation strategies that allow them to decrease the probability of a disaster occurring for the group, and adaptation strategies that allow them to reduce the magnitude of that disaster for themselves only. In a first treatment (called Risk), subjects perfectly know the probability of occurrence of the event. We introduce ambiguity with regard to that probability in a second treatment (called Ambiguity), and in a third treatment (called Information Acquisition), subjects have the possibility to pay to obtain information allowing them to eliminate ambiguity. Results and discussion: The results show that the introduction of ambiguity has no impact on average contributions compared to the Risk treatment. However, individual decisions to mitigate or to adapt are affected by subjects' attitude toward risk and ambiguity. In more than half of the cases, subjects are willing to pay to obtain information, which argues in favor of greater dissemination of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]