BACKGROUND: Stress is a widespread phenomenon and reality of everyday life, entailing negative consequences for physical and psychological wellbeing. Previous studies have indicated that exposure to greenspaces and nature-based interventions are promising approaches to reducing stress and promoting restoration. However, an increasing percentage of the population lives in urban regions with limited opportunities to spend time in greenspaces. In addition, urban settings typically feature increased levels of noise, which represents a major environmental stressor. Although various studies have compared the effects of exposure to greenspaces versus urban built environments, evidence of the effects of noise in this context is very limited. Psychophysiological benefits of exposure to greenspaces compared to urban built environments reported in earlier studies might be less (or at least not only) due to features of the greenspaces than to additional stressors, such as road traffic noise in the urban built environment. Hence, differences in the effects attributed to greenness in previous studies may also be due to potentially detrimental noise effects in comparison settings. This paper reports the study protocol for a randomized, controlled intervention study comparing the effects of walking in forest versus urban built environments, taking road traffic noise exposure during walks in the respective settings into account.
METHODS: The protocol envisages a field study employing a pretest-posttest design to compare the effects of 30-min walks in urban built environments and forests with different road traffic noise levels. Assessments will consist of self-reported measures, physiological data (salivary cortisol and skin conductance), an attention test, and noise, as well as greenness measurements. The outcomes will be restoration, stress, positive and negative affect, attention, rumination, and nature connectedness.
CONCLUSIONS: The results will inform about the restorative effect of walking in general, of exposure to different types of environments, and to different noise levels in these sites. The study will provide insights into the benefits of walking and nature-based interventions, taking into account the potential detrimental effects of noise exposure. It will thus facilitate a better understanding of low-threshold interventions to prevent stress and foster wellbeing.
BACKGROUND: ISRCTN48943261 ; Registered 23.11.2023.

Three-dimensional (3D) modeling of trees has many applications in various areas, such as forest and urban planning, forest health monitoring, and carbon sequestration, to name a few. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry has recently emerged as a low cost, rapid, and accurate method for 3D modeling of urban and forest trees replacing the costly traditional methods such as plot measurements and surveying. There are numerous commercial and open-source software programs available, each processing UAV data differently to generate forest 3D modeling and photogrammetric products, including point clouds, Digital Surface Models (DSMs), Canopy Height Models (CHMs), and orthophotos in forest areas. The objective of this study is to compare the three widely-used commercial software packages, namely, AgiSoft Photoscan (Metashape) V 1.7.3, PIX4DMapper (Pix4D) V 4.4.12, and DJI Terra V 3.7.6 for processing UAV data over forest areas from three perspectives: point cloud density and reconstruction quality, computational time, DSM assessment for height accuracy (z) and ability of tree detection on DSM. Three datasets, captured by UAVs on the same day at three different flight altitudes, were used in this study. The first, second, and third datasets were collected at altitudes of 60 m, 100 m, and 120 m, respectively over a forested area in Tully, New York. While the first and third datasets were taken horizontally, the second dataset was taken 20 degrees off-nadir to investigate the impact of oblique images. Results show that Pix4D and AgiSoft generate 2.5 times denser point clouds than DJI Terra. However, reconstruction quality evaluation using the Iterative Closest Point method (ICP) shows DJI Terra has fewer gaps in the point cloud and performed better than AgiSoft and Pix4D in generating a point cloud of trees, power lines and poles despite producing a fewer number of points. In other words, the outperformance in key points detection and an improved matching algorithm are key factors in generating improved final products. The computational time comparison demonstrates that the processing time for AgiSoft and DJI Terra is roughly half that of Pix4D. Furthermore, DSM elevation profiles demonstrate that the estimated height variations between the three software range from 0.5 m to 2.5 m. DJI Terra\'s estimated heights are generally greater than those of AgiSoft and Pix4D. Furthermore, DJI Terra outperforms AgiSoft and Pix4D for modeling the height contour of trees, buildings, and power lines and poles, followed by AgiSoft and Pix4D. Finally, in terms of the ability of tree detection, DJI Terra outperforms AgiSoft and Pix4D in generating a comprehensive DSM as a result of fewer gaps in the point cloud. Consequently, it stands out as the preferred choice for tree detection applications. The results of this paper can help 3D model users to have confidence in the reliability of the generated 3D models by comprehending the accuracy of the employed software.

The COVID -19 pandemic posed serious challenge for securing public health worldwide. Public health preparedness and restrictions put in place impacted many aspects of human life, including recreational activities and access to outdoor recreational destinations. Green spaces have become one of the few sources of resilience during the coronavirus crisis due to their restorative effects on psychophysical health and community well-being. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic on forest visitation. The results are based upon long-term visitor data acquired via pyroelectric sensors (Eco-Counter) in three forest districts located in Poland (Browsk, Gdansk & Kozienice Forest Districts). The analysis covers the period between January 01, 2019 and December 31, 2020 and the results confirm changes in recreational use in the studied forest areas during the pandemic compared to the preceding year. However, observed changes in forest visitation vary by pandemic period and study area. The ban on access to forest areas significantly reduced the number of forest visits in all studied areas. The number of visits to sub-urban forests (Gdansk Forest District) and to remote nature-based tourist destinations (Browsk Forest District) increased in the later pandemic periods, especially in the summer months of 2020, while it remained the same in a popular nearby recreation area: Kozienice Forest District. There were only minor temporal shifts in the distribution of weekly and daily visits. The results are important for public health preparedness planning in crisis situations and for provisioning conditions supporting societal health and well-being. Objective data on forest visits are necessary for successful management of forest areas and surrounding amenities. More cross-sector collaboration and public participation would be desirable to create sustainable, resilient, and liveable spaces for the society.
UNASSIGNED: •Long-term visitation monitoring is crucial for successful management of outdoor recreation destinations and their catchment areas.•Objective numbers concerning forest visitation from the pre-pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic period allow observing trends and making fact-based management decisions during period of crisis.•Changes in the investigated three forest study areas in Poland were not homogenous, which implies the necessity of systematic visitor monitoring in multiple destinations, in order to cover different types of forest areas and also local diversity in recreational use.•More intersectoral, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary exchange would be desirable to better integrate existing on-site visitor monitoring data into decision making processes related to forest management, urban planning, transportation, tourism and public health.

This study presents a meta-analysis that compiles information collected from several studies aiming to prove, by evidence, that nanocarriers out-perform conventional formulations in augmenting the bioavailability of ocular topically administered drugs. Data was further categorized into two subgroups; polymeric-based nanocarriers versus their lipid-based counterparts, as well as, naturally-driven carriers versus synthetically-fabricated ones. After normalization, the pharmacokinetic factor, area under the curve (AUC), was denoted as the \"effect\" in the conducted study, and the corresponding Forest plots were obtained. Our meta-analysis study confirmed the absorption enhancement effect of loading drugs into nanocarriers as compared to conventional topical ocular dosage forms. Interestingly, no significant differences were recorded between the polymeric and lipidic nanocarriers included in the study, while naturally-driven nanoplatforms were proven superior to the synthetic alternatives.

BACKGROUND: The presence of breeding sites and distribution of species of Simulium damnosum sensu lato are critical in understanding the epidemiology of onchocerciasis and evaluating the impact of elimination interventions. Reports on breeding sites and species distribution of members of S. damnosum s.l. in Cameroon are scarce and the few ones available date back to more than three decades. The aim of this study is to provide information on S. damnosum breeding sites across the rainy (RS) and dry (DS) seasons and the species composition in three different regions in Cameroon: Southwest (SW), Northwest (NW) and North (N).
METHODS: A cross-sectional two-season study was carried out in three regions with different ecological characteristics (SW-rainforest; NW-mixed forest-Guinea savanna; N-Sudan savanna). Pre-control onchocerciasis endemicity, relief maps and historical entomological information were used to identify potential rivers for purposive sampling. Sampled larvae were fixed in Carnoy\'s solution and sorted, and S. damnosum s.l. larvae were stored until identification by cytotaxonomy. Geographical coordinates of potential breeding sites were recorded to produce maps using ArcGIS, while Chi-square tests in SPSS were used to test for any differences between black fly seasonal breeding rates.
RESULTS: A total of 237 potential breeding sites were sampled (RS = 81; DS = 156) and 72 were found positive for S. damnosum s.l. The SW had the most positive sites [67 (RS = 24; DS = 43)], with a significant difference in the rate of breeding between the seasons (P < 0.05). Among 68 sites visited in both seasons, 16 (23.5%) were positive in one of the two seasons with more sites positive in DS(11) than RS(05), 14 (20.6%) and 38 (55.9%) respectively positive and negative in both seasons. Simulium damnosum sensu stricto and S. sirbanum were the main species in the N, while S. squamosum and S. mengense were the predominant species in the NW and SW. Simulium soubrense and S. yahense were uniquely recorded in the SW.
CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive mapping of breeding sites requires rainy and dry seasons sampling. This study demonstrates that a breeding site survey of S. damnosum s.l. is achievable in forest as well as savanna zones. Not all potential breeding sites are actual breeding sites. Observation of S. soubrense in the SW indicates changes in species composition over time and could affect onchocerciasis epidemiology in this area.

The coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing global crisis that has profoundly harmed public health. Although studies found exposure to green spaces can provide multiple health benefits, the relationship between exposure to green spaces and the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate is unclear. This is a critical knowledge gap for research and practice. In this study, we examined the relationship between total green space, seven types of green space, and a year of SARS-CoV-2 infection data across 3,108 counties in the contiguous United States, after controlling for spatial autocorrelation and multiple types of covariates. First, we examined the association between total green space and SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. Next, we examined the association between different types of green space and SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. Then, we examined forest-infection rate association across five time periods and five urbanicity levels. Lastly, we examined the association between infection rate and population-weighted exposure to forest at varying buffer distances (100 m to 4 km). We found that total green space was negative associated with the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. Furthermore, two forest variables (forest outside park and forest inside park) had the strongest negative association with the infection rate, while open space variables had mixed associations with the infection rate. Forest outside park was more effective than forest inside park. The optimal buffer distances associated with lowest infection rate are within 1,200 m for forest outside park and within 600 m for forest inside park. Altogether, the findings suggest that green spaces, especially nearby forest, may significantly mitigate risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In the last decade, more and more attention has been paid to the efficiency of ecological products\' value in the literature. Studying the value-conversion efficiency of forest ecological products can measure and reflect the huge value contained in forests, which is of great significance to promote the transformation between \"clear water and green mountains\" and \"gold and silver mountains\" as well as solve the problem of economic development and environmental protection. Studying the value-conversion efficiency of forest ecological products can scientifically evaluate the results of the mutual transformation of \"clear water and green mountains\" and \"gold and silver mountains\", which is of great significance for deepening the theory of the \"two mountains\". This paper took Zhejiang Province as the research object, constructed an index system of forest ecological products\' value accounting, used the super-SBM model and Malmquist index to calculate the conversion efficiency of forest ecological products\' value, and proposed optimization paths according to the research results. The results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the value of forest ecological products in Zhejiang Province showed a fluctuating upward trend. In 2020, the total value of forest ecological products was RMB 973.717 billion. Among them, the value of material products was RMB 12.560 billion, the value of ecological regulatory products was RMB 726.323 billion, and the value of cultural service products was RMB 234.834 billion. (2) There were great differences in the value-conversion efficiency of forest ecological products among cities in Zhejiang Province, but the overall trend was steady and developing in a positive direction. (3) The total-factor productivity of forest ecological products in Zhejiang Province showed a fluctuating trend, and its growth was mainly limited by the technical efficiency and technological progress index. (4) The main reasons for the conversion-efficiency loss of forest ecological products\' value in Zhejiang Province were excessive input and insufficient output. The specific reasons for the loss of efficiency in different cities were different, so it is necessary to find improvement paths according to local conditions. Our research provides a new perspective for the academic community to evaluate the value-realization effect of ecological products as well as a decision-making reference for policy makers of ecological environmental protection and construction.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated malaria transmission under various contrasting settings in the Central Region, a malaria endemic region in Ghana.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in five randomly selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana. Three of the districts were forested, while the rest was coastal. Study participants were selected to coincide with either the regular rainy or dry season. From each study site, hospital attendees were randomly selected with prior consent. Consciously, study participants were selected in both rainy (September and October, 2020) and dry (November and December, 2020) seasons. Clinical data for each patient was checked for clinical malaria suspicion and microscopic confirmation of malaria. Using SPSS Version 24 (Chicago, IL, USA), bivariate analysis was done to determine the association of independent variables (ecological and seasonal variations) with malaria status. When the overall analysis did not yield significant association, further statistical analysis was performed after stratification of variables (into age and gender) to determine whether any or both of them would significantly associate with the dependent variable.
RESULTS: Of the 3993 study participants, 62.5% were suspected of malaria whereas 38.2% were confirmed to have clinical falciparum malaria. Data analysis revealed that in both rainy and dry seasons, malaria cases were significantly higher in forested districts ) than coastal districts (x2 = 217.9 vs x2 = 50.9; p < 0.001). Taken together, the risk of malaria was significantly higher in the dry season (COR = 1.471, p < 0.001) and lower in coastal zones (COR = 0.826, p = 0.007). There was significant reduced risk of participants aged over 39 years of malaria (COR=0.657, p < 0.001). Whereas, in general patients between 10 and 19 years were insignificantly less likely to have malaria (COR = 0.911, p = 0.518) compared to participants aged less than< 10 years, the reverse was observed in coastal districts where patients less than 10 years of age in coastal districts were less likely to have malaria (COR=2.440, p = 0.003). In general, gender did not associate with malaria, but when stratified by study district, the risk of female gender to malaria was significantly higher in Agona Swedru (COR = 5.605, p < 0.001), Assin central (COR = 2.172, p < 0.001), Awutu Senya (COR = 2.410, p < 0.001) and Cape Coast (COR = 3.939, p < 0.001) compared to Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the predictors of malaria differ from one endemic area to another. Therefore, malaria control interventions such as distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets, residual spraying with insecticide and mass distribution of antimalaria prophylaxis must be intensified in forested districts in all seasons with particular attention on females.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant decline in malarial incidence and mortality in countries across the Greater Mekong Subregion, the disease remains a public health challenge in the region; transmission continues mainly among people who visit forests in remote areas, often along international borders, where access to primary healthcare is limited. In the absence of effective vector-control measures and limited exposure periods, malaria chemoprophylaxis has been proposed as a strategy to protect forest goers. As a rarely used approach for indigenous populations, questions remain about its feasibility and acceptability. Drawing on in-depth interviews with forest goers and stakeholders, this article examines opportunities and challenges for implementation of anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis for forest goers in Lao PDR.
METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 forest goers and 15 stakeholders in Savannakhet province, Lao PDR. Interview topics included experience of malaria prevention and health services, and perceptions of prophylaxis as a potential component of malaria elimination strategy. The interviews were transcribed and coded using inductive and deductive approaches for qualitative thematic analysis.
RESULTS: In ethnically and geographically diverse villages, awareness of malaria risk prompts forest goers to protect themselves, albeit sub-optimally using available preventive measures. Stakeholders highlighted challenges for targeting at-risk populations and approaches to address forest malaria in southern Lao PDR. Among policymakers, choice and cost of anti-malarials, particularly their efficacy and source of funding, were key considerations for the feasibility of malaria prophylaxis. Acceptability of prophylaxis among forest goers was also influenced by the complexity of the regimen, including the number of tablets and timing of doses. Implementation of prophylaxis may be affected by a lack of transportation and communication barriers in remote communities.
CONCLUSIONS: Adding prophylaxis to existing malaria control activities requires strengthening the capacity of local health workers in Lao PDR. Ideally, this would be part of an integrated approach that includes strategies to address the other febrile illnesses that forest goers describe as priority health concerns. The prophylactic regimen also requires careful consideration in terms of effectiveness and simplicity of dosing.

In India, where around 19,500 dialects are spoken, there is a great abundance of fiction quite rich in varied descriptions of old age and aging. While scholars like Pramod K. Nayar and Ira Raja have recently begun studying Indian literary texts written in English from the perspective of literary gerontology, those literary experiences of aging (which are originally in languages like Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, Oriya, etc.) are yet to be analyzed from a gerontological point of view. The present paper aims at studying the experiences of old age in two Indian short stories (one from Bengali Literature and another from Tamil Literature) - Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay\'s \"Drabomoyee Goes to Kashi\" (\"Drabomoyeer Kashibash\" in Bengali) and T. Janakiraman\'s \"The Puppet\" (\"Vilayattu Bommai\" in Tamil). Regarding \"Drabomoyee Goes to Kashi,\" the paper interrogates the problems in the emplacement of Hindu older widows to Kashi and explores the possibilities in Drabomoyee from eco-feminist and creatural perspectives. The discussions on \"The Puppet\" chiefly reflect on the social exclusion of the aging bodies of people living with dementia. Through the story of Venu, the paper shows that what the society or family generally expects from elders suffering from dementia may not do any good to them, and may instead lead to their institutionalization and other forms of exclusion.