Population growth and mobility in Australia: implications for housing and urban development policies

This research tracks Australia’s population growth over the period 2006–16 to examine how actual growth differed from projected growth. It also examined key drivers of population mobility in Australia to inform future urban development policy responses to demands on infrastructure and housing.

RGB images-based vegetative index for phenotyping kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.)

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an industrial crop used as a raw material in various fields and is cultivated worldwide. Compared to high potential for its utilization, breeding sector is not vigorous partially due to laborous breeding procedure. Thus, efficient breeding methods are required for varieties that can adapt to various environments and obtain optimal production. For that, identifying kenaf’s characteristics is very important during the breeding process. Here, we investigated if RGB based vegetative index (VI) could be associated with traits for biomass. We used 20 varieties and germplasm of kenaf and RGB images taken with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for field selection in early and late growth stage. In addition, measuring the stem diameter and the number of nodes confirmed whether the vegetative index value obtained from the RGB image could infer the actual plant biomass. Based on the results, it was confirmed that the individual surface area and estimated plant height, which were identified from the RGB image, had positive correlations with the stem diameter and node number, which are actual growth indicators of the rate of growth further, biomass could also be estimated based on this. Moreover, it is suggested that VIs have a high correlation with actual growth indicators; thus, the biomass of kenaf could be predicted. Interstingly, those traits showing high correlation in the late stage had very low correlations in the early stage. To sum up, the results in the current study suggest a more efficient breeding method by reducing labor and resources required for breeding selection by the use of RGB image analysis obtained by UAV. This means that considerable high-quality research could be performed even with a tight budget. Furthermore, this method could be applied to crop management, which is done with other vegetative indices using a multispectral camera.

Problems of digitalization of higher education in Russia

Researched is the process of undergoing great changes, caused by the transition of all universities in the country to online education in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The article deals with specific problems, risks and challenges related to the digitalization of higher education: digital inequality, closely related to digital literacy, the lack of a unified way of communication between students and teachers, the lack of generally accepted platform solutions for conducting classes online; the actual growth of the teacher’s workload in the conditions of digitalization of education, which is not yet taken into account in the system of rationing of remuneration, professional burnout in a sufficiently large number of teachers, lack of motivation and self-discipline of students, increased bureaucratization of the higher education system. The experience of implementing digitalization into education during the pandemic dispelled myths about the benefits of an immersive education model and individualized learning based on online technologies. Digitalized learning is focuses primarily at memorization and reproduction, and not at comprehension and critical perception. A comprehensive solution to these problems is the introduction of new models of educational programs.

GPR-Based Automatic Identification of Root Zones of Influence Using HDBSCAN

The belowground root zone of influence (ZOI) is fundamental to the study of the root–root and root–soil interaction mechanisms of plants and is vital for understanding changes in plant community compositions and ecosystem processes. However, traditional root research methods have a limited capacity to measure the actual ZOIs within plant communities without destroying them in the process. This study has developed a new approach to determining the ZOIs within natural plant communities. First, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), a non-invasive near-surface geophysical tool, was used to obtain a dataset of the actual spatial distribution of the coarse root system in a shrub quadrat. Second, the root dataset was automatically clustered and analyzed using the hierarchical density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (HDBSCAN) algorithm to determine the ZOIs of different plants. Finally, the shape, size, and other characteristics of each ZOI were extracted based on the clustering results. The proposed method was validated using GPR-obtained root data collected in two field shrub plots and one simulation on a dataset from existing literature. The results show that the shrubs within the studied community exhibited either segregated and aggregated ZOIs, and the two types of ZOIs were distinctly in terms of shape and size, demonstrating the complexity of root growth in response to changes in the surrounding environment. The ZOIs extracted based on GPR survey data were highly consistent with the actual growth pattern of shrub roots and can thus be used to reveal the spatial competition strategies of plant roots responding to changes in the soil environment and the influence of neighboring plants.

GLOBAL WARMING – PHYSICS AND GEOPOLITICS (Review). 1. Anthropogenic and natural concepts of climate change

Introduction. Global warming and so-called the “greenhouse effect” is one of the most discussed problems of physics and geopolitics, which has caused protest environmental movements in the world. Problem Statement. Widely discussed are both anthropogenic (the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere) and the natural concepts of global warming with the dramatic effects of climate change on the planet and individual regions. Purpose. Evaluate the state of the problem, to present the results of research and measures to possible reduction of the greenhouse effect. Materials and methods. Authoritative literature sources with the analysis of anthropogenic and natural factors of global warming are used, including with the explanation of the physical processes which are shown at solar-geomagnetic activity and other natural phenomena. Results. The main causes and mechanisms of natural and man-made nature for the actual growth of greenhouse gas emissions and global temperature in the 20th century are identified and their estimates for the period up to 2100 are given. Conclusions. Most likely, the effect of global warming on the planet's climate is totally due to natural causes of cosmogenic origin and somewhat exacerbated by the effects of industrial development of mankind. For the final solution of this problem it is necessary to fully and adequately conduct more in-depth complex experimental and theoretical-model studies taking into account various factors of geological, climatic, meteorological, thermophysical, astrophysical nature and application of modern methods of mathematical physics, statistics and probability theory. reasonable measures to adapt the economy and life to climate change.

An applied approach to multi-criteria humanitarian supply chain planning for pandemic response

PurposeWhen a large-scale outbreak such as the COVID-19 pandemic happens, organizations that are responsible for delivering relief may face a lack of both provisions and human resources. Governments are the primary source for the humanitarian supplies required during such a crisis; however, coordination with humanitarian NGOs in handling such pandemics is a vital form of public-private partnership (PPP). Aid organizations have to consider not only the total degree of demand satisfaction in such cases but also the obligation that relief goods such as medicine and foods should be distributed as equitably as possible within the affected areas (AAs).Design/methodology/approachGiven the challenges of acquiring real data associated with procuring relief items during the COVID-19 outbreak, a comprehensive simulation-based plan is used to generate 243 small, medium and large-sized problems with uncertain demand, and these problems are solved to optimality using GAMS. Finally, post-optimality analyses are conducted, and some useful managerial insights are presented.FindingsThe results imply that given a reasonable measure of deprivation costs, it can be important for managers to focus less on the logistical costs of delivering resources and more on the value associated with quickly and effectively reducing the overall suffering of the affected individuals. It is also important for managers to recognize that even though deprivation costs and transportation costs are both increasing as the time horizon increases, the actual growth rate of the deprivation costs decreases over time.Originality/valueIn this paper, a novel mathematical model is presented to minimize the total costs of delivering humanitarian aid for pandemic relief. With a focus on sustainability of operations, the model incorporates total transportation and delivery costs, the cost of utilizing the transportation fleet (transportation mode cost), and equity and deprivation costs. Taking social costs such as deprivation and equity costs into account, in addition to other important classic cost terms, enables managers to organize the best possible response when such outbreaks happen.

Variants of the histological structure of the styloid processes of the temporal bone

The Eagle’s syndrome is a disease that is caused by irritation of the nervous, vascular and muscular structures that surround the subcutaneous process of the temporal bone. A syndrome manifested by chronic pain at the deeppart of the lateral region of the face, which irradiates into the root of the tongue, pharynx and ear, dysphagia, symptoms of disorders of the circulation of the brain. Symptoms of Eagle’s syndrome are found in various otolaryngological, dental, neurological diseases. Purpose of the study: identify and evaluate the most significant histologic features of hypertrophied styloid processes of the temporal bone; identify differences in variants of their growth, according to histological differences; to estimate influence of conservative therapy, that prior to the surgical treatment, to the histological structure of the subulate processes. Materials and methods: at the course of our work based on the diagnosis and treatment of the Eagle’s syndrome, we performed 32 operations for resection of the styloid processes of the temporal bone, despite the ineffectiveness of conservative treatment. All fragments of there moved styloid processes of the temporal bone were sent to histological examination. The performed histological researches al low at present conditionally, according to a small number of the examined patients, to carry out classification of the styloid processes of the temporal bone into two groups. Give names to groups: “ossification”, i.e. the actual growth of the styloid process and “calcification”, i.e. dystrophic changes due to the deposition of calcium salts. Accordingly, we are developing approaches to conservative or surgical treatments of this pathology.

Government balance-consistent economic growth rates and their implications: A study of the euro area countries

Using the model derived by Bajo-Rubio (2014), this paper estimates government budget balance-consistent growth rates for the euro area countries. A comparison of these estimates to their actual growth rates indicates that most of these countries are growing at rates that are very similar to their government balance-consistent growth rates. This finding implies that many euro area countries would not be experiencing excessive imbalances in their government budget over the long-run that could harm future economic growth. The analysis has also shown that for many euro area countries, the predictions of the model seem to be broadly consistent with their actual fiscal experience.