Continued Expansion Research Articles

Spatio-temporal Pattern of Ecosystem Service Value Evolution in the Yihe River Basin in the Context of Land Use Change

In this study, the modified equivalent factor method was applied to account for the long time series ecosystem service value （ESV） of the Yihe River Basin from 1975 to 2020 in the context of land use change, and the cold hot spot analysis and topographic position analysis methods were introduced to explore the characteristics of its spatial pattern. The results showed that： ① From 1975 to 2020, the land use type of the Yihe River Basin was dominated by arable land, and the land use changes were characterized by the rapid decrease of arable land and the continuous expansion of construction land, a slight increase in the area of forest land and grassland, a contraction of the water body area, and little change in the area of unused land. ② The modified equivalent factor method was more suitable for accounting for the ESV in the basin. From 1975 to 2020, the overall ESV of the basin showed an upward spiral trend （33.369-33.816 billion CNY）, dominated by the regulating services. The ESV of arable land was the highest with a decreasing trend, whereas the ESV of unused land was the lowest. ③ In the horizontal spatial pattern, the hot spot of ESV was near mountains and reservoirs, and the cold spot of ESV was near urban areas. In terms of vertical spatial patterns, with growing topographic gradient, vertical changes in ESV for all land use types showed an increasing trend followed by a decreasing trend. The results of the study revealed the spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystem service values in the Yihe River Basin in the context of land use change and provide a scientific basis for optimizing the land use structure and spatial pattern and enhancing ecosystem services.

Japanese climate capitalism? Toward an understanding of industry’s changing attitudes toward climate change mitigation in Japan

Despite a history of progressive environmental policies in relation to pollution and energy efficiency, Japan stands out as a country with relatively few achievements on the issue of climate change. While research on Japanese climate change policy up until now has focused attention on the role played by government, to date insufficient attention has been paid to the role and impacts of various sectors of Japanese industry in both directly influencing climate change policy and in shaping the discourse surrounding climate change in Japan, as well as to the ways through which the accumulation strategies of different fractions of capital may be impacted by climate change policy. This article overcomes this gap by surveying business responses to climate change and climate change policy through a mixed methods approach that combines content analysis and critical discourse analysis of major firms’ annual corporate reports, comparing data from 2010, the last year prior to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake that had highly disruptive impacts on Japan’s power generation capacity as well as the discourse surrounding energy more widely, and 2022, the most recent year for which all firms had data available. The content analysis results indicate a substantial increase in attention to climate change related keywords between 2010 and 2022 across all sectors, but particularly for the oil and gas, electric power, and steel manufacturing sectors. Yet a closer look at some of the detailed comments from key firms indicated an ongoing commitment to continued expansion of output and consumption, with carbon neutrality to be achieved wholly through the application of advanced technologies, many of which are currently commercially or technically unviable, raising questions about many firms’ abilities to effectively achieve their emissions reductions targets without more significant changes to their overall business strategies.

Habitat selection of non‐breeding American black ducks in an urban estuary

AbstractShellfish aquaculture is a globally expanding industry, including in urban estuaries that support non‐breeding waterfowl. The effects of shellfish aquaculture on the spatial distribution of non‐breeding waterfowl, however, are poorly understood and depend on the ecology of waterfowl and cultivated shellfish species. We investigated how proximity to shellfish aquaculture influenced habitat selection and movement patterns of American black ducks (Anas rubripes) during the non‐breeding season (~Oct–May) in 2020–2023 in Rhode Island, USA. The extent to which proximity to aquaculture influenced habitat selection of black ducks depended on factors specific to individuals' primary non‐breeding sites, although proximity to aquaculture did not have biologically meaningful influences on black duck movement rates across all sites. Black ducks across sites consistently selected for areas better suited for aquaculture (i.e., areas of potential future development) relative to areas poorly suited for aquaculture (i.e., areas less likely to be developed). The continued expansion of aquaculture into preferred black duck habitats will increase black duck interactions with aquaculture and therefore should be considered in the decision‐making process for siting future aquaculture leases. Future studies should quantify the extent to which continued expansion of aquaculture in those preferred coastal habitats directly influences black ducks.

Implications of Digitalization on the Persistence of Startups

Digitalization is a transformative phenomenon catalyzing innovative paradigms and operational methodologies within the realm of business, with a pronounced impact on nascent enterprises, notably startups. The aim of this paper is to ascertain the influence of digitalization and the effects of the different sociodemographic variables, both internal and environmental, as key driving elements in the probability of a company’s success and as indicators of business persistence and growth. Taking a representative sample of entrepreneurs from the Community of Madrid, Spain, a statistical structural equation model (SEM) is built. The results show the importance that the degree of adaptation of the startup to digitization acquires in persistence, the effort to generate inter-entrepreneurship within the company, the preparation of the promoting team, their work skills, good practices, and the influence of environmental variables. This study contributes to dispelling the great uncertainty that afflicts entrepreneurs and making them understand the importance of innovation, training, and continuous updating, expansion, and renewal of knowledge and especially the value of learning about applications of new technologies, the transformation of processes within a business model, and the correct adaptation to an environment that is constantly changing.

Application studies on MXene-based flexible composites

MXene is a novel two-dimensional layered nanomaterial with a very large specific surface area and abundant surface functional groups, endowing it with unique physical and chemical properties. MXene can be compounded with other functional materials to significantly improve the performance of MXene composites or broaden their application scope. Meanwhile, with the development of flexible composite preparation technology, it has promoted the continuous expansion of its application fields. The introduction and combination of different materials can improve the performance of flexible composites and make them have a broader application prospect. In recent years, researchers have started preparing MXene materials as flexible composites for applications such as supercapacitors, sensors, electromagnetic shielding and thermal management. This paper gives a brief introduction to flexible composites and MXene materials, reviews the applications of MXene based flexible composites in various fields as well as the research progress, and provides an outlook on their future development direction.

Dynamic response characteristics of backfill under blasting disturbance simulated through a three-dimensional model

During mining operations, the backfill body is subject to significant disturbance due to large-volume blasting, resulting in stress concentration and vibration response within the backfill. This alters energy distribution, leading to the continuous development, expansion, and accumulation of damage, potentially culminating in instability and collapse. Blasting disturbance in stopes is the main cause of filling instability and ore dilution. It is crucial to study the failure mechanism of filling bodies under blasting load to guide actual mine production. In this study, a custom mold was created to establish an innovative three-dimensional model of an ore-backfill system subject to explosion loading. Simultaneous detonation was selected as the control group and delayed detonation was selected as the experimental group. Monitoring and analysis methods, such as a high-speed camera system, MATLAB software, and vibration monitors, were utilized to investigate the impact of delay time on the dynamic response characteristics of the backfill. The results show that the dynamic fracture process of the backfill is mainly divided into four stages: initial crack initiation stage, crack development stage, crack expansion stage, and backfill collapse stage. The difference in delay time on the dynamic fracture process of the backfill is mainly reflected in two aspects: time effect and crack distribution. The surface flatness after delayed detonation is higher by 20.5 % as compared with that after simultaneous detonation. The average damping rate during delayed detonation decreases by 19.7 % as compared with that after simultaneous detonation, the frequency distribution of the single stage is more uniform, and the instantaneous peak energy during delayed detonation is 0.76 times that during simultaneous detonation. The maximum crushing size, average crushing size, and bulk crushing size after delayed detonation are reduced by 25 %, 15.26 %, and 9.23 %, respectively, compared with that after simultaneous blasting. Thus, delayed detonation effectively improves the crushing effect while reducing the degree of damage to the backfill.

Understanding Users' Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence Applications: A Literature Review.

In recent years, with the continuous expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) application forms and fields, users' acceptance of AI applications has attracted increasing attention from scholars and business practitioners. Although extant studies have extensively explored user acceptance of different AI applications, there is still a lack of understanding of the roles played by different AI applications in human-AI interaction, which may limit the understanding of inconsistent findings about user acceptance of AI. This study addresses this issue by conducting a systematic literature review on AI acceptance research in leading journals of Information Systems and Marketing disciplines from 2020 to 2023. Based on a review of 80 papers, this study made contributions by (i) providing an overview of methodologies and theoretical frameworks utilized in AI acceptance research; (ii) summarizing the key factors, potential mechanisms, and theorization of users' acceptance response to AI service providers and AI task substitutes, respectively; and (iii) proposing opinions on the limitations of extant research and providing guidance for future research.

Does digital economy help reduce carbon emissions from tourism? Evidence from China

ABSTRACT In the context of global warming and the continued expansion of tourism, the issue of carbon emissions from tourism (CET) has become more prominent. Development of the digital economy provides a new opportunity to reduce CET. Using data from 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2020, this study examines the direct effect of the digital economy on CET by employing the Generalised Method of Moments (GMM). An intermediate effects model is applied to explore its indirect transmission mechanism, and some heterogeneity is analyzed. The results indicate that digital economy plays a significant role in reducing CET. Energy structure, environmental governance and technological innovation are three important channels for the digital economy to influence CET. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that digital economy has a more pronounced decarbonisation effect in the eastern and central regions, while it is not significant in the western region. And the decarbonisation performance of the digital economy is enhanced in regions with an easier financial environment and more developed pollution abatement facilities. This study offers a theoretical and practical foundation for the low-carbon development of China’'s tourism industry. It also provides insights into the sustainable development of tourism in other countries.

Dynamic differential privacy-based dataset condensation

With the continuous expansion of data scale, data condensation technology has emerged as a means to reduce costs related to storage, time, and energy consumption. Data condensation can generate a synthesized dataset of reduced size, enabling the training of models that exhibit high performance comparable to the original dataset. Nevertheless, data condensation has also exposed privacy issues. Although many approaches have been proposed to preserve privacy for data condensation, the privacy protection for data condensation has not been well explored. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, none of the existing approaches propose dynamic parameters-based differential privacy dataset condensation considering unnecessary noise introduced by the fixed privacy parameter strategy. Most approaches typically inject constant noise with the fixed variance into gradients across all layers using predefined privacy parameters, which can significantly impact model accuracy. In this paper, we investigate alternative approaches for data condensation with differential privacy (DP) that aim to ensure DP while minimizing the noise added to gradients and improving the model accuracy. First, we develop a dynamic threshold method to reduce the noise added to gradients in the later stages of training by using a clipping threshold that decreases with training rounds. Second, noise injection in our method is not arbitrary as in conventional approaches; instead, it is based on the maximum size of the gradient after clipping. This approach ensures that only minimal noise increments are introduced, thereby mitigating accuracy loss and parameter instability that may arise from excessive noise injection. Finally, our privacy analysis confirms that the proposed method provides a rigorous privacy guarantee. Extensive evaluations on different datasets demonstrate that our approach can improve accuracy compared to existing DP data condensation techniques while adhering to the same privacy budget and applying a specified clipping threshold.

Supercritical CO2 Fluid Extraction and Microencapsulation of Oil from Anchovy (Engraulis mordax) By-Products.

Fish by-products are discarded as waste, which has a significant impact on the environment. They have no economic value, but there are many opportunities to turn them into high value products. Due to significant quantities generated internationally and the continuous expansion of the market for ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids as nutraceuticals, innovative technological approaches are needed to transform this waste into marketable products with added value, while limiting the risk of environmental pollution. In this study, two temperatures (40 and 60 °C) at a constant pressure during the extraction of anchovy by-products with supercritical CO2 fluid were used to determine extraction yield, fatty acid, tocopherol and phytosterol composition, followed by microencapsulation with two matrices based on the transglutaminase-mediated crosslinking reaction between whey protein isolates and casein. Before microencapsulation, the binding parameters were estimated using quenching studies. The results showed a higher content of total fatty acids when extracted at 40 °C, resulting in two fractions on a dry mass basis of (712±12) mg/g in the fraction obtained in the separator with code S40 and (732±10) mg/g in the fraction obtained in the separator with code S45, respectively. The monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) accounted for 40-44 %. The extracts showed a higher mass fraction of eicosapentaenoic acid ((28.7±1.0) mg/g) in fraction S45 when extracted at 60 °C. A minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration of 0.66 μg/mL against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 was found for all fractions. Higher binding constants were found for palmitoleic and oleic acids than for palmitic acid. The control variant, without crosslinking, enabled the microencapsulation of a higher amount of fatty acids, while in both powders the sum of MUFAs and PUFAs was 40 %. The approaches used in our study open up new opportunities for adding value to the fish by-products through extraction and microencapsulation, extending their potential use to food, cosmetics and nutraceuticals.

The expansion behavior of the hyperbolic solution in f(R,G) gravity

In this study, our primary focus lies in meticulously exploring the intricacies of the universe by employing a flat Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) model within the framework of [Formula: see text] gravity. In our analysis, the [Formula: see text] function is delineated as the sum of two distinct components, commencing with a quadratic correction of the geometric term denoted by [Formula: see text], structured as [Formula: see text], alongside a matter term denoted by [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] symbolize the Ricci scalar and Gauss–Bonnet invariant, respectively. In the pursuit of solutions to the gravitational field equations within the [Formula: see text] formalism, we embrace a specific expression for the scale factor, represented as [Formula: see text] [D. Rabha and R. R. Baruah, The dynamics of a hyperbolic solution in [Formula: see text] gravity, Astron. Comput. 45 (2023) 100761]. In this context, the parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] intricately shape the scale factor’s behavior. The model posits the intriguing prospect of perpetual cosmic acceleration when [Formula: see text], signifying a continuous expansion of the universe. Conversely, for [Formula: see text], the model proposes a pivotal transition from an early deceleration phase to the present accelerated epoch, a transformative shift in line with our understanding of cosmic evolution. Furthermore, the model demonstrates its credibility by satisfying Jean’s instability condition during the shift from a radiation-dominated era to a matter-dominated era, substantiating the formation of cosmic structures. In our analysis, a central focus is directed toward scrutinizing the equation of state parameter [Formula: see text] within our model. We delve into a comprehensive examination of the scalar field and meticulously assess the energy conditions surrounding the derived solution. To establish the robustness of our model, we deploy an array of diagnostic tools, including the Jerk, Snap, and Lerk parameters, along with the Om diagnostic, Classical stability of the model, and statefinder diagnostic tools, Observational Constraints on the Model Parameters. The outcomes, intertwined with a detailed analysis of both the results and the inherent intricacies of the model, are diligently clarified and presented.

Can provincial-pooling of urban and rural resident basic medical insurance improve the health performance of migrant population?

Enhancing the pooling level of medical insurance is an inevitable requirement to strengthen the mutual assistance capability of funds and achieving national health. In China, with the continuous expansion of the migrant population seeking medical treatment in other regions, the role of provincial-pooling of basic medical insurance is becoming increasingly prominent. While there is limited research on the impact and mechanism of provincial-pooling of basic medical insurance on the health of migrant population. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impact of provincial-pooling of basic medical insurance on the health performance of migrant population and analyze the mediating role of social integration. Using data of three waves (2014, 2016 and 2018) of the China Labor force Dynamics Survey, this study focuses on a sample of migrant population enrolled in Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance and employs the estimation methods of time-varying difference-in-difference and mediating effect model. The results of time-varying difference-in-difference show that provincial-pooling of basic medical insurance improves the health performance of migrant population by 9.6% (p < 0.05), and the event study method and placebo test all indicate that the research results are robust. The mediating effect analysis demonstrates that the provincial-pooling of basic medical insurance enhances health performance by fostering the subjective and objective social integration, and neighbourhood assistance, social equity, life happiness and trust in the majority are specific intermediary channels. The results of heterogeneity analysis indicates that provincial-pooling of basic medical insurance is more effective in improving the health performance of high-income (β = −0.090; P < 0.05), new-generation (β = −0.116; P < 0.1) and highly-educated (β = 0.130; p < 0.05) migrant population. Our results call for accelerating the promotion of provincial-pooling of basic medical insurance to improve health performance of migrant population.

Explicit continued fraction expansion of a rational root of 1+x−1$1+x^{-1}$ over Fp$\mathbb {F}_p$

AbstractLet be a prime number, and positive integers coprime with . We provide the explicit continued fraction expansion of the th root of in the power series field . We determine its irrationality exponent.

The demand for sparkling wine: insights on a diversified European market

PurposeThe article aims to study the demand for sparkling wines in Europe. The main objective is to estimate the classic demand parameters aggregately for the entire European area (European Union and the United Kingdom) and separately for groups of countries characterized by wine markets with similar characteristics.Design/methodology/approachUsing 15-years market data for different wine categories from the Euromonitor Passport database, the estimation of price and income elasticities is performed through a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System. In line with the objectives, the model is applied first to the whole European area and then separately to the considered groups of countries (subareas). To identify homogeneous subareas, a cluster analysis was performed on basic characteristics of the wine market.FindingsWhen considering the European market as a whole, sparkling wines should be considered a luxury category with a high own-price elasticity. However, the structure of their demand is rather different in different sub-areas. The observed heterogeneity suggests that differentiated policy and marketing considerations should be made. In addition, it widens the possibilities for producers, who can choose the submarkets that respond best to their needs to export their sparkling wines. This seems particularly important in markets, like the sparkling wine ones, that are experiencing a continuous expansion over the last decades.Originality/valueDespite using a methodology well-established to study wine and alcohol demand, the study fills a considerable gap in the literature. Although the demand for sparkling wine is growing worldwide, so far only a couple of studies have engaged in the analysis of its structure. In Europe, the largest market for sparkling wine, this kind of studies is completely lacking.

Thin-Film Transistor Digital Microfluidics Circuit Design with Capacitance-Based Droplet Sensing.

With the continuous expansion of pixel arrays in digital microfluidics (DMF) chips, precise droplet control has emerged as a critical issue requiring detailed consideration. This paper proposes a novel capacitance-based droplet sensing system for thin-film transistor DMF. The proposed circuit features a distinctive inner and outer dual-pixel electrode structure, integrating droplet driving and sensing functionalities. Discharge occurs exclusively at the inner electrode during droplet sensing, effectively addressing droplet perturbation in existing sensing circuits. The circuit employs a novel fan-shaped structure of thin-film transistors. Simulation results show that it can provide a 48 V pixel voltage and demonstrate a sensing voltage difference of over 10 V between deionized water and silicone oil, illustrating its proficiency in droplet driving and accurate sensing. The stability of threshold voltage drift and temperature was also verified for the circuit. The design is tailored for integration into active matrix electrowetting-on-dielectric (AM-EWOD) chips, offering a novel approach to achieve precise closed-loop control of droplets.

Teacher-Directed to Student-Engaged Pedagogy: Exploring Teacher Change

An under-explored issue in teacher education is the active documentation of pedagogical usage after initial training and practice implementation have been completed. In this phenomenological study, the researcher contacted previous graduate students who earned a teaching-endorsement credential for working with Gifted/Talented learners to explore the application of a pedagogical method developed specifically to shift from teacher-directed to student-engaged pedagogy. Common impediments to pedagogical change are described and discussed. Participants did overcome impediments, changing their pedagogical approach from teacher-directed to student-engaged approaches over time. Each shared their particular circumstances for needing to change their teaching approach. But in all instances, student performance and outcomes drove and supported the continued expansion of the change process. Future empirical work in teacher development and in-service pedagogical change based on results is suggested to further this line of inquiry.

The first and second moments for the length of the period of the continued fraction expansion for d$\sqrt {d}$

AbstractLet be any positive and non‐square integer. We prove an upper bound for the first two moments of the length of the period of the continued fraction expansion for . This allows to improve the existing results for the large deviations of .

An Expert-Based Review on the Relevance and Management of Type 2 Endoleaks Following Endovascular Repair of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAAs) are life-threatening and require emergent surgical therapy. Endovascular aortic repair for rupture (rEVAR) has become the leading strategy due to its minimal invasive approach with expected lower morbidity and mortality, especially in patients presenting with hemodynamic instability and relevant comorbidities. Following rEVAR, intraoperative angiography or early postinterventional computed tomography angiography have to exclude early type 1 or 3 endoleaks requiring immediate reintervention. Persistent type 2 endoleaks (T2ELs) after rEVAR, in contrast to elective cases, can cause possibly lethal situations due to continuing extravascular blood loss through the remaining aortic aneurysm rupture site. Therefore, early identification of relevant persistent T2ELs associated with continuous bleeding and hemodynamic instability and immediate management is mandatory in the acute postoperative setting following rEVAR. Different techniques and concepts for the occlusion of T2ELs after rEVAR are available, and most of them are also used for relevant T2ELs after elective EVAR. In addition to various interventional embolization procedures for persistent T2ELs, some patients require open surgical occlusion of T2EL-feeding arteries, abdominal compartment decompression or direct surgical patch occlusion of the aneurysm rupture site after rEVAR. So far, in the acute situation of rAAAs, indications for preemptive or intraoperative T2EL embolization during rEVAR have not been established. In the long term, persistent T2ELs after rEVAR can lead to continuous aneurysm expansion with the possible development of secondary proximal type I endoleaks and an increased risk of re-rupture requiring regular follow-up and early consideration for reintervention. To date, only very few studies have investigated T2ELs after rEVAR or compared outcomes with those from elective EVAR regarding the special aspects of persisting T2ELs. This narrative review is intended to present the current knowledge on the incidence, natural history, relevance and strategies for T2EL management after rEVAR.

Research on relay safety output control method based on BP neural network

With the continuous improvement and expansion of the metro network, the issues of train safety capacity, transportation effi-ciency and maintenance cost will become increasingly prominent. As an indispensable switching and controlling device of train safety control system, the health status of relay is the foundation of low-cost, high safety and efficient development of subway. This paper designs and proposes a BP neural network based relay safety output control method, this method utilizes BP neural net-work on the basis of improved two-take-two hardware structure to do fault prediction and safety state management with real-time retrieved detection signals, finally uploads operation and mainte-nance logs to the platform to guide subsequent fault trouble-shooting and maintenance.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods in Hainan Province, China

The total retail sales of social consumer goods is a comprehensive reflection of a country's consumption capacity, consumption structure and living standard, which is of great significance for evaluating a country's economic vitality and social development level. In recent years, with the continuous expansion of the consumer market and the improvement of consumers' purchasing power, the total retail sales of social consumer goods has continued to grow, and its role in the national economy has gradually increased. However, there are many factors that affect the total retail sales of social consumer goods, including economic environment, policies and regulations, consumer behavior and so on. Under this background, this paper takes Hainan Province as the empirical research object, and selects per capita disposable income, rural residents' per capita disposable income, gross domestic product, resident population at the end of the year and local government's general budget expenditure as explanatory variables to analyze the factors affecting the total retail sales of social consumer goods. The results show that the average disposable income of rural residents and the general budget expenditure of local governments are significant factors affecting the total retail sales of social consumer goods in Hainan Province. Finally, the model is analyzed economically, and some conclusions are drawn, and some policy suggestions are put forward.