The coastal fog and ecological balance for plants in the Jizan region, Saudi Arabia.

Fog water collection provides a sustainable resource for watering of crops. The Jizan region is one of the smallest states in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) but very rich with unique flora, fauna, landscape diversity, and occurrence of fog. According to satellite data from the period between (1991-2021) the average visibility in this fog belt varied between 5 m and 100 m. Specific relief properties, such as elevation contrast, present rare space for flora preservation and sustainable fog utilization and use in the watering of crops. Some results showed that number of foggy days is not equal and can be divided in three big cycles. It was estimated that 8 × 1013 L, or 80 m3 of fresh water from fog per year, could be used for drinking and partly for farming in Jizan region from settlements Al Araq and Al Gandla, city of Jizan, Al Madaya, Al Mubarakiyah, Muwassam. This amount of water varied through time. The last observational period had large amount of water, 10 × 1013 L or 100 m3. The main methodologies used in this research were advanced GIS (Geographical Information Systems), Remote Sensing (RS), and numerical analysis. Satellite data were downloaded from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Landsat 8 and 9 satellite missions. This kind of alternative water may produce stability for three main plants in Jizan region, palm, wheat and olive. Typical arid regions in KSA can be transformed by water used from the fog.

Supporting Tourism by Assessing the Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccination for Travel Reasons.

The persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus imposed vaccination passports for traveling in most countries. We investigated psychological factors that predict the intention to vaccinate for travel. In a cross-sectional study, we examined how demographic variables, vaccination status, perceived risk of infection and severity of disease contracted at travel destination, safety and effectiveness of vaccines against contracting COVID-19 during travel, and conspiracy beliefs are related to intention to vaccinate for travel. Further analyses involved differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in a Romanian sample regarding conspiracy beliefs, attitudes about vaccines, and self-efficacy of controlling COVID-19 infection. Results showed that the intention to vaccinate for travel reasons is best predicted by vaccination status and perceptions of safety and efficacy of vaccines against COVID-19. Thus, vaccinated individuals believing that vaccines are safe and effective most probably will take another vaccine booster if it will allow them to travel. Positive relationships of the intention to vaccinate for travel reasons were found with age, vaccination status, conspiracy beliefs, perceptions of safety and effectiveness of vaccines, intention to travel, and a more cautious approach to travel. No significant relationships were found between perceptions of risk for self or for transmitting the disease to others, severity of disease, and the intention to vaccinate for travel. We also found significant differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated participants, as unvaccinated participants showed higher levels of conspiracy beliefs and less trust in the safety and efficacy of vaccines. We conclude that campaigns focused on promoting information on the safety and efficacy of vaccines is the most important direction for promoting vaccination in young travelers.

Geographic Medical Overview of Noncommunicable Diseases (Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes) in the Territory of the AP Vojvodina (Northern Serbia).

The objective of this study was a geographic medical analysis of noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases from 2010 to 2020 and diabetes from 2010 to 2019) in the AP Vojvodina (northern Serbia) in order to identify the most and least burdened counties as well as to present trends in the mentioned diseases. The Mann-Kendall trend test, a cluster analysis, and Getis-Ord Gi* method for hot spot analysis were applied in this analysis. Regarding acute coronary syndrome and myocardial infarction, the North Backa County had a lower mortality rate although the number of newly reported cases was above average. The largest number of new cases of unstable angina pectoris was in the North Backa, North Banat, and Middle Banat Counties, while the West Backa County was identified as a county with a higher mortality rate. The cluster analysis showed that the number of death cases from diabetes in the Srem County is significantly higher than that in the other counties. Likewise, the West Backa County had a high number of new diabetes patients, but also a much lower mortality rate. Chronic noncommunicable diseases are predominant in newly diagnosed incidences and death cases in the AP Vojvodina. Studies of this kind promote public health and healthcare systems in the researched area and in the Republic of Serbia, as well as in other countries.

Predictors of Changes in Travel Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Tourists' Personalities.

This study investigates travel behavior and psychosocial factors that influence it during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional study, using an online survey, we examined changes in travel behavior and preferences after lifting travel restrictions, and how these changes were influenced by exposure to COVID-19, COVID-19 travel-related risk and severity, personality, fear of travel, coping, and self-efficacy appraisals in the Romanian population. Our results showed that participants traveled less in the pandemic year than the year before-especially group and foreign travel-yet more participants reported individual traveling in their home county during the pandemic period. Distinct types of exposure to COVID-19 risk, as well as cognitive and affective factors, were related to travel behavior and preferences. However, fun-seeking personality was the only major predictor of travel intention, while fear of travel was the only predictor of travel avoidance. Instead, people traveled more cautiously when they perceived more risk of infection at the destination, and had higher levels of fear of travel, but also a high sense of efficacy in controlling the infection and problem-solving capacity. The results suggest that specific information about COVID-19, coping mechanisms, fear of travel, and neuropsychological personality traits may affect travel behavior in the pandemic period.

Shaping Sustainable Urban Environments by Addressing the Hydro-Meteorological Factors in Landslide Occurrence: Ciuperca Hill (Oradea, Romania).

Romania is one of the countries severely affected by numerous natural hazards, where landslides constitute a very common geomorphic hazard with strong economic and social impacts. The analyzed area, known as the "Ciuperca Hill", is located in Oradea (NW part of Romania) and it has experienced a number of landsliding events in previous years, which have endangered anthropogenic systems. Our investigation, focused on the main causal factors, determined that landslide events have rather complex components, reflected in the joint climatological characteristics, properties of the geological substrate, and human activity that further contributed to the intensive change of landscape and acceleration of slope instability. Analysis of daily precipitation displays the occurrence and intensive distribution between May and September. Higher values of rainfall erosivity (observed for the 2014-2017 period), are occurring between April and August. Erosivity density follows this pattern and indicates high intensity events from April until October. SPI index reveals the greater presence of various wet classes during the investigated period. Geological substrate has been found to be highly susceptible to erosion and landsliding when climatological conditions are suitable. Accelerated urbanization and reduced vegetation cover intensified slope instability. The authors implemented adequate remote-sensing techniques in order to monitor and assess the temporal changes in landslide events at local level. Potential solutions for preventative actions are given in order to introduce and conduct qualitative mitigation strategies for shaping sustainable urban environments. Results from this study could have implications for mitigation strategies at national, regional, county, and municipality levels, providing knowledge for the enhancement of geohazard prevention and appropriate response plans.

Quantification and assessment of heat and cold waves in Novi Sad, Northern Serbia.

Physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) has been applied to the analysis of heat and cold waves and human thermal conditions in Novi Sad, Serbia. A series of daily minimum and maximum air temperature, relative humidity, wind, and cloud cover was used to calculate PET for the investigated period 1949-2012. The heat and cold wave analysis was carried out on days with PET values exceeding defined thresholds. Additionally, the acclimatization approach was introduced to evaluate human adaptation to interannual thermal perception. Trend analysis has revealed the presence of increasing trend in summer PET anomalies, number of days above defined threshold, number of heat waves, and average duration of heat waves per year since 1981. Moreover, winter PET anomaly as well as the number of days below certain threshold and number of cold waves per year until 1980 was decreasing, but the decrease was not statistically significant. The highest number of heat waves during summer was registered in the last two decades, but also in the first decade of the investigated period. On the other hand, the number of cold waves during six decades is quite similar and the differences are very small.