Spatio-Temporal Change of Dispersal Areas of Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) in Lake Bogoria Landscape, Kenya

Decline in wildlife populations is manifest globally, regionally and locally. A wildlife decline of 68% has been reported in Kenya’s rangelands with Baringo County experiencing more than 85% wildlife loss in the last four decades. Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is endemic to Lake Bogoria landscape in Baringo County and constitutes a major tourist attraction for the region necessitating use of its photo on the County’s logo and thus a flagship species. Tourism plays a central role in Baringo County’s economy and is a major source of potential growth and employment creation. The study was carried out to assess spatio-temporal change of dispersal areas of Greater Kudu (GK) in Lake Bogoria landscape in the last four years for enhanced adaptive management and improved livelihoods. GK population distribution primary data collected in December 2022 and secondary data acquired from Lake Bogoria National Game Reserve (LBNGR) for 2019 and 2020 were digitized using in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Measures of dispersion and point pattern analysis (PPA) were used to analyze dispersal of GK population using GIS. Spatio-temporal change of GK dispersal in LBNR was evident thus the null hypothesis was rejected. It is recommended that anthropogenic activities contributing to GK’s habitat degradation be curbed by providing alternative livelihood sources and promoting community adoption of sustainable technologies for improved livelihoods.

Comparing the effectiveness of pattern differentiation treatment and fixed formula treatment for perimenopausal syndrome with Chinese herbal medicine:A study protocol

Objective:To further understand and compare the effectiveness of pattern differentiation treatment and fixed prescription treatment in perimenopausal syndrome.Methods:The study will be conducted in the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions Workers'Medical Clinics,Hong Kong Baptist University Chinese Medicine Clinic cum Training and Research Centre(Hong Kong,China).One hundred Chinese women,aged 45-55 years,will be recruited.The participants will be randomized into 2 groups.The intervention group will be administered medication,based on pattern differentiation,by qualified traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)practitioners.After each evaluation,TCM practitioners will evaluate and revise the prescription,based on the participants'patterns.The control group will be given the standard formula,i.e.,the Erxian decoction,which contains 6 herbs.The treatment period and the follow-up period will be 8 weeks each.The primary assessment outcome measure will be the Kupperman Index,and the secondary outcome measure will be the Menopause-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire score.Conclusion:Pattern-differentiated treatment is the basic principle of TCM to understand and treat diseases.The study will show the pattern-differentiated treatment is effectiveness than the fixed prescription.

Spatio-temporal patterns of drought in North Xinjiang, China, 1961–2012 based on meteorological drought index

Drought, which is one of the most frequently occurring severe hazards with long time scales and cov- ering wide geographical areas, is a natural phenomenon resulting in significant economic losses in agriculture and industry. Drought is caused by an imbalance between the inputs of and the demand for water which is insufficient to meet the demands of human activities and the eco-environment. As a major arid and semi-arid area and an important agricultural region in Northwest China, North Xinjiang （NX） shows great vulnerability to drought. In this paper, the characteristics of inter-annual and seasonal drought were analyzed in terms of drought occurrence and drought coverage, by using the composite index of meteorological drought and the data of daily precipitation, air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and sunshine duration from 38 meteorological stations during the period 1961-2012. Trend analysis, wavelet analysis and empirical orthogonal function were also applied to investigate change trend, period and regional characteristics, respectively. In NX, annual and seasonal drought occurrence and drought coverage all showed a decreasing trend that was most significant in winter （with rates of-0.26 month/10a and -15.46%, respectively）, and drought occurrence in spring and summer were more frequent than that in autumn and winter. Spatially, drought was severe in eastern regions but mild in western regions of NX. Annual and seasonal drought occurrence at 38 meteorological stations displayed decreasing trends and were most significant in ＂Shi- hezi-Urumqi-Changji＂, which can help to alleviate severe drought hazards for local agricultural production and improve human livelihood. NX can be approximately classified into three sub-regions （severe drought region, moder- ate drought region and mild drought region）, which were calculated from annual drought frequencies. The cross wavelet transform suggested that SOl （Southern Oscillation Index）, AOI （Arctic Oscillation Index）, AAOI （Antarctic Oscillation Index）, PAOI （Pacific/North American Oscillation Index） and NAOI （North Atlantic Oscillation Index） have significant correlation with the variation of drought occurrence in NX. To prevent and mitigate the occurrence of drought disasters in NX, agricultural and government managers should pay more attention to those drought events that occur in spring and summer.

Spatio-temporal Differentiation in the Incidence of Influenza and Its Relationship with Air Pollution in China from 2004 to 2017

The Healthy China Initiative is a major health strategy being pursued by the country.To prevent and control different types of diseases as well as their complex variants,research on the spatio-temporal differentiation among and mechanisms of influence of epidemic diseases is growing worldwide.This study analyzed monthly data on the incidence of influenza by using different methods,including Moran’s I,the hotspot analysis model,concentration analysis,and correlation analysis,to determine the characteristics of spatiotemporal differentiation in the incidence of influenza across prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2017,and to examine its relationship with air pollution.According to the results,the overall incidence of influenza in China exhibited a trend of increase from 2004 to 2017,with small peaks in 2009 and 2014.More cases of influenza were recorded in the first and fourth quarters of each year.Regions with higher incidences of influenza were concentrated in northwestern and northern China,and in the coastal areas of southeastern China.Over time,the distribution of regions with a higher incidence of influenza has shifted from the west to the east of the country.A significant relationship was observed between the incidence of influenza and factors related to air pollution.The contents of five air pollutants(PM_(2.5),PM10,SO_(2),NO_(2),and CO)were significantly positively correlated with the incidence of influenza,with a decreasing order of contribution to it of SO_(2)>CO>NO_(2)>PM_(2.5)>PM_(10).The content of O_(3) in the air was negatively correlated with the incidence of influenza.The influence of air pollution-related factors on the incidence of influenza in different regions and seasons showed minor differences.The large-scale empirical results provided here can supply a scientific basis for governmental disease control authorities to formulate strategies for regional prevention and control.

Multi-scale regionalization based mining of spatio-temporal teleconnection patterns between anomalous sea and land climate events

Climate sequences can be applied to defining sensitive climate zones, and then the mining of spatio-temporal teleconnection patterns is useful for learning from the past and preparing for the future. However, scale-dependency in this kind of pattern is still not well handled by existing work. Therefore, in this study, the multi-scale regionalization is embedded into the spatio-temporal teleconnection pattern mining between anomalous sea and land climatic events. A modified scale-space clustering algorithm is first developed to group climate sequences into multi-scale climate zones. Then, scale variance analysis method is employed to identify climate zones at characteristic scales, indicating the main characteristics of geographical phenomena. Finally, by using the climate zones identified at characteristic scales, a time association rule mining algorithm based on sliding time windows is employed to discover spatio-temporal teleconnection patterns. Experiments on sea surface temperature, sea level pressure, land precipitation and land temperature datasets show that many patterns obtained by the multi-scale approach are coincident with prior knowledge, indicating that this method is effective and reasonable. In addition, some unknown teleconnection patterns discovered from the multi-scale approach can be further used to guide the prediction of land climate.

Spatio-temporal Differentiation and Driving Factors of Industrial Ecology of Restricted Development Zone from Adaptive Perspective:A Case Study of Shandong,China

Based on the adaptive analysis paradigm,this paper constructs an evaluation index system and an evaluation model of the level of industrial ecology of a restricted development zone from the perspective of the industrial system and of the environmental system,and studies the spatial-temporal differentiation characteristics and the driving factors of the level of industrial ecology of the restricted development zone of the Shandong Province,China,by using a variety of measurement methods.The results show that:1)In the temporal dimension,the level of industrial ecology of the research area increased from 2005 to 2017,while in the regional dimension,it was higher in the eastern coastal areas,followed by the northwestern area and the southwestern area;2)In the spatial dimension,from 2005 to 2017 the level of industrial ecology of the research area had a clear spatial dependence,and the regional spatial agglomeration of the restricted development zones with similar industrial ecology levels become increasingly evident;3)On the whole,the industrial ecology level in the study area had a clear spatial differentiation pattern,as it was higher in the north and in the east and lower in the south and in the west.Moreover,its evolution model changed from a‘three-core driven model’to a‘spatial scattered mosaic distribution model’,and then to a‘single-core driven model’;4)Industrial ecology was positively correlated with economic development,foreign investment,science and technology,and negatively correlated with the government role,while industrial structure and environmental regulation failed to pass the statistical significance test.

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Wildlife Road Mortality in Golestan National Park-North East of Iran

Nowadays, wildlife road mortality is acknowledged as a main source of threatening long-term survival of wildlife. This paper as the first to analysis wild life vehicle collisions in Iran, aims to reconstruct and interpret the spatio-temporal patterns of WVCs on Asiaei highway in Golestan National Park (GNP). With the collaboration of environmental protection department of GNP, we identified about 1900 WVC Records involving 34 different species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians between 2004 and 2013. Mammals were involved in more than 50% of overall WVCs, among which wild boar (Sus scrofa), Golden Jackal (Canis aureus), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), stone marten (Martes foina) and porcupine (Hystrix indica) were involved in more than 90% of mammals’ mortalities;So, we focused on analyzing spatio-temporal pattern of vehicle collisions of these six mammal species. During the study period, these species have undergone 95% increase in road mortalities, averagely. Detailed temporal analyses exhibited an increasing trend of road mortalities from spring to summer and then a reducing one to late winter. It was shown that a large number of collisions occurred in holiday periods when recreational trips considerably increased the traffic volume of Asiaei highway. Preliminary inspection of spatial patterns using Kernel density analysis revealed six collision hotspots, mostly located in the road bends with densely forested land cover on both sides;the promenades along the road seemed to play a significant role too. Scale dependency analyses of collision patterns, demonstrated clustering pattern at micro scales less than 10 km, randomness at meso scales 10 - 20 km and both regularity and clustering at macro scales more than 20 km. This paper suggests that road mortality of common species in GNP is a momentous issue, which needs to be considered by relevant governmental and public organizations. We also emphasize that the analyses of spatial and temporal patterns of WVCs are fundamentals to plan for mitigate wildlife road mortality.

COVID-19 lockdown has indirect,non-equivalent effects on activity patterns of Reeves's Pheasant(Syrmaticus reevesii)and sympatric species

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought massive shifts in human activities through a global blockade,directly affecting wildlife survival.However,the indirect impacts of changes in human activities are often easily overlooked.We conducted surveys of Reeves's Pheasant(Syrmaticus reevesii)and its sympatric species by camera traps in forest-type nature reserves in three different scenarios:pre-lockdown,lockdown and postlockdown.An increase in livestock activities observed during the lockdown and post-lockdown period in our study area provided us an opportunity to investigate the indirect impact of the lockdown on wildlife.The prelockdown period was used as a baseline to compare any changes in trends of relative abundance index,activity patterns and temporal spacing of targeted species and livestock.During the lockdown period,the relative abundance index of livestock increased by 50%and there was an increase in daytime activity.Reeves's Pheasant showed avoidance responses to almost all sympatric species and livestock in three different periods,and the livestock avoidance level of Reeves's Pheasant during the lockdown period was significantly and positively correlated with the relative abundance index of livestock.Species-specific changes in activity patterns of study species were observed,with reduced daytime activities of Hog Badger and Raccoon Dog during and after the confinement periods.This study highlights the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the responses of wildlife by considering the changes in their temporal and spatial use before,during and after lockdown.The knowledge gained on wildlife during reduced human mobility because of the pandemic aids in understanding the effect of human disturbances and developing future conservation strategies in the shared space,to manage both wildlife and livestock.

Compressed ghost imaging based on differential speckle patterns

We propose a compressed ghost imaging scheme based on differential speckle patterns,named CGI-DSP.In the scheme,a series of bucket detector signals are acquired when a series of random speckle patterns are employed to illuminate an unknown object.Then the differential speckle patterns(differential bucket detector signals)are obtained by taking the difference between present random speckle patterns(present bucket detector signals)and previous random speckle patterns(previous bucket detector signals).Finally,the image of object can be obtained directly by performing the compressed sensing algorithm on the differential speckle patterns and differential bucket detector signals.The experimental and simulated results reveal that CGI-DSP can improve the imaging quality and reduce the number of measurements comparing with the traditional compressed ghost imaging schemes because our scheme can remove the environmental illuminations efficiently.

NDVI spatial pattern and its differentiation on the Mongolian Plateau

GIMMS NDVI database and geo-statistics were used to depict the spatial distribution and temporal stability of NDVI on the Mongolian Plateau.The results demonstrated that:(1) Regions of interest with high NDVI indices were distributed primarily in forested mountainous regions of the east and the north,areas with low NDVI indices were primarily distributed in the Gobi desert regions of the west and the southwest,and areas with moderate NDVI values were mainly distributed in a middle steppe strap from northwest to southeast.(2) The maximum NDVI values maintained for the past 22 years showed little variation.The average NDVI variance coefficient for the 22-year period was 15.2%.(3) NDVI distribution and vegetation cover showed spatial autocorrelations on a global scale.NDVI patterns from the vegetation cover also demonstrated anisotropy;a higher positive spatial correlation was indicated in a NW-SE direction,which suggested that vegetation cover in a NW-SE direction maintained increased integrity,and vegetation assemblage was mainly distributed in the same specific direction.(4) The NDVI spatial distribution was mainly controlled by structural factors,88.7% of the total spatial variation was influenced by structural and 11.3% by random factors.And the global autocorrelation distance was 1178 km,and the average vegetation patch length(NW-SE) to width(NE-SW) ratio was approximately 2.4:1.0.

Spatio-temporal point pattern analysis on Wenchuan strong earthquake

For exploring the aftershock occurrence process of the 2008 Wenchuan strong earthquake, the spatio-temporal point pattern analysis method is employed to study the sequences of aflershocks with magnitude M≥4.0, M≥4.5, and M≥5.0. It is found that these data exhibit the spatio-temporal clustering on a certain distance scale and on a certain time scale. In particular, the space-time interaction obviously strengthens when the distance is less than 60 km and the time is less than 260 h for the first two aftershock sequences; however, it becomes strong when the distance scale is less than 80 km and the time scale is less than 150 h for the last aftershock sequence. The completely spatial randomness analysis on the data regardless of time component shows that the spatial clustering of the aftershocks gradually strengthens on the condition that the distance is less than 60 km. The results are valuable for exploring the occurrence rules of the Wenchuan strong earthquake and for predicting the aftershocks.

Control of paleogeographic pattern on sedimentary differentiation of evaporite-carbonate symbiotic system:A case study of the sixth sub-member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation M5 Member in central-eastern Ordos Basin,NW China

The relationship between paleogeographic pattern and sedimentary differentiation of evaporite-carbonate symbiotic system is examined based on logging,core and thin section data,by taking the sixth sub-member of fifth member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation(M56)in the central-eastern Ordos Basin as an example.(1)Seven sub-geomorphic units(Taolimiao west low,Taolimiao underwater high,Taolimiao east low,Hengshan high,East salt low,North slope and Southwest slope)developed in the study area.(2)The“three lows”from west to east developed dolomitic restricted lagoon,evaporite evaporative lagoon and salt evaporative lagoon sedimentary facies respectively,the"two highs"developed high-energy grain beach and microbial mound,and the north and south slopes developed dolomitic flats around land.(3)The paleogeographic pattern caused natural differentiation of replenishment seawater from the northwest Qilian sea,leading to the eccentric sedimentary differentiation of dolomite,evaporite and salt rock symbiotic system from west to east,which is different from the classic“bull's eye”and“tear drop”distribution patterns.(4)As the Middle Qilian block subducted and collided into the North China Plate,the far-end compression stress transferred,giving rise to the alternate highland and lowland in near north to south direction during the sedimentary period of M56 sub-member.(5)Taolimiao underwater high and Hengshan high developed favorable zones of microbial mounds and grain shoals in south to north strike in M56 sub-member,making them favorable exploration areas with great exploration potential in the future.

Methods to evaluate the impacts of physio- geographical pattern on spatio-temporal disparity of regional development

With the rapid economic development during the last 30 years in China, more and more disparities have emerged among different regions. It has been one of the hot topics in the fields of physical geography and economic geography, and also has been the task for Chinese government to handle. Nevertheless, to quantitatively assess the impacts of physio-geographical patterns （PGP） on the regional development disparity has been ignored for a long time. In this paper, a quantitative method was adopted to assess the marginal effects of the PGP on spatio-temporal disparity using the partial determination coefficients. The paper described the construction of the evaluation model step by step following its key scientific thinking. Total GDP, per capita GDP, primary industrial output value and secondary industrial output value were employed in this study as the indicators to reflect the impacts of PGP on the regional development disparity. Based on the evaluation methods built by researchers, this study firstly analyzed the temporal impacts of the PGP on spatio-temporal disparity of the regional development in China during the past 50 years, and then explained the spatial differences at each development stage. The results show that the spatio-temporal disparity in China is highly related to the PGP, and that the marginal contribution rate could be employed as an effective way to quantitatively assess the impact of the PGP on spatio-temporal disparity of the regional development.

“stppSim”: A Novel Analytical Tool for Creating Synthetic Spatio-Temporal Point Data

In crime science, understanding the dynamics and interactions between crime events is crucial for comprehending the underlying factors that drive their occurrences. Nonetheless, gaining access to detailed spatiotemporal crime records from law enforcement faces significant challenges due to confidentiality concerns. In response to these challenges, this paper introduces an innovative analytical tool named “stppSim,” designed to synthesize fine-grained spatiotemporal point records while safeguarding the privacy of individual locations. By utilizing the open-source R platform, this tool ensures easy accessibility for researchers, facilitating download, re-use, and potential advancements in various research domains beyond crime science.

Formation mechanism of bright and dark concentric-ring pattern in dielectric barrier discharge

In this work,a bright and dark concentric-ring pattern is reported in a dielectric barrier discharge for the first time.The spatiotemporal dynamics of the bright and dark concentric-ring pattern are investigated with an intensified charge-coupled device and photomultiplier tubes.The results indicate that the bright and dark concentric-ring pattern is composed of three concentric-ring sublattices.These are bright concentric-ring structures,dark concentric-ring structures and wider concentric-ring structures,respectively.The bright concentric-ring structures and dark concentricring structures are alternately distributed.The bright concentric-ring structures are located at the centre of the wider concentric-ring structures.The wider concentric-ring structures first form from the outer edge and gradually develop to the centre.The essence of all three concentric-ring structures is the individual discharge filaments.The optical emission spectra of different sublattices are acquired and analysed.It is found that the plasma parameters of the three concentricring sublattices are different.Finally,the formation mechanism of the bright and dark concentricring pattern is discussed.

Patterns, processes, and differentiation mechanisms of China's transition from old to new economic drivers

Transition from old to new economic drivers(TONED) is of great significance for optimizing economic structures. Using a combination of methods including entropy weight technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution, geospatial analysis, and optimal parameter geodetector, this study investigates the patterns and mechanisms of China's TONED in the prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2020. The findings reveal that(1) the TONED exhibited a spatial distribution characterized by higher levels in the east and lower levels in the west, along with a pyramidal hierarchy of levels. The distribution of hot and cold spots roughly followed the Heihe-Yulin line.(2) The informatization levels, openness to the outside world, and urbanization played a dominant role in the TONED. The types of dual-factor interactions exhibited both dual-factor enhancement and non-linear enhancement effects.(3) The eastern and central regions were more likely to promote the TONED through enhanced informatization levels, whereas the western region relied more on increasing openness. This study finds that the TONED results from the combined effects of three geographical natures, each playing a distinct role. The recommendations provided can serve as a reference for China and other developing countries to implement the TONED in the context of deglobalization.

Spatio-temporal Pattern and Driving Forces of Comprehensive Agricultural Productivity in Jilin Province,China

Improving comprehensive agricultural productivity is an important measure to realize agricultural modernization.Based on the data from Jilin Statistical Yearbook,this study analyzed the spatial and temporal characteristics of comprehensive agricultural productivity discrepancy in the main agricultural production areas of Jilin Province,China.The comprehensive agricultural productivity of 25 county-level administrative units were evaluated by a comprehensive index system based on five aspects which included 20 indicators from 2004 to 2017.The pattern of the discrepancy was analyzed by the spatial differentiation indices and spatial convergence theory.The results were as follows:1) the overall comprehensive agricultural productivity was in a ’W-type’ rising trend;2) the discrepancy was in’inverted W-type’ trend;3) the spatial distribution characteristics were mainly discrete plaque and ’inverted V-type’;4) the formation of differences was forced by a combination of internal and external driving forces.Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of rising agricultural productivity and the level of economic and social developments in different counties in Jilin Province.

Spatial differentiation pattern of interregional migration in ethnic minority areas of Yunnan Province, China

Interregional migration has broad and far-reaching impacts on regional urbanization process in ethnic minority areas of Southwest China.The previous literature of interregional migration paid less attention on the ethnic minority areas with fragile geographical feature and marginal socio-economic context in the developing world due to the dearth of reliable data.Based on the 2015 national 1%population sampling survey at the village/community scale,taking Yulong Naxi Autonomous County,Yunnan Province,China as the case study,this paper analyzed the spatial differentiation pattern.The results showed that:(1)migration in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County exhibited obvious spatial differentiation characteristics in terms of population aggregation,population loss,migration direction,and migration activity;(2)the overall spatial differentiation of migration exhibited a"layer+sector"pattern in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County:the first layer was active areas with net inflows(<20 km from the seat of the county government),the second layer was inactive areas(within 20–60 km of the seat of the county government),and the third layer was a mixed"layer+sector"zone(>60 km to the seat of the county government),comprised of inactive areas and active areas with net outflows;(3)the spatial differentiation pattern of migration was highly correlated with the regional contexts including the regional economic development,regional transportation accessibility and regional social development,while regional physical geographical factors had insignificant relationships with the migration pattern.

Spatio-temporal pattern and influencing factors of border tourism efficiency in China

In recent years,tourism has emerged as a significant driver of economic development in China’s border regions.The study utilizes various methods,such as the super-efficiency SBM model,spatial variability,cold and hot spot analysis,and Geo-Detector approach,to measure and describe the spatial and temporal evolution patterns of land border tourism efficiency and its influencing factors.The findings reveal that the Dai autonomous prefecture of Xishuangbanna has the highest border tourism efficiency of 1.6207,while Ngari prefecture has the lowest tourism efficiency with a value of only 0.0365 at the prefecture level during the period 2010-2019.The southwest and northwest regions of China are high-and low-level agglomeration areas respectively,indicating varying levels of border tourism development.Additionally,the study identifies an upward trend in China’s border tourism efficiency from 2010-2019.The southwest region emerges as a hotspot and the most active region,while the northwest and northeast regions are considered cold spots with ample room for improvement.Furthermore,the density of transportation facilities,national vulnerability,cultural proximity,the number of border ports,and market opportunity are crucial factors influencing the spatial and temporal pattern of border tourism efficiency in China.

Spatial patterns of urban land use growth in Beijing

By using digitized land use maps of Beijing in 1982, 1992 and 1997 and employing GIS spatial analysis techniques, this paper conducts an empirical study on the spatial differentiation and spatial patterns of urban land use growth in Beijing in the period of 1982–1997. It is observed that urban land use growth in Beijing went beyond the control of urban planning, in terms of the extraordinary high growth rate and undesired spatial pattern. The rate of urban expansion after 1982, which was predominated by growth of industrial land, was extraordinary high compared to its historical period. While its growth centers have been actively shifting toward the northern part, rather than toward the southern and eastern parts as designated by the latest General Plan (1991–2010) of Beijing, its spatial pattern of urban land use growth in general was in distinct concentric sprawl, which seriously violated the General Plan of Beijing.