Search Results (1,182)

This study comprehensively explores the environmental implications of two feeding strategies in pig farming, focusing on three scenarios: Brazilian tables (BT-2017), NRC (NRC-2012), and AGPIC (AGPIC-2021). The comparison involves conventional phase-feeding (CON) and the daily fit model (DFM). The five-phase system provided the same diet to all pigs within a group during each proposed phase. In contrast, the DFM adjusted the diet based on the nutritional requirements of pigs, anticipating subsequent diets through daily adjustments. We employed a cradle-to-gate approach, with the functional unit defined as one barrow with an initial body weight of 20.61 ± 0.85 kg, raised to 138.94 ± 0.90 kg over a 120-day growing-finishing period. Input data were sourced from observed commercial records from pig farms in Brazil, including over 1,000,000 data points from pigs raised under standard industry conditions. We evaluated the impact of the life cycle by considering factors such as acidification, climate change, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, land use, resource use, and water use. The OpenLCA software (version 1.11.0) and the Environmental Footprint 3.0 impact assessment method were used. Our results indicate that the DFM consistently outperforms the CON strategy in terms of reducing environmental impacts. Among the three scenarios, BT-2017 results in higher environmental impact reductions compared with NRC-2012 and AGPIC-2021. This is due to the higher concentration of corn and soybean meal in diets. Notable reductions include in relation to land use-related climate change impacts (12.55%), freshwater eutrophication (6.21%), mineral and metal resource depletion (6.11%), and fossil resource use (4.88%). These findings highlight that even modest adjustments to feeding strategies can effectively reduce the environmental footprint of pig farming. Full article

Rapid urbanization has intensified the need for vibrant, walkable, and socially sustainable urban environments, particularly within mixed-use and commercial districts. The way buildings and streets are spatially configured in these districts plays a critical role in shaping pedestrian movement, spatial accessibility, commercial vitality, and social interaction within these environments. This paper investigates the role of spatial configuration in shaping the resilience and sustainability of urban commercial districts through a comprehensive review of recent space syntax applications. The review synthesizes methodological approaches for examining spatial structures, urban morphology, spatial accessibility, and urban activity patterns, including segment-based spatial analysis, visibility graph analysis, agent-based modeling, and predictive spatial simulation. This study consolidates recent methodological developments in spatial analytics and identifies key analytical trends that clarify how spatial configuration contributes to urban vitality and sustainability in commercial districts. Particular attention is given to the methodological evolution of space syntax research and its increasing integration with complementary datasets and analytical frameworks for evaluating urban vitality. Across the reviewed studies, highly integrated and spatially accessible street networks were consistently associated with higher pedestrian flow, greater commercial density, stronger land-use clustering, and improved walkability, particularly within compact, mixed-use urban districts. Movement-based metrics such as integration and Normalized Angular Choice (NACH) repeatedly emerged as dominant predictors of pedestrian movement, land-use intensity, and commercial concentration. Despite significant methodological advances in spatial analysis, a persistent gap remains in linking configurational metrics with lived human experience and broader social sustainability outcomes. Overall, the findings demonstrate that spatial configuration is a fundamental driver of walkability, commercial vitality, and socio-spatial interaction, reinforcing the growing role of space syntax as a framework for evidence-based and sustainable urban design. Full article

This study examines the preservation of cultural landscapes in Asian heritage villages, using the Qiaonan Village in China as a case study. The study proposes an integrated model that combines macro-level planning, meso-level governance and micro-level community participation. Key findings show that only 32% of residents perceive the distribution of tourism benefits as fair, while a GIS analysis revealed a 28% increase in commercial land use within the heritage core between 2019 and 2022, indicating rising commercialisation pressures. The study explores the tensions between heritage conservation and tourism-driven development, with a focus on spatial integrity and local identity. It suggests that co-management and equitable benefit-sharing could strike a balance between economic growth, preservation, and community well-being. Rather than offering validated solutions, the research provides a diagnostic lens and generates hypotheses for other heritage villages. The transferability of these findings depends on local governance capacity, regulatory clarity, and the stage of tourism development, factors that will require systematic assessment in future comparative research. Full article

Efficient storm drainage systems (SDSs) play a pivotal role in sustainable urban development. In arid regions, urban SDS often underperform during prolonged dry periods, leaving them inoperable due to sediment buildup and clogging from the intrusion of sprawling waste. Municipalities either rely on emergency response to flooding complaints or inspect storm sewers individually to handle flash floods and conserve high-value rainwater. The present study developed a risk-based decision-analysis framework for resource-efficient inspection and maintenance (I&M) planning of SDS to prioritize geographically clustered sub-zones. The study applied the framework to a case study of three urban zones with varying population densities and land use distributions in Buraydah, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. The framework integrates fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) to address data limitations and subjective expert knowledge, with geographic information system (GIS)-based spatial analysis to assess three risk factors: likelihood, consequences, and detectability of sewer clogging potential. In addition to traditional likelihood-based evaluation of the susceptibility of smaller sewers to sediment accumulation due to performance anomalies, the consequence analysis augmented the process by considering land-use characteristics, exemplified by commercial areas exhibiting higher socio-economic losses than open spaces that buffer excess runoff. The detectability factor consolidated the decision analysis by incorporating the impacts of past delayed inspections, deep manholes, and scattered construction-related waste on clogging potential. The analysis identified sub-zones with aged sewers, deep manholes, long-awaited inspections, and high population densities, resulting in a high risk. GIS maps showing distinct impacts of the three factors on overall flood risk facilitate municipalities facing unique urban flooding challenges arising from sediment accumulation during long dry periods, followed by short-duration, high-intensity rainfall. Full article

Due to drought stress caused by climate change, a growing global population, and limited land resources, interest in sustainable agriculture is growing. In this study, we evaluate the impact of commercial plant-based probiotics, several beneficial microorganisms, and calcium salts on the growth and yield of winter wheat and winter rapeseed under limited water resources. The study was conducted in field conditions in two countries simultaneously with different climatic conditions: Spain and Lithuania. Soil was supplemented with calcium in two forms: CaCO₃ and CaCl₂. Seeds were treated with microorganisms before sowing, and plants were sprayed with them in the spring. The plants inoculated with beneficial microorganisms showed improvement in yield, with harvest index increasing by 5–10% in treated plants. Grain yield was enhanced across treatments, with ProbioHumus + CaCO₃ showing the highest yield in Lithuania. Additionally, treated plants exhibited significantly lower stress indicators, with Bacillus subtilis + CaCl₂ decreasing lipid peroxidation by 27%. This study provides further evidence that plant treatment with beneficial microorganisms and calcium can contribute to a more environmentally sustainable agriculture. Full article

The development of a 3D digital cadastre is a key objective of Australia’s Cadastre 2034 strategy for modernising land information infrastructure. Jurisdictions across Australia are progressively transitioning from conventional 2D cadastral systems towards 3D cadastral models to better represent complex land and property rights, particularly in dense urban environments. In New South Wales (NSW), LandXML is currently the standard for digital cadastral lodgement. However, its limitations in supporting 3D spatial data representation have prompted investigation of alternative standards such as LandInfra and its InfraGML encoding. The aim of this study is to investigate how LandInfra handles existing cadastral information in New South Wales, Australia. In particular, this study is a technical and structural comparison of LandXML and InfraGML, examining data modelling workflows and geometric encoding. A hybrid research methodology integrating Design Science Research (DSR) and Case Study Research (CSR) was applied. Two representative cadastral plans—a standard deposited plan and a strata plan—were digitised using LISCAD 2025 v25.9.23.1 and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2026 V1 and subsequently modelled in both LandXML and InfraGML formats. Validation was conducted using KITModelViewer and schema validators, with comparative analysis of development cycle, modelling structure, usability, and workflow. This study demonstrates that InfraGML offers semantic richness and structural flexibility compared to LandXML within the scope of the examined case studies, although its practical adoption is constrained by limited commercial software support and may present adoption challenges for practitioners. The findings of this research suggest that LandInfra offers considerable potential for advancing the future development of 3D cadastre in Australia. In this context, InfraGML is positioned as a promising data standard for ongoing investigation and future research, rather than an immediate substitute for LandXML. Within the scope of this study, a fully operational 3D cadastral implementation is neither developed nor validated within existing legal or institutional frameworks, and complex 3D scenarios are not addressed. Future research should explore integration with CAD platforms, legislative implications of 3D survey features, complex volumetric cases, and formal 3D topological validation, and alternative modelling approaches, such as using Nested Parcels method and InfraJSON encoding. Full article

This article reassesses agrarian expansion in al-Andalus between the tenth and twelfth centuries within the broader context of medieval economic growth in the western Mediterranean. It challenges the idea of a uniform “Islamic Green Revolution” by combining archaeological, archaeobotanical, landscape, and textual evidence to examine three key aspects: the uneven chronology of agrarian change, the social actors involved, and the consequences of commercialization and fiscal intensification. The study shows that agrarian transformation was gradual and not driven by a single group. Peasant communities played a central role in cultivating drylands, managing small-scale irrigation, and developing local exchange networks that strengthened regional markets. Meanwhile, state institutions and urban elites promoted large irrigation systems, invested in market-oriented estates, and integrated rural production into fiscal and commercial structures. These processes stimulated economic growth and increased productivity but also led to land concentration, dispossession, and rising social tensions. By emphasizing the interaction between peasant agency, elite investment, and extractive political systems, the article argues for an integrated interpretation that links growth, inequality, and conflict, offering a more nuanced understanding of Andalusi agrarian landscapes. Full article

Despite extensive research on traffic safety, the complex, non-linear spatial discrepancy between risky driving and actual accidents remains a significant challenge to quantify within diverse urban contexts. This study investigates the non-linear relationship between grid-level risky driving patterns and traffic accident occurrence in Daejeon, Korea, examining how these associations vary across different urban contexts. Using data collected from July 2023 to June 2024, the analysis incorporates GPS-based risky driving indicators, including rapid acceleration, deceleration, and sudden maneuvers from general passenger vehicles, thereby overcoming the limitations of previous studies reliant on commercial vehicle data. By adopting an H3-based spatial grid system, the study classifies areas into four quadrants based on median values of risky behaviors and accident counts, further categorizing them into “Matched” and “Mismatched” types to identify spatial discrepancies. Furthermore, the Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) technique is employed to integrate regional variables—including population density, land use, and transport infrastructure—to uncover the key drivers of accident risks. Providing a significant methodological improvement over traditional linear models, the findings demonstrate that identical driving behaviors can yield different safety outcomes depending on local environmental interactions. Specifically, while driver behavioral factors directly explain accident frequency in matched regions, accident risks in mismatched regions are more significantly shaped by spatial environmental factors, such as green spaces and commercial land use, which override direct behavioral impacts. This study provides a robust framework for developing data-driven, region-specific traffic intervention strategies, including context-aware advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and spatially tailored traffic calming, to enhance urban safety. Full article

The recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) marks a significant shift in global aquaculture, transitioning to controlled, land-based production. This review highlights technological advancements that enable the treatment and reuse of over 90% of water, thereby enhancing water quality and production efficiency. These features position RAS as a cornerstone of sustainable seafood production. This review introduces the RAS Readiness Level (RRL) framework which is a novel, structured approach to assess the commercial maturity of emerging RAS technologies. Applying the RRL to six key technological domains (from digital AI systems to biological PHB recovery) reveals a pervasive pilot-scale purgatory where most innovations stagnate at RRL 4–6. It further addresses advanced processes such as membrane bioreactors, denitrification reactors, and the conversion of waste into valuable products. Furthermore, this review addresses persistent challenges, including high energy demand, economic viability, and the accumulation of pathogens. Finally, it focuses on the emergent integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), which are revolutionizing RAS management through data-driven optimization. By synthesizing current innovations, this review envisions a future of intelligent, closed-loop RAS where advanced IoT- and AI-driven technologies optimize water quality and feeding strategies to minimize ecological impact while enhancing sustainability and productivity. Full article

Providing regulation-compliant, high-fidelity training in aircraft maintenance remains challenging for institutions of education, where access to real aircraft, specialist tools, and operational environments is limited by cost, safety, and resource factors. This paper presents the design, in-house development, and pilot deployment of a virtual reality (VR) training system for an operationally critical maintenance procedure—Airbus A320 nose landing gear (NLG) wheel removal, strictly following the official Airbus Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM). Managed by an Agile-based methodology, the application, programmed with the Unity engine, uses full-size 3D CAD models and domain-expert input iteratively for quality-assured and rapid deployment. The system was piloted with aeronautical engineering students at the Vietnam Aviation Academy (VAA), achieving significant engagement and perceived gains for procedure knowledge and skill development. Positive comments emphasized the realistic, interactive, and repeatable quality of the simulation. Usability issues related to controller handling, cybersickness, and the absence of haptic feedback, however, suggest opportunities for refinement. This paper reports an early published case study of VR use in commercial aircraft maintenance training that is practically replicable and scalable, and developed in alignment with applicable civil aviation procedural requirements. It suggests that such a high-fidelity VR training platform can provide an accessible solution for aviation stakeholders to help bridge classroom training and real-world application in safety-critical training contexts. Full article

Rapid metropolitan expansion reshapes not only land-use patterns and infrastructure networks but also the spatial organization of micro-commercial systems embedded in everyday urban life. While large-scale retail restructuring has been extensively examined, the mechanisms underlying micro-commercial spatial transformation remain insufficiently theorized, particularly in rapidly urbanizing contexts. This study investigates the spatio-temporal restructuring of a representative low-threshold urban food economy in Xi’an between 2014 and 2024. Using multi-temporal point-of-interest (POI) data, kernel density estimation, and spatial Shannon entropy, we model changes in intensity gradients, distributional complexity, and zonal differentiation across morphologically distinct urban belts. The results reveal a systematic transition from centralized concentration toward polycentric embedding, characterized by the relocation of clustered micro-commercial activities along metro corridors and within emerging residential zones. Unlike classical decentralization, which implies outward diffusion, polycentric embedding reflects the infrastructural and demographic re-anchoring of clustered economic activities within newly stabilized urban territories. Entropy analysis further indicates increasing structural heterogeneity in metropolitan expansion zones, while historic cores retain symbolic concentration but exhibit declining structural dominance. These findings demonstrate that micro-commercial systems reorganize not through random dispersion, but through infrastructure-mediated embedding processes driven by metro expansion, residential aggregation, and institutional anchoring. By integrating longitudinal POI data with spatial complexity metrics, this study advances a replicable analytical framework for linking micro-scale commercial dynamics with metropolitan structural transformation. The study contributes to urban theory by reframing low-threshold economic systems as embedded infrastructures of everyday urban reproduction and provides planning insights for fostering resilient and spatially balanced commercial ecosystems under rapid metropolitan growth. Full article

Urban pluvial flooding is becoming more severe in rapidly urbanizing cities under increasingly frequent extreme rainfall. Although Low Impact Development (LID) is widely used to improve infiltration and on-site stormwater retention, its hydrological performance may differ greatly across urban functional zones with distinct land-cover patterns, development intensity, and retrofit constraints. To address the lack of comparative evidence under consistent conditions, this study mapped land cover in five representative functional zones in Nanjing—old residential, new residential, commercial, industrial, and cultural/educational areas—and applied a unified CITYgreen (SCS-CN) framework under a 72 mm, 24 h, two-year design storm to simulate four standalone LID measures: ground-level greening, permeable pavement, green roofs, and grassed swales. Results showed big zone-dependent differences in hydrological benefits. Runoff reduction was greatest in highly impervious industrial and commercial areas, whereas the new residential zone showed only a marginal improvement due to its relatively favorable baseline retention conditions. Across all zones, measures that enhanced infiltration and near-surface storage performed best, with ground-level greening and permeable pavement achieving the highest retention efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of zoning-based, context-sensitive LID prioritization for urban renewal, sponge-city retrofitting, and stormwater planning in rapidly urbanizing cities. Full article

In recent years, local governments in China have actively promoted new district development, encouraging a transition from monocentric to polycentric urban form. Whether and how this spatial restructuring is reflected in government-mediated land grant prices, however, remains unsettled. Using LandScan population grids and Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA), this paper measures the polycentric spatial structure of 283 prefecture-level cities in China. We merge this measure with city-level land transaction data to examine how polycentricity affects overall urban land prices as well as industrial, residential, and commercial land prices. The results show that a more polycentric urban structure significantly increases comprehensive land prices. Across land-use categories, the effect is smallest for industrial land and stronger for residential and commercial land. Further analysis shows that land-finance dependence moderates the effect of polycentric urban spatial structure on land prices, and this moderating effect differs across land-use types. In addition, the positive effect of polycentricity is weaker in larger cities. Spatial econometric estimates further suggest that local polycentricity raises land prices in neighboring cities, implying the presence of positive spillovers across urban areas. The paper contributes to the literature on urban spatial structure by linking intra-urban polycentricity to land price and by showing that these effects extend beyond city boundaries. Full article

In the context of China’s rapid urbanization and rural land marketization reforms, the entry of rural collectively owned commercial construction land into the market (ERCCCLM) coexists with the traditional government-led land expropriation, forming a dual land supply system. China’s dual-structure land ownership system—where urban land belongs to the state and rural land to rural collectives—aims to balance land market allocation efficiency with government regulation for public interests. However, significant differences exist between the two patterns in terms of revenue distribution, risk-bearing, and institutional constraints. Consequently, stakeholders including rural collective economic organizations, farmers, local governments, and development companies face dilemmas in selecting land supply patterns, thereby limiting land resource allocation efficiency. The research employs multidimensional economic analysis to systematically compare the ERCCCLM and land expropriation patterns, establishing a land supply pattern selection mechanism with land market price and compensation for expropriation as key variables. First, the expenditure and revenue of stakeholders in both patterns were clarified based on relevant documents, and investment revenue models were constructed. Second, through comparative analysis of revenue formation mechanisms across land supply patterns and sensitivity analysis of multi-scenario calculations, the land market price and compensation for expropriation are identified as key variables determining economic revenue. The findings indicate that when the land market price exceeds compensation for expropriation, ERCCCLM generates higher economic revenue for the rural collective economic organization and farmer. Conversely, when the land market price is equal to or lower than the compensation for expropriation, land expropriation provides more stable revenue. The land expropriation and ERCCCLM examined in this research represent a unique land expropriation and utilization system exclusive to China. The proposed selection mechanism improves land market distribution efficiency and informs policy discussions on optimizing land supply patterns, ensuring a balance between market efficiency and stakeholder equity. Full article

Biomass pyrolysis has emerged as a flexible platform for converting low-value residues into higher-value energy carriers (bio-oil, biochar and gas) and carbon-rich materials, with realistic potential for negative emissions when biochar is deployed in long-lived sinks. Over the last decade, three developments have driven the field forward: first, a finer mechanistic understanding of devolatilization and secondary reactions; second, major improvements in analytical techniques for characterising feedstocks and products; and third, more rigorous techno-economic and life-cycle assessments that place pyrolysis in a broader energy-system context. Recent experimental work on forestry and agro-industrial residues has clarified how biomass composition, ash chemistry and operating conditions jointly govern product yields, energy content and stability. Parallel advances in GC×GC–MS, high-resolution mass spectrometry, NMR and thermogravimetric methods have shifted the discussion from bulk “bio-oil” and “char” to families of molecules and well-defined structural domains, which can be deliberately targeted by reactor and catalyst design. Data-driven models, ranging from support vector machines applied to TGA curves to ANFIS and random forests for yield prediction, are now accurate enough to support process screening and multi-objective optimisation. At the system level, commercial fast pyrolysis biorefineries report overall useful energy efficiencies on the order of 80–86%, while slow pyrolysis configurations centred on biochar can be economically viable when carbon storage and co-products are appropriately valued. Thermodynamic analyses confirm that indirect gasification via fast-pyrolysis oil sacrifices some energy and exergy efficiency relative to direct solid-biomass gasification but may offer logistical and integration advantages. This review synthesises recent work on (i) feedstock and process characterisation; (ii) state-of-the-art analytical methods for bio-oil, biochar and gas; (iii) modelling and machine-learning tools; and (iv) energy-system deployment of pyrolysis products. Throughout, the emphasis is on how characterisation and modelling inform concrete design choices and on the trade-offs that arise when pyrolysis is considered as part of a wider decarbonisation portfolio. By integrating laboratory-scale characterisation with system-level modelling, this review aligns biomass pyrolysis with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The optimisation of thermochemical conversion pathways for forestry and agro-industrial residues directly supports SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) by enhancing the efficiency of bio-oil and syngas production. Furthermore, the deployment of biochar as a stable carbon sink for negative emissions and soil amendment addresses SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). By converting low-value waste streams into high-value energy carriers and chemicals within a circular bioeconomy framework, the research further contributes to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). Full article