Service Function Research Articles

Study on the enhancement of ecosystem service function and sustainability planning of landscape gardening based on biomechanics

With the acceleration of urbanization and the impact of climate change, landscape gardening plays an increasingly important role in improving urban ecological environments, enhancing biodiversity and improving ecological service functions. Based on the principle of biomechanics, this paper discusses the strategy of enhancing the ecosystem service function of landscape gardening and proposes to optimize the sustainability of landscape gardening by means of multi-scale planning frameworks, ecological corridor construction, and microclimate regulation techniques. Through the implementation of biomechanical optimization practices in the study area, in this study, multiple technical methods were used for data collection to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data. For monitoring plant growth, a regular sampling method was adopted to measure growth parameters (such as plant height, crown width, root depth, etc.) of plants in the study area on a monthly basis. In addition, high-precision meteorological monitoring equipment (such as temperature and humidity meters, anemometers, etc.) was used for continuous monitoring of microclimate conditions, with a data collection time span of one year, covering seasonal changes. Soil stability assessment quantifies soil stability and water management capacity through regular sampling of different soil types, using soil shear tests and water retention capacity tests. All data were processed using statistical analysis methods and combined with model simulations to validate the effectiveness of optimization strategies, ensuring the scientific and reproducible nature of research results. It was found that the optimization of vegetation configuration, soil structure and water flow management could significantly improve soil and water conservation capacity, wind speed regulation and microclimate regulation. The high density of vegetation not only enhanced the soil water retention capacity but also effectively reduced the wind speed and improved the local climate environment. In addition, the construction of ecological corridors and reasonable vegetation layout enhances the ecological connectivity and stability of the landscape. By evaluating the sustainability under different seasons, this paper further discusses how to dynamically optimize the landscape according to seasonal changes to ensure the stability of its long-term ecological service function.

Soil depth exerts greater effect on bacterial community than spatial structure in Longmenshan fault zone.

Soil water content served as the main driver of changes in surface soil bacterial diversity and community. Spatial structure had a greater influence on surface soil bacterial communities and diversity. Soil depth had a significantly higher effect on soil bacterial community composition and network properties than site. Our results may provide insights into the impact of microbial functions on biodiversity and ecosystem service functions.

2023 Kunshan river and lake health assessment

The assessment of river and lake health is a crucial aspect of waterbody management and serves as an important measure for evaluating the effectiveness of the river and lake chief system. This study focuses on the health assessment of two rivers (Qingyang Port and Changqianlu Port) and five lakes (Wangyang Lake, Changbaidang, Mingjingdang, Tianhuadang, and Dianshan Lake) within Kunshan City in 2023. The assessment is conducted seasonally across four major categories: natural ecology, service functions, disturbance levels, and management effectiveness. Twelve indicators are selected from each of the four criterion layersbasin, water, biological, and social service functionsto evaluate the health of the rivers and lakes. The results indicate an overall excellent health status of the rivers and lakes. Furthermore, key influencing factors are analyzed, health issues are summarized, and relevant recommendations are proposed.

Typology of Small- to Medium-Sized Korean Local Cities with Population Decline from the Perspective of Urban Compactness

This study examines urban structure typologies for small- to medium-sized cities in South Korea facing population decline, with a focus on urban compactness as a sustainable strategy. Population reduction and aging trends have become prominent issues in South Korea, especially impacting smaller cities, where decreased population density affects urban service functionality and infrastructure maintenance. This research applies and adapts Japan’s urban structure evaluation framework, specifically designed for the Japanese compact city model, to analyze the spatial conditions of 15 small- and medium-sized cities in Gyeongsangbuk-do province, South Korea. Using various indicators such as population density, accessibility to daily services, public transport, and local economic activity, this study conducts a typological classification based on principal component analysis and clustering methods. The findings suggest distinct urban structure patterns within these cities, offering strategic insights for urban policy aimed at enhancing urban compactness and sustainability. The implications highlight the need for tailored policies that address the spatial reorganization of services and infrastructure to maintain urban viability amidst demographic shifts.

Association between conflict intensity and health outcomes in contemporary conflicts, while accounting for the vulnerability and functioning of healthcare services

BackgroundArmed conflict can be described as human development in reverse. In addition to the direct consequences of violence, there are numerous ways in which armed conflict may have indirect effects on people’s health and well-being. Studies give varying results, and health impacts seem to differ from context to context. We aimed to determine how conflict intensity is associated with health outcomes, accounting for existing vulnerabilities and the functioning of healthcare services in countries experiencing armed conflict.MethodThis study is based on panel data on conflict intensity, vulnerability, healthcare service functioning, and health outcomes in 42 conflict-affected countries between 2000 and 2019 and uses fixed-effects panel regression analysis to determine the associations between conflict intensity and health outcomes.ResultsConflict intensity was positively associated with the health outcomes included in this study. As the conflict intensity increased, the mortality and prevalence of these outcomes also increased, although this increase was not statistically significant for half the outcomes (8/16). After adjusting for the vulnerabilities and functioning of healthcare services, this positive association became significant for all health outcomes. Vulnerability and functioning of healthcare services were strong predictors of outcomes. Subgroup analysis revealed that conflict intensity was more significantly associated with outcomes in countries with high and medium vulnerability scores.ConclusionExisting vulnerabilities and healthcare system conditions are known to impact health outcomes. The association between conflict intensity and health outcomes strengthens when existing vulnerabilities and the state of healthcare services are considered. This underscores the importance of incorporating strategies to address socioeconomic inequities and strengthen healthcare system capacity in interventions for conflict-affected regions. This also raises additional concerns for long-term negative health effects related to the increasing trend of attacks on health care in contemporary conflicts.

Construction and Zoning of Ecological Security Patterns in Yichang City

The study of ecological security patterns is of great significance to the balance between regional economic development and environmental protection. By optimizing the regional ecological security pattern through reasonable land-use planning and resource management strategies, the purpose of maintaining ecosystem stability and improving ecosystem service capacity can be achieved, and ultimately regional ecological security can be achieved. As a typical ecological civilization city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Yichang City is also facing the dual challenges of urban expansion and environmental pressure. The construction and optimization of its ecological security pattern is the key to achieving the harmonious coexistence of economic development and environmental protection and ensuring regional sustainable development. Based on the ecological environment characteristics and land-use data of Yichang City, this paper uses morphological spatial pattern analysis and landscape connectivity analysis to identify core ecological sources, constructs a comprehensive ecological resistance surface based on the sensitivity–pressure–resilience (SPR) model, and combines circuit theory and Linkage Mapper tools to extract ecological corridors, ecological pinch points, and ecological barrier points and construct the ecological security pattern of Yichang City with ecological elements of points, lines, and surfaces. Finally, the community mining method was introduced and combined with habitat quality to analyze the spatial topological structure of the ecological network in Yichang City and conduct ecological security zoning management. The following conclusions were drawn: Yichang City has a good ecological background value. A total of 64 core ecological sources were screened out with a total area of 3239.5 km². In total, 157 ecological corridors in Yichang City were identified. These corridors were divided into 104 general corridors, 42 important corridors, and 11 key corridors according to the flow centrality score. In addition, 49 key ecological pinch points and 36 ecological barrier points were identified. The combination of these points, lines, and surfaces formed the ecological security pattern of Yichang City. Based on the community mining algorithm in complex networks and the principle of Thiessen polygons, Yichang City was divided into five ecological functional zones. Among them, Community No. 2 has the highest ecological security level, high vegetation coverage, close distribution of ecological sources, a large number of corridors, and high connectivity. Community No. 5 has the largest area, but it contains most of the human activity space and construction and development zones, with low habitat quality and severely squeezed ecological space. In this regard, large-scale ecological restoration projects should be implemented, such as artificial wetland construction and ecological island establishment, to supplement ecological activity space and mobility and enhance ecosystem service functions. This study aims to construct a multi-scale ecological security pattern in Yichang City, propose a dynamic zoning management strategy based on complex network analysis, and provide a scientific basis for ecological protection and restoration in rapidly urbanizing areas.

Rural Transformation, GVCs and the Rise of the Services Economy

ABSTRACTThe rise of global agricultural value chains presents both opportunities and challenges for rural transformation and economic development. In this regard, we propose that the expansion of the service sector in developing countries significantly influences the development of agricultural value chain, promoting wealth creation. We posit that when global value chains in agriculture are used to interpret rural transformation, the crucial function of services is often underemphasised. We construct an interaction term between the productivity dynamics in services and the evolution of global value chain (GVC) over time. The key finding suggests that the coevolution of service sector development and participation in GVC strongly correlates with increases in agricultural sector productivity. The analysis highlights the importance of considering the stage of development and the specific service subsectors when examining the relationship between services, GVC and rural transformation. We propose that enhancing the institutional environment, particularly with respect to contracts within such value chains, enables a larger role for domestic actors in capturing this value.

Differential Response of Ecosystem Service to Restoration Methods and Restoration Time in Shallow Landslide‐Prone Areas

ABSTRACTVegetation restoration effectively inhibits soil erosion, improves soil structure, increases soil carbon storage, and restores ecosystem service functions in vulnerable areas. Understanding the complex interactions between ecosystem services is essential for scientifically managing ecological restoration. However, systematic research in geohazard‐prone areas with fragile ecosystems remains limited. Individual ecosystem services may exhibit varying trade‐offs or synergies depending on restoration methods and duration, yet their relationships and optimization strategies are poorly understood. To address this, we investigated shallow landslide‐prone areas in China where ecological restoration projects have been ongoing for 14 years. By assessing key ecosystem services‐carbon storage, water conservation, and soil retention‐under different restoration methods and duration, we found that ecosystem service capacity improved significantly, driven more by restoration modes than time. Artificial restoration had a greater positive impact than natural restoration. Over time, the soil and water conservation‐carbon stock trade‐off shifted toward continuous positive change. Additionally, the relationship between soil retention and water conservation transitioned from trade‐off to synergy, indicating enhanced ecosystem functionality. Our study highlights the benefits of integrating restoration practices across management modes rather than time to develop sustainable ecosystem management strategies. These findings underscore the importance of artificial measures to strengthen ecosystem services in fragile and degraded areas.

Attention model-driven MADDPG algorithm for delay and cost-aware placement of service function chains in 5G

Attention model-driven MADDPG algorithm for delay and cost-aware placement of service function chains in 5G

Optimizing Waste Separation in Traditional Minority Communities: A Game Theory Approach for Sustainable Municipal Waste Management

Optimizing Waste Separation in Traditional Minority Communities: A Game Theory Approach for Sustainable Municipal Waste Management

A Multi-Dimensional Assessment of Pocket Park Landscapes: Insights from Scenic Beauty Estimation and Analytic Hierarchy Process in Dadukou District, Chongqing

Pocket parks are small green spaces that significantly enhance urban livability, particularly in densely populated cities. To leverage this advantage, Chongqing has committed to establishing 100 pocket parks by 2024. This study assesses the landscape quality of six pocket parks in Chongqing’s Dadukou District, employing Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results of the SBE method identify four main factors—spatial hierarchy, plant diversity, landscape harmony, and color richness—that show a strong correlation with scenic beauty (R = 0.947, R2 = 0.897). AHP analysis reveals that landscape function is the dominant criterion, accounting for 66.86% of the total weight, with ecological function and service function contributing 21.44% and 8.82%, respectively. Notably, plant color richness emerges as the most significant factor, with a comprehensive weight of 0.1509, emphasizing its critical role in enhancing visual appeal. Based on these findings, this study recommends increasing plant diversity, optimizing color design to improve visual appeal, and implementing sustainable, low-maintenance strategies. This research integrates both quantitative and qualitative approaches, offering strategies to refine pocket park designs and establish a framework to enhance green spaces in densely populated urban areas, not only in China but potentially globally, promoting environmental sustainability and user satisfaction.

How adults with cerebral palsy are treated

This review summarizes the treatment status in Denmark for adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and proposes a clinical habilitation model. Currently, no public, tax-funded, specialized service exists. However, healthcare processes for adults with CP are highly complex, involving cerebral developmental disorders, multimorbidity, declining function, and frequent involvement of both social services and the healthcare system. A stepwise clinical habilitation model is introduced to systematize patient treatment and care, potentially inspiring clinical reasoning across all medical specialties.

Clinical Education: Consultation-Liaison Psychology Services.

Consultation-liaison (CL) psychology is a subspecialty of clinical health psychology primarily focused on providing both consultation and liaison services in the medical inpatient setting to benefit patients, families, and/or healthcare providers. The goals of this paper are threefold. The first is to educate clinicians about the scope and functions of traditional CL psychology services. The second is to identify contemporary areas of growth and development in CL psychology services. The third is to discuss practical recommendations and lessons we have learned throughout the process of establishing and sustaining CL psychology services at our organization.Additionally, we discuss the future of CL psychology particularly with regard to the dearth of CL psychology research.

Remote Sensing Applications for Pasture Assessment in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s pasture, as a spatially extended agricultural resource for sustainable animal husbandry, requires effective monitoring with connected rational uses. Ranking number nine globally in terms of land size, Kazakhstan, with an area of about three million square km, requires proper assessment technologies for climate change and anthropogenic impact to track the pasture lands’ degradation. Remote sensing (RS)-based adaptive approaches for assessing pasture load, combined with field cross-checking of pastures, have been applied to evaluate the quality of vegetation cover, economic potential, service function, regenerative capacity, pasture productivity, and changes in plant species composition for five pilot regions in Kazakhstan. The current stages of these efforts are presented in this project report. The pasture lands in five regions, including Pavlodar (8,340,064 ha), North Kazakhstan (2,871,248 ha), Akmola (5,783,503 ha), Kostanay (11,762,318 ha), Karaganda (19,709,128 ha), and Ulytau (18,260,865 ha), were evaluated. Combined RS data were processed and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction of Vegetation Cover (FCover), Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), Canopy Chlorophyll Content (CCC), and Canopy Water Content (CWC) indices were determined, in relation to the herbage of pastures and their growth and development, for field biophysical analysis. The highest values of LAI, FCOVER, and FARAR were recorded in the Akmola region, with index values of 18.5, 126.42, and 53.9, and the North Kazakhstan region, with index values of 17.89, 143.45, and 57.91, respectively. The massive 2024 spring floods, which occurred in the Akmola, North Kazakhstan, Kostanay, and Karaganda regions, caused many problems, particularly to civil constructions and buildings; however, these same floods had a very positive impact on pasture areas as they increased soil moisture. Further detailed investigations are ongoing to update the flood zones, wetlands, and swamp areas. The mapping of proper flood zones is required in Kazakhstan for pasture activities, rather than civil building construction. The related sustainable permissible grazing husbandry pasture loads are required to develop also. Recommendations for these preparation efforts are in the works.

Construction of Ecological Security Network in Mountainous Transitional Geospace Using Circuit Theory and Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis: A Case Study of Taihang Mountain Area

Since entering the process of industrialization, human activities have interfered with the original ecological environment, and the expansion of cities has also impacted the ecological service function. In order to maintain the balance of the ecosystem and the stability of ecological security, it is very important to establish an ecological security network (ESN), particularly in transitional geospace. To address this, we proposed a framework for mountainous transitional geospace by morphological spatial pattern analysis and circuit theory. Taihang Mountain area is applied as a case, establishing a suitable evaluation system for the mountainous transitional geospace. Using circuit theory to quantitively construct the ESN, it was found that there are 34 ecological sources in the Taihang Mountain area. The corridors primarily run north–south in the east and west but display a mesh-like layout in the central and southern parts. These elements integrated an ESN of “four zones and three lines”. Key ecological pinch point areas are primarily in plains or plateaus, and ecological barrier restoration areas are mainly in basins and mountainous areas. The study provides recommendations for protection and restoration work in the Taihang Mountain area, which hold both theoretical and practical significance for ecological planning.

Loss rate of net primary productivity under drought stress on the Yinshanbeilu of Inner Mongolia, China.

The increasing intensity and frequency of droughts seriously threaten the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. In order to ensure the normal play of ecosystem service function under future stress, the temporal and spatial characteristics of ecosystem productivity response to drought need to be explored. The net primary production (NPP) of vegetation in the Yinshanbeilu was calculated using the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model, and subsequent study concentrated on the NPP's geographical and temporal variable characteristics. By the calculation of the standard precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), the study also sought to examine the relationship between drought and NPP at various time scales. Researchers also built drought loss rate curves based on various fertility stages using the vulnerability curve construction method. Findings revealed that the SPEI had varying degrees of efficacy in capturing drought conditions at various time frames. Nonetheless, the SPEI's spatial distribution, which shows a wet distribution in the east and an arid distribution in the west, exhibited identical characteristics for all scales and may be used to indicate drought. Significant interannual variation was seen in the NPP of the study area's vegetation, which fluctuated in an upward direction from 2000 to 2020. 75.89%, 77.23%, 81.35%, and 83.56% of the area were found to have a positive correlation between the SPEI and vegetation NPP at various time scales, with 42.53%, 48.15%, 90.72%, and 92.75% of the area passing the significance test (p < 0.05), in that order. Their results showed that as the SPEI time scale was increased, the link between vegetation NPP and SPEI became stronger. The loss rate of vegetation NPP fluctuated and grew regularly with the expansion of drought degree, varying between 20-50%, according to drought loss rate curves created for each fertility period.

Multifunctional Analysis of Agriculture from the Perspective of Tradeoff/Synergy: A Case Study of Sichuan Province in Western China

Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of agricultural functions, analyzing their tradeoff and synergies, carrying out multifunctional zoning, and determining the combination and expansion direction of agricultural functions in combination with regional development strategies are conducive to guiding the adjustment of agricultural structure and promoting the sustainable development of regional agriculture. In this context, based on the county scale and statistical data, this paper uses the agricultural function evaluation index system to measure and analyze the agricultural function index of Sichuan Province and its mutual relations. Spatial overlay analysis is used to analyze the agricultural function index for agricultural leading function zoning. Cluster analysis is used to evaluate the agricultural function results to explore the agricultural multifunctional zoning scheme of Sichuan Province. The results show that the spatial and temporal distribution of agricultural product supply, agricultural leisure, ecological services, employment and social security services are heterogeneous, and the agricultural multifunction index of Sichuan Province shows a spatial distribution pattern of high in the east and low in the west. The synergistic effect between the supply function of agricultural products and the function of employment and life security is the strongest. From 2010 to 2020, the relationships between the ecological service function and the supply function of agricultural products, the agricultural leisure function, employment, and the social security function change from irrelevant or there being a tradeoff effect to there being a significant synergistic effect. The leading areas of the ecological service function are mainly distributed in western and northern Sichuan. The leading areas of the agricultural product supply function are mainly distributed in eastern and southern Sichuan. Agricultural multifunctional zoning in Sichuan Province is divided into the agricultural leisure function, the agricultural product supply cooperative functional area, the weak cooperative functional area, the strong cooperative functional area, and the agricultural leisure priority functional area. The spatiotemporal heterogeneity of agricultural functions and the changes in tradeoffs and synergies in Sichuan Province have a significant impact on the development of agricultural functions. The research results can provide s theoretical reference for agricultural multifunctional zoning in the study area and provide guidance and suggestions for the sustainable development of agricultural economy and society in Sichuan Province.

Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Routing Method for Low Earth Orbit Mega-Constellation Satellite Networks with Service Function Constraints.

Low-orbit satellite communication networks have gradually become the research focus of fifth-generation (5G) beyond and sixth generation (6G) networks due to their advantages of wide coverage, large communication capacity, and low terrain influence. However, the low earth orbit mega satellite network (LEO-MSN) also has difficulty in constructing stable traffic transmission paths, network load imbalance and congestion due to the large scale of network nodes, a highly complex topology, and uneven distribution of traffic flow in time and space. In the service-based architecture proposed by 3GPP, the introduction of service function chain (SFC) constraints exacerbates these challenges. Therefore, in this paper, we propose GDRL-SFCR, an end-to-end routing decision method based on graph neural network (GNN) and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) which jointly optimize the end-to-end transmission delay and network load balancing under SFC constraints. Specifically, this method constructs the system model based on the latest NTN low-orbit satellite network end-to-end transmission architecture, taking into account the SFC constraints, transmission delays, and network node loads in the end-to-end traffic transmission, uses a GNN to extract node attributes and dynamic topology features, and uses the DRL method to design specific reward functions to train the model to learn routing policies that satisfy the SFC constraints. The simulation results demonstrate that, compared with graph theory-based methods and reinforcement learning-based methods, GDRL-SFCR can reduce the end-to-end traffic transmission delay by more than 11.3%, reduce the average network load by more than 14.1%, and increase the traffic access success rate and network capacity by more than 19.1% and two times, respectively.

Cost-Oriented and Delay-Constrained Anycasting for Service Function Chain Provisioning Leveraging Cloud–Edge Collaboration in Space–Air–Ground Integrated Networks

Cost-Oriented and Delay-Constrained Anycasting for Service Function Chain Provisioning Leveraging Cloud–Edge Collaboration in Space–Air–Ground Integrated Networks

AI Agent-Based Intelligent Urban Digital Twin (I-UDT): Concept, Methodology, and Case Studies

The concept of digital twins (DTs) has expanded to encompass buildings and cities, with urban building energy modeling (UBEM) playing a crucial role in predicting urban-scale energy consumption via modeling individual energy use and interactions. As a virtual model within urban digital twins (UDTs), UBEM offers the potential for managing energy in sustainable cities. However, UDTs face challenges with regard to integrating large-scale data and relying on bottom-up UBEM approaches. In this study, we propose an AI agent-based intelligent urban digital twin (I-UDT) to enhance DTs’ technical realization and UBEM’s service functionality. Integrating GPT within the UDT enabled the efficient integration of fragmented city-scale data and the extraction of building features, addressing the limitations of the service realization of traditional UBEM. This framework ensures continuous updates of the virtual urban model and the streamlined provision of updated information to users in future studies. This research establishes the concept of an I-UDT and lays a foundation for future implementations. The case studies include (1) data analysis, (2) prediction, (3) feature engineering, and (4) information services for 3500 buildings in Seoul. Through these case studies, the I-UDT was integrated and analyzed scattered data, predicted energy consumption, derived conditioned areas, and evaluated buildings on benchmark.