Search Results (1,718)

The transition toward sustainable and circular agricultural systems is increasingly important, yet evidence linking circularity and farm profitability in transition economies remains limited. This study examines the determinants of farm profitability in Serbia by combining micro-level structural and productivity indicators with a macro-level agro-eco efficiency measure, used here as a sector-wide ecological pressure indicator rather than a direct proxy for circular practices. Using a balanced Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) panel of 443 farms (2015–2022) across dairy, mixed, field crop, and fruit & wine sectors, dynamic panel estimators (difference and system Generalized Method of Moments-GMM) reveal strong sectoral heterogeneity. Asset turnover is the primary driver of profitability in field crops and perennial systems, while dairy farms benefit from scale and land productivity. Energy intensity consistently reduces profitability across all sectors. Agro-eco efficiency shows a negative effect in livestock-based systems, indicating higher sensitivity to macro-ecological pressures. These findings suggest that environmental and economic vulnerabilities differ across production systems, highlighting the need for sector-specific strategies aimed at improving resilience rather than inferring the profitability of circular technologies. Full article

Low yields remain a primary obstacle to the expansion of organic farming in Europe. While legume-based mixed cropping enhances land-use efficiency, three-crop mixtures remain understudied compared to binary systems. We evaluated the vegetative and generative growth of pea (Lathyrus oleraceus Lam.), oats (Avena sativa L.), and camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz.) in sole stands versus three-crop mixtures in southern Finland. Experiments were conducted over two years using varying relative seeding densities (including 50:20:30, 50:50:50, and 33:33:33). Biomass dynamics and seed quality were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), while interspecific interactions were quantified using the relative interaction index (RII) and land equivalent ratio (LER). In 2022, mixtures increased oat seed protein by 11% relative to sole crops, achieving a biomass LER of 1.17. In 2023, oats exhibited strong competitive dominance (RII > 0.3), which concurrently reduced camelina quality. Notably, the 33:33:33 mixture consistently achieved a biomass LER > 1.2 and marked improvements in pea growth rates. Across all mixtures, the seed yield LER reached 1.04. These results suggest that three-crop mixtures can enhance productivity in Nordic organic agriculture with minimal quality trade-offs. Practically, we recommend the equal seeding density (33:33:33) as the optimal configuration for maximizing resource use efficiency, though further optimization of species combinations is encouraged. Full article

Accurate estimation of aircraft operations, such as takeoffs and landings, is critical for airport planning and resource allocation, yet it remains particularly challenging at non-towered airports, where no dedicated surveillance infrastructure exists. Existing solutions, including video analytics, acoustic sensors, and transponder-based systems, are often costly, incomplete, or unreliable in environments with mixed traffic and inconsistent radio usage, highlighting the need for a scalable, infrastructure-free alternative. To address this gap, this study proposes a novel dual-pipeline machine learning framework that classifies pilot radio communications using both textual and spectral features to infer operational intent. A total of 2489 annotated pilot transmissions collected from a U.S. non-towered airport were processed through automatic speech recognition (ASR) and Mel-spectrogram extraction. We benchmarked multiple traditional classifiers and deep learning models, including ensemble methods, long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), across both feature pipelines. Results show that spectral features paired with deep architectures consistently achieved the highest performance, with F1-scores exceeding 91% despite substantial background noise, overlapping transmissions, and speaker variability These findings indicate that operational intent can be inferred reliably from existing communication audio alone, offering a practical, low-cost path toward scalable aircraft operations monitoring and supporting emerging virtual tower and automated air traffic surveillance applications. Full article

Rapid human population growth accelerates biodiversity loss through urban habitat fragmentation, yet ecologically informed urban planning can mitigate these effects. This study evaluates whether and how vegetation characteristics, as captured by Earth observation data varies across forest habitats in a small Mediterranean city in Italy. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), and Land Surface Temperature (LST) for the Functional Urban Area of Campobasso were derived from multitemporal Landsat 8 imagery (2020–2023) acquired during the growing season and combined with elevation data to account for topographic gradients. Different forest habitats were identified using the regional coeval Carta della Natura (Map of Nature) and were sampled by a random stratified strategy yielding more than 900,000 observations. A linear mixed-effects model was used to model NDVI as a function of NDMI, LST, elevation, and habitat type, while accounting for temporal and spatial dependencies. The model explained a large proportion of NDVI variability (marginal R² = 0.75; conditional R² = 0.85), with NDMI emerging as the strongest predictor, followed by weaker effects of LST and elevation. Habitat differences were also evident: oak-dominated forests (i.e., Quercus frainetto, Q. cerris, and Q. pubescens dominated habitats) exhibited the highest NDVI values, while coniferous plantations (i.e., Pinus nigra dominated habitat) had the lowest; forests dominated by Robinia pseudoacacia and riparian Salix alba showed intermediate vegetation greenness values. These results highlight the ecological importance of oak forests in Mediterranean urban landscapes and demonstrate the value of satellite-based monitoring for capturing habitat variability. The reproducible workflow applied here provides a scalable tool to support habitat conservation and planning in urban environments, also accounting for impending climate change scenarios. Full article

Broad-scale assessments often track forest productivity, yet they rarely quantify how soil conditions determine whether these gains persist as long-lived carbon and generate measurable economic value. This study focused on Northeast China, where forests include boreal coniferous stands dominated by Dahurian larch, temperate conifer–broadleaf mixed forests with Korean pine, and temperate deciduous broadleaf forests dominated by Mongolian oak. We combined GLASS net primary productivity and ESA CCI Land Cover to delineate forest pixels, used 2000 to 2005 as the baseline, and converted productivity anomalies into pixel level carbon economic value using a consistent pricing rule. Forest NPP increased significantly during 2000 to 2018 (slope = 1.57, p = 0.019), and carbon economic value also increased over time during 2006 to 2018 (slope = 2.24, p = 0.002), with the highest values in core mountain forests and lower values in the western forest–grassland transition zone. Correlation analysis, explainable random forests, and variance partitioning characterized spatial and temporal dynamics from 2000 to 2018 and identified environmental controls. Carbon value increased over time and showed marked spatial heterogeneity that mirrored productivity patterns in core mountain forests. Climate was the dominant predictor of value, while higher soil pH and clay content were negatively associated with value. The random forest model explained about 70% of the variance in carbon value (R² = 0.695), and variance partitioning indicated substantial unique and joint contributions from climate and soil alongside secondary topographic effects. The automatable framework enables periodic updates with new satellite composites, supports ecological compensation zoning, and informs soil-oriented interventions that enhance the monetized value of forest carbon sinks in data-limited regions. Full article

Country parks are an important instrument for implementing China’s strategies on ecological civilization and integrated urban–rural development. This study conducted field surveys in seven country parks of Shanghai. Meanwhile, stakeholder seminars were organized with local residents and park authorities. To assess visitor satisfaction, a questionnaire survey was administered both on-site and online. Through case analysis and a policy review, this study systematically identifies key challenges in leveraging country parks for rural revitalization. The findings indicate that visitors highly value the ecological qualities of the parks, and basic infrastructure like roads and resting facilities generally meets expectations. However, shuttle services and smart guiding systems remain notable shortcomings that hinder the overall visitor experience. Moreover, gaps in service quality, local cultural representation, and the depth of nature education constitute the primary weaknesses affecting visitor satisfaction. Regarding rural revitalization, this study identifies four main limitations in the contribution of country parks: (1) Inadequate functional positioning and weak integration with surrounding resources; (2) Low land use efficiency and an unbalanced provision of supporting facilities; (3) Homogenized industrial formats with limited innovation and integration capacity; and (4) Restricted participation of local farmers and underdeveloped multi-stakeholder governance mechanisms. To address these issues, this study proposes four strategic recommendations: (1) Develop distinctive local brands and strengthen synergies with surrounding resources; (2) Promote mixed land use and enhance supporting service facilities; (3) Foster diversified business formats and facilitate the value realization of ecological products; and (4) Expand income-generation channels for farmers and improve multi-stakeholder governance frameworks. The research demonstrates that optimizing the functions of country parks can improve ecological and recreational services and help establish an integrated “ecology–industry–community” framework through industrial chain extension and community participation, thereby supporting rural revitalization. Full article

In the context of rapid population aging in China, ensuring pedestrian safety for older adults has become a critical concern, particularly in mountainous cities where the built environment’s role remains understudied. This study examines how built environment factors influence road traffic crashes involving older pedestrians in such terrains, aiming to propose targeted safety optimization strategies. Using ten-year road traffic crash data from Yuzhong District, Chongqing, the research employed both Standard Poisson Regression and Bayesian Poisson Regression models for analysis. Key findings indicate that crash frequency significantly increased with higher densities of footbridges and recreational facilities, as well as with a greater proportion of parks and green space, whereas it decreased with a higher land use mix, greater densities of educational facilities, and higher public transport stop density. The proportion of storage land and the density of medical facilities showed no significant effects. These results provide concrete, evidence-based guidance for urban planning and transportation management in mountainous cities to optimize pedestrian infrastructure and enhance walking safety for the elderly. Full article

Monitoring vegetation biomass dynamics is essential for assessing ecosystem functioning and biodiversity pressures in protected mountain areas, where reduced accessibility limits in situ data collection. This study investigates the multitemporal variation in vegetation biomass within the Cioclovina–Șura Mare–Piatra Roșie strictly protected area of the Grădiștea Muncelului–Cioclovina Natural Park (Southern Carpathians, Romania), using vegetation indices derived from Sentinel-2 imagery for the 2018–2022 period. Four complementary indices (NDVI, SAVI, MSAVI, and LAI) were computed and normalized, then integrated into an original synthetic indicator (BCIS—Biomass Change Integrated Score) for quantifying biomass changes. The results indicate an overall reduction in vegetation biomass, with 89.49% of the area classified under degradation trends, while 4.53% shows regeneration processes. Grasslands and mixed agricultural–natural lands are the most affected habitats, where degradation is linked to anthropogenic pressures and ecotonal vulnerability, whereas broadleaf forests display a high degree of resilience, maintaining substantial proportions of stable or regenerating surfaces. The multispectral integration through the BCIS indicator enabled a more robust detection of critical zones, supporting sustainable vegetation management and biodiversity monitoring in protected mountain ecosystems. Full article

Salt–alkali stress is a major abiotic factor limiting plant growth. Dracocephalum moldavica L., an aromatic plant with medicinal and edible value, shows some potential for salt–alkali tolerance, but its response mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic approaches were employed to compare the responses of D. moldavica seedlings to salt (NaCl/Na₂SO₄ = 1:1), alkali (NaHCO₃/Na₂CO₃ = 1:1), and mixed saline–alkali stress (NaCl/Na₂SO₄/NaHCO₃/Na₂CO₃ = 1:1:1:1). The results showed that all stress types increased the MDA content, with osmotic regulators and antioxidant enzymes helping mitigate damage. Alkali stress caused the most severe chlorophyll and photosynthetic damage. Transcriptomic analysis identified 12,838, 11,124, and 11,460 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under salt, alkali, and mixed saline–alkali stress, respectively. Metabolomic analysis identified 1802, 1937, and 1794 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) under each stress condition. Combined analysis revealed that all stresses activated pathways involved in galactose metabolism, the TCA cycle, pentose–glucuronic acid interconversion, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Salt stress enhanced sucrose hydrolysis and lignification via INV and HCT. Alkali stress promoted the synthesis of 1-O-sinapoyl-β-D-glucose through COMT, improving antioxidant capacity and pH stability. Mixed saline–alkali stress activated genes related to sugar and energy metabolism, leading to the accumulation of xylitol and citric acid. These findings provide insights into D. moldavica’s mechanisms for tolerance, supporting its potential for saline–alkali land use. Full article

Understanding the trophic ecology of the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) is essential for its conservation in intensifying agricultural landscapes. To explore dietary niches across habitats, sexes, and age groups, we applied stable isotope analysis of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in hair samples from 151 hares collected in Lithuania and Poland from 2023 to 2025. δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values varied significantly by country and habitat, but not by sex or age. Lithuanian hares exhibited lower δ¹³C values and a wider isotopic niche, reflecting more diverse foraging in heterogeneous habitats. In contrast, Polish hares from uniform orchard landscapes showed higher δ¹³C enrichment and narrower isotopic ranges, indicating greater dietary specialization on cultivated plants. Temporal variation was minimal, and isotopic overlap among months and years was high. These results suggest that habitat heterogeneity, rather than demographic factors, drives dietary flexibility in L. europaeus. Thus, stable isotope analysis provides a powerful tool for linking agricultural land use with trophic niche breadth in farmland mammals. Promoting mixed cropping systems, permanent vegetation, and structurally diverse habitats could improve food quality and support the recovery of declining hare populations. Full article

Identifying area functions around urban rail transit (URT) stations is crucial for optimizing urban planning and infrastructure allocation. Traditional methods relying on static land-use data fail to capture dynamic human–environment interactions, while emerging mobility datasets suffer from spatial granularity limitations. This study bridges this gap by integrating spatiotemporal patterns of dockless bike sharing (DBS) with Point of Interest (POI) configurations to characterize station functions. Taking Beijing as a case study, we develop a cluster analysis framework that synthesizes DBS density fluctuations, parking distribution shifts between day/night periods, and POI features. Cluster results reveal functionally distinct station groups with statistically significant differences in both DBS usage patterns and POI distributions. Critically, high-density urban cores exhibit concentrated bicycle usage aligned with mixed POI agglomerations, while suburban zones demonstrate commuter-oriented fluctuations with evening residential surges. This alignment between DBS-derived activity signatures and POI-based land-use features provides actionable insights: planners can optimize bicycle parking in residential clusters, calibrate last-mile connections in employment cores, and adapt infrastructure to localized functional transitions—ultimately enhancing URT-integrated sustainable development. Full article

The SDG 15.3.1 framework provides a standardized approach using land use/land cover (LULC) change, land productivity, and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics to assess land degradation. However, SDG 15.3.1. faces limitations like coarse resolutions of Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2, particularly for fine-scale studies. Accordingly, this paper integrates Very Deep Super-Resolution (VDSR) for downscaling Landsat-8 imagery to 1 m resolution and the Vegetation Health Index (VHI) into SDG 15.3.1 to enhance detection in the heterogeneous Loiret region, France—a temperate agricultural hub featuring mixed croplands and peri-urban interfaces—using 2017 as baseline and 2024 as target. Results demonstrated that 1 m resolution detected more degraded LULC areas than coarser scales. SOC degradation was minimal (0.15%), concentrated in transitioned zones. VHI reduced overestimation of productivity declines compared to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index by identifying more stable areas and 2.69 times less degradation in integrated assessments. The “One Out, All Out” rule classified 2.6% (using VHI) and 7.1% (using NDVI) of the region as degraded, mainly in peri-urban and cropland hotspots. This approach enables metre-scale land degradation mapping that remains effective in heterogeneous landscapes where fine-scale LULC changes drive degradation and would be missed at lower resolutions. However, future ground validation and longer timelines are essential to enhance the presented methodology. Full article

Lava tubes on Earth provide unique hydrogeological niches for life to proliferate. Orbital observations of the Martian surface indicate the presence of lava tubes, which could hold the potential for extant life or the preservation of past life within a subsurface environment protected from harsh conditions or weathering at the surface. Secondary minerals in lava tubes form as a combination of abiotic and biotic processes. Microbes colonize the surfaces rich in these secondary minerals, and their actions induce further alteration of the mineral deposits and host basalts. We conducted a biogeochemical investigation of basaltic lava tubes in the Medicine Lake region of northern California by characterizing the compositional variations in secondary minerals, organic compounds, microbial communities, and the host rocks to better understand how their biogeochemical signatures could indicate habitability. We used methods applicable to landed Mars missions, including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), along with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and metagenomic DNA/RNA sequencing. The main secondary minerals, amorphous silicates, and calcite, formed abiotically from the cave waters. Two types of gypsum, large euhedral grains with halites, and cryptocrystalline masses near microbial material, were observed in our samples, indicating different formation pathways. The cryptocrystalline gypsum, along with clay minerals, was associated with microbial materials and biomolecular signatures among weathered primary basalt minerals, suggesting that their formation was related to biologic processes. Some of the genes and pathways observed indicated a mix of metabolisms, including those involved in sulfur and nitrogen cycling. The spatial relationships of microbial material, Cu-enriched hematite in the host basalts, and genetic signatures indicative of metal cycling also pointed to localized Fe oxidation and mobilization of Cu by the microbial communities. Collectively these results affirm the availability of bio-essential elements supporting diverse microbial populations on lava tube basalts. Further work exploring these relationships in lava tubes is needed to unravel the intertwined nature of abiotic and biotic interactions and how that affects habitability in these environments on Earth and the potential for life on Mars. Full article

Historic districts, as important spatial units that carry urban cultural memory and everyday social life, play a crucial role in shaping residents’ spatial identity, emotional attachment, and perceptual experience. Although quantitative research on built environments and perception has advanced considerably in recent years, the mechanisms through which perception is formed in historic districts, particularly the nonlinear threshold effects and perceptual trade-off patterns that arise under conditions of high-density and mixed land use, remain insufficiently examined. To address this gap, this study develops an analytical framework that integrates spatial attributes with multidimensional subjective perceptions. Focusing on six historic districts in central Shanghai, the study combines micro-scale environmental indicators extracted from street-view imagery, POI data, and public perceptual evaluations and employs an XGBoost model to identify the nonlinear response patterns, threshold effects, and perceptual trade-offs across seven perceptual dimensions. The results show that natural elements such as visual greenery and sky openness generate significant threshold-based enhancement effects, and once reaching a certain level of visibility, they substantially increase positive perceptions including beauty, safety, and cleanliness. By contrast, commercial and traffic-related facilities exhibit dual and competing perceptual influences. Moderate densities enhance liveliness, whereas high concentrations tend to induce perceptual fatigue and intensify negative emotional responses. Overall, perceptual quality in historic districts does not arise from linear accumulation but is shaped by dynamic perceptual trade-offs among natural features, functional elements, and cultural symbolism. Overall, the study reveals the coupling mechanism between spatial renewal and perceptual experience amid the pressures of urban modernization. It also demonstrates that increasing visible greenery (e.g., planting street trees, incorporating micro-green spaces, improving façade greening), enhancing street openness (e.g., optimizing view corridors, reducing visual obstruction, implementing moderate setback adjustments), guiding a moderate mix and spatial distribution of commercial and service functions, and strengthening the perceptibility of cultural landscape elements (e.g., façade restoration, streetscape coordination, and improved signage systems) are concrete and effective planning and design actions for improving landscape quality and enhancing the experiential quality of historic districts. Full article

The removal of topsoil from agricultural land and the use of low-quality fuel to produce fired clay bricks affect the environment, disturbing the ecological balance and contributing to climate change. This study has attempted to produce sustainable concrete hollow blocks by replacing OPC with a combination of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) (5–25% fly ash) optimally (10% silica fume and 5% recycled aggregate fine dust). Furthermore, 100% of the developed sustainable sand was added instead of natural sand. Based on the results, the highest compressive strength, 7.6 MPa, was achieved in the mix 15FASFRAHB with the combination SCMs (15% fly ash + 10% silica fume + 5% recycled aggregate fine dust), slightly higher (2.7%) than that of the reference mix NAHB*’s value of 7.4 MPa. All hollow block mixes also satisfied the tensile strength criterion (10–15% of f’c of NAHB*). This showed that they reached the acceptable strength limit for building hollow blocks. In addition, the SCMs effectively reduce the permeability coefficient (k) of sustainable concrete hollow block mixes. However, a direct correlation between the permeability coefficient (k) and compressive strength was not maintained. Finally, the best overall mix from this study, 15FASFRAHB, was with an optimal 30% SCMs and 100% sustainable sand. By using developed sustainable concrete hollow blocks in place of fired clay bricks (6.48 × 10⁷ tons of CO₂ emission), 1.2 × 10⁹ tons of natural sand can be saved. Full article