Search Results (2,041)

With limited freshwater resources and growing water demands, it is imperative to identify and monitor water needs. Agricultural irrigation is the world’s largest water user, comprising 45–90% of freshwater withdrawals. Identifying and tracking changes in irrigated land is necessary for sustainable water management and forecasting agricultural water needs and patterns; however, the low resolution of available remote sensing observations hinders field-scale analysis. Downscaling soil moisture observations has been offered as a solution to this problem. Our study compares the performance of five irrigation identification methods using a newly developed downscaled deep soil moisture extrapolation method used to estimate Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) soil moisture (SM) at a spatial resolution of 400 m for 5 cm, 20 cm, and 50 cm depths. Using this data along with Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) precipitation and Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), we evaluate these methods with respect to crop type, irrigation type, and observation depth on agricultural fields in Colorado using the irrigation maps provided by the Colorado Decision Support System from 2015 through 2024. With no crop/irrigation type–observation depth combination exceeding an F1 score of 0.149 or MCC value of 0.163, we find that none of the methods can accurately identify irrigated land regardless of crop type, irrigation type, and observation depth. Because these methods succeeded in earlier small-area studies, and because the classified maps resolved into large, spatially uniform blocks, we interpret this as a limitation specific to field-scale detection over large, heterogeneous regions rather than a defect in the dataset. These findings highlight a limitation of this downscaled SM dataset and raise the question of whether other downscaled soil moisture products share this limitation. Full article

There is a growing awareness that reconciliation efforts must be built on the strengths of relationships, the telling of truths, and an attentiveness to the particularities of place, history, identities, and contexts. In Canadian education, as K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions take up the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, educators and administrators are grappling with a teaching force that has largely not received the requisite education to decolonize its pedagogy and feels unprepared and unqualified to integrate Indigenous knowledge, cultures and histories into their classrooms. While reconciliation must be front-center across Canada, rural places with their tightly-knit communities and land-based industries offer unique contexts with not only distinct challenges but also opportunities for supporting reconciliation. This mixed-methods, community-based study follows one Canadian rural school division’s enactment of its vision for reconciliation. It explores the impact of a workshop, Umbay Nagamon, which means ‘come sing’ in Ojibwe. Umbay Nagamon was first and foremost a call to action for each individual it reached to become more informed; to use their new knowledge of Indigenous histories and cultures to explore their place within reconciliation and to work towards more equitable and just space for all. The research details the positive impact on teachers’ personal and professional knowledge and confidence to Indigenize their curriculum and classrooms. It explores in depth how the people and processes of the project inspired the work of reconciliation and the impact of Umbay Nagamon on the community. Full article

Cargo-fall accidents caused by improper cargo loading have frequently occurred on highways in recent years, posing a growing threat to driver safety. Because enforcement typically relies on fixed inspection stations, some drivers illegally alter their cargo loads between checkpoints to evade overload inspections, and such changes are rarely secured properly, further increasing the risk of cargo-fall accidents. Current cargo inspection systems, however, are largely limited to labor-intensive manual checks or weight-based sensors that cannot distinguish between items of comparable weight. This paper presents an approach that detects cargo load changes on trucks by comparing depth maps acquired through a stereo vision system across consecutive passes. The proposed approach normalizes the raw depth map to correct for perspective distortion and aligns the current and previous cargo-bed regions through one-dimensional projection matching, enabling accurate comparison independent of cargo color or texture. We validate the approach through field experiments at SMTB under two test scenarios, one with uniform cargo items and one with diverse, irregularly placed items, and benchmark it against four widely used alignment algorithms: SIFT, ORB, AKAZE, and XFeat. The proposed algorithm reaches a combined detection rate of 91.49% (43/47), well above every conventional algorithm, at a processing speed nearly on par with ORB, the fastest of the compared methods. Notably, all four conventional algorithms consistently miss the same subset of events involving a tarpaulin, whose color and texture closely resemble the cargo bed, whereas the depth-based approach detects these events without difficulty. These findings offer practical guidance for building more reliable, real-world cargo load change detection systems. Full article

Metal contamination in karst aquifers is a growing concern in rapidly urbanizing coastal regions. The Ruta de los Cenotes in Quintana Roo comprises groundwater-fed cenotes of high hydrogeological and ecological relevance. This study characterized the hydrogeochemical setting of five cenotes along a coastal–inland gradient, quantified metals in groundwater and sediments, and assessed ecological risk. Groundwater was sampled at 1, 15, and 25 m during dry and rainy seasons, and sediments at 30 m depth. Metals (Al, Ba, B, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined by ICP-OES. Coastal and transitional cenotes showed calcium-sulfate waters and EC > 1200 µS/cm, whereas inland cenotes showed calcium-bicarbonate waters and EC < 1000 µS/cm. Multivariate analysis identified mineralization gradients during the dry season and site-specific variability during the rainy season. In groundwater, Al reached 0.487 mg/L in A-Ha, exceeding the NOM-127-SSA1-2021 limit of 0.20 mg/L. Al, Fe, Li, Cu and Zn were the main contributors to high ecological risk, with Al (RA = 3043.75) and Fe (RA = 74.15) showing the highest values during the rainy season. Overall, risk rankings differed seasonally, with Li > Cu > Zn > Fe > B > Ba in the dry season and Al > Fe > Zn > Cu > Cr in the rainy season. Sediment-associated ecological risk was highest at one coastal cenote (RI = 1868.66), driven mainly by Cd (2.17 mg/kg). These results provide quantitative information that can support future assessments and monitoring of metal-related vulnerability in karst ecosystems. Full article

In this work, we present a case study mainly from Raman lidar observations and radiosonde data for a site in the European Arctic to analyse how aerosol grows into a purely water-containing fog. We use a relatively high resolution (85 s, 7.5 m) for the lidar evaluation and use an inversion technique to derive aerosol size distributions before fog formation, in the fog and directly after fog disintegration. We find predominantly accumulation-size particles before and after the fog event. In the fog layer, this mode splits up into two branches: one is hydrophobic, and the other roughly doubles its size within 85 s but does not grow into typical cloud droplet sizes. We find very high lidar ratios > 100 sr for 532 nm. We use Mie calculations to confirm that such high lidar ratios are to be expected for micron-sized droplets if the imaginary part of the refractive index is not negligible. Further, we analyse how lidar ratio and colour ratio change as a function of cloud optical depth and derive that the formation and disintegration of several short-lived fog events at the same altitude seem to be symmetrical. Finally, we employ Koehler theory to show that the droplets should have grown into super-micron sizes. As this has not been observed clearly, the time for particle growth into cloud regime under low turbulence conditions takes longer than 85 s. Full article

This study examines growing tensions between household energy security and climate and energy policy objectives in Poland. It aims to analyze household attitudes towards the decarbonization of heating, particularly the phase-out of solid fuels and gas, and to assess perceptions of alternative heat sources as a means of ensuring energy security. The analysis draws on a survey of representatives of 508 households in five municipalities in the Małopolska Voivodeship, characterized by diverse heating structures. The quantitative study was complemented by 18 in-depth interviews with local government representatives. The results indicate low public acceptance of heating decarbonization amid growing energy uncertainty. Respondents recognized the importance of diversifying heat sources and supported retaining a solid-fuel boiler, regardless of its class, as an emergency backup. Energy security was associated more strongly with autonomy, independence, and freedom of choice than with low-carbon technologies. Solid-fuel heating was perceived as strengthening household resilience to supply disruptions and crises. The findings highlight the need to consider household energy security, particularly energy costs and resilience, when designing energy policies and regulatory instruments such as ETS2 (EU Emissions Trading System 2), especially in municipalities with socio-economic and energy conditions similar to those of the municipalities included in the study. Full article

This study aimed to explore the maternal experiences of Korean migrant working women living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to gain an in-depth understanding of the meaning and essence of these experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Korean migrant working women who had experienced pregnancy while living in the UAE and had experience raising their children while living and working in the UAE. The collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. A total of 13 themes were identified from the participants’ maternal experiences and organized into five theme clusters. The five theme clusters were “Transition to Pregnancy and Motherhood in a Foreign Land,” “The Dual Challenges of Childbirth and Recovery in an Unfamiliar Environment,” “Struggling at the Intersection of Work and Motherhood,” “Becoming a Mother in a Foreign Country,” and “Growing into Motherhood Through Diverse Sources of Support.” The findings of this study provide an in-depth understanding of how Korean migrant working women experience and reconstruct motherhood within a migration context and provide foundational evidence for developing culturally appropriate maternal healthcare services and nursing interventions. Full article

With the intention of investigating in further depth the horticultural biodiversity resulting from the selection and conservation effort carried out by farmers (custodians) who are dedicated to growing traditional products, we focused on six local landraces of Brassica rapa L. subsp. sylvestris (L.) Janch.; we conducted analyses addressing the presence of glucosinolates (GLSs), phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity of extracts of B. rapa landraces belonging to three groups with different growth phase behavior from planting to inflorescence appearance in the Salento area (Puglia or Apulia region, Italy). The studies focused on three local landraces known by Salento farmers as cima di rapa cinquantina (two separate accessions, 50SC and 50SD), cima di rapa sessantina (accessions 60SC and 60SD) and rapacaula (accessions rcSD and rcGA). We revealed the presence of eleven different glucosinolates and three main flavonoids, such as kaempferol, quercetin and isorhamnetin derivatives. The distribution and content of glucosinolates and flavonoids varied widely among the different landraces. Glucobrassicanapin was the predominant compound in all landraces, followed by gluconapin, except for 60SC, where the main GLS was the indolic glucobrassicin. Moreover, 50SC, 50SD and 60SC are characterized by the highest flavonoid content and the highest antioxidant capacity. The findings provide the basis for the characterization of B. rapa subsp. sylvestris L. local landraces as a useful source of valuable metabolites for human health, as well as for identifying one landrace with higher nutritional value as a starting point for accession conservation and economic development. Full article

Given the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, endless potential is reshaping how students learn, exceeding the boundaries of time, place and the variety of learning modalities. This study explores the ability of AI personas to replicate or refine the benefits of experiential learning, particularly in crisis-affected educational contexts. By conducting a literature review and qualitative analysis of student reflections and AI-generated dialogue, this research measures how effective the text-based AI personas, developed through carefully crafted prompts and outputs, can simulate real-world field interactions. The study centers on students participating in the Experiential Learning HEHI 303 course as part of the Certificate in Innovation Management in Contexts of Uncertainty at the American University of Beirut, who, as a result of the war outbreak in Lebanon, were unable to conduct fieldwork. In response, AI personas were introduced as alternatives for conducting virtual interviews and stakeholder engagement exercises. The findings imply that while AI personas can demonstrate a degree of emotional authenticity, cultural sensitivity, and contextual relevance, they also show limitations in fully capturing the spontaneity and unpredictability of humans. Instances of bias and lack of depth were observed in some responses. However, the study emphasizes the growing value of AI personas in educational settings especially when physical fieldwork is not feasible, while emphasizing the importance of prompt design and human oversight in AI-mediated learning. Full article

As marine development extends into deep and far-offshore waters, fixed breakwaters become increasingly costly and difficult to construct and may have greater environmental impacts. Floating breakwaters (FBs) offer flexible deployment across a wide range of water depths and have therefore received growing attention. Yet the dominant wave attenuation mechanisms and key hydrodynamic responses differ among FB configurations, making it difficult to compare their performance and select suitable analysis methods. This review examines advances in FB configurations, analysis methods, and hydrodynamic characteristics. It summarizes structural types and shows that FB design has evolved from reliance on principal dimensions and wave reflection toward the combined use of multiple attenuation mechanisms. The applicability and limitations of empirical methods, potential flow methods, computational fluid dynamics, and experimental methods are compared. Structural optimization, mooring system design, wave attenuation mechanisms, and fluid–structure interaction are also reviewed, with attention paid to motions, loads, and local flows. Key unresolved challenges include broadband attenuation of long-period waves, safety under extreme sea states, performance trade-offs in multifunctional systems, and scale effects and prototype validation. By linking FB configuration characteristics with dominant wave attenuation mechanisms, key hydrodynamic responses, and the applicability of different analysis methods, this review provides an integrated comparative framework for evaluating FB performance, selecting appropriate analysis methods, and supporting engineering assessment in deep and far-offshore waters. Full article

Growing global challenges have made it imperative to evaluate economic activities not only in terms of economic growth but also from the perspectives of environmental and social well-being. Within this context, Women’s Production and Business Cooperatives have emerged as critical collective initiatives that support local development. In this study, “Women’s Production and Business Cooperatives” refer to cooperatives established and predominantly managed by women to collectively engage in the production and commercialization of goods and services, generate income and employment opportunities for their members, and promote women’s economic and social empowerment. Hereafter, these organizations are referred to as “women’s cooperatives.” However, studies that comprehensively examine the sustainability practices of women’s cooperatives through the framework of Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line (economic, social, and environmental sustainability) remain limited. From the perspective of Stakeholder Theory, cooperatives are regarded as organizations that extend beyond the pursuit of economic profit by creating value for both internal and external stakeholders, including women, local communities, the environment, consumers, and public institutions. Accordingly, this study aims to provide an in-depth examination of the sustainability practices adopted by women’s cooperatives within these three dimensions, as well as to identify the challenges they encounter. This study adopted a qualitative research design, utilizing in-depth interviews with seven presidents and managers representing women’s cooperatives. The findings suggest that zero-waste practices, the adoption of circular economy principles, and the transition toward green agriculture constitute the primary sustainability initiatives, whereas high technology and packaging costs, together with insufficient institutional collaboration, represent the major challenges to the environmental sustainability. Within the economic sustainability dimension, the findings indicate that the participating cooperatives have increasingly shifted toward industrial production standards, value-added by-products, and business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategies. Nevertheless, rising input and logistics costs, together with unfair competition, continue to pose significant challenges. As relates to social sustainability, the findings highlight intergenerational transmission of cultural heritage, psychosocial recovery, efforts to challenge social prejudice, inter-cooperative solidarity, and the allocation of resources for social benefit, including scholarship support. Overall, the findings reveal that these cooperatives make meaningful contributions to multidimensional sustainability and stakeholder well-being, thereby providing valuable empirical insights into the sustainability literature. Full article

Newcomer youths (i.e., young immigrants, refugees, international students) represent a growing community across Canada, and their transition into school systems is critical to their wellbeing. School integration represents a novel vantage point by which to explore the immigration experiences of newcomer youth who are adjusting to student life. Service providers (e.g., administrative staff, guidance counsellors, settlement workers, etc.) are critical partakers in the school integration of newcomer youth. This qualitative study employed a social constructionist perspective and an integrated social justice lens. The central research questions guiding this inquiry included (1) How do participants understand newcomer youths’ experiences of school integration? And (2) What are the ways in which participants support newcomer students in high schools? In-depth, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with six service providers in one designated high school. A thematic analysis led to the development of five salient themes: (1) supporting academic needs, (2) life outside of school, (3) mental health concerns, (4) connections in school, and (5) gaps in the education system. Results of this study highlight the larger systemic issues that continue to impede the experiences of newcomer youth in schools. Implications for service providers working with newcomer youth in schools are presented. Full article

The electromagnetic spectrum grows increasingly crowded with the rapid expansion of mobile, satellite and Internet of Things communications, making intelligent spectrum sensing and efficient management an urgent priority. Automatic modulation classification (AMC) serves as the core of cognitive radio and intelligent communication. Existing deep models often suffer from a large number of parameters and low storage efficiency. To overcome these limitations, we propose MDSCNet, a multi-scale depth-wise separable complex network. Built upon complex depth-wise separable convolution, the network makes full use of the phase information in in-phase and quadrature signals while naturally preserving the symmetric relationship between the in-phase and quadrature components (IQ). The asymmetric multi-scale structure combined with the embedded lightweight attention module jointly forms the overall feature extraction process. The overall parameter count is kept extremely low, at only 47.739 k. Experiments on the RML2016.10a and RML2016.10b datasets show that MDSCNet delivers recognition performance under low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), reaching 63.42% and 66.71% respectively. More importantly, it outperforms mainstream methods in both parameter count and storage efficiency. Full article

Urban informality in amphibious territories represents a critical yet understudied dimension of contemporary urbanisation in the Global South. This article analyses the interrelations between spatial transformation, social equity, and environmental change in Las Flores, an informal settlement located between the Mallorquín Lagoon and the Magdalena River in Barranquilla, Colombia. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach combining GIS interpretation, participatory mapping, and in-depth interviews, the study examines how processes of informal territorialisation have reshaped both the physical landscape and the social fabric of this amphibious environment. Results indicate that the settlement has expanded progressively over the past two decades, occupying areas of the wetland previously covered by mangroves and natural vegetation. This expansion has been accompanied by environmental degradation, soil infilling, and declining water quality. Residents face persistent infrastructural deficits, limited access to education and healthcare, and increasing social fragmentation between the formal and informal sectors. Yet, the community also exhibits strong organisational capacity, adaptive livelihoods, and a deep sense of place that sustains local identity and resilience. These dynamics exemplify the paradox of amphibious life: coexistence with water as both a resource and a source of vulnerability. Building on these findings, the study develops an urban socio-ecological conceptualisation of Amphibious Justice, a framework for interpreting equity, recognition, and governance in hybrid territories where urbanisation and land–water dynamics intersect. The article proposes a framework of equitable amphibious urbanism that integrates environmental restoration, social inclusion, and participatory governance. The findings suggest that sustainability in such territories cannot be achieved through technocratic restoration or forced resettlement, but through co-produced strategies that recognise local knowledge, tenure security, and ecological stewardship. Ultimately, the case of Las Flores offers insights into how cities in the Global South can pursue just and adaptive coexistence with water amid growing climate and urban pressures. Full article