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Recent increases in the burn area and severity of wildfires in the western US have raised concerns about the impact on stream water temperature–a key determinant of cold-water fish habitats. However, the effect on seasonal water temperatures of concern, including winter and summer, are not fully understood. In this study, we assessed the impact of wildfire burns at Boulder Creek (Oregon), Elk Creek (Oregon), and Gibbon River (Wyoming) watersheds on the downstream winter and summer water temperatures for the first three post-fire years. To obtain results independent of the choice of the analytical method, we evaluated the consequence of each burn using three different statistical approaches that utilize local water temperature data. Our results from the three approaches indicated that the response of water temperatures to wildfire burns varied across seasons and sites. Wildfire burns were associated with a median increase of up to 0.56°C (Standard Error; S.E. < 0.23°C) in the summer mean water temperatures (MWT) and 62 degree-day Celsius (DDC; S.E. < 20.7 DDC) in the summer accumulated degree days (ADD) for the three subsequent years across studied stream sites. Interestingly, these burns also corresponded to a median decrease of up to 0.49°C (S.E. < 0.45°C) in the winter MWT and 39 DDC (S.E. < 40.5 DDC) in the winter ADD for the same period across sites. Wildfire effects on the downstream water temperatures diminished with increasing site distance from the burn perimeter. Our analyses demonstrated that analytical methods that utilize local watershed data could be applied to evaluate fire effects on downstream water temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, is a successful invasive fish species. Originating from the Caspian and Black Sea, it is now distributed widely within European fresh- and brackish waters. The River Rhine was colonized in 2008 only a few years after the opening of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal and only four years after N. melanostomus was first reported in the upper Danube River. Its invasion history of the River Rhine was unclear because the species was first detected close to the Rhine river delta which would suggest a route of invasion other than via the Rhine-Main-Danube canal. To investigate the colonization history of N. melanostomus in the Rhine, we combined abundance estimates with molecular analysis. Abundance estimates found N. melanostomus to be dominant in the Lower Rhine (> 90% of all catches). Molecular analysis was done on 286 individuals from four different sites. Using the mitochondrial control region (d-loop), we found three different haplotypes in both Rhine sites. None of the potential invasive source populations in the rivers Danube and Trave exhibited all three haplotypes. The molecular data therefore supported a scenario of two different colonization directions. Our results show that the invasion history of the River Rhine is complex and warrants further investigation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Lampert et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Endemic fish species have long supported the livelihoods of local communities in the Rufiji River Basin (RRB). However, destructive fishing practices have led to a concerning decline in endemic fish stocks. To assess these changes, this study employed key informant interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and fishery surveys to assess the historical and contemporary distribution of endemic fishes within the RRB. DNA barcoding was also used to verify species identities. Out of 37 reported fish species, 33 species (54.55% endemic and 45.45% exotic to RRB) were confirmed through DNA barcoding and morphological characteristics. About 5 species including, Heterobranchus longifilis, Citharinus congicus, Labeo congoro, Mormyrus longirostris, and Labeobarbus leleupanus were rarely found in the field, despite being classified as Least Concern by IUCN. Additionally, five species that were reported to be present in the RRB by experienced fishers were not captured during sampling. This highlights the need for validation of the existence of such species through eDNA metabarcoding. Moreover, due to the rarity of some species in the area, their IUCN assessment should be revisited., Competing Interests: The author have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Saiperaki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Based on the panel data of 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China from 2012 to 2022, from the perspective of harmony between man and nature, this paper selects 20 indicators to measure the level of agricultural green development from five dimensions such as ecological conservation and resource conservation by entropy weight method. On this basis, taking the implementation of green industrial policy in the Yangtze River Economic Belt as a quasi-natural experiment, the policy effect of green industrial policy on agricultural green development was analyzed by using the difference-in-difference method. The study found that: (1) the green development of agriculture is basically increasing year by year in each province, but there are some differences in the green development of agriculture among provinces; (2) Compared with the non-implementation areas of policies, the green development of agriculture in the implementation areas of policies has been significantly improved, and has passed a series of robustness tests; (3) The mechanism analysis shows that the green industrial policy has a crowding-out effect on industrial development, but significantly enhances the ecological construction and protection, thus promoting the green development of agriculture; (4) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the policy has a significant positive incentive effect on the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the incentive effect on the middle reaches is not significant; (5) The impact of technological level on agricultural green development shows a positive U-shaped relationship. The improvement of education and information development levels also effectively promotes the green development of agriculture. This paper provides important empirical evidence and factual references for further promoting the green development of agriculture and the improvement of green industrial policies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Jingbo Shao. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The health of older adults is crucial for the overall health of the entire life cycle. Based on population sampling survey data and census data from 131 prefecture level units in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) during 2010-2020, this study used exploratory spatial data analysis, geographical detector, stepwise regression analysis, and GTWR model to analyze the spatiotemporal pattern and influencing factors of the health level of older adults in the YREB. The results show that the health level of older adults in the YREB slightly increased from 2010 to 2020, with the most significant improvement in the upstream region and the most significant decline in the midstream region. The older adults' health level in the YREB displays a gradient decreasing pattern of the downstream, midstream, and upstream regions. The health level of older adults in the YREB is influenced by a combination of natural and social environment factors. Areas with lower altitude and moderate humidity climates are more conducive to the health of older adults. The increase in influencing factors such as population migration rate, per capita GDP, average years of education, per capita housing construction area, per capita park green area, and green coverage rate in built-up areas is conducive to improving the health level of older adults, while lower number of health institutions per 1,000 people and higher household support rate are not conducive to improving the health level of older adults. In addition, over time, the health-promoting effect of natural environmental factors is enhanced from 2010 to 2020, and the influence of annual precipitation on shaping the spatial pattern of older adults' health level became more obvious. Although the promoting effect of population migration on the health level of older adults tends to weaken, it remains the primary factor affecting the spatiotemporal differentiation of older adults' health level in the YREB. The impact of social development on the health level of older adults has changed from a positive health effect (improvement) to a negative health effect (loss). The health-promoting effect of living environment factors is enhanced. The health-inhibitory effect of household support rate increased, and showed a gradient decreasing pattern from downstream to midstream to upstream. The findings of this study can provide a more in-depth understanding of the spatiotemporal pattern of the health level of older adults in the YREB and the factors influencing it, improve the health level of older adults in the region, and promote the development of healthy and active aging in the YREB, and improve the human health. At the same time, this study also supplements the related research on aging and the health level of the elderly. Firstly, it can provide reference for the research on the health of old adults in other countries and regions around the world. Secondly, it can also provide a basis for research on aging and the health of old adults in cities and counties under YREB., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Gong. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Accurate inflow forecasting is an essential non-engineering strategy to guarantee flood management and boost the effectiveness of the water supply. As inflow is the primary reservoir input, precise inflow forecasting may also offer appropriate reservoir design and management assistance. This study aims to generalize the machine learning model using the support vector machine (SVM), which is support vector regression (SVR), to predict the discharges of the Euphrates River upstream of the Haditha Dam reservoir in Anbar province West of Iraq. Time series data were collected for the period (1986-2024) for the river's daily, monthly, and seasonal flow. Different kernel functions of SVR were applied in this study. The kernels are linear, Quadratic, and Gaussian (RBF). The results showed that the daily time scale is better than the monthly and seasonal performance. In contrast, the linear kernel outperformed the other SVR kernel with a time delay of one day based on the value of the coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.95) and the root mean square error (RMSE = 53.29) m3/sec for predicting daily river flow. The results showed that the proposed machine learning model performed well in predicting the daily flow of the Euphrates River upstream of the Haditha Dam reservoir; this indicates that the model might effectively forecast flows, which helps improve water resource management and dam operations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Mahmood et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The coupled and coordinated development of the digital economy and tourism economy has become an inevitable choice for achieving high-quality development in both sectors. This paper proposes a conceptual index system using entropy weight method and coupling coordination degree model for analysis of the coupling coordination relationship between digital economy and tourism economy. After that, the paper introduces the Moran's Index to examines the spatial heterogeneous effects of coupling coordination degree. This framework is applied to 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region during 2011-2021. The results show that the temporal changes of the coupling coordination relationship between digital economy and tourism economy in 41 cities are quite satisfactory, while the regional differences are large. Furthermore, the coupling degree between digital economy and tourism economy shows the strong spatial agglomeration effect, and the spatial proximity of regions with similar integration indicates that the "Matthew Effect" gradually highlights the clustering of high and low levels. Based on the results of analysis, this paper finally puts forward several policy recommendations to provide a referential path for the integration of digital economy and tourism., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Yang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Logistics resilience is a significant representation of sustainable development ability and a necessary support for high-quality economic development. In order to explore the influencing factors and realization mechanism of the improvement of logistics resilience of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the high-quality and sustainable development of the economy, this paper comprehensively considers factors of the supply and demand relationship of the logistics market, industrial structure and ecological environment, and evaluates the urban logistics resilience of the Yangtze River Economic Belt by using POI data and statistical data. Combined with the spatial Durbin model, the influencing factors and spatial spillover effects of inter-city logistics resilience were revealed. This study found that the urban logistics resilience in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River has been high. Except Chongqing and Shanghai, the COVID-19 epidemic happened in 2020 led to a significant decrease in logistics resilience. In the meanwhile, every 1% increase in the logistics resilience of the city will promote the logistics resilience of the adjacent cities by 0.145%. Economic condition and urban development potential have positive effects on logistics resilience of the city and its adjacent cities. The economic condition has a direct effect coefficient of 0.166 and an indirect effect coefficient of 0.181, The direct and indirect effects of urban development potential are significantly positive, and the coefficients are 0.001 and 0.006, respectively. The level of information, government support and ability of technological innovation are helpful for the improvement of urban logistics resilience while hindering the enhancement of logistics resilience in adjacent cities. The research area can be extended in the future and more influencing factors can be considered in the future., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Huang. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) ports are pivotal in shaping the Yangtze River Economic Belt and advancing urban economies across China. This article utilizes panel data from 20 cities with ports in the YRD area, spanning from 2011 to 2020, using the spatial Durbin model to explore how these ports influence urban economic growth. The findings indicate that: (1) The YRD ports significantly contribute to economic growth in both the port cities and their surrounding areas, with the indirect impact on neighboring cities being more substantial than the direct effect on the cities themselves; (2) The beneficial spillover effects of the YRD ports on the economic growth of nearby cities vary in intensity over different spatial ranges, marked by distinct boundary effects and geographical attenuation. The influence extends up to approximately 110km; (3) Within the various elements impacting the economic growth of cities in the YRD, financial development prominently exhibits a threshold effect on urban economic growth; (4) Upon analyzing heterogeneity, inland and coastal port cities manifest divergent spillover effects, with inland port cities predominantly exerting a positive spillover on adjacent regions. Accordingly, in order to eventually achieve the shared prosperity of the region's economy, it is recommended that a strong top-level design be established and that efforts be made to transform the YRD region into a core region a diffusion and driving effect., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Hou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Majority of macrozooplankton have a wider dietary niche breadth and utilize small invertebrates, microzooplankton and mesozooplankton, so effect on primary production might be through trophic cascading effect. To better understand the ecosystem structure of benthic oyster-macroalgae reefs, we analyzed zooplankton community structure before (July 2016) and after (from September 2016 to October 2017) the construction of benthic reefs in the 2 km2 sea ranch area in Xiangyun Cove, Tangshan, China. We identified 57 zooplankton species, including the 12 cnidarian (e.g., Clytia hemisphaerica Linnaeus and Eirene ceylonensis Browne), 1 ctenopharyngodon (Pleurobrachia globosa Moser), 24 crustacean (e.g., Calanus sinicus Brodsky, Paracalanus parvus Claus, Labibocera euchaeta Glesbrecht, Labibocera bipinnata Tanaka, Calanopia thompsoni Scott, and Centropages dorsispinatus Thompson), 1 chaetognath (Sagitta crassa Tokioka), 1 urochordate species (Oikopleura dioica Fol), and 18 species of planktonic polychaete and gastropod larvae. The zooplankton density and biomass values before reef construction were 266.14 ind/m3 and 2.72 mg/m3, respectively, and those after reef construction were 138.06 ind/m3 and 32.91 mg/m3, respectively. The biomass trend was as follow: October 2017 (89.08 mg/m3) > August 2017 (70.97) > September 2016 (3.17) > July 2016 (2.72) > June 2017 (0.86) > May 2017 (0.44). The common dominant organisms were crustaceans and chaetognaths. According to the RDA ranking results, water temperature was positively correlated with the Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Margalef's richness indexes. With the increasement of Margalef's richness index, the value of dissolved oxygen content showed a significant negative correlation with zooplankton abundance. The results of this study are applicable to sustainable development and management strategies of coastal reef ecosystems and provide a basis for further surveys of secondary productivity in the sea ranch area., Competing Interests: NO authors have competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Xu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The enhancement and improvement of China's high-speed rail network plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable economic growth in the region. By utilizing "new nighttime light data" in China's Yangtze River Delta from 2003 to 2018, this paper investigates the impact of HSR on economic growth using a multiperiod difference-in-differences (DID) model. The operations of high-speed rail have a significant and positive impact on economic growth, which often becomes more apparent with a certain time delay. The operations of high-speed rail have a significant positive impact on the development of large, mega, and super-cities, with this impact becoming more pronounced as the size of the city increases. Furthermore, high-speed rail operations have a significant influence on the economic growth of cities that largely rely on secondary and tertiary industries, in contrast to the primary industry. The promotion of economic growth by high-speed rail is primarily achieved through three transmission channels: low carbon emissions, labor force agglomeration, and innovation. Over time, high-speed rail will progressively reduce economic disparities between regions and facilitate a trend towards regional economic coordination or convergence. This study makes a valuable contribution to the exploration of pathways towards achieving economic growth., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Huang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Industrial water saving is an objective requirement for the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, as water resource is the largest rigid constraint. In this study, water resources input-output model, structural decomposition analysis (SDA) and structural path analysis (SPA) were constructed to decompose the driving factors of total water use in typical water-deficient provinces (Ningxia, Shanxi, and Henan) in China's Yellow River Basin, to calculate their water use at each production stage and identify their key water-saving pathways. The results were as follows: (i) Water intensity had the most obvious impact on total water saving, resulting in efficiency improvements of 81.39%, 9.21%, and 78.45% for each province, respectively. The next factor was the final demand structure, which suppressed total water-saving efforts by 24.23%, 11.52%, and 113.12% in the respective provinces. (ii) The key water-saving paths in the typical water-deficient provinces of the Yellow River Basin were primarily centered around Sector 1. (iii) Water intensity had a strong water-saving effect on the key paths in the three provinces, with contribution rates of 100.42%, 59.02%, and 42.34% for Ningxia, Henan, and Shanxi, respectively. Final demand also contributed to water-saving in the key paths of Shanxi and Henan, with contribution rates of 35.06% and 28.23%, respectively. However, it inhibited water-saving efforts in the key paths of Ningxia, reducing it by 8.64%. Policy measures should be tailored to local conditions., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Shi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The ice phenomena are an inherent component of rivers in temperate, continental, and polar climate zones. Evident progress in global warming leads to a decrease in snow cover on land and ice phenomena in water bodies, disrupting the stability of the hydrological cycle and aquatic ecosystems. Although common observations indicate the disappearance of ice phenomena in rivers over recent decades, detailed quantitative research is lacking in many regions, especially in the temperate zone. In this paper, ice phenomena were analyzed on the rivers of southern Poland, located in the upland and mountain areas of the country, as no such studies have been conducted so far. The temporal changes in the annual number of days with ice (NDI) phenomena were studied in locations where ice phenomena were observed every year for at least 30 years between 1951 and 2021. Using straightforward but commonly accepted procedures, such as the Mann-Kendall test, statistically significant decreasing trends in the annual NDI were revealed for the majority of gauging stations. The Theil-Sen (TS) slope mean values were -1.66 (ranging from -3.72 to -0.56), -1.41 (from -3.22 to -0.29), and -1.33 (from -2.85 to -0.29) for the datasets representing the periods 1992-2020, 1987-2020, and 1982-2020, respectively. The results for the annual NDI were additionally presented within the context of meteorological characteristics such as annual and winter (Nov-Apr) air temperature, precipitation, and water temperature. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that the main factor triggering the decrease in NDI is the increase in the average winter air temperature. An increase in temperature by 1°C results in a decrease in NDI by up to twenty days. If these negative trends continue, ice phenomena may disappear completely from southern Polish rivers within few decades., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Kochanek et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In Japan, stocked chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) fry may have become the perfect prey for non-native brown trout (Salmo trutta), which are popular targets of anglers. If this is the case, fry stocking which is intended to boost commercial fishing may be helping to sustain the populations of an invasive predator. We used dietary and biochemical analyses to examine whether brown trout quickly restore their nutritional status following wintertime declines by preying upon chum salmon fry that are stocked in spring. We targeted six rivers in Hokkaido, Japan, three with fry stocking and three without. Changes in brown trout condition factor, triglyceride contents in muscle and serum, serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1; an indicator of short-term growth), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; an essential fatty acid abundant in fish) content in muscle were examined between before stocking and during the stocking period in the six rivers. Dietary analysis showed that brown trout preyed on fry during the stocking period in all stocked rivers. Their nutritional status tended to be higher during the stocking period than before stocking in stocked rivers, but not in unstocked rivers. These results suggest that the massive stocking of chum salmon fry provides brown trout with the perfect prey to quickly restore their nutritional status and fuel increased growth; this may therefore be a controversial issue among stakeholders., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Honda et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The effects of timber harvest practices and climate change have altered forest ecosystems in southeast Alaska. However, quantification of patterns and trends in stream habitats associated with these forests is limited owing to a paucity of data available in remote watersheds. Here, we analyzed a 30-year dataset from southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest to understand how these factors shape stream habitats. First, we examined differences between broad management classes (i.e., harvested and non-harvested) that have been used to guide stream channel restoration goals. Second, we assessed associations between intrinsic landscape characteristics, watershed management, and timber harvest legacies on aquatic habitat metrics. And third, we examined trends in stream habitat metrics over the duration of the dataset to anticipate future management challenges for these systems. Small effect sizes for some harvest-related predictors suggest that some stream habitat metrics, such as pool densities, are less responsive than others, and management practices such as protecting riparian buffers as well as post-harvest restoration may help conserve fish habitats. Large wood densities increased with time since harvest at sites harvested >50 years ago, indicating that multiple decades of post-harvest forest regrowth may contribute large wood to streams (possibly alder), but that it is not enough time for old-growth trees (e.g., spruce, Picea, or hemlock, Tsuga,), classified as key wood, to develop and be delivered to streams. The declining trend in key wood (i.e., the largest size class of wood) regardless of management history may reflect that pre-harvest legacy old-growth trees are declining along streams, with low replacement. The introduction of wood to maintain complex stream habitats may fill this gap until riparian stands again contribute structural key wood to streams. Trend analyses indicate an increasing spatial extent of undercut banks that may also be influenced by shifting hydrologic regimes under climate change., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.)

This paper presents a deep-learning-based method to detect recreational vessels. The method takes advantage of existing underwater acoustic measurements from an Estuarine Soundscape Observatory Network based in the estuaries of South Carolina (SC), USA. The detection method is a two-step searching method, called Deep Scanning (DS), which includes a time-domain energy analysis and a frequency-domain spectrum analysis. In the time domain, acoustic signals with higher energy, measured by sound pressure level (SPL), are labeled for the potential existence of moving vessels. In the frequency domain, the labeled acoustic signals are examined against a predefined training dataset using a neural network. This research builds training data using diverse vessel sound features obtained from real measurements, with a duration between 5.0 seconds and 7.5 seconds and a frequency between 800 Hz to 10,000 Hz. The proposed method was then evaluated using all acoustic data in the years 2017, 2018, and 2021, respectively; a total of approximately 171,262 2-minute.wav files at three deployed locations in May River, SC. The DS detections were compared to human-observed detections for each audio file and results showed the method was able to classify the existence of vessels, with an average accuracy of around 99.0%., Competing Interests: NO authors have competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Ji et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The timing of American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) spawning behavior along the coast of Florida (United States) is generally associated with the highest tides during the spring and fall lunar cycles. All Florida estuaries support horseshoe crab populations, but tidal characteristics vary markedly among locations, which may influence the timing of horseshoe crab spawning behavior. The Indian River Lagoon is a large microtidal estuary on Florida's east coast. Given the microtidal nature of the lagoon, it is unclear which environmental factors affect horseshoe spawning. In 2019, volunteers of Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch conducted daily surveys at two sites in the northern Indian River Lagoon during peak spawning months (February-April). During each survey, volunteers counted all spawning horseshoe crabs and recorded environmental variables, including water temperature, air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, salinity, and tide height. We developed a suite of negative-binomial regression models to quantify relationships between the number of spawning horseshoe crabs and environmental factors. Modeling results indicated a positive relationship between onshore wind speed and number of spawning horseshoe crabs. Our study suggests that in the absence of tidal cues, onshore wind speed may be an important driver of horseshoe crab spawning activity in microtidal estuarine systems., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Heres et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The adaptative responses and divergent evolution shown in the environments habited by the Cichlidae family allow to understand different biological properties, including fish genetic diversity and structure studies. In a zone that has been historically submitted to different anthropogenic pressures, this study assessed the genetic diversity and population structure of cichlid Caquetaia kraussii, a sedentary species with parental care that has a significant ecological role for its contribution to redistribution and maintenance of sedimentologic processes in its distribution area. This study developed de novo 16 highly polymorphic species-specific microsatellite loci that allowed the estimation of the genetic diversity and differentiation in 319 individuals from natural populations in the area influenced by the Ituango hydroelectric project in the Colombian Cauca River. Caquetaia kraussii exhibits high genetic diversity levels (Ho: 0.562-0.885; He: 0.583-0.884) in relation to the average neotropical cichlids and a three group-spatial structure: two natural groups upstream and downstream the Nechí River mouth, and one group of individuals with high relatedness degree, possibly independently formed by founder effect in the dam zone. The three genetic groups show recent bottlenecks, but only the two natural groups have effective population size that suggest their long-term permanence. The information generated is relevant not only for management programs and species conservation purposes, but also for broadening the available knowledge on the factors influencing neotropical cichlids population genetics., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Cataño Tenorio et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The relationship between primary productivity and diversity has been demonstrated across taxa and spatial scales, but for organisms with biphasic life cycles, little research has examined whether productivity of larval and adult environments influence each life stage independently, or whether productivity of one life stage's environment outweighs the influence of the other. Experimental work demonstrates that tadpoles of stream-breeding anurans can exhibit a top-down influence on aquatic primary productivity (APP), but few studies have sought evidence of a bottom-up influence of primary productivity on anuran abundance, species richness and community composition, as seen in other organisms. We examined aquatic and terrestrial primary productivity in two forest types in Borneo, along with amphibian abundance, species richness, and community composition at larval and adult stages, to determine whether there is evidence for a bottom-up influence of APP on tadpole abundance and species richness across streams, and the relative importance of aquatic and terrestrial primary productivity on larval and adult phases of anurans. We predicted that adult richness, abundance, and community composition would be influenced by terrestrial primary productivity, but that tadpole richness, abundance, and community composition would be influenced by APP. Contrary to expectations, we did not find evidence that primary productivity, or variation thereof, predicts anuran richness at larval or adult stages. Further, no measure of primary productivity or its variation was a significant predictor of adult abundance, or of adult or tadpole community composition. For tadpoles, we found that in areas with low terrestrial primary productivity, abundance was positively related to APP, but in areas with high terrestrial primary productivity, abundance was negatively related to APP, suggesting a bottom-up influence of primary productivity on abundance in secondary forest, and a top-down influence of tadpoles on primary productivity in primary forest. Additional data are needed to better understand the ecological interactions between terrestrial primary productivity, aquatic primary productivity, and tadpole abundance., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Sheridan, Kendrick. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The digital economy (DE) has become a major breakthrough in promoting industrial upgrading and an important engine for high-quality economic growth. However, most studies have neglected the important driving effect of regional economic and social (RES) development on DE. In this paper, we discuss the mechanism of RES development promoting the development of DE, and establish a demand-driven regional DE development model to express the general idea. With the help of spatial analysis toolbox in ArcGIS software, the spatial development characteristics of DE in the Yangtze River Delta City Cluster (YRDCC) is explored. We find the imbalance of spatial development is very significant in YRDCC, no matter at the provincial level or city level. Quantitative analysis reveals that less than 1% likelihood that the imbalanced or clustered pattern of DE development in YRDCC could be the result of random chance. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) analysis with publicly available dataset of YRDCC indicates RES development significantly promotes the development of DE., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhong et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The present study investigates the dynamic evolution characteristics of urban spatial morphology by analyzing real road network data from 2000, 2010, and 2020, along with nighttime lighting data employing spatial analysis methods and spatial syntax models. Accordingly, two separate dimensions of urban morphology: internal and external, are covered. First, the integration and synergy of interior morphology features are analyzed using spatial syntactic modeling. Subsequently, the spatial compactness, fractal dimension, and level of center of gravity shift of the city are assessed by combining the nighttime lighting data with the earlier dataset. This analysis facilitated the deep exploration of the spatiotemporal evolution of the city's external morphology. Building upon this foundation, the interaction between the "internal and external" domains was analyzed further. The main findings of the study reveal a synchronous pattern of urban expansion throughout the evolution of urban spatial morphology. Furthermore, the urban form was observed to undergo a progressive transformation, transitioning from a "single core" morphology to a "primary and secondary double core" morphology. Over time, this development progressed and evolved into a "belt-like multi-core" structure. Additionally, the coupling characteristics further validate the relationship between the structure of the road network and the urban morphology in river valley-type cities. In particular, accessibility of dense and horizontally distributed transportation network was found to significantly influence the spatial development of these cities. As observed, the findings provides valuable insights into understanding the characteristics of internal and external associations regarding urban spatial patterns., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright: © 2024 Yang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

With a rapidly growing sports industry worldwide, one may argue that sports industry agglomeration can play a crucial role in the economy of the sports industry. In particularly, the coupling linkage between sports industry agglomeration and economic resilience can be leveraged to promote both economic quality and efficiency. Based on data on three provinces and one city in the Yangtze River Delta region during the 2011-2020 period, this study uses the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, coupling coordination degree model, and relative development models to explore the coupling coordination relationship between sports industry agglomeration and economic resilience in this region. The results show that: (1) Sports industry agglomeration shows an overall increasing albeit fluctuating trend with inter-provincial differences. (2) Economic resilience has steadily increased, while the economic resilience kernel density curve generally shows a "dual peaks" trend. (3) The coupling coordination between sports industry agglomeration and economic resilience remains in a fluctuating, albeit coordinated state. These findings are relevant for the integration and high-quality development of the sports industry in the Yangtze River Delta region., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ma, Li. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Green development is an important component of China's new development concept. Pilot Free Trade Zones (PFTZs), as "experimental fields" for promoting reform, deepening opening-up, and raising the level of an open economy, are important open areas for China to promote green development. However, existing related research is not extensive. This article takes PFTZs as quasi-natural experiments, with the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as the research area. Based on urban panel data from 2006 to 2020, using multi-period differences-in-differences and spatial differences-in-differences models, it explores the impact effects of PFTZs on urban green development and their potential mechanisms. The research findings indicate: (1) Overall, PFTZs significantly promote urban green development, with variations in impact effects due to different batches and locations of establishment. (2) Mechanism tests show that PFTZs mainly promote urban green development by stimulating technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and reducing government intervention. (3) From the perspective of spatial spillover effects, the establishment of PFTZs not only promotes the green development process in the host cities but also has a promoting effect on the green development of surrounding cities., Competing Interests: All authors declare that there are no known competing interests in this manuscript., (Copyright: © 2024 Wu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Herein, the spatial evolution characteristics of high-level Grade A tourist attractions in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomeration, from 2001 to 2021, are studied by comprehensively applying the nearest neighbor index, kernel density analysis, standard deviation ellipse, and spatial autocorrelation. High-level Grade A tourist attractions are investigated using the random forest model as the driving mechanism of the spatial pattern. Results show that 1) the spatial distribution of high-level Class A tourist attractions in the YRD city cluster has grown to be an agglomeration, and the high-density areas have evolved from "point-like dispersion to regiment-like combination," gradually forming a B-shaped core density structure. 2) The spatial distribution comprises an overall "northwest-southeast" direction, a small counterclockwise rotation, the distribution of the center of gravity to the southwest migration, and the center of gravity from the territory of Suzhou City to the territory of Huzhou City. 3) The high-level Class A tourist attractions in the YRD city cluster as a whole show a strong positive spatial correlation, and the significantly clustered areas include three types: high-high (H-H), low-low (L-L), and low-high (L-H). 4) The spatial distribution of high, A-level tourist attractions in the YRD city cluster results from the combined action of the natural environment, resource endowment, socioeconomy, and policy background. Each element has a nonlinear and complex influence on the distribution of scenic spots., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The logistics industry plays a crucial role in facilitating regional economic development. Serving as a vital link connecting producers, consumers, and various components of the supply chain, it has a direct and profound impact on the prosperity and advancement of regional economies. Based on the panel data of 11 provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2016 to 2020, this paper constructs the logistics capability evaluation index system from four aspects: regional economic base, logistics infrastructure, logistics development scale, information technology and talent support, and uses the entropy weight TOPSIS method to measure the logistics capability of each province. The adjacency space weight matrix, geographical distance weight matrix and economic distance weight matrix are selected to build a spatial econometric model to analyze the influencing factors and spatial spillover effects of regional logistics capability. The following conclusions can be drawn from the analysis. From 2016 to 2020, the regional logistics capacity of the Yangtze River Economic Belt shows a trend of increasing year by year, but the logistics capacity of different provinces within the region has a large room for improvement. From the perspective of spatial dimension, the logistics capacity of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is "high in the east and low in the west". The results of spatial econometric analysis based on the spatial Durbin model show that there are significant spatial spillover effects on the logistics capacity of provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Factors such as road network density, port throughput, water freight turnover, transportation, warehousing and postal employment will not only affect the logistics capacity of the region, but also have a spillover effect on the material capacity of neighboring provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. This study improves the level of regional logistics capacity and promotes the regional economic development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It can be used as a reference for other regions or countries in terms of enhancing regional logistics capacity and promoting regional economic development., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Fanghu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Accurate forecasts of water demand are a crucial factor in the strategic planning and judicious use of finite water resources within a region, underpinning sustainable socio-economic development. This study aims to compare the applicability of various artificial intelligence models for long-term water demand forecasting across different water use sectors. We utilized the Tuojiang River basin in Sichuan Province as our case study, comparing the performance of five artificial intelligence models: Genetic Algorithm optimized Back Propagation Neural Network (GA-BP), Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Random Forest (RF). These models were employed to predict water demand in the agricultural, industrial, domestic, and ecological sectors using actual water demand data and relevant influential factors from 2005 to 2020. Model performance was evaluated based on the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), with the most effective model used for 2025 water demand projections for each sector within the study area. Our findings reveal that the GPR model demonstrated superior results in predicting water demand for the agricultural, domestic, and ecological sectors, attaining R2 values of 0.9811, 0.9338, and 0.9142 for the respective test sets. Also, the GA-BP model performed optimally in predicting industrial water demand, with an R2 of 0.8580. The identified optimal prediction model provides a useful tool for future long-term water demand forecasting, promoting sustainable water resource management., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Shu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Currently, research on traditional villages mainly focuses on the current development status and evolutionary trends in specific regions, with relatively limited studies from a macroscopic and holistic perspective on the spatiotemporal evolution of traditional villages. Therefore, this study selects traditional villages in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) as the research object. By analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and driving factors of traditional villages (TVs) in the basin, it aims to further promote high-quality development in the YRB and protect traditional cultural resources. Based on data from 892 village points of the first to sixth batches of TVs in the YRB, ArcGIS 10.8 spatial analysis techniques were employed to analyze the overall spatial pattern of TVs in the YRB. The results indicate: (1) In the basin, TVs are more numerous in the east than the west and more in the south than the north, forming clusters and contiguous distributions, with dense areas primarily in the upstream regions dominated by Qinghai Province and the midstream areas along the Shanxi-Shaanxi coast. (2) The number and scale of TVs in the basin generally exhibit an increasing trend, with imbalanced provincial distribution. More recent years show a more balanced distribution of villages and proportions, with a higher number of villages in the mountainous and plateau regions of the basin. (3) The layout center of TVs within the basin evolves with each batch, showing a migration pattern from north to south, back to north, and finally east to west. (4) The interaction of natural and social factors plays a synergistic role in driving the spatiotemporal distribution pattern of TVs. Among these, natural geographical factors are the primary factors. TVs are more commonly found in regions with low altitude sunny slopes, mild climate, abundant precipitation, proximity to ancient roads and rivers, gentle slopes, and soil predominantly comprising loess, brown earth, and alluvial soils. The cultural environment is a secondary factor, with TVs often located in areas with larger populations, developed economies, and rich cultural heritage., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Huang, Xue. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Tidal bore impact can be strong and destructive, placing estuarine infrastructures under great threat. However, there is a lack of research focusing on accurately estimating the impact pressure exerted by tidal bores. Herein new experiments were conducted to investigate the pressure of tidal bore fronts in a glass flume. Through analysis of instantaneous pressure of three forms of tidal bore, it was observed that the pressure fluctuation of weak and strong breaking bore fronts is characterized by impact pressure. The vertical distribution and maximum impact pressure of tidal bore were studied.The maximum impact pressure of breaking bore fronts appeared around 0.46 times height of it. The relationship between relative impact pressure and height of the tidal bore fronts was found to closely follow a normal probability density function. Through nonlinear regression analysis, an empirical equation was derived to calculate impact pressure, which was validated using observation data from the Qiantang River in China. This equation can be utilized to predict the impact pressure of tidal bore fronts and provide valuable support for estuarine engineering design., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Yue et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

An in-depth study of the mechanisms governing the generation, evolution, and regulation of differences in tourism economics holds significant value for the rational utilization of tourism resources and the promotion of synergistic tourism economic development. This study utilizes mathematical statistical analysis and GIS spatial analysis to construct a single indicator measure and a comprehensive indicator measure to analyze tourism-related data in the research area from 2004 to 2019. The main factors influencing the spatial and temporal differences in the tourism economy are analyzed using two methods, namely, multiple linear regression and geodetector. The temporal evolution, overall differences and differences within each city group fluctuate downwards, while the differences between groups fluctuate upwards. Domestic tourism economic differences contribute to over 90% of the overall tourism economic differences. Spatial divergence, the proportion of the tourism economy accounted for by spatial differences is obvious, the comprehensive level of the tourism economy can be divided into five levels. The dominant factors in the formation of the pattern of spatial and temporal differences in the tourism economy are the conditions of tourism resources based on class-A tourist attractions and the level of tourism industry and services based on star hotels and travel agencies. This study addresses the regional imbalance of tourism economic development in city clusters and with the intent of promoting balanced and high-quality development of regional tourism economies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Debris flow is a typical natural disaster in the middle reaches of the Dadu River, Southwest China. Field physical model tests were conducted to reveal the mechanism of river blocking by debris flow in the middle reaches of the Dadu River. The dynamic processes of riHver blocking by debris flows were revealed, and based on which three typical river-blocking modes of debris flow are observed, i.e. thrust-type river blocking, mixed-flow-type river blocking and progressive river blocking. The test results showed that the material composition of debris flows plays an important role in the river-blocking mode, only the tests that adopted the mixed soil and gravel exhibited the thrust-type river blocking mode. The material composition has a controlling effect on the thrust-type river-blocking model. Mixed-flow-type river-blocking mode appears most often in the tests with an intersection angle of 60°, because the small intersection angle is conducive to the mixing of the debris flow and the water in the main channel. The debris flows composed of sand tend to block the river with mixed-flow-type river-blocking mode, accounting for 50% of the occurrences in the model tests. The high flow rate and discharge in the main channel and the low flow rate and discharge in the branch channel are the key factors controlling the progressive river-blocking mode. The test results in this study can support the debris flow disaster prevention and mitigation in this area., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Song et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Saltwater intrusion in the coastal areas of Bangladesh is a prevalent phenomenon. However, it is not conducive to activities such as irrigation, navigation, fish spawning and shelter, and industrial usage. The present study analyzed 45 water samples collected from 15 locations in coastal areas during three seasons: monsoon, pre-monsoon, and post-monsoon. The aim was to comprehend the seasonal variation in physicochemical parameters, including water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, and concentrations of Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+, HCO3-, PO43-, SO42-, and Cl-. Additionally, parameters essential for agriculture, such as soluble sodium percentage (SSP), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), magnesium absorption ratio (MAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Kelly's ratio (KR), and permeability index (PI), were examined. Their respective values were found to be 63%, 16.83 mg/L, 34.92 mg/L, 145.44 mg/L, 1.28 mg/L, and 89.29%. The integrated water quality index was determined using entropy theory and principal component analysis (PCA). The resulting entropy water quality index (EWQI) and SAR of 49.56% and 63%, respectively, indicated that the samples are suitable for drinking but unsuitable for irrigation. These findings can assist policymakers in implementing the Bangladesh Deltaplan-2100, focusing on sustainable land management, fish cultivation, agricultural production, environmental preservation, water resource management, and environmental protection in the deltaic areas of Bangladesh. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of seasonal variations in the hydrochemistry and water quality of coastal rivers, aiding in the comprehension of salinity intrusion origins, mechanisms, and causes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Uddin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The Cikijing River is one of the rivers of the Citarik River Basin, which empties into the Citarum River and crosses Bandung Regency and Sumedang Regency, Indonesia. One of the uses of the Cikijing River is as a source of irrigation for rice fields in the Rancaekek area, but the current condition of the water quality of the Cikijing river has decreased, mainly due to the disposal of wastewater from the Rancaekek industrial area which is dominated by industry in the textile and textile products sector. This study aims to determine the potential ecological risks and water quality of the Cikijing River based on the content of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn). Sampling was carried out twice, during the dry and rainy seasons at ten different locations. The selection of locations took into account the ease of sampling and distribution of land use. Based on the results of this study, it was found that the water quality of the Cikijing River was classified as good based on the content of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) with a Pollution Index 0.272 (rainy season) and 0.196 (dry season), while for the sediment compartment of the Cikijing River, according to the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) were categorized as unpolluted for heavy metals in rainy and dry seasons Cr (-3.16 and -6.97) < Cu (-0.59 and -1.05), and Pb (-1.68 and -1.91), heavily to very heavily polluted for heavy metals Zn (4.7 and 4.1) . The pollution load index (PLI) shows that the Cikijing River is classified as polluted by several heavy metals with the largest pollution being Zn> Cu > Pb > Cr. Furthermore, the results of the analysis using the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) concluded that the Cikijing River has a mild ecological risk potential in rainy season (93.94) and dry season (96.49). The correlation test results concluded that there was a strong and significant relationship between the concentrations of heavy metals Pb and Zn and total dissolved solids, salinity, and electrical conductivity in the water compartment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Marselina, Wijaya. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the actors involved in river restoration in Romania by untangling the complex networks that they are part of. Actors were considered nodes in a social network, tied by a common action or project. The nodes were characterized through the centrality metrics of a network. The network of actors in river restoration in Romania has a low density and high average path length and diameter for such a spare network, which suggests that knowledge transfer and collaboration are difficult. In the context of a highly centralized water governance system in Romania, the National Authority for Water exerts power and influence in river restoration as well. It has numerous partners, both disconnected and well connected in the network, therefore, it tends to be connected to everybody, as well as gets and diffuses knowledge. Yet, other actors are willing to get involved in river restoration in Romania. NGOs and research organizations have a central position in the network and play various roles (e.g., unconcerned influencers, gate-keepers, pulse-takers). As a recommendation for governing river restoration in Romania, we urge the creation of a national programme focused on river restoration, where the call for projects would be coordinated by the National Authority for Water and open to its territorial subordinates in agreement with stakeholders from various sectors and domains., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ioana-Toroimac et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Cyphocharax magdalenae, a Colombian freshwater fish species, plays a vital role in nutrients distribution and serves as a significant food source for other fish species and local fishing communities. Considered a short-distance migratory species, C. magdalenae populations face substantial extinction risk due to human activities impacting their habitats. To address the lack of knowledge on genetic diversity and population structure, this study used next-generation sequencing technology to develop species-specific microsatellite loci and conducted a population genetics analysis of C. magdalenae in the middle and lower sections of the Cauca River, Colombia. Out of 30 pairs of microsatellite primers evaluated in 324 individuals, 14 loci were found to be polymorphic, at linkage equilibrium and, in at least one population, their genotypic frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Results showed high genetic diversity levels compared to other neotropical Characiformes, with inbreeding coefficients similar to those reported for phylogenetically related species. Moreover, C. magdalenae exhibits seasonal population structure (rainy-dry) consisting of two genetic stocks showing bottleneck signals and high effective population sizes. This information is essential for understanding the current species genetics and developing future management programs for this fishery resource., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ochoa-Aristizábal, Márquez. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The attainment of regional high-quality development necessitates the critical role of the digital economy in facilitating the transformation of industrial structures. This study intends to investigate the effect of the digital economy on industrial structure transformation from the perspective of innovation factor allocation using a panel dataset of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region for the period from 2011 to 2020. This paper considers four dimensions to measure the level of industrial structure transformation i.e. industrial structure servitization, industrial structure upgradation, service industry structure upgradation and industrial interaction level. The results of the study suggest that the digital economy can significantly improve industrial structure transformation. The results remain consistent even after several robustness checks. Further, the analysis of the mechanism of action shows that the digital economy can promote industrial structure transformation by optimizing the innovation factor allocation. The study provides several policy implications for the digital economy and its role in the promotion of industrial structure transformation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Chang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) bears the vital task of driving the growth of China's equipment manufacturing industry (EMI) intelligence as an advanced region. Fostering the transformation and upgrading of the EMI in the YRD and constructing a modern production mode is vital to developing and reforming China's manufacturing industry. This paper uses industrial robot data to assess the level of intelligence (LoI) in the EMI from 2016 to 2019. The OLS (ordinary least squares) model is used for the measurements, and the MQ (the modified contribution index) is used to estimate the degree of contribution from a host of variables. It is identified that the LoI is on the rise. However, excluding railways, aerospace, shipbuilding, and other transportation equipment manufacturing, the LoI is significantly higher than in other subsectors. It is also identified that technological innovation ability, human capital density, and enterprise cost pressure govern the industry's LoI. Moreover, while there is a difference in the main influencing factors in LoI within different industries, R&D investment, technological innovation ability, and enterprise cost pressure have the most significant impact across most equipment manufacturing sub-industries., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This swift progression of urbanization has led to increasingly prominent conflicts over the use of land, particularly around its supply and demand. Researchers, both in China and internationally, have underscored the inherent interconnection between urbanization and land utilization. This relationship has gradually become more complex with the development of urbanization. With the implementation of the Yellow River Basin's strategy to preserve the environment while ensuring high-quality development, the Yellow River Basin has become a focal point of attention for numerous scholars. This study centers on the 57 county-level administrative divisions within the Gansu segment of the Yellow River Basin. We employed an extensive array of methodologies, such as GIS technology, the entropy method, data envelopment analysis, the coupling coordination degree model, and the panel vector autoregressive model. We established an index system and a measurement model to evaluate the degree of urbanization and the efficiency of land use. We also investigated the coupling coordinated dynamics between these two variables, to further explore the dynamic interplay between urbanization and land use and reveal their underlying mechanisms. The conclusions are as follows. The urbanization level and efficiency of land use in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin have exhibited a consistent upward trajectory, albeit at levels that are not particularly high, indicating substantial room for improvement in the future. The level of coupling coordination between urbanization and land use efficiency in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin has shown a generally upward trend. However, the overall coordination level remains relatively low, characterized by an imbalance, with "high coupling but low coordination". Regarding spatial distribution patterns, considerable disparities exist in the level of coordination development, which generally decreases from the eastern toward the western regions. A strong reciprocal and interactive relationship exists between the urbanization level and land use efficiency. An elevated level of economic urbanization can initially stimulate land use efficiency. Similarly, the improvement in the level of population urbanization, social urbanization, and ecological urbanization tends to exert a restraining influence on the augmentation of land use efficiency. Conversely, the enhancement of land use efficiency makes a distinct contribution to promoting the elevation of the urbanization level., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Lu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Urban agglomerations are sophisticated territorial systems at the mature stage of city development that are concentrated areas of production and economic activity. Therefore, the study of vulnerability from the perspective of production-living-ecological space is crucial for the sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin and global urban agglomerations. The relationship between productivity, living conditions, and ecological spatial quality is fully considered in this research. By constructing a vulnerability evaluation index system based on the perspectives of production, ecology, and living space, and adopting the entropy value method, comprehensive vulnerability index model, and obstacle factor diagnostic model, the study comprehensively assesses the vulnerability of the urban agglomerations along the Yellow River from 2001 to 2020. The results reveal that the spatial differentiation characteristics of urban agglomeration vulnerability are significant. A clear three-level gradient distribution of high, medium, and low degrees is seen in the overall vulnerability; these correspond to the lower, middle, and upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin, respectively. The percentage of cities with higher and moderate levels of vulnerability did not vary from 2001 to 2020, while the percentage of cities with high levels of vulnerability did. The four dimensions of economic development, leisure and tourism, resource availability, and ecological pressure are the primary determinants of the urban agglomeration's vulnerability along the Yellow River. And the vulnerability factors of various urban agglomerations showed a significant evolutionary trend; the obstacle degree values have declined, and the importance of tourism and leisure functions has gradually increased. Based on the above conclusions, we propose several suggestions to enhance the quality of urban development along the Yellow River urban agglomeration. Including formulating a three-level development strategy, paying attention to ecological and environmental protection, developing domestic and foreign trade, and properly planning and managing the tourism industry., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Yang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This article presents research findings on 3H in abiotic environmental compartments, specifically, the 'water-soil-air' system. All of the research areas are located within the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS): the perimeter of the 'Degelen' site, the riverside zone of the Shagan river and the 'background' area-the southeastern part of the STS (SEP). As research progressed, numerical values of 3H and its species were revealed in various environmental compartments. The presence of 3H was registered not only in underground nuclear test locations but also in the 'background' area-SEP. Maximum 3H tritium concentrations in the water were detected at the 'Degelen' site (up to 57000±5000 Bq/kg) and the Shagan riv (up to 61500±6000 Bq/kg), in the air of the 'Degelen' site (up to 56±11 Bq/m3), in the soil of the 'Degelen' site (up to 5170±500 Bq/kg) and the Shagan riv (4100±400 Bq/kg) in the free water, at SEP (up to 1710±170 Bq/kg) in the organic constituent. Based upon all of the findings, 3H was found to be readily distributed in abiotic environmental compartments depending on certain conditions. Research suggests that water plays a key role in 3H migration processes in the natural system of interest. The second most but equally important constituent is soil and microorganisms of plant and animal origin living there. These assumptions are indirectly proven by research findings that show the HTO and HT air concentration dynamics depending on the sampling location., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Timonova et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

A mechanical device inspired by the pistol shrimp snapper claw was developed. This technology features a claw characterized by a periodic opening/closing motion, at a controlled frequency, capable of producing oscillating flows at transitional Reynolds numbers. An innovative method was also proposed for determining the corrosion rate of carbon steel samples under oscillating acidic streams (aqueous solution of HCl). By employing very-thin carbon steel specimens (25 μm thickness), with one side coated with Zn and not exposed to the stream, it became possible to electrochemically sense the Zn surface once the steel sample was perforated, thus providing the average dissolution rate into the most relevant pit on the steel surface. Furthermore, a laser light positioned beneath the metallic sample, along with a camera programmed to periodically capture images of the steel surface, facilitated the accurate counting of the number of newly formed pits. The system consisting of the thin steel sample and the Zn coating can be seen as a type of corrosion sensor. Furthermore, the proposed laser illumination method allows corroborating the electrochemical detection of pits and also establishing their location. The techniques crafted in this study pave the way for developing alternative corrosion sensors that boast appealing attributes: affordability, compactness, and acceptable accuracy to detect in time and space localized damage., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Godínez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This study aimed to investigate the cause of a foodborne disease outbreak in Huzhou on August 14, 2023. Multiple enteropathogens were detected using FilmArray, and the pathogen was subsequently isolated and cultured from anal swabs of the cases and stream water. The isolated strains were identified using VITEK MS, and antimicrobial susceptibility test, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) molecular typing, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were performed on the isolates of Plesiomonas shigelloides. Gene annotation and sequence alignment were used to analyze the virulence genes and drug resistance genes of the strains. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and homology analysis was conducted to trace the origin of P. shigelloides. A total of 7 strains of P.shigelloides were isolated, with 3 from stream water and 4 from anal swabs. All 7 strains exhibited the same PFGE pattern and showed resistance to amikacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, cefazolin, streptomycin, and florfenicol. The isolated strains carried the same resistance genes and virulence factors. In the sequences of the isolated strains from this outbreak, 11 mutation sites were detected. The phylogenetic tree based on SNP sites showed that these strains were homologous. This foodborne disease outbreak caused by P.shigelloides was the first reported in Huzhou. WGS can be used as a complementary method to PFGE for epidemiological investigations of disease outbreaks., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Dams and weirs impede the continuity of rivers and transit of migratory fish. To overcome this obstacle, fishways are installed worldwide; however, management after installation is important. The Miyanaka Intake Dam has three fish ladders with different flow velocities and discharges and has been under adaptive management since 2012. Fish catch surveys, conducted as an adaptive management strategy, place a heavy burden on fish. Furthermore, a large number of investigators must be mobilized during the 30-day investigation period. Thus, a monitoring method using environmental DNA that exerts no burden on fish and requires only a few surveyors (to obtain water samples) and an in-house analyst was devised; however, its implementation in a fishway away from the point of analysis and with limited flow space and its effective water sampling frequency have not been reported. Therefore, in 2019, we started a trial aiming to evaluate the methods and application conditions of environmental DNA surveys for the continuous and long-term monitoring of various fish fauna upstream and downstream of the Miyanaka Intake Dam. To evaluate the fish fauna, the results of an environmental DNA survey (metabarcoding method) for 2019 to 2022 were compared to those of a catch survey in the fishway from 2012 to 2022. The results confirmed the use of environmental DNA surveys in evaluating the contribution of fishways to biodiversity under certain conditions and introduced a novel method for sample collection., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Nakai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Microscopy imaging experiments generate vast amounts of data, and there is a high demand for smart acquisition and analysis methods. This is especially true for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) where terabytes of data are produced if imaging a full sample at high resolution, and analysis can take several hours. One way to tackle this issue is to collect a continuous stream of low resolution images whilst moving the sample under the microscope, and thereafter use this data to find the parts of the sample deemed most valuable for high-resolution imaging. However, such image streams are degraded by both motion blur and noise. Building on deep learning based approaches developed for deblurring videos of natural scenes we explore the opportunities and limitations of deblurring and denoising images captured from a fast image stream collected by a TEM microscope. We start from existing neural network architectures and make adjustments of convolution blocks and loss functions to better fit TEM data. We present deblurring results on two real datasets of images of kidney tissue and a calibration grid. Both datasets consist of low quality images from a fast image stream captured by moving the sample under the microscope, and the corresponding high quality images of the same region, captured after stopping the movement at each position to let all motion settle. We also explore the generalizability and overfitting on real and synthetically generated data. The quality of the restored images, evaluated both quantitatively and visually, show that using deep learning for image restoration of TEM live image streams has great potential but also comes with some limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vivo calcium imaging through microendoscopic lenses enables imaging of neuronal populations deep within the brains of freely moving animals. Previously, a constrained matrix factorization approach (CNMF-E) has been suggested to extract single-neuronal activity from microendoscopic data. However, this approach relies on offline batch processing of the entire video data and is demanding both in terms of computing and memory requirements. These drawbacks prevent its applicability to the analysis of large datasets and closed-loop experimental settings. Here we address both issues by introducing two different online algorithms for extracting neuronal activity from streaming microendoscopic data. Our first algorithm, OnACID-E, presents an online adaptation of the CNMF-E algorithm, which dramatically reduces its memory and computation requirements. Our second algorithm proposes a convolution-based background model for microendoscopic data that enables even faster (real time) processing. Our approach is modular and can be combined with existing online motion artifact correction and activity deconvolution methods to provide a highly scalable pipeline for microendoscopic data analysis. We apply our algorithms on four previously published typical experimental datasets and show that they yield similar high-quality results as the popular offline approach, but outperform it with regard to computing time and memory requirements. They can be used instead of CNMF-E to process pre-recorded data with boosted speeds and dramatically reduced memory requirements. Further, they newly enable online analysis of live-streaming data even on a laptop. Author summary: Calcium imaging methods enable researchers to measure the activity of genetically-targeted large-scale neuronal subpopulations. Whereas previous methods required the specimen to be stable, e.g. anesthetized or head-fixed, new brain imaging techniques using microendoscopic lenses and miniaturized microscopes have enabled deep brain imaging in freely moving mice. However, the very large background fluctuations, the inevitable movements and distortions of imaging field, and the extensive spatial overlaps of fluorescent signals complicate the goal of efficiently extracting accurate estimates of neural activity from the observed video data. Further, current activity extraction methods are computationally expensive due to the complex background model and are typically applied to imaging data long after the experiment is complete. Moreover, in some scenarios it is necessary to perform experiments in real-time and closed-loop—analyzing data on-the-fly to guide the next experimental steps or to control feedback –, and this calls for new methods for accurate real-time processing. Here we address both issues by adapting a popular extraction method to operate online and extend it to utilize GPU hardware that enables real time processing. Our algorithms yield similar high-quality results as the original offline approach, but outperform it with regard to computing time and memory requirements. Our results enable faster and scalable analysis, and open the door to new closed-loop experiments in deep brain areas and on freely-moving preparations. Our algorithms can be used for newly enabled real-time analysis of streaming data, as well as swapped in directly to replace the computationally costly offline approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fundamental premise of river management is that practitioners understand the resource they are working with. In river management this requires that baseline information is available on the structure, function, health and trajectory of rivers. Such information provides the basis to contextualise, to plan, to be proactive, to prioritise, to set visions, to set goals and to undertake objective, pragmatic, transparent and evidence-based decision making. In this paper we present the State-wide NSW River Styles database, the largest and most comprehensive dataset of geomorphic river type, condition and recovery potential available in Australia. The database is an Open Access product covering over 216,600 km of stream length in an area of 802,000 km2. The availability of the database presents unprecedented opportunities to systematically consider river management issues at local, catchment, regional and state-wide scales, and appropriately contextualise applications in relation to programs at other scales (e.g. internationally)–something that cannot be achieved independent from, or without, such a database. We present summary findings from the database and demonstrate through use of examples how the database has been used in geomorphologically-informed river management. We also provide a cautionary note on the limitations of the database and expert advice on lessons learnt during its development to aid others who are undertaking similar analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory stimuli endow animals with the ability to generate an internal representation. This representation can be maintained for a certain duration in the absence of previously elicited inputs. The reliance on an internal representation rather than purely on the basis of external stimuli is a hallmark feature of higher-order functions such as working memory. Patterns of neural activity produced in response to sensory inputs can continue long after the disappearance of previous inputs. Experimental and theoretical studies have largely invested in understanding how animals faithfully maintain sensory representations during ongoing reverberations of neural activity. However, these studies have focused on preassigned protocols of stimulus presentation, leaving out by default the possibility of exploring how the content of working memory interacts with ongoing input streams. Here, we study working memory using a network of spiking neurons with dynamic synapses subject to short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity. The formal model is embodied in a physical robot as a companion approach under which neuronal activity is directly linked to motor output. The artificial agent is used as a methodological tool for studying the formation of working memory capacity. To this end, we devise a keyboard listening framework to delineate the context under which working memory content is (1) refined, (2) overwritten or (3) resisted by ongoing new input streams. Ultimately, this study takes a neurorobotic perspective to resurface the long-standing implication of working memory in flexible cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virulent strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from Mahananda River exhibited the highest hemolytic activity and virulence factors and was pathogenic to fish as clinical signs of hemorrhagic spots, loss of scales, and fin erosions were found. S3 was cytotoxic to the human liver cell line (WRL-68) in the trypan blue dye exclusion assay. Genotype characterization using whole genome analysis showed that S3 was similar to P. aeruginosa PAO1. The draft genome sequence had an estimated length of 62,69,783 bp, a GC content of 66.3%, and contained 5916 coding sequences. Eight genes across the genome were predicted to be related to hemolysin action. Antibiotic resistance genes such as class C and class D beta-lactamases, fosA, APH, and catB were detected, along with the strong presence of multiple efflux system genes. This study shows that river water is contaminated by pathogenic P. aeruginosa harboring an array of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes which warrants periodic monitoring to prevent disease outbreaks., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ghosh et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The Zarafshan River runs from the mountains of Tajikistan and terminates in the sands of the Kyzyl-Kum Desert in Uzbekistan; it served as a communication route and homeland for the Sogdians. The Sogdians are historically depicted as merchants existing from the end of the first millennium BC through the first millennium AD. While recent research has provided the first glimpse into cultivation, commerce, communication, and consumption in the Lower Zarafshan, the agricultural heartland of the Middle Zarafshan Basin has remained unstudied. This paper presents the results of archaeobotanical investigations conducted at five ancient urban sites/areas spanning the fifth to the twelfth centuries AD: Kainar (Penjikent citadel), Penjikent (shahristan), Sanjar-Shah, Kuk-Tosh (pre-Mongol Penjikent), and Afrasiab. Collectively, these data show that cereals, legumes, oil/fiber crops, fruits, and nuts were cultivated on the fertile Zarafshan floodplains. In this paper, we discuss evidence for the diversification of the agricultural assemblage over time, including the introduction of new staple crops and fruits into an already complex cultivation system. In addition, we contrast our data with previously published results from sites along the course of the Zarafshan to determine whether there is a dietary difference between pre-and post-Islamic conquest periods at settlements located along the river., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Mir-Makhamad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The article presents the results of a study of groundwater contaminated with tritium in the vicinity of the 'Atomic Lake' - a crater filled with water as a result of a thermonuclear explosion on the territory of the former Semipalatinsk test site. This crater was created as part of an experimental thermonuclear explosion in 1965 with the aim of creating an artificial reservoir in arid areas. The study was carried out to identify the source of groundwater contamination near the crater formed from a thermonuclear test. There were two possible factors of pollution: the influence of contaminated water from the crater on the groundwater of the adjacent area, or groundwater polluting the water in the crater. It was necessary to find out the source of groundwater contamination and its connection with the water in the funnel. For this purpose, a study of the geological and lithological conditions of the territory adjacent to the funnel was carried out, which was carried out using drilling operations and hydrological measurements. Drilling work made it possible to study the depth of distribution of groundwater, hydrological work made it possible to determine the conditions of distribution of groundwater, as well as to take samples of groundwater. The assessment of the degree of groundwater contamination was carried out through water sampling and laboratory analysis. As a result, it was established that the geological and lithological conditions of the area limit the flow of contaminated groundwater to the water in the crater - the 'Atomic Lake'. Despite the fact that the waters in the crater from a thermonuclear explosion and the groundwater of the adjacent territory are contaminated with the radionuclide tritium, they have different sources of contamination and are not interconnected. Radionuclide analysis of groundwater showed that increased concentrations of tritium with a specific activity of up to 95 000 Bq/l are found in groundwater near the river bed. Shagan and this is due to the influence of the flow of groundwater coming from other parts of the landfill., Competing Interests: The authors have declared no competing interests exits., (Copyright: © 2024 Aktayev et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This paper utilizes an improved undesirable output DEA model to measure the eco-efficiency of cities in five major urban agglomerations in China during 2006-2020. It employs the Theil Index and Geodetector to investigate the spatial-temporal distribution differentiation characteristics and driving factors of urban eco-efficiency. The main findings are as follows. Firstly, the eco-efficiency of all urban agglomerations showed a fluctuating upward trend, but the eco-efficiency performance of different urban agglomerations in China shows a stratification characteristic. Specifically, the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration consistently ranks first in China, while the mean values of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, and Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration are lower than the national average. Secondly, the overall differences in the urban eco-efficiency of all sample cities show a consistently fluctuating downward trend. The factor that affects the level differences of eco-efficiency in different cities is the intra-regional differences. Last but not least, the top three factors affecting the spatial distribution difference of urban eco-efficiency in the whole sample are environmental pollution control investments, innovation level, and environmental infrastructure investments. In the end, this paper proposes that reducing the intra-regional differences is the primary task to achieve the coordinated improvement of urban eco-efficiency in urban agglomerations, and then puts forward some policy suggestions to improve eco-efficiency for the five major urban agglomerations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)