Parkland trees on smallholder farms ameliorate soil physical-chemical properties in the semi-arid area of Tigray,Ethiopia

Proposed agroforestry options should begin with the species that farmers are most familiar with,which would be the native multipurpose trees that have evolved under smallholder farms and socioeconomic conditions.The African birch(Anogeissus leiocarpa(DC.)Guill.&Perr.)and pink jacaranda(Stereospermum kunthianum Cham.)trees are the dominant species in the agroforestry parkland system in the drylands of Tigray,Ethiopia.Smallholder farmers highly value these trees for their multifunctional uses including timber,firewood,charcoal,medicine,etc.These trees also could improve soil fertility.However,the amount of soil physical and chemical properties enhanced by the two species must be determined to maintain the sustainable conservation of the species in the parklands and to scale up to similar agroecological systems.Hence,we selected twelve isolated trees,six from each species that had similar dendrometric characteristics and were growing in similar environmental conditions.We divided the canopy cover of each tree into three radial distances:mid-canopy,canopy edge,and canopy gap(control).At each distance,we took soil samples from three different depths.We collected 216 soil samples(half disturbed and the other half undisturbed)from each canopy position and soil depth.Bulk density(BD),soil moisture content(SMC),soil organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN),available phosphorus(AP),available potassium(AK),p H,electrical conductivity(EC),and cation exchange capacity(CEC)were analysed.Results revealed that soil physical and chemical properties significantly improved except for soil texture and EC under both species,CEC under A.leiocarpus,and soil p H under S.kunthianum,all the studied soils were improved under both species canopy as compared with canopy gap.SMC,TN,AP,and AK under canopy of these trees were respectively 24.1%,11.1%,55.0%,and 9.3% higher than those soils under control.The two parkland agroforestry species significantly enhanced soil fertility near the canopy of topsoil through improving soil physical and chemical properties.These two species were recommended in the drylands with similar agro-ecological systems.

Tree mycorrhizal associations determine how biodiversity,large trees,and environmental factors drive aboveground carbon stock in temperate forests

Biodiversity,large trees,and environmental conditions such as climate and soil have important effects on forest carbon stocks.However,recent studies in temperate forests suggest that the relative importance of these factors depends on tree mycorrhizal associations,whereby large-tree effects may be driven by ectomycorrhizal(EM)trees,diversity effects may be driven by arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)trees,and environment effects may depend on differential climate and soil preferences of AM and EM trees.To test this hypothesis,we used forest-inventory data consisting of over 80,000 trees from 631 temperate-forest plots(30 m×30 m)across Northeast China to examine how biodiversity(species diversity and ecological uniqueness),large trees(top 1%of tree diameters),and environmental factors(climate and soil nutrients)differently regulate aboveground carbon stocks of AM trees,EM trees,and AM and EM trees combined(i.e.total aboveground carbon stock).We found that large trees had a positive effect on both AM and EM tree carbon stocks.However,biodiversity and environmental factors had opposite effects on AM vs.EM tree carbon stocks.Specifically,the two components of biodiversity had positive effects on AM tree carbon stocks,but negative effects on EM tree carbon stocks.Environmental heterogeneity(mean annual temperature and soil nutrients)also exhibited contrasting effects on AM and EM tree carbon stocks.Consequently,for the total carbon stock,the positive large-tree effect far surpasses the diversity and environment effect.This is mainly because when integrating AM and EM tree carbon stock into total carbon stock,the opposite diversity-effect(also environment-effect)on AM vs.EM tree carbon stock counteracts each other while the consistent positive large-tree effect on AM and EM tree carbon stock is amplified.In summary,this study emphasized a mycorrhizal viewpoint to better understand the determinants of overarching aboveground carbon profile across regional forests.

Role of outdoor trees on pedestrian wind and thermal conditions around a pre-education building for sustainable energy management

Finding sustainable energy resources is essential to face the increasing energy demand.Trees are an important part of ancient architecture but are becoming rare in urban areas.Trees can control and tune the pedestrian-level wind velocity and thermal condition.In this study,a numerical investigation is employed to assess the role of trees planted in the windward direction of the building complex on the thermal and pedestrian wind velocity conditions around/inside a pre-education building located in the center of the complex.Compared to the previous studies(which considered only outside buildings),this work considers the effects of trees on microclimate change both inside/outside buildings.Effects of different parameters including the leaf area density and number of trees,number of rows,far-field velocity magnitude,and thermal condition around the main building are assessed.The results show that the flow velocity in the spacing between the first-row buildings is reduced by 30%-40% when the one-row trees with 2 m height are planted 15 m farther than the buildings.Furthermore,two rows of trees are more effective in higher velocities and reduce the maximum velocity by about 50%.The investigation shows that trees also could reduce the temperature by about 1℃around the building.

Enhanced Cooling Efficiency of Urban Trees on Hotter Summer Days in 70 Cities of China

Increasing the urban tree cover percentage(TCP) is widely recognized as an efficient way to mitigate the urban heat island effect. The cooling efficiency of urban trees can be either enhanced or attenuated on hotter days, depending on the physiological response of urban trees to rising ambient temperature. However, the response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature remains poorly quantified for China's cities. In this study, we quantify the response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature at noontime [~1330 LT(local time), LT=UTC+8] in 17summers(June, July, and August) from 2003–19 in 70 economically developed cities of China based on satellite observations. The results show that urban trees have stronger cooling efficiency with increasing temperature, suggesting additional cooling benefits provided by urban trees on hotter days. The enhanced cooling efficiency values of urban trees range from 0.002 to 0.055℃ %-1 per 1℃ increase in temperature across the selected cities, with larger values for the lowTCP-level cities. The response is also regulated by background temperature and precipitation, as the additional cooling benefit tends to be larger in warmer and wetter cities at the same TCP level. The positive response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature is explained mainly by the stronger evapotranspiration of urban trees on hotter days.These results have important implications for alleviating urban heat risk by utilizing urban trees, particularly considering that extreme hot days are becoming more frequent in cities under global warming.

Exploring Trees Diversity and Ecological Value of Mountain Forests in the Blue Nile Region of Sudan

We carried out this research at Abu-Gaddaf Natural Forest Reserve (ANFR) which is located east of Blue Nile River, in Blue Nile State, Sudan. It aims at exploring tree composition assessing their diversity indices, and ecological importance values. For survey of types and estimation of density of tree species in the forest, we randomly distributed 97 circular sample plots (0.1 hectare (ha)). In each sample plot we identified all trees to the species level, recorded their frequencies and computed species diversity and importance value indices (IVI). A total of 13 tree species, which belong to 12 genera and nine families, were identified in the tree layer of the forest. Mean tree density in ANFR was 116 trees/ha, composed mainly of Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst. (48), followed by Combretum hartmannianu (19) and Lannea fruticosa (18). Fabaceae was the most common family followed by Combretaceae and Malvaceae. B. papyrifera Delile Hochst was the most abundant while Acacia seyal was the least abundant species. Species richness (R = 1.71), evenness (E = 0.69), dominance (0.24) indices and Simpson’s Index of Diversity (D' = 0.76) suggest a moderate diversity, moderate numbers of individuals in each species and a moderate community stability. The research provides empirical results on diversity and ecological importance value of species, signifies the urging need to safeguard threatened species and to prioritize them for conservation, as well as the need to promote management of abundant species to provide multiple forest ecosystem services.

Enhancing PDF Malware Detection through Logistic Model Trees

Malware is an ever-present and dynamic threat to networks and computer systems in cybersecurity,and because of its complexity and evasiveness,it is challenging to identify using traditional signature-based detection approaches.The study article discusses the growing danger to cybersecurity that malware hidden in PDF files poses,highlighting the shortcomings of conventional detection techniques and the difficulties presented by adversarial methodologies.The article presents a new method that improves PDF virus detection by using document analysis and a Logistic Model Tree.Using a dataset from the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity,a comparative analysis is carried out with well-known machine learning models,such as Credal Decision Tree,Naïve Bayes,Average One Dependency Estimator,Locally Weighted Learning,and Stochastic Gradient Descent.Beyond traditional structural and JavaScript-centric PDF analysis,the research makes a substantial contribution to the area by boosting precision and resilience in malware detection.The use of Logistic Model Tree,a thorough feature selection approach,and increased focus on PDF file attributes all contribute to the efficiency of PDF virus detection.The paper emphasizes Logistic Model Tree’s critical role in tackling increasing cybersecurity threats and proposes a viable answer to practical issues in the sector.The results reveal that the Logistic Model Tree is superior,with improved accuracy of 97.46%when compared to benchmark models,demonstrating its usefulness in addressing the ever-changing threat landscape.

Seedling potential of trees species along the elevational gradient in temperate hill forest of central Nepal

Regeneration status of tree species along elevation gradient in temperate hill forest was not understood greatly.Present research examined the tree diversity and its regeneration patterns along an elevation gradient in temperate hill forest,central Nepal.Data were collected from 300 sample plots within vertical elevation bands of 10,ranging from 1365 to 2450 m asl.A random sampling method was used for data collection in three seasons,winter,pre-monsoon and post monsoon seasons.Diameter at breast height(DBH)was used to broadly categorize the plant individual into trees,saplings and seedlings.The tree species richness ranged from 12 to 25 with density of 350 to 1200 individuals per hectare.Species richness of tree and sapling showed statistically significant unimodal pattern,which peaked at mid-elevation.Elevation showed a strong and positive linear correlation with the seedling density(Deviance=0.99,p<0.001)and a significant hump-shaped relationship with sapling density(Deviance=0.95,p<0.001).Similarly,elevations showed a statistically significant negative hump-shaped relationship with all trees,saplings and seedling stages(Deviances=0.89,0.87 and 0.57).The highest values of the Shannon-Wiener index and the lowest value of the Simpson index were found at mid-elevation for all growth forms.Nearly 92%of tree species were found at regenerating stage;49%in a good renewal regeneration status,32%in fair renewal regeneration,and 11%at a poor regenerating condition.Nevertheless,4%of tree species were reported as non-regenerating stages and 4%were newly introduced species.Hence,the regeneration status of the study area was considered fairly well since sapling(78.5%)>seedling(10.6%)≤mature(10.9%).Among tested environmental variables,elevation and annual mean rainfall were the most influential factors in the regeneration of tree species.

Efficiency of Bio-Fertilizing as One of the Natural Alternatives to Improve the Growth of Khaya senegalensis and Swietenia mahagoni Trees and for Sustainability

A field experiment was carried out at Ismailia Research Station, Ismailia Governorate from 2020-2022 to improve the growth of Khaya senegalensis and Swietenia mahagoni by using a combination of mineral fertilizer (NPK) and biological fertilizer (Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus megatherium, and Bacillus circulant) as recommended dose under new sandy soils conditions. Split plot designed with four treatments (Control, (50% Mineral fertilizer (M.) + 50% Biological fertilizer (Bio.)), 100% M. and 100% Bio.) of each species. Vegetative growth, leaf area, tree biomass, stored carbon, basal area, tree volume, and in the soil both of microbial account and mineral content were determined. The experimental results showed no significant differences between studied species among the most studied parameters except for Khaya senegalensis which gave the highest significant difference in root biomass and below-stored carbon than Swietenia mahagoni. Evidently, the highest significant growth parameters were 100% mineral fertilizer followed by (50% M. + 50% Bio.) as compared with control. No significant difference between 100% M. and (50% M. + 50% Bio.) of shoot dry biomass (15.19 and 12.02 kg, respectively) and above-stored carbon (0.28 and 0.22 Mt, respectively). Microbial account and mineral content in soil were improved after cultivation of tree species compared to before planting and control, especially with 50% mineral fertilizer and 50% bio-fertilizer treatment. In conclusion, a treatment containing 50% mineral fertilizer and 50% bio-fertilizer has led to the ideal Khaya senegalensis and Swietenia mahagoni growth in sandy soil for cheaper and sustainable.

Long-term changes in radial growth of seven tree species in the mixed broadleaf-Korean pine forest in Northeast China:Are deciduous trees favored by climate change?

The role of the temperate mixed broadleaf-Korean pine forest(BKF)in global biogeochemical cycles will depend on how the tree species community responds to climate;however,species-specific responses and vulner-abilities of common trees in BKF to extreme climates are poorly understood.Here we used dendrochronological meth-ods to assess radial growth of seven main tree species(Pinus koraiensis,Picea jezoensis,Abies nephrolepis,Fraxinus mandshurica,Phellodendron amurense,Quercus mongolica,and Ulmus davidiana)in an old-growth BKF in response to climate changes in the Xiaoxing’an Mountains and to improve predictions of changes in the tree species compo-sition.Temperature in most months and winter precipita-tion significantly negatively affected growth of P.jezoensis and A.nephrolepis,but positively impacted growth of P.koraiensis and the broadleaf species,especially F.mandshu-rica and U.davidiana.Precipitation and relative humidity in June significantly positively impacted the growth of most tree species.The positive effect of the temperature during the previous non-growing season(PNG)on growth of F.mandshurica and Q.mongolica strengthened significantly with rapid warming around 1981,while the impact of PNG temperature on the growth of P.jezoensis and A.nephrolepis changed from significantly negative to weakly negative or positive at this time.The negative response of radial growth of P.jezoensis and A.nephrolepis to precipitation during the growing season gradually weakened,and the negative response to PNG precipitation was enhanced.Among the studied species,P.koraiensis was the most resistant to drought,and U.davidiana recovered the best after extreme drought.Ulmus davidiana,P.jezoensis and A.nephrolepis were more resistant to extreme cold than the other species.Climate warming generally exacerbated the opposite growth patterns of conifer(decline)and broadleaf(increase)spe-cies.Deciduous broadleaf tree species in the old-growth BKF probably will gradually become dominant as warming continues.Species-specific growth-climate relationships should be considered in future models of biogeochemical cycles and in forestry management practices.

Enhanced asphalt dynamic modulus prediction: A detailed analysis of artificial hummingbird algorithm-optimised boosted trees

This study introduces and evaluates a novel artificial hummingbird algorithm-optimised boosted tree(AHAboosted)model for predicting the dynamic modulus(E*)of hot mix asphalt concrete.Using a substantial dataset from NCHRP Report-547,the model was trained and rigorously tested.Performance metrics,specifically RMSE,MAE,and R2,were employed to assess the model's predictive accuracy,robustness,and generalisability.When benchmarked against well-established models like support vector machines(SVM)and gaussian process regression(GPR),the AHA-boosted model demonstrated enhanced performance.It achieved R2 values of 0.997 in training and 0.974 in testing,using the traditional Witczak NCHRP 1-40D model inputs.Incorporating features such as test temperature,frequency,and asphalt content led to a 1.23%increase in the test R2,signifying an improvement in the model's accuracy.The study also explored feature importance and sensitivity through SHAP and permutation importance plots,highlighting binder complex modulus|G*|as a key predictor.Although the AHA-boosted model shows promise,a slight decrease in R2 from training to testing indicates a need for further validation.Overall,this study confirms the AHA-boosted model as a highly accurate and robust tool for predicting the dynamic modulus of hot mix asphalt concrete,making it a valuable asset for pavement engineering.

A Light and Simplified Branch Bending Method for Young Pear Trees

Aiming at high cost and low efficiency of conventional branch bending method in the modern intensive planting and labor-saving cultivation mode of young pear trees,this paper provides a new branch bending method with wide source of raw materials,cheap price and simple operation,which is also suitable for the management of low-age branches in the process of high grafting and upgrading of traditional big trees.

Advances in Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Fruit Trees under Low Temperature Stress

The most recent research findings on the tolerance of fruit trees to cold stress are reviewed from a molecular perspective,including the perception and transduction of low temperature calcium signaling,CBF-dependent molecular regulatory mechanisms,non-CBF-dependent molecular regulatory mechanisms,and so forth.The objective is to provide a reference basis for further improving the cold resistance of fruit trees and cultivating new varieties of hardy plants.

Bridge damage identification based on convolutional autoencoders and extreme gradient boosting trees

To enhance the accuracy and efficiency of bridge damage identification,a novel data-driven damage identification method was proposed.First,convolutional autoencoder(CAE)was used to extract key features from the acceleration signal of the bridge structure through data reconstruction.The extreme gradient boosting tree(XGBoost)was then used to perform analysis on the feature data to achieve damage detection with high accuracy and high performance.The proposed method was applied in a numerical simulation study on a three-span continuous girder and further validated experimentally on a scaled model of a cable-stayed bridge.The numerical simulation results show that the identification errors remain within 2.9%for six single-damage cases and within 3.1%for four double-damage cases.The experimental validation results demonstrate that when the tension in a single cable of the cable-stayed bridge decreases by 20%,the method accurately identifies damage at different cable locations using only sensors installed on the main girder,achieving identification accuracies above 95.8%in all cases.The proposed method shows high identification accuracy and generalization ability across various damage scenarios.

The Past and Future of Aesthetics in Mathematics

This paper explores the connotations of mathematical aesthetics and its connections with art,facilitated by collaboration with Ester,an individual with an artistic professional background.It begins by tracing the historical evolution of aesthetics from the classical pursuit of authenticity to the modern shift toward self-expression in art.The discussion then highlights the similarities in the pursuit of truth between mathematics and art,despite their methodological differences.Through an analysis of aesthetic elements in mathematics,such as lines and function graphs,the article illustrates that the beauty of mathematics is not only manifested in cognitive processes but can also be intuitively expressed through visual arts.The paper further examines the influence of mathematics on the development of art,particularly how Leonardo da Vinci applied mathematical principles to his artworks.Additionally,the article addresses art students’perceptions of mathematics,proposes the customization of math courses for art students,and discusses future trends in the integration of mathematics and art,emphasizing the significance of art therapy and the altruistic direction of art.Lastly,the authors use a poster to visually convey the idea that the beauty of mathematics can be experienced through the senses.

Integration of Mathematics History into Junior Middle School Education: A Pedagogical Approach to Enhance Mathematical Literacy

The integration of the history of mathematics into junior middle school mathematics education represents a significant focus of international research in mathematics and education.The mathematics curriculum standards for compulsory education have emphasized the importance of incorporating the history of mathematics,aiming to gradually integrate it into the mathematics classroom.However,in the practical implementation of junior middle school mathematics education,the effective combination of the history of mathematics with teaching methodologies remains largely unexplored.This article explores the integration of junior middle school mathematics education and the history of mathematics,aiming to provide classroom teaching recommendations for teachers and promote the formation of students’mathematical literacy.

Enhancing Learners’Performance in Grade 7 Mathematics Through 50-30-20 Exercise

Assessment exercises constitute a crucial component of the teaching and learning process,serving the purpose of gauging the degree to which learning objectives have been accomplished.This study aims to assess the mathematics performance of Grade 7 learners using the 50-30-20 exercise.Specifically,this study seeks to determine the learners’pre-test and post-test mean scores,identify significant differences between the pre-test and post-test results,evaluate learners’exercises,and propose enhanced exercises.The research employs a quasi-experimental design,with 40 Grade 7 learners in the school year 2023-2024 as participants,selected through purposive non-random sampling.Statistical data analysis involves the use of mean,standard deviation,paired t-test,and Cohen’s D effect size.Ethical considerations were paramount,as evidenced by a letter of authorization from the school head outlining the strict adherence to voluntary participation,informed parental consent,anonymity,confidentiality,risk mitigation,results-sharing protocols,and the commitment to keeping research data confidential.The data yielded a remarkable outcome:the experimental group exhibited improvement in both the pre-test and post-test.This result substantiates the initial objective of the study,showcasing a noteworthy and favorable performance among the participants.Consequently,it suggests that a majority of the participants strongly agree that the 50-30-20 exercises contribute to enhancing their understanding and problem-solving skills,as well as their ability to grasp mathematical concepts and improve their overall performance in mathematics.Therefore,the 50-30-20 exercises not only facilitated students in understanding mathematics lessons but were also aligned with the Department of Education’s development plan.

Measurement Analysis and Evaluation of Twenty-Five Years of Mathematics Education Research in China:Visual Econometric Analysis Based on CiteSpace Knowledge Mapping(1999-2024)

Since the new century,China’s mathematics curriculum reform in basic education has continued to move forward in attempts and explorations,presenting many new changes,trends,movements,and developments.Sorting out,analyzing,and summarizing the achievements,experiences,problems,and challenges in this journey are conducive to providing insights for the reform and development of the Chinese basic education mathematics curriculum in the new era.This paper analyses the research on mathematics education in China(1999-2024)using the visual measurement of CiteSpace knowledge mapping,hoping to provide directions for the future of mathematics education in China.

A Study on the Application of Task-Driven Teaching Method in High School Mathematics Teaching: Taking “The Determination of Vertical Line and Plane” as an Example

The“Ordinary High School Mathematics Curriculum Standards(2017 Edition,2020 Revision)”clearly stated in“Teaching Suggestions”that“teaching activities based on the core literacy of mathematics should grasp the essence of mathematics,create appropriate teaching situations,put forward appropriate mathematical questions,stimulate students to think and communicate,and form and develop the core literacy of mathematics.”The task-driven teaching model is a new type of teaching method that takes tasks as the main line,teachers as the guide,and students as the main body,which can enable students to engage deeply in classroom discussions and think actively.Based on the characteristics and principles of the task-driven teaching method,this paper designs a high school mathematics classroom teaching based on the task-driven teaching method,hoping to provide a reference for the majority of front-line teachers.

Measurement Analysis and Evaluation of Twenty- Five Years of Chinese Mathematics Textbooks: Visual Analysis Based on CiteSpace Knowledge Graph (1999-2024)

At present,textbooks based on core literacy have become the inevitable demands of China’s curriculum reform,and the literacy of textbook goal construction is the key to the implementation of core literacy requirements,which is a huge challenge for textbook compilers.In this paper,we use the visual metrology of the CiteSpace knowledge graph to analyze Chinese mathematics textbooks(1999-2024),hoping to guide the future direction of Chinese mathematics textbook research.

Curriculum Reform of Higher Vocational Mathematics Under the Background of Digital Transformation

Under the background of digital transformation,the reform of the higher vocational mathematics curriculum faces urgent challenges and opportunities.This article explores the impact of digital transformation on the reform of higher vocational mathematics curriculum and emphasizes the importance of improving teaching methods centered on learners.The article proposes specific reform methods and discusses the practical application of digital technology in the reform process.By combining digital technology with specific reform methods,further conducting innovative practice research,and continuously exploring the path of reform,we can effectively improve the quality of higher vocational mathematics classroom teaching and provide strong support for the cultivation of comprehensive qualities and employment abilities.