Search Results (186)

The Centers for Diseases Control (CDC) light trap is widely used for malaria vector surveillance, but its acquisition logistics pose challenges in Africa. Evaluating new traps can improve surveillance tools. This study compared the efficiency of the BG-Pro UV and Silver Bullet 2.1 UV (SB 2.1 UV) against the UV LED CDC trap in western Kenya’s rice irrigation area. The traps were tested indoors in eight houses over 64 nights. Light properties and fan speed were analyzed using spectrometry and an anemometer. The BG-Pro UV trap performed better than the UV LED CDC trap for An. gambiae s.l. (RR 2.0, 95% CI 0.9–3.9) and An. funestus s.l. (RR 3.5, 95% CI 1.9–6.4). The SB 2.1 UV trap was more effective in capturing An. gambiae s.l. (RR 4.3, 95% CI 2.5–7.3) and An. funestus s.l. (RR 7.1, 95% CI 3.9–13.1), and also caught three times more Culex spp. (RR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2–6.0). SB 2.1 UV had the highest downstream force, and all traps emitting UV-A light had consistent wavelengths. Overall, the BG-Pro and SB 2.1 traps’ trapping efficiency was three to six times more than the CDC trap, making them promising surveillance tools, particularly in low-density malaria settings. Full article

With the rapid advancement of urbanization, the increasing demand and insufficient supply of public service facilities for children have become urgent problems requiring resolution. This study employs the Shannon diversity index, the location entropy, spatial autocorrelation, and the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of children’s public service facilities in the central urban area of Shenyang. The findings of the study are as follows: (1) There are significant differences in the spatial distribution of children’s public service facilities. Higher quantity distribution and diversity index are observed in the core area and Hunnan District compared to the peripheral areas. The Gini coefficient of various facilities is below the fair threshold of 0.4, but 90.32% of the study units have location entropy values below 1, indicating a supply–demand imbalance. (2) The spatial distribution of various facilities exhibits significant clustering characteristics, with distinct differences between high-value and low-value cluster patterns. (3) The spatial distribution of facilities is shaped by four factors: population, transportation, economy, and environmental quality. Residential area density and commercial service facility density emerge as the primary positive drivers, whereas road density and average housing price act as the main negative inhibitors. (4) The mechanisms of influencing factors exhibit spatial heterogeneity. Positive driving factors exert significant effects on new urban areas and peripheral zones, while negative factors demonstrate pronounced inhibitory effects on old urban areas. Non-linear threshold effects are observed in factors such as subway station density and public transport station density. Full article

Urban parks are essential public resources that contribute significantly to residents’ well-being. However, disparities in the spatial distribution and social benefits of urban parks remain a pressing issue. This study focuses on the central urban area of Shanghai, a representative high-density megacity, and its findings hold significant reference value for similar cities, systematically evaluating urban park services from the perspectives of accessibility, spatial equity, and social equity. Leveraging multi-source big data and enhanced analytical methods, this study examines disparities and spatial mismatches in park services. By incorporating dynamic data, such as actual visitor attendance and residents’ travel preferences, and improving analytical models, such as an enhanced Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method and spatial lag regression models, this research significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of its findings. Key findings include (1) significant variations in accessibility exist across different types of parks, with regional and city parks offering better accessibility compared to pocket parks and community parks. (2) Park resources are unevenly distributed, with neighborhoods within the inner ring exhibiting relatively low overall accessibility. (3) A spatial mismatch is observed between park accessibility and housing prices, highlighting equity concerns. The dual spatial-social imbalance phenomenon reveals the prevalent contradiction in rapidly urbanizing areas where public service provision lags behind land development. Based on these results, this study proposes targeted recommendations for optimizing urban park layouts, including increasing the supply of small parks in inner-ring areas, enhancing the multifunctionality of parks, and strengthening policy support for disadvantaged communities. These findings contribute new theoretical insights into urban park equity and fine-grained governance while offering valuable references for urban planning and policymaking. Full article

The effects of stocking density (SD) and feeder access (FA) on the performance and damaging behaviour of weaned piglets are not well understood. Three experiments (Ts) were conducted. T1 compared low SD (LSD) (0.55 m²/piglet) and moderate SD (MSD) (0.37 m²/piglet), T2 compared low FA (LFA1) (1.33 piglets/feeder; partially slatted floor) and high FA (HFA1) (0.66 piglets/feeder; fully slatted floor), and T3 compared LFA2 (2.33 piglets/feeder) and HFA2 (1.00 piglets/feeder). T1 included 24 replicates, while T2 and T3 each had 12 replicates. In total, 576 piglets were weighed at days (d) 0, 14, and 35 post-weaning (PW). Faecal consistency (FC) was recorded multiple times per week. Tail and ear injuries were scored at d35 PW. Piglets housed under LSD grew faster throughout the experiment (p < 0.05) and had a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) between d0 and 14 PW (p = 0.02) than those in MSD. Tail injuries were not significantly affected (p = 0.14). HFA1 piglets had higher FC between d0 and 14 PW (p = 0.01) and overall (p = 0.02), but fewer intact tails at d35 PW (p = 0.01) compared with LFA1. In T3, LFA2 piglets had a lower average daily gain (p = 0.03), higher FCR between d14 and 35 PW (p = 0.04), and fewer intact tails (p < 0.01) than HFA2 piglets. These results suggest that both FA and SD can influence piglet performance, FC, and damaging behaviour. Full article

Background: African swine fever (ASF) is a crucial socioeconomic setback to South Korea’s swine industry. This study aimed to determine seropositivity for ASF virus (ASFV) in pigs that appeared to be infected on farms with reported ASF outbreaks. Methods: A total of 2232 sera from ASF outbreaks (2019–2024) in South Korea were collected. Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to detect ASFV antibodies, and an immunoperoxidase test (IPT) was used as a confirmatory test following the method recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health in the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals. Also, spatial clustering was identified using the Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) model to understand ASF hotspots in the wild boar population and assess the spatial relationship between the hotspots and ASF antibody-positive domestic pig farms. Results: Antibodies were first detected in Hwacheon in 2020, but by 2024, only 1.43% of pigs had detectable antibodies against ASFV. Although this percentage is still low, the number of antibody-positive pigs is gradually increasing. Additionally, 32 positive samples were found from nine pig farms with outbreaks, and these samples were confirmed positive in both the two ELISA tests and the IPT. The highest seropositivity was recorded at the finishing stage of pig production. When compared to the confirmatory IPT, both blocking and competition ELISA demonstrated high diagnostic sensitivities. The statistical association between ASF antibody-positive farms and wild boars were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test, yielding a significant p-value of 0.007. This indicates a strong correlation, as eight out of nine ASF-seropositive farms were located within hotspots that were significantly associated. Conclusions: Our findings provide valuable insights into ASFV antibody detection in South Korea and demonstrate a statistical association between farms housing pigs with ASFV antibodies and hotspots of ASFV-infected wild boars. Confirmatory tests, such as the IPT, are needed. These insights will contribute to the improvement of surveillance and biosecurity measures for swine farms. Full article

Modern cities are facing increasing challenges such as traffic congestion, high energy consumption, and poor air quality, making rail transit systems, known for their high capacity and low emissions, essential components of sustainable urban infrastructure. While numerous studies have examined how the built environment impacts transit ridership, the complex interactions among these factors warrant further investigation. Recent advancements in the reasoning capabilities of large language models (LLMs) offer a robust methodological foundation for analyzing the complex joint influence of multiple built environment factors. LLMs not only can comprehend the physical meaning of variables but also exhibit strong non-linear modeling and logical reasoning capabilities. This study introduces an LLM-based framework to examine how built environment factors and station characteristics shape the transit ridership dynamics by utilizing DeepSeek-R1. We develop a 4D + N variable system for a more nuanced description of the built environment of the station area which includes density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, and station characteristics, leveraging multi-source data such as points of interest (POIs), road network data, housing prices, and population data. Then, the proposed approach is validated using data from Qingdao, China, examining both single-factor and multi-factor effects on transit peak-hour ridership at the macro level (across all stations) and the meso level (specific station types). First, the variables that have a substantial effect on peak-hour transit ridership at both the macro and meso levels are discussed. Second, key and latent factor combinations are identified. Notably, some factors may appear to have limited importance at the macro level, yet they can substantially influence the peak-hour ridership when interacting with other factors. Our findings enable policymakers to formulate a balanced mix of soft and hard policies, such as integrating a flexitime policy with enhancements in active travel infrastructure to increase the attractiveness of public transit. The proposed analytical framework is adaptable across regions and applicable to various transportation modes. These insights can guide transportation managers and policymakers while optimizing Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategies to enhance the sustainability of the entire transportation system. Full article

In an increasingly urbanized world, biodiversity, and more specifically, birdlife located in urbanized ecosystems, faces several threats. Among these, noise pollution has proven to be one of the most significant, as it affects the effectiveness and efficiency of acoustic communication. We studied the relationship between noise and the diversity and abundance of birds breeding in urban areas in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). We analyzed how species diversity and density varied across three levels of noise pollution (high, medium, and low). Species diversity decreased in areas with high noise pollution as compared to sites with medium and low levels of noise. We analyzed the density of the most frequent species found within each category. We identified eight additional noise-tolerant species whose density had significantly increased in environments with high levels of noise (e.g., Blackbird, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and the Coal Tit). The ten most sensitive species, such as the Common Linnet, House Sparrow, and the European Greenfinch, had significantly decreased densities when the level of noise increased. Identifying the sensitivity (the effect) of urban bird species to acoustic pollution is vital for effective conservation management measures and for the sustainable planning and management of cities. Full article

This study presents the fabrication and characterization of hybrid magneto-responsive composites (hMRCs), composed of recyclable components: magnetite microparticles (MMPs) as fillers, lard as a natural binding matrix, and cotton fabric for structural reinforcement. MMPs are obtained by in-house plasma-synthesis, a sustainable, efficient, and highly tunable method for producing high-performance MMPs. hMRCs are integrated into flat capacitors, and their electrical capacitance (C), resistance (R), dielectric permittivity (${ϵ}^{\prime }$), and electrical conductivity ($\sigma$) are investigated under a static magnetic field, uniform force field, and an alternating electric field. The experimental results reveal that the electrical properties of hMRCs are dependent on the volume fractions of MMPs and microfibers in the fabric, as well as the applied magnetic flux density (B) and compression forces (F). C shows an increase with both B and F, while R decreases due to improved conductive pathways formed by alignment of MMPs. $\sigma$ is found to be highly tunable, with increases of up to 300% under combined field effects. In the same conditions, C increases up to 75%, and R decreases up to 80%. Thus, by employing plasma-synthesized MMPs, and commercially available recyclable lard and cotton fabrics, this study demonstrates an eco-friendly, low-cost approach to designing multifunctional smart materials. The tunable electrical properties of hMRCs open new possibilities for adaptive sensors, energy storage devices, and magnetoelectric transducers. Full article

This work studies the presence and evolution of wood construction in urban environments, using Santiago province in Chile as a relevant comparative case. The first part of the study analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution of wood-based structures in Santiago, showing that although wood has historically been used in low-rise housing, its presence has declined significantly due to increasing urban densification and the widespread adoption of materials like concrete for taller buildings. Currently, only 5.4% of Santiago’s buildings use wood structures, with their presence notably decreasing in the high-density municipalities of the city. Recent construction trends in Santiago show that the average building height is 12 stories, with timber buildings not exceeding 6 stories, despite the absence of specific restrictions in the building code for tall timber structures. The second part of this study contrasts these trends with the global development of tall timber buildings (six stories or more), which total approximately 300 worldwide as of 2024. The leading cities include Paris (with over 35 buildings) and London (over 17), followed by Zürich, Vancouver, and Portland. This study highlights the pivotal role of wood promotion policies in enabling this global expansion. Finally, a five-phase classification is proposed to evaluate the evolution of tall timber construction in a given city, emphasizing the role of public policy in enabling large-scale adoption, especially for cities such as Santiago. Full article

Using Planetscope imagery, we trained a random forest model to detect Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) throughout a diverse urban landscape in Columbia, Missouri. The random forest model had a classification accuracy of 89.78%, a recall score of 0.693, and an F1 score of 0.819. The key hyperparameters for model tuning were the cutoff and class–weight parameters. After the distribution of Callery pear was predicted throughout the landscape, we analyzed the distribution pattern of the predictions using Ripley’s K and then associated the distribution patterns with various socio-economic indicators. The analysis identified significant relationships between the distribution of the predicted Callery pear and population density, median household income, median year the housing infrastructure was built, and median housing value at a variety of spatial scales. The findings from this study provide a much-needed method for detecting species of interest in a heterogenous landscape that is both low cost and does not require specialized hardware or software like some alternative deep learning methods. Full article

Buildings account for 39% of global carbon emissions, making the construction sector a pivotal contributor to climate change. In ecologically fragile plateau regions, the tension between urban development and environmental sustainability poses a significant challenge. This study examines the spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing mechanisms of building carbon emissions (BCEs) in plateau cities using an empirical analysis of 13-year panel data (2010–2022) from two municipalities and six prefectures in Qinghai Province, China. By employing the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, we comprehensively assess drivers across four dimensions: socioeconomic structure, demographic and urban environmental factors, urban expansion patterns, and climatic topographic attributes. Key findings include: (1) The XGBoost model exhibits robust predictive performance (R² > 0.9, MSE < 0.1, RMSE < 0.3), validating its effectiveness for plateau urban systems. (2) Socioeconomic structure and urban expansion characteristics significantly positively influence building carbon emissions, with GDP, per capita GDP, and built-up areas being particularly influential. (3) The interaction between climate and terrain increases carbon emissions in urban buildings. (4) While socioeconomic structure is a common factor affecting BCEs across different types of plateau urban buildings, other factors, such as urban population density, the housing construction area, and the urban shape index, exhibit variability. These insights inform policy recommendations for cross-regional carbon flow balancing and adaptive low-carbon planning strategies tailored to plateau ecosystems. Full article

The current work aims to establish an integrated pest management strategy using Hyperaspis trifurcata Schaeffer (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to control Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) and to assess the side effects of pesticides commonly used on this predator. The first part of this study was performed under controlled conditions at two temperatures with three prey densities and two release rates for 83 days. Under field conditions, a survival time test was conducted in a screen house (1.2 ha), where a total of 5700 predators were released on 1425 cactus plants and then monitored for a period of 23 weeks. Furthermore, eight pesticides were tested on H. trifurcata in laboratory conditions at five rates in order to define the lethal doses. Under controlled conditions, the effect of temperature on predation was not significant until 27 days after release. However, the prey density significantly impacted the predation rates from the 10th to 27th day after release (p < 0.001). The predator release rate significantly affected predation starting from the 15th day after release. The lowest median survival time based on Kaplan–Meier tests was obtained at 30 °C (the high temperature) for eight predators/cladode (27 days), but the highest was at 26 °C (the low temperature) for four predators/cladode (63 days). Depending on cochineal infestation, the effect of temperature significantly increased the predation rate from the 10th to 49th day after release, but only at a high density (50 colonies/cladode). Under field conditions, the effect of the infestation level on the survival function was significant (Log-Rank p < 0.05), and the median times were 111 and 130 days after release for low and high densities, respectively. Acetamiprid, Vaseline oil, black soap, copper oxychloride, and paraffin oil were highly toxic to H. trifurcata (>84% of mortality), and the LD₅₀ values ranged from 2.3 to 69.6% of the recommended rate. For Mancozeb at the recommended dose, the mortality rate was low (<2%). The large-scale release of H. trifurcata would be successful in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, provided that the use of the mentioned pesticides is avoided or at least reduced. Full article

Synthetic non-metallic nanoparticles (NMNPs) such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanodots (CNDs), and cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been explored to treat harmful algal blooms. However, their strain-specific algicidal activities have been rarely investigated. Here we determined their acute toxicity to nine freshwater cyanobacterial strains belonging to seven genera, including Microcystis aeruginosa UTEX 2386, M. aeruginosa UTEX 2385, M. aeruginosa LE3, Anabaena cylindrica PCC 7122, Aphanizomenon sp. NZ, Planktothrix agardhii SB 1810, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, Lyngbya sp. CCAP 1446/10, and Microcoleus autumnale CAWBG635 ATX. We prepared in-house three batches of CNDs using glucose (CND-G) or chloroform and methanol (CND-C/M) as the substrate and one batch of single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs). We also ordered a commercially synthesized CPP called γ-Zein-CADY. The axenic laboratory culture of each cyanobacterial strain was exposed to an NMNP at two dosage levels (high and low, with high = 2 × low) for 48 h, followed by measurement of five endpoints. The endpoints were optical density (OD) at 680 nm (OD₆₈₀) for chlorophyll-a estimation, OD at 750 nm (OD₇₅₀) for cell density, instantaneous pigment fluorescence emission (FE) after being excited with 450 nm blue light (FE₄₅₀) for chlorophyll-a or 620 nm red light (FE₆₂₀) for phycocyanin, and quantum yield (QY) for photosynthesis efficiency of photosystem II. The results indicate that the acute toxicity was strain-, NMNP type-, dosage-, and endpoint-dependent. The two benthic strains Microcoleus autumnale and Lyngbya sp. were more resistant to NMNP treatment than the other seven free-floating strains. SWCNTs and fraction A14 of CND-G were more toxic than CND-G and CND-C/M. The CPP was the least toxic. The high dose generally caused more severe impairment than the low dose. OD₇₅₀ and OD₆₈₀ were more sensitive than FE₄₅₀ and FE₆₂₀. QY was the least sensitive endpoint. The strain dependence of toxicity suggested the potential application of these NMNPs as a target-specific tool for mitigating harmful cyanobacterial blooms. Full article

This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of vanin-1 (VNN1) and its DNA methylation on the reduction in liver fat synthesis due to the role of betaine and 5-Azacytidine (5-AZA) in geese. Twenty-eight 35-day-old male Jiangnan white geese with similar body weight (BW) and good health conditions were randomized into four groups (seven birds per group). All the birds were housed with the same type of basal diet. The control group was treated with normal saline intraperitoneally (I.P.); the AZA group was treated I.P. with AZA (2 mg/kg); the betaine group was fed with betaine through the diet and treated I.P. with normal saline (1.2 g/kg); the AZA+betaine group was fed with betaine through the diet and treated I.P. with AZA. The results showed that the administration of AZA significantly increased serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and VNN1 enzyme activity (p < 0.05); additionally, the expression levels of the molecules in various tissues were up-regulated to different extents, such as VNN1, fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), stearoyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCD), and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP); in contrast, the treatment of betaine reduced serum TC levels and the S-adenosylmethionine/S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAM/SAH) ratio; furthermore, hepatic DNA methylation in the AZA group was decreased in terms of the VNN1 promoter region. The results demonstrated that the expression of the VNN1 gene was negatively correlated with DNA methylation. This finding verified the key role of VNN1 and its methylation in the inhibition of liver lipid synthesis by betaine and provided a novel molecular mechanism for the regulation of liver lipid metabolism. Full article

The increasing power density of high-performance electronic devices poses significant thermal management challenges. Vapor chambers (VCs) offer efficient heat dissipation, but traditional manufacturing methods limit their structural precision and performance. This study investigates the thermal performance of VCs fabricated with additive manufacturing (AM), featuring triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) Gyroid capillary structures at two fill ratios under varying thermal loads. Enhanced thermal stability and performance were observed in the higher fill ratio, particularly under higher heat loads, whereas the lower fill ratio excelled under low-heat conditions, achieving a thermal resistance as low as 0.3688 K/W at an 80 W heat load. Additionally, the research explored the advantages and challenges of horizontal and vertical printing techniques in VC fabrication. Horizontal printing was found to compromise cavity volume due to necessary support structures, whereas vertical printing enhanced mass production feasibility and maintained effective vapor circulation. This study proposes a novel approach using AM to manufacture VCs as a monolithic structure. By eliminating the need for welding, this method ensures seamless integration of the capillary structure with the housing, thereby avoiding issues related to poor contact or welding-induced damage. The study confirmed a 75% reduction in thermal resistance in VCs with capillary structures compared to those without under similar conditions, highlighting the significant potential of integrating precisely designed capillary structures and additive manufacturing in improving vapor chamber performance for advanced thermal management applications. Full article