Use of Cellular Automata-Based Artificial Neural Networks For Detection and Prediction of Land Use Changes in North Eastern Dhaka City

The purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of change in Land Use Land Cover (LULC) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) in Mirpur and its surrounding area (north-eastern part of Dhaka) over the last 30 years using Landsat Satellite images and remote sensing indices, and to develop relationships between LULC types and LST, as well as to analyze their impact on local warming. Using this analyzed data, a further projection of LULC and LST change over the next two decades was made. From 1989 to 2019, five-year intervals of Landsat 4-5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI pictures were utilized to track the relationship between LULC changes and LST. Cellular Automata-based Artificial Neural Network (CA-ANN) algorithm was used to model the LULC and LST maps for the year 2039. Two environmental indices were analyzed to determine their link with LST: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI). The link between LST and LULC types indicates that built-up area raises LST by substituting non-evaporating surfaces for natural vegetation. The average surface temperature has been increasing steadily for the previous 30 years. For the year 2019, it was determined that roughly 86 percent of total land area has been converted to built-up area and that 89 percent of land area has an LST greater than 28°C. According to the study, if the current trend continues, 72 percent of the Mirpur area is predicted to see temperatures near 32°C in 2039. Additionally, LST had a significant positive association with NDBI and a negative correlation with NDVI. The overall accuracy of LULC was greater than 90%, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.83. The study may assist urban planners and environmental engineers in comprehending and recommending effective policy measures and plans to mitigate the consequences of LULC.

Potentially Toxic Elemental Contamination in Wainivesi River, Fiji Impacted by Gold-mining Activities using Chemometric Tools and SOM Analysis

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in Wainivesi River, Fiji triggered by gold-mining activities is a major public health concern deserving attention. However, chemometric approaches and pattern recognition of PTEs in surface water and sediment are yet hardly studied in Pacific Island countries like Fijin urban River. In our study, twenty-four sediment and eight water sampling sites from the Wainivesi River, Fiji were explored to evaluate the spatial pattern, eco-environmental pollution, and source apportionment of PTEs. This analysis was done using an integrated approach of self-organizing map (SOM), principle component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and indexical approaches. The PTEs average concentration is decreasing order of Fe > Pb > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Mn > Co > Cd for water and Fe > Zn > Pb > Mn > Cr > Ni > Cu > Co > Cd for sediment, respectively. Outcomes of eco-environmental indices including contamination and enrichment factors, and geo-accumulation index differed spatially indicated that majority of the sediment sites were highly polluted by Zn, Cd, and Ni. Cd and Ni contents can cause both ecological and human health risks. According to PCA, two sources such as point and geogenic sources for sediment and also two sources including weathering of rock-water and anthropogenic sources of PTEs for water were identified in the study area. The SOM analysis identified three spatial patterns e.g., Cr-Co-Zn-Mn, Fe-Cd and Ni-Pb-Cu in water and Zn-Cd-Cu-Mn, Cr-Ni and Fe, Co-Pb in sediment. Spatial distribution of entropy water quality index values depicted that northern and northwestern areas possess ‘poor’ to ‘extremely-poor’ quality water. The entropy weights indicated Zn, Cd and Cu as the major pollutants in deteriorating the water quality. Our finding provides a baseline database with eco-environmental and health risk measures for the Wainivesi river contamination.

Characterization of the Multidimensional Functional Space of the Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in a Biosphere Reserve (Central México)

The analysis of functional diversity has shown to be more sensitive to the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on the assemblages of aquatic macroinvertebrates than the classical analyses of structural ecology. However, this ecological analysis perspective has not been fully explored in tropical environments of America. Protected Natural Areas (PNAs) such as biosphere reserves can be a benchmark regarding structural and functional distribution patterns worldwide, so the characterization of the functional space of biological assemblages in these sites is necessary to promote biodiversity conservation efforts. Our work characterized the multidimensional functional space of the macroinvertebrate assemblages from an ecosystemic approach by main currents, involving a total of 15 study sites encompassing different impact and human influence scenarios, which were monitored in two contrasting seasons. We calculated functional diversity indices (dispersion, richness, divergence, evenness, specialization, and originality) from biological and ecological traits of the macroinvertebrate assemblages and related these indices to the physicochemical characteristics of water and four environmental indices (Water Quality Index, habitat quality, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and vegetation cover and land use). Our results show that the indices of functional richness, evenness, and functional specialization were sensitive to disturbance caused by salinization, concentration of nutrients and organic matter, and even to the occurrence of a forest fire in the reserve during one of the sampling seasons. These findings support the conclusion that the changes and relationships between the functional diversity indices and the physicochemical parameters and environmental indices considered were suitable for evaluating the ecological conditions within the reserve.

Critical Temperature-Humidity Index Thresholds for Dry Cows in a Subtropical Climate

The effects of heat stress on dry cows are profound and significantly contribute to lower overall welfare, productivity, and profitability of the dairy sector. Although dry cows are more thermotolerant than lactating cows due to their non-lactating state, similar environmental thresholds are currently used to estimate the degree of heat strain and cooling requirements. Records of dry cow studies conducted over 5 years in Gainesville, Florida, USA were pooled and analyzed to determine environmental thresholds at which dry cows exhibit signs of heat stress in a subtropical climate. Dry-pregnant multiparous dams were actively cooled (CL; shade of a freestall barn, fans and water soakers, n = 107) or not (HT; shade only, n = 111) during the last 7 weeks of gestation, concurrent with the entire dry period. Heat stress environmental indices, including ambient temperature, relative humidity, and temperature-humidity index (THI), and animal-based indices, including respiration rate, rectal temperature and daily dry matter intake were recorded in all studies. Simple correlations were performed between temperature-humidity index and each animal-based indicator. Differences in respiration rate, rectal temperature and dry matter intake between treatments were analyzed by multiple regression. Using segmented regression, temperature-humidity thresholds for significant changes in animal-based indicators of heat stress were estimated. Stronger significant correlations were found between the temperature-humidity index and all animal-based indices measured in HT dry cows (−0.22 ≤ r ≤ 0.35) relative to CL dry cows (−0.13 ≤ r ≤ 0.19). Although exposed to similar temperature-humidity index, rectal temperature (+0.3°C; P < 0.001) and respiration rate (+23 breaths/min; P < 0.001) were elevated in HT dry cows compared with CL cows whereas dry matter intake (−0.4 kg of dry matter/d; P = 0.003) was reduced. Temperature-humidity index thresholds at which respiration rate and rectal temperature began to change were both determined at a THI of 77 in HT dry cows. No significant temperature-humidity threshold was detected for dry matter intake. At a practical level, our results demonstrate that dry cow respiration rate and rectal temperature increased abruptly at a THI of 77 when provided only shade and managed in a subtropical climate. Therefore, in the absence of active cooling, dry cows should be closely monitored when or before THI reaches 77 to avoid further heat-stress related impairments during the dry period and the subsequent lactation and to mitigate potential carry-over effects on the offspring.

ECO-INNOVATION FINANCING AS AN ELEMENT OF A “GREEN” ECONOMY FORMATION IN THE GLOBALIZATION CONDITIONS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of the paper is to substantiate the necessity for eco-innovation supporting and provide the scientific and practical recommendations for improving eco-innovation public and private financing in the globalizing conditions of sustainable development. Methodology. In the paper, eco-innovations are considered as new technologies, new ways of organizing production and social programs that ensure the movement of society in line with the principles of the theory of sustainable development and the interaction between economic development and environmental preservation, to a greater extent due to the production of additional interrelated internal and external effects.The survey is based on the modern methods of scientific research, in particular, general and special methods of analysis of economic phenomena and processes: historical-logical method; comparative analysis; structural-comparative and graphic analysis; structural-factor analysis (to analyze the impact of environmental factors on economic development and determine the relationship between environmental indices, individual factors and GDP growth rates); correlation-regression analysis (to model the impact of environmental factors on the economic development of the world); scenario approach (to substantiate the priority areas of development of greening of the global economic space); methods of logical analysis, abstract and cognitive modeling. The results of the survey showed that along with the existing problems, there is significant potential for green financing scaling up. The study identified problems that limit the development of eco-innovation financing, which include both problems typical for “green” projects (for example, the lack of a clear definition of the term “green”), and problems typical for the financial sector as a whole (for example, underdeveloped capital markets or discrepancy in financing terms). Scientific and practical recommendations for capital attraction stimulating and the development of eco-innovation financing in the context of world economy sustainable development are proposed. It is substantiated that the main condition for the mobilization of “green” investments from the private sector is a combination of public funding, regulation and participation of private market actors in an effective public-private partnership. Practical implications. The analysis of the peculiarities of the eco-innovation financing allows to determine the impact of public financial instruments on the acceleration and increase of the effect from private financing for “green” investment. The main advantages of introducing and tracking eco-innovations in the global economic system are identified. The conclusion is made about the positive impact of the use of environmental and energy efficient technologies on the level of economic development, investment attractiveness and competitiveness of the country. Value/originality. The provided theoretical bases and practical recommendations consider current trends and conditions for sustainable development of the developed and developing countries economies, may be used by the governments of countries to develop policies towards effective environmental natural resources use and formate an environmental management system in the global economic development greening process, and are the basis for the formation of an ecological and economic model of the country’s development.