Search Results (2,366)

Cities are increasingly using electric buses as a viable alternative to diesel buses. This is a crucial undertaking to achieve sustainability in the transport sector. However, integrating them in transport systems in developing countries such as Sri Lanka, which is characterized by environmental and economic challenges, is complex. This work examines the factors that influence the shift from diesel to electric buses with particular attention to the stakeholders, their motivations, and how they seek to achieve their objectives regarding each other, both conflicting and cooperative angles. This study adopts a comprehensive stakeholder-centric methodology to analyze electric bus adoption in the public transit system in Sri Lanka. The research employs a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative stakeholder analysis with quantitative barrier prioritization, following established project management principles. Based on the case study of Sri Lanka, the research investigates how the electric bus transition can be expedited by leveraging such alliances while considering local challenges like infrastructural deficits, policy gaps, and funding limitations. Lessons learned and best practices from international case studies are considered to provide strategic recommendations to policymakers and other stakeholders to promote the electric bus. By mapping out the interactions between various stakeholders and outlining where key leverage exists, the research provides a roadmap for introducing electric buses. This will be aligned with the sustainability targets and the vision to deliver sustainability goals for the long term. Full article

Background: Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a multipurpose crop with both medicinal and economic values. Flavonoid glycosides are the core bioactive components of this species for preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, yet their specific regulatory mechanisms remain insufficiently systematically elucidated. Methods: Based on the whole-genome data of Carthamus tinctorius L., key MYB transcription factors regulating the flavonoid glycoside biosynthesis pathway in safflower were screened and verified via MeJA treatment. Results: A total of 202 MYB transcription factors were identified, and 18 candidate genes were screened out. Further analysis showed that four genes (HH_019113, HH_009268, HH_009443 and HH_029380) were extremely significantly positively correlated with flavonid glycoside biosynthesis genes. After MeJA treatment, RT-qPCR analysis showed that their expression levels were significantly different. Conclusions: With the objective of elucidating the biosynthesis mechanism of flavonoid glycosides in safflower and exploring key regulatory genes, this study identified four MYB transcription factors that regulate flavonoid glycoside biosynthesis, providing new insights into elucidating the biosynthesis mechanism of flavonoid glycosides in safflower and offering targets for the construction of its molecular regulatory network and the improvement of medicinal quality and molecular breeding technology Full article

To clarify the characteristics of CO₂–formation water–rock reactions in tight sandstones and their effects on CO₂-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) efficiency and storage efficiency, this study takes the tight oil reservoirs of the Changqing Jiyuan Oilfield as the research object. A variety of experimental techniques, including ICP-OES elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, were employed to systematically investigate the mechanisms and main influencing factors of water–rock reactions during CO₂ geological storage. The study focused on analyzing the roles of mineral composition, reservoir pore structure, and formation water chemistry in the reaction process. It explored the potential impacts of reaction products on reservoir properties. Furthermore, based on the experimental results, a coupled reservoir numerical simulation of CO₂ injection for EOR and storage was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the influence of mineralization processes on CO₂ EOR performance and long-term storage efficiency. Results show that the tight sandstone reservoirs in Jiyuan Oilfield are mainly composed of calcite, quartz, and feldspar. The dominant water–rock reactions during CO₂ formation–water interactions are calcite dissolution and feldspar dissolution. Among these, calcite dissolution is considered the controlling reaction due to its significant effect on the chemical composition of formation water, and the temporal variation in other elements shows a clear correlation with the calcite dissolution process. Further analysis reveals that water–rock reactions lead to permeability reduction in natural fractures near injection wells, thereby effectively improving CO₂ EOR efficiency, enhancing sweep volume, and increasing reservoir recovery. At the end of the EOR stage, mineralized CO₂ storage accounts for only 0.53% of the total stored CO₂. However, with the extension of time, mineralized storage gradually increases, reaching a substantial 31.08% after 500 years. The study also reveals the effects of reservoir temperature, pressure, and formation water salinity on mineralization rates, emphasizing the importance of mineral trapping for long-term CO₂ storage. These findings provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the joint optimization of CO₂ EOR and geological sequestration. Future research may further focus on the dynamic evolution of water–rock reactions under different geological conditions to enhance the applicability and economic viability of CO₂ storage technologies. Full article

University dropout poses academic, social, and economic challenges that call for effective prevention strategies. The objective was to identify determining factors of student dropout through educational data mining and machine learning models. A survey was administered to 527 undergraduate students, and the data were processed with classification algorithms (Adaboost, Gradient Boosting, Extra Trees, Random Forest, Decision Tree, and XGBoost), complemented with interpretation techniques such as SHAP and sensitivity analysis. The results revealed that, in addition to prior academic performance (GPA), psychological support emerged as the most influential predictor across all models, followed by institutional and socioeconomic variables, including academic program, age, and parental job stability. Integrating psychological, institutional, and family factors into predictive systems enhances model accuracy and provides practical evidence to inform educational policies, strengthen student support programs, and design early interventions to promote retention in higher education. Full article

Assessing Mine Emergency Rescue Capability (MERC) is critical for ensuring mining safety and advancing sustainable development. However, existing MERC assessments often lack a holistic sustainability perspective. To bridge this gap, this study develops a MERC assessment model grounded in the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, integrating the relative difference function (RDF) to address the fuzziness and subjectivity in evaluation processes. A hierarchical indicator system is constructed, comprising 5 primary factors and 25 sub-indicators across environmental, economic, and social dimensions, reflecting both immediate rescue effectiveness and long-term sustainability performance. Indicator weights are derived from a hybrid approach that combines the subjective G1 method with the objective entropy weight method. RDF is employed to compute membership degrees, and the final MERC level is determined by level characteristic values. The model is validated through an empirical study of six green mines in China. Results demonstrate robust performance and consistency with alternative methods and reveal the environmental dimension as the dominant driver within the TBL framework. This finding supports the ecology-first principle of green mining and underscores the alignment of high-level emergency preparedness with sustainable development objectives. By explicitly embedding sustainability principles into safety assessment, the proposed model provides a scientifically grounded tool to guide the green transformation of the mining industry. Future work will adapt the model to diverse mining contexts and refine the indicators to better support global sustainability goals. Full article

Background/Objectives: Research on restaurants has traditionally emphasized business operations. Considering restaurants’ growing role in shaping dietary patterns and public health outcomes, this study aimed to map the scope, trends, and gaps in scholarly research addressing food-related aspects of restaurants, excluding business-oriented topics. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Search terms encompassed multiple restaurant categories, including fast food, fast casual, casual dining, and fine dining. After screening, 956 peer-reviewed English-language journal articles were included. Descriptive performance metrics were calculated, and keyword co-occurrence analysis was conducted. Results: Findings revealed that nutrition-related studies dominate the literature, particularly research linking fast food consumption to obesity and the impact of menu labeling policies on consumer behavior. Food science research was comparatively limited and concentrated primarily on food safety and uses for degraded frying oil. The analysis also highlighted a strong research focus on fast food, while fast casual and fine dining restaurants were notably underrepresented. Conclusions: Future studies should move beyond short-term, cross-sectional designs and incorporate longitudinal approaches to better capture how policy interventions, such as menu labeling and reformulation incentives affect consumer food choices and restaurant offerings over time. Understanding how to reduce restaurants’ contribution to the incidence of diet-related noncommunicable disease risk factors such as obesity and hypertension will require research trials that jointly manipulate key factors such as economic (prices and incentives), structural (recipes, assortment, and operations), and behavioral (choice architecture). Research could also investigate strategies to reduce allergen risks by evaluating standardized training programs and integrated menu/POS disclosure systems. In addition, examination of consumer acceptance of sustainable ingredient substitutions and packaging methods is needed. Full article

Nowadays, because of the severe contradiction between water supply and demand, a large amount of ecological water resources are occupied by other water-using sectors, resulting in the rapid degradation of the ecological environment, especially in arid and semi-arid areas of northwestern China. Therefore, in order to deal with the above problems, a multi-objective water resources optimization allocation model based on ecological water demand is established, which not only focuses on ecological water demand, but also can effectively deal with the conflict among multiple objectives. A case study was applied in Wuwei City, Gansu Province, China, which had maximum economic benefit and ecological benefit as objectives. A series of optimal water resources distribution schemes were obtained under different representative hydrological years. From the result, as representative hydrological years changed from wet to dry, economic benefit and ecological water deficit would vary from CNY [52.82, 36.32] × 10⁸ and [2.69, 5.51] × 10⁸ m³, respectively. It indicated that water resources have become one of the factors restricting the sustainable development of Wuwei City. Even when p = 25%, it still cannot meet the water demand. This indicates that Wuwei city needs to aggressively develop water-saving measures and new water resources in the future to deal with the acute water scarcity scenario. In addition, no matter what representative hydrological years are used, the results of the established multi-objective programming model are always in the middle of the results of the individual objective, indicating that the established multi-objective programming model has the advantage of dealing with water competing conflict among different objectives. Full article

Background/Objectives: Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen that causes infections in pigs and humans, leading to significant economic losses. S. suis can evade the immune system of hosts and induce persistent infections. Early detection and vaccination are crucial for controlling the disease in swine industries. This study aimed to investigate candidate recombinant protein for antibodies against S. suis detection and subunit vaccine development. Methods: The whole genome of S. suis BM407 was analyzed using bioinformatic tools to predict suitable proteins and genes for recombinant protein expression. Partial extracellular factor protein (epf) genes of S. suis serotype 2 DMST18783 were amplified. A 3301 bp amplicon was digested, and a specific 615 bp fragment was inserted into a pQE81L-KAN vector. Then, the constructed plasmid was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli DH10β. Purified protein was analyzed using SDS-PAGE. In addition, translated amino acid sequences were analyzed for immune response properties, molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulation, and epitope prediction. Results: The amino acid sequence of recombinant extracellular factor protein (rEF) was revealed as a promising antigen containing putative protective regions as linear epitopes. Furthermore, the rEF was expressed as a histidine-tagged recombinant protein, and its properties were nearly similar to the predicted rEF using bioinformatic tools. Binding of the recombinant EF (rEF) protein was found to reduce fluctuations in the swine toll-like receptor 2. Furthermore, the rEF contained several regions that were predicted to be epitopes for both B-cells and T-cells. Conclusions: This study indicates that the recombinant EF fragment is a promising candidate for detecting antibodies against S. suis and as a component of a subunit vaccine. Full article

PM_2.5 is the primary source of urban atmospheric pollution, as it not only damages the ecological environment but also poses a threat to human health. Taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt as the research object, this study analyzes the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of PM_2.5 concentrations in the region from 2005 to 2020. Furthermore, by combining the Geodetector model with Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of its influencing factors is revealed at three scales: municipal, watershed, and grid. The results show that, from 2005 to 2020, the annual average PM_2.5 concentration in the Yangtze River Economic Belt exhibited an inverted U-shaped trend with 2013 as the inflection point, showing distinct spatial clustering characteristics. Overall, the spatiotemporal variation in annual average PM_2.5 concentration demonstrated a significant downward trend during this period, with slower decline rates in the western region and faster rates in the central and eastern regions. Spatial differentiation of annual average PM_2.5 concentrations within the region was primarily influenced by three factors: PFA, PISA, and PD. NDVI and PWA exerted their effects mainly at large scales, while MAT and SDE primarily acted at small scales. Within the region, NDVI and CVO predominantly suppressed PM_2.5 concentrations, whereas MAT, PFA, PD, and SDE primarily promoted PM_2.5 pollution. The spatial distribution of effects for factors within the same category is broadly consistent across the three scales, though details vary. This study overcomes previous limitations of administrative-scale research, yielding more refined results. It provides new methodologies and insights for future research while offering more precise scientific support for regional PM_2.5 governance. Full article

Green technological innovation integrates the two major strategies of innovation-driven development and green development and serves as a crucial pathway to achieving the goal of high-quality and sustainable development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). Against the backdrop of regional integration, it is of great significance to study the coordinated development trend of green technological innovation, with urban agglomerations as the unit of study. This study takes 108 cities in the YREB as research objects, constructs a Green Technological Innovation Efficiency (GTIE) measurement framework based on a two-stage DEA model, and decomposes GTIE into Technological Innovation Efficiency (TIE) and Green Production Capacity (GCP). On this basis, using the System GMM model, this study examines the mechanism by which the economic connection structure affects GTIE, TIE, and GCP from the perspective of urban agglomeration spatial networks. The empirical results show that from 2006 to 2020, the overall GTIE of the YREB showed a steady upward trend, and its spatial pattern evolved from “high in the east and low in the west” to “coordinated development of the three major urban agglomerations.” The three urban agglomerations played a core leading role in the diffusion of regional green innovation. Specifically, the economic integration development of urban agglomeration spatial networks significantly promoted the improvement of GTIE; the spatial network structure of TIE within the urban agglomerations exerted a significant positive spillover effect on GCP, while the GCP network structure also showed a significant feedback effect on TIE. Overall, through strengthening the inter-city flow of innovative factors and collaboration, regional integration has effectively promoted the coordinated growth and diffusion of green technological innovation, providing important support for the high-quality improvement of regional productivity and contributing to the sustainable development of the region. Full article

Background/Objectives: The number of overweight and obese people has significantly increased in the world, and this phenomenon is referred to as globesity. Globally increasing obesity has become one of the major problems to be dealt with for countries, given obesity-related health problems, including nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases and some types of cancer, and the economic and social costs of obesity. Therefore, countries try to combat obesity through diverse strategies related to nutrition, physical activity, and education. In this regard, identifying the factors behind obesity is critical to making progress in the fight against obesity. Methods: This study explores the interplay amongst ICT (information and communication technologies) indicators, including Internet and mobile phone usage, unemployment, and adult obesity in the BRICS states from 1995 to 2022, using recently developed cointegration techniques and causality tests. Results: The outcomes of causality tests uncover an interaction between Internet and mobile phone usage, unemployment, and adult obesity. In addition, the cointegration coefficients reveal that Internet and mobile phone usage positively impact adult obesity, while unemployment has a negative effect on adult obesity. Conclusions: Our outcomes uncover that improper use of the Internet and mobile phones foster adult obesity, but proper utilization of the Internet and mobile phones can be effective instruments in combatting adult obesity through increasing the awareness of healthy lifestyles and online weight loss programs. Full article

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the role of senior tourism as a catalyst for active aging and enhanced quality of life among the elderly, defined in this study as individuals aged 65 and over. This research, grounded in an understanding of interconnected factors—social, economic, and health-related—that affect the aging process, analyzes travel frequency trends to explore how tourism designed for seniors can meet the growing needs of this demographic. The analysis is based on secondary data collected between 2009 and 2020 by the Portuguese National Institute of Statistics, enabling projections for senior tourism trends in Portugal, particularly for 2025 and 2030. The study identifies increasing engagement in senior tourism. Although our analysis does not directly measure quality-of-life outcomes or establish causality, this finding is consistent with literature suggesting potential benefits of tourism for active and healthy aging. However, challenges remain, including the need to democratize and ensure the economic and functional accessibility of tourism. Although the COVID-19 pandemic had specific impacts on this sector, projections suggest exponential growth in the near future. Notably, the study findings reveal that women show a considerably greater interest in tourism activities. Overall, this comprehensive analysis offers an integrated view of the transformative potential of senior tourism, outlining both opportunities and challenges ahead in promoting active aging and enhancing quality of life for the elderly. Full article

Background: Reducing agricultural carbon emissions can enhance agricultural resilience and promote sustainable agricultural development. Although prior research has examined how agricultural new-quality productive forces (ANQP) reshape factor allocation, technology adoption, and production efficiency, their implications for agricultural carbon emissions remain insufficiently studied. Objective: To quantify the impact of ANQP on agricultural carbon emissions, assess regional heterogeneity across the east, central, and west, between grain and non-grain areas, between the Yangtze River Economic Belt and other regions, and across different levels of fiscal support, and to identify an efficiency-based transmission mechanism. Materials and Methods: A panel of 30 Chinese provinces for 2012–2022 is analyzed using province and year fixed effects. Results: ANPQ significantly reduce agricultural carbon emissions. The effect is stronger in western provinces, in non-grain areas, within the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and where fiscal support is higher, and weaker in eastern and low-support regions. Trade-offs between yield stabilization and emission reduction emerge in the central region and in major grain-producing areas. Mechanism results indicate that ANQP lowers emissions primarily by improving agricultural production efficiency measured by total factor productivity. Full article

Scientific assessment of sustainable development potential (SDP) and analysis of spatial heterogeneity mechanisms of traditional villages are crucial for promoting the synergy between cultural heritage conservation and rural revitalization strategies. With an emphasis on traditional villages in the Cantonese region, this study develops a thorough evaluation methodology that combines spatial analysis and multi-criteria decision-making. It aims to (1) systematically reveal the spatial differentiation characteristics of sustainable development potential; (2) develop and validate a combined weighting method that effectively integrates both subjective and objective weights; and (3) identify key driving factors and their interaction mechanisms influencing the formation of this potential. To achieve these objectives, the research sequentially conducted the following steps: First, an evaluation indicator system encompassing socioeconomic, cultural, ecological, and infrastructural dimensions was developed. Second, the Analytic Hierarchy Process and the Entropy Weight Method were employed to calculate subjective and objective weights, respectively, followed by integration of these weights using a combined weighting model. Subsequently, the potential assessment results were incorporated into a Geographic Information System, and spatial autocorrelation analysis was applied to identify agglomeration patterns. Finally, the Geographical Detector model was utilized to quantitatively analyze the explanatory power of various influencing factors and their interactions on the spatial heterogeneity of potential. The main findings are as follows: First, the sustainable development potential of traditional Cantonese villages exhibits a significant “core–periphery” spatial structure, forming a high-potential corridor in the Zhongshan–Jiangmen–Foshan border area, while peripheral areas generally display “low–low” agglomeration characteristics. Second, the combined weighting model effectively reconciled 81.0% of case discrepancies, significantly improving assessment consistency (Kappa coefficient above 0.85). Third, we identified economic income (q = 0.661) and ecological baseline (q = 0.616) were identified as key driving factors. Interaction detection revealed that the interaction between economic income and transportation accessibility had the strongest explanatory power (q = 0.742), followed by the synergistic effect between ecological baseline and architectural heritage (q = 0.716), highlighting the characteristic of multi-factor synergistic driving. The quantitative and spatially explicit evaluation framework established in this study not only provides methodological innovation for research on the sustainable development of traditional villages but also offers a scientific basis for formulating regionally differentiated revitalization strategies. The research findings hold significant theoretical and practical importance for achieving a positive interaction between the conservation and development of traditional villages. Full article

Relief well designs mainly focus on conventional parameters such as well diameter and well spacing by engineering experience, lacking rigorous analysis. The impact of wellhead elevation remains unclear. This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization method for determining the design parameters (i.e., the wellhead elevation and number of wells) of relief wells. MODFLOW is used to develop a three-dimensional transient seepage numerical model of the levee. The design parameters of relief wells are optimized by balancing the safety factor and the economic cost by non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II). To remove computational burden within NSGA-II, random forest (RF) is used to establish an intelligent surrogate model for evaluating the hydraulic characteristics of levees. The final optimal design parameters are determined by entropy weight and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Finally, the proposed approaches are illustrated using the Wuhan Yangtze River Levee, China. Results show that compared with the empirical approach, the optimal design parameters obtained by the proposed approaches can not only meet the safety threshold for the levee, but also reduce the costs by 15%. The importance of wellhead elevation on the hydraulic gradient is about six times that of the number of wells. Full article