Search Results (512)

Background: Regenerative supply chain research seeks to move beyond minimal-harm sustainability toward forms of organizing that preserve, restore, and enhance social–ecological systems. However, existing work often explains regeneration through principles, capabilities, and governance arrangements while giving less attention to the uneven socioecological conditions and appropriative dependencies that shape supply-chain activity. Methods: This conceptual study uses an abductive close reading of Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing’s The Mushroom at the End of the World as a sole-source textual dataset. The analysis combines an immanent reading of the complete monograph with a theory-informed reading that places Tsing’s concepts in dialogue with regenerative supply-chain scholarship. Results: The study develops two linked theoretical shifts. First, it conceptualizes supply chains as patchy socioecological assemblages composed of firms, livelihoods, infrastructures, ecological processes, and disturbance histories that only partially cohere under managerial control. Second, it defines regenerative attunement as the ongoing, place-sensitive reconfiguration of supply-chain scale, timing, governance, and value distribution so that economic activity helps reproduce rather than merely appropriate socioecological capacities. Conclusions: These concepts extend regenerative supply-chain theory by clarifying the relationships among supply-chain structure, value appropriation, temporal plurality, and distributed governance, while providing directions for managerial diagnosis and future empirical research. Full article

Under climate warming, bark beetle outbreaks increasingly threaten forest health. Hylurgops longipillus, a native bark beetle in Northeast China, causes patchy mortality in Pinus koraiensis plantations. We developed an integrated emergency control system based on host selection chemical ecology. Damage characterization revealed that adults concentrated on trees with 10–50% crown needle yellowing, and infestations expanded as discrete patches radiating from multiple epicenters. Electrophysiological and behavioral assays of host volatiles and some of their isomers yielded a highly effective attractant (69.4 adults per five-trap set over 5 d, 1.8× control) and a repellent reducing ethanol-baited trap catches by 83.3%. Emergency control techniques consisted of integrated management combining removal and safe disposal of infested trees, chemical stump sealing, push–pull trapping, and tree vigor enhancement. Three-year monitoring showed ~94% decline in trap catches, no subsequent outbreaks, and stable control. This attractant-centered, chemical ecology-based system can rapidly suppress H. longipillus outbreaks and achieve long-term management, providing a scientific basis and operational framework for similar localized bark beetle emergencies under climate warming. Full article

Anthropogenic land use constitutes a key driver of land cover change, exerting profound impacts on terrestrial carbon/water cycles and ecosystems across global to regional scales. Consequently, long-term land cover datasets serve as fundamental data infrastructure for ecological effect assessment and paleoclimate modeling. Considering the dominant role of historical anthropogenic disturbances in vegetation change across the Hehuang Valley, we developed a 1 km × 1 km potential vegetation prior to land reclamation map through integrating remotely sensed land-use patterns with Random Forest-modeled vegetation predictions. Then, we derived changes in forest and grassland areas and their spatial patterns over the past two millennia by subtracting the spatially explicit cropland cover for six agricultural expansion stages. Finally, we compared our results with representative historical LUCC datasets. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The potential vegetation of the Hehuang Valley was predominantly grassland, with forest occurring as a patchy and linear mosaic. Grassland and forest covered approximately 2.6 × 10⁴ km² and 0.7 × 10⁴ km², respectively. (2) Over the past two millennia, during the Han (202 BCE–220 CE), Tang (618–907 CE), Song (960–1279 CE), Ming (1368–1644 CE), and Qing (1644–1912 CE) dynasties, as well as the Republic of China period (1912–1949 CE), cropland reclamation reduced forest and grassland cover by 6% and 18%, respectively. Forest area decreased by 23.58–100.03 km², while grassland area decreased by 310.72–1513.05 km² across these periods. Grassland reduction was concentrated in valleys, whereas forest reduction was spatially scattered but locally intensive. These findings highlight the need to promote sustainable cropland development through technological innovation, improved management, and agricultural specialization rather than ecosystem conversion. (3) Compared with the HYDE 3.2 dataset and a national-scale reconstruction dataset, our framework better reflects the regional characteristics of the Hehuang Valley and provides a more detailed reconstruction of long-term forest and grassland changes. Full article

Background: Pathogenic variants in the DMD gene are a frequently overlooked cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in idiopathic cases, especially when skeletal myopathy is mild or seemingly absent. Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) and X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy are at opposite ends of this clinical spectrum but result from pathogenic variants in the same gene. Cardiomyopathy is a major cause of premature death in muscular dystrophies. Case presentation: We describe a 37-year-old man who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation for presumed idiopathic DCM with refractory heart failure. He had a six-year history of progressive proximal weakness, pseudohypertrophy of the calf, a positive Gowers sign, and markedly elevated creatine kinase (6638 IU/L). Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) revealed an in-frame deletion of exons 45–47 of DMD [c. (6438+1_6439-1)_(6912+1_6913-1) del; NM_004006.2], confirming BMD. Immunofluorescence showed reduced and patchy dystrophin expression. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first documented heart transplant in a patient with BMD in Mexico. This case demonstrates the value of considering muscular dystrophy in the differential diagnosis of apparently idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a step that opens the door to accurate diagnosis, carrier screening, and genetic counseling, and supports the view that heart transplantation is a viable option in carefully selected patients with muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy. Full article

The hilly terrain at the western foot of the Wanda Mountains boasts intricate geological conditions, compounded by long-term mineral extraction and farming activities. The multi-sourced heavy metals stored within stream sediments create substantial obstacles to accurate source apportionment and targeted risk mitigation. In this work, stream sediment samples were collected across the study watershed to test concentrations of eight heavy metals: As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Hg and Zn. Pollution and ecological risk assessments were implemented via the pollution load index (PLI), geo-accumulation index (I_geo) and potential ecological risk index (RI). Kriging interpolation was utilized to visualize and interpret the spatial variation patterns of heavy metals. Combined correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and the Absolute Principal Component Scores–Multiple Linear Regression (APCS-MLR) receptor model were adopted to qualitatively and quantitatively distinguish pollution endmembers of heavy metals. The main results are as follows: Cr, Cd, Pb and As show significant enrichment, whereas Ni, Cu, Zn and Hg appear depleted; all measured heavy metals present strong spatial variability. Weathering of basic bedrocks governs the widespread high-value zones of Cr, Ni, Cu and Zn. Patchy enrichment of Pb, As and Cd is concentrated in river valley farmlands, with no continuous anomalous zones detected for Hg. The watershed as a whole suffers mild contamination and low potential ecological risk, with only sampling points surrounding mines and agricultural lands experiencing moderate-to-severe pollution and medium ecological hazards. Three source endmembers are identified in the region: a natural geogenic endmember (Cr, Ni, Co, etc.), a mixed mining-associated anthropogenic endmember (Zn, Hg, Cu, Cd), and an agricultural non-point endmember (Pb, As, Sb). Quantitative APCS-MLR calculations confirm that mining disturbances serve as the predominant anthropogenic input for Zn, Hg, Cu and Cd; agricultural practices dominate the accumulation of As and Pb; and geogenic contributions stay marginal for all elements. This study corroborates that regional lithology sets the natural geochemical baseline of heavy metals, while anthropogenic interferences function as the primary driver of localized pollution anomalies. The conclusions can deliver theoretical support for heavy metal pollution remediation in similar hilly watersheds throughout Northeast China. Full article

Dispersal mechanisms of phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes are critical components of forest disease dynamics. While wind and water are well-studied pathways, the role of large forest herbivores as passive vectors remains significantly overlooked. This study quantifies and compares the pathogen loads carried on the hooves and hair of wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) to evaluate their epidemiological potential. Swab samples were collected from the hooves and hair of harvested deer in the Czerwony Bór Forest District, Poland. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting the ITS1 region were deployed to detect total fungal DNA, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium avenaceum/F. tricinctum, and several Phytophthora species. A linear mixed-effects model was implemented to statistically evaluate variations in pathogen loads across anatomical sampling locations while controlling for individual animal variability. Fungal DNA was detected in 87.5% of hoof samples, showing significantly lower Ct values (13.85–18.54) compared to fur samples (17.02–29.56), which exhibited a more patchy distribution (p = 0.016). Similarly, A. alternata transfer was highly favored by hooves (p < 0.001). Conversely, F. avenaceum was more frequently detected on hair. Among oomycetes, Phytophthora pseudosyringae was detected in all sampled animals, whereas Phytophthora cactorum occurred rarely, and other tested Phytophthora species were not detected. Wild deer carry DNA of multiple fungal and oomycete pathogens and may act as potential passive carriers within forest ecosystems. Hooves constitute the primary vector for soil-borne pathogens due to sustained contact with topsoil, whereas hair facilitates the movement of specific canopy or airborne taxa. These findings suggest that wildlife movements should be considered in future forest biosecurity assessments for comprehensive forest health management and for understanding pathogen exchange between forest and agricultural ecosystems. Full article

Background/Objectives: Danon disease is a rare X-linked lysosomal disorder caused by pathogenic variants in LAMP2. In women, cardiac involvement may occur later in life and may resemble sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), particularly when extracardiac manifestations are absent or subtle. A 42-year-old woman presented with chest discomfort in 2017 and was initially diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). She underwent serial 3.0-T cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) over an 8-year period. Initial CMR showed left-ventricular hypertrophy, preserved left-ventricular ejection fraction (65.0%), increased native T1 and T2 relaxation times, extracellular volume (ECV) of 24.9%, and patchy apical late gadolinium enhancement (LGE extent, 12.35%). Five years later, worsening dyspnea was accompanied by increased left-ventricular mass index, higher native T1 and ECV, greater LGE extent (15.18%), and slow atrial fibrillation with ventricular ectopy on Holter monitoring. Genetic testing identified a likely pathogenic LAMP2 variant, c.928G>A (p.Val310Ile), supporting the diagnosis of Danon disease in the clinical context. During a subsequent readmission three years later with acute amaurosis and dyspnea, no definite neurologic cause was identified in the available record. Repeat CMR showed the highest recorded native T1 and ECV values and diffuse LGE with relatively less interventricular-septal involvement, particularly in the basal septum (LGE extent, 24.59%); repeat Holter monitoring showed frequent long R-R intervals and ventricular escape beats. Because of progressive imaging and electrical deterioration, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy and heart-transplantation assessment were recommended, and the patient ultimately chose to proceed with pre-transplant assessment in December 2025. Conclusions: Female LAMP2-related Danon disease may initially resemble HCM, but differs from it with diffusely abnormal T1/ECV measurements. Follow up in our case revealed progressive storage cardiomyopathy with diffuse myocardial injury and clinically relevant bradyarrhythmia. Full article

Against China’s dual-carbon strategy and watershed ecological high-quality development initiatives, exploring land-use-driven carbon storage variations is crucial for watershed spatial governance, ecological restoration and carbon sink improvement. As the Yellow River’s largest tributary, the Weihe River Basin straddles the ecotone of arid–semiarid Northwest China and the eastern monsoon region, with fragile ecosystems, intense human activities and dramatic land-use evolution. Clarifying its spatiotemporal carbon dynamics and nonlinear factor response patterns can support low-carbon ecological regulation and coordinated watershed sustainability. This study integrates PLUS and InVEST models to quantify the spatiotemporal patterns of land use and carbon storage across 2000–2020 land use data. Four development scenarios are established to predict 2030 carbon storage spatial heterogeneity, and an interpretable XGBoost-SHAP framework was employed to disentangle the nonlinear responses of carbon storage to natural and socioeconomic drivers. The results show that basin carbon storage exhibited an overall increasing trend, with a net increase of 452.29 × 10⁴ t over the 2 decades. Spatially, high-carbon areas presented patchy aggregation in the northeast, sporadic distribution in the west and zonal expansion in the south–central basin, while low-carbon areas were concentrated in the downstream Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration. Land-use transitions represented a major source of regional carbon variability, with forest expansion driven by the Grain-for-Green Program generating the largest carbon sequestration increments. The 2030 scenario simulations revealed elevated carbon storage under natural development, cropland protection, and ecological protection scenarios, with the ecological protection scenario yielding the most prominent carbon gain. Conversely, unconstrained economic expansion coincided with prominent carbon storage declines, which implies that targeted ecological conservation and restoration could help alleviate carbon depletion across the watershed. NDVI, slope, and population density are the primary determinants of carbon storage, exhibiting typical staged nonlinear influencing effects. This study provides reliable scientific references for refined ecological restoration, spatial optimization, and carbon sink enhancement in ecologically fragile river basins. Full article

Karst hillslope land systems are characterized by strong microtopographic heterogeneity, exposed rock–soil patches, and management-related disturbance, resulting in pronounced fine-scale variation in ecological responses. This study investigated three contrasting karst hillslopes within the Guanling–Zhenfeng Huajiang Rocky Desertification Comprehensive Control Demonstration Area in Guizhou Province, China, designated as High, Medium, and Natural sites according to their observed land cover and management characteristics, using UAV multispectral imagery and LiDAR-derived DEM data. A terrain–ecology coupling strength indicator (TECSI) framework was developed to assess the spatially transferable predictability of ecological response patterns by terrain variables. At the 5 m block scale, FVC, OSAVI, NDRE750, rock–soil exposure index (REI), and GLCM contrast were linked with LiDAR-derived microtopographic predictors using generalized additive models, residual Moran’s I, random cross-validation, and spatial block cross-validation. FVC, OSAVI, NDRE750, and GLCM contrast differed significantly among the three sites (p < 0.001), whereas REI mainly reflected patchy non-vegetated rock–soil substrate exposure within hillslopes. Across the 15 site–indicator models, deviance explained ranged from 5.5% to 35.8%. Under 25 m spatial block cross-validation, integrated TECSI ranked Medium (0.143) > High (0.086) > Natural (0.036), and this ranking remained stable across sensitivity analyses. Steep-slope units at or above 25° in the High and Medium sites were associated with poorer vegetation condition and increased substrate exposure. TECSI provides a reproducible spatial validation framework for identifying terrain-sensitive ecological response units and supporting fine-scale monitoring, soil–water conservation screening, and vulnerable land unit management in karst hillslopes. Full article

Highland vernacular dwellings face multiple environmental stresses, but existing studies often examine either individual passive strategies or qualitative cultural interpretations, leaving limited evidence on how regional climate, settlement wind environments, and indoor microclimates are connected. This study investigates Tibetan vernacular dwellings in northwestern Sichuan, China, across a climatic gradient from warm–humid low altitude to dry–cool mid altitude and cold–arid high altitude. Three settlements—Zhonglu Township, Sergu Town, and Gemo Township—were examined through field surveys, settlement mapping, and measured drawings of 24 dwellings. Climate Consultant, WindNinja, GBSware CFD simulations, and Radiance daylighting analysis were integrated to assess climatic stresses, outdoor wind environments, indoor ventilation, daylighting, and envelope responses. The results show that patchy, dense, and linear settlement morphologies produce different wind-protection and ventilation performances. Building form factors decrease with altitude from 0.65 to 0.54 and 0.44, while daylighting compliance remains below 10% in all cases. The findings demonstrate the value of multi-scale simulation for diagnosing climate-responsive strategies in vernacular dwellings and provide evidence for highland settlement conservation and climate-responsive building renewal. Full article

Background: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) are primary cicatricial alopecias with no FDA-approved treatments and a limited evidence base for any intervention. Alopecia areata (AA), while better studied, similarly lacks a well-tolerated, locally acting non-pharmacologic option. The 308 nm excimer laser is established in inflammatory dermatoses, yet its role in hair loss conditions has not been systematically characterized. This review provides an updated appraisal of the AA evidence base and the first systematic appraisal of excimer therapy in LPP and FFA. Methods: We searched PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane CENTRAL and synthesized findings narratively, given substantial heterogeneity across included studies. Results: In total, 33 studies reporting 634 unique patients met the inclusion criteria across AA subtypes (patchy/localized, totalis, universalis, ophiasic, and pediatric), LPP, and FFA. Most evidence (30/33 studies, 613/634 patients) pertains to AA, where excimer therapy produced meaningful hair regrowth in a large proportion of patients. Cicatricial data was more limited (3/33 studies, 21/634 patients). LPP data suggest improvement in inflammatory symptoms; FFA results were mixed. Adverse effects were mild and transient, primarily erythema and hyperpigmentation. Conclusions: The use of 308 nm excimer therapy may be a well-tolerated non-pharmacologic option when pharmacologic therapy is contraindicated, poorly tolerated, or inadequately effective, though limited evidence, especially for LPP and FFA, warrants further investigation across these and other conditions not yet studied. Full article

Understanding the long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of soil nutrients in land consolidation areas is essential for sustainable land management. In this study, the changes in soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and soil pH from 1980 to 2023 in the land consolidation area of Anyi County, China, were investigated. A random forest (RF) model was developed using multisource environmental variables, including climate, topography, remote sensing, vegetation, parent material, distance to rivers, and land use. The results revealed three key findings. First, while land consolidation significantly increased overall soil nutrient levels, trends for individual nutrients were highly variable: AP and AK continuously increased over the 40-year period. SOM and AN increased after consolidation but decreased in later years. This process was accompanied by systematic soil acidification. Second, land consolidation substantially restructured the spatial patterns of soil nutrients. SOM and AN became more homogeneously distributed, whereas AP and AK showed increased variability. High-value nutrient areas shifted from contiguous expansion in the early stages to local aggregation and patchy fragmentation over the long term. Third, the RF model demonstrated high predictive accuracy (R² = 0.70 for pH, 0.68 for SOM, 0.63 for AP, and 0.54 for AK), with variable importance analysis identifying distinct environmental drivers for each nutrient. These findings provide a scientific basis for precision fertilization and evidence-based land consolidation planning. Full article

The Duanfengshan deposit, located in the Mufushan area of the middle Jiangnan Orogen, is a large-scale pegmatite-type Nb-Ta deposit. Previous studies have explored the genetic linkage between regional magmatic evolution and Nb-Ta mineralization; however, the specific roles played by magmatic and hydrothermal processes in rare-metal mineralization remain poorly constrained. Focusing on the newly discovered No. 124 dyke with Li-Nb-Ta mineralization, this study systematically divides it into four internal zones, including the graphic texture zone (GT), coarse-grained albite zone (CGA), fine-grained albite zone (FGA), and lepidolite–quartz core (LQ). Monazite U-Pb age of 134.6 ± 1.1 Ma precisely constrains the emplacement age of the dyke to the Early Cretaceous. Coltan in the CGA and FGA exhibit primary homogeneous or oscillatory zoning and are identified as columbite–(Mn), whereas those in the LQ display patchy texture or Ta-enriched overgrowth rims. Mica compositions exhibit continuous evolutionary trends from GT to LQ, with progressive decreases in K/Rb and K/Cs ratios and synchronous increases in F, Li, Cs, Rb, and Ta contents. Such compositional variations drive the transformation of mica species from muscovite, via Li–phengite and zinnwaldite (Li–muscovite), to metasomatic lepidolite. Integrated magmatic–hydrothermal evolution controls overall Li-Nb-Ta mineralization of Dyke No. 124. Early Nb-Ta-Li pre-enrichment within GT and CGA zones is dominated by magmatic fractional crystallization. Mica-based Li-Cs-Rb Rayleigh fractionation evidence demonstrates that the FGA may represent a transitional stage governed by volatile-rich, fluid-unsaturated melts. Massive albite crystallization elevates melt ASI values, lowers coltan solubility, and thus induces extensive Nb-Ta mineral precipitation. Subsequent metasomatism by Ta-Li-F-rich hydrothermal fluids further causes prominent secondary Li and Ta enrichment. Compared with the global typical LCT pegmatites, Dyke No. 124 possesses highly evolved magmatic differentiation. Zone-specific mica geochemical signatures are well coupled with Nb-Ta and Li mineralization, highlighting the favorable integrated Li-Nb-Ta mineralization potential of the dyke. This study improves regional Li-Nb-Ta mineralization theories and supplies reliable geological constraints for further rare-metal prospecting in the Duanfengshan area. Full article

Patchy ionospheric clutter in high frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) exhibits significant non-uniformity and local space time coupling characteristics. However, the best channel method (BCM) algorithm based on the maximum output signal-to-clutter-plus-noise ratio (SCNR) criterion suffers from inaccurate estimation of the clutter-plus-noise covariance matrix under non-homogeneous conditions. In addition, the reduced-dimension clutter subspace does not lie on a single clutter ridge, leading to performance degradation of the space time adaptive processing (STAP) algorithm. To address these issues, this paper proposes a reduced-dimension STAP algorithm based on local space time coupling characteristics. First, a sparse representation method is employed to reconstruct the clutter covariance matrix to improve estimation accuracy. Then, sparse representation is performed in the region near the target to extract candidate clutter channels. Based on the maximum output SCNR criterion, a bilateral alternating channel removal strategy is used to iteratively eliminate clutter channels, while a stopping condition is set to progressively approach a single clutter ridge. Finally, considering the errors introduced by sparse representation and iterative processing, a least-squares method is applied to fit the clutter ridge, and reduced-dimension channels are constructed along the fitted ridge. Experimental results based on measured data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Full article

Riverine mercury biomagnification is most frequently studied via metrics such as the trophic magnification factor (TMF), the biomagnification factor (BMF) and the trophic magnification slope (TMS). However, these metrics prove problematic in lotic systems dominated by benthic macroinvertebrates because short food chains, the frequent lack of fish, patchy basal production and marked spatial heterogeneity obscure the signal that they are meant to extract. We argue that stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) are not merely optional enhancements but are a prerequisite for a mechanistic understanding of the transfer of methylmercury (MeHg). Nitrogen isotopes distinguish among trophic positions not as categories, but as gradients, whilst carbon isotopes reflect the underlying pathways increasingly seen as defining how MeHg enters food webs. Invertebrate studies, published more recently, report systematically lower magnification levels compared to community-based studies and become far more comprehensible when carbon source and trophic pathways are made explicit, with Hg isotopes (δ²⁰²Hg, Δ¹⁹⁹Hg) providing supplementary data about mercury sources and processing. To be able to carry out reliable river monitoring, such frameworks require clarity in choices of background value, discrimination factors and statistical methods. Full article