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The risk quotient (RQ) related to Estrone (E1), 17β–E2 (E2), Estriol (E3) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) in sediment of water resources in China was calculated using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method. Fifty-four papers with 64 data-reports included in our study. The rank order of steroid hormones in sediment based on log-normal distribution in MCS was E1 (3.75 ng/g dw) > E3 (1.53 ng/g dw) > EE2 (1.38 ng/g dw) > E2 (1.17 ng/g dw). According to results, concentration of steroid hormones including E1, E2 and E3 in sediment of Erhai lake, northern Taihu lake and Dianchi river was higher than other locations. The rank order of steroid hormones based on percentage high risk (RQ > 1) was EE2 (87.00%) > E1 (70.00%) > E2 (62.99%) > E3 (11.11%). Hence, contamination control plans for steroid hormones in sediment of water resources in China should be conducted continuously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to supplement and improve the landscape evaluation system of traditional villages and play a positive guiding role in the specific protection and development of village landscape, this paper proposes the ecological landscape environment evaluation of traditional villages in Guanzhong from the perspective of rural revitalization. First of all, the relevant national and provincial evaluation standards are deeply studied, and the comprehensive evaluation system of the traditional village landscape in the Guanzhong region is constructed by using expert scoring and an analytic hierarchy process, which includes 6 criteria and 25 indicators. Three typical villages of different types and different development stages, namely, village A, village B, and Village C, were selected for landscape investigation and comprehensive evaluation. The results show that the weight of village location and landscape pattern is the largest, that is, the most important. The second is architectural landscape, with a weight of 0.236, accounting for a high proportion. Then, it is the natural landscape and street landscape, with a weight of 0.1-0.2. Finally, it is the intangible cultural landscape and landscape style protection, with a weight of less than 0.1. The alpha value of the comprehensive evaluation questionnaire of the village A is 0.984. The alpha value of the comprehensive evaluation questionnaire of village B is 0.941. The alpha value of the comprehensive evaluation questionnaire for the landscape of village C is 0.986, which is greater than 0.8. Conclusion. This study makes a comprehensive evaluation of the landscape of typical traditional villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professor Hu Zhihong is a leader in ecocritical scholarship, and has made many remarkable achievements in China. He has presided over three projects sponsored by the national social science fund, co edited a large number of academic works and graduate textbooks, published a few monographs and more than 100 papers both in Chinese and English, a number of which have been republished by China Social Science Excellence, Integrating research with action, Professor Hu not only works diligently on academical exploration but also has a strong concern for ecological reality. In the interview, he reviewed the course of his ecological research, outlined the concepts and characteristics of ecological literature, thoroughly illustrated the classics of ecological literature, and clarified the inner relations among many core concepts such as e cocriticism, ecological literature, ecological education and ecological practice. In the meantime, he also pointed out that ecocriticism is endowed with strong political commitment and has great potentials for social transformation, so it should be widely disseminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper proposes an approach to calculate the time series of cumulative carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions between 1995 and 2014 based on industrial energy consumption data in three Eastern China jurisdictions in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang during these two decades. Using the Hodrick-Prescott filter, the fluctuation components of the cumulative CO 2 -emission time-series data in the three provinces are obtained. Subsequently, a grey correlation-based change-point search algorithm is used to determine change-points in these data. Additionally, the CO 2 -emission time-series is divided into stages based on the change-points. The cycle characteristics of national energy policies, laws, and regulations are compared with those of the cumulative CO 2 -emission cycle of the three provinces to analyse the impact of energy policies on CO 2 emissions. This study shows that, although the industrial structure and trends in the CO 2 emission time-series data of the three provinces are different, their cumulative CO 2 -emission cycle remains the same from 1995 to 2014. The variation characteristics of the cumulative CO 2 emissions for each cycle during this period are well aligned with the stage characteristics of energy policies, laws, and regulations, indicating that energy policies play a consistent role in regulating such emissions. This study examines low-carbon production and sustainable energy development, and offers suggestions for issuing and perfecting energy policies, laws, and regulations, considering the indicators of energy consumption and CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulnerability assessment has gradually emerged as a basic tool in analyzing the response of regional and global environment to external events. Many studies have evidenced the increasing urbanization pressures on ecosystems and the threat to their potential for the provision of services. However, rather few efforts have been spared to characterize the vulnerability of ecosystem services provisioning to urbanization. This paper presents an integrated index to determine the vulnerability of ecosystem services provisioning to urbanization in China. It was based on the Exposure-Sensitivity-Capacity framework and integrated 16 indicators of ecological and socioeconomic dimensions. Quantitative analysis verified the effectiveness of the integrated index, and spatiotemporal patterns of vulnerability were obtained. Horizontal comparisons demonstrated that vulnerability was higher in the eastern provinces. The western and central provinces were roughly the same vulnerability level; however, the profiles of vulnerability for these regions were substantially different, particularly in sensitivity and capacity, respectively. The longitudinal comparisons highlighted the vulnerability degree of the eastern and central provinces was intensified between 1979 and 2010. The developed index could be further applicable to other locations and facilitate environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper took Wuhai District as an example, bases on the contrast between the land use condition in 2005 and 2010, and applied the ecological green equivalence to establish a mathematic model of ecological optimization of land use structure, to establish the ecology green equivalent mathematical model and survey the value of region green equivalent, and then assess the ecological environment situation. The results show that the ecological environment has been deteriorated in Wuhai from 2005 to 2010, so the ecological environment was poor. In order to increase eco-efficiency of land use, garden, urban green space and woodland area should be raised in the optimization program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), which is considered as the longest-lived ecological network in China that facilitates research on the country's ecosystems. Topics discussed include the founding and organization of the CERN, missions and achievements of the CERN, and motivation and future orientation of the CERN.

Abundant bryophytes with high ecological and ornamental value are distributed in natural forests in west Sichuan. Through exploring the practices and forecasting the application of bryophytes from 2 aspects (using bryophytes in the natural world and building artificial moss garden), this paper proposed that the large-scale application of bryophytes could be realized via the development of bryophyte tourism products and commodities on the basis of ecological restoration and artificial cultivation experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies on very young adolescents' romantic and sexual experiences would help inform the context in which early sex arises. However, such studies are scant in China due to sparse data and cultural issues. Method: This study used the GEAS baseline data conducted among1776 adolescents in Shanghai. Multi-group latent class analysis was used to explore adolescents' romantic and sexual experiences patterns and subgroups. Multi-nominal logistic regression was performed to identify the factors distinguishing different subgroups subsequently. Results: There were gender differences in the lifetime prevalence for very young adolescents' romantic and sexual-related behaviors. The Multi-group latent class analysis indicated that the participants could be classified into three classes: general group, early romance group, and sex exploratory group. Multi-nominal logistic regression showed youth in the early romance group were more likely to had friends of both gender, ever had a romantic relationship, and had more autonomy in deciding where to go than the general group; while male respondents in the sex exploratory group were older, ever had a romantic relationship, believed that boys should be more sexually active and more proactive than girls, had more autonomy on deciding where to go, and perceived less school connection and neighborhood cohesion. Female respondents in the sex exploratory group were older and less empowered in decision-making than the general group. Conclusions: The result provides a picture of romantic and sexual behavior patterns among both gender of very young adolescents in China. Current sex education needs not only to be culturally appropriate but also to address the harm of gender inequality and stereotypes, as well as to provide accessible and supportive services to help young adolescents personalize their received information and strengthen their skills in communication, decision making, and critical thinking. Plain language summary: Studies on teenagers' romantic and sexual experiences would help to prevent early sex arises before it really takes place. However, such studies are limited, especially in China. The traditional culture thought that youth should not start romance before college. This study used the Global Early Adolescent Study Shanghai site baseline data collected among1776 teenagers to explore their romantic and sexual experiences patterns and identify the influencing factors. There were significant gender differences in teenagers' romantic and sexual-related behaviors. According to the multi-group latent class analysis, we classified the teenagers into three classes: the general group, the early romance group, and the sex exploratory group. The multi-nominal logistic regression showed youth in the early romance group were more likely to had friends of both boys and girls, ever had boyfriend/girlfriend and were freer to go out than the general group; while boys in the sex exploratorygroup were older, ever had a boyfriend/girlfriend, believed it was normal for boys to be sexually active than girls, had more freedom to go out, and had less perception of care from school adults and neighborhood. Girls in the sex exploratory group were older and less likely to make decisions on their own. Given the result we found, we call for health researchers and educators to conduct sex education programs promoting more equal gender norms and provide services to help young adolescents get right information and strengthen their skills in communication, decision making and critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, intimate partner violence (IPV) among men who have sex with men remains poorly investigated. Informed by the ecological model, this study explored multilevel factors associated with perpetration of IPV among men who have sex with men. The participants were recruited from 15 cities in mainland China. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that the prevalence of committing physical, sexual, monitoring, controlling and emotional IPV was 8.6%, 7.1%, 15.2%, 7.6% and 17.1%, respectively. Committing physical IPV showed a positive association with perceived public discrimination and self-stigma towards homosexuality. Committing sexual IPV showed a positive association with involvement with a homosexual support agency and more sex partners. Monitoring IPV was positively associated with higher education and perceived stress, but negatively associated with instrumental and emotional support. Committing controlling IPV showed a positive association with drug use during sex and self-stigma but a negative association with self-esteem, self-efficacy and older age at first homosexual sex. Committing emotional IPV showed a positive association with commercial sex behaviour and perceived stress, but a negative association with resilience. Committing IPV was prevalent in this population. It is necessary to distinguish the various types of IPV in future studies, given their differences in associated factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates older people's preferences for social care in rural and urban China. The data come from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) which collected information from a nationally representative sample of 10,682 Chinese older people aged 60 and over in 2014. Guided by the ecological model of aging, multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors associated with preferred care arrangements. We found that older people in urban China are more likely than those in rural China to accept care home services or prefer government-provided care. Educational qualifications and the number of surviving children strongly and consistently predict older people's preferences for formal care in both rural and urban China. Proximity to care home facilities and higher income are associated with an increase in the willingness to live in a care home in urban China, but they are not significant predictors of preferences for formal care in rural China. We argue that a one-size-fits-all social care policy may not be well-received in the Chinese older population. The government may want to consider social care policies where support is tailored to suit older people's varied preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With China's rapid economic development, the carbon emission has become a serious issue and the evaluation of carbon emission efficiency has drawn the attention of academia. Although the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method is widely used in determining carbon emission efficiency, there are many limitations in the traditional DEA mathematical models including the original elements information loss due to the change of the proportion of the elements, too narrow efficiency boundaries, and the existence of undesirable outputs. As a result, a novel super epsilon-based measures (SEBM) carbon emission efficiency evaluation model is expected to overcome the limitations in the traditional carbon emission efficiency determination models, based on which the carbon emission efficiency of China is analyzed from time and spatial dimensions respectively. Finally, contrastive empirical analysis results of SEBM model and other classical DEA models indicate that the former has remarkable superiority over the other models. Based on the experimental results, it is found that China's carbon emission efficiency is inversely proportional to the level of economic development, and carbon emission efficiency values in China have generally increased, which highlights the significance of energy-saving emission reduction policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-related ecosystem services is a hot topic in ecological research. Water supply services are crucial to regional water cycles and water quantity balance. The Dongjiang Lake basin is a national priority river basin in China where ecological compensation pilot programs concerning water resources and water supply services are top priorities for ecosystem service protection. We analyzed spatial and temporal patterns associated with generation and use of water supply services in the Dongjiang Lake basin using the InVEST model, socio-economic data and water resource data. We found that between 1995 and 2010, water yield in the Dongjiang Lake basin and its beneficiary areas increased before declining, varying 9350-12 400 m3 ha-1 y-1; average water yield peaked in 2000. The spatial distribution patterns of water yield during these years are similar, progressively decreasing from upstream to downstream with a remarkable reduction in surrounding areas of city clusters. Average water consumption of the basin and its beneficiary areas ranged from 2900-4450 m3 ha-1 y-1 between 1995 and 2010; the spatial distribution patterns of water consumption during these years are similar, dropping gradually from urban construction land to its surroundings with a stronger gradient between urban and rural areas. More water was consumed on both banks and surroundings of the lake. From 1995 to 2010, water supply fell short of demand for urban construction land and its proximity as well as areas along the lake. Water supply services were able to satisfy needs in other regions. The Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan city cluster suffers from the most strained water supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 12 May 2008, a huge earthquake struck Wenchuan county in Sichuan province, China. Since that time, we have worked together with the local community, implementing an alternative model of community reconstruction. Our ‘rural–urban alliance’ is an action research project devoted to post-disaster community rebuilding, which not only restores local livelihoods but also creates sustainable economic development. This article examines the role of social workers in disaster intervention, the theoretical background of our new model and the history of the intervention itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As human society has entered the century of the city, studies of urban ecosystems have shown a booming increase since the beginning of the 21st century. Urban ecology aims to fully understand the problems and find the solutions to sustainability challenges of an increasingly urbanized planet. As typical representatives of developed and developing nations, the U.S. and China are experiencing different urbanization processes. Yet the development of scientific investigations in the field of urban ecology in the two countries seems to have reached the same goal by different means. We compare the development of urban ecology in the U.S. and China in terms of related disciplines, main research fields, and hot topics. In general, American urban ecology connects tightly to a basic ecology research paradigm and trans-disciplinary study, while Chinese urban ecology emphasizes practical problem-solving but lacks sufficient theoretical and technical support. In the end, four key differences between American cities and Chinese cities are discussed, including urbanization stage, urban boundary and population, urban form and landscape, and urban metabolism and management. These differences present both challenges and opportunities for collaboration in urban ecological studies between U.S. and China. The collaboration between urban ecologists of the U.S. and China will contribute not only to the two countries' cities but also to cities from both developed and developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Robust malaria vector surveillance is essential for optimally selecting and targeting vector control measures. Sixty-two vector surveillance sites were established between 2005 and 2008 by the national malaria surveillance program in China to measure Anopheles sinensis human biting rates. Using these data to determine the primary ecological drivers of malaria vector human biting rates in malaria epidemic-prone regions of China will allow better targeting of vector control resources in space and time as the country aims to eliminate malaria. Methods: We analyzed data from 62 malaria surveillance sentinel sites from 2005 to 2008. Linear mixed effects models were used to identify the primary ecological drivers for Anopheles sinensis human biting rates as well as to explore the spatial-temporal variation of relevant factors at surveillance sites throughout China. Results: Minimum semimonthly temperature (β = 2.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.07- 3.92), enhanced vegetation index (β =1.07; 95% CI 0.11–2.03), and paddy index (the percentage of rice paddy field in the total cultivated land area of each site) (β = 0.86; 95% CI 0.17–1.56) were associated with greater An. Sinensis human biting rates, while increasing distance to the nearest river was associated with lower An. Sinensis human biting rates (β = −1.47; 95% CI −2.88, −0.06). The temporal variation () in biting rates was much larger than the spatial variation (), with 19.3% of temporal variation attributable to differences in minimum temperature and enhanced vegetation index and 16.9% of spatial variance due to distance to the nearest river and the paddy index. Discussion: Substantial spatial-temporal variation in An. Sinensis human biting rates exists in malaria epidemic-prone regions of China, with minimum temperature and enhanced vegetation index accounting for the greatest proportion of temporal variation and distance to nearest river and paddy index accounting for the greatest proportion of spatial variation amongst observed ecological drivers. Conclusions: Targeted vector control measures based on these findings can support the ongoing malaria elimination efforts in China more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]