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The education of visually impaired students in China has also gone through a developmental stage from "segregated education" to "special education" and then to "inclusive education". In this paper, we take the visually impaired students at Binzhou Medical College, the first university in China to provide higher education for the disabled, as the research object. The study was carried out to investigate the adaptability of visually impaired students, using various research methods such as literature review method, questionnaire method and case study method, we investigated and researched the adaptation of visually impaired students to inclusive education from several aspects such as quality of life, social support, mental health level, self-esteem and self-efficacy study. Finally, the study proposed several countermeasures and suggestions, such as attaching importance to the physical and psychological rehabilitation of visually impaired students, emphasising the inclusive of education and rehabilitation, strengthening the training of professional teachers for visually impaired students, emphasising the complementarity between schools and professions, and improving the employment support service system for visually impaired students, which are of great significance in promoting the development of the cause of inclusive education for visually impaired students and improving the adaptability of inclusive education for visually impaired students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas are critical for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. In the last few years, there has been growing recognition of the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in the management of government designated protected areas, and thus their perceptions and adaptability were paid much attention. Drawing on a survey of 487 residents in the Qilian Mountain National Park Pilot of Northwestern China, this study used the adaptive analysis framework to study the adaptability of local residents. The main contribution of this paper is to select a typical social-ecological system to study the adaptability of local residents, and using Elinor Ostrom's Social-Ecological System framework to analyze the adaptability mechanism. The results show that different types of residents had different adaptability to environmental change. People whose income mainly depends on work salary with a small part of herding have the highest level of adaptability, while people whose income mostly comes from farming with a small part of herding have the lowest level. This result is related to people's living location, as people living in the core zone and buffer zone of the reserve mainly earned from grazing, and people living in the experimental zone and peripheral zone earned mainly from outside work. Moreover, people living in the core zone and buffer zone are mostly elders and ethnic groups, while people in the experimental zone and buffer zone are Han people. To improve management effectiveness and to avoid conflict between local residents and managers, this paper suggests that more attention should be paid to these who have lived for a long time in the core zone and buffer zone. They are the most vulnerable groups and show low adaptability in almost all domains. For the long run, education quality should be improved to decrease the population in the reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government has implemented a homestead withdrawal policy to improve the efficiency of rural construction land use. The compensation for rural homestead withdrawal (CRHW) is crucial to the reconstruction and sustainable development of farmers' livelihoods. This paper analyzed the response mechanisms of farmers' livelihoods to the CRHW with the combined application of the logistic regression, the mediation effect model, and the moderating effect model. The results indicated that CRHW had a significant positive impact on the sustainable livelihoods of rural households, mainly by improving the physical capital and social capital. In addition, adaptability and livelihood diversity played intermediary and regulatory roles in the positive impacts of the CRHW on sustainable livelihoods, respectively. The conclusions may provide insight into the demand for more reasonable compensation policies to ensure the sustainability of farmers' livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) deficiency significantly affects crop productivity, especially legume crops. Therefore, it is important to understand the P-acquisition strategies of different leguminous crops. In this study, we undertook a pot experiment with 11 legume crops (soybean, faba bean, pea, cowpea, common bean, lentil, adzuki bean, chickpea, grass pea, red kidney bean and common vetch) to investigate P-acquisition strategies related to root morphology, organic acid and acid phosphatase exudations, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonisation under low (4.4 mg/kg) and optimal (40 mg/kg) P conditions. The results revealed that P deficiency significantly decreased biomass and P accumulation, root length (10.5%), and root surface area (7.9%), increased organic acid exudation (80.2%) and acid phosphatase activity (16.8%), and did not affect root diameter or root AMF colonisation rate. Principal component analysis revealed a positive correlation between organic acid exudation and acid phosphatase activity, while root length and root surface area negatively correlated with organic acid exudation, acid phosphatase activity and root AMF colonisation rate. P accumulation positively correlated with root length, surface area, and diameter but negatively correlated with organic acid exudation, acid phosphatase activity, and AMF colonisation rate. These findings confirmed the following: (1) legume crops use a P-mobilisation strategy related to organic acid exudation and acid phosphatase activity to acquire P under low soil P conditions; (2) organic acid exudation coincided with acid phosphatase activity to mobilise soil inorganic and organic P, improving P accumulation; (3) a trade-off exists between the P-scavenging strategy related to root morphology traits and mobilisation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to provide a framework for conceptualizing and interpreting the resilient capacity and adaptability of the Chinese Communist Party to cope with changing political and economic environments and to sustain its hegemony through periods of crises and transformations. Based on an instrumental reading and reflective incorporation of some relevant concepts and discourses of Gramsci’s political theory, the paper aims to facilitate a well-rounded analysis of the CCP’s authoritarian resilience, which is achieved through a continuous process of “passive revolution”. The party’s new hegemony is realized through a reconstituted historical bloc on the basis of convergence of interests and through neutralizing the pressures of various contending forces that might otherwise trigger profound structural transformations. The paper concludes that “authoritarian resilience is one of the strongest enduring features of the CCP’s political culture, characterized by dynamic adaptive skills and greater institutional capacity for political survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the adaptive analysis paradigm, this paper constructs an evaluation index system and an evaluation model of the level of industrial ecology of a restricted development zone from the perspective of the industrial system and of the environmental system, and studies the spatial-temporal differentiation characteristics and the driving factors of the level of industrial ecology of the restricted development zone of the Shandong Province, China, by using a variety of measurement methods. The results show that: 1) In the temporal dimension, the level of industrial ecology of the research area increased from 2005 to 2017, while in the regional dimension, it was higher in the eastern coastal areas, followed by the northwestern area and the southwestern area; 2) In the spatial dimension, from 2005 to 2017 the level of industrial ecology of the research area had a clear spatial dependence, and the regional spatial agglomeration of the restricted development zones with similar industrial ecology levels become increasingly evident; 3) On the whole, the industrial ecology level in the study area had a clear spatial differentiation pattern, as it was higher in the north and in the east and lower in the south and in the west. Moreover, its evolution model changed from a 'three-core driven model' to a 'spatial scattered mosaic distribution model', and then to a 'single-core driven model'; 4) Industrial ecology was positively correlated with economic development, foreign investment, science and technology, and negatively correlated with the government role, while industrial structure and environmental regulation failed to pass the statistical significance test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Using a career lens, the purpose of this paper is to examine the psychological factors related to the career success (e.g. performance and adjustment) of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). Design/methodology/approach: This research examines the previously unstudied relationship between career adaptability and career success. Data were collected by surveying 273 SIEs employed in professional jobs in China. Findings: As hypothesized, career adaptability was positively related to performance as well as to adjustment. Psychological availability mediated the relationships of career adaptability with performance and with adjustment. Contrary to expectations, supportive supervision did not moderate the relationship between career adaptability and either performance or adjustment. Research limitations/implications: Because the data were collected in a single, self-report survey, future studies should collect longitudinal data so that the effects of changes in career adaptability on adjustment and performance can be determined. In addition, as all of the participants were professionals, future research should examine SIEs employed in blue-collar jobs. Originality/value: As this is the first study to consider how career adaptability may influence SIEs' performance and adjustment, it offers unique insights into the work experiences of SIEs. Additionally, this study examines the theoretical underpinnings of career construction theory, namely, the previously hypothesized but untested relationship between career adaptability and adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the organizational culture of subsidiary South Korean companies operating in China as defined by Denison's (1984, 1990) four "traits" of involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission. During the summer of 2016, a survey was conducted with indigenous employees working for South Korean companies in China to measure respondents' views, beliefs and values regarding Denison's organizational culture traits and their relationship to the respondents' organizational "commitments" of job performance, job satisfaction and job retention. A total of 373 responses were collected. Path analysis was used to test the effects of the four independent traits variables on the three dependent commitments variables. The results provide evidence that organizational culture (based on Denison's four traits) is measurable and correlates with the given job outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The implementation of the prohibited grazing policy has achieved remarkable ecological benefits. • Farmers of different types had different adaptation perceptions. • Farmers of different adaptation perceptions choices of adaptation strategies also varied. • The main factors that influenced farmers' adaptation strategies also included livelihood capital and farmers' perception of the policy. Abstract Due to long-term human activities, grassland ecosystems have been severely damaged. To protect grassland ecosystems, the prohibited grazing policy (PGP), a grassland ecological protection policy, was instituted for Chinese grasslands in 2002. However, it is unknown whether farmers have effectively adapted to the PGP. The adaptability of farmers to this policy has directly influenced the effective implementation of the policy and the sustainable development of the ecosystem. Previous research on adaptability has not focused on the adaptation to political change. This article uses a case study in Northwest China to investigate the adaptability of farmers to the policy. First, we study the restoration status of ecosystems. In addition, this paper studies the perceptions regarding farmers' adaptability to the policy and explores the adaptation strategies of different types of farmers. Finally, this paper discusses the main factors that influence farmers' choice of adaptation strategies. The implementation of the PGP has achieved remarkable ecological benefits. Farmers of different types had different adaptation perceptions, and their choices of adaptation strategies also varied. In addition to the farmers' perception of the policy, the main factors that influenced farmers' adaptation strategies also included livelihood capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – An appropriate choice of strategies helps firms to survive and develop in a turbulent economic environment. The problem is that there are many strategies that can be adopted, but it is not clear which ones would boost profitability. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how architectural, engineering and construction (A/E/C) firms headquartered in mainland China (Chinese A/E/C firms) can achieve profitability in China; specifically, to uncover the critical strategies and practices adopted by Chinese A/E/C firms to achieve profitability using Porter's generic competitive strategies, Sun Tzu's Art of War, and the networking approach. Design/methodology/approach – The data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire. The data collection methods were mail survey and face-to-face interviews. The population comprised all A/E/C firms headquartered in China. Samples were randomly drawn from the China Construction Industry Association's database. Stratified sampling was adopted to select only firms that operated in Shanghai or Beijing. Findings – The finding is that profitable Chinese A/E/C firms are more likely to adopt practices that differentiate them from competitors instead of pursuing a low-cost strategy or focus strategy. In addition, they adopt practices that make them adaptable and flexible. Also, practices that involve collaboration, knowledge sharing, and obtaining resources from firms in the network are adopted by profitable firms. Research limitations/implications – The data gathered might not be easily generalized to Chinese A/E/C firms operating in other parts of China because interviews were conducted with Chinese A/E/C firms operating in Beijing and Shanghai which are members of China's Construction Industry Association. Practical implications – The paper is to inform practitioners of the practices and strategies that lead to profitability. Foreign firms that are planning to partner with Chinese A/E/C firms may also use the findings to assess whether their prospective Chinese partners are adopting some of these practices, so that they would be profitable and not face financial difficulties in the course of the partnership. Originality/value – The paper shows that profitability could be achieved by certain critical practices, which are underpinned by Porter's generic competitive strategies, Sun Tzu's Art of War based on military tactics, and Granovetter's network approach based on social network theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local government bonds (LGBs) have become the most important tool of the Chinese state for financing infrastructure projects. The underwriters and investors in LGBs are mostly commercial banks, with state actors holding the overwhelming majority of shares. We call these state-controlled market actors. This article investigates the role of state-controlled market actors in LGB issuance to extend the understanding of state actors and state–market relations in the financialisation of urban governance. The findings show that they underwrite and invest in LGBs to support the government's development objectives and make profits. They can hardly affect the government to create the terms and conditions of bonds to favour their financial interests, but they manage to make substantial profits. They follow the policy trends to identify LGBs as risk-free and reflexively change their investment priority towards the bonds. Due to the low interest rates, the banks mainly profit from bond trading in the secondary market and fiscal fund investment. There are preferential policies for LGB trading in the secondary market, and local governments deposit fiscal funds in the banks to motivate them to do LGB business. We argue that reflexively making investment decisions according to the policy environment and making profits by exploiting political resources represented by preferential policies and fiscal funds show the adaptability of the state-controlled market actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Shanxi Province, China, concrete foundations of substations are widely exposed to environments with sulfate erosion, which results in severe damage. There are various avenues to enhance sulfate resistance, and one promising approach involves optimizing high-performance water reducers. Chain extender, which is an integral component of a water reducer, serves as a pore-blocking agent to effectively counter sulfate erosion. This study delves into the impact of a chain extender in the water reducer on the sulfate resistance and adaptability of ordinary concrete. The assessment begins with gauging the sensitivity of concrete to sulfate erosion, utilizing a 0–1 scoring method. Comparable conditions are maintained, allowing for a direct comparison between concrete with and without chain extender based on predefined criteria. A score of 1 denotes superior performance, while a score of 0 indicates a poorer performance. Following the evaluation of each criterion, scores are aggregated by the water reducer type, with higher scores signaling superior adaptability. The findings highlight that chain extender enhances the internal porosity of concrete, resulting in a more compact microstructure, heightened impermeability, and improved resistance to sulfate erosion. Its influence on mixture performance, however, is marginal. From an erosion product standpoint, using the semi-immersion method, chemical erosion predominates in the immersion zone, while both chemical and physical erosion are observed in the alternate wet–dry zone. Employing a 0–1 scoring method, Water Reducer 3 (with chain extender) scores 20 points, whereas Water Reducer 3#–1 (without chain extender) scores 4 points. Taking into consideration all factors, the chain extender demonstrates excellent adaptability to ordinary concrete. To validate the effectiveness of the 0–1 scoring method, it is applied to assess fly ash and slag double-blended concrete. Water Reducer 3 (with chain extender) scores 13 points, while Water Reducer 3–1 (without chain extender) scores 10 points. Taking all aspects into consideration, the chain extender component exhibits commendable adaptability to fly ash and slag double-blended concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To stimulate local socio-economic development in developing countries, it is effective to attract the young generation for employment and entrepreneurship back at hometowns, by improving their identification with rural societies, and focusing on organizational factors. Whether youths returned from urban areas can fully release their potential mainly depends on their adaptability to the new environment after return. In this empirical study we explored effects of organizational factors on identification of young returnees with local societies. In China, the biggest developing country in the world, there are a large number of people returning from urban areas, and the Chinese government attaches great importance to making them play a positive role. Data were collected from 2202 questionnaires across 31 provinces. Results showed that organizational factors in rural societies can effectively enhance material, relational, and individual adaptation of returnees, thus improving their identification with rural societies. Material adaptation, including spending style, employment structure, as well as social security, is the external foundation of identification. Individual adaptation, including self-identification, self-efficacy and self-expectation, is the inner driver for returnees to identify with rural societies. Blood, professional, and geopolitical relations provide strong social support for returnees. Additionally, there is no sufficient evidence to determine that group adaptation is a significant factor influencing identification. This article enriched the study in the field of returnees' social adaptation from the perspective of organization, and provided evidence and support for developing countries trying to enhance social identification and social adaptation of return migrants from the urban to the rural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latent heat thermal energy storage technologies based on phase change materials (PCMs) are found to be significantly efficient and viable methods for thermal energy storage. These energy storage techniques have been proved to be with positive effects on buildings energy efficiency. The integration of appropriate thermal energy storage system and selection of suitable PCMs plays a very dominating role in the upgrading of energy efficiency. Short and long term storage helps in the reduction of energy demand or shifting peak load for both heating and cooling. However, a comprehensive study for the application of these technologies adopting Chinese built environment is lacking which can relate to climate, energy storage and energy efficiency. The goal of this paper is to provide coherent picture of current status on PCM-based techniques that have been studied with the focus of application in China and analyse the selection and suitability of PCMs and techniques in Chinese regions. The results show that many PCMs and techniques are promising to be used in China however studies can be conducted with the consideration of changing climate rather than winter/summer only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism has become an indispensable aspect of rural development. For traditional villages with historical and cultural importance, whether the development of tourism had led to traditional villages being restricted or supported needs to be studied. Taking 684 traditional villages in the Yellow River Basin in China as an example, we used Adaptive Cycle Theory to construct an index system and explored the adaptability of Chinese traditional villages in terms of undergoing development for tourism by describing the spatiotemporal coupling and evolution process of village adaptation. Then, we constructed a binary logistic regression model to measure the adaptation differences for villages providing different tourism services. The results showed that from 2000 to 2018, the social adaptability of traditional villages tended to deteriorate and was spatially and regionally different. Compared with the traditional villages without tourism, in villages where tourism has been developed, the adaptability of villages dominated by agriculture is poor. Villages dominated by traditional national culture and ecological leisure agriculture showed higher adaptability. By exploring the adaptation model and evaluating the technological development of traditional villages, we provide support for enhancing the interaction between the external and internal resources of tourism-oriented traditional villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2000 to 2020, storm surges occurred 397 times in China, resulting in direct economic losses of up to CNY 220.64 billion. Storm surges not only threaten safety but also cause property damage; hence, it is necessary to assess the changes in vulnerability to storm surges in order to understand how to reduce said vulnerability. Fifteen coastal cities of four types were chosen, with different levels of urban development, rapid expansion of impervious surface, high extent of agricultural land, and high fishery output value. Viewing vulnerability through the dimensions of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability, a GIS and RS were used to evaluate and assess the vulnerability in 15 coastal cities in China over the past 30 years. The results indicated that the vulnerability of these 15 Chinese cities presented the characteristics of a continuous downward trend from 1990 to 2020, and the average rate of reduction in vulnerability over the 10 years from 2005 to 2015 was the highest, at 2.23%. The areas of high vulnerability shifted from the southern region to the northern region. The vulnerabilities in the southern region, with Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Dongguan, changed significantly, to 3.30%, 3.20%, and 3.45%, respectively. An important factor in determining vulnerability reductions is a city's ability to adapt to storm surges. Coastal cities can improve their adaptability to storm surge disasters through general public budget expenditure, investment in fixed assets, GDP, and medical and health services, thereby alleviating their vulnerability. Due to China's frequent storm surge disasters during the 2005–2015 period, government departments have strengthened the investment of relevant resources in adaptive indicators, ultimately causing the cities' vulnerability to rapidly decrease during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eastern China, a populous and economically developed area, is severely affected by various meteorological disasters under the background of global climate change. In recent years, urban waterlogs caused by heavy rainfall has become a major concern threatening urban safety and socioeconomic development. This paper aimed to reveal the spatial pattern of waterlogging risk in 89 prefecture-level cities of Eastern China by a comprehensive analysis on extreme rainfall, socioeconomic exposure and urban adaptability. Hazard intensity index was calculated on 20-year return period value of maximum daily precipitation. Exposure index was based on the total urban population and local gross domestic product, while adaptability index was an integrated evaluation of drainage pipeline density, river network density and greening rate of urban area. Risk assessment was a synthesis judgment of hazard intensity index, exposure index and urban adaptability index, according to which the cities in Eastern China were classified into five risk levels. The six cities with the highest level of waterlogging risk were Shenzhen, Beijing, Maoming, Yangjiang, Shanwei and Dongguan, which indicates relatively stronger intensity of meteorological hazard, higher density of socioeconomic exposure and the weakness of urban adaptability in these cities. The high risk cities would suffer much more losses than other cities in Eastern China when hit by an extreme rainfall. This paper could provide a scientific basis for urban waterlogging risk identification and governance, as well as for technical measures development and capacity building of disaster prevention and reduction. • A research framework and technical methods for urban waterlogging risk assessment were proposed. • An indicator system for waterlogging risk assessment was raised based on hazard, exposure and adaptability factors. • Urban adaptability of waterlogging disaster was evaluated based on drainage pipelines, river networks and greening level. • Taking Eastern China as a pilot, the paper presented a city risk ranking for urban waterlogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus pneumonia 2019 epidemic has had a huge impact on the population, and medical students are no exception. The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between the risk perception, adaptation, confidence, and risk response behavior of medical postgraduates. A cross-sectional survey on medical postgraduates was conducted in a medical school in China. A total of 712 students were investigated. Basic information and individual scores, including risk perception, adaptability, confidence, and risk response behavior, were collected. There was a significant positive correlation between risk perception and adaptability, confidence, and risk response behavior (P < 0.01). Not only did risk perception have a direct positive predictive effect on adaptability, but also affected adaptability through three indirect pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China is currently in a critical period of transition to green development, a quantitative analysis of the coupled synergy between economic growth, population migration, and environmental protection performance can provide a rational reference for the formulation of macro-policies in relevant regions. Based on these objectives, this study built a matching analysis framework between gross domestic production (GDP) density (GD), population density (PD), and gross ecosystem production (GEP) density (ED) to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of these three indicators among 362 municipal units in different regions of the Chinese Mainland from 2000 to 2020 based on satellite remote sensing images and statistical data. The spatial adaptability between them was explored by employing a center-of-gravity model. The findings of this study show that: (1) the GD, PD, and ED on the Chinese Mainland exhibited varying degrees of spatial heterogeneity on both sides of the Hu Line during the investigation period, with the general feature of being higher in the southeastern region and lower in the northwestern region; (2) the centers of gravity of GD, PD, and ED were all located in Hubei Province during the investigation period. The centers of gravity of PD and GD shifted 79.39 km and 109.72 km to the southwest, respectively, whereas the center of gravity of ED, remained relatively stable during the investigation period; and (3) the center of gravity distances between PD–GD, ED–PD, and ED–GD in 2020 were 99.31 km, 247.52 km, and 346.27 km, respectively, and the percentages of highly matched units ranked among the 362 samples were 72.93%, 23.48%, and 25.69% for GD–PD, GD–ED, and ED–PD, respectively. This study concluded that a synergistic spatial pattern of the population, economic layout, and land use on the Chinese Mainland has not yet been formed. Therefore, this study suggests that future policies should be committed to promoting the northwest Chinese Mainland movement of the center of gravity of GD and PD, as well as the southeast movement of the ED center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Simple Summary: Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) has been recently identified as a notorious global crop pest that affects wheat production in China. Therefore, exploring preventive solutions based on agricultural strategies is a cost effective and eco-friendly approach in realizing sustainable pest management. The wheat–faba bean intercropping model mitigates the damage caused by wheat aphids, while the possible benefit of this pattern in the control of S. frugiperda remains unevaluated. To provide a fundamental basis for implementing this strategy in a wheat field for S. frugiperda management, this novel study attempted to extensively evaluate the effects of feeding wheat and faba bean plants on S. frugiperda performance and preference and to reveal the underlying mechanisms associated with the biochemical and morphological traits of the two host species. Our results suggested that the faba bean plants exhibited significant antibiosis on larvae and repellency to the females of S. frugiperda compared with wheat plants. Therefore, we concluded the potential usefulness of the faba bean plants as a push crop. These findings will facilitate the adoption of wheat and faba bean intercropping systems against S. frugiperda in the wheat-growing regions of China. Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), which attacked China in 2019, remains a significant threat to wheat production. Wheat–faba bean intercropping systems prevent damage caused by wheat aphids; however, the potential role in S. frugiperda control remains unclear. Here, the adaptability and preferences of S. frugiperda to wheat and its common intercropped plant, faba bean, were evaluated to implement an eco-friendly approach for S. frugiperda management. Their adaptability showed that both hosts could support S. frugiperda to complete their life cycle; however, the larvae performed worse on faba bean compared with on wheat. The biochemical analysis revealed that faba bean plants had lower contents of soluble sugars and total proteins but higher levels of phenolics and tannins than in wheat leaves. The gravid S. frugiperda preferred (during the preference assays) to oviposit on wheat rather than on faba bean plants in cage tests. The wheat odor was preferred over the faba bean odor in the Y-tube olfactometer bioassays. The morphological scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed increased trichome density on wheat leaves. Therefore, the faba bean plants displayed antibiosis on larvae and were repellent to female moths, thus, suggesting that faba bean plants could serve as a push crop to be intercropped with wheat for S. frugiperda control for wheat fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect evaporative cooling (IEC) and heat recovery are key technologies for decarbonising heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) while their performance is affected by the ambient environment. This paper presents a numerical investigation of a recently developed hybrid ventilator integrating the IEC and heat recovery. A TRNSYS-Matlab model was used to evaluate the ventilator's adaptability (operational and energy performance) in a public building at five typical cities in China. According to the validated model analysis, the ventilator shows a superior adaptability to the temperate region, with the lowest annual energy use at 96.70 kWh/m2 and the minimum energy input of the auxiliary source at 39.29% of the total energy use. The hybrid ventilator's adaptability is followed by the hot summer cold winter region and cold region where the ventilator covers 85% of the total heating/cooling loads in transition seasons. The severe cold region and hot summer warm winter region requires a significant auxiliary energy use for the stable indoor air parameters, which consumes 70.64% and 60.1% of the annual energy use, respectively. Future works are to improve the performance of the IEC and heat pump unit in the two climatic regions for better adaptability of the ventilator. • Numerically investigate the climatic adaptability of a hybrid ventilator in China. • The ventilator can process fresh air efficiently in the varying climatic regions. • The ventilator's monthly average EER can reach 5.6 in cold regions. • The adaptability should not be evaluated only by EER alone. • Suggestions are given to achieve better ventilator performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sunken courtyards reduce the household energy consumption of farmers nowadays. • Policy guidance and building conditions are the main factors that affect decision-making of living modes. • Village collective and individual decisions affect the energy consumption level of the whole village system. • Vernacular architecture is the local solution of rural energy-efficient development. Vernacular architecture has been widely concerned in recent years because of its energy-efficient and environmental adaptability characteristics, and is considered as a potential method to reduce rural energy consumption and an important cultural heritage. However, under the rural modernization and urbanization, vernacular architecture is in danger of disappearing. This paper focuses on the sunken courtyard, a typical vernacular architecture that utilizes underground space, carries out field investigation and questionnaire survey in villages of Shanzhou District, China. It is found that local residents adopt a variety of spatial utilization modes for sunken courtyards, and the structural equation model is further applied to analyse the decision-making process of farmers. The result is as follows: First, the utilization of sunken courtyards still reduces the household energy consumption; Second, policy guidance (weight coefficient is 0.57) and objective building conditions (weight coefficient is 0.25) are the main factors that affect farmers' decision-making; Third, village collective and individual decisions affect the energy consumption level of the whole village system. Finally, the formulation of rural development policies should fully consider the relationship between residents, buildings and village systems, so as to form unique local solutions. This study provides insights for the development of future architectural heritage conservation and rural renewal strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The vast majority of buildings being constructed in Hong Kong today are massive 40+-storey high-rise residential building towers housing hundreds of families. Immense resources – land, material, time, labour, money, energy – have been invested in their realization. However, almost all of these buildings, including those currently under construction and on the drawing boards, are not designed with adaptability and flexibility as a design intention and will cause major problems in the future: their lack of capacity for re-activation means that their only fate is demolition, thereby consuming even more resources, producing more waste, and causing more disruption to the environment. Unless we change our mind-set in mass housing design, today''s designs will inevitably become tomorrow''s problems. This paper studies the scenario design requirements and critical dimensions of use-territories in public mass housing in Hong Kong in view of extracting useful patterns for use in future designs. Case studies of popular residential layouts currently used in Hong Kong will be used to illustrate the kind of problems the majority of the existing residential building stock will face when the need for renewal and upgrade arises. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents the efforts of using the evolutionary mix-game model, which is a modified form of the agent-based mix-game model, to predict financial time series. Here, we have carried out three methods to improve the original mix-game model by adding the abilities of strategy evolution to agents, and then applying the new model referred to as the evolutionary mix-game model to forecast the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index. The results show that these modifications can improve the accuracy of prediction greatly when proper parameters are chosen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To explore the livelihood problems following development-induced displacement and resettlement, this article selects 234 affected families of the Qianping Reservoir in China and builds a livelihood resilience inferred measurement model to assess and verify their livelihood resilience. The research shows that households that have a reasonable income structure or that resettled near their original residence have higher livelihood resilience. Moreover, the proportion of agricultural income and physical capital have the most significant impact on livelihood resilience compared with other socio-economic indicators. These findings can help individuals make better preparations in advance and guide governments to do well in assistance after resettlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the process of undertaking overseas construction projects, relational governance has become indispensable for project stakeholders. This study examines how relational governance influences contractors' adaptability to foreign situations and whether such associations are positively moderated by international environmental complexity. Design/methodology/approach: A crosssectional survey methodology was applied to collect primary data through questionnaires sent to domestic contractors in China and South Korea (hereafter Korea). Multiple regression analysis was used to test the effects of four dimensions of relational governance on contractor adaptability. Thereafter, the Chinese and Korean subsamples were tested separately through moderated regression analysis to explore differences in the influence of relational governance on adaptability. Findings: The results showed that quality communication, favor exchange and establishing an emotional relationship significantly and positively affected a contractor's adaptability. However, there were significant differences between the Chinese and Korean international contractors in terms of the moderating effects of international environment complexity. Research limitations/implications: East Asian engagement in international development is not limited to China and Korea alone, and the study should be replicated using large representative samples from more countries, such as Japan, to gain a fuller understanding of the influence of relational governance. Originality/value: The results have great significance for the managers of international contractors in East Asian countries and contribute to the research on relational governance and contractor adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three bad behaviors of Chinese pedestrians are summarized through abundant data. • The key technical demands of pedestrians for autonomous vehicles are analyzed. • Driverless technologies to protect pedestrians are carefully reviewed. • The adaptability of driverless technologies to Chinese pedestrians is analyzed. China is the world's largest automotive market and is ambitious for autonomous vehicles (AVs) development. As one of the key goals of AVs, pedestrian safety is an important issue in China. Despite the rapid development of driverless technologies in recent years, there is a lack of researches on the adaptability of AVs to pedestrians. To fill the gap, this study would discuss the adaptability of current driverless technologies to China urban pedestrians by reviewing the latest researches. The paper firstly analyzed typical Chinese pedestrian behaviors and summarized the safety demands of pedestrians for AVs through articles and open database data, which are worked as the evaluation criteria. Then, corresponding driverless technologies are carefully reviewed. Finally, the adaptability would be given combining the above analyses. Our review found that autonomous vehicles have trouble in the occluded pedestrian environment and Chinese pedestrians do not accept AVs well. And more explorations should be conducted on standard human-machine interaction, interaction information overload avoidance, occluded pedestrians detection and nation-based receptivity research. The conclusions are very useful for motor corporations and driverless car researchers to place more attention on the complexity of the Chinese pedestrian environment, for transportation experts to protect pedestrian safety in the context of AVs, and for governors to think about making new pedestrians policies to welcome the upcoming driverless cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new model for urban resilience considering adaptability, resistance and recovery was proposed. • Valid factual information during the Morakot was adopted to validate this model. • Critical parameters of the model such as damage intensity, experience coefficient etc. were studied. • Some optimal suggestions were provided to efficiently improve urban resilience. Due to the greater emphasis on cities' preparatory and recover ability for disaster, urban resilience is widely concerned, which is different from the traditional management mode of natural disaster and provides a new theoretical framework for urban security governance. In this paper, considering adaptability, resistance and recovery as the main characteristic factor of urban resilience, an urban resilience model was developed. This model could be used to simulate the resilience of a city under different disaster scenarios. Valid information was collected from Taiwan of China during the Morakot, and the urban resilience model was tested by the practical data, and then the resilience in Taiwan was analyzed by the constructed model. The results show that the model could reflect the resilience change of cities during disasters to some extent. Further, according to the disaster characteristics, five disaster scenarios were set to analyze various resilience characteristics. In addition, the critical parameters of the model were studied. We found that the greater intensity of disaster damage, the more serious damage of urban system function, and the earlier peak time of disaster damage intensity appears, the faster damage rate of urban system function will be. Furthermore, the larger coefficient of external disaster relief capability, the lower loss of urban system function and the better recovery capability. The higher coefficient of disaster experience, the richer the disaster response experience, the more perfect urban infrastructure of disaster response, and the smaller loss of urban system function. Based on our results, we analyze the characteristics of urban resilience and provide some optimal suggestions to efficiently improve urban resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the HIV epidemic continues to spread among older adults over 50 years old in China, little empirical research has investigated the interrelationships among ageism, adaptability, family support, and quality of life among older people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). In this cross-sectional study, among 197 older PLWHAs over 50 years old, path analytic modelling was used to assess the interrelationships among ageism, resilience, coping, family support, and quality of life. Compared with female PLWHAs, male PLWHAs had a higher level of resilience and coping. There were no significant differences in the scores of quality of life, ageism, family support, HIV knowledge, and duration since HIV diagnosis between males and females. The following relationships were statistically significant in the path analysis: (1) family support → resilience [β (standardised coefficient) = 0.18], (2) resilience → ageism (β = −0.29), (3) resilience → coping (β = 0.48), and (4) coping → quality of life (β = 0.24). In addition, male PLWHAs were more resilient than female PLWHAs (β = 0.16). The findings indicate that older PLWHAs do not only negatively accept adversity, but build their adaptability to positively manage the challenges. Family-based interventions need take this adaptability to adversity into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to provide a better understanding of long-term uneven resilience by critically exploring the notions of adaptation and adaptability. Moving beyond the conventional trade-off assumption, the article proposes three main types of adaptation–adaptability relationships: Competing, Separated and Reciprocal, as an analytical approach to explain uneven regional resilience. Two empirical case studies of municipal-level mining regions with a common crisis of coal exhaustion in China, namely Zaozhuang and Fuxin, show how variations of adaptation–adaptability relationships result in uneven resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intent of this study is to examine the adaptive responses of Hong Kong transmigrants and their transnational and transcultural practices in terms of their consequent behavioral and emotional patterns. Their transnational practices and relative adaptability can be explained with Robert Merton's (1957) “strain theory.” More specifically, the study aims to identify, describe, and explain the variety of behavioral patterns and modes of emotional manifestations of adaptation of Hong Kong returnees, and to identify their individual and collective strategies of adaptation to help them solve their adjustment and integration problems in their adopted countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the characteristics and limiting factors of tree growth is of practical significance for environmental studies and climatic reconstruction, especially in climate transition zones. In this study, four sites of Pinus armandii Franeh are investigated to understand regional climate-tree growth response in Mt. Yao, central China. Based on the high similarity of four residual chronologies and high correlations between chronologies and climatic factors, we analyzed the correlations of regional residual chronology with monthly climatic factors and the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) from 1961–2016. The results indicate that the hydrothermal combination of prior August and current May and the scPDSI in May are main limiting factors of regional tree growth in Mt. Yao. The results of stepwise regression models also show that temperature and scPDSI in May are the main limiting factors of tree growth, but the limiting effect of scPDSI is more than temperature in this month. Through the analysis of the number of tree growth years corresponding to high temperature and high scPDSI, it was further confirmed that scPDSI in May is the main limiting factor on the growth of P. armandii in Mt. Yao. However, the influence of scPDSI in May has weakened, while temperature in May has increasingly significant influence on tree growth. The above findings will help improve our understanding of forest dynamics in central China under global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Passiflora edulis, known as passion fruit and native to South America, is now widely cultivated throughout southern China for its edible value, medicinal efficacy and ornamental properties. We have developed a cold-tolerant variety of P. edulis ('Pingtang 1') that can survive subzero temperatures and is highly adaptable in Karst areas. In this study, cuttings of 'Pingtang 1' were cultivated in a limestone (L) rocky desertification area and a sandy dolomite (D) rock desertification area. Changes in nutrient elements in both the soils and plants were revealed in the two plots. Moreover, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to profile the root transcriptomes for further exploration of nutrient adaptative mechanism of Passiflora edulis in Karst regions. Results: In this study, a total of, 244,705,162 clean reads were generated from four cDNA libraries and assembled into 84,198 unigenes, of which 56,962 were annotated by publicly available databases. Transcriptome profiles were generated, and 1314 unigenes (531 upregulated and 801 downregulated) were significantly differentially expressed between the L and D root cDNA libraries (L_R and D_R, respectively); these profiles provide a global overview of the gene expression patterns associated with P. edulis adaptability to Karst soils. Most unigenes including a number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in nutrient element uptake, utilization, signal regulation. And DEGs enriched in KEGG pathways of plant hormone signal transduction, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids were significantly expressed. Conclusion: These results could contribute to better understanding the adaptation of this species to environmental stress and thus enhance the potential for successfully introducing and commercially deploying P. edulis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]