Earth and Environmental Sciences

Introduction Mathematical problem-solving is fundamental for academic success and real-life challenges and involves more than procedural and computational skills. As most primary school mathematics problems are text-based, reading comprehension self-efficacy may be closely associated with students’ performance in mathematical problem-solving. Grounded in Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, this study examined the associations between reading comprehension self-efficacy and mathematical problem-solving, focusing on the sequential indirect associations involving of mathematical reasoning and critical thinking. Methods A quantitative, correlational research design was employed. The sample consisted of 518 fourth-grade students from 14 provinces across seven regions of Türkiye. Data were collected using validated scales measuring reading comprehension self-efficacy, critical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and mathematical problem-solving skills. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis and regression-based mediation analysis. Results The findings revealed that mathematical reasoning and critical thinking partially accounted for the association between reading comprehension self-efficacy and mathematical problem-solving. The findings indicated significant indirect effects through critical thinking skills ( β = 0.18, K 2 = 0.23), mathematical reasoning skills ( β = 0.04, K 2 = 0.19), and the sequential pathway from mathematical reasoning to critical thinking ( β = 0.01, K 2 = 0.03). Although the sequential mediation effect was statistically significant, its effect size was relatively small compared with the individual mediation effects, particularly that of critical thinking skills. Discussion These results highlight the interconnected roles of foundational cognitive processes in relation to higher-order mathematical problem-solving skills. The study contributes to the literature by emphasizing the relevance of considering reading comprehension self-efficacy, mathematical reasoning, and critical thinking as interconnected factors in early mathematics education.

Aim This investigation seeks to elucidate the mechanistic pathways through which perceived family support and self-efficacy mediate the relationship between the family sports environment and physical exercise behavior among junior high school students. Ultimately, this research aims to establish a robust theoretical foundation and offer practical insights to foster the cultivation of sustained physical activity habits, thereby enhancing the overall physical health and wellbeing of this demographic. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted on 729 junior high school students using validated scales, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to test the hypothesized chain mediation model, with Harman's single-factor test used to control common method bias. Results (1) The family sports environment, perceived family support, and self-efficacy of junior high school students were all at a relatively low level, and their physical exercise behavior was generally poor, with significant demographic differences in all variables (gender, family structure, etc.). (2) There were significant positive correlations among the family sports environment, perceived family support, self-efficacy, and physical exercise behavior, and all three variables had a significant positive predictive effect on physical exercise behavior, with the family sports environment exerting the strongest effect. (3) For the overall sample, perceived family support and self-efficacy did not play a mediating or chain mediating role between the family sports environment and physical exercise behavior; the chain mediating path of “family sports environment → perceived family support → self-efficacy → physical exercise behavior” was only significant in nuclear families. Conclusion This study reveals the internal mechanism and boundary conditions of the family sports environment influencing junior high school students' physical exercise behavior, and provides theoretical references and practical suggestions for families, schools and communities to jointly construct a sports support network and improve adolescents' physical exercise behavior.

Introduction Promoting psychological flourishing among college students is a central goal of positive mental health research. Guided by an embodied positive psychology perspective, this cross-sectional study examined the association between physical exercise volume and psychological flourishing among Chinese college students, focusing on indirect associations through self-compassion and body appreciation and on heterogeneity in positive self-body relationship profiles. Methods A total of 2,401 students from 15 universities in Sichuan Province, China, completed measures of physical exercise volume, self-compassion, body appreciation, and psychological flourishing. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct, specific indirect, and serial indirect associations. Latent profile analysis was used to identify configurations of self-compassion dimensions and body appreciation, and R3STEP and BCH analyses were used to examine associations with physical exercise volume and differences in psychological flourishing. Results Physical exercise volume was positively associated with psychological flourishing. Significant indirect associations were observed via self-compassion, body appreciation, and the serial association through self-compassion and body appreciation. The indirect association via self-compassion was larger than that via body appreciation. Four profiles were identified: low self-compassion-low body appreciation, high self-compassion-high body appreciation, mindfulness-dominant moderate, and low-mindfulness moderate. Higher physical exercise volume was associated with lower odds of the low self-compassion-low body appreciation profile and higher odds of the high self-compassion-high body appreciation profile relative to the low-mindfulness moderate profile. Psychological flourishing was highest in the high self-compassion-high body appreciation profile, lowest in the low self-compassion-low body appreciation profile, and intermediate and statistically comparable in the two moderate profiles. Conclusion Integrating average-level indirect associations with person-centered self-body configurations provides a more nuanced account of the relationship between physical exercise and psychological flourishing among college students. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as theoretically meaningful associations rather than causal mechanisms.

Background The prevalence of depressive disorders among adolescents has been increasing in recent years, significantly impairing emotional development and social functioning. Although conventional treatments, including pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, have demonstrated effectiveness, limitations such as poor adherence and restricted therapeutic settings remain. Virtual reality (VR) technology, which provides immersive and interactive environments, has shown promising potential in the treatment of mental disorders. However, high-quality evidence regarding its effectiveness in adolescents with depressive disorders remains limited. Methods Protocol version 1.0, January 2026. This study is designed as a single-center, parallel-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 72 adolescents with depressive disorder who meet the eligibility criteria will be recruited and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or the control group. Participants in the control group will receive usual care, while those in the intervention group will receive additional VR-based intervention for 4 weeks (three sessions per week, approximately 25 min per session). Assessments will be conducted at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and follow-up (T2). The primary outcome is the change in the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24) score from T0 to T1. Secondary outcomes include the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale-14 (HAMA-14), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters (SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, and LF/HF). Data will be analyzed using linear mixed-effects models under the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion This study will systematically evaluate the clinical effectiveness of VR-based intervention in adolescents with depressive disorder, as well as its impact on emotional symptoms, cognitive function, and autonomic nervous system activity. The findings are expected to provide evidence-based support for the application of VR technology in adolescent mental health care. Trial registration https://www.chictr.org.cn , ChiCTR2500114846.

Introduction Design Thinking (DT) has been increasingly adopted in entrepreneurship education (EE), yet the psychological mechanisms through which DT contributes to entrepreneurial competency development remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on Control-Value Theory (CVT) as an interpretive framework, this study examines whether and how affective processes are associated with the development of entrepreneurial competencies in a quasi-experimental educational context. Methods A pre-test/post-test design with non-randomly assigned intact classes was employed with 198 undergraduate students (a predominantly female, second-year cohort) from a Chinese university; the same instructor taught both the Design Thinking Teaching Method (DTTM) and Conventional Teaching Method (CTM) groups (a within-instructor design), and pre-test scores were included as covariates. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the study investigated the role of Affective Attitude (AC) as a potential mediator linking DT pedagogy with Innovation Competency (INC) and Interpersonal Competency (IC). Results The results showed that DT was significantly associated with higher AC compared with conventional instruction. Furthermore, AC fully mediated the relationship between DT and INC, suggesting that affective engagement may represent an important pathway through which DT relates to INC development. For IC, the findings revealed an exploratory competitive mediation pattern, in which DT was associated with a negative direct effect on IC alongside a positive indirect association through AC. Given that IC was measured using a two-item scale and cultural orientations were not directly assessed, this pattern should be interpreted cautiously as a tentative finding rather than a confirmed mechanism. Discussion The study contributes to EE research by providing a CVT-informed explanation of how affective processes may accompany competency development in DT-based learning environments, moving beyond simple outcome comparisons. The findings highlight the importance of considering students' emotional engagement when designing experiential EE and suggest that future research should directly measure control and value appraisals to further test the proposed CVT-based mechanism.

As generative artificial intelligence becomes integrated into higher education, teachers increasingly rely on AI text-detection reports to support judgments about authorship, writing quality, and academic integrity. Existing research has mainly examined detector accuracy, false positives, fairness, and policy; less is known about whether report design itself shapes teachers’ evaluations when the judged text is unchanged. This gap matters because numerical scores and visual warnings may frame interpretation, anchor suspicion, and encourage confirmatory reading under uncertainty. Here, we tested how algorithmic warning strength and visual risk cues affect teachers’ evaluations of student writing in a controlled single-stimulus experiment. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment, 214 university teachers evaluated the same medium-quality Chinese social-science course paper accompanied by a fictitious AI-detection report that varied by AI detection rate (7% vs. 87%) and red-highlighting/report-presentation package (absent vs. present). A high detection rate increased perceived AI authorship likelihood and risk and lowered overall quality evaluations, percentage-based scores, originality, language expression, and logical structure. Red highlighting also influenced report perception, language-expression judgments, and self-reported intervention tendency. Significant warning × highlighting interactions emerged for percentage-based scoring, originality, language expression, logical structure, overall multidimensional quality, and intervention tendency, but not for the 1–10 overall rating or report perception. These preliminary and context-specific findings suggest that AI detection reports may function not merely as technical outputs but as socio-technical judgment environments under controlled evaluative conditions. Numerical warnings may anchor teachers’ evaluations, while visual risk cues may selectively amplify suspicion and intervention-oriented responses. Responsible use of AI detection therefore requires neutral report design, independent teacher judgment, human oversight, and training on automation bias.

This study presents the particle size influence of sand and binder to sand ratio for better extrusion in three-dimensional (3D) printing concrete mix. It also addresses the shape stability tests associated with subsequent layer weight holding capacity for 3D printing. Concrete mixes with aggregate size passing through 2.36-mm and 1.18-mm sieves were evaluated with different binder-to-sand ratios of 1:2, 1:1.6, and 1:1.2. The flow table and extrusion test were investigated to determine the most effective printing material mix. Results show that the 1:1.2 ratio exhibited better extrusion compared with 1:2 and 1:1.6. The flow table value is around 165 mm. Subsequently, the compressive strength test of waste marble powder replacement to cement from 5% to 20% was evaluated with the finalized ratio of 3D printable material mix. The optimized mix proportion and replacement was subjected to printer-based assessment for extrusion test and buildability.

Advanced design, engineering, and manufacturing tools linked through a common digital workflow are enabling a new approach to timber construction based on parametric, component-based systems that preserve data coherence across disciplines. This is especially important for bespoke timber structures, where fragmented exchange-file workflows often separate geometric design, structural verification, fabrication, and assembly. This paper presents a new structural system as a double-curved box-beam diagrid timber wall assembled through a robotically fabricated, self-locating wood-to-wood cross-lap grammar that can be mapped onto complex curved surfaces. Assembly intent is encoded directly into the parts through embedded positional constraints, enabling measurement-free erection and reducing tolerance stacking. A co-located computer-aided design, engineering, and manufacturing workflow is implemented to reduce drift between analyzed, fabricated, and assembled states. Validation through a 1:1 prototype includes 116 structural web elements, 624 cross-lap joints, and 200 non-structural flanges assembled in 4 hours using nominal zero-gap joints. Fabrication results show 78% average sheet utilization from 2.0 m × 4.0 m stock, with joint openings within ±0.5 to 1.0 mm of nominal. The study demonstrates a reproducible pathway for engineering-integrated design for manufacture and assembly of complex timber structures.

This research optimizes the bearing performance of solid-waste recycled spiral composite reinforcements in soft-soil foundation treatment, using theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and engineering verification to investigate spiral piles’ mechanical behavior under multi-parameter coupling. Based on pile-soil compaction principle, shear resistance mechanisms, and limit equilibrium theory from JGJ94-2008 and JGJ79-2012 codes, an engineering formula for spiral pile bearing capacity is established, incorporating soil shear-strength parameters (c′, ϕ′) and pile geometric characteristics (D/d ratio, l/d ratio). A 3D pile-soil interaction model via Abaqus analyzes load-displacement response, axial force distribution, and soil stress-deformation under vertical load. Results show pile-side friction contributes ∼93% of ultimate bearing capacity, enhanced by spiral blade extrusion-shearing. Increasing blade width improves friction resistance, boosting capacity by ∼29%, while excessive pitch reduces it by 18%. A “sparse-top-dense-bottom” variable-pitch arrangement is proposed to balance shallow friction/deep end resistance, optimizing capacity and economic efficiency. Engineering verification shows <5% error between theoretical formula and simulation, validating model reliability, providing theoretical/practical references for solid waste utilization and soft-soil reinforcement in power engineering.

Monastic communities established in isolated and environmentally demanding landscapes historically developed sophisticated hydraulic infrastructures to ensure long-term self-sufficiency and resilience. This study investigates the historical water management system of the Holy Monastery of Dochiariou on Mount Athos, Greece, a Byzantine monastic complex founded in the late 10th century. Combining in situ field observations with historical and architectural analysis, the study reconstructs an integrated gravity-driven hydraulic network consisting of subterranean qanat-type galleries, open channels, watermills, cascading reservoirs, concealed conduits, and inverted siphons. The analysis positions the system comparatively within Ancient Greek, Roman, Ancient Persian, and Byzantine hydraulic traditions using criteria related to water capture, conveyance, storage, energy use, and organizational logic. An approximate water balance assessment based on the identified storage infrastructure is also introduced to evaluate the functional capacity and self-sufficiency potential of the monastic complex. The results indicate that the system combined source diversification, distributed storage, passive operation, and adaptation to topographic constraints to sustain monastic activities over long periods. Rather than proposing direct technological replication, the study identifies transferable principles relevant to contemporary discussions on decentralized, resilient, and resource-efficient water infrastructure.

High-clay-content bauxite slime possesses extremely low permeability and high plasticity, which severely limits its large-scale geotechnical reuse. To improve its drainage consolidation efficiency, this study conducted staged vacuum loading model tests to investigate the effects of drainage body layout (vertical vs. horizontal) and cement modification (0% vs. 2%) on the dewatering and strength development of the slime. The results show that the horizontal drainage layout consistently outperforms the vertical layout under both non-cemented and cemented conditions. Under the non-cemented condition, the horizontal layout increases final settlement by 14.9%, total drainage volume by 8.1%, and shortens treatment duration by 17.7%, compared with the vertical layout. Under the cemented condition, the horizontal layout increases final settlement by 16.5%, total drainage volume by 6.2%, and shortens treatment duration by 21.4%, compared with the vertical layout. Cement addition further improves the absolute drainage performance: for the vertical layout, it boosts total drainage volume by 29.8% and reduces consolidation time by 12.5%; for the horizontal layout, it boosts total drainage volume by 27.6% and reduces consolidation time by 16.5%. This improvement is mainly attributed to the formation of a skeletal structure by cement hydration products, which enhances permeability and vacuum transmission. Moreover, compared with the vertical layout, the horizontal layout produces a more uniform distribution of density, water content, and penetration strength along the drainage distance and depth, which is particularly beneficial for large-area treatment. Microstructural analyses (mercury intrusion porosimetry and SEM) reveal that cement hydration products preferentially fill micropores, while the horizontal drainage path promotes a multimodal pore size distribution with larger inter-platelet pores. The combination of horizontal drainage and cement modification exhibits a complementary enhancement effect, jointly optimizing the consolidation of high-clay, high-moisture bauxite slime. This work provides a practical approach for efficient volume reduction and resource utilization of industrial clay-rich waste slurries.

Accurate and reliable prediction of building energy consumption remains challenging due to the variability of operational conditions and the limited interpretability of data-driven models. Existing approaches often focus on algorithm optimization while overlooking the role of training data characteristics and their impact on model performance. This study proposes a data characteristic-aware modeling approach that integrates multi-dimensional data analysis with similarity-based training sample selection to enhance both prediction accuracy and interpretability. The method systematically characterizes energy data using pattern recognition, dispersion metrics, and periodicity analysis, and reconstructs task-specific training datasets through similarity evaluation. An adaptive modeling process is further implemented to automatically select features and algorithms while providing post-hoc interpretability using SHAP analysis. The proposed approach is validated using datasets from four types of public buildings under different operational conditions. Results show that the method significantly improves prediction performance, particularly during transitional periods, with R 2 increasing by up to 22% compared with conventional approaches. The analysis also reveals that reduced data dispersion and improved similarity between training and target conditions are key factors driving performance gains. Overall, this work highlights the importance of training data characteristics in building energy prediction and provides a practical solution for developing accurate and interpretable models in real-world energy management applications.