The impact of a sense of belonging on lethargy and career maturity

In this study, the authors treated a combination of psychological apathy and decreased motivation as a tendency to lethargy, and implemented a survey into the tendency to lethargy demonstrated by students, in order to study the impact of a sense of belonging in the four relationships between the student and the people considered most likely to be interacted with during university life—those with family, friends at university, friends outside university and boyfriend/girlfriend. In addition, the authors implemented a survey and study that included additional categories relating to career maturity. The study was performed on 250 university students, using an anonymous questionnaire that graded responses using criteria to measure a sense of belonging, psychological apathy characteristics, areas of decreased motivation, and career maturity. The subjects were classified by the school year to which they belonged, their gender, and whether or not they had a boyfriend/girlfriend, and consideration was given to the relationship between psychological apathy, decreased motivation, career maturity and a sense of belonging. In terms of gender difference in regard to each of the criteria, partially, the study indicated that male students score significantly higher than female students in terms of a sense of belonging, females score significantly higher than males for decreased motivation in regard to classes, and males score significantly higher than females in relation to career maturity. No significant difference in scores was noted between males and females in relation to psychological apathy. The impact of a sense of belonging on psychological apathy, decreased motivation and career motivation was seen in the fact that across all categories, those students with a good relationship with friends at university had a suppressed level of decreased motivation in regard to university by the portions given in this document.

Construction of the Sense of Belonging of Place Spirit in the Renovation of Historical Blocks: A Case Study of Ancient Town Street of Ming and Qing Dynasties in Hekou, Qianshan

The renovation of historical blocks often stays at the material level of buildings, ignoring the deeper spiritual level, which can not arouse people’s sense of belonging to the city memory. Based on the protection of local Qianshan area culture, taking Hekou ancient town street of Ming and Qing Dynasty as an example, with the construction of place spirit and sense of belonging as the primary goal, and combining the history and culture of the city, the current situation of the streets and the characteristics of the buildings, this paper put forward the relevant renovation measures to provide a kind of thinking for the refined and rational renovation of the blocks in the future.

Place and Belonging: How Rural Primary School Principals can Promote Boarders’ Development by Building their Sense of Belonging to School?

Rural boarding schools in compulsory education in China have proliferated with school merger program.This paper analyzes the relationship between school belonging and student development and the factors that influence students'sense of belonging in rural boarding schools.The paper examines how principals in rural boarding schools in China can promote student development by building a sense of belonging.The paper argues that building this sense of belonging can serve as a solution to the current problems affecting rural boarding schools,improve the quality of rural primary education,and promote student development.

GIS Based Soil Loss Estimation Using RUSLE Model: The Case of Jabi Tehinan Woreda, ANRS, Ethiopia

Soil degradation in the form of soil erosion is a serious and continuous environmental problem in Jabi Tehinan Woreda. Uncontrolled land use, deforestation, over cultivation, overgrazing and exploitation of biomass for firewood, construction and other household uses due to increasing population ultimately lead to severe soil erosion. The impact of natural hazards like erosion can be minimized and ultimately controlled by disaster preparedness maps. Therefore, the overall objective of this paper is to quantify and map an estimated soil loss by examining different topographic and anthropogenic factors for the planning and implementations of sustainable soil conservation and management system in the study area. This study had integrated Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS) and Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques to quantify and map erosion vulnerable areas using RUSLE model. Slope gradient, slope length, soil type, soil conservations techniques, cover management and rainfall variables were used as input model parameters/variables. The data had been collected and analyzed from different land sat imageries, SRTM data, topomaps and point interpolations of primary data. Finally, the aggregated effects of all parameters had been analyzed and soil loss from the area was calculated using RUSEL models. After analyzing all model parameters, areas in steeper slope with Lithosols, Eutric Nitosols, Orthic Luvisols, croplands, bare lands and river banks have been identified as the most erosion vulnerable areas. Quantitatively, an estimated annual soil loss in Jabi Tehinan Woreda ranges from nearly 0 in south and central parts of the area to 504.6 t/ha/yr in steeply sloping mountainous areas of the north and north-eastern parts of the catchments.

Soil Erosion Changes over the Past Five Decades in the Red Soil Region of Southern China

This paper reports the dynamic changes of soil and water loss in the red soil region of Southern China since the 1950s. The red soil region covers eight provinces: Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong and Hainan. From the 1950s to 1986, the annual rate of soil erosion increased by 3.4%. From 1986 to 1996 and from 1996 to 2000, the annual rates of soil erosion decreased by 2.0% and 0.32%, respectively. Field surveys showed that from 2000 to 2005, the area of soil and water loss decreased annually by 1.2%. This decrease was a result of large-scale erosion control activities across China. Although the eroded soil has been restored, the restoration process is very slow and full restoration will take a long time. Our report suggests that controlling soil and water loss is a challenging task, and additional measures must be taken to effectively control the soil erosion in the red soil region.

The Extent and Effectiveness of Protected Areas in the Russian Federation

To tackle environmental challenges and in particular,the problems associated with the high demand for forests and resources,the consequence of which is the degradation of ecological systems,Russia has developed the biggest network of specially protected natural areas in the world.Although the scale of SPNA may look impressive,a recent comprehensive study of the period from 2001 to 2018 brought the spotlight on protected areas in Russia experiencing significant tree loss annually.Since Russia is confronting unprecedented fires that break records every year,the problem of preserving rare animal and plant species,their habitats,and natural ecosystems is acute.This paper is intended to assess the extent and effectiveness of SPNAs with regard to wilderness conservation in the Russian Federation based on the latest data;the main focus being on the period of 2014—2019,before and after the launch of the environmental safety strategies,along with additional analysis of available data for the following year of 2020.With due consideration of unique geographical,economic,and socio-cultural circumstances,as well as historical background and legislative reality of SPNAs in Russia,we have conducted a statistical analysis of data from the official annual reports from the Federal State Statistics Service on SPNAs by territories and significance,expenditures on maintenance and ecotourism,followed by RGB analysis of satellite imagery via means of GIS software for visualization of obtained data and further analytics.Despite the growth of the SPNA network in Russia,resulting in an astonishing 2402 Mha in 2020,an estimated 4 Mha of tree loss accounted for SPNAs over the period of 2014—2019,and 134 Mha in 2020 alone.Our findings indicate a need for the application of a comprehensive GIS approach for further development and effective management of the SPNA network in Russia.Furthermore,the results include recommendations on legislative changes,engagement of locals in SPNA protection,and popularization of ecotourism,all of which can be valuable for policymakers and SPNA development.

Sense of Belonging

Africans living in Beijing find spiritual upliftment in their own unique style of worship via church services ancl community outreach initiatives

Integrated Approach of Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Geographical Information System (GIS) for Soil Loss Risk Assessment in Upper South Koel Basin, Jharkhand

Soil erosion is a growing problem especially in areas of agricultural activity where soil erosion not only leads to decreased agricultural productivity but also reduces water availability. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is the most popular empirically based model used globally for erosion prediction and control. Remote sensing and GIS techniques have become valuable tools specially when assessing erosion at larger scales due to the amount of data needed and the greater area coverage. The present study area is a part of Chotanagpur plateau with undulating topography, with a very high risk of soil erosion. In the present study an attempt has been made to assess the annual soil loss in Upper South Koel basin using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) in GIS framework. Such information can be of immense help in identifying priority areas for implementation of erosion control measures. The soil erosion rate was determined as a function of land topography, soil texture, land use/land cover, rainfall erosivity, and crop management and practice in the watershed using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (for Indian conditions), remote sensing imagery, and GIS techniques. The rainfall erosivity R-factor of USLE was found as 546 MJ mm/ha/hr/yr and the soil erodibility K-factor varied from 0.23 - 0.37. Slopes in the catchment varied between 0% and 42% having LS factor values ranging from 0 - 21. The C factor was computed from NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetative Index) values derived from Landsat-TM data. The P value was computed from existing cropping patterns in the catchment. The annual soil loss estimated in the watershed using USLE is 12.2 ton/ha/yr.

A New Software for GIS Image Pixel Topographic Fac－tors in Remote Sensing Monitoring of Soil Losses

Based on the new algorithm for GIS image pixel topographic factors in remote sensing monitoring ofsoil losses, a software was developed for microcomputer to carry out computation at a medium river basin(county). This paper lays its emphasis on algorithmic skills and programming techniques as well as applicationof the software.

Rapid Urbanization Induced Extensive Forest Loss to Urban Land in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China

China has experienced rapid urbanizations with dramatic land cover changes since 1978. Forest loss is one of land cover changes, and it induces various eco-environmental degradation issues. As one of China’s hotspot regions, the Guangdong-Hong KongMacao Greater Bay Area(GBA) has undergone a dramatic urban expansion. To better understand forest dynamics and protect forest ecosystem, revealing the processes, patterns and underlying drivers of forest loss is essential. This study focused on the spatiotemporal evolution and potential driving factors of forest loss in the GBA at regional and city level. The Landsat time-series images from 1987 to2017 were used to derive forest, and landscape metrics and geographic information system(GIS) were applied to implement further spatial analysis. The results showed that: 1) 14.86% of the total urban growth area of the GBA was obtained from the forest loss in1987–2017;meanwhile, the forest loss area of the GBA reached 4040.6 km2, of which 25.60%(1034.42 km2) was converted to urban land;2) the percentages of forest loss to urban land in Dongguan(19.14%), Guangzhou(18.35%) and Shenzhen(15.81%) were higher than those in other cities;3) the forest became increasingly fragmented from 1987–2007, and then the fragmentation decreased from2007 to 2017);4) the landscape responses to forest changes varied with the scale;and 5) some forest loss to urban regions moved from low-elevation and gentle-slope terrains to higher-elevation and steep-slope terrains over time, especially in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.Urbanization and industrialization greatly drove forest loss and fragmentation, and, notably, hillside urban land expansion may have contributed to hillside forest loss. The findings will help policy makers in maintaining the stability of forest ecosystems, and provide some new insights into forest management and conservation.

Spatial and seasonal dynamics of soil loss ratio in mountain rangelands of south-western Kyrgyzstan

Vegetation cover is the main factor of soil loss prevention.The C-factor of the RUSLE(Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) was predicted with NDVI,ground data and exponential regression equation for mountain rangelands of Kyrgyzstan.Time series of C-factor,precipitation and temperature were decomposed into seasonal and trend components with STL(seasonal decomposition by loess) to assess their interrelations.C-factor,precipitation and temperature trend components indicated significant lagged correlation,whereas seasonal components indicated more complex relations with climate factors which can be promoting as well as limiting factors for vegetation development,depending on the season.Rainy springs and hot summers may increase soil loss dramatically,whereas warm and dry springs with rainy summers can decrease it.Steep slopes indicated higher soil loss ratio,whereas flat areas were better protected by vegetation.

Glacier changes since the early 1960s, eastern Pamir, China

Glaciers in the eastern Pamir are important for water resources and the social and economic development of the region.In the last 50 years,these glaciers have shrunk and lost ice mass due to climate change.In order to understand recent glacier dynamics in the region,a new inventory was compiled from Landsat TM/ETM+ images acquired in2009,free of clouds and with minimal snow cover on the glacierized mountains.The first glacier inventory of the area was also updated by digitizing glacier outlines from topographical maps that had been modified and verified using aerial photographs.Total glacier area decreased by 10.8%±1.1%,mainly attributed to an increase in air temperature,although precipitation,glacier size and topographic features also combined to affect the general shrinkage of the glaciers.The 19.3–21.4 km^3 estimated glacier mass loss has contributed to an increase in river runoff and water resources.

Mapping surface water erosion potential in the Soummam watershed in Northeast Algeria with RUSLE model

The present study aims to estimate the annual soil loss in the Soummam watershed in the northeast of Algeria,using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE),geographic information system(GIS),and remote sensing(RS).RUSLE model has been used for modelling the main factors involved in erosive phenomena.The Soummam watershed covers a surface area of 9108.45 km^2 of irregular shape,northeast–southwest towards southeast.It is characterized by an altitude varying between 2 m in the northeast and 2308 m in the northwest.Results showed that the average erosivity factor(R)is 70.64(MJ·mm)/(ha·h·year)and the maximum value reaches 140(MJ·mm)/(ha·h·year),the average soil erodibility factor(K)is 0.016(t·h·ha)/(MJ·ha·mm)and maximum values reach 0.0204(t·h·ha)/(MJ·ha·mm)in the southeast regions of the watershed,the average slope length and steepness factor(LS)is 9.79 and the mean C factor is estimated to be 0.62.Thematic maps integration of different factors of RUSLE in GIS with their database,allowed with a rapid and efficient manner to highlight complexity and factors interdependence in the erosion risk analyses.The resulting map for soils losses,with an average erosion rate of 6.81 t/(ha·year)shows a low erosion(<7.41 t/(ha·year))which covers 73.46%of the total area of the basin,and a medium erosion(7.42 to 19.77 t/(ha·year)),which represents 17.66%of the area.Areas with extreme erosion risk exceeding 32.18 t/(ha·year)cover more than 3.54%of the basin area.The results can certainly aid in implementation of soil management and conservation practices to reduce the soil erosion in the Soummam watershed.

Design of Public Communication Spaces in Urban Highrises:A Case Study of Xuzhou Hanbang Square Residential Area

Highrise residences with high plot ratio meet housing needs of urban residents, improve living conditions of residents, but also show many unreasonable problems in the design of public communication spaces with a result of interpersonal indifference and lack of sense of identity. This paper took Xuzhou Hanbang Square for example to explore strategies of improving public communication spaces in highrises from the perspectives of entrance lobby, open-floor ground design, ecological garage, and three-level property management. On the one hand, the paper tries to improve quality of residential environment and service quality of public facilities; on the other hand, to enhance sense of neighborhood and identity of residents, and change the current interpersonal indifference.

Exploration of Community Image Construction Based on CIS——Take Taizhou Open University as an Example

CIS strategy has been widely used in enterprise management,which brings economic and social benefits to enterprises.Based on the introduction of CIS strategic connotation,implementation effect and shaping cases,the purpose of this paper is to improve the image of adult education community,strengthen the construction and management level of community,enhance the attraction of community,and promote the high quality development of adult open education.

Land Use Change Trajectories for Wetland Management (Mogi-Guaçu Floodplan River, Southern Brazil)

Natural and anthropogenic factors are responsible for changes in wetland function and structure. This research deals with the complexity of interactions among flood attributes, climatic data and land use trajectories to track the impact of land use changes for wetland management, over 30 years (1984- 2014). This paper presents a multi-temporal analysis of a floodplain to know the inter-annual ecohydrological variability, including extraordinary events of floods and droughts, using indicators of hydrological regime. It also presents a quantitative description of the geospatial variability in the Mogi Gua&#231u wetland components to assess the changes in the conversion, replacement, of wetland landscapes by anthropic growth activities. Flood attributes and anthropogenic pressures have altered temporal habitat variability in changes on the river course, in sandbars extent, and oxbow lake genesis and extinction, with a decline in the biota dependent on these habitats. These results have significant implications of the quick expansion of anthropogenic activities and provide key information about the impact of land use changes on the wetland function and structure. It is an objective tool to help the environmental management of wetland areas.

Design of an Efficient Cooperative Spectrum for Intra-Hospital Cognitive Radio Network

This paper presents a new low delay centralized cooperative spectrum sensing method based on dynamic voting rule using multiple threshold level,for indoor hospital environment,where fading and direct path loss both are together responsible for variation in signal strength.In the proposed algorithm,weights of Cognitive Radios(CRs)in terms of assigned votecount are estimated based on the sensed energy values with respect to multiple fixed threshold levels,so that the direct path loss can be dealt without further increasing the error,which occurs due to fading.For indoor hospital like environment,Rician fading model is more appropriate.Therefore,formulation,evaluation and analysis of various sensing performance parameters have been carried out considering Rician fading model.Comparative analysis and tradeoff among three optimum parameters-energy threshold,total number of CRs participating in sensing and total error rate,are presented with respect to signal to noise ratio(SNR).Finally,the Monte Carlo simulation is designed and implemented considering the two conditions-only fading environment and fading along with direct path loss environment.It can be observed that in both cases,the proposed spectrum sensing rule outperforms the other contemporary rules.

Model Study of Basin Soil Loss (BSL) in the Loess Plateau of China (Ⅱ)

According to the influence of underlayer factor upon the basin erosion and in the support of Geographic Information System (GIS) of Loess Plateau(LPIS), the Gushanchuan Basin is divided into several regions with different erosion intensity. Correlating them to the BSL quantity, the complete soil loss model is established. By using this model, the soil loss quantity of the whole basin as well as each erosion intensity region can be estimated.

Model Study of Basin Soil Loss (BSL) in the Loess Plateau of China (Ⅰ)

According to the influence of underlayer factor upon the basin erosion and in the support of Geographic Information System (GIS) of Loess Plateau(LPIS), the Gushanchuan Basin is divided into several regions with different erosion intensity. Correlating them to the BSL quantity, the complete soil loss model is established. By using this model, the soil loss quantity of the whole basin as well as each erosion intensity region can be estimated.

The assessment of water-borne erosion at catchment level using GIS-based RUSLE and remote sensing: A review

Soil erosion is a direct product of the complex interactions between natural and anthropogenic factors.Such factors vary over space and time,making the assessment of soil erosion even more difficult.Empirical erosion models such as the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) provides a rather simple and yet comprehensive framework for assessing soil erosion and its causative factors.RUSLE considers rainfall (R),topography (LS),soil erodibility (K),cover management (C),and support practice (P) as important factors affecting soil erosion.In the past few years,RUSLE has benefited tremendously from advances in geospatial technologies like Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing.In this paper,an overview of recent developments on the use of these geospatial technologies in deriving individual RUSLE factors is provided,placing an emphasis on related successes and challenges.This review is expected to improve the understanding of the role played by such technologies in deriving RUSLE parameters despite existing challenges.Future research,however,must pay special attention to error assessment of remote sensing-derived RUSLE parameters.