Weak influence of natural vegetation in urban green spaces compared to agricultural ecosystems on House Martin populations:Insights from nationwide citizen science data in the Czech Republic

The House Martin(Delichon urbicum)is a common farmland bird species in the European landscape,yet its population numbers are currently in decline.However,it is not yet sufficiently explained why this long-term decline occurs.To fill this gap in our knowledge,we investigated how land cover composition affects the abundance of House Martins on the landscape scale by using nationwide citizen science data.Utilizing a generalised linear mixed-effect model(GLMM),we evaluated 12,094 records from the Czech Republic spanning 2009-2017.Our analysis underscores the significance of land cover type in shaping House Martin abundance.More specifically,our results indicate that within agricultural land covers“naturally managed arable lands”exhibited significant positive effect,while forests,orchards,and vineyards were deemed less favourable for House Martin populations.Within urban land covers,we found a clear distinction in the impact on House Martin populations,with a positive effect observed in urban infrastructure,development areas,and post-industrial sites(i.e.,UrbanAreas),while an indifferent impact was noted within urban green spaces and landscaped areas(i.e.,GreenUrban).Notably,our findings suggest that the simple spatial,age,and species structure typical of forests in Europe,and similarly,the uniform structure of parks and gardens,may be responsible for the decline in the abundance of the House Martin.We advocate for the preservation or enhancement of urban greenery,expansion of natural vegetation in rural areas and adoption of ecological management practices in orchards and vineyards to mitigate further declines in House Martin populations.

Higher intakes of lysine,threonine and valine are inversely associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease risk:a community-based case-control study in the Chinese elderly

The associations of individual amino acid with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)risk remained unclear.The present study aimed to investigate the associations between the two in the Chinese elderly.Methods:A community-based health check-up program was conducted in Qingdao,China.NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography accompanied by epidemiological investigation.The dietary intakes of amino acids were investigated with 3-day,24-h dietary records and calculated by Nutrition Calculator software.Restricted cubic spline model was used to evaluate a nonlinear relationship between amino acid intake and NAFLD risk.Results:400 NAFLD subjects were identified,and 400 participants were randomly selected as controls and matched by gender and age(±3 years)Dose-response analysis showed that 1000 mg increment of aromatic amino acids(AAAs)was associated with reduced 16%risk of NAFLD.Dietary increments of 750 mg/d threonine,950 mg/d valine,or 1700 mg/d lysine were associated with a 20%reduction in the NAFLD risk(all P for linearity<0.05).Conclusion:The present study demonstrated that the dietary increases in milk,eggs and deep-sea fish,which are rich in the amino acids,might contribute to protecting against NAFLD in the elderly.

Predictive value of systemic immunity index for sepsis in low-medium risk community-acquired pneumonia

Objective:To assess the predictive value of systemic immune inflammation index(SII)for sepsis in low-and medium-risk community-acquired pneumonia.Methods:A total of 589 elderly patients with low-and medium-risk community-acquired pneumonia admitted to the Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University from January 2020 to January 2023 were included as the research subjects,and the general information and laboratory test results of the patients were collected,and the optimal cut-off value of continuous variables for predicting sepsis in elderly patients with low-and medium-risk community-acquired pneumonia was determined by plotting the receiver work characteristic(ROC)curve,which was converted into dichotomous variables and univariate and multivariate logistic Regression analysis of the influencing factors of sepsis in elderly patients with low-and medium-risk community-acquired pneumonia.Based on this,a nomogram model is constructed to predict the risk of sepsis.The differentiation,consistency and accuracy of the model were verified by calibration curve and subject operating characteristic(ROC)curve,and the clinical utility of the model was determined by decision curve analysis.Results:A total of 589 elderly patients with low-and intermediate-risk community-acquired pneumonia were included in this study,of which 96(16.30%)developed sepsis.There were significant differences in age,diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,Lac,PCT,SII and other indexes between sepsis and non-sepsis groups(P<0.05).Logistics regression analysis showed that age,diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,Lac,and SII were independent risk factors for sepsis in elderly patients with low-and medium-risk community-acquired pneumonia.The nomogram prediction model was used to verify the results,and the AUC was 0.826(95%CI:0.780-0.872),and the calibration curve tended to the ideal curve with good accuracy.The decision curve shows that when the threshold of the model is between 0.10~0.78,the model has the advantage of clinical benefit.Conclusion:The nomogram prediction model constructed based on SII to predict sepsis in elderly patients with low-and medium-risk community-acquired pneumonia has good accuracy,which can predict the occurrence of sepsis early,help early identification of high-risk groups and timely intervention,and thus improve the prognosis of patients.

Evaluation of a Wireless Solar Powered Personal Weather Station

We are evaluating dryland cotton production in Martin County, Texas, measuring cotton lint yield per unit of rainfall. Our goal is to collect rainfall data per 250 - 400 ha. Upon selection of a rainfall gauge, we realized that the cost of using, for example, a tipping bucket-type rain gauge would be too expensive and thus searched for an alternative method. We selected an all-in-one commercially available weather station;hereafter, referred to as a Personal Weather Station (PWS) that is both wireless and solar powered. Our objective was to evaluate average measurements of rainfall obtained with the PWS and to compare these to measurements obtained with an automatic weather station (AWS). For this purpose, we installed four PWS deployed within 20 m of the Plant Stress and Water Conservation Meteorological Tower that was used as our AWS, located at USDA-ARS Cropping Systems Research Laboratory, Lubbock, TX. In addition, we measured and compared hourly average values of short-wave irradiance (Rg), air temperature (Tair) and relative humidity (RH), and wind speed (WS), and calculated values of dewpoint temperature (Tdew). This comparison was done over a 242-day period (1 October 2022-31 May 2023) and results indicated that there was no statistical difference in measurements of rainfall between the PWS and AWS. Hourly average values of Rg measured with the PWS and AWS agreed on clear days, but PWS measurements were higher on cloudy days. There was no statistical difference between PWS and AWS hourly average measurements of Tair, RH, and calculated Tdew. Hourly average measurements of Rg and WS were more variable. We concluded that the PWS we selected will provide adequate values of rainfall and other weather variables to meet our goal of evaluating dryland cotton lint yield per unit rainfall.

A study on the health service demands and influence factors among elderly people based on a community survey in Western China

Objective:To investigate the health service demands and to analyze influencing factors among elderly people based on a community survey in Guilin,China.Methods:A random sampling was used to investigate 366 elderly people in a community using a Health-Care-Needs questionnaire,which was designed by The Western Nursing Alliance research team in China.This survey was used to understand the basic situation,financial condition,health condition,self-care abilities,pension plan,and care services demands of the elderly residing at home.Additionally,this article analyzed the influencing factors contributing to the obtained results.Results:The top 3 nursing needs were security needs(1.61±0.45 points),health education needs(1.54±0.57 points),and respect and self-development needs(1.13±0.64 points).Logistic multifactor regression analysis showed that gender,monthly income,lack of exercise,activities of daily living(ADL)scores,methods of medical payment,and pension plan were independent factors affecting elderly nursing needs.Conclusions:The home-based health services supply for elders did not meet their needs.Therefore,a comprehensive approach considering multifactors such as gender,income,exercise,self-care ability,medical expense payments,and supporting preferences should be considered to address the complex needs of health care.

Analysis of Citizen Participation in Urban Planning of Comala,Colima,Mexico-A Secondary Publication

The objective of this study was to determine the degree of citizen participation in urban planning processes in the municipality of Comala,Colima,Mexico to have a broader vision of the citizens and the environment in which they live.An instrument was designed specifically to perform this study and the instrument was validated by calculating Cronbach’s Alpha.The results showed that citizens were highly involved in issues concerning their urban environment,and the main problems of the public spaces were also identified.

Critical Success Factors for Citizen Development

The purpose of the research was to assess the impact of Citizen Development activities on digital transformation. The research identified eight categories that contribute to the success of Low-code No-code (LCNC) projects: 1) Strategy;2) Infrastructure;3) Technology;4) Processes & Procedures;5) Governance;6) Culture;7) People;8) Goals & Metrics and selected six critical success factors from these categories: 1) Operational Efficiency;2) Time Savings;3) Timeframe to Realize Value;4) Employee Engagement;5) Participation;6) Number of Sponsored Ideas. End users of the digital transformation efforts through Citizen Development were asked to assess the six critical success measures in terms of performance and importance criteria. The research results identified that focus should be applied to improving “Timeframe to Realize Value”, on “Operational Efficiency”, and on “Time Savings” to deliver success.

Impact of agricultural landscape structure on the patterns of bird species diversity at a regional scale

The loss of bird species diversity is a crucial problem in the European agricultural landscape.Change in the area coverage of major land cover types has been mentioned as one of the main factors responsible for bird biodiversity impoverishment.In this study,we focused on the impact of landscape matrix characteristics on bird species richness and on Faith’s phylogenetic diversity index on a spatial scale of 1000-m radius around the measured occurrence points.We investigated how land cover composition affects bird diversity on the landscape scale using nationwide citizen science data.In total,168,739 records of bird occurrence in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic during growing season from 2009 to 2019 were evaluated.We found that the presence of water bodies and wetlands significantly corresponded to the areas of highest bird species richness.We also revealed that the presence of forests(~60%of the forest in the Czech Republic is occupied by commercial forests),urban areas and arable land were negatively associated with bird species richness and phylogenetic diversity.Forests(both coniferous and deciduous)and urban habitats were found to have a tendency to host a clustered phylogenetic community structure in comparison with wetland and arable land.A strong negative association between forest proportion and bird diversity led us to conclude that the expansion of the forest(with simple species composition,horizontal and vertical structure)could be one of the critical drivers of the decline of bird species diversity in the European agricultural landscape.On the other hand,our results also pointed out that small woody features(i.e.,woodlots)and scattered woodland shrub vegetation were one of the main landscape characteristics supporting a bird diversity in rural landscape.This is in concordance with other studies which mention these landscape structures as important elements for nesting and foraging of farmland birds.We thus recommend to maintain and restore scattered trees or woodlots with complex structure in agricultural landscape.

The value of community science data to analyze long-term avian trends in understudied regions:The state of birds in Türkiye

Recent studies have revealed concerning declines in bird populations in Europe and other parts of the world.In understudied but biodiverse regions,especially those that are located along key migratory flyways,there is an unmet need to evaluate the status of resident and migratory birdlife for avian conservation ecology.This is especially urgent at a time when recent regional studies have highlighted the scale of the decline of the European and Palearctic avifauna.Rapidly growing community science datasets may help bridge the gaps in our understanding of long-term regional avifaunal trends.In this study,we used eBird data submitted by observers in Türkiye to undertake the first long-term assessment of the state of the country’s birds from 2001 to 2022.We evaluated population trends based on presence-absence data of species to determine if any birds have significantly increased or decreased in the country so far this century.We provide a list of trends for 418 bird species that had large enough sample sizes of eBird observations from Türkiye,and highlight which species have significantly declined or increased.We found that 63 species have significantly declined in detection while 120 have significantly increased during the study period.Our findings provide a baseline for the future monitoring of Türkiye’s birds and help contextualize population changes of birds in Türkiye against those occurring at the continental(Palearctic)scale.Additionally,we include movement classifications for all of the bird species in this study.We also provide a framework to effectively use eBird data to assess long-term avifaunal changes at the country-level in other understudied regions.Finally,we highlight ways in which eBirders in Türkiye and elsewhere can strengthen the quality and value of community ornithology data for population assessments and avian conservation ecology.

Data reliability of the emerging citizen science in the Greater Bay Area of China

The potential of citizen science projects in research has been increasingly acknowledged,but the substantial engagement of these projects is restricted by the quality of citizen science data.Based on the largest emerging citizen science project in the country-Birdreport Online Database(BOD),we examined the biases of birdwatching data from the Greater Bay Area of China.The results show that the sampling effort is disparate among land cover types due to contributors’ preference towards urban and suburban areas,indicating the environment suitable for species existence could be underrepresented in the BOD data.We tested the contributors’ skill of species identification via a questionnaire targeting the citizen birders in the Greater Bay Area.The questionnaire show that most citizen birdwatchers could correctly identify the common species widely distributed in Southern China and the less common species with conspicuous morphological characteristics,while failed to identify the species from Alaudidae;Caprimulgidae,Emberizidae,Phylloscopidae,Scolopacidae and Scotocercidae.With a study example,we demonstrate that spatially clustered bird watching visits can cause underestimation of species richness in insufficiently sampled areas;and the result of species richness mapping is sensitive to the contributors’ skill of identifying bird species.Our results address how avian research can be influenced by the reliability of citizen science data in a region of generally high accessibility,and highlight the necessity of pre-analysis scrutiny on data reliability regarding to research aims at all spatial and temporal scales.To improve the data quality,we suggest to equip the data collection frame of BOD with a flexible filter for bird abundance,and questionnaires that collect information related to contributors’ bird identification skill.Statistic modelling approaches are encouraged to apply for correcting the bias of sampling effort.

Global population estimate and conservation gap analysis for the Nordmann's Greenshank(Tringa guttifer)

Nordmann's Greenshank(Tringa guttifer)is a globally endangered species that has received little research attention.It is threatened by rapid habitat loss,an incomplete network of protected sites,and lack of long-term data on population dynamics.Citizen science data can be combined with survey data to support population estimation and conservation gap analysis.From 2020 to 2021,Nordmann's Greenshank was surveyed in Tiaozini,Xiaoyangkou,and Dongling on the southern coast of Jiangsu Province,China,and the global population of the species was re-evaluated using the data obtained.We integrated citizen science data from eBird and the China Bird Report from 2000 to 2020 with the survey results to identify important habitats harboring over 1%of its total population,and compared this data with existing protected areas to identify gaps in its global conservation.Our survey found that Tiaozini supported at least 1194 individuals.Consequently,its global population was reestimated to be 1500-2000.Moreover,45 important habitats were identified based on citizen data and survey results.Although 44.4%and 50.0%of the priority sites in the world and China,respectively,are located outside protected areas,the Conservation Effectiveness Index(C)is 68.4%and 71.1%,respectively,showing that the current coverage of protected areas for this part of its range is reasonable.This study presents the most complete and recent population data to date.Tiaozini is the most important migration stopover site for Nordmann's Greenshanks.The species is under threat in terms of breeding,wintering,and stopover sites.Therefore,we suggest improving monitoring,establishing new protected sites to complete the habitat protection network,and improving the effectiveness of existing habitat protection strategies,including further developing high tide roosting sites.

A Study of Digital Disconnection Among Older Adults in the Internet Age

With internet and smartphone usage increasing every year,seniors are being exposed to digital media,either actively or passively.To better integrate into the information society for the elderly,efforts are also needed to clarify the causes of their digital disconnection and develop appropriate solutions.In this study,semi-structured interviews are utilized to investigate the self-adjustment and external intervention of the elderly in the age of digital media and to explore the ways,causes,and effects of digital disconnection of the elderly.The focus issue of this study is to clarify the subjective and objective factors of digital disconnection,especially cognitive problems,group influences,and technological access barriers in the elderly population concerning digital devices and the Internet.

Current Situation and Implementation Paths of International Understanding Education in Local Application-oriented Universities

It is urgent and necessary to implement international understanding education in local application-oriented colleges and universities.Improving the international competitiveness of talents and cultivating global citizens is one of the goals of higher education.This paper discussed the problems of international understanding education in local application-oriented colleges and universities,including weak policy orientation,insufficient practical exploration,aphasia of national culture,etc.It is recommended to implement the international understanding education from two ways:subject penetration and project-based professional courses.In addition,the introduction of Chinese culture cannot be ignored to prevent the absence of national culture in cross-cultural communication.

Spatial Analysis of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) in South St. Boniface and Mission Industrial Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) stays airborne for long periods and can enter the lungs, increasing respiratory and cardiovascular risks. Metal shredders are known sources of PM2.5, lead and other heavy metals. Winnipeg residents of South Saint Boniface (SSB) in Manitoba, Canada, live downwind of the Mission Industrial Area (MIA), which includes a metal shredder, train tracks and other industries. Residents are concerned about the MIA air and noise pollution and wanted ambient air quality monitoring in their mixed land-use area to understand its impact on their health. We measured and mapped the daytime PM2.5, from the MIA and South St. Boniface (SSB) neighborhoods using the Dylos DC 1700 PM over seven months. The Dylos air quality data for PM2.5 was validated by the two federal reference monitors in the city, finding a moderate to very strong correlation (r = 0.52 to 0.83;p-value 0.001), confirming good accuracy. A spatial analysis of the emission data showed that the highest pollution concentration was downwind of the scrap metal shredder in MIA. One-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis revealed significantly higher levels of PM2.5 at MIA and SSB than at the reference sites, which are away from pollution sources. The PM2.5 Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) of 27 μg/m3 was exceeded downwind of the property line of the scrap metal shredder in the MIA for five of the 35 monitoring days averaging between 28.9 μg/m3 to 38.1 μg/m3 over eight hours. The standard was not exceeded in the residential area, although PM2.5 levels higher than background levels increased SSB residents exposure levels. This exceedance of regulatory standards requires action to reduce emissions.

A360 Bot Framework: Empowering Smart Robotic Process Automation Solutions

This research paper explores the significance of the “A360 Bot Framework” in Automation 360 (A360) platform. A360 is Automation Anywhere’s cloud-based automation platform designed to make business processes more efficient. It’s known for its user-friendly interface, which allows both technical and non-technical users to use it effectively. Automation 360 is versatile, offering a range of tools to automate tasks, manage complex workflows, and integrate various applications. It empowers users to create customized solutions for their specific needs. Being cloud-based it ensures scalability, security, and real-time updates, making it a top choice in the fast-paced digital world. As demand for A360 rises, having a structured way to develop bots becomes crucial. The paper introduces the “A360 Bot Framework” as a guiding approach for bot developments. This framework ensures consistency and scalability, especially when working with both professional developers and non-technical users. It outlines key elements like setting up work folders, managing logs, dealing with errors, and ensuring secure bot execution. Ultimately, the “A360 Bot Framework” is presented as a foundational structure that enhances consistency, resiliency, and development efficiency. By following predefined practices and templates, bot developers can mitigate risks and streamline debugging processes. This framework accelerates the bot development lifecycle, allowing developers to focus on specific functionalities and value-added features. The research paper aims to provide insights into the benefits of adopting the A360 Bot Framework and its potential to revolutionize A360 bot development practices, leading to more efficient and effective automation solutions.

立民与立国:中国现代国家构建中的话语选择

随着近代中国越来越陷入殖民地、半殖民地的深渊,知识分子日益认识到必须取道国民性改造的路径来建立中国的现代国家,翻译西方citizen概念则是实现国民性改造的重要手段之一。从19世纪中期到五四运动前夕,citizen在中国的翻译大致经历过三个发展阶段:翻译术语多元化的阶段、国家主义的国民观阶段和个人主义的国民观阶段。在这些阶段中,不仅citizen被翻译成不同的术语,而且还被赋予不同的涵义。这些术语和涵义后面隐含着知识分子对于中国现代国家的不同构想。citizen在当时的汉译方式表明,术语翻译并不仅仅是一个从文本到文本的过程,而且是一种重要的政治活动,具有明显的"翻译现代性"含意。

“公民”观念的输入及其在近代中国的传播——从“citizen”的汉语对译词谈起

"公民"是英文"citizen"的汉语对译词。在西方不同的历史阶段,"citizen"具有不同的内涵,其身份直到17、18世纪才以法律的形式确立下来,被赋予明确的近代色彩。18世纪中期,"citizen"一词最早被丁韪良翻译为"人民",其内涵与古汉语义相去甚远,不仅指平民、百姓,君主、官员也属"人民"之列。"人民"不仅是承当义务的主体,同时也拥有广泛的权利。丁韪良译定之"人民"为知识界普遍接受。此后,又出现了多个表达"citizen"含义的汉语词汇,其中以"国民"、"公民"较为常见,它们在康有为、梁启超等学者的著述中获得新的诠释和透彻阐述。"citizen"的引入及其传播、翻新,对于近代中国人的主体意识的觉醒,对于厘清个人、民族、国家之间的关系起了相当重要的推动作用。

器官捐献家属的哀伤护理

我国器官移植技术发展迅速,但发展的过程中,存在着器官来源不足的问题。目前,公民逝世后器官捐献（donation after citizen＇s death,DCD）成为移植器官的主要来源,然而受中国传统文化观念根深蒂固的影响,器官捐献者家属做出捐献的决定往往要经历巨大的思想波动及心理斗争,加上因亲人去世的悲痛情绪,会对他们的身心健康造成一定的伤害,

Investigation on the Characteristics of the Senior Citizens' Activities in the Parks and Greenbelts——A Case Study of Nanjing City

From the perspective of senior citizens,questionnaire survey and field investigation were carried on and analyzed in three parks in Nanjing City.The results showed that outdoor activities are the principal ways for the senior citizens to spend their time,the parks near home is their prior choice,and the radiation range of the park and greenbelt mostly is no more than 2 km;most of the senior citizens come to parks on foot and the parks are always within 30 minutes walking distance;the senior citizens always have fixed partners and groups for their exercise-dominant activities.

小儿DCD供体双肾整体肾移植术

1供肾切取小儿公民逝世后器官捐献（donation after citizen＇s death,DCD）供体器官的切取同成人基本一样采用整体切取法,腹主动脉插管注意尽量靠远端或从髂血管置入。输尿管连同膀胱一并切取,尽量保留输尿管周围组织。分离肝肾离断腹主动脉和下腔静脉时保留长度要适当,肠系膜上动脉开口留给供肾一侧。