Search Results (2,702)

Nanoplastics (NPs; <1000 nm) are persistent soil contaminants that suppress extracellular enzyme activity, the biochemical engine of terrestrial nutrient cycling. Despite a rapidly expanding primary literature, no comprehensive meta-analysis has systematically integrated quantitative effect-size synthesis with interpretable machine learning (ML) approaches to identify and rank the physicochemical drivers of NP-induced soil enzymatic toxicity. Following the PRISMA 2020 statement, we systematically searched four databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar) from database inception through December 2024 and extracted 413 effect sizes from 113 peer-reviewed studies. Hedges’ g was estimated using three-level random-effects models with restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimation implemented in the metafor package. Three supervised ML algorithms—random forest (RF), gradient boosting machines (GBMs), and support vector regression (SVR)—were trained using 18 study-level predictors derived from the complete meta-analytic dataset, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were applied to quantify and rank the relative importance of individual predictors. The overall meta-analysis demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect of NPs on soil enzyme activity (Hedges’ g = −0.94; 95% CI: −1.14 to −0.73; k = 413; I² = 78.4%; τ² = 0.412). Among the evaluated enzymes, dehydrogenase activity exhibited the greatest inhibition (g = −1.12), whereas polystyrene nanoplastics produced the strongest adverse effects (g = −1.15). Particles smaller than 100 nm caused approximately 2.6-fold greater inhibition than particles larger than 500 nm, and dose–response meta-regression identified a nonlinear increase in toxicity at concentrations exceeding 200 mg kg⁻¹. The RF model demonstrated the highest predictive performance, explaining 73% of the variance in an independent testing dataset (R² = 0.73; test set n = 83). SHAP analysis identified particle diameter as the most influential predictor, revealing an approximate critical threshold of 150 nm, below which inhibitory effects increased markedly. Higher soil organic carbon concentrations partially mitigated enzymatic inhibition, likely through competitive adsorption and reduced nanoplastic bioavailability. Overall, our findings demonstrate that NP-induced inhibition of soil enzymatic activity is widespread and primarily governed by particle size, exposure concentration, and soil properties. The identified 150 nm threshold should be interpreted as a data-driven hypothesis requiring further validation under environmentally realistic exposure scenarios rather than as a universal regulatory limit. Nevertheless, the integration of three-level meta-analysis with interpretable machine learning (SHAP) provides a robust and reproducible framework for identifying key toxicity drivers and supports future ecological risk assessment and evidence-based regulatory decision-making for nanoplastics. Full article

Earthquake-induced soil liquefaction represents a severe geohazard causing catastrophic infrastructure failure in prone coastal zones, requiring an advanced environmental spatial assessment for their sustainable land-use planning. This study utilizes advanced computational intelligence models to predict earthquake-induced soil liquefaction in Boumerdès, Algeria, an area heavily affected by the 2003 (M_w 6.8) earthquake. Utilizing a comprehensive subsurface database of 1984 geotechnical records encompassing lithology, hydrogeological configurations, and seismic parameters, advanced deep learning frameworks are developed and optimized via automated Neural Architecture Search (NAS). The continuous Factor of Safety (F_s) is calculated to distinguish stable profiles from vulnerable strata, benchmarking conventional ANN and DNN models against NAS-optimized variants (NAS-ANN and NAS-DNN) using a stratified 5-fold cross-validation scheme. The optimized hybrid NAS-DNN framework effectively captured non-linear soil responses, achieving a training correlation coefficient ($R_{train}$) of 0.9518, a validation coefficient ($R_{validation}$) of 0.8843, and a cross-validated mean $R$ of approximately 0.82, demonstrating improved predictive reliability compared to traditional models. Ultimately, this optimal network is embedded into the ‘GeoLiquefy-AI (v1.0)’ interface. To ensure reliability for safety-critical applications, we integrated a SHAP explainable AI framework, validating the model’s geomechanical logic by mapping physical soil-liquefaction dependencies. This deployment-ready tool enables rapid, transparent hazard calculations, providing a scalable platform for seismic microzonation and proactive urban risk mitigation. Full article

Dwarf apple trees are increasingly cultivated in China, whereas their environmental and economic performance remain insufficiently quantified. Here, life cycle assessment (LCA) and grouping methods are jointly conducted to quantify the environmental risks and mitigation potentials of dwarf apple production systems based on survey data from 110 growers on China’s Loess Plateau. Based on apple yield and the partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer (PFP-N), the growers’ orchards were grouped into LL (low yield + low PFP-N), LH (low yield + high PFP-N), HL (high yield + low PFP-N), and HH (high yield + high PFP-N). Results showed that farm-averaged total energy depletion (ED), global warming potential (GWP), eutrophication potential (EP), and acidification potential (AP) were 3444 MJ t⁻¹, 498 kg CO₂-eq t⁻¹, 0.992 kg PO₄³-eq t⁻¹, and 3.494 kg SO₂-eq t⁻¹, respectively. Over 85.0% of ED and GWP occurred at the agricultural material stage, while AP and EP were mainly generated at the orchard management stage. The ED, GWP, EP, and AP differed significantly among the four groups. Considering apple yield, environmental pollution index, and economic analysis, the HH group increased apple yield by 11.4–188%, reduced environment risks by 52.0–84.8%, and increased economic returns by 39.0–425%, compared with LL, LH and HL. This study highlights the importance of farm best management practices to efficiently achieve yield–environmental–economic benefits in dwarf apple production systems. Full article

Bio-based fertilizers derived from chicken manure (CM) composting show potential to meet the requirements of current European fertilizing product legislation, provided that the final product satisfies the relevant quality, stability, and hygienization criteria, although technological challenges remain. This review focuses on the critical aspects related to feedstock optimization and mitigation of odor emissions and antimicrobial resistance-related risks, including the occurrence of antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes. Effective CM composting depends on a balanced feedstock formulation, appropriate aeration, moisture control, temperature–time profiles, and maturation conditions. Co-composting with suitable co-substrates can optimize the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, enhance nutrient retention, minimize nutrient losses, and improve process performance. Two critical challenges (odorous emissions and antibiotic resistance) remain inadequately characterized and regulated, posing potential risks to environmental quality and public health. Although composting typically reduces antibiotic residues and pathogenic bacteria, certain antibiotic resistance genes may persist, depending on feedstock contamination and operational parameters. This persistence highlights the need for further research and targeted mitigation strategies. Future studies should assess modified composting technologies and integrated process strategies to enhance compost maturity, stability, and microbial safety. A life cycle assessment of CM composting should be performed in future work to help identify trade-offs among operational conditions, enabling the optimization of product quality while reducing environmental impacts. Comparative evaluations with conventional inorganic fertilizers across multiple impact categories (e.g., energy demand) can further support sustainable decision-making and foster adoption of climate-resilient organic waste management practices. Full article

Urban parks can mitigate residents’ mental health risks. Although bamboo landscapes are widespread in Chinese parks, evidence for their stress-relief benefits remains limited, and current evaluation media are constrained. This study assessed the feasibility of virtual reality 180° (VR180) for landscape evaluation and examined the stress-relief benefits of bamboo landscapes in urban parks. A pilot study (n = 232) compared perceptual realism and psychological perception across four presentation modes (on-site scene, binocular 3D video, binocular 3D photograph, and two-dimensional photograph). A main experiment (n = 280) examined the stress-relief benefits of six bamboo landscape types (bamboo–terrain, bamboo–architecture, bamboo–environmental furniture, bamboo–pavement, bamboo–water, and bamboo–plant landscapes) using pre- and post-viewing changes in skin conductance level (SCL), heart rate variability indices, including high-frequency power (HF) and the LF/HF (low-frequency/high-frequency) ratio, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), with urban block landscapes as the control. VR180 outperformed two-dimensional photographs in perceptual realism and psychological perception and showed relatively high substitutability for on-site evaluation, with binocular 3D videos performing better than binocular 3D photographs. Urban park bamboo landscapes generally elicited stress-relief benefits, whereas urban block landscapes showed the opposite pattern. Bamboo–water and bamboo–plant landscapes showed the most favorable overall responses, with bamboo–water ranking higher, whereas bamboo–pavement ranked lowest. Overall, bamboo landscapes combined with naturalized elements tended to produce more favorable stress-relief responses, while hard elements may partly influence these benefits through cultural expression. This study provides a methodological option for landscape evaluation in small-scale scenes and offers physiological evidence for understanding the health value of urban park bamboo landscapes. Full article

This research identified and analyzed 30 valid operational risks out of 32 risks using the FMECA method. Four priority risks (R28, R1, R7, R9) were analyzed using a Fish-bone diagram to identify root causes. Mitigation strategies included technical aspects, operator competency enhancement, inspections, early warning systems, strengthened SOPs, and environmental controls. The evaluation results showed that there was a re-duction in RPN values of more than 75%, indicating the effectiveness of mitigation in reducing risks. The combination of FMECA and Fishbone has proven effective in da-ta-driven risk control mapping, analysis, and evaluation. Full article

Under complex terrains and extreme environmental conditions such as high wind speeds, prestressed rock anchor foundations for onshore wind turbines are subjected to multiple coupled adverse effects during long-term service, including cyclic wind loading, temperature variation, groundwater intrusion, and rock mass weathering. These factors significantly affect structural performance and service life through corrosion and material degradation processes, while conventional design methods mainly focus on ultimate bearing capacity and lack a systematic consideration of corrosion-induced deterioration mechanisms and long-term performance evolution. Without changing the theoretical framework of current design codes, this study introduces a durability-oriented design concept and explicitly incorporates corrosion effects and material degradation into the analytical system of prestressed rock anchor foundations. First, from the perspective of anchor force evolution, a time-dependent analysis method for long-term prestress loss is established, considering the coupled effects of steel corrosion, material relaxation, and cyclic loading. Second, for the mechanical behavior of group anchor systems, a shear capacity model is proposed that accounts for rock mass strength degradation and grout–rock interface deterioration. Meanwhile, the coupling relationship between foundation void development and groundwater seepage is analyzed, revealing its critical role in the corrosion evolution process. On this basis, a coordinated design method for foundation dimensions and prestress parameters is developed to satisfy both load-bearing capacity and durability requirements. Finite element analysis is further conducted to verify the stress and deformation characteristics of the foundation–rock–anchor system under nonlinear conditions. Engineering case studies demonstrate that the proposed method not only meets bearing capacity requirements, but also effectively suppresses void development, reduces corrosion risk, delays structural performance degradation, and improves long-term service reliability. The findings provide a theoretical basis and engineering reference for the durability design and lifecycle performance optimization of prestressed rock anchor foundations for onshore wind power structures in extreme environments. Furthermore, the study underscores the critical role of advanced anti-corrosion coatings and surface protection systems in mitigating the coupled corrosion-degradation mechanisms, aligning with the scope of this Special Issue on corrosion protection and durability of infrastructure in harsh environments. Full article

The expansion of wind energy, while essential for the energy transition, poses serious collision risks to birds, particularly due to the rotating blades of wind turbines. When conducting environmental impact assessments, accurate quantification of these risks is challenging, especially offshore, and it relies heavily on collision risk models. This study investigates the influence of wind turbine geometry and operational parameters on avian collision probability, utilising the Band model in combination with four well-documented reference wind turbines. By systematically varying turbine characteristics and bird flight height distributions, the analysis reveals that both turbine design and the vertical distribution of bird flight critically affect collision risk estimates. Generally, turbines with higher power ratings and larger rotor diameters exhibit lower collision probabilities, which is attributed to their lower rotor speed. The study further introduces an adaptation of the standard Band model, which incorporates a more detailed blade geometry, including local airfoil thickness and twist. With a few exceptions, this updated model increases the predicted collision probabilities. By basing the analysis on open source reference wind turbines, the present study establishes transparent methodologies and improves reproducibility and benchmarking in collision risk assessments. The results highlight the need for species- and site-specific modelling, as well as the value of refined turbine representations, to support effective mitigation strategies and nature-inclusive wind farm planning. Full article

This paper proposes a norm-based admissibility criterion formulated in the frequency domain for evaluating whether translational and rotational motion amplitudes of a ship moored at a quay remain within operational limits prescribed by port authorities. The approach is built on a linear six-degree-of-freedom model that includes hydrodynamic added-mass and radiation-damping effects, wave excitation forces, and aerodynamic wind loads, as well as linearized reactions of mooring lines and quay fenders, including an equivalent viscous representation of hull–fender friction. Instead of explicitly inverting the full system matrix to compute the complete response, the admissibility assessment is derived from row-wise norm bounds of the frequency-domain system, yielding a computationally efficient admissibility criterion for compliance with motion limits. The criterion naturally enables a port-oriented decision index and an operational safety margin that can be evaluated for each degree of freedom and used to compare alternative mooring arrangements. Numerical verification is performed for a bulk carrier under storm wave excitation and different loading conditions, demonstrating the sensitivity of admissibility to mooring geometry and pretension. The results confirm that the proposed criterion provides a practical engineering tool for rapid go/no-go decisions regarding cargo operations and supports the selection of mooring arrangements that improve operational robustness under adverse environmental loading conditions. In addition, a Monte Carlo-based uncertainty analysis is performed to evaluate the robustness of the proposed admissibility criterion with variable mooring stiffness and damping parameters. The proposed criterion is intended as a rapid engineering screening tool to complement conventional frequency-domain response analysis. Full article

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic inflammatory diseases resulting from complex interactions between host genetics, environmental factors, immune dysregulation, and the gut microbiome. Among environmental exposures, antibiotics have emerged as important factors of IBD risk and disease course because of their profound effects on intestinal microbial communities. This review synthesizes current evidence on the class-specific effects of antibiotics on IBD, integrating epidemiological, mechanistic, and clinical studies to examine how different antibiotic classes influence disease susceptibility, progression, and microbiome recovery. Current evidence indicates that antibiotic-associated IBD risk varies according to antibiotic class, cumulative exposure, age at exposure, and antimicrobial spectrum, with broad-spectrum and anti-anaerobic agents showing the strongest associations. Mechanistically, antibiotics promote dysbiosis by depleting beneficial commensal bacteria, disrupting microbial metabolite production, expanding pathobionts and the intestinal resistome, and impairing epithelial barrier integrity and immune homeostasis. The review also discusses microbiome-preserving and microbiome-restorative approaches, including antimicrobial stewardship, fecal microbiota transplantation, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and dietary interventions, as potential strategies to mitigate antibiotic-associated dysbiosis. Overall, the evidence highlights the class-specific effects of antibiotics in IBD and underscores the importance of microbiome-informed antimicrobial stewardship and precision therapeutic strategies to optimize patient outcomes while minimizing long-term disruptions of host–microbiome homeostasis. Full article

This study presents a combined analysis of radon and meteorological time series acquired over several years in a building regularly occupied by workers and occasionally by visitors. The building is founded directly on basaltic tuff in an area characterized by elevated radon levels. A multilevel monitoring system with high spatial and temporal resolution was deployed, consisting of 14 low-cost detectors measuring radon and indoor meteorological parameters; an outdoor weather station was employed for environmental and soil monitoring, and a RAD8 instrument was used to identify the main radon entry points. The monitoring system allowed us to characterize, on daily and seasonal timescales, the variability of radon concentration throughout the building and its dependence on meteorological and anthropogenic factors. Cluster analysis combined with a principal component analysis revealed three distinct meteorological regimes (warm, cold, stormy). Indoor radon concentration centroids in the cold and stormy regimes were associated with up to about 3.9 kBq/m³ at RDP2exp, over an order of magnitude above the EU reference level of 300 Bq/m³, while warm, dry conditions yielded significantly lower levels. Horizontal radon diffusion times ranged from 30 to 90 min, and vertical diffusion times ranged from 90 to 180 min across floors. A 24 h exposure risk assessment shows that occupancy during working hours (08:00–18:00) coincides with the daily radon minimum, but baseline concentrations remain above 300 Bq/m³ even during these periods, necessitating mitigation strategies. Full article

Urban ecological resilience is essential for mitigating environmental risks, supporting green urban transitions, and promoting sustainable development. However, existing studies have mainly explained urban ecological resilience through linear and single-factor approaches, paying insufficient attention to the configurational mechanisms through which technological, financial, institutional, and structural conditions jointly shape resilience outcomes. Drawing on resilience theory, socio-ecological system theory, and synergetics, this study constructs a “risk identification–resource mobilization–institutional adaptation–structural carrying capacity” analytical framework. Using 249 prefecture-level cities in China as cases, we apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine how six antecedent conditions—FinTech, green finance, environmental regulation intensity, economic development, industrial structure, and urbanization—combine to generate high and non-high urban ecological resilience. The antecedent conditions are measured in 2021, while urban ecological resilience is measured in 2023 to capture the lagged effects of resilience-building conditions. The results show that no single condition constitutes a necessary condition for high urban ecological resilience, indicating that resilience is shaped by multi-condition conjunctions rather than isolated determinants. The sufficiency analysis identifies two pathways leading to high urban ecological resilience. Both pathways share FinTech, economic development, and urbanization as common foundational conditions, while green finance and industrial structure play complementary roles under different urban contexts. Specifically, the first pathway reflects a “risk identification–resource mobilization–structural carrying capacity” mechanism, whereas the second pathway reflects a “risk identification–structural carrying capacity” mechanism. In contrast, five configurations lead to non-high urban ecological resilience, demonstrating clear causal asymmetry. Non-high resilience is mainly associated with the joint absence of technological feedback, resource mobilization, and spatial carrying capacity, rather than being a simple reversal of the high-resilience pathways. These findings suggest that urban ecological resilience should be promoted through differentiated, combination-based strategies tailored to cities’ technological, financial, institutional, and structural endowments. Full article

Large-scale genomic initiatives like the UK Biobank have revolutionized our understanding of human disease. These studies typically assume that blood-derived DNA faithfully reflects an individual’s germline genome. However, this assumption is challenged by somatic mutations arising from processes like clonal hematopoiesis. Although standard bioinformatics pipelines employ variant allele frequency (VAF)-based filtering to mitigate such contamination, the efficacy of these approaches requires systematic evaluation. By systematically analyzing germline genome data from large cohorts through applications of mutational signatures, we revealed critical limitations in current filtering methodologies. We found that the mutational spectrum of rare “germline” variants is highly similar to that of somatic mutations. Furthermore, we uncovered that these variants show significant associations with phenotypes such as age, sex, and smoking status, established drivers of somatic mutagenesis. Notably, our multivariable regression models estimated that these somatic artifacts contribute to a substantial excess burden, such as 4.73 mutations per megabase (mut/Mb) in males compared to females, a magnitude exceeding the mutation burden of many cancers. Although the precise absolute size of this contamination may vary depending on specific pathologies and individual environmental exposures, this persistent somatic contamination introduces substantial confounder effects, posing a risk of spurious associations and reverse causality in genetic studies. Our work underscores the urgent reconsideration of two fundamental aspects of genomic research: (1) refinement of variant filtering strategies to better distinguish true germline variants from somatic contaminants, and (2) incorporation of somatic mutagenesis factors as essential covariates in study design. Our findings provide basic guidance for improving the accuracy and interpretability of large-scale genomic studies. Full article

Understanding Cd and Pb in vitro bioaccessibility (IVBA) is important for evaluating human health risks in mine-impacted soils. In this field study, we assessed Cd and Pb bioaccessibility in a heavy metal contaminated mine impacted soil that received Low and High Compost applications (180 and 360 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively), and Native Prairie soils within close proximity to the impacted soil, using three in vitro methods (Unites States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) pH 1.5, US EPA pH 2.5, and Ohio State University pH 1.8). Total Cd concentrations under High Compost (10.3 mg kg⁻¹) exceeded the US EPA regional screening level (RSL)–residential soil Cd concentration for ingestion non-cancer risk in children (7.8 mg kg⁻¹), while Low Compost and Native Prairie soils were below the RSL. Total Pb (<75 mg kg⁻¹) in all sites was below the US EPA RSL for Pb for non-cancer risk in children (200 mg kg⁻¹). Within each extraction method, Cd IVBA remained consistently high (>70% of total) across all three sites for at least US EPA pH 1.5 and OSU pH 1.8. In contrast, Pb IVBA varied across methods, with the pH 2.5 extraction consistently yielding lower Pb IVBA as compared to the other IVBA methods. These findings suggest that Cd poses a challenge for risk mitigation at this site, while Pb shows more promising stabilization outcomes. Findings highlight the importance of tailoring amendment strategies and selecting appropriate in vitro assays when assessing remediation effectiveness and risk within multi-metal contaminated mine-impacted sites, while emphasizing the need for long-term field validation of metal stability under real-world conditions. Full article

Construction dust is a major contributor to urban inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀) pollution, posing severe respiratory and cardiovascular health risks to construction workers and nearby residents, severely undermining urban environmental sustainability. Construction fences are widely adopted as a primary dust mitigation measure, yet their underlying dispersion mechanisms and comprehensive impacts on vertical air quality remain poorly understood due to the limitations of traditional field monitoring and empirical models, creating critical barriers to site-level pollution control and long-term urban sustainability. In this study, a reliable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was developed to investigate the spatial distribution of construction dust and quantify the dust suppression performance of fences with heights ranging from 0 to 3 m. Three mainstream k-ε turbulence models (Standard, RNG, and Realizable) were evaluated using on-site measurement data, and the RNG k-ε model was found to provide the best agreement with field observations, with statistical metrics of q = 1, FB = 0.052, and NMSE = 0.028. The results show that construction fences effectively reduce dust dispersion into the surrounding environment, particularly in the pedestrian breathing zone (z < 1.5 m). Increasing the fence height from 1.5 m to 3 m improves the breathing-zone dust reduction rate from 39% to 55%, with the most significant mitigation effect observed within 50 m downwind of the fence. However, a critical dual effect was identified: while fences suppress near-ground pollution, they induce strong upward airflow and turbulence, leading to elevated dust concentrations in the upper part of the near-ground region (z = 1.5–9 m), a phenomenon absent in the no-fence scenario. These findings provide practical implications for urban construction site management, suggesting that fence height and configuration should be carefully designed not only to reduce pedestrian-level exposure but also to avoid unintended pollutant accumulation aloft, thereby improving overall air quality control strategies and delivering balanced, long-term environmental sustainability at construction sites. Full article