Solar energy is a reliable and abundant resource for both heating and power generation. The current research examines how the novel class of nano-embedded Bees wax phase change materials (NEBPCMs) improves heat storage qualities. The synthetic NEBPCMs were subjected to experimental testing using, XRD, Bees wax and Al2O3 FESEM. A typical solar water heating system features a flat plate collector unit incorporating Bees Wax phase change material (NEBPCM) combined with varying concentrations of Al2O3 (0.01%, 0.015%, and 0.02%). The absorber plate surface is coated with a Nano-hybrid coating consisting of Black Paint, Al2O3, and additional Fe3O4 at a 2% concentration. Pure water is frequently used in these solar water heaters (SWH), with performance evaluations conducted using different Bees Wax and Al2O3 concentrations of NEBPCM (Bees Wax + Al2O3). The system’s efficiency is assessed across different flow rates (60, 90, and 120 kg/hr) and tilt angles (15, 30, and 45 degrees). This study aims to examine the feasibility of using PCMs to store solar energy for night time water heating, ensuring a continuous supply of hot water maximum efficiency achieved by using NEBPCM in solar water heater 52.26% at a flow rate of 120 Kg/hr, at angle of 45 degrees and Concentration 0.015%.
Soil erosion is characterized by the wearing away or loss of the uppermost layer of soil, driven by water, wind, and human activities. This process constitutes a significant environmental issue, with adverse effects on water quality, soil health, and the overall stability of ecosystems across the globe. This study focuses on the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, India, employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to estimate and spatially analyze soil erosion and fertility risk. The various factors of the model, like rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), conservation practices (P), and cover management factor (C), have been computed to measure annual soil loss in the district. Each factor was derived using geospatial datasets, including rainfall records, soil characteristics, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), land use/land cover (LULC) data, and information on conservation practices. GIS methods are used to map the geographical variation of soil erosion, providing important information on the area's most susceptible to erosion. The outcome of the study reveals that 3371.23 km2, which constitutes 91% of the district's total area, is identified as having mild soil erosion; in contrast, 154 km2, or 4%, is classified as moderate soil erosion, while 92 km2, representing 2.5%, falls under the high soil erosion category. Additionally, 50 km2, or 1.35%, is categorized as very high soil erosion and around 30 km2 of the study area is classified as experiencing severe soil erosion. The analysis further discovers that the annual soil loss in the district varies between 0 and 151 tons per hectare per year. This study indicates that most of the district is classified under low soil erosion; only a tiny fraction of the area is categorized as experiencing high and very high soil erosion. The study provides significant insights into soil erosion for policymakers and human society to bring their attention to the need for sustainable soil conservation practices in the undulating terrain/topography and agriculturally dominated district of Anuppur.
HRIS is a crucial tool for HR departments as it provides a digital platform for managing and automating various HR functions. HRIS is a comprehensive solution that integrates HRM functions with IT, enhancing the daily operations of HR professionals. In today’s knowledge-based economy, business success relies heavily on the performance of its human resources, which are essential in a rapidly changing global environment. Businesses continually strive to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving technology landscape to thrive in the market. Some scholars have highlighted the negative impact of Human Resource Information Systems, primarily focusing on the invasion of privacy as the main disadvantage. The study indicates that implementing a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) enhances business performance in the tourism and hospitality industry of the Maldives. It highlights that user satisfaction and ease of use are positively influenced by these systems. The research surveyed 211 professionals and managers from the Maldives tourism and hospitality sector using a Likert Scale questionnaire to assess the impact of the HRIS on business performance. The study used SPSS 22.0 to analyze the impact of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) on the dependent variable. The findings indicate that managerial personnel and human resource specialists in organisations find a user-friendly and satisfying HRIS motivating and beneficial for enhancing their performance. Organisations implement the HRIS to achieve their goals, identify system shortcomings, and develop strategies to improve business performance in the Maldives’ tourism and hospitality sector.
Disaster Risk Management benefits from innovative techniques including AI and Multi Sensor Fusion. The Firefguard Approach uses such technologies to improve the Wildfire Management works in Saxony, Eastern Germany by supporting standing efforts in Early Warning, Disaster Response and Monitoring. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) play a vital role in providing real-time information via a 5G network to a central information management system that delivers geospatial information to response teams. This study highlights the potential of combining UAS, AI, geospatial solutions and existing data for real-time wildfire monitoring and risk assessment systems.
Mangrove forests are vital to coastal protection, biodiversity support, and climate regulation. In the Niger Delta, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by oil spill incidents linked to intensive petroleum activities. This study investigates the extent of mangrove degradation between 1986 and 2022 in the lower Niger Delta, specifically the region between the San Bartolomeo and Imo Rivers, using remote sensing and machine learning. Landsat 5 TM (1986) and Landsat 8 OLI (2022) imagery were classified using the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm. Classification accuracy was high, with overall accuracies of 98% (1986) and 99% (2022) and Kappa coefficients of 0.97 and 0.98. Healthy mangrove cover declined from 2804.37 km2 (58%) to 2509.18 km2 (52%), while degraded mangroves increased from 72.03 km2 (1%) to 327.35 km2 (7%), reflecting a 354.46% rise. Water bodies expanded by 101.17 km2 (5.61%), potentially due to dredging, erosion, and sea-level rise. Built-up areas declined from 131.85 km2 to 61.14 km2, possibly reflecting socio-environmental displacement. Statistical analyses, including Chi-square (χ2 = 1091.33, p < 0.001) and Kendall's Tau (τ = 1, p < 0.001), showed strong correlations between oil spills and mangrove degradation. From 2012 to 2022, over 21,914 barrels of oil were spilled, with only 38% recovered. Although paired t-tests and ANOVA results indicated no statistically significant changes at broad scales, localized ecological shifts remain severe. These findings highlight the urgent need for integrated environmental policies and restoration efforts to mitigate mangrove loss and enhance sustainability in the Niger Delta.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the government and its development partners have implemented a national strategy to promote agroforestry and reforestation systems as a means to combat deforestation, primarily driven by agricultural expansion, and to increase national forest cover to 20% by 2045. However, the assessment of these systems through traditional field-based methods remains labor-intensive and time-consuming, particularly for the measurement of dendrometric parameters such as tree height. This study introduces a remote sensing approach combining drone-based Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) with ground-based measurements to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of tree height estimation in agroforestry and reforestation contexts. The methodology involved two main stages: first, the collection of floristic and dendrometric data, including tree height measured with a laser rangefinder, across eight (8) agroforestry and reforestation plots; second, the acquisition of ALS data using Mavic 3E and Matrice 300 drones equipped with LiDAR sensors to generate digital canopy models for tree height estimation and associated error analysis. Floristic analysis identified 506 individual trees belonging to 27 genera and 18 families. Tree height measurements indicated that reforestation plots hosted the tallest trees (ranging from 8 to 16 m on average), while cocoa-based agroforestry plots featured shorter trees, with average heights between 4 and 7 m. A comparative analysis between ground-based and LiDAR-derived tree heights showed a strong correlation (R2 = 0.71; r = 0.84; RMSE = 2.24 m; MAE = 1.67 m; RMSE = 2.2430 m and MAE = 1.6722 m). However, a stratified analysis revealed substantial variation in estimation accuracy, with higher performance observed in agroforestry plots (R2 = 0.82; RMSE = 2.21 m and MAE = 1.43 m). These findings underscore the potential of Airborne Laser Scanning as an effective tool for the rapid and reliable estimation of tree height in heterogeneous agroforestry and reforestation systems.
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