Mesoscale mapping of sediment source hotspots for dam sediment management in data-sparse semi-arid catchments

Land degradation and water availability in semi-arid regions are interdependent challenges for management that are influenced by climatic and anthropogenic changes. Erosion and high sediment loads in rivers cause reservoir siltation and decrease storage capacity, which pose risk on water security for citizens, agriculture, and industry. In regions where resources for management are limited, identifying spatial-temporal variability of sediment sources is crucial to decrease siltation. Despite widespread availability of rigorous methods, approaches simplifying spatial and temporal variability of erosion are often inappropriately applied to very data sparse semi-arid regions. In this work, we review existing approaches for mapping erosional hotspots, and provide an example of spatial-temporal mapping approach in two case study regions. The barriers limiting data availability and their effects on erosion mapping methods, their validation, and resulting prioritization of leverage management areas are discussed.BMBF, 02WGR1421A-I, GROW - Verbundprojekt SaWaM: Saisonales Wasserressourcen-Management in Trockenregionen: Praxistransfer regionalisierter globaler Informationen, Teilprojekt 1DFG, 414044773, Open Access Publizieren 2019 - 2020 / Technische Universität Berli

Персистенция вируса простого герпеса 2 типа в печени и её значение в течении хронического гепатита С

ГЕПАТИТ СГЕРПЕСВИРУС 2 ЧЕЛОВЕК

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Growth of organizational excellence on the satisfaction of users and employees of “Fanap company”

The study aims to investigate the effect of organizational development on FANAP Company’s users to prove that how leadership and management can guide the roles determined, since we cannot say, without development and effective components of an organization, which an effective organization moves towards creating the organizational value-added that is the performance of the model on the staff satisfactory by internal and external factors. Methodology: the study is a descriptive-survey research, and the questionnaire is used as a research tool that its validity is examined considering the experts, and its reliability is measured using the Cronbach Alpha. Then, it was distributed between statistical system including 250 individuals. SPSS and Smart PLS software were used for statistical analysis. Demographic characteristics of targeted system was examined by descriptive statistics, and linear regression coefficient and several variables and schematic pattern of structural equations’ software were used to analyze the hypotheses and available relations in Organization Excellence Model.  Findings: show that there is a logical and good relationship between intermediate components and dependent and independent variables that the route coefficient is 0.592 and 0.574, respectively with an acceptable significance level. Due to the high correlation between staff satisfaction to final performance and users’ satisfaction, it can be said that there is a very strong convergence between these three components, and there is an average convergence between other variables. Results: as 59 and 57 percent of staff satisfaction and external users is considerable, and it shows that there is a visible Organization Excellence Model in FANAP Co., and all the works done are consistent with our research, but this amount is low considering the procedures and available sources, and it should be increased, and the weak loops in FANAP Co., should be strengthen.

Investigating the brand performance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with fsQCA technique: Emphasis on the role of entrepreneurship and human resource strategy

Context and purpose. The purpose of this study is to define the combination of entrepreneurial dimensions, entrepreneurial activism, identifying opportunities and strategies that lead to improving brand performance in SMEs.Methodology/approach. This applied research was conducted based on the quantitative approach. Dimensions and indicators of the study have been identified by experts and specialists in marketing and human resources and a research questionnaire has been designed. The statistical population of the study included human resource managers of SMEs. Sample (400 people) was selected using cluster sampling method. Combination of Defined Factors Fuzzy qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was performed.Findings and conclusions. The results of the analysis show that all conditions (risk-taking, innovation, proactiveness, innovative approaches and capabilities, opportunity identification and strategy) belong to at least one combination (solution) that leads to an increase in the company's brand performance.Originality. This study shows the compounds that lead to improved brand performance in SMEs. It also contributes to innovation research by showing a combination of factors in which innovation can positively or negatively affect firm performance. Another important contribution of this study is related to SMEs. The combination of factors that can lead to the success of SMEs has been identified in this study

Study of hematite-iron phase transformation during iron-carbon core-shell nanoparticles synthesis and investigation of their magnetic and microwave properties

The structural properties and microwave absorption capability of the iron nanoparticles and iron-carbon core-shell nanoparticles have been studied, in the present paper. The investigated nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal route and by reduction of hematite nanoparticles during annealing in argon-hydrogen atmosphere. Hematite-iron phase transformation during the reduction process has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD patterns showed that in iron nanoparticles, hematite-iron phase transformation was completed after 30 min annealing whereas about iron-carbon nanoparticles, the phase transformation completion occurred after 65 min, and before 65 min annealing, wustite (FeO) phase was still present in XRD patterns. M-H loops and relative complex permittivity (ε) and permeability (µ) of the iron nanoparticles and iron-carbon nanocapsules were investigated too. According to the ε and µ spectra in 1-18 GHz, the carbon shell can affect microwave properties of the iron nanoparticles. Carbon shell can reduce microwave permeability and permittivity of the composites containing iron nanoparticles.&nbsp