Search Results (1,283)

Education on natural hazards is a non-structural component of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), but the evidence base spans curriculum studies, risk-perception research, educational interventions, geospatial approaches and analyses of education-system continuity. This systematic narrative review synthesizes 27 outcome-bearing studies published between 2013 and the partial year 2026. PRISMA 2020 was used as a reporting framework, while PRISMA-S informed a retrospective audit of the search documentation. A structured design-sensitive appraisal recorded evidence family, comparison or temporal structure, outcome directness, permitted inference and principal limitation. The studies were coded into six mutually exclusive primary axes: reviews and frameworks; curriculum and policy; knowledge and risk perception; educational interventions and active methodologies; GIS and geospatial technologies; and educational continuity and system resilience. The included literature suggests that locally situated problems, maps, simulations and inquiry can support knowledge, risk appraisal and preparedness intentions, although demonstrated effects on sustained performance or actual preparedness behavior remain limited. Cross-cutting gaps include weak longitudinal assessment, sparse attention to teacher professional development, limited treatment of indigenous or local knowledge, and no core study centered on learners with disabilities or special educational needs. The review defines critical territorial risk literacy as the capacity to interpret hazard, exposure, vulnerability, capacity and uncertainty through spatial evidence; evaluate their unequal territorial distribution; and translate that understanding into inclusive, proportionate preparedness and collective action. Full article

Plateaued Boolean functions play an important role in sequence design and cryptography due to their favorable properties such as high nonlinearity, resilience and low additive autocorrelation. In this paper, by modifying the support of certain quadratic functions, we propose a generic construction of plateaued Boolean functions. Additionally, we analyze the algebraic normal form of the newly constructed functions. As applications of the proposed construction, we obtain infinite families of near-bent and semi-bent functions. Full article

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in advancing sustainability, yet many struggle to translate voluntary sustainability practices into structured, strategic business models. This study examines how this gap can be bridged between voluntary certification frameworks and emerging regulatory requirements, with a specific focus on workforce-related sustainability reporting under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Using a qualitative case study of a Green Globe-certified, family-owned hotel, the research conducts a comparative gap analysis between existing organisational practices and corporate disclosure requirements, applying a Policy–Action–Target–Metric (PAT&M) framework. The findings reveal strong alignment in Policies and Actions (89%) but limited alignment in Targets and Metrics (14%), indicating a gap between sustainability activities and strategic performance management. The results highlight the need to transition from compliance-oriented initiatives to integrated, data-driven management systems. The findings also suggest that voluntary certification schemes, such as Green Globe, can be a useful first step in order to achieve better corporate reporting capabilities related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. As practical implications, a roadmap solution is proposed to support system-level integration, transparency, and measurable outcomes for better business resilience. Full article

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) is a highly conserved protein family unique to eukaryotes, yet its functional characterization in woody plants remains limited. In this study, we identified four eIF5A genes (PtoeIF5A1–PtoeIF5A4) from the genome of Populus tomentosa, a fast-growing tree species indigenous to China, and characterized their expression patterns and functional roles through bioinformatics analysis, quantitative real-time PCR, stable overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana, and transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Our results demonstrated that all PtoeIF5A proteins contain a conserved OB-fold domain and multiple phosphorylation sites, with PtoeIF5A1 showing predominant expression in roots and secondary xylem. Functional assays revealed that PtoeIF5A1 overexpression accelerated inflorescence stem elongation and early flowering in Arabidopsis, induced visible chlorosis and programmed cell death (PCD) in tobacco leaves, and significantly enhanced salt tolerance under NaCl treatment. Collectively, these findings establish PtoeIF5A1 in poplar as a pleiotropic regulator integrating developmental cues, programmed cell death, and stress responses; and as a valuable genetic resource for breeding stress-resilient woody plants. Full article

Nursery habitats sustain fish populations by supporting early life stages and buffering environmental variability, yet their functioning under climate oscillations remains poorly understood in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. We analyzed ichthyoplankton assemblages in the Gulf of Tortugas, Colombia (2010–2020), to assess taxonomic composition, spatiotemporal variability, and environmental drivers. ENSO cycles and local oceanographic conditions were evaluated as determinants of nursery function and resilience using richness estimators, diversity indices, Caswell’s neutral model, and multivariate approaches (PERMANOVA, PERMDISP, CAP, BIOENV). Assemblages were dominated by Cetengraulis mysticetus, with recurrent contributions from Sciaenidae, Haemulidae, Gerreidae, and Carangidae—families of artisanal fisheries importance. ENSO phases explained interannual variability: El Niño years reduced diversity and weakened retention, whereas La Niña years supported more balanced assemblages. Spatial heterogeneity revealed central retention zones and peripheral diversity hotspots. Environmental gradients, particularly chlorophyll-a, zooplankton biomass, transparency, and pH, consistently structured larval distribution, reflecting the coupling of productivity, water quality, and circulation. These findings demonstrate that the Gulf of Tortugas functions as a dual nursery system and ecological node of resilience, underscoring the importance of protecting such habitats for ecosystem-based fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in a changing ocean. Full article

Abiotic stresses severely limit agricultural productivity and have stimulated growing interest in microalgae as sources of stress-resilient traits and biostimulants. However, comparative genomic assessments integrating multiple stress-associated gene families across chlorophyte genome assemblies are limited. Here, we analyzed 19 chlorophyte genome assemblies to investigate the distribution and copy-number variation of 11 gene families associated with antioxidant defense, osmoprotection, and carotenoid biosynthesis. Candidate genes were identified using standardized InterPro annotations and manually curated to ensure consistent gene copy-number estimation. Hierarchical clustering, principal component analysis (PCA), descriptive statistics, and Pearson’s correlation analysis were performed to characterize gene-family copy-number patterns and multivariate similarities among genome assemblies. Multiple tests in the correlation analysis were controlled using the Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate procedure. The total functional family assignments ranged from 28 to 51 across the analyzed genome assemblies. Thioredoxin (TRX) exhibited the highest mean copy number (17.26 copies per genome) and the lowest coefficient of variation (15.43%), whereas catalase (CAT) showed the greatest variability (CV = 59.28%). The first two principal components explained 50.18% of the total variation, with PC1 accounting for 30.86% and PC2 for 19.32%, and differentiated genome assemblies according to their stress-associated gene copy-number profiles. Several moderate-to-strong pairwise correlations were observed, but none were significant after FDR correction. Overall, this study provides a curated comparative genomic framework for identifying stress-associated gene-family copy-number patterns across chlorophyte genome assemblies and generating testable hypotheses for subsequent functional studies. Full article

Appropriate-scale operation is important for integrating ordinary farm households into modern agriculture, yet the appropriate scale may differ substantially across producer types. Using micro-level data from the nationally representative 2021 China Household Finance Survey, this study develops an analytical framework integrating efficiency and resilience perspectives to compare ordinary farm households and family farms. Efficiency is the core empirical dimension and is assessed using cost–benefit analysis, the DEA-BCC model, and multivariate econometric methods. Resilience is treated as a theoretical perspective and a constraint on scale decisions; it is interpreted indirectly through the scale responses of the two groups to disaster shocks rather than measured using a standalone resilience index. The results identify distinct efficiency-based appropriate-scale ranges: 1–3 mu (approximately 0.07–0.20 hm²) for ordinary farm households and 100–200 mu (approximately 6.67–13.33 hm²) for family farms, with lower net profit per unit area at intermediate scales. Economic rationality and institutional constraints show marked heterogeneity across producer types: commercialization, land titling, subsidies, and credit access are more strongly associated with the scale expansion of family farms, whereas non-farm employment opportunities play a more decisive role for ordinary farm households; household labor and social networks contribute to scale expansion in both groups, and their between-group differences are not statistically significant. Disaster impact is associated with a significant reduction in the operational scale of ordinary farm households, whereas in the subgroup estimates the operational scale of family farms shows no significant association with disaster impact, suggesting that family farms are better able to maintain their operational scale. Digital technology also operates through differentiated pathways: it primarily alleviates information and factor constraints among ordinary farm households while strengthening efficiency, financial access, and organizational coordination among family farms. These findings support differentiated scale and digital-agriculture policies in economies characterized by heterogeneous farm structures. Full article

Background: Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system serves an increasingly diverse patient population, yet limited qualitative evidence exists regarding how pediatric nurses navigate cultural complexity in their daily practice. Understanding nurses’ day-to-day experiences of cross-cultural care is essential for strengthening culturally sensitive pediatric services. Purpose: This study explored the experiences of pediatric nurses in providing culturally sensitive care to children and their families in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in pediatric units of tertiary hospitals in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Eighteen pediatric nurses participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, and reporting followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines. Results: Four themes emerged: navigating cultural landscapes, describing nurses’ encounters with diverse cultural beliefs and health practices; communication as a bridge and a barrier, reflecting language challenges and strategies for meaningful engagement; balancing professional standards with cultural respect, highlighting the tension between evidence-based care and cultural accommodation; and the emotional labor of cross-cultural caregiving, capturing the personal toll and resilience involved in culturally diverse practice. Conclusions: Pediatric nurses engage in complex interpretive, relational, and emotional work when providing culturally sensitive care. Institutional support through cultural competence training, multilingual resources, and organizational policies is essential for enhancing culturally responsive pediatric nursing practice in diverse healthcare settings. Full article

As China’s rural poverty governance shifts from eliminating absolute poverty to preventing relative poverty risks, the sustainability of rural household livelihoods increasingly depends on whether labor migration can strengthen long-term welfare resilience beyond short-term income gains. Existing studies have extensively examined the effects of migration on income, employment, and current poverty status but have paid insufficient attention to whether migration reduces households’ future exposure to poverty. This study reframes rural labor migration as a household-level risk-restructuring strategy and examines its relationship with household poverty and vulnerability. Using rural household data from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies, we construct a Vulnerability as Expected Poverty measure to estimate the probability that household income will fall below a relative poverty line. We then examine the baseline association between the migrant worker share and poverty vulnerability, its heterogeneity across household structures, and the accompanying pathways related to income composition, information access, and asset-based buffering. The results show that a higher migrant worker share is negatively associated with poverty vulnerability in the baseline sample, but this relationship is conditional rather than homogeneous. The negative association is more evident among households with lower household-head education, lighter elderly dependency burden, and moderate labor-allocation constraints. Further evidence shows that migrant households tend to have a higher wage-income share, better internet access, and greater durable asset holdings, all of which are associated with lower vulnerability. By distinguishing income improvement from poverty-risk reduction, this study advances a vulnerability-based framework for evaluating rural migration and highlights that its contribution to sustainable poverty prevention depends on households’ capacity to convert migration-related gains into stable income structures, improved information access, and stronger asset buffers. Full article

Urban blue–green spaces (UBGSs) are critical for biodiversity, yet our understanding of how plant diversity in these spaces responds to urbanization across different UBGS types remains limited. Here, we investigated plant communities in four sampled UBGSs along an urban gradient in the Minjiang River Basin, China. Because each blue–green space type is represented by a single site, all comparisons are site-specific and descriptive. Using species richness (S), the Shannon–Wiener index (H′), Pielou’s evenness index (J′), frequency (F), and importance value (I.V.), we described whether taxonomic composition and diversity patterns differed among the four sampled sites. Across all sites, based on 615 species records, angiosperms dominated (92.6%), and cosmopolitan families (e.g., Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae) were ubiquitous, consistent with a strong regional species pool influence. However, our cross-site comparison showed a contrasting pattern: the near-natural Baihetan National Wetland Park showed the highest S (12.87) but low evenness (0.49), whereas the intensively managed Huoshui Park, with the lowest richness (9.67), achieved the highest evenness (0.68). Further, a discordance between F and I.V. rankings was observed in the managed site, where ornamental species showed high spatial coverage but low I.V. ranks. We report this rank discordance only as an observational finding, not as a proven metric or indicator. This discordance suggests that richness alone may not fully capture community structure, though its diagnostic value remains unverified. We interpret these contrasting richness–evenness patterns from the four sampled sites. Because site identity is confounded with management intensity, habitat area, and landscape context, no causal attribution to ecological or anthropogenic factors can be made. Evenness and species richness showed different site-to-site patterns, but this association remains observational. We hypothesize that a resilient urban biodiversity network could combine complementary nodes, with large natural wetlands as species-rich sites and constructed parks as structurally balanced units, rather than pursuing a single diversity target. This study provides preliminary insights that may inform planning considerations under Chengdu’s Park City initiative, but these suggestions should be viewed as hypotheses requiring further validation rather than as established management guidelines. The proposed network approach, while conceptually appealing, requires empirical testing through replicated studies before it can be considered for broader application. Full article

Background: Domain of Unknown Function 1645 (DUF1645) is a conserved but poorly characterized plant gene family whose evolutionary history and roles in stress adaptation remain unclear. We performed an integrated genomic, evolutionary, transcriptomic, and Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) characterization of the DUF1645 family in rice (Oryza sativa). Methods and Results: We identified 14 intronless, non-redundant OsDUF1645 genes distributed across eight chromosomes. Phylogenetic and collinearity analyses suggested that family expansion within Poaceae involved ancestral segmental and localized tandem duplication events. Promoter analysis identified stress- and phytohormone-responsive cis-acting elements, including ABRE, MBS, and MeJA-associated motifs. Public transcriptome datasets revealed diverse OsDUF1645 expression patterns under abiotic and hormonal treatments. Integration with the Quantitative Trait Loci Annotation Rice Online (Q-TARO) QTLome identified physical co-localization of multiple OsDUF1645 loci with stress- and agronomic-trait QTLs, including salinity-, drought-, root architecture-, and water-deficit-associated regions. On Chromosome 1, OsDUF1645.1, OsDUF1645.2, OsDUF1645.3, and OsDUF1645.4 overlapped QTL intervals associated with salinity-related physiological traits, including Na⁺ uptake and Na⁺ balance, and drought-related root traits. On Chromosome 5, the tandemly arranged OsDUF1645.8, OsDUF1645.9, and OsDUF1645.10 co-localized with QTLs related to root architecture and water-deficit responses. qRT-PCR validation under salinity, osmotic stress, and cadmium exposure confirmed distinct stress-responsive expression profiles; OsDUF1645.6 exhibited broad multi-stress responsiveness, whereas OsDUF1645.3 was downregulated under several conditions. Conclusions: The OsDUF1645 family exhibits substantial functional diversification, supported by distinct regulatory architectures, expression profiles, and QTL associations. These findings provide a framework for prioritizing OsDUF1645 candidates for functional validation and their potential application in molecular breeding and development of climate-resilient rice cultivars. Full article

Soil salinity disrupts redox homeostasis and limits plant growth and development. Although catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are key enzymatic antioxidants, the CAT and SOD gene families have not been characterized in Artemisia argyi (A. argyi), a species of medicinal and ecological importance. While SOD and CAT serve as the primary enzymatic scavengers for reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification, their genomic architecture and stress-responsive regulatory networks in A. argyi have remained uncharacterized. In this study, we conducted the first comprehensive genome-wide analysis of these gene families in A. argyi, identifying 22 structurally conserved members (8 AarCATs and 14 AarSODs). Collinearity and synteny analyses revealed strict lineage-specific evolutionary conservation, while tertiary protein modeling and subcellular localization illustrated a highly organized multi-organelle defense compartmentalization. High salinity (up to 200 mM NaCl) reduced the stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate. Salt stress reduced growth and increased osmoprotectant and antioxidant accumulation in A. argyi. Furthermore, histochemical staining using nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and 3,3′-Diaminobenzidine (DAB) provided comprehensive evidence of significant accumulation of ROS in leaves, which indicates the intense oxidative stress triggered by ionic stress. Tissue-specific analysis revealed that AarCAT1, AarCSD1, and AarFSD2 were 3.9-, 7.9-, and 12.7-fold higher in leaves than in roots, respectively. Under stress, AarCAT6 and AarCSD1 were strongly repressed in leaves by ~50% and ~46–70%, respectively, whereas AarMSD2 and AarMSD3 were significantly induced in roots by ~2.2- and ~1.8-fold. These distinct expression patterns suggest their potential involvement in tissue-specific stress adaptation and ROS homeostasis. These findings uncover the evolutionary and physiological basis of salt tolerance in A. argyi, providing genetic targets for climate-resilient breeding. Full article

Arundo donax L., generally known as common reed, is a perennial microthermal grass belonging to the Poaceae family, widely distributed in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. Although its origin is still the subject of scientific debate, many phylogenetic studies place it in central-southern or eastern Asia. Regardless of its area of origin, A. donax was spread due to anthropogenic activities and has had multiple waves of introduction. While substantial research has focused on the biological and bioenergetic potential of A. donax, its extreme ecological resilience represents a critical paradox for ecosystem management. The very traits that make this species an attractive crop—such as high primary productivity, rapid vegetative propagation, and epigenetic plasticity—are the driving forces behind its severe invasiveness in riparian ecosystems. This review aims to re-examine the physiological and genetic mechanisms of A. donax through a management-oriented lens, providing a critical evaluation of why current eradication strategies frequently fail and highlighting the urgent need for integrated control frameworks. Full article

This study examines whether renewable energy production is capable of covering energy costs in European Union family farms and identifies the determinants of the Energy Cost Coverage Ratio across different economic size classes. The analysis was based on Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN) data for 2014–2023 and combined descriptive statistics with panel data models. The results indicate that the Energy Cost Coverage Ratio remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 30.9% and 39.2%, despite a substantial increase in revenue from energy production and other gainful activities from €1594 to €2999 per farm. This limited improvement resulted from a simultaneous rise in energy costs, which increased from €5162 to €8465 per farm over the analysed period. Considerable differences in the Energy Cost Coverage Ratio were observed between economic size classes, while panel data models showed that its determinants vary across farm classes, with no single factor being significant for all classes. The findings suggest that revenue from the production of renewable energy has strengthened the economic resilience of European farms, but its contribution remains insufficient to fully offset rising energy expenditures, highlighting the need for farm-size-specific policy support. Full article

Smallholder and family farms underpin Mediterranean horticulture, yet their incomes are exposed to price risk because they sell as price-takers in opaque channels. In Ierapetra, Crete, greenhouse vegetables are traded at several independent physical auctions. This study quantifies within-venue price risk using 6281 product-day observations (daily minimum, maximum and mean prices) for six greenhouse products, November 2019–May 2026. Four indicators are computed per product-day: within-day relative spread, daily price change, coefficient of variation and a downside income-at-risk gap. Dispersion is compared across products against a reference band built from the within-day spreads of the three higher-priced products (p25–p75), a common descriptive yardstick drawn from the data themselves. On the same day, the highest price exceeds the lowest by 23% on average, and by above 100% on extreme days. A low-end seller earns 16–19% below the daily mean for commodities. The contrasts survive restriction to actively traded days and comparison at equal price levels. All series come from a single operator: the analysis therefore documents dispersion within one venue, and the contribution of fragmentation across venues remains open. Price risk is treated as a determinant of farm resilience rather than a measure of it; a unified, transparent digital auction is assessed as a design-conditional adaptation, its effect hinging on buyer participation, product representation and grading. Full article