Search Results (79)

Exploring the spatio-temporal evolution patterns of rapeseed production at the county level in Sichuan Province, China, and analyzing the influence of natural conditions and socioeconomic development based on regional spatial characteristics, can help guide the rational distribution of crop production and provide a reference for the high-quality and sustainable development of the local rapeseed industry. Based on panel data from 2001 to 2023, this study employs GIS spatial analysis to examine the spatio-temporal evolution of rapeseed production in Sichuan and applies a Geodetector model to identify factors influencing its spatial and temporal variations. The results reveal that rapeseed production in Sichuan is concentrated in three main production areas: the northeastern Sichuan region, the middle Sichuan hilly region, and the Chengdu Plain. The dynamic evolution exhibits a composite pattern characterized by the stability and expansion of core areas, alongside breakthroughs and growth in peripheral regions, with increased production observed across 134 counties. The spatial center of rapeseed production shows short-range fluctuations and distinct regional anchoring, oscillating among Santai County, Shehong City, and Daying County, tracing a “Z”-shaped trajectory. Over the 23-year period, the global Moran’s I index ranged from 0.464 to 0.558, indicating a significant spatial clustering trend in rapeseed output among adjacent counties. Local spatial autocorrelation patterns were predominantly H-H, L-L, and L-H clusters. Factor detection identifies labor force availability, fertilizer application intensity, and effective irrigated area as the most influential factors. Interaction detection results consistently exhibit a two-factor enhancement effect. To enhance the rapeseed industry’s performance and efficiency, it is recommended to stabilize production capacity in the three core production areas, leverage central regions to strengthen radiation to the surrounding counties, optimize resource allocation based on clustering patterns, and focus on improving key factors such as labor and irrigation, as well as their synergistic effects. Full article

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is deeply embedded in everyday social life, yet its officially recognized spatial distribution reflects both the independent influences of cultural traditions, development trajectories, and governance practices, and the complex interactions among them. Focusing on 494 national-level ICH items across ten categories in Jiangsu(J), Zhejiang(Z), and Shanghai(H), this study adopts a social-geographical perspective to examine both the spatio-temporal evolution and the driving mechanisms of ICH recognition in one of China’s most developed regions. After rigorous verification of point-based ICH locations, we combine kernel density estimation and the average nearest neighbor index to trace changes across five batches of national designation, and then employ the univariate and interaction detectors of the Geodetector model to assess the effects of 28 natural, socioeconomic, and cultural-institutional variables. The results show, first, that ICH exhibits significant clustering along river corridors and historical cultural belts, with a persistent high-density core in the Shanghai–southern Jiangsu–northern Zhejiang zone and a clear shift over time from highly concentrated to more dispersed and territorially balanced recognition. Second, human-environment factors—especially factors such as urban and rural income and consumption; residents’ education and cultural expenditures; and public education and cultural facilities—have far greater explanatory power than natural conditions, while different ICH categories embed distinctively in urban and rural socio-economic contexts. Third, bivariate interactions reveal that natural and macroeconomic “background” variables are strongly amplified when combined with demographic and cultural factors, whereas interactions among strong human variables show bivariate enhancement with diminishing marginal returns. In summary, these findings enrich international debates on the geography of ICH by clarifying how recognition processes align with regional development and social equity agendas, and they provide a quantitative basis for category-sensitive, place-based strategies that coordinate income policies, public cultural services, and the joint safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage in both urban renewal and rural revitalization planning. Full article

Background/Objective: Crohn’s disease exclusion diet (CDED) is used to induce remission and maintenance treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD), but its efficacy as adjuvant treatment of biological agents is not clear, especially for children with CD in China. The aim is to compare the synergistic induction of remission, as well as the effects on physical growth and nutritional indicators, of the CDED and Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN), when used alongside infliximab as adjunctive therapies for children with CD. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on newly diagnosed children with CD who were receiving infliximab treatment in combination with either CDED or EEN at the Department of Gastroenterology at Beijing Children’s Hospital between April 2022 and June 2025. The patients were divided into two groups: CDED and EEN. Changes in disease activity, physical growth indicators, nutritional status, and inflammatory markers were then compared between the two groups at six and twelve weeks post-treatment. Results: A total of 45 children with CD who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. Of these, 27 were boys (60%) and 18 were girls (40%), with an average age of (11.6 ± 2.9) years. Based on nutritional intervention, 19 patients were assigned to the CDED group and 26 to the EEN group. The clinical remission rates were 89.5% and 94.7% at 6 and 12 weeks post-treatment, respectively, in the CDED group and 88.5% and 84.6%, respectively, in the EEN group. At 12 weeks, the endoscopic remission rates were 47.1% (8/17) and 24.0% (5/26), respectively, in the CDED and EEN groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of clinical remission or endoscopic remission (p > 0.05). Comparisons of physical growth indicators showed that, after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment, children in the CDED group had a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) for age Z-score than those in the EEN group (p < 0.05). Comparisons of serum nutritional and inflammatory markers revealed that, after 12 weeks of treatment, fecal calprotectin levels were significantly lower in the CDED group than in the EEN group (p < 0.05), with no significant differences observed in other markers. Conclusions: For children with moderate-to-severe or high-risk factors, CDED and EEN therapy as adjunctive treatment to infliximab demonstrate comparable efficacy in inducing disease remission. However, CDED was more effective than EEN at improving physical growth and reducing intestinal inflammation. Full article

Drought is one of the main climate-induced risks threatening agricultural sustainability in semi-arid regions. Northern Kazakhstan, a key grain-producing region in Central Asia, exhibits increasing vulnerability to droughts due to climatic variability and reliance on rainfed agriculture. This study evaluates the informativeness of drought indices based on the response of agricultural vegetation to dry conditions using remote sensing-based vegetation indices across Northern Kazakhstan from 1990 to 2024. Ground-based meteorological indices—the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), the Hydrothermal Coefficient (HTC), and the Modified China-Z Index (MCZI)—and vegetation indices—the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), the Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and the Vegetation Health Index (VHI)—were analyzed using data from 11 representative meteorological stations. For the first time in Kazakhstan, the MCZI was calculated, demonstrating high sensitivity to local climate variability and strong agreement with the VHI. The SPI, MCZI, and HTC showed strong seasonal correlations with vegetation indices, whereas the SPEI had a weak correlation, limiting its applicability. The highest correlations (r ≥ 0.82) between meteorological and vegetation indices were recorded in summer, while spring and autumn were influenced by phenological and temperature factors. Persistent drying trends in the southern and southwestern areas contrasted with moderate wetting in the north. The combined use of the SPI, MCZI, HTC, and VHI proved effective for monitoring droughts. The results provide a reproducible foundation for local drought assessment and early warning systems, supporting climate-resilient agricultural planning and sustainable land and water resource management. The results also offer actionable insights to enhance adaptation strategies and support long-term agricultural and environmental sustainability in Central Asia and similar continental agroecosystems. Full article

Historic and cultural villages in China are increasingly challenged by rapid urbanization, uneven commercial development, and fragmented preservation mechanisms. Understanding their spatiotemporal distribution and the factors shaping it is crucial for advancing the integrated development of cultural heritage conservation, ecological sustainability, and socio-economic growth. This study examines 487 historic and cultural villages using the nearest neighbor index (NNI) and kernel density analyses to reveal spatial differentiation patterns. Vector buffer analysis and the geographic detector method were further employed to identify the key drivers of village distribution. The results indicate that: (1) historic and cultural villages exhibit a distinctly clustered spatial pattern, characterized by “more in the southeast, fewer in the northwest; more in the northeast, fewer in the southwest” (NNI = 0.44, Z = –23.52, p = 0.00); (2) provincial-level spatial density demonstrates clear stratification, with high-density clusters concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta, southern Anhui, the Fujian–Zhejiang–Jiangxi junction, and along the Yellow River in Shanxi–Shaanxi–Henan. From the fifth to seventh designation batches, kernel density peaks (maximum ~0.11 × 10⁻²) increased significantly, reflecting stronger spatial clustering; and (3) the spatial distribution of villages is jointly shaped by natural geography, socio-economic conditions, transportation infrastructure, visitor markets, and tourism resources. Among these, nighttime light intensity was identified as the most influential individual factor (q = 0.6132), while the combination of slope aspect and per capita disposable income emerged as the dominant factor pair (q = 0.966). Full article

Under the context of global climate change, aridity responses exhibit significant differences across various latitudinal zones, and quantifying the dependency relationship between aridity and latitudinal zones is of great importance for differentiated water resource management. The Lancang River Basin in China spans 13 latitudinal zones with distinct altitudinal gradients, making it crucial to analyze the relationship between long-term aridity variation patterns and latitude for understanding basin hydrological response mechanisms. This study adopted the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) aridity index definition and utilized publicly available high-resolution datasets to divide the Chinese Lancang River Basin into 26 regions at 0.5° N intervals. The spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the aridity index at interannual and seasonal scales from 1940 to 2022 were analyzed, and the trends of aridity index changes and their relationship with latitude were quantified. Results indicate: (1) The spring aridity index increased significantly (trend rate of 0.015/10a, Z = 2.39), driving an overall basin-wide humidification trend. (2) The aridity index exhibited significant spatial and seasonal differences with latitude: southern regions (south of 24.75° N) showed negative correlations, northern regions (north of 30.5° N) showed positive correlations, while central regions displayed distinct seasonal transitions and spatial differentiation characteristics bounded by 27.25° N. (3) The rate of aridity index change in regions north of 27.25° N was significantly higher than in southern regions (p < 0.001). This study reveals the latitudinal patterns of AI changes in the Lancang River Basin, providing guidance for developing adaptive water resource allocation strategies under climate change scenarios. Full article

This paper develops a dynamic information-theoretic network framework to quantify systemic risk in China’s maritime–commodity nexus with a focus on the Yangtze River Basin using eight monthly indicators, CCFI, CBCFI, BDI, YRCFI, GAUP, MPCT, CPUS, and ASMC. We resample, impute, standardize, and difference series to achieve stationary time series. Nonlinear interdependencies are estimated via KSG mutual information (MI) within sliding windows; networks are filtered using the Planar Maximally Filtered Graph (PMFG) with bootstrap edge validation (95th percentile) and benchmarked against the MST. Average MI indicates moderate yet heterogeneous dependence (about 0.13–0.17), revealing a container/port core (CCFI–YRCFI–MPCT), a bulk/energy spine (BDI–CPUS), and commodity bridges via GAUP. Dynamic PMFG metrics show a generally resilient but episodically vulnerable structure: density and compactness decline in turbulence. Stress tests demonstrate high redundancy to diffuse link failures (connectivity largely intact until ∼70–80% edge removal) but pronounced sensitivity of diffusion capacity to targeted multi-node outages. Early-warning indicators based on entropy rate and percolation threshold Z-scores flag recurring windows of elevated fragility; change point detection evaluation of both metrics isolates clustered regime shifts (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2021–2022, and late 2023–2024). A Systemic Importance Index (SII) combining average centrality and removal impact ranks MPCT and CCFI as most critical, followed by BDI, with GAUP/CPUS mid-peripheral and ASMC peripheral. The findings imply that safeguarding port throughput and stabilizing container freight conditions deliver the greatest resilience gains, while monitoring bulk/energy linkages is essential when macro shocks synchronize across markets. Full article

Carbon emissions from freshwater aquaculture can exacerbate the greenhouse effect, thereby impacting human life and health. Consequently, it is of great significance to explore the carbon peak process and the role of emission reduction data in China’s freshwater aquaculture industry. This study innovatively employs the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model (LMDI) and the Tapio decoupling model to conduct an in-depth analysis of the relationship between carbon emissions and output values in the freshwater aquaculture industry, accurately identifying the main driving factors. Meanwhile, the global and local Moran’s I indices are introduced to analyze its spatial correlation from a new perspective. The results indicate that from 2013 to 2023, carbon emissions from China’s freshwater aquaculture industry exhibited a quasi-“N”-shaped trend, reaching a peak of 38 million tons in 2015. East China was the primary contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for 46%, while South China, Central China, and Northeast China each had an average annual share of around 14%, with Southwest, North China, and Northwest China contributing relatively small proportions. The global Moran’s I index showed a decreasing trend, with a p-value ≤ 0.0010 and a z-score > 3.3, indicating a 99% significant spatial correlation. High-high clusters were concentrated in some provinces of East China, while low-low clusters were found in Northwest, North, and Southwest China. The level of fishery economic development positively drove carbon emissions, whereas freshwater aquaculture production efficiency, industrial structure, and the scale of the aquaculture population had negative effects on carbon emissions. During the study period, carbon emissions exhibited three states: weak decoupling, strong decoupling, and expansive negative decoupling, with alternating strong and weak decoupling occurring after 2015. Full article

Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus Steiner & Buhrer (pine wood nematodes, PWN), impacts forest carbon sequestration and climate change. However, satellite-based PWD monitoring is challenging due to the limited spatial resolution of Sentinel’s MSI sensor, which reduces its sensitivity to subtle biochemical alterations in foliage. We have, therefore, developed a slope product index (SPI) for effective detection of PWD using single-date satellite imagery based on spectral gradients in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) range. The SPI was compared against 15 widely used vegetation indices and demonstrated superior robustness across diverse test sites. Results show that the SPI is more sensitive to changes in chlorophyll content in the PWD detection, even under potentially confounding conditions such as drought. When integrated into Random Forest (RF) and Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) models, SPI significantly improved classification accuracy, with the multivariate RF model achieving the highest performance and univariate with SPI in BPNN. The generalizability of SPI was validated across test sites in distinct climate zones, including Zhejiang (accuracyZ_Mean = 88.14%) and Shandong (accuracyS_Mean = 78.45%) provinces in China, as well as Portugal. Notably, SPI derived from Sentinel-2 imagery in October enables more accurate and timely PWD detection while reducing field investigation complexity and cost. Full article

This study investigates the spatiotemporal distribution and evolution of traditional villages in southern Jiangsu Province, China. By integrating historical documents, remote sensing images, and socio-economic statistics, we have applied standard geographic information system (GIS) methods, including kernel density estimation, nearest neighbor analysis, and standard deviation ellipse analysis, to examine the patterns and driving forces behind village formation and transformation. The findings are as follows: (1) The spatial distribution of the villages exhibits a spatial pattern of “peripheral agglomeration and central decline,” with a nearest neighbor index value of 0.84 (z = −2.52, p < 0.05), indicating a significantly clustered distribution. Kernel density analysis revealed high-density zones along the southwestern coast of Taihu Lake and southeastern Dianshan Lake. (2) From the Song to the Qing Dynasty, village migration followed three sequential phases, “stabilizing near water → avoiding risks around water → adapting inland,” showing strong spatiotemporal linkages to climate change and warfare. (3) The density of the villages showed a significant negative correlation with the per capita GDP (Moran’s I = −0.69, p < 0.05; 0.69, p < 0.01) and was positively correlated with the proportion of primary industry. These findings highlight the spatial resilience characteristics of traditional villages under combined natural and socio-economic pressures and provide a theoretical foundation for regional heritage conservation and rural revitalization strategies. Full article

Background: Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels in young people have become a significant public health concern. Dietary habits are a key factor influencing SUA levels. This study aimed to investigate dietary patterns (DPs) of children and adolescents and their associations with SUA. Methods: This cross-sectional study included children and adolescents in Guangzhou, China. We used structured questionnaires to collect data on demographics, lifestyle, and dietary intake, and we collected blood samples for biochemical analysis. DPs were identified by factor analysis. We used robust linear regression to examine the association between these patterns and SUA levels. Parallel mediation analysis was utilized to assess the mediating role of body mass index (BMI) Z-score and waist circumference (WC). Results: The study encompassed 4100 children and adolescents between ages 9–17. The median SUA level was 374 (IQR: 319, 438) μmol/L and the prevalence of hyperuricemia was 41.7%. We identified four DPs, including plant-based, snack–beverage, highprotein, and meat–carbohydrate patterns. There was a positive correlation between the meat–carbohydrate pattern and SUA (β = 3.67 μmol/L, 95% CI: 1.22–6.12). The Q4 group of the highprotein pattern was associated with higher SUA levels (9.17 μmol/L, 95% CI: 2.41–15.93) compared to the Q1 group. BMI Z-score and WC mediated the association between the meat–carbohydrate pattern and SUA. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BMI Z-score and WC mediated the association between the meat–carbohydrate pattern and SUA. This study emphasizes the significance of targeted dietary interventions for weight control in addressing the increasing SUA levels in children and adolescents. Future research could focus on exploring the molecular mechanisms, developing personalized dietary intervention programs, and conducting multicenter prospective cohort studies. Full article

The flood–drought severity in arid regions such as Xinjiang is increasingly influenced by climate extremes. While prior studies have explored the relationship between climate extremes and flood–drought dynamics, few have analyzed these interactions at different time and spatial scales using different method combinations. This study addresses that gap by utilizing a gridded dataset (CN05.1) during 1961–2020, examining the China Z index (flood–drought index) and climate extremes. The analysis reveals significant increases in precipitation and heat extremes, while cold extremes have decreased. In addition to overall periodic changes with 2.5 and 8 years in the flood–drought severity, our results demonstrate a significant spatial shift between 1981 and 2000 and between 2001 and 2020. Previously flood-dominant regions, including portions of the Junggar Basin, Eastern Tianshan Mountains, and Tarim River Basin, transitioned to drought-dominant in 2001–2020. Conversely, drought-dominant regions became flood-dominant. Strong positive correlations (0.65–0.84) were found between the Z index and precipitation extremes, while temperature extremes showed weaker correlations. Furthermore, we applied six variable selection regression methods, with Random Forest variable selection + Random Forest regression (RF+RF) performing the best (mean R² = 0.71), highlighting their ability to manage non-linear relationships and multicollinearity between climate indices. RF+RF proved more effective at handling correlated variables, which were crucial in capturing the region’s flood–drought dynamics. The quantified spatial reversals and non-linear climate-flood/drought relationships provide actionable metrics for early warning systems, enabling targeted infrastructure upgrades and water allocation policies in arid regions. These findings establish a transferable framework linking climate extremes to hydrological risks, directly informing adaptive land management and disaster preparedness strategies for Xinjiang and analogous regions under intensifying climate variability. Full article

In recent years, multidrug resistance in pathogenic bacteria has become increasingly serious, causing serious harm to the livestock and poultry breeding industries and posing severe challenges to its clinical prevention and treatment; therefore, the development of new antibacterial agents is urgently needed. We previously isolated Bacillus velezensis CB6, which exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, from Changbaishan in China. In this study, multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli B2(MDR E. coli B2) was used as an indicator bacterium. Ammonium sulfate precipitation, dextran gel chromatography, and Diethylaminoethyl Bestarose High Performance was used to isolate antibacterial protein with strong activity against MDR E. coli B2. SDS–PAGE combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to obtain the antibacterial protein CB6-E, which has a molecular weight of 54.537 kDa. Our study found that CB6-E has a strong inhibitory effect on Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa Z1, Salmonella H9812, and Shigella castellani Z1; among them, the minimum inhibitory concentration for MDR E. coli B2 was 32 µg/mL. In addition, CB6-E is stable under various conditions including exposure to various temperatures, organic reagents, pH values, and proteolytic enzymes. The hemolytic activity test and cytotoxicity test also showed that CB6-E is safe. Research on antibacterial mechanisms showed that CB6-E destroys cell membranes in a dose-dependent manner and can inhibit the growth of MDR E. coli B2 by targeting lipopolysaccharides on the cell membrane, showing good therapeutic effects in model animals. In summary, CB6-E is a newly discovered antibacterial protein with a high therapeutic index that is safe, nontoxic, and stabile, and is expected to be an effective antibacterial agent. Full article

The risk of forest diseases is on the rise due to climate change and the consequential increase in extreme weather events, which disrupt the balance between pathogen, hosts, and the environment. This study analyzed two consecutive outbreaks of canker disease in Betula alnoides (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don 1825) plantations and the temperature and precipitation changes in 2019 and 2020 in the northern Guangdong Province, China, to understand the impact of meteorological factors on disease outbreaks. We also examined the growth and mortality of B. alnoides with different gap sizes and reserved densities to explore how stand structure affects disease resistance in B. alnoides individuals. In both years, the disease outbreaks were preceded by periods of increasing heat and significant drops in humidity, as indicated by the z-score and relative similarity index. The mortality of B. alnoides due to canker disease was negatively correlated with seedling growth, which was optimized at a moderate reserved density of 225–300 trees per hectare in the upper layer and a gap size of 500–750 m². The findings suggest that closely monitoring meteorological changes and implementing afforestation with a well-managed upper layer can help mitigate the impact of canker disease in subtropical regions, particularly in the context of climate change. Further long-term studies with a more systemic approach are needed to assess the effects of thinning and gap creation in forest management. Full article

The evaluation of reservoir properties and gas-bearing characteristics is critical for assessing shale gas accumulation. This study aimed to improve the precision of characterizing the properties and gas-bearing features of the Carboniferous and Permian shale reservoirs within the Qinshui Basin, Shanxi Province, China. It specifically focuses on the shale from the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian Shanxi and Taiyuan formations at Well Z1, located in the mid-eastern region of the basin. A comprehensive suite of analytical techniques, including organic geochemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-pressure mercury intrusion, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, isothermal adsorption experiments, and gas content measurements, was used to systematically evaluate the reservoir properties and gas-bearing characteristics of the Carboniferous–Permian shale in Well Z1. The findings reveal the following. (1) The organic matter in the Shanxi and Taiyuan formations of Well Z1 is predominantly Type III humic kerogen, exhibiting high maturity and abundance. Specifically, 67.40% of the samples have TOC > 1.00%, classifying them as medium- to high-quality source rocks. The vitrinite reflectance (R_o) ranges from 1.99% to 2.55%, and T_max varies from 322.01 °C to 542.01 °C, indicating a high to over-mature stage. (2) The mineral composition of the shale is dominated by kaolinite, illite, and quartz, with a moderate brittleness index. The average clay mineral content is 52.12%, while quartz averages 45.53%, and the brittleness index averages 42.34. (3) The pore types in the shale are predominantly macropores, with varying peak intervals among different samples. (4) The surface area and specific pore volume of macropores show positive relationships with TOC, T_max, kaolinite, and the amount of desorbed gas, while they are negatively correlated with quartz. In contrast, mesopores exhibit positive correlations with TOC and illite. (5) Desorbed gas content exhibits a positive correlation with porosity, R_o, and illite. These insights enhance the comprehension of the reservoir’s properties, the characteristics of gas presence, and the determinant factors for the Carboniferous–Permian shale located in the Qinshui Basin, providing a robust practical procedure for the exploration and extraction of coal-measure shale gas resources within this area. Full article