Search Results (14,651)

Traditional villages in the Jiangnan region have experienced significant spatial transformation under rural revitalization, yet thermal environment regulation in public spaces remains insufficiently addressed. This study examines how spatial morphology influences microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort during summer and proposes evidence-based climate-responsive strategies. Three representative provincial-level traditional villages in Wuxi—Yaogeli Village, Zhu Village, and Huangtutang Ancient Village Area—were selected as case studies. Public spaces were classified into open, semi-open, and semi-private types according to spatial openness. Field microclimate measurements and thermal comfort surveys were conducted, and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) was calculated to evaluate thermal conditions. Results show that rural public spaces generally experience significant summer heat stress, with PET exceeding the neutral range during most daytime periods. Spatial openness is significantly positively correlated with PET, identifying solar radiation as the dominant thermal driver. Water bodies provide cooling benefits within limited spatial ranges, constrained by configuration and ventilation conditions. Ecological and composite surfaces reduce heat accumulation compared to single materials. These findings indicate that thermal comfort in rural public spaces is a multi-factor and interaction-driven process, providing empirical support for climate-adaptive rural renewal. Full article

Declining birth rates are reshaping higher education across East Asia, accelerating the large-scale underutilization and, in some contexts, partial abandonment of university campus assets. Although adaptive reuse has been widely discussed, campus transformation is often framed primarily as a programmatic or policy problem, with limited attention to the inherited spatial logic embedded in campus morphology. This study revisits Le Corbusier’s concept of unlimited growth as a generative framework for campus transformation. Rather than treating it as a museum-specific historical typology, the research reinterprets unlimited growth as a scalable spatial logic defined by modular continuity, circulation hierarchy, and open-ended sequencing. To enhance reproducibility and operational clarity, the study formalizes a typo-morphological decoding protocol—modules, circulation, and growth sequence—and applies it through plan-, section-, and diagram-based analysis. Through comparative examination of three museum precedents—Sanskar Kendra Museum, the National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo), and the Chandigarh Museum and Art Gallery—the study extracts a set of transferable spatial mechanisms: modular increment, circulation-centered ordering, directional displacement, and fifth-façade ecological continuity. These mechanisms are then translated into an operational right-sizing model and tested through a design-operational demonstrator on a single anonymized Taiwanese campus experiencing demographic contraction. The findings indicate that unlimited growth functions not merely as a formal principle but as a spatial governance logic that supports phased consolidation, adaptive recomposition, and system-level coherence under long-term uncertainty. Importantly, this framework contributes to sustainability by reducing land consumption through spatial consolidation, minimizing unnecessary new construction, enabling adaptive reuse of existing campus assets, and improving long-term resource-use efficiency through phased right-sizing and ecological continuity. This study further advances a reproducible, mechanism-based methodological framework for institutional spatial transformation, providing a transferable approach for large-scale campus restructuring under conditions of long-term demographic and environmental uncertainty. Full article

Light availability is a key environmental factor influencing plant functional traits and ecological strategies. To investigate how natural populations of Iris pumila respond to contrasting irradiance, we conducted an in situ reciprocal transplant experiment using clonal genotypes from two natural populations, each originating from an open dune and a shaded forest habitat. Leaves collected from each of the replanted and transplanted genotypes were analyzed for structural (specific leaf area—SLA, leaf dry matter content—LDMC), physiological (specific leaf water content—SLWC, photosynthetic pigments) and biochemical (peroxidase—POD, glutathione reductase—GR, phenolics and anthocyanins) traits. Shade-grown individuals developed thinner leaves with higher SLA and chlorophyll content, enhancing light-harvesting efficiency, whereas sun-exposed plants exhibited greater LDMC, increased POD and GR activities and higher anthocyanin levels—traits consistent with enhanced photoprotection under high irradiance. All genotypes exhibited pronounced plasticity to light intensity, with habitat exerting a stronger influence on trait expression than population origin. To evaluate oxidative balance, we proposed the ODAC index (Oxidative Damage to Antioxidant Capacity), which integrates lipid peroxidation with antioxidant capacity. ODAC values revealed consistent population-level differences, with higher values in Dune genotypes across habitats, indicating a constitutively elevated oxidative load relative to antioxidant protection and suggesting differentiation in redox regulation between populations. Overall, leaf trait variation in I. pumila appears to be primarily driven by plastic responses to light conditions, while differentiation in oxidative physiology contributes to functional divergence between populations. Full article

In wetland ecological monitoring, accurate acquisition of water bodies is particularly crucial, especially for hydrological monitoring and eutrophication control. Water bodies can be clearly delineated by using optical remote sensors. Optical sensors can clearly delineate water boundaries and features when extracting water bodies via remote sensing. Meanwhile, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), with its unique microwave capabilities, can easily penetrate vegetation and operate regardless of weather conditions, enabling all-weather monitoring. Each sensor type exhibits distinct advantages in water body monitoring and research. This study focuses on Caohai Wetland in Guizhou Province, utilizing data from the optical satellite Zhuhai-1 (launched by China in 2017) and the radar satellite RadarSat-2 (launched by Canada) at identical resolutions during the same period. Five supervised classification methods were applied to extract water bodies using optical imagery within the wetland area, with results evaluated against SAR data. Results indicate that the optimal water body extraction methods based on optical and SAR data are Random Forest Classification and Support Vector Machine classification, respectively, achieving an overall accuracy of 0.896 and 0.940, with Kappa coefficients of 0.791 and 0.879. The water area extracted using SAR was significantly larger than that based on optical data, thereby identifying areas within Caohai Wetland that were not fully submerged in vegetation during this period. This study holds significant implications for accurate water body extraction and analysis benefited an improved monitoring and conserving the wetland environment. Full article

Enhancing urban ecological resilience (UER) is crucial for mitigating soil erosion, improving land use efficiency, and preventing ecological degradation. The digital–real economy integration (DRI) plays a pivotal role in strengthening UER, offering a vital pathway for modernizing ecological governance systems and capabilities in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Based on ecological resilience theory, this study establishes a three-dimensional evaluation framework centered on “resistance–recovery–adaptation”. Using panel data from 78 cities in the YRB from 2011 to 2023, we empirically examine the impact of DRI on UER. The results indicate that DRI significantly improves UER in the YRB, with notably strong positive effects on recovery and adaptation capacities, although there is no significant effect on resistance capacity. Mechanism analysis reveals that DRI promotes UER primarily through three channels: upgrading the industrial structure, strengthening government governance, and spurring green technological innovation. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the positive impact of DRI on UER is more pronounced in downstream cities, urban agglomerations, non-resource-based cities, key environmental protection cities, green data center pilot cities, and informatization–industrialization integration pilot cities. Spatial analysis confirms DRI generating positive spatial spillover effects on the UER of neighboring cities. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the ecological governance potential of DRI and offers policy insights to support coordinated digital and green transformation in the YRB. Full article

Rapid urbanization has intensified the mismatch between urban green space (UGS) and urban spatial vitality (USV), hindering sustainable development. To address this, we developed the Urban Green Space Vitality Adaptation Model (UGSVAM) and analyzed 64 subdistricts in central Nanjing. Specifically, this study asks: Does the mismatch exist? What are its spatiotemporal patterns? What factors drive it? Methodologically, we use the Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve to assess overall UGS-USV adaptation, then construct the Urban Green Space Vitality Density (UGVD) indicator to quantify the match level, classifying units as overloaded, underloaded, or balanced. OLS and GWR reveal global and local influencing mechanisms, while quadrant analysis supports differentiated planning. Results show: (1) UGS-USV adaptation in Nanjing is weak, with Gini coefficients of 0.466 (weekday) and 0.456 (weekend). UGVD exhibits a spatial pattern of a primary overload core in the central city, a secondary core in the southwest, and peripheral decline, with the southeast underloaded. Overloaded units also show notable temporal variation. (2) Globally POI density and intersection density promote UGVD, while excessive transport facilities, air pollution, and high temperatures inhibit it—ecological factors have stronger weekend effects. (3) Locally, the northeast is more sensitive to POI density, the southwest to transport and heat, and the Jiangbei New Area could enhance green space carrying capacity through transport optimization and spatial integration. The UGSVAM integrates spatial diagnosis, mechanism analysis, and planning response, offering a transferable framework for refining green space governance in high-density cities. Full article

Sex determination in teleost fishes exhibits remarkable evolutionary plasticity; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive for many species of high economic importance. Herein, we provide the first genome-wide investigation of the genetic basis of sex determination in the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), an ecologically and commercially vital clupeiform fish. Using low-pass whole-genome resequencing of 100 sexually mature individuals (50 females and 50 males), we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and F_ST scans to identify sex-linked loci and characterize sex-determining regions (SDRs). Our analyses revealed two major candidate SDRs located on chromosomes 14 and 18, encompassing multiple sex-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (InDels). Among these, the amhr2 (anti-Müllerian hormone type 2 receptor) gene on Chr14 displayed the strongest and most consistent association with phenotypic sex, marked by several male-specific missense SNPs and InDel variants. Comparative and transcriptomic analyses confirmed sex-biased expression of amhr2 and other SDR-linked genes, potentially indicating a male heterogametic (XY-like) genetic sex determination system. These results provide the first molecular evidence for a candidate SDR in E. encrasicolus, raise the possibility of involvement of amhr2 and additional loci in sex determination, and highlight rapid sex chromosome turnover within Clupeiformes. Our findings not only expand the understanding of teleost sex determination evolution but also establish a genomic foundation for developing molecular tools for sex identification and population management in anchovy fisheries. Full article

Childhood stunting remains a major public health challenge in India and is influenced by multiple socioeconomic and environmental factors. This ecological study examined district-level correlates of childhood stunting, including Crimes Against Women (CAW), the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), and drought severity, using data from NFHS-5, the National Crime Records Bureau, NITI Aayog’s MPI reports, and the Drought Atlas of India. Spatial autocorrelation and Spatial regression models were applied alongside machine learning approaches and SHAP-based Explainable AI (XAI) interpretation. Childhood stunting exhibited significant spatial clustering (Moran’s I = 0.520, p < 0.001), with hotspots in northern, central, and eastern India. Higher stunting was associated with higher birth order, low maternal BMI, child anaemia, and MPI, and negative associations with iodised salt usage, electricity access, and timely postnatal care. A significant spatial lag parameter (ρ = 0.348) indicated substantial spillover effects. Machine learning models consistently identified MPI, drought severity, and CAW as key predictors. The integrated spatial and machine learning framework identifies key correlates and spatial dependencies of childhood stunting, highlighting the need for region-specific, multisectoral interventions. Full article

High-quality agricultural development (HQAD) in China is essential to achieving Chinese-style modernization, which represents a uniquely Chinese path to modernization characterized by coordinated development across economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological dimensions. Against the backdrop of accelerating digitalization in global value chains (GVCs), exploring how it influences China’s HQAD carries significant theoretical value and policy implications. This study, for the first time, integrates GVC digitalization and HQAD into a unified analytical framework. Utilizing panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2009 to 2020, it empirically examines the relationship between them and the underlying mechanisms. GVC digitalization is measured with the interaction term between provincial digital GVC participation and global digitalization level, while HQAD is comprehensively assessed using a multi-dimensional evaluation indicator system constructed based on the new development philosophy, employing the entropy weight TOPSIS method. The findings reveal that GVC digitalization significantly promotes HQAD in China. For every one-standard-deviation increase in the degree of digitalization, the level of HQAD increases by an average of approximately 0.02 percentage points. Mechanism analysis further identifies industrial structure upgrading and rural integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries as two crucial transmission pathways. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that this promoting effect is more pronounced in major grain-marketing regions, provinces with better digital infrastructure, and those with higher levels of human capital. This research provides new empirical evidence for understanding agricultural transformation in the digital era and offers policy insights for leveraging GVC digitalization to advance HQAD. Full article

Urbanization is a major and rapidly expanding form of land-use change worldwide and is one of the main drivers of the decline in arthropod diversity. Within urban matrices, remnants of natural or semi-natural habitats serve as important refuges for native organisms. However, these urban fragments are typically small, isolated, and strongly affected by various forms of disturbance. Therefore, connectivity among urban remnant patches may enhance population persistence and resilience. Increased tendencies to explore novel environments, tolerate human disturbance, and exploit unpredictable resources can be advantageous in urban environments. Accordingly, in this study of a flightless ground beetle species, we hypothesized that individuals from urban habitats—especially from isolated ones—would be bolder and more exploratory than their rural conspecifics, that sexes would differ in behavior, and that these behaviors would be temporally consistent, indicating animal personality. Activity-, exploration-, and boldness-related behavioral traits were significantly repeatable, providing evidence for animal personality, particularly in females and rural beetles. Contrary to our hypothesis, no behavioral differences were detected between rural and urban individuals. Furthermore, no significant sex-dependent differences in behavior were observed. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of species-specific traits and ecological context in shaping behavioral variation. Full article

Against the backdrop of increasing global emphasis on sustainable development and ecological conservation, green seafood has emerged as a key component of sustainable marine food consumption. However, the discrepancy between consumers’ intention to consume and their consumption behavior remains a critical issue requiring in-depth investigation. Herein, based on survey data collected from 415 consumers in China in 2025, this study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the determinants and mechanisms influencing green seafood consumption intention and behavior. The findings indicate that heightened concerns regarding dietary health, food safety, and nutrition significantly enhance consumer intention, driven primarily by ecological awareness and the pursuit of a higher quality of life. Individual and household characteristics, along with consumers’ cognitive status of green seafood, exert significant positive effects on consumption intention, with cognitive status demonstrating the strongest influence. Nevertheless, a notable gap exists between consumption intention and actual behavior. Among respondents with consumption intention, only 48.7% had ever purchased green seafood, and the consumption frequency remained generally low. SEM path coefficients further reveal that marketing factors play a dominant role in actualizing consumption behavior. Compared to marketing factors, consumption intention shows a relatively weaker effect in facilitating consumption behavior. This finding further confirms the intention–behavior gap in green seafood consumption. The intention–behavior gap in green seafood consumption is jointly driven by asymmetric information on product quality, an underdeveloped certification system, a relatively undiversified supply structure, and elevated prices. Accordingly, this study proposes an integrated strategy that includes establishing a unified certification and traceability system, optimizing supply structures and pricing mechanisms, and strengthening science communication and targeted marketing. These measures aim to bridge the intention–behavior gap and promote the transition toward sustainable consumption patterns. Full article

Codon usage bias (CUB) in mitochondrial genomes reflects evolutionary forces such as mutation, selection, and genetic drift, yet its dynamics in early-diverging fungal lineages like Conidiobolus (Zoopagomycota) remain unclear. This study systematically analyzed mitochondrial core protein-coding genes (PCGs) from eight Conidiobolus species to elucidate the drivers of CUB and phylogenomic patterns. Nucleotide composition revealed pronounced AT richness (73.32% ± 3.38%) and low GC3 (13.40% ± 5.11%), indicating a preference for A/T-ending codons. Neutrality and ENC-GC3s plots demonstrated that natural selection, rather than mutation pressure, predominantly shaped codon bias, supported by weak GC12-GC3 correlations (slopes: 0.037–0.335) and significant ENC deviations from mutation-driven expectations. PR2-bias analysis further highlighted a strong bias toward A over T and C over G. Correspondence analysis linked major codon usage variations to GC3s, CAI, and FOP indices. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) and concatenated mitochondrial sequences revealed discordant topologies, particularly in the placement of C. polytocus and C. polyspermus, suggesting divergent evolutionary trajectories. Optimal codon analysis identified species-specific preferences dominated by A/T termini. These findings underscore natural selection as the primary force driving AT-biased mitochondrial CUB in Conidiobolus, while phylogenomic discordance highlights complex evolutionary pressures in this ecologically diverse fungal genus. This study provides foundational insights into mitochondrial genome evolution and codon adaptation mechanisms in early-diverging fungi. Full article

Rare earth elements (REE), such as gadolinium (Gd) and erbium (Er), are increasingly recognised as emerging environmental contaminants due to their widespread use in industrial processes, electronics, and medical imaging applications. Despite their extensive presence in aquatic ecosystems, little is known about their developmental toxicity. In this study, Xenopus laevis embryos were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of Gd and Er during critical early developmental stages. The assessed endpoints included survival, malformations, growth (body length), and heart rate. Both Gd and Er caused significant sublethal effects, including increased axial malformations, reduced growth, and altered cardiac activity. To explore potential mechanisms of toxicity, the expression patterns of key developmental genes (fgf8, bmp4, sox9, egr2, rax1, pax6) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tnfα, il1β, p65) were analysed using Real-Time PCR. The results showed dysregulation of gene expression, indicating disruption to pathways involved in morphogenesis and neurodevelopment. Elevated reactive oxygen species levels suggested that oxidative stress was a contributing factor. Raman spectroscopy confirmed biochemical changes affecting proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, providing evidence of cellular stress and metabolic imbalance. Overall, our findings demonstrate that even low-level exposure to Gd and Er can impair amphibian embryonic development and disturb molecular homeostasis. These results emphasise the ecological risks of REE pollution and highlight the importance of ongoing environmental monitoring and long-term toxicological research. Full article

Investigating the influence of landscape evolution on river eutrophication is critical for optimizing spatial patterns to improve water quality. Machine learning (ML) models can capture the complex relationship between landscape metrics and water quality, but their black-box property restricts the interpretability of the underlying mechanisms and makes it difficult to forecast future trends in water quality. To address this, we developed a novel framework that, for the first time, couples an interpretable ML model with the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model for eutrophication index (EI) prediction. This approach elucidates the response of river eutrophication to landscape dynamics and forecasts future river EI trends. The random forest regression (RFR) model outperformed other algorithms in quantifying these relationships (R² = 0.934 for training, 0.711 for testing). SHAP analysis revealed that landscape metrics contributed 81.78% to the river EI, far exceeding climate factors (18.22%). Consequently, landscape evolution emerged as the dominant explanatory factor. Scenario simulations indicated that while the ecological protection (EP) scenario effectively mitigates river eutrophication, the urban development (UD) scenario significantly exacerbates it. Specifically, under the UD scenario, the average EI in urban sub-watersheds is projected to reach 60.78 by 2040, approaching heavy eutrophic levels. Our findings inform spatial optimization strategies for river eutrophication management and facilitate the design of targeted, localized water ecological protection policies in subtropical monsoonal basins. Full article

Accurately assessing dynamic water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) is essential and challenging, particularly in regions like the Gansu sections of the Yellow River Basin (GSYRB), a core water source protection zone in the arid northwest of China, due to its pressing challenge of balancing water resources for socioeconomic needs and ecological security. This study proposes a novel integrated computational assessment framework named SD-VIKOR to address the complexities arising from nonlinear interactions within the “water resources–socioeconomic–ecological environment” (W–S–E) system. The core of this framework is the tight coupling of a system dynamics (SD) simulation model with a VIKOR multi-criteria evaluation module, where indicator weights are objectively–subjectively determined via an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)–entropy weight method. This integrated SD-VIKOR engine enables dynamic, scenario-based WRCC trajectory simulation. To move beyond simulation and enable mechanistic insight, the framework further incorporates a diagnostic suite: a Geodetector module quantifies dominant drivers and their interactions; an obstacle degree model pinpoints key limiting factors; and a coupling coordination degree model evaluates subsystem synergies. Together, they form a closed-loop “dynamic simulation → multi-criteria assessment → driving mechanism analysis and constraint diagnosis → subsystem coordination analysis” workflow. Applied to the GSYRB from 2012 to 2030 under five development scenarios, the framework demonstrated high efficacy. It successfully captured path-dependent WRCC evolution, revealing that the ecological-priority scenario (B2), which shifts system drivers from economic-scale expansion to resource-efficiency and environmental governance, yielded optimal WRCC and the highest system coordination. In contrast, business-as-usual and single-minded economic expansion scenarios underperformed. Six key obstacle factors were quantitatively identified, linking WRCC constraints to natural endowments, economic patterns, and domestic demand. The results reveal pronounced spatial–temporal heterogeneity in WRCC across the GSYRB, with socioeconomic development, water resource use efficiency, and ecological conditions acting as the primary joint drivers of WRCC evolution. Critically, several key indicators are identified as persistent constraints on regional water sustainability. In contrast to conventional static evaluations, the integrated framework captures the complex dynamics and multi-subsystem interactions governing WRCC, offering a more robust diagnostic of resource–environment systems. These insights provide a transferable analytical basis for designing sustainable water management strategies in arid river basins. Full article