Search Results (155)

Obesity is a growing global health concern with widespread impacts on physical, psychological, and social well-being. Clinically, it is a major driver of type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cancer, reducing life expectancy by 5–20 years and imposing a staggering economic burden of USD 2 trillion annually (2.8% of global GDP). Despite its significant health and socioeconomic impact, earlier obesity medications, such as fenfluramine, sibutramine, and orlistat, fell short of expectations due to limited effectiveness, serious side effects including valvular heart disease and gastrointestinal issues, and high rates of treatment discontinuation. The advent of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide) has revolutionized obesity management. These agents demonstrate unprecedented efficacy, achieving 15–25% mean weight loss in clinical trials, alongside reducing major adverse cardiovascular events by 20% and T2D incidence by 72%. Emerging therapies, including oral GLP-1 agonists and triple-receptor agonists (e.g., retatrutide), promise enhanced tolerability and muscle preservation, potentially bridging the efficacy gap with bariatric surgery. However, challenges persist. High costs, supply shortages, and unequal access pose significant barriers to the widespread implementation of obesity treatment, particularly in low-resource settings. Gastrointestinal side effects and long-term safety concerns require close monitoring, while weight regain after medication discontinuation emphasizes the need for ongoing adherence and lifestyle support. This review highlights the transformative potential of incretin-based therapies while advocating for policy reforms to address cost barriers, equitable access, and preventive strategies. Future research must prioritize long-term cardiovascular outcome trials and mitigate emerging risks, such as sarcopenia and joint degeneration. A multidisciplinary approach combining pharmacotherapy, behavioral interventions, and systemic policy changes is critical to curbing the obesity epidemic and its downstream consequences. Full article

The relict tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum, a Tertiary paleoendemic with significant ecological and timber value, prefers warm–cool humid climates and acidic soils. Using MaxEnt and ArcGIS, we modeled its distribution under current and future climate scenarios (SSP, Shared Socioeconomic Pathways). High-suitability areas (>0.6 probability) under current conditions are mainly concentrated in the Sichuan Basin and the Yellow–Yangtze transition zones. By 2050, projections show northwestward expansions (14.32–18.76% increase in area) and eastward movement toward Central China under both SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. However, by 2090, habitat loss could exceed 22% under SSP5-8.5. The main environmental drivers of its distribution are minimum coldest-month temperature (bio6, 38.7%), annual precipitation (bio12, 29.1%), and temperature range (bio7, 18.5%). Precipitation seasonality and thermal extremes are expected to become more significant constraints in the future. Conservation strategies should focus on the following: (1) protecting refugia in the Daba–Wushan mountains, (2) facilitating assisted migration to northwestern high-latitude regions, and (3) preserving microclimates. This study offers a framework for evidence-based conservation of paleoendemic species under climate change. Full article

Dam breaks can lead to important economic and human losses. Design floods, which are useful to assess possible dam breaks, are usually estimated through statistical analysis of rainfall and streamflow observed data. However, such available samples are commonly limited and, consequently, high uncertainties are associated with the design flood estimates. In addition, climate change is expected to increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall and flood events in the future. Therefore, a methodology based on a stochastic rainfall generator is proposed to assess hydrological dam safety by considering climate change. We selected the Eugui Dam on the Arga river in the north of Spain as a case study that has a spillway operated by gates with a maximum capacity of 270 m³/s. The stochastic rainfall generator STORAGE is used to simulate long time series of 15-min precipitation in both current and future climate conditions. Precipitation projections of 12 climate modeling chains, related to the usual three 30-year periods (2011–2024; 2041–2070 and 2071–2100) and two emission scenarios of AR5 (RCP 4.5 and 8.5), are used to consider climate change in the STORAGE model. The simulated precipitation time series are transformed into runoff time series by using the continuous COSMO4SUB hydrological model, supplying continuous 15-min runoff time series as output. Annual maximum flood hydrographs are selected and considered as inflows to the Eugui Reservoir. The Volume Evaluation Method is applied to simulate the operation of the Eugui Dam spillway gates, obtaining maximum water levels in the reservoir and outflow hydrographs. The results show that the peak outflows at the Eugui Dam will be lower in the future. Therefore, maximum reservoir water levels will not increase in the future. The methodology proposed could allow practitioners and dam managers to check the hydrological dam safety requirements, accounting for climate change. Full article

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines stillbirth as the loss of a fetus after 28 weeks of gestation. Annually, approximately 2 million stillbirths occur worldwide. Projections indicate that by 2030, this figure could rise to nearly 15.9 million, with half of these stillbirths expected to take place in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the global literature, causes include placental complications, birth defects, and maternal health issues, though often the cause is unknown. Stillbirths have significant emotional and financial impacts on families. Methods: The process involves using chi-square tests to identify candidate covariates for model building. The relative risk (RR) measures the association between variables using the sample data of 1435 mothers collected retrospectively. Since these tests are independent, covariates might be interrelated. The unadjusted RR from the bivariate analysis is then refined using stepwise logistic regression, guided by the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), to select the best subset of covariates among the candidate variables. The logistic model’s regression coefficients provide the adjusted RR (aRR), indicating the strength of the association between a factor and stillbirth. Results: The model fit results reveal that heavy bleeding in the second or third trimester increases stillbirth risk by 4.69 times. Other factors, such as water breaking early in the third trimester (aRR = 3.22), severe back pain (aRR = 2.61), and conditions like anemia (aRR = 2.45) and malaria (aRR = 2.74), also heightened the risk. Further, mothers with a history of hypertension faced a 3.89-times-greater risk, while multifetal pregnancies increased risk by over 6 times. Conversely, proper mental and physical relaxation could reduce stillbirth risk by over 60%. Additionally, mothers aged 20 to 35 had a 40% lower risk than younger or older mothers. Conclusions: This research study identifies the significant predictors for forecasting stillbirth in pregnant women, and the results could help in the development of health monitoring strategies during pregnancy to reduce stillbirth risks. The research findings further support the importance of targeted interventions for high-risk groups. Full article

This study assesses the energy, economic, and environmental implications of switching Tanzania’s road transport sector to natural gas, which is slowly transitioning. In energy, the main goal is to identify the energy demand for petroleum fuel (diesel and petrol) and natural gas during the transition, while in the economy, the government revenue in the form of taxes for shifted and unshifted vehicles, as well as the loss in government revenue from petroleum fuel revenue post-transition, is assessed. In the environment, carbon emission in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO_2e), carbon tax revenues, and carbon credit revenues post-transition is estimated. The shift involved 10, 20, and 30% of the road vehicle population. The 10, 20, and 30% shift targeted about 142,247, 183,893, and 225,540 vehicles, which in turn dropped diesel and petrol demand by 7 and 3.68%, 7 and 3.8%, and 15 and 7.5%, respectively. In natural gas, the demand started at 0.0916 billion kg and grew exponentially by 200% and later by 300%. The transition has consequences in government revenue, which takes the form of taxes on petroleum products. The shift from 10 to 30% could lead to foregone taxes amounting to Tanzania shilling TZS 0.09, 0.31, and 0.54 trillion (US$ 33,358,680, US$ 11,490,212, and US$ 20,015,208), indicating a tax loss of about 3, 9, and 15%. Contrary, the government may benefit from these losses by lowering the amount of foreign currency necessary for oil importation. In environmental benefits, the 10, 20, and 30% shift could offset approximately 8,959,198.92119, 8,438,863.65528, and 7,918,528.38937 tCO_2e, equivalent to 5.4, 10.97, and 16.47% of the road emissions. The post-transition road emissions might result in a carbon tax revenue of about US$ 71,673,591.37, 67,510,909.24, and 63,348,227.11 per year. The post-transition carbon credit revenue of about US$ 20,813,410.64, 41,626,821.27, and 62,440,231.91 is expected annually. The findings are critical for policy design and promoting a transition in the road transport sector. Full article

Climate change has greatly affected the survival and distribution of various species. Understanding the distribution of species and their responses to climate change is helpful for species conservation and the utilization of germplasm resources. Carpinus fangiana is endemic to China, and it is used as an ornamental plant and in traditional Chinese medicine. However, its distribution remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to reconstruct the current and future ecological niches of C. fangiana. The prediction results indicated that annual precipitation and elevation are the key factors limiting its distribution. Our research found that it also exists in southern Chongqing and southwestern Hunan, and distinct suitable distribution areas and core suitable areas have been detected in these areas. Currently, the suitable distribution areas and core suitable areas of C. fangiana are mainly located in southwestern China around the Sichuan Basin. Although it is distributed in southeastern Yunnan, no distinct suitable distribution areas were detected there. In contrast, suitable distribution areas and core suitable areas were detected in the Qinling and Dabashan mountains, the mountainous areas in western Hubei, and southeastern Xizang, where C. fangiana is not currently distributed. Future climate change will likely have a considerable impact on its distribution, with a clear trend of suitable distribution areas migrating toward higher latitudes and elevations. The suitable distribution areas located in southeastern Xizang and northwestern Yunnan are expected to be lost in the future. In particular, under the high-concentration scenario, a substantial loss of suitable distribution areas is predicted. Full article

The penetration of renewable energy, especially solar and wind, is increasing globally to promote a sustainable environment. However, in the Middle East, this momentum is slower compared to other regions, primarily due to abundant local fossil fuel reserves and historically low energy prices. This trend is shifting, with several countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), setting ambitious goals. Specifically, KSA’s Vision 2030 aims to generate 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Due to favorable conditions for solar and wind, various mega-projects have either been completed or are underway in KSA. This study analyzes the potential and reliability impact of these projects on the power system through a three-step process. In the first step, all major projects are identified, and data related to these projects, such as global horizontal irradiance, wind speed, temperature, and other relevant parameters, are collected. In the second step, these data are used to estimate the solar and wind potential at various sites, along with annual averages and seasonal averages for different extreme seasons, such as winter and summer. Finally, in the third step, a reliability assessment of power generation is conducted to evaluate the adequacy of renewable projects within the national power grid. This study addresses a gap in the literature by providing a region-specific reliability analysis using actual project data from KSA, which remains underexplored in existing research. Sequential Monte Carlo simulations are employed, and various reliability indices, including Loss of Load Expectation (LOLE), Loss of Energy Expectation (LOEE), Loss of Load Frequency (LOLF), Energy Not Supplied per Interruption (ENSINT), and Demand Not Supplied per Interruption (DNSINT) are analyzed. The analysis shows that integrating renewable energy into KSA’s power grid significantly enhances its reliability. The analysis shows that integrating renewable energy into KSA’s power grid significantly enhances its reliability, with improvements observed across all reliability indices, demonstrating the viability of meeting Vision 2030 targets. Full article

Environmental degradation combined with the need to ensure food security for a rapidly growing world population has prompted the adoption of Sustainable Weed Management Practices (SWMPs), which are expected to reduce crop losses while preserving natural resources. However, evidence shows that farmers are reluctant to adopt them, and European farming remains dependent on chemical herbicides. The objective of this study is to analyze the adoption of SWMPs in Greece by identifying common factors that may explain the information (variance) included in each of two initial sets of variables, separately describing the following: (i) factors that hinder the adoption of SWMPs in Greece; (ii) factors and strategies to promote the use of SWMPs in the country. To achieve this purpose, 121 farmers cultivating annual arable crops in the Region of Thessaly in Central Greece were surveyed by means of a structured questionnaire. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to reduce both initial sets of variables and categorize farmers’ responses into two smaller sets of uncorrelated components (dimensions) without missing valuable information, the analysis yielded five factors that limit the adoption of SWMPs (“Costs and availability of resources”; “Environment and land ownership”; “Compatibility and easiness of use”; “Economic performance”; “Social capital and education”) as well as four factors to promote their use (“Policy, research and Cooperatives”; “Training and mandatory regulations”; “Technology and networking”; “Targeted approaches”). The derived factors can be used in terms of policy objectives, as each dimension represents different aspects to be considered when developing effective strategies and integrated policies for the evolution and further expansion of SWMPs. Full article

We evaluated the effects of different fire regimes on the ground-ant community from a savanna (Cerrado) reserve in southern Brazil, where a process of woody encroachment has been taking place. Ants are a dominant faunal group in tropical savannas. Over ~8 years, experimental plots were protected from fire or burned every one or two years. An additional treatment (adaptive) included annual fires and a reduction in woody biomass to increase fuel loads. Ants were collected prior to the first prescribed fire and again four times. We expected that fire would increase the diversity and overall abundance of open-savanna ant specialists, depending on the extent of changes in vegetation structure. Changes in litter depth, grass cover and bare ground in burned plots were most evident 88 months after the first fire and did not differ between fire regimes. Similarly, overall ant species richness and occurrence neither differed between fire treatments nor from the control. However, burned plots showed a significant increase in the richness and occurrence of open savanna specialists, and a decrease in species most typical of dense savanna or dry forests. As ant responses did not differ between the annual, biennial, and adaptive treatments, we suggest that a fire return interval of two years is enough for reverting the loss of open savanna ant specialists in areas that have been protected from fire for decades. Full article

This paper introduces a two-stage protection coordination framework designed for grid-connected and islanded microgrids (MGs) that integrate distributed generations (DGs) and energy storage systems (ESSs). The first stage focuses on determining the optimal location and sizing of DGs and ESSs within the islanded MG to ensure a stable and reliable operation. The objective is to minimize the combined annual investment and expected operational costs while adhering to the optimal power flow equations governing the MG, which incorporates both DGs and ESSs. To account for the inherent uncertainties in load and DG power generation, scenario-based stochastic programming (SBSP) is used to model these variations effectively. The second stage develops the optimal protection coordination strategy for both grid-connected and islanded MGs, aiming to achieve a rapid and efficient protective response. This is achieved by optimizing the settings of dual-setting overcurrent relays (DSORs) and determining the appropriate sizing of fault current limiters (FCLs), using operational data from the MG’s daily performance. The goal is to minimize the total operating time of the DSORs in both primary and backup protection modes while respecting critical constraints such as the coordination time interval (CTI) and the operational limits of DSORs and FCLs. To solve this complex optimization problem, the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) is employed, ensuring the derivation of reliable and effective solutions. The framework is implemented on both 9-bus and 32-bus MGs, demonstrating its practical applicability and evaluating its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. The proposed method achieves an expected total daily relay operation time of 1041.36 s for the 9-bus MG and 1282 s for the 32-bus MG. Additionally, the optimization results indicate a reduction in maximum voltage deviation from 0.0073 p.u. (grid-connected mode) to 0.0038 p.u. (islanded mode) and a decrease in daily energy loss from 1.0114 MWh to 0.9435 MWh. The CSA solver outperforms conventional methods, achieving a standard deviation of 1.13% and 1.21% for two optimization stages, ensuring high reliability and computational efficiency. This work not only provides valuable insights into the optimization of MG protection coordination but also contributes to the broader effort of enhancing the reliability and economic viability of microgrid systems, which are becoming increasingly vital for sustainable energy solutions in modern power grids. Full article

In recent years, extreme weather events have become more frequent and severe, making it crucial to apply meteorological and climate information services to mitigate the associated losses. However, given limited resources, it is essential to assess the potential value these services can generate while considering uncertainties. Since the impact of disasters and weather prediction accuracy is uncertain, and end-users’ decisions of disaster prevention, resource allocation, and operational planning are costly, the expected returns of acting according to weather forecasting information need to outweigh the cost to make decision-makers act. This study evaluates the direct economic value of meteorological information services for agricultural disaster prevention, with a focus on typhoon preparedness, using the cost-loss model. The results show that the current annual economic value of these services is NTD 77.28 million. Significant benefits can be gained by increasing the proportion of avoidable losses and improving forecast accuracy. A 10% increase in the proportion of avoidable losses, possibly due to the application of innovative technology and the extension of leading time, results in an 8% rise in economic value, while a 50% increase leads to a 38% increase. Moreover, enhancing the forecast accuracy, which is currently at 73.18%, by an additional 50% could boost economic value by up to 34%. From a practical perspective, unless agricultural output is completely protected from weather events (such as indoor horticultural crops), the potential for reducing avoidable losses remains limited. Consequently, the findings underscore the importance of government efforts to promote the establishment of additional weather observation stations in order to improve forecast accuracy, boost farmers’ confidence of application from public meteorological information services, and maximize the impact of meteorological services in reducing agricultural losses and enhancing disaster preparedness. Full article

The pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano, 1894 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), poses a significant threat to pepper cultivation, causing extensive crop damage and economic losses. While numerous studies have addressed its occurrence, biology, and control methods, less attention has been given to how climate change might alter its distribution. This research utilized the optimized MaxEnt model to project the current and future habitat suitability of the pepper weevil under four distinct climate scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5) for the periods spanning the 2030s to 2090s. Optimal model performance was achieved with a regularization multiplier of two and a feature combination of QHP, yielding high predictive accuracy with mean testing AUC values of 0.921. The analysis identified annual mean temperature (Bio1) and precipitation of the coldest quarter (Bio19) as the primary environmental factors influencing the pest’s distribution. Currently, in China, suitable habitats for A. eugenii encompass an area of 273.74 × 10⁴ km² or 28.47% of the nation’s territory, predominantly located in central, eastern, southern, and southwestern regions. Future projections suggest that suitable areas are expected to shrink across various scenarios, barring increases in specific instances like SSP126-2050s, SSP245-2070s, and SSP370-2050s, with shifts towards southwestern regions. This investigation deepens our comprehension of agricultural pest dynamics under climate change and supports the formulation of preemptive management strategies to safeguard agricultural productivity. Full article

This study quantitatively assesses the impact of seismic design strategies on the performance of reinforced concrete (RC) dual wall–frame office buildings by comparing direct and indirect economic losses and downtime in life-cycle terms. A high-rise archetype building located in Santiago, Chile, on stiff soil was evaluated as a benchmark case study. Three design strategies to potentially enhance the seismic performance of a building designed conventionally were explored: (i) incorporating fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) in the lateral load-resisting structure; (ii) replacing conventional non-structural components with enhanced ones (ENCs); and (iii) a combination of the previous two strategies. First, probabilistic structural responses were estimated through incremental dynamic analyses using three-dimensional nonlinear models of the archetypes subjected to a set of hazard-consistent Chilean ground motions. Second, FEMA P-58 time-based assessment was conducted to estimate expected annual losses (EALs) for economic loss estimation. Finally, for downtime assessment, a novel probabilistic framework, built on the FEMA P-58 methodology and the REDi guidelines, was employed to estimate the expected annual downtimes (EADs) to achieve specific target recovery states, such as reoccupancy (RO) and functional recovery (FR). Results revealed that seismically enhancing RC dual wall–frame buildings with FVDs significantly improves resilience by reducing loss and downtime. For example, the enhanced building with FVDs achieved an EAL of 0.093% and EAL of 8.6 days for FR, compared to the archetype base building without design improvements, which exhibited an EAL of 0.125% and an EAD of 9.5 days for FR. In contrast, the impact of ENCs alone was minor, compared to the effect of FVDs, with an EAL of 0.106% and an EAD of 9.1 days for FR. With this detailed recovery modeling, probabilistic methods, and a focus on intermediate recovery states, this framework represents a significant advancement in resilience-based seismic design and recovery planning. Full article

This review paper examines the critical intersection of energy consumption and environmental impacts within the global food system, emphasizing the substantial footprint (including land usage, costs, food loss and waste, and carbon and water footprints) associated with current practices. The study delineates the high energy demands and ecological burdens of food production, trade, and consumption through a comprehensive bibliographic analysis of high-impact research papers, authoritative reports, and databases. The paper systematically analyzes and synthesizes data to characterize the food industry’s current energy use patterns and environmental impacts. The results underscore a pressing need for strategic interventions to enhance food system efficiency and reduce the footprint. In light of the projected population growth and increasing food demand, the study advocates for a paradigm shift towards more sustainable and resilient food production practices, adopting energy-efficient technologies, promoting sustainable dietary habits, and strengthening global cooperation among stakeholders to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Investigations have revealed that the food system is highly energy-intensive, accounting for approximately 30% of total energy consumption (200 EJ per year). The sector remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which constitute 26% of all anthropogenic emissions, have shown a linear growth trend, reaching 16.6 Gt_CO2eq in 2015 and projected to approach 18.6 Gt_CO2eq in the coming years. Notably, 6% of these emissions result from food never consumed. While the water footprint has slightly decreased recently, its demand is expected to increase by 20% to 30%, potentially reaching between 5500 and 6000 km³ annually by 2050. Energy efficiency interventions are estimated to save up to 20%, with a favorable payback period, as evidenced by several practical implementations. Full article

This work presents the results of research aimed at evaluating the performance of the photovoltaic system connected to the electrical grid at the University of Brasília (UnB), Brazil. Following the guidelines established by the Brazilian Standard for Performance Monitoring and Analysis of Grid-connected Photovoltaic Systems, it was possible to evaluate the system’s performance by determining the Performance Ratio (PR) indicator. The operating temperatures were estimated using measured values of the ambient temperature and solar irradiation. These data were collected by a nearby solarimetric station. Next, the theoretical energy injected into the electrical grid was determined based on calculations of the Direct Current (DC) power at the inverter input and the Alternating Current (AC) power at the inverter output. To this end, the coefficients of the inverter efficiency curve were considered as well as a loss scenario, as recommended. With these results, as well as the information about the total photovoltaics (PV) system AC production obtained from the inverter supervisory system, it was possible to determine the average annual PR achieved and compare the theoretical and practical results obtained. The main contribution of this paper is the performance evaluation of a 125 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic system at the University of Brasília (UnB), assessed using Brazilian Standards for performance monitoring and analysis. The system, installed on the rooftop of the UED building, consists of 298 Canadian Solar HiKu CS3W-420P modules with a 15-degree north pitch angle facing geographic north. It interfaces with the grid through two three-phase inverters, model CSI-75K-T400 (74.76 kWp) and a CSI-50KTL-GI (50.4 kWp). The results showed that the system with a 50kW inverter had an average PR of 78%, while the system with a 75 kW inverter showed a PR variation from 56% to 93%. The information obtained in this work will be used to develop computational tools capable of monitoring and evaluating, in real time, the performance of photovoltaic systems and ensuring that the expected financial return is achieved through the use of preventive and corrective maintenance actions in a timely manner. Full article