Search Results (2,792)

Cultivated land fragmentation has become a critical constraint on regional agricultural sustainable development. Revealing its spatial patterns and driving mechanisms is of great significance for optimizing the utilization and management of cultivated land resources and enhancing regional agricultural productivity. This study focuses on the main grain-producing areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. It constructs a Cultivated Land Fragmentation Index (CLFI) using an integrated method that combines landscape index analysis with an entropy-weighted approach, based on 2023 land-use data. The optimal analytical grain size and extent were determined before employing geographic detectors to identify dominant factors influencing cultivated land fragmentation. The key findings include the following: (1) The appropriate spatial resolution for fragmentation analysis was identified as 330 m, with an optimal analysis extent of 8910 m. (2) CLFI values ranged from 0.001 to 0.973, exhibiting significant spatial heterogeneity. The central plains and northeastern regions demonstrated low fragmentation levels and better contiguous cultivated land distribution, while the western and peripheral areas showed higher fragmentation. A provincial-scale comparison revealed that Jiangxi Province had the highest fragmentation level (0.255), whereas Jiangsu Province had the lowest (0.146). The topographic gradient analysis indicated a decreasing trend from the Guizhou Plateau (0.503) to the North China Plain (0.125), with plateaus and basins showing significantly higher fragmentation than hilly and plain regions. (3) Dominant controlling factors varied among provinces: In provinces with greater topographic relief (Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi), natural factors like elevation, slope gradient, and NDVI primarily controlled fragmentation patterns; in contrast, socioeconomic factors such as nighttime light intensity dominated in Jiangsu Province, characterized by flat terrain and high urbanization. Multi-factor interactions generally enhanced explanatory power regarding spatial patterns, confirming that cultivated land fragmentation is a result of comprehensive multi-factor interactions. This study reveals the spatial distribution characteristics of cultivated land fragmentation at the pixel scale in the study region, providing theoretical foundations and decision-making references for the efficient utilization of cultivated land resources and rural land system reforms. Full article

Grasslands globally are threatened by loss and degradation as shifting factors in climate and management put them at risk. These grassland ecosystems support local economies and are a center of biodiversity, which makes understanding the risks that affect them key to effectively protecting them. One major risk to grasslands is woody plant encroachment, and reliable management hinges on understanding its patterns. A major challenge of woody plant encroachment is detecting it at early stages (<20% cover). This study investigated the utility of a combination of environmental features and remotely sensed data for differentiating varying levels of woody plant encroachment in a montane Canadian grassland. The response of woody species to environmental factors including slope and available moisture varied by individual species. As in past studies, it was challenging to separate the early stages of encroachment using base spectral bands or NDVI, even with the use of higher-resolution satellite imagery. Bands in the yellow and red wavelength regions both showed promise for shrub detection, providing more between band separability and key modeling components. The spatial resolution and band combinations used here were able to model woody plant cover levels, helping to facilitate the implementation of effective management in combating woody plant encroachment. Full article

Understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying consumer loyalty behavior constitutes a central challenge for the behavioral sciences. Despite growing research on experiential marketing, limited attention has been directed toward understanding the conditional cognitive mechanisms that determine when and how consumption experiences translate into stable loyalty patterns, particularly in emerging market contexts where consumer behavior dynamics differ substantially from those in mature economies. The present study examines how experiential processing influences the formation of behavioral loyalty patterns, considering the moderating role of cognitive value evaluation. A quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional design was employed with a sample of 500 consumers from retail businesses in Pueblo Nuevo, Peru. The instruments demonstrated adequate psychometric properties (α > 0.88; AVE > 0.50). The results of the moderation analysis using PROCESS Model 1 revealed that the model explains 79.9% of the variance in loyalty behavior (R² = 0.799, p < 0.001). The interaction effect was significant (B = 0.10, p < 0.001), confirming that cognitive value evaluation moderates the relationship between experiential processing and behavioral loyalty. Simple slopes analysis showed that the effect of experiential processing on loyalty intensifies as perceived value increases, ranging from B = 0.56 at low levels to B = 0.77 at high levels. The Johnson–Neyman criterion identified the transition point at 14.80. These findings contribute to consumer behavior theory by demonstrating that consumption experiences require a favorable cognitive evaluation to translate into stable behavioral loyalty patterns, with implications for Sustainable Development Goal 8 concerning sustainable economic growth. These results advance consumer behavior theory by providing an integrative moderating framework applicable beyond the Peruvian context, and offer retail managers a diagnostic tool for calibrating experiential strategies based on consumer value perception thresholds. Full article

This study explores interpretation methods for determining the preconsolidation stress from one-dimensional consolidation test results. Twelve reconstituted clay specimens with targeted preconsolidation stresses of 60 and 120 kPa were prepared using commercial kaolinite and marine clays collected from coastal regions of South Korea. Five representative interpretation methods were applied, and the influence of maximum applied stress levels of 320, 640, and 1280 kPa was evaluated. The results indicate that the estimated preconsolidation stress varies considerably depending on both the interpretation method and the maximum applied stress, particularly for rounded compression curves with gradually changing virgin compression slopes. To address these limitations, a new interpretation approach is proposed. The method utilizes the rebound slope obtained from an unload–reload cycle and defines the virgin compression line through linear regression without identifying the recompression–virgin compression boundary. The proposed method demonstrated reduced sensitivity to the maximum applied stress and provided more reproducible estimates for rounded compression curves, although further validation using natural clays considering sample disturbance effects is required. Full article

Slope displacements (δ) have been shown to correlate uniquely with the earthquake energy (E_eq) contributing to slope sliding, regardless of input motion characteristics. Based on this principle, this study applies the Energy-Based Newmark Method to infinitely long slopes subjected to ten diverse earthquake records with stepwise scaled amplitudes. As the earthquake wave energy (Eᵤ) increases, the energy ratio (E_eq/Eᵤ) exhibits a distinct peak followed by a monotonic decrease. The peak values and corresponding Eᵤ levels strongly depend on the predominant frequencies (f_p) of the motions, consistent with results from harmonic wave analyses. A unified design diagram is developed to correlate E_eq/Eᵤ with Eᵤ, incorporating f_p and slope parameters. Since both Eᵤ and f_p can be determined from design motions or empirically predicted using earthquake magnitudes and source distances, the slope displacement δ can be directly obtained from the diagram, eliminating the need for time-domain numerical simulations used in the conventional Newmark approaches. This method is recommended to conduct seismic zonation and hazard mapping in mountainous and hilly regions for regional authorities and infrastructure planners. Full article

Invasive candidiasis is a severe opportunistic infection whose incidence may be influenced by major disruptive events. The COVID-19 pandemic substantially altered hospital dynamics in Colombia. This study aimed to evaluate temporal trends, seasonality, and potential changes in the incidence of invasive candidiasis between 2019 and 2024. We conducted an observational time-series study using confirmed cases of invasive candidiasis from medium- and high-complexity hospitals in three major Colombian cities. Cases were aggregated quarterly. An interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis was performed. A total of 1294 cases were analyzed. An increasing trend was observed until mid-2022, followed by a decline during 2023. Seasonal decomposition revealed persistent seasonality with recurrent peaks in the second and fourth quarters. The ITS analysis did not demonstrate statistically significant changes in level or slope after the interruption (p > 0.05), although clinically relevant fluctuations were observed. No significant differences in temporal trends were identified across Candida species. Invasive candidiasis in Colombia exhibited a complex temporal evolution during and after the COVID-19 pandemic characterized by sustained seasonality and an increase followed by a decline. Although the ITS analysis did not identify statistically significant post-pandemic changes, the findings support the use of time-series models as valuable tools for epidemiological surveillance and trend monitoring. Full article

Urban rooftop photovoltaic systems represent a substantial yet still underutilized renewable energy resource, particularly in high-density residential environments. Accurate large-scale assessment of rooftop solar potential, however, remains challenging due to the complex geometry of urban morphology and the limited availability of high-resolution geospatial data. This study presents a large-scale methodological framework for estimating the theoretical photovoltaic potential of urban rooftop spaces using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-based digital photogrammetry and GIS-based spatial analysis. The approach integrates centimeter-resolution Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and orthophotos derived from fixed-wing UAS surveys with detailed rooftop vectorization and solar radiation modeling implemented in a GIS environment. The methodology accounts for rooftop geometry, surface orientation, slope, shading effects, and rooftop-mounted obstacles. The methodology consists of data collection of high-resolution RGB imagery suitable for detailed three-dimensional reconstruction. The images are captured with a UAS equipped with a S.O.D.A. 3D photogrammetric camera, creating a dense, georeferenced three-dimensional point cloud based on UAS imagery. Based on the point cloud, a high-resolution Digital Surface Model (DSM) was produced. Rooftop boundaries and rooftop-mounted structures were digitized on the basis of an orthophoto created from UAS imagery. The analysis workflow consists of solar modeling using ArcGIS Pro, including calculating the solar radiation. The next methodological step is to filter low radiation rooftops, steep slopes, and northern-oriented rooftops. Finally, we calculate the potential electricity production. The framework was applied to high-density residential districts in Sofia, Bulgaria, dominated by prefabricated panel buildings with predominantly flat rooftops. Drone applications in such studies are typically restricted to modeling individual roofs, which severely limits their scalability for district-wide evaluations. To overcome this, the study employs a specialized fixed-wing UAS uniquely certified for legal operations over densely populated urban environments. This platform rapidly maps large territories, ensuring consistent lighting and shading conditions that significantly enhance the accuracy of subsequent rooftop digitization. Furthermore, the resulting centimeter-level precision enables the exact vectorization of micro-rooftop obstacles. Capturing these intricate details is a critical innovation that effectively prevents the overestimation of solar energy potential commonly observed in conventional large-scale models. Solar radiation was modeled at the pixel level for a full annual cycle and filtered using photovoltaic suitability criteria, including minimum annual radiation thresholds, slope, and aspect constraints. Theoretical electricity production was subsequently estimated using zonal statistics and system performance parameters representative of contemporary photovoltaic installations. The results indicate a total theoretical annual electricity potential of approximately 76.7 GWh for the analyzed rooftop spaces, with an average production of about 34 MWh per rooftop and pronounced spatial variability driven by rooftop geometry and exposure conditions. The findings demonstrate the significant renewable energy potential embedded in existing urban rooftop infrastructure and highlight the applicability of UAS-based photogrammetry for high-resolution, large-area solar potential assessments. The proposed framework provides actionable information for urban energy planning, municipal solar cadaster development, and the strategic integration of photovoltaic systems into dense urban environments, particularly in regions lacking open-access high-resolution geospatial datasets. Full article

In heart failure (HF), elevated blood lactate levels, particularly during exercise or in advanced disease stages, reflect impaired tissue perfusion and altered metabolic regulation. Beyond its traditional role as a marker of anaerobic metabolism, lactate has emerged as a dynamic indicator of metabolic reserve and ventilatory control. This narrative review summarizes current evidence on lactate dynamics at rest and during exercise, highlighting their pathophysiological and clinical relevance. In HF patients, exercise-induced lactate accumulation occurs earlier and at lower workloads, reflecting impaired oxidative capacity and reduced peripheral oxygen utilization. This phenomenon is closely associated with ventilatory inefficiency, as demonstrated by the relationship between lactate levels and the VE/VCO₂ slope during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Emerging data suggest that lactate is not only a marker of disease severity but also a potential mediator of chemoreflex activation and abnormal ventilatory responses. Furthermore, both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions may influence lactate production and utilization, supporting its role as a potential tool for therapeutic monitoring. Overall, the integration of lactate assessment, particularly during exercise, into clinical evaluation may provide additional insight into disease mechanisms, improve risk stratification, and contribute to personalized therapeutic optimization in patients with HF. Full article

Utilizing excavated waste soil to level gullies offers significant advantages in terms of engineering economy and construction efficiency. However, the stability and deformation risks of high-fill embankments in mountainous gullies under rainfall conditions have attracted significant attention, particularly when such structures are located adjacent to residential areas. This study compares two design schemes for highway high-fill embankments, Scheme 1: high-fill slope supported by stabilizing piles and prestressed anchors, and Scheme 2: ordinary waste soil as the core, foamed lightweight soil (EPS) as the edge band, and reinforcement by a micro-pile retaining wall system. Finite element analysis was used to evaluate the Factor of Safety (FOS), displacements of retaining structures, and characteristic slope points under three conditions (no rainfall, heavy rainfall, and heavy rainfall with soil strength deterioration). The results show that Scheme 2 reduces total costs by 3.5%, shortens the construction period by 14%, and cuts maintenance costs by 65%, with a minimum FOS of 1.56 under extreme rainfall. Further parametric analysis of Scheme 2 optimized key design parameters, and field monitoring data over 6 months verified the reliability of the numerical simulation. This study provides a transferable design-verification pathway for combining lightweight and conventional fills in high embankments, offering technical support for similar projects in complex mountainous areas. Full article

Shoreline change detection from remote sensing imagery remains challenging in environments subject to water level fluctuations, as remotely sensed shoreline positions reflect instantaneous hydrodynamic states rather than true geomorphic change. In the Great Lakes, seasonal and short-term water level variations can produce apparent shoreline shifts unrelated to sediment dynamics. Reliable calibration with bathymetry and water level data can mitigate this effect, but such data are often unavailable or difficult to obtain for many coastal and lacustrine systems worldwide. To address this limitation, we proposed a morphology-based framework that quantifies geometric change between successive shoreline curves using a discrete Fréchet distance, a modified Euclidean distance and a Union distance metric. Rather than relying solely on cross-shore displacements, the approach leverages shape similarity to differentiate water-level-driven shifts from true morphological change. We evaluated the framework across three spatial scales (100 m, 500 m, and 1000 m) along 125 km of southwestern Lake Michigan coastline using 2010 and 2020 aerial imagery, benchmarking against water-level-calibrated DSAS erosion hotspots. The Fréchet distance improved monotonically with scale, achieving strong agreement at 1000 m (F1 = 0.84, Spearman $\rho$ = 0.79) but limited reliability at 100 m. While individual morphology-based metrics appeared competitive with or inferior to uncalibrated DSAS at each scale, the union of both distances substantially outperformed uncalibrated DSAS at management-relevant scales (F1 of 0.64 vs. 0.50 at 500 m and 0.79 vs. 0.42 at 1000 m), reflecting the complementary nature of shape-based and displacement-based detection. The Patient Rule Induction Method (PRIM) further identified gentle nearshore slopes and moderate separation from engineered structures as the geomorphic conditions under which the morphology-based and calibrated erosion indicators converged most closely (in-box F1 = 0.92 at 1000 m and 0.72 at 500 m). These results suggest that the proposed framework, particularly the complementary union of both metrics, provides a practical, calibration-free alternative for multiscale shoreline change screening in lacustrine and microtidal, data-limited environments, while local-scale applications still benefit from explicit water-level correction. Full article

Traditional villages in ecologically fragile and multi-ethnic frontier regions are increasingly threatened by rapid urbanization and socio-economic transformation. Northwestern Yunnan, located in the longitudinal valleys of the Hengduan Mountains, represents a key cultural landscape of plateau agropastoral civilization and ethnic interaction, yet its spatial organization and clustering mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. This study develops a four-dimensional analytical framework integrating four dimensions—spatial morphology (village distribution patterns and density), geomorphological conditions (elevation, slope, and terrain features), cultural attributes (ethnic composition and historical-cultural corridors), and architectural typologies (dominant residential structure types) to examine 246 officially recognized traditional villages. Using GIS-based spatial statistics, kernel density estimation (KDE), spatial autocorrelation, and a hierarchical overlay model, the study identifies the spatial structure (distribution patterns and density gradients), environmental adaptability (relationships with elevation, slope, and hydrological conditions), and multidimensional clustering characteristics (integrated clustering intensity across four analytical dimensions) of settlements. The results reveal a highly uneven and a statistically significant clustered spatial pattern (R = 0.606, Moran’s I = 0.251, p < 0.05) characterized by a “two corridors–six clusters–multiple nodes” structure. Settlement distribution demonstrates strong coupling with mid-elevation plateau basins, river valley systems, and trade-cultural corridors shaped by the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Multidimensional integration further classifies villages into three typologies—comprehensive, specialized, and general clusters—reflecting different levels of coordination among spatial, environmental, cultural, and architectural dimensions. These findings reveal the spatial regularities and multidimensional clustering characteristics of officially recognized traditional villages in Northwestern Yunnan, and suggest that environmental setting, historical corridors, and cultural-architectural features jointly shape the current recognized heritage landscape. The proposed framework provides a context-sensitive basis for differentiated heritage conservation and rural management in mountainous multi-ethnic regions. Full article

Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is a global problem affecting the environment and public health. The current landfill’s useful life is reaching its end, making new site selection a priority to guarantee proper MSW management. This research evaluated the suitability of the metropolitan area of the municipalities of Chihuahua, Aldama, and Aquiles Serdan, using Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) integrated with Multi-criteria Decision-making (MCDM) and hierarchical analysis, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine potential sites for new Metropolitan landfill development in a semi-arid region. Results showed that 44.7% of the areas studied present a high suitability level, while 29.52% corresponds to a very high suitability level. These areas are located mainly in the north and center zones of the Chihuahua and Aldama municipalities, with some isolated areas in Aquiles Serdan. The key selection criteria were airport distance, land slope, and proximity to the intermunicipal boundary, which enabled the identification of sites with lower environmental impact and greater technical and economic feasibility. This study demonstrates that SDSS and GIS are efficient tools for identifying potential landfill sites. The results highlight the importance of integrating technical, environmental, and social criteria into MSW management planning to achieve sustainable, efficient management in the region. Full article

Optical-fibre daylighting systems (OFDS) harvest solar energy as a renewable lighting resource by delivering sunlight deep into green buildings. This emerging technology for sustainable infrastructure reduces electric-lighting demand; however, reported performance is difficult to compare across heterogeneous designs, metrics, and validation practices. Therefore, a PRISMA 2020–reported systematic literature review (SLR) of OFDS studies from three databases (Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science; 2000–2025) was conducted, synthesising primary research that quantifies system- or component-level performance, with a focus on (i) plastic optical fibre (POF) transmission characteristics; and (ii) POF-based illuminance model validation. After de-duplication and screening, 106 primary studies were included, and two meta-analyses were performed where data were harmonised from 29 studies in total. Across reported POF configurations, attenuation ranged from 150 to 800 dB/km with a pooled mean of 332.8 dB/km, corresponding to a mean 1 m transmission of 92.7% and median design length scales of ∼3.7 m for 80% transmission and ∼11.6 m to half-power. Across illuminance validation datasets, models showed high linear agreement with experimental measurements (coefficient of determination ($R^2$) = 0.99; slope = 0.99) but typically underpredicted illuminance (geometric mean ratio = 1.16; mean absolute error (MAE) = 27.3 lux; mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 17.6%). These findings underscore the need for a standardised evaluation framework, including consistent metric definitions, robust uncertainty reporting, and reusable validation datasets to enable variance-weighted synthesis, while also identifying short-run POF routing as a key lever for improving system efficiency. In addition to providing the OFDS research agenda, this study serves as a roadmap for the industrial development of daylighting systems for green buildings based on harvesting solar energy, with its novelty lying in the PRISMA-guided evidence synthesis and quantitative meta-analytic consolidation of POF transmission and illuminance-validation performance. Full article

In response to the complex erosion environment caused by periodic water level fluctuations, dry–wet cycles, and long-term water flow scouring on the Yangtze River bank, three typical soil-fixing and bank-protecting plants, Cynodon dactylon, Carex breviculmis, and Digitaria sanguinalis, which can adapt to both aquatic and terrestrial conditions, were selected for planting experiments. Tests on root–soil composite shear strength, disintegration, and water flow scouring were conducted to investigate the effects of different bank-protecting plants on bank stabilization. The results show that: 1. The root systems of the three plants significantly enhance the soil shear strength at various soil depths, but the reinforcing effect decreases with increasing soil depth. The cohesion strength of the root–soil composites ranks as Carex breviculmis > Digitaria sanguinalis > Cynodon dactylon, with maximum increases of 54.83 kPa, 20.66 kPa, and 6.5 kPa, respectively, equivalent to 3.16, 1.82, and 1.26 times that of bare soil. 2. Under dry–wet cycling, the water stability of the root–soil composites is significantly higher than that of bare soil. The disintegration residual rate of Cynodon dactylon and Digitaria sanguinalis decreased from 81.76% to 38.23% and from 80.18% to 34.34%, respectively, whereas Carex breviculmis showed only a slight decrease from 80.41% to 75.1%. Carex breviculmis exhibits the strongest stability and is least affected by dry–wet cycles, while the water stability of Cynodon dactylon and Digitaria sanguinalis declines noticeably with increasing cycle numbers. The plants’ ability to improve soil water stability ranks as Carex breviculmis > Cynodon dactylon > Digitaria sanguinalis. 3. The enhancement of bank erosion resistance is mainly attributed to the formation of a root-reinforced network, which strengthens the soil through root–soil interlocking and anchorage, thereby increasing resistance to flow-induced shear stress and reducing particle detachment under hydraulic action. The bank erosion resistance index ranks as Carex breviculmis > Cynodon dactylon > Digitaria sanguinalis, and decreasing with increasing runoff velocity. Compared to bare soil slopes, the maximum enhancement effects on bank erosion resistance are 75.1%, 63.3%, and 54.2% respectively. Full article

Background: The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization of AirPods Pro as over-the-counter hearing aids (HAs) has increased interest in consumer devices as potential alternatives to traditional amplification; however, their electroacoustic performance relative to clinically fitted HAs remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare the electroacoustic characteristics and real-ear measures of AirPods Pro 2nd generation (APP2), AirPods Pro 3rd generation (APP3), and a traditional receiver-in-the-canal HA across mild flat, mild-to-moderate sloping, and moderate flat hearing loss configurations. Methods: Outcome measures included 2cc coupler output curves, saturation sound pressure level for a 90 dB input (SSPL90), real-ear speech mapping, maximum power output (MPO), and real-ear-to-coupler differences. Results: Coupler-based electroacoustic measures showed that APP2 and APP3 produced output comparable to the traditional HA (within 7 dB). SSPL90 outputs were similar for APP2 and APP3, whereas the HA demonstrated profile-dependent increases. In contrast, real-ear measurements demonstrated that both APP2 and APP3 consistently produced less output relative to the HA that was fitted to NAL-NL2 targets, with the largest deviations observed for moderate hearing loss and at higher frequencies (up to 14 dB). Across all configurations, MPO was consistently highest for the HA, with both AirPods devices exhibiting reduced maximum output, especially in speech-critical frequency regions. Real-ear-to-coupler difference findings indicated reduced acoustic coupling for APP3 relative to APP2 and the HA, contributing to reduced in-ear amplification despite comparable coupler outputs. Conclusions: While AirPods Pro may offer benefit for mild hearing loss or moderate high-frequency hearing loss, they do not provide output comparable to prescriptively fitted HAs. These findings underscore the continued importance of clinical verification and prescription-based fitting of hearing assistive technology for achieving appropriate audibility across hearing loss configurations. Full article