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Seagrass beds are critical marine ecosystems in tropical, subtropical, and temperate coastal waters, serving as highly diverse and productive habitats for numerous marine organisms. Differences in the abundance, diversity, and community structure of benthic invertebrates between seagrass beds and adjacent unvegetated sediments significantly influence the health and stability of the entire food web. However, most studies to date have predominantly focused on macrofauna but overlooked their meiofauna community, which plays an important role in ecosystem function. This study investigated meiofauna communities in seagrass beds and unvegetated habitats at six sites along Hainan Island's eastern coast, China. Four major meiofauna groups were identified, with free-living marine nematodes being dominant (79.5 % abundance, 51 species), followed by benthic copepods, oligochaetes, and polychaetes. The total average meiofauna abundance and biomass were (19.4 ± 10.0) ind·10 cm−2 and (48.8 ± 33.0) μg·10 cm−2, respectively. Seagrass beds had higher abundance and biomass than unvegetated areas, but lower marine nematodes biodiversity. Species richness, evenness, and diversity indices in seagrass beds ranged from 2.00–3.56, 0.49–0.90, and 1.21–2.16, respectively. Furthermore, environmental factors such as dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll content were found to significantly influence the distribution of nematodes and polychaetes. The results highlight the important role of seagrass beds in supporting meiofauna diversity and abundance, which are key contributors to the functioning of the coastal food web. The greater biomass and abundance of meiofauna in seagrass beds compared to unvegetated areas underscore the ecological value of seagrass ecosystems, particularly in maintaining benthic community structure and enhancing trophic interactions.

Firms of all stripes recognize that retaining satisfied customers in the current e-commerce cutthroat and digital market relies on delivering exceptional customer service. This longitudinal study aims to examine the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavior in an online shopping environment, emphasizing the youth of Pakistan. A research model was developed and tested using two phases of customer data ( n = 331). The results show that in the online shopping environment, the dimension of service quality significantly enhances customer satisfaction, which leads to the development of customer loyalty. The mediating role of customer complaints has been identified in the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Furthermore, it was found that the significant connection between customer loyalty, repurchase intention, and recommendation intention was moderated by emotional intensity. The findings will help firms in Pakistan and other developing countries to establish long-term growth strategies by understanding the complex nexus between service quality that leads to customer satisfaction and boosts their repurchases and recommendations. This research also directs online platform marketers and practitioners to develop marketing and retailing strategies.

A M8.5 earthquake struck the Haiyuan area in 1920 and resulted in a 240-km long surface rupture zone along the Haiyuan fault (HYF). In this study, to determine the spatial relationship between soil gases and fault activity on a regional scale, radon (Rn) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in soil gas were measured in situ with a grid spacing of 5 ∼ 10 km along the Haiyuan surface rupture zone (HYSRZ). Ordinary Kriging (OK) and Inverse Distance Weight (IDW) interpolation were used to investigate spatial variations in Rn and CO2 concentrations. Synchronous soil gas anomalies were identified in southern Haiyuan County and at the southern end of the HYSRZ, and were correlated with higher slip rate, larger deformation, and larger degree rupture size than other segments. Moreover, soil gas anomalies were spatially highly coupled with seismically active zones and low b value areas, suggesting that the permeability and porosity of gas emissions are enhanced by higher stress. Two seismic velocity profiles across the gas anomaly area confirmed that low-velocity bodies exist at 0 ∼ 10 km below the surface, as revealed by magnetotelluric (MT) sounding results, indicating that gas emissions are associated with the migration of deep fluids. Our results provide new insight into the source of fluids in the HYSRZ and offer support for the design of a continuous geochemical measurement network in this area.

IntroductionSolar resources are rich in north China and however, solar thermal energy has little contribution to space heating due to the intermittency and instability as well as the lack of seasonal energy storage technology. Although underground thermal energy storage (UTES) can solve the above problems effectively, the existing UTES systems either have low energy storage density and recovery efficiency or have high construction cost.MethodsInspired by the enhanced geothermal system (EGS), here a novel scheme of storing high temperature thermal energy into the shallow depth EGS (SDEGS) is proposed. Thermal energy is stored into SDEGS during the non-heating season and is extracted for space heating during the heating season.ResultsThe results show the thermal performance of SDEGS always remains stable due to continuous thermal energy injection, and its thermal recovery efficiency is always greater than 90% by storing thermal energy into the tight rocks and circumventing the formation of the natural convection.DiscussionSDEGS can be constructed in the shallow buried depth rocks having a low requirement about temperature, largely reducing project cost and risk and widening the application range.

This study examines the effects of ethical leadership on individual unlearning, explorative learning, and exploitative learning. We test the mediating role of affective supervisory commitment in the relationship between ethical leadership and these three types of learning. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping are used to test these interrelationships based on three-wave survey data collected from 508 employees at five dental and surgical manufacturing firms in Pakistan. The results show that ethical leadership positively affects unlearned, explorative, and exploitative learning. We also find that affective commitment significantly mediates the effects of ethical leadership on unlearning and explorative learning but not the effect of ethical leadership on exploitative learning. In addition to the theoretical implications, this study has practical implications, especially for managers who are concerned about employees’ destructive behaviors and practices and who want to enhance employees’ skills and knowledge, as well as their organizations’ knowledge base.

Aquaponics combines aquaculture and hydroponics to offer a sustainable approach to agriculture, addressing food security issues with minimal environmental harm. However, small-scale practitioners face challenges due to a lack of professional knowledge in water chemistry and system maintenance. Economic hurdles, such as operational costs and energy-intensive components, hinder the viability of small-scale aquaponics. Selecting suitable fish and plant species, along with appropriate stocking densities, is crucial. Media Bed (MB), Deep Water Culture (DWC), and the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) are commonly used hydroponic techniques. This study outlines optimal conditions, including water quality, temperature, pH, and nutrient concentrations, essential for symbiotic fish and plant cultivation. Integrating IoT technology enhances efficiency and profitability by optimizing resource utilization, monitoring water quality, and ensuring optimal growth conditions. Knowledge sharing among practitioners fosters innovation and sustainability through collaborative learning and best practices exchange. Establishing a community for knowledge sharing is vital for continuous improvement, advancing small-scale aquaponics towards a more efficient and sustainable future.

Although the elements that lead local governments to adopt sustainable development behaviors have been examined, the underlying processes that local governments adopt to accomplish green development behavior (GDB) lack systematic theoretical analysis. This study aims to investigate the determinants influencing local governments’ implementation of GDB from the organizational internal and external perspectives. This study employed grounded theory to analyze the data and develop an influencing factor model of local government green development behavior (GDB-LG) after interviewing 53 Chinese local officials. Additionally, through integrating process organization research with new institutional theory, the mechanism that explains how these elements influence GDB was investigated. The results of the study demonstrate that the influencing factors model could give municipal governments clear guidance when creating sensible green development policies, further enhancing the efficacy of GDB.

Seagrass is a group of flowering plants capable of completing their life cycle in a marine environment. It not only provides a refuge for biodiversity and essential fish spawning and nursery grounds, but also provides ecologically and socioeconomically important services for urban coasts. Seagrass is widely distributed along temperate and tropical coastlines globally. The biodiversity corresponds with differences in the relative importance of sexual (seed production) and asexual (clonal growth) life history strategies in the maintenance of seagrass populations. Sexual reproduction in predominantly clonal marine plants increases recombination favoring adaptation and enhancing species resilience to environmental change. Flowering induction is an important link in the transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth of seagrasses. Recent studies on seagrasses suggest that flowering intensity and frequency are correlated with global climate change, and the response of seagrasses will be more complex, and potentially more resilient than previously imagined.Seagrass environments are characterized by physical conditions, such as temperature, salinity, currents, waves, turbulence, and light. Each of these parameters has the potential to affect vegetation from the smallest (molecular and physiological) to the largest (ecosystem as well as global) scale. Based on bibliometric methods, this study summarized the development trend of seagrass flowering formation research. The SCIE database of the Web of Science core collection of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) was chosen as the retrieval source, and select published international journals were chosen as the research object. With "seagrass flowering" as the search keyword, a total of 300 related publications were retrieved. In terms of the number of relevant publications each year, there was an overall increasing trend, indicating that this topic has gradually received more attention in recent years, which has great research potential.This review summarizes the research progress of flowering inducement in the sexual reproduction of seagrasses and discusses the influence of physical factors on the flowering induction of seagrasses. It was previously thought that the flowering pathway initiated by seagrasses in response to environmental factors and endogenous signals may focus on the photoperiod, vernalization, and spontaneous pathways. However, the sexual reproduction of different species is different, and studying the interaction between seagrasses and their physical environment may improve understanding of the processes that influence their biology. This review focuses on the following aspects: 1) Clarifying the period of concentrated flowering of the seagrass bed, which is conducive to studying the inducement of flowering of seagrass and protecting the seagrass seed bank. 2) Discussing whether more genotypes of seagrass should be introduced for planting in the process of seagrass bed repair to avoid large-scale clonal reproduction of a single genotype of seagrass. 3) How sexual reproduction of seagrasses under adverse environments can be used to indicate changes in the climate and environment. However, existing studies have paid little attention to the sexual reproduction of seagrass beds, and do not consider the sexual reproduction rate as a long-term monitoring indicator. It is suggested that the sexual reproduction rate should be combined with environmental factors in the future long-term monitoring and assessment of the health status of seagrass beds to jointly assess their pressure status.

During the process of developing and utilizing geothermal resources, various challenges are encountered. One such challenge is the decrease in temperature and pressure of the geothermal reservoir as a result of the increasing geothermal exploitation and duration. In addition, the discharge of geothermal tail water poses a risk of thermal pollution, leading to environmental concerns. To address these issues effectively, reinjection of geothermal fluids into the reservoir can be implemented as a viable solution. Prior to initiating the geothermal development and utilization, it is crucial to conduct scientifical and rational planning of the layout of production and reinjection wells. This involves exploring optimal strategies for the production-reinjection scheme that prevents the premature thermal breakthrough and maximize the efficient utilization of geothermal resources, thereby extending the lifespan of the geothermal reservoir. The Fengpei Basin, a Cenozoic rift basin that developed since the Paleogene period, exhibits a widespread distribution of geothermal reservoirs, primarily composed of the Ordovician limestone with karst and fracture characteristics. Building upon the geothermal resource exploration results in the Anguo Town in Peixian County in Jiangsu Province, this study utilizes key parameters obtained from pumping tests and reinjection experiments, such as well spacing and the reinjection-to-production ratio. This paper establishes a 3D coupled numerical model of geothermal water seepage and heat transfer by using the Feflow6.2 software. The recoverable reserves of geothermal fluid within the geothermal reservoir are simulated and predictd, specifically the Ordovician limestone formation. Furthermore, a simulated optimization of the development and utilization scheme for the production-reinjection wells is conducted. The results reveal that an appropriate well spacing of 389 m between the producing well (RPX01) and the reinjection well (RPX02) is recommended. Moreover, the reinjection-to-production ratio, namely the ratio of average aquifer hydraulic conductivity, is determined to be 1.29, supporting a sustainable approach of one-for-one pumping and reinjection. With a stabilized drawdown of 50.61 m, the production well has a capacity to recover 1000 m3/d of geothermal resources. Under the conditions of a production rate and a reinjection rate of 1000 m3/d, as well as a reinjection temperature of 40 °C, the simulation predicts a decrease in groundwater level by 45.49 m and a temperature reduction of 1.44 °C after ten heating seasons. This represents the optimal cyclic development and utilization scheme among the simulated scenarios. The above results provide a scientific basis for decision-making in the construction of the clean energy heating demonstration area in rural northern Jiangsu. They contribute to the establishment of a scientifically sound and sustainable approach for utilizing geothermal resources, while considering the challenges associated with the thermal breakthrough and the environmental impact of geothermal tail water discharge.

Twelve commercial species exploited in the eastern Guangdong and southern Fujian waters were assessed using the Catch-Maximum Sustainable Yield (CMSY) and Bayesian Schaefer Model (BSM) methods. The carrying capacity (k), intrinsic rate of population growth (r), maximum sustainable yield (MSY), and relative biomass (Bend/k and B/BMSY) were estimated. The current stock status was defined by B/BMSY and fishing mortality (F/FMSY). The results indicate that seven stocks were overfished or below safe biological limits (B/BMSY < 0.5 or F/FMSY > 1), two stocks were in a recovery phase (0.5 < B/BMSY < 1, F/FMSY < 1), and three stocks were under sustainable fishing pressure with healthy biomass, capable of producing yields close to the MSY (B/BMSY > 1, F/FMSY < 1). The stock statuses are consistent with previous studies on the utilization of pelagic fisheries in the eastern Guangdong and southern Fujian waters and with those assessments in other waters. The results of the assessments suggest that these stocks could be expected to produce higher sustainable catches if permitted to rebuild; thus, more effective and proactive management is needed in this upwelling fishing ground.

The future development of the reservoir basin after the construction of the hydropower station is an important topic in the current context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations. This study proposed a method for industrial development zoning in reservoir basins focusing on the need for sustainable development and environmental protection, aiming to achieve the double targets of maintaining the spatial development suitability and ecosystem service value. The method is validated with a case study carried out at the Xiaonanhai Hydropower Station, which is located in Chongqing, China, and is currently in the planning stage. The results showed that: (1) Post-construction Suitable Protected Areas for the Xiaonanhai Hydropower Station are mainly located in the upstream area of the reservoir basin, taking 55.14% of the reservoir basin area, the ecosystem service value is up to 48.64%. (2) The reservoir basin is divided into nine industrial sub-districts through a double overlay coupling of development and protection, i.e., the Eco-tourism Zone, Industrial Research Zone, Nature reserve, Industrial Zone, Agro-processing Zone, Agricultural Zone, Modern agricultural park, Eco-industrial Zone, and the Eco-agricultural Zone. (3) The Agro-processing Zone is suggested as the most developed zone as the development conditions of the study area are ideal for processing agricultural products. The Agro-processing Zone can take up to 25.03% of the total area. In conclusion, the industrial zoning delineation method that couples the suitability of land development and the Ecosystem Service Value is able to reasonably determine the functional orientation of each region in the future development of the reservoir area, and optimize the new pattern of development in the reservoir basin.

Seagrass beds have extremely high ecological service value, so their protection and management are very important. The coastal area that stretches from Wenchang to Qionghai in the eastern part of Hainan Island is the largest seagrass bed distribution area in China’s South China Sea Bioregion. Understanding the local distribution and changes in seagrass beds is a prerequisite for implementing the protection and management of seagrass bed resources in this area. In this study, Landsat satellite remote sensing images of the study area from 1986 to 2021 were selected; seagrass bed survey data and field investigation data were combined; the Sum Green Index was used to extract and plot seagrass bed distribution information; the spatial distribution changes in seagrass beds in the region over the past thirty years were analyzed; and the driving factors of these changes are discussed. The following conclusions were drawn: (i) The water quality in the study area is clear, the marine sediment is mainly composed of coral debris and sand, and the seagrass plants are relatively tall. The Sum Green Index can effectively extract seagrass bed information and achieve good mapping accuracy. (ii) Between 1986 and 2021, there were significant changes in seagrass bed distribution in the study area, showing a trend of slow growth followed by rapid decline. Overall, over the past thirty years, the total area of seagrass beds in the study area has declined, coverage has decreased, and patches have become fragmented. (iii) The construction of marine and coastal engineering projects, as well as large-scale aquaculture, are important reasons for the decline of seagrass beds in the study area. Other types of mechanical physical damage, such as shipping and shells raking can also have serious impacts on seagrass beds. This study is the first to conduct distribution range mapping and long time series change monitoring based on satellite remote sensing images for the largest seagrass beds in China’s South China Sea Bioregion, with the aim of providing a reference for the monitoring and protection of seagrass beds in the South China Sea.

IntroductionMarine and coastal ecosystems are complex, especially because of the connection between their many functional groups and the various habitats provided by subsystems.MethodTo describe the trophic interactions, energy flows, and spatial distribution of species in the ecosystem of Dongzhaigang Bay, in Hainan, China, 28 functional groups were identified, incorporated in Ecopath and Ecospace models, and used to derive the particle size and spatial distribution of the functional groups.ResultThe results show that the trophic levels of top predators are lower than in similar ecosystems, but that the ecosystem of Dongzhaigang Bay exhibits a high ecotrophic efficiency, leading to a high fraction of its primary and secondary production being transferred to the higher trophic levels. The particle size distribution (PSD; i.e., log(biomass) vs log(particle weight)) in Dongzhaigang Bay, the first estimated for any mangrove ecosystem, has a slope (-0.80) similar to that of other ecosystems along China’s coast , but does not include the largest size groups. Ecospace allowed a visualization of the functional groups in Dongzhaigang Bay, which can serve as a basis, e.g., for identifying areas requiring special protection.DiscussionThough the status of the bay, overall, appears to be better than many of the Chinese coastal ecosystems, further monitoring and data collection are required to deepen the understanding of the interactions within the ecosystems, and the impacts of human activities on Dongzhaigang Bay. The models presented here should help in this undertaking.

With the development of technology, high-power lithium-ion batteries are increasingly moving towards high-speed discharge, long-term continuous output, instantaneous high-rate discharge, and miniaturization, and are being gradually developed towards the fields of electric tools, port machinery and robotics. Improving the power performance of batteries can be achieved from multiple dimensions, such as electrochemical systems and battery design. In order to improve the power performance of lithium-ion batteries, this paper proposes design methods from the perspective of electrochemical systems, which include increasing the high-rate discharge capacity and low impedance of the battery. This article also studies the preparation of high-power lithium-ion batteries. This article aims to improve the rate performance of batteries by studying high-performance cathode materials, excellent conductive networks, and high-performance electrolytes. This article successfully screened high-performance cathode materials by comparing the effects of different particle sizes of cathode materials on electrode conductivity and battery internal resistance. By comparing the effects of electrolyte additives under pulse cycling, high-quality electrolyte additive materials were selected. By comparing the effects of different types, contents, and ratios of conductive agents on electrode conductivity, battery internal resistance, high-quality conductive agents, and appropriate ratios were selected. Finally, a 10 Ah cylindrical high-power lithium-ion battery with a specific energy of 110 Wh/kg, pulse discharge specific power of 11.3 kW/kg, an AC internal resistance of ≤0.7 m Ω, a 10C full capacity discharge cycle of over 1700, a 30C full capacity discharge cycle of over 500, and a continuous discharge capacity of 10C–30C, and a pulse discharge capacity of over 100C was prepared.

Introduction: Economic development is not simply the accumulation of elements, but the improvement of efficiency, which is supported by infrastructure construction. In particular, the urban green and smart development (UGSD) in recent years has put forward higher requirements for infrastructure, and domestic trade as well as opening-up are of great significance during the process.Methods: Based on the panel data of 221 prefecture-level cities in China from the year of 2005 to 2019, this paper adopts the undesirable SBM model and GML index to measure the level of UGSD. Then the spatial Durbin model is conducted to explore the direct spatial spillover effects and the spatial decomposition effects of energy, transportation, and information infrastructure on UGSD. Considering the context of dual cycle, the indirect effects of domestic trade and opening-up between infrastructures and UGSD are further analyzed.Results: Results show that UGSD demonstrates strong spatial agglomeration and maintains a stable spatial positive correlation with different spatial matrices. In general, energy and transportation infrastructure show positive spatial spillover effects on UGSD. By contrast, information infrastructure presents positive spatial spillover effect on UGSD on the whole, while shows insignificant and negative spatial spillover effect with geographical distance matrix. Furthermore, the mediation effect indicates that both transportation and information infrastructure mainly promote local and adjacent cities’ UGSD through domestic trade with economic distance matrix. By contrast, energy infrastructure exerts positive spatial spillover effect on UGSD through weakening the negative impact of opening-up.Discussion: The conclusions of the research show that it is necessary to construct infrastructure in a reasonable way, strengthen the positive spillover effect of intercity factors, and promote the two-wheel driving effect of domestic trade and opening-up on the relationship between infrastructure and UGSD.

Abstract In the search for precursors to earthquakes, correlation has been found between geochemical characteristics of soil gases and seismic activity. In this paper we present evidence that seismic waves can trigger emission of soil radon (Rn) and carbon dioxide (CO2). An active experiment was performed in two fault zones in China, the Annighe fault in Sichuan province and the Xiadian fault in Heibei province. An active seismic source was used to generate seismic waves at 10 m depth in wells within bedrock. Rn and CO2 detectors were placed around the wells at a distance of ∼1 m for observing the effects of the seismic waves on the emission of the gases. The observations confirm that the seismic waves have a significant and direct effect on the concentration and flux of soil radon and carbon dioxide. When the seismic events were triggered, the observed concentrations of Rn and CO2 immediately increased and reached peak values within 5–50 min and 30–60 min, with corresponding increases of Rn and CO2 concentrations by 10.5%–238.7% and 3.1%–54.1%, respectively. The measured concentrations and flux of CO2 and Rn after the passage of the seismic waves showed strong correlation, confirming the suggestion that CO2 is the carrier gas for Rn. To the best of our knowledge this is the first direct, in‐situ measurement of gas emission caused by the passage of seismic waves and provides important constraints for better understanding of geochemical earthquake precursors.

This study aims to build a dynamic evolutionary game model for production decisions related to new energy vehicles and traditional fuel vehicles under a dual credit policy. The equilibrium point is calculated, and its stability is evaluated. Meanwhile, the dynamic evolution process of the system is simulated numerically, and the results reveal the complexity of the evolution process. Finally, the delay feedback control method is used to suppress the chaos of the model. Results show that in the production competition of duopoly automobile enterprises, automobile enterprises react too quickly to the market, thus resulting in system imbalance and chaos. At the same time, new energy vehicles are more sensitive to the market than traditional fuel vehicles. An excessively large output adjustment speed is not conducive to the smooth transformation of the automobile market. In addition, the delay feedback control method can effectively suppress the chaos in the system. The larger the delay feedback parameter, the faster the system returns to a steady state. This result suggests that policymakers should reflexively use this approach in practice.

Investigations of the hot spring water and gas in the volcanic region are involved in assessing geothermal resources and understanding groundwater circulation, volcano, and earthquake activities. The origins of water and gas of the hot springs, lakes, rivers, and rain in the Arxan volcanic region (AVR), northeastern (NE) China, were investigated by conducting a field survey and geochemical analysis. The low electrical conductivity (40–835 μS/cm) and low total dissolved solids (TDS, 23.83–540.00 mg/L) of the water samples indicate that they are fresh water. δ18O and δD values of the water samples range from −4.1% to −16.0% and from −61.3% to −119.9%, respectively. Enrichment of heavy isotopes in the rainwater and the crater lake waters was caused by evaporation. The component H2O of the water samples predominantly originated from the meteoric water, with less than 1 vol% contributed by deep-earth fluids. Ions in the rain sample were predominantly derived from sea salt and continental aerosol. Ions in the surface water samples had multiple origins (mineral dissolution, atmospheric, and anthropogenic sources). While the ions in the hot spring water were predominantly derived from both the dissolution of rocks and deep-earth fluids, the latter contributed 73%–87% of Cl− and 86%–99% of Na+ to the hot spring waters. Gases from the hot springs were composed of more than 95% N2 and less than 5% O2 and Ar, with 3He/4He ratios of 0.14–1.17 RA (RA=1.4×10−6). Excess N2, Ar, He, and CO2 of the hot springs were mainly derived from both the crust and upper mantle. About 3%–23% of the total He in the bubbling gases from the crater lake waters and hot springs is derived from the mantle, implying a supplement of heat energy from the mantle to the geothermal systems. Significantly, about 12% of the He dissolved in the Budonghe water is derived from the mantle, indicating that plenty of mantle-derived heat transported by deep-earth fluids keeps the river water from freezing. Our results indicate that Cl and Na ions and 3He/4He ratio are the feasible geochemical indicators for source partitioning of geothermal fluids.

Mangrove distribution along shorelines shows distinct zonation patterns; thus, different communities may face various influences from sea level rise (SLR) and land use. However, long-term change predictions are usually based only on the total extent of mangroves. Few studies have revealed how SLR and land development such as agriculture, aquaculture, and urbanization jointly affect different intertidal mangrove communities. This study proposed a novel framework combining SLAMM (Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model) and the CLUE-S (Conversion of Land Use and its Effect at Small regional extent) model to assess the potential impacts on upper and lower intertidal mangrove communities. Maoweihai in Guangxi, China, was selected as the study area and the potential impacts from the squeeze effect and mangrove expansion potential were evaluated. We established three scenarios combining SLR and land use patterns to predict mangrove coverage projections by 2070. The results showed that, under a single SLR driver, the upper intertidal mangroves would be more adaptive to rapid SLR than the lower intertidal mangroves. However, under the combined influence of the two drivers, the upper intertidal mangroves would experience larger squeeze effects than the lower intertidal mangroves, with up to 80.5% of suitable habitat lost. Moreover, the expansion potential of upper intertidal mangroves would be considerably more limited than that of lower intertidal mangroves. The length of the expandable habitat patch boundary of upper intertidal mangroves only reached 1.4–1.8 ​km, while that of the lower intertidal mangroves reached up to 99.2–111.2 ​km. Further, we found that aquaculture ponds and cropland are the top two land development types that could occupy suitable habitat and restrict the mangrove expansion potential. Our results highlight that timely improvement of land use policies to create available landward accommodation space for mangrove migration is essential to maintain the coverage and diversity of mangrove communities under SLR. The proposed method can be a helpful tool for adaptive mangrove conservation and management under climate change.

Although researchers have examined organizational sustainability practices, a specific interpretation of local government green development practices remains for supplemental analysis. This study conducted an empirical survey of 53 local officials from departments related to green development to understand the key processes and practices of green development behavior of local governments in China. The key findings indicate that the main stakeholders involved in the green development practices of Chinese local governments consist of enterprises and residents. In part, local government green development practices emphasize the greening of enterprises, especially in the step of process environmental regulation. The new institutionalism theory and the organizational process research provide dependable insights into green development behaviors. Our findings further shed light on the process of cross-sectoral cooperation across local government departments in green development, contributing to local multi-sectoral interactions for regional green development.

Globally, over quarter of population experiences energy crisis, particularly those living in rural communities of developing countries. Many of such victims are the people within the Africa continent. More than 600 million people lives in Africa without access to electricity. Energy use is a requirement for physical and socio-economic development of every country. Bioenergy and solar energy has currently seen an increase in its development in many countries in Africa. However, their major concern is its technological development and finance as well as impact on the environment. The study evaluates the solar and bioenergy potential utilization and future prospects in Africa. It also discusses some of the principal challenges negatively influencing its development. Conclusions are drawn on the need for effective international cooperation on inputs from financial, resources and technological advance mechanisms for solar and bio energies development in Africa. For example Development of new businesses should be linked with solar PV and bioenergy infrastructure to promote effective rural electrification. This study provides beneficial information, which will serve as a reference to help improve bioenergy and solar power development.

Global change has generated challenges for oceans, from individuals to the entire ecosystem, and has raised contemporary issues related to ocean conservation and management. Specifically, coral reef ecosystems have been exposed to various environmental and human disturbances. In this study, the Ecopath with Ecosim model was used to explore the impacts of ocean warming and fishing on Xisha Islands coral reef ecosystem in the South China Sea. The variables in this model included two ocean warming scenarios and three fishing scenarios. The model consisted of 23 functional groups including algae, coral, sea birds, and sharks. Our results showed that by the middle of the century, ocean warming and fishing led to a 3.79% and 4.74% decrease in total catch compared with 2009, respectively. In addition, the combined effects of ocean warming and fishing caused a 4.79% decrease in total catch, and the mean trophic level of catch was predicted to decrease by 6.01% under the SSP585-High fishing scenario. Reducing the fishing effort mitigates the effects of ocean warming on some species, such as large carnivorous fish and medium carnivorous fish; however, under low fishing effort, some functional groups, such as small carnivorous and omnivorous fish, have low biomass because of higher predation mortality.

“Green innovation” and “green products” are buzzwords in the current era. However, consumers habitually resist innovative appliances that differ from the conventional ones. This study investigates the influence of green innovation practices on consumer resistance to green innovation products and the moderating influence of environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviors based on the diffusion of innovation and expectation theories. A cross-sectional online survey of 750 SME employees revealed numerous significant causal associations between green innovation practices and consumer resistance to green product innovation. Additionally, the moderating effect of environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior was assessed. The results supported the predicted moderating relationships. This study contributes to the body of knowledge for green product manufacturers worldwide and provides key insights to the SMEs. This study also has several theoretical and practical implications as well as the future research prospects.

This study examines the effects of ethical leadership on individual unlearning, explorative learning, and exploitative learning. We test the mediating role of affective supervisory commitment in the relationship between ethical leadership and these three types of learning. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping are used to test these interrelationships based on three-wave survey data collected from 508 employees at five dental and surgical manufacturing firms in Pakistan. The results show that ethical leadership positively affects unlearned, explorative, and exploitative learning. We also find that affective commitment significantly mediates the effects of ethical leadership on unlearning and explorative learning but not the effect of ethical leadership on exploitative learning. In addition to the theoretical implications, this study has practical implications, especially for managers who are concerned about employees' destructive behaviors and practices and who want to enhance employees' skills and knowledge, as well as their organizations' knowledge base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xisha Islands are composed of the Yongle Islands and the Xuande Islands in Hainan province, China. It has one of the highest species diversities in the world and is also a typical oceanic distribution area of coral reefs globally. The ichthyofauna of the Xisha Islands were recorded by underwater visual census in May 2019 and July 2020. The survey data were combined with previous records of species into the checklist of the Xisha Islands presented herein. A total of 691 species belonging to 24 orders and 97 families was recorded. The major families were Labridae, Pomacentridae, Serranidae, Chaetodontidae, Hexanchidae, Lutjanidae, Scaridae, Gobiidae, Scorpaenidae, and Carangidae. In this study, the coral fish diversity index (CFDI) of six families (Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae, Pomacentridae, Labridae, Scaridae, and Acanthuridae) was 229, indicating 756 coral fishes. In terms of the IUCN Red List, one species is Critically Endangered (Glyphis gangeticus), six species are Endangered (Stegostoma fasciatum, Aetomylaeus maculatus, Aetomylaeus vespertilio, Epinephelus akaara, Cheilinusundulatus sp., and Xiphias gladius), 16 species are Vulnerable, and 13 species are Near Threatened in the Xisha Archipelago, so conservation should be strengthened in this area in the future.One species is a new record for China (Dischistodus pseudochrysopoecilus) and 23 species are newly found in the Xisha Islands.

In the era of economic globalization, the competitiveness of products on a global scale is increasingly achieved through effective and sustainable strategies for brand development by the leaders. This paper conducts an empirical study on regional brand competitiveness (BC) influencing factors. A research model was proposed and tested by employing structural equation modeling. Data analysis was conducted using 214 valid questionnaires from two major producing areas in Jilin Province, China. Research results show that Brand Market (BM) and Government Guidance (GG) directly and positively impact the regional BC. Regional Resource (RR) and industrial development (ID) indirectly impact the regional BC through the mediating role of BM and GG. BM is the most important factor affecting the regional BC. Based on this, the path to improve the competitiveness of traditional agricultural products under economic globalization is determined, and targeted countermeasures and suggestions are formulated for the existing problems.

Multiple injection strategies can be used for controlling the heat release rate in an engine, particularly in compression ignition engines. This can mitigate the heat transfer losses and overcome the limitation related to the maximum pressure allowed for a particular engine. Controlling heat release with repetitive injections requires precise characterization of the fuel injection rates. In such a configuration, the injector used should be characterized for its hydraulic delay, rate of injection, and the effect of dwell timing with multiple injections. This study investigates the fuel injection behavior of a high-flow-rate solenoid injector operated with single and double injections. Two characterization methods, the momentum flux, and the Bosch tube are used and compared to investigate their suitability with the multiple injection strategies. Experiments with single injection are conducted by varying the Energizing Timing (ET) from 0.5 up to 2 ms. The tests with multiple injections (i.e., double injections) are conducted with a fixed ET of 0.5 ms, while the dwell times (δt) are varied from 0.1 up to 1 ms. All tests are performed at 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 bar rail pressures. Depending on the injection pressure, the injector’s needle could not fully close with short dwell times and the injections are merged. The momentum flux method has faster ramp-up and decaying and more oscillations in the quasi-steady-state phase compared to the Bosch tube method. The effective duration of injection is overpredicted with the Bosch tube method. The momentum flux method is demonstrated to be more suitable for measuring the ROI of multiple injection strategies.

As one of the key subjects of multi-center governance of environmental concerns, public perception is crucial in forming and implementing environmental policy. Based on data science research theory and the original theory of public perception, this study proposes a research framework to analyze environmental policy through network text analysis. The primary contents are bidirectional encoder representation from transformers-convolution neural network (BERT-CNN) sentiment tendency analysis, word frequency characteristic analysis, and semantic network analysis. The realism of the suggested framework is demonstrated by using the waste classification policy as an example. The findings indicate a substantial relationship between perceived subject participation and policy pilot areas and that perceived subject participation is repeating. On this premise, specific recommendations are made to encourage policy implementation.

Sharks play an important role in marine ecosystems as top predators and have been increasingly accepted in recent years as a group for priority conservation worldwide. However, as one of the regions with the highest marine shark species richness, there is still a limited understanding of shark diversity patterns and conservation needs in China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) seas. In this study, we applied an ensemble species distribution model of five algorithms to investigate the diversity distribution patterns of 149 shark species in China and the ASEAN seas for the first time. A systematic conservation planning approach involving diversity, scarcity, and biogeographical distinctiveness was used to identify and compare conservation priority settings. Our results showed that bathymetry and dissolved oxygen were the most important variables contributing to shark distribution. The distribution pattern of shark species richness peaked on the continental shelves at 22–26°N, and a hotspot of shark diversity was identified around the Taiwan Strait. The spatial distribution of shark species in the nine orders and the 72 threatened shark species varied considerably. The existing marine protected area network only protects 2.1% of the ocean, 32.9% of the shark species, and 43.1% of the threatened species, highlighting a substantial conservation gap. Among the conservation priorities identified, the high conservation target scenario (30%) protects only 10%–15% more species than the low conservation target scenario (10%). However, under the high conservation target scenario, the conservation range of species tripled. Our results show that low conservation targets were only suitable for addressing the number of protected species, and that high targets would bring about improved outcomes for the number of protected species and the protected range of threatened species. Furthermore, planned priorities with a large clump pattern had slightly higher conservation achievements than those with small clumps. The results of this study will contribute to the development of a priority area network for sharks and provide a scientific basis for shark conservation and management in the China and ASEAN seas.

Abstract The study examined the responsiveness of the environment of Ghana to changes in key economic indicators such as the international trade, energy consumption, urbanization, economic growth, and financial development. Our study utilized the ecological footprint as the indicator for environmental degradation as it encompasses the entire ecosystem that supports humankind consumption and activities. Consequently, the use of ecological footprint gives a clear and a bigger picture of environmental degradation than any individual pollutant(s). This study takes into cognizance the influence of structural break in the time series variables. The findings from the dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) established the existence of an inverted N‐shaped environmental degradation‐economic growth relationship for Ghana under the cubic EKC framework. The ARDL bound testing approach confirmed the presence of long‐run cointegration among the variables. Furthermore, the bootstrap causality revealed a unidirectional causality running from energy consumption to export and urbanization to export. Our study, therefore, advocates for the production and consumption of enhanced energy‐efficient products and commodities among the populace of Ghana.