Search Results (2,485)

The administrative boundaries of ecosystems do not necessarily align with natural watershed boundaries, which is a significant reason for the current inefficiency and pronounced conflicts in ecological governance. Using the watershed as the fundamental unit, this study assessed the forest ecosystem services (FES) of the Beihai Wetland watershed in Tengchong (As of 2025). Forest vegetation was classified to the formation level, and the functional value method was employed. The results showed the following order of service values: regulating services > provisioning services > supporting services > cultural services. Biodiversity was identified as the most valuable ecosystem function. The study further revealed that factors such as stand type, stand age, and altitude influence the total FES value within the watershed. Analysis of FES per unit stand (1 ha) indicated that Lithocarpus variolosus Franch. Chun (natural forest) exhibited the highest value. Through in-depth analysis of linear correlations and spatial associations of FES per unit stand, a synergy-trade-off visualization was constructed. This revealed that natural forests in the upper watershed may exert systemic effects on nutrient cycling in the lower watershed. The results obtained at the formation level provide support for the development of watershed-based forest tending plans. Moreover, studying FES using the watershed as a unit represents a practical exploration of the “life community of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts” and offers a potential reference for maintaining the ecological security and supporting the ecological protection and restoration of the Beihai watershed. Full article

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews) is a tropical orchid of high economic value, with an annual production of 8000 to 10,000 t and a market exceeding 800 million USD in over 40 countries. In vitro propagation has strengthened the innovation, production, and conservation of this species. Bibliometrics, as a quantitative approach, systematically examines the patterns, dynamics, and evolutionary trends of scientific production. A systematic search was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science until December 2025, using the terms “vanilla” and “micropropagation”. A total of 53 documents were identified in Scopus (1997–2025) and 39 in Web of Science (2000–2025). The evaluated indicators included: year of publication, country of origin, language, areas, main categories, document typology, authorship, and keyword distribution. VOSviewer was used for keyword analysis to identify author collaboration networks and emerging trends. The years with the most information were 2024 and 2025, with Mexico and India standing out prominently. The main thematic areas were Agricultural and Biological Sciences, and the role of researcher Ramírez-Mosqueda was highlighted. The keywords with the highest correlation and impact were bioreactors, vanillin, and cryopreservation. This bibliometric study provides a comprehensive perspective on scientific production related to vanilla micropropagation. The results highlight the multidisciplinary nature of biotechnology applied to this crop, integrating contributions from various areas of knowledge for the benefit of the main actors in the value chain. Full article

Urban residents require space-efficient interventions to mitigate chronic stress. While indoor digital nature shows promise, the precise impact of interactive design parameters remains unclear. This study investigated how interactive feedback intensity (none, slow, fast) and color hue (neutral, warm, cool) influence psychological and physiological restoration. Following negative emotion induction, healthy participants engaged in within-subject conditions evaluated via multimodal assessments, including EEG, HRV, and subjective scales (PANAS, PRS, SAM/PAD). Results identified interactive feedback intensity as the primary driver of restoration. Specifically, fast feedback improved positive affect by up to 20.4% and reduced negative affect by 20.8% compared to passive self-restoration. Neurologically, interactive engagement was associated with elevated EEG alpha-band activity by up to 97.8% relative to standing controls, a pattern consistent with cortical relaxation. Furthermore, while physical interaction was uniformly associated with physiological indices broadly consistent with recovery, color hue significantly moderated subjective outcomes. Neutral and warm hues generated significantly higher overall perceived restorativeness (M = 73.18 and M = 70.14, respectively) than the self-restoration control (M = 61.26). Notably, neutral tones were uniquely associated with modest changes in HRV time-domain indices suggestive of parasympathetic autonomic modulation. These findings provide actionable, empirically validated guidelines for deploying responsive digital interventions to support mental well-being in dense urban interiors. Full article

Coastal erosion poses a growing threat to natural systems and critical infrastructures, particularly in touristic coastal areas where beaches represent both ecological assets and economic resources. Beyond shoreline retreat, erosion processes progressively reduce emerged beach surfaces and increase the exposure and vulnerability of coastal roads, railways, and urban settlements, with cascading socio-economic consequences. This study presents an integrated geomorphological and economic assessment of coastal erosion impacts. The Coastal Degradation Calculator (CoDeC) is applied along the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy, focusing on the municipality of San Lucido. Shoreline variations are quantified to reconstruct long-term changes in the Surface of the Emerged Beach (SEB) before and after major coastal defense interventions using multi-temporal remote sensing data (1954–2018). Simple, science-based box models are implemented to estimate sediment deficits, restoration needs, and associated economic damages, expressed in both €/m² and €/year. Results highlight a reduction in SEB area exceeding 60%, significant downdrift erosion linked to hard defenses and additional losses caused by coastal urbanization. The methodology proved effective in supporting damage quantification and informed the resolution of a long-standing legal dispute between public authorities. Owing to its transparency and reproducibility, the proposed framework offers a transferable tool for coastal risk assessment and management under increasing climate-driven pressures. Full article

Background: This study aimed to examine whether a physical education program based on the ecological dynamics approach, implemented through small-sided games (SSG), produces greater improvements in motor skills, daily physical activity levels, and perceived physical fitness in middle school students. Methods: Forty-eight students were assigned to an SSG group (ecological dynamics lessons including small-sided games, n = 26) or a Control group (traditional lessons based on teacher-centered instruction and analytical exercises, n = 22). The intervention lasted 12 weeks, with two sessions per week. Motor performance was assessed using the standing broad jump, 5-standing broad jump, 20 m sprint, 10 × 5 m shuttle run, 5-0-5 agility test, and sit-and-reach test. Daily physical activity was evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and perceived physical fitness was assessed using the Visual Analogue Fitness Perception Scale for Adolescents (FPVASA). Results: Significant group-by-time interactions were found in all motor tests. IPAQ-SF data revealed significant group-by-time interactions for vigorous and moderate physical activity. Perceived physical fitness showed significant group-by-time interactions for all items except flexibility. Conclusions: Physical education lessons structured according to the ecological dynamics approach and implemented through SSG-based protocols led to greater improvements than traditional methods. The dynamic and variable nature of SSG likely enhances neuromuscular stimulation, motor engagement, and motivation during physical education lessons. Full article

Urban trees are increasingly deployed as nature-based infrastructure to mitigate heat and manage stormwater, yet quantitative guidance on how species traits and site context shape transpiration remains fragmented. We conducted a systematic metadata analysis of seven field studies that measured daily transpiration rate in urban settings using heat-pulse methods. The units and spatial scales reported were harmonized with the sap flow density across active sapwood (J_s, g H₂O/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) by converting reported stand transpiration and the outer 2 cm of sapwood sap flux using established Gaussian radial distribution functions for angiosperms and gymnosperms, which account for the non-linear decline in sap flux from the vascular cambium to the heartwood boundary. We then summarized distributions and tested group differences with Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn post hoc comparisons across wood anatomy, climate, soil texture, and planting configuration. Conifers exhibited significantly lower median $J_s$ (39.76 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) than angiosperms, while the ring-porous group (median $J_s$ = 92.25 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) and diffuse-porous groups (median $J_s$ = 96.70 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) had similar distributions overall. Climate-modulated responses within wood anatomy groups differed, with diffuse-porous species exhibiting the highest median $J_s$ (152.59 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) in semi-arid regions, ring-porous species maintaining comparatively stable median $J_s$ across climates (varying slightly between 80.72 and 99.32 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day), and conifers reaching their highest median $J_s$ (69.90 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) in humid continental sites. Soil texture effects were consistent with moisture availability: sandy loam generally reduced $J_s$ relative to loam or silt loam for conifers and diffuse-porous species. Across anatomies, single trees transpired more than clustered trees or closed canopies. For example, planting as single trees increased median $J_s$ by 86% in conifers (from 33.01 to 61.37 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) and by 45% in diffuse-porous species (from 81.31 to 118.25 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day). These results provide actionable ranges and contrasts to inform species selection and planting design for urban greening and runoff reduction, while highlighting data gaps for future research. Ultimately, by matching specific wood anatomies and planting configurations to local soil and climatic conditions, urban planners and ecohydrologists can strategically optimize urban forests to maximize targeted ecosystem services. Full article

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become an important component of multi-sensor remote sensing frameworks for post-fire forest monitoring because they provide ultra-high-resolution imagery for evaluating fine-scale vegetation response. This study assessed early-stage post-fire burn severity and forest health condition in a natural mixed forest affected by the 2024 wildfire in Nanyo, Yamagata, northeastern Japan. Burn severity was quantified using the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) derived from Sentinel-2 imagery acquired five months after the fire (October 2024). High-resolution UAV RGB orthomosaics and field surveys were used to classify trees into healthy, damaged, and dead categories. Mean plot-level burn severity was estimated using a weighted midpoint dNBR approach, and the tree mortality rate was calculated from plot-based tree counts. The results showed that low and moderate–low burn severity classes dominated most plots, with mean dNBR values ranging from 0.085 to 0.386. UAV-based interpretation revealed substantial variability in tree health condition among plots. In 2024, fire effects were expressed mainly as canopy damage rather than immediate stand-level mortality. Mortality rates ranged from 14.9% to 58.6%, and some higher-severity plots contained greater damage. Overall, Sentinel-2 dNBR captured landscape-scale burn severity patterns, whereas UAV imagery improved interpretation of fine-scale health variability in heterogeneous burned forests. Full article

The rotational evolution of pulsars is governed by torque mechanisms whose mathematical structure encodes fundamental symmetries of the underlying physics. We demonstrate that the standard spin-down equation $\dot{f}=-sf-r{f}^3-g{f}^5$ derives from a discrete antisymmetry requirement, namely invariance of the torque under reversal of rotation sense, which restricts the frequency dependence to odd integer powers. We show that physically motivated plasma processes systematically break this symmetry, introducing fractional frequency exponents: viscous Ekman pumping at the crust–superfluid boundary layer ($f^{3/2}$), magnetohydrodynamic turbulent dissipation via Kolmogorov and Sweet–Parker cascades ($f^{10/3}$, $f^{11/3}$), non-linear superfluid vortex dynamics ($f^{5/2}$), and saturated r-mode oscillations ($f^{7-2\beta }$). The central result is an exact analytical resolution of the long-standing Crab pulsar braking index puzzle: the observed $n=2.51\pm 0.01$, which has defied explanation for nearly four decades, emerges naturally from the superposition of magnetic dipole radiation ($\dot{f}\propto f^3$) and boundary layer Ekman pumping ($\dot{f}\propto f^{3/2}$), with analytically derived coefficients yielding a dipole-component surface field $B_p=6.2\times {10}^{12}$ G—higher than the standard $\sqrt{P\dot{P}}$ estimate of $3.8\times {10}^{12}$ G, because that formula conflates dipole and non-dipole torques, but lower than applying the Larmor formula to the full spin-down rate ($7.6\times {10}^{12}$ G), since $32.7\%$ of the total torque is non-radiative boundary-layer dissipation. We develop the Riemann–Liouville fractional calculus formalism for these equations, showing that fractional derivatives break time-translation symmetry through intrinsic memory effects, with solutions expressed in terms of Mittag-Leffler and Fox H-functions that interpolate continuously between exponential (fully symmetric) and power-law (scale-free symmetric) relaxation. Lambert–Tsallis $W_q$ functions with non-extensive parameter q encoding broken statistical symmetry enable equation-of-state-independent inference of neutron star compactness and tidal deformability. Our framework establishes a unified symmetry-based classification of pulsar spin-down mechanisms and predicts frequency-dependent braking indices evolving at rate $\mathrm{d}n/\mathrm{d}t\sim 2\times {10}^{-4}$ yr⁻¹, yielding $\mathrm{\Delta }n\approx 0.01$ over 50 years—testable with current pulsar timing programmes. The formalism provides a coherent theoretical foundation connecting plasma microphysics at the neutron star interior to macroscopic observables in electromagnetic and gravitational wave channels. Full article

Offshore wind power stands as a clean and low-carbon energy option that is booming as part of the efforts to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. Effectively monitoring the dynamic response of wind turbines is a necessity to analyze the modal parameters, which are key parameters to assess whether the wind turbines are operating safely. Modal parameter identification for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) becomes essential through analyzing the dynamic response, given the limited acceptable range of natural frequencies under dynamic loads. This paper introduces a novel machine learning-based method that combines the SSI-data (data-driven stochastic subspace identification) modal parameter identification method with clustering analysis, employing DBSCAN (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise) and the K-means cluster algorithm. The proposed method can automatically define the number of K-means clusters. The validation was carried out through a theoretical analysis using a four-degree-of-freedom model and Opensees numerical simulation model of an OWT. The verification and case study outcomes demonstrate that the proposed method possesses the accuracy required for automated modal parameter identification. Compared with the benchmark case results, the differences between the frequencies identified by the proposed method and the reference values are 0.0%, 0.30%, and 0.18% for the first three orders, respectively. This research not only provides valuable insights for professionals in related dynamic monitoring fields but also offers technical support for diagnosing abnormal states of OWTs utilizing dynamic response data. Full article

Forests worldwide are increasingly affected by climate-driven stressors and large-scale disturbances that impair tree physiology, disrupt water and carbon balance, and increase mortality risk. In this context, successful natural and artificial regeneration is essential for maintaining forest continuity, carbon storage, and biodiversity. However, regeneration outcomes depend not only on site conditions but also on biotic pressures, especially browsing by cervids in temperate and boreal forests. The aim of this review was to identify and synthesize evidence on how silvicultural methods can reduce browsing damage in forest regeneration and to assess how these methods influence the underlying drivers of cervid pressure through stand structure and forage availability. We examine mechanisms operating at two spatial scales: at the microscale, regeneration type, planting density, structural heterogeneity, planting stock, and how species mixture influences browsing probability and intensity; at the macroscale, how cutting systems and the spatial and temporal arrangement of harvests shape foraging landscapes by concentrating or dispersing browse resources and edge habitats. The reviewed evidence shows that dense, structurally diverse natural regeneration can dilute browsing pressure, whereas uniform artificial regeneration may increase repeated damage, and that species composition and mixture patterns can either protect or expose palatable species. We conclude that integrating microscale regeneration design with landscape-level harvest planning can strengthen stand resilience, reduce dependence on fencing, and support climate-adaptive forest development. To the best of our knowledge, no previous review has synthesized this evidence across both micro- and macroscale silvicultural contexts. Although most of the studies included in this review originate from Europe, we believe that the knowledge presented here is relevant to the majority of boreal and temperate forests worldwide. Full article

Sand extraction drastically alters ecosystem structure and initiates conditions for primary succession development. Forest stands aged 9, 16, 19, and 28 years were surveyed to assess understory vegetation and epiphytic lichen communities in post-mining sand and gravel quarries in eastern Latvia. Community structure and functional traits were analyzed. Younger stands (9–19 years) exhibited the highest understory species diversity, dominated by hemicryptophytes, open-habitat grasses, and low-to-moderate ecological value lichens, while older stands (28 years) supported high-value epiphytic lichens and understory species typical of oligotrophic boreal forests. In 9-year-old stands, high-value epiphytic lichens comprised, on average, 5.7% (SE = 1.6) total lichen cover, while in 28-year-old stands it was 24.8% (SE = 1.9). Species with animal-mediated seed dispersal were more prevalent in younger stands, reflecting indications of animal presence based on vegetation composition and observed animal damage on trees. No invasive species were recorded, likely due to quarry isolation (≥1 km closest edge of the forest ecosystem) and proximity to mature forest margins. Our results highlight the multidimensionality of biodiversity by integrating two taxonomic groups and indicate high potential for passive natural regeneration toward Western Taiga 9010 habitat conditions under an oligotrophic environment. Full article

Background/Objectives: Breast cancer continues to be one of the most serious and common afflictions affecting women around the globe. Despite ultrasound imaging being an effective method for the detection of abnormalities in dense breast tissues, there are a number of drawbacks when utilizing this method, including the subjective nature of the imaging and the variant nature of the imaging due to the cognitive biases of the interpreting expert and the experience of the interpreting expert. The above factors are the cause of the increased need in the implementation of AI-driven models for diagnostic analysis. In this research, we provide a hybrid deep learning-based framework for cancer classification of the breast cancer ultrasound image dataset (‘BUSI dataset’). Methods: The contributing models of the proposed architecture involve the combination of a light ViT encoder and an EfficientNetV2-RW-S feature extractor. The combination mentioned leverage the positive sensitivities of the convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and the global reasoning neural networks (i.e., transformers) in the explanation of the architecture. The reason being, EfficientNetV2 diminishes the capture of the fine-grained morphological components of the lesions, edges, and echogenic variances of the tissue, whereas the transformer model diminishes the long-range dependencies of the lesions and other surrounding tissues. Results: The experimental results from the proposed hybrid model of the architecture demonstrates an enhanced classification accuracy of 97.95%, in contrast to the self-standing models of the architecture, the hybrid model supersedes the isolated ViT model (i.e., 89%) and the isolated CNN model (i.e., 80%) frameworks. Furthermore, the proposed model hybrid architecture also diminishes the overall self-attention computational complexity of the proposed model by substantially diminishing the number of tokens reaching an overall count of 10 (from the vast 197 tokens). This further leads to a substantial decrease in the memory and cost expended during the attention processes. Conclusions: Overall, this study proposes a method for the improved diagnostic and computational analysis, suggesting the proposed architecture to be a potential framework for use in the contemporary clinical environments. Full article

Obesity represents one of the most critical global public health challenges. Pancreatic lipase (PL) serves as a key therapeutic target for obesity control, whereas clinical synthetic PL inhibitors are greatly restricted by adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have a long-standing history in regulating lipid metabolism and ameliorating obesity-related disorders, and are characterized by remarkable structural diversity, low toxicity, and mild side effects, thus representing a promising source for developing safe and efficient PL inhibitors. In this work, an integrated strategy combining in silico screening and in vitro validation was employed to identify potential PL inhibitors from TCM components, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, MM/PBSA binding free energy computation, and in vitro enzymatic assay. Six compounds with docking scores ranging from −9.9 to −9.0 kcal/mol were selected for further investigation. Molecular dynamics simulations verified the favorable structural stability of the corresponding ligand–PL complexes, and MM/PBSA calculations demonstrated negative binding free energies from −21.24 ± 0.39 to −12.03 ± 0.40 kcal/mol. In vitro experiments indicated that three compounds (Hydroxygenkwanin, Atractylenolide I, and Peiminine) showed effective PL inhibitory activity, with IC₅₀ values of 0.128 ± 0.009, 0.584 ± 0.031, and 0.748 ± 0.042 mM, respectively. These values are comparable to quercetin (0.231 ± 0.034 mM) but significantly higher than orlistat (0.481 ± 0.023 μM), which is attributed to their non-covalent binding pattern. Collectively, this study validated the reliability of the integrated in silico and in vitro screening strategy, identified three effective pancreatic lipase inhibitors derived from TCMs, established a robust paradigm for the discovery of natural PL inhibitors, and laid a solid foundation for subsequent research on natural anti-obesity agents. Full article

The variation in annual cone and seed production was examined for three natural seed stands of Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich., Pinaceae), each with distinct structural characteristics, sampled from 35 trees for three consecutive years. Fertility variation (Ψ), estimated by cone (Ψ_C) and seed (Ψ_S) yields per tree, was also analyzed to contribute to the management and development of silvicultural practices for the seed stands of the species. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were recorded in cone and seed production across years, between populations, and between trees within a population. Population x year interactions were also significant (p < 0.05), highlighting the importance of seed harvesting year in cone collection. Fertility variation in cones and filled seeds showed only small deviation [Ψ_C = 1.10 (91% of census number)–1.71 (59%), Ψ_s = 1.25 (80%)–1.71 (59%)] among the seed stands in different years, except Ψ_S = 2.38 (42%) in a population in one year. The cone and seed fertility were at acceptable levels for an ideal natural population (Ψ ≤ 3). Figures of parental balance curves showed that the contribution to the gamete gene pool was much closer to equal for cone production across the years than for filled seed production in both individual stands and pooled stands, suggesting that the number of cones is a good indicator of overall seed production. Difference in gene diversity (GD) was 0.005 from individual year (GD = 0.992 and 0.993) to pooled years of the populations (GD = 0.997 and 0.998) for both cone and seed yields, while it was higher among years within population (e.g., 0.017 for cone yield and 0.026 for seed yield in a population). Full article

Marine biofouling remains a major challenge for maritime industries, affecting submerged structures and vessels worldwide. The long-standing reliance on biocidal coatings, together with their documented environmental impacts, has led to increasingly restrictive regulations and an urgent demand for environmentally compatible antifouling (AF) solutions. This study evaluates the AF potential and toxicological profile of two nucleoside analogues, hypoxanthine arabinoside (1′) and 2′-deoxyinosine (2′), selected based on the previously reported non-lethal AF activity of the naturally occurring nucleosides adenosine and 2′-deoxyadenosine from cyanobacteria. Both analogues inhibited the growth of Navicula sp. by approximately 60% without inducing mortality and significantly reduced settlement of Mytilus galloprovincialis plantigrades, with EC₅₀ values of 5.50 µM (1′) and 8.54 µM (2′), and no lethality detected (LC₅₀ > 200 µM). At near-EC₅₀ concentrations, both compounds increased acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase activities, supported by molecular docking results, suggesting involvement of neurotransmission- and byssal formation-related pathways. Proteomic analysis revealed compound-specific molecular responses. No lethal effects were observed in non-target organisms (LC₅₀ > 32 µM for A. amphitrite and LC₅₀ > 50 µM for A. salina), and environmental fate modelling predicted low bioaccumulation and rapid degradation. Overall, substitution of the amino group by a carbonyl group preserved AF efficacy without increasing toxicity, highlighting nucleosides as promising low-toxicity AF agents. Full article