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Amid China’s national strategic prioritization of the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle and accelerated territorial spatial planning, this study deciphered the synergistic evolution of Land Use Intensity (LUI) and Balance Degree of Land Use Structure (BDLUS) during rapid urbanization. Leveraging 1 km grid units and integrating emerging spatiotemporal hotspot analysis, BFAST, and geographic detectors, we systematically analyzed spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of LUI, BDLUS, and their Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) from 2000 to 2022. Key findings: (1) LUI strongly correlated with economic growth, with core areas reaching high-intensity development (average > 2.96) versus ecologically constrained marginal zones (<2.42), marked by abrupt changes during 2011–2014; (2) BDLUS improvements covered 82.22% of the study area, driven by the Yangtze River Economic Belt strategy (21.96% hotspot concentration), yet structural imbalance persisted in transitional zones (18.81% cold spots); (3) CCD exhibited center-edge dichotomy, contrasting high-value cores (CCD > 0.68) with ecologically sensitive edges (9.80% cold spots), peaking in regulatory shifts around 2010; (4) terrain constraints and intensified human activities (the interaction effect between nighttime lighting and population density increased by 219.49% after 2020) jointly governed coupling mechanisms, with urbanization and industrial transition becoming dominant drivers. This research advances an “intensity–structure–coordination” framework and elucidates “dual-core resonance” dynamics, offering theoretical foundations for spatial optimization and ecological civilization. Full article

This paper addresses the problem of loss of control during flight caused by failures of flight control surfaces. It presents a study of an emergency thrust control system based on linear-quadratic control with integral action. The research encompasses an analysis of thrust modulation control characteristics, a review of existing control systems, and a detailed description of the development process, including the research platform configuration, identification of the aircraft state-space model, control law design, integration of system components within the MATLAB and Simulink environment, and software-in-the-loop testing conducted in the X-Plane 11 flight simulator using a Boeing 757-200 model. The study also investigates the issue of control channel cross-coupling and its impact on simultaneous control of the aircraft’s longitudinal and lateral dynamics. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed emergency system provides adequate controllability, with settling times of approximately 12 s for achieving a flight path angle setpoint of +5°, and 13 s for attaining a maximum (limited) roll angle of 20°, achieved in separate manoeuvres. Furthermore, simulated landing attempts suggest that the system could potentially enable successful landings at approach speeds significantly higher than standard recommendations. However, further investigation is required to address decoupling of control channels, ensure system stability, and evaluate control performance across a broader range of aircraft configurations. Full article

Addressing lateral-directional control challenges during unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing in complex wind fields, this study proposes a drift angle control strategy that integrates coordinated heading and trajectory regulation. An adaptive radius optimization method for the Dubins approach path is designed using wind speed estimation. By developing a wind-coupled flight dynamics model, we establish a roll angle control loop combining the $L_1$ nonlinear guidance law with Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control (LADRC). Simulation tests against conventional sideslip approach and crab approach, along with flight tests, confirm that the proposed autonomous landing system achieves smoother attitude transitions during landing while meeting all touchdown performance requirements. This solution provides a theoretically rigorous and practically viable approach for safe UAV landings in challenging wind conditions. Full article

Ecological ethics is gaining traction. Can this new attitude towards our ecosystems help to motivate a change in our relationship with land and nature? Can we move towards a legal system that supports the legal personality of land, devoid of human ownership? There are substantial amounts of international environmental laws that have been hovering on the fringes of defining and then redefining our relationship with land, with more emphasis on respecting the land as itself rather than as a vehicle with which humanity can gain wealth. This article briefly explores the conjunction of international environmental law history and ecological ethics in the hope that it will encourage a segue in our approach to conservation, ecology, and being. Full article

In recent decades, the deployment of quadcopters has significantly expanded, particularly in outdoor applications such as parcel delivery. These missions require highly stable aerial platforms capable of maintaining balance under diverse environmental conditions, ensuring the safe operation of both the drone and its payload. This paper focuses on the stabilization of a quadcopter designed for outdoor use. A detailed dynamic model of a compact vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone forms the basis for a non-linear control strategy targeting stability during the critical takeoff phase. The control law is designed using a quasi-linear parameter-varying (quasi-LPV) model that captures the system’s non-linear dynamics. Lyapunov theory and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) are employed to validate the stability and design the controller. Numerical simulations demonstrate the controller’s effectiveness, and a comparative study is conducted to benchmark its performance against a reference quadrotor model. Full article

The so-called Holiness Code (Leviticus 17–26) describes the land (אֶרֶץ) almost as a human being. In biblical scholarship on this law-text, the land has often been explained as an independent agent and more powerful than even the human beings that are present in the text. This paper will use social network analysis to test these conclusions and provide a more detailed account of the role of the land. The paper sets out to develop a social network model of the Holiness Code by including all interactions among human/divine participants and physical space. The paper then explores how human/divine participants relate to space, and it is shown that the participant roles are closely connected to access to space. Afterwards, the social role of the land is scrutinized by exploring each of its relationships, and by conducting a cluster analysis to understand the structural properties of the network. It is shown that the land is not as central and agentive as is usually thought but, rather, that the land plays a secondary role as a vulnerable character in need of protection. The paper is concluded by reflections on the potential of social network analysis for understanding character roles in literature. Full article

African cities are experiencing rapid, unregulated growth, characterized by high land pressure and growing demand for housing and urban infrastructure. New arrivals often settle in vulnerable areas (wetlands, hills, flood) where land is cheaper and unregulated by public authorities. This type of settlement is accompanied by numerous land conflicts, exacerbated by the coexistence of formal and customary land tenure systems, which struggle to harmonize. In this context, public land regulation policies often remain centralized and ill-adapted, revealing their limitations in ensuring equitable and sustainable management of urban land. Faced with this gap, our systematic study explores the socio-environmental dynamics of this normative pluralism in land governance within Cameroonian cities. Our findings highlight the tensions and opportunities of this complex coexistence, which vary significantly according to city size (small, medium, and large), the colonial heritage (Francophone and Anglophone), and the dominant legal framework (civil law and common law). The analysis highlights the need to take into account historical, linguistic, and politico-administrative roots, which profoundly influence local forms of the institutionalization of normative pluralism and the associated socio-environmental vulnerabilities. This normative plurality underlines the importance of a hybrid system of land governance capable of integrating local specificities while ensuring land security for all. Future research will include comparisons with other African countries in order to understand transferable mechanisms for better land governance. Full article

Land use transformation, the longest-standing human-driven environmental alteration, is a pressing and complex issue that significantly impacts European landscapes and contributes to global environmental change. The urgency to act is reinforced by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which identifies industrial, commercial, and residential development—particularly near major urban centers—as key contributors to land take. As the EU sets a vision for achieving zero net land take by 2050, assessing the readiness and coherence of national legislation becomes critical. This comprehensive study employs a comparative legal analysis across five European countries—Italy, Greece, Poland, France, and Ukraine—examining their laws, strategies, and commitments related to land degradation neutrality. Using a review of national legislation and policy documents, the research identifies systemic patterns, barriers, and opportunities within current legal frameworks. The present study aims to provide valuable insights for policymakers, planners, and academic institutions, fostering a comprehensive understanding of existing gaps, implementation, and inconsistencies in national land use legislation. Among the results, it has become evident that a typical “pathway” between the examined states in terms of the legislative framework on land use–land take is probably a utopia for the time being. The legislations in force, in several cases, are labyrinthine and multifaceted, highlighting the urgent and immediate need for simplification and standardization. The need for this action is further underscored by the fact that, in most cases, land use frameworks are characterized by complementary legislation and ongoing amendments. Ultimately, the research underscores the critical need for harmonized governance and transparent, enforceable policies, particularly in regions where deregulated land use planning persists. The diversity in legislative layers and the decentralized role of the authorities further compounds the complexity, reinforcing the importance of cross-country dialogue and EU-wide coordination in advancing sustainable land use development. Full article

The exploration of the coupling trend between urban agglomeration development (UAD) and land surface temperature (LST) expansion is of great significance, and it is of scientific value for the regulation of the thermal environment of urban agglomerations, the optimization of urban spatial planning, and the achievement of sustainable urban development. This study employs an array of remote sensing datasets from multiple sources—employing a multi-faceted approach encompassing an overall coupling situation analysis model, a coordination and evaluation system, a geographically weighted spatial autocorrelation algorithm, and landscape pattern quantification indicators—to explore the mutual feedback mechanism and spatial coupling characterization of LST and UAD in the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration (GZPUA). The results of the study can provide data support for urban spatial planning and thermal environment regulation. The results indicate the following findings: (1) In the GZPUA, the nighttime light (NTL) and land surface temperature (LST) centroids show a significant tendency toward approaching one another, with a spatial offset decreasing from 45.0 km to 9.1 km at the end, indicating a strengthening trend in the photothermal system’s coupling synergy. (2) The coordination of light and heat in the study area exhibits significant non-equilibrium development, with a dynamic trend of urban development space shifting towards the southwest. It confirms the typical regional response law of rapid urbanization. (3) The Moran’s I index of the photothermal system in the study area increased from 0.289 to 0.335, an increase of 15.9%. The proportion of “high–high” (H-H)/“low–low” (L-L)-type regions with clustering distribution of cold and hot spots reaches 58.01%, and their spatial continuity characteristics are significantly enhanced, indicating a significant trend of spatial structural integration between urban heat island effect and construction land expansion. Full article

This paper examines the dynamic relationship between economic indicators, law enforcement mechanisms, and property-related crimes in Mongolia using a time-series econometric approach. Relying on the theoretical frameworks of Becker’s economic model of crime and Cantor and Land’s motivation–opportunity hypothesis, the study explores the effects of unemployment, detection probability, and incarceration rates on four crime categories: total crime, theft, robbery, and fraud. An error correction model (ECM) is employed to capture both short-run fluctuations and long-run equilibrium relationships over the period 1992–2022. The empirical findings reveal that detection rates exert a statistically significant deterrent effect on robbery in the short term, while incarceration rates are effective in reducing theft. Unemployment shows a positive and significant long-run effect on theft prior to 2009 but weakens thereafter due to methodological changes in labor statistics. Fraud demonstrates a distinct response pattern, exhibiting negative associations with both incarceration and unemployment, and showing no sensitivity to detection probability. Diagnostic tests support the model’s robustness, with heteroskedasticity in the theft model addressed using robust standard errors. This study contributes to the literature by providing the first country-specific empirical evidence on crime determinants in Mongolia. It highlights the heterogeneous impact of economic and institutional factors on different crime types in a transition economy. The findings underscore the need for integrated policy responses that combine improvements in law enforcement with inclusive economic and social development strategies. Full article

Ecological restoration and brownfield reuse are important issues in the current field of urban sustainable development and environmental protection. This paper adopts bibliometric and network analysis methods, using more than 600 literature from Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases as research objects, to analyze the research trends, main researchers, contributions of different disciplines, and research hotspots in ecological restoration and brownfield reuse. Based on the results of quantitative analysis, this paper reviews the main research theories, methods, and technologies of ecological restoration and brownfield reuse at home and abroad, as well as response strategies in different regions and future prospects under challenges. Among the top 10 disciplines in terms of disciplinary contribution, the discipline with the highest relevance in the research articles of CNKI is “Environmental Science and Technology”, accounting for approximately 47.24%. The discipline with the highest relevance in the research articles of WOS is “Building Science and Engineering”, accounting for approximately 61.21%. In terms of research theories and methods, emphasis is placed on the application of ecological engineering, landscape ecology, land economics, and sustainable development methods. At the same time, adaptive management methods are emphasized, aiming to achieve a balance between ecological protection and urban development. In terms of response strategies for different regions, the main strategies for ecological restoration and brownfield reuse are proposed from five main aspects: reducing soil erosion and controlling water pollution, restoring ecological communities and enhancing biodiversity, landscape reshaping and spatial transformation, tourism development, and leisure space design. Based on the current challenges in technology, law, funding, management, and society, research prospects for strengthening interdisciplinary integration, digital drive, interdisciplinary collaboration, and multi-party cooperation in the future are proposed. It can be seen that research in this field is no longer just a simple ecological issue, but a comprehensive social problem. Full article

The amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced has increased with population growth and consumption patterns. Currently, most waste goes to dumps, although the Brazilian law requires the final destination to be landfills. The latter does not consider the energy lost by these solutions and the carbon footprint that better destinations could avoid. However, not treating the waste correctly aggravates land availability problems, especially in large cities such as São Paulo. Anaerobic digestion is an alternative to traditional waste management, and in addition to treating residues, it generates energy and recovers the nutrients present in MSW. Thermodynamic analyses are still scarce in the literature despite being a known process. This study performed an exergy analysis of an existing biogas plant at the Institute of Energy and Environment of the University of São Paulo with a processing capacity of 20 tons of MSW per day composed of three reactors (430 m³ each) and one internal combustion engine (ICE) of 75 kW. The plant uses MSW as the substrate for anaerobic digestion and generates electrical energy, biogas, and fertilizer for agriculture (digestate). Additionally, the plant operates in cogeneration, as the anaerobic digestion reactor uses the heat produced to generate electrical energy. The results showed that the exergy present in the substrate is 67,320 MJ/day. The products’ exergy flows and the processes’ efficiencies show that the exergy flow of the biogas (44,488 MJ/day) is significantly higher than the exergy flow of the digestate (1455 MJ/day). When considering the cogeneration process, the exergy flow was similar for heat and electric energy as the final products, with 10,987 MJ/day for electric energy and 5215 MJ/day for electric energy. The exergy efficiency of the digestion process was 68.25%, while that of cogeneration (digestate, heat and electric energy) was 26.23%. These results can help identify inefficiencies and optimize processes in an anaerobic digestion plant. Furthermore, thermodynamic analyses of anaerobic digestion found in the literature are mostly based on theoretical models. Thus, this study fills a gap regarding exergy analysis of actual biogas plants. Full article

Marine plastic pollution (MPP) has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges, severely affecting marine ecosystems and human health. Even though international agreements such as UNCLOS and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) exist, the existing laws are often being introduced to question the inability of the present laws to do something about the escalating issue of plastic pollution. This study uses a doctrinal legal approach to examine how UNCLOS and MARPOL respond to marine plastic pollution (MPP) with a focus on their ability to handle land-based and ship-based MPP. Gaps in these frameworks are underlined, such as a lack of enforceable requirements under UNCLOS on reducing plastic rubbish from LBS and disparities in implementing MARPOL’s regulations on plastic discharges from ships. This paper also explores activities of organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with a focus on the Regional Seas Programme and the Global Programme of Action. Although a lot has been achieved, much remains to be done to resolve the problem of marine plastic pollution. This paper concludes with a series of practical proposals aimed at refining international laws, strengthening enforcement, and encouraging collective action at the international level. The proposed measures are aimed at advancing a circular economy model, strengthening legal infrastructure, and fostering a single global response against marine plastic pollution. Full article

After the fall of communism, Romania embarked on a comprehensive land restitution process through Law No. 18/1991, aiming to re-establish private ownership rights, particularly for agricultural and forestry lands. Divergent historical legacies across regions have resulted in heterogeneous land administration systems, contributing to inconsistencies, overlapping claims, and prolonged legal disputes. To address these challenges, the Romanian government introduced the National Cadastre and Land Registration Program, which promotes systematic property registration across the country. Keeping in mind the fact that there is no integrated study that analyses national challenges from multiple dimensions such as history, law, institutions, technology, and socioeconomics and proposes systematic optimization strategies, this article provides a critical analysis of the legal and institutional framework governing land restitution and cadastral reform, highlighting the influence of historical administrative structures and the adoption of modern geospatial technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). By adopting a qualitative and document-based research approach, focusing on the analysis of legislative frameworks, institutional procedures, and technical instruments used in systematic land registration in Romania, this study emphasizes the benefits of systematic registration, including increased legal certainty, investment stimulation, improved access to credit, and better planning and taxation. Despite progress, implementation remains uneven, hindered by documentation gaps, institutional capacity limitations, and administrative obstacles. Recent legislative adjustments and the integration of advanced geospatial tools aim to improve data quality and accelerate the registration process. Ultimately, the integration of legal, institutional, and geospatial components is essential for achieving transparent and accountable land governance, efficient resource management, and sustainable rural development in Romania. Full article

This study investigates the legal and planning risks related to the implementation of individual recreational buildings in environmentally valuable areas, with particular emphasis on the municipality of Bukowina Tatrzańska in southern Poland. This research highlights the consequences of a legal loophole that allows construction in protected landscapes based solely on a notification procedure, often excluding municipal authorities from the decision-making process. This analysis combines field inventory, planning document review, and interviews with local officials to assess the scale and nature of development in areas lacking valid local development plans. The findings reveal increasing investor pressure and the misuse of individual recreational buildings for commercial purposes, leading to spatial and landscape degradation. Despite formal compliance with certain legal provisions, construction often takes place in areas of high natural and scenic value, undermining spatial order. This study recommends strengthening local planning instruments, revising construction laws, and enhancing investment control to ensure sustainable land use and landscape protection. Full article