Abstract:Rainfed sorghum yields fluctuate sharply with mid-season dry spells in semi-arid Zimbabwe. We combined gravimetric soil moisture probes with farmer-managed variety trials over two contrasting seasons. A simple logistic response linked grain yield to cumulative stress days below a critical soil water threshold identified per site. Hybrid entries outperformed landraces primarily when stress arrived late in grain filling. Implications include targeting short-cycle landraces for early drought risk and reserving longer-cycle hybrids when seasonal forecasts favor adequate rainfall.
Abstract:We surveyed early-career faculty and graduate students about data sharing, preregistration, and open access publishing norms at Urgench State University. Response patterns highlight strong interest in open access journals tempered by concerns about article processing charges and local evaluation incentives. Department-level variation correlated with exposure to international collaborations rather than discipline alone. The article proposes a low-cost faculty seminar series paired with template data management plans adapted to regional funding realities. Results may inform similar institutions scaling research capacity.
Abstract:Uncontrolled hypertension remains prevalent in rural western Kenya where clinic visits are infrequent. Nurses sent weekly Kiswahili text prompts reinforcing medication timing and salt reduction goals to adults enrolled in a county facility. Six-month follow-up showed modest but significant improvements in systolic pressure and self-reported adherence compared with usual care. Costs were limited to prepaid airtime bundles coordinated through the facility. Limitations include single-site design and reliance on shared household phones.
Abstract:Agroforestry expansion in southern Armenia may alter bird communities, yet manual point counts are labor intensive. We deployed weatherproof recorders and trained a convolutional embedding model on regionally collected vocalization clips to estimate daily activity indices. Indices covaried with understory height and proximity to irrigation channels in expected directions during spring migration. False positives from wind were reduced using a simple spectral mask tuned on local noise profiles. The method offers a scalable complement to occasional transect surveys for cooperative monitoring networks.
Abstract:Traditional fermented millet porridges remain important in parts of eastern Slovakia but are poorly documented in peer-reviewed literature. We characterized acidification kinetics and volatile compounds for four landrace accessions collected from smallholder cooperatives. Triangle tests with local panels linked slower fermentations to preferred mild sourness in breakfast preparations. The work supports conservation incentives for landraces by demonstrating distinct processing qualities beyond yield metrics alone. Recommendations include simple pH monitoring protocols adaptable on-farm.
Abstract:Informal minibuses dominate travel in Lagos yet official maps omit many corridors. We recruited drivers and conductors to carry low-cost smartphones that logged anonymized GPS segments during revenue shifts. Community validation workshops merged traces with rider interviews to label major stops and congestion hotspots. The resulting open dataset improves accessibility to corridor-level statistics for NGOs and planners without replacing formal surveys. We discuss privacy handling, device sharing, and incentives that sustained participation across three months.
Abstract:We model day-ahead dispatch for a hybrid solar-diesel microgrid serving two highland schools using repurposed electric-vehicle battery packs. Field measurements of classroom and dormitory loads inform a rule-based controller that defers diesel starts during predictable sunny intervals. Results from a six-month trial indicate reduced fuel use and fewer blackouts during evening study hours compared with baseline scheduling. The paper discusses procurement safeguards for second-life modules and training for local operators. Findings are relevant for similar island and highland contexts with volatile cloud cover.
Abstract:This study develops a lightweight calibration workflow for consumer-grade optical particle counters deployed in La Paz street-level monitoring pilots. Paired collocation with reference instruments over twelve weeks yielded posterior estimates of slope and intercept that stabilized day-to-day concentration rankings across three neighborhoods. We show how modest training data can tighten uncertainty bands for PM2.5 indices used in community dashboards without requiring laboratory-grade maintenance. The approach supports municipal pilots that must scale sensors quickly while preserving interpretable error bounds for public communication.
Abstract:The field of earthquake forecasting has flourished with a rich variety of experimental recurrence models developed to identify seismic patterns. Most of these models rely on the stationarity of temporal earthquake distribution. There is however, accumulation of contradictory evidences of non-stationarity over the time. Despite the evidences of non-stationarity, according to some approaches however, even if the earthquake occurrence rate per unit time does not seem to be stationary for a certain period, magnitude range and location, eventually it would be stabilized with time. This would lead to the idea that any current nonstationary distribution could be made up of several overlapping stationary processes, which would eventually produce more stationary earthquake time series. For such a situation, the only question becomes how to identify the overlapping components that make up the nonstationary earthquake time series. In this study, in order to sort the overlapping components Hidden Markov Models (HMM) are utilized. According to the results of the study, the fitting performance of HMM model is found to be promising for future studies
Abstract:Objective: To study the effect of combined application of Information-Knowledge-Belief-Behavior (IKAP) theory continuity care on patients undergoing cerebrovascular interventional surgery based on bundle care.\nMethods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 88 patients who underwent cerebrovascular interventional surgery for cerebrovascular diseases at our hospital from April 2022 to April 2024. According to the nursing interventions they received, the patients were divided into a control group (n=44, receiving bundle care intervention) and an observation group (n=44, receiving combined bundle care and IKAP theory continuity care). The knowledge of disease, psychological resilience [Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)], activities of daily living [Barthel Index (BI)], sleep quality [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)], self-management [Cerebrovascular Disease Self-Management Scale], and satisfaction [Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Services Scale (NSNS)] were compared between the two groups.\nResults: (1) Knowledge of Disease: The disease knowledge awareness rate in the observation group (93.18%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (77.27%) (P<0.05). (2) Psychological Resilience: After intervention, the resilience scores, self-empowerment scores, and optimism scores of both groups increased compared with pre-intervention, with a greater increase observed in the observation group (P<0.05). (3) Activities of Daily Living and Sleep Quality: After intervention, the BI index in both groups increased, and the PSQI score decreased compared with pre-intervention, with a greater change observed in the observation group (P<0.05). (4) Self-Management: After intervention, the scores for disease monitoring, medication management, rehabilitation exercise, diet management, and emotional management in both groups increased compared with pre-intervention, with a greater improvement in the observation group (P<0.05). (5) Satisfaction: The satisfaction rate in the observation group (90.91%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (70.45%) (P<0.05).\nConclusion: The combined application of IKAP theory continuity care based on bundle care can further improve patients\' disease knowledge awareness and self-management ability, enhance psychological resilience, activities of daily living, and sleep quality, and increase the satisfaction and recognition of patients and their families.