7. Lakes and us

2018 ◽  
pp. 109-130
Author(s):  
Warwick F. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Cyanobacterial Blooms ◽  
System Level ◽  
Lake Ecosystem ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
The Face ◽  
Dam Building ◽  
Water Plants ◽  
The Impact

Humans are not only part of the lake ecosystem through activities including lake shore development and transportation of goods and people, but we can also do great damage to a lake and its ability to provide essential services. ‘Lakes and us’ considers the impact of dam-building and the threats facing lakes due to the proliferation of algae and water plants caused by eutrophication and toxins formed by cyanobacterial blooms. It asks whether a eutrophic ‘dead lake’ can be restored to its original, near-pristine condition; and concludes that an integrated, system-level perspective on lakes is now vital in managing the world’s freshwater resources in the face of rapid, global, climate change.

scholarly journals An attack on the Cross: Spiritual leaders’ accounts of fear and resilience during COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mammusa Rosinah Lekoa ◽  
Sibusiso Louis Ntuli
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Spiritual Leaders ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Difficult Time ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
The Face ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

This paper provides accounts on the impact that COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown(s) had on the Church and its leaders in the South African context. The study explores challenges that the leaders faced and how they dealt with them to remain standing despite their fears. The context is COVID-19 pandemic, which brought mass deaths, fear, confusion and frustration to congregations globally. Church leaders faced a challenge to show resilience amid fear because they too were directly affected. Governments introduced regulations that imposed lockdowns to control the spread of the virus. Limiting contact by restricting distance amongst citizens. The church was one sector that could not operate. Although some sectors were never declared essential services like churches, this left vulnerable communities without support in the face of fear. Spiritual leaders had to demonstrate resilience to support the congregants. The key question the researchers seek to understand is to what extent did the church remain resilient during COVID-19 pandemic? And how did the church leaders deal with fear despite anointing and expectations from the congregants and communities? A qualitative approach was used in this study. COVID-19 has shown that Church leaders are humans and they are also fearful, however their faith in God has assisted them to show resilience even at this difficult time. The study also asserts that governments should consult different groupings of faith-based organisations, not only those that are under organised bodies before embarking on restrictions for pandemic control. Communities encompass many churches and leaders require support to assist them from church members.

scholarly journals Strategic Planning For The Development Of Ukrainian Agriculture In The Face Of Climate Change

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-55
Author(s):  
Anna Ostapenko
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Predictive Model ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

The essence of the “strategic planning” is explored and the peculiarities of strategic planning in the agricultural sector are defined. Global climate change as a factor stimulating the formation of new approaches to strategic planning of agricultural development is considered, and the impact of climate change on the agricultural sector of Ukraine is evaluated. A predictive model of changes in the parameters of agricultural production under expected climate change conditions is constructed, and organizational, socio-economical and environmental components of the strategy of agricultural development are outlined and the conceptual bases for improvement of strategic planning for the development of the agricultural sector in the face of climate change are substantiated.

scholarly journals Conserving the Ogallala Aquifer in southwestern Kansas: from the wells to people, a holistic coupled natural–human model

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 6167-6183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Aistrup ◽  
Tom Bulatewicz ◽  
Laszlo J. Kulcsar ◽  
Jeffrey M. Peterson ◽  
Stephen M. Welch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
System Level ◽  
Human Model ◽  
Ogallala Aquifer ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Economic Trends ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of water policy on conserving the Ogallala Aquifer in Groundwater Management District 3 (GMD3) in southwestern Kansas is analyzed using a system-level theoretical approach integrating agricultural water and land use patterns, changing climate, economic trends, and population dynamics. In so doing, we (1) model the current hyper-extractive coupled natural–human (CNH) system, (2) forecast outcomes of policy scenarios transitioning the current groundwater-based economic system toward more sustainable paths for the social, economic, and natural components of the integrated system, and (3) develop public policy options for enhanced conservation while minimizing the economic costs for the region's communities. The findings corroborate previous studies showing that conservation often leads initially to an expansion of irrigation activities. However, we also find that the expanded presence of irrigated acreage reduces the impact of an increasingly drier climate on the region's economy and creates greater long-term stability in the farming sector along with increased employment and population in the region. On the negative side, conservation lowers the net present value of farmers' current investments and there is not a policy scenario that achieves a truly sustainable solution as defined by Peter H. Gleick. This study reinforces the salience of interdisciplinary linked CNH models to provide policy prescriptions to untangle and address significant environmental policy issues.

Integrated system health management-based condition assessment for manned spacecraft avionics

2012 ◽  
Vol 227 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuping Xu ◽  
Lei Xu
Keyword(s):  
Health Management ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Condition Assessment ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
System Level ◽  
Fuzzy Evaluation ◽  
Manned Spacecraft ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Analytical Approaches

This article presents a condition assessment model to evaluate the health condition of manned spacecraft avionics that enables the essential capabilities of a manned spacecraft and guarantees the mission success of space flight. Condition assessment based on the integrated system health management is introduced into manned spacecraft avionics to cope with the safety and maintenance necessity. Due to the complexity and the uncertainty of the system, it is a tough task before modular avionics emerged, and there is a rare research-concerning condition assessment for manned spacecraft avionics with fuzziness and simultaneous consideration in system level. A numerical example illustrates the proposed fuzzy evaluation model which takes all criteria into account from a holistic perspective, combines objective tests with subjective judgments and incorporates fuzziness and uncertainty into ranking the manned spacecraft avionics health level using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process with quantitative reliability analytical approaches. The proposed model is demonstrated to solve the condition assessment problem and the impact condition factors for the manned spacecraft avionics health management are revealed.

scholarly journals Genomic insights into variation in thermotolerance between hybridizing swordtail fishes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheyenne Payne ◽  
Stephen Bovio ◽  
Dan Powell ◽  
Theresa Gunn ◽  
Shreya Banerjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Thermal Environments ◽  
Adaptive Introgression ◽  
The Face ◽  
Trait Locus ◽  
Locus Mapping ◽  
The Impact

Understanding how organisms adapt to changing environments is a core focus of research in evolutionary biology. One common mechanism is adaptive introgression, which has received increasing attention as a potential route to rapid adaptation in populations struggling in the face of ecological change, particularly global climate change. However, hybridization can also result in deleterious genetic interactions that may limit the benefits of adaptive introgression. Here, we used a combination of genome-wide quantitative trait locus mapping and differential gene expression analyses between the swordtail fish species Xiphophorus malinche and X. birchmanni to study the consequences of hybridization on thermotolerance. While these two species are adapted to different thermal environments, we document a complicated architecture of thermotolerance in hybrids. We identify a region of the genome that contributes to reduced thermotolerance in individuals heterozygous for X. malinche and X. birchmanni ancestry, as well as widespread misexpression in hybrids of genes that respond to thermal stress in the parental species, particularly in the circadian clock pathway. We also show that a previously mapped hybrid incompatibility between X. malinche and X. birchmanni contributes to reduced thermotolerance in hybrids. Together, our results highlight the challenges of understanding the impact of hybridization on complex ecological traits and its potential impact on adaptive introgression.

scholarly journals Sustaining the Ogallala Aquifer: From the Wells to People, A Holistic CNH Model

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Aistrup ◽  
Tom Bulatewicz ◽  
Laszlo J. Kulcsar ◽  
Jeffrey M. Peterson ◽  
Stephen M. Welch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
System Level ◽  
Ogallala Aquifer ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Economic Trends ◽  
Future Outcomes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of water policy on sustaining the Ogallala Aquifer is analyzed using a system-level theoretical approach integrating agricultural water and land use tendencies, changing climate, economic trends, and population dynamics. In so doing, we 1) model the current hyper-extractive coupled natural-human system (CNH), 2) forecast future outcomes of policy scenarios transitioning the current groundwater-based economic system toward more sustainable paths for the social, economic and natural components of the integrated system, and 3) communicate model projections to inform public policies for enhanced sustainability while minimizing the economic pain for the region's communities. The findings corroborate previous studies showing that conservation often leads initially to an expansion of irrigation activities. However, we also find that the expanded presence of irrigated acreage will reduce the impact of an increasingly dryer climate on the region's economy and create greater long-term stability in the farming sector along with increased employment and population in the region. The primary negative aspect of more extensive conservation policies are on the net present value of farmers' current investments in their operations. This study reinforces the salience of interdisciplinary linked CNH models to provide policy prescriptions to untangle and address significant environmental policy issues.

Evaluation of the Shortcomings of Current Engine Technology Stack-Up Methods and Suggestions for Improvement

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Perullo ◽  
Brian K. Kestner ◽  
Jimmy C. M. Tai ◽  
Jeff S. Schutte ◽  
Dimitri N. Mavris
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
System Level ◽  
Strong Interactions ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Conventional Technology ◽  
Relative Design ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Technology Ranking

There are currently numerous government and industry entities engaging in aviation technology development programs [1,2,3]. Due to the number of technologies being investigated there exists an understandable desire to rank technologies in order to identify the most beneficial ones. Historically, this has been done through the use of “waterfall” or technology stack-up charts [4].One purpose of such waterfall charts is to show the amount of benefit each technology provides to the integrated system. This approach is valid, and extremely useful, for verifying the modeling of such technologies; however, there are shortcomings in using a waterfall chart to assess the relative contribution of individual technologies to the overall system level benefit. This is due to several considerations that are not taken into account when developing conventional technology ranking charts. For example, the relative impact of each technology can be highly dependent on the order in which technologies are applied, the system the technology is applied to, the relative design changes that occur either before or after the technology is applied, and other technologies that are present on the system. In order to explore these characteristics this paper uses propulsion technologies since there are strong interactions between the various components of an engine. Engine technologies also commonly rely upon enabling technologies which provide less benefit, but without them the larger “bigger hitting” technologies are not feasible. This research explores and quantifies the issues associated with several conventional methods of creating technology ranking charts. Propulsion technologies targeting both thermal and propulsive efficiency are applied to a baseline aircraft and engine configuration. Several conventional technology ranking and stack-up techniques are applied in order to evaluate how the relative impacts of individual technologies vary greatly depending on the assessment method. In all cases the same technology packages are applied such that the final benefit is the same, regardless of ranking method. It is suggested that a range of currently used ranking techniques all used to determine a more robust estimate of the impact.

scholarly journals Exploring Challenges to COVID-19 Vaccination in the Darfur Region of Sudan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alanood Elnaeem Mohamed ◽  
Yasir Ahmed Mohammed Elhadi ◽  
Nora Alnaeem Mohammed ◽  
Aniekan Ekpenyong ◽  
Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
The Face ◽  
Global Access ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Vaccination Hesitancy

The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of health systems to provide essential services globally. The Darfur region, located in the western part of Sudan, has been largely devastated by the war that began in 2003 and has been drawing considerable attention from the international community. The war, which erupted as a result of environmental, political, and economic factors, has led to tragic outcomes. Collapsing health-care infrastructures, health workforce shortages, lack of storage facilities for medicines and medical products, and inadequate access to health services are some of the effects of the war. After Sudan received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access facility, significant challenges have been implicated in the delivery, storage, and use of the vaccine in the Darfur region. Lack of vaccine storage and transportation facilities, vaccination hesitancy, inequity in the distribution to health facilities, and shortage of health-care professionals resulting from insecurity and instability have added an extra layer of burden on local authorities and their ability to manage COVID-19 vaccinations in the region adequately. Addressing the impact of COVID-19 requires an effectively managed vaccination program. In the face of current challenges in Darfur, ensuring a fully vaccinated population might remain far-fetched and improbable if meaningful efforts are not put in place by all stakeholders and actors to address some of the challenges identified.

Particularities of the independent auditor's report on reliability of accounting (financial) statements for 2019: COVID-19 as qualitatively essential information (Part 2)

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 777-799
Author(s):  
O.I. Shvyreva ◽  
Z.I. Kruglyak ◽  
A.V. Petukh
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Economic Situation ◽  
Risk Disclosure ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Logical Method ◽  
Annual Reporting ◽  
The Face ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
The Impact

Subject. This article discusses the issues related to the practice of financial reporting in the face of uncertainties caused by the coronavirus contagion, as well as the specifics of the audit strategy and formation of an audit opinion on this reporting. Objectives. The article aims to identify the quality characteristics of financial reporting prepared in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and justify the key aspects of assurance engagement completion in an extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation. Methods. For the study, we used an abstract-logical method, content analysis techniques, systematization, and classification. Results. Analyzing the impact of the extremely uncertain epidemiological and economic situation on financial statements, the article clarifies aspects of disclosure of events after the reporting date and threats to business continuity in the annual reporting of economic entities. The article identifies possible alternative procedures and algorithms to obtain proper evidence when it is insufficient in the face of the inability to meet certain audit standards requirements in a remote audit environment. The article defines the impact of COVID-19 risk disclosure on the structure of the audit report and opinion. Relevance. The results of the study can be used in the practical activities of economic entities that prepare financial statements in the face of significant uncertainty, as well as auditors and audit organizations.

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