This study delves into the evolving landscape of smart city development in Kazakhstan, a domain gaining increasing relevance in the context of urban modernization and digital transformation. The research is anchored in the quest to understand how specific technological factors influence the formation of smart cities within the region. To this end, the study adopts a Spatial Autoregressive Model (SAR) as its core analytical tool, leveraging data on server density, cloud service usage, and electronic invoicing practices across various Kazakhstani cities. The crux of the research revolves around assessing the impact of these selected technological variables on the smart city development process. The SAR model’s application facilitates a nuanced understanding of the spatial dynamics at play, offering insights into how these factors vary in influence across different urban areas. A key finding of this investigation is the significant positive correlation between the adoption of electronic invoicing and smart city development, a result that stands in contrast to the relatively insignificant impact of server density and cloud service usage. The conclusion drawn from these findings underscores the pivotal role of digital administrative processes, particularly electronic invoicing, in driving the smart city agenda in Kazakhstan. This insight not only contributes to the academic discourse on smart cities but also holds practical implications for policymakers and urban planners. It suggests a strategic shift towards prioritizing digital administrative innovations over mere infrastructural or technological upgrades. The study’s outcomes are poised to guide future smart city initiatives in Kazakhstan and offer a reference point for similar emerging economies embarking on their smart city journeys.

Gout is an arthritis characterized by the deposition of sodium monoacid crystals in the synovial membrane, articular cartilage, and periarticular tissues that leads to an inflamatory process. In most cases, the diagnosis is established by clinical criteria and analysis of the synovial fluid for MSU crystals. However, gout may manifest in atypical ways and make diagnosis difficult. In these situations, imaging studies play a fundamental role in helping to confirm the diagnosis or even exclude other differential diagnoses. Conventional radiography is still the most commonly used method in the follow-up of these patients, but it is a very insensitive test, because it only detects late changes. In recent years, advances in imaging methods have emerged in relation to gout. Ultrasound has proven to be a highly accurate test in the diagnosis of gout, identifying MSU deposits in articular cartilage and periarticular tissues, and detecting and characterizing tophi, tendinopathies, and tophi enthesopathies. Computed tomography is an excellent exam for the detection of bone erosions and evaluation of spinal involvement. Dual-energy computed tomography, a new method that provides information on the chemical composition of tissues, allows identification of MSU deposits with high accuracy. MRI can be useful in the evaluation of deep tissues not accessible by ultrasound. In addition to diagnosis, with the emergence of drugs that aim to reduce the tophaceous burden, imaging examinations become a useful tool in the follow-up treatment of gout patients.

Local community members play a critical role in the success of conservation projects, which in turn have the potential to influence the perceptions of local people. Relationships matter when it comes to sustainable long-term conservation and community well-being. The study aims to establish the relationship between local communities and wildlife conservation organizations in the context of Phinda Private Game Reserve and the Mnqobokazi community, located in South Africa. Data was collected using the qualitative methods of interviews and focus group discussions. The findings show that a symbiotic relationship between conservation organizations and local community members is critical in conserving the environment. The research indicates that both participation and benefits result in improved perceptions towards the protected area and a strong positive relationship. The accrual of benefits also appears to result in pro-environmental consciousness amongst community members. Several existing studies examine participation or benefit-sharing in community-based tourism in developing nations. However, less is known about the relationships between local communities and conservation organizations and the effect of participation and beneficiation on these relationships. This research narrows this gap in the body of knowledge by qualitatively examining a single case study. The findings add value to global collaborative efforts aimed at achieving positive relationships between communities and conservation management.

Biomass energy is abundant, clean, and carbon dioxide neutral, making it a viable alternative to fossil fuels in the near future. The release of syngas from biomass thermochemical treatments is particularly appealing since it may be used in a variety of heat and power generation systems. When a syngas with low tar and contaminants is required, downdraft gasifiers are usually one of the first gasification devices deployed. It is time-consuming and impractical to evaluate a gasification system's performance under multiple parameters, using every type of biomass currently available, which makes rapid simulation techniques with well-developed mathematical models necessary for the efficient and economical use of energy resources. This work attempts to examine, through model and experimentation, how well a throated downdraft gasification system performs when using pretreatment biomass feedstock that has been characterized. For the analyses, peanut shell (PS), a biomass waste easily obtained locally, was used. The producer gas generated with 9 mm PS pellets had a composition of 17.93% H2, 24.43 % CO, 12.47 % CO2, and 1.22% CH4 on a wet basis at the value of 0.3 equivalency ratio and 800 °C gasification temperature. The calorific value was found to be 4.96 MJ/Nm3. The biomass feedstock PS is found to be suitable for biomass gasification in order to produce syngas.