Irrigated Agriculture Facing the Challenge of Climate Change: Adaptation Strategies for Farmers in the Irrigated Perimeters of Môle Saint-Nicolas, Haiti

Môle Saint-Nicolas, like all other communes in the Republic of Haiti, faces increasing climate variability, impacting agricultural production and water resources. Consequently, there is a pressing need for adaptation to these climatic changes. This research aims to showcase the adaptation strategies deployed by farmers to cope with the increasing climate variability. Surveys were conducted through group and individual discussions with a randomly selected cohort of 150 farmers. Two types of analysis were performed: quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The findings reveal that farmers have perceived changes in rainfall patterns, temperature, wind, and their environment. These changes manifest as irregular rainfall, higher temperatures, prolonged drought periods, violent winds accompanied by rain, premature cessation of rains, and reduced flow from water sources. In response, the most common adaptation strategies adopted include selecting new cultivars, early-maturing varieties, crop rotation and diversification, canal dredging, new soil preparation methods, upstream water source protection, and micro-watershed management. The significance of this research lies in its contribution to enhancing farmers’ adaptive capacities by alerting stakeholders in the irrigated perimeters about the consequences of climate change, thereby incorporating the real needs of farmers in future projects.

Unveiling the adaptation strategies of woody plants in remnant forest patches to spatiotemporal urban expansion through leaf trait networks

Background:With the expansion of urban areas,the remnants of forested areas play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity in urban environments.This study aimed to explore the impact of spatiotemporal urban expansion on the networks of leaf traits in woody plants within remnant forest patches,thereby enhancing our understanding of plant adaptive strategies and contributing to the conservation of urban biodiversity.Methods:Our study examined woody plants within 120 sample plots across 15 remnant forest patches in Guiyang,China.We constructed leaf trait networks (LTNs) based on 26 anatomical,structural,and compositional leaf traits and assessed the effects of the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban expansion on these LTNs.Results and conclusions:Our results indicate that shrubs within these patches have greater average path lengths and diameters than trees.With increasing urban expansion intensity,we observed a rise in the edge density of the LTN-shrubs.Additionally,modularity within the networks of shrubs decreased as road density and urban expansion intensity increased,and increases in the average path length and average clustering coefficient for shrubs were observed with a rise in the composite terrain complexity index.Notably,patches subjected to‘leapfrog’expansion exhibited greater average patch length and diameter than those experiencing edge growth.Stomatal traits were found to have high degree centrality within these networks,signifying their substantial contribution to multiple functions.In urban remnant forests,shrubs bolster their resilience to variable environmental pressures by augmenting the complexity of their leaf trait networks.

Design and analysis of an advanced thermal management system for the solar close observations and proximity experiments spacecraft

In this paper,the mission and the thermal environment of the Solar Close Observations and Proximity Experiments(SCOPE)spacecraft are analyzed,and an advanced thermal management system(ATMS)is designed for it.The relationship and functions of the integrated database,the intelligent thermal control system and the efficient liquid cooling system in the ATMS are elaborated upon.For the complex thermal field regulation system and extreme space thermal environment,a modular simulation and thermal field planning method are proposed,and the feasibility of the planning algorithm is verified by numerical simulation.A solar array liquid cooling system is developed,and the system simulation results indicate that the temperatures of the solar arrays meet the requirements as the spacecraft flies by perihelion and aphelion.The advanced thermal management study supports the development of the SCOPE program and provides a reference for the thermal management in other deep-space exploration programs.

How Software Engineering Transforms Organizations: An Open and Qualitative Study on the Organizational Objectives and Motivations in Agile Transformations

Agile Transformations are challenging processes for organizations that look to extend the benefits of Agile philosophy and methods beyond software engineering.Despite the impact of these transformations on orga-nizations,they have not been extensively studied in academia.We conducted a study grounded in workshops and interviews with 99 participants from 30 organizations,including organizations undergoing transformations(“final organizations”)and companies supporting these processes(“consultants”).The study aims to understand the motivations,objectives,and factors driving and challenging these transformations.Over 700 responses were collected to the question and categorized into 32 objectives.The findings show that organizations primarily aim to achieve customer centricity and adaptability,both with 8%of the mentions.Other primary important objectives,with above 4%of mentions,include alignment of goals,lean delivery,sustainable processes,and a flatter,more team-based organizational structure.We also detect discrepancies in perspectives between the objectives identified by the two kinds of organizations and the existing agile literature and models.This misalignment highlights the need for practitioners to understand with the practical realities the organizations face.

Exercise-induced adaptation of neurons in the vertebrate locomotor system

Vertebrate neurons are highly dynamic cells that undergo several alterations in their functioning and physiologies in adaptation to various external stimuli.In particular,how these neurons respond to physical exercise has long been an area of active research.Studies of the vertebrate locomotor system’s adaptability suggest multiple mechanisms are involved in the regulation of neuronal activity and properties during exercise.In this brief review,we highlight recent results and insights from the field with a focus on the following mechanisms:(a)alterations in neuronal excitability during acute exercise;(b)alterations in neuronal excitability after chronic exercise;(c)exercise-induced changes in neuronal membrane properties via modulation of ion channel activity;(d)exercise-enhanced dendritic plasticity;and(e)exercise-induced alterations in neuronal gene expression and protein synthesis.Our hope is to update the community with a cellular and molecular understanding of the recent mechanisms underlying the adaptability of the vertebrate locomotor system in response to both acute and chronic physical exercise.

Comparative proteomics reveals the response and adaptation mechanisms of white Hypsizygus marmoreus against the biological stress caused by Penicillium

White Hypsizygus marmoreus is a popular edible mushroom.Its mycelium is easy to be contaminated by Penicillium,which leads to a decrease in its quality and yield.Penicillium could compete for limited space and nutrients through rapid growth and produce a variety of harmful gases,such as benzene,aldehydes,phenols,etc.,to inhibit the growth of H.marmoreus mycelium.A series of changes occurred in H.marmoreus proteome after contamination when detected by the label-free tandem mass spectrometry(MS/MS)technique.Some proteins with up-regulated expression worked together to participate in some processes,such as the non-toxic transformation of harmful gases,glutathione metabolism,histone modification,nucleotide excision repair,clearing misfolded proteins,and synthesizing glutamine,which were mainly used in response to biological stress.The proteins with down-regulated expression are mainly related to the processes of ribosome function,protein processing,spliceosome,carbon metabolism,glycolysis,and gluconeogenesis.The reduction in the function of these proteins affected the production of the cell components,which might be an adjustment to adapt to growth retardation.This study further enhanced the understanding of the biological stress response and the growth restriction adaptation mechanisms in edible fungi.It also provided a theoretical basis for protein function exploration and edible mushroom food safety research.

Comparative genomic analysis revealed that dietary habits affected the adaptation of Bifidobacterium bifidum to the intestinal tract in different geographic populations

Recent research on the genome of Bifidobacterium bifidum has mainly focused on the isolation sources(intestinal tract niche)recently,but reports on the isolation region are limited.This study analyzed the differences in the genome of B.bifidum isolated from different geographical populations by comparative genomic analysis.Results at the genome level indicated that the GC content of American isolates was significantly higher than that of Chinese and Russian isolates.The phylogenetic tree,based on 919 core genes showed that B.bifidum might be related to the geographical characteristics of isolation region.Furthermore,functional annotation analysis demonstrated that copy numbers of carbohydrate-active enzymes(CAZys)involved in the degradation of polysaccharide from plant and host sources in B.bifidum were high,and 18 CAZys showed significant differences across different geographical populations,indicating that B.bifidum had adapted to the human intestinal environment,especially in the groups with diets rich in fiber.Dietary habits were one of the main reasons for the differences of B.bifidum across different geographical populations.Additionally,B.bifidum exhibited high diversity,evident in glycoside hydrolases,the CRISPR-Cas system,and prophages.This study provides a genetic basis for further research and development of B.bifidum.

Farmers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of the Effects of Climate Variability and Pollution on Crop Production and Their Varying Adaptation Strategies in The Gambia

Crop and livestock production is critical to food security in The Gambia. Over the years, the country has experienced a reduced yield due to perceived climate change events with limited studies on how climate change and pollution affect crop production. This study assesses farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of the effects of climate variability and pollution on crop production and their varying adaptation strategies in The Gambia. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this study. The sample size for quantitative data collection was calculated as 432 while the qualitative data involves both the focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The focus group discussions comprised two districts in each of the six agricultural regions and two farming communities engaged in crop production were chosen from each district. Furthermore, eight key informant interviews from relevant institutions were conducted. The study shows that The Gambia is highly vulnerable to extreme climatic events. Although most farmers opined that agricultural land contamination emanates from farm runoff and indiscriminate waste dumping, they had little knowledge of heavy metal pollution and bioremediation. The results showed that farmers experienced constraints such as inadequate access to credit, water, and irrigation facilities, insufficient access to efficient inputs, salt intrusion, etc. which threatened food security. The study concludes that crop farmers acknowledged the existence and impacts of climate change, and therefore recommend the availability and affordability of climate change resilient crops and promote variability awareness campaigns to address climate change impacts in The Gambia.

Transcultural Validation and Adaptation of the Academic Stress Questionnaire (CEA) in Students of Puerto Rico

Background: There are multiple questionnaires to measure academic stress in university students, which have been used in nursing students. In Puerto Rico, a questionnaire valid in content and reliability was required to measure the variable of academic stress in nursing students. Purpose: The aim of this study was to adapt transculturally and validate the Academic Stress Questionnaire (CEA) for its use in Puerto Rico. Materials and Methods: Used for the first phase of this study consisted in the evaluation of the validity of content and appearance, whereas the second phase was the actual administering of the questionnaire to 20 (twenty) nursing students, to pilot test its internal consistency using the Cronbach’s α test. Results: Validity of content and appearance allowed for the modification of the questionnaire into one, consisting of 42 items, thus eliminating 34 premises from the original 76 items the questionnaire was composed of. Furthermore, the appearance of the questionnaire was modified by placing the measuring scales in columns, adapting social, demographic, and academic data to the required Puerto Rican reality. The sections meant to measure the academic stress variables were left intact, except for the linguistics adaptation, which was accomplished by a team of experts in the Spanish language. With an α global of 0.80 and coefficients larger than 0.7 in the multi-item sub scales, which oscillated between 0.750 and 0.860, the questionnaire provides a high reliability. Conclusion: Although the values reported in this study are somewhat lower than previous research, they were comparable the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients reported by Cabanach, in which the numbers reported are considered high (α > 0.70) which show acceptable confiability of the subscales included in the study and a high degree of consistency and thus can be relied upon in future research. In synthesis, the Academic Stress Questionnaire (CEA) modified and adapted, thoroughly fulfills the established criteria of confiability and validity to evaluate academic stress of Puertorrican nursing students.

Conservation genomics provides insights into genetic resilience and adaptation of the endangered Chinese hazelnut, Corylus chinensis

Global climate change has increased concerns regarding biodiversity loss.However,many key conservation issues still required further research,including demographic history,deleterious mutation load,adaptive evolution,and putative introgression.Here we generated the first chromosome-level genome of the endangered Chinese hazelnut,Corylus chinensis,and compared the genomic signatures with its sympatric widespread C.kwechowensis-C yunnanensis complex.We found large genome rearrangements across all Corylus species and identified species-specific expanded gene families that may be involved in adaptation.Population genomics revealed that both C.chinensis and the C.kwechowensis-C.yunnanensis complex had diverged into two genetic lineages,forming a consistent pattern of southwestern-northern differentiation.Population size of the narrow southwestern lineages of both species have decreased continuously since the late Miocene,whereas the widespread northern lineages have remained stable(C.chinensis) or have even recovered from population bottlenecks(C.kwechowensis-C.yunnanensis complex) during the Quaternary.Compared with C.kwechowensis-C. yunnanensis complex,C.chinensis showed significantly lower genomic diversity and higher inbreeding level.However,C.chinensis carried significantly fewer deleterious mutations than C.kwechowensis-C. yunnanensis complex,as more effective purging selection reduced the accumulation of homozygous variants.We also detected signals of positive selection and adaptive introgression in different lineages,which facilitated the accumulation of favorable variants and formation of local adaptation.Hence,both types of selection and exogenous introgression could have mitigated inbreeding and facilitated survival and persistence of C.chinensis.Overall,our study provides critical insights into lineage differentiation,local adaptation,and the potential for future recovery of endangered trees.

The Role of Certificates and Labels for Cocoa in the Face of Climate Change: A Scientific Review

Climate change threatens cocoa quality, raising concerns regarding sustainable premium cocoa production. Evaluating the effectiveness of certification standards is imperative to address this concern effectively. A multi-stage method was employed for a systematic review of 39 peer-reviewed articles to highlight the impacts of climate change on the biophysical environment of cocoa and its implications for adapting Geographical Indications (GIs). Additionally, a comprehensive review was conducted on climate-relevant standards of certificates in Ecuador, Indonesia, and Ghana. The findings of this study provide practical insights into possible difficulties that cocoa-producing countries may encounter in maintaining the distinctive flavours and quality trademarks of cocoa in the face of changing climate. Moreover, the findings emphasize the need for producer countries to prioritize viable adaptation and product differentiation strategies that meet sustainable marketing standards to protect GIs or place-based intellectual property. Furthermore, the findings indicate certificates require effective multi-level climate change management and environmental-social-governance principles that promote scientifically proven mitigation strategies, such as increasing soil organic carbon, zero deforestation, and reducing emissions while striving to leverage local adaptation policies to reduce location-specific vulnerability. Finally, certificates can accelerate the expansion, intensification, and redistribution of sustainable production for gains that outweigh the inconveniences caused by climate change.

Anthropogenic nesting materials and reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)along the urbanization gradient in Hangzhou,China

Urbanization induced by human activities presents both challenges and adaptive opportunities for wildlife.One notable impact of urban sprawl is the vast amount of waste it produces,which has discernible effects on wildlife.Interestingly,an emerging trend has been observed that birds are incorporating anthropogenic materials into their nests.However,the relationship between anthropogenic nesting materials(ANMs)and the reproductive performance of urban birds is unclear.In this study,we investigated the relationship between the incorporation of ANMs into nests and the reproductive performance of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)by monitoring and collecting data on 136 breeding nests in Hangzhou,China.We gathered data on seven reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls,including laying date,incubation period,nestling period,clutch size,egg volume,hatching success rate,and fledging success rate.We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index as a measure of the level of urbanization and examined its relationship with the proportion and weight of ANMs.Through examination of nest components,we observed significant increase in the proportion and weight of ANMs with the urbanization synthetic index.Notably,we found a higher hatching success rate of Chinese Bulbuls with an increasing proportion of ANMs.However,the inclusion of ANMs in nests was not correlated with other reproductive traits of Chinese Bulbuls.Overall,the use of ANMs by Chinese Bulbuls is consistent with the adaptive hypothesis and the availability hypothesis.Further studies should use controlled experiments to investigate the impact of ANMs on avian reproductive success.

Enhancing Unsupervised Domain Adaptation for Person Re-Identification with the Minimal Transfer Cost Framework

In Unsupervised Domain Adaptation(UDA)for person re-identification(re-ID),the primary challenge is reducing the distribution discrepancy between the source and target domains.This can be achieved by implicitly or explicitly constructing an appropriate intermediate domain to enhance recognition capability on the target domain.Implicit construction is difficult due to the absence of intermediate state supervision,making smooth knowledge transfer from the source to the target domain a challenge.To explicitly construct the most suitable intermediate domain for the model to gradually adapt to the feature distribution changes from the source to the target domain,we propose the Minimal Transfer Cost Framework(MTCF).MTCF considers all scenarios of the intermediate domain during the transfer process,ensuring smoother and more efficient domain alignment.Our framework mainly includes threemodules:Intermediate Domain Generator(IDG),Cross-domain Feature Constraint Module(CFCM),and Residual Channel Space Module(RCSM).First,the IDG Module is introduced to generate all possible intermediate domains,ensuring a smooth transition of knowledge fromthe source to the target domain.To reduce the cross-domain feature distribution discrepancy,we propose the CFCM Module,which quantifies the difficulty of knowledge transfer and ensures the diversity of intermediate domain features and their semantic relevance,achieving alignment between the source and target domains by incorporating mutual information and maximum mean discrepancy.We also design the RCSM,which utilizes attention mechanism to enhance the model’s focus on personnel features in low-resolution images,improving the accuracy and efficiency of person re-ID.Our proposed method outperforms existing technologies in all common UDA re-ID tasks and improves the Mean Average Precision(mAP)by 2.3%in the Market to Duke task compared to the state-of-the-art(SOTA)methods.

The prediction of projectile-target intersection for moving tank based on adaptive robust constraint-following control and interval uncertainty analysis

To improve the hit probability of tank at high speed,a prediction method of projectile-target intersection based on adaptive robust constraint-following control and interval uncertainty analysis is proposed.The method proposed provides a novel way to predict the impact point of projectile for moving tank.First,bidirectional stability constraints and stability constraint-following error are constructed using the Udwadia-Kalaba theory,and an adaptive robust constraint-following controller is designed considering uncertainties.Second,the exterior ballistic ordinary differential equation with uncertainties is integrated into the controller,and the pointing control of stability system is extended to the impact-point control of projectile.Third,based on the interval uncertainty analysis method combining Chebyshev polynomial expansion and affine arithmetic,a prediction method of projectile-target intersection is proposed.Finally,the co-simulation experiment is performed by establishing the multi-body system dynamic model of tank and mathematical model of control system.The results demonstrate that the prediction method of projectile-target intersection based on uncertainty analysis can effectively decrease the uncertainties of system,improve the prediction accuracy,and increase the hit probability.The adaptive robust constraint-following control can effectively restrain the uncertainties caused by road excitation and model error.

Sleep Quality and Emotional Adaptation among Freshmen in Elite Chinese Universities during Prolonged COVID-19 Lockdown:The Mediating Role of Anxiety Symptoms

Under the effects of COVID-19 and a number of ongoing lockdown tactics,anxiety symptoms and poor sleep quality have become common mental health issues among college freshmen and are intimately related to their emotional adaptation.To explore this connection,this study gathered data from a sample of 256 freshmen enrolled in an elite university in China in September 2022.The association between sleep quality,anxiety symptoms,and emotional adaptation was clarified using correlation analysis.Additionally,the mediating function of anxiety symptoms between sleep quality and emotional adaptation was investigated using a structural equation model.The results reveal that:(1)Chinese elite university freshmen who were subjected to prolonged lockdown had poor sleep quality and mild anxiety symptoms;(2)a significant positive correlation between poor sleep quality and anxiety symptoms was identified;(3)anxiety symptoms were found to have a significant negative impact on emotional adaptation;(4)poor sleep quality had a negative impact on emotional adaptation through anxiety symptoms.This research makes a valuable contribution by offering insights into the intricate relationship between sleep quality and emotional adaptation among freshmen in elite Chinese universities during prolonged lockdown conditions,and it is beneficial for schools and educators to further improve school schedules and psychological health initiatives.

Circular and Adaptive Transformation of the Housing Stock towards a Regenerative Future

The transition from a linear economy to a CE(circular economy)has the potential to reduce resource use,environmental impacts,and waste in the built environment.Creating a CE in the built environment is therefore of fundamental importance to achieve a sustainable society.Through the application of a systemic approach that considers the building as a set of technological subsystems(e.g.vertical closures,roof,furniture,etc.),components(e.g.infill panels),and materials,this paper-starting from a review of the literature on the topic of the CE applied to construction-establishes a framework of circular design strategies and definitions that link the VRPs(value retention processes)framework,based on the R-imperatives,to the Design-for-X strategies.The first research objective is to develop a design tool for circular building components and technological subsystems.

A Study on the Cross-Cultural Adaptation of International Chinese Teachers at Confucius Institutes in South Korea

International Chinese teachers are one of the determinants of the quality development of Confucius Institutes,and their cross-cultural sociocultural adaption,psychological adaption,and job adaption are in need of in-depth investigation and research.Based on previous research,this paper analyzed the cross-cultural adaptation of international Chinese teachers at Confucius Institutes in South Korea during 2022-2023 through surveys and personal interviews.The study found that the teachers’adaptation was best in terms of work,followed by sociocultural adaptation,and weakest in terms of psychological adaptation.In terms of work adaptation,attention should be focused on adapting to teaching language and teaching methods.In terms of sociocultural adaptation,the focus should be on adapting to personal communication.In terms of psychological adaptation,attention should be paid to feelings of loneliness and anxiety.The study also focused on the internal and external factors influencing their cross-cultural adaptation,as well as the true inner feelings of international Chinese teachers.The study found that factors such as English proficiency,gender,education,professional background,and overseas experience had little impact on teachers’cross-cultural adaptation,while factors such as Korean proficiency,participation in cross-cultural training before going to South Korea,understanding of Korean culture before going to South Korea,and length of time spent in working in South Korea had a greater impact on the cross-cultural adaptation of the research subjects.This study provides reliable reference materials for international Chinese teachers going to South Korea to improve their cross-cultural adaptation abilities and promote the reform and innovation of international Chinese education.

Genome sequencing and population genomics modeling provide insights into the local adaptation of weeping forsythia

Understanding the genetic basis underlying the local adaptation of nonmodel species is a fundamental goal in evolutionary biology.In this study,we explored the genetic mechanisms of the local adaptation of Forsythia suspensa using genome sequence and population genomics data obtained from specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing.We assembled a high-quality reference genome of weeping forsythia(Scaffold N50=7.3 Mb)using ultralong Nanopore reads.Then,genome-wide comparative analysis was performed for 15 natural populations of weeping forsythia across its current distribution range.Our results revealed that candidate genes associated with local adaptation are functionally correlated with solar radiation,temperature and water variables across heterogeneous environmental scenarios.In particular,solar radiation during the period of fruit development and seed drying after ripening,cold,and drought significantly contributed to the adaptive differentiation of F.suspensa.Natural selection exerted by environmental factors contributed substantially to the population genetic structure of F.suspensa.Our results supported the hypothesis that adaptive differentiation should be highly pronounced in the genes involved in signal crosstalk between different environmental variables.Our population genomics study of F.suspensa provides insights into the fundamental genetic mechanisms of the local adaptation of plant species to climatic gradients.

Research on Chinese-English Translation of Enterprise Publicity Materials from the Perspective of Adaptation Theory

As the process of economic globalization continues to advance,China has undergone earth-shaking changes.High-quality products and promotional materials are crucial for Chinese companies to go global and build their brands.The English translation of external promotional materials is crucial.However,some companies do not pay enough attention to their publicity,resulting in a low international status.This paper analyzes the Chinese-English translation of enterprise external publicity materials from the perspective of adaptation theory,thereby exploring the translation strategies adopted under the guidance of adaptation theory,hoping to provide some references for related translation practices in the future.

Trend of Salt Lake Changes in the Background of Global Warming and Tactics for Adaptation to the Changes

Salt lakes are a mirror of climatic changes and provide holographic records of environmental changes of lakes. According to a study of geological hazards in typical salt lake areas in China and other regions, the authors explain how geological hazards in salt lake areas are caused by natural agents and how humans can seek benefits, avoid hazards and reduce losses on the premise that they have monitored and mastered the trend of salt lake changes in advance and even can store flood and recharge water in lakes and extract saline resources. The climate in western China is probably turning from warm-dry to warm-moist. The authors analyze the change trend of salt lakes sensu lato (with salinity≥0.3 wt% (NaCl)eq) and salt lakes sensu stricto (with salinity ≥3.5 wt% (NaCl)eq) in China in such climatic conditions and distinguish three types of salt lake areas (i.e. lake water rising type, lake water falling type and lake water rising and unstable type) according to the characteristics of lake water rising and shrinking. In order to conform to the climatic and lake changes in China's salt lake areas, the authors propose to add and improve hydrological and meteorological observation stations and integrate observations with remote sensing monitoring in important salt lake areas and set up multidisciplinary and interdepartmental basic projects to monitor and study recent climatic and environmental changes in salt lake areas of western China. Moreover, it is necessary to build additional flood-control and drought-preventing water conservancy facilities in key salt lake areas and work out measures for ecological protection in salt lake areas. Full consideration should be given to the influence of flooding when building saltfields and implementing capital projects.