Search Results (2,620)

The synergistic development of digitalization and green transition has become a key driver for promoting China’s high-quality economic development. To elucidate the impact and mechanism of digital–green policy synergy on urban carbon emissions, this paper utilizes the intersection of the “National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zones” (BDPZ) and “Low-Carbon City Pilot” (LCCP) programs as a quasi-natural experiment. Based on panel data from 300 prefecture-level cities in China from 2005 to 2023, a multi-period DID model is constructed for empirical research. The empirical results indicate the following: (1) The synergy between digital and green policies significantly curbs urban carbon emissions, and this conclusion remains robust after parallel trend tests and a series of robustness checks. (2) Compared with single digital or green policies, the digital–green synergy exhibits a significantly superior carbon reduction effect. (3) Mechanism analysis reveals that digital–green synergy promotes low-carbon transition primarily through three pathways: driving green technology innovation, promoting the agglomeration of scientific and technological talent, and optimizing the allocation efficiency of capital factors. (4) Heterogeneity analysis reveals stronger emission reduction effects in non-resource-based, eastern, and developed cities, highlighting how structural rigidities and the digital divide constrain the policy’s effectiveness. We suggest strengthening policy integration and adopting differentiated strategies to break path dependence and achieve “Dual Carbon” goals. Full article

Arsenic (As) accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered a major environmental and food safety concern, particularly in flooded agroecosystems where reducing conditions mobilize As from soils. Portugal is one of Europe’s rice producers, especially in the Tejo, Almansor, and Sorraia valleys. As such, this study evaluates As pathways across 5000 ha of rice fields in the Tagus, Sorraia, and Almansor alluvial plains by combining soil, water, and plant analyses with a geostatistical approach. The soils exhibited consistently elevated As concentrations (mean of 18.9 mg/kg), exceeding national reference values for agricultural soils (11 mg/kg) and forming a marked east–west gradient with the highest levels in the Tagus alluvium. Geochemical analysis showed that As is strongly correlated with Fe (r = 0.686), indicating an influence of Fe-oxyhydroxides under oxidizing conditions. The irrigation waters showed low As (mean of 2.84 μg/L for surface water and 3.51 μg/L for groundwater) and predominantly low sodicity facies, suggesting that irrigation water is not the main contamination vector. In rice plants, As accumulation follows the characteristic organ hierarchy roots > stems/leaves > grains, with root concentrations reaching up to 518 mg/kg and accumulating progressively in the maturity phase. Arsenic content in harvested rice grains was 266 μg/kg (with a maximum of 413.9 μg/kg), being close to EU maximum limits when considering typical inorganic As proportions, assuming 60 to 90% inorganic fraction. Together, the findings highlight that a combined approach is essential, and identify soil geochemistry (and not irrigation water) as the primary source of As transfer in those agroecosystems, due to the flooded conditions that trigger the reductive dissolution of Fe oxides, releasing As. Additionally, the results also identified the need for targeted monitoring in areas of elevated As content in soils and support future mitigation through As speciation analysis, cultivar selection, improved fertilization strategies, and water-management practices such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), to ensure the long-term food safety. Full article

China has implemented a series of clean air policies, resulting in improved air quality since 2013. However, there remains a paucity of national prospective evidence regarding the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and kidney disease (KD) incidence in China, as well as the potential mediating effects of lipid profiles in this association. This study aimed to assess the association of decreased PM_2.5 concentration and KD incidence in China from 2013 to 2020. Utilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we included 15,368 participants who were free of KD in 2013 and followed up until 2020. For each participant, we calculated the 3-year and 2-year average PM_2.5 concentrations. The Cox proportional hazards model was employed to estimate the association between PM_2.5 exposure and KD incidence. Mediation analyses were conducted using eight lipid indices, and subgroup analyses were performed. The annual average PM_2.5 concentration for CHARLS participants reduced from 61.72 μg/m³ in 2013 to 32.75 μg/m³ in 2020. A reduction of 5 μg/m³ in 3-year and 2-year average PM_2.5 concentrations was associated with 14.3% (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.857, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.841, 0.873) and 14.4% (HR: 0.856, 95% CI: 0.840, 0.873) reductions in KD incidence in the fully adjusted models. The TyG-BMI and TyG-WHtR indices exhibited small mediating effects of 7.36% (95% CI: 2.35%, 12.38%) and 4.48% (95% CI: 0.51%, 8.45%) on the relationship of PM_2.5–KD, while other indicators did not demonstrate significant mediation. The findings of this study suggest that reductions in PM_2.5 concentration were associated with a decreased incidence of KD during the period from 2013 to 2020. The implementation of clean air policies since 2013 may have contributed to the decrease in chronic diseases like KD. Full article

The critically endangered Asian giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) is a national first-class protected aquatic animal in China, and artificial breeding is vital for its conservation. Given the pivotal role of substrate in captive rearing, this study aimed to investigate the effects of different substrate types on the growth, serum biochemistry, and behavior of juvenile P. cantorii. A total of 45 8-month-old juveniles [(121.11 ± 0.65) g] were randomly allocated to three groups (fine sand [FS], pea gravel [PG], and no substrate [NS]) for an 18-day rearing trial. Results indicated that the FS and PG groups exhibited significantly higher weight gain and specific growth rates than the NS group (p < 0.01). Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were lower in the FS and PG groups than in the NS group (p < 0.05), with no significant difference between FS and PG. Notably, three individuals in the NS group exhibited symptoms of skin ulceration. No significant intergroup differences were observed in glucose (GLU), triglyceride (TG), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), or cortisol (CORT) levels (p > 0.05). Behaviorally, the FS group demonstrated the highest hidden rest frequency and duration (p < 0.01) and significantly lower active avoidance behavior compared to PG and NS (p < 0.01). In conclusion, substrate type significantly influences captive juvenile P. cantorii, with fine sand being optimal as it enhances growth, alleviates oxidative stress, and reduces maladaptive behaviors. Full article

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) based on CsPbX₃ (X = Cl, Br, I) have attracted extensive attention due to their outstanding optoelectronic properties; however, their practical applications are hindered by poor environmental stability. In this work, a sequential surface-modification strategy is developed to address these limitations. First, CsPbBr₃ PQDs are passivated with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES), which reduces surface defects and enhances the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) from 38.5% to 74.4%. Subsequently, a dense silica shell is constructed via in situ hydrolysis of tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS), further improving the PLQY to 95.6% and significantly boosting environmental stability. Structural and optical characterizations confirm effective defect passivation and suppress non-radiative recombination, with carrier lifetimes extended from 2.5 ns to 36.9 ns. Remarkably, the silica-coated PQDs retain over 50% of their initial emission intensity after 100 min of water immersion, far exceeding the stability of uncoated counterparts. Furthermore, when integrated with a commercial K₂SiF₆: Mn⁴⁺ red phosphor and a blue light-emitting diode (LED) chip, the resulting white LED (WLED) exhibits a wide color gamut covering 104% of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) standard and Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.323, 0.331), closely matching standard white light. Importantly, only the silica-coated PQDs maintain a stable electrically driven device emission spectrum after water exposure. Full article

The Canadian Prairies are a region of critical importance to continental hydroclimate and agriculture, exhibiting high sensitivity to variability in atmospheric moisture transport. This study investigates the seasonal and interannual variability of integrated moisture flux over the Canadian Prairie region (96° W–114° W, 49° N–53° N) using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Reanalysis dataset from 1979 to 2023. We employ a combination of composite analysis and Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis to identify the dominant modes of variability and their associated large-scale synoptic drivers. Our results confirm a strong seasonal reversal: winter moisture flux is predominantly zonal (westerly), contributing an average of 90% to total inbound flux, while summer flux is primarily meridional (southerly), contributing a dominant 72.6%. Composite analysis of extreme moisture years reveals that anomalously high-moisture winters are associated with an intensified Aleutian Low and a strengthened pressure gradient off the North American west coast, facilitating enhanced westerly flow. Conversely, a strengthened continental high-pressure system characterizes anomalously low-moisture winters. During summer, high-moisture years are driven by an enhanced southerly component of the flow, likely linked to a strengthened Great Plains Low-Level Jet (GPLLJ). The first EOF mode for winter explains 43% of the variance in eastward flux and is characterized by a pattern consistent with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection pattern. These findings underscore the control of Pacific-centric circulation patterns on Prairie hydroclimate in winter and have significant implications for predicting seasonal water availability. Full article

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is an important root crop in China, playing significant roles in ensuring national food security and increasing farmers’ income. The sprouting capability of sweet potato storage roots determines the quality of sweet potato seedlings and serves as a prerequisite for ensuring yield and quality. With the increasing severity of sweet potato viral diseases, the decline of the sprouting capability of seed roots has led to severe declines in both the yield and quality of sweet potatoes. It is urgent to uncover the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms underlying the sprouting capabilities of storage roots with different virus contents. In this study, storage roots with different virus contents of two sweet potato varieties, Jishu 25 (J25) and Jishu 26 (J26), were evaluated for sprouting capability and virus content, including chlorotic stunt virus (CSV), feathery mottled virus (FMV), sweet potato virus G (SPVG), sweet potato latent virus (SPLV), and sweet potato chlorotic fleck virus (SPCFV). The results show that the storage roots with low virus levels of both varieties exhibited stronger sprouting capability and lower virus content. Comparative transcriptome analysis of the differences in sprouting capabilities between storage roots with different virus content revealed that the starch metabolism, cellulose metabolism, jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway, and salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathways are potential biological pathways contributing to the differences in sprouting capabilities between storage roots with different virus contents. This study provides evidence for further research on the sprouting mechanisms of sweet potatoes. Full article

This study examines the systemic integration of entrepreneurship education and the culture of self employment within higher education as a component of sustainable institutional reform. Using a comparative analytical approach, it analyzes international practices across five higher education systems. Finland, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Korea were selected to represent diverse yet mature models of entrepreneurship education integration. The findings reveal significant variation in the depth and coherence of integration across national contexts. Rather than identifying a single transferable model, the study shows that effective integration depends on the interaction of key institutional dimensions, including policy alignment, curricular embedding, faculty capacity, infrastructure, external partnerships, and impact evaluation. Finland demonstrates the most coherent configuration, while other systems exhibit partial or fragmented integration shaped by contextual factors. The study concludes that entrepreneurship education is most sustainable when embedded as a system-level institutional strategy rather than implemented through isolated initiatives. It offers an analytical framework, supported by an adapted ADKAR change model, to guide context-sensitive reform. For Arab higher education systems, the primary implication is diagnostic, emphasizing contextual adaptation over direct replication. Full article

As a vital ecological security barrier and climate regulator in northwestern China, the spatial patterns and evolving formation mechanisms of ecosystem services within the Qinghai Lake basin hold significant strategic value for ecological conservation and national park development in the region. This study selected land use data during 2000–2020, integrating the equivalent factor method, spatial correlation analysis, and the geodetector approach to systematically investigate the spatial heterogeneity characteristics of ESV in the Qinghai Lake basin and its corresponding driving mechanisms. The results indicate the following: (1) During the period 2000–2020, grassland consistently constituted the primary land cover category within the Qinghai Lake Basin, accounting for over 60% of the total area; water bodies (16.67%) and unused land (16.56%) represented the secondary land use categories. Over this twenty-year period, the total ESV exhibited a slight increasing trend, rising from USD 30.30 × 10⁸ to USD 30.75 × 10⁸, representing a growth of 0.31%. Regulating services constituted the primary component of ESV. The highest contribution to ESV originated from water bodies, with grassland ranking second. (2) ESV displayed a spatial arrangement marked by “high values in the lake center and low values in the surrounding areas” and “higher values in the southeast and lower values in the northwest.” Its spatial correlation exhibits a pronounced positive relationship. The number of units classified as high-high clusters (primarily water bodies at low elevations) and low-low clusters (mainly grasslands and unused land at high elevations) both increased over the study period, indicating a continuous intensification of ESV spatial agglomeration. (3) Results from the geographical detector reveal that both natural and anthropogenic factors collectively drive the spatial variation in ESV, with natural factors exhibiting stronger explanatory capacity. Among these, elevation and temperature are identified as the dominant drivers of ESV spatiotemporal differentiation. The combined effect of two interacting factors surpasses the influence exerted by any single factor in isolation. This research clarifies that the spatial distribution of ESV in the Qinghai Lake Basin, which features “high values in the lake center and low values in the surrounding areas” as well as “higher values in the southeast and lower values in the northwest,” is jointly shaped by the combined control of vertical zonality governed by topographic and climatic factors and the spatial differentiation of human activities. In low-altitude lakeshore zones, ESV rose as a consequence of water body expansion and the enforcement of ecological conservation measures, leading to the emergence of high-value clusters. In contrast, ESV improvement in high-elevation regions remained limited, constrained by fragile natural conditions and minimal human intervention. The insights derived from this research offer a scientific foundation for refining the “one core, four zones, one ring, multiple points” functional zoning framework of the Qinghai Lake National Park, as well as for developing tailored management approaches suited to distinct elevation-based regions. Full article

Understanding how species share resources (niche dynamics) and associate with each other is crucial for maintaining stable ecological communities. Using infrared camera traps, we constructed spatial association networks for an isolated Asian elephant population. The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), a keystone species in tropical forests, faces significant threats from habitat fragmentation and human disturbances, particularly in the isolated population of Nangunhe National Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China. Using infrared camera trapping, niche analysis, and interspecific association models, we examined the ecological role of Asian elephants and their sympatric species networks in fragmented habitats. We identified 44 species, including 11 species with higher relative abundance showing significant ecological correlations with elephants. Asian elephants exhibited the broadest spatial distribution, consistent with their role as ecological engineers due to high environmental tolerance and diverse resource utilization. Sympatric herbivores exhibited moderate spatial co-occurrence. Wild boars (Sus scrofa), red-bellied squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus), northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina), and red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) demonstrated significant spatial associations with elephants. Lambda coefficient analysis revealed asymmetric associations reflecting spatial reliance of red-bellied squirrels and wild boars on elephant activity zones. Temporally, Asian elephants exhibited a stable bimodal activity pattern at dawn and dusk. Despite varying degrees of diel overlap with sympatric species, no significant temporal avoidance was detected, suggesting fine-scale coexistence mechanisms beyond the temporal dimension. We argue that conservation strategies are in urgent need of a transformation from single-species protection to the preservation of ecological interaction networks. This study clarifies the dominant position of Asian elephants in the community by mapping the spatial association networks between Asian elephants and sympatric species, and its findings hold substantial guiding significance for the recovery and protection of isolated Asian elephant populations. Full article

Sustainable development is crucial worldwide. Under the Paris Agreement, countries commit to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) assessed every five years. China, a major contributor to global warming, has made significant efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality, a key strategy for sustainable development. However, there is a lack of adequate attention to embodied emission reduction in rural residential construction, despite a surge in building to improve living standards. This paper evaluated the feasibility of applying a multi-ribbed composite wall structure (MRCWS) in rural China through a village service project. A full-scale shaking table test was conducted to study its seismic performance. Carbon emissions were analyzed using process-based life cycle assessment (P-LCA) and the emission-factor approach (EFA), while costs were estimated using life cycle costing (LCC) and the direct cost method (DCM). These analyses focused on sub-projects and specific structural members to validate the superiority of this prefabricated structure over common brick masonry. MRCWS blocks were prefabricated by mixing wheat straw with aerocrete, utilizing agricultural by-products from local farmlands, thus reducing both construction-related carbon emissions and agricultural waste treatment costs. Results show that this novel precast masonry structure exhibits strong seismic resistance, complying with fortification limitations. Its application can reduce embodied carbon emissions and costs by approximately 6% and 10%, respectively, during materialization phases compared to common brick masonry. This new prefabricated building product has significant potential for reducing carbon emissions and costs in rural housing construction while meeting seismic requirements. The recycling of agricultural waste highlights its adaptability, especially in rural areas. Full article

The Atlantic slave trade was one of the most significant and violent processes in global history, and the Iberian empires played a central role in its development. Yet in Spain and Portugal, the historical and public memory of slavery remains fragmented, producing silences that contrast with its historical magnitude. This study examines these silences through two complementary lenses: the academic preparation of future history teachers and the heritage narratives presented in Iberian museums, adopting a mixed-methods design. A total of 138 pre-service teachers from eight Spanish and Portuguese universities completed a questionnaire providing quantitative data to assess how the Atlantic slave trade was addressed in their university training and which didactic and heritage resources they consider most appropriate for teaching it. In parallel, exhibitions and institutional discourses were analysed in seven national and regional museums related to America, colonisation or maritime expansion, drawing on qualitative data from written interviews with museum professionals. The findings reveal limited curricular attention to the Atlantic slave trade, uneven valuation of heritage resources, and highly variable museum narratives. These results highlight the need for coordinated educational and heritage strategies that strengthen historical understanding, support democratic and intercultural competencies, and contribute to a more inclusive and critically informed public memory. Full article

Beach nourishment has become a globally adopted “soft” engineering measure to mitigate coastal erosion and sustain beach functions. This study conducts a systematic comparative analysis of beach nourishment practices between China and the United States, focusing on extensive project data and historical records. The research examines differences in historical development trajectories, spatial distribution patterns, restoration philosophies, funding mechanisms, and key technologies. The results reveal that the U.S., with over a century of experience, exhibits large-scale, high-frequency nourishment projects supported by diversified funding and long-term maintenance strategies. In contrast, China, despite a later start (circa 1992), has achieved rapid progress in both project scale and technical innovation, though its approach remains more government-led and structurally oriented. This study also identifies converging trends in resource concentration between the two countries, as measured by a proposed “beach nourishment primacy” index. Based on these findings, the work offers strategic recommendations for the coastal management of China, including the establishment of a national nourishment database, adoption of Regional Sediment Management, and greater integration of ecological engineering principles. This comparative analysis provides valuable insights for coastal nations seeking to optimize beach nourishment strategies in the face of growing climatic and anthropogenic pressures; to further advance these efforts, future research could explore the integration of interdisciplinary approaches and intelligent technologies, aiming to deepen our understanding of coastal system complexity and support the development of dynamic adaptive management. Full article

Aggressive corporate tax avoidance represents a significant fiscal and governance challenge in developing economies, where public revenues are critical for sustainable development and enforcement capacity is often uneven. This study examines whether environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance constrains corporate tax avoidance and whether this relationship is conditioned by national institutional quality. Using a multi-country panel of 2464 publicly listed non-financial firms from 14 developing economies over the period 2015–2023, the analysis employs fixed-effects estimation, dynamic System GMM, and instrumental-variable (2SLS) techniques to address unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity concerns. The results indicate that stronger ESG performance is associated with significantly lower levels of tax avoidance; however, this effect is highly contingent on institutional quality. ESG exerts a substantive disciplining role primarily in governance-strong environments characterized by effective regulation and credible enforcement. Heterogeneity analyses further reveal that the ESG–tax avoidance relationship is driven mainly by the governance and environmental pillars, is more pronounced among large firms, varies across regions, and strengthens over time as ESG frameworks mature. In contrast, the social ESG dimension and smaller firms exhibit weaker or insignificant effects, consistent with symbolic compliance in low-enforcement settings. By integrating stakeholder, legitimacy, agency, and institutional theories, this study advances a context-sensitive understanding of ESG effectiveness and helps reconcile mixed findings in the existing literature. The findings offer policy-relevant insights for regulators and tax authorities seeking to strengthen fiscal discipline and development financing in developing economies. Full article

The aim of this study was to analyze lower limb muscle activation patterns and task-dependent asymmetries across selected badminton movement sequences using wearable electromyography (EMG). Twelve elite male badminton players (18.3 ± 3.3 years, 171.3 ± 6.8 cm, 67.7 ± 8.2 kg, and 13.1 ± 4.6% body fat) in the highest national league participated in the study. Surface EMG was recorded bilaterally from the quadriceps femoris, hamstring, and gluteus muscle groups using wearable EMG shorts during standardized badminton-specific movement sequences. Across all analyzed techniques, a pronounced dominance of quadriceps activation was observed compared to hamstrings and gluteus muscle groups (p < 0.001). Significant inter-limb asymmetries in quadriceps contribution were identified in most net and defensive movements, whereas hamstring activation remained relatively symmetrical across limbs. Gluteus muscles group contribution exhibited task-dependent asymmetry, particularly during defensive lunges. Badminton-specific movements are characterized by quadriceps-dominant neuromuscular strategies and technique-dependent inter-limb asymmetries. These findings are specific to elite, right-dominant male badminton players and should be interpreted within this performance context. Full article