Search Results (10)

Flooding is a global problem that impacts people, communities, and governments every year. A better understanding of flooding in an area can enable an improved emergency response before a flood hits. Flood maps are a crucial tool to translate what, for most, is an abstract streamflow into a more understandable and actionable representation of who and what is at risk. Satellite-based flood maps are a useful tool that has potential global applications. We developed methods to determine areas that are suitable for generating satellite-based synthetic flood maps. For our processes, we used Forecasting Inundation Extents using REOF analysis (FIER), a data-driven method of synthesizing flood maps by correlating extracted spatial and temporal patterns from satellite imagery with historical hydrological variables. To overcome the limitation of only using places where gauges are installed, we used large-scale hydrological models, namely the National Water Model (NWM) and the GEOGLOWS Streamflow Model, to provide simulated retrospective streamflow data to train our model. We evaluated locations where both optical and radar imagery would be suitable for creating these models. The procedures we developed and the results that we obtained are potentially transferable to many satellite data sources and methods of model generation. Full article

Food safety and traceability in dairy processing plants are essential for public health and industry sustainability. This study provides an empirical assessment of food safety and traceability practices among artisanal and semi-automated dairy processors in Fier, Albania, which is the country’s leading milk-producing region. Based on structured interviews with 18 dairy processors, we examined practices related to supplier management, quality control, facility conditions, staff hygiene, and equipment sanitation. The results reveal significant gaps in milk supplier inspections, biochemical testing, and traceability systems. The majority of processors lack barcode systems, regulated contracts with farmers, and formalized product tracking mechanisms, decreasing the chances of market formalization. Moreover, none of the dairies in this study have ISO certification, which restricts access to international markets. This paper also compares food safety practices between semi-automated and artisanal processors, with the former having slightly better compliance in certain key areas such as milk supply monitoring and biochemical testing. However, both groups face major challenges in complying with food safety standards due to weak regulatory enforcement, limited financial resources, and insufficient training. Implementing stricter food safety measures and modern traceability systems is not only a regulatory necessity but a strategic step toward improving public health, market access, and the long-term sustainability of Albania’s dairy sector. Full article

Floods, one of the costliest, and most frequent hazards, are expected to worsen in the U.S. due to climate change. The real-time forecasting of flood inundations is extremely important for proactive decision-making to reduce damage. However, traditional forecasting methods face challenges in terms of implementation and scalability due to computational burdens and data availability issues. Current forecasting services in the U.S. largely rely on hydrodynamic modeling, limited to river reaches near in situ gauges and requiring extensive data for model setup and calibration. Here, we have successfully adapted the Forecasting Inundation Extents using REOF (FIER) analysis framework to produce forecasted water fraction maps in two U.S. flood-prone regions, specifically the Red River of the North Basin and the Upper Mississippi Alluvial Plain, utilizing Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) optical imagery and the National Water Model. Comparing against historical VIIRS imagery for the same dates, FIER 1- to 8-day medium-range pseudo-forecasts show that about 70–80% of pixels exhibit absolute errors of less than 30%. Although originally developed utilizing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, this study demonstrated FIER’s versatility and effectiveness in flood forecasting by demonstrating its successful adaptation with optical VIIRS imagery which provides daily water fraction product, offering more historical observations to be used as inputs for FIER during peak flood times, particularly in regions where flooding commonly happens in a short period rather than following a broad seasonal pattern. Full article

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas poses a significant risk and thus demands continuous monitoring using reliable sensors. Chemiresistive sensors can serve this purpose, and the utilization of conducting polymeric materials, particularly polyaniline (PAni), has demonstrated significant potential. To fabricate chemiresistors based on PAni, the materials must be dispersed in an organic solvent like dimethylformamide (DMF), which has several hazardous properties. Fortunately, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a safer alternative with similar properties to DMF, and may be used instead of DMF. In this study, we aim to compare the efficacy of DMF and DMSO solvents in fabricating PAni and metal chloride composite films for detecting H₂S gas. Full article

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the food intake, physical activity, and risk of cardiovascular diseases among young adult Albanians, considering their nutritional status and lifestyle. As Albania undergoes a transition from a rural to a more westernized society, changes in lifestyle and dietary habits have been observed, leading to an increase in overweight and obesity among adults. Materials and Methods: The study included 120 young adult Albanians (65 males, 55 females) aged 18–27. Body composition, blood pressure, anthropometry, and Body Mass Index (BMI) were measured. A standardized questionnaire on food frequency and physical activity was administered. Results and Findings: The results indicated that males tended to have a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity compared to females. Significant differences were observed in blood pressure levels based on fat mass, waist, and hip circumferences. Obese individuals exhibited higher blood pressure, engaged in less physical activity, and had less healthy eating habits. Moreover, a significant proportion of participants reported irregular meal patterns and inadequate breakfast consumption. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for interventions targeting proper nutrition and physical activity in young Albanians to mitigate the increasing risk of overweight/obesity and cardiovascular diseases. This study contributes to understanding the nutritional habits and associated health risks in a young adult population undergoing socio-economic changes. Full article

The chamomile drug (Chamomillae anthodium) is widely known and has been used as a medicine for ages. Today, the drug is officially registered in the European Pharmacopoeia. Despite the economic importance of the chamomile Matricaria recutita L., little is known about the extent and nature of the essential oil variability and composition of this species in Albania. Therefore, information about the extent of the uses of various gene pools is extremely valuable for the development of future chamomile cultivation and breeding programs. This study aimed to analyze the differences among 29 populations in different sites in central Albania. The quantities of essential oils ranged from a low of 0.10 ± 0.01% in Fier and Tirana to a high of 0.75 ± 0.05% in Linzȅ. The yield of volatile oils depended on the geography, altitude, and other factors, including stress influences on the site of plant population growth. This fact was confirmed by various subclimatic characteristics obtained from individual localities. Essential oil extracted from chamomile inflorescences was recorded to have between 23 and 43 chemical components. It was found that /-/-α-bisabololoxides B and A were the major constituents in 25 samples, with only 4 having dominant /-/-α-bisabolol. The uniquely determined chemical type of the chamomile wild populations in Albania was chemical type B (/-/-α-bisabololoxide B > /-/-α-bisabololoxide A > /-/-α-bisabolol). Based on the study of chamomile’s pharmacodynamic properties, the sesquiterpenes /-/-α-bisabolol and chamazulene are considered to be the most valuable constituents. Consequently, a very intensive improvement breeding program must begin, with emphasis on drug yield, polyploidization, essential oil quantity, and both component contents in the oil. Full article

Incorporating electronic tongues into microfluidic devices brings benefits as dealing with small amounts of sample/discharge. Nonetheless, such measurements may be time-consuming in some applications once they require several operational steps. Here, we designed four collinear electrodes on a single printed circuit board, further comprised inside a straight microchannel, culminating in a robust e-tongue device for faster data acquisition. An analog multiplexing circuit automated the signal’s routing from each of the four sensing units to an impedance analyzer. Both instruments and a syringe pump are controlled by dedicated software. The automated e-tongue was tested with four Brazilian brands of liquid sucralose-based sweeteners under 20 different flow rates, aiming to systematically evaluate the influence of the flow rate in the discrimination among sweet tastes sold as the same food product. All four brands were successfully distinguished using principal component analysis of the raw data, and despite the nearly identical sucralose-based taste in all samples, all brands’ significant distinction is attributed to small differences in the ingredients and manufacturing processes to deliver the final food product. The increasing flow rate improves the analyte’s discrimination, as the silhouette coefficient reaches a plateau at ~3 mL/h. We used an equivalent circuit model to evaluate the raw data, finding a decrease in the double-layer capacitance proportional to improvements in the samples’ discrimination. In other words, the flow rate increase mitigates the formation of the double-layer, resulting in faster stabilization and better repeatability in the sensor response. Full article

An electronic tongue (e-tongue) is a multisensory system usually applied to complex liquid media that uses computational/statistical tools to group information generated by sensing units into recognition patterns, which allow the identification/distinction of samples. Different types of e-tongues have been previously reported, including microfluidic devices. In this context, the integration of passive mixers inside microchannels is of great interest for the study of suppression/enhancement of sensorial/chemical effects in the pharmaceutical, food, and beverage industries. In this study, we present developments using a stereolithography technique to fabricate microfluidic devices using 3D-printed molds for elastomers exploring the staggered herringbone passive mixer geometry. The fabricated devices (microchannels plus mixer) are then integrated into an e-tongue system composed of four sensing units assembled on a single printed circuit board (PCB). Gold-plated electrodes are designed as an integral part of the PCB electronic circuitry for a highly automated platform by enabling faster analysis and increasing the potential for future use in commercial applications. Following previous work, the e-tongue sensing units are built functionalizing gold electrodes with layer-by-layer (LbL) films. Our results show that the system is capable of (i) covering basic tastes below the human gustative perception and (ii) distinguishing different suppression effects coming from the mixture of both strong and weak electrolytes. This setup allows for triplicate measurements in 12 electrodes, which represents four complete sensing units, by automatically switching all electrodes without any physical interaction with the sensor. The result is a fast and reliable data acquisition system, which comprises a suitable solution for monitoring, sequential measurements, and database formation, being less susceptible to human errors. Full article

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are negative childhood events occurring in a child’s family or social environment, that may cause harm or distress. Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) and their families are underrepresented in international ACEs research, while current insights can also contribute to the improvement of their health and well-being. Deficiencies in intellectual and adaptive functioning and living circumstances can increase their vulnerability to adversities. In the present exploratory study 69 case-files of children referred to a Dutch national center for residential youth care for children with ID were analyzed to assess the prevalence and associations of ACEs. It was found that almost half (49.3%) of the children experienced 2 ACEs from the original ACEs framework or more (M (mean) = 2.1; SD (standard deviation) = 1.8) and that the number of ACEs in children was related to the presence of ACEs in parents. Both child and parental ACEs were also related to attachment- and trauma- and stressor-related disorders. Finally, living circumstances and multiple ACEs from the expanded ACEs framework, especially related to parental characteristics, were found to be related to ACEs in children with ID. This implicates the importance of a transgenerational approach when further investigating the impact of ACEs on mental and physical health in children with ID (intellectual disabilities). Full article

Since the prime days of stochastic hydrology back in 1960s, autoregressive (AR) and moving average (MA) models (as well as their extensions) have been widely used to simulate hydrometeorological processes. Initially, AR(1) or Markovian models with Gaussian noise prevailed due to their conceptual and mathematical simplicity. However, the ubiquitous skewed behavior of most hydrometeorological processes, particularly at fine time scales, necessitated the generation of synthetic time series to also reproduce higher-order moments. In this respect, the former schemes were enhanced to preserve skewness through the use of non-Gaussian white noise— a modification attributed to Thomas and Fiering (TF). Although preserving higher-order moments to approximate a distribution is a limited and potentially risky solution, the TF approach has become a common choice in operational practice. In this study, almost half a century after its introduction, we reveal an important flaw that spans over all popular linear stochastic models that employ non-Gaussian white noise. Focusing on the Markovian case, we prove mathematically that this generating scheme provides bounded dependence patterns, which are both unrealistic and inconsistent with the observed data. This so-called “envelope behavior” is amplified as the skewness and correlation increases, as demonstrated on the basis of real-world and hypothetical simulation examples. Full article