Search Results (10,240)

Disentangling the coupled, nonlinear impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on vegetation dynamics is critical yet challenging for global change research. The Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP), a highly climate-sensitive and ecologically strategic region, serves as a vital arena for examining such complex socio-ecological attributions. Based on multi-source environmental datasets from 2000 to 2020, this study developed an integrated, spatially explicit framework coupling residual trend analysis (RESTREND) and GeoDetector to quantify individual drivers and nonlinear climate–human interactions. The QTP exhibited a significant, widespread greening trend during 2000–2020, featuring prominent spatial clustering with “High–High” clusters in the southeast and “Low–Low” clusters in the northwest. Attribution modeling revealed that vegetation dynamics were governed not by isolated variables, but by multifaceted, nonlinear synergies among precipitation, temperature, topography, vegetation type, and land-use change. Key interactive pairs, particularly elevation–temperature and slope–precipitation, dramatically increased explanatory power over single-factor models. Crucially, climate–human synergies explained substantially more variance than climate variables alone, bounded by a distinct elevational threshold: human activities dominated vegetation dynamics at mid-elevations (2500–3500 m), while climate factors took over as the primary controller at high altitudes (above 3500 m). Quantitatively, human activities induced vegetation improvement across 38.6% of the plateau, maintained stability in 35.8%, and caused degradation in 25.6%. By successfully merging trend decomposition with spatial stratified heterogeneity analysis, this study provides a transferable approach to uncoupling complex environmental interactions. These insights highlight the intensifying human footprint on alpine ecosystems and advocate for zone-specific adaptive management: mitigating human disturbances at mid-elevations and fostering climate adaptation in higher zones to preserve plateau resilience. Full article

Against the backdrop of the transition of new-type urbanization towards high-quality development, the triple contradictions of population agglomeration, land constraints, and housing supply-demand imbalance have become increasingly prominent. The conventional binary framework of human–land relations can no longer meet the requirements of coordinated development within human settlement systems, creating an urgent need to examine the multi-system interactions among population, land, and housing in order to resolve spatial mismatch. Taking Guangzhou as a case study, this research integrates 2020 population census data, land-use data from the European Space Agency (ESA), housing-price data from the Anjuke platform, and multi-source data on related influencing factors, and conducts a systematic empirical analysis by combining coupling coordination analysis, a relative development model, and the geographical detector. The findings reveal that the coupling coordination level of population, land and housing in Guangzhou exhibits a concentric, ring-shaped distribution pattern with central agglomeration and peripheral decline. The relative development among the three systems can be classified into matching types including the core-differentiated type, the peripheral-imbalanced type, and the surrounding-equilibrium type. With respect to influencing factors, all pairwise interactions are of the bi-factor enhancement type, and the driving mechanism displays a three-stage dynamic evolution. This study enriches research on human–land relations, provides precise guidance for optimizing spatial allocation and alleviating housing mismatch conflicts in Guangzhou, and offers transferable practical experience for comparable cities in China seeking to advance the high-quality development of new-type urbanization. Full article

Introduction: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), such as liraglutide (LIR), are widely used in humans to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In mammals, GLP-1 RAs have been shown to influence hepatic lipid metabolism, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In fish, GLP-1 also plays an important role in regulating hepatic processes, including glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis, and lipolysis. However, the effects of GLP-1 RAs on liver lipid metabolism in fish remain largely unexplored. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of LIR on lipid target genes using primary hepatocytes from brown trout as an in vitro model. Methodology: After 24 h, a hepatocyte monolayer culture was established, and cells were exposed for 24 and 48 h to supplemented L-15 medium (control), 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide in supplemented L-15 medium (solvent control), and five single exposures to LIR at 1, 10, 100, 500, and 1000 nM. After 24 and 48 h, cell viability was assessed using the trypan blue exclusion assay. Gene expression was analysed by real-time qPCR, targeting genes involved in lipogenesis, lipid transport, and cholesterol efflux. Results: No concentration-dependent effects on cell viability were observed. Gene expression analysis showed that LIR exposure modulated the mRNA levels of lipid-related genes, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), acyl-CoA long-chain synthetase 1 (Acsl1), and fatty acid synthase (FAS), with time being the main influencing factor. Overall, expression levels were higher at 48 h compared to 24 h. Additionally, dose-dependent effects were observed for ACC expression, with higher LIR concentrations showing significant differences compared to controls. Conclusions: These findings indicate that LIR modulates lipid-related gene expression in primary hepatocytes of brown trout without affecting cell viability. The results suggest that GLP-1 receptor activation may influence key pathways involved in hepatic lipid metabolism, with time-dependent effects playing a predominant role. Overall, this study supports the use of brown trout primary hepatocytes as a suitable in vitro model for investigating hepatic lipid responses to LIR and other GLP-1 receptor agonists, while providing initial insight into their potential effects in fish. Full article

Male circumcision (MC) has been shown in studies from South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda to reduce heterosexual Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) transmission among men by approximately 50–60%. Despite Namibia’s adoption of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) as part of national HIV prevention strategies, uptake remains suboptimal in some communities. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) of male circumcision among men aged 20–40 years in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, and examined socio-demographic factors associated with these outcomes. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and May 2024, involving 359 participants selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using structured, pre-tested questionnaires and analysed using STATA version 19. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression were used to summarise data and identify predictors of favourable KAP outcomes. Overall, 69.1% of respondents demonstrated good knowledge of male circumcision, 72.7% had positive attitudes, and 69.9% reported positive perceptions. Awareness of male circumcision was high (91.9%); however, only 69.4% of participants recognised its role in reducing HIV infection risk, and notable misconceptions persisted regarding its protective effects and procedural aspects. Multivariable analysis showed that urban residence (AOR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.03–2.42; p = 0.035) and higher education (AOR = 4.12; 95% CI: 1.21–14.02; p = 0.024) were significant predictors of favourable KAP outcomes. In addition, good knowledge was strongly associated with positive attitudes (AOR = 3.25; 95% CI: 2.01–5.26; p < 0.001) and perceptions (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.79–4.60; p < 0.001). In conclusion, while knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards male circumcision were generally favourable, important gaps and misconceptions remain. Targeted, culturally appropriate health education interventions are needed, particularly among rural and less-educated populations, to improve understanding and acceptance of VMMC as part of comprehensive HIV prevention strategies. Full article

Human activities and economic development require large amounts of water and energy. The analysis of the nexus between water and energy flows can improve the understanding of the quantitative relationship between the two resources and guide actions and policies to obtain better results with lower risks. This article aimed to analyse and evaluate the use of rainwater in urban environments and its relationship with the water–energy nexus through a literature review. The PRISMA guidelines were used to structure the research, and the RStudio programme was used for the bibliometric analysis. A total of 118 articles published between 2013 and 2023 were identified in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, of which 30 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The risk of bias in the studies included was assessed by two independent reviewers, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. The results were synthesized in a narrative and descriptive way, and organized in a table containing the authors, year, country, and main findings. The studies were grouped according to the theme addressed and the results related to the use of rainwater and the water–energy nexus were compared. The results indicate that the main use of rainwater is for non-drinkable purposes, to reduce the demand for potable water, lessen the pressure on water resources and contribute to environmental sustainability. Climate change can affect rainfall regimes and, consequently, the feasibility of systems. By decentralizing water supply services, the use of rainwater can save drinking water. When assessing energy savings, the use of rainwater is not always the best option, as system configurations and pump specifications are determining factors. Regarding the environmental impacts, all stages of the urban water cycle consume energy for their operation, and the environmental impact is directly related to the energy source used. Policies and regulations focused on rational use, water conservation, demand reduction, and tax incentives for the installation of rainwater harvesting systems, together with awareness campaigns, are necessary for the widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting systems. Finally, there is consensus regarding saving drinking water, but there is still a lack of studies and specifications regarding energy savings. The findings highlight the need for future longitudinal and simulation-based studies to strengthen knowledge of water–energy nexus dynamics in buildings. Full article

This study investigates the use of interpretable machine learning techniques to identify behavioral and demographic patterns associated with diabetes, based on structured population survey data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). A decision tree classifier was applied to a dataset comprising $16,824$ respondents and 38 preprocessed features covering lifestyle, well-being, and sociodemographic factors. The model was optimized through grid search with five-fold stratified cross-validation, achieving a test accuracy of $61.3$% (mean $62.6$% ±$0.6$% across a $10\times 5$ repeated stratified cross-validation). Feature importance analysis revealed that age, alcohol consumption patterns, daily energy expenditure, and physical activity were the most influential factors associated with diabetes status, with the top three features exhibiting stable importance across all cross-validation folds. The model produced a set of 32 human-readable decision rules; a sensitivity analysis confirmed that these rules are stable across encoding choices and cross-validation folds. Several model variants were evaluated: a class-weighted decision tree, a logistic regression baseline, an age-only decision tree, and an age and sex logistic regression. The class-weighted model improved minority-class recall (from $0.25$ to $0.53$) at the cost of overall accuracy. A one-hot encoding sensitivity analysis showed that replacing ordinal label encoding of nominal variables with one-hot encoding produces virtually identical results (accuracy: $61.4$% vs. $61.3$%), confirming that the main rules are not artifacts of the encoding choice. Although the classification accuracy is moderate and not significantly better than a majority-class baseline (McNemar’s test, $p=0.455$), the extracted rules confirmed several known associations and revealed interactions between social and lifestyle variables. These rules are intended as hypothesis-generating population-level descriptors rather than validated clinical decision tools, and no causal inference is claimed. This approach demonstrates the value of rule-based models for exploratory public health research. Full article

The Liujiaxia–Heishanxia reach is critical for water and sediment regulation in the upper Yellow River, where changes in runoff–sediment relationships greatly affect downstream channel stability and flood safety. Climate change and intensive human activities have substantially altered local hydrological regimes in recent decades. Using long-term hydrological records from five stations during 1956–2020, this study applied the Mann–Kendall test, moving t-test, wavelet analysis and XGBoost algorithms to analyze the trends, abrupt changes and periodic features of runoff and sediment load, and quantify the contributions of natural and human drivers. The results show that both runoff and sediment load decreased significantly, with a sharper decline in sediment load. Major abrupt changes occurred in 1969, 1986, 1996 and 2008, and both variables presented a dominant 40-year interdecadal cycle. Human-induced landscape changes became the leading factor driving hydrological variations after 1996. Our findings suggest that future watershed management should combine landscape optimization and climate adaptation to maintain stable runoff-sediment conditions. This work provides scientific references for water resource management and the construction of the Heishanxia Water Conservancy Project. Full article

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in farmland soils pose potential ecological and human health risks, yet their contamination characteristics and source-related risks in farmland soils across different river basins in China remain insufficiently understood. This present study analyzed 84 farmland soil samples from northeast (primarily the middle and lower reaches of the Songhua River and Liao River basin), central (primarily the middle reaches of the Yellow River basin and Dongting Lake system), northwest (primarily the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River and Yarlung Zangbo River basin), and southern (primarily the upper reaches of the Pearl River and Yangtze River basin) China in order to assess the contamination characteristics, sources, ecological risks, and human health risks associated with 16 US EPA priority PAHs in the samples. The findings suggest that the 16 aggregate PAHs’ concentrations in Chinese farmland soils varied from 63.9 to 9637.7 μg/kg, with an average of 1919.3 μg/kg. A gradual decline was observed from north to south, with dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DahA) accounting for the highest proportion at 14.3%. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and positive matrix factorization jointly indicated that fossil fuel combustion, high-temperature combustion, and traffic-related emissions were the main PAH inputs to farmland soils. The results of the ecological risk assessment indicated that the northeastern region exhibited the highest PAH ecological risk, with 41.2% of sample plots demonstrating severe PAH contamination. Conversely, the southern region exhibited the lowest PAH ecological risk, with 73.9% of the sample plots demonstrating no ecological risk. The human health risk assessment found that non-carcinogenic risks for both children and adults were within safe limits, while carcinogenic risks for both groups were relatively high. DahA was identified as the primary carcinogen, accounting for 45.9% and 70.3% of the total carcinogenic risk for children and adults, respectively. Oral ingestion was the primary route of exposure. This study provides an integrated basin-scale assessment of PAH contamination and source-related risks in Chinese farmland soils, supporting targeted management of PAH inputs in agricultural environments. Full article

Bacterial communities play vital roles in coastal biogeochemical cycling and ecological stability. Despite their importance, a significant knowledge gap exists regarding their spatiotemporal dynamics and assembly mechanisms in the tropical coastal waters of the Leizhou Peninsula, China. To investigate the bacterial community structure, co-occurrence networks, and assembly processes, we conducted 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing on water samples collected seasonally from August 2022 to June 2023. The bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria, and were characterized by a distinct warm-season peak in the relative of Cyanobium. Alpha diversity indices exhibited significant seasonal fluctuations, reaching a minimum in August (autumn) and a maximum in December (winter). These variations were strongly regulated by water temperature and phosphate availability. Redundancy analysis (RDA) identified salinity as the primary deterministic factor shaping community composition. Seasonal environmental heterogeneity, rather than spatial variation, primarily governed bacterial community dynamics. We also observed a seasonal succession in community assembly mechanisms with deterministic filtering dominated in autumn, whereas stochastic processes prevailed in other seasons. Predicted functional profiles indicated a stable core metabolism, although local anthropogenic inputs stimulated specific metabolic adaptations in industrial and aquaculture zones. Our findings reveal that seasonal environmental filtering (especially temperature and salinity) and a shifting balance between stochastic and deterministic assembly processes govern bacterial dynamics in this tropical coastal ecosystem, with anthropogenic inputs modulating local metabolic functions. This study provides fundamental insights into the mechanisms maintaining microbial diversity and stability in tropical coastal waters facing seasonal and human pressures. Full article

Background/Objectives: HbA1c is widely used to identify adults at increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but major guidance differs on whether the lower limit of an HbA1c-defined risk range should be 5.7% (39 mmol/mol) or 6.0% (42 mmol/mol). This systematic review evaluated the prognostic and screening utility of HbA1c 5.7–6.4% compared with HbA1c 6.0–6.4% and examined whether available evidence supports threshold-based allocation of preventive interventions. Methods: The review was reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020 and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019134344). PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published from 1 January 2016 to 1 January 2026. Eligible evidence comprised human studies in English, French, Hebrew, Italian or Spanish that evaluated HbA1c ranges below the diabetes diagnostic threshold in adults aged at least 40 years or younger adults with established risk factors. Two reviewers independently screened records and extracted data. Risk of bias was assessed using an adapted QUADAS-2 framework for threshold-performance evidence, supplemented by CASP-informed appraisal, and certainty was rated with GRADE domains. Narrative synthesis was selected because populations, thresholds, comparator tests, follow-up and outcome ascertainment were heterogeneous. Results: Seven studies were included. Evidence consistently supported a graded risk continuum rather than a single biological cut point. HbA1c 5.7–6.4% identifies more adults but includes many at low short-term absolute risk, whereas HbA1c 6.0–6.4%, especially 6.2–6.4% or combined HbA1c and fasting glucose abnormality, identifies fewer adults at higher near-term risk. Direct evidence comparing 5.7% versus 6.0% thresholds came mainly from one UK cohort, with supportive but indirect evidence from meta-analysis, routine-care cohorts and reversion studies. No trial randomized adults to intervention by HbA1c threshold, and eligible evidence did not directly address early diabetes-related morbidity by threshold. Conclusions: HbA1c below the diabetes diagnostic threshold should be interpreted as risk strata, not as a binary disease label. HbA1c 5.7–6.4% is defensible for broad, low-intensity preventive advice, while HbA1c 6.0–6.4% can be used to prioritize structured prevention and closer follow-up. The proposed tiered approach is a pragmatic, hypothesis-generating interpretation of the available evidence rather than a trial-validated intervention algorithm. Full article

The construction sector operates under conditions of high capital intensity, project complexity, cost uncertainty, fragmented supply chains, and increasing pressure to improve efficiency, sustainability, and long-term competitiveness. Although prior research has emphasized the importance of organizational resources and knowledge-based capabilities for competitive advantage, fewer empirical studies have examined how internal capacities, intellectual capital, and knowledge sharing jointly explain sustainable competitive advantage in construction companies. Drawing on the resource-based view, the knowledge-based view, and the dynamic capabilities perspective, this study examines the effects of marketing capacity, financial capacity, innovative capacity, management capacity, human capacity, human capital, structural capital, relational capital, and knowledge sharing on sustainable competitive advantage in the construction sector. Survey data were collected from 306 employees working in construction companies in the Republic of Serbia and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and covariance-based structural equation modeling. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The structural results indicate that financial capacity is the only significant internal capacity predicting sustainable competitive advantage, while relational capital is the only significant dimension of intellectual capital. Marketing capacity, innovative capacity, management capacity, human capacity, human capital, structural capital, and knowledge sharing did not show significant direct effects. The study contributes to research on sustainable competitive advantage by showing that, in construction companies, competitiveness is most strongly associated with financial robustness and stakeholder-based relational strength. For managers, the findings highlight the importance of strengthening liquidity, investment capacity, risk absorption, and long-term relationships with clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and institutional stakeholders. Full article

Background/Objectives: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common form of kidney cancer. Human ccRCCs have increased glycolytic metabolism and decreased mitochondrial oxidative metabolism relative to normal kidneys. Our research using human RCC4 ccRCC cells and a murine model of ccRCC, TRACK (TRAnsgenic model/Cancer/Kidney), in which a triple-mutant (P402A, P564A, N803A) human HIF1α is selectively expressed in proximal tubule cells (PTCs), revealed highly induced ATF4, a stress-responsive transcription factor. We then investigated the role of ATF4 in the metabolic changes in ccRCC. Methods: We performed comprehensive analysis of the ccRCC Cancer Genomics Atlas (TCGA) data. We deleted ATF4 in PTCs of TRACK mice and human RCC4 cells. We conducted genome-wide transcriptomic and untargeted metabolomic studies of cortices of WT and CGERA∆T (TRACK mice with PTC-specific ATF4-knockout (KO)) mice and performed glucose isotopologue tracing in parental and ATF4 KO RCC4 cells. Results: Analysis of TCGA data showed increased mRNAs of enzymes in glycolysis and reduced mRNAs of enzymes in the TCA cycle. Transcriptomic and metabolomic studies demonstrated that ATF4 deletion suppressed glycolysis and enhanced TCA cycle metabolism in CGERA∆T versus WT cortices. Glucose isotopologue tracing showed that ATF4 deletion altered glycolysis pathway metabolite levels and shifted glucose metabolism towards the TCA cycle, evidenced by increased intracellular [¹³C₂]citrate in RCC4-ATF4 KO cells. Using the Seahorse XFe96 analyzer we also showed reduced glycolytic capacity and reserve in RCC4-ATF4 KO cells. Conclusions: Collectively, our results demonstrate that ATF4 regulates glycolysis in ccRCC, supporting ATF4 as a therapeutic target. Full article

Intellectual property reasoning depends on the interaction of factual context, doctrinal tests, exceptions, evidentiary uncertainty, and regulatory objectives. These features make patent, copyright, and trademark analysis difficult to support through text-level processing or isolated rule encoding. This article proposes a bounded DIKWP-guided semantic modeling framework for representing selected intellectual property reasoning patterns as queryable semantic structures. The framework is conceptual and design-oriented; it is specified at the design level through a formal graph characterization of DIKWP, a modular ontology fragment, rule schemas, SPARQL-style queries, and worked examples from patent, copyright, and trademark reasoning. Methodologically, the study uses a qualitative legal-informatics design approach. The three IP domains are selected because they represent complementary reasoning patterns: claim-element correspondence and equivalence screening in patent law, expression and exception analysis in copyright law, and factor-based confusion assessment in trademark law. The examples are used to derive semantic entities, relations, rule-linked structures, uncertainty annotations, explanation paths, and human-review triggers. DIKWP is treated not as a complete legal ontology or autonomous adjudicator, but as a network-structured meta-architecture for coordinating data, information, knowledge, wisdom, and purpose in reviewable legal decision support. The article illustrates how selected IP reasoning patterns can be represented in forms that remain traceable to legal sources and open to human review. It does not claim empirical validation, jurisdiction-specific doctrinal completeness, or autonomous legal decision-making. Its contribution is to specify how semantic legal representation can be made more operational, auditable, and institutionally constrained in the intellectual property domain. Full article

The influenza A virus (IAV) has been responsible for multiple seasonal epidemics and poses a pandemic threat, and the growing number of variant strains constitutes a persistent threat to humanity. This study aimed to identify anti-influenza compounds from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomer library using a machine learning approach, with calmodulin as a hypothesis-driven target. The antiviral efficacy of the compounds with the highest predicted binding scores from virtual screening was evaluated using integrated computational and experimental approaches. A pre-trained protein language model (ConPLex) was employed for virtual screening. Molecular docking was used to predict binding characteristics, and network pharmacology was applied to generate hypotheses on multi-target mechanisms. The cytotoxicity and anti-H1N1 activity of the selected compounds were assessed in vitro, followed by in vivo evaluation of survival, lung pathology, viral load, and inflammatory mediators in a lethal mouse infection model. Sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) and deoxycholic acid (DCA) were identified as promising lead compounds. Both exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of viral replication in vitro with low cytotoxicity. Treatment with NaDC and DCA significantly improved survival rates and reduced lung pathology in H1N1-infected mice. Treatment was associated with suppression of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, and elevated interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels. Molecular docking predictions indicated that NaDC and DCA exhibit moderate binding affinity for calmodulin, with binding energies of −8.38 kcal/mol and −7.61 kcal/mol, respectively. Furthermore, network pharmacology analysis suggested that these compounds may modulate pathways related to viral infection, inflammation, and immune regulation. NaDC and DCA demonstrate anti-influenza activity both in vitro and in vivo, reducing viral replication and alleviating inflammatory lung injury. These findings position NaDC and DCA as promising lead compounds for anti-influenza drug development and provide a foundation for further mechanistic validation. Full article

This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of ecological environment quality and its driving mechanisms in the Sichuan section of the Yellow River Basin using Landsat imagery from 2000 to 2023. The Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) was constructed on the Google Earth Engine platform, and a comprehensive evaluation model was developed using principal component analysis. Sen’s slope, the Mann–Kendall test, and the Hurst exponent were applied to assess temporal trends and future persistence, while the optimal parameter-based Geodetector model was used to identify the driving factors of spatial differentiation. Results show that: (1) ecological environment quality exhibits a fluctuating but overall increasing trend, with a multi-year mean RSEI of 0.58, indicating a transition from “moderate” to “good–excellent” conditions; (2) spatially, ecological quality demonstrates significant heterogeneity and clear altitudinal gradients, with better conditions in the northwest than in the southeast, where low- and mid-altitude areas show higher ecological quality and stronger improvement, whereas high-altitude areas remain relatively poor due to strong natural constraints; (3) the spatial differentiation is jointly driven by multiple factors, among which precipitation and temperature are dominant, elevation exerts a fundamental constraint, and human activity plays a relatively minor role, while the interaction between climate and topographic factors shows the strongest explanatory power. These findings provide insights into the evolution and drivers of ecological environment quality in high-altitude regions and support ecological protection and regional management in the upper Yellow River Basin. Full article