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Archives, ancient books, and documents kept in museums and libraries are the carriers of historic and cultural information left by our ancestors. However, these paper cultural relics can show notorious signs of degradation, e.g., fungal development. Due to the organic components of paper objects, they suffer from fungal biodeterioration. The excreted substances of fungi and the fungi's structures themselves are often colored and interfere with the readability of the artifacts, diminishing their artistic and monetary values. In this study, we collected and separated the moldy archives collected in the Archives of Shaanxi Province (China) and obtained the identification results of eight kinds of molds. Clotrimazole (CTZ) and quaternary ammonium salt chitosan (HACC) were combined to prepare a microemulsion. Synergies of CTZ and HACC could enhance the antifungal effect and reduce the required concentration of a single drug. The composite emulsion could effectively improve the retention of drugs on the surface of paper cultural relics, improve the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, and provide a data basis for the anti-mold preservation of paper cultural relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet industry, the publicity effect of paperbark walnuts has been substantially increased, and the consumption and demand of paperbark walnuts have been rising, and the output of paperbark walnuts in China has also increased year by year. This paper takes the panel data of the top three prefecture-level cities in each GDP ranking of five provinces in northwest China from 2012 to 2021 as the sample and combines the DEA model with Malmquist to evaluate and analyze the logistics efficiency of paper walnuts in northwest China. It is found that the overall logistics efficiency of paperback walnuts in Northwest China has been improved in recent years, but there are still areas that need to be improved, such as the factor distribution is not reasonable enough; the logistics efficiency of paperback walnuts in Northwest China from 2012 to 2021 is in a fluctuating state; the logistics efficiency of paperback walnuts in Shaanxi Province is better than the other provinces and is in the leading position; the improvement of technological progress has a key role in the total factor productivity improvement. As a result, this paper puts forward five specific suggestions based on the research results to help accelerate the improvement of paper walnut logistics efficiency in Northwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of the insufficient driving force and low adoption rate of conservation tillage adoption and to enhance the effect of industrial organization in influencing technology diffusion, this paper explored the relationship and the mechanism of perceived organizational support and inter-temporal choice in the adoption of conservation tillage by using micro-research data from 725 melon farmers in the Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces in China and by applying the experimental economics method to obtain the inter-temporal choices of the farmers. This paper also analyzed farmers' risk preferences' moderating effect on the relationship between inter-temporal choice and conservation tillage. Additionally, it examined the impact of perceived organizational support on the differentiation of different conservation tillage technologies. The study found that perceived organizational support significantly contributes to adopting zero tillage and minimum tillage, and water-saving irrigation. Perceived organizational support was not conducive to farmers' adoption of furrow and ridge tillage. The impact of perceived organizational support on technology adoption is heterogeneous, depending on the differences in the size of the family's cultivated land. The inter-temporal choice of farmers significantly impedes the adoption of conservation tillage. The increase in risk preference helps alleviate the hindering effect of inter-temporal choice on farmers' adoption of conservation tillage. Perceived organizational support can promote the adoption of conservation tillage by reducing farmers' inter-temporal choices. Inter-temporal choice is an essential mechanism by which perceived organizational support affects the adoption of conservation tillage. Compared with the existing studies, this paper incorporates the technology-attribute-induced inter-temporal choice of farmers into the impact analysis framework and considers the relationship between perceived organizational support, inter-temporal choice, and the adoption of conservation tillage and the mechanism of its action. The findings of the study provide a theoretical basis for the enrichment of incentive mechanisms for the adoption of conservation tillage, which is of great significance for the improvement of the tool for the integration of small farmers in developing countries into the industrial activities of the new agricultural business central bodies and for promoting the diffusion of conservation tillage in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to provide a scientific basis for the development of county-level agricultural industries through a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental and economic benefits of agricultural products. Focusing on Hancheng City in Shaanxi Province, this paper calculates and analyzes the carbon emission intensity per unit output value and the economic benefits of major agricultural products, assessing their comprehensive advantage indices. The research methods include data collection, data processing, and model construction, utilizing a bi-factor matrix analysis to explore the balance between environmental sustainability and economic profitability of different agricultural products. The results indicate that pepper and vegetables have the highest comprehensive advantages, demonstrating significant economic and environmental benefits, while soybeans show lower comprehensive advantages, requiring improvements in cultivation techniques and management practices. Based on the research findings, this paper proposes policy and management recommendations for different agricultural products, including focusing on the development of high-comprehensive-advantage products, improving cultivation techniques for low-comprehensive-advantage products, promoting green agricultural technologies, establishing a carbon footprint monitoring system for agricultural products, and strengthening agricultural infrastructure construction. The study's conclusions provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the agricultural development strategies of Hancheng City and similar regions, contributing to the achievement of sustainable agricultural development and carbon reduction goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green production is crucial in promoting sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring food safety, and protecting the rural ecological environment. Farmers, as the main decision makers of agricultural production, and their green production behaviors (GPBs), directly determine the process of agricultural green development. Based on the survey data of 656 apple growers in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in 2022, this paper uses a graded response model to measure the information acquisition ability (IAA) of farmers and constructs an ordered Logit model to empirically explore the influence mechanisms of IAA, green benefit cognition (GBC), and new technology learning attitude (NTLA) on farmers' GPBs. The results show the following: (1) IAA has a significantly positive impact on the adoption of GPBs by farmers, and farmers with a high IAA are more conscious to adopt green production technologies; (2) in the process of IAA affecting farmers' adoption of GPBs, GBC plays a positive mediating role; (3) NTLAs have a positive moderating effect on the process of GBC affecting farmers' GPB adoption; (4) there are generational, educational and regional differences in the impact of IAA on farmers' GPBs. Policy makers should improve rural information facilities, strengthen agricultural technology promotion and training, improve farmers' IAA and benefit awareness level, and formulate relevant policies to mobilize farmers' enthusiasm for learning new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-gates are crucial points of management and key congestion bottleneck for the freeway. In order to avoid traffic deterioration and alleviate traffic congestion in advance, it is necessary to predict and evaluate the congestion in toll-gates scattering in large-scale region of freeway network. In this paper, traffic volume and operational delay time are selected from various traffic indicators to evaluate congestion considering the particular characteristics of the traffic flow within the toll-gate area. The congestion prediction method is designed including two modules: a deep learning (DL) prediction and a fuzzy evaluation. We propose a modified deep learning method based on graph convolutional network (GCN) structure in the fusion of dilated causal mechanism and optimize the method for spatial feature extraction by constructing a new adjacency matrix. This new AI network could process spatiotemporal information of traffic volume and operational delay time, that extracted from large-scaled toll-gates spontaneously, and predict key indicators in 15/30/60 min future time. The evaluation module is proposed based on these predicted results. Then, fuzzy C-means algorithm (FCM) is further modified by determining coupling weight for these two key indicators to detect congestion state. Original traffic data are obtained from the current 186 toll-gates served on the freeway network in Shaanxi Province, China. Experimental tests are carried out based on historical data of four months after preprogressing. The comparative tests show the proposed CPT-DF (congestion prediction on toll-gates using deep learning and fuzzy evaluation) outperforms the current-used other models by 6-15%. The successful prediction could extend to the real-time prediction and early warning of traffic congestion in the toll system to improve the intelligent level of traffic emergency management and guidance on the key road of disasters to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability assessment of loess slopes is of great significance for slope reinforcement and safety assessment. This research studies the main factors affecting the stability of the loess slope through the summary and analyzes the failure cases of the loess slope in Shaanxi Province. The importance of influencing factors was studied through numerical simulation method, sensitivity analysis method, and gray correlation analysis method, and the weight value method was given. On this basis, we have developed the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model method for assessing the stability of loess slopes based on the principle of maximum membership degree. Finally, the method was applied to the stability analysis of the actual loess slope, and the rationality and correctness of the loess slope stability evaluation method proposed in this paper were demonstrated. The results showed that, for the Shaanxi loess slope, the probability of instability of the positive slopes is far greater than that of negative slopes; the greater the slope gradient, the more unstable the loess slopes. Collapse mainly occurs in the range of 10–40 m slope height. There is a significant positive correlation between rainfall and the probability of loess landslides. The degree of correlation between the factors influencing slope stability and the safety factor can be categorized from strong to weak as follows: slope inclination > internal friction angle > height of the slope > gravitational forces > cohesion > Poisson's ratio > modulus of elasticity, and the influence of Poisson's ratio and elastic modulus can be ignored. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method based on the gray correlation degree method established in this paper was used to evaluate the stability of the loess slopes. The evaluation results attested to the actual data of slope monitoring. The evaluation method proves reasonable and feasible and can be well applied to the stability analysis of the loess slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the gradual improvement in coal mining efficiency, the disturbance of groundwater systems caused by high-intensity mining also increases, leading to challenges in maintaining mine safety and protecting water resources in mining areas. How to accurately describe the dynamic changes in the groundwater system under mining and quantitatively predict mine water inflow are currently major problems to be addressed. Based on a full analysis of the response characteristics of a groundwater system to the extraction disturbance, this paper presents a new method to establish a mine hydrogeological conceptual model that can accurately represent the water inrush process. The unstructured-grid package of MODFLOW is used to accurately characterize the formation structure and finally make accurate water inflow predictions. Taking the Caojiatan coal mine in Shaanxi Province, China, as an example, a numerical model of unstructured water inflow is established, and the changes in the water inflow source and intensity are quantitatively evaluated. Compared with the traditional water inflow prediction method, the prediction accuracy of the new model is improved by 12–17%, which is achieved by detailing the response of the complex groundwater system under high-intensity mining conditions. The method presented in this paper has great significance and applicatory value for obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the disturbance characteristics of human underground engineering activities (e.g., coal mining) on groundwater systems, as well as accurately predicting water inflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the characteristics of the carbon emission of an industrial wastewater treatment plant (IWWTP) and a domestic WWTP (DWWTP) located in a high-tech industrial park of Shaanxi Province, China. The results showed that the total carbon emissions of the IWWTP and DWWTP were 10.13 kg/t and 1.84 kg/t in 2020, respectively. Indirect carbon emissions play a dominant role in the total carbon emission of the IWWTP, which accounts for about 97.6% of the total amount. The direct carbon emissions of greenhouse gases (e.g., CH4, N2O) account for about 62% of the total carbon emissions in the DWWTP, followed by the indirect carbon emissions generated by electricity consumption (31.06%) and chemical consumption (6.94%). Additionally, the centralized recycling and re-utilization of the wastewater could achieve 1.06 kg/t and 1.16 kg/t of carbon emission reduction in the IWWTP and DWWTP, respectively, while the carbon emissions of the DWWTP are inversely proportional to the treatment capacity. Therefore, it is of great value to collect and utilize intensively the recycled water to achieve the goal of regional carbon emission reduction and carbon neutralization of WWTPs in industrial parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's coal industry has long faced challenges due to imbalance between supply and demand divisions and the discrepancies between supply and demand prices. Research on optimizing coal transfer amid fluctuating coal prices is crucial for enhancing coal resource allocation, ensuring a balanced and stable supply of coal resources, and promoting the sustainable development of the coal industry. This paper focuses on optimizing coal transfer schemes within a comprehensive transportation system, considering fixed transportation routes and opening times of railroad transportation and waterway transportation, with road transportation serving as a supplementary network. A three-dimensional spatio-temporal network model is established to represent the spatial and temporal paths and transportation modes of coal logistics. The study uses the coal transportation network from Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi to East China as a case study, analyzing factors such as coal price fluctuation, transportation rates, and the ratio of self-produced to purchased coal at the production end via sensitivity analysis. The findings indicate that the proposed model can effectively guide transportation practices under the integrated production, transportation, and sales framework in the energy industry. Additionally, it shows that enterprises can achieve higher profits and maintain revenue and supply stability despite coal price fluctuations, aligning with the coal industry's transformation and development in the current context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging the use of conservation tillage technology is a highly effective approach to safeguarding soil health, improving the environment, and promoting sustainable agricultural development. With the mounting concerns surrounding climate change, developing conservation tillage methods that facilitate sustainable agricultural growth has become an imperative both in China and around the world. While it is widely recognized that adapting to climate change is crucial in agriculture, there is limited research on evaluating the risks, discovering resilience, measuring farmers' perceptions on climate change, and exploring how tillage technology can be adjusted in the context of small-scale farming in China to foster sustainable development. Using research data from smallholder farmers in the Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces of China, this paper aims to explore the impact of climate change perceptions on farmers' adoption of conservation tillage technologies based on an ordered Probit model. We found that farmers tend to refrain from embracing conservation tillage technology due to the presence of unclear and conflicting perceptions regarding climate change. Focus on short-term profitability and inadequate preparation hinder them from prioritizing adaptation. We recognized several measures that could help farmers adapt and thrive within the agricultural sector. Furthermore, we have validated the need for self-system moderation in promoting farmers' adoption of conservation tillage technology. By utilizing such tools and resources, farmers can comprehend the gravity of climate change's impact on agricultural productivity and, more importantly, channel their efforts towards fortifying resilience to extreme weather conditions and long-term climate risks, thus fortifying agricultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of e-commerce participation on household development resilience using a sample of 1229 households in the Shandong and Shaanxi provinces of China in 2022. It constructs the developmental resilience index of farm households from three dimensions of economy, society and culture using the entropy method, and establishes a counterfactual framework using the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method. The results suggest that participation in e-commerce has a significant and positive impact on farming household development resilience. The PSM method estimates that participation in e-commerce increases the developmental resilience of farming households by 9.63% compared to non-participation, with economic, social, and cultural resilience increasing by 9.29%, 9.84%, and 9.92%, respectively. The robustness test results confirm the findings. Further analysis reveals that participation in e-commerce enhances farm household development resilience through three mechanisms: improving economic efficiency, network relationship linkage, and risk appetite. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of e-commerce participation on household development resilience varies among farmers with different endowment constraints. In particular, farmers with more years of education and cooperative members benefit more from e-commerce participation, especially live and platform e-commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea is a non-alcoholic beverage popular among Chinese people. However, due to the application of chemical and organic fertilizers in the tea planting process, the environment pollutionaround the tea plantation, and the instruments used in the processing, heavy metal elements will accumulate in the tea, which brings health risks for tea consumers. This study summarized heavy metal concentrations from 227 published papers and investigated the current contamination status of tea and tea plantation soils, and, finally, the risk of heavy metal exposure to tea consumers in China is assessed, in terms of both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk. The average contamination of six heavy metals in tea—arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb)—were 0.21, 0.14, 1.17, 14.6, 0.04, and 1.09 mg/kg, respectively. The areas with high concentrations of heavy metals in tea were concentrated primarily in southwest China, some areas in eastern China, and Shaanxi Province in northwest China. The non-carcinogenic risks of heavy metals in tea are all within safe limits. The national average HI value was 0.04, with the highest HI value of 0.18 in Tibet, which has the largest tea consumption in China. However, the carcinogenic risks of Cd in Shaanxi Province, Anhui Province, and southwest China exceed the acceptable range, and due attention should be given to these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of credit rationing for farmers that shackles the transformation and upgrading of the agricultural industry and to improve the effect of agricultural industry chains in helping farmers, this paper empirically examines the effect of joining agricultural industry chains on supply-based and demand-based credit rationing for farmers, using the probit and tobit models based on the microscopic research data of 991 farmers in Shaanxi Province, China, and explores its specific effect mechanism. The study finds that agricultural industry chains can increase farmers' credit by reducing the information asymmetry between farmers and banks, reducing agricultural business risks, and forming effective collateral and guarantee mechanisms, and that they have significant mitigating effects on farmers' supply-based quantity rationing and demand-based price rationing, risk rationing and transaction cost rationing. Credit enhancement mechanisms such as information systems, commercial credit, orders, guarantees, production services and government support in agricultural industry chains have significant effects on alleviating farmers' credit rationing, while insurance has limited effects on alleviating farmers' credit rationing. There are differences in the effects of agricultural industry chains on alleviating various types of credit rationing of heterogeneous farmers in terms of scale, and the effects of joining agricultural industry chains on alleviating supply-based and demand-based credit rationing of large-scale farmers are more obvious than those of small farmers. Compared with the existing studies, this paper incorporates the credit rationing produced from farmers' own reasons into the analysis framework, and introduces credit-enhancing variables of agricultural industry chains to test their specific mechanisms on farmers' credit rationing. The findings of this study can provide a theoretical basis for promoting the innovation of financial models of agricultural industry chains, which is of great practical significance for improving the system of agricultural industry chains in developing countries, strengthening the role of industrial chains in absorbing small farmers, and promoting the modernization of agricultural industries with financial assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional historical buildings carry the culture and spirit of China for thousands of years and have a unique charm that modern buildings do not have. However, traditional historical buildings have gradually declined over time, and their restoration not only takes time and materials but also causes certain harm to the environment. Therefore, this paper has aimed to explore how traditional historical buildings can develop in a sustainable and ecologically adaptive image in modern times. For traditional historical buildings, this paper has taken traditional cave dwellings in northern Shaanxi as an example to analyze their ecological adaptability, and based on the analysis results, traditional cave dwellings have been transformed. Specifically, this paper has taken the comfort of residential houses as the evaluation standard and has selected the thermal stability of the building and the energy consumption of heat supply as indicators to compare and analyze the traditional cave dwellings and the renovated cave dwellings. The experimental results of this paper have found that the traditional historical buildings are the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancients for thousands of years. However, due to the limitation of technology, the lighting and thermal stability of traditional cave dwellings are not high. After scientific design, the lighting and thermal stability of the transformed cave are 100% and 30% higher than those of the traditional cave, respectively, and the heating energy consumption is reduced by 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of institutional pressure (IP), top management support (TMS), green supply chain management practices (GSCM), and supply chain competitive advantage (SCCA) on corporate environmental performance (EP). We also analyze the mediation effect of GSCM on the interplay between TMS and EP. Additionally, the paper also provides an analysis of the moderating role of SCCA between IP and EP. To attain the objective of this research, we assembled data from 710 business entities within the Shaanxi province of China utilizing a survey design approach. The structural equation model (SEM) was applied to test and assess the hypothetical outline. The study outcomes empirically show that TMS, GSCM, and SCCA positively and significantly impact EP. Interestingly, our study found an insignificant association between IP and EP. The study's results also demonstrate that IP directly relates to top management support. Moreover, the study's empirical findings reveal that GSCM positively mediates IP and EP. The study findings show that SCCA shapes IP and EP's connection. Accordingly, the practical implications of our study's findings suggest that business managers, investors, and government agencies must know the importance of adopting sustainable practices within the supply chain. Business managers must take action to integrate environmental criteria into supplier selection, evaluate suppliers' EP, and collaborate with eco‐friendly suppliers. Hence, government agencies, stakeholders, and business managers can use this information to shape regulations and policies that encourage businesses to adopt sustainable supply chain practices. Offering incentives such as tax benefits or grants for sustainability initiatives can also promote adoption. The study recommends that a business culture that targets improving EP due to IP and top management support is essential in achieving GSCM practices, thereby promising competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall erosivity, which signifies the inherent susceptibility of soil erosion induced by precipitation, plays a fundamental role in formulating a comprehensive soil loss equation (RUSLE). It stands as a crucial determinant among the foundational factors considered in a comprehensive soil loss equation's establishment. Nonetheless, the prediction and quantification of future alterations in rainfall erosivity under the influence of global warming have been relatively limited. In this study, climate change was widely evaluated and 10 preferred global climate models in the Loess Plateau were selected by using the data sets of 27 models simulating climate change and the CN05.1 data set provided by the latest CMIP6. The monthly precipitation forecast data were obtained by using the delta downscaling method. Combined with trend analysis, significance test, and coefficient of variation, the annual rainfall erosivity during 1961–2100 under four SSP scenarios was analyzed and predicted. Among the 27 GCM models used in this paper, the most suitable climate models for simulating monthly precipitation in the Loess Plateau were CMCC-CM2-SR5, CMCC-ESM2, TaiESM1, EC-Earth3, EC-Earth-Veg-LR, INM-CM4-8, CAS-ESM2-0, EC-Earth-Veg, ACCESS-ESM1-5, and IPSL-CM6A-LR. In comparison to the base period (1961–1990), during the historical period (1961–2014), the average annual rainfall erosivity on the Loess Plateau amounted to 1259.64 MJ·mm·hm−2·h−1·a−1, showing an insignificant downward trend. In the northwest of Ningxia, Yulin City and Yanan City showed a significant upward trend. In the future period (2015–2100), the annual rainfall erosivity continues to constantly change and increase. The potential average increase in rainfall erosivity is about 13.48–25.86%. In terms of spatial distribution, most areas showed an increasing trend. Among these regions, the majority of encompassed areas within Shanxi Province, central Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia increased greatly, which was not conducive to soil and water conservation and ecological environment construction. This study offers a scientific reference for the projected future erosivity characteristics of the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southwest China is one of the three largest continuous karst clusters in the world; therefore, studies on karst rocky desertification in this area are very important. For more than 20 years' control, the decreasing area and risk of karst rocky desertification has contributed to the continuous ecological improvement. Nowadays, studies on rocky desertification mainly focus on the eight provinces in Southwest China, which have been designated as rocky desertification monitoring areas by the Chinese government. After the first phase of the comprehensive control project for karst rocky desertification in 2016, the expansion trend of rocky desertification in the southwest region was effectively curbed. Subsequent articles published tend to focus on analyzing the current situation, comprehensive management, or species adaptability of rocky desertification monitoring areas. However, the Qinba region in Shaanxi Province is located outside the monitoring area. In the process of studying the karst geological relics of the Zhenba Sanyuan Tiankeng Group, signs of rocky desertification have been found, but there still exists a research gap in the investigation and research on karst rocky desertification in this area which is one of the areas with the richest biodiversity in China, known as "ecological lung", "central water tower" and "biological gene bank". Unfortunately, this area is burdened with poverty, so the investigation and study of karst rocky desertification in the Qinba region of Shaanxi Province is of great significance to ensure green and high-quality development and ecological civilization construction. In this paper, by analyzing the current situation of karst rocky desertification in Southwest China, we summarized its harm to the ecological environment and social economy, clarify natural and human factors resulting in rocky desertification, and integrate the typical treatment experience in Southwest China. We also introduce three technical methods, including remote sensing interpretation, UAV remote sensing survey and analysis of carbonate dissolution rate, to provide a scientific basis for studies on karst rocky desertification in the Qinba region of Shaanxi Province. Study results show that the area of karst rocky desertification in the Qinba region covers 63.37 km², and the areas of severe, moderate and mild rocky desertification cover 17.97 km², 21.60 km² and 23.80 km², respectively. Based on the survey results, there are both regional differences and some similarities in distribution patterns in the areas of rocky desertification development. Specifically, the degree of rocky desertification in the limestone area is more severe than that in the dolomite area. It is also more severe in the area with developed water system than that in the arid and semi-arid area, and the more active the new structure is, the more severe the rocky desertification is. Compared to the Southwest China, the degree of karst rocky desertification in the Qinba region of Shaanxi Province is relatively light, with a smaller distribution area, mainly due to the less rainfall in the study area. The karst rocky desertification in Beiyang mountain of Zhen'an county is the most severe, with an area of 7.28 km². In the 1960s, a large-scale free-range of livestock severely damaged vegetation. The indiscriminate deforestation by humans further exacerbated the process of rocky desertification. The rocky desertification in Hailuogong village of Shanyang county is also severe, covering an area of 5.83 km², because the landform in this area is a typical peak-cluster depression, which is likely developed into rocky desertification. The contradiction between people and land needs to be solved urgently. In conclusion, more monitoring and research efforts are needed in Beiyang mountain and Hailuogong where the rocky desertification is severe. Firstly, we should clarify the causes of rocky desertification in the Qinba region and compare them with the causes in Southwest China to determine whether the rocky desertification is mainly resulted from natural factors or human factors. Secondly, we should know how to clarify the causes of karst rocky desertification in the Qinba region; for example, we can dynamically monitor the change of rock desertification by field verification, remote sensing interpretation, climate change analysis, etc. We can also calculate the contribution rate of each influence factor by geographical detector model. Thirdly, we should further study influence factors of karst dissolution rate. We can monitor physical and chemical properties of soil (soil moisture, carbon dioxide concentration, pH, organic matter content and porosity) in areas with moderate to severe rocky desertification, and analyze the relationship between dissolution rate and physical and chemical properties of soil in rocky desertification areas. Finally, in order to provide basic data for carbon neutrality research in Shaanxi, we should conduct studies on the carbon sink of rocky desertification areas in the Qinba region, with the methods such as dissolution test pieces and hydrochemical runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the cold regions of China, the existing rural houses are widely distributed and in large numbers. There are widespread problems such as low thermal performance of building envelopes, high building energy consumption, and poor indoor thermal environments. Reducing the energy consumption of building heating by reforming the envelope structure can reduce the environmental pollution caused by heating. In this paper, the existing rural houses in Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province are taken as the research object, and EnergyPlus software is used to calculate building heating energy consumption, and the schemes are compared and selected via the entropy value method. Based on a comprehensive benefit evaluation, the best scheme for the renovation of building envelopes of rural houses in Tongchuan City is put forward. The research results show that the energy saving rate of buildings can reach more than 50% after renovation. In the evaluation of energy saving, incremental cost, return on investment, carbon emission reduction and unguaranteed hours, the weights are 0.1915, 0.2104, 0.2312, 1755, and 0.187, respectively. The best renovation scheme for rural housing is as follows: the thickness of the XPS board is 90 mm for exterior wall insulation; the thickness of the XPS board is 80 mm for roof insulation; the window-to-wall ratio of additional sunspace is 0.6; and the type of exterior windows is a broken-bridge hollow aluminum window of 6 + 12A + 6 (mm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new concept for systematically evaluating ecosystem services, Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) provides an effective means to comprehensively reveal the overall status of the ecosystem, the impact of economic activities on the ecological environment, and the effectiveness of ecological protection efforts. GEP accounting has been conducted in various regions; however, GEP's application in natural reserves still requires further exploration. Taking the Qinling Mountains as the research area, this paper aims to assess the relationship between GEP and economic development on the basis of the GEP accounting system. The results indicated that: (1) From 2010 to 2020, GEP tended to increase continuously and exhibited a distribution pattern with high value regions in the east and west, and low value regions in the north and south. (2) Over the years, the coupling coordination degree between GEP and GDP was in a consistent upward trend. In 2020, a good coupling coordination state between GEP and GDP was achieved in most districts and counties. (3) With the relative development between GEP and GDP, the social economy of most districts and counties lagged behind GEP in 2010. The number of districts and counties lagging in GEP in 2020 increased, while the number of regions with a balanced development of GEP and GDP was still relatively discouraging. (4) In general, elevation, contagion, temperature, population density, and precipitation were the main drivers of coupling coordination degree between GEP and GDP. If the relationship between economic development and ecological environmental protection can be reasonably balanced, it will further promote the sustainable development of nature reserves, and provide a scientific basis for sustainable policy-making in other similar areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An anti-slide pile is a common landslide control measure. Compared with the full-length pile whose top extends to the ground, the buried pile is more optimal in internal force distribution, saves material and has remarkable economic benefits. At present, there is a lack of in-depth theoretical analysis on the pile length of the load section of double-row buried piles. In order to establish the design calculation method of pile length in the load section of double row buried piles, this paper is based on the failure mode of overtopping. The design equation of load section pile length is obtained by using the transfer coefficient and limit equilibrium method. Taking a landslide in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, China, as an example, the reliability and economics of double-row buried piles are verified by comparing the treatment effects of single-row, double-row and double-row buried piles, and the engineering design is completed. The results show that the landslide control project using the design calculation method can meet the requirements of slope stability and at the same time save a quarter of the material compared with the double row of full-length piles. The engineering example proves the rationality and practicability of the design method and provides engineering reference value for the use of the double-row buried anti-slide pile structure in large-scale landslide treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the ecological effects of the Sloping land conversion program (SLCP) has great significance for afforestation optimization policies based on cost-effectiveness. This paper uses the panel fixed effect model and the panel threshold model to study the ecological effects of fiscal investments in the SLCP at the county level in Shaanxi Province of China. The regional ecological performance indicated by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) has improved after the implementation of the SLCP, but the vegetation suffers degradation risks due to the cessation of subsidies. The results demonstrate strong support for a time lag effect, an effect of diminishing marginal returns, and a threshold effect whereas a significant but negative direct effect of SLCP's fiscal investments on the vegetation. Specifically, it takes approximately four years after fiscal investments for the NDVI to realize the greatest investment performance. The marginal contribution of fiscal investments to ecological performance reveals an increasing trend initially, followed by a decreasing trend. In addition, the ecological effects of fiscal investments in the SLCP are moderated negatively by ecological endowments. The results indicate that fiscal investments in the SLCP should consider its cost-effectiveness in policy design and improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the effects of natural and human disturbance factors on fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) is significant in the promotion of ecological and environmental protection. However, most of the relevant studies neglect to consider differences in the effect of driving factors on areas with different vegetation change characteristics. In this paper, we have combined Theil-Sen median trend analysis and Mann-Kendall testing to identify degraded and restored areas. Differences in the impact of various factors on FVC in terms of degradation, restoration, and the whole region were distinguished quantitatively using the geodetector model. Additionally, the constraint line approach was used to detect the influence thresholds of factors on FVC. The results are shown as below: (1) FVC showed an overall improving trend, and vegetation restoration and degradation areas accounted for 69.2% and 22.0%, respectively. (2) The two dominant factors affecting FVC were Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and temperature for both degraded and restored regions. However, the explanatory power of precipitation was noticeably different between regions. (3) Most natural factors had a "convex" constraint effect on FVC, which gradually weakened with an increase in the variable below the threshold and vice versa. Human disturbance factors negatively constrained FVC, and the constraint effect increased with increased human activity. This study can help decision-makers optimize specific implementation policies relating to ecological restoration and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major energy sources province in China, Shaanxi Province ranks top three in terms of raw coal production in China and undertakes the important task of ensuring national energy supply and security. Affected by the endowment of energy resources, fossil energy accounts for a large proportion of the energy consumption structure in Shaanxi Province, and it will face huge challenges under the severe carbon emission situation in future. In order to analyze the relationship between energy consumption structure, energy efficiency and carbon emissions, the paper introduces the concept of biodiversity into the energy industry. Taking Shaanxi Province as an example, the paper calculates the energy consumption structure diversity index and analyzes the impact of energy consumption structure diversity on energy efficiency and carbon emissions in Shaanxi Province. The results shows that the diversity index and equilibrium index of energy consumption structure in Shaanxi exhibits a slow upward trend in general. In most years, energy consumption structure diversity index in Shaanxi is higher than 0.8, and the equilibrium index is higher than 0.6. The carbon emissions of energy consumption in Shaanxi generally show increasing trend, and the carbon emissions have increased from 5,064.6 tons to 21899.67 tons from 2000 to 2020. The paper also shows that Shaanxi H index is negatively correlated with total factor energy utilization efficiency in Shaanxi, and positively correlated with carbon emissions in Shaanxi. The main reason is the internal substitution of fossil energy, and the proportion of primary electricity and other energy sources is still relatively low, which leads to a higher level of carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable livelihoods are those that are able to cope with and recover from stress and shocks, and that maintain or strengthen livelihood capacity and livelihood capital, without damaging the foundations of the natural environment. In this paper, the IPHACT framework was constructed by improving the classic IPAT equation, and the key factors affecting production output and livelihood sustainability, as well as the factor differences among different livelihood strategy groups, were analyzed. We took 24 counties and districts of Ankang, Shangluo and Hanzhong in the Qin-Ba Mountain area of southern Shaanxi Province as examples, using a survey of farmers' livelihood status and livelihood capital accounting. The results show that the amplification effect of population size on the environmental impact of livelihood output is widespread and generally significant. Both livelihood sustainability and livelihood benefit passed the significance test in the multi-model analysis, and the negative effect of livelihood sustainability proved the negative correlation between the environmental impact of livelihood output and livelihood sustainability, that is, the higher the livelihood output dependent on natural capital, the greater the environmental impact. The livelihood transformation of Hanzhong City is developing in the direction of reducing the environmental impact of livelihood output, and farmers have successfully practiced green livelihood transformation by changing their livelihood strategies. On the road to common prosperity, livelihood demand will inevitably increase. Reducing the dependence on natural capital is the key to effectively enhancing the sustainability of livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a product of the deep integration of digital technology and financial services, digital finance provides vital financial support for rural revitalization and increasing farmers' income. Based on the survey data of 1030 professional apple growers in the typical areas of Shaanxi Province, this paper empirically tested the impact of digital financial involvement on professional farmers' income, and its mechanism. The study found that digital finance significantly impacted the growth of professional farmer households' total incomes. However, this impact was not achieved by directly increasing property income and transfer incomes, but through two indirect ways: first, digital finance promoted productive agricultural investment, which further promoted the increase in agricultural income; secondly, digital finance further increased the income of self-operated industry and commerce by promoting the entrepreneurship of professional farmer households. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis showed that professional farmers with high education levels, large-scale farmland operations, and high levels of agricultural mechanization participate in digital finance, which plated a more significant role in promoting their total household income. From the perspective of different types of digital financial services, mobile payment and digital credit could promote increases in the income of professional farmers, but the income increase effect of digital wealth management has not yet been shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers' participation in public affairs is the combined effect of informal and formal institutions. In order to improve the current situation of low willingness of Chinese farmers to participate in living environment improvement, and to enhance the motivation of farmers and the effectiveness of living environment improvement, this paper incorporates the clan network in the informal institution and the perceivable authority of village chiefs in the formal institution into a unified analytical framework, divides the clan network into two dimensions (scale and strength) and explores the influence of the clan network and the perceivable authority of village chiefs on farmers' participation in rural living environment improvement. Finally, an empirical test is conducted using survey data from 683 farming households in the provinces of Henan, Shaanxi and Sichuan. The results show that the strength of the clan network and the perceivable authority of the village chiefs have a significant positive effect on the farmers' participation in rural living environment improvement, while the scale of the clan network does not have a significant effect on farmers' behavior. The perceivable authority of the village chief has a positive moderating effect between the clan network and farmers' participation in rural living environment improvement, while the heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive effect of the clan network on farmers' participation in the rural living environment is reduced for those who have worked outside, far away from the village. It is suggested that the protection of traditional clan relations should be emphasized, and the positive role of clan agents and their influence should be effectively utilized in promoting the improvement of the rural living environment at the grassroots level. Moreover, it is necessary to carry out timely training of professional knowledge and skills for grassroots leaders, propagandize and interpret policies, thus increasing the enthusiasm of farmers to participate in the improvement of the rural living environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The production mode of "high input, high yield and high waste" in the agricultural system poses a serious threat to the environment and the quality of agricultural products. Accelerating the adoption of green agricultural technology (GAT) by farmers is an emergency measure. However, according to microsurvey data, many farmers give up GAT within a year after adopting it. The implementation of this measure has been anticlimactic. Based on a survey of 1138 kiwi growers in Shaanxi Province, China, this paper builds a theoretical model and conducts empirical exercises to gain insight into the effects of perceived value, government support and their interaction with kiwi growers' sustainable application of GAT. We find that perceived value and government support have a significant impact on the sustainable application of GAT. Government support plays a moderating role in the influence of perceived value on the sustainable application of GAT. Furthermore, in order to overcome the potential endogeneity problem caused by the two-way causal relationship between subjective variables, "owning a smartphone" was selected as the instrumental variable. The 2SLS model was used for endogeneity analysis, and the OLS model was used for the robustness test. This paper discusses the relevant theories and policy implications of environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A combination of geographic information system (GIS) and spatial multicriteria decision making (MCDA) in mine water inrush risk evaluation is widely used, but the randomness in the process of index weight determination and the risk-coping attitude of decision makers are not considered in the decision making process. Therefore, this paper proposes a probability-based roof water inrush risk evaluation method (GIS-MCDA) by combining the Monte Carlo analytic hierarchy process (MAHP) and ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator. This method uses MAHP to determine the weight of the evaluation indicators, reducing the randomness of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the weight of the evaluation indicators using the OWA operator to quantify the five risk-coping attitudes of decision makers and incorporate the risk attitude of decision makers into the evaluation process. Taking the Liangshuijing Coal Mine in northern Shaanxi as an example, the application of the GIS-MCDA method showed that the method makes the risk results of roof water inrush more objective and comprehensive and reduces or avoids the risk of decision making due to human subjective tendency change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision wind power prediction could reference the optimal dispatch and stable operation of the power system. This paper proposes an adaptive hybrid optimization algorithm that integrates decomposition and reconstruction to effectively explore the potential characteristics and related factors of wind power output and improve the accuracy of short-term wind power prediction. First, the extreme-point symmetric mode decomposition is used to analyze the periodicity, trend, and abrupt characteristics in the original wind power sequence and form multiple intrinsic mode functions with local time-domain characteristics. Then, considering the similarity of the feature sequence and the efficiency of the prediction algorithm, the permutation entropy is used to reconstruct the components with close time-domain characteristics to form subsequences that could reflect different spectral characteristics. Then, the improved maximum relevance minimum redundancy-the long short-term memory-the adaptive boosting algorithm model is used to determine the prediction model structure, parameters, and optimal feature factors of the subsequences. Finally, the prediction results of each subsequence are integrated to obtain the final wind power. Taking a wind farm in northern Shaanxi as the application object, the prediction accuracy and efficiency of the methods proposed in this paper are compared in terms of the decomposition method, prediction model, and prediction timeliness. The results show that in the 15 min to 3 h forecast periods, compared with other models, the mean absolute error and root mean square error of the proposed model are increased. At the same time, as the forecast period grows, the superiority of the proposed method is more prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating the construction of transportation networks has become an important bridge to promote the urbanization of heritage tourism destinations. Based on the development dilemma of tourism towns in northwestern China, this study collected the panel data of 10 cities in Shaanxi Province from 2006 to 2019 and used a panel error correction model to investigate the long-term and short-term relationships between heritage tourism and new urbanization. In addition, this paper establishes a regression model of the transportation network's regulatory effect, revealing the extent of the impact of the transportation network on heritage tourism and new urbanization. The results show that (1) in the short term, the influence of heritage tourism on new urbanization is not remarkable, but in the long term, heritage tourism plays a positive role in facilitating new urbanization; (2) the short-term contribution elasticity of new urbanization to heritage tourism is less than that in the long term; (3) the regulatory effect of the transportation network rectifies the deviation caused by overdeveloped urbanization to moderate development in heritage tourism destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we update the knowledge on the species of Serica McLeay, 1819 (sensu lato) occurring in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi provinces, China. Three new species are described: Serica allonanhua Liu, Ahrens, Li & Su, sp. nov., S. breviantennalis Liu, Ahrens, Li & Su, sp. nov., and S. fengensis Liu, Ahrens, Li & Su, sp. nov. The key to the species groups and species is updated. The habitus and male genitalia of the new species are illustrated, and a map showing their distribution is provided. New distributional data are given for four species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the greening and low interference disposal requirements of coal gangue in high-yield and high-efficiency mines in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi, and by integrating the existing theories and technologies such as underground filling technology of coal gangue, mine yellow mud grouting technology, and the evolution law of mining overburden fractures, a technology of filling goaf with coal gangue slurry for green disposal of coal gangue is proposed. The principle and technical framework of the technology of filling goaf with coal gangue slurry are clarified. This paper expounds on the technological process of technology of filling goaf with coal gangue slurry, establishes three types of slurry filling systems, such as centralized ground layout, ground and underground coordinated layout, and centralized underground layout, and constructs three slurry filling methods, including low-level grouting, adjacent level grouting, and high-level grouting, forming seven kinds of technology models of filling goaf with coal gangue slurry, including ground centralized pulping + high-level grouting, ground centralized pulping + adjacent grouting, ground centralized pulping + low level grouting, ground and underground coordinated pulping + adjacent grouting, ground and underground coordinated pulping + low level grouting, underground centralized pulping + adjacent grouting, and underground centralized pulping + low level grouting, and gives the selection process of technology models of filling goaf with coal gangue slurry. Based on the different conditions and requirements of Haidaze Coal Mine and Huangling No. 2 Coal Mine, engineering tests were carried out on two different technology modes, namely, ground and underground coordinated pulping + low level grouting and ground and underground coordinated pulping + adjacent grouting, based on simulation tests of low level grouting and adjacent grouting. The tests prove the feasibility of filling goaf with coal gangue slurry and explore the way for the theoretical research of the technology of filling goaf with coal gangue slurry and greening and low interference disposal of coal gangue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously conducted studies have established that the early warning of water inrush is crucial for the prevention and control of mining water catastrophes in the panel. In order to ensure the safety of coal mining, in this paper, monitoring indicators were determined using the sensitivity analysis method, and then a multi-indicator early-warning model for water inrush was established mainly based on the geological data of the Yanghuopan coal mine. The monitoring stage of the early-warning model should be determined according to the distance between the monitoring borehole and the mining position. Then, the development of a water-conducting fracture zone and the fluctuation and stochastic oscillator of monitoring indicators are comprehensively analyzed to determine the early-warning level. A multi-indicator early-warning model was applied to panel 30302 of the Yanghuopan coal mine and panel 1304 of the Zhaoxian coal mine in the Yushen mining areas. The abnormal warning of the water disaster in panel 1304 was sent 3 days before the disaster, which shows the effectiveness of the model. It can provide a reference for the development of an early-warning model for mine water inrush in Yushen mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As underground engineering extends into the western and deeper regions of China, more and more Luohe Formation sandstone layers will be encountered, which have weak cementation and high water content. It is a significant challenge to apply the open TBM, and the support system is crucial in determining whether TBM can excavate quickly and safely. Therefore, in order to optimize the support scheme, this paper analyzes the pore structure and porosity through CT scanning, the results indicate that the volume percentage of pores ≥34 μm is 2.3% and 1.5%, respectively, the large pore apertures are predominant, the surrounding rock has strong permeability, and there is a high risk of rock burst and roof collapse accidents, hence requiring reinforced support measures. On this basis, numerical simulations were conducted to evaluate the support effectiveness. The results show that replacing the "bolt + mesh" with a "bolt + cable + mesh + steel belt", and replacing the top three bolts with 7.3 m anchor cables, can better control the deformation and provide sufficient thrust force for the TBM, ensuring excavation speed. After the implementation of this scheme at the Kekegai coal mine in Shaanxi, China, the TBM excavation speed increased by 70%, from the previous 10 m/day to 17 m/d, significantly reducing the project duration and construction costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sewage treatment carbon emissions are one of the notable sources of total carbon emission in industrial parks. In order to explore the evolutionary characteristics of sewage treatment carbon emission in industrial parks and its coupling relationship with industrial economic development, based on the quarterly sewage quality monitoring data and regional economic development data of an energy and chemical industry park in Northern Shaanxi from 2016 to 2020, this paper analyzes the evolutionary characteristics of sewage treatment carbon emissions and the coupling relationship between economic development in the industrial parks by using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change carbon emission accounting method and the coupling coordination degree model. The results show that the total carbon emission of sewage treatment in the industrial parks is increasing year by year, and the indirect carbon emissions occupy the dominant position. In 2020, the direct and indirect carbon emissions in the sewage treatment process accounted for 2.4% and 97.6% of the total carbon emission, respectively. It was found that the coupling and coordination relationship between sewage treatment carbon emissions and the economy has experienced the transformation process of serious imbalance—lagging economic development, lagging carbon emission and lagging economic development. In the past five years, the coordinated development degree of the two systems has increased year by year, and the benign mutual feedback mechanism between the two systems has gradually formed. However, regional economic development has lagged due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, so speeding up regional economic development while protecting the environment is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The criteria-based sand and dust weather determination method has the problem ofbeing a cumbersome and time-consuming process when processing a large amount of raw data, and cannot avoid the problems of repeatability and reproducibility. On the basis of statistical analysis of the air automatic monitoring data in the cities affected by sand and dust, this paper proposes a k-means optimization algorithm (MDPD-k-means) based on maximum density and percentage distance, which can quickly filter the characteristic data of sand and dust in a short time, and identify the days affected by sand and dust. This method effectively improves the data processing efficiency, solves the problems of poor reproducibility and large artificial error of traditional methods, and can support the business application of sand and dust data elimination. This paper uses the method to identify the sand and dust data of 10 cities in Shaanxi Province from 2016 to 2022, determines a total of 1107 sand and dust days, and points out that the number of days affected by sand and dust is increasing year by year. After excluding the effect of sand and dust, the urban PM10 concentration decreases by 18.42~1.41% respectively, which provides important data information for accurately evaluating the effectiveness of air pollution prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural areas in Northwest China have always been the main concentration of poverty-stricken people in China. In 1986, China listed 665 poor counties (mostly in the northwest), and successively launched the actions of "Volunteer Teaching in Western China" and "Great Development of Western China" to help underdeveloped areas get rid of poverty. At present, the number of poor counties has been reduced to 52. In 2014, the Chinese government proposed to comprehensively improve the rural living environment by 2020. Through in-depth investigation and visit to 11 districts (counties) of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China, this study puts forward a set of index system suitable for evaluating the human settlements in underdeveloped rural areas and constructs a comprehensive evaluation model by using a variety of mathematical methods. Using the combination of accurate evaluation and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, this paper makes a horizontal evaluation on the residential environment of each district (county) in Yulin City, and a dynamic evaluation on the overall development level of livable environment in Yulin City in recent 9 years. Finally, using qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, this paper discusses the shortcomings, available advantages and development prospects in the construction of human settlements in Yulin City, and concludes that the key to improving rural human settlements is to develop township enterprises. This study is an empirical analysis of the government's long-term poverty alleviation effect, summarizes experience and finds out existing problems, so as to provide basis and reference for the government's poverty alleviation in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government encourages villagers to withdraw from rural homesteads and puts these homesteads into the land market to revitalize rural homestead resources and make up for the lack of new construction land. Unfortunately, the implementation of the withdrawal from rural homesteads (WRH) policy remains slow. To realize the effective promotion of WRH policy, exploring the impact of policy cognition (PC) on villagers' WRH intentions has become the key to solving the above problems. Thus, field survey data on 280 villagers in 13 administrative villages in the Yangling Demonstration district of Shaanxi province were collected through a face-to-face household survey. In addition, combined with the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study used the structural equation model (SEM) to empirically analyze the influence of PC on the intentions of villagers' WRH. Our empirical results indicated that benefit cognition and difficulty cognition were the focus of the villagers and had positive and negative effects on the intention of WRH, respectively. Government behavior also played a positive role in villagers' WRH intentions. Villagers would consider compensation standards, pay closer attention to improving the living environment and employment opportunities, and express individual intentions. We believe policymakers should systematically consider the various impacts of WRH policy on villagers and build the villagers' participation system of WRH and cross-regional transaction system for WRH indicators. This paper further enriches the conceptual framework of PC, which may help us better understand villagers' responses to relevant policy reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring environmental water quality in an efficient, cheap, and sustainable way can better serve the country's strategic requirements for water resources and water ecological protection. This paper takes the Shaanxi section of the Weihe River Basin as a pilot project and aims to use the Internet of Things technology to develop water quality monitoring sensors, so as to realize the construction of low-cost, high-reliability water quality monitoring demonstration applications. First of all, we established the design of the water quality collection terminal, designed the low-power water quality sensor node, supported the Internet of Things protocol and the collection of various water quality parameters, and used networking for data transmission. Secondly, we use the ant colony algorithm-based system clustering model to obtain a cluster map of water quality monitoring tasks in a certain section of the Weihe River Basin. We take the task clustering graph as an example for analysis, optimize the monitoring model through the ant colony algorithm, and obtain the weight of the optimization index. The weight of the scheduled task limit of the monitoring point becomes larger, so the release of the monitoring task mainly affects the limit of the scheduled task of the monitoring point. Through the above work, we designed and implemented a set of online water quality monitoring system based on the Internet of Things and data mining technology. The system can provide reference for large-scale water resource protection and water environment governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Journal of Irrigation & Drainage Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of rural tourism destinations in China is confronting multiple issues, including blind expansion and a repetitive developmental model, causing the sector to enter a vicious competition cycle. The perception among tourists of rural tourism destinations, and their willingness to revisit places will provide insights for service providers that will enable them to form better strategies to stand out in the fiercely competitive market. Understanding tourist perception will enable providers to contribute to the construction of rural tourist destinations. Taking Ma Wei Yi Folk Culture Village as a case study, this paper combines the development status of rural tourism in Ma Wei Yi, obtains first-hand data through questionnaire interviews, verifies the research hypothesis, and uses Pearson coefficient to carry out correlation analysis. The paper concluded that tourists' rural perception has a positive and strong impact on their willingness to revisit, and its factors have different impacts. According to the empirical results, tourist destination providers should pay attention to rural perceptual development in their follow-up development and operation processes. They can effectively attract tourists to visit multiple times, enhance tourist's sense of enjoyable experience, and achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buddhist monasteries have played important roles in the development of both the culture of and urban planning in ancient Chinese cities. In this paper, the Buddhist monasteries in the city of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, during the Song (宋), Yuan (元), Ming (明), and Qing (清) dynasties are collated from historical documents. The characteristics of the spatial distribution of Buddhist monasteries are analyzed by using kernel density estimation (KDE), and the evolution of that spatial distribution is explored by documentary analysis. The results show that Buddhist monasteries are closely surrounded by cultural buildings and warehouses, discretely surrounded by administrative buildings. The spatial distribution evolution of Buddhist monasteries has evolved evenly during the expansion of the Xi'an city area, through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. This study provides a reference for the preservation of Buddhist monastery spaces in the historical context of Xi'an city area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the distribution and evolution characteristics of the temperature field during the freezing and excavation of inclined shafts, with the freezing open-excavation section of Shengfu Mine's main inclined shaft (located in Shaanxi Province) as the project background. Utilizing field-measured data and the finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics, a 3D freezing temperature-field numerical calculation model was constructed to examine the temporal and spatial evolutions of the temperature field during the construction of the inclined shaft. The findings showed that after 88 days of freezing, the average temperature of the frozen wall in the open-excavation section was below −12 °C. The frozen wall thickness in the sidewalls of different layers exceeded 4 m, and the thickness at the bottom plate exceeded 5 m, meeting the excavation design requirements. For the same freezing time, the average temperature of the frozen wall in the fine sand layer was 0.28 to 2.39 °C lower than that of the frozen wall in the medium sand layer, and its effective thickness was 0.36 to 0.59 m greater than that in the medium sand layer. When the soil was excavated, and the well side was exposed, a phenomenon known as "heat flow erosion" occurred in the soil at the well-side position, causing the well-side temperature to rise. Nevertheless, this increase was generally limited, and when continuous cooling was applied, the well side could maintain a very low negative temperature level. Consequently, there was no spalling phenomenon. The effective thickness of the frozen wall during excavation did not decrease, with the average temperature remaining below −10 °C. Consequently, there was no large-scale "softening" of the frozen wall during excavation, thus ensuring construction safety. The numerical calculation model in this paper can be used to predict the development law of the freezing temperature field of the water–rich sandy layers in Shengfu Mine and adjust the on–site cooling plan in real time according to the construction progress. This research provides valuable theoretical insights for the optimal design and safe construction of freezing inclined-shaft sinking projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desert lakes are important wetland resources in the blown-sand area of western China and play a significant role in maintaining the regional ecological environment. However, large-scale coal mining in recent years has considerably impacted the deposition condition of several lakes. Rapid and accurate extraction of lake information based on satellite images is crucial for developing protective measures against desertification. However, the spatial resolution of these images often leads to mixed pixels near water boundaries, affecting extraction precision. Traditional pixel unmixing methods mainly obtain water coverage information in a mixed pixel, making it difficult to accurately describe the spatial distribution. In this paper, the cellular automata (CA) model was adopted in order to realize lake information extraction at a sub-pixel level. A mining area in Shenmu City, Shaanxi Province, China is selected as the research region, using the image of Sentinel-2 as the data source and the high spatial resolution UAV image as the reference. First, water coverage of mixed pixels in the Sentinel-2 image was calculated with the dimidiate pixel model and the fully constrained least squares (FCLS) method. Second, the mixed pixels were subdivided to form the cellular space at a sub-pixel level and the transition rules are constructed based on the water coverage information and spatial correlation. Lastly, the process was implemented using Python and IDL, with the ArcGIS and ENVI software being used for validation. The experiments show that the CA model can improve the sub-pixel positioning accuracy for lake bodies in mixed pixel image and improve classification accuracy. The FCLS-CA model has a higher accuracy and is able to identify most water bodies in the study area, and is therefore suitable for desert lake monitoring in mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth and development of the industrial economy with high energy consumption and pollution as a traditional extensive development model in China causes serious damage to the ecological environment. The promotion of high-quality industrial development (HQID) and the protection of ecological environment (EE) are of vital importance for achieving sustainable development to alleviate this issue. First, the paper constructed a co-evolutionary theoretical framework of HQID and EE based on the innovation–coordination–green–openness–sharing development concept and the pressure–status–response (PSR) model. Second, combining the Lotka–Volterra model and complex network theory, the co-evolution network of high-quality industrial development and ecological environment (CNHIEE) in Shaanxi Province was established. Finally, the structural characteristics and key factors of the CNHIEE were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the network structure characteristics of the co-evolution of HQID and EE in Shaanxi Province were obvious. The network was well connected, highly aggregated, and robust. Moreover, the foreign capital dependence, the intensity of industrial waste gas emission, and the proportion of the area of nature reserves were at the core of the network and were the key influencing factors of the CNHIEE. Additionally, the 37 indicators of the CNHIEE were divided into four different blocks, each of which was closely connected. On that basis, policy implications to promote the co-evolution of HQID and EE in Shaanxi Province were presented. These studies provide theoretical guidance and new research perspectives to promote the development of HQID and EE, for Shaanxi Province and other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective and accurate poverty-alleviation system is necessary for eradicating poverty and promoting regional economic and social growth. Performance evaluation plays a key role in developing a precise poverty-alleviation policy. However, systematic performance evaluation of precise poverty-alleviation efforts has been largely ignored in the literature. This study sorts the poverty-alleviation performance of 10 major urban areas in Shaanxi Province using the count and analysis method. The empirical findings show that among poverty indexes, the yield of agricultural products has the greatest impact on poverty alleviation. Furthermore, the poverty-alleviation performance of Xianyang, Weinan, and Ankang is relatively high. The efforts of Xi'an and Baoji are at the middle level, and those of Tongchuan and Yan'an are at a relatively low level. This paper identifies the poverty alleviation performance status for each area at the indicator level and then offers a corresponding analysis and proposes countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]