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Authors: Thuan Minh Tu, Quan Hong Nguyen, Phuong Ngoc-Duy Nguyen, Ho Hai Phan

Although sustainable management literature extensively addresses the link between organizational performance and sustainable practices, evidence on the mechanisms through which environmental regulations translate into firm performance remains inconsistent. Findings on whether circular practices mediate this relationship are mixed, particularly within SMEs, where these mediating pathways remain largely untested. The circular economy has arisen as a solution to address sustainability concerns. This study examines the influence of environmental regulations and circular supply chain management on sustainable firm performance. It emphasizes the mediating role of circular economy practices and the moderating impacts of top management green commitment. Employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling on survey data from 482 Vietnamese SMEs, the results indicate that both environmental regulations and circular supply chain management positively influence business performance, with circular economy practices acting as a partial mediator. Moreover, top management green commitment moderates the relationships between environmental regulations and circular economy practices and between circular supply chain management and circular economy practices, showing that top management green commitment determines how effectively environmental regulations and supply chain practices lead to circular economy actions - a finding that adds new insight beyond the widely recognized direct effect of leadership on sustainability outcomes. The results have significant implications for researchers, government officials, and company executives by elucidating how SMEs should adhere to environmental regulations and leverage circular supply chain management to enhance circular economy practices for sustainable efficiency in the context of developing countries. By integrating Institutional Theory and the Natural Resource-Based View, this study clarifies the regulatory and supply-chain pathways through which circular economy practices emerge, and how these practices translate into sustainable firm performance under varying levels of top management green commitment.

Source: PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pstr.0000295. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Ana Maria Loboguerrero, Jon Hellin, Michelle Bonatti, Bruce Campbell, Ciniro Costa Junior, Eleanor Fisher, Jamie Males, Patti Petesch, Philip Thornton, Sonja Vermeulen

Source: PLOS Climate. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0001094. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Soheil Hataminia, Nazi Mohammadzadeh Asl

Ecological sustainability depends on the compatibility of demand arising from human activities with ecosystems’ biological regenerative capacity. The consumption-based load capacity factor (LCF) represents this balance as the ratio of domestic biocapacity per capita to the ecological footprint of consumption per capita. This study examines how income, capital formation, and energy use are associated with LCF in Iran and whether the energy–LCF association differs across levels of sanctions intensity. Annual data for 1965–2024 were analyzed within an autoregressive distributed lag framework and its error-correction representation, with lag selection based on the Bayesian information criterion and conditional bootstrap inference. LCF declined from 1.362 to 0.188, and Iran transitioned from an ecological reserve to an ecological deficit; the ecological sustainability gap also widened in relative terms. In the primary model’s conditional long-run estimates, higher real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was associated with higher LCF, whereas greater primary energy use per capita and a higher gross fixed capital formation share of GDP were associated with lower LCF. In the primary model, the negative energy–LCF association was stronger at higher levels of sanctions intensity, but this finding was sensitive to model specifications and sanctions coding. The bootstrap supF test also rejected coefficient constancy in the primary model. The estimated relationships are conditional associations, and the study does not identify the causal contribution of sanctions to the decline in LCF. The findings support considering energy and resource requirements in investment appraisal and monitoring LCF alongside economic indicators.

Source: PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pstr.0000192. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Mélina Maureen Houndolo, Fifali Sam Ulrich Bodjrenou, Waliou Amoussa Hounkpatin, Fadilatou Chabi Yorouba, Hessede Mondoukpe Gbahougbola, Deo Grathias Yevedo Kossa, Irene Mitchodigni, Teresa Borelli, Celine Termote

Background The food environment within and around schools plays a critical role in shaping secondary school students’ current and future eating behavior, food choices, and perceptions of healthy diets. However, little is known about how secondary school students in low-income settings perceive these environments and how such perceptions may influence their food practices. Methods A qualitative study was conducted in the municipalities of Natitingou (urban) and Boukombe (rural), Northern Benin, to explore secondary school students’ perceptions of their school food environments. In each municipality, two focus group discussions were held: one with lower-secondary students (11–15 years), and one with upper-secondary students (14–19 years), ensuring equal gender representation. Discussions addressed the types of foods available within and around schools, students’ food preferences and perceptions, and suggestions for improving their food environments. Data were analyzed thematically. Results Students reported access to a wide variety of foods within and near their schools, particularly in urban settings. However, most of these foods were energy-dense and high in sugar, while fruit and vegetables were rarely available. Participants perceived their school food environments as largely unhealthy, citing inadequate food hygiene practices and poor vendor sanitation as major concerns. Conclusion Findings highlight the need to integrate secondary school students’ perspectives into efforts to improve school food environments in Benin. Policies promoting the availability of nutritious foods and strengthening hygiene standards in and around schools could support healthier dietary behaviors among students. Future research should examine how these environments and perceptions influence secondary school students’ long-term nutrition and health outcomes.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361942. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Hairu Zhang, Baoqi Zhou, Jiaxin Wang, Yue Li

This study surveyed 270 college students from seven major geographic regions of China and, using multiple ordinal logistic regression, structural equation modeling (SEM), importance–performance analysis (IPA), and K-means clustering, examined their light meal consumption behavior, its determinants, and service optimization pathways. Results show that light meal consumption is characterized by diversified demands, regular-meal-oriented timing, rigid price sensitivity, and functionalized categories; specific dietary needs are the core driver of consumption frequency (B = −1.985, p < 0.001), whereas grade, gender, monthly living expenses, and campus supply conditions are not significant. In universities without a light meal supply, consumption intention follows an “attitude–norm/control–intention” multiple mediation pathway, with subjective norm showing the strongest direct effect (β = 0.392). In universities with a light meal supply, supply–demand gaps across all six service dimensions are highly significant (p < 0.001), with taste and variety falling into the IPA improvement quadrant as core shortcomings. K-means clustering identifies three student groups in supplied universities (high-satisfaction loyal, differentiated rational, and low-satisfaction wait-and-see) and two in non-supplied universities (high-demand expectant and low-demand wait-and-see). The findings confirm that intrinsic health demands, rather than external supply conditions, are the core driver; peer effects are a key lever; taste and variety are the primary bottlenecks to repeat purchases; and student heterogeneity necessitates stratified strategies.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361891. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Wang Yizhang, Li Jing, Yang Mingxi, Ou Shiqiang, Liu Hao, Xie Peng, Zhu Kaimei

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361897. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Maha Aljabri, Mustafa M. H. Abd El-Wahab, Amani Mahmoud Dobeie, Mohamed El-Soda

Dissecting the genetic basis of genotype × environment interaction (G × E) is important for breeding crops with stable or responsive performance across production environments. Using previously published seed-yield data from 107 Egyptian fenugreek accessions evaluated under two contrasting field environments, we investigated whether yield potential and environmental responsiveness share a common genetic basis. Seed yield per plant was measured in Giza (SYP_G; reference environment) and Wadi El-Natrun (SYP_W; contrasting environment). Nine derived indices were calculated to characterize environmental responsiveness, productivity, and stability: relative performance index (RPI), yield plasticity index (YPI), stress tolerance index (STI), log response ratio (LRR), mean productivity (MP), harmonic mean (HM), tolerance index (TOL), stress susceptibility index (SSI), and AMMI stability value (ASV). The near-zero correlation between SYP_G and SYP_W (r = 0.107) indicated substantial genotype reranking across environments, while several response indices were closely related to SYP_W and therefore predominantly reflected environment-dependent yield expression. Phenotypic analyses also identified contrasting performance strategies, ranging from highly responsive accessions, such as G15 (RPI = 3.629), to highly stable accessions, such as G41 (YPI = 0.001). These phenotypes were integrated with 38,142 SNPs using univariate association-mapping approaches. In addition, SYP_G and SYP_W were subjected to multivariate association-mapping. Association mapping identified one genome-wide-significant SNP for STI and several suggestive loci showed concordant associations across mapping methods. Within the current panel, marker coverage, and significance thresholds, most adaptation-index associations did not overlap previously reported yield loci; however, dDocent_Contig_39939_66, previously associated with seed yield in this panel, also showed cross-method suggestive associations with RPI and TOL. Comparative genomic analysis of three legume reference genomes supported two gene-linked candidate loci associated with STI: a cation/H⁺ antiporter and an importin subunit beta-1. The same analysis classified two of the strongest statistical signals, including the sole genome-wide-significant locus, as repetitive or transposable-element sequences rather than single-copy genes. These findings demonstrate that statistical association strength does not necessarily establish a coding-gene basis for loci identified using reference-free ddRAD markers. Within the current population size and marker coverage, environmental responsiveness and productivity appeared partially distinct but biologically connected components of environment-dependent yield performance. The results provide a genomic and phenotypic framework for prioritizing fenugreek germplasm for further evaluation while emphasizing the need for independent-population, multi-season, and functional validation of the identified candidate loci.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361774. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Xiaoqian Liu, Wenxin Jiang, Yining Ren

This paper proposes a Meta-Transformer model for few-shot accurate lane-changing intention recognition in connected vehicle environment. Given the velocity, acceleration, distance headway, time headway and time to collision of a vehicle at past time steps, a transformer model is developed to recognize the lane changing intention of the vehicle at the current time step. The multi-head attention layer of the Transformer model is capable of effectively extracting features from the multivariate time serie input. This enhances the accuracy of lane-changing intention recognition. The Transformer model is combined with a model -agnostic meta-learning (MAML) algorithm to be able to perform well with small amount of training data. The meta-learning consists of meta-training and meta-testing. During the meta-training, a task is sampled from the distribution over tasks. The tasks include recognition of intention of lane-keeping, lane-changing to left lane, and lane-changing to right lane. The model is trained with few samples and feedback from the loss function defined on the tasks. The loss function is defined as the categorical cross entropy of the errors between the labels and the results generated by the proposed model. During the meta-testing, the model is tested on new data from the distribution of the transition from a feature and the label to another feature. The model is trained by minimizing the test error. Experimental results show that the proposed model can achieve 8.7 percentage points higher accuracy than a transformer model.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361594. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Tomas Bañeras, David Jiménez-Alvarado, Hector Toledo-Padilla, Laura Camps-Lahora, José Juan Castro, Ana Espino-Ruano, Airam Guerra-Marrero, Lorena Couce-Montero, Eva K.M. Meyers, Lluís Bañeras

Shark microbiome studies offer acute insights into host health, immunity, and ecological interactions, yet remain poorly studied compared to other marine vertebrates. Shark-associated microbial communities, despite being species-specific, are influenced by environmental conditions and feeding ecology. In this study, we aimed to characterize shifts in the microbiome of the Critically Endangered angelshark (Squatina squatina) during the early stages of development and to assess how environmental factors contribute to the shaping of a specific microbiota. Samples from thirty-nine juvenile angelsharks were collected from Las Teresitas nursery area in the Canary Islands over one year. Skin, oral and cloacal microbiomes were analysed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The sizes of individuals ranged between 24 and 42 cm in length. The shark microbiome was clearly distinct from the surrounding environment, indicating a unique composition from early life stages. Dominant bacteria present in the shark microbiomes included Vibrionaceae (up to 96%), Pseudoalteromonas (up to 63%), Rhodobacteraceae (up to 57%) and Alteromonadaceae (up to 20%). Seawater had a greater influence than sediment on the external skin microbiome, especially in younger individuals. This was not expected due to the burial behaviour of the species. Notably, the abundance of Pseudoalteromonadaceae (assessed by qPCR) was positively correlated with shark growth but was independent of the skin mucus. This suggests a protective role of this phylotype in younger individuals and may help in the adaptation to habitat conditions. This is the first comprehensive microbiome study in angelsharks, highlighting the importance of environmental preservation for microbial integrity and juvenile fitness.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0361287. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Noboru Katayama, Noriko Ryuda, Masasuke Ryuda, Kentaro Takagi

Wild edible plants grow in natural environments with little direct human management; consequently, their productivity and quality frequently exhibit pronounced spatiotemporal variability, making stable supply difficult. This variability represents a major constraint on the exploitation of wild edible plants as local food resources, and overcoming it requires an ecological understanding of the factors affecting variation in both productivity and quality. Here, we examined the effects of human harvesting and environmental factors on the taste characteristics of young culms of Sasa kurilensis. No statistically significant differences were detected between harvested and control plots in any major taste index, including umami, bitter aftertaste, astringency, umami richness, and sweetness (measured as Brix values). In contrast, taste characteristics showed substantial variation among study plots, suggesting a strong association with local environmental conditions. Elevation and slope angle were significantly correlated with bitter aftertaste, umami, and sweetness; plots at higher elevations and on steeper slopes tended to produce plants with a less bitter aftertaste, and higher sweetness and umami. Principal component analysis integrating multiple taste indices revealed that the major axis of taste variation was significantly associated with elevation, and that harvesting treatment had no detectable effect. These results suggest that the taste characteristics of young culms in the study area are governed primarily by topographic gradients rather than by human harvesting. Although wild edible plants are important food resources in boreal and temperate forests worldwide, many are poorly managed. By quantitatively establishing relationships between taste characteristics and environmental factors in young culms, this study provides a scientific basis for determining the optimal timing, location, and selection criteria for wild edible plant harvesting, thereby contributing to the development of sustainable use strategies.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360962. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Qianrong Zhang, Yongfeng Zhang, Hongzhen Yu, Feilong Qing, Yao Wang

Existing studies on resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) have primarily focused on comprehensive evaluation and linear identification. But the quantification of driving effect on RECC have not been fully explored, especially the interaction and nonlinear effects. Therefore, this paper constructs an explainable machine learning framework, to comprehensively assess the RECC index of 31 provincial regions in China and to reveal nonlinear and interaction mechanisms of influence factors. Firstly, the XGBoost model is utilized to surrogate the evaluation results, which demonstrates outstanding predictive performance (R2 = 0.95, RMSE = 0.08) and stability. The results shows that the average RECC index in China dropping from 1.18 to 0.39, marking a transition from a high-risk state to a safe and sustainable state. Then, the SHAP model quantifies the nonlinear and threshold effects of key influence factors. The results indicate that the total emissions of pollutants in wastewater (X2) and industrial sulfur dioxide emissions (X3) are the two most critical factors, with a cumulative contribution rate of 49%. 50000 tons is a threshold for X2, beyond which the RECC index significantly increases with the increase of X2. 10 billion cubic meters is the marginal contribution of X3, with the greatest impact on RECC index. The interaction effect indicates a significant positive synergistic effect between X2 and X3, with the maximum increase in SHAP value reaching 0.1. There is a significant antagonistic effect between resource availability and environmental pressure. This study offering new directions for understanding the underlying mechanisms of complex environmental systems.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360548. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.