Journal of Hunan University Natural Sciences

This systematic review examines the contribution of clusters to knowledge production, dissemination, and innovation. It synthesizes research from economics, management, and geography to identify the mechanisms through which clusters facilitate knowledge creation and support innovative activity. In a globalized economic context, clusters generate agglomeration advantages by facilitating knowledge flows, infrastructure sharing, the development of specialized labor markets, and collaboration among firms, universities, research institutions, and public organizations. The review specifically investigates the main organizational, spatial, and institutional factors that influence knowledge production within clusters and the conditions that determine the effectiveness of these processes.
The study follows a systematic review approach and analyzes publications from the period 2013–2025. Relevant studies were identified and selected according to predefined eligibility criteria and subsequently examined through bibliometric and qualitative thematic analysis. The findings indicate that clusters support innovation by facilitating the creation, exchange, recombination, and application of knowledge. Their effectiveness depends particularly on the quality of inter-organizational networks, geographical and relational proximity, absorptive capacity, stakeholder collaboration, and institutional support. The results also demonstrate the complementarity between knowledge production and knowledge dissemination within cluster ecosystems. Overall, clusters play an important role in regional knowledge creation and innovation, although their performance varies according to organizational, institutional, and territorial conditions. These findings provide a basis for strengthening cluster-based innovation policies and identifying future research directions in knowledge production and regional development.

Keywords: clusters; knowledge production; knowledge dissemination; innovation; regional development; knowledge networks.

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.9.7

Microplastic (MP) contamination associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills represents an emerging environmental and public health concern, particularly for communities residing near landfill facilities. This cross-sectional study integrated epidemiological data from 100 residents living near TPA Putri Cempo, Surakarta, Indonesia, with confocal Raman spectroscopic characterization to examine spatial patterns of urinary microplastic exposure and the composition of landfill-associated microplastic fractions. Microplastic levels were quantified in first-morning urine samples using stereo microscopy and analyzed in relation to age, sex, body weight, height, educational attainment, physical activity, and residential distance from the landfill. Two-tailed Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Residential distance showed a strong inverse correlation with urinary microplastic levels (r = −0.778, p < 0.001), whereas none of the measured individual-level covariates showed statistically significant associations with the outcome. In the log-linear model, residential distance remained the only statistically significant predictor (B = −0.0013, p < 0.001), and the model explained 86.3% of the variance in ln(MP) (R² = 0.863, adjusted R² = 0.853; F(7, 92) = 82.9, p < 0.001). Raman analysis of the extracted microplastic fractions identified aliphatic C–H stretching features at approximately 2848–2850 and 2883–2930 cm⁻¹ that were most consistent with polyethylene (PE), while polypropylene remained a plausible secondary assignment. Carbonaceous, iron-oxide-related, and silicate spectral features were also observed. Because Raman acquisition parameters varied among measurement points, raw signal intensities were interpreted descriptively rather than as measures of relative polymer concentration. The findings demonstrate a strong spatial association between residential distance and urinary microplastic levels, consistent with a spatial exposure gradient, without establishing a direct causal pathway from the landfill. The results support further investigation of spatial exposure pathways and microplastic management in landfill-adjacent communities.

Keywords: microplastics; landfill leachate; Raman spectroscopy; spatial exposure gradient; polyethylene; multiple linear regression; environmental epidemiology.

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.9.6

Barnacle colonization is widespread in mangrove habitats, but its spatial variability and relationship with restoration performance remain poorly understood in arid coastal environments. This study quantified barnacle colonization across the upper, middle, and lower intertidal zones of a restored Avicennia marina plantation on Abu Ali Island, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, and examined its spatial association with plant growth performance and natural regeneration. Colonization prevalence was consistently high (94–100%), whereas abundance increased from 27 ± 9 to 124 ± 29 individuals plant⁻¹, and surface-area-standardized density increased approximately 6.5-fold from the upper to the lower zone (0.075–0.485 individuals cm⁻²). Estimated biomass burden showed a similar increase, from 0.037 to 0.243 g cm⁻². Despite the pronounced seaward increase in barnacle burden, three-year-old plants maintained 100% survival, with no significant differences in vegetative growth among zones. Propagules and natural regeneration were observed in the upper and middle zones but were absent from the lower zone, where barnacle burden was highest. Extensive colonization of one-year-old plants at an additional afforestation site further indicated site-level variation in barnacle pressure on Abu Ali Island. Because intertidal position and associated environmental conditions were not experimentally controlled, these patterns should be interpreted as spatial associations rather than direct effects of barnacle colonization. By integrating surface-area-standardized barnacle density and estimated biomass burden with vegetative, reproductive, and recruitment indicators across an intertidal gradient, this study extends biofouling assessment beyond occurrence-based observations and seedling survival. The approach provides a quantitative basis for characterizing spatial variation in barnacle colonization intensity and assessing its ecological relevance to A. marinarestoration under Arabian Gulf conditions.

Keywords: Avicennia marina; barnacle biofouling; intertidal gradient; mangrove restoration; natural regeneration; Arabian Gulf.

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.9.5

Global urbanization is accelerating, with the United Nations projecting that the share of the world’s population living in urban areas will increase from 56% in 2020 to 68% by 2050, while the global urban population is expected to rise from 3.9 to 6.4 billion. This trend is intensifying traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and socio-spatial inequalities. Africa is experiencing urbanization on an unprecedented scale, with its urban population, currently estimated at approximately 570 million, projected to double by 2050. This growth is placing increasing pressure on transportation systems, particularly in major metropolitan areas across the continent. This study addresses the following systemic question: how do urban mobility policies influence territorial development?
Following the PRISMA methodology, a systematic literature review covering the period 2015–2024 was conducted using the Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases. The initial corpus comprised 29,442 publications, which was reduced to 4,062 after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria and subsequently refined to a final sample of 228 articles specifically addressing urban mobility and territorial development in the African context. The findings reveal an organized yet fragmented African research community, geographically concentrated in South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco. Although international collaboration is increasing, two major gaps remain: the absence of a unified theoretical framework linking mobility and territorial development, and the predominance of unidirectional causal interpretations that treat mobility primarily as a consequence rather than as a driver of development. Five analytical gaps are identified: (1) the bidirectional relationship between mobility and development remains understudied; (2) links between spatial scales, particularly intra-urban and inter-urban dynamics, are insufficiently articulated; (3) theoretical frameworks remain fragmented; (4) institutional and political dimensions of mobility decision-making are only partially examined; and (5) longitudinal perspectives are limited because most studies rely on cross-sectional designs. Overall, despite growing collaboration, research on urban mobility and territorial development in Africa remains fragmented. This fragmentation represents both a challenge and an opportunity to strengthen the theoretical foundations and policy relevance of future research on urban and mobility development across the continent.

Keywords: urban mobility; territorial development; sustainable urban development; systematic literature review; bibliometric analysis; Africa.

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.9.4

This study examines the moderating role of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the relationships among green entrepreneurial intention (GEI), green entrepreneurial behaviour (GEB), and sustainable business performance (SBP) among 151 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Gresik, East Java, Indonesia. The study also evaluates the direct effects of GEI on GEB and of GEB on SBP. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) after the measurement model was confirmed to demonstrate adequate validity and reliability. The results show that AI adoption has positive and significant effects on GEB and SBP. GEI also positively influences GEB, while GEB has a significant positive effect on SBP. However, the moderating effects of AI adoption are negative, indicating that greater AI adoption does not necessarily strengthen the relationships among green entrepreneurial intention, green entrepreneurial behaviour, and sustainable business performance. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of AI adoption depends on organizational readiness, digital competence, top-management support, data quality, and the firm’s ability to integrate AI into business processes. From a practical perspective, AI adoption should be supported by training, technological assistance, financial support, and digital-literacy development. Such measures may strengthen green entrepreneurial behaviour, improve sustainable business performance, and enhance the competitiveness of SMEs in response to growing sustainability demands.

Keywords: artificial intelligence adoption; green entrepreneurial intention; green entrepreneurial behaviour; sustainable business performance.

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.9.3