Water Resources Systems Analysis: A Bright Past and a Challenging but Promising Future

Our field of water resources systems analysis is now experiencing one of its most exciting eras where scientists, decision makers, and funding agencies want to apply systems approaches to solve varied, complex, uncertain, and interdisciplinary resource management problems. Solving these problems presents great opportunities for us to engage in complex, real-world decision-making and make positive changes. However, to capitalize on these opportunities, we as a field must also overcome several large challenges related to problem identification, integration, blind use of systems tools, a focus on optimality, and harnessing big data. To overcome, we must look back to find what we have accomplished, why we have sometimes failed, and how we can improve upon our past work

Water Resources Systems Analysis: A Bright Past and Challenging but Promising Future

The field of water resources systems analysis is now experiencing one of its most exciting eras where scientists, decision makers, and funding agencies want to apply systems approaches to solve varied, complex, uncertain, and interdisciplinary resource management problems. Solving these problems presents great opportunities for us to engage in complex, real-world decision-making and make positive changes. However, to capitalize on these opportunities, we as a field must also overcome several large challenges related to problem identification, integration, blind use of systems tools, a focus on optimality, and harnessing big data. To overcome, we must look back to find what we have accomplished, why we have sometimes failed, and how we can improve upon past work

Humaniser les espaces d'apprentissage : l’Institut Supérieur de Documentation dans un environnement numérique de travail

Afin de s’intégrer dans l'ère des connaissances et de suivre la cadence des changements technologiques survenus dans les bibliothèques et les centres d’information, le besoin  de développement professionnel et de réadaptation semble aujourd'hui indispensable.  De ce fait, on aborde la question de recyclage des spécialistes de l’information,  à travers un programme de formation qui leurs permet de suivre le rythme d'innovation technologique. Ces recyclages, en effet, permettent à ces spécialistes de fournir des services de haute qualité en exploitant des techniques de communication virtuelles.Ces techniques de communication virtuelles ont été renforcées, pendant la période de confinement. En effet, les usages des outils numériques dans l’enseignement et les formations se sont avérés une alternative sociale,  mise  en place par l'université virtuelle de Tunis, pour assurer la continuité et la mise en marche de l’enseignement à distance.Notre question principale, dans ce travail, concerne d’une part le cadre humain spécialisé en sciences de l’information en Tunisie et sa capacité limitée face aux objectifs fixés. D’autre part, se pencher sur la question de l'enseignement à distance en tant qu’une nouvelle expérience en Tunisie et spécialement à l’Institut Supérieur de Documentation, ainsi qu’un projet ambitieux relancer avec l’apparition de la pandémie COVID-19, et qui nécessite une volonté d’adaptation et une acceptation du changement.  Sachant que, plus que le gain des connaissances soit approprié, plus que la communauté s’approche de la société du savoir

An Investigation into the Effects of Teacher Involvement and Influence on the Creativity of Children in the Classroom

Children have potential for demonstrating increased creativity where certain negative influences are removed during the creative process. These negative influences include the involvement of the teacher in the art and design class at school. This study establishes through primary and secondary research the different ways that teachers engage with children as potential influences that are tested through experimentation. The study was concerned with revealing levels of creativity in designs as well as signs of adult influence. The results revealed that different types of involvement do have a negative impact on creativity, especially giving children instructions

Multivariate Mapping of Heavy Metals Spatial Contamination in a Cu–Ni Exploration Field (Botswana) Using Turning Bands Co-simulation Algorithm

With a mining-driven economy, Botswana has experienced increased geochemical exploration of minerals around existing mining towns. The mining and smelting of copper and nickel around Selibe-Phikwe in the Central Province are capable of releasing heavy metals including Pb, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni and Cu into the soil environments, thereby exposing humans, plants and animals to health risks. In this study, turning bands co-simulation, a multivariate geostatistical algorithm, was presented as a tool for spatial uncertainty quantification and probability mapping of cross-correlated heavy metals (Co, Mn, Fe and Pb) risk assessment in a semiarid Cu–Ni exploration field of Botswana. A total of 1050 soil samples were collected across the field at a depth of 10 cm in a grid sampling design. Rapid elemental concentration analysis was done using an Olympus Delta Sigma portable X-ray fluorescence device. Enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index and pollution load index were used to assess the potential risk of heavy metals contamination in soils. The partially heterotopic nature of the dataset and strong correlations among the heavy metals favors the use of co-simulation instead of independent simulation in the probability mapping of heavy metal risks in the study area. The strong correlation of Co and Mn to iron infers they are of lithogenic origin, unlike Pb which had weak correlation pointing to its source in the area being of anthropogenicsource. Manganese, Co and Fe show low enrichment, whereas Pb had high enrichment suggesting possible lead pollution. We, however, recommend that speciation of Pb in the soils rather than total concentration should be ascertained to infer chances of possible bioaccumulation, and subsequent health risk to human by chronic exposure.Nazarbayev University through Faculty Development Competitive Research Grants for 2018–2020 under Contract No. 090118FD5336

Increasing the number of embryos transferred from two to three, does not increase pregnancy rates in good prognosis patients

Background: To compare the pregnancy outcomes after two embryos versus three embryos transfers (ETs) in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was performed on three hundred eighty seven women with primary infertility and with at least one fresh embryo in good quality in order to transfer at each IVF/ICSI cycle, from September 2006 to June 2010. Patients were categorized into two groups according to the number of ET as follows: ET2 and ET3 groups, indicating two and three embryos were respectively transferred. Pregnancy outcomes were compared between ET2 and ET3 groups. Chi square and student t tests were used for data analysis. Results: Clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were similar between two groups. The rates of multiple pregnancies were 27 and 45.2 in ET2 and ET3 groups, respectively. The rate of multiple pregnancies in young women was significantly increased when triple instead of double embryos were transferred. Logistic regression analysis indicated two significant prognostic variables for live birth that included number and quality of transferred embryos; it means that the chance of live birth following ICSI treatment increased 3.2-fold when the embryo with top quality (grade A) was transferred, but the number of ET had an inverse relationship with live birth rate; it means that probability of live birth in women with transfer of two embryos was three times greater than those who had three ET. Conclusion: Due to the difficulty of implementation of the elective single-ET technique in some infertility centers in the world, we suggest transfer of double instead of triple embryos when at least one good quality embryo is available for transfer in women aged 39 years or younger. However, to reduce the rate of multiple pregnancies, it is recommended to consider the elective single ET strategy. � 2015, Royan Institute (ACECR). All rights reserved

Clinical Features and Differential Diagnoses in Laryngeal Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of salivary glands. However, it is a rare entity in larynx. Laryngeal cases are frequently misdiagnosed with other malignancies and they are under-reported. So, recognizing the clinical and histological features of this tumor is essential. Laryngeal mucoepidermoid carcinoma can arise in supraglottis, glottis and subglottis. Generally, it presents as a submucosal mass; therefore, progressive symptoms without any identifiable lesion in laryngoscopy must be well considered. The prognosis is somehow dependent on the histological features. In high-grade tumors, recurrence is more common and radical surgery with radiotherapy is recommended. In this paper, we provide a thorough literature review on mucoepidermoid carcinoma in the larynx. The most important distinguishing features of mucoepidermoid carcinoma and its two major differential diagnoses (squamous cell carcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma) are clearly stated and pitfalls in true diagnosis of this tumor are discussed

Modeling Gross Primary Production of Midwestern US Maize and Soybean Croplands with Satellite and Gridded Weather Data

Gross primary production (GPP) is a useful metric for determining trends in the terrestrial carbon cycle. To estimate daily GPP, the cloud-adjusted light use efficiency model (LUEc) was developed by adapting a light use efficiency (LUE, ε) model to include in situ meteorological data and biophysical parameters. The LUEc uses four scalars to quantify the impacts of temperature, water stress, and phenology on ε. This study continues the original investigation in using the LUEc, originally limited to three AmeriFlux sites (US-Ne1, US-Ne2, and US-Ne3) by applying gridded meteorological data sets and remotely sensed green leaf area index (gLAI) to estimate daily GPP over a larger spatial extent. This was achieved by including data from four additional AmeriFlux locations in the U.S. Corn Belt for a total of seven locations. Results show an increase in error (RMSE = 3.5 g C m−2 d−1) over the original study in which in situ data were used (RMSE = 2.6 g C m−2 d−1). This is attributed to poor representation of gridded weather inputs (vapor pressure and incoming solar radiation) and application of gLAI algorithms to sites in Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois, calibrated using data from Nebraska sites only, as well as uncertainty due to climatic variation. Despite these constraints, the study showed good correlation between measured and LUEc-modeled GPP (R2 = 0.80 and RMSE of 3.5 g C m−2 d−1). The decrease in model accuracy is somewhat offset by the ability to function with gridded weather datasets and remotely sensed biophysical data. The level of acceptable error is dependent upon the scope and objectives of the research at hand; nevertheless, the approach holds promise in developing regional daily estimates of GPP