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[Display omitted] • After nitrite soaking pretreatment, initial denitrifying NO 2 – accumulation emerged. • Longer soaking duration induced higher nitrite accumulating amount. • Nitrite accumulation benefited from soaking at a certain NO 2 – concentration range. • Substrates frequent feed and pH regulation improved denitrifying NO 2 – accumulation. • Further investigation on pretreatment ways for quickly starting PD is encouraged. Partial denitrification (PD) could be another method for obtaining nitrite. However, PD startup takes a long time limiting its investigation and application. This study proposed nitrite soaking as a pretreatment method for starting PD. Results showed that denitrifying nitrite accumulation (4.20 mg/L) emerged after previously soaking by 10 mg/L nitrite for 9 h. When the duration was 6 h, comparing different soaked nitrite concentrations, the highest denitrifying nitrite accumulation amount (4.92 mg/L) was obtained in the 20 mg/L group. Nevertheless, high pH of 9 and frequent feeding could further advantage denitrifying nitrite accumulation. Pretreatment as a disturbance would impel the microbial community to change from complete denitrification towards PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Urban residential land supply is both driven by and significantly influences urbanisation processes, the optimisation of which are necessary to address housing issues. At present, China's urban housing system has three major problems, namely a shortage of affordable housing, rapidly increasing prices for regular commodity housing, and an under-supply, relative to market demands, of high-end commodity housing, calling into question the effectiveness of existing land supply policies. This paper first reviews policies governing residential land supply and then considers these policies in light of findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with key actors and a survey of households in Hangzhou, a city of more than nine million in eastern China. These analyses show that although the Chinese government has undertaken steps to reform land use allocation and increase housing affordability in its cities, significant opportunities for reform remain in both affordable and commodity housing sectors. Results from this study aid in formulation of a framework for residential land supply and a dynamic model for reform for Chinese governments to undertake to integrate housing provision across a range of household income and housing type classifications. The model demonstrates how reformation of the residential land supply system through improvements to the elasticity of residential land supply, optimisation of land supply for affordable housing, deregulation of land supply for and taxation of high-end commodity housing will significantly ease housing stress within Chinese cities. Finally, international experience indicates that the Chinese government can leverage revenues to acquire or otherwise support construction of additional affordable housing, with the increased volume of activity helping to arrest housing price inflation while achieving socialist ideals. Highlights • Current Chinese national government policies are insufficient to resolve urban housing shortfalls. • Demand for affordable housing far outstrips supply in urban China. • Limits on land allocation for villas increases competition for regular commodity housing. • Competition for regular commodity housing decreases access for moderate-income households. • A dynamic model for integrated housing provision across affordable and commodity sectors is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is experiencing rapid progress in industrialization and urbanization. Characteristic towns (Tese Xiaozhen) are one of the important drivers for China's urbanization, industrialization and agricultural modernization in the 21st century. Each of the towns has its own characteristics. At present, however, it is unclear for them about (i) what characteristics should be promoted, (ii) how urban land should be planned and (iii) which industry should be focused on. The public infrastructure and services in towns are usually under-developed, compared to cities. This paper first explores the designation of a brand-new type of new towns in China, i.e. “characteristic towns”, to meet the need of the current urbanization in China. The paper focuses on the principles of “agglomeration” and “livability”, in socioeconomic and cultural contexts. This is exemplified by a case study of Zhejiang's version of characteristic towns. The findings suggest that the success of cultivation of towns is closely associated with agglomeration and livability. In the short term, identifying characteristics is the core element in the development. For the longer term, a comprehensive integration of industrial policy and land use policy is needed to ensure continuous capital investment and revenue generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese urbanization has generated great impacts on the world since the reform and opening up. However, urban problems, e.g., environmental pollution, resources shortage, and traffic jam, have been more and more serious for urban management and development. Smart city has been put forward as an effective approach to achieve better urban management recently. Smart city aims to realize the integration of municipal service, business, transportation, water, energy source and other urban sub-systems through close combination of human wisdom and information communication techniques (ICTs). As a result, the link and synergy of information could be ultimately established with ICTs, e.g., internet, internet of things, cloud computing. Yet, few studies have been conducted to systematically link smart city with big data in China. This paper aims to put forward a development framework of smart city with Chinese characteristics against the background of big data. Key actions, including rational planning of city infrastructures, the establishment and improvement of long-acting mechanism, the effective performance of city managerial function, are proposed to realize the development idea. Meanwhile, this paper also investigates the risks embedded in development of smart city with Chinese characteristics, e.g., information safety, weak emergency responding capacity and poor independent research and development capacity of core technology. This study can facilitate Chinese local governments to systematically plan smart city before clinging the hot concept in a rush. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese central government launched two principal campaigns to maintain the quantity and quality of cultivated land across the country and to continuously sustain a growing population. Dynamic balance system and basic farmland zoning focus on protecting the quantity and quality of cultivated lands, respectively. Theoretically, two complementary campaigns can effectively protect the quantity and quality of cultivated land. However, these policies protect the quality of cultivated land minimally. Dynamic balance system replaces basic farmland protection system during implementation by transforming from control planning to development planning. The process increases the conversion of high quality cultivated land into industrial and residential uses, with the supplementary of cultivated land with low quality, thereby reducing the protection on the quality of this land. This study adopts Yiwu City as the study case and analyzes the administration efficiency of dynamic balance system and basic farmland zoning. Evidence suggests that the delimitation of permanent basic farmland is a feasible system arrangement. The central government should deal with the relationships among policies to protect the quantity, quality, and ecosystem of the cultivated land. The government can arrange permanent basic farmland zoning as the core system for cultivated land protection and practice grade protection system on basic farmlands to strictly limit their conversion into construction land, which inevitably weakens the dynamic balance system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marginalization of cultivated land, resulting from rapid urbanization, exists as an important form of land use change, and represents a new research direction in land-use and land-cover change (LUCC). This article proposes a classification of such marginalization on the basis of elasticity of input and income, categorizing marginalization of cultivated land as either policy-induced (PIM), nature-induced (NIM) or economy-induced (EIM) marginalization. These classifications are further explored as either positive or negative marginalization, depending on whether the land is transformed from or into cultivated land. This innovative framework is applied to analyses of marginalization in Lianjiang County, located in southeastern coastal China. This research analyzes characteristics of spatial-temporal evolution of categories of marginalization of cultivated land using 3D kernel density methods. Significant findings point to spatial-temporal processes and driving forces of marginalization, including: (1) Concentrations of positive (P-PIM) and negative (N-PIM) policy-induced marginalization both occur and agglomerate in separate spaces, with the former mainly in the southeastern portion of the county and the latter in the northwest. (2) By contrast, patterns of positive (P-NIM) and negative (N-NIM) nature-induced marginalization complement each other in space - N-NIM tends to be more discrete in areas with P-NIM aggregations, and vice versa. (3) Finally, areas with aggregations of positive (P-EIM) and negative (N-EIM) economy-induced marginalization overlap. The research suggests that relevant land use policies should be formulated in response to these characteristics of cultivated land marginalization so as to address marginalization of cultivated land, especially as associated with rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land consolidation is considered an effective solution to revitalize rural areas internationally, and a variant, Rural Comprehensive Land Consolidation (RCLC), is widely practiced in China. RCLC is essentially a rural collective action which needs collaborative governance efforts from multiple stakeholders, who mainly are the local government, rural residents and social enterprises. Commonly, RCLC projects are led by the local government and rely on top-down approaches. In such a process, rural interests are often sacrificed due to the relatively weak status of the rural residents. Also, market forces are not motivated enough for low-cost performance of participation. These result in rural stakeholders' resistance and low future development vitality of the areas which implement RCLC. A more effective collaborative mechanism of RCLC is consequently called for. Under the guidance of collaborative governance theory, it is argued that the Rural Collective Organization (RCO) shows potential to provide 'facilitative leadership' to guide the collaboration in RCLC, by playing its multiple roles as a rural interest representative, a grass-roots manager and an independent legal entity in Chinese society. This research proposes a theoretical framework of the potentially optimized RCLC collaborative mechanism which facilitates the collaboration of stakeholders by setting the RCO as the collaborative leader and based on the flexibility of its multiple roles to strengthen bottom-up approaches and invoke multiple forces. A case study is constructed to demonstrate and support this potentially optimized approach. It is shown that the RCO, if flexibly playing its roles in different RCLC affairs, can provide balance between stakeholders and can catalyze stakeholders who may have a low incentive to participate, thus generating innovative outcomes. Based on above observations, we also refine a practice-oriented collaborative model, with prerequisites for its wider application being discussed. • Rural comprehensive land consolidation has been adopted as a main instrument to revitalize rural areas in China. • The rural collective organization plays multiple roles in Chinese rural political, economic and social areas. • The multiple roles of the rural collective organization show potential to facilitate rural comprehensive land consolidation. • Longgang city in China is chosen as a typical empirical case and a collaborative model is refined and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization results in a considerable economic disparity between urban and rural areas in developing countries, which has had a consequent significant impact on CO 2 emissions. To accommodate this directly, this paper presents a modified version of the Kaya Identity formula, U-Kaya, that includes a direct urbanization factor to determine the relationship between energy consumption intensity, population growth, urbanization rates, urban and rural GDP per capita and the volume of carbon emissions, for application in the dynamic forecasting of carbon emissions by Monte Carlo simulation. The method is demonstrated in forecasting China's likely carbon emissions in 2020 by three different modes of urbanization policy: the government-dominant mode, market-dominant mode and a hybrid government market-dominant mode. The results indicate that a higher urbanization rate, energy carbon emission coefficient and energy intensity will lead to increased carbon emissions. Finally, three policy implications are identified, comprising the narrowing of the economic gap between urban and rural areas, adjustments to the energy structure and technical innovation, which will provide a valuable reference for developing countries in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's urbanization and industrialization process is replacing large amounts of farmland, which is strongly driven by the country's land finance regime, with the intensified regional/local competition for manufacturing investment opportunities pushing local governments to expropriate farmland at low prices while leasing land at high market value to property developers. The additional revenue obtained in this way, termed financial increment in land value , can drive local economic growth and provide associated infrastructure and other public services. At the same time, however, a floating population of large numbers of inadequately compensated land-lost farmers, although unable to become citizens, have to migrate into urban areas for work, causing overheated employment and housing markets, with rocketing unaffordable housing prices. This, together with various micro factors relating to the party/state's promotion/evaluation system, plays an essential role leading to serious economic, environment and social consequences, e.g., for migrant welfare, the displacement of peasants and loss of land resources, in need of immediate attention. Our question, therefore, is whether such type of urbanization is sustainable. What are the mechanisms behind China's phenomenal urbanization process? From the perspective of institutionalism, this paper investigates the institutional background of the urban growth dilemma and solutions in urban China by introducing an inter-regional game theoretical framework to indicate why the present urbanization pattern is unsustainable. Looking forward to 2030, major policy changes are made from the triple consideration of the floating population, social security and urban environmental pressures. This involves (1) changing the land increment based finance regime into a land stock finance system, (2) the citizenization of migrant workers with affordable housing and (3) creating a more enlightened local government officer appraisal system to better take into account societal issues such as welfare and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic studies on building industry have much to contribute to the mission of sustainable development and yet there has been a lack of proactive engagement with environmentalism in the project-based organizations (PBOs). The embedding of “green” in project-based organization is made particularly problematic due to the increasing conflict between organization-wide change initiatives and emerging cost occurred during daily operation. An independent environmental representative is introduced to develop a new mode of PBOs to help environmental paradigm shift in the construction industry. The paper is a contribution towards an environmental understanding of the project management process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current practice, urban-rural development has been regarded as one of the key pillars in driving regenerative development that includes economic, social, and environmental balance. In association with rapid urbanization, an important contemporary issue in China is that its rural areas are increasingly lagging behind urban areas in their development and a coordinated provision of public facilities in rural areas is necessary to achieve a better balance. A model is therefore introduced for quantifying the effect of individual infrastructure projects on urban-rural balance (e-UR) by focusing on two attributes, namely, efficiency and equity. The model is demonstrated through a multi-criteria model, developed with data collected from infrastructure projects in Chongqing, with the criteria values for each project being scored by comparing data collected from the project involved with e-UR neutral “benchmark” values derived from a survey of experts in the field. The model helps evaluate the contribution of the projects to improving rural-urban balance and hence enable government decision-makers for the first time to prioritize future projects rigorously in terms of their likely contribution too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of amino acid derivatives of millepachine were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their solubility and antiproliferation ability against tumor. The glycine derivative compound 7a exhibited the best potency and possessed long-term inhibitory capability on cell viability. It was also confirmed that 7a could arrest the cell cycle at G2/ M phase and trigger apoptosis. Furthermore, indirect immunofluorescence staining revealed antitubulin property of 7a, which is consistent with the previously reported derivatives of millepachine. In vivo, 7a suppressed tumor growth in an MDA- MB-231 xenograft tumor model. In summary, the exploit of 7a was a successful approach directed by the concept of generating amino acid prodrugs with increased bioavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China has undergone an extremely rapid phase of urbanization, which has caused many acute problems between urban and rural areas. This paper identifies three categories of social, economic and environmental conflict, and investigates their significance according to the views of two different populations using a questionnaire survey and interviews. Using fuzzy set theory, the key causes of urban-rural conflict related to urbanization in China are identified. The differences in urban and rural people's perceptions of these key factors are discussed and the factors underlying these perceptions are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between metropolitan scale expansion and land use intensity has been a hot research topic in Mainland China in the recent years. Even though many scholars have already discussed this topic from a theoretical standpoint, unfortunately, empirical research in this regard has been woefully lacking. In light of this, this study proffers an empirical investigation of 120 major Chinese cities in 2009, by first establishing an urban land use intensity index by means of a principal component analysis, followed by the application of the structural equation model (SEM) to verify said relationship. The findings show that urban land use intensity has both positive and negative effects on urban scale. In particular, while the agglomerate effect of land and capital is positive, the substitution effect between them is negative. The findings of this study particularly address the coupling relationship of urban scale and land use intensity in Mainland China. The results imply that when the levels of non-land factors rise, urban land use intensity will improve. In other words, following the implementation of the new urbanization policy in China, and the ever-growing significance of the dynamic agglomeration effect, there is a positive coupling relationship between urban scale and land use intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban and rural areas are two different yet coexisting systems. Developing countries such as China have been undergoing a rapid urbanization process. However, urbanization often causes competition for land resources between urban and rural areas, and such competition can result in conflicts between the two systems. To identify the risk factors of urban-rural conflict, this paper utilizes a research framework including content analysis, brainstorming and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that the main risk factors between urban and rural areas comprise conflicts in property, resources and development. Suggestions are proposed to reduce the conflicts occurring between urban and rural areas during the urbanization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since China's economic reforms began in 1978, rural–urban migration has accelerated urban growth and the consequential need for regional planning. In order to make effective strategic decisions on regional planning, it is essential to identify the determinants that promote or restrain urban growth. Based on the theoretical underpinnings of classical economics, spatial economics and sustainable development, this paper establishes a theoretical model of urban population growth and uses a case study of China's Guangdong Province to test a hypothesis. The driving force of urban population growth is derived from natural and mechanical increases that include original urban size, living environment, industrial agglomeration, and location. Regression results from the case study reveal that during the period 2000–2010, factor of dominant industry significantly and consistently impacted urban growth, whereas the influence of living conditions and location on urban growth varied from year to year. These findings imply that local government pays less attention to residents' livelihood and more to the effect of location on urban growth. The paper concludes by proposing some regional planning policies for sustainable development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Environmental impacts from construction waste have been increasingly becoming a major issue in urban management, particularly in the densely populated regions, such as Hong Kong. This paper presents the current practices of using low waste technologies (LWT) for design and construction in terms of their implementation level and barriers in application on site. Through two practical cases and the semi-structured interviews, the research presents discussions on of the major low waste technologies that have been adopted and the implementation extent of these LWTs in both design and construction stages. The study provides recommendations for improving the use of LWT, including the corresponding technology instruments and the government may develop and implement. The research result can help understand the current situation in applying LWT in design and construction and the findings are expected to assist the decision makers to formulate a set of design and technology toolkit for improving construction waste management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: China has experienced an extraordinary level of economic development since the 1990s, following excessive competition between different regions. This has resulted in many resource and environmental problems. Land resources, for example, are either abused or wasted in many regions. The strategy of development priority zoning (DPZ), proposed by the Chinese National 11th Five-Year Plan, provides an opportunity to solve these problems by coordinating regional development and protection. In line with the rational utilization of land, it is proposed that the DPZ strategy should be integrated with regional land use policy. As there has been little research to date on this issue, this paper introduces a system dynamic (SD) model for assessing land use change in China led by the DPZ strategy. Land use is characterized by the prioritisation of land development, land utilization, land harness and land protection (D-U-H-P). By using the Delphi method, a corresponding suitable prioritisation of D-U-H-P for the four types of development priority zones, including optimized development zones (ODZ), key development zones (KDZ), restricted development zones (RDZ), and forbidden development zones (FDZ) are identified. Suichang County is used as a case study in which to conduct the simulation of land use change under the RDZ strategy. The findings enable a conceptualization of DPZ-led land use change and the identification of further implications for land use planning generally. The SD model also provides a potential tool for local government to combine DPZ strategy at the national level with land use planning at the local level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Infrastructure projects have major effects on implementing the principles of sustainable development. Infrastructure projects will continue to be developed in the coming years, particularly in developing countries such as China and India; therefore, it is important to find methods and solutions for improving the sustainability of them. Although existing studies have suggested various methods for practicing sustainable development principles in the process of implementing infrastructure projects, effective assessment indicators are unavailable, which presents a barrier to the effective assessment of infrastructure project sustainability. This study introduces key assessment indicators (KAIs) for assessing the sustainability performance of an infrastructure project. The research data used for analysis were collected from a questionnaire survey given to three groups of experts, including government officials, professionals, and clients in the Chinese construction industry. The fuzzy set theory was used to establish KAIs. A procedure for using the KAIs is demonstrated by a case study. These research findings provide an alternative solution to appraise the sustainability of infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The rapid urbanization has led to extensive land use change particularly in those developing countries. In line with the development of urbanization, arable land is decreasing dramatically, which presents the threat to the food security for human being. It is therefore essential to understand the level of impacts of urbanization on the land use change. This paper introduces a dynamic systems based method for assessing the impacts of urbanization policy on land use change with reference to the urbanization practice in China. Four typical policy scenarios are identified in implementing urbanization in China, including balanced development driven by planning, uneven development driven by planning, balanced development driven by market and uneven development driven by market and their impacts on land use change are analyzed through a dynamic system model. Land use change is considered as a dynamic system model composing five subsystems: urbanization, social, economic, environmental and land use subsystems. The key attributes in these five subsystems are interactive and they are dynamic variables. The assessment on the impacts of urbanization policy to land use change is demonstrated through employing the software iThink to the land use change dynamic model, using the data collected from the Jinyun County in China. The findings suggest that the urban construction land will continue to increase in the foreseeable future in China, whilst the agricultural land will gradually decrease. Nevertheless, different policy scenarios will have different impacts on these land changes. Thus decision makers can adopt different policies to control the rate of land use change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The urban land use involves more severe sustainability challenges than agricultural land use. An effective approach for evaluating urban land use is essential for meeting this challenge to improve efficient land use management. This approach must fit into a coherent conceptual and analytical framework covering different aspects, including social, economic, environmental and rational land use structure. A major problem with this is the lack of the evaluation approach for objectively evaluating the sustainability of urban land use in practice. In this paper, an evaluation system for the sustainability of urban land use (ESULU) is presented aimed at rectifying this situation. This is based on 13 indicators drawn from previous literatures in consultation with a group of experts in this field. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is applied to assist in identifying the major factors for evaluating the sustainability of urban land use. Examination of the results provides a grouping analysis of the capital cities and municipalities, indicating a general disproportion between coastal and interior urban cities in China. The findings lead to further suggestions and recommendations for central and local government to design relevant policy in achieving the sustainable development of urban land use and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground space is extremely important for the compact and spatial intensive development of cities in the world. The gap of underground space between developing countries and developed countries comes from the immaturity of the market and institutional environment, which leads to an urgent demand for new urban governance theories to guide practice. Governments often pay attention to safety, while the market is business-oriented and focuses on commercial value which leads to a trade-off between them. This paper explores the safety and commerciality from the viewpoint of urban governance theory, and uses case studies of three underground space projects in Hangzhou, China, finds that the logic behind safety and commerciality choices is actually the logical relationship between the government and the market. It is concluded that a logical conversion from complete government-led to market-oriented and government-assisted is needed to resolve the imbalance between safety and commerciality. This paper criticizes the shortcomings of traditional planning theories on urban governance and subject research, incorporates the system and time dimensions into the framework of urban governance theory, and proposes a multiple governance mechanism which can integrate safety and commerciality as a means of maximizing socio-economic benefits. • This paper reviews the irreconcilability of security and commerciality of underground space. • The paper uses case studies and examines three underground space projects in Hangzhou. • It is found that the logic behind security and commerciality choices is actually the logical relationship between the government and the market. • It is concluded that a logical conversion from complete government-led to market-oriented and government-assisted is needed to resolve the imbalance between security and commerciality. • propose a multiple governance mechanism which can integrate safety and commerciality as a means of maximizing socio-economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governance has recently been recognized as a crucial factor in sustainable urbanization. China, as a developing nation experiencing rapid urbanization, is facing governance challenges in urbanization due to changing socio-economic environment. However, the existing hierarchical governance mechanisms of urbanization, characterized by centralized decision-making, soft cost constraints and distorted incentives, makes it difficult to adapt to transition to sustainable urbanization. Thus, the development of governance mechanisms and capacities that are aligned with the urbanization transformation is a significant theoretical and practical issue in China. Nevertheless, the micro transformation mechanism of urbanization governance in China has not been analyzed systematically. In Chengdu, a town recently explored a contract-based governance mechanisms in urbanization that uses contracts as a means to encourage collaboration among various stakeholders in the urban construction and operation. This practice provides a new viewpoint on urbanization transformation. To explain its effectiveness and feasibility, the article develops a framework of "property rights-governance-performance". The results indicate that contract-based governance mechanisms, characterized by negotiated decision-making, cost constraints, value creation and benefit sharing, performs better than hierarchical governance mechanisms in governing urbanization. The transformation from hierarchical to contract-based governance mechanisms enhances the understanding of stakeholder interactions and contractual issues in urban governance, while also providing insights into the urbanization transition. • Urbanization governance mechanisms aligned with the urbanization stage is crucial to achieve sustainable urbanization. • A comparative analytical framework and case study approach are used to explain the effectiveness of contract-based governance mechanisms. • Contracts facilitate property rights transactions, integrate resources and interests, and promote collaboration. • The effectiveness of contract-based governance mechanisms lies in negotiated decision-making, cost constraints, added-value creation and benefit sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction of both nitrogen and transition metal elements into the carbon materials has demonstrated to be a promising strategy to construct highly active electrode materials for energy shortage. In this work, through the coordination reaction between Fe3+ and 1,3,5–tris(4–aminophenyl)benzene, metallosupramolecular polymer precursors are designed for the preparation of carbon flakes co-doped with both Fe and N elements. The as-prepared carbon flakes display wrinkled edges and comprise Fe3C nanoparticle and active site of Fe–Nx. These carbon materials exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance. Towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the optimized sample has Eonset and Ehalf-wave of 0.93 V and 0.83 V in alkaline system, respectively, which are very close to that of Pt/C. This approach may offer a new way to high performance and low-cost electrochemical catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban residential environment surveillance plays an important role in modern intelligent city. Satellite images have been applied in various fields, and the analysis and processing of satellite images has become an important means to obtain the information perceived by satellites. This paper focuses on city residential environment surveillance based on massive-scale visual information retrieval. Since the shortcomings of low contrast, blurred boundary, large amount of information and susceptibility to noise, the performance of satellite image segmentation is not satisfactory, which will affect residential environment surveillance. We design an improved rough set fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm combined with ant colony algorithm. More specifically, satellite images are classified based on the gradient of pixels according to the indistinguishable relation of the image combined with rough set theory. Then, the traditional fuzzy set-based fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm is applied to the satellite image segmentation technology. Subsequently, the improved algorithm-quantum ant colony algorithm and rough set fuzzy clustering C-means algorithm are combined to achieve accurate segmentation of satellite images. Afterwards, we propose a satellite image retrieval algorithm, which can assist city residential environment surveillance. Comprehensive experiment show that our proposed method is effective and robust in residential environment surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporation of two or more types of metallic atoms into carbon matrix is of particular interest in the fabrication of high performance electrode materials. This normally requires complex synthetic routes or intricate post-processing process. Moreover, the composition and morphology of the resultant carbon materials are uncontrollable. Herein, we show the first time that a bimetal ions (Sn4+ and Fe3+) etching method based on Kirkendall effect can transform boronate polymer assemblies into metallosupramolecular polymer hollow spheres, which can be carbonized into carbon shells comprising FeSn 2 alloy. The carbon shells display evidently improved activity towards oxygen reduction reaction with onset potential 0.94 V and half-wave potential 0.84 V vs. RHE, which are comparable to that of Pt/C. The as formed FeSn 2 alloy in the carbon matrix possesses characteristics of rich in electrons, excellent conductivity and high chemical activity. Our supramolecular approach is simple, and able to control both the composition and morphology of the carbon materials, which may afford a new strategy for the design of higher performance electrochemical catalysts. The well-designed carbon material co-doped with FeSn 2 alloy species accompanied with well ORR activity. Image 1 • Metallosupramolecular polymer precursors with hollow structure are prepared. • Carbon shells with FeSn 2 incorporated alloy in the matrix are fabricated. • The carbon shells show evidently improved catalytic activity towards ORR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to rapid urbanization and urban-rural dual structure, urban villages in China have gradually become populated areas dominated by a large number of migrants. Similar to slums, the problems of urban villages need to be solved urgently and the governance of urban villages is a serious issue in urban management. Therefore, combining the past international experience of governance of slums with a case study of urban villages in Hangzhou, this paper develops a governance model framework for an urban village. This framework is designed to integrate inclusiveness with urban service boundaries (USB) and to take the social service system as the key to achieve people-oriented governance through active participation of government, the market, the community and social organizations. This paper proposes that wealth distribution, housing security, social integration, cultural identity should be combined with infrastructure to form three differentiated models: a high-quality service model, a gradual and comprehensive model, and a social security model, which are suitable for different urban villages and the needs of different groups. The policy implication of this paper is to put forward a way to alleviate the problems of urban villages and make the inhabitants of urban villages, especially low-income migrants, fit into the city. • The social service system can link inclusiveness and the USB. • The paper builds a new governance framework for Chinese urban villages. • 3 governance models are combined systematically to serve urban villages. • Transfer payments, affordable housing and subway are essential for the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heteroatom-doped carbon materials have been extensively studied in the field of electrochemical catalysis to solve the challenges of energy shortage. In particular, there is vigorous research activity in the design of multi-element co-doped carbon materials for the improvement of electrochemical performance. Herein, we developed a supramolecular approach to construct metallosupramolecular polymer hollow spheres, which could be used as precursors for the generation of carbon shells co-doped with B, N, F and Fe elements. The metallosupramolecular polymer hollow spheres were fabricated through a simple route based on the Kirkendall effect. The in situ reaction between the boronate polymer spheres and Fe3+ could easily control the component and shell thickness of the precursors. The as-prepared multi-element co-doped carbon shells showed excellent catalytic activity in an oxygen reduction reaction, with onset potential (Eonset) 0.91 V and half-wave (Ehalf-wave) 0.82 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The fluorine element in the carbon matrix was important for the improvement of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity performance through designing the control experiment. This supramolecular approach may afford a new route to explore good activity and a low-cost catalyst for ORR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic, public crises, ageing, and social fragmentation have exposed the fragility of community systems. This paper proposes the hypothesis that governance structure and institution affect the functional system and adaptability of the community, and forms a framework of structural-institutional-functional adaptation. Using comparative analysis of cases from different governance structures and self-organizing foundations. The government governance structure and weak self-organization foundation of Hongmei community form the dependence on the government to improve the functional system. Qicai Community is a market governance structure, which realizes multi-functional adaptability in design, but the weak self-organization foundation increases the cost of operation and institution. Hemu Community is a multi-agent structure based on the self-organization institution, which improves the multi-functional adaptability under the cooperation of self-organization and the government. The case comparison shows that the governance structure and institutional adaptability are the basis of functional adaptation, which together constitute the system adaptability. From the perspective of CAS, the bottom-up self-organization structure has more flexible adaptability. The multi-agent governance structure based on the self-organization is more conducive to the improvement of functional adaptability. But market and government mechanisms each have their own irreplaceable roles. This paper proposes that the government and the market embedded in the multi-agent structure and institutional framework of self-organizing governance, and realize the collaborative adaptation of the three dimensions, which is of great significance for the transformation of community governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization results in a considerable economic disparity between urban and rural areas in developing countries, which has had a consequent significant impact on CO 2 emissions. To accommodate this directly, this paper presents a modified version of the Kaya Identity formula, U-Kaya, that includes a direct urbanization factor to determine the relationship between energy consumption intensity, population growth, urbanization rates, urban and rural GDP per capita and the volume of carbon emissions, for application in the dynamic forecasting of carbon emissions by Monte Carlo simulation. The method is demonstrated in forecasting China’s likely carbon emissions in 2020 by three different modes of urbanization policy: the government-dominant mode, market-dominant mode and a hybrid government market-dominant mode. The results indicate that a higher urbanization rate, energy carbon emission coefficient and energy intensity will lead to increased carbon emissions. Finally, three policy implications are identified, comprising the narrowing of the economic gap between urban and rural areas, adjustments to the energy structure and technical innovation, which will provide a valuable reference for developing countries in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rational design of high-efficiency and cost-effective nonprecious metal-based catalysts with outstanding oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance, is of great importance to replace platinum-based electrocatalysts in fuel cell. Herein, a novel N, B and Fe co-doped carbon materials (Fe-NBC) electrocatalyst is designed through the pyrolysis of a metal-organic coordination polymer precursor, which is formed from the coordination between dendrimer-like terpyridinic monomer and Fe3+. The as-prepared Fe-NBC catalyst exhibits superior ORR activity with an onset potential of 0.98 V and a half-wave potential of 0.86 V, which are comparable to that of the Pt/C catalyst. The formation of Fe-N x moieties is considered to be the most important factor for the improved ORR activity of Fe-NBC. Besides, Fe-NBC catalyst displays a better methanol tolerance as well as durability (5 mV negative shift of E 1/2 , after 1000 cycles) in comparison with Pt/C (12 mV negative shift of E 1/2 , after 1000 cycles). This work provides a facile protocol for the design and fabrication of multi-element co-doped carbon materials. Moreover, the excellent ORR performance of these N, B and Fe co-doped carbon materials may be a potential candidate to replace Pt-based catalyst in fuel cells. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A supramolecular polymer comprising N, B and Fe elements was designed. • The effect of Fe-N x content and boron element on ORR performance was studied. • High activity, good methanol tolerance and durability for ORR were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revealing the temporal and spatial changes on built-up land expansion and population growth is extremely important for city's sustainable development. Although the differences in land and population growth have been examined, the range and the influential factors of such a gap have not been fully studied. In this research the ratio of the land expansion rate to the population growth rate is used as coordination degree to identify the trend of the “land-population” coordination with the case study of the Yangtze River Delta Region, China by means of spatial analysis and regression. Results indicate notable built-up land expansion and demographic change in the research area. The coordination degree increased from a value of 2.28 in Period I (1990–2000) to 3.12 in Period II (2001–2014), further away from the ideal value (i.e. 0.8–1.4). Overall, the coordination level in central region of the study area is better than those of the North and the South. Regression analysis shows that neighborhood and per capita GDP are two significant influential factors of built-up land expansion and population growth in both periods, and that the impact of “neighborhood” has intensified over time. These findings demonstrate that socioeconomic situation of geographically neighboring cities contribute a lot to the coordinated development of the local population and land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a large amount of population moved from countryside to cities in China during its urbanization in the past two decades. The majority of these people have no formal qualifications for city residency, and they are so-called ‘floating population’. The increase of this group of people has induced the pressure of land use in cities, and the contradiction between the demand and the supply of urban land has been intensifying particularly in those developed regions in China. This paper examines the impacts of floating population on urban land by presenting the interrelations between floating population and urban land expansion from the perspective of production land and living land. Structural equation model (SEM) is employed in conducting the analysis. The result shows that the floating population alone does not have direct effect on urban land expansion, but have indirect impacts through engaging in the production or living process. It is particularly interesting that floating people's living conditions have no direct positive effect on the increase of construction land. Based on the research results, suggestions are offered for improvements in government policy towards a more sustainable and integrated urbanization, including the provision of housing support, the formation of more urbanized society and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Key Assessment Indicators for the Sustainability of Infrastructure Projects" by Liyin Shen, Yuzhe Wu and Xiaoling Zhang that was published in the June 2011 issue is presented.

Disasters experienced by most countries are often caused by ecological crises. A worldwide consensus has been reached that building ecological corridors is the breakthrough solution for the phenomena. Developed countries rely on advanced science and technology and highly active social organizations to achieve remarkable results in ecological management. However, ecological management may not be as successful in developing countries because of the lack of development, imperfect social organizations, inadequate public awareness, and insufficient participation in environment-related issues. Ecological management is influenced by the synergy among governments, business enterprises, and the public. The cooperation issues faced by stakeholders in the construction of ecological corridors on Yangtze river basin in China have been rarely explored, and these issues present barriers to the promotion of ecological corridors. Therefore, this study investigates the significance of building ecological corridors along the Yangtze River Basin in China and analyzes the role of the stakeholders, specifically the local governments and construction companies. The Pareto optimality of the project is determined using a game model to ensure controlled and clean operations. This study proposes from the findings that developing countries should strengthen the cooperation among stakeholders, improve and stabilize the construction mechanisms for building ecological corridors, and increase public participation in the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban growth management is a popular topic for study area all over the world. Despite the increasingly rich literature, however, little has been considered of the complex relationship between the various urban development factors and their feedback structure. This paper contributes in understanding the mechanism of, and establishing a link between, urban growth management oriented by zoning in China (namely development priority zoning or DPZ). A system dynamics urban growth model is presented that is integrated with China's socio-economic development situation. With Yiwu city and Qingtian County as case studies, the model is applied in simulating urban growth under different driving modes. The results indicate that the DPZ in these two areas has an influence on urban growth management strategy, with the driving mode of urban growth affecting economic development levels, migration and types of land conversion. It is concluded that different driving modes are needed for different types of regions according to the functional positioning of their DPZ and that the model contributes to their identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban and rural environments show clear differences in morphology, production mode and culture. With rapid urbanisation, these differences have become a major cause of urban–rural conflict. One of the most significant challenges arises from land acquisition, particularly in China, where cities have experienced substantial growth in the 21st century. Different types of risk are associated with land acquisition conflict in different Chinese cities. In this study, two types of cities are discussed: those with a historically low level of development but recent rapid economic growth, such as Yueqing; and cities that have maintained a relatively high level of development and experienced stable growth, such as Jiaxing. Land acquisition conflict in these two representative cities is then analysed in terms of property rights, access to resources and development. Analysis is performed at the institutional level to provide more accurate insights into the dynamics of conflict. The findings of the study suggest that different risk-management strategies are used in the two kinds of city, and that conflict is more likely to occur in cities with historically weaker development, such as Yueqing. To avoid such conflict, systematic risk-management strategies should be established in these cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Four hierarchical structures of the selective layer of NF membrane are proposed. • Dot-field reconstruction describes PA layer structures and pore characteristics. • A new indicator is found to evaluate the uniformity of pore structure. Organic solvents have important influences on the morphology and performance of nanofiltration (NF) membranes. However, it is still unclear how organic solvents affect the polyamide (PA) selective layer of NF membrane. In this work, dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation is employed to reveal the four hierarchical structures (Surface Structure Layer , Smooth Structure Layer , Heterogeneous Layer , Homogeneous Layer) of PA selective layer due to organic solvent (Pentane-PEN, Hexane-HEX, Heptane-HEP and Octane-OCT) gradients. And the method of dot-field reconstruction is proposed to analyze the morphology and pore structure of Homogeneous Layer. Moreover, the separation performances of Homogeneous Layer formed in different solvents were evaluated. It is proposed how to choose a suitable solvent, indicating the theoretical feasibility of preparing large-flux and high-rejection NF membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the level of urbanization in China now exceeding 50%, its collective rural land system is under increasing pressure, creating conditions in which there is increasing conflict between the efficient use of land for agricultural purposes and its retention as security for the rural population. This paper first examines the fundamental nature of China's collective land system by analyzing the collectivization history of China, then provides a comprehensive appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the collective land system's role in history and the challenges it faces in modern times. The main changes needed for the current collective system are identified as (1) the establishment of a new transfer mechanism for potential collective construction land, (2) the completion of land rights verification and consolidation work, and (3) the endowment of villagers with more rights to enjoy the distribution of land incremental value. The paper's main contribution is to question the relevance of collective rural land system in contemporary China, where a shift is now taking place from one of pure economic development to one involving more social concerns, and propose potential viable amendments to integrate the need for both perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

World Heritage Landscapes (WHLs) are receiving increased attention from researchers, urban planners, managers, and policy makers and many heritage values and resources are becoming irreversibly lost. This phenomenon is especially prominent for WHLs located in cities, where greater development opportunities are involved. Decision making for sustainable urban landscape planning, conservation and management of WHLs often takes place from an economic perspective, especially in developing countries. This, together with the uncertain source of funding to cover WHL operating and maintenance costs, has resulted in many urban managers seeking private sector funding either in the form of visitor access fees or leasing part of the site for high-rental facilities such as five star hotels, clubs and expensive restaurants. For the former, this can result in low-income urban citizens being unable to afford the access fees and hence contradicting the principle of equal access for all; while, for the latter, the principle of open access for all is equally violated. To resolve this conflict, a game model is developed to determine how urban managers should allocate WHL spaces to maximize the combination of economic, social and ecological benefits and cultural values. A case study is provided of the Hangzhou's West Lake Scenic Area, a WHL located at the centre of Hangzhou city, in which several high-rental facilities have recently been closed down by the local authorities due to charges of elitism and misuse of public funds by government officials. The result shows that the best solution is to lease a small space with high rents and leave the remainder of the site to the public. This solution is likely to be applicable only in cities with a strong economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work mainly concentrated on the structural and optical properties of TiO 2 -doped transparent glass-ceramics embedding ZnO quantum dots (QDs). The results show that the concentration of non-bridging oxygen and related defects in the glasses increases and thermal parameters decreases by the introduction of TiO 2. The surface defect concentration of ZnO QDs is greatly improved and the size of ZnO QDs is reduced by heat treatment below the T g and the introduction of TiO 2. The green emission of glasses is mainly derived from oxygen vacancy defects and the yellow emission of glass-ceramics primarily originated from oxygen interstitial defects which show a tendency of enhancing first and then reducing with the increase of TiO 2 content. Among them, the optimal content for the strongest emission intensity of TiO 2 -doped glasses and glass-ceramics was determined to be 1.0 mol%, and the relative exceeds 10 times and 5.4 times that of TiO 2 -free glasses and glass-ceramics, respectively. The average size of ZnO QDs (∼2.1 nm) remarkably close to its exciton Bohr radius is successfully prepared by the optimal heat treatment condition (630 °C/8 h, below the T g). The results show that these glass-ceramics embedding ZnO QDs are good yellow emission materials and have application prospects in WLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The promotion of green strategy in housing development has significant contribution to the implementation of sustainable development principles. Why do the housing developers go for green? This paper examines the benefits and barriers in applying green strategies in the process of housing development and facilities management. The examination is conducted from the whole process of developing a housing project, including project plan and design, construction, and operation and management stages. It is considered by the housing developers that the application of certain types of green strategies can help contribute to building up developers’ competitive advantages, such as solar system and optimizing building envelope thermal performance technology. The four case studies suggest that housing developers believe that the application of these green technologies can contribute to reputation gaining, reduction in construction and operation cost, receiving favorable land prices, and more channels available for financing. On the other hand, the major barriers affecting the application of the green strategies in housing development process have also been identified, such as higher cost for green appliance and higher cost in relation to customers’ demand. Data used for analysis are collected from a comprehensive questionnaire survey and four constructive case studies within the Chinese housing development market. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Recently, studies on COVID-19 have focused on the epidemiology of the disease and clinical characteristics of patients, as well as on the risk factors associated with mortality during hospitalization in critical COVID-19 cases. However, few research has been performed on the prediction of disease progression in particular group of patients in the early stages of COVID-19. Methods: The study included 338 patients with COVID-19 treated at two hospitals in Wuhan, China, from December 2019 to March 2020. Predictors of the progression of COVID-19 from mild to severe stages were selected by the logistic regression analysis. Results: COVID-19 progression to severe and critical stages was confirmed in 78 (23.1%) patients. The average value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was higher in patients in the disease progression group than in the improvement group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated NLR, LDH and IL-10 were independent predictors of disease progression. The optimal cut-off value of NLR was 3.75. The values of the area under the curve, reflecting the accuracy of predicting COVID-19 progression by NLR was 0.739 (95%CI: 0.605–0.804). The risk model based on NLR, LDH and IL-10 had the highest area under the ROC curve. Conclusions: The performed analysis demonstrates that high concentrations of NLR, LDH and IL-10 were independent risk factors for predicting disease progression in patients at the early stage of COVID-19. The risk model combined with NLR, LDH and IL-10 improved the accuracy of the prediction of disease progression in patients in the early stages of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is one of the largest carbon emitting countries in the world. Numerous strategies have been considered by the Chinese government to mitigate carbon emissions in recent years. Accurate and timely estimation of spatiotemporal variations of city-level carbon emissions is of vital importance for planning of low-carbon strategies. For an assessment of the spatiotemporal variations of city-level carbon emissions in China during the periods 2000–2017, we used nighttime light data as a proxy from two sources: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) data and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS). The results show that cities with low carbon emissions are located in the western and central parts of China. In contrast, cities with high carbon emissions are mainly located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH) and Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Half of the cities of China have been making efforts to reduce carbon emissions since 2012, and regional disparities among cities are steadily decreasing. Two clusters of high-emission cities located in the BTH and YRD followed two different paths of carbon emissions owing to the diverse political status and pillar industries. We conclude that carbon emissions in China have undergone a transformation to decline, but a very slow balancing between the spatial pattern of high-emission versus low-emission regions in China can be presumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of recyclable flexible solid-state supercapacitor with good electrochemical performance and folder ability is produced through a facile method. Polyvinylidene fluoride - acetylene black - polyethylene glycol - polyaniline (PVDF-AB-PEG-PANI) film electrode with excellent processability and tailorability is prepared by casting strategy, which uses large amount of PVDF as film former. The new electrode has good performance with excellent flexibility (d r < 1 mm and capacity retention 97.4 % after folding 1000 times) and electrochemical performance (It can utilize the active substance efficiently that it closes to the theoretical value, with high areal capacitance of 890.44 mF cm−2 and volumetric capacitance of 89.04 F cm−3). A capacitance retention of 72.5 % is obtained for the supercapacitor based on this electrode after 5000 charging/discharging cycles, even polyaniline is synthesized by conventional method. The most interesting thing is that, the supercapacitor based on this electrode can easily be recycled and reused (capacity retention 97.1 % after 4 recycle times). • A flexible recyclable supercapacitor using ordinary materials and simple method. • Excellent performance and recyclability derived from non-traditional composition. • Structural differences lead to high utilization and extensible. • Raw materials, methods and recyclability facilitate industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption is a major factor influencing climate change. Low-carbon strategies can be defined from carbon (C) footprint and ecological pressure caused by energy consumption. We hypothesized that this should be done at the regional and city levels because factors controlling C footprints vary with location and time, yet there is actually little knowledge at local levels. Here, we mapped the C emissions and footprint of 11 cities in the Zhejiang Province of China, a rapidly growing area of about 57 million inhabitants, which is representative of the strong economic growth in China. The C footprint is expressed as the land surface necessary to adsorb C emissions. We studied spatio-temporal evolution of C footprints from 2005 to 2015 using the center of gravity method. Results show that total annual C emissions due to energy consumption in Zhejiang increased by 40.83 million tons (55.8%) from 2005 to 2011. Then, from 2011 to 2015, C emissions decreased by 5.8%, which is explained by the 5-year national plan aiming at decreasing emissions. Similarly, the total C footprint increased by 55.8% from 29,201,904 hm2 in 2005 to 45,496,817 hm2 in 2011 and then declined by 5.8% from 2011 to 2015. At the city level, Ningbo has the largest C footprint contribution, whereas Lishui the lowest. Zhoushan shows an increase in C emissions and footprint, whereas Hangzhou and Shaoxing show a decline. The center of gravity of the C footprint is located in Shaoxing and is moving southeast from 2006 to 2011. Overall, our findings reveal the high spatial heterogeneity of C footprint at the regional and city levels, implying that national low-carbon strategies should be adapted at lower levels for higher efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]