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• Most of China still faces notable water poverty with obvious spatial variations. • Unconventional water use does not always have a positive impact on water poverty. • The impact shows an inverted U-shaped tendency as per capita GDP increases. • Sustainable water management plans should be tailored to local economy. Unconventional water serves as a bridge to water sustainability. However, many developing nations still have a long way to go in terms of unconventional water utilization. Different regional characteristics lead to different consumption capacities for unconventional water. Consequently, more unconventional water use (UWU) may not necessarily be positive for alleviating water poverty. However, there is a significant research gap in this field. This paper aims to answer three key questions: "Whether UWU consistently alleviates water poverty?" "Is this effect spatially heterogeneous?" and "What role do economic factors play in addressing water poverty?" For that, this paper focused on 30 provinces in China, with the sample period spanning from 2006 to 2021. To identify the mechanisms through which UWU alleviates water poverty, this paper employed a panel fixed-effects model using the Water Poverty Index (WPI) as the dependent variable and the square of UWU amount as an independent variable. The results indicate a non-linear impact of UWU on WPI, with the significance of impact influenced by GDP per capita (PGDP). Furthermore, threshold regressions were conducted with PGDP as the threshold variable. The results revealed a double-threshold effect of PGDP in the impact of UWU on WPI, displaying "U" or inverted "U" shape as PGDP develops: When PGDP is less than or equal to RMB 13,574, UWU demonstrates a negative effect on WPI; when PGDP ranges from RMB 13,574 to RMB 53,653, the effect turns positive; however, when PGDP exceeds RMB 53,653, the effect turns back to negative. The findings confirm that more UWU is not always better. Sustainable utilization plans of water resources must be tailored to local conditions, especially considering the unique characteristics of the regional economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper constructed a framework for green water assessment in the Loess Plateau gully region using MIKE SHE model. • A new concept and extraction method for green water components was defined based on existing research. • A new concept of the potential of green water was defined in relation to the dried soil layers' classification indicators. • We assessed the dependence on green water components and potential for environmental changes. Exponentially increasing water demand and increasingly uncertain hydrological conditions due to climate change (CC) and land use/cover change (LUCC) undoubtedly pose significant challenges to the sustainability of water systems in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide, and even more so in the rain-fed agricultural area of the Loess Plateau (LP) in China, where green water supports all ecological landscapes and most agriculture. Therefore, an accurate assessment of green water resources is crucial for regional development. This paper constructed a comprehensive framework for assessing green water resources based on the MIKE SHE model, defined a new concept of green water components (GWCs) that can be extracted based on existing studies, proposes the potential of green water (GW P), and present a research methodology. To validate this research framework, we applied it to a typical basin in the LP gully area of the Nanxiaohegou (NXHG) basin. The model was calibrated using runoff data from basin outlet stations to extract four GWCs: high-efficiency green water (GW H), low-efficiency green water (GW L), unused green water (GW U), ineffective green water (GW I). We then assessed the GW P of the basin and analyzed its trends, consistency, and dependence on changing environments. The assessment framework is simple and easy to use, providing valuable information for regional revegetation and basin water management, and is highly recommended for replication in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Significantly changes of LAI and GPP mostly occurred in eastern and southern China. • Divergence between LAI and GPP were found in regions with dense vegetation coverage. • The importance of VPD, SM, and PT to vegetation indices increased as latitude decreases. Climate change notably boosts terrestrial hydraulic redistribution pattern, which could directly affect the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of vegetation productivity. However, the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of long-term hydrometeorological controls of vegetation productivity is still not fully understood. This paper comprehensively explored the impacts of hydrometeorological controls on leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) in China during 1982–2015 using both satellite observations and reanalysis. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD), evapotranspiration (ET), precipitation (PT), and soil moisture (SM) were used as representative indicators during investigation. The dynamics of LAI and GPP displayed increasing trends on the whole. And significantly changes mostly occurred in eastern and southern China, accompanied by moderate to dense vegetation coverage. An accelerated increasing trend for LAI could be observed since September 2003 (+0.175 per decade), while the growth rate of GPP (+16.76 g C/m2 per decade) basically maintained stable. In terms of hydrometeorological controls, VPD and ET showed consistently increasing trend and SM presented falling trend in the context of warming climate. Through analysis of feature importance index established by Random Forest, the importance of VPD, SM, and PT obviously increased as latitude decreases, which implied the high sensitivity of vegetation in semi-humid\humid regions to water availability. Additionally, divergence between LAI and GPP can be found in southern Tibet Plateau region and coastal regions, which provides compelling evidence that in the case of high LAI, increasing LAI could weaken the improvement effect on GPP. Findings of this study is expected to promote the understanding of long-term vegetation responses to hydrometeorological variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synergistic effects of surface and groundwater on desert riparian vegetation were analyzed. • The cautionary depth to groundwater for vegetation expansion in the lower Tarim River is 4.0–5.0 m. • Flooding by surface water (lateral water transfer coverage) acts as the main driver for the expansion of vegetation in arid areas. • A zonal ecological water transfer strategy helps to promote effective ecosystem restoration in the region. Restoring degraded ecosystems in drylands is challenging because of low precipitation and high evapotranspiration. Water availability determines the existence and spatiotemporal distribution patterns of key endangered species struggling to survive in the severely damaged desert riparian ecosystem of the lower Tarim River (LTR) in NW China. Ecological water flow restoration measures with high costs and uncertainties have been implemented since 2000. The key task for scientists is to assess the success and drawbacks of this restoration project and propose specific recommendations for stakeholders to optimize the ecological benefits of the project in a cost-effective manner. In this study, Landsat time-series data from 1990 to 2020 were used to extract vegetation index values from river corridors along the LTR and explore the spatiotemporal patterns of desert riparian forest (DRF) vegetation. Based on land use and surface water data, we extracted the interannual spatial distribution range of vegetation and surface water, and selected several sample plots to demonstrate the influence of surface water and groundwater on vegetation change trends. The study results showed the following. 1) From 1990 to 1999, the vegetation slowly degraded; from 2000 to 2012, the extent of vegetation restoration was approximately 1 km from the river; and from 2013 to 2020, the extent of vegetation restoration at the Yingsu and Karday sections increased to 4.5–6.0 km, while that at the Arghan and Yiganbujima sections remained within 1 km from the river. 2) The vegetation growth rate increased substantially and was spatially heterogeneous when the groundwater level reached 4.0–5.0 m and was influenced by surface water divergence; the average vegetation expansion rates per square km for P 1 –P 4 were 0.017 km2/a, 0.011 km2/a, 0.005 km2/a, and 0.002 km2/a, respectively. 3) Flooding by surface water was the main driver of vegetation expansion when groundwater was stable and elevations in surface vegetation area were often accompanied by the spreading of surface water. Surface water was significantly correlated with vegetation cover and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (Water pixels–Vegetation cover [P 1 : R2 = 0.57, P < 0.001; P 2 : R2 = 0.45, P < 0.01]; Water pixels–NDVI [P 1 : R2 = 0.22, P < 0.05; P 2 : R2 = 0.40, P < 0.01]). The increase in surface vegetation has alleviated the desertification process in the LTR, and the survival of the poplar has been mitigated. The results of this paper can help decision makers to formulate reasonable ecological water conveyance strategies and realize sustainable management of DRF ecosystems in arid zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method was proposed by coupling the ERI and the CLUE-S model. • Three different scenarios designed to explore ERI of LUCC in 2027. • Spatiotemporal characteristics of ERI were predicted under different scenarios. The Jinghe County of the Ebinur Lake Basin was chosen as the study area. Based on Landsat TM / OLI images obtained in 2007 and 2017, this paper attempts to use CLUE-S model to predict LUCC under three different scenarios (Natural Development scenario, Farmland Protection scenario, Water Resources Protection scenarios) in 2027. Landscape indices and ecological risk index were calculated and spatially interpolated for the whole region, and the results of ecological risk could be divided into five different zones: extremely low, low, moderate, high and extremely high. They were carried out for assessing the spatial–temporal changes in ecological risk for each landscape pattern. The results show that: (1) Among the three scenarios designed in this paper, the spatial distribution of LUCC in the Water Resource Protection scenario has the most obvious changes, followed by the Farmland Protection scenario and the Natural Development scenario becomes the third. In the water resources protection scenario, the scale of the desert decreases, but the forest and grass part increases, which is conducive to ecological improvement. (2) the distribution area of high ecological risk areas was the largest of three different scenarios, especially the farmland protection scenario. The area of low-risk level is the largest under the water conservation scenario. The ecological risk of LUCC under the water resources protection scenario is lower, which is better for ecological environment. (3) Water bodies mainly concentrate upon low ecological risk degree, accounting for approximately 62.8%, 82.2%, and 73.1% of low ecological risk; Farmland mainly lies in the low-risk areas, accounting for 59.1%, 63.5% and 68.8% of the lower ecological risk levels; In 2027, the unused land and other land types are the main land types of the higher ecological risk areas under three different scenarios, whose proportions are 67.40%, 68.24% and 65.90%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Water footprint scarcity (WFS) was quantified based on blue-green water availability and appropriation. • WFS increased in drought agriculture-based region and dropped in economic developed area. • WFS increased in drought agriculture-based region and dropped in economic developed area. • Controlling the development of irrigation can reduce WFS and alleviate regional water scarcity. Abstract The mitigation of water stress in crop production is important for relieving the growing global water shortage. The water footprint scarcity (WFS) for regional water stress evaluation integrating blue and green water resources and the water footprint of the crop production industry were developed in this paper. Three subregions in China, industry-based southern Jiangsu (SJS), agriculture-based northern Jiangsu (NJS) and middle-type central Jiangsu (CJS), were selected to study the spatiotemporal pattern and driving mechanism of WFS. The results show that green water accounts for 56.6% and 71.8% of agricultural water resources available (AWA) and crop water footprint (CWF) of Jiangsu Province. The WFS of Jiangsu was calculated to be 2.26, and almost all prefectures for every year from 1996 to 2015 faced very high water stress (WFS > 1.20). The WFS value increased in NJS and CJS and decreased in SJS over time; meteorological and social factors affected the WFS at the same time. Land irrigation was the main factor to explain the growing water stress in the agriculture-based NJS. The WFS revealed the water shortage more clearly, especially in the water-poor agriculture-based areas, than the results of the conventional water stress index. The strategies for environmental change adaptation suggested by this study are to use WFS for agricultural water suitability evaluation and water resource management policy formulation; to reduce WFS through irrigation efficiency and crop variety promotion worldwide; and to implement compensation measures for agricultural products and virtual water trade to help underdeveloped agricultural production areas improve their agricultural production technology and control irrigation expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The connotation interpretation of spatial equilibrium in system-region two stages. • A quantification model of spatial equilibrium degree in system-region two stages. • A comprehensive evaluation index system of composite system. • The spatial equilibrium among various systems and among different regions. • Analysis of spatial and temporal dynamics evolution of the spatial equilibrium degree. The water resources in Lianshui Basin is facing a prominent contradiction between production and ecology, as well as fierce competition among various regions. However, existing researches on spatial equilibrium typically tend to address only one of the dimensions among water resources system and other systems or among different regions, which can not meet the requirements for optimal allocation of water resources aiming for spatial equilibrium under the high-quality development strategy. The definition and quantitative evaluation method of spatial equilibrium remain unclear. In order to respond to the policy of spatial equilibrium and overcome the dilemma of water resources development and utilization under the new normal, the connotation of spatial equilibrium at two levels of system and region was presented, a quantitative dynamic evaluation method for the spatial equilibrium degree in system-region two stages was proposed in this study. A comprehensive evaluation indicators system was built for the water resources composite system composed of three subsystems: water resources, social economy and ecological environment, and a dynamic quantization model of coupling coordination degree based on the comprehensive evaluation indices of three subsystems was established, the temporal and spatial dynamic evolution process of the coupling coordination degree of water resources composite system was analyzed. At the same time, Theil index was used to research the dynamic evolution characteristics of the regional difference in coupling coordination degree in Lianshui Basin. This paper also identified the main source of difference based on the decomposition of Theil index, and the degree and trend of spatial equilibrium of water resources in Lianshui Basin were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that the coupling coordination degree of the composite system of each district in Lianshui Basin was continuously improving, but there was no significant trend in the difference of coupling coordination degree among regions, which means the degree of spatial equilibrium in the "system stage" has notably improved, but the degree of spatial equilibrium in the "region stage" had no significant and stable increase. In addition, the difference within the region was always the main reason for the deficiency of spatial equilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Created a refined water resource allocation model. • Combining grid idea and remote sensing technology. • It reflects the change of water supply and demand in space and numerical value. • PSO algorithm is introduced to reduce the difficulty in solving the model. • It changes the extensive consideration in water supply nodes and water use nodes. The traditional optimal allocation of water resources mostly focuses on the allocation of different water supply sources to various types of water users in life, production, and ecology, and cannot reflect the differences in time and space of a certain type of water users. Therefore, this paper constructs a refined model for the optimal allocation of water resources, and further explores the optimal allocation of water resources with multiple water sources, multiple users, and multiple objectives. The main steps of the model construction are: (1) Regional gridding. The planting structure map and land use type map of the same resolution in the study area are selected and superimposed on them, the application attributes of each cell can be directly obtained. (2) Water demand gridding. On the basis of gridding in the study area, according to the application attributes of each cell, the quota method is used to predict the water demand of each cell. Then the water demand forecast result for the entire research area is obtained. (3) Water supply gridding. It is possible to reflect the types of water supply sources that a certain or a certain type of cell can accept, as well as the types of water supply sources that can be supplied by a certain type of water supply sources, by determining the types of water supply sources in the research area. The supply ranges that various water supply sources can reach, followed by the completion of the water supply grid. (4) According to the results of water demand gridding and water supply gridding, the water demand of each cell and the corresponding water supply source and water supply topological relationship are established, and the objective function is to minimize water shortage and maximize economic benefits to build a refined model for the optimal allocation of water resources.(5) The particle swarm algorithm is introduced to solve it, and the Pareto optimal solutions is obtained to determine the optimal water distribution for each cell. (6) Taking Guantao County, China as an example, the model was applied. In terms of minimum water shortage, the total water demand in Guantao County is predicted to be 118.8719 million m3 in the planning year (P = 50 %), while the total water supply is 125.2818 million m3. The water supply can meet the demand for water. In terms of financial advantages, the planned level of water Annual economic benefits will amount to 4.0865 million yuan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The differences of sensitivity zones with different levels were described in detail. • The classification criteria of the sensitivity levels of each factor were built. • The Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation was applied. • The interaction between influencing factors was clarified. • The giant panda trace density sensitivity was proposed. The Giant Panda National Park (GPNP) is one of the first national parks established in China, and the consideration of its ecological sensitivity is an important part of the construction of ecological civilization. Taking GPNP as a case, the ecological sensitivity evaluation model of the national park was constructed on the basis of the sensitivity evaluation results of regional terrain, climate, vegetation, animal trace, landscape resource, water resource and human activity. The CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method was introduced to obtain the comprehensive spatial distribution characteristics of ecological sensitivity, and the spatial autocorrelation analysis and explanatory factor analysis were carried out in order to provide specific suggestions for the ecological development and protection of the national park. The results showed that the ecological sensitivity gradually increases from the regional edge to the center, and the area is 12.36%, 28.24%, 31.94%, 21.56%, and 4.76%, respectively. The Moran's I of ecological sensitivity is 0.914, showing a high spatial autocorrelation in the region. The sensitive cold spots are distributed in the north, and the hot spots are distributed in the middle and south. In the case of ecological governance, priority can be given to these high value cluster areas. Human activities are the main explanatory factors for ecological sensitivity, and the sensitivity of a certain region can be influenced by positive human behavior. The interaction of most factors in pairs will enhance the explanatory power of a single factor on ecological sensitivity, which means that multiple methods of ecological protection will achieve better results. The research results of this paper provide a scientific basis for guiding the management and protection of ecologically sensitive zones in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates water use efficiency of 31 provinces in China during 2004–2013 using slack based measure-data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) model which takes consideration of sewage. By using panel data model, factors that influence water use efficiency are explored. The results show that: (1) water use efficiency is higher in economically developed provinces such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. (2) In general, inefficiencies of labor input and water input are larger than that of capital input. (3) After taking into account sewage as unexpected output, inefficiency of gross domestic product (GDP) for each province is quite low, but most provinces have inefficient sewage emission. (4) It is found in the analysis of influencing factors that the ratio of added value of agricultural sector, water usage per capita and sewage per unit of output have negative impact on water resources use efficiency, while the import dependence and export dependence have positive impact. The results are robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water footprint (WF) concept links physical and virtual forms of water, which can be used for research on the impact on water resources imposed by human consumption or production activities. Debates remain on the calculation methods due to WF being applied for different research purposes, and the large amounts of data required for the calculation being hard to obtain. This paper calculated and compared two WFs called volumetric WF (the volumes of blue and green water are combined with the same weight) and stress-weighted WF (the volumes of blue and green water are combined with different weights) based on water use data to research crop water productivity of grain crops and its impact on water resources in each region of China. Results for volumetric WF and stress-weighted WF of grain products of each region in China differed greatly. In 2010, the average volumetric WF was 1.25 m 3 /kg with the blue component 0.53 m 3 /kg, and the average stress-weighted WF was 0.51 m 3 /kg. In addition, there were significant differences of both kinds of WFs among regions in China. The results showed that volumetric WF could be used as a comprehensive indicator for evaluating crop water productivity, specified in space and time by source (green and blue WFs). Stress-weighted WF could offer a meaningful way of making quantitative comparisons between products, production systems and services in terms of their potential to contribute to water scarcity. The spatial distribution of these two WFs can help decision making to develop water-saving measures, relieve water stress and restore ecosystems for each region in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chinese environmental flows research was characterized based on bibliometric analysis for the period 1967–2019. • This body of research was compared to e-flows research trends within and outside of China. • Prominent Chinese authors and important ideas in e-flows research were identified. • This body of work helps identify prevailing trends in Chinese e-flows research. Advances in water resources research in China has blossomed in recent decades. Although historically many Chinese scientific publications had been limited to regional, language-specific outlets, the more recent emergence of Chinese scholarship in water resources sustainability and engineering suggests that broader recognition within the scientific community is needed. In this study, we explore the recent evolution of Chinese environmental flows research through the bibliometric analysis of two prominent databases. This paper highlights trends in environmental flow publication rates, emerging areas of research, and citation networks for prominent authors in the Chinese context as compared to the global network of environmental flows research. Results indicate that China's environmental flows research developed rapidly over the past two decades (2005–2019) and that Chinese authors are among the most productive in the field (60% of the top 20 authors). However, based on the number of citations, few Chinese articles are among the most highly cited (5 out of 800). The field of environmental flows research has identified the need to minimize parochial boundaries, and this analysis suggests a rich, yet untapped, literature to promote scientific integration. Differences in journal selection, keyword choice, and lesser-known authors to readers outside of China were identified as potential limitations to broader global integration. This approach to systematic bibliometric analysis can be used to identify prominent authors and important studies such that new ideas in environmental flows research can flow across continental boundaries, from East to West, to accelerate global understanding of prevailing trends and best practices in river management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The index of Urban Water Ecological Civilization (UWEC) has been introduced. • Index system and evaluation method for the UWEC level have been established. • UWEC level of three urban agglomerations increases along the Yangtze River from west to east. • Factors restricting the UWEC level of Yangtze River Economic Belt are identified. Urbanization and economic development pose a challenge to the water ecological environment of cities. "Ecological Civilization" is a term that demonstrates the strategy to achieve the win-win goal of economic development and eco-environment protection. "Water Ecological Civilization" is a vital part of "Ecological Civilization". This paper introduced a composite index to characterize the Urban Water Ecological Civilization (UWEC) and established an evaluation index system for UWEC based on a multicriteria analytical framework. The evaluation system contains 20 indicators selected from six criterion layers: water resources utilization (A, evaluating the efficiency of industrial, agricultural, domestic and public water use), water security assurance (B, evaluating the flood control, drainage and drinking water safety), water environmental protection (C, evaluating the water environment quality and water pollution prevention), water ecological restoration (D, evaluating the health of regional water ecosystem), water culture system (E, evaluating the inheritance of water culture and the popularization of UWEC awareness) and water management institution (F, evaluating the implementation of management systems). In our research, three major urban agglomerations (UAs) in Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) were chosen to be the study area. The results presented that the UWEC level of UAs gradually increased along the Yangtze River from west to east, showing obvious spatial differences. The main criteria restricting the UWEC level of UAs in the Yangtze River Delta were D and E, while E and F were the main restricting criteria for the UWEC level of UAs in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River and Cheng-Yu District. The indicator of "drainage compliance rate" got the lowest score among all indicators for three UAs. In addition, targeted measures for improving the UWEC level of UAs in YREB were proposed. Our study is supposed to provide a scientific reference to the improvement of UWEC level for UAs in YREB and trigger further research in the field of water ecological civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Regulated rivers affect both hydrology and water ecology, but to various extent. • Proposed river health assessment framework guides the regular monitoring activities. • The river health assessment study can update water resources management strategy. • Entropy weight based Harmony Degree Evaluation method assesses river state suitably. For social and economic development in China, the rivers are regulated, but its impact on river ecosystem has not evaluated yet. Maintaining a trade-off between social protection and ecological protection of the rivers is very crucial for a country where competition for water is severe. Thus, the main focus of this study is to carry out a comprehensive assessment of river health in relation to water resources management. In this paper, Guijiang, Nenjiang, and lower Yellow- three regulated river's health statuses were drawn on the river-section scale using Fuzzy Matter Element (FME), Harmony Degree Evaluation (HDE), and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) methods. The results indicated that the alteration of flow dynamics affected the 'hydrology' and 'water ecology' attributes of the rivers for which the River Health Index (RHI) of upstream sections of Nenjiang River was poor and downstream sections of lower Yellow River was critical respectively and the overall health statuses of the three rivers in that order, were good, fair to good, and fair. Particularly, Xiaolandi reservoir regulation at lower Yellow River impaired the habitat of benthic macroinvertebrate population that made the ecosystem health critical. We compared the evaluation methods and the results of FME and HDE were found consistent while GRA produced some discrepancies in the outcome. Finally, we proposed a framework for river health assessment for interpretation and communication of results to the managerial level. Our findings suggest that the water resources management of these regulated rivers should be rationalized and special care should be taken for 'water ecology' health restoration of the lower Yellow River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The rainfall-runoff relationship has changed under climate change and human activities in the TRH region. • The impacts climate indicators of rainfall-runoff ratio in the sub-basins of TRH region were different. • The contribution rates of human activity in the YRB were a little higher than that in the YARB. Identifying the impact of climate change and human activities on rainfall-runoff relationship in the Three-River Headwaters (TRH) region is essential for water source conservation, ecological security, and biodiversity maintenance of China and East Asia. In this paper, the runoff-rainfall ratio was used as the index of rainfall-runoff relationship. Different methods were employed to identify the impact indicators and quantitative assessment of rainfall-runoff relationship from 1957 to 2016. The results are the following: (1) the rainfall-runoff relationship has changed in the source regions of Yangtze River basin (YARB) and Yellow River (YRB), and runoff-rainfall ratio has increased by 2.9% and decreased by 3.2%, respectively; (2) the main climate indicators of runoff-rainfall ratio were rainfall, potential evaporation and sunshine hours in the YARB, and rainfall, potential evaporation and temperature in the YRB; (3) the contribution rates of human activity in the YRB were a little higher than that in the YARB, and the contribution rates of climate change and human activity were 90.9% and 9.1% in the YARB and 42.9% and 57.1% in the YRB. The results can provide invaluable information for managing water resources and taking ecological protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]