Search Results (12)

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) manages swordfish, Xiphias gladius, a species of high economic importance in the Indian Ocean. Current stock assessments rely on catch per unit effort indices, which can be biased, complicating reliable abundance estimates. We explored alternative approaches by assessing the feasibility of the close-kin mark– recapture (CKMR) method, a powerful genetic-based approach. This pilot study aimed to validate protocols and guide future CKMR implementation at the IOTC scale. CKMR simulations were conducted to estimate the sample sizes required to detect sufficient kin pairs. Kinship analyses assumed a single panmictic population across the Indian Ocean, consistent with current IOTC management. A total of 2068 individuals were genotyped using SNP markers, identifying one parent-offspring pair (POP) and at least two half-sibling pairs (HSPs). As predicted by simulations, this sampling scale precludes robust estimation. However, results indicate that robust CKMR-based estimates could be achieved by sampling at least 18,000 swordfish over three years, representing about 20% of the current sampling effort already undertaken by contracting parties. The annual cost of genomic data generation for CKMR represents less than 0.5% of the first-sale market of swordfish in the Indian Ocean. Overall, this study supports the feasibility of CKMR for swordfish and provides a foundation for scaling up future programs to improve Indian Ocean stock assessments. Full article

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a long history and tradition in fishing, yet its role in regional tuna management remains yet to be fully defined. This is the case specifically of tuna species, such as yellowfin, which are highly migratory and require coordinated efforts in the context of a corresponding international governance framework, particularly in ecologically important areas like the Northern Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman. Data collection and species identification present significant complexities for these species, yet accuracy is crucial for effective conservation and fair allocation of management shares. Although UAE fisheries are partly within the area of competence of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the country has only recently begun to give consideration to the process toward participating in this Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) which, in turn, would provide for the relevant governance framework for the species examined in this paper. This paper explores the factors behind these developments and assesses their implications for regional tuna management. Based on scientific sampling, we developed estimates of past landing volumes and propose mechanisms for ensuring data collection instrumental to an informed participation by the UAE in the regional tuna management framework under the IOTC. Finally, we explored the implications that this development would have under public international law, departing from the traditional principle “ex facto oritur ius” (Latin: the law arises from facts), which embodies the notion that certain legal consequences attach to particular developments. With regard to the specific developments being addressed by this paper, there could be certain legal consequences for UAE; following the reconstruction of landings and the enhancement of international datasets, we postulate that there would be legal ground for UAE to exercise historical fishing rights and seek a potential allocation of quotas within the framework of IOTC. Full article

Cement-based materials used in China’s coastal and salt lake areas in the northwest are exposed to long-term chloride corrosion, which deteriorates the materials and substantially reduces the durability of the structures. This study investigates the chlorine ion erosion resistance in salt spray environments of cement-based materials made with iron ore tailings (IOTs) as an aggregate (namely, IOTCs). The compressive strength, mass loss, and relative dynamic elastic modulus (RDEM) macroscopic performance of IOTC undergoing different chloride diffusion times (0–180 d) were explored in detail. Chloride ion profiles at 0–180 d were analyzed via chemical titration, while X-ray computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize microstructural evolution. The results demonstrate that IOTC exhibited superior chloride resistance compared to conventional concrete (GC). While both materials showed early strength gain (<60 d) due to hydration and pore-filling effects, IOTC experienced only a 23.9% strength loss after long-term exposure (180 d) significantly less than the 37.2% reduction in GC. Chloride profiling revealed that IOTC had 43.5% lower free chloride ions (C_f) and 32% lower total chloride ions (C_t) at 1 mm depth after 180 d, alongside reduced chloride diffusion coefficients (D_a). The CT analysis revealed that IOTC exhibited a significantly denser and more uniformly distributed pore structure than GC, with a porosity of only 0.67% under chloride-free conditions. SEM confirmed IOTC’s more intact matrix and fewer microcracks. Full article

This study examines the impact of IoT characteristics, key cultural dimensions, and safety concerns on consumer green purchase intentions. The research employed a survey approach, collecting responses from 278 consumers. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The finding of the study indicates that IoT characteristics (IoTC), environmental concerns (EC), collectivism (GW), and individualism (ID) have a positive effect with attitude toward green purchasing (AGP), which further affect green purchase intentions (GPI). Attitude toward green purchasing (AGP) mediates the relationship between IoTC, safety concerns (SC), collectivism (GW), individualism (ID), and green purchase intentions (GPI). The study’s findings help us understand how IoTC, social concerns, and cultural factors affect consumer green purchase intention. Full article

Oceanic temperature fluctuations are one of the leading factors affecting marine fish populations. Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), characterized as the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly change, is an ocean–atmosphere interactive process causing interannual climate variability in the Indian Ocean. Influences of the IOD on the tuna catch rates are supported by previous research. Yet, there remains limited information about the impacts on the abundance of tuna stocks. In this study, we used the standardized Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) index to present the stock abundance and compared the effects of the IOD on the bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) among different management areas of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Results show significant correlations between IOD events on both species’ abundance in the tropical western Indian Ocean. However, in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean and the southern Indian Ocean, neither bigeye nor yellowfin tuna abundances were significantly correlated by the IOD. For the whole Indian Ocean, IOD was significantly correlated uniquely with the yellowfin tuna abundance. Our results emphasized the importance of evaluating the climate variability effects over fisheries abundance species by species and per fishing areas analyses. Full article

In order to study the feasibility and sand substitution mechanism of cement mortar mixed with iron ore tailings (IOT), iron ore tailings cement mortars (referred to as IOTC) with IOT content of 0%, 25%, and 50% were made and tested. First, the basic properties of IOT used were measured to verify the theoretical feasibility. Second, the uniaxial compressive and tensile strengths, as well as the crack resistance performance of IOTC under different curing ages and different sand substitution rates were tested. Third, the techniques of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were used to study the influence of curing age and different sand substitution rates on the chemical, mineralogical, and microstructural characteristics of IOTC. The sand substitution mechanism of IOT was then discussed. The research results proved the feasibility of using IOT to substitute standard sand in cement mortar. Within substitution rate of 0–50%, the mechanical properties increased with the increase of substitution rate. Though limited chemical effects were found by adding IOT, in comparison with standard sand mortar, more hydration products were found and the pore size distribution was changed for IOTC, which corresponds to its mechanical improvement. Full article

To study and understand the importance of Internet of Things-driven citizen science (IoT-CS) combined with data satisficing, we set up and undertook a citizen science experiment for air quality (AQ) in four Pakistan cities using twenty-one volunteers. We used quantitative methods to analyse the AQ data. Three research questions (RQ) were posed as follows: Which factors affect CS IoT-CS AQ data quality (RQ1)? How can we make science more inclusive by dealing with the lack of scientists, training and high-quality equipment (RQ2)? Can a lack of calibrated data readings be overcome to yield otherwise useful results for IoT-CS AQ data analysis (RQ3)? To address RQ1, an analysis of related work revealed that multiple causal factors exist. Good practice guidelines were adopted to promote higher data quality in CS studies. Additionally, we also proposed a classification of CS instruments to help better understand the data quality challenges. To answer RQ2, user engagement workshops were undertaken as an effective method to make CS more inclusive and also to train users to operate IoT-CS AQ devices more understandably. To address RQ3, it was proposed that a more feasible objective is that citizens leverage data satisficing such that AQ measurements can detect relevant local variations. Additionally, we proposed several recommendations. Our top recommendations are that: a deep (citizen) science approach should be fostered to support a more inclusive, knowledgeable application of science en masse for the greater good; It may not be useful or feasible to cross-check measurements from cheaper versus more expensive calibrated instrument sensors in situ. Hence, data satisficing may be more feasible; additional cross-checks that go beyond checking if co-located low-cost and calibrated AQ measurements correlate under equivalent conditions should be leveraged. Full article

Scientific research has played an important role in the conservation and management of high seas fisheries resources since the adoption and entry into the force of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition, regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) have become the most important platform in addressing fisheries-related issues under the contemporary international fisheries legal regime, which also includes the responsibility to ensure that their decisions have to properly incorporate recommendations of scientific research into their decisions. This paper aims to analyze, from a legal aspect, how scientific research plays its role in the formation and adoption of conservation and management measures (CMMs) in RFMOs and finds that scientific research has become an essential and integral part of both International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Although, on some occasions, these recommendations will not be totally accepted and adopted by the Commission due to social, economic, and political considerations, the results from scientific research have become the basis for issues related to conservation and management measures discussed in RFMOs and will be more influential if the Scientific Committee provides a more concrete recommendation to the Commission. Full article

Introduction: During the last three decades, there has been an excess weight epidemic due to changes in nutrition and lifestyle. Few data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children in Romania were published, without a single study representative at the national level. There are reports on the higher level of overweight and obesity in urban areas compared to rural ones. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity and severe obesity in children enrolled in schools from the urban area. Material and methods: For this cross-sectional study, children from 177 schools from the urban area of five counties from the northwestern part of Romania were included after the parents signed written informed consent. Anthropometric data were recorded (weight, height) based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and Body-Mass-Index (BMI), and the z-score for BMI were calculated. The nutritional status was estimated using three reference criteria: WHO, International Obesity Task Force (IOTC) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Results: We analyzed data of 21,650 children (48.19% boys) age between 7 and 18 years. The prevalence of overweight was 13.8%, 16.2% and 20.3%, of obesity was 10.7%, 10.0% and 5.7% and of severe obesity was 5.1%, 1.2% and 1.6% (using WHO, CDC and IOTF cut-offs). Underweight was present in 5.2% (WHO), 6% (CDC) and 2.6% (IOTF). The highest prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was found in children aged 10 years, and the lowest in adolescents at 18 years. Boys have a higher prevalence of excess weight than girls. Using IOTF cut-offs, the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity was lower than using WHO criteria. Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight (including obesity) in children from the urban area of Western Romania was recorded at alarming levels, higher in boys and at the pre-puberty ages. There are significant differences based on the reference system used. It is important to correctly choose the reference for the definition of overweight and obesity to have the correct estimation of the target for public health measures. Full article

Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) have been given an arduous mandate under the legal framework of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. Member states with different interests and objectives are required to cooperate and collaborate on the conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species, which includes the allocation of fishing opportunities. It is well understood that the main RFMO allocation disagreements are the inability to agree on a total allowable catch, the lack of willingness to accept new members, disagreement on who should bear the conservation burden, and non-compliance with national allocations owning to perceived inequities. Addressing these elements is crucial for any organization if it is to sustain its credibility stability and legitimacy. This paper identifies additional barriers facing an equitable allocation process at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). These challenges are multi-faceted and include institutional, political, and scientific barriers in the ongoing allocation negotiations, and further inhibit effective negotiation and resolution adoption as a whole. After almost 10 years of negotiations, the process has progressed little, and without agreement on these barriers it will be a challenge to adopt a stable systematic allocation process. Full article

Providing Internet of Things (IoT) environments with service level guarantee is a challenging task for improving IoT application usage experience. We specify in this paper an IoT architecture enabling an IoT Service Level Agreement (iSLA) achievement between an IoT Service Provider (IoT-SP) and an IoT Client (IoT-C). In order to guarantee the IoT applications’ requirements, Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms should be implemented within all the layers of the IoT architecture. Thus, we propose a specific mechanism for the lowest layer of our service level based IoT architecture (i.e., sensing layer). It is an adaptation of the IEEE 802.15.4 slotted CSMA/CA mechanism enabling to take into consideration the requirements of real-time IoT services. Our access method called QBAIoT (QoS based Access for IoT) extends IEEE 802.15.4 systems by creating a new contention access period for each specified traffic class in the iSLA. Furthermore, due to the huge number of IoT connected devices, self-configuring capability provisioning is necessary for limiting human intervention and total cost of ownership (TCO). Thus, we integrate a self-configuring capability to the QBAIoT access method by implementing the MAPE-K closed control loop within the IoT High Level Gateway (HL-Gw) of our proposed QoS based IoT architecture. Full article

The bandwidth shortage has motivated the exploration of the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency spectrum for future communication networks. To compensate for the severe propagation attenuation in the mmWave band, massive antenna arrays can be adopted at both the transmitter and receiver to provide large array gains via directional beamforming. To achieve such array gains, channel estimation (CE) with high resolution and low latency is of great importance for mmWave communications. However, classic super-resolution subspace CE methods such as multiple signal classification (MUSIC) and estimation of signal parameters via rotation invariant technique (ESPRIT) cannot be applied here due to RF chain constraints. In this paper, an enhanced CE algorithm is developed for the off-grid problem when quantizing the angles of mmWave channel in the spatial domain where off-grid problem refers to the scenario that angles do not lie on the quantization grids with high probability, and it results in power leakage and severe reduction of the CE performance. A new model is first proposed to formulate the off-grid problem. The new model divides the continuously-distributed angle into a quantized discrete grid part, referred to as the integral grid angle, and an offset part, termed fractional off-grid angle. Accordingly, an iterative off-grid turbo CE (IOTCE) algorithm is proposed to renew and upgrade the CE between the integral grid part and the fractional off-grid part under the Turbo principle. By fully exploiting the sparse structure of mmWave channels, the integral grid part is estimated by a soft-decoding based compressed sensing (CS) method called improved turbo compressed channel sensing (ITCCS). It iteratively updates the soft information between the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) estimator and the sparsity combiner. Monte Carlo simulations are presented to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, and the results show that it enhances the angle detection resolution greatly. Full article