44 research outputs found
Understanding the impacts of overexploitation on the Salento aquifer: A Comprehensive review through well data analysis
No full textThe Salento aquifer located in the Salento Peninsula in Southern Italy plays a vital role in supporting various sectors like agriculture, economy, and tourism. However, the aquifer has faced escalating challenges from rising water abstraction, falling piezometric levels, and saltwater intrusion for decades. This comprehensive review identifies the varied drivers of increased water abstraction like intensified agricultural activities and expanding tourism, through well data analysis, geological and hydrogeological studies, alongside evaluations of land use patterns, water consumption trends, and meteorological records. The study compares the findings of previous research, which have consistently shown a downward trend in the piezometric levels of the aquifer over several decades, confirming that this decline persists to the present day. The analysis of new and historical well data is combined with existing studies to explore the complex interactions between climate change and human impacts on the aquifer, providing general recommendations for sustainable aquifer management
A Hydrological and Hydrochemical Study of the Gudiyalchay River: Understanding Groundwater–River Interactions
No full textThe Gudiyalchay River plays a crucial role in the environment and human activities of the Guba area in north-eastern Azerbaijan, supporting agriculture and the local water supply. Despite its significance, the river has received little scientific attention. The groundwater beneath the Gudiyalchay riverbeds, a vital source of drinking water and the second primary source of river recharge after snowmelt, remains insufficiently studied, with most monitoring data being outdated. With climate change intensifying, such research is critical to mitigating potential water risks. In this work, all available geological, hydrogeological, climatic, and hydrochemical data were collected to characterize the study area and analyze the seasonal fluctuations in river flow and total dissolved solid (TDS) values, with a focus on the interactions between the river and groundwater at the Khinaliq, Giriz, and Kupchal flow stations. The analysis shows that both river and groundwater TDS values are within acceptable drinking water limits, but continuous data collection is important to confirm this. Flow rate analysis and a literature review revealed that variations in flow rate are linked to seasonal changes, with the flow rate near the Giriz station indicating potential groundwater influence. Based on the literature review and analysis, a simplified hydrogeological diagram is created to provide a clearer understanding of the interactions between the river and groundwater systems
Use of Project-Based Learning in Preparation of Education Managers: Case of Post-Soviet Azerbaijan
No full textThis study explores the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in Master of Education Management Programs in two Azerbaijani universities. The aim was to find out if the sample universities integrate projects into their programs using a systematic PBL model. Interviews with the faculty and administration were conducted and the curricula of programs were scrutinized to assess the level of the consistency in the subjects on offer. Although the courses in both programs are quite suitable for PBL integration, only in one of the sample universities was there evidence of extensive use of projects, albeit mainly in a single assignment level. The results show that Azerbaijani universities need to develop a well-structured PBL model adapted to the local context. The results of the interviews emphasize the crucial role of PBL in the acquisition of employable skills and competences in education management. Major limitations in the process of PBL implementation include a lack of awareness about PBL, inadequate organizational support in the form of staff trainings, the provision of facilities and negotiations with stakeholders.  
Decision Making on Oil Extraction under Z-information
No full textAbstractIn modern conditions, the refining process is complicated and ambiguous, requiring a precise knowledge of all the internal and external factors. However, in many cases, it is impossible to get complete information. Therefore, the process of oil production takes place in conditions of uncertainty accompanying the various situations. A partial absence of beliefs and fuzziness are some of the aspects of uncertainty. In this paper we consider a somewhat different framework for representing our knowledge. Zadeh suggested a Z-number notion, based on a reliability of the given information. In this study we apply Z- information to decision making on oil extraction problem and suggest the framework for decision making on a base of Z-numbers. The method associates with the construction of a non-additive measure as a lower prevision and uses this capacity in Choquet integral for constructing a utility function
Systems that evaluate international equivalency in health-related professions: a scoping review with a focus on Canada
No full textHealth workforce planning has become a significant global problem considering there are estimates of an 18 million healthcare provider shortfall by 2030. There are two mechanisms to address healthcare worker shortages: (1) domestic education of those professions and (2) integration of internationally educated health professionals. Integration of internationally educated health professionals into the Canadian healthcare system requires: (1) reductions in systemic and administrative barriers and (2) development, testing, and implementation of credential equivalency recognition systems. The goal of this scoping review was to identify systems that are employed to determine credential equivalency, with a focus on Canada. The scoping review was carried by employing: (1) a systematic literature search (9) and (2) a website and grey literature Google search of professional governing bodies from a selection of medical/allied healthcare professions, but also other non-medical professions, such as law, engineering and accounting. Seven databases were searched to identify relevant sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, PsycINFO, SPORT Discus, Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, and SCOPUS. The search strategy combined keyword, text terms, and medical subject headings (MeSH) and was carried out with the help of a health sciences librarian. Seven articles were included in the final manuscript review from the following professions: nursing; psychology; engineering; pharmacy; and multiple health professions. Twenty-four health-related professional governing body websites were hand searched to determine systems to evaluate international equivalency. There were many systems employed to determine equivalency, but there were no systems that were automated or that employed machine-learning or artificial intelligence to guide the evaluation process.Peer reviewedcompetenceprofessionalhealth workforceimmigrationequivalenc
Reduced Retinal Thickness Predicts Age-Related Changes in Cognitive Function
No full textCurrently, there is a lack of biomarkers to identify individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A preponderance of evidence suggests that neurodegenerative processes that affect the brain, may also affect the retina. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), a non-invasive approach, many have shown thinning of the retina in AD and the developmental precursor to AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the relationship between retinal thickness and cognitive function is not entirely clear. This is likely due to the disparity in diagnostic criteria used to determine MCI that does not fully probe the cognitive domains that are particularly vulnerable to aging. This study used a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment involving multiple domains of cognition to determine if retinal thickness correlates with cognitive performance in a normal aged population. In this study, 20 healthy individuals between 60 and 90 years of age were administered neuropsychological assessments probing various domains of cognitive function, and OCT to measure peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. We found that RNFL thickness is correlated with neuropsychological performance in multiple cognitive domains (e.g., working memory, psychomotor speed, and executive function). Our work demonstrates a positive correlation between RNFL thickness and several, but not all, domains of cognitive function in a normative aging population. By determining which cognitive domains retinal thickness can predict, this work can help identify individuals at risk or in preclinical stages of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.This article is published as Mammadova, N., Neppl, T. K., Denburg, N. L., & Greenlee, M. H. W. (2020). Reduced retinal thickness predicts age-related changes in cognitive function. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 12; 81. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00081. Posted with permission. © 2020 Mammadova, Neppl, Denburg and West Greenlee. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.<br
DEVELOPMENT OF THE METHODS FOR CALCULATING THE MAIN INDICATORS OF HEAT ISLANDS IN URBAN AREAS
No full textThe article is dedicated to the methods developed to calculate the main parameters of “heat islands” that appear in densely built-up urban area. Although remote sensing imaging is ideally used to track and detect frequent land cover changes in urban and surrounding areas as a result of sustainable urbanization and to calculate key parameters of "heat islands" seen in densely populated urban areas, satellite imagery is digitally manually The transformation of a parametric image into a land cover map using existing methods of classification is a long process, and therefore methods are proposed to determine the main indicators of the impact of "heat islands" in urban areas. A modified building density index has been formulated, which is highly informative, involving: (a) the proposed index reaches an extremum when the known building density index BDI and NDVI are equalized, (b) when the specified maximum is reached, it is easy to calculate the LST indicator using the known regression dependences of BDI and NDVI from LST. The method has been developed to calculate the area of “heat islands” on the base of the equivalent radius calculation using the known dependence function of the building density on the distance to the center of the urban area. Our study shows that the distribution of buildings and the slope of the relief affect the surface temperature (LST), in addition, the ratios of different LSTs vary in cities of different sizes, and each city has a temperature difference in LSTs, so the urban heating island To reduce the impact, it is important to identify the characteristics of the thermal environment in cities of different sizes. Urban greening is increasingly valued by cities around the world as an effective measure to reduce the negative effects of the urban heating islands, with different numbers and types of landscape dimensions, different statistical methods used in different surveys, as well as metric scale dependence and contextual differences between cities and we can overcome these challenges by conducting comparative research on time and space using a consistent methodology
The Relationship Between Social Phobia And Attachment Styles In Adolescents
No full textThe code of major 060209 - Psychology
The name of specialty Clinical Psychology Supervisor: PhD in psychology, docent
Lala JabbarovaIn the presented dissertation, the relationship between social phobia and attachment in
adolescents was experimentally studied.
The research work consists of introduction, three chapters, ten sub-chapters, conclusion,
references and appendices. The research group of the dissertation consists of 60 high school
students.
In the first chapter, social phobia was analyzed in a general way, information was given
about what causes social phobia and how it arises. Also, an analysis was made about how social
phobia manifests itself in teenagers and its characteristics.
In the second chapter, scientific-theoretical aspects of the attachment problem were
discussed. In this chapter, the relationship and characteristics between social phobia and
attachment are mentioned. Finally, information about the role of attachment styles in the
formation of personality was mentioned.
The 3rd chapter of the research work, certain studies were conducted. The Social Phobia
Scale (Liebowitz), researcher-made Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, Adolescent Social Phobia
Scale (Greca and Lopez) and Adolescent Relationship Scale Questionnaire (Bartholomew,
Horowitz, Griffin and Horowitz) were used as data collection tools in the study.
As a result of the analysis, it was recorded whether social phobia changes based on some
characteristics, along with the relationship between Social Phobia and Attachment styles.
As a result of the study, it was considered that there is a significant relationship between
social phobia and attachment styles. It was taken into account that the social phobia or attachment
styles that arise in teenagers do not differ based on the educational level of their parents. SPSS
software was used to conduct a mathematical-statistical analysis of the research results.According to the results obtained in the study, it was determined that there is a relationship
between social phobia and attachment styles in adolescents
STUDY OF INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IN CITIES OF AZERBAIJAN AS THE SOURCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
No full textThe author studied the industrial sector and environmental pollution caused by it. Interaction of this pollution with meteorological conditions in industrial cities of Azerbaijan has been determined and analysed
STUDY OF INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IN CITIES OF AZERBAIJAN AS A SOURCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
No full textThe author studied the industrial sector and environmental pollution caused by it. Interaction of this pollution with meteorological conditions in industrial cities of Azerbaijan has been determined and analyzed
