Search Results (35)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska communities faced an extremely challenging situation given their socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic characteristics, as well as issues related to remoteness and colonial legacy. This paper seeks to advance the understanding of the gendered impacts and implications of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous women in Alaskan urban and rural communities through a resilience lens. The paper addresses two primary research questions: (1) What are the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous women in urban and rural Alaska, and specifically what are the gendered implications in the personal, sociocultural, and economic domains? (2) What are the strengths associated with women’s responses to COVID-19 that contribute to individual and community resilience during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and what are the constraints? This research is based on seventeen in-depth thematic interviews conducted in the city of Anchorage, the hub community of Nome, and its neighboring rural communities on the Seward Peninsula. Using the deficit-based approach combined with a strength-based perspective, this study provides a comprehensive examination of Indigenous women experiences during the pandemic across key domains of gendered impacts and responses, also providing a first-ever analysis of differences between rural and urban settings. The results revealed that despite significant challenges in personal, sociocultural, and economic domains, women demonstrated resilience and resourcefulness, while serving as caregivers at home and across their communities. The Indigenous holistic concepts of health and well-being, along with values of care, mutual support, and strong social and kinship ties, combined with traditional land- and water-based activities and cultural practices, play a crucial role in times of crisis, significantly contributing to building resilience and fostering empowerment at both the individual and community levels. Full article

This study explores how traditional ecological knowledge in Chile can contribute to adaptation strategies within increasingly complex socio-ecological landscapes. It addresses the need for innovative approaches to knowledge production and application in the face of climate change and related crises. Through an exploratory, multi-sited qualitative methodology—integrating ethnographic observation, participatory methods, and in-depth interviews across various regions—this research identifies patterns, contrasts, and synergies in TEK practices related to water management, agroecology, community resource governance, and cultural heritage. The results show that TEK is not a static repository but rather a set of dynamic and adaptive practices and understandings shaped over centuries of interaction with heterogeneous environments. Although pressures such as migration, industrialization, resource privatization, and climatic threats endanger its continuity, TEK demonstrates the ability to integrate with scientific and political frameworks, enabling culturally relevant adaptation driven by local communities. These findings highlight the relevance of relational and transdisciplinary approaches to reduce epistemic gaps, foster cooperation, and guide more equitable, multi-level environmental governance. In conclusion, strengthening TEK’s role—through supportive policies, collaborative research, and inclusive dialogues—can enhance resilience, guide sustainable transitions, and enrich global adaptation strategies that respect local contexts and cultural diversity, thereby advancing progress toward the SDGs. Full article

As global food demand rises, urban agriculture models, such as vertical and terrace farming, have gained traction, especially amid crises like the Ukraine war and COVID-19 pandemic. Climate change remains the most significant threat to global food security. According to the latest FAO analysis, which encompasses assessments from 1990 to 2023, approximately 40% of economic losses resulting from climate-related hazards, including droughts and floods, have impacted the agriculture sector. This has reduced yields, increased production costs, and worsened food insecurity, affecting millions. Urban gardens offer a solution, enhancing food resilience. A systematic PRISMA-based review analyzed studies from Scopus and reports from organizations like the FAO. Over 3329 documents were reviewed. Publications on food resilience grew by 50% in four years, with the US leading with 700 projects. Agricultural and biological sciences dominate research (45%). Urban gardens focus on educating communities about food security and improving food systems. Mobile gardens with portable labs maximize urban spaces, turning rooftops and terraces into productive areas. These initiatives empower communities to grow food, promote nutrition education, and foster social connections. Urban gardens, though not fully sustainable, as they can consume up to 35% more energy per kg of food than optimized traditional farms and generate a 20–40% higher carbon footprint if using imported substrates or plastics, are key for resilient food systems, yielding up to 20 kg/m²/year, reducing transport emissions by 68% (vs. 2400 km supply chains), and using 90% less water than conventional agriculture. Full article

Electrochemical water splitting is a feasible and effective method for attaining hydrogen, offering a mechanism for renewable energy solutions to combat the world’s energy crises due to the scarcity of fossil fuels. Evidently, the viability and stability of the electrocatalysts are fundamental to the electrochemical water-splitting process. However, the net efficiency of this process is noticeably hindered by the kinetic drawbacks related to the OER. Hence, NiFe LDH has been widely used as a highly efficient OER and HER catalyst material due to its unique nanostructure, tunable composition, and favorable electronic structure. This review offers a systematic analysis of the latest progress in the fabrication of functional NiFe LDH catalysts and associated fabrication strategies, structure optimizations, and performance improvements. Special emphasis is given to understanding the role of nanostructure engineering in increasing active site accessibility, enhancing the effectiveness of subsequent electron transfer, and boosting the intrinsic catalytic activity for HER and OER. Moreover, we discuss the influence of doping, defects, and the formation of heterostructures with other materials on the OER and HER activities of NiFe LDHs. Additional accounts of basic structures and the OER and HER catalytic activities are provided, along with an enhanced theoretical understanding based on DFT studies on the NiFe LDH. Moreover, the limitations and potential developments of the work focus on the need for existing synthesis approaches, the stability of the NiFe LDH catalysts, and their insertion into working electrochemical processes. This review is a comprehensive analysis of the current state of research and developments in the use of NiFe LDH catalysts for the electrochemical water-splitting process to foster improved development of sustainable hydrogen sources in the future. Full article

Effective water management is crucial for ensuring water security and addressing supply crises. This study evaluates how Social Distancing Policies (SDPs), implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced water net inflow patterns in the supply system of Maringá, Brazil. Using a limited dataset, hourly water intake and net inflow data were analyzed across nine supply zones with distinct regional characteristics (e.g., residential and commercial areas), highlighting changes in water demand driven by SDPs and climatic variables. Results indicate an increase in net inflow in residential zones of 1.87% to 8.44%, while commercial zones experienced a decrease of up to 6.41%. Station arity tests confirmed long-term stability in most zones, with notable variability in residential areas. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the effects of temperature had the most significant influence on net inflow, surpassing the effects of precipitation and SDPs. These findings suggest that SDPs and health-related factors play a minor role in water distribution planning compared to climate variables, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies that account for regional characteristics and support decision-making in resource-constrained environments. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global daily life, including the world of elite athletes. This paper examines the multifaceted impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on elite swimmers and water polo athletes, specifically their mental health, their concerns over the virus, their intentions of getting vaccinated, and sleep disturbances that they may have faced. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on elite swimmers and water polo players, using an anonymous questionnaire. Results: A total of 200 elite athletes participated. The majority of the participants reported a negative impact on their mental health, screened positive for insomnia (n = 107 (53.5%), with females (n = 101; 57.7%), swimmers (n = 100, 66.7%), and university students (n = 71, 71.7%) being more vulnerable (p < 0.001). Concerns about contracting the disease especially during important training or tournament periods and potential career disruption also affected their psychological well-being. While the majority (75%) had the intention of getting vaccinated, an alarming percentage was yet uncertain over its decision. Conclusions: This study highlights the significant psychological distress faced by elite aquatic athletes during the pandemic. It emphasizes the difficulties faced by elite swimmers and water polo athletes and determines not only the importance of addressing the vaccination intentions of athletes, but also how critical it is to confront the challenges they face both for their personal health and for the restoration of world sports to their pre-pandemic state. More large-scale studies are required to inform policies targeted at minimizing disruption to the athletes’ career, provision of information on preventive measures and vaccination, and improvement in psychological well-being in case of similar major public health issues in the future. Additionally, this study calls for further research to explore the unique challenges faced by aquatic athletes, such as those related to their training environments and fear of contagion, to better support them in future public health crises. Full article

This study aims to analyze the drivers behind price changes in agricultural products in Türkiye from 2002 to 2021, considering the impacts of three crises of different causes which are the global food crisis, the Russia–Türkiye aircraft crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential factors are categorized into four subgroups: governmental effects, agricultural inputs, macroeconomic indicators, and climatic conditions. The selected agricultural goods for price change measurement include wheat and maize representing subsistence goods, and olive oil and cotton as marketing goods. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is applied to observe both the short- and long-term impacts of the variables on price developments. The results suggest that government effectiveness, regulatory quality, nitrogen use, water price, money supply, exchange rate, and GDP under the related categories are the most effective factors in price changes. Among the variables under the category of climatic conditions, significant values are obtained only in the analysis of the temperature impact on olive oil. The analysis also reveals the variable impact of crises on the prices of the chosen products, depending on the goods involved. The maize and wheat analyses yield particularly noteworthy results. In the long run, nitrogen use demonstrates a substantial positive impact, registering at 29% for wheat and 19.47% for maize, respectively. Conversely, GDP exhibits a significant negative impact, with 26.15% and 20.08%. Short-term observations reveal that a unit increase in the governmental effect leads to a reduction in inflation for these products by 17.01% and 21.42%. However, changes in regulatory quality result in an increase in inflation by 25.45% and 20.77% for these products, respectively. Full article

Water electrolysis is an important alternative technology for large-scale hydrogen production to facilitate the development of green energy technology. As such, many efforts have been devoted over the past three decades to producing novel electrocatalysis with strong electrochemical (EC) performance using inexpensive electrocatalysts. Transition metal oxyhydroxide (OxH)-based electrocatalysts have received substantial interest, and prominent results have been achieved for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under alkaline conditions. Herein, the extensive research focusing on the discussion of OxH-based electrocatalysts is comprehensively highlighted. The general forms of the water-splitting mechanism are described to provide a profound understanding of the mechanism, and their scaling relation activities for OxH electrode materials are given. This paper summarizes the current developments on the EC performance of transition metal OxHs, rare metal OxHs, polymers, and MXene-supported OxH-based electrocatalysts. Additionally, an outline of the suggested HER, OER, and water-splitting processes on transition metal OxH-based electrocatalysts, their primary applications, existing problems, and their EC performance prospects are discussed. Furthermore, this review article discusses the production of energy sources from the proton and electron transfer processes. The highlighted electrocatalysts have received substantial interest to boost the synergetic electrochemical effects to improve the economy of the use of hydrogen, which is one of best ways to fulfill the global energy requirements and address environmental crises. This article also provides useful information regarding the development of OxH electrodes with a hierarchical nanostructure for the water-splitting reaction. Finally, the challenges with the reaction and perspectives for the future development of OxH are elaborated. Full article

Water shortage and its interconnected and integrated management is one of the life crises in recent years. Factors such as population growth, plurality of population needs, traditional farming methods, climate change, and water waste are among the contributing factors to this crisis. The complexity of water sources and consumption systems makes the management and decision-making related to this resource very difficult. This research aims to study the effective factors in the water sources and consumption system of Rafsanjan city and suggests a simulated model of water shortage and its causes. In this research, water shortage crises were simulated using system dynamics. Important variables of the water shortage crisis are identified and optimized using the Design of Experiments (DOE) method. Vensim software was considered to illustrate the simulations of five scenarios aiming at better managing water resources and dealing with the water shortage crisis in this city. Full article

As conflict, climate shocks, and land/water degradation—the “triple challenge”—continue to exert increasing pressure upon fishing and farming livelihoods in many developing countries, a need exists to better understand how differential vulnerabilities undermine or amplify food security outcomes. In this study, we investigate how vulnerability to the “triple challenge” affect food security using an in-depth case study approach that merges social statistics and quantitative data analysis. We frame vulnerability using a combination of sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity, and operationalize food security using the FAO Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), which is an experience-based measure capturing the food access dimension of food security. We draw on survey data from 252 fishing and 251 farming households in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and quantify the different components of vulnerability, deriving specific livelihood-related vulnerability scores. By merging and analyzing differential food security variables and vulnerability scores using ordered logistic models, we find that vulnerability to the “triple challenge” increases the probability of being in a severe food insecure state, particularly for households with a high dependency ratio. Parallel to this finding, we note that access to social capital and opportunities for livelihood diversification could drive gains in income, enhancing the capacity of households to attain a food-secure status in the face of recurrent instabilities. This study advances vulnerability literacy in food-insecure contexts and reveals ways to support populations on the frontline of interacting conflict, climate, and environmental crises. Full article

(1) Background: Water security is at the front and center of climate change, human security, and sustainable development in regions and communities with competing water usage contexts, climate change effects, and cross-border water-sharing agreements, resulting in conflicts arising. Shared water agreements are affected by geopolitics, segregation, water availability, and access rights. Climate change can worsen water problems by changing precipitation trends or causing droughts. (2) Methods: Document and content analysis and primary and secondary data assessment were used to develop spatio-temporal patterns. In establishing a water security narrative for the region, the selection of SDG 6 (water) and SDG 13 (climate action) targets and indicators was also evaluated. UN-Water’s 2013 water security conceptual framework was used to examine water and climate security concerns and give a set of principles to assess gaps and fulfill needs toward a ‘water security future’ for communities and states in the region. Also, hydro-political perspectives in the region or state were evaluated using discourse analysis and guiding notes from emerging scholarship to support suggestions and prospective solutions toward mitigating water insecurity and risks from climate change and disasters, including resource (water) related conflicts. (3) Results: Hydro-hegemony keeps the water sector in one state under massive stress, and the lack of consensus-building for the regional water agenda continues to breed conflicts between communities and states. (4) Conclusions: We reiterate that the escalating water and climate crises will deepen, and at the national and local scale for OPT, the restrictions and geopolitical tensions about shared waters can render coping and adaptation mechanisms for people and stakeholders challenging. Full article

With global warming and regional decreases in precipitation, drought has become a problem worldwide. As the number of arid regions in the world is increasing, drought has become a major factor leading to significant crop yield reductions and food crises. Soybean is a crop that is relatively sensitive to drought. It is also a crop that requires more water during growth and development. The aim of this study was to identify the quantitative trait locus (QTL) that affects drought tolerance in soybean by using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population from a cross between the drought-tolerant cultivar ‘Jindou21’ and the drought-sensitive cultivar ‘Zhongdou33’. Nine agronomic and physiological traits were identified under drought and well-watered conditions. Genetic maps were constructed with 923,420 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers distributed on 20 chromosomes at an average genetic distance of 0.57 centimorgan (cM) between markers. A total of five QTLs with a logarithm of odds (LOD) value of 4.035–8.681 were identified on five chromosomes. Under well-watered conditions and drought-stress conditions, one QTL related to the main stem node number was located on chromosome 16, accounting for 17.177% of the phenotypic variation. Nine candidate genes for drought resistance were screened from this QTL, namely Glyma.16G036700, Glyma.16G036400, Glyma.16G036600, Glyma.16G036800, Glyma.13G312700, Glyma.13G312800, Glyma.16G042900, Glyma.16G043200, and Glyma.15G100700. These genes were annotated as NAC transport factor, GATA transport factor, and BTB/POZ-MATH proteins. This result can be used for molecular marker-assisted selection and provide a reference for breeding for drought tolerance in soybean. Full article

Using Demographic and Health Surveys, this study examined the impact of clean water and improved sanitation on child morality in five South Asian countries. South Asia is the region with the second most public health crises due to the utilization of unsafe water and sanitation, only second to Sub-Saharan Africa. Logistic regression models suggest that access to improved water and sanitation is significantly associated with a lower probability of child mortality, especially during the post-neonatal period. Although increased parental educational attainment and household wealth reduce the risk of child mortality, the combined household wealth and place of residence variable revealed the higher risk of mortality for children living in urban areas than rural areas. These findings emphasize the importance of the access to clean water and improved sanitation to reduce the number of children dying due to water-related diseases. Additionally, they suggest the need for additional research on the contribution of clean water and improved sanitation to achieve the global goals of child mortality reduction, especially the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

From the mid-1990s onwards, the concept of competitiveness was introduced to firms at the level of countries, regions, and cities. It was used as an index of the success and superiority of places. The present study used quantitative (survey) and qualitative methods in the framework of the exploratory paradigm to achieve key driving variables affecting the competitiveness of Kermanshah. The present study was applied in terms of its purpose and descriptive–analytical nature and research method. The study’s statistical population consisted of experts related to the Kermanshah competitiveness index, which studied 30 experts using the snowball method. MICMAC software was used to analyze the research data. Findings indicated that out of a total of 54 variables affecting the competitiveness of Kermanshah, 11 variables were in this group, which were the role of Kermanshah city in the power structure (MIN1); geographical and strategic location (MIN4); national, regional, and local plans (MIN5); management (MIN6); clean and healthy air (ENV1); potential sources of soil and water (ENV2); security of space (SEC2); the agricultural sector (ECO7); domestic tourism (ECO16); foreign tourism (ECO17); and sustainable sources of income (ECO19). The final model of Kermanshah’s future competitiveness will be that in the first stage, if the government (administration and government structure), in the form of national, regional, and local programs, pays attention to the competitive advantages of places. Especially, in large cities, and eliminating regional inequalities and in the next stage, local government (officials, managers, and all planners as the executive department) will need to act in order to operationalize the competitiveness of the city. With the correct use of opportunities and potentials (economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and security), in the 20-year horizon, Kermanshah will be a city with national and even transnational competitiveness. Otherwise, in addition to burning opportunities and destroying the capabilities of Kermanshah, other places adjacent to Kermanshah province will gradually be involved in challenges; tensions; and economic, cultural, social, environmental, security, and other crises. Full article

Atomic and radiological crises can be caused by accidents, military activities, terrorist assaults involving atomic installations, the explosion of nuclear devices, or the utilization of concealed radiation exposure devices. Direct damage is caused when radiation interacts directly with cellular components. Indirect effects are mainly caused by the generation of reactive oxygen species due to radiolysis of water molecules. Acute and persistent oxidative stress associates to radiation-induced biological damages. Biological impacts of atomic radiation exposure can be deterministic (in a period range a posteriori of the event and because of destructive tissue/organ harm) or stochastic (irregular, for example cell mutation related pathologies and heritable infections). Potential countermeasures according to a specific scenario require considering basic issues, e.g., the type of radiation, people directly affected and first responders, range of doses received and whether the exposure or contamination has affected the total body or is partial. This review focuses on available medical countermeasures (radioprotectors, radiomitigators, radionuclide scavengers), biodosimetry (biological and biophysical techniques that can be quantitatively correlated with the magnitude of the radiation dose received), and strategies to implement the response to an accidental radiation exposure. In the case of large-scale atomic or radiological events, the most ideal choice for triage, dose assessment and victim classification, is the utilization of global biodosimetry networks, in combination with the automation of strategies based on modular platforms. Full article