The technical inspection of a building carried out by an expert in civil engineering can identify and classify the physical conditions of the real estate; this generates relevant information for the protection and safety of users. Given the real conditions of the property, and for the real estate valuation universe, using artificial intelligence and fuzzy logic, it is possible to obtain the market price associated with the physical conditions of the building. The objective of this experiment is to develop a property evaluation model using a civil engineering inspection form associated with artificial intelligence, and fuzzy logic, and also compare with market value to verify the applicability of this inspection form. Therefore, the methodology used is based on technical inspection of civil engineering regarding the state of conservation of properties according to the model used in Portugal and adapted to the reality of Latvia. Artificial intelligence is applied after obtaining data from that report. From this, association rules are obtained, which are used in the diffuse logic to obtain the price of the apartment per square meter, and for comparison with the market value. For this purpose, 48 samples of residential apartments located in the city of Jelgava in Latvia are used, with an inspection carried out from October to December 2019. The main result is the 9% error metric, which demonstrates the possibility of applying the method proposed in this experiment. Thus, for each apartment sample consulted, it resulted in the state of conservation and a market value associated.

Consumers are increasingly consuming sprouted seeds due to their low calories content, nutritional value, as well as beneficial effects on human health. Sprouts contain many bioactive compounds such as minerals, fibre, vitamin C, carotenoids and phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of darkness, light and time total phenolic content and scavenging activity in alfalfa (Medicago sativa), radish (Raphanus sativus), broccoli (Brassica oleracea) and hemp (Cannabis sativa) seeds during germination. The seeds were washed, soaked in water by ratio of 2:1 (water : seeds) for 12±1 h and then germinated in light and dark conditions at a temperature of 22±2 °C and a relative humidity of 85±2% for different times (12, 24, 36 and 48 hours) in a climatic chamber ICH110 (Memmert, Germany). The quality changes of germinated seeds are determined by phenol content and scavenging activity. Un-germinated seeds were used as a control. The results of current studies show that after germination the highest increase in total phenols was in radish, broccoli and alfalfa seeds. The scavenging activity (SA) was higher after 48 hours of germination in all seed types compared to un-germinated seeds both in darkness and in light. This study shows that sprouted edible seeds are an excellent source of total phenolic compounds and has a high scavenging activity.

Remote and automatic monitoring of two Apis Cerana bee colonies was conducted in Indonesia to demonstrate precision beekeeping approach in that region. Successful implementation of the precision beekeeping system includes development of the bee colony monitoring hardware and software for data collection, analysis and visualisation. This paper focuses on development and installation of such systems at the private apiary in Indonesia. For bee colony monitoring at the apiary a developed monitoring unit was used, which is based on ESP microchip, and for the data storage SAMS data warehouse was used. The monitoring results showed that the choice of the location of the temperature sensor is important, as the temperature at the hive sides changes synchronously with the outside temperature. Also, feedback from the beekeeper is collected to further improve the system and monitoring process. This research is conducted within the SAMS – Smart Apiculture Management Services project, which is funded by the European Union within the H2020-ICT-39-2016-2017 call and with close collaboration with the local private beekeeper. To find out more, visit the project website https://sams-project.eu/.

Yoghurt has been known as an excellent source for delivering viable lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in concentrations providing benefits to the human host and microbiome. Different gastrointestinal tract (GIT) simulators have been developed and are successfully used to determine the viability of LAB from fermented dairy products in vitro studies. Commercial yoghurts were tested for digestibility using the GIT IT system Labfors 5 (INFORS HT, Switzerland). The length for both the gastric phase and the small intestinal phase was 120 min each. Yoghurt LAB colony-forming units were analysed prior to the GIT simulation test, as well as after the simulation test. The survival rate of LAB was evaluated based on the differences in the viable LAB count at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Tested yoghurts’ LAB were tolerated in the simulated gastric and small intestinal phases. Samples collected prior to and after the intestinal phase revealed that LAB had adapted and started to grow within 120 min. Our results showed the ability of LAB to recover in the intestinal phase which has been explained by the food matrix, which protects the bacteria from the elimination effect of intestinal secretions. In addition, differences in survival rates of LAB significantly influenced the overall LAB colony-forming units in the gastrointestial tract. The chemical composition of the product has an influence on the survival rate of LAB, and it should be studied more thoroughly. In vitro studies are quite different from the assay in vivo studies; however, this information provides significant data about the viability of LAB from regularly consumed products and helps to modulate the influence of LAB on human microbiota.

As the use cases for rural unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) missions are evolving, the next step is to make on-site UAV missions controlled over long distances. The control is called Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and there is a great need for use cases to become autonomous or self-sustaining over long distances. Designing airspace to include autonomous and BVLOS UAV involves proposals for traffic that do not exist to date, different actors, and a multitude of risks; system design must answer a wide range of questions before its release. Luckily, most of the technical questions are already solved, most of the safety regulations are there in place in general aviation, and the industry is waiting for a new type of transportation. In this paper, the authors propose action for policymakers on how to approach the challenge of developing UAV Traffic Management (UTM) systems that can be applied to any geographic location and identify missing links in decision-making to enable development.

In order to address existing and foreseen climate change and environmental challenges, the European Commission has adopted a set of proposals as part of the European Green Deal to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and become the first climate-neutral continent in the world. In the energy sector it is planned to implement specific actions to increase the contribution from renewable sources of energy. Livestock manure as a renewable resource can be processed to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion processes. This study aimed to estimate the amount of livestock manure potentially available for biogas production in Latvia based on statistical information on the number of animals representing current and past trends, and forecasts for the future provided by the results of the Latvian Agricultural Sector Analysis Model (LASAM). The results of this study showed that the share of livestock manure processed to produce biogas has increased considerably during the time period from 2010 to 2019 in all groups of livestock considered for this application in Latvia. However, there are still opportunities to increase the share of manure utilised for anaerobic digestion, especially in the livestock groups of dairy cows and non-dairy cows, as only 16% and 13% of the available amount of manure was processed in 2019, respectively. The LASAM results indicate that the number of animals will experience negligible changes or will decrease; therefore, more attention will need to be paid to increase the efficiency of processing the existing amount of manure rather than relying on an additional amount of manure available for biogas production.

The aim of the current study was to determine the monthly total soluble sugar concentration in the stem and root of the Wichita and Western walnut (Carya illinoinensis) varieties during a productive cycle in northern Mexico. Vegetable samples were obtained using a systematic sampling method, and processed by means of a spectrophotometric assay to determine the total soluble sugars (TSS) concentration in productive walnut trees. Data analysis was performed by means of a 2-way ANOVA. The results of the TSS concentration had differences throughout the months of an annual productive cycle, and were also different between the evaluated walnut varieties. The highest total soluble sugar concentration in stem and root were in the lowest temperature months, and it decreases in both tissues when the environmental temperature rises. The Wichita variety had a higher total soluble sugar concentration than the Western in every month during the productive cycle. Further research is required to assess the effect of other type of factors including environmental or agronomic over the dynamics of the total soluble sugars in productive walnut trees.

The article states that in the conditions of climate crisis aggravation the decarbonisation of the economy acquires the status of a global initiative aimed at achieving zero CO2 emissions by 2050. It is emphasised that this initiative is closely accompanied by legislation, business modernisation programmes and the creation of equal conditions for both domestic producers and exporters of carbon-intensive products (in particular, through the introduction of the carbon border adjustment mechanism – CBAM) and new rules of the world market. The consequences of CBAM implementation into Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises and the development of their foreign economic activity are determined in the example of Metinvest Group (Ukraine) enterprises. The ambivalence of CBAM is proven. It is substantiated that CBAM implementation will not accelerate, but, on the contrary, will slow down the process of decarbonisation, which will eventually lead to the loss of domestic metallurgical enterprises’ competitive position in the European market of metal products. Regarding the need to take transitional measures to decarbonise the metallurgical business (first of all, to ensure proper investment), the decision should be based on the expected decoupling effect – positive dynamics of economic growth while reducing the negative impact on the environment. The estimating method of the decoupling effect has been modified according to the integrated approach. A trend analysis of the integrated decalin effect indicator and its components was performed in Metinvest Group companies (Ukraine). Based on the results of econometric analysis of the impact of investment on greenhouse gas emissions, the author’s model for determining the volume of investment in the process of decarbonisation of metallurgical enterprises for the period up to 2050 is proposed. Comparative analysis is performed regarding investment in the process of decarbonisation under the scenarios by GMK Center, IEA, McKinsey and Roland Berger, as well as the author’s model.