Search Results (4,903)

Increasingly frequent extreme droughts threaten forest vegetation and highlight the need to identify drought-tolerant germplasm. To support conservation and cultivation of Illicium lanceolatum, we investigated ecotypic differences in photosynthetic responses to short-term drought and rewatering under varying light intensity. One-year-old seedlings from four I. lanceolatum ecotypes originating from the Zhejiang (Lin’an, LA; Kaihua, KH), Jiangxi (Wu’ning, WN), and Fujian (Nan’ping, NP) provinces in China were subjected to drought stress by withholding irrigation and subsequent rewatering. Photosynthesis–light response curves were measured before drought; 2, 4, and 7 days after the last watering; and following rewatering. Short-term drought significantly affected photosynthetic traits in an ecotype-dependent manner. Maximum net photosynthetic rate, light saturation point, light compensation point, and apparent quantum yield increased during drought, indicating enhanced utilization of both high and low light. After rewatering, stomatal conductance increased significantly in the WN and KH ecotypes but declined in the NP ecotype when compared with those under the initial water supply. Instantaneous water use efficiency (A/E) recovered rapidly in all ecotypes and exceeded pre-drought levels. Under light intensity above 1500 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹, stomatal conductance exhibited a significant nonlinear relationship with water use efficiency. Overall, these physiological responses indicate that I. lanceolatum is moderately drought-tolerant and exhibits mild sensitivity to soil water variation. The WN and KH ecotypes showed superior improvement in water use efficiency under drought and high light, suggesting their potential for breeding drought-resistant cultivars and for afforestation in drought-prone environments. Full article

Accurately forecasting agricultural commodity prices is a complex and persistent problem for producers, traders, and policymakers. In this study we examine how artificial intelligence can be combined with large-scale global news data to refine daily corn price forecasts. A Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network was trained on Chicago corn futures between 2021 and 2024 to capture price dynamics, while agriculture-related news features were derived from the Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT). Rather than sentiment polarity, the analysis shows that attention-based indicators, such as article volume, rolling intensity measures, and persistence of elevated coverage, carry stronger predictive information. These features are incorporated through a Ridge regression residual correction applied to the LSTM predictions, forming a lightweight two-stage hybrid model. While absolute forecast accuracy remains comparable to the price-only baseline (RMSE ≈ 9 ¢/bu; MAE ≈ 5.8 ¢/bu; R² ≈ 0.99), the hybrid framework improves directional accuracy by approximately 2.4 percentage points, with gains concentrated during periods of moderate news intensity. Feature attribution results indicate that media attention intensity and persistence dominate sentiment-tone variables, which receive zero weight under regularization. Overall, the proposed framework offers a transparent, computationally efficient, and reproducible approach for integrating open global news data into short-term agricultural price forecasting. Full article

The second member of the Kongdian Formation (Ek₂; also referred to as the Kong 2 Member) in the Cangdong Sag within the Bohai Bay Basin contains a series of high-quality lacustrine shales characterized by high organic matter abundance and significant hydrocarbon shows. However, the mechanisms governing organic matter enrichment in the deep parts of the sag remain poorly understood, and the impacts of depositional environments on organic matter enrichment are yet to be determined. This study investigated shales in the C1, C3, and C5 sublayers of the Kong 2 Member. Specifically, this study examined the mineralogy and petrology, organic geochemistry, and elemental geochemistry of the shales using whole-rock X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, total organic carbon (TOC) analysis, pyrolysis experiments, and analyses of macerals, major and trace elements, and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes. Additionally, numerical analyses were conducted. The results indicate that shales in the Kong 2 Member consist primarily of felsic, dolomitic–calcareous, and mixed shales. These shales exhibit high TOC content (average: 3.07%), and favorable organic matter types dominated by liptinite and interbedded with minor planktonic algae and amorphous sapropelinite. These suggest great potential for hydrocarbon exploitation. During the deposition of shales in the Kong 2 Member, substantial terrigenous clasts were deposited at moderate rates under relatively arid climates characterized by frequently alternating dry and humid conditions. In this period, the anoxic to reducing depositional water bodies showed elevated salinity, resulting in saline-to-brackish water environments and moderate paleoproductivity. The organic matter enrichment of shales in the Kong 2 Member was jointly governed by paleoclimate dynamics, terrigenous input, and redox conditions, as demonstrated by multivariate analyses including the correlation analysis of depositional environmental factors, the univariate analysis of TOC content, gray relational analysis (GRA), and robust regression analysis. Two organic matter enrichment patterns were identified: (1) the preservation-dominated pattern under arid climates, governed by intense reducing environments, and (2) the productivity-driven pattern under humid climates, enhanced by terrestrial input. Full article

Ecosystem vulnerability assessment is paramount for local environmental stability and lasting economic progress. This study selects Hubei Province as the research area, applying multi-source spatiotemporal datasets spanning the period 2000–2023. A pressure–state–response (PSR) framework, incorporating 14 distinct indicators, was developed. The selection criteria for these indicators adhered to principles of scientific rigor, all-encompassing scope, statistical representativeness, and practical applicability. The chosen indicators effectively encompass natural, anthropogenic, and socio-economic drivers, aligning with the specific ecological attributes and key vulnerability factors pertinent to Hubei Province. The analytic network process (ANP) method and entropy weighting (EW) method were integrated to ascertain comprehensive weights, thereby computing the ecological vulnerability index (EVI). In the meantime, we analyzed temporal and spatial EVI shifts. Spatial autocorrelation analysis, the geodetic detector, the Theil–Sen median, the Mann–Kendall trend test, and the Grey–Markov model were employed to elucidate spatial distribution, driving factors, and future trends. Results indicate that Hubei Province exhibited mild ecological vulnerability from 2000 to 2023, but with a notable deteriorating trend: extreme vulnerability areas expanded from 0.34% to 0.94%, while moderate and severe vulnerability zones also increased. Eastern regions demonstrate elevated vulnerability, but they were lower in the west, correlating with human activity intensity. The global Moran’s I index ranged from 0.8579 to 0.8725, signifying a significant positive spatial correlation of ecological vulnerability, with the highly vulnerable areas concentrated in regions with intense human activities, while the less vulnerable areas are located in ecologically intact areas. Habitat quality index and carbon sinks emerged as key drivers, possibly stemming from the forest–wetland composite ecosystem’s high dependence on water conservation, biodiversity maintenance, and carbon storage functions. Future projections based on Grey–Markov models indicate that ecological fragility in Hubei Province will exhibit an upward trend, with ecological conservation pressures continuing to intensify. This research offers a preliminary reference basis of grounds for ecological zoning, as well as sustainable regional development in Hubei Province, while also providing a theoretical and practical framework for constructing an ecological security pattern within the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and facilitating ecological governance in analogous river basins globally, thereby contributing to regional sustainable development goals. Full article

As a key component of sustainable economic development, digital transformation has become a fundamental driver for developing and upgrading the modern economic system. While existing research has identified resources and dynamic capabilities as foundational elements, a critical yet underexplored factor lies in the cognitive foundations that enable firms to strategically direct and leverage these assets. Based on 19,062 observation samples of more than 3000 listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets from 2010 to 2023, this paper constructs a theoretical framework of entrepreneurship, organizational attention and digital transformation from the Attention-Based View, and examines a moderated mediation model of the relationship between entrepreneurship and digital transformation. The results show that entrepreneurship significantly promotes digital transformation; organizational attention to “cooperation orientation” and “future orientation” plays a mediating role in it; and the regional innovation atmosphere positively strengthens the “cooperation orientation” path, facilitating the diffusion of innovative knowledge and technologies within the region. Meanwhile, online media reports negatively regulate the “future orientation” path, reflecting that short-term public pressure may weaken enterprises’ attention to long-term sustainable technology investment. In addition, different dimensions of entrepreneurship have varied effects on digital transformation. Heterogeneity analysis revealed significant variations across ownership type, scale, region, industry competition intensity, and technological intensity. This study expands the theoretical mechanism of entrepreneurship and digital transformation from the perspective of attention allocation, and provides theoretical and empirical foundation for fostering a strategic cognitive orientation and advancing digital transformation. Full article

This study examines how the sense of home for people with dementia is shaped not only by physical settings but by dynamic atmospheric compositions emerging through memory, sensation, and everyday practices. Building on a preliminary literature mapping that identified three dimensions of home in later-life care environments—safe space, small world, and connection—we developed a multisensory co-design toolkit combining key-element cards and curated olfactory prompts. The study was conducted in a dementia-friendly residential care facility in Italy. Nine residents with mild–moderate dementia (aged 75–84) participated in two group sessions and six individual sessions, facilitated by two design researchers with care staff present. Data consist of audio-recorded and transcribed interviews, guided olfactory sessions, and researcher fieldnotes. Across sessions, participants articulated “small worlds” as micro-environments composed of meaningful objects, bodily comfort, routines, and sensory cues that supported emotional regulation and identity continuity. Olfactory prompts, administered through a low-intensity and participant-controlled protocol, supported scene-based autobiographical recall for some participants, often eliciting memories of domestic rituals, places, and relationships. Rather than treating home-like design as a fixed architectural style, we interpret home as continuously re-made through situated sensory–temporal patterns and relational practices. We translate these findings into atmospheric design directions for dementia care: designing places of self and refuge, staging accessible material memory devices, embedding gentle olfactory micro-worlds within daily routines, and approaching atmosphere as an ongoing process of co-attunement among residents, staff, and environmental conditions. The study contributes a methodological and conceptual framework for multisensory, narrative-driven approaches to designing home-like environments in long-term care. Full article

Purpose: In this systematic review, we compare the effectiveness of high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in treating lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET). Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE was conducted from database inception to 23 June 2025 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the two interventions. The primary outcome was pain intensity (visual analog scale or numeric rating scale). Secondary outcomes included upper-limb disability (qDASH), grip strength (pain-free or maximal), ultrasound-measured common extensor tendon thickness, and safety (adverse events and withdrawals). Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale; the certainty of evidence was rated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Effects were synthesized as SMD (95% CI) using random- or fixed-effects models based on heterogeneity (I²). Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Four RCTs met the inclusion criteria and 169 participants were included. Methodological quality was moderate, with moderate-quality evidence indicating a significant improvement in short-term and medium-term upper-limb function in favor of HILT (SMD = −0.42; 95% CI: −0.73 to −0.12 and SMD = −0.50; 95% CI: −0.94 to −0.06, respectively). Evidence ranging from low to moderate quality showed no significant differences between the HILT and ESWT groups in terms of short-term or medium-term resting pain (SMD = −0.50; 95% CI: −1.15 to 0.16 and SMD = −0.42; 95% CI: −1.06 to 0.22, respectively), short-term or medium-term activity pain (SMD = −0.38; 95% CI: −1.05 to 0.29 and SMD = −0.73; 95% CI: −1.65 to 0.19, respectively), short-term or medium-term grip strength (SMD = 0.24; 95% CI: −0.20 to 0.67 and SMD = 0.20; 95% CI: −0.16 to 0.55, respectively), or short-term or medium-term common extensor tendon thickness (SMD = 0.04; 95% CI: −0.50 to 0.59 and SMD = −0.00; 95% CI: −0.55 to 0.55, respectively). Conclusions: HILT appears to offer significant benefits in improving upper-limb function at short-term (<1 month) and medium-term (1–3 months) follow-up. Regarding pain, grip strength, and tendon thickness, the pooled effects did not show clear between-group differences. Evidence certainty ranged from low to moderate, demonstrating that trials with a follow-up period beyond 3 months are needed to evaluate long-term efficacy. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO: CRD420251026387. Full article

With the acceleration of digitalization, smart cities have emerged as a key institutional practice reshaping urban governance and spatial development. However, the impact of smart cities on land use efficiency and the conditions under which these effects are shaped by interactions among different policy tools remain insufficiently understood. This study adopts a policy mix perspective, situating smart city pilots within an institutional environment shaped by regulatory, incentive-based, and enabling policy tools, and systematically examines their impact on land use efficiency and underlying mechanisms. Based on data of 285 Chinese prefecture-level cities over 2000–2021, the study treats smart city pilot as a quasi-natural experiment and applies a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) design, supplemented by moderation and triple-difference models. The results indicate that the smart city pilot significantly enhances land use efficiency overall, although the effects vary across regions and topographical conditions. Further analysis reveals that policy tools with different functional attributes exert differential moderating effects: regulatory policy tools, represented by environmental regulation intensity, negatively moderate the land use efficiency gains of smart cities, while incentive-based tools, such as science and technology fiscal incentives, positively amplify these effects. Additionally, cities implementing both smart city pilots and the “Broadband China” Strategy pilot experience significantly greater improvements, highlighting the enabling policy tools in amplifying smart city performance. Overall, the impact of the smart city pilot on land use efficiency is not isolated but highly contingent on the surrounding policy mix. Interactions among policy tools systematically shape land use outcomes under digital urban governance, offering actionable insights for coordinated policy design. Full article

Opioids play a central role in pain management and sedation in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), where critically ill patients frequently experience moderate-to-severe pain due to illness and invasive procedures or devices. Uncontrolled pain exacerbates stress responses, contributing to clinical deterioration and adverse outcomes. Although analgesics and sedatives can mitigate these effects, their use must be carefully individualized to avoid complications such as delirium, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and increased mortality. Evidence now shows that excessive or poorly controlled analgosedation can prolong ICU length of stay and delay recovery. Current guidelines recommend opioids as first-line agents for severe acute pain in the ICU, preferably within a multimodal analgesia framework to optimize pain control while minimizing adverse effects. Opioids are also essential for improving tolerance to invasive and noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Modern ICU practice emphasizes an analgesia-first or “analgosedation” strategy, prioritizing pain control with intravenous opioids before adding sedatives. This approach aims to achieve light sedation, reduce ventilator days, and improve overall outcomes. Commonly used opioids include fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone, sufentanil, and remifentanil, with short-acting agents favored when rapid titration is required. Our narrative review aims to evaluate the clinical impact of opioid use in critically ill patients, including post-ICU outcomes, and to explore the role of opioid stewardship in optimizing patient care. Full article

Introduction: Alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor for hypertension (HTN), a prevalent condition that substantially affects cardiovascular health. In Peru, where various traditional alcoholic beverages exist, the relationship between alcohol consumption and HTN has not been fully explored. Objective: To determine the association between different patterns of alcohol consumption, types of beverages, and various types of HTN. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study utilized data from the Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey (2018–2023), including 236,243 adults (55.95% male; mean age: 41.06 years). General HTN, isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), and systolic-diastolic hypertension (SDH) were evaluated. Alcohol consumption was assessed through self-reported questionnaires evaluating consumption pattern (non-excessive vs. excessive), intensity (light, moderate, heavy), consistency (intermittent vs. consistent), and primary beverage type, including both commercial and traditional Peruvian drinks. Results: Excessive alcohol consumption was significantly associated with an increased risk of HTN (aPR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.07–1.31), IDH (aPR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.20–2.16), and SDH (aPR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.18–1.78). Excessive alcohol consumption was significantly associated with an increased risk of HTN (aPR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.07–1.31), IDH (aPR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.20–2.16), and SDH (aPR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.18–1.78). Consumption of traditional beverages such as chicha and Masato was associated with an elevated risk of various types of HTN. In contrast, wine consumption demonstrated a protective association against general HTN and IDH. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption patterns and beverage types have differential effects on HTN risk in the Peruvian population. These findings underscore the need for culturally adapted prevention strategies and more nuanced public health recommendations regarding alcohol consumption in Peru. Full article

Although heavy rainfall occurs infrequently during summer (June–August, JJA) in the Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL), it has almost the same contribution to summer precipitation as light rainfall. However, it remains unclear on forcing mechanism of heavy rain events and their differences with moderate and light rainfall events from the perspective of moisture sources. In this paper, based on the Dynamical Recycling Model (DRM), we analyze moisture source and atmospheric circulation differences for summer rainfall in different intensity classes over MUSL. The results show that the moisture of summer precipitation in MUSL comes primarily from external terrestrial moisture supplies from the west and southwest directions. As the precipitation intensity increases, moisture contributions from the southwest direction increase significantly, especially for the northeastern part of the Tibet Plateau (defined as Key Region), which accounts for about 39.3% of all moisture sources for heavy rainfall events. Further analysis reveals that anomalous atmospheric circulations, such as the cyclonic circulation anomaly at lower troposphere and anomaly wave train at middle level, also favor the occurrences of different precipitation intensities. Based on these findings, our paper possibly contributes to the conservation of this fragile ecosystem and the prevention of damage caused by precipitation extremes. Full article

Cyberattacks in education are a serious concern (e.g., breaches and system intrusions) that teachers need to respond to by cultivating cybersecurity awareness, engaging in continuous professional development, and modeling safe digital practices in their daily work, while technical prevention and mitigation are primarily the responsibility of institutional IT services and system-level governance. Strengthening cybersecurity depends on fostering awareness of how information is collected, analyzed, and used, thereby enabling users to take proactive steps to protect data, which are key components of teachers’ professional media literacy, particularly in managing personal and student information across social media, email, and cloud platforms. This quantitative study was conducted in Hong Kong with 120 early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary education teachers (88.3% female, age range = 18–54, Mage = 23.76) via an online survey. The study focused on social media, email, and cloud storage, and administered the Perceived Severity, Perceived Vulnerability, and Self-Efficacy Scales; the Data Protection Strategies Scale; and the Data Fabrication Strategies Scale, along with questions assessing awareness of data protection. Results revealed significant positive relationships among data protection awareness, psychological factors, and use of protection strategies. Awareness and protection strategies were also moderately linked to data fabrication behaviors. The findings indicate concerning gaps in teachers’ awareness of cyberattacks and their limited understanding of media literacy concepts, highlighting the need to integrate comprehensive media literacy training into teacher education programs and also provide intensive, mandatory on-site training for in-service early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary education teachers. Full article

Humans have an inherent connection to nature, and exposure to natural elements has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood, and support cognitive performance, forming the basis of biophilic design in the built environment. However, existing biophilic design guidance remains largely conceptual and offers limited evidence-based direction on how design properties should be applied. This scoping review addresses this gap by systematically mapping and synthesizing empirical evidence on indoor biophilic design interventions and their properties. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, 136 studies published between 2000 and 2025 were reviewed across seven intervention types, including green walls, indoor plants, window views, natural light, natural materials, water features, and nature-inspired visual references. Cross-category analyses identified design properties most consistently associated with restorative outcomes and human cognitive and physiological responses. The findings highlight the importance of moderate greenery levels, high-visibility placement, multi-sensory integration, and the enhanced restorative effects of combining multiple interventions. Contextual factors such as exposure duration and user characteristics were found to influence effectiveness. Based on these findings, the study introduces the Biophilic Intensity Matrix (BIMx), a matrix-based decision-support framework that supports early-stage design by helping designers select biophilic intervention types and compare their relative scale and intensity ranges according to exposure duration. Full article

Turnover is a major concern for the hotel and hospitality industry on a global scale. This research focuses on several Middle Eastern five-star hotels in terms of transactional leadership and its relationship with employees’ turnover intentions. In addition, the mediating effect of organizational climate, along with the moderating influence of psychological contract fulfillment are examined. This research combines the premises of social exchange, organizational support, and psychological contract theories to support the development of hypotheses. A total of 350 employee data from five-star hotels in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain was gathered using surveys using a convenience sampling method. The research used Partial Least Squares—Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the hypotheses, which were supported by the results obtained. The importance of organizational climate and fulfilling psychological contracts is highlighted, which, under transactional leadership, can reduce turnover intentions. This is critical for the labor-intensive hotel sector with high turnover rates and random and unpredictable tasks. Transactional leadership is found to be a good fit for the Middle Eastern hotel sector through routinization and a structural approach. The current findings can be beneficial for scholars and practitioners. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming customer experience management (CXM) by enabling real-time, data-driven, and personalized interactions across digital touchpoints, including chatbots, voice assistants, generative AI, and immersive platforms. This study presents a PRISMA-based systematic literature review of 59 peer-reviewed studies published between 2021 and 2026, examining how AI-enabled personalization, privacy concerns, and customer value interact within AI-mediated customer experiences. Drawing on the Personalization–Privacy–Value (PPV) framework, the review synthesizes evidence on how AI-driven personalization enhances utilitarian, hedonic, experiential, relational, and emotional value, thereby strengthening satisfaction, engagement, loyalty, and behavioral intentions. At the same time, the findings reveal persistent tensions, as privacy concerns, perceived surveillance, algorithmic bias, and contextual moderators—including generational differences, cultural expectations, and technological literacy—frequently constrain value creation and erode trust. The review highlights that personalization benefits are highly contingent on transparency, perceived control, and ethical alignment, rather than personalization intensity alone. The study contributes by integrating ethical AI considerations into CXM research and clarifying conditions under which AI-enabled personalization leads to value creation versus value destruction. Managerially, the findings underscore the importance of ethical governance, transparent data practices, and customer-centered AI design to sustain trust and long-term customer relationships. Future research should prioritize longitudinal analyses of trust development, demographic heterogeneity, and cross-sector comparisons of AI governance as AI technologies become increasingly embedded in service ecosystems. Full article