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AbstractThe Padang Beach Tourism Area is a popular destination in Padang City making it susceptible to contamination by microplastics. From April to June 2023, we sampled seawater and sediment for microplastics from eight stations having varying degrees of human influence, including densely populated areas, river estuaries, tourist areas, and sparsely populated areas. We analyzed the samples to determine abundance, shape, size, color, and composition. Five shapes (fibers, films, fragments, granules, and pellets), seven colors (black, blue, brown, red, transparent, green, and white), and eight compositons (polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polysulfone, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and polytetrafluoroethylene) were identified and categorized into five size ranges (1-100 µm, 100-300 µm, 300-500 µm, 500-1000 µm, and 1-5 mm). Microplastics abundance in seawater was not significantly different across stations, ranging from 0.064 to 0.229 particles/m3. Microplastic abundance in sediment, was also not significantly different across stations, ranging from 0.151 to 0.387 particles/kg. However, there was a significant difference between the abundance of microplastics in seawater and sediment. The highest abundance of microplastics was in the form of fragments, and there was significant difference from fiber, fragment, pellet, and granule types. In contrast, thre was a significant difference between the abundance of film-type microplastics in seawater and sediment. Overall, microplastic abundance was similar across densely populated areas, river estuaries, and tourist areas and higher than in sparsely populated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document discusses an innovative approach to selective image fusion for PCB diagnosis, focusing on capturing high-resolution images of dense component areas. The method combines Transformer models and K-means clustering to enhance feature extraction and improve accuracy in component detection. Experimental results show significant improvements in detection accuracy and speed compared to traditional methods like SIFT. The study highlights the importance of selecting appropriate feature points for efficient and accurate image stitching, laying the groundwork for advancements in image processing technology. [Extracted from the article]

Gridded data sets representing the distribution of the human population are increasingly available globally today. If most of the attention they draw is directed toward inhabited areas, in this article, the authors turns to very sparsely or unpopulated areas, which allow for a renewed exploration of their reality and a reflection on the essence of "unpopulatedness." To do so, the author reflects on the multiplication of gridded population data sets and the methods used to produce them, using unpopulated areas as a revealing factor of the limits of algorithms. In the second part, different geographical concepts related to uninhabited areas are explored to show that their reality is not clear-cut and more difficult to grasp than data sets based on population density indicate. Very sparsely populated or unpopulated areas include a vast array of regions and situations, from areas not permanently settled but heavily used and travelled to areas that are very infrequently visited. Their levels of transformation by human activities, frequentation, or accessibility differ wildly, so it is impossible to consider them as a unique or coherent category. In conclusion, the author calls for going beyond the "nobody lives there" vision, popular on the internet, by understanding better how population gridded data sets are constructed and by complementing them with new quantitative and qualitative data, which could help distinguish between several nuances of occupation in space and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photovoltaics have emerged as an economic source of renewable electricity generation for regions with high solar irradiation. Still, the installation of utility-scale PV systems is often disrupted due to the unavailability of land. Sparsely populated areas with a hot, dry climate can mitigate the land-energy conflict as they experience higher solar irradiation. In arid areas, the PV systems incur more losses due to dust deposition on PV modules and reduced energy conversion efficiency at higher temperatures. The shortage of water makes the module cleaning procedures cost-prohibitive. Floating Solar photovoltaic (FSPV) systems resolve these problems due to their reduced land footprint, higher efficiency, and reduce evaporative water loss. This study estimates the energy generation of a 4.8 MW FSPV-based microgrid in a hot, semi-arid urban area. By utilizing 5% area of the waterbody, the FSPV system yields 8.876 GWh of electricity annually, to meet 41.7% electricity demand of the study area. The system generates 16.7% more power compared to the land-based PV system. The performance ratio of 82%, and a DC capacity utilization factor of 20.3% is achieved. The system saves 52,810.32 m3 of water per year, compensating for the water requirement of 786.99 m3. for cleaning and dust removal of PV modules. The weekly cleaning procedure limits the soiling loss to 2.79%, compared to 8.47% after a month without cleaning. The FSPV-based microgrid reduces annual CO2 emissions by 2.93 tonnes. This study shall enable engineers, urban planners, and policymakers to develop clean energy-based, sustainable microgrid solutions for urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand-responsive transport (DRT) could be an alternative for extending the accessibility of high-speed rail (HSR) servicing cities in rural environments, where fixed public transport does not provide efficient services. This paper proposes a method to analyse the factors that influence the implementation of DRT systems for inter-urban mobility, connecting and integrating towns in rural areas. Methodologically, a vehicle routing problem analysis in a GIS-based environment is applied to a theoretical case study to evaluate the factors that influence DRT efficiency in different scenarios, considering the specific singularities of this kind of inter-urban long-distance mobility. The results suggest the optimal DRT solutions in these rural contexts to be those that, after adjusting the fleet to specific demands, use low-capacity vehicles, which are much better adapted to the geography of sparsely populated areas. Moreover, in adapting DRT systems to HSR travellers' needs, windows catering to these needs should incorporate the option of setting the pickup or arrival times. This paper demonstrates that DRT systems could reach significant levels of service in rural areas compared with fixed lines and even private vehicles, especially when evaluating key aspects of the system's efficiency for its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the aspirations‐capabilities framework to explore the intricate interplay between choices and constraints shaping migrants' settlement patterns, with a particular emphasis on the often‐overlooked aspect of educational attainment. Using Swedish register data containing information about migrants' educational level, this paper examines and typifies the initial residential sorting patterns of migrants arriving in Sweden in the period 2000–2014. Employing multinomial logistic regression to understand how migrant sorting takes place, the results show a clear distinction in settlement patterns, with higher educated migrants being more likely to settle in metropolitan areas, and lower educated migrants ending up in rural areas, even when controlling for region of origin and purpose of migration. Nordic and African migrants, resettled refugees, older migrants, and migrant families with younger children are most likely to live in sparsely populated areas. The paper concludes that these trends exacerbate existing patterns of spatial polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) with its underlying aim to support regional growth, cohesion, and innovation has by now been widely applied to European Sparsely Populated Areas (SPAs). Previous works have identified that intra-regional stakeholder networks are important for a successful S3 implementation, and that their establishment is related to the level of proximity between stakeholders; however, the nature of such networks in the context of developing S3 in SPAs deserves further investigation. This paper explores how different dimensions of proximity are associated with intra-regional networks aimed at implementing S3 in a Northern European SPA (Lapland, Finland). The results suggest that geographical and cognitive proximity are positively associated with both formal and informal networking, while institutional proximity is negatively related with informal networking, suggesting that effective policy interventions require multiple relationships to be activated through supporting greater diversity between SPAs stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The attractive targeted sugar bait (ATSB) is a novel malaria vector control tool designed to attract and kill mosquitoes using a sugar-based bait, laced with oral toxicant. Western Province, Zambia, was one of three countries selected for a series of phase III cluster randomized controlled trials of the Westham ATSB Sarabi version 1.2. The trial sites in Kenya, Mali, and Zambia were selected to represent a range of different ecologies and malaria transmission settings across sub-Saharan Africa. This case study describes the key characteristics of the ATSB Zambia trial site to allow for interpretation of the results relative to the Kenya and Mali sites. Methods: This study site characterization incorporates data from the trial baseline epidemiological and mosquito sugar feeding surveys conducted in 2021, as well as relevant literature on the study area. Results: Characterization of the trial site The trial site in Zambia was comprised of 70 trial-designed clusters in Kaoma, Nkeyema, and Luampa districts. Population settlements in the trial site were dispersed across a large geographic area with sparsely populated villages. The overall population density in the 70 study clusters was 65.7 people per square kilometre with a total site population of 122,023 people living in a geographic area that covered 1858 square kilometres. However, the study clusters were distributed over a total area of approximately 11,728 square kilometres. The region was tropical with intense and seasonal malaria transmission. An abundance of trees and other plants in the trial site were potential sources of sugar meals for malaria vectors. Fourteen Anopheles species were endemic in the site and Anopheles funestus was the dominant vector, likely accounting for around 95% of all Plasmodium falciparum malaria infections. Despite high coverage of indoor residual spraying and insecticide-treated nets, the baseline malaria prevalence during the peak malaria transmission season was 50% among people ages six months and older. Conclusion: Malaria transmission remains high in Western Province, Zambia, despite coverage with vector control tools. New strategies are needed to address the drivers of malaria transmission in this region and other malaria-endemic areas in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with public transport services in sparsely populated areas. The definition of the term transport services and possible approaches to its provision is given in the introduction. The term sparsely populated area is subsequently defined. The problems that arise during the organization of transport services in these areas are further defined. These problems lie primarily in the variations in the number of people in the thousands in the area in the off-tourist season and in the summer tourist season. This affects the organization of transport and the organization of transport services. This paper proposes the technological procedure and measures for improving transport services in sparsely populated areas outside and during the summer tourist season. The proposals are applied in a selected sparsely populated area in the territory of the National Park Šumava and the Šumava Protected Landscape Area in the Czech Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The necessary implementation of decentralized wastewater treatment systems in densely populated rural regions is a viable alternative to constructing a large centralized system. Therefore, this study aims to assess the conceptual feasibility of implementing a portable containerized and decentralized wastewater treatment system as a case study in Palestine that can help in treating wastewater in rural areas efficiently generated by up to 4,000 individuals. The conceptually proposed system is comprised of two stages. The initial stage includes a standalone primary sedimentation tank located outside the container. The subsequent stage consists of a container housing all the equipment utilized in the treatment process beginning with aeration, followed by secondary sedimentation, and ending with filtration and chlorination. Although the system is designed as a single container, in practice, it will consist of two containers with identical units. The second container will ensure continuous operation mode in case of maintenance in the first container. An initial cost evaluation was conducted, and the projected cost for one container is roughly $9,800, which is reasonable. Indeed, adopting this proposed system would result in a significant cost-saving of approximately 40 million dollars compared to the current west wastewater treatment plant in Nablus. Additional research can be undertaken to explore the running cost and the level of efficacy attained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the economic infeasibility of establishing comprehensive healthcare facilities in sparsely populated areas and the responsibility of governments to ensure equal healthcare access for citizens, different approaches have been sought in healthcare service delivery. The Republic of Turkiye's Ministry of Health provides mobile healthcare services (MHS) to 9 million people monthly through 3400 healthcare facilities and 7500 doctors. This study focuses on the Mobile Healthcare Service Routing and Scheduling Problem (MHS-RSP). The objective of MHS-RSP is to determine the daily routes of doctors on a monthly basis to minimize total distance traveled, taking into account constraints such as working hours, route time, minimum service time per visit, and dedicated doctor assignments to villages. A mixed-integer mathematical model is developed to address the problem, which is NP-hard and equivalent to the multi-depot time-constrained periodic vehicle routing problem. To solve medium- and large-sized problems efficiently, a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm named "GCH-RRT" is introduced, based on greedy constructive heuristic(GCH) and record-to-record travel(RRT) metaheuristic. The performance of the mathematical model and the GCH-RRT algorithm is compared with existing service plans in Ankara, resulting in a 15.6% improvement with the mathematical model and a 22.3% improvement with the GCH-RRT algorithm in total distance traveled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A lack of onsite clinical trials is the largest barrier to participation of cancer patients in trials. Development of an automated process for regional trial eligibility screening first requires identification of patient electronic health record data that allows effective trial screening, and evidence that searching for trials regionally has a positive impact compared with site‐specific searching. Methods: To assess a screening framework that would support an automated regional search tool, a set of patient clinical variables was analyzed for prescreening clinical trials. The variables were used to assess regional compared with site‐specific screening throughout the United States. Results: Eight core variables from patient electronic health records were identified that yielded likely matches in a prescreen process. Assessment of the screening framework was performed using these variables to search for trials locally and regionally for an 84‐patient cohort. The likelihood that a trial returned in this prescreen was a provisional trial match was 45.7%. Expanding the search radius to 20 miles led to a net 91% increase in matches across cancers within the tested cohort. In a U.S. regional analysis, for sparsely populated areas, searching a 100‐mile radius using the prescreening framework was needed, whereas for urban areas a 20‐mile radius was sufficient. Conclusion: A clinical trial screening framework was assessed that uses limited patient data to efficiently and effectively identify prescreen matches for clinical trials. This framework improves trial matching rates when searching regionally compared with locally, although the applicability of this framework may vary geographically depending on oncology practice density. Plain Language Summary: Clinical trials provide cancer patients the opportunity to participate in research and development of new drugs and treatment approaches. It can be difficult to find available clinical trials for which a patient is eligible.This article describes an approach to clinical trial matching using limited patient data to search for trials regionally, beyond just the patient's local care site.Feasibility testing shows that this process can lead to a net 91% increase in the number of potential clinical trial matches available within 20 miles of a patient.Based on these findings, a software tool based on this model is being developed that will automatically send limited, deidentified information from patient medical records to services that can identify possible clinical trials within a given region. To increase patient access to clinical trials, a prescreening framework was developed using deidentified data elements extracted from patient electronic health records to identify likely clinical trials in a regional manner. Feasibility testing shows that this framework effectively performs trial eligibility screening using limited patient data and improves trial matching rates because of regional search capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimate of precipitation from satellite measurements is an indirect estimate if compared to rain gauges or disdrometer measurements, but it has the advantage of complete coverage over oceans, mountainous regions, and sparsely populated areas where other sources of precipitation data (e.g., weather radar) are unavailable or unreliable. Among the satellite-based precipitation estimates, geostationary (GEO) data ensure the highest spatial and temporal resolution. At the same time, the IR/VIS channels deployed on GEO satellites have lower capabilities than microwave (MW) channels in characterizing the cloud structure. Machine learning (ML) techniques can be considered a powerful tool to overcome the limitations related to the physical relationship between IR/VIS channels and precipitation estimation. This study describes the development of a convolutional neural network (U-Net) to retrieve the precipitation rate using IR measurements only from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. Its performances are evaluated through a comparison with H SAF and NASA operational products (e.g., H60B or H03B and IMERG-E, respectively), of which the algorithms are based on different principles. The results highlight a lower error in precipitation rate estimates for the U-Net with respect to the other products but also some issues in correctly estimating the more intense precipitation (>5 mmh−1). On the other hand, the precipitation detection capabilities of the U-Net outperform the H SAF products for lower precipitation rate, while IMERG-E shows the best performance regardless of the precipitation regime. Furthermore, the U-Net is able to account for and correct the parallax displacement that affects the measurement as the satellite viewing angle increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring of the water level and river discharge is an important task, necessary both for assessment of water supply in the current season and for forecasting water consumption and possible prevention of catastrophic events. A network of ground hydrometric stations is used to measure the water level and consumption in rivers. Rivers located in sparsely populated areas in developing countries of Central Asia have a very limited hydrometric network. In addition to the sparse network of stations, in some cases remote probing data (virtual hydrometric stations) are used, which can improve the reliability of water level and discharge estimates, especially for large mountain rivers with large volumes of suspended sediment load and significant channel instability. The aim of this study is to develop a machine learning model for remote monitoring of water levels in the large transboundary (Kazakhstan-People's Republic of China) Ili River. The optical data from the Sentinel-2 satellite are used as input data. The in situ (ground-based) data collected at the Ili-Dobyn gauging station are used as target values. Application of feature engineering and ensemble machine learning techniques has achieved good accuracy of water level estimation (Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE) >0.8). The coefficient of determination of the model results obtained using cross-validation of random permutations is NSE = 0.89. The method demonstrates good stability under different variations of input data and ranges of water levels (NSE > 0.8). The average absolute error of the method ranges from 0.12 to 0.18 meters against the background of the maximum river water level spread of more than 4 meters. The obtained result is the best current result of water level prediction in the Ili River using the remote probing data and can be recommended for practical use for increasing the reliability of water level estimation and reverse engineering of data in the process of river discharge monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new species are described from central and eastern Angola and adjacent NW Zambia. All occur in Kalahari sand savannas rich in endemic and more widely distributed geoxylic suffrutices. Despite being known from very few collections, the conservation status of one of these new species is assessed as Least Concern, as these grasslands are nutrient-poor, are in remote sparsely populated areas, and are not threatened with conversion to agriculture. The remaining three are treated as Data Deficient. In addition, one new combination is provided for Ancylanthos rubiginosus Desf. under Vangueria as V. rubiginosa (Desf.) Lantz is an illegitimate later homonym. We also make orthographic corrections to specific epithets commemorating Ilse von Nolde, a collector who made important collections from Quela in Malange in the 1930s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sparsely Populated Areas are perceived as regions with the least human impact but the greatest potential for change. For some decades, the human geography of sparsely populated areas has attracted studies seeking to explain and differentiate their economic and demographic polarization in comparison to respective national averages. Evaluation of the economic, demographic and social progression of these sparsely populated areas is however obfuscated by the absence of globally agreed definitions on the qualifying criteria and, concurrently, inconsistent nomenclature to identify such regions internationally. Therefore, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the capacity for a globally consistent typology to identify the economic and demographic patterns in common, but within very different environmental constraints and institutional frameworks. To do so we focus on first-tier subnational geographical units with extremely low population densities and apply multivariable typology to understand and differentiate the key demographic and economic issues for sparsely populated areas. Using multivariable typology we identify three types of demographic and economic patterns as 'marginal', 'semi' and 'very remote' sparsely populated areas. The results emphasize the diversity of circumstances among these areas as a result of their past economic and demographic trajectories, but also as functions of institutional and political constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines two atypical sparsely populated regions and their experience implementing a strategy of forest-based bioeconomy through smart specialization. Smart specialization is increasingly promoted as an opportunity for green transformations. Indeed, its recent evolution from S3 to S4 is an effort to address environmental sustainability challenges alongside regional development. In this paper, we argue that one of smart specialization's early stages, the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP), can help establish a basis for the green transformation of traditional industries located in sparsely populated areas. The EDP is a participatory process that gathers diverse actors interested in developing a common economic sector, mostly through innovation. We explain how multi-actor participation facilitate understanding innovation as a problem-solving process requiring the input of actors outside (but including) the firms. As the cases show, this can unlock the potential of place-based multi-actor interventions to identify and mobilize pre-existing conditions and resources that, when combined with a common agenda, can influence green path renewal. In our cases, those pre-existing conditions are a culture of collaboration, knowledge, infrastructure and access to natural resources. The common agenda is to transform the regional economy into a forest-based bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study of the specific features and development factors of renewable energy in macro-regions that combine extractive and industrial clusters with rural, sparsely populated areas. While in some countries—leaders in energy transition (the EU, China)—the growth of investments in solar, wind, and hydropower production is taking place systematically within the framework of an increasing number of national and international strategies and programs, in the Russian Federation there is a lack of renewable generation capacity. Particular difficulties are experienced in regions that, on the one hand, have a developed fuel and raw material complex and, therefore, fuel generation (which makes a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions), and, on the other hand, many rural, sparsely populated areas that are in need of new distributed generation. The aim of the study is to analyze the factors of transition to renewable energy in mineral-resource regions, such as the Siberian Federal District (Siberia), as well as to identify measures to enhance their effectivity. The article shows the place of Siberia in the national energy system and considers the factors related to its energy transition in detail, e.g., the saturation with main powerlines, the control of air pollution caused by fuel energy facilities, its provision with fuel resources, investments in renewable energy, and ways of improving the health and well-being of the local population. Attention is drawn to the challenges and obstacles related to the development of renewable energy in the Siberian Federal District, associated, on the one hand, with Russia's lagging behind other countries in the dynamics of energy transition, and on the other hand, with external and internal technological and investment restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

He points out that the southern Levant, unlike other provinces of the empire, could not be conquered to provide additional sources of agricultural surplus for the empire's core as the transportation costs would have been too high due to the area's lack of a proper riverine system. However, concluding that the Assyrians completely neglected the southern Levant, leaving the provinces in a state of disarray and ignoring the reach revenues of the Mediterranean trade, seems far-fetched. Finally, Faust argues that the impact of the Assyrian empire in the southern Levant was more limited when compared with other provinces. While the Assyrian provinces of north Mesopotamia and north Syria were included in the empire's orbit quite early at the start of the Assyrian expansion, the Kingdom of Israel, and the southern Levant in general, became part of the imperial provincial and client state systems much later. [Extracted from the article]

We consider the spatial propagation and genetic evolution of model populations comprising multiple subpopulations, each distinguished by its own characteristic dispersal rate. Mate finding is modeled in accord with the assumption that reproduction is based on random encounters between pairs of individuals, so that the frequency of interbreeding between two subpopulations is proportional to the product of local population densities of each. The resulting nonlinear growth term produces an Allee effect, whereby reproduction rates are lower in sparsely populated areas; the distribution of dispersal rates that evolves is then highly dependent upon the population's initial spatial distribution. In a series of numerical test cases, we consider how these dynamics affect lattice‐like arrangements of population fragments, and investigate how a population's initial fragmentation determines the dispersal rates that evolve as a habitat is colonized. First, we consider a case where initial population fragments coincide with habitat islands, within which death rates differ from those that apply outside; the presence of inhospitable exterior regions exaggerates Allee effect‐driven reductions in dispersal ability. We then examine how greater distances separating adjacent population fragments lead to more severe reductions in dispersal ability. For populations of a fixed initial magnitude, fragmentation into smaller, denser patches leads not only to greater losses of dispersal ability, but also helps ensure the population's long‐term persistence, emphasizing the trade‐offs between the benefits and risks of rapid dispersal under Allee effects. Next, simulations of well‐established populations disrupted by localized depopulation events illustrate how mate‐finding Allee effects and spatial heterogeneity can drive a population's dispersal ability to evolve either downward or upward depending on conditions, highlighting a qualitative distinction between population fragmentation and habitat heterogeneity. A final test case compares populations that are fragmented across multiple scales, demonstrating how differences in the relative scales of micro‐ and macro‐level fragmentation can lead to qualitatively different evolutionary outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) in medical care can raise diagnosis accuracy and improve its uniformity. This study developed a diagnostic imaging system for chronic wounds that can be used in medically underpopulated areas. The image identification algorithm searches for patterns and makes decisions based on information obtained from pixels rather than images. Images of 50 patients with pressure sores treated at Kobe University Hospital were examined. The algorithm determined the presence of necrosis with a significant difference (p = 3.39 × 10−5). A threshold value was created with a luminance difference of 50 for the group with necrosis of 5% or more black pixels. In the no-necrosis group with less than 5% black pixels, the threshold value was created with a brightness difference of 100. The "shallow wounds" were distributed below 100, whereas the "deep wounds" were distributed above 100. When the algorithm was applied to 24 images of 23 new cases, there was 100% agreement between the specialist and the algorithm regarding the presence of necrotic tissue and wound depth evaluation. The algorithm identifies the necrotic tissue and wound depth without requiring a large amount of data, making it suitable for application to future AI diagnosis systems for chronic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shares collaborative scientific work done by researchers from the Centre for Social Studies (University of Coimbra, Portugal) and from the Technology, Restoration and Arts Enhancement Center (Polytechnical Institute of Tomar, Portugal) within the REDE ARTÉRIA in cooperation with MOVTOUR. REDE ARTÉRIA is an action research project that aims to create cultural presentations and performances to tour the Centro Region of Portugal. It aspires to encourage a greater professionalization of agents, while aiming to enrich and enhance the cultural offering. Simultaneously, it intends to stimulate a community practice of participatory cultural mapping influencing creation processes and cultural policies in this region. The analysis is made in the specific context of the artistic creation VAGAR, conceived by the Portuguese choreographer Marina Nabais and co-produced by the Municipality of Ourém (Portugal). The analysis results from participatory workshops with local agents, field notes from rehearsal observation, interviews with artists, local participants, local government, and from the final report produced by the dance association responsible for the performance. This work critically reflects on how processes of community participation and of tangible and intangible resource mapping – by providing dialogue opportunities between artists, local agents, municipalities and the local cultural fabric – can develop innovative projects of artistic intervention that link heritage to local, social and cultural civic dynamics. It thus epitomizes the importance of the social dimension of cultural activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turbulent standard deviations and the turbulent third-order and fourth-order moments are the key turbulence dispersion parameters in Lagrangian dispersion models. However, the characteristics of these parameters under heavy haze conditions in urban areas have not been fully investigated, and the commonly used similarity relations of these parameters in models were based on observations in highly flat and sparsely populated areas. In this paper, the vertical profiles of these parameters and their local similarity relations under heavy haze conditions in the wintertime of Beijing have been analyzed by using data collected at a 325-m meteorological tower. The heavy haze process has been divided into three stages: transport stage (TS), cumulative stage (CS), and dispersion stage (DS). Results show that the turbulent dispersion parameters behave differently during three stages. In the TS and DS, the maxima appear in the profiles of the turbulent standard deviations above the urban canopy; in the CS, the turbulent standard deviation are almost constant with height. The analysis of the third and fourth order moments shows that the wind velocities above the urban canopy in the TS deviate from the Gaussian distribution more significantly than those in the CS and DS. The local similarity relations of the turbulent dispersion parameters in the TS, especially for the longitudinal wind components, are normally different from those in the CS and DS. Thus, different from the common assumptions in Lagrangian models, the turbulence dispersion in horizontal directions is anisotropic and should be parameterized by multiple similarity relations under heavy haze conditions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweden has since the end of the 1990s, when the environmental objective system was adopted, had the ambition of being an environmental frontrunner. In line with this, in 2009 the Parliament adopted the goal of achieving a fossil free vehicle fleet in 2030. Replacing private car use with public transport is expected to contribute to this goal. In 2008, a co-operation between actors in the public transport sector was launched with support from the Government with the aim to double its use. Sweden however is a country with important geographical differences. Much of the country is sparsely populated, especially in the north. From previous research it is well known that usage of public transport is dependent on population density and accessibility to employment and schools. Understanding how spatial differences influence the cost of public transport provision is therefore crucial when discussing if public transport is a cost-efficient way to achieve national goals for the transport sector. In this paper, Swedish county level panel data, including variables that provide information on geographical differences between the counties, have been used to estimate average marginal costs of boardings. Results show that these are much lower in the three counties with the largest urbanized areas. In the other counties there is a variation which illustrates that there are a number of factors that influence the average marginal costs. In relation to policy, we find that the doubling ambition established in 2008 has not been achieved. • The role of public bus transport provision in reaching national climate objectives. • In Sweden, the estimated average marginal costs of boardings are much lower in the three counties with the largest urbanized areas. • To achieve cost-efficient reductions of CO 2 , the goals for public transport provision should be regionally differentiated. • The topic raised relates to the general question about the alignment between local, regional, national and international targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Electrostatic Induction Pendulum (EIP) has been developed to innovatively construct and maintain earthquake early warning systems, addressing issues of high costs, incomplete distribution, and lack of coverage in remote or sparsely populated areas. [Display omitted] • A simple and low-cost Electrostatic Induction Pendulum (EIP) is developed. • The EIP detects subtle variations via electrical potential, demonstrating vibration, damping, and resonance behavior. • The EIP enables real-time seismic activity analysis, combined with machine learning. An Electrostatic Induction Pendulum (EIP) has been designed and developed for the first time in the innovative construction and maintenance of earthquake prewarning systems to address the existed issues of massive funding required, incomplete distribution even as well as the lack of coverage in remote or sparsely populated areas. This innovative EIP includes a pendulum and a static-electricity induced sensor which could detect subtle variations in electrical potential during motion. The sensor offers crucial insights into the vibration, damping, and resonance traits of the EIP, with the minimum detectable vibration intensity of 0.17 m/s2. Simultaneously, by introducing external vibrations varied with frequencies, the inherent frequency of the EIP can correspondingly be modified subtly leading energy distribution to be weakened, which lay a groundwork for earthquake monitoring and early warning. Furthermore, an earthquake monitoring and early warning system aided by EIP, data acquisition module, and machine learning is engineered for real-time analysis and decision-making. Once an earthquake occurs, the system automatically sends alerts to relevant departments or individuals to take protective measures in advance. This cost-effective, easily portable, and widely distributed earthquake monitoring solution complements existing systems and can be easily deployed even in remote areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern collective farms and state farms are incomparably less economically efficient than individual peasant farms, therefore they are not viable, and most of them are doomed to fail. 8 In 1927, a grain procurement crisis arose in the Soviet Union: state authorities purchased from peasants 128 million poods (one pood is equivalent to 16.38 kilograms) less grain than in the previous year, and hence the grain procurement plan was not fulfilled. The selection and consolidation of viable state farms and the transfer of the land of liquidated state farms to the use of peasants, and the rest of the property to the undivided interest of viable collective farms. 19 Since 1929, state procurement of agricultural products had been carried out mainly on the basis of contracting - a system of contracts that obligated producers to fulfil planned tasks for sowing a certain area and handing an appropriate amount of agricultural products over to state authorities. [Extracted from the article]

Sparsely populated areas tend to be poorly served by Fixed Line and Schedule (FLS) public transport systems as the operation of a regular bus line is not economically viable for such areas. Therefore, introducing a Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) to partially replace FLS can result in increasing mobility service accessibility and inclusion. In this paper, a mixed-integer linear problem (MILP) is proposed to design an integrated FLS and DRT network for a transport operator. Passengers behavior is implicitly incorporated in our proposed approach via a discrete choice model. In addition, a tailored Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) coupled with tabu search and simulated annealing are introduced. We test our algorithm on real instances from a public transport operator in the Netherlands. The proposed algorithm can solve the problem up to 170 times faster than the MILP within 4% to 10% gap. Our proposed resolution approach investigates the temporal and spatial feasibility of deploying these integrated mobility systems based on the service level and provides recommendations to public transport operators. • An integrated FLS and DRT integrated transport system is considered. • A choice-driven MILP mathematical model is presented. • An ALNS algorithm coupled with tabu search and simulated annealing is introduced. • Computational time and optimality gaps are reported for proposed methods. • Results are validated using a case in the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super-PON is a 16-wavelength passive optical network with 50 km reach and 64 ONUs per λ , providing up to 10 Gb/s to sparsely populated areas. To bridge its challenging loss-budget, Super-PON includes an EDFA located next to the OLT, thus compromising transceiver integration and future spectral expansion. An alternative for downstream transmission consists in using a powerful directly-modulated semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and an avalanche photodiode. Here, we numerically demonstrate the technical feasibility of this proposal. By combining a sensitivity of − 24.9 dBm and an optimized SOA transmitter output of +19.4 dBm, error-free (BER ≤ 3.8x10 - 3 ) transmission is demonstrated. This achievement relies on the use of PAM-4 modulation to combat the limited opto-electronic bandwidth of the SOA, and Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP) to mitigate fiber transmission and receiver impairments. It is also shown that THP enhances the direct modulation capability of SOAs, leveraging their use in integrated transceivers aimed for high-loss photonic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Technology has greatly supported the development of medicine over the last few decades. Telemedicine is an opportunity to compensate for the performance of general practitioners, especially in remote and sparsely populated areas. The aim of the present study is to examine and analyze the attitudes among general practitioners in Bulgaria for the application of telemedicine services in their practice. Material and methods. A total of 148 people were interviewed to study the attitudes of general practitioners in Bulgaria to apply telemedicine services in their practice. Results. General practitioners in Bulgaria (89.9%) were positive about the use of telemedicine in their practice. Younger and less experienced respondents were more optimistic about the use of telemedicine services in healthcare. Respondents believed that telemedicine would make them more competitive in the market of medical services. They reckoned that telemedicine was applicable in the management of patients with acute symptoms (69.6%) and in the monitoring of patients with chronic diseases (81.1%). Conclusion. The present study showed a positive attitude of general practitioners to the use of telemedicine services in their practice. Older doctors preferred face-to-face contact with their patients and were less likely to apply telemedicine solutions in treatment and diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a natural disaster that causes much damage to the communities. Recently, water demand has been increasing sharply due to the population growth and the development process. By approaching the amount of water demand to the natural supplies, any decrease in the water supply may lead to a considerable negative socio-economic consequence. In this condition, the sense of drought prevails over the physical drought. Therefore, usual drought indices can not be used for characterizing and monitoring the drought in a basin. In this paper, multivariate standardized drought feeling index (MSDFI) is introduced which represents two dimensions of water management: (1) water supply in terms of precipitation and (2) water demand in terms of population. The MSDFI is calculated and its variation over time is compared to the standardized precipitation index (SPI). According to the results, MSDFI values in the early years were usually higher than SPI values and vice versa in the last years. This situation is highly correlated with the population trend in the basin. Thereafter, intensity of drought index (IDI) was defined as the difference between MSDFI and SPI to show the role of water demand in the drought feeling. Results show that IDI has an increasing trend in the populated areas, generally downstream of the basin, where population growth is high. In contrast, in the sparsely populated areas generally upstream of the basin where population growth is low and even negative due to migration, the IDI does not show any significant sense of drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sparsely populated regions (SPRs) have specific features like remoteness and low population densities but also specific identities constructed by their inhabitants based on their relationship with their environment and the consequences to their lifestyles. Although theoretical frameworks have been developed for SPRs, two challenges remain when it comes to applying them to actual places. The first one is identifying them on the map. What would the demographic threshold of "sparse" be? How do we quantify the isolation? The second one is evaluating how SPR features reverberate in the lifestyle and self-image of their inhabitants. What are their views about themselves and their geographical situation? Are they linked? This article attempts to elaborate on both dimensions. It uses the state of Arizona as a test area and proposes an approach that combines quantitative methods and geographic information systems to determine which part of Arizona can be considered an SPR and a qualitative analysis to analyze how this population sees and conceptualizes its lifestyle, as well as how they relate to more densely populated areas, especially on the issue of isolation relative to place attachment and place identity. As a result, this article will offer a better grasp of SPRs in the United States and suggest new trends to be investigated in other geographical contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Motor City Green: A Century of Landscapes and Environmentalism in Detroit" by Joseph Stanhope Cialdella explores the history of green landscapes and environmentalism in Detroit from the late 1800s to the early 2000s. The book highlights the personal and public efforts made by Detroiters to create and maintain gardens and green spaces in the rapidly growing city. It also discusses the role of urban agriculture in urban environmentalism and the strategies pursued by Black Detroiters to have gardens and green space. The book concludes with a chapter on the importance of nature, agriculture, and community in Detroit's revitalization efforts. [Extracted from the article]

Population decline in rural areas has been a concern for many European countries for decades. To deal with shrinking, several measures have been taken in different countries. The study focuses on one of such measures - the administrative reform passed in Estonia in 2017, which merged smaller municipalities into regional municipality centres. This article examines the impact of this reform on rural transformation, concentrating on shifts in everyday mobilities, governance, and territorial identity at the village level. The research data is contextualised with the new mobilities paradigm, examining the relational everyday materialities that include interviews reflecting on changes at the regional, structural, and ideological levels. The analysis is based on in-depth interviews (N=60) with local activists and inhabitants in three study areas in sparsely populated parts of Estonia. The creation of municipality districts with representative bodies within larger municipalities have influenced these rural villages in various ways. In some cases, it has caused shifts in the mechanisms of civil governance that shape community activism. In others, strengthened awareness of representations of the rural appeared, offering a meaningful territorial identity and self-realisation to local people. However, the study also indicates that the distribution of rural municipalities into municipality districts can jeopardise local coherence and socio-cultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small villages in northern Sweden have seen a continuing removal of key services, such as schools, shops and public transport, since the 1970s. Disinvestment in public services has not been strategically planned but has happened in response to population loss and increased costs on a case-by-case basis. More recently, there has been a shift in policy thinking to what might be termed a 'de-growth' approach where digitalisation and increased personal mobility are used to provide new ways of delivering services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the existence of 'resource deserts' in Southern Lapland and the emergence (or consolidation) of village hierarchies in allocating public services. We map out the distribution of neighbourhood services (grocery stores, pre-/schools and petrol pumps) among villages, and explore the lived experiences in accessing these resources in different villages. Our results show that resource deserts clearly exist in the south and east of the region, while villages in the more sparsely populated western mountain areas were generally in a better position to retain resources. We identify a lack of consistent and transparent service planning at the village level as a key shortcoming in municipal and regional service strategies. There appear to be unofficial settlement hierarchies in the differential treatment of villages that are otherwise similar in population size, population change and distance to central places. We find that political decisions on service allocations are likely influenced by several factors. These include legacy effects relating to historic settlement status, the location of villages in relation to key transport or mobility corridors, as well as ideological factors favouring villages with more 'exotic' features and development potential in line with the municipalities' economic, social and political priorities. We finally argue that a shift to de-growth needs to be more strategically planned if it is to eliminate resource deserts and promote equity of service access across all villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For parts of the sparsely populated areas, the trends of globalisation, urbanisation and deindustrialisation constitute difficult circumstances. Population decline, escalating dependency ratios, lack of human and financial resources, and diminishing commercial and public services form part of lived experience in many of these areas. This paper discusses what geographers can do for these territories. The paper suggests that geographers can aid in understanding and demonstrating (a) how resources have been distributed in space over time and (b) why patterns of resource distribution take the shape they do. Geographers can also illuminate (c) what it means to live, work, and operate in shrinking, rural territories. Geographers could also (d) make implicit geographical imaginations explicit, (e) elucidate how shrinkage is dealt with by various policy actors, and (f) point to alternative policy directions. The paper also suggests that geographers in the Nordic countries could enrich an international research field of studies of shrinkage by (g) providing case studies or comparative studies from a Nordic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The network of rural roads covers different types of terrain, including forest areas, pastures, arable land and sparsely populated areas. The safety of people and animals is a priority in traffic on these roads. Early detection of pedestrians, animals and other moving objects along the road can significantly reduce the risk of accidents. As part of this research, a sensor system is being developed that can detect characteristics of living things in motion, such as unexpectedly crossing the road without clear signs. Such timely detection of moving objects enables adequate preventive measures and reduces potential traffic accidents. The consequences of traffic accidents of this type can cause serious damage to animals and people property, and road infrastructure. The topicality of this problem at the spatial and seasonal level is emphasized in studies that identify the hotspots of these accidents. Factors such as traffic characteristics and road infrastructure are key to modelling protective systems on rural roads. The presented study investigates the deployment of sensor nodes and Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRAWAN) gateways for wildlife detection on rural roads, to reduce the risk of traffic accidents caused by Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions. The results presented in the paper show that an acceptable Packet-Delivery Ratio can be achieved with 4 gateways with 15 and 30 packets per hour, and with 2 gateways with 15 packets per hour for the planned number of nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front-end nuclear fuel cycle facilities generate a significant amount of uranium waste during operation and decommissioning, characterized by long half-life and high toxicity. Locating disposal facilities near these sites poses challenges due to safety concerns. To address this issue, the Chinese government has approved the construction of a disposal facility in a sparsely populated area of Gansu Province, aiming to centralize the disposal of uranium waste from across the country and minimize disposal risks. This study focuses on assessing the long-term environmental impact post-closure of the landfill facility. By simulating uranium migration under actual hydrological conditions using a storage chamber model, the analysis evaluates whether the public dose constraint requirements can be met. Results indicate that radionuclides begin to enter the biosphere approximately 400,000 years after landfill closure, with the public dose peaking at 2.23 × 10–2 mSv/a after 2,000,000 years, meeting the dose constraint value of 0.25 mSv/a. Additionally, uncertainty analysis suggests enhancing the anti-seepage efficiency of the HDPE membrane and increasing the thickness of bentonite during landfill facility design and construction to mitigate environmental impact, along with improving water conductivity of overburden drainage sheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article was to evaluate the mechanical, optical, and gasdynamic effects that accompanied the passage and explosion of the Yushu meteoroid. The explosion occurred over a sparsely populated area, Qinghai Province (Tibetan Plateau, People's Republic of China). According to NASA, the initial kinetic energy of the celestial body was approximately 9.5 kt TNT or 40 TJ. Approximately 4.9 TJ, i.e., 12.25% of the initial kinetic energy of the body, was converted into the energy of the light flash. The projections of the velocity of the meteoroid are as follows: vx = –2.6 km/s, vy = 5.9 km/s, and vz = –12.1 km/s. They are used to estimate the angle of inclination of the trajectory to the horizon, which is approximately 5°. Using the explosion height of 35.5 km and the inclination angle, the density of the matter is estimated to be close to that of an ordinary chondrite (approximately 3.5 t/m3). Knowledge of the kinetic energy and velocity allows us to calculate the mass of the meteoroid (432 t) and its characteristic size (6.2 m). The energy of the processes, as well as mechanical, optical, and gasdynamic effects of the celestial body, are analyzed. The main release of energy accompanying the deceleration of fragments of the body destroyed at a dynamic pressure of ~1 MPa took place in a 17.2 km long area at a height of approximately 35 km. A quasi-continuous fragmentation and a power law of the distribution of the mass of the fragments are assumed. The main parameters of ballistic and explosive shock waves are estimated. With a Mach number of 45, the radius of the ballistic shock wave was approximately 280 m, and the fundamental period was 2.6 s, which increased from 9.5 to 30.1 s due to dispersion as the distance traveled by the wave increased from 50 to 5000 km. The radius of the cylindrical and spherical explosion waves was approximately 0.8 and 2 km, respectively, and the fundamental period was 7.5 and 18.8 s. This period increased from 21.1 to 66.7 s as the distance increased from 50 to 5000 km. Near the meteoroid terminal point, the relative overpressure was maximal. It decreased with decreasing height, and increased with increasing height until approximately 120–150 km, where it reached ~10–20 percent and then decreased to a few percent. The absolute value of the overpressure for the spherical wave was maximal near the explosion height, then it decreased as the height decreased to 15 km, then increased again. At the epicenter of the explosion, it was approximately 310 Pa for a cylindrical wave or ~48.5 Pa for a spherical wave, which is insufficient to damage ground objects. With increasing height, the overpressure decreased from many tens of pascals to micropascals. The average power of a light flash with a duration of approximately 1.26 s was 3.9 TW, the power flux density near the fireball, more precisely, a 3.4 km long cone with a diameter of 18.6 m, was 19.5 MW/m2. The surface temperature was close to 4300 K and the Wien wavelength was 6.7 × 10–7 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is key to the success of public transport and for sustainable urban and regional development. Previous research has often focused on delivering TOD in urban areas with high population and building densities. This highlights the need to broaden the scope of TOD approaches to also include less densely populated areas located outside the immediate urban cores as a key concern for policy. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to increase the knowledge of how to deliver TOD in such low-density contexts. Methods: Three case studies of attempts at delivering TOD in sparsely populated areas in three Swedish city-regions are made. The data for the case studies consist of planning documents and 13 interviews with key stakeholders involved in the planning processes of the three cases. Results: The results show that many of the barriers and enablers are rather similar to those identified in research on TOD in much more urban contexts in other parts of the world, but the relationships between them are differently nuanced in low-density contexts. The lack of clear quantified definitions of what TOD is (or is not) allows a more flexible, site-specific understanding of TOD to emerge in this context. Results: It is important that a shared vision of TOD in each location is developed by the organizations involved—and such a shared vision appears to be crucial for the development to have a good chance of being delivered. Informal definitions, and individual perceptions (including those of the public) are important; and in locations that are quite "marginal" for TOD, all enablers must interact together positively for the development to have the maximum likelihood of going ahead as planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyze the deliberative practices embedded in the FTNT initiative, identifying the ways in which this program was designed for. Topics discussed including explore FTNT's many venues of outreach in communities statewide, how the archival collection of the program constructs a narrative of civic engagement, and program of historical and rhetorical education for teachers and scholars.

Background: The northern regions of the Nordic countries have common challenges of sparsely populated areas, long distances, and an arctic climate. The aim of this study was to compare the cause and rate of fatal injuries in the northernmost area of the Nordic countries over a 5-year period.Methods: In this retrospective cohort, we used the Cause of Death Registries to collate all deaths from 2007 to 2011 due to an external cause of death. The study area was the three northernmost counties in Norway, the four northernmost counties in Finland and Sweden, and the whole of Iceland.Results: A total of 4308 deaths were included in the analysis. Low energy trauma comprised 24% of deaths and high energy trauma 76% of deaths. Northern Finland had the highest incidence of both high and low energy trauma deaths. Iceland had the lowest incidence of high and low energy trauma deaths. Iceland had the lowest prehospital share of deaths (74%) and the lowest incidence of injuries leading to death in a rural location. The incidence rates for high energy trauma death were 36.1/100000/year in Northern Finland, 15.6/100000/year in Iceland, 27.0/100000/year in Northern Norway, and 23.0/100000/year in Northern Sweden.Conclusion: We found unexpected differences in the epidemiology of trauma death between the countries. The differences suggest that a comparison of the trauma care systems and preventive strategies in the four countries is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]