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Experts hold a prominent position in guiding and shaping policy-making; however, the nature of expert input to decision-making is a topic of public debate. A key aspect of deliberative processes such as citizens’ juries is the provision of information to participants, usually from expert witnesses. However, there is currently little guidance on some of the challenges that organisers and advocates of citizens’ juries must consider regarding expert involvement, including the role of the witness, issues around witness identification and selection, the format of evidence provision, the evidence itself, and how these factors affect the experience of the participants and the witnesses. Here, we explore these issues through detailed case study of three citizens’ juries on onshore wind farm development in Scotland, including interviews with the witnesses involved. This is complemented by examining a cohort of mini-publics held on energy and the environment topics, and, where possible, discussion with the program organisers. We identify a series of issues and sensitivities that can compromise the effectiveness and fairness of the evidence-giving in mini-publics, for the participants, the witnesses and the organisers. We recommend approaches and areas for future work to address these challenges. This is the first time that the ways of involving witnesses in such processes have been so comprehensively examined, and is timely given the increasing interest in democratic innovations such as mini-publics and the current discourse concerning experts.

Due to urban population growth, dense communities have emerged as a common approach to improve land utilization and minimize resource consumption to foster sustainable development in cities. In densely populated neighborhoods, the accessibility, availability, and appropriateness of amenities play a crucial role in the sustainable development of cities and residents’ quality of life. This study integrates the distribution of amenities within densely populated cities and utilizes residential assessments to analyze the effectiveness of these amenities in meeting the daily needs of residents. This analysis is based on a survey conducted in the three most populated cities in China. The study utilizes two sets of data: amenity distribution information and a questionnaire regarding the state of amenities and residents’ daily needs. The survey began in 2019 and was completed in 2021. A total of 1060 valid questionnaires were collected, with Shanghai accounting for 42%, and Beijing and Chongqing accounting for 30% and 28%, respectively. The findings demonstrate a higher density of amenities in populous areas, indicating a response to the overall requirements of residents. In these areas, the transportation network is extended more widely. Moreover, neighborhoods equipped with outdoor green spaces, ample parking, security services, and accessible public institutions received positive evaluations from residents, as they actively fulfilled their living needs. In neighborhood planning, prioritizing the coverage and quantity of these amenities can enhance the functionality and effectiveness of dense residential areas. This approach promotes sustainable development goals by improving the efficiency of urban resource allocation and establishing a convenient neighborhood environment.

Branch phenotypic traits determine tree crown architecture, which in turn governs leaf display, light interception, and biomass production. Sylleptic and proleptic branches are the obviously different branch phenotypes in the poplar crown. Many studies have focused on the influence of sylleptic branch numbers (SBN) on biomass production, but the research on the influence of proleptic branch phenotypes was only a few. To explore the relationship between proleptic branch traits and biomass generation production in a high-density poplar plantation, we investigated the branch phenotypic traits of three poplar genotypes, all of which have high survival rates in forests (> 95%) and significantly different crown architecture and biomass performance in the high-density plantations (1667 stems ha −1 ). The plantation site was established in 2007. A terrestrial laser scanner was used to measure branch characteristics such as length, angle of origin and termination, and azimuth angle. A hierarchical cluster analysis performed on branch characteristics showed that SBN, crown depth, and proleptic branch curvature (PBC) were clustered with biomass production and leaf area index (LAI). Among all of the monitored traits, PBC played the second most important role in biomass production after SBN and was significantly correlated with SBN, LAI, and biomass production. The positive correlation between PBC and SBN indicated that a larger PBC was associated with more sylleptic branches within the monitored genotypes planted in the high-density plantation, providing greater leaf area and biomass production. The results of this study will improve the identification of high-production poplar varieties for cultivation in high-density plantations for biofuel production.

Background: Bilateral anterior cingulotomy (BAC) constitutes the most commonly performed procedure for treatment of refractory OCD. Evolution of stereotactic procedures has rekindled the interest in the effective management of refractory psychiatric disorders, especially OCD with utmost safety and excellent outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the technique of performing BAC under robotic guidance using radiofrequency ablation with an operative video. Procedure: A 23-year-old gentleman diagnosed with symptoms of OCD for a duration of 8 years and was refractory to conventional therapy. The trajectories for BAC were planned on the robotic platform (ROSA, Zimmer-Biomet, Warsaw, Indiana, USA). The target point was selected on the anterior cingulate, approximately 2 cms posterior to the anterior most point of the frontal horn, 2-3 mm above the corpus callosum and 7 mm lateral to the midline. Pre coronal (1 cm anterior and 3 cms lateral to midline) holes of 2.5 mm diameter were made using pneumatic handheld drill. Radiofrequency (RF) thermocoagulation of the anterior cingulum was performed using an RF probe of 2.2 mm diameter and 4 mm uninsulated tip under robotic guidance after confirming the position with intraoperative O-arm imaging bilaterally. Results: The surgery was uneventful and the patient had a significant improvement following surgery, with the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale of 18 at 1 year follow-up compared to the preoperative score of 36. Conclusion: Robotic-guided BAC is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of drug-refractory OCD. Intraoperative O arm CT augments the precision of the lesions created.

Ever since the index case of COVID-19 was announced in Nigeria, the number of confirmed cases has gradually increased to 46,140 (about 4.5% of total confirmed cases in Africa) as the time of writing this article. This seemingly low number of confirmed cases has provoked heated debates among researchers. This cross-sectional study explores the Nigerian COVID-19 report to expose some links between the number of confirmed cases, testing, and some environmental conditions. The findings reveal that there is no state in Nigeria which has up to 12 confirmed cases per 10,000 population. That means, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is less than 0.15% of the population of people across each state in Nigeria. On the flip side, it was revealed that the proportion of samples tested for COVID-19 is low compared to the population. The percentages ranging from less than 0.1% to a maximum of 0.7% of each state population in which 23 states out of the 37 states are within the less than 0.1% range. Furthermore, there is a substantial correlation (ρ (37)=0.903, p< 0.001) between the confirmed cases and testing. In contrast, no substantial correlation was found between the former with either average temperature or rainfall.

This paper contributes an inclusive review of scientific studies in the field of sustainable human building ecosystems (SHBEs). Reducing energy consumption by making buildings more energy efficient has been touted as an easily attainable approach to promoting carbon-neutral energy societies. Yet, despite significant progress in research and technology development, for new buildings, as energy codes are getting more stringent, more and more technologies, e.g., LED lighting, VRF systems, smart plugs, occupancy-based controls, are used. Nevertheless, the adoption of energy efficient measures in buildings is still limited in the larger context of the developing countries and middle income/low-income population. The objective of Sustainable Human Building Ecosystem Research Coordination Network (SHBE-RCN) is to expand synergistic investigative podium in order to subdue barriers in engineering, architectural design, social and economic perspectives that hinder wider application, adoption and subsequent performance of sustainable building solutions by recognizing the essential role of human behaviors within building-scale ecosystems. Expected long-term outcomes of SHBE-RCN are collaborative ideas for transformative technologies, designs and methods of adoption for future design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings.

In this study, twenty-five heat treatments were conducted at the various treating conditions of five temperatures and five durations. At each treatment, 15 poplar specimens were used. Twelve variables that represented wood color, physical and mechanical properties and durability were measured for both treated and untreated specimens. To evaluate the effect of heat treatment on the wood performance, a comprehensive cluster analysis was applied to the measured variables of treated and untreated specimens. Cluster analysis showed that treating and control specimens can be distinctly classified into 2, 3 or 4 clusters according to the intended purposes. Two clusters can represent the control group and twenty-five testing groups. Four clusters represented the control group and three groups of testing specimens having mild, moderate and severe treating conditions, respectively. At the mild treatment, modulus of rupture (MOR) was reduced <11 %. Wood durability increased to moderate resistant. At the moderate treatment, EMC decreased by 28 %, and MOR was decreased by more than 12 %. In the severe treatment, wood durability increased to resistant or highly resistant; however, its MOR was reduced half.

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu State, India is the fourth most populous metropolitan city in the nation, and the world's 36th largest metropolitan area. This city is facing acute water scarcity since it depends mainly on the North East monsoon (October-December) rain. As per the WHO norm of domestic water supply along with 20% of domestic use for industrial purpose, Chennai needs 807 million litre per day (MLD) for the present 4.98 million people and 1,455 MLD in 2050 for the 8.98 million projected population. There is about 2,018 MLD of water by different sources to the city. However, the dependable water resource from to this city is only 730 MLD and hence the present deficit is 77 MLD and 725 MLD in 2050. However, through ‘Urban resilient’ integrated water resources management pathways, it is possible to generate or save about 4,225 MLD of water to this city and bridge the water supply demand gap.

TaLEA ( Tamarix androssowii late embryogenesis abundant gene, DQ663481 ) gene was introduced into Populus simonii  ×  Populus nigra by Agrobacterium tumefaciens -mediated transformation with the aim of improving salt-tolerance . Among the 15 transgenic lines, one showed a dwarf phenotype ( dwf1 ). Under the same growth conditions, dwf1 height was significantly reduced compared with the wild-type and the other transgenic lines. The mechanisms underlying this effect were investigated in mutant and wild-type plants using a label-free quantitative proteomics approach. Among proteins that identified, 99 were significantly altered. With the exception of proteins with unidentified or unclassified functions, these proteins were classified into eight groups based on gene product subcellular localization and biological process (metabolism, stress, protein synthesis and degradation, transcriptional regulation, cell fate, transportation, cell wall, and cytoskeleton). Differential expression patterns were identified for key enzymes involved in major metabolic pathways such as the Calvin cycle and glycolysis, thus indicating the interplay of complex molecular events in generation of the dwf1 mutant. Overall, the differentially expressed proteins in dwf1 might provide some useful insights into the dwarf formation.