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Although quasi-internal resources—such as strategic alliances, long-term partnerships, and collaborative networks—typically enhance a firm's adaptability, their effectiveness can be compromised in crisis situations due to supply chain disruptions, strained partnerships, and volatile market conditions. This research explores how quasi-internal resources influence firm performance through the trade-off between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business innovation, with a particular focus on the moderating role of market environmental uncertainty. We developed a theoretical model grounded in resource dependence theory and tested our hypotheses using PLS-SEM analysis on data from 397 valid questionnaires collected from various companies. The findings reveal that quasi-internal resources do not directly enhance firm performance during large-scale emergencies. However, they play a critical role in strengthening the trade-off between CSR and business innovation, particularly through strategic adjustments and decision-making processes, which mediate their impact on performance. Conversely, the trade-off in incentive mechanisms does not significantly mediate this relationship. Additionally, market environmental uncertainty positively moderates the relationship between quasi-internal resources and the trade-offs in incentive mechanisms and decision-making processes, but it does not significantly affect strategic adjustments. These insights underscore the importance of strategic resource management in sustaining firm performance amidst uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological Ecosystem Services (HES) are crucial components of environmental sustainability and provide indispensable benefits. The present study identifies critical hot and cold spots areas of HES in the Aglar watershed of the Indian Himalayan Region using six HES descriptors, namely water yield (WYLD), crop yield factor (CYF), sediment yield (SYLD), base flow (LATQ), surface runoff (SURFQ), and total water retention (TWR). The analysis was conducted using weightage-based approaches under two methods: (1) evaluating six HES descriptors individually and (2) grouping them into broad ecosystem service categories. Furthermore, the study assessed pixel-level uncertainties that arose because of the distinctive methods used in the identification of hot and cold spots. The associated synergies and trade-offs among HES descriptors were examined too. From method 1, 0.26% area of the watershed was classified as cold spots and 3.18% as hot spots, whereas method 2 classified 2.42% area as cold spots and 2.36% as hot spots. Pixel-level uncertainties showed that 0.57 km2 and 6.86 km2 of the watershed were consistently under cold and hot spots, respectively, using method 1, whereas method 2 identified 2.30 km2 and 6.97 km2 as cold spots and hot spots, respectively. The spatial analysis of hot spots showed consistent patterns in certain parts of the watershed, primarily in the south to southwest region, while cold spots were mainly found on the eastern side. Upon analyzing HES descriptors within broad ecosystem service categories, hot spots were mainly in the southern part, and cold spots were scattered throughout the watershed, especially in agricultural and scrubland areas. The significant synergistic relation between LATQ and WYLD, and sediment retention and WYLD and trade-offs between SURFQ and HES descriptors like WYLD, LATQ, sediment retention, and TWR was attributed to varying factors such as land use and topography impacting the water balance components in the watershed. The findings underscore the critical need for targeted conservation efforts to maintain the ecologically sensitive regions at watershed scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global land-use changes impact soil's ability to perform essential functions. This study investigates whether soil organic carbon (SOC) can be conserved without altering land use in traditional farming systems and degraded natural forests, focusing on 'disturbed' agricultural soils and 'undisturbed' forest soils. We also examine the influence of dominant crops on SOC within the top 30 cm of soil in data-deficient regions of Nepal. Using a multi-stage cluster sampling design, we tested 12 regression models to identify the best relationships among variables such as SOC, soil bulk density (BD), pH, dominant crops, climate, topography, and management practices. Our analysis revealed similar SOC levels in both disturbed and undisturbed soils, indicating significant degradation in forested areas, whereas traditional farming systems could support SOC and preserve farm-based indigenous knowledge alongside food security. Further, SOC stocks varied significantly (p < 0.05) across different cropping systems, suggesting that managing dominant crops could be a strategy to optimize SOC, with these crops serving as indicators. Additionally, our results show that the weak linear correlation between SOC and BD in regularly disturbed soils, such as farmlands, where anthropogenic activities frequently alter soil bulk density, may be misleading when estimating bulk density-dependent SOC. This finding suggests the need for further research into varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance in soil to confirm these results. While the site-specific nature of the findings warrants caution with respect to generalization, they provide valuable insights for carbon monitoring, climate actions, ecosystem health, and land-use management in similar traditional farming systems and degraded forests, particularly in data-poor regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) is fundamental to high-capacity data hiding schemes due to its ability to condense signals into a few significant coefficients while leaving many high-frequency coefficients relatively insignificant. These high-frequency coefficients are often replaced with secret data, allowing for the embedding of many secret bits while maintaining acceptable stego signal quality. However, because high-frequency components still affect the stego signal's quality, preserving their structure is beneficial. This work introduces a method that maintains the structure of high-frequency DCT components during embedding through polynomial modeling. A scaled-down version of the secret signal is added to or subtracted from the polynomial-generated signal to minimize the error between the cover signal and the polynomial-generated signal. As a result, the stego image retains a structure similar to the original cover image. Experimental results demonstrate that this scheme improves the quality and security of the stego image compared to current methods. Notably, the technique's robustness is confirmed by its resistance to detection by deep learning methods, as a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) could not distinguish between the cover and stego images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversification at the plot level, through the use of intercropping (mixtures of crops), is an alternative to the conventional system of intensive agriculture, based on monospecific, usually single-variety canopies. Intercropping has been shown to provide benefits in terms of disease control. However, competition phenomena and the heterogeneity of the associated crops raise new ecological questions, particularly with regard to the dynamics and evolution of parasite populations. No study has assessed the potential impact of these associations on the dynamics of pathogenic species complexes. Changes in the nutritional status of plants and therefore in their physiological susceptibility to infection within intercropping systems could contribute to an increased diversity of ecological niches and thus affect the composition of the parasitic complex and its spatiotemporal dynamics. In this review, focusing on foliar diseases of fungal origin, and after outlining some elements of the biology and epidemiology of these fungal diseases, we will (i) describe the mechanisms that contribute to the composition of disease clusters and that drive interactions, but we will also review the strategies that these foliar diseases have adopted to deal with these co-infections; (ii) define how intercropping can lead to changes in epidemic dynamics, in particular by presenting the mechanisms that have a direct and indirect effect on disease evolution; and (iii) present the approach that should be adopted to properly study intercropping correctly in a multi-infection situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies are increasingly focusing on sustainable business practices. Internal and external stakeholders' expectations manifest in legal requirements, national and international standards, and market and customer expectations, among other things, must be considered. In addition to profit maximization, which is the usual target for corporate management, management must consider environmental sustainability aspects such as resource efficiency, greenhouse gas intensity, and a company's emissions behavior. In addition, social aspects related to the company's employees, the immediate urban environment, the situation in the supply chain, and effects on the market environment must increasingly be considered. Specifically, companies are faced with the challenge of dealing with conflicting objectives regarding the various aspects of sustainability and, if necessary, weighing them up against each other. These trade-offs must be made against the company's socio-economic and ecological environment, corporate strategy, and sustainability goals. This paper provides an overview of current approaches and research gaps on this topic through a literature review. It highlights the lack of methods and frameworks to specifically deal with trade-offs and conflicts between goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of functional traits and their relationship to trade-offs has provided valuable insights into how plants adapt to environmental changes. Nonetheless, further research is necessary to fully comprehend the subtropical montane trade-off patterns in moss functional traits and the impact of environmental gradients on the correlation of these traits. To address this gap, we conducted a study of 11 moss species (7 families, 9 genera) in 54 patches from two subtropical mountain ranges, examining 40 functional traits related to photosynthesis, nutrients, water retention, and architecture. Through principal component analysis (PCA) and bi-variate correlation analysis, our findings reveal a strong correlation between light capture and nutrient assimilation strategies, as evidenced by the coordination between the traits of light capture and nutrient per area along a main principal component. Interestingly, we observed a trend towards smaller leaves and leaf cells in species with higher capacity for photosynthesis and metabolism, consistent with global trait spectra in vascular plants. However, we found that the trade-off between light capture and nutrient assimilation strategies was independent of water-holding capacity at shoot levels. Instead, we found that water-holding capacity was closely associated with nutrient utilization, energy metabolism, chlorophyll synthesis, and the primary process of photosynthesis. Our results highlight the multiple dimensions of functional traits in subtropical montane mosses and demonstrate that variation in these traits is driven by water availability, slope, and canopy density. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the co-variation of moss traits and how environmental changes may impact mosses and ecosystem function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: On a global scale, about 20% of bird species nest in tree cavities, and many of these species will utilise artificial nestboxes. Homeowners often add nestboxes to gardens to provide new opportunities for enjoyment and engagement with nature. Nestbox schemes can also be used for conservation, especially in environments that have few natural cavities, such as open landscapes and woodlands with relatively young and even-aged trees, including plantations. However, tree-nesting birds using simple wooden nestboxes can be at risk from predators. A range of different strategies to reduce predation risk has been developed. These typically involve: (1) modifying the nestbox itself by, for example, adding a metal plate around the entrance hole to stop predators enlarging the hole or changing construction materials; (2) modifying the immediate surroundings of the nestbox, for example, by using barriers to prevent predator access; or (3) modifying nestbox placement. A common assumption is that such interventions provide a net benefit. However, this is not necessarily true as predator-proofing avian nestboxes often has hidden costs, such as changing nest temperature or humidity or making it harder for adult birds to feed their chicks. This review considers intervention effectiveness and the potential for hidden costs to make recommendations for practice. Nestboxes are commonly used to increase the number and quality of nest sites available to birds that usually use tree cavities and are considered an important conservation intervention. Although usually safer than natural cavities, birds nesting in simple, unmodified wooden nestboxes remain at risk of depredation. Accordingly, numerous design and placement modifications have been developed to 'predator-proof' nestboxes. These include: (1) adding metal plates around entrance holes to prevent enlargement; (2) affixing wire mesh to side panels; (3) deepening boxes to increase distance to nest cup; (4) creating external entrance 'tunnels' or internal wooden ledges; (5) using more robust construction materials; (6) developing photosensitive shutters to exclude nocturnal predators; (7) using baffles to block climbing mammals; and (8) regular replacement and relocation. However, the benefits and costs of these modifications are not always well understood. In this global review, we collate information on predator-proofing avian nestboxes designed for tree cavity-nesting birds to assess the efficacy of techniques for different predators (mammalian, avian, and reptilian) in different contexts. We critique the potential for modifications to have unintended consequences—including increasing nest building effort, altering microclimate, reducing provisioning rate, and elevating ectoparasite and microbial loads—to identify hidden costs. We conclude by highlighting remaining gaps in knowledge and providing guidance on optimal modifications in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The idea that invertebrates feel pain is often dismissed because of claims that their responses to noxious stimuli are simply reflexes. Reflexes do not require higher-order processing, but that is required for pain experience. One way to test this claim is to ask if animals only respond to the noxious stimulus or if that response can be influenced by other motivations. Here, we report that shore crabs that enter a dark shelter from a light area and receive a shock are subsequently less likely to use that shelter if the light level is low and the shock level high. They trade their requirement to avoid bright light for the avoidance of the noxious shock. They learn to avoid the shelter and show signs of anxiety when deciding to enter the shelter to escape the light. These observations demonstrate that the responses to shock are not reflexes but are decisions that should improve the outcome better than a reflex alone. This balancing of needs is a key expectation of pain, and the results are consistent with the idea that crabs feel pain. The suggestion that decapod crustaceans might experience pain has been dismissed by some authors who claim decapods only respond to noxious stimuli by nociceptive reflexes. Because reflexes do not require complex neuronal processing, but pain does, demonstrating reflex responses to noxious stimuli would not support the case for pain. Here, we report an experiment in which shore crabs are repeatedly placed in a light area (20 trials), but the animals can avoid the light by moving to a dark shelter. However, some crabs received an electric shock of 6 or 12 volts each time they entered the shelter. Those receiving either level of shock swiftly reduced their use of shelters and remained in the light. However, the magnitude of shelter avoidance was influenced by the brightness of the arena and the intensity of the shock. Shelter use was subsequently reduced to a greater extent if the shock level was high and the light intensity low. That is, crabs traded their avoidance of shock for their avoidance of bright light. Further, these animals showed avoidance learning and demonstrated activities suggesting anxiety, such as contact with the tank wall in the light area and increased latency to enter shelters when making the decision to enter the shelter if they had received shock in earlier trials. These results fulfil three key behavioural criteria for pain and, thus, are consistent with the idea that decapods can experience pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-criteria optimization (MCO) function has been available on commercial radiotherapy (RT) treatment planning systems to improve plan quality; however, no study has compared Eclipse and RayStation MCO functions for prostate RT planning. The purpose of this study was to compare prostate RT MCO plan qualities in terms of discrepancies between Pareto optimal and final deliverable plans, and dosimetric impact of final deliverable plans. In total, 25 computed tomography datasets of prostate cancer patients were used for Eclipse (version 16.1) and RayStation (version 12A) MCO-based plannings with doses received by 98% of planning target volume having 76 Gy prescription (PTV76D98%) and 50% of rectum (rectum D50%) selected as trade-off criteria. Pareto optimal and final deliverable plan discrepancies were determined based on PTV76D98% and rectum D50% percentage differences. Their final deliverable plans were compared in terms of doses received by PTV76 and other structures including rectum, and PTV76 homogeneity index (HI) and conformity index (CI), using a t-test. Both systems showed discrepancies between Pareto optimal and final deliverable plans (Eclipse: −0.89% (PTV76D98%) and −2.49% (Rectum D50%); RayStation: 3.56% (PTV76D98%) and −1.96% (Rectum D50%)). Statistically significantly different average values of PTV76D98%,HI and CI, and mean dose received by rectum (Eclipse: 76.07 Gy, 0.06, 1.05 and 39.36 Gy; RayStation: 70.43 Gy, 0.11, 0.87 and 51.65 Gy) are noted, respectively (p < 0.001). Eclipse MCO-based prostate RT plan quality appears better than that of RayStation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to examine how dietary interventions reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions influence manure CH4 emissions in biogas production (as biochemical methane potential (BMP)) or under static conditions mimicking natural manure storage conditions. Experimental treatments consisted of a factorial arrangement of high (HF: 0.65) or low (LF: 0.35) levels of forage and 0 or 50 g of rapeseed oil per kg of diet dry matter. Oil supplementation reduced daily enteric CH4 emissions, especially in the HF diet, by 20%. Greater dietary concentrate proportion reduced CH4 yield and intensity (6 and 12%, respectively) and decreased pH, increased total volatile fatty acids, and molar proportions of butyrate and valerate in feces incubated under static conditions. Oil supplementation increased daily BMP and BMP calculated per unit of organic matter (OM) (17 and 15%, respectively). Increased dietary concentrate had no impact on daily BMP and BMP per unit of OM, whereas it reduced daily CH4 production by 89% and CH4 per unit of OM by 91% under static conditions. Dietary oil supplementation tended to decrease fecal CH4 production per unit of digestible OM (23%) under static conditions. Diets had no impact on the alpha diversity of ruminal prokaryotes. After incubation, the fecal prokaryote community was significantly less diverse. Diets had no effect on alpha diversity in the BMP experiment, but static trial fecal samples originating from the HF diet showed significantly lower diversity compared with the LF diet. Overall, the tested dietary interventions reduced enteric CH4 emissions and reduced or tended to reduce manure CH4 emissions under static conditions, indicating a lack of trade-off between enteric and manure CH4 emissions. The potential for increasing CH4 yields in biogas industries due to dietary interventions could lead to a sustainable synergy between farms and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on the Kriya River Basin and analyzes the spatiotemporal variability of ecosystem services (ESs) and their trade-offs and synergies, which are vital for regional ecosystem conservation and socio-economic sustainability. Utilizing land use data from 1990 to 2020 and predictive models for 2030 (PLUS for land use and InVEST for ESs), the study assesses four key ESs: water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), habitat quality (HQ), and carbon storage (CS). The findings indicate that land use changes from 1990 to 2020 have significantly impacted these services. WY showed a negative trend because of a reduction in precipitation, while increased grasslands enhanced SC, HQ, and CS. Projections for 2030 suggest increases in WY and SC, with increases of 10.27 × 108 m3 in WY and 0.216 × 108 t in SC, but slight decreases in HQ and CS due to urban land expansion. Therefore, land types that provide important ESs should be protected in future planning, and the expansion of construction land should be controlled in order to realize the goal of ecological conservation. Our study also reveals that while WY and CS share a subtle trade-off, they both synergize with SC and HQ. Strong synergies exist between SC and HQ as well as between SC and CS, indicating lesser concerns for trade-offs in future planning. This research provides valuable data support and scientific insight for sustainable development and ecological governance policies in the watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trade-offs between ecosystem services directly affect the quality of the ecological environment and the survival and development of human society, which is of great concern to academia, governments, and non-governmental organizations. Guangdong Province is a strong economic performer in China; hence, we selected it to explore the trade-off and synergy differences between different ecosystem services, and to investigate the mechanisms of their influence in economically developed regions with a large population density. Our results showed three main points: (1) The ecosystem services in Guangdong Province showed clear spatial heterogeneity. In addition, northern Guangdong has high levels of water retention, with a value of 5804.73 × 104 m3/km2 and high values for carbon sequestration and soil retention. Western Guangdong is a functional area for food production, and the Pearl River Delta is an economically developed region with low levels of ecosystem services. (2) Overall, in Guangdong Province, three pairs of ecosystem services, namely water retention–soil retention, carbon sequestration–water retention, and carbon sequestration–soil retention, showed a strong positive correlation and good synergistic relationships. The other three pairs of relationships show strong trade-off effects. (3) The relationships between similar ecosystem services show completely different characteristics in different regions. Carbon sequestration and water retention, carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation, water retention and biodiversity conservation, and soil retention and biodiversity conservation were mainly manifested in high–high synergies, particularly in northern Guangdong; carbon sequestration and soil retention and water retention and soil retention, primarily manifested synergies; carbon sequestration and food production, water retention and food production, and soil retention and food production mainly manifested as trade-off relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production possibility frontier (PPF) in economics denotes the set of all efficient combinations of the amounts of two or more goods that can be produced from the given resources and within the given technology. In the ecosystem services context, it corresponds to all efficient combinations of the amounts of two or more ecosystem services that can be obtained from the given land area within the given management framework. PPF thus captures the conflict, or trade-off, between the production of different goods or services. However, there is a lack of an agreed understanding of what precisely in a PPF expresses the degree of that conflict. This lack of clarity may greatly confound the discussions on trade-offs. This paper tries to answer the two following questions: (1) what exactly is trade-off in the PPF context? (2) how to effectively measure and compare trade-offs across PPFs? In response to the second question, a quantitative generic measure of trade-off severity is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect land use change (ILUC) is considered a significant challenge, resulting from an increasing demand for biomass and bioenergy. On a political level sustainability certification of biomass-derived products is discussed as one potential instrument to manage the risk of ILUC. However, extending existing schemes towards a credible and reliable certification approach to account for ILUC-risks is still an open challenge. To develop such a certification instrument, so-called "additionality practices" are gaining relevance. Such practices include measures that an individual producer can adopt to provide an amount of biomass in addition to the business-as-usual feedstock production. This applies in particular to the certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels through voluntary certification schemes recognised by the European Commission. To date, however, no studies have been conducted that examine how such schemes account for potential trade-offs that may arise from the use of additionality practices. In preparation of an integrated assessment framework for low ILUC-risk certification, this study presents a gap analysis that examines whether such trade-offs are considered already in existing sustainability certification schemes for biofuels. In this way, we have found trade-offs that are preferentially addressed by the schemes, e.g., biodiversity loss, on the one hand, and considerable gaps for certain trade-offs, e.g., resource depletion, on the other. In addition, we identified biomass cultivation on unused land as the most promising additionality practice. Most schemes already have certification instruments in place to verify the large number of trade-offs that could be identified as preferentially addressed for this additionality practice. Moreover, only a few new criteria and indicators need to be developed for the small number of gaps found for biomass cultivation on unused land. Finally, this paper recommends future work to verify the scientific evidence of existing certification instruments for the trade-offs addressed and to develop assessment approaches for the identified gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dominant species play a principal role in controlling and maintaining ecosystem stability. Stipa breviflora is the dominant species in desert steppe. Changes in the stability of a plant population will further affect the stability of the broader habitat, such as the desert steppe. In the desert steppe ecosystem, it is not clear what level of grazing intensity is best for improving the grazing tolerance and stability of the vegetation. And, the study of this question should involve a multi-dimensional, comprehensive analysis. This study will utilize variance analysis, plant population stability, and trade-off index to study S. breviflora, the dominant species in the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, and its performance under four grazing intensities (control, CK, 0 sheep·ha−1·half year−1; light grazing, LG, 0.93 sheep·ha−1·half year−1; moderate grazing, MG, 1.82 sheep·ha−1·half year−1; and heavy grazing, HG, 2.71 sheep·ha−1·half year−1) over six scales (5 cm × 5 cm; 10 cm × 10 cm; 20 cm × 20 cm; 25 cm × 25 cm; 50 cm × 50 cm; and 100 cm × 100 cm). The characteristics of the population stability of S. breviflora were explored. The results showed that the response of S. breviflora's stability to heavy grazing was multidimensional. Heavy grazing reduced the population stability of S. breviflora. Across different dimensions, base coverage was the first of the population stability metrics of S. breviflora to destabilize, followed by projection coverage, density, and height. Heavy grazing also affected the trade-offs of S. breviflora's population stability across different dimensions. In general, the trade-off degree decreased as the grazing intensity increased, and it increased as the scale increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the adaptation of plant species will help us develop effective breeding programs, guide the collection of germplasm, and improve the success of population restoration projects for threatened species. Genetic features correlate with species adaptation. Acer yangbiense is a critically endangered plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP). However, no information was available on its seed germination and seedling growth in populations with different genetic characteristics. In this study, we investigated seed germination and compared the performance of 566 seedlings in 10 maternal half-sib families cultivated in Kunming Botanical Garden. The results showed that A. yangbiense seeds required an average of 44 days to start germinating, with a 50% germination rate estimated to take about 47–76 days, indicating slow and irregular germination. There is a trade-off between the growth and survival in A. yangbiense seedlings, with fast growth coming at the cost of low survival. Groups that were able to recover from a recent bottleneck consistently had higher relative growth rates. High genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding are likely to be responsible for their improved survival during drought conditions and rapid growth under optimal environmental conditions. Our results suggest that maternal genetic traits might be used as indicators for conservation and population restoration. These findings provide us with new information that could be applied to support ex situ conservation and reintroduction of threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arid ecosystem of the endorheic basin is a complex, integrated ecosystem with diverse functions and significant regional differences. However, measuring the trade-off relationships and external driving mechanisms of the ecosystem services in arid inland basins has always been a challenging task in terms of geography, ecology, and economics. In this study, we utilized meteorological data, land-use and land-cover data, and vegetation NDVI to estimate the five ecosystem services, namely, food supply, water yield, carbon sequestration, habitat quality, and windbreak and sand-fixation supply services, using the RWEQ and InVEST models in the Kaidu–Kongque River Basin, Xinjiang. Bivariate spatial local autocorrelation analysis was employed to measure the trade-off/synergy relationships between these ecosystem services, and GeoDetector was used to identify the impact of the natural environment and human activities on the trade-off relationships between ecosystem services. The results show the following: (1) In the past three decades, all five ecosystem services in the Kaidu–Kongque River Basin increased, with the food supply service being the largest (66.37%), followed by the windbreak and sand-fixation service, with a continuous upward trend of 51.84%. (2) The spatial distribution and pattern changes of each ES exhibit notable spatial heterogeneity, with high-value areas for food supply and carbon-sequestration services situated in the basin's middle reaches with high vegetation cover. Meanwhile, high-value areas for water yield, habitat quality, and windbreak and sand-fixation services are located in Hejing County, upstream of the basin. (3) The trade-offs and synergistic relationships between ecosystem services were explored, with most showing significant correlations at the 0.01 level, and synergistic relationships were predominantly found. (4) The contribution of each ecosystem service was primarily attributable to natural factors rather than human factors. Furthermore, land use/cover type emerged as the dominant factor for spatial differentiation in the integrated ecosystem services of the watershed, followed by elevation and rainfall. By elucidating the trade-offs, spatial heterogeneity, and formation mechanisms of ecosystem services, this study provides a scientific basis for regional ecological planning. Additionally, the study holds practical significance for devising "win-win" policies for regional economic development and ecological balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipoxygenase 3 (LOX3) is a lipid peroxidase found in rice embryos that is known to affect seed quality. Interestingly, deletion of the LOX3 gene has been shown to improve rice seed quality but decrease resistance to rice blast disease and drought. To investigate these opposing effects, we generated a LOX3 knockout construct (ΔLox3) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants. Blast resistance and transcription levels of rice genes in ΔLox3 rice plants and the effects of exogenous jasmonic acid (JA) on resistance and transcriptional levels of rice genes in Magnaporthe oryzae-infected ΔLox3 rice plants were further elucidated. The results showed that the ΔLox3 plants exhibited normal phenotypes, with high levels of methyl-linolenate and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the genes involved in three Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways contributed to rice seed quality. M. oryzae-infected ΔLox3 plants exhibited serious blast symptoms with a reduced defense response but increased ROS-mediated cell death, and the genes involved in seven KEGG pathways contributed to rice seed quality. Exogenous JA treatment alleviated blast symptoms in infected ΔLox3 plants by hindering hyphal expansion, inhibiting ROS-mediated cell death, and increasing the defense response, and genes involved in 12 KEGG pathways contributed to rice seed quality. These findings demonstrate that LOX3 plays an important role in rice growth and defense, and its knockout improves rice quality at the expense of disease resistance. Exogenous JA provides a means to compensate for the reduction in defense responses of LOX3 knockout rice lines, suggesting potential applications in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterotrimeric G protein-mediated signaling plays a vital role in physiological and developmental processes in eukaryotes. On the other hand, because of the absence of a G protein-coupled receptor and self-activating mechanism of the Gα subunit, plants appear to have different regulatory mechanisms, which remain to be elucidated, compared to canonical G protein signaling established in animals. Here we report that Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G protein subunits, such as Gα (GPA1) and Gβ (AGB1), regulate plant growth under stress conditions through the analysis of heterotrimeric G protein mutants. Flg22-mediated growth inhibition in wild-type roots was found to be caused by a defect in the elongation zone, which was partially blocked in agb1-2 but not gpa1-4. These results suggest that AGB1 may negatively regulate plant growth under biotic stress conditions. In addition, GPA1 and AGB1 exhibited genetically opposite effects on FCA-mediated growth inhibition under heat stress conditions. Therefore, these results suggest that plant G protein signaling is probably related to stress-mediated growth regulation for developmental plasticity in response to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have shown that under a limited water supply, a larger root biomass is associated with an increased above-ground biomass. Root biomass, while genetically controlled, is also greatly affected by the environment with varying plasticity levels. In this context, understanding the relationship between the biomass of shoots and roots appears prudent. In this study, we analyze this relationship in a large dataset collected from multiple experiments conducted up to different growth stages in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its wild relatives. Four bread wheat mapping populations as well as wild and domesticated members of the Triticeae tribe were evaluated for the root and shoot biomass allocation patterns. In the analyzed dataset the root and shoot biomasses were directly related to each other, and to the heading date, and the correlation values increased in proportion to the length of an experiment. On average, 84.1% of the observed variation was explained by a positive correlation between shoot and root biomass. Scatter plots generated from 6353 data points from numerous experiments with different wheats suggest that at some point, further increases in root biomass negatively impact the shoot biomass. Based on these results, a preliminary study with different water availability scenarios and growth conditions was designed with two cultivars, Pavon 76 and Yecora Rojo. The duration of drought and water level significantly affected the root/shoot biomass allocation patterns. However, the responses of the two cultivars were quite different, suggesting that the point of diminishing returns in increasing root biomass may be different for different wheats, reinforcing the need to breed wheats for specific environmental challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While numerous studies have suggested that pyrolysis of the forestry residues to produce biochar and return it back for forestry use is an effective way for the utilization of forestry wastes, there have been few reports addressing the effect of pyrolysis temperature on its agronomic functions, especially the secondary metabolism of the medicinal tree. In this study, two kinds of biochar were pyrolyzed using poplar sawdust at 350 °C (C350) and 600 °C (C600), respectively, then applied as auxiliary substrate material for the cultivation of Cyclocarya paliurus seedlings in a greenhouse to study their effects on soil properties, seedling growth and the accumulation of main secondary metabolites in C. paliurus leaves. The results showed that biochar application definitely ameliorated most of the soil properties, and this improvement was further enhanced as the pyrolysis temperature of the biochar increased. Compared with the basic substrate (CK), the growth of C. paliurus seedlings increased under C600 and decreased under C350, but the application of two biochars had no significant effect on the content of the main secondary metabolites in the leaves. In contrast, the seedling growth with the direct application of poplar sawdust (C0) was significantly inhibited, while the content of secondary metabolites in the leaves increased significantly. In terms of the yield of leaf secondary metabolites, the application of biochar with high pyrolysis temperature (C600) had the highest yield, while the direct application of poplar sawdust had the lowest yield. In addition, the contents of several metabolite monomers were higher under C0 than these of the other three treatments. The results indicated a certain trade-off between the primary growth and the synthesis of leaf secondary metabolites in C. paliurus affected by different biochars and poplar sawdust application, while the accumulation of leaf secondary metabolites was generally dependent on leaf biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our knowledge of physics and chemistry is relatively well defined. Results from that knowledge are predictable as, largely, are those of their technical offspring such as electrical, chemical, mechanical and civil engineering. By contrast, biology is relatively unconstrained and unpredictable. A factor common to all areas is the trade-off, which provides a means of defining and quantifying a problem and, ideally, its solution. In order to understand the anatomy of the trade-off and how to handle it, its development (as the dialectic) is tracked from Hegel and Marx to its implementation as dialectical materialism in Russian philosophy and TRIZ, the Theory of Invention. With the ready availability of mathematical techniques, such as multi-objective analysis and the Pareto set, the trade-off is well-adapted to bridging the gaps between the quantified and the unquantifiable, allowing modelling and the transfer of concepts by analogy. It is thus an ideal tool for biomimetics. An intracranial endoscope can be derived with little change from the egg-laying tube of a wood wasp. More complex transfers become available as the technique is developed. Most important, as more trade-offs are analyzed, their results are stored to be used again in the solution of problems. There is no other system in biomimetics which can do this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf traits reflect the ecological strategy in heterogeneous contexts and are widely used to explore the adaption of plant species to environmental change. However, the knowledge of short-term effect of canopy management on understorey plant leaf traits is still limited. Here, we studied the short-term effect of crown–thinning on the leaf morphological traits of bamboo (Chimonobambusa opienensis), an important understorey plant and staple food for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of Niba Mountain. Our treatments were two crown–thinnings (spruce plantation, CS, and deciduous broad-leaved forest, CB) and two controls (broad-leaved forest canopy, FC, and the bamboo grove of clearcutting, BC). The results showed that: the CS enhanced the annual leaf length, width, area, and thickness, CB decreased almost all annual leaf traits, and perennial leaf traits in CS and CB were the opposite. The log-transformed allometric relationships of length vs. width, biomass vs. area were significantly positive while those of specific leaf area vs. thickness were significantly negative, which varied largely in treatments and age. The leaf traits and allometric relationships suggested that the CS created a more suitable habitat for bamboo growth. This study highlighted that the understorey bamboo leaf traits could adapt the improved light environment induced by crown–thinning rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Grime (1974) CSR framework posits that ecological strategies of competition, stress tolerance and ruderal reflect plants' adaptability to their survival environments. Karst forests are crucial for terrestrial ecosystem functions. However, how karst forests regulate plant functional traits in ecological strategy to adapt to infertile habitats remains unclear. Therefore, we surveyed fifty-three karst forest plots and measured plant functional traits involving the plan diameter at breast height (DBH), height, leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf carbon (LC) and nitrogen (LN) and phosphorus (LP) with the leaf water content (LWC). We calculated CSR components on the individual and community levels introduced by community-weighted means (CWM) using the 'StrateFy' calculator. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Mantel's test were used to investigate trait correlations with CSR components. Our results showed that stress tolerance (S) contributed an average 65.88% and 63.63% in individuals and communities, respectively, followed by competition (C) at 25.82% and 29.63%, and the least, ruderal (R), at 8.30% and 6.74%. Different plant functional traits exhibited different variations, coupled with significant correlations between CSR components and PC1 scores (except for CWM− LA, SLA and LDMC). Component S increased with the increase in CWM− LC and C:N ratio, and decreased with the increase in CWM− DBH, Height, LWC, LN, and N:P ratio, while it was the opposite for C and R, highlighting strategic trade-offs associated with plant functional traits. Mantel's test revealed varied key trait combinations for each strategy. In conclusion, the predominant stress tolerance strategy relative to competition and ruderal is a result of trade-offs regulating karst forests, in association with plant functional traits. The disentangled CSR strategies provide insights into theoretically understanding functional maintenance for infertile forest ecosystems as an evolutional regulation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of urban areas has resulted in a substantial increase in demand for water ecosystem services. To address this issue, this study aims to investigate how the interaction between urbanization and water ecosystem services changed in response to different levels of urbanization in the Dongjiang River Basin from 1985 to 2020. The research examines four water ecosystem services (water yield, soil retention, and water purifications of N and P) and three types of urbanizations (population urbanization, economic urbanization, and land urbanization) to identify spatial heterogeneities among developed urban areas, developing urban areas, and rural regions, as well as their dynamic interactions. The findings indicate that water ecosystem services and urbanizations tend to be spatially polarized, with high values downstream and low values upstream. Although they have become more closely aligned, there is a local mismatch under basin-level homogeneity. Urbanization has migrated and centralized in a southward direction, while water ecosystem services have moved westward. This difference of migration results in an increasing trade-off in the west band of Dongjiang River. In particular, the developing urban area has been strengthening the function of the transition zone between the developed urban area and rural area, resulting in a dramatic decrease in synergy. The synergy of the rural area dominates the increasing synergy of the entire basin, but the developed urban area tends to lower the water ecosystem services that lag behind urbanization. The study recommends that policymakers consider different urban levels when developing urbanization plans and water resource management strategies, and implement measures to maintain the synergy in the rural area and mitigate the trade-off in the developing area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing global urbanization has not only resulted in economic development but it has also caused a number of ecological issues, such as haze, global warming, and storm surges, which can end up hindering the development of human society in the long term. One method of maintaining the long-term growth of human ecosystems is by considering ecosystem services (ES) when making decisions over land use. This study provides information to aid with decision making in the maintenance of Beijing's ES provision in the long term. Firstly, three key ES, namely, carbon storage (CS), habitat quality (HQ), and water yield (WY), were evaluated by the InVEST model. Then, the spatial patterns of synergies and trade-offs among three ES at the city and grid scales were explored through the correlation coefficients analysis and geographically weighted regression (GWR). Finally, the strength of trade-offs among ES was calculated based on root mean squared error (RMSE), and the potential ecological risk areas are recognized. We discovered that (1) the total carbon storage decreases from 3.74 million tons in 2000 to 3.66 million tons in 2020, and HQ has the same trend, with its average value decreasing from 0.72 to 0.67; in contrast, water yield is more stable, increasing slightly from 8.22 × 1010 m3 in 2000 to 8.23 × 1010 m3 in 2020. (2) The synergies and trade-offs of ES are spatially heterogeneous. Among them, the correlation coefficients at the city-level indicated synergistic relationships among the three ES, but CS-WY and WY-HQ always have trade-off relationships at the grid level, where 37.88% of WY-HQ and 14.59% of CS-WY were trade-offs in 2020. (3) At the urban-rural interface, the trade-offs among ES are stronger than those in other regions. In rural-urban areas, the RMSE in CS-HQ, CS-WY and WY-HQ always had high values (>0.5), accounting for 16.72%, 9.33%, and 26.94% of the entire area, respectively; these areas are identified as potential ecological risk areas, which will be the focus area for future ES regulation. These findings provide opportunities for clear trade-offs among ES and promote positive synergies. In addition, land-use management may use the results to guide ecosystem service use, identify critical areas, and ensure regional sustainability in urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the evolution of plant defenses against herbivores requires identifying the benefits and costs of defense. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the benefits and costs of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) defense against herbivory on white clover (Trifolium repens) are temperature dependent. We first tested how temperature affected HCN production in vitro, and then examined how temperature influenced the efficacy of HCN defense of T. repens against a generalist slug (Deroceras reticulatum) herbivore using no-choice and choice feeding trial assays. To understand how temperature affected the costs of defense, plants were exposed to freezing, and HCN production, photosynthetic activity, and ATP concentration were quantified. HCN production increased linearly from 5 °C to 50 °C, and cyanogenic plants experienced reduced herbivory compared to acyanogenic plants only at warmer temperatures when fed upon by young slugs. Freezing temperatures induced cyanogenesis in T. repens and decreased chlorophyll fluorescence. Cyanogenic plants experienced lower ATP levels than acyanogenic plants due to freezing. Our study provides evidence that the benefits of HCN defense against herbivores are temperature dependent, and freezing may inhibit ATP production in cyanogenic plants, but the physiological performance of all plants recovered quickly following short-term freezing. These results contribute to understanding how varying environments alter the benefits and costs of defense in a model system for the study of plant chemical defenses against herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between visitor behavior and the park landscape is complex. Influences of some park features on visitor behavior are unconfirmed and change with time and space, which always confuses landscape architects and park managers. These spatiotemporal dependent effects were less studied. To understand this influence, an empirical study was conducted in 10 representative parks across the West Lake Scenic Area in Hangzhou, China. A system for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities was applied to record visitor behavior on weekdays and weekends, which provides a non-contact approach for an objective and comprehensive dataset. Spearman correlation analysis, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and a mixed linear model were used for data analysis. The results revealed that spatiotemporal differences between different visitor behaviors. Park location and visiting date affected visitors' behavior patterns. Landscape features influenced visitor behavior in various ways depending on their context. Landmarks served as gathering points, and the dual effect of vegetation cover varied significantly among visitors. Not all visitors preferred places with high vegetation cover. Social space was more suitable for visitors engaging in planned behaviors, such as exercise and recreation. Based on these findings, the study proposed several strategies for park sustainable design and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present times, the levels of ionizing radiation (IR) on the surface of Earth are relatively low, posing no high challenges for the survival of contemporary life forms. IR derives from natural sources and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), the nuclear industry, medical applications, and as a result of radiation disasters or nuclear tests. In the current review, we discuss modern sources of radioactivity, its direct and indirect effects on different plant species, and the scope of the radiation protection of plants. We present an overview of the molecular mechanisms of radiation responses in plants, which leads to a tempting conjecture of the evolutionary role of IR as a limiting factor for land colonization and plant diversification rates. The hypothesis-driven analysis of available plant genomic data suggests an overall DNA repair gene families' depletion in land plants compared to ancestral groups, which overlaps with a decrease in levels of radiation exposure on the surface of Earth millions of years ago. The potential contribution of chronic IR as an evolutionary factor in combination with other environmental factors is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international community has committed to protecting the Earth and its ecosystems, thus ensuring wellbeing, economic growth, and a sustainable environment, by applying 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), including many related to water. These goals and their indicators can have synergistic, trade-off, or neutral interlinkages. This study measured the interlinkages between 31 SDG indicators directly or indirectly related to water belonging to seven categories: extreme water events, water availability, water quality and waterborne diseases, energy-related water, industry and technology-related water, water governance and management, and ecosystem-related water. All the indicators were paired, resulting in 450 pairs. The interlinkage between water-related indicators globally and in low-income countries (LIC) were determined by Spearman's rank correlation (ρ), and standardized multilinear regression was applied to identify the dominant drivers of synergistic and trade-off interactions. The finding shows that water quality, waterborne disease, and energy-related water are the most feasible to achieve in SDGs in global and LIC. The local government may take advantage from this study. Moreover, the government should pay attention in developing and providing alternative energy especially in LIC due to some trade-offs appeared with health and social conflict may arise. The interaction between indicators become the main driver of synergy/trade-off over population and GDP in interlinkage water related SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals capable of moving in different environments might face conflicting selection on morphology, thus posing trade-offs on the relationships between morphology and locomotor performance in each of these environments. Moreover, given the distinct ecological roles of the sexes, these relationships can be sexually dimorphic. In this article, I studied the relationships between morphological traits and locomotor performance in male and female semiaquatic Pleurodeles waltl newts in their aquatic and their terrestrial stages. Morphology was sexually dimorphic: males have proportionally longer limbs and tails, as well as a better body condition (only in the aquatic phase), whereas females were larger and had greater body mass in both phases. Nonetheless, these morphological differences did not translate into sexual divergence in locomotor performance in either stage. This finding suggests other functions for the morphological traits measured, among which only SVL showed a positive relationship with locomotor performance in both stages, whereas the effect of SMI was negative only in the terrestrial stage, and that of tail length was positive only in the aquatic stage. In any case, the morphological correlates of terrestrial and aquatic locomotion did not conflict, which suggests no trade-off between both locomotory modes in the newts studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved structure for an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) with a separated buffer layer is presented in order to improve the trade-off between the turn-off loss (Eoff) and on-state voltage (Von). However, it is difficult to set efficient parameters due to the increase in the new buffer doping concentration variable. Therefore, a machine learning (ML) algorithm is proposed as a solution. Compared to the conventional Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulation tool, it is demonstrated that incorporating the ML algorithm into the device analysis could make it possible to achieve high accuracy and significantly shorten the simulation time. Specifically, utilizing the ML algorithm could achieve coefficients of determination (R2) of Von and Eoff of 0.995 and 0.968, respectively. In addition, it enables the optimized design to fit the target characteristics. In this study, the structure proposed for the trade-off improvement was targeted to obtain the minimum Eoff at the same Von, especially by adjusting the concentration of the separated buffer. We could improve Eoff by 36.2% by optimizing the structure, which was expected to be improved by 24.7% using the ML approach. In another way, it is possible to inversely design four types of structures with characteristics close to the target characteristics (Eoff = 1.64 μJ, Von = 1.38 V). The proposed method of incorporating machine learning into device analysis is expected to be very strategic, especially for power electronics analysis (where the transistor size is comparatively large and requires significant computation). In summary, we improved the trade-off using a separated buffer, and ML enabled optimization and a more precise design, as well as reverse engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the trade-off/synergy among ecosystem services (ESs) of agroecosystems could provide effective support for improving agricultural resilience for sustainable development. The construction of ecological tea gardens is emerging, aims to achieve a win-win situation for the tea industry and ecological environment protection. However, the effect of ES trade-offs/synergies on tea production is still not clear. In this study, we selected Fuzhou city, China, as a case study and explored the relationship among tea production and ESs in 2010 and 2020. Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) and Intelligent Urban Ecosystem Management System (IUEMS) models were used to assess the ecosystem (dis)services, which were tea production, water yield, soil retention, net primary productivity (NPP), climate regulation, soil erosion and carbon emissions. Then, the sum of trade-off/synergy coefficients of ESs (Cts) were defined to reveal the trade-off/synergy in tea gardens and areas except tea gardens (ETG areas). K-means clustering was used to assess the spatiotemporal change of traditional tea garden and ecological tea garden, reflecting the effect of ecological tea garden construction. The results showed that: (1) the high-value areas of tea production were mainly distributed in Lianjiang County, with yields up to 3.6 t/ha, and the low-value areas in Yongtai County, with yields from 0.1–1.0 t/ha. Other ESs showed spatial heterogeneity. (2) The trade-offs in ETG areas intensified from 2010 to 2020, with Cts decreasing from −0.28 to −0.73, and the synergy in tea garden was at risk of decline, with Cts decreasing from 4.46 to 1.02. (3) From 2010 to 2020, 96.72% of traditional tea gardens (Area I) were transformed into ecological tea gardens (Areas IV and V). (4) Further, we classified the tea garden into five zones based on tea yield, with Zone I as the low tea yield areas and Zone V as the highest. From Zone I to Zone V, the Cts increased from 2.6 to 7.5 in 2010, and from 1.9 to 6.5 in 2020, respectively. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the construction of ecological tea gardens in Fuzhou and provide a reference for subsequent studies on the ESs of tea gardens and governance of ecological tea gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sixth Assessment Report of Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has highlighted the urgency of accelerated climate actions harnessing synergies and minimizing trade-offs with various SDG. This calls for a clear understanding of linkages between climate goals and other SDGs at national level for formulating synergistic policies and strategies and developing different sectoral programs and coherent cross-sectoral policies. This is even more important for least developed countries such as Nepal where these linkages are less understood and development challenges are multifaceted. In this context, this paper aims to evaluate potential synergies and trade-offs among selected SDGs and their associated targets in Nepal in a linear pairwise comparison. Synergies and trade-offs related to climate action (SDG 13), access to energy (SDG 7), sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12), and life on land (SDG 15) have been evaluated using historical data for the period from 1990 to 2018 employing a mixed methods approach. Network analysis to map the conceptual linkages between the SDGs and their targets was combined with the advance sustainability analysis (ASA) to quantitatively evaluate the synergy and trade-offs between SDGs. The results illustrate the presences of a continual trade-off between emission reductions targets of SDG 13 with per capita energy consumption and share of renewable energy of SDG 7, land use for agricultural production target of SDG 12, and forest area target of SDG 15. This indicates that climate action is strongly interlinked with GHG emissions from economic activities and energy consumption. The results of the study represent a valuable input for the policy makers, supporting coherent and sustainable development planning as Nepal plans to graduate to a middle-income country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In wing dimorphic insects, long-winged (LW) females were generally considered to be potential migrants, whereas short-winged females were considered sedentary. The aim of this research was to investigate the flight ability of LW females in the wing dimorphic crickets Velarifictorus aspersus and examine the effect of flight on ovarian development in LW females with different flight capacities. We provide the first evidence that flight ability varied among LW females, and the critical flight time for switching from flight to reproduction varied among LW V. aspersus female crickets with polymorphic flight behavior. A trade-off between the capacity for flight and reproduction has been documented extensively in wing polymorphic female insects, thereby supporting the possible fitness gain due to flightlessness. However, most of these studies were conducted without considering the effect of flight behavior. In the present study, we assessed the flight duration by long-winged (LW) females in the cricket species Velarifictorus aspersus on different days after adult emergence and examined the effect of flight on ovarian development in LW females with different flight capacities. Our results showed that the flight capacity increased with age and peaked after 5 days. In addition, the flight capacity varied among individuals, where most LW females could only take short flights (sustained flight time < 10 min) and only a few individuals could take long flights (sustained flight time > 20 min). In LW female crickets demonstrating only short flights, repeated flying for 30 or 60 min significantly promoted reproductive development. However, in those capable of long flights, reproductive development was affected only after a flight of 60 min. The flight muscles degraded after the start of rapid reproduction in those with both short and long flights. Our results indicated that the critical flight time for switching from flight to reproduction varies among LW V. aspersus female crickets with polymorphic flight behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric coating materials (PCMs) are promising candidates for developing next-generation flexible displays. However, PCMs are frequently subjected to external stimuli, making them highly susceptible to repeated damage. Therefore, in this study, a highly self-healing PCM based on a charge transfer complex (CTC) was developed, and its thermal, self-healing, and mechanical properties were examined. The self-healing material demonstrated improved thermal stability, fast self-healing kinetics (1 min), and a high self-healing efficiency (98.1%) via CTC-induced multiple interactions between the polymeric chains. In addition, it eliminated the trade-off between the mechanical strength and self-healing capability that is experienced by typical self-healing materials. The developed PCM achieved excellent self-healing and superior bulk (in-plane) and surface (out-of-plane) mechanical strengths compared to those of conventional engineering plastics such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polysulfone (PSU), and polyethersulfone (PES). These remarkable properties are attributed to the unique intermolecular structure resulting from strong CTC interactions. A mechanism for the improved self-healing and mechanical properties was also proposed by comparing the CTC-based self-healing PCMs with a non-CTC-based PCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a model-based systems engineering (MBSE) methodology to design a first-stage separation system for a launch vehicle. It focuses on the whole process of system modeling, such as modeling the requirements analysis, logical architecture design, physical architecture design, and system verification and validation. Finally, the component requirements are obtained as the baseline for the component design. Requirements analysis is carried out by identifying stakeholders with the cycle modeling for this system and the use of case modeling to ensure that the requirements are comprehensive and correct. Additionally, the standard system requirements are obtained and baselined. Based on system requirements, the trade-off analysis of hierarchical functional architecture and key indicators was mainly carried out to design the logical architecture. Once the logical architecture was decided, the logical architecture was allocated to the physical architecture to be implemented. Several physical architectures are analyzed hierarchically to seek the optimal architectures. Then, other CAE analysis tools were integrated to verify the physical architecture design. All these processes are modeled and integrated as the authority system model, which benefits the system engineer for managing the requirement changes easier and rapidly provides multi-views for different roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quantify the plant species diversity characteristics of Pinus massoniana plantations with different stand densities in the Danjiangkou reservoir area of Hubei Province and the relationship of their trade-offs and synergies with the water retention capacity in the reservoir area to give full play to the forest ecosystem services in the reservoir area and improve the level of sustainable management of plantations, we used the typical plot method, selected 35-year-old Pinus massoniana with low density (925–1000 plants·ha), medium density (1425–1625 plants·ha), and high density (2375–2525 plants·ha), and its community structure, species composition, and understory plant species diversity were studied, respectively, and the relationship of the trade-offs and synergies between the two services of water retention capacity and plant species diversity in Pinus massoniana plantations were calculated. We found that: (1) According to the survey statistics, there were 69 species of plants in the shrub and herb layers under forest including 32 species of shrubs and 37 species of herbs, belonging to 33 families and 62 genera. (2) The species richness of the shrub layer increased with the increase in the stand density, which was opposite in the herb layer. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index and Simpson dominance index of the shrub layer showed the regularity of high density > low density > medium density, while the herb layer decreased gradually with the increase in density. The Pielou evenness index of the shrub layer and herb layer was the highest in the high-density and medium-density stands, respectively. (3) Trunk flow, soil layer water storage and plant species diversity under medium and high density conditions, litter layer water storage and plant species diversity under low-medium density conditions showed synergistic relationships in the shrub layer and herb layer, everything else were trade-off relationships. As far as the Danjiangkou reservoir area is concerned, the low-density Pinus massoniana plantations have higher understory plant species diversity and more stable community structure, and there is a trade-off relationship between the water retention capacity and understory plant species diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific basis for conceptualizing how farm households achieve the three climate-smart agriculture (CSA) pillars, the "triple benefit", is not well developed. This paper examined the impacts of CSA innovations on simultaneously enhancing food security, climate adaptation, and reducing GHG emissions. A cross-sectional household survey was collected from a multi-stage sample of 424 smallholder farmers selected from five agroecosystems of the upper Blue Nile highlands in Ethiopia and analyzed using an endogenous switching regression (ESR) model. CSA innovations, improved variety, compost, row planting, and agroforestry, provide farmers with the benefits of enhanced food security and climate change adaptation, reducing GHG emissions from farm plots. Crop rotation provides farmers with enhanced food security and reduced livelihood vulnerability, while SWC meets the goal of enhancing food security and reducing GHG emissions. Unfortunately, adopting crop residue management, one of the recommended CSA practices in Ethiopia, does not deliver at least two of the CSA pillars. Farmers should be encouraged to adopt improved variety, crop rotation, compost, row planting, soil and water conservation, and agroforestry as the best portfolio of CSA innovation for highland smallholder agriculture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the evolution of land use/land cover change (LULCC) and how it shapes current and future ecosystem services (ES) supply potential remains critical in sustainable natural resource management. Community perception of historic LULCC was reconciled with previous study via remote sensing/geographical information systems using recall data in the Budongo–Bugoma landscape in Uganda. Then, a CA-Markovian prediction model of a LULC situation in 2040 under business as usual (BAU) and forest restoration scenarios was constructed. Additionally, we assessed the perceived proximate and underlying drivers of LULCC, and how LULCC shapes ecosystem services potential using household surveys. The perceived LULCC trend for the past three decades (1990–2020) corresponded with previous studies showing grassland, bushland, tropical high forest, and wetland cover declined greatly, while subsistence farmland, commercial farmland, and built-up areas had a great increment. The predicted LULC under (i) the business as usual scenario showed a continued decline of natural LULC while anthropogenic LULC increased greatly, tending to cover half of the landscape area; (ii) forest restoration under different levels showed an improvement of forest cover and other native LULC classes with a decline in mostly subsistence farmland. The proximate drivers were in three principal components (soil infertility, subsistence farming, drought; infrastructural development, commercial farming, overstocking of livestock, pest and disease challenges; tree planting), while underlying drivers were in two principal components (technology adoption, corruption of environment stewards, policy implementation gaps; cultural gaps). Food and cash crops were perceived to be the most important ecosystem services in the landscape. Generally, the landscape ES supply potential was dwindling and predicted to continue with a similar trend under BAU, despite the increment in ES contribution of subsistence and commercial farmland. Forest restoration would slightly improve the landscape ES potential but would cause a decline in subsistence farmland, which would result in either a threat to food/livelihood security or a livelihood shift. We recommend combined interventions that seek to achieve a progressive frontier that achieves development needs and priorities based on national need such as food security through local level production with recognition for sustainable availability of ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidacloprid is one of the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticides to control sap-sucking insect pests, including Aphis gossypii. The intensive application of chemical insecticides to A. gossypii led to the development of resistance against several insecticides, including imidacloprid. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the association between imidacloprid resistance and the fitness of A. gossypii to limit the spread of the resistant population under field contexts. In this study, we used the age-stage, two-sex life table method to comprehensively investigate the fitness of imidacloprid resistant (ImR) and susceptible strains (SS) of melon aphids. Results showed that ImR aphids have prolonged developmental stages and decreased longevity, fecundity, and reproductive days. The key demographic parameters (r, λ, and R0) were significantly reduced in ImR strain compared to SS aphids. Additionally, the molecular mechanism for fitness costs was investigated by comparing the expression profile of juvenile hormone-binding protein (JHBP), juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH), juvenile hormone acid O-methyltransferase (JHAMT), Vitellogenin (Vg), ecdysone receptor (EcR), and ultraspiracle protein (USP) supposed to be associated with development and reproduction in insects. The results of RT-qPCR showed that EcR, JHBP, JHAMT, JHEH, and Vg genes were downregulated, while USP was statistically the same in ImR A. gossypii compared to the SS strain. Together, these results provide in-depth information about the occurrence and magnitude of fitness costs against imidacloprid resistance that could help manage the evolution and spread of A. gossypii resistance in field populations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization of the ecological network structure in Nanping can provide a scientific reference for guaranteeing ecological safety in Southeast China. This study estimated ecosystem services in Nanping with the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model based on land-use data from 2020 to 2025 simulated with the CLUE-S model under the natural development scenario and ecological protection scenario and then explored their trade-offs and synergies. The ecological network structure was, thereafter, optimized in terms of the eco-matrix, eco-corridors and nodes based on simulated land use and ecosystem services. The results suggested that the average habitat quality and total soil retention increased, while the average degradation index and total water yield decreased under the ecological protection scenario, indicating that the ecological environment quality tended to be improved. In addition, soil retention had significant synergies with habitat quality and water yield, and habitat quality had significant trade-offs with ecological degradation and water yield on the regional scale under two scenarios, while ecological degradation also showed significant trade-offs with soil retention and water yield. In addition, the results suggested that 11 additional ecological sources could be added, and the number of eco-corridors increased from 15 to 136; a total of 1019 ecological break points were restored, and 1481 stepping stone patches were deployed, which jointly made network circuitry, edge/node ratio and network connectivity reach 0.45, 1.86 and 0.64, respectively, indicating that optimization could effectively improve the structure and connectivity of the ecological network. These findings can provide a theoretical basis for improving the ecological network structure and ecological service functions in Nanping and other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In distributed machine learning (DML), though clients' data are not directly transmitted to the server for model training, attackers can obtain the sensitive information of clients by analyzing the local gradient parameters uploaded by clients. For this case, we use the differential privacy (DP) mechanism to protect the clients' local parameters. In this paper, from an information-theoretic point of view, we study the utility–privacy trade-off in DML with the help of the DP mechanism. Specifically, three cases including independent clients' local parameters with independent DP noise, dependent clients' local parameters with independent/dependent DP noise are considered. Mutual information and conditional mutual information are used to characterize utility and privacy, respectively. First, we show the relationship between utility and privacy for the three cases. Then, we show the optimal noise variance that achieves the maximal utility under a certain level of privacy. Finally, the results of this paper are further illustrated by numerical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services (ES) are the contribution of ecosystem structure and function to human well-being, connecting natural and socio-economic systems. ES trade-off/synergy has been one of the critical issues in sustainable environmental governance for guiding and formulating environmental policies. However, science-to-practice framework for ecosystem services trade-off/synergy governance are still rare. This study presents a comprehensive framework for identifying and managing trade-off and synergy of ESs in an urbanizing region. Using Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA)—one of the fastest urbanizing regions in China—as a case, this study identified major ecosystem service bundles (ESBs) and applied the comprehensive framework to inform ES trade-off/synergy governance. The results showed that there were three stable ESBs in the GBA, and that ESB 1 (high grain production) and ESB 2 (high carbon sequestration) should be increased, and ESB 3 (all ES provision are low) should be increased. Moreover, there was large spatial–temporal change in ESBs in the central area of the GBA during 2000–2015 due to population and land urbanization. This study provides valuable information for sustainable land management and environmental governance in an urbanizing region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily growth patterns and their relationship with reproduction was analyzed in the European hake from the Galician Shelf, where it shows a very protracted spawning with three spawning peaks. The daily growth analysis was performed in otoliths of adult females on the transversal section of the sagittae otolith. Daily increments were measured from the border to the nucleus in females until they were discernible. Results show that daily growth of females decreases during the spawning period because they allocate less energy to somatic growth in favor of the production of gametes, with an increase in growth in July. Lastly, daily growth individual trends showed a "spawning pattern" in 28% of medium and large females, suggesting an individual spawning period of one to two months, with 4–5 valleys of narrow daily increments, likely associated to batch release: individual spawning frequency would be 4–5 days. This is the first time that individual spawning frequency in hake is estimated based on individual data. Finally, the spawning pattern is detected only once per year, indicating that a single female participates only in one spawning peak per year, supporting the hypothesis of the existence of two or more spawning components in the stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northwestern highlands of Ethiopia are characterized by severe land degradation and apparently low agricultural productivity. This situation is continuously threatening the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who mainly sustain their living from the cultivation of annual crops. In recent years, however, smallholder farmers have started converting their croplands to plantations of Eucalyptus, a non-native tree species to Africa, for its rewarding economic contributions. In this study, we aggregated data from 388 smallholder Eucalyptus growers located in three agroecology zones (onwards called farm typologies). We measured the economic impact of Eucalyptus succession on croplands using a farm household model which is provided in the GAMS (General Algebraic Modeling System) platform. The results of the model varied between farm typologies and showed that households' gross margins increased with a corresponding increase in the conversion of croplands. Results also showed that gross margins from plantations of Eucalyptus were higher than that of cultivation of food crops. Furthermore, evaluation of farm portfolios indicated a higher benefit-cost ratio (BCR) for the plantation of Eucalyptus. We concluded that the conversion of croplands in the study area is an incentive-driven process in a dynamic farming system, which strongly demands bringing policy-emanated livelihood alternatives. With this arena, the expansion of Eucalyptus is recommended for lands of terrain features, high marginality and low suitability for the cultivation of food crops and setting aside fertile arable lands. We generalized that an increase in Eucalyptus plantation pays off given the implementation of proper land resource management and the apparent impacts of Eucalyptus on biodiversity and cultural landscape is managed with sustainability perspectives. However, it demands collaborative policy efforts that can especially meet socioeconomic, environmental and public interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain biking has increased in popularity in many countries over recent decades. Production forests provide not only an outstanding space for mountain bike riding, but also specific characteristics conducive to purpose-built track building. With recreational access to production forests, managers must balance commercial operations and industry environmental obligations with the interests and actions of riders. Production forests in New Zealand have accommodated mountain biking activities for decades. The trend from 1991 to 2022 showed overall increasing opportunities for mountain biking in production forests, particularly in smaller commercial peri-urban plantations and forest parks maintained as dedicated mountain bike parks. Over the same period, public mountain biking access to larger (>1500 ha) forests peaked in 2008. These recreational changes within forests, and the impact these changes have pressed onto forest managers, have not been well documented. This paper explores the rise in popularity of mountain biking in New Zealand's production plantation forests, and the response of forest owners and managers to increased mountain biking activities in their commercial forest estates. The paper discusses implications for forest planning to accommodate active recreational sports such as mountain biking in production forests, suggesting policies and procedures to help protect commercial interests and forest ecology, while allowing for a contemporary mix of recreational activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest ecosystem services are intrinsically linked. We design a spatially explicit approach to quantify and analyze the co-benefits and trade-offs between the main forest ecosystem services. Our goal is to develop criteria for forest management that include ecosystem service interactions. Chinese fir and pine plantations provide the largest portion of the overall ecosystem services currently provided. They are volume stock and water yield service hotspots, but these have negative effects on soil retention and carbon storage, causing environmental problems. The natural forests (broad-leaf and bamboo forests) are carbon storage and volume stock hotspots and show the lowest erosion modulus. Thus, their protection, combined with expanding the plantation area under forest management should be considered in order to increase ecosystem service synergies. In contrast, an increased area of broad-leaf plantations reduces water yield service due to their lower water production capacity, in comparison with plantations of fast-growing species. Our study shows that the inclusion of ecosystem services as part of forest management could provide opportunities for optimal allocation of forest resources and sustainable utilization. Management based only on economically beneficial ecosystem services can be detrimental to the forest ecosystem and can cause environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]