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This study draws upon the concept of 'activity space' rooted in human geography and applies it in a contemporary urban context – Macao. Noting the growing trend of urbanisation and the blurring boundary of tourist-resident spaces, this research systematically analyses the mapping and structure of tourist and resident activity spaces, and interprets the tourist-resident interactions through their spatial–temporal behaviours. Global Positioning System data were consolidated to present the results in a visual way. This study contributes to the pool of knowledge by reinforcing the concept of activity space in tourism research. The practical insights can benefit destination planning where tourists and residents co-share spaces in a harmonious setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superspreading events underscore the uneven distribution of COVID-19 transmission among individuals and locations. These heterogenous transmission patterns could stem from human mobility, yet the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. Here, we employ an agent-based model incorporating urban scaling structure to simulate fine-grained mobility and the human-to-human transmission process. Our results reveal that not only the quantity but also the scaling structure of mobility profoundly influences local transmission risk. Urban scaling structure is characterized by a widely found power-law scaling distribution of mobility volumes across different locations. By integrating this structure, our model fits reasonably well with empirical Omicron data at various spatial scales in Hong Kong. Further analyses show a positive association between the scaling index, representing the location's importance within the structure, and local transmission risks among urban areas as well as the likelihood of becoming superspreaders among local visitors. This implies that urban scaling structure could offer the first-mover advantage to a minority of places and individuals to infect earlier and thus infect more. This study brings important insights for the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 and similar diseases, highlighting the role of urban scaling structure in influencing local transmission risks and superspreading events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT As technological advancements continue to blur the boundaries between cyber and physical spaces, individuals' activities are not limited to physical space and increasingly transcend singular space. Prior research on interactions between cyber and physical spaces oversimplified or even overlooked the interactions between the two spaces due to limited access to human activity big data, for instance, the implications of cyber–physical interactions for tourism. Consequently, this study proposes an overtourism index framework intended to capture travel behaviors in both cyber and physical spaces to address the research gap. Based on extensive social media data from Hong Kong, the proposed framework is tested and validated efficiently to emulate tourism interactions between cyber and physical spaces at fine spatiotemporal resolutions. The results indicate that there is strong convergent interaction among the public in both cyber and physical spaces. Moreover, an online WebGIS interactive platform (https://arcg.is/0mzHyH) has been developed for visualizing these interactions and provides better decision‐making regarding tourism policy in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation is employed for synthesis of highly active and stable Pt‐based electrocatalysts by anchoring Pt nanoclusters on porous sulfur‐doped carbon supports (L‐Pt/SC). Strong metal‐support interaction (SMSI) between Pt and S induces a local charge rearrangement and modulates the electronic structure of Pt surroundings, thus boosting the reaction kinetics and enhancing stability in long‐term hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The L‐Pt/SC catalyst exhibits high activity toward HER, with an overpotential of 23 mV at current densities reaching 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 24 mV dec−1. The unit mass activity of L‐Pt/SC is calculated to be −10.8 A cm−2 mgPt−1 at an applied voltage of −0.3 V versus RHE. In situ Raman spectra reveals that L‐Pt/SC catalyst exhibits fast hydrogen production efficiency and its electrocatalytic HER process is determined by the Tafel step. Density functional theory calculations suggest the strong bonding energy between SC and Pt induces the formation of smaller nanoclusters of L‐Pt/SC during fast pulsed laser preparation, which increases the effective contact area during the HER process thereby increasing the activity per unit mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) can participate in the regulation of plant growth and development, immunity and signal transduction. Sesamum indicum , one of the most important oil crops, has a significant role in promoting human health. In this study, 175 SiLRR-RLK genes were identified in S. indicum , and they were subdivided into 12 subfamilies by phylogenetic analysis. Gene duplication analysis showed that the expansion of the SiLRR-RLK family members in the sesame was mainly due to segmental duplication. Moreover, the gene expansion of subfamilies IV and III contributed to the perception of stimuli under M. phaseolina stress in the sesame. The collinearity analysis with other plant species revealed that the duplication of SiLRR-RLK genes occurred after the differentiation of dicotyledons and monocotyledons. The expression profile analysis and functional annotation of SiLRR-RLK genes indicated that they play a vital role in biotic stress. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction and coexpression networks suggested that SiLRR-RLKs contributed to sesame resistance to Macrophomina phaseolina by acting alone or as a polymer with other SiLRR-RLKs. In conclusion, the comprehensive analysis of the SiLRR-RLK gene family provided a framework for further functional studies on SiLRR-RLK genes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yan, Ni, Zhao, Liu, Jia, Zhao, Li, Miao, Liu and Zhang.)