Alpine forest gaps can distribute snowfall, solar radiation and rainfall, thus inducing a heterogeneous hydrothermal microenvironment between the inside and outside areas of forest gaps. Additionally, the characteristics of the heterogeneous microenvironment could vary greatly across the gap location properties during winter and the growing season. To determine the response of total phenol loss (TPL) from the litter to alpine forest gap disturbance during decomposition, we conducted a field litterbag experiment within a representative fir (Abies faxoniana Rehd.) forest based on the gap location properties. The TPL and abundances of fungi and bacteria from two typical shrub species (willow, Salix paraplesia Schneid., and bamboo, Fargesia nitida (Mitford) Keng f.) were measured during the following periods over two years: snow formation (SF), snow cover (SC) snow melting (ST), the early growing season (EG) and the later growing season (LG). At the end of the study, we found that the snow cover depth, frequencies of the freeze-thaw cycle and the fungal copy g-1 to bacterial copy g-1 ratio had significant effects on the litter TPL. The abundances of fungi and bacteria decreased from the gap center to the closed canopy during the two SF, SC, ST and LG periods and reversed during the two EG periods. The TPL closely followed the same trend as the microbial abundance during the first year of incubation. In addition, both species had larger TPLs in the gap center during the first winter, first year and entire two years. These findings suggest that alpine forest gap formation accelerates litter TPL and plays a dual role during specific critical periods by distributing abiotic and biotic factors directly and indirectly. In conclusion, reduced snow cover depth and duration during winter warming under current climate change scenarios or as gaps vanish may slow litter TPL in alpine biomes.

Oedaleus decorus asiaticus, Calliptamus abbreviatus, Angaracris rhodopa, and Myrmeleotettix palpalis are the main grasshoppers that harm the natural grassland in the Hexi Corridor. In this study, the MaxEnt model was employed to identify the key environmental factors affecting the distribution of the four grasshoppers habitats and to assess their distribution under current and future climate change conditions. The aim was to provide a basis for grasshopper monitoring, prediction, and precise control. In this study, 61 occurrences of O. decorus asiaticus, 68 occurrences of A. rhodopa, 58 occurrences of C. abbreviatus, and 92 occurrences of M. palpalis were recorded by GPS, and the distribution of suitable habitats for O. decorus asiaticus, C. abbreviatus, A. rhodopa, and M. palpalis were predicted under current and future climatic scenarios using a MaxEnt model. The average AUC and TSS values of the four grasshoppers were greater than 0.9, and the simulation results were excellent and highly reliable. The mean annual precipitation was the main factor limiting the current range of suitable areas for these four species. Under the current climate, O. asiaticus, C. abbreviatus, and A. rhodopa were mainly distributed in the central and eastern parts of the Hexi Corridor, and M. palpalis was distributed throughout the Hexi Corridor, with a potential distribution area of 1.44×104, 1.43×104, 1.29×104, and 2.12×104 km2, accounting for 15.3, 15.2, 13.7, and 22.5% of the total area of the grasslands in the Hexi Corridor, respectively. The highly suitable areas of O. asiaticus, C. abbreviatus, and A. rhodopa were mainly distributed in the east-central part of Zhangye City, the western part of Wuwei City, and the western and southern part of Jinchang City, with areas of 0.35×104, 0.29×104, and 0.20×104 km2, accounting for 3.7, 3, and 2.2% of the grassland area, respectively. The high habitat of M. palpalis was mainly distributed in the southeast of Jiuquan City, the west, middle, and east of Zhangye City, the west of Wuwei City, and the west and south of Jinchang City, with an area of 0.32×104 km2, accounting for 3.4% of the grassland area. In the 2030s, the range of O. asiaticus, C. abbreviatus, A. rhodopa, and M. palpalis was predicted to decrease.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.

Browsing of wild ungulates can have profound effects on the structure and composition of forests. In the Swiss National Park, the density of wild ungulates including red deer (Cervus elaphus), ibex (Capra ibex), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) is exceptionally high due to strict protection and the absence of large predators. We examined count data of larch (Larix decidua), cembra pine (Pinus cembra), spruce (Picea abies), upright mountain pine (Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata), and mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) of four sampling years between 1991 and 2021 and modelled how different topographic and location factors affected the probability of browsing on saplings of larch, cembra pine, and spruce. Despite the high density of wild ungulates, the numbers of saplings and young trees increased over the past 30 years. The probability of browsing on saplings was highest for larch at a height of 10 – 40 cm and increased with increasing elevation. In our study area, open grasslands are mainly located above the tree line, which might explain the positive correlation between elevation and the probability of browsing. Other factors like exposition and slope, available food resources and disturbance by humans did not have clear effects on the probability of browsing.

Durum wheat (DW) is one of the major crops grown in the Mediterranean area, a climate-vulnerable region where the increase in day/night (d/n) temperature are severely threatening DW yield stability. In order to improve DW heat tolerance, the introgression of chromosomal segments derived from the wild gene pool is a promising strategy. Here, four DW-Thinopyrum spp. near-isogenic recombinant lines (NIRLs) were assessed for their physiological response and productive performance after an intense heat stress (IH, 37/27°C d/n) applied for 3 days at anthesis. The NIRLs included two primary types (R5, R112), carriers (+) of a differently sized Th. ponticum 7el1L segment on DW 7AL arm, and two corresponding secondary types (R69-9/R5, R69-9/R112), possessing a Th. elongatum 7EL segment distally inserted into the 7el1L ones. Their response to the IH stress was compared to that of corresponding non-carrier sib lines (−) and of the heat tolerant cv. Margherita. Overall, the R112+, R69-9/R5+ and R69-9/R112+ NIRLs exhibited a tolerant behaviour towards the applied stress, standing out for maintenance of leaf relative water content, but also for accumulation of proline and soluble sugars in flag leaf and for preservation of photosynthetic efficiency. As a result, all the above three NIRLs (R112+ > R69-9/R5+ > R69-9/R112+) displayed good yield stability under the IH, also in comparison with cv. Margherita, R112+ particularly relying on strength of spike fertility/grain number traits, R69-9/R5+ on efficient compensation by grain weight increase. This work largely confirmed and further substantiated the value of exploiting the wild germplasm of Thinopyrum species as useful source for the improvement of DW tolerance to even extreme abiotic stress conditions, such as the severe heat treatment throughout day- and night-time applied here.

This study evaluated batch fermentation modes, namely, separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), Quasi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (Q-SSF), and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), and fermentation conditions, i.e., enzyme and yeast loadings, nutrient supplementation and sterilization, on high titer bioethanol production from SPORL-pretreated Douglas-fir forest residue without detoxification. The result indicated Q-SSF and SSF were obviously superior to SHF operation in terms of ethanol yield. The enzyme loading showed a strong positive correlation between enzyme loading and the ethanol yield. The nutrient supplementation and sterility was not necessary for ethanol production from SPORL-pretreated Douglas-fir. The yeast loading showed no significant influence on the ethanol yield for typical SSF conditions. The terminal ethanol titer of 43.2 g/L, or 75.1% theoretical based on glucose, mannose, and xylose theoretical was achieved when SSF was conducted at the condition of following: whole slurry solids loading of 15%, enzyme loading of 20 FPU/g glucan, 1.8 g/kg (wet) yeast loading, without nutrition supplementation and sterilization, at 38°C, on shake flask at 150 rpm for 96h. It is believed that with mechanical mixing, enzyme loading can be substantially reduced with affect ethanol yield by using a long fermentation time.

By introducing environmental mediator, for avoiding randomness in selecting indicators and subjectivity in deciding interaction path coefficients to reveal interaction mechanism among forest industry, ecology and environmental capacity, structural Pressure–State–Impact–Response (PSIR) and quantitative Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) are utilized with data on thirty–one provinces of China. We can find that: (i) forest industry has a negative influence on ecology, whereas ecology has a positive influence on industry; (ii) the destructive influence that industry has on ecology is much greater than the positive effect ecology has on industry; and (iii) environmental capacity plays a partial mediating role between industry and ecology. According to these results we can conclude that: (i) forest industry and ecology are not in a symbiotic relationship and have not reached a level of ecological security; (ii) the interaction between industry and ecology is in a period of transition from antagonistic to beneficial; and (iii) industry dominates ecology. However, we prospect the following advice: (i) methods of forest industry should be changed; (ii) new modes of industrial integration and circular economy should be developed; and (iii) the ability of the environment to sustain itself should be enhanced. The level of forest ecological security to discuss the symbiotic mechanism of industry and ecology will propose to be measured in future.

Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) is currently the most widely used method for positioning using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) due to its accuracy, efficiency and ease of use. In forestry, position is a critical factor for numerous applications, with GNSS nowadays the preferred solution for obtaining such data. However, the decreased performance of GNSS observations in challenging environments, such as under the forest canopy, must be considered. This paper analyzes the performance of a survey-grade GNSS receiver under coniferous/deciduous tree cover, with short observation times of 30 seconds and corrections received in the field from a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) of the national RTK network in Romania. 84 test points were determined, randomly distributed under the canopy, with reference data collected by topographical surveys using total station equipment. Relatively good accuracies were obtained, especially for horizontal position (RMSEs of 1.47 – 2.07 meters). The variation of GNSS performance under the different forest compositions was found to be statistically significant, while GNSS-specific factors such as DOP values only influenced the precision and not the accuracy of observations. We established that this methodology offers sufficient accuracy, application-dependent, even if the majority of GNSS solutions were code-based, rather than carrier phase-based, due to strong interference from the vegetation.

Wood is poised to become a material of choice for future construction. When appropriately managed, it is a renewable material with unique mechanical properties. Beyond its inherent sustainability, the use of wood has a crucial role in addressing climate change concerns due a significantly lower energy consumption and emissions during manufacturing and transportation, while simultaneously acting as a carbon sink. Thus, there has been a growing demand for hardwoods for structural applications, including Castanea sativa Mill., the focal point of this investigation. Albeit in a limited capacity, Eurocode 5-2 offers friction coefficients for softwoods, but it falls short for hardwoods which it is a gap to bridge with this research. These coefficients play a critical role in numerical simulations involving friction, enabling the optimization of joints and, by extension, the overall structural integrity. Test samples were evaluated at 18% moisture content, which is typical of Service Class 2, for various orientations of timber-to-timber and timber-to-steel friction. Considering previous friction coefficients at 12% moisture content, the linear variation was evaluated at an intermediate value of 15%. The results provide an experimental database for numerical simulations and highlight the influence of moisture content on the coefficients, which increase linearly along moisture percentages.

Trace metals can enter some natural regions with low human disturbance from atmospheric circulation, but little information is available regarding how the canopy can retained trace metals. Therefore, a representative sub-alpine spruce plantation was selected to investigate the net throughfall fluxes of eight trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Al, Pb, Cd and Cr) of closed canopy and gap-edge canopy from August 2015 to July 2016. Over a one-year observational period, the annual fluxes of Al, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, Cd, Cr and Pb were 7.29 kg·ha^-1, 2.30 kg·ha^-1, 7.02 kg·ha^-1, 0.16 kg·ha^-1, 0.19 kg·ha^-1, 0.06 kg·ha^-1, 0.56 kg·ha^-1 and 0.24 kg·ha^-1, respectively, in the deposited precipitation. The annual net throughfall fluxes of these trace metals were 1.73 kg·ha^-1, 0.9 kg·ha^-1, 1.68kg·ha^-1, -0.032 kg·ha^-1, 0.04 kg·ha^-1, 0.018 kg·ha^-1, 0.093 kg·ha^-1 and 0.087kg·ha^-1, respectively, in the gap-edge canopy and -1.6 kg·ha^-1, 1.13 kg·ha^-1, 1.65 kg·ha^-1, -0.10 kg·ha^-1, 0.05 kg·ha^-1, 0.03 kg·ha^-1, 0.26 kg·ha^-1 and 0.15 kg·ha^-1, respectively, in the closed canopy. The closed canopy displayed a greater filter effect on the trace metals from precipitation than did the gap-edge canopy in the sub-alpine forest. In the rainy season, the net filtering ratio of trace metals ranged from -66%-89% in the closed canopy and from -52% to 25% in the gap-edge canopy. However, the net filtering ratio of all trace metals was greater than 50% in the closed canopy in the snowy season. Therefore, the results suggested that the most trace metals moving through the forest canopy are taken up rather than by rainfall leaching; moreover, the closed canopy can efficiently take up trace metals in the snowy season.

The necessity for precise and current data concerning the dynamics of land cover change in Indonesia is crucial for efforts to reduce natural vegetation cover due to agricultural expansion. The functionality of monitoring systems that incorporate Terra-MODIS is currently compromised by the limited availability of data for the immediate future. This study seeks to assess the potential of VIIRS satellite imagery in developing an early warning system for monitoring vegetation cover change in Indonesia. The Normalized Differential Open Area Index (NDOAI) computed from the 8-day’ VIIRS data was employed to detect changes in vegetation cover based on pixel-by-pixel subtraction in the NDOAI data time series. Evaluating the pixel-level accuracy of change detection is complicated due to the fact that we evaluate a change map at a coarser resolution than the Landsat-based reference map. The results revealed that increasing the threshold percentage is associated with improved accuracy. In change detection, there is often a trade-off between accuracy and sensitivity. A threshold that is too low may result in false positives, while a threshold that is too high may lead to missed changes. This study demonstrates that when a threshold value of less than 20% is applied, Landsat can identify vegetation cover changes at an earlier stage. Conversely, when a threshold value greater than 20% is employed, VIIRS will detect the change 4.5 days earlier than Landsat. Additionally, VIIRS is capable of detecting changes 25.4 days and 54.8 days faster than Landsat, respectively, when using thresholds of 40% and 75%.

The decline in global pollinator populations has raised serious concerns about the sustainability of ecosystems and agricultural productivity. Urban environments, often characterized by habitat loss and environmental stressors, are considered challenging habitats for pollinators. However, urban green spaces, including street and ornamental trees, can play a crucial role in supporting pollinators by providing essential food resources. This study aimed to evaluate the sugar and amino acid production of eight urban tree species to determine their potential contributions to pollinator nutrition. Our findings revealed significant variability among species regarding nectar volume, sugar content, and amino acid composition, emphasizing the importance of considering multiple factors when assessing the utility of floral resources. Consequently, Tilia amurensis, Heptacodium miconioides, Aesculus turbinata, and Wisteria floribunda demonstrated superior potential in supporting urban pollinator communities. Contrastingly, Sorbus commixta, Styrax japonicus, and Cornus kousa, often favored for their aesthetic appeal, showed less potential. This study underscores the need for urban tree selection that prioritizes species that provide diverse and abundant nutritional resources for pollinators while balancing aesthetic and ecological values. Our results offer a foundation for better-informed urban biodiversity management and contribute to creating pollinator-friendly urban environments.

The construction industry has a notable negative impact on the environment; thus, the promotion of the use of timber structures is an alternative to mitigate its effects. The research develops an artificial intelligence-based decision approach in the calculation of timber structures focused on the enhancement of the sustainability of roof structures. Based on the optimization carried out through genetic algorithms and the framework established in Eurocode 5, a general set of equations has been proposed for a laminated timber roof structure. The tool, which determines the most suitable roof structure for each strength class of laminated timber, allows for the determination of the dimensions of beams and purlins and their respective separations in order to minimize wood consumption. The ultimate goal is to offer multiple solutions regarding strength classes and structural designs in order to foster informed sustainable choices that promote efficient use of resources in construction.

Understanding morphological and genetic diversity of forest trees is essential to facilitate their conservation, sustainable management and genetic improvement for addressing the economic and environmental demands and challenges. We have examined variation in morphometric seed and pod traits and seed germination of multipurpose and widely distributed forest tree Albizia lebbek (Indian siris) from 12 provenances covering the species’ range in northern India and its relationships with bioclimatic factors. Highly significant inter-provenance variation was observed in seed size (seed length (SL), seed width (SW), SW/SL, SL×SW), seed mass (1000 seed weight), pod size (pod length (PL), pod width (PW), PW/PL), seed germination, number of seeds per pod, and insect infected seeds (IIS). The provenance effect contributed a major portion to the total phenotypic variance. Morphometric variation in all traits except for IIS was not clinal related to longitude, latitude, altitude or rainfall. There was an indication of the presence of ecotypic variation. IIS showed clinal variation with significant negative correlation with latitude. Most seed size and pod size traits showed positive correlations with several temperature bioclimatic factors and negative correlations with several precipitation bioclimatic factors. Our results have significance for genetic improvement, population genetics and genomics studies and conservation and sustainable management of A. lebbek genetic resources.

The toxic cadmium (Cd) poses a serious threat to plant growth and human health. Populus euphratica CPK21 has previously been shown to attenuate Cd toxicity by reducing Cd accumulation, enhancing antioxidant defense and improving water balance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Here, we confirmed a protein-protein interaction between PeCPK21 and AtNF-YC3 by yeast two-hybrid, HaloTag pull-down and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays. AtNF-YC3 was induced by Cd and strongly expressed in PeCPK21-overexpressed plants. Overexpression of AtNF-YC3 in Arabidopsis reduced salt inhibition of root length, fresh weight and membrane stability under Cd stress conditions (100 µM, 7 d), suggesting that AtNF-YC3 appears to contribute to the improvement of Cd stress tolerance. AtNF-YC3 improved Cd tolerance by limiting Cd uptake and accumulation, activating antioxidant enzymes, and reducing H2O2 production under Cd stress. We conclude that PeCPK21 interacts with AtNF-YC3 to limit Cd accumulation, enhance the ROS scavenging system, and thereby positively regulate plant adaptation to Cd environments. This study highlights the interaction between PeCPK21 and AtNF-YC3 under Cd stress conditions, which can be utilized to improve Cd tolerance in higher plants.

Currently, there is a marked increase in the importance of the environmental and cultural ecosystem services of the forest. Among the social benefits, protection of human health and improvement of human well-being come to the fore. Forests, both reserve and commercial, benefit human health. However, people often have negative attitudes toward forest management activities, especially near urban areas, and prefer forest management that results in a forest that is close to natural. Second-growth forest and clear-cutting are the most visible manifestations of ongoing forest management in forests. The purpose of this study was to compare the benefits derived from exposure to second-growth forest, clear-cutting and mature forest stands. Fifty-five students of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW (WULS-SGGW) participated in the study. The study was conducted in October 2023 in a forest within the city of Otwock, within the range of the Warsaw metropolitan area. Participants were exposed for 15 minutes to selected plots: second- growth forest, clear-cutting area and mature forest stand. Before the experiment (PRE-Test control trial) and after each of the exposures four psychological questionnaires were administered: the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS), the Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS) and Profile of Mood States (POMS). The results indicate that not all analyzed features of the forest landscape have a regenerative effect on people. Exposure to a commercial forest, only in the case of a mature stand, yielded the most benefits in terms of mood improvement. In contrast, exposure to clear-cutting area resulted in a decrease in positive feelings and an increase in negative feelings, leading to a complete disturbance of mood, an increase in tension, depression and a decrease in feelings of vigor. Clear-cutting area has significantly worse restorative properties compared to mature forest stands and second-growth forest. This observation is relevant to forest management within city limits and in the suburban zone of large cities. Not only is clear-cutting area not accepted by people visiting forests for recreational purposes, but it leads to a detraction from the health benefits provided by forests.

Expansins are cell wall (CW) proteins that mediate the CW loosening and regulate salt tolerance in a positive or negative way. The transcription of Populus trichocarpa expansin A6 (PtEXPA6) was downregulated upon prolonged duration of salt stress (48 h) after a transient increase induced by NaCl (100 mM). The role of PtEXPA6 in salt tolerance was determined by transferring the PtEXPA6 gene into the hybrid species Populus alba × P. tremula var. glandulosa clone 84K (84K) and Populus tremula × P. alba INRA '717-1B4' (717-1B4). The PtEXPA6-transgenic poplars of 84K and 717-1B4 showed a greater reduction in photosynthesis, stem height and diameter growth under salt stress and a reduced capacity for ROS scavenging by antioxidant enzymes, which is associated with excessive Na+ accumulation in roots and shoots. NMT flux recordings showed that the radial translocation of Na+ salt into the root xylem and real-time Na+ translocation from roots to leaves were greater in PtEXPA6-transgenic poplars than in wild-type poplars. Analysis of comparative contractility and comparative extensibility of intact root tips indicated that PtEXPA6 increased the CW loosening in the transgenic poplars of 84K and 717-1B4. Noteworthy, the PtEXPA6-promoted CW loosening was shown to facilitate radial and longitudinal transport of Na+ in transgenic poplars. We conclude that overexpression of PtEXPA6 leads to CW loosening that facilitates radial translocation of Na+ into the root xylem and subsequent Na+ translocation from roots to leaves, resulting in excessive Na+ accumulation and consequently reduced salt tolerance in transgenic poplars.

Mangrove plant seedling cultivation is crucial for the protection, management and restoration of mangrove ecosystem. In this study, we focused on Kandelia obovata, a typical mangrove, and evaluated nursery cultivation with different combinations of three salinity levels (S1: 0 ppt, S2: 10 ppt, and S3: 20 ppt), three genealogies (EZD, JX, and YZ), and five growth media (M1: 100% loess, M2: 100% sandy, M3: 50% loess + 50% sandy, M4: 40% loess + 40% sandy + 20% peat, and M5: 40% loess + 40% sandy + 20% coir), by measuring the growth parameters such as mortality rate, seedling height, diameter, and biomass partition. These growth indexes were significantly affected by salinity and medium, and genealogies also had significant effects on mortality rate and biomass accumulation. S2 or S3 both had lower mortality and higher growth indexes than S1. M1 was the medium that increased seedlings height, diameter and biomass the most and had the lowest death rate. EZD and JX were also higher levels than YZ in these indicators, but the difference between them was not obvious. S3, M1, and EZD consistently performed well in fuzzy evaluation and quality assessment. Furthermore, combinations involving these treatments also produced highly favorable results. These results furnish both a theoretical and practical foundation for advancing nursery cultivation techniques and germplasm breeding of K. obovata in mangroves.

Bone/fracture healing is a complex process with different steps and four basic tissue layers being affected: cortical bone, periosteum, fascial tissue surrounding the fracture, and bone marrow. Stem cells and their derivatives, including embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, skeletal stem cells, and multipotent stem cells, can function to artificially introduce highly regenerative cells into decrepit biological tissues and augment the healing process at the tissue level. Stem cells are molecularly and functionally indistinguishable from standard human tissues. The widespread appeal of stem cell therapy lies in its potential benefits as a therapeutic technology that, if harnessed, can be applied in clinical settings. This review aims to establish the molecular pathophysiology of bone healing, the current stem cell interventions that disrupt or augment the bone healing process, and finally, consider the future direction/therapeutic options related to stem cells and bone healing.

Following the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), with the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as its guiding treaty, the European Union (EU) has just reached an agreement on an EU Nature Restoration Regulation. This study carries out a systematic cross-walk between the restoration regulation and the KM-GBF, focusing on their implications for forest ecosystems. This paper identifies areas of alignment, divergence, and potential gaps related to habitat restoration, species protection, climate resilience, and the sustainable use of natural resources. The methodology adopts a grounded approach, starting with the 23 targets outlined in the KM-GBF and proceeding to the 28 articles set out in the restoration regulation. The results highlight the need for better alignment between the KM-GBF, the restoration regulation, and other forest-relevant EU policy instruments. The study stresses the need for a coherent and integrated EU policy approach that can address the diverse challenges and policy objectives facing forests. It concludes that amendments to the restoration regulation have significantly diluted its potential impact, limiting the EU Members States accountability and ability to meet KM-GBF goals and targets. It further stresses the need for strategies that can reconcile divergent EU policy pathways, support forest management and restoration efforts, while aligning with global biodiversity objectives.

The increasing demand for large-scale, high-frequency environmental monitoring has driven the adoption of satellite-based technologies for effective forest management, especially in the context of climate change. This study explores the potential of SAR for estimating the mass of harvesting residues, a significant component of forest ecosystems that impacts nutrient cycling, fire risk, and bioenergy production. The research hypothesizes that while the spatial distribution of residues remains stable, changes in moisture content—reflected in variations in the dielectric properties of the woody material—can be detected through SAR techniques. Two models, generalized linear model (GLM) and random forest (RF), were used to predict the mass of residues using interfer-ometric variables (phase, amplitude and coherence) as well as the backscatter signal from several acquisition pairs. The models provided encouraging results (R2 of 0.48 for GLM and 0.13 for RF), with acceptable bias and RMSE. We concluded that SAR data are feasible to predict the mass of harvesting residues and the findings could lead to improved monitoring and management of forest residues, contributing to sustainable forestry practices and enhanced bioenergy resource utilization.

Understanding the dynamics of Organic Carbon mineralization is fundamental in forecasting biosphere to atmosphere Net Carbon Ecosystem Exchange (NEE). With this perspective, we developed 3D-CMCC-PSM, a new version of the hybrid Process Based Model 3D‐CMCC FEM where also heterotrophic respiration (R_h) is explicitly simulated. The aim was to quantify NEE as a forward problem, by subtracting Ecosystem Respiration (R_eco) to Gross Primary Productivity (GPP). To do so, we developed a simplification of the Soil Carbon dynamics routine proposed in DNDC [1]. The method calculates decomposition as a function of soil moisture, temperature, state of the organic compartments, and relative abundance of microbial pools. Given the pulse dynamics of soil respiration, we introduced modifications in some of the principal constitutive relations involved in phenology and littering sub-routines. We quantified the model structure related uncertainty in NEE, by running our training simulations over 1000 random parameter-sets extracted from parameters distributions expected from literature. 3D-CMCC-PSM predictability was tested on independent time series for 6 Fluxnet sites. The model resulted in daily and monthly estimations highly consistent with the observed time series. It showed lower predictability in Mediterranean ecosystems, suggesting that it may need further improvements in addressing evapotranspiration and water dynamics.

Accurate detection of forest restoration sites using deep learning is crucial for effective ecosystem management, optimizing reforestation efforts, and ensuring environmental sustainability. While various deep learning-based systems have been developed for this purpose, the influence of different neural network architectures on model performance during the identification of forest restoration sites remains underexplored. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the optimal methodology for extracting and classifying candidate sites for forest restoration based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), specialized for image recognition. Four categories—arable land, road and barren, quarry, and forest—were defined as candidate sites for forest restoration. A dataset comprising 17,043 samples was divided into training (11,929) and validation (5,114) sets at a ratio of 7:3 for model learning. Model accuracy was evaluated using pixel accuracy (PA) and mean intersection over union (mean IoU). The Resnet152-U-Net model demonstrated a pixel accuracy of 95.2% and a mean IoU of 61.3%, indicating excellent performance in extracting candidate sites for forest restoration. This approach offers spatial and temporal advantages over conventional field surveys or aerial image-based assessments, potentially serving as valuable data for selecting future forest restoration sites.

Objective: The goal of this review is to provide a succinct, yet comprehensive, guide to the an-tepartum management of multiple gestations. Methods: This narrative review on twins and multiple gestation provides a concise guide for providers with this ever-growing patient population. PubMED was utilized for literature search. Each reference was evaluated and graded for quality of evidence by US Preventative Services Task Force and Cochrane Review guidelines. Screening, surveillance, and management strategies are delineated succinctly and organized by type of multiple gestation being managed from the lowest risk dichorionic twin pair to the increasingly escalating risks of twins and higher order multiples sharing a placenta and/or amniotic sac. Results: The incidence of twin pregnancies has grown over the past several years, due in large part to delayed reproductive timing and surge in assisted reproductive technologies. Twin pregnancies are associated with higher morbidity for both gravidas and offspring, warranting evidence-based approach in counseling and management. Conclusions: We note the important differences among multiples in chorionicity and amnionicity, in the importance of close surveillance and early delivery. Graded clinical pearls and evi-dence-based recommendations are presented to guide obstetric providers.

Protected areas serve as an effective mechanism usually supported by a statute to conserve and protect wildlife-rich areas worldwide. Such extensive external management needs elaborate planning, regular monitoring, and periodic assessment of results. Thus, management effective evaluation (MEE) has emerged as one of the major tools for quantifying the performance of any protected area, globally since 2006. India has successfully conducted a complete round of management effectiveness evaluation of all its terrestrial protected areas (except conservation reserves and community reserves), with 25 such areas already undergoing a repeat assessment. Simultaneously, India biennially carries out a country-wide status of forest cover in all its states and union territories. This study has correlated the trend in change of forest cover for the states that contain those 25 repeat evaluated protected areas with their change in MEE scores over the same period. Our study found a positive correlation between the change in forest cover and the change in management effectiveness score from 2005-06 to 2018-19. Owing to increased protection regimes in the PAs including the degraded areas if they make part of such areas, the habitat often shows recovery. Effective habitat conservation is thus intertwined with the monitoring and preserving the wildlife populations in the protected areas, thereby, reduction in forest cover equally impacts the management scores. However, in states where the loss in forest cover has been reported, more protected areas need to be assessed to plan complementary strategies for both habitat and species conservation.

Membranes are a selective barrier that allows certain species (molecules and ions) to pass through while blocking others. Some rely on size exclusion, where larger molecules get stuck while smaller ones permeate through. Others use differences in charge or polarity to attract and repel specific species. Membranes can be used to purify air and water by allowing only air and water molecules to pass through but preventing contaminants such as microorganisms and particles or to separate target gas or vapor, such as H2, CO₂, from other gases. The higher the flux and selectivity, the better a material is for membranes. The desirable performance can be tuned through material type (polymers, ceramics, and biobased materials), microstructure (porosity and tortuosity), and surface chemistry. Most membranes are made from plastic from petroleum-based resources, which contribute to global climate change and plastic pollution. Cellulose can be an alternative sustainable resource to make renewable membranes. Cellulose exists in plant cell walls as natural fibers, which can be broken down into smaller components such as cellulose fibrils, nanofibrils, nanocrystals, and cellulose macromolecules through mechanical and chemical processing. Membranes made from reassembling these particles and molecules have variable pore architecture, porosity, and separation properties and therefore have a wide range of applications in nano-, micro-, and ultrafiltration or forward osmosis. Despite their advantages, cellulose membranes face some challenges. Improving the selectivity of membranes for specific molecules often comes at the expense of permeability. The stability of cellulose membranes in harsh environments or under continuous operation needs further improvement. Research is ongoing to address these challenges and develop advanced cellulose membranes with enhanced performance. This article reviews the microstructure, fabrication methods, and potential applications of cellulose membranes, providing some critical insights into processing-structure-property relationships for current state-of-the-art cellulosic membranes that could be used to rationally improve their performance.

The present study aimed to date the death of Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc.) at Sogwang-ri, where is famous for the Korean red pine forests in Korea, using a dendrochronological method, and to investigate the effect of climatic factors on the death and growth decline of the pine trees. For the study, 51 Korean red pines were selected from three stands (Jungmi-gol A, Jungmi-gol B, and Neonam-gol) in the study area, and for the ring-width measurement the increment cores were extracted from the selected trees. The stand chronologies for the Jungmi-gol and Neonam-gol were established using the mean values of individual time series of the living trees from each site, and the chronologies were further used for cross-dating with individual time series of the dead trees to date their death. The abrupt growth reduction was also investigated based on the consecutive ring-width growth decline trend to know the vitality during the living. Results revealed that the red pines at Jungmi-gol A were dead in 2020, at Jungmi-gol B in 2012 or 2013, and at Neonam-gol in 2019. So, it was verified that the death of the red pines at the study sites occurred from high to low elevations. In the analysis of the role of climate in the annual ring growth, the trees at Jungmi-gol A and B located on the southwest slope showed more ring-width growth when precipitation in April, July, and August were increasing, at Neoman-gol located on the north slope when precipitation only in July was increasing. Although the correlations of the ring-width growths at the sites with temperature and precipitation were somehow different from each other, Drought Stress Index (DSI) from May to September at all sites were all negative. Therefore, water stress caused by increased temperature and decreased precipitation is the most significant climatic parameter for the death or growth decline of the pine trees in the study area.

Retrospective information about the climate system and plant ecophysiology are key inputs in climate and Earth system modelling. Dendrochronology provides such information with large spatiotemporal coverage, and stable carbon isotope (¹³C/¹²C) analysis across tree-ring series is among the most advanced dendrochronological tools. For the past seventy years, this analysis was performed on whole molecules, and, to this day, ¹³C/¹²C variation is attributed to ¹³C discrimination during CO₂ diffusion into leaves and assimilation by rubisco. By contrast, ¹³C discrimination by post-rubisco processes is presumed constant. Here, recently reported results on the first dataset of intramolecular ¹³C discrimination in tree rings were synthesised by variance component analysis. The emerging picture is not consistent with the classical (DR-discrimination-centred) concepts and practices of carbon-isotope dendrochronology. Specifically, leaf and stem post-rubisco discrimination each account for more variation in the data than diffusion-rubisco discrimination, i.e., post-rubisco discrimination is not constant. Furthermore, diffusion-rubisco discrimination is used widely as proxy of leaf intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), a key determinant in the responses of global biogeochemical cycles to climate change. However, since diffusion-rubisco discrimination is a small component of the total data variance, whole-molecule analysis yields confounded iWUE estimates, yet intramolecular analysis will likely offer solutions. Lastly, all currently observed ¹³C/¹²C-climate relationships are attributed to diffusion-rubisco discrimination. However, here, relationships with temperature and radiation derive from leaf-level post-rubisco discrimination while relationships with precipitation derive from stem-level post-rubisco discrimination. That said, advances in mass spectrometry may soon make intramolecular ¹³C/¹²C analysis broadly available taking carbon-isotope dendrochronology to the next level.

Prescribed fire is increasingly utilized for conservation and restoration goals, yet there is limited empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness in reducing wildfire-induced damages to valued resources of significant worth—whether natural, cultural, or economic. This study evaluates the efficacy of prescribed fire in reducing wildfire severity to LANDFIRE-defined vegetation classes and valued resources impacted by the 2017 West Mims event. Wildfire severity, measured using the differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) index, was highly heterogeneous both within and between vegetation classes; however, profound differences between treated and untreated areas were evident. The beneficial effects of prescribed fire were most pronounced within ca. two-years post-treatment but remained evident beyond three-years relative to untreated areas. For example, actively managed areas that were treated with prescribed fire just one month prior to the West Mims event exhibited an 88% reduction in mean wildfire severity relative to unmanaged areas. When post-treatment duration reached 38 months, mean wildfire severity remained 17% lower than untreated areas. Findings from this study reveal significant reductions in both average and peak wildfire severities in areas treated with frequent fire, supporting burn rotations of one to two years to balance fuel reduction and ecological conservation.

Background: Although the link between environmental lead exposure and several patterns of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been reported, its association with silent myocardial infarc-tion (SMI) has not been explored. We aimed to assess the association between blood lead levels (BLL) and risk of SMI. Methods: This analysis included 7283 (mean age 56.1±2.52 years, 52.5% women) participants from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who were free of clinical CVD. Ascertainment of BLL done using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. SMI defined as ECG evidence of MI without history of MI. Multivariable lo-gistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between SMI and BLL. Results: SMI was detected in 120 participants corresponding to an unweighted prevalence of 1.65%. Par-ticipants with higher levels of BLL had higher prevalence of SMI (0.4%, 0.9%, and 2.4% across BLL tertiles; p-value

The recent mountain pine beetle outbreaks have caused widespread mortality among lodgepole pine trees in western North America, resulting in a reduced population of surviving trees. While previous studies have focused on the cascading impacts of these outbreaks on the physiology and growth of the surviving trees, there remains a need for a comprehensive study into the interactions among various physiological traits and the growth in post-outbreak stands. Specifically, the relationship between chemical (primarily terpenes) and anatomical (mainly resin ducts) defences, as well as the allocation of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) to support these defence modalities, is poorly understood. To address these gaps, we conducted a field survey of surviving lodgepole pine trees in post-mountain pine beetle outbreak stands in western Canada. Our retrospective analysis targeted to determine correlations between the post-outbreak concentrations of monoterpenes, diterpenes, and NSCs in the phloem, and the historical resin duct characteristics and growth traits before and after the outbreak. We detected strong correlations between post-outbreak concentrations of monoterpenes and historical resin duct characteristics, suggesting a possible link between these two defence modalities. Additionally, we found a positive relationship between NSCs and the total concentrations of monoterpenes and diterpenes, suggesting that NSCs likely influence the production of these terpenes in lodgepole pine. Furthermore, historical tree growth patterns showed strong positive correlations with many individual monoterpenes and diterpenes. Interestingly, while surviving trees had enhanced anatomical defences after the outbreak, their growth patterns did not vary before and after the outbreak conditions. The complexity of these relationships emphasizes the dynamics of post-outbreak stand dynamics and resource allocation in lodgepole pine forests, highlighting the need for further research. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of conifer defenses and their coordinated responses to forest insect outbreaks, with implications for forest management and conservation strategies.

ABSTRACT This study focused for socio-economic benefit of Western shoreline of Lake Ziway ecosystem. The data collected from two woredas they are Adami Tulu Jidu Kombolch (ATJK) and Dugda woreda of fishermen and small scale irrigation users. Lake Ziway great importance food and water for both groups of respondents and additionally sources of raw material, energy, cultivation, organic fertilizers, genetic and medicinal plants. Lake Ziway also has a major economic benefit for both groups of respondents. The sampled fishermen cached mean amount of 2,524Kg per year with minimum and maximum amount of fish 504Kg and 16,800Kg per year respectively and with this fish catching they got average income of 51,398 Birr ($2,570) per year with range of 7,200 Birr ($360) and 288,000 Birr ($14,400) per year. As like of fishermen small scale irrigation also got economic benefit with their production of cereal crops, fruits and vegetables. They produce in average 13.47Quintal of cereal crop and 69.56Quintal of fruits and vegetables per year and they got average income of 7,727 Birr ($386) and with range of 13,714 Birr ($686) per year respectively. this incurred that wetland ecosystem has a lot of socio-economic benefit for the people live near by specially for developing countries like Ethiopia they are more dependent on natural ecosystem like of Lake Ziway. Because of its high importance, we have to protect and conserve and use sustainably of Lake Ziway and similar wetland ecosystems. Key Words: Wetland ecosystem service; Lake Ziway; Socioeconomic benefit; Fishermen; Small scale irrigation users

Understory plants are important components of forest ecosystem productivity and diversity. Compared to biomass models of overstory canopy trees, few are available for understory saplings and shrubs and therefore their roles in estimation of forest carbon pools are often ignored. In this study, we harvested 24 understory species including 4 saplings, 9 tree-like shrubs and 11 typical shrubs in coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest in northeastern China and developed the best fit allometric equations of above- and below-ground and total biomass by species-specific or multispecies using morphological measurements of basal diameter, height and crown area as independent variables. The result showed that single basal diameter, height or crown area had good explanatory power for both species-specific and multispecies (p<0.001). The best-fit models included only basal diameter in sapling and tree-like shrubs, and combinations of crown area, height, and basal diameter in typical shrubs. The logarithmic model was most desired among the 4 model forms of linear, quadratic, multiple linear and logarithmic, for species-specific and multispecies. The models we developed should help the estimation of forest ecosystem carbon stocks, especially for belowground component, and provide tools for quantification of individual species biomass of understory plants.

The search of DNA polymorphisms useful for the genetic improvement of dairy farm animals lasts more than 40 years with relevant findings in cattle for milk traits, where the best combination of alleles for dairy processing have been found in casein genes and in the DGAT1. Nowadays, similar results are not reached yet in river buffaloes despite advanced genomic technologies and accurate phenotype records are available. The aim of the present study was to investigate and validate in a larger buffalo population the effect on six milk traits of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the CSN1S1, CSN3, SCD and LPL genes, previously reported to be associated with or affect dairy traits in smaller populations often belonging to one farm. A total of 800 buffaloes were genotyped. Daily milk yield (dMY, kg), protein yield (dPY, kg) and fat yields (dFY, kg), fat and protein contents (dFP, % and dPP, %), somatic cell count (SCC, 103cell/ml) and urea (mg/dl) were individually recorded in each month for the whole lactation from 2010 to 2021. A total of 15,742 individual milk test day records (2,496 lactations) were available on 680 buffalo cows with 3.6±1.7 parity (from 1 to 13) and 6.1±1.2 test day records per lactation on average. Three out four SNP in CSN1S1, CSN3 and LPL were associated with at least one of analyzed traits. In particular, the CSN1S1 (AJ005430:c.578C&gt;T) gave favorable associations with all yield traits (dMY, p=0.022; dPY, p=0.014 ; dFY, p=0.029) and SCS (p=0.032), whereas the CSN3 (HQ677596: c.536C&gt;T) positively associated with SCS (p=0.005) and milk urea (p=0.04). Favorable effect on dMY (p=0.028), dFP (p=0.027) and dPP (p=0.050) were observed for the LPL. Conversely, SCD did not show any association with milk traits. This is the first example of confirmation study carried out in the Mediterranean river buffalo for genes of economic interest in dairy field and it represents a very important indication for the preselection of young bulls destined to breeding programs in the view of a more sustainable dairy production.

During the last 150 years, the trout-culture industry focused on enhancing trout populations by stocking, in response to the growing anglers’ demand and the habitat degradation associated to the rapid urbanization and hydropower development. The industrialized north of Italy, home to the Italian Alpine and subalpine trout populations, is the source of most of the revenues of the national trout-culture industry. Its rapid growth and the massive introduction of non-native interfertile trouts eroded the genetic diversity of native lineages, leading to harsh confrontations between scientists, institutions, and sportfishing associations. We review here the state of art of the taxonomy and distribution of the northern Italian native trouts, presenting both scientific results and historical documentation. We think the only native trouts in this region are Salmo marmoratus, widespread in this region, plus small and fragmented populations of S. ghigii, present only in the Southwestern Alps. We strongly recommend the interruption of stocking of domesticated interfertile non-native trouts in this area, and recommend the adoption of Evolutionary Significant Units for salmonid fishery management. We further propose future research directions for a sustainable approach to the conservation and ecosystem management of the fishery resources and inland waters of northern Italy.

Sixteen crossbred rabbits (New Zealand white x Thai native breed) were randomly divided into two groups of eight to determine the effects of daily oral administration of crude extracts from the butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) from weaning (at 35 days) to slaughter (at 90 days). Effects on phagocytic activity of blood polymorphoneuclear leukocytes, serum biochemistry, meat quality, muscular lipid peroxidation, apparent digestibility, and gut histology were studied. The results revealed that the phagocytic function of circulating leukocytes (75 and 90 days) and alveolar macrophages (90 days) did not differ between the two groups. At slaughter, treated rabbits had lower blood urea nitrogen concentrations and higher liver weight than control rabbits (p &lt; 0.05). After chilling at 4°C for 24 hours, lower meat pH and alteration of meat color (a brighter, less yellow, Hue angle and color saturation) were observed in the treated group (p &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, lipid peroxidation (measured at 3, 5 and 7 storage days) in the meat of treated rabbits was lower than in controls (p &lt; 0.05). Apparent digestibility (analyzed at 46 days for four days) revealed improved organic matter and ether extracts in the treated group (p &lt; 0.05), whereas gut histology was unaffected. In conclusion, butterfly pea extract supplementation did not affect phagocytic function but led to a modification in meat color, delayed lipid peroxidation, and improved digestibility.

Poplars (Populus spp.) are of significant ecological and economic importance. Long-term breeding efforts were aimed mainly at obtaining fast-growing and productive plants and less considered resistance to pests. This study aimed to identify the patterns of susceptibility to Saperda carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) among Populus hybrids and pure species, considering crossing combinations and some other traits. In our research, 35 clones of poplar species and hybrids of the Ukrainian and foreign selection from the Aigeiros, Tacamahaca, and Leucoides sections were tested in 2021 and 2023 in the plantation created in 2014 in Eastern Ukraine. S. carcharias preferred infesting clones with earlier foliage development, larger diameters, and height increments. Specifically, hybrids with American maternal lineage showed the highest susceptibility, whereas those with European maternal lineage or Asian origin displayed lower infestation levels or resistance, respectively. This variability suggests a complex relationship between genetic background and pest resistance, underlining the need for a deeper understanding of the factors influencing susceptibility to S. carcharias. Selecting native species clones or creating mixed clone plantations could enhance the resilience of poplar plantations to pest threats.

Background: Subclinical myocardial injury (SCMI) is associated with an increased risk of poor cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. Understanding the underlying risk factors for SCMI is crucial for the prevention and management of CVD. We hypothesized that atherogenic dyslipidemia, a combination of high triglycerides (TG) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), is associated with an increased risk of SCMI. Methods: This analysis from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III) included 7,093 participants (age 59.3±13.4 years, 52.8% women, and 49.4% White) free of CVD. Atherogenic dyslipidemia was defined as TG ≥150 mg/dL and HDL-C <40 mg/dL in men or <50 mg/dL in women. A validated electrocardiographic-based cardiac infarction injury score (CIIS) ≥10 was considered positive for SCMI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of different combinations of TG and HDL-C groups, including atherogenic dyslipidemia with SCMI. Results: About 22.5% (n=1,594) of participants had atherogenic dyslipidemia, and 26.3% (n=1862) had SCMI. Compared to participants with normal TG and normal HDL-C, those with atherogenic dyslipidemia had a higher prevalence of SCMI (31.2% vs. 23.9%, p-value <0.001). In a multivariable logistic regression model, atherogenic dyslipidemia was associated with the highest odds of SCMI followed by high TG/normal HDL-C, then low HDL-C/normal TG [OR (95% CI): 131 (1.14,1.52), 1.13 (0.97,1.33), and 1.01(0.86,1.20), respectively). Conclusions: Atherogenic dyslipidemia is associated with a higher risk of SCMI, which highlights the role of nontraditional risk factors in the development of subclinical CVD.

The Himalaya is well known for high diversity and ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants. However, not all areas of the Himalayas are well studied. In particular, studies on ethnobotanical uses of plants from the Eastern Himalayas are rare and lacking for many tribes. Past studies primarily focused on listing plants name and their traditional medicinal uses. However, studies on traditional ethnopharmacological practices on medicine preparation had not yet been reported in published literature from the Eastern Himalaya. In this study, we are reporting the first time ethnopharmacological used 24 medicines, their procedures of preparation and listed 53 plant species used for those medicines for Monpa tribe. Such documentations had not yet been done for other tribes in India. Our research demonstrates the urgent need to documents traditional medicine preparation procedures from the local healers before rapid cultural modernization forgets them in transforming country like India. This study should motivate national and international researchers to do more works on ethnopharmacology and bioprospecting.

Few studies have explored the gender wage gap among farmworkers, and there is a notable absence of research on how farm wages impact household welfare differently based on gender. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how farm wages affect gender disparities in household welfare among farmworkers in Nigeria. Using survey data from 720 farmworkers, we investigated gender-based differences in household welfare. Our approach combined parametric methods (Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition) to assess gender gaps in household welfare and non-parametric techniques (Propensity Score Matching, PSM) to estimate the effects of farm wages. The analysis reveals that female farmworkers experience significantly lower per capita food consumption expenditure (₦11,486.51 less) compared to their male counterparts. These disparities partly stem from differences in socioeconomic factors, job characteristics, and enterprise attributes between male and female farmworkers. The study underscores the role of farm wages in mitigating gender gaps in household welfare, demonstrating that farm wages have increased per capita food consumption expenditure for female farmworkers by ₦6,640.698. This finding highlights the potential of wage increases to enhance livelihoods, underscoring the importance of equitable wage policies in farming. Furthermore, our findings emphasize that the impact of farm wages on welfare varies with household characteristics, suggesting the need for targeted interventions tailored to enhance identified household attributes. Addressing these factors could effectively reduce gender inequalities in farm work and contribute to overall welfare improvements.

Despite of being an exceptionally biodiversity rich country, the forest coverage of Bangladesh is declining at an alarming rate. Declaration and management of protected areas in this regard is one of the efforts from government side to tackle the loss of biodiversity. The limited numbers of forest-protected areas (FPA), established to conserve the dwindling forest biodiversity of the country with high pressure on them for timber, non-timber forest products, and fuelwood - makes their management challenging. Moreover, most of the FPAs of the country declared only in the recent decades with very limited infrastructure, manpower and policy support for monitoring and governance. Some people-centred approaches for the management of FPAs and alternative livelihood and income generation subsidies although made available through a few project interventions, their number are still inadequate and performance remains less than satisfactory. This chapter provides a critical review of the FPAs of Bangladesh looking at their role in biodiversity conservation, management challenges, and key lessons from previous management interventions with recommendations for the future. It has been revealed that the FPA system of Bangladesh still poorly represents the diverse forest ecosystems with relatively small forest size and lack of corridors for the movement of wildlife. There are ample opportunities to render co-management of FPAs an effective strategy to minimize the conflicts in FPAs management in the country. It is, however, important to ensure the access of local forest-dependent people to different alternative income generating options that may adequately support their livelihoods.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is an important deciduous species in western U.S. forests. Existing maps of aspen distribution are based on Landsat imagery and often miss small stands (&lt;0.09 ha or 30 m²), which rapidly regrow when managed or following disturbance. In this study, we present methods for deriving a new regional map of aspen forests using one year of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) imagery in Google Earth Engine. We assessed the annual phenology of aspen in the Southern Rockies and leveraged the frequent temporal resolution of S1 and S2 to create ecologically relevant seasonal composites. Additionally, we derived spectral indices and radar textural features targeting the canopy structure, moisture, and chlorophyll content. Using spatial block cross-validation and Random Forests, we assessed the accuracy of different scenarios and selected the best performing set of features for classification. Comparisons were then made with existing landcover products across the study region. The resulting map improves on existing landcover products in both accuracy (average F1-score = 93.1%) and detection of smaller forest patches. These methods enable accurate mapping at spatial and temporal scales relevant to forest management for one of the most widely distributed tree species in North America.

The criteria of “Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability” as well as a high "overall quality index” are used to register the Italian modern varieties to the national register. Differently, local conservation varieties can be certified under different EU Directives having, as overall objective, the preservation of biodiversity and the containment of genetic erosion. In recent years, products derived from an-cient grains are perceived to be healthier and more sustainable by consumer, especially in Italy, with consequent higher market prices. Ancient tetraploid wheat varieties registered in the national reg-ister of conservation varieties are 28, 24 of which are Sicilian. They are supposed to have a wide genetic variability compared to modern ones, making them vulnerable of fraud because they are difficult to trace. It is therefore important to have tools able to discriminate the autochthonous Si-cilian varieties. This can be done by gluten proteins composition, which also gives information on the technological properties of derived products. Fifty-one accessions belonging to 22 ancient va-rieties of Sicilian tetraploid (mostly durum) wheat were analyzed. Although a wide intra-accession and intra-varietal variability was assessed, the gliadin pattern of bulks of seeds belonging to each variety was discriminatory. Moreover, differences in technological attitudes were found between landraces. This paves the way to use gluten protein patterns for traceability allowing local farmers and producers to valorize their products and assure consumers about the transparency of the entire supply chain.

The article presents a model for optimizing biomass supply chains using the linear programming framework integrated with a Geographic Information System. Based on the distance from a given type of biomass resource, its calorific value, price, and transportation costs, the model identifies the optimal source of biomass, allowing it to cover the demand for the required total energy value with the lowest possible costs. The case study includes the Połaniec power plant in southeastern Poland and potential sources of forest biomass and agricultural straw within 100 km of the plant. Unit costs of biomass varied depending on biomass availability and energy demands. For energy demand on the level of 1 PJ yearly, the lowest unit costs of biomass (4.08 €/MJ) were when all kinds of biomass were available, and the highest (5.47 €/MJ) was when only stacked wood was available. As energy demand increased, unit costs increased, and the ability to meet this demand with just one type of biomass decreased. The energy biomass sector can utilize the model to benefit both biomass producers and their final buyers.

It is becoming clear that in addition to gap junctions, playing a role in cell-cell communication, gap junction proteins, connexins, located in cytoplasmic-compartments may have other important functions. Mitochondrial connexin 43 (Cx43) is increased after ischemic preconditioning and has been suggested to play a protective role in the heart. How Cx43 traffics to the mitochondria and the interactions of mitochondria with other Cx43-containing structures are unknown. In this study, immunocytochemical, super-resolution and transmission electron microscopy were used to detect cytoplasmic Cx43-containing structure and to demonstrate their interactions with other cytoplasmic organelles. The most prominent cytoplasmic Cx43-containing structures, annular gap junctions, were demonstrated to form intimate associations with lysosomes as well as with mitochondria. Surprisingly, the frequency of associations between mitochondria and annular gap junctions was greater than that between lysosomes and annular gap junctions. The benefits of annular gap junction/mitochondrial associations are not known. However, it is tempting to suggest that the contact between annular gap junction vesicles and mitochondria facilitates Cx43 deliver to the mitochondria. Furthermore, it points to the need for investigating trafficking of Cx43 to cytoplasmic compartments and annular gap junction as more than only a vesicle destined for degradation.

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a pathogenic fungus that grows mostly on birch species (Betula pendula and B. pubescens) and has traditionally been used as an anti-cancer medicine. The study aimed to compare the chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of chagas growing on both Betula spp. on various cancer cell lines. The freeze dried extracts contained triterpenes inotodiol, lanosterol betulin and betulinic acid typical to conks growing on Betula species. The cytotoxic activity of chaga growing on Betula pendula and B. pubescens 80% ethanolic extracts against thirty-one human cancer cell lines has been evaluated by a sulforhodamine B assay. The strongest inhibitions were observed with chaga (growing on B. pendula) extract on the HepG2 and CAL-62 cell line, and with chaga (from B. pubescens) extract on HepG2 cell line, with IC50 values of 37.71, 43.30, and 49.99 μg/mL, respectively. The chaga extracts from B. pendula exert somewhat stronger effects on most cancer cell lines studied than B. pubescens extracts. This study highlight the potential of chaga as a source of bioactive compounds with selective anti-cancer properties, encouraging further exploration of its therapeutic mechanisms and potential applications in cancer treatment.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is essential for nutrient cycling and soil carbon (C) accumu-lation, both of which are heavily influenced by the quality and quantity of plant litter. Since SOM dynamics in relation to plant diversity are poorly understood we investigated the effects of willow variety and mixture, and site on the soil C stocks, SOM chemical composition and ther-mal stability. Using pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectrometry we analysed the top 10 cm of soil from two 7-year-old experimental sites in Germany and Sweden, with monocultures and mixtures of two willow varieties (Salix spp.) belonging to different species. Overall, site had the strongest effect on SOM quality. Results showed significant variability across sites for willow identity and mixture effects on C accumulation and SOM chemistry. In the German site (Ros-tock), yearly soil C accumulation was higher (p < 0.05) for variety ‘Loden’ (1.0 Mg C ha-1 year-1) compared to ‘Tora’ (0.5 Mg C ha-1 year-1), whilst in the Swedish site (Uppsala), both varieties ex-hibited similar soil C accumulation rates of around 0.6 Mg C ha-1 year-1. Willow variety identity significantly affected SOM quality at both sites, while mixing had minor effects. Our findings emphasize the significance of site-specific context and variety or species identity in shaping soil C accumulation in willow plantations.

As a precious natural resource, forests are being destroyed. In previous studies, there is a lack of interactive assessment of its distribution that comprehensively considers multiple external disturbances. This paper takes the Barcelona Metropolitan Region as an example. Based on remote sensing, it analyzes the development process of the forest from 2006 to 2018 through multiple landscape indicators, and OLS models were established to analyze variables that have direct and indirect effects on forest distribution. In addition, the ecological structure of the forest was analyzed based on NDVI. It was found that the forest area is the largest but has been decreasing, becoming more complex in distribution structure. Much of the forest was converted to agricultural land and grassland. The green quality of forests was increasing, and the broad-leaved forest, the second largest area, contributes the most. NDVI is the most important positively correlated variable, and daytime surface temperature is an important inverse factor related to NDVI. In addition, NDBI is also a negative condition that inhibits forest development. In conclusion: The BMR forest area is decreasing and becoming more fragmented. NDVI and daytime LST are the two most significant factors. Climate warming may lead to worse forest development.

Brain metastasis is the most common intracranial malignancy in adults. The prognosis is extremely poor, partly because most patients have more than one brain lesion, and the currently available therapies are nonspecific or inaccessible to those occult metastases due to an impermeable brain-tumor-barrier (BTB). Phosphatidylserine (PS) is externalized on the surface of viable endothelial cells (ECs) in tumor blood vessels. In this study, we have applied a PS-targeting antibody to assess brain metastases in mouse models. Fluorescence microscopic imaging revealed that extensive PS exposure was found exclusively on vascular ECs of brain metastases. The highly sensitive and specific binding of the PS antibody enables individual metastases, even micrometastases containing an intact BTB, to be clearly delineated. Furthermore, conjugation of the PS antibody with a fluorescence dye, IRDye 800CW, or a radioisotope, ¹²⁵I, allowed clear visualization of individual brain metastases by optical imaging and autoradiography, respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrated a novel strategy of targeting brain metastases based on our finding that abundant PS exposure occurs on blood vessels of brain metastases but not normal brain, which may be useful for the development of imaging and targeted therapeutics for brain metastases

(1) Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has existed in some form for decades, but recent rapid advances in a subset called machine learning (ML) — and more specifically deep learning (DL), a neural network-based approach — have made headlines for the potential to revolutionize and automate multiple large sectors of society, including scientific research and the healthcare field. Furthermore, large language models (LLMs) — which are built on DL — could lead to a more seamless, natural interaction between humans and computers. (2) Methods: We reviewed numerous publications on this subject from recent years. (3) Results: We found these studies collectively show that AI is positively disrupting both biomedical research and medical practice, such as optical imaging in surgery guidance. (4) Conclusions: However, we recommend caution in over-reliance on AI in the laboratory or the clinic due to anticipated risks and current limitations.

Global change and human activities are altering biodiversity at an unprecedented rate worldwide, leading to sharp declines in global biodiversity and other ecological issues. Over the past 30 years, ecologists have increasingly focused on the question of whether and how the ongoing loss of biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning. This interest has led to the emergence of the field of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) as a major research area in ecology. However, historically, researchers have predominantly focused on individual ecosystem functions, neglecting the capacity of ecosystems to provide multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously, known as ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). This article reviews advances in EMF research, including the selection of functional indicators in EMF studies, different dimensions of biodiversity, the impacts of microbial diversity and biotic interactions on EMF, and drivers of EMF such as non-biological factors. By comprehensively analyzing the overall effects of aboveground biodiversity, belowground biodiversity, and non-biological factors on EMF, the study emphasizes the need to enhance research and application of ecosystem multiserviceability (EMS) approaches.

Vascular impairment, muscle atrophy, and cognitive decline are important age-related conditions that have a significant impact on health. Vascular impairment directly disrupts the flow of blood, leading to the decline of muscle mass associated with aging (sarcopenia) and the decline of neuronal functions (neurodegeneration). Our inadequate understanding of the complex relationships between these conditions impedes precise diagnosis and effective treatment. This review analyzes the interrelated mechanisms that contribute to these conditions, with a specific focus on oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and impaired nutrient delivery. The aim is to understand the common pathways involved and to suggest comprehensive therapeutic approaches. Vascular dysfunctions hinder the circulation of blood and the transportation of nutrients, resulting in sarcopenia characterized by muscle atrophy and weakness. Vascular dysfunction and sarcopenia have a negative impact on physical function and quality of life. Neurodegenerative diseases exhibit comparable pathophysiological mechanisms that affect cognitive and motor functions. Preventive and therapeutic approaches encompass lifestyle adjustments, addressing oxidative stress, inflammation, and integrated therapies that focus on improving vascular and muscular well-being. Better understanding of these links can enhance therapeutic strategies and lead to better outcomes for patients. Here, we highlight the intricate relationship among vascular dysfunction, degenerative muscle, and cognitive decline, underscoring the need for multidisciplinary approaches to treatment. Progress in this field can result in improved diagnosis, more potent therapeutic options, and enhanced preventative measures, all of which can contribute to an improved quality of life for the aging population.

Human activities (e.g., exploitation, utilization, and conservation) exert substantial impact on forest ecological functions (FEF). The human influence on FEF significantly varies across developmental stages, which are attributed to the temporal and spatial in nature. This study evaluates some notable FEF indices (FEFI) in the 448 counties within the Yellow River basin (YRB) using panel data from the Seventh to Ninth National Forest Inventory. Data analysis involves employing the residual trends, geographical and temporal weighted regression. Results indicate that, firstly, the overall forest ecological function in the YRB is moderate to inferior, with superior FEF in counties endowed with more natural forest resources. Afforestation demonstrates a short-term improvement, but its effectiveness diminishes over time. Secondly, the positive spatial correlation is stronger among counties, characterized by both high-high and low-low agglomeration effects. Scattered planting, simple stand structure, and concentrated harvesting of forests at the identical stand ages hinder the formation of complex and large-scale FEF agglomerations. Thirdly, significant spatial-temporal differences exist in the impact of human activities on FEF. In the upper reaches of the basin, increased vegetation coverage through agricultural and forestry production benefited FEF, however, some over-exploitation of forests and grasslands is observed there. In the middle reaches, the economic development, expanding population and the greening activities help to improve FEF effectively, but excessive water using in agricultural production brought more difficulties to FEF improvement. In the lower reaches of the basin, improved wastelands and forest protection positively influence FEF. This study recommends that county governments should prioritize forest management with multi-species and multi-layered complex forests. Each county should define its position in regional development and ecological protection, considering the potential impacts on neighboring regions. This holistic approach promotes more effective integrated regional management.

The forest regeneration phase in Sweden commonly involves mechanical soil preparation followed by planting of Scots pine or Norway spruce seedlings. The prepared soil offers planting positions with different properties, including decreased damage by pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.). Nitrogen fertilization can be applied at the time of planting to aid establishment of the seedlings. In this study we compared the effect of organic nitrogen-fertilization for different planting positions, and seedling sizes on early survival and growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings. The main planting positions were capped mound, hinge, and mineral soil. Seedlings planted close to organic material were categorized as “low quality positions”, since proximity to organic material increase pine weevil attraction. Higher mortality rates related to pine weevil damage were recorded for seedlings planted in the low-quality positions, regardless of seedling size or N-fertilization. Pine weevil attack rates increased with increasing seedling size. Growth was in general lowest in mineral soil positions. The effect of organic N-fertilization on growth was positive for spruce regardless of planting positions and seedling size, while depending on planting position and seedling size for pine, indicating that effects of organic N-fertilization depend on seedling species, -size and planting position.

Ambrosia trifida is a kind of malignant invasive plant, which has very high reproductive and en-vironmental adaptability. Through strong resource acquisition ability and allelopathy, it could inhibit the growth and reproduction of surrounding plants, destroy the stability of an invasive ecosystem. It is very important to predict the change of suitable distribution area of Ambrosia trifida with climate change before implementing scientific control measures. Based on 106 Ambrosia trifida distribution data and 14 environmental data, the optimal parameter combination (RM = 0.1, FC = LQ) was obtained by using the MaxEnt model optimized by Kuenm package, the potential suit-able areas of Ambrosia trifida in Northeast China under three different climate scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5) with different emission intensities in the future (2050,2070) were predicted. The changes of Ambrosia trifida suitable area in Northeast China under three climate scenarios were compared, and the relationship between the change of suitable area and emission intensity was analyzed. In general, the suitable area of Ambrosia trifida in Northeast China will expand gradually in the future, and the area of its highly suitable area will also increase with the increasing emission intensity, which is unfavorable to the control of Ambrosia trifida.

The growing prevalence of disposable toilet seat covers in public restrooms stems from concerns about personal hygiene, given the direct contact between the seat and various users' skin. To enable flushing these disposable cover sheets down the toilet instead of discarding them in the trash, they must possess specific properties. These include rapid water absorption for quick disintegration, strength to endure user movement or moisture on the toilet seat surface, and a comfortable texture. To address these challenges, the study investigated the disintegration characteristics of flushable cover sheets prepared under different refining conditions. Alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) was also employed to enhance water resistance, while an organic antibacterial agent was used to impart antimicrobial properties. The findings revealed that adding 0.2% AKD and 1% organic antibacterial agent to pulp stock with a freeness of about 650 mL CSF was suitable for manufacturing disposable cover sheets with disintegration characteristics like toilet tissue paper.

In order to solve the problem of large eddy current loss and high temperature rise caused by large amount of permanent magnet, a new type of combined magnetic pole permanent magnet motor is proposed in this paper. The sinusoidal distribution subdomain model of non-uniform air gap rotor is established by using Laplace equation, and the analytical expression of eddy current loss of rotor in uniform air-gap and non-uniform air-gap is derived. The effect of rotor eccentricity on eddy current loss is obtained. According to the characteristics of distributed winding of non-uniform air gap combined pole permanent magnet motor, equivalent treatment is performed to obtain the equivalent thermal conductivity, so as to establish equivalent thermal network model of motor, calculate the temperature value of each component of the motor, and verify the correctness of the thermal network model through the method of magnetothermal bidirectional coupling. Finally, an experimental platform is set up to carry out temperature rise experiments on the two prototypes respectively. Experimental results show that the non-uniform air-gap rotor structure can effectively reduce the rotor eddy current loss and motor temperature rise, and also verify the accuracy of the analytical model calculation results.

: This study aimed to validate the effects of self-compassion-based forest healing therapy as an intervention for reducing stress and promoting coping resources. Therefore, we investigated the effects of self-compassion-based forest healing therapy on stress, self-compassion, and connectedness to nature. A total of 30 participants were divided into an experimental and control group. Two sessions of forest healing meditation activities were held at the Forest of Healing every two weeks between October and November 2023. As a repeated measures experiment, data were collected before the intervention, after the first intervention, and after the second intervention. Perceived stress, positive and negative affect, and salivary cortisol were measured to assess physiological and psychological stress in participants. Connectedness to nature and self-compassion were measured to evaluate stress-coping resources. The results showed that the forest healing program had significant positive effects on stress and emotional states in the experimental group after the intervention. Further, there was a significant incremental effect on connectedness to nature and self-compassion in the experimental group. Therefore, self-compassion meditation-based forest healing therapy is a feasible and efficient approach for facilitating stress management and coping resource building.

Conventional monitoring relies on "in vivo" (non-destructive) measurements of aboveground organ traits (such as stems, branches, and leaves) to analyze plantation growth trends and assess the effectiveness of management practices like watering and fertilization. This study reveals the necessity of “ex vivo” (destructive) approaches, post-excavation, to ensure fully reliable monitoring of plantation performance, including belowground organ growth and development trends. We showcase the effectiveness of dendrometric analysis, which measures the annual ring width in the secondary xylem (wood) of the taproot and stem. Monitoring above- and belowground organ growth trends allow for the exploration of similarities and differences in how different tree organs respond to internal and external factors. Such monitoring is especially crucial for assessing plantation performance in challenging climates, such as those found in arid and semi-arid lands.

Vibration signal analysis is regarded as a fundamental approach in diagnosing faults in rolling bearings, and recent advancements have shown notable progress in this domain. However, the presence of substantial background noise often results in the masking of these fault signals, posing a significant challenge for researchers. In response, an Adaptive Denoising Autoencoder (ADAE) approach is proposed in this paper. The data representations are learned by the encoder through convolutional layers, while the data reconstruction is performed by the decoder using deconvolutional layers. Both the encoder and decoder incorporate adaptive shrinkage units to simulate denoising functions, effectively removing interfering information while preserving sensitive fault features. Additionally, dropout regularization is applied to sparsify the network and prevent overfitting, thereby enhancing the overall expressive power of the model. To further enhance ADAE's noise resistance, shortcut connections are added. Evaluation using publicly available datasets under scenarios with known and unknown noise demonstrates that ADAE effectively enhances the signal-to-noise ratio in strongly noisy backgrounds, facilitating accurate diagnosis of faults in rolling bearings.

Telecoupling, interactions between social-ecological systems across large, often global, distances, drives negative impacts from the forest-based carbon market. Yet, these negative impacts have been underreported; and therefore, likely vastly underestimated. We identify how these unintended negative impacts may occur and provide recommendations for the forest-based carbon market to better account for externalities by prioritising positive social impact, expanding comprehensive ecological outcomes and improving transparency of investments. We call for a carbon market that is designed to account for its global interconnectedness.

The band gap research in graphene is still a very important topic for materials application. Here, we report a band gap opening and p-type semiconducting property of the graphene by using an electrochemical doping on graphene surface. The manganese-oxide nanopar-ticles adsorbed on the graphene were used as the dopants in an electrolyte, which induce the band gap opening and the change of electronic structure. In addition, the fabricated graphene FET shows the p-type semiconductor behaviors. The temperature dependent conductivity of the p-type doped graphene at applied potential of 1.5 V during electro-chemical doping shows the formation of band gap of 0.23 eV, which is obtained from the fitting of conductivity equation. The semiconducting properties of manganese-oxide doped graphene is attributed to the formation of manganese-oxide nanoparticle on the surface of graphene.

The wellness economy has developed rapidly recently, particularly in wellness tourism. Wellness tourism transforms sustainable strategy through the availability of extended multi-actor engagement in service innovation to further the tourism experience. Therefore, when operating a wellness tourism destination, it is necessary to encourage multi-actor engagement in service innovation to achieve sustainable development. This paper introduces a mixed research method with the SWOT-AHP-QSPM, as it qualitatively analyzes the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats, constructs an evaluation index system, conducts quantitative analysis using the analytic hierarchy process, determines the index weight and weighted score, and calculate the sustainable development strategy, which is appropriate for wellness development of Chongqing Tea Mountain and Bamboo Forest National Forest Park. Purposive field surveys and personal interviews were conducted in Chongqing forest tourism destinations, involving 356 effective respondents. The research reveals that multi-actor engagement significantly enhances sustainable development. These findings bridge service innovation knowledge gaps and provide valuable insights for forest tourism destination management and sustainable policy strategies to elevate multi-actor engagement in forest sites.

Coppicing has been neglected in recent decades leaving gaps in knowledge on silvicultural interventions, especially the long-term effects on coppices of South-East Europe. Thus, our work aims to define the long-term effects of thinning in sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) sub-mountainous thermophilic low coppices in the Croatian Dinarides. The experiment includes two localities with thinning plots and control plots. Thinning was done in 2002 with 17.71% of wood volume removed in the European beech coppice and 26.09% in the sessile oak coppice. 1276 trees were marked, measured (DBH, tree height, number of stems per stump) and assessed for vitality, origin and six silvicultural features revealing tree quality. Descriptive statistics for all variables, RMANOVA for DBH and height and for continuous variables mean+-+ standard deviation for categorical frequency and relative frequency variables were carried out. The results show a statistically significant positive long-term effect of thinning on tree growth, stem and crown features and support findings that thinning, by increasing growth and quality, is a necessary intervention in European beech and sessile oak low coppices. The recent economic crisis, the sudden increase in energy prices, and the increased demand for assorted wood products have initiated higher interest in coppices in Croatia.

Rotorcrafts operate HUMS for fault diagnosis, but the capabilities of HUMS analysts are important due to the complex mechanical configuration of rotorcraft and the difficulty of analysis. Accordingly, an advanced algorithm is needed to identify faults, and flight data can be used to develop the algorithm. However, flight data contains abnormal or missing data due to problems such as sensor defects, which can be a major problem in algorithm development. Therefore, in this paper, we study a gap filling method using MLP to obtain normal data when there are problems such as abnormal or missing data in rotorcraft flight data. Existing methods typically fill the gap through interpolation or curve fitting using the before and after values of missing data. However, in this study, normal values were estimated using the values of other parameters at the moment of missing or abnormal data occurred. As a result of evaluating the performance of the trained MLP using normal data, it was confirmed that the output of the model well estimates the changing trend of the target. And when abnormal data was applied to the trained model, it was confirmed that point outliers were eliminated and appropriate values were found in the case of missing data.

Several pathotypes of enteric E. coli have been identified. The group represented by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is of particular interest. Raw milk and raw milk products are significant sources of STEC infection in humans; therefore, identifying pathogens at the herd level is crucial for public health. Most national surveillance programs focus solely on raw milk and raw milk cheeses that are ready for retail sale, neglecting the possibility of evaluating the source of contamination directly at the beginning of the dairy chain. In order to assess the viability of new molecular methodologies applied to raw milk filters enabling the identification of the presence of STEC serotypes in milk production and apply the same methods to identify the presence of these pathogens in calf feces we analyzed, through a commercial real-time PCR assay, a total of 290 samples coming from 18 different dairy herds; 88 bulk tank milk (BTM), 104 raw milk filters (RMF) and 98 calves’ feces samples. In total 3.4% of BTM, 41.4% of RMF and 73.4% of calves’ feces tested positive for stx presence, supporting our hypothesis that BTM is not a suitable matrix to assess the STEC presence at herd level, underestimating it. Our conclusion is that the surveillance program needs critical and extensive improvements such as RMF and calves’ feces analysis implementation in order to be more efficient in detecting and preventing STEC infections. The epidemiology of these infections and the characteristics of the pathogen clearly show how a One Health approach will be pivotal to improve our capabilities to control the spread of these infections.

Forest fires can occur suddenly and have significant environmental, economic, and social consequences. Timely and accurate evaluation and prediction of their progression, particularly the spread speed in difficult-to-access areas, are essential for emergency management departments to proactively implement prevention strategies and scientifically extinguish fires. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of advanced technologies for predicting forest fire spread in China and globally. Incorporating remote sensing (RS) technology and forest fire science as the theoretical foundation, and utilizing the Wang Zhengfei forest fire spread model as the technical framework, this study constructs a forest fire spread model based on remote sensing interpretation. The model optimizes the method for acquiring parameters and enhances algorithm accuracy. By considering regional landforms (ridge lines, valley lines, slopes) and vegetation coverage, this paper establishes visual interpretation markers for identifying hotspots within the spread model. Utilizing statistical data from pixels within the fire line zone transforms the methodology for predicting forest fire spread speed, resulting in greater accuracy compared to conventional fixed-point predictions. Finally, the model was applied to the case of a forest fire in Mianning County, Sichuan Province, China and verified using high-time resolution mid-infrared image data and previous research findings. The results demonstrate that the predicted fire spread area from this RS-enabled model is consistent with both high-time resolution geostationary satellite data and previous research outcomes, indicating high reliability. This model can provide crucial fire spread information to relevant emergency departments, enabling effective preemptive measures and scientific firefighting strategies.

The advent of deep learning (DL) has revolutionized medical imaging, offering unprecedented avenues for accurate disease classification and diagnosis. DL models have shown remarkable promise for classifying brain tumor from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. However, despite their impressive performance, the opaque nature of DL models poses challenges in understanding their decision-making processes, particularly crucial in medical contexts where interpretability is essential. This paper explores the intersection of medical image analysis and DL interpretability, aiming to elucidate the decision-making rationale of DL models in brain tumor classification. Leveraging state-of-the-art DL frameworks with transfer learning, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation encompassing both classification accuracy and interpretability. Using state-of-the-art DL frameworks with transfer learning, we conduct a thorough evaluation covering both classification accuracy and interpretability. We employ adaptive path-based techniques to understand the underlying decision-making mechanisms of these models. Grad-CAM and Grad-CAM++ highlight critical image regions where the tumors are located.

In Mexico there is a deficit in the production of pine resin, because it depends on natural forests. Therefore, it is necessary to select provenances and phenotypes of potential species such as P. oocarpa. The objective was to determine the difference between provenances and the variation of resin components and quality, as well as the effect of geographic and climatic factors. Resin from five provenances was collected from southern Mexico. The percentage of rosin, turpentine and water was obtained, as well as the acidity and saponification index. P. oocarpa resin had 80.94 % rosin, 7.7 % turpentine and 11.49 % water. The saponification and acidity index was 125.47 and 117.49 mg KOH.g_1, respectively. All variables showed differences (p≤ 0.0001) between provenances. The provenance contributed between 6.44 and 11.71 % to the total variance, the error contributed between 88.29 and 93.56 %. Geographic and climatic variables only had an effect on the percentage of turpentine; the correlation was negative with altitude and longitude, but positive with temperature and precipitation. The results allow defining seed collection sites for resin plantations and orienting the selection for a P. oocarpa improvement program.

Chamois are mountain ungulates (Subfamily Caprinae) which inhabit several medium and high altitude mountain ranges from southern Europe to the Near East. The first findings of Sarcocystis cysts in the musculature of chamois were reported in the 1970s. However, only limited work on the epidemiology of sarcocystosis and identification of the species of Sarcocystis in chamois has been done in the past. The present work was part of a comprehensive study on the parasites of chamois in Germany aiming to provide, for the first time, data on the prevalence and intensity of Sarcocystis infection in native Alpine chamois using histology examination of heart and/or diaphragm tissue samples collected from 216 chamois (40 kids and 176 chamois ranging of one up to 18 years of age). Sarcocysts were detected in either heart or diaphragm of 167/216 chamois (77.3%) with 131 of 183 heart samples and 127 of 215 diaphragm samples testing sarcocyst positive. Of the 181 chamois with both heart and diaphragm available (34 kids and animals up to 18 years of age), sarcocysts were detected in heart and/or diaphragm of 142 animals translating in an overall 78.5% prevalence of Sarcocystis infection (95%CI 72.5% - 84.4%). Sarcocysts were more frequently recorded in heart vs. diaphragm (72.4% vs. 56.4%; p=0.0021), and diaphragm positivity was associated with heart positivity (p=0.0001). Sarcocyst positivity (heart and/or diaphragm) was significantly (p<0.001) lower in kids than in the older chamois (27.1% vs. 88.6%, respectively) but prevalence did not differ between the sexes, regardless of the chamois’ age (p>0.3). Intensity of infection was generally low (<10 sarcocysts per cm² muscle cut) in both heart positive and diaphragm positive animals (94.7% and 93.7%, respectively) with heart yielding higher sarcocyst counts than diaphragm (p<0.001). Both heart and diaphragm sarcocyst counts were significantly (p<0.001) lower in kids than in the older chamois. Sarcocystis infection was demonstrated to be prevalent in chamois in Germany but intensity is apparently low. Further studies are desired to identify the species of Sarcocystis parasitizing the chamois using both phenotypic and molecular characteristics.

This research focuses on the effect of trampling on vegetation in high-mountain ecosystems through the electromagnetic spectrum’s interaction with plant pigments, cell structure, water content and other substances that have a direct impact on leaf properties. The most heavily visited part of the High Tatras in Poland was divided into polygons and, after selecting the dominant species within alpine swards, a detailed analysis of trampled and reference patterns was performed. An ASD FieldSpec 3 was used to acquire high-resolution spectral properties of plants, their fluorescence and the leaf chlorophyll content with the ts-ta temperature index and fraction of accumulated radiation in the range of photosynthesis (fAPAR) used as reference data. The results show that, along tourist trails, vegetation adapts to trampling with the impact depending on the species. A lower chlorophyll value was confirmed by a decrease in fluorescence, and the state of cellular structures was degraded in trampled compared to reference species, with a lower leaf reflectance. Also, at the extreme, trampling can eliminate certain species such as Luzula alpino-pilosa.

Forests have multifunctional roles. They not only increase forest carbon sinks through afforestation and management, but also indirectly realize multiple benefits of "economy + ecology + society". Therefore, we construct a multiple output-benefit system of forest carbon sinks based on the development of forest carbon sinks in provinces of China. This system is also able to distinguish the importance of forest carbon sinks from other outputs. For the efficiency evaluation of multi-level output systems, this paper constructs a cross-evaluation model based on evidential reasoning method, the original efficiency information by conducting efficiency evaluation before information fusion. Further, the spillover effects and influencing factors of forest carbon sink efficiency are analyzed through a spatial regression model to explore the spatial characteristics of forest carbon sink efficiency in China. The results show that: (1) there is a large gap between the cross-efficiency levels of forest carbon sinks in various regions of China, with significant spatial correlation. For the perspective of direct output benefits, the cross-efficiency of the eastern region is higher, while the cross-efficiency of the northwestern region is lower; for the perspective of indirect output benefits, the cross-efficiency of the southeastern region is higher. (2) China's forest carbon sink has a significant positive spillover effect, and the indirect output cross-efficiency has a significant negative impact on the forest carbon sink in its own region. Further analyzing the impact of indirect output cross-efficiency, it is found that the cross-efficiency of the ecological dimension and the cross-efficiency of the social dimension have a significant negative impact on the forest carbon sink in its own region, and the economic dimension has a significant positive impact on the forest carbon sink in its own region. In conclusion, corresponding policy recommendations are proposed for the development of forest carbon sinks to promote the realization of the dual-carbon goal.

A given problem in physics can be solved if it is well formulated. Well formulated means that it has a bijective correspondence to physical reality. Mass Gap Problem has no bijective correspondence with the physical reality and is that’s why not solvable mathematically. It can be solved in the frame of quantum mechanics by the formulation of the photon’s mass accordingly to the Planck-Einstein relation.

The main purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive view of the application mathematical models in the designing and implementing SSCM beside to solving problems and making decision. The research questions are: what mathematical models are used for designing and implementing sustainable supply chain management, how to use them, which industries implemented in, what modules of SSCM depth in and finally finding the gaps of researches. The methodology of research is Systematic Literature review through peer review papers which are published in high ranking journals. In this paper, First, we search all papers through scientific data bases like Scopus, science direct, MDPI, Springer, Google Scholar, then, screening papers based on the criteria such as subject of paper, journals impact factor which is published in-should be peer review journal- and relative content of the papers. Finally, we selected 245 papers with three steps screening through 2806 papers that they have enough quality and relative to our research goals for context analysis. Through context analysis, first we categorized the information of the papers and drew the current situation of researches in the framework of our topic. Then, we evaluate and compare the goals of sustainability and current situation and found the gapes, then, offered new suggestions like implementing SSCMs models in pollutant industries like casting industry, Heavy industry, coal Industry and so on. On the other hand, there are gaps in researches in some modules of SSCM such as packaging, designing products, etc.

The aim of the present study is to investigate both the performance and preferences of males and females Computer Science (CS) graduates. In order to attain the above goal, a quantitative case study was conducted regarding 89 degrees, acquired from 2006 to 2012, from the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Greece. The analysis of the data revealed that in terms of performance, no significant differences between the mean grades of males and females exist, in almost most of the courses included in the curriculum of the aforementioned CS department. Any statistically significant differences in performances were present in almost equal number of courses in favor of males and females. It seems also, that females performed better in the courses they selected more than males. Regarding preferences, in CS courses, it seems that gender differences are existent. Males preferred more than females did core programming courses and advanced topics of Software Systems, computer networks, computer engineering, robotics and mathematics, whereas females preferred more the study of algorithms and security issues, computer fractals, data management, computer architecture, and mobile communication. In addition, females preferred courses in reference with humanities and social sciences, CS terminology, and career opportunities. Yet, females did not select any of programming lab-based courses, computer engineering, computer network issues and robotics.

This paper aims to build up a preference function to evaluate the public benefits of the type of agricultural farming, biodiversity, water provisions, land use type, ecotourism modes, and a monetary attribute (environmental trust fund and willingness to contribute) associated with an ecosystem service and land use program in a forest park. This study used the choice experiments to build a random utility model, analyze the average preference for the above land use attributes based on the conditional logit and used a latent class model to test the resident’s heterogeneous preferences for land use planning in the forest park. We also estimated the welfare derived from various land use programs. The empirical result had shown that: (1) increasing organic farming area, maintaining the status quo of species biodiversity, increasing the surface water provision, increasing the area of custom flora, increasing the wetland area, and setting up an integrated framework for ecotourism increase the public’s preference for the land use program; (2) we found that farmer and non-farmer haven’t the same land use preferences; (3) the ecotourism development program incorporating biodiversity, organic farming, ethnobotany, and wetland area with integrated ecotourism are more preferred than other land use program scenarios.

Recently, the concept of participatory democracy developed in the early 1970s has come back into fashion to revitalize the public involvement in political decision-making processes. Public par-ticipation in forest policy has been fully conceptualized by the scientific community in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but in many contexts the practical application remains unfulfilled. The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the participatory techniques used in literature to increase knowledge and facilitate its transferability into forest policies and strategies. A literature review was carried out to offer an overview of the participatory techniques adopted in the deci-sion-making process. At the end of literature review, 25 participatory techniques were identified based on over 2,000 publications. Afterwards, the participatory techniques were assessed using seven indicators (degree of participation, type and number of participants, time scale, cost, po-tential influence on policy). The results showed that the type of actors involved in the participa-tory technique is a key variable for the complexity and usefulness of the process, while the number of participants influences how information is disseminated. The Principal Component Analysis highlighted that the participatory techniques can be divided in three groups: the first group includes those techniques with a high degree of participation and a contextual high po-tential influence on policies, the second one includes techniques with a costs in terms of re-sources, while the third one consists of those with a large number of participants and reduced time requirements.

The mechanical properties of the materials stored inside agricultural silos influence the loads generated inside them. The different silo calculation methodologies allow predicting these loads under static and dynamic conditions if the mechanical properties of the stored materials are known. It has been known for many years that these properties are highly dependent on the moisture content of the material. However, to date there are not many studies focused on its determination. The goal of this research is the determination of the angle of internal friction, apparent cohesion, dilatancy angle and apparent specific weight of maize subjected to different moisture contents. Direct shear and oedometer assay devices were used for this purpose. In addition, the maize samples used were moistened using a climatic chamber. Moisture contents applied to maize sample ranged from 9.3% to 17.4%. The results obtained for the angle of internal friction and apparent cohesion, as well as those obtained for the apparent specific weight, were similar to those reported in the literature. However, the values obtained for the dilatancy angle of maize as a function of moisture content could not be compared because nothing has been published so far. The values obtained for this parameter overlap with those published for this material under ambient conditions. In addition, no direct relationship between the values obtained for this parameter and the moisture content of the sample could be found. Finally, the apparent specific weight increased with increasing moisture content of the samples, which differed from that published in the literature. The values provided here can be used for the optimization of storage and handling structures for granular agricultural materials using numerical methods.

Stellera chamaejasme L. is a fast-spreading unpalatable poisonous plant that grows in the alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). The impacts of unpalatable plant species spread on animal health and plant community have been well studied, but studies into their effects on belowground organisms and processes are rare. We carried out a soil metabarcoding study using Illumina MiSeq sequencing to investigate whether the soil bacteria and fungi communities of Stellera are different to the soil microbiome of neighboring palatable grass Elymus nutans Griseb. Total carbon and nitrogen, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and microbial biomass carbon were all significantly greater in Stellera soil compared to Elymus soil, while no significant differences were observed for gravimetric soil moisture, pH or nitrate nitrogen. There were no significant differences in bacterial and fungal abundance between Stellera and Elymus soil. The bacterial species richness was significantly lower in Stellera soil but no significant difference was observed for fungal species richness. The beta diversity and community composition of bacteria and fungi were markedly different between soils. The presence of bacterial phyla Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, and fungal phyla, Basidiomycota and Glomeromycota, were significantly greater under Stellera soil. This study demonstrated that the spread of undesirable unpalatable plants can potentially disrupt existing plant-soil-microbe associations with potential consequences for grassland soil biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Agroforestry practices evolve with the development of basic and advanced facilities, changes in natural and artificial factors of land use change. The study aims to examine the socioeconomic characteristics and compare satisfaction levels across forest products and vegetable farming of the agroforestry community in Khost Province. Data were collected from 662 farmers and was analyzed using univariate Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) and Multivariate Analysis of Variances (MANOVA). The results found that forest and vegetable products, including fruits, berries, herbs, mushrooms, wild animals, oils, wood, honey, okra, eggplant, carrot, cucumber, pine nuts, pepper, and timber has different impact in terms of satisfaction with basic and advanced facilities, knowledge about land use and impacts, natural and artificial factors of land use change, and positive and negative impact of land use change. The limitation of the study included an absence of exogenous factors in the model such as climate change, financial conditions, market fluctuations, regulatory system, an area in which the study is selected, research design, and current condition of endogenous factors. Overall, agroforestry practices can improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities in Khost Province, Afghanistan. This study provided useful insights for policymakers and development practitioners to promote agroforestry practice adoption and improve the socioeconomic development of agroforestry-dependent communities. Future works could explore the implications of agroforestry practices on the socioeconomic development of other dependent communities in Afghanistan.

Baijiu is popular with its long history and balanced flavor, and flavor type was the most widely used classification mode for Baijiu. However, the evolution relationship of Baijiu flavor types and the differential markers between flavor types are still unclear, which has greatly affected the development of Baijiu industry. In this study, a total of 319 trace components were identified by gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among them, 91 trace components with high odor active values or taste active values were recognized as flavor components. Then random forests were conducted to screen differential markers between derived and basic flavor types, and principal component analysis was carried out to evaluate their effectiveness in distinguishing the flavor types of Baijiu. Finally, 19 differential markers were screened and proved to effectively reveal the evolution Baijiu flavor types, and were further verified as key differential markers by addition test and correlation analysis.

Balancing the levels of ammonia, in poultry facilities plays a role in enhancing the welfare and productivity of animals. Various environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, ammonia concentrations, carbon dioxide concentration and exposure to light have an impact on the wellbeing and efficiency of poultry. It is essential to monitor these elements to achieve outcomes necessitating practical, reliable and cost-effective solutions. Leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) in conjunction with LoRa-WAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) technology presents an opportunity in the industry by enhancing connectivity among devices and facilitating real time data transmission. This research introduces a hardware and software setup for monitoring conditions at poultry farms through LoRa WAN and IoT technologies. More-over researchers employed Random Forest Machine Learning prediction models to tune the concentration of Ammonia (NH3) in poultry facilities across a wide area or multiple Poultry houses. Comparative assessments were conducted to evaluate the proposed system against devices revealing a correlation exceeding 0.9830 between the sensors and standard equipment while costing 28% less than traditional tools. The prototype displayed outcomes underscoring its potential, for managing poultry facilities across multiple farms with centralized oversight.

Particulate organic carbon (POC) is a pivotal component within the marine carbon cycle, actively involved in diverse biogeochemical processes. This study focuses on Mediterranean as the research region, selecting the most influential factors from 47 potential ones influencing surface POC. Using geographic detector for factor identification, ten primary influencers were identified. Preliminarily optimized random forest (BRF), backpropagation neural network, adaptive boosting, and extreme gradient boosting were utilized to construct POC assessment models. Notably BRF exhibited superior performance in estimating the sea surface POC. Further optimization of RF using the tuneRanger R package resulted in R² of 0.868, mean squared error of 1.119 (mg/m³) ², and mean absolute error of 1.041 (mg/m³). Surface POC concentrations in the Mediterranean for May and June 2017 were estimated. Spatial distribution analysis unveiled higher concentrations in the west, lower in the east, higher in the north, lower in the south, with higher levels near the coast and lower far from the coast. Additionally, the study deliberated on the impact of human activities on surface POC in the Mediterranean. This research contributes a high-precision method for satellite retrieval of surface POC concentrations in the Mediterranean, thereby enriching the understanding of POC dynamics in the area.

Rheometric investigations facilitate the rheological analysis of cementitious suspensions. However, the choice of the rheometric device and raw data conversion affect the results. Contrary to small gap rheometry, where the flow data shear stress

A remarkable strengths of deep neural networks lies in their ability to discover patterns and representations from complex data. Deep learning models can learn and refine features at different levels of abstraction, enabling them to handle complex tasks in computer vision recognition, natural language processing, and speech recognition. The ability to generalize from examples, coupled with the capacity to process vast amounts of data, empowers deep learning to achieve state-of-the-art results across a wide spectrum of applications. An argument for this ability is based on similarities between deep neural networks and the nervous system. In this report, we argue that despite the remarkable performance of deep learning, there are still gaps between deep learning and the nervous system that needs to be closed to enable deep learning doing tasks that currently only the nervous system can perform

Grasping the spatial and temporal patterns of forest fires, along with the key factors that drive them and the ability to forecast such events accurately, is essential for the successful management of forests. In China's southern region, forest fires significantly endanger the ecological system, public safety, and economic well-being. Through the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and LightGBM (Light Gradient Boosting Machine) model, this study investigates the determinants of fire incidents and formulates a predictive model for forest fire occurrences, alongside a zoning strategy, within the Central-South area. The results indicate: (i) Spatially, fire points exhibit significant clustering and autocorrelation characteristics; (ii) The Central-South Forest Fire Prediction Model shows exceptional accuracy, reliability, and predictive power, with high performance metrics across training and validation sets, including over 85% accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores, along with AUC values above 89%, underscoring its efficacy in forecasting forest fires and distinguishing between fire events; (iii) Throughout the year, forest fire risks in the Central-South region of China vary by region and season, with risk spikes from March to May in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Hainan. From June to August, localized risks are observed in Heyuan and Huangshi, while from September to November, an increase in risk is noted in Guangdong (Meizhou, Heyuan, Shaoguan), Guangxi (Nanning, Hezhou, Yulin), and Hunan (Binzhou, Yongzhou, Hengyang) due to cooler, drier conditions and leaf litter accumulation. From December to February, the risk continues in specific areas across Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Hubei.

The Australian tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF) is home to approximately 18 percent of the nation’s total vascular plant species. Over the past century, human activity and industrial development have caused global climate changes, posing a severe and irreversible danger to the entire land-based ecosystem, and WTWHA is no exception. The current average annual temperature of WTWHA in FNQ is 24 °C. However, in the coming years (by 2030), the average annual temperature increase is estimated to be between 0.5 and 1.4 °C compared to the climate observed between 1986 and 2005. Looking further ahead to 2070, the anticipated temperature rise is projected to be between 1.0 and 3.2 °C, with the exact range depending on future emissions. We identified 84 plant species endemic to the WTWHA in FNQ, which are already experiencing climate change threats. Few of these plants are used in herbal medicines. This study comprehensively reviewed metabolomics studies conducted on these 84 plant species until now toward understanding their physiological and metabolomics responses to global climate change. This review also discusses: i) recent developments in plant metabolomics studies that can be applied to study and understand the interactions of wet tropical plants with climatic stress, ii) medicinal plants and isolated phytochemicals with structural diversity, and iii) reported biological activities of crude extracts and isolated compounds.

Co-management is increasingly recognized as an effective approach of forest governance while recognizing local people's forest dependency and traditional rights. Moreover, co-management is expected to positively impact forest cover and ecosystem health. Bangladesh, facing a rapid decline in forest cover, has one of the lowest per capita forest areas worldwide. For quite a while, co-management practices have been used to improve forest cover and the livelihoods of forest-dependent people in Bangladesh. Several studies have assessed the efficacy of co-management in different protected areas in Bangladesh from livelihood, social, and cultural aspects. However, the overall changes in forest cover due to co-management from the very beginning of co-management initiatives in the country have been overlooked. We used remotely sensed Landsat images to assess the changes in forest cover and overall land use in five forest protected areas where co-management was piloted. Three major vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, and MSAVI) were examined to ensure the study's robustness. This study aims to assess the scope and weaknesses of the current policy that incorporates co-management in the country's first five protected areas (SNP, LNP, RKWS, TWS, and CWS), which were brought under co-management in 2003, and compare the efficacy of the co-management relative to non-comanaged protected areas (RRF). The land cover analysis based on NDVI, MSAVI, and EVI values indicated dominant dense forest coverage (41–71%) across five protected areas. During the co-management period (2004–2015), there was a significant decrease in the dense forest proportion, with slopes ranging from -3.7 to -0.96. Similarly, the RRF showed a decreasing pattern, with the slope of the decreasing trendline ranging from -0.48 to -0.62 across the three indices. Agriculture and forest-agriculture mosaics showed a significant increase, with varying slopes among protected areas in both co-managed and non-comanaged sites. Pixel-to-pixel changes revealed dynamic shifts in vegetation indices, and Global Forest Watch data highlighted forest cover losses, notably in CWS (158.77 ha) and SNP (0.49 ha).

We present a series of computer-assisted high resolution transmission electron (HRTEM) simulations to determine Moiré patters by induced twisting effects between slabs at rotational angles of 3°, 5°, 8°, and 16°, for molybdenum disulfide, graphene, tungsten disulfide, and tungsten selenide layered materials. In order to investigate the electronic structure, a series of numerical simulations using DFT methods was completed using CASTEP with a generalized gradient approximation to determine both band structure and density of states on honeycomb like new superlattices. Our results indicate metallic transitions when rotation approaches 8° with respect to each other for most of the two-dimensional systems that were analyzed.

There is a need to develop tools for mastitis management in goats and to measure the effects of milking machines on teats. Infrared thermography (IRT), as shown in cows, was a good candidate for early detection of mastitis and focusing on milking equipment and settings implicated in potential problems. The aim of this study was to test IRT to detect udder inflammation and the effects of mechanical milking on teats in relation to inflammation status, udder balance and teat shape in Alpine goats. IRT spectra were compared before and after milking in 551 goats from three commercial herds compared to their individual SCC (somatic cell count). We found no regression or trend between logSCC and IRT measurement or response to milking, even in highly inflamed goat udders. The effect of milking was significant (P

Glacial relicts, especially those with very narrow habitat requirements, are particularly affected by global warming and thus good models for studying the future biodiversity patterns of the Alps. We have used as a model taxon Papaver occidentale, a glacial relict endemic to the Western Prealps, belonging to the alpine poppy complex (P. alpinum aggr.). All known localities were visited, each population was georeferenced and the number of individuals was estimated. Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) was used to evaluate the present and future potential distribution range and habitat suitability, taking into account the specificity of its habitat (calcareous screes). According to our study, there are globally 19 natural populations of P. occidentale. The total number of individuals was estimated at 30756 (with 72% of all individuals in canton of Bern). The taxon is a highly specialized alpine plant growing preferentially between 1900 and 2100 m a.s.l. on north facing screes. Predictions for the end of the 21st century indicate that suitable area will significantly decrease, for both the entire studied area (0-30% remaining) and sites nearby current P. occidentale populations (0-17% remaining). Under the most severe scenario, the species risks complete extinction. The long-term in situ conservation of P. occidentale, and all other taxa of the P. alpinum complex, is unlikely to be achieved without slowing global climate change. More generally, our fine-scale study shows that local environmental buffering of large-scale climate change in high-mountain flora may be very limited in specialised taxa of such patchy environments as screes.

This paper explores the capability of various machine learning algorithms, including Random Forests and advanced gradient boosting techniques such as XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost, to predict customer churn in the telecommunications sector. For this analysis, a dataset available to the public was employed. The performance of these algorithms was assessed using recognized metrics, including Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F1-score, and the Receiver Operating Characteristic Area Under Curve (ROC AUC). These metrics were evaluated at different phases: subsequent to data preprocessing and feature selection; following the application of SMOTE and ADASYN sampling methods; and after conducting hyperparameter tuning on the data that had been adjusted by SMOTE and ADASYN. The outcomes underscore the notable efficiency of upsampling techniques such as SMOTE and ADASYN in addressing the imbalance inherent in customer churn prediction. Notably, the application of random grid search for hyperparameter optimization did not significantly alter the results, which remained comparatively unchanged. The algorithms' performance post- ADASYN application marginally surpassed that observed after SMOTE application. Remarkably, LightGBM achieved an exceptional F1-score of 89% and an ROC AUC of 95% subsequent to the ADASYN sampling technique. This underlines the effectiveness of advanced boosting algorithms and upsampling methods like SMOTE and ADASYN in navigating the complexities of imbalanced datasets and intricate feature interdependencies.

This work estimates yield losses due to drought events in mountain grasslands in north-eastern Italy, laying the groundwork for index-based insurance. Given the high correlation between Leaf Area Index (LAI) and grassland yield, we exploit LAI as a proxy for yield. We estimate LAI by the Sentinel-2 biophysical processor and we compare different gap-filling methods, including time-series interpolation and fusion with Sentinel-1 SAR data. We derive a Forage Production Index (FPI) as the growing season cumulate of the daily product between LAI and a meteorological water stress coefficient. Finally, we calculate the drought index as the anomaly of FPI. The validation of Sentinel-2 LAI with ground measurements showed RMSE of 0.92 [m2 m-2] and R2 of 0.81, on average over all the measurement sites. The comparison between FPI and yield showed R2 of 0.56 at the pixel scale and R2 of 0.74 at the parcel scale. The developed prototype FPI index was used at the end of the growing season of the year 2022 for calculating the payments of an experimental insurance scheme that was proposed to a group of farmers in Trentino-South Tyrol.

(1) Background: The proportion of fully mechanized harvesting systems in Austria is constantly increasing especially because of the technological development of the machines, which allows them to drive on increasingly steep terrain. This leads to additional challenges and potential hazards for the operators, which may also cause higher stress levels. The purpose of this study is to develop and debate a new set of methodologies for determining time and space resolved psychophysiology data to analyze stressful and non-stressful work situations for harvester and forwarder operators; (2) Methods: we suggest a study protocol to analyze a) tasks performed by the driver, b) environmental factors, like slope gradient, c) the psychophysiological response of experts during these tasks, and d) evaluate the worker´s subjective stress and fatigue before and after a harvest operation. (3) Results: Within this manuscript we present a study protocol based on quantitative and qualitative methods, like time and space resolved psychophysiology, questionnaires, qualitative interviews, as well as video and sensor-based analysis of environmental and machine data. The first results from real measurements of a forwarder driver are presented; (4) Conclusions: This multimodal research protocol serves to explore the relationship between stress, fatigue, and performed tasks. Through our quantitative and qualitative methodology, researchers can improve the health and safety of forest workers at work, improve their productivity and reduce damage to remaining trees.

Additive manufacturing (AM) provides opportunities to design objects differently than traditional manufacturing methods allow, but only if designers understand the possibilities AM presents. In this study, we examined whether an AM workshop combined with an idea generation session could inspire engineering professionals to use AM solutions to solve current technical problems they face. All subjects were employees at an organization that will be referred to as Company X, a multinational commercial organization based in North America. During the study, we collected ideas for 24 projects generated before and after a training workshop focused on design for AM. In the workshop, we provided three hours of instruction about design for two metal-based AM processes. The participants’ ideas were assessed using four specific metrics: (1) cost, (2) time,(3) completeness of solution, and (4) quality, which was a function of feasibility, usefulness, and novelty. Using these data, we explored whether the workshop was effective in inspiring the participants to use AM methods and techniques from AM research in their concept generation and whether participants’ AM solutions showed improvement in cost, implementation time, and quality over non-AM designs generated before the workshop.

A brief technical and economic insight into producing the water-soluble yellow colorant limocitrol 3-O-6”-[3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl)])-β-D-glucopyranoside from waste lemon peel via simple solid-liquid extraction in aqueous ethanol or via hydrodynamic cavitation of waste lemon peel in water, shows that the biocolorant can be obtained at affordable cost. Coupled to the simplicity and sustainability of the extraction processes suggested, the high chemical and physical stability of this polymethoxylated flavanol and the health benefits of citrus flavonoids, support industrialization of this new bioeconomy production.

Enforcement of animal welfare statutes are the primary protection given for the maintenance of animal welfare and prevention of cruelty. It is speculated that animal law enforcement in Australia has a number of weakness in the enforcement model. These weaknesses create a gap between the goals of animal law enforcement and the reality of the animal law justice system. This gap is defined as the ‘enforcement gap’. This paper identifies and investigates the causes of this gap. The hypothesized causes discussed are (1) the impact the public can have on reporting animal cruelty, (2) the reliance on charitable organizations as enforcement bodies, (3) the inconsistencies in animal welfare legislation, and (4) the role of the sentencing courts. Thus, the causes of the enforcement gap are multifactorial; derived from all stages of the enforcement process. Further research is needed to investigate the concepts raised in this paper. However, it is likely that a combination of structural change to enforcement agencies, legislative reform and public education is required to reduce the enforcement gap.

The study aims at evaluating the demand of forest bathing in the Northern Italy’s regions underlining the willingness to pay and the potential tourists’ habits and flows on attending alpine contexts. Through the submission of a questionnaire, the sample’s answers have been analyzed employing a stratified sampling methodology considering three different macro areas (Northwest regions, Northeast regions, and Friuli Venezia Giulia region). After analyzing the sample attitudes, the research approached the estimation section by calculating the flow as the number of potential forest bathing hikes per year and the willingness to pay trough the Contingent Valuation Method. The main results indicate that Forest Bathing activity in Northern Italy have a considerable monetary value and it is generally compared with positive feelings, particularly concerning well-being, and fascination factors.