Search Results (631)

In this paper, we propose a data-driven decision-support approach for conceptual trail planning and management in protected natural areas, where environmental awareness (particularly climatic comfort and noise levels) is critical to ensuring a sustainable and enjoyable visitor mobility. Our case study is the Natural Park of La Mata and Torrevieja in Spain. The paper begins by identifying climate refuges in this park (areas offering shelter from heat and other adverse conditions based on meteorological data). We extend this with a novel comfort indicator that incorporates ambient noise levels, using acoustic data from sensors. A key challenge is the integration of heterogeneous data sources (climatic data and noise data from the park’s digital twin infrastructure). To demonstrate the potential of this approach for trail planning, we implement an A* pathfinding algorithm to explore comfort-oriented routing alternatives, guided by our combined climate-noise comfort index. The algorithm is applied to trail management in the Natural Park of La Mata and Torrevieja, enabling the identification of indicative high-comfort routes that can inform future trail design and management decisions, while accounting for ecological constraints and visitor well-being. Results show that the proposed comfort-aware routing improves average environmental comfort by 66.3% with only an additional 344 m of walking distance. Finally, this work constitutes a first step toward a data space use case, showcasing interoperable, AI-ready environmental data usage and aligning with the European Green Deal. Full article

Freshwater availability is one of the most pressing environmental concerns in arid ecosystems. The use of free-standing water by raptors has been little studied, and in the context of climate change has become increasingly important as extended droughts are expected to become more frequent. We analyzed digital images from camera traps captured in the freshwater springs of Sierra El Mechudo, during summer to early autumn of 2023 and 2024 in Baja California Sur, Mexico. We recorded 165 detections of four raptor species. The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) was the most frequently detected (n = 55), followed by the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) (n = 50), the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) (n = 45), and the Cooper’s Hawk (Astur cooperii), which was observed only in early autumn 2024 (n = 15). The Great Horned Owl exhibited a distinct detection pattern (mainly crepuscular, with the highest peak at 6 a.m.), in contrast with the other three species, which were detected mainly at midday and in the afternoon, during the hottest hours of the day. All raptors were recorded drinking water; however, species differed in the proportion of behaviors they exhibited at the freshwater springs. The Turkey Vulture showed the highest drinking activity (76.3%), whereas both hawks exhibited the same lowest proportions (26.6%) among all species detected. The proportion of behaviors remained constant across years. The time spent at the freshwater springs did not differ across species or years. The Red-tailed Hawk, the Great Horned Owl, and the Turkey Vulture increased their detections at the springs in 2024, when a severe and prolonged drought affected the southern peninsula. The results showed that the importance of freshwater springs for raptors extends beyond their use for drinking only; the surrounding habitat as a refuge and availability of prey in the area are evidently essential for these birds of prey. Further studies should extend research into the diverse use of springs and home ranges of raptors in the southern Baja California peninsula. Full article

Speed limits are widely used in transition zones between rural and urban areas, where road and environmental conditions change and drivers are expected to reduce their speed. These locations often generate particularly complex driver behaviour in response to applied traffic calming measures (TCMs). Previous studies have mainly focused on the effectiveness of individual TCMs in reducing speed; however, analyses directly comparing drivers’ declared behaviours with actual measured speeds remain limited. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of selected TCMs—chicanes, central island, refuges island, and dynamic speed feedback signs (DSFSs)—across 26 transition zones, taking into account land-use characteristics, driver fixation points, and the road’s visual perspective. To evaluate consistency or discrepancies, the declared behaviours of survey respondents assessing these locations were compared with speed measurements collected from other drivers travelling through the same zones. The analyses help define the relationship between drivers’ perception and their actual behaviour, identifying which TCMs, when combined with specific road-environment features, are most effective in achieving the target speed of 50 km/h in built-up areas. The most effective chicanes proved to be those with the greatest width (2.5 m), i.e., almost equal to the width of a traffic lane, as well as those with a width of 2.0 m combined with a change in pavement surface from asphalt to stone paving, or those located upstream of a road section characterised by high curvature and limited visibility. In contrast, symmetrical islands, even with a width of 3.0 m, were found to be completely ineffective. The findings support the development of more effective transition-zone design principles and provide guidance for future mobility strategies, including the integration of automated vehicles in smart cities. Full article

Habitat fragmentation due to anthropogenic pressures threats functional connectivity across landscapes for flying mammals. Tadarida brasiliensis depends on nocturnal movement corridors linking refuge and foraging areas, yet these pathways are increasingly constrained in semi-arid regions of northern Mexico. This study developed and analyzed the potential ecological corridors connecting the main colony of T. brasiliensis located in Santa Eulalia with the Irrigation District 005 Delicias, in Chihuahua, Mexico. We integrated multi-source geospatial data within a geographic information system, including wind speed, terrain slope, normalized difference vegetation index, land surface temperature, distance to rivers, landscape aggregation, nighttime lighting, and distance to roads, power lines, and human settlements. Landscape resistance to movement was assessed using a combined framework based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process, the InVEST-Habitat Quality model, and Least Cost Path analysis, generating composite resistance. Five potential corridors were identified, with ranges of lengths and CWD:EucD ratios of 6.8–34.0 km and 20.4–51.3, respectively, reflecting variable cumulative resistance along pathways. Nighttime lighting and proximity to urban areas were major contributors to high resistance, particularly within urban and agricultural environments. The identified corridor network provides a spatial representation of potential routes and supports landscape-level conservation planning to mitigate anthropogenic pressures and maintain functional connectivity. Full article

We report the results achieved by the Experiment to Study Thunderstorm High-Energy Radiation (ESTHER), a small ground-based project devoted to the investigation of high-energy radiation in thunderstorms, installed on Mt. Etna (Italy), during the first observational campaign of summer 2024. The experimental setup was installed at high altitude, at the Citelli Refuge (1741 m a.s.l.) and at the Etnean Observatory (2818 m a.s.l.), and acquired data for more than 4 months, experiencing 22 days of thunderstorms and recording correlated variations in the gamma-ray background. The most interesting result encountered during these first data takes is the detection of a 6.3 min high-energy event that occurred during an intense thunderstorm, which was recorded at the first installation site, on 22 July 2024. The gamma-ray detection system revealed a high-energy emission consisting of several episodes: an initial weak gamma-ray glowing, a following shallow prolonged emission, and a final intense burst. The last two episodes exhibited a remarkable 511 keV emission, with the last burst releasing more than 12% of its total counts within $511\pm 25$ keV and exhibiting a count rate in that energy range five times higher than that typically encountered in the environmental background. We interpret this emission as the possible result of positron annihilation occurring inside the parent thundercloud. Several lightning discharges took place nearby the installation site, with the closest one occurring at less than 500 m from the detectors, just before the onset of the final burst dominated by positron annihilation. Full article

Understanding how land tenure and socio-economic pressures shape landscape transformation is critical for sustainable management in biodiversity-rich regions. This study examines three decades (1987–2017) of land use and land cover (LU&LC) change in the Ngerenyi area of the Taita Hills, Kenya, by integrating multispectral Landsat analysis with household survey data. Harmonized pre-processing and supervised classification of four LU&LC classes, agriculture, built-up areas, high-canopy vegetation, and low-canopy vegetation, achieved overall accuracies above 80% and Kappa values exceeding 0.75. Transition modeling using the Minimum Information Loss Transition Estimation (MILTE) approach, combined with net-versus-swap metrics, revealed persistent decline and fragmentation of high-canopy vegetation, cyclical transitions between agriculture and low-canopy vegetation, and the near-irreversible expansion of built-up areas. Low-canopy vegetation exhibited the highest dynamism, reflecting both degradation from canopy loss and natural regeneration from fallowed cropland. Household surveys (n = 141) identified agricultural expansion, charcoal production, fuelwood extraction, and population growth as the dominant perceived drivers, with significant variation across tenure categories. The population in Taita Taveta County increased from 205,334 in 2009 to 340,671 in 2019, reinforcing documented pressures on land resources and woody biomass. As part of the Eastern Arc biodiversity hotspot, the landscape’s diminishing high-canopy patches underscore the importance of conserving undisturbed vegetation remnants as ecological baselines and biodiversity refuges. The findings highlight the need for tenure-sensitive, landscape-scale planning that integrates private landowners, regulates subdivision, promotes agroforestry and alternative energy options, and safeguards remaining high-canopy vegetation to enhance ecological resilience while supporting local livelihoods. Full article

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) viruses, particularly IAV (H5N1), continue to pose a major global threat due to their widespread circulation and high mortality rates in birds. Management of HPAI is complicated by challenges in conserving migratory bird populations, sustaining poultry production, and uncertainties in disease dynamics. Structured decision-making frameworks, such as those based on the PrOACT model, are recommended to improve outbreak response and guide critical actions, especially when HPAI virus (HPAIV) detections occur in sensitive areas like wildlife refuges. Surveillance data from late 2024 to early 2025 show persistent HPAI activity, with 743 detections across 22 European countries and beyond, and notable outbreaks in poultry in nations like Hungary, Iceland, and the UK. The proximity of poultry farms to water sources increases environmental contamination risks. Meanwhile, HPAI A(IAV (H5N1)) and other H5Nx viruses have been detected in a wide range of mammalian species globally, raising concerns about mammalian adaptation due to mutations like E627K and D701N in the PB2 protein. Human infections with IAV (H5N1) have also been reported, with recent cases in North America highlighting zoonotic transmission risks. Molecular studies emphasize the importance of monitoring genetic variations associated with increased virulence and antiviral resistance. Preventive strategies focus on biosafety, personal protective measures, and vaccine development for both avian and human populations. Ongoing genetic characterization and vigilant surveillance remain critical to managing the evolving threat posed by HPAI viruses. Full article

We quantified how exhibit design and routine management shape behavior and space use in captive harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Using a species-specific ethogram, scan sampling and focal follows on adult females housed in a modern zoo exhibit, we estimated time budgets, mapped space use across depth-defined zones, and modeled behavior sequences as first-order transition networks. Locomotion dominated activity (swimming/active travel), with resting and enrichment-related behaviors next most frequent; social and play behaviors occurred at low but non-negligible rates. Seals showed clear depth preferences, concentrating active swimming in deeper zones and using liminal/shallow areas for rest. Transition graphs revealed stable, low-entropy loops (e.g., swim → turn/pace → swim) consistent with repetitive locomotor routines, while enrichment and feeding windows temporarily diversified sequences and increased exploration. Overall, integrating time budgets with Markov-style transition analysis and spatial heatmaps provides a compact welfare-oriented dashboard: it identifies where exhibit depth and refuge availability support positive behavioral diversity, flags repetitive cycles as targets for enrichment, and offers actionable metrics to evaluate husbandry changes over time. Full article

Understanding how emotions and psychological states influence both individual and collective actions is critical for expressing the real complexity of biosocial and ecological systems. Recent breakthroughs in mathematical modeling have created new opportunities for systematically integrating these emotion-specific elements into dynamic frameworks ranging from human health to animal ecology and socio-technical systems. This review builds on mathematical modeling approaches by bringing together insights from neuroscience, psychology, epidemiology, ecology, and artificial intelligence to investigate how psychological effects such as fear, stress, and perception, as well as memory, motivation, and adaptation, can be integrated into modeling efforts. This article begins by examining the influence of psychological factors on brain networks, mental illness, and chronic physical diseases (CPDs), followed by a comparative discussion of model structures in human and animal psychology. It then turns to ecological systems, focusing on predator–prey interactions, and investigates how behavioral responses such as prey refuge, inducible defense, cooperative hunting, group behavior, etc., modulate population dynamics. Further sections investigate psychological impacts in epidemiological models, in which risk perception and fear-driven behavior greatly affect disease spread. This review article also covers newly developing uses in artificial intelligence, economics, and decision-making, where psychological realism improves model accuracy. Through combining these several strands, this paper argues for a more subtle, emotionally conscious way to replicate intricate adaptive systems. In fact, this study emphasizes the need to include emotion and cognition in quantitative models to improve their descriptive and predictive ability in many biosocial and environmental contexts. Full article

Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) represents a major threat to maize production across Pakistan, with chemical control serving as the predominant management approach. The intensive application of insecticides, particularly diamide compounds such as chlorantraniliprole, has escalated concerns regarding resistance evolution in field populations. This study evaluated the insecticidal efficacy of seven commonly used compounds against geographically diverse field-collected populations of S. frugiperda from major maize-growing regions of Pakistan, revealing significant inter-population variability in susceptibility profiles. Chlorantraniliprole was selected for comprehensive transgenerational screening based on moderate baseline LC₅₀ values and optimal laboratory colony establishment parameters. A representative field strain underwent six consecutive generations of selection pressure at LC₇₀ concentrations, resulting in a 4.48-fold increase in resistance levels with a realized heritability (h²) of 0.198. Predictive modeling using established quantitative genetic frameworks demonstrated that resistance evolution rates are critically dependent on both selection intensity and genetic parameters. Under constant h² = 0.198, increasing selection intensity substantially accelerated resistance development, with 10-fold resistance achievable in approximately 18 generations at 80% selection intensity (slope = 2.696) compared to 36 generations at lower intensities (slope = 4.696). Sensitivity analysis revealed that heritability variations from 0.148 to 0.248 could reduce generation requirements from >40 to ~25 generations when slope was maintained at 3.696. Life table analyses of the chlorantraniliprole-selected strain demonstrated significant fitness costs manifested as extended developmental periods, reduced reproductive output, and decreased intrinsic rate of population increase (r), indicating evolutionary trade-offs associated with resistance acquisition. These findings provide crucial insights for developing sustainable management strategies, highlighting the importance of integrating resistance monitoring, refuge-based approaches, and rotation with insecticides of different modes of action to delay resistance buildup in field populations. Such data-driven management frameworks are vital for maintaining the long-term efficacy of diamides in Pakistan’s maize production systems. Full article

Rangeland degradation poses a serious challenge for the sustainable management of free-ranging livestock in Mediterranean wetlands. In Doñana National Park, Spain, the endangered Marismeño horse depends exclusively on natural forage, making it essential to monitor vegetation productivity and grazing suitability under increasing climate variability. This study presents a satellite-based assessment of rangeland carrying capacity to support the adaptive management of this iconic breed. A six-year time series (2015–2020) of 1242 images from Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS and Sentinel-2 (L1C/L2A) was processed using ILWIS and Python-based workflows to derive vegetation indices (GNDVI, NDMI) and model aboveground biomass, forage energy, and grazing pressure across five grazing units. Results revealed strong seasonal cycles, with biomass and nutritive value peaking in spring and declining sharply in summer. Ecotonal zones such as La Vera y Sotos acted as crucial refuges during drought-induced resource shortages. The harmonized multi-sensor approach demonstrated high reliability for mapping forage dynamics and assessing carrying capacity at fine scales. This remote sensing framework offers an effective, scalable tool for sustainable livestock management in Doñana, directly supporting biodiversity conservation and the long-term resilience of Mediterranean rangeland ecosystems. Full article

Shrikes (Lanius spp.) are predatory passerines with a diverse diet that often includes lizards, yet their feeding ecology in Greece remains poorly documented. Here, we report the first case of the great grey shrike Lanius excubitor Linnaeus, 1758 preying on the Balkan wall lizard Podarcis tauricus (Georgi, 1801) in Greece. The observation was made in January 2023 in Central Macedonia under unusually mild winter conditions (~20 °C). The shrike captured and impaled an adult female lizard on a thorn. This record extends the known prey spectrum of the species and underscores the influence of climatic anomalies on predator–prey interactions. Full article

As coal mining operations extend deeper underground, the importance of refuge chambers as temporary shelters for miners grows given the heightened risk of accidents. The severe geothermal conditions in deep mines present significant challenges to temperature regulation within these chambers, potentially subjecting miners to hazardous heat exposure. The utilization of phase change plates (PCPs) presents a promising approach to improving temperature regulation performance. To systematically investigate the enhancement effects of nano-graphite particles (NGPs) and fin structures on the thermal performance of phase change materials (PCMs), this study conducted thermophysical property tests and temperature-controlled melting experiments to analyze the influence of varying NGP concentrations on the thermal characteristics of PCMs, while observing their melting behavior. Four PCP models were designed: base PCM, PCM with NGPs, plate fin, and pin fin. Based on the enthalpy-porosity method, numerical simulations were performed to systematically evaluate the melting kinetics and temperature regulation performance of each design under extended operation conditions. The findings indicate that while NGP doping markedly increases the thermal conductivity and peak melting temperature of the PCM, it also results in a reduction in latent heat capacity. The NGP-enhanced No. 25 paraffin wax (RT25) PCP reduced the surface temperature by 1.02 °C compared to the base material. During extended operation, the NGP-based model outperformed others, maintaining effective temperature regulation for 149.8 h, 13 h longer than the base PCM and exceeding the standard requirement by 53.8 h. This underscores its notable advantages in thermal management. These advancements offer a valuable reference for the utilization of PCP in refuge chambers, thereby augmenting their temperature regulation capabilities. Full article

Religion can provide comfort, a sense of purpose and community support, but when it comes to mental health, it may also have a negative impact by triggering feelings of guilt, fear and social stigma. The aim of this study is to explore the medical students’ beliefs about possible impact of religion on mental health. A 16-item questionnaire was distributed online to 100 medical students with different religious backgrounds. It assessed beliefs, the frequency of religious activities and the perceived influence on mental health. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test (via GraphPad Prism 10.5.0 (774) software). The participants were young adults (61% aged 20–25), predominately female (59%) and Islam was the most represented religion (51%). 64% reported mental struggles and 76% had faced hardships that affected their mental state. Among these, 66% said hardships brought them closer to faith and 85% found religious refuge helpful. Also, 83% valued religious community support. On the other hand, 56% have reported frequent feeling of guilt related to religious practices and 41% believe that being too religious can affect mental health. Significant associations were found between level of religious practice and several beliefs, indicating differences in how more and less practicing individuals perceived guilt, religious coping, and the impact of hardships. Religion may provide psychological support, offering effective coping tools and emotional help. However, it may also contribute to mental distress through guilt and social stigma. These findings highlight the need for culturally and spiritually sensitive mental health care that respects each individual’s beliefs. Full article

Small urban parks are the dominant form of green spaces in most Japanese cities and hold great potential for heat stress mitigation. However, most research has focused on large urban parks, leaving a knowledge gap in how small parks can be designed to mitigate heat. Given that small parks are primarily used for rest, we focused on resting areas and assessed their thermal conditions in three typical small parks in Kyoto, Japan. We then examined how the spatial arrangements of park elements influenced thermal conditions. Results revealed that nearly half of the resting areas were uncomfortable, underscoring the urgent need for spatial design improvements. Linear mixed-effects models showed that while shade elements, such as tree canopies and roofs, most effectively enhanced thermal perception, their effectiveness was distance- and orientation-dependent. We also found a critical mismatch between green ground and shade elements that adversely affected thermal conditions. Our findings highlight that strategic spatial design, particularly the thoughtful placement of shade elements and resting areas, is the key to providing thermal comfort in small urban parks. This study provides evidence that small parks can act as urban heat spots if poorly designed, but with appropriate design they can become cool refuges. Full article