Search Results (27,793)

National modern agricultural industrial parks are the core carriers for promoting agricultural modernization. Clarifying their spatial differentiation patterns is of great significance for revealing the efficiency of resource allocation and promoting coordinated regional development. Based on the data from 338 national modern agricultural industrial parks in China, this study uses methods such as the nearest neighbor index, Voronoi spatial statistics, and spatial autocorrelation to identify their spatial distribution characteristics, and adopts the XGBoost–SHAP model to explore the nonlinear effects of driving factors. The research found the following: (1) The parks exhibit a distinct “sparse west–concentrated middle–dense east” agglomeration pattern aligned with China’s Hu Huanyong Line agro–economic divide. (2) At the municipal level, four high-density cores emerged in central-eastern regions with “dual hot spots–gradient diffusion” characteristics. (3) Farmers’ professional cooperatives and transportation accessibility are the most consistent fundamental driving elements, reflecting the transition of the development momentum of contemporary agriculture from “resource dependency” to “circulation dependence.” Heterogeneity analysis shows elevation, cooperatives and rural income differentially drive agglomeration across regions, with elevation constituting a universal constraint. (4) While regional development and mechanization show adaptive synergy, excessive urbanization generates a distinct “non–agriculturalization” crowding–out effect on agricultural development. Full article

The glass industry contributes to long-term soil contamination. This study assesses the impact of over 150 years of industrial activity and over a century of glassmaking processes in the Serbian Glass Factory in Paraćin. Focusing on potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ecological and human health risks were evaluated. Sampling was conducted at 34 locations within the factory area, including 33 soil samples (0–30 cm) and one industrial waste (IW) sample. Soil analyses indicate that Zn, Ni, Cu, and Cd exceeded both the maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs) and remediation values (RVs) in many samples, while As and Hg showed fewer exceedances. Based on the Potential Ecological Risk Index (RI), about 33% of soil samples were moderately to highly polluted, and Cd, Pb, As, and Hg were identified as the main contributors. High levels of PAHs and PTEs reflect the cumulative impact of long-term industrial operations, a historical fire, and secondary sources, including traffic-related emissions from nearby highways. These factors resulted in elevated total carcinogenic risk (TCR) for Ni, Cr, and As. This study highlights soil contamination and associated health risks at the glass factory, emphasizing the need for environmental monitoring and management. Full article

Ammonia (NH₃) emissions from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are recognized contributors to secondary fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) formation, yet empirically derived secondary PM_2.5 emission factors applicable to livestock operations remain limited. This study investigated NH₃-derived secondary PM_2.5 formation under controlled laboratory conditions using a PTFE flow reactor in which NH₃ was reacted with sulfur dioxide (SO₂) across ammonia-rich NH₃:SO₂ ratios, with and without zero air. The resulting aerosols were characterized using gravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and particle size distribution (PSD) measurements. The recovered particles were dominated by inorganic ammonium–sulfur species, with FTIR and elemental trends indicating sulfite-related intermediates under no-zero-air conditions and more oxidized ammonium–sulfur products under oxygenated conditions. Accounting for both filter-collected and wall-deposited particles, unit particulate emission factors normalized to ammonia input were derived. Size-based apportionment using PSD data indicated that approximately 76.6% of the recovered particulate mass was within the PM_2.5 size range. Scaling the experimentally derived unit emission factors using literature-based ammonia emission rates yielded an estimated secondary PM_2.5 emission factor of 0.351 ± 0.084 g PM_2.5 per animal head per day for cattle feedlots, corresponding to approximately 3–4% of reported total PM_2.5 emissions. Because the experimental system isolates NH₃–SO₂ interactions under idealized conditions and does not represent full atmospheric chemistry, the derived values should be interpreted as screening-level estimates of NH₃-derived secondary PM_2.5 formation potential intended to support comparative air quality assessments of CAFOs rather than direct predictions of ambient PM_2.5 concentrations. Full article

Mining activities in Chile generate massive amounts of tailings, creating significant environmental risks due to heavy metal contamination. Phytoremediation offers an eco-friendly solution, yet studies on native Chilean species are scarce. This study evaluates the effects of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) on the potential of the native Cistanthe grandiflora for the phytoremediation of copper mine tailings. A six-month pot experiment was conducted with four treatments: EDTA 300 mg·kg⁻¹, EDTA 600 mg·kg⁻¹, nZVI 500 mg·kg⁻¹, and a control group without additions. The results indicate that Cistanthe grandiflora primarily acts as a phytostabilizer, accumulating higher metal concentrations in roots than in aerial parts. The application of EDTA significantly enhanced the Bioconcentration Factor for Cu, Ni, Pb, and Mo, increasing BCF values from 0.5 to 1.0 or more in several cases. Specifically, a lower dose of EDTA (300 mg·kg⁻¹) successfully increased the Translocation Factor (TF) of cadmium to 1.3, suggesting a potential for phytoextraction for this element. Conversely, nZVI application showed a limited impact, slightly improving the Translocation factor for copper and chromium but without exceeding unity. These findings demonstrate that Cistanthe grandiflora, assisted by EDTA, is a promising candidate for the phytostabilization of heavy metals in mine tailings. Full article

Climate change-induced abiotic stress, particularly heat and drought during olive oil accumulation, significantly threatens the productivity and oil quality of olive trees (Olea europaea L.). This study investigated the efficacy of pre-harvest elicitation using the biostimulants harpin and chitosan (both as commercially available products) under summer conditions in Greece, in commercially productive rainfed groves of cv. ‘Megaritiki’. Multivariate analysis (PCA and factor analysis) revealed that pre-harvest application of these elicitors successfully balanced the trade-off between oil yield and quality. Both harpin and chitosan maintained hydrolytic (free acidity—0.25 and 0.29 g oleic acid 100 g⁻¹, respectively, compared to 0.56 g oleic acid 100 g⁻¹ in the control) and primary oxidative markers (peroxides—4.16 and 4.16 meq O₂ kg⁻¹, respectively, compared to 5.20 meq O₂ kg⁻¹ in the control) at exceptionally low levels compared to untreated trees. The treatments induced a distinctive metabolic shift regarding volatile compounds governed by the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway. Harpin application was strongly associated with complex floral and fruity volatile compounds (2-hexen-1-ol and trans-2-hexenal) and a high α-tocopherol concentration (38.58 mg kg⁻¹ compared to 23.12 mg kg⁻¹ in the control), suggesting an enhanced physiological response in favor of oil quality attributes. Conversely, chitosan elevated the oxidative stability of the oil by increasing total phenol concentration (by almost 97% compared to the control) and prioritizing the accumulation of the stable monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid—increased by 12.5% compared to the control) over polyunsaturated ones (linoleic acid), while endowing the oil with desirable “green freshness” aromas (cis-3-hexenal). These results demonstrate that elicitation with harpin and chitosan is a potent tool for sustainably enhancing extra virgin olive oil quality under rainfed conditions in Greece, steering fruit metabolism toward a premium nutraceutical and sensory profile and enhancing the functional properties of the oil (phenol content, antioxidant capacity, monounsaturated fatty acids, α-tocopherol and squalene). Full article

Background: Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute a large portion of the industrial energy demand in the emerging economies, but their shift to renewable energy is not well comprehended at the firm level. Bangladesh is a special case, since the country has adopted national commitments to Sustainable Development Goal 7 on clean energy, but the uptake of renewable energy by SMEs remains minimal due to complex socio-economic factors. Most of the literature has concentrated on household access to energy or national policy models, leaving a gap in empirically validated models of firm-level adoption in the manufacturing sector. Method: Based on the diffusion of innovation theory, institutional theory, and the resource-based view, this research paper formulates and empirically verifies a combined socio-economic model of renewable energy adoption. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze a cross-sectional survey of 426 owners and managers of manufacturing SMEs in Bangladesh’s textile and food processing sub-sectors. Findings: Four out of five hypothesized direct relationships were supported. The most important drivers were environmental orientation (β = 0.467, p < 0.001, f² = 0.413), market competitiveness (β = 0.287, p < 0.001, f² = 0.413), policy and institutional factors (β = 0.211, p < 0.001, f² = 0.413), and access to finance (β = 0.096, p = 0.004). Perceptions of cost did not become significant (β= −0.036, p = 0.279). Top management support significantly and negatively moderated the relationship between environmental orientation and adoption (β = −0.093, p = 0.003), possibly because it moderates the substitution mechanism in SME decision-making, which is highly centralized. The model accounted for 64.5% of the variation in renewable energy adoption (R² = 0.645). Conclusion: The results show that attitudinal and institutional factors tend to be more important than financial barriers in determining SMEs’ energy transitions. Environmental consciousness, market incentives, and streamlined institutional access should be the focus of policy interventions to hasten inclusive low-carbon transitions in emerging manufacturing economies. Full article

The accurate and rapid prediction of hazard gas dispersion fields in urban environments is essential for guiding emergency sensor deployment and enabling real-time risk assessment. However, the computational cost associated with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations hinders their use as real-time forward models, while simplified Gaussian plume models lack the fidelity to resolve building obstruction effects. This study proposes a morphology-guided conditional Generative Adversarial Network (cGAN) framework designed to achieve real-time gas dispersion field modeling in urban environments with complex building configurations. The urban area is discretized into 50 × 50 m grid cells, each characterized by six morphological parameters describing building geometry. K-means clustering categorizes these cells into distinct morphological types. High-fidelity dispersion datasets are then generated for each type using Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) simulations. Each sample encodes building geometry, release location, wind speed, and time as multi-channel input images, with the corresponding gas dispersion concentration field is recorded as the output. Two cGAN architectures, Image-to-Image Translation (Pix2Pix) and its high-resolution variant (Pix2PixHD), are employed to learn the mapping from input features to dispersion fields. Model performance is evaluated using four complementary metrics: Fraction within a Factor of Two (FAC2) for prediction accuracy, Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) for precision, Fractional Bias (FB) for systematic error, and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) for spatial pattern fidelity. A case study is conducted across a 1176 km² urban district in China. The results demonstrate that under varying wind speeds (0.5–1.5 m/s) and temporal scales (5–60 s), and across five morphological categories, the Pix2PixHD-based model achieves 92.5% prediction accuracy and reproduces 97.6% of the spatial patterns. The proposed framework accelerates computation by approximately 18,000 times compared to traditional CFD, reducing inference time to under 0.1 s per scenario. This sub-second capability enables real-time concentration field estimation for emergency management, and provides a physically informed, computationally feasible forward model that can potentially support sensor-based gas source localization and detection network planning in complex urban environments. Full article

During the high-temperature deposition of tungsten thin films on alumina ceramic substrates, the inherent mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients frequently triggers interfacial delamination, where uncontrollable factors in stochastic surface topographies can exacerbate localized stress concentrations. To resolve these interfacial failures, the enhancement of interfacial adhesion through a deterministic surface microgroove design is identified as the general objective of the present research. Within this framework, the establishment of a robust quantitative mapping between the transverse scratching offset distances and the resultant periodic microgeometry is first pursued as a specific experimental objective. This methodological approach effectively transforms the stochastic nature of the substrate into deterministic geometric configurations. Second, a specific numerical objective is fulfilled by evaluating the interfacial stress redistribution and damage evolution utilizing refined thermomechanical coupled simulations based on the cohesive zone model. The integrated findings demonstrate that optimizing the microgroove spacing effectively governs the morphological transition and broadens stress diffusion pathways to mitigate thermal mismatch effects. Specifically, the structural optimization at a spacing of 28.8 μm facilitates an approximately 31.8% reduction in the maximum interfacial stress and a 10% decrease in the average film stress compared to the 13.6 μm spacing. Finally, this research clarifies the underlying mechanisms of stress buffering and provides a rigorous engineering methodology for the structural design of reliable high-performance ceramic–metal interfaces in extreme environments. Full article

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) play a pivotal role in promoting osteogenesis and angiogenesis that concurrently take place during bone regeneration. The rapid degradation and diffusion of these growth factors, combined with the potential side effects associated with their exogenous insertion, limit their applications. To overcome these shortcomings, we developed a controlled release system for BMP-2 and VEGF on microspheres comprising gelatin (Gel) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). We fabricated Gel–PVA microspheres using a constant Gel concentration of 10% w/v and a varied PVA concentration of 0, 5, and 10% w/v (Gel–PVA0%, Gel–PVA5%, and Gel–PVA10%, respectively). The microspheres were loaded with the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) first. The Gel–PVA10% microspheres demonstrated significantly higher loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency, as well as lower cumulative release rate, compared to the Gel–PVA5% ones when loaded with BSA. Thus, the microspheres with the Gel–PVA10% composition were selected for loading with BMP-2 and VEGF. Kinetic studies of BMP-2 and VEGF loaded into Gel–PVA10% microspheres indicated similar results to those with BSA. The microsphere concentration with the optimal cytocompatibility was 0.5 mg/mL, and it was applied for the assessment of the osteogenic differentiation using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and for the angiogenic differentiation in Wharton jelly and adipose-derived MSCs. Alkaline phosphatase activity, collagen secretion, and calcium mineralization were significantly upregulated in the presence of BMP-2-loaded microspheres, while tubular formation and PECAM-1 secretion were significantly higher in VEGF-loaded microspheres compared to the unloaded control, demonstrating their effectiveness as drug delivery carriers. Full article

Fine-scale accounting of land use carbon budgets and identification of their driving factors provides an essential scientific basis for constructing green and low-carbon territorial spatial systems. This is of great significance for optimizing territorial spatial structure and promoting low-carbon development in urban agglomerations. Taking the Central Guizhou Urban Agglomeration as the study area, this study employed a composite carbon coefficient method to construct a 30 m × 30 m grid-based carbon budget index and quantitatively assessed carbon budget changes induced by land use transitions from 2000 to 2024. POI data and a quantile regression model were further integrated to analyze the dominant spatial characteristics associated with carbon budgets, and a carbon budget monitoring and early-warning index was developed to delineate risk zones. The results show that: (1) From 2000 to 2024, the total area of land use change reached 0.95 × 10⁴ km² in the Central Guizhou Urban Agglomeration, accounting for 17.68% of the total land area, and leading to a net increase of 2.3821 million tons of carbon emissions. This increase was primarily associated with the conversion of cultivated land to construction land, with an accelerated growth rate observed in the later period. (2) The spatial patterns of carbon budgets and carbon emission risk levels exhibit a distinct “core–periphery” structure, with high carbon emission levels concentrated in built-up urban areas and lower levels observed in peripheral ecological land. (3) The expansion of construction land is the dominant contributor to the increase in net carbon emissions; industrial, transportation, and residential spaces exert significant positive driving effects, whereas commercial and service spaces show a negative association. (4) Carbon budget risk zoning based on dominant spatial characteristics identifies Guiyang and Anshun as extremely high-risk areas. The results further suggest that reducing carbon-increment spaces and increasing carbon-reduction spaces may play an important role in territorial carbon budget optimization. The integrated “accounting–driving–monitoring” analytical framework established in this study provides a scientific basis for territorial spatial optimization and carbon emission reduction in mountainous urban agglomerations. Full article

Against the backdrop of global sustainable development and ecological civilization construction, tourism ecological security at cultural landscape heritage sites faces both opportunities and challenges. This study constructs a cultural landscape heritage tourism ecological security (CLHTES) evaluation system based on the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework. It dynamically assesses CLHTES in the Yangtze River Delta Integrated Demonstration Zone (YRDIDZ) from 2014 to 2023 using the entropy-weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and linear stretching transformation, identifies obstacle factors with the obstacle degree model, and predicts CLHTES trends for 2024–2030 using a radial basis function (RBF) neural network. Results show that: (1) The CLHTES index in the YRDIDZ presented a three-stage fluctuating upward trend during 2014–2023, with medium-clustered security levels and divergent evolution across the DPSIR criteria layers; (2) CLHTES obstacles feature a multi-level differentiated structure, with rising barriers in D and P layers, the R layer as the future core obstacle, and high-frequency barriers concentrated in cultural and social indicators; (3) Under the assumption of structural continuity in current trajectories, the conditional trend projection suggests that the CLHTES index of the YRDIDZ may sustain a general upward tendency during 2024–2030, with a possibility of approaching Level Ⅶ after 2028; however, these projections should be interpreted as exploratory and scenario-like rather than as robust forecasts, given the short annual series and the absence of exogenous disturbance variables. This study explores tourism-ecology interactions from a social-ecological complex system perspective, supporting synergistic tourism development and ecological protection of cultural landscape heritage. Full article

To unveil the underlying risk structures in complex industrial systems, this paper proposes a hybrid analytical framework that integrates BERTopic modeling, a large language model (LLM), and social network analysis (SNA). This framework aims to extract systemic safety intelligence from unstructured accident reports. It first employs BERTopic to identify latent causal topics based on 745 Chinese accident investigation reports and utilizes DeepSeek-V3.1 (LLM) for semantic refinement and causal mapping of these topics. Subsequently, a semantic network of causal keywords based on positive pointwise mutual information (PPMI) is constructed, and its topological structure is analyzed using SNA methods. The study identifies and analyzes five major risk communities: confined spaces, fire, mining, construction, and road traffic. It reveals that accident causation exhibits the small-world characteristics of multi-factor coupling and non-linearity, with core risk nodes concentrated in systemic inducements such as organizational management and compliance deficiencies. The results demonstrate that this framework effectively identifies the latent systemic risk patterns embedded within the texts, providing methodological support for developing sustainable safety management mechanisms based on design for safety. Full article

Intensive aquaculture induces severe environmental stress and disease susceptibility in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Cannabidiol (CBD) offers significant potential as a bioactive stress-mitigating additive. This study evaluated the effects of dietary CBD supplementation (0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) on the growth, intestinal microecology, and stress tolerance of juvenile L. vannamei over an 8-week feeding trial, followed by a combined chronic ammonia and acute hypoxia challenge. Moderate CBD supplementation (10–40 mg/kg) significantly promoted growth, minimized feed conversion ratios, and enriched muscle eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA). Furthermore, CBD restructured the intestinal microbiota by suppressing opportunistic pathogens and enriching beneficial taxa. Under combined stress, moderate CBD prolonged the median lethal time (LT₅₀) by up-regulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (hif-1α) and heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) transcription and boosting systemic antioxidant capacity to neutralize lipid peroxidation. Conversely, the highest dose (80 mg/kg) induced metabolic exhaustion and hepatopancreatic toxicity, evidenced by drastically elevated serum transaminases and diminished stress tolerance. Conclusively, dietary CBD exerts a classic biphasic effect in L. vannamei. Inclusion at 10–40 mg/kg safely promotes the best comprehensive effects on growth, immune homeostasis, and environmental resilience within the concentration range tested in this study, whereas excessive administration provokes severe metabolic burden, highlighting the critical need for strict dosage regulation. Full article

Salicylic acid (SA) is a key endogenous regulator involved in plant defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The increasing resistance of pathogens to chemical plant protection products and growing environmental restrictions have intensified the search for alternative strategies to enhance plant health and stress tolerance. Among these strategies, the induction of natural defense mechanisms, in which SA plays a central signaling role, has gained particular attention. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of SA in shaping plant resistance to environmental factors. The fundamental mechanisms of plant defense, including innate immunity, induced systemic resistance (ISR), and systemic acquired resistance (SAR), are discussed, with emphasis on the signaling function of SA and its interaction with other phytohormones, especially jasmonic acid and ethylene. The role of SA in regulating physiological processes associated with stress tolerance, such as antioxidant system activity, photosynthesis, plant growth, and senescence, is highlighted. The review of research results indicates that appropriately selected doses and timing of SA treatments can enhance resistance to selected pathogens and improve plant tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. However, treatment effectiveness depends on multiple factors, particularly SA concentration and plant–pathogen interactions. Salicylic acid is a promising component of integrated and sustainable plant protection strategies. Further research, especially under field conditions, is necessary to optimize its practical use and fully determine its potential in modern agriculture. Full article

Due to the ultra-trace concentrations of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) existing in environmental aqueous matrices, it is imperative to develop sensitive and high-enrichment-efficiency approaches for the determination of these emerging pollutants. In this study, a nitrogen-doped carbon dot-functionalized hollow fiber membrane (NCDs@HFM) was fabricated and employed in solid-phase microextraction (SPME) mode for the simultaneous identification of eight perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs). The NCDs@HFM offers several advantages, including multiple active binding sites, chemical durability, a large specific surface area and environmental compatibility. Owing to these properties, the NCDs@HFM-based SPME demonstrated high extraction efficiency for PFCAs, where enrichment factors for target molecules could reach 35–61 fold under the optimum conditions. This established method was then integrated with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of eight representative PFCAs in drinking and environmental water samples. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) and quantitation (LOQs, S/N = 10) of the method were at the scale of 0.0018–0.015 μg/L and 0.006–0.050 μg/L, respectively. This proposed method exhibited good precision, with RSDs below 13.2% and satisfactory accuracy, with recoveries ranging from 70.6% to 122.5%. The developed method was successfully applied in the identification of eight typical PFCAs in drinking and environmental water samples. This method exhibits several merits, including low cost, high sensitivity, good reliability and reusability, representing a promising alternative for measuring trace levels of PFCAs in aqueous matrices. Full article