This paper explores the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse and varied environmental and ecological context using the case study of South Asia’s Indus Civilization (ca. 3000–1300 BC). Most early complex societies developed in regions where the climatic parameters faced by ancient subsistence farmers were varied but rain falls primarily in one season. In contrast, the Indus Civilization developed in a specific environmental context that spanned a very distinct environmental threshold, where winter and summer rainfall systems overlap. There is now evidence to show that this region was directly subject to climate change during the period when the Indus Civilization was at its height (ca. 2500–1900 BC). The Indus Civilization, therefore, provides a unique opportunity to understand how an ancient society coped with diverse and varied ecologies and change in the fundamental environmental parameters. This paper integrates research carried out as part of the Land, Water and S...

Traffic congestion is a serious challenge in urban areas. So, to address this challenge, the intelligent traffic management system (ITMS) is used to manage traffic on road networks. Managing traffic helps to focus on environmental impacts as well as emergency situations. However, the ITMS system has many challenges in analyzing scenes of complex traffic. New technologies such as computer vision (CV) and artificial intelligence (AI) are being used to solve these challenges. As a result, these technologies have made a distinct identity in the surveillance industry, particularly when it comes to keeping a constant eye on traffic scenes. There are many vehicle attributes and existing approaches that are being used in the development of ITMS, along with imaging technologies. In this paper, we reviewed the ITMS-based components that describe existing imaging technologies and existing approaches on the basis of their need for developing ITMS. The first component describes the traffic scene and imaging technologies. The second component talks about vehicle attributes and their utilization in existing vehicle-based approaches. The third component explains the vehicle’s behavior on the basis of the second component’s outcome. The fourth component explains how traffic-related applications can assist in the management and monitoring of traffic flow, as well as in the reduction of congestion and the enhancement of road safety. The fifth component describes the different types of ITMS applications. The sixth component discusses the existing methods of traffic signal control systems (TSCSs). Aside from these components, we also discuss existing vehicle-related tools such as simulators that work to create realistic traffic scenes. In the last section named discussion, we discuss the future development of ITMS and draw some conclusions. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the possible solutions to different problems during the development of ITMS in one place, with the help of components that would play an important role for an ITMS developer to achieve the goal of developing efficient ITMS.

Transforming growth factor (TGF) β and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2 are related to the development of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) after lens extraction surgery and other processes of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Oxidative stress seems to activate TGF β1 largely through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which in turn alters the transcription of several survival genes, including lens epithelium-cell derived growth factor (LEDGF). Higher ROS levels attenuate LEDGF function, leading to down-regulation of peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6). TGF β is regulated by ROS in Prdx6 knock-out lens epithelial cells (LECs) and induces the up-regulation of tropomyosins (Tpms) 1/2, and EMT of LECs. Mouse and rat PCO are accompanied by elevated expression of Tpm2. Further, the expression of Tpm1/2 is induced by TGF β2 in LECs. Importantly, we previously showed that TGF β2 and FGF2 play regulatory roles in LECs in a contrasting manner. An injury-induced EMT of a mouse lens as a PCO model was attenuated in the absence of Tpm2. In this review, we present findings regarding the roles of TGF β and FGF2 in the differential regulation of EMT in the lens. Tpms may be associated with TGF β2- and FGF2-related EMT and PCO development.