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[Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disequilibrium compaction caused by burial or tectonic compression and unloading are the common overpressure mechanisms in foreland basins. However, accurately identifying multiple overpressure origins in such basins is challenging, since it requires distinguishing impact of vertical and horizontal stresses on compaction and overpressure as well as identifying overpressure caused by unloading. This paper proposed a dual compaction factor method (DCFM) to address these issues. A basic DCFM schematic diagram was established through analyzing compaction behaviors before and after tectonic compression to distinguish overpressure derived from two types of disequilibrium compaction and overpressure induced by unloading. In DCFM, a compaction model for mudstone in the foreland basin, which was only controlled by burial, was established based on the relationship between mean deposition rate and compaction factor in weak tectonic compression zone (WTCZ). It was used to determine compaction factor, normal compaction trend (NCT), acoustic transit time, bulk density, and overburden pressure under this compaction condition, as well as to distinguish the impact of burial and tectonic compression on porosity and overpressure at strong tectonic compression zone (STCZ). The DCFM employs mean stress to revise the equivalent depth method (EDM). Pore pressures associated with compaction only derived from burial and derived from both burial and tectonic compression were estimated using conventional EDM and revised EDM, respectively. The total pore pressures were estimated using the Eaton method and were calibrated based on measured ones. Overpressure associated with unloading was determined by comparing total pore pressure with estimated pore pressure generated with disequilibrium compaction. This mode was further applied at two wells from the Sikeshu Sag in the southern Junggar Foreland Basin to reconstruct accurate overpressure profiles with multiple origins, which were consistent with measured pressures and matched well with geological characteristics. Disequilibrium compaction induced by tectonic compression and burial is responsible for overpressure at the Sikeshu Sag. Overpressure transfer is also one of the primary contributors to the excess pressure in the Jurassic and Cretaceous in the Gaoquan anticline at the Sikeshu Sag, with a maximum contribution of 38 %. Plays, consisting of sandstone reservoirs with both transferred overpressure and tectonic-induced overpressure as well as mudstone caprocks with overpressure due to disequilibrium compaction, are favorable for hydrocarbon accumulation. This study can quantify the impact of overpressures with multiple origins on hydrocarbon migration and sealing capacity of caprocks, as well as provide ideas for researching fluid evolution in sedimentary basins. • A compaction model controlled by burial is proposed to distinguish burial and tectonic disequilibrium compaction. • The estimated pore pressure based on mean stress-porosity relationship is consistent with the measurements. • Disequilibrium compaction induced by tectonic compression and burial is primary contributor to overpressure. • The maximum contribution of transferred overpressure in the Jurassic and Cretaceous is 38%. • The impacts of overpressures on hydrocarbon migration and accumulation vary depending on their origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high spatial variability of the rock-soil interface (RSI) in complex geological conditions introduces strong uncertainties in both subsurface stratigraphy and geotechnical properties. Inaccurate interpretation of such uncertainties during engineering geology investigations increases the geohazard risk of excessive surface settlement or even severe catastrophic ground collapse when shield machines are excavating in RSI mixed ground. Prediction and early warning of excessive surface settlement are necessary measures to address such a risk; however, unavoidable drawbacks such as overfitting, insufficient accuracy, and ineffectiveness remain in existing prediction models and early warning algorithms and have posed significant challenges. In this study, a novel framework using both a multivariate data fusion prediction model and a dynamic early warning algorithm was developed for forecasting and early warning of ground collapse during shield tunnelling in RSI mixed ground. The prediction model is the Differential Evolutionary Optimized Quadratic Taylor Series Extended Kalman Filter (DEQT-EKF); the early warning algorithm is based on Catastrophe Theory and uses the Gradient Ratio (GR) criterion to identify catastrophic singularities. The practicality and accuracy of the framework are well verified by a subway shield tunnelling-induced ground collapse incident in East China with complex RSI mixed ground conditions. The prediction results are compared with the surface settlement measurements and good agreement is obtained, indicating that the DEQT-EKF model can achieve satisfactory accuracy in predicting excessive settlement. The use of the GR criterion can trigger the early warning one time step before the ground collapse event, indicating that it is a competent and practical early warning strategy for shield tunnelling-induced ground collapse. The framework has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of ground collapse caused by geological uncertainties when constructing shield tunnels through complex ground conditions. • Geological uncertainty induced geohazards in rock-soil interface mixed ground is investigated. • A highly accurate prediction model for excessive surface settlement is proposed and validated. • An early warning algorithm based on catastrophe theory for ground collapse is innovatively applied. • The Gaussian distribution assumption is confirmed and an extended Kalman filter is used for fusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the efficiency of high-standard farmland construction (HSFC), this study utilized data spanning from 1998 to 2020 obtained from 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. This assessment was conducted using a three-stage super-efficient slack-based measure data envelopment analysis(SBM-DEA)model. Furthermore, we investigated the spatial and temporal variances and convergence of HSFC efficiency using the Dagum Gini coefficient and convergence analysis. The results firstly show that from 2007 to 2020, China's HSFC efficiency displayed fluctuations and declines, significantly influenced by environmental and stochastic factors. Secondly, it showed that the gap in China's HSFC efficiency has widened, with super-variable density being demonstrated as the primary source of spatial imbalance in HSFC efficiency. Thirdly, it showed that the deviation in the efficiency of HSFC in the central region of China from the average level has shown a gradually declining trend, while the deviation in the efficiency of HSFC in the national, western, eastern, and northeastern regions has not presented a downward trend. Fourthly, it demonstrated that over time, the efficiency of building high-standard agriculture throughout the nation and its four main areas will converge to the same level. • The three-stage super efficiency model is used to measure the efficiency. • The efficiency of high-standard farmland construction is affected by external environmental factors. • The gap of construction efficiency in various parts of our country expands unceasingly. • Hypervariable density is the main source of spatial imbalance in the efficiency. • There was β absolute convergence and β conditional convergence across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This is the first data on the occurrence of cookeite in Permian coals of China. • ToF-SIMS confirmed cookeite as the Lithium host. • Volcanic ash occurs as intra-seam partings in the early Permian coal seam. • Enrichment of Li and REY in the coal seam is due to epigenetic hydrothermal activity. • Diaspore formed through kaolinite conversion to NH 4 -illite and Al-bearing colloids transformation. The Qinshui Basin is one of the largest coal-bearing basins and the largest reservoir of commercial coalbed methane in China. Recent studies have also reported a potential coal-hosted Li deposit in the Pennsylvanian coal seam of the Jincheng Coalfield, Qinshui Basin. This study further investigates the mineralogy and inorganic geochemistry of the Permian No. 3 coal and associated rocks of the Jincheng Coalfield, to reveal the modes of occurrence and enrichment origins of critical elements including Li, Ga, and rare earth elements and yttrium (REY). The mineralogy of the coal is dominated by two groups of mineral assemblages, kaolinite/NH 4 -illite/paragonite and ankerite/chamosite/siderite. At least one intra-seam altered volcanic ash layer was identified in the coal seam. The No. 3 coal is highly enriched in Li, with the Li 2 O content in the coal ashes averaging 0.11 %, which is above the common cut-off grade of 0.1 % Li 2 O in claystone deposits. The primary host of Li in the coal seam is cookeite, the presence of which is confirmed by ToF-SIMS analysis, which is of hydrothermal origin. Rare earth elements and yttrium are also enriched in the coal (REY oxides average 919 μg/g, ash basis), occurring mainly as phosphate minerals (florencite and crandallite). The concentration of Ga in the coal (58.3 μg/g on average, ash basis) exceeds the suggested cut-off grade in coal (50 ppm, ash-basis), with diaspore and kaolinite being the primary hosts. Diaspore, mainly occurring as fracture infillings, appears to be of late-stage hydrothermal origin. Lithium, Ga, and REY in the No. 3 coal are highly enriched and the coal is a potential source of these critical metals, making it a target for more comprehensive exploration and potential development. The enrichment origin of Li and REY in the Early Permian coal is similar to that in the Pennsylvanian no. 15 coal of the same coalfield, both of which are likely due to hydrothermal fluids originating from magmatic activity during the Yanshanian movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the synergies between economic growth and carbon reduction is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality goals. Understanding the determinants of carbon emission performance (COP) is important for improvement. However, empirical examinations of the linkages between green finance agglomeration (GFA) and COP remain limited. Utilizing a panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2007 to 2019, we measure COP via meta-frontier data envelopment analysis. We employ a spatial Durbin model (SDM) to investigate the spatial spillover effects of GFA on COP. Our findings reveal COP has a substantial positive spatial correlation between provinces. We further observe that GFA has a direct and spatially dependent impact on regional COP. The effects vary based on different green finance instruments and regions. GFA enhances COP through capital formation, energy transition, and technological advancement, although asymmetry effects exist between local and neighboring regions. Promoting regional GFA formation through interprovincial cooperation and coordination for optimizing green finance allocation is vital. Moreover, increased financial support towards green, low-carbon projects and enterprises can raise overall regional COP. • Carbon emission performance (COP) was estimated with meta-frontier DEA approaches. • The spatial effect of green finance agglomeration (GFA) on COP was estimated. • Agg has a significant contribution and spatial spillover effect on regional COP. • The impact mechanisms of GFA on COP and its heterogeneity were investigated. • Establish GFA centers to provide better financial services to enhance regional COP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1. Predicting renal prognosis accurately in ERT- naive FD patients poses a significant challenge. • 2. COX analysis identified sex, proteinuria, eGFR, and Lyso-Gb3 as independent factors for kidney progression. • 3. Combined model and clinical model both exhibited favorable predictive performance. • 4. Lyso-Gb3 improved the predictive ability of the combined model for renal outcomes in low-risk patients compared to the clinical model. • 5. Early intervention is warranted for the underestimated-risk subgroup with eGFR over 60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 or proteinuria levels less than 1. g / d. Kidney damage is common in patients with Fabry disease (FD), but more accurate information about the risk of progression to kidney failure is needed for clinical decision-making. In particular, FD patients with mild renal involvement often lack timely intervention and treatment. We aimed to utilize a model to predict the risk of renal progression in FD patients. Between November 2011 and November 2019, ERT-naive patients with FD were recruited from three medical centers in China. To assess the risk of a 50% decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), Cox proportional hazards models were utilized. The performance of these models was assessed using discrimination, calibration, and reclassification. A total of 117 individuals were enrolled. The mean follow-up time was 4.8 years, during which 35 patients (29.9 %) progressed to the composite renal outcomes. Male sex, baseline proteinuria, eGFR and globotriaosylsphingosine (Lyso-Gb3) were found to be independent risk factors for kidney progression by the Cox model, based on which a combined model containing those clinical variables and Lyso-Gb3 and clinical models including only clinical indicators were constructed. The two prediction models had relatively good performance, with similar model fit measured by R2 (59.8 % vs. 61.1 %) and AIC (51.54 vs. 50.08) and a slight increase in the C statistic (0.949 vs. 0.951). Calibration curves indicated closer alignment between predicted and actual renal outcomes in the combined model. Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed that Lyso-Gb3 significantly improved the predictive performance of the combined model for kidney prognosis in low-risk patients with a baseline eGFR over 60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 or proteinuria levels less than 1 g / d when compared to the clinical model. Lyso-Gb3 improves the prediction of kidney outcomes in FD patients with a low risk of progression, suggesting that these patients may benefit from early intervention to assist in clinical management. These findings need to be externally validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine how immigrant status and family relationships are associated with advance care planning (ACP) engagement and end-of-life (EOL) preference in burial planning among older Chinese Americans, the largest subgroup of Asian Americans. Cross-sectional survey. Communities in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Participants were 430 older Chinese Americans aged 55 years and older. Measures included ACP contemplation, ACP discussion, and EOL preference in burial planning, immigrant status, family cohesion, family conflict, demographic information, and health status. Results show that in comparison to foreign-born Chinese Americans, US-born Chinese Americans were more likely to have ACP contemplation [odds ratio (OR) 2.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39-5.63], ACP discussion (OR 3.02, 95% CI 1.50-6.08), and preferences for burial plans at the end of life (OR 4.56, 95% CI 2.04-10.18). Family conflict increased the possibility of having ACP contemplation (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.38), ACP discussion (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07-1.39), and EOL preference in burial planning (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.04-1.42), whereas family cohesion was not associated with these study outcomes. This study suggests that ACP should be adapted to be more culturally appropriate, especially in a time of coronavirus and xenophobia, such as framing ACP as a tool to help families reduce stress while fulfilling filial obligations, in order to ensure equitable access to ACP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Construction accident causes were considered as a system and decomposed into six subsystems, 16 factors and 39 sub-factors in a system thinking way. • The 39 sub-factors were classified to rigorous, critical and ordinary, based on a grey relational analysis of the causes of 571 real accident cases. • The causes of a serious collapse accident in Fengcheng Power Plant Project was analyzed as a case study. Hundreds of accidents occur each year in the construction industry and result in large numbers of injuries, deaths, and loss of property. Although construction safety management aims for zero accidents, this is difficult to achieve because of multiple factors influencing the occurrence of accidents. To clarify the framework for construction accident prevention, this study uses accident causation theory and the system thinking method to build a construction accident causation system (CACS) model and identify critical accident causes. Construction accident causes are considered as a whole system and then decomposed into 6 subsystems, 16 factors, and 39 subfactors. The investigation reports of 571 construction accidents in China are collected, and a grey relational analysis (GRA) of accident causes is conducted. Based on these results, the 39 subfactors are classified into 3 severity levels: critical, important, and ordinary. A case study is then conducted with respect to the particularly serious collapse accident that occurred during the Fengcheng Power Plant project. The occurrence process, major reasons for the accident, and related management defects are investigated and causes are identified. The results about accident cause identification of the case study are found to be consistent with the GRA of 571 accidents. Finally, recommendations for construction safety management and accident prevention in practice are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation restoration often promotes the development of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which have a significant role in the terrestrial nitrogen (N) cycle. However, biocrusts are not always considered when assessing soil N responses to restoration efforts, especially in subtropical regions. We assessed the effect of various restoration strategies on moss-dominated biocrust properties and soil N variables (0–5 cm topsoil and 5–10 cm sub-topsoil) in the subtropical karst region of southwestern China. Four restoration strategies were included: restoration with plantation forest, forage grass, and a combination of forest and grass, and spontaneous regeneration to natural grassland. Cropland under maize-soybean rotation (CR) was used as reference. The biocrust under combination restoration strategy had significantly higher biomass, saturated water adsorption ratio, and carbon content than did the other strategies; and the soil generally had the highest total N, ammonium, and microbial biomass carbon and N content but the lowest nitrate content. Redundancy analysis, variation partitioning, and stepwise multiple linear regression all indicated that biocrust properties play an important role in affecting soil N variables, especially in the topsoil. Vegetation restoration strategies that use various plant functional group assemblages, such as forest and grass, are preferable in enhancing the development of biocrusts and thus improving soil N properties. • Vegetation restoration is beneficial in promoting biocrust development. • Biocrust properties were the main factors affecting soil N variations. • Combination of plantation trees and forage grasses had higher soil N and biocrusts. • Combination restoration strategy should be favored in vegetation restoration efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Windows integrated with PV can provide electrical energy and control the energy flow (heat and light) through the windows. With the objective of evaluate the potential application of window integrated PV in southwest China, the performance of silicon PV windows was comprehensively studied. A test unit was developed to monitor the performance of window integrated PV, then a validated comprehensive approach integrated with heat transfer, optical, electrical and building simulation model was used to comprehensively evaluate the performance of the window integrated PV under various climatic conditions in southwest China. The effects of the air gap on window thermal performance, window orientation, different window-to-wall ratio and coverage ratio of PV cells are evaluated. It was found that a maximum energy saving could be achieved, when the PV window is installed on the south facing façade with a PV cell coverage ratio of 0,87, air gap of 9 mm between the two glazing panes. It was found that a maximum energy saving of 983 kWh was achieved in Lhasa. A highest energy saving ratio of 83% was found in Kunming. The window integrated PV shows good energy saving potential under different climatic conditions in Southwest China. The highlights of this paper could be collected as below: • C-Si PV window with reasonable c-Si cells arrangement was designed. • The energy consumption of the building with PV windows was tested. • The design of STPV façade was optimized by the test and simulation results. • The energy saving potential of c-Si PV window in Southwest China is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Anlotinib, a novel antiangiogenic multikinase inhibitor, has been approved in China as third-line and above treatment for nonsmall cell lung cancer. • Anlotinib plus TQB2450 demonstrated promising antitumor activities in advanced NSCLC patients without EGFR and ALK alterations and the toxicities were overall manageable. • Anlotinib plus TQB2450 demonstrated promising antitumor activities in pretreated advanced NSCLC without EGFR and ALK alterations. • TQB2450 plus anlotinib for advanced NSCLC patients without driver gene alterations. Immune monotherapy as second-line treatment confers only modest survival benefit on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with no mutated driver genes, necessitating combination treatment strategies. This phase Ib trial investigated the efficacy and safety of anti-PD-L1 antibody TQB2450 plus antiangiogenic drug anlotinib for NSCLC. Pretreated stage IIIB or IV NSCLC patients with wild-type EGFR/ALK and minimally one measurable lesion were randomized 1:1:1 to receive TQB2450 1200 mg plus placebo, or TQB2450 1200 mg plus anlotinib 10 or 12 mg. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS) and the secondary outcomes included objective response rate (ORR). Thirty-three patients received TQB2450 plus placebo and 34 patients each received TQB2450 plus anlotinib 10 mg and 12 mg. At the data cutoff, the median PFS was 8.7 months (95% CI 6.1–17.1) in the TQB2450 plus anlotinib group and 2.8 months (95% CI 1.4–4.7) in the TQB2450 only group. The ORR reached 30.9% (95% CI 20.2%-43.3%) in the TQB2450 plus anlotinib group and was 3.0% (95% CI 0.1%-15.8%) in the TQB2450 only group. In patients with PD-L1 ≥ 1%, the ORR was 50.0% (95% CI 33.4%-66.6%) for TQB2450 plus anlotinib and 5.3% (95% CI 0.1%-26.0%) for TQB2450 plus placebo. No new safety signals were observed. Anlotinib plus TQB2450 demonstrated promising antitumor activities in advanced NSCLC patients without EGFR and ALK alterations and the toxicities were overall manageable. The study findings support the continued development of TQB2450 plus anlotinib for advanced NSCLC patients without driver gene alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • With the decrease of temperature, the order degree of the system is strengthened and the fluidity is weakened. • The diffusion coefficient of the H 2 O molecule is greater than that of the n C 5 H 12 molecule by a factor of ∼2. • At the same temperature, the diffusion coefficient of the n C 24 H 50 molecule in n C 5 H 12 is greater than that in H 2 O. • At temperatures of 50–20 °C, n C 24 H 50 molecules precipitate from the oil and gather on the pipe wall surface. Wax deposition on the inner wall of oil pipes, sucker rods, oil- and gas-gathering pipelines and equipment caused by wax crystals has been a challenging problem in the petroleum industry. At present, most of the marine terrestrial transitional facies and continental shale oil and gas being explored and developed in China have high-wax-content volatile oil or condensate, and many shale oil and gas wells have been seriously blocked by wax deposition. In this work, the wax deposition behavior of the binary alkane mixture n C 5 H 12 – n C 24 H 50 at different temperatures under the condition of water wetting of a pipe wall was studied through molecular dynamics simulation. When the temperature is 130–70 °C, the wax molecules are loosely distributed without obvious aggregation, and the pipe wall is mainly occupied by water molecules, exhibiting a water-wetting state. With the decrease in temperature, the distance between n C 24 H 50 molecules decreases correspondingly, which enhances the interaction between wax molecules and increases the probability of mutual aggregation. When the temperature is 50 °C, a small amount of n C 24 H 50 molecules pass through the water molecular layer and gather on the pipe wall. When the temperature is <50 °C, the binding energy between the crystal surface of the pipe wall and the molecule n C 24 H 50 exhibits a first-order phase transition, and the molecule n C 24 H 50 can more easily bind to the pipe wall than the molecule H 2 O. When the temperature is 40–20 °C, the aggregation amount of n C 24 H 50 molecules on the pipe wall further increases, exhibiting an obvious crystallization tendency, and a small amount of n C 5 H 12 molecules begin to aggregate with n C 24 H 50 molecules through the water molecular layer on the pipe wall. At the same temperature, the diffusion speed of n C 24 H 50 molecules in n C 5 H 12 is faster than that in H 2 O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Textural features, in situ trace elements and fluid inclusion of fluorite are studied. • A coupled dissolution-reprecipitation replacement process is proposed. • Fluorite acts as an indicator of carbonatite-related REE deposit. • Multiple pulses of fluids during formation of the Muluozhai deposit were recorded in fluorite. Formation of carbonatite-related REE deposits generally associated with hydrothermal fluids exsolved from carbonatite melts. Deciphering the nature and evolution of the fluids is critical for establishing ore-formation models, and was mostly benefited from multi-analytical investigation of specific minerals presenting in multi-generation veins. However, there is a risk that the minerals in specific-generation veins not always precipitated solely from the single-stage fluids particularly for a dynamic mineralizing system. In order to evaluate this potential risk, this study conducted a combined textural, in situ trace elemental and fluid inclusion investigation of fluorite from multiple generations of veins in the Muluozhai carbonatite-related REE deposit, SW China. The veins dominate the mineralization system of the deposit, and include four generations/stages: fenitization (Stage I), pre-REE (Stage II), early REE (Stage III) and late REE (Stage IV) stages in which the ore minerals are all dominated by bastnäsite. Fluorite grains are widely present in these generations of veins, but high-resolution CL imaging reveal that most of them display complex internal textures composed commonly of core, mantle and rim domains from center outward. These domains exhibit different CL-intensities that are well correlated with chemical compositions and even types of fluid inclusions they hosted. This study confirmed that the "core-mantle-rim" textures of fluorite are essentially responses to interaction of early grains (i.e., represented by cores) with multi-stage fluids through dissolution-reprecipitation processes. Trace elemental and fluid-inclusion microthermometric results show that the cores (also for mantles or rims) in fluorite from Stages I to III veins have comparable REE concentrations and patterns and homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions, strongly suggesting that the core-mantle-rim fluorite grains in these veins are originally formed at Stage I, and were variably captured or metasomatized by fluids of Stage II or III during development of these generations of veins. Similar core-mantle-rim fluorite grains are also present in Stage IV veins, and thus are constrained to be also "xenocrysts" formed in a similar manner. They are surrounded or even locally disturbed by a number of euhedral and/or slightly oscillatory fluorite grains which are supposed to be formed from a different manner. On the basis of their close association with bastnäsite and relatively high homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions they host, we proposed that these euhedral fluorite grains are products of Stage IV fluids. Clear understanding of the internal textures and paragenesis of fluorite allows us to propose a genetic model for the Muluozhai deposit that the REE mineralization in Stages III and IV involves likely different pulses of carbonatite-related REE-rich fluids, and REE deposition was possibly mainly triggered by incursions of external fluids (e.g., meteoric water). This study also highlights that the phenomenon regarding presences of early-stage "xenocrysts" in late-generation veins of carbonatite-related vein systems may be more common than previously thought, and thus investigation in a textural context is critical for deciphering ore genesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Breeding habitat can influence rice frog abundance and morphology. • Rice frog in farmland ditches exhibited highest abundance and lowest body condition. • Diverse waterbody types in agricultural landscapes benefit rice frog population. Amphibians are threatened by the intensification of agriculture throughout the world. Several studies have considered the morphology of animals to be an indicator of the health of a population, but differences in anuran morphology (especially body condition) in different breeding habitats in agricultural landscapes remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated differences in the abundance and morphology of the rice frog (Fejervarya multistriata) in three waterbody types (ten farmland irrigation ditches, ten fruit forest drainage ditches, and ten lotus ponds) in agricultural landscapes in Shanghai, China. We sampled the snout–vent length, body mass, and body condition index for 206 individual rice frogs from the three types of waterbody. Our results showed that the abundance of rice frogs was higher in farmland irrigation ditches than in the other two habitats, whereas the snout–vent length, body mass, and body condition index of rice frogs were lower in farmland irrigation ditches than in the other two habitats. Our results suggest that breeding habitats in agricultural landscapes have different effects on rice frog abundance and morphology, and that constructing diverse waterbodies (other than farmland irrigation ditches) in the same agricultural landscape might benefit the condition of rice frogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are there greater risks of adverse perinatal outcomes, in particular of congenital malformations, after blastocyst transfer compared with cleavage-stage embryo transfer in IVF? This was a retrospective cohort analysis from a centre for assisted reproduction at a public hospital in China over the period 2006–2015. The analysis covered all women who conceived (15,254) and newborns (16,213) from IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles with cleavage-stage embryo transfer or blastocyst transfer. The principal outcome measures were congenital malformations, preterm birth (PTB), low birthweight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA). Logistic regression analysis showed that the sex ratio was imbalanced towards male neonates after blastocyst transfer (P =0.001; adjusted OR 1.17, 95%CI 1.07–1.30) but there were no differences in rates of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, very preterm birth (<32 weeks), PTB (<37 weeks), LBW, SGA or LGA between blastocyst transfer and cleavage-stage embryo transfer. A total of 176 congenital malformations (123 cleavage-stage embryos versus 53 blastocysts) were identified both in newborns and aborted fetuses, but the difference between groups was not statistically significant. There was no difference in the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes, and in particular of congenital malformation, after blastocyst transfer compared with cleavage-stage transfer, although there was a sex ratio imbalance towards male neonates after blastocyst transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid population aging taking place in China makes studies tackling opportunities associated with aging an urgent priority. Based on the productive aging perspective, this study examines the relationship between contributory behaviors (i.e., providing economic, housework, and emotional support to adult children and providing care for grandchildren) and life satisfaction, as well as how gender and living arrangements modify the relationship. Using data collected from 809 older adults in Wuhan, China, and applying ordinary least squares regressions, this study found that engaging in contributory behaviors in general, and providing emotional support to adult children and caring for grandchildren in particular, are associated with enhanced life satisfaction. The association between caring for grandchildren and life satisfaction is only salient for males but not for females. For living arrangements, the positive association between engaging in contributory behaviors and life satisfaction is only identified among older adults living with their spouse and other family members. The positive association of providing emotional support to adult children with life satisfaction is significant for older adults living with their spouse only. Finally, frequently taking care of grandchildren is related positively to life satisfaction among those living with both spouse and other family members. Our findings provide empirical evidence suggesting that Chinese older adults are still very active in providing support to family members and highlight the beneficial effects of contributory behaviors on individual's life satisfaction. For policy makers, it is important to continuously promote values of contributing behaviors to family and take into account the importance of family ties and family support to older adults when designing new elder care programs. • Emotional support and grandparenting are associated with enhanced life satisfaction. • The beneficial effect of grandparenting is only salient for male respondents. • Living arrangements moderate the effect of contributory behaviors on satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Based on the Copeland-Toylor model, this paper constructs a mathematical model to analyze the impact of industrial production scale expansion on the discharge of industrial pollutants. The analysis shows that expanding the industrial production scale can increase industrial pollution emissions. Due to the uneven distribution of the industrial production scale and emissions of industrial waste in the spatial pattern, the effect of the industrial production scale on industrial waste emissions differs among regions. This model is then applied to the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2015. The results show that the industrial production scale can aggravate the discharge of industrial pollutants, and the effect on industrial waste water is considerably stronger than that of both industrial waste gas and industrial waste. Moreover, the impact on micro pollutant emissions shows apparent regional differences. Based on the theory of externality, governmental action should balance the social gains of industrial production with the social costs of pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract WeChat has gained increasing popularity worldwide and is regarded as a tool for receiving social support. This study aims to explore the impact of WeChat use intensity on online/offline social support and proposes that the relationship between the two is moderated by motivators for WeChat use. We conducted a survey with 432 valid respondents at 10 Chinese universities and performed OLS regression analyses to explore the hypotheses. The findings showed that participants' WeChat use intensity is positively associated with online and offline social support, the information acquisition motive and interpersonal communication motive both have a relatively strong direct effect on the acquisition of online and offline social support, and the interpersonal communication motive further plays a moderating role between WeChat use intensity and online/offline social support. The results imply that online behavior facilitates offline supportive relationships and that an interpersonal communication motive may increase enthusiasm for using WeChat and significantly interact with WeChat use to increase online and offline social support. Highlights • WeChat use intensity is positively associated with online and offline social support. • The information acquisition motive and interpersonal communication motive both have a relatively strong direct effect on the acquisition of online and offline social support. • The interpersonal communication motive further plays a moderating role between WeChat use intensity and online/offline social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Weathering, as an important process in the earth surface system, can be significantly influenced by tectonics and climates over long time scales. Here, we use mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical data of a paleoweathering profile developed on basement granodioritic rocks of northern Qaidam basin, northern Tibet, to reconstruct early Eocene weathering conditions and to discuss how paleoclimates and tectonics dominated the weathering process. The results indicate that neoformed mineral phases in weathering products are dominated by smectite, and the profile has overwhelmingly low chemical index of alteration values (ca. 51–59) and significantly decreasing micropetrographic index values (from 25.0 to 0.2) from bottom to top. These findings suggest that the basement rocks experienced mild chemical weathering but relatively intensive physical weathering. We favor that non-steady-state weathering, in which mechanical erosion rates compare favorably with rates of chemical weathering, prevailed in northern Tibet during the early Eocene. The weathering conditions were likely an integrated response to active tectonism and dry climates at that time. Furthermore, chemical element mobility evaluation demonstrates that most of large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements (LREEs) of granodioritic rocks are quite active during weathering and can be easily leached even under mild chemical weathering conditions. Significant mass loss of Al and LREEs in upper weathered samples probably reflects acidic weathering conditions, which were likely due to extremely high atmospheric CO 2 level during the early Eocene. This study, from the unique perspective of weathering process, suggests that intensive deformation and rapid tectonic erosion occurred in northern Tibet during the early Eocene, as a far-field response to the India-Eurasia collision. It also agrees with warm and relatively dry climates, which were likely attributed to the global greenhouse climates and the Paleogene planetary-wind-dominant climate system in Asia, respectively. Highlights • Mild-chemical, intensive-physical weathering prevailed during the early Eocene. • Smectite dominates the neoformed mineral phase in weathering products. • LILEs and LREEs are greatly leached under mild chemical weathering. • Intense tectonic erosion and dry climates dominated the weathering process. • High atmospheric CO 2 level resulted in acidic weathering conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Prefabrication is considered an important solution to tackle the issues of construction waste generation, and the high-risk and labour-intensive activities associated with conventional construction methods. This study assesses the key hindrances of adopting prefabrication and provides recommendations for promoting prefabrication in Hong Kong. Twenty-two hindrances were identified in the literature and classified in six groups. A questionnaire survey and face-to-face interviews were conducted to examine the level of importance of the barriers, and to provide comprehensive analyses of each hindrance. The most significant hindrances were "Inflexible for design change", "Lack storage space on site", "Long lead-in time", "Long design time", "High initial cost" and "High total cost". Based on the findings of the survey and interviews, six recommendations were proposed to promote the usage of prefabrication in Hong Kong such as "Just-In-Time management", "BIM technology", "Legislation for refabrication", "Potential government measures", "Encouragement of design and building procure" and "Increase the consumer's confidence". Highlights • Lack storage space on site is a major hindrance to using prefabrication in dense cities. • Inflexible for late design change is a major hindrance to using prefabrication. • Just-in-time delivery & BIM optimize prefabricated building process in dense cities. • Implementation of legislation for prefabrication can promote its use. • Adoption of design and build procurement method can promote prefabrication use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the hukou system has long been cited as the underlying cause of the disadvantages in housing access that rural migrants encounter in urban destinations. However, following the latest round of hukou reform, does the hukou system still have a significant impact on rural migrants' housing outcomes? This paper addresses the question by examining hukou -related arrangements faced by rural migrants, in both their urban destination and their rural town of origin. Based on data from a nationwide survey conducted in 2011, we find that city entry criteria together with insecure and inalienable land rights negatively predict rural migrants' homeownership attainment. Moreover, the impact differs across urban locations. Consequently, although hukou reform has eased discrimination against rural individuals, disparities persist between urban natives and rural migrants. This paper demonstrates that these disparities result from unequal access to social welfare and housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We assessed the climate and topographic controls on WSA at regional scale. • Precipitation-related variables are critical to WSA variability. • The impact of climate seasonality on WSA deserves attention. • Dominant climatic variables of WSA vary along different topographic location. Detailed information on the variability of soil–water stable aggregates (WSA) is critical for soil management practices, ecosystem services and soil erosion. Topography and climate are two of the most important factors influencing WSA variability at the regional to global scales, especially when soil management, agricultural practices, and soil types are similar, yet few studies have examined their independent and interactive effects on WSA. This work was conducted in the karst region of southwest China to investigate the influence of climatic and topographic variables on WSA variability at the regional scale. A total of 569 topsoil samples (0–20 cm) were collected by random sampling under long-term continuous mono-cropping of tobacco in March 2021. Classical statistics, semivariogram, recursive feature elimination (RFE) algorithm, random forest (RF), and GeoDetector were applied to investigate the relationships between WSA variability and several environmental factors, including 6 topographic, 11 temperature-, and 8 precipitation-related variables. Classical statistics showed that the mean WSA content was 51.67%, varying between 40.84% and 64.05%. Semivariogram analysis revealed the strong spatial autocorrelation of WSA (nugget effect = 10.09%). Based on the REF results, both RF modelling and GeoDetector identified 5 climatic variables, namely isothermality (BIO3), annual precipitation (BIO12), precipitation of wettest month (BIO13), precipitation of driest month (BIO14), and precipitation seasonality (BIO15), which dominated WSA variability at the regional scale. Moreover, the linear and non-linear fits of the key variables to WSA showed that BIO3, BIO12, BIO13, and BIO14 presented highly significantly negative correlations (p < 0.01) with WSA, whereas BIO15 had a highly significantly positive correlation (p < 0.01). The Spearman correlation coefficients of BIO3, BIO12, BIO13, BIO14, and BIO15 with WSA were 0.32, 0.44, 0.3, 0.37, and 0.41, respectively (p < 0.01). The interactive effects between topography and the five key climatic variables could facilitate the interpretation of individual variables for WSA variability. The dominant climatic factors of WSA variability changed along different topographical locations. Overall, this study identifies climatic (mainly precipitation) variables that dominated WSA variability at the regional scale and defines the interactive effects of these variables with topography on WSA variability. The results of this work contribute to explaining the complex causes of soil aggregate stability at large scale and provide clues to the management of soil security under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The material point method (MPM) simulation of large-scale landslides can provide useful information to response to landslide hazards in mountainous regions. However, the structured background meshes commonly adopted in MPM fail to accurately capture the complex terrain above which the sliding mass moves. In this work, a novel terrain contact algorithm is proposed and integrated into a GPU-accelerated 3D MPM to model large-scale landslides. The complex terrain is modelled by a fixed triangular surface mesh generated according to the digital elevation model (DEM) and the interaction between the sliding mass and the basal surface is modelled by a contact algorithm between the triangular surface mesh and the material points. Furthermore, a contact detection algorithm based on level-set functions is developed to improve the contact detection efficiency. The detailed computational formulations and numerical implementation based on GPU parallel computing are presented. After the correctness and the efficiency being verified by two numerical examples, the proposed method is applied to simulate the catastrophic Baige landslide that occurred in China in 2018. The results indicate that the present method is both accurate and efficient and can provide a useful tool for numerical study on landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The SOCD of artificial grassland increased in 1–7 years and decreased in 9 years. • There was no significant change in SOCD in the early stage of vegetation restoration. • Microbial biomass dominated the SOCD of the topsoil. • Microbial biomass and soil texture jointly increased deep layer SOCD. Establishment of artificial grassland and abandoned farmland are effective measures to increase soil carbon sequestration and mitigate global warming; however, the difference between the two methods in terms of carbon sequestration efficiency and mechanisms at various times and at different soil depths remain unclear. This study investigates the soil organic carbon density (SOCD), soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, as well as the above- and belowground biomass of artificial grassland and abandoned farmland restored for one, three, four, seven, and nine years in Mu Us Desert, China. The results show that establishment of both land types could significantly increase soil carbon storage. The SOCD changed following a single-peak curve in the artificial grassland and steadily increased with restoration age in the abandoned farmland. The SOCD of the artificial grassland reached 1.7–2.4 times that of the abandoned farmland, but there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the two by the ninth year. The SOCD did not increase significantly in the early stages of restoration (1–3 years and 1–4 years for artificial grassland and abandoned farmland, respectively), which was delayed as the soil layer deepened. Compared to the abandoned farmland, the influence of plants on SOCD through microbial pathways was greater in the artificial grassland, however, the role of soil texture in abandoned farmland was more pronounced. Along with soil depth, the influence of plant factors on the SOCD decreased (40.37–18.19%), but the combined effects of the soil texture and microbial biomass determined the SOCD dynamics. Our results suggest that the combination of appropriate artificial interventions in abandoned farmland can not only quickly restore vegetation communities but also enhance the plant-soil interactions, improve soil texture and microbial functions, increase carbon capture and storage capabilities, and form more sustainable grassland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Supply-side structural reform” (SSSR) has been the most important ongoing economic reform in China since 2015, but its important environmental health effects have not been properly assessed. The present study addresses that gap by focusing on reduction of overcapacity in the coal, steel, and iron sectors, combined with reduction of emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxide (NO x ), and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), and projecting resultant effects on air quality and public health across cities and regions in China. Modeling results indicate that effects on air quality and public health are visible and distributed unevenly across the country. This assessment provides quantitative evidence supporting projections of the transregional distribution of such effects. Such uneven transregional distribution complicates management of air quality and health risks in China. The results challenge approaches that rely solely on cities to improve air quality. The article concludes with suggestions on how to integrate SSSR measures with cities' air quality improvement attainment planning and management performance evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to determine the dynamics of physicochemical properties and biological activities of soil, and their relationship following afforestation. Soil samples were collected at 0–10 cm from five Pinus tabulaeformis plantation forests restored for 15, 25, 30, 45, and 70 years, as well as a millet ( Setaria italica ) farmland in the Damaiji catchment area. These five afforested lands were converted from similar farmlands. The activities of catalase (CAT), saccharase (SAC), urease (URE) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), microbial biomass, soil water content, pH, soil bulk density, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus (TP), and available phosphorus (AP) were measured. The results revealed that the contents of SOC, TN, AP, microbial biomass C, N, and P, CAT, SAC, URE, and ALP in the P . tabulaeformis forest soil were significantly higher than those in the farmland by 64.97%–262.02%, 75.44%–254.28%, 46.63%–114.21%, 125.95%–554.83%, 101.35%–464.21%, 15.80%–167.35%, 22.57%–49.95%, 96.78%–145.73%, 6.98%–56.08% and 89.15%–177.89%, respectively. The soil properties, microbial biomass, enzymatic activities, and C:P and N:P ratios in soil and microbial biomass improved with increasing plantation chronosequence. Variations in C:N:P stoichiometry and higher C:P and N:P ratios in the soil and microbial biomass revealed the P limitation. Simultaneously, N:P ratios included more serviceable information that reflected the relationship between soil and microbes. Soil enzymatic activities had a high correlation with soil nutrient cycling and could be indicators of soil fertility status, particularly for ALP. The significant correlation between SOC, TN, enzymatic activities, and microbial biomass revealed that the substrate availability of carbon and nitrogen could influence the activity of soil enzymes and microorganisms. This study demonstrated that soil enzymatic activities and microorganisms respond to the process of afforestation and hence have the potential to affect nutrient balance and quality of soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is affecting hydrological variables and consequently is impacting water resources management. Historical strategies are no longer applicable under climate change. Therefore, adaptive management, especially adaptive operating rules for reservoirs, has been developed to mitigate the possible adverse effects of climate change. However, to date, adaptive operating rules are generally based on future projections involving uncertainties under climate change, yet ignoring historical information. To address this, we propose an approach for deriving adaptive operating rules considering both historical information and future projections, namely historical and future operating rules (HAFOR). A robustness index was developed by comparing benefits from HAFOR with benefits from conventional operating rules (COR). For both historical and future streamflow series, maximizations of both average benefits and the robustness index were employed as objectives, and four trade-offs were implemented to solve the multi-objective problem. Based on the integrated objective, the simulation-based optimization method was used to optimize the parameters of HAFOR. Using the Dongwushi Reservoir in China as a case study, HAFOR was demonstrated to be an effective and robust method for developing adaptive operating rules under the uncertain changing environment. Compared with historical or projected future operating rules (HOR or FPOR), HAFOR can reduce the uncertainty and increase the robustness for future projections, especially regarding results of reservoir releases and volumes. HAFOR, therefore, facilitates adaptive management in the context that climate change is difficult to predict accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A new repeatable batch processing method is developed for regional SUHI assessment. • A framework is proposed to explain the formation of SUHI effect. • The impacts of most driving factors on SUHI effect are spatial heterogeneous. • More attention should be paid to small cities. The urban heat island (UHI) effect has become a hot topic worldwide because of the double stress of global climate change and rapid urbanization. However, the deficiencies of existing methods hinder the monitoring and assessment of the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect at the regional scale. This paper presented a new method to assess SUHI intensity, and then applied it in China. The results indicated that: (1) compared with other methods, this new method has some merits like higher accuracy, fewer operational steps, and higher portability. It enables accurate, semi-automated assessment of SUHI intensity at the regional scale. (2) SUHI effect exists in 81.02% of the cities in China. These cities were mainly concentrated in southeastern China, which presented the significant characteristic of spatial agglomeration. (3) Urban-rural differences in relative humidity, vegetation coverage, evapotranspiration, waterbody coverage, and the number of industrial enterprises are the main driving factors for the SUHI effect in China. Furthermore, there are significant interactions among these driving factors. (4) The spatial heterogeneity of the influence directions and intensities of many driving factors is obvious. Therefore, traditional regression models should be utilized more cautiously because they cannot capture the spatial heterogeneity of variables. (5) The hypothesis of "the larger the city size, the higher the SUHI intensity" is not valid, so more attention should be paid to small cities in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas is a clean energy source with many benefits and its proportion in the energy consumption structure in China has been gradually increasing over the recent years. Since the price of natural gas in China has been controlled and maintained at a relatively low level by the government, reforming the natural gas industry in China has been the matter of much attention in light of its macroeconomic effects on the overall economy. Using the Computable General Equilibrium model and the 2012 Social Accounting Matrix, the results show increases in natural gas prices lead to an increase in the consumer price index (CPI) and lead to reductions in GDP. The chemical industry sector is strongly influenced by a natural gas price increase. Furthermore, chemical fertilizer manufacturing industry and chemical products’ manufacturing have very significant effects in China. Therefore the government may gradually establish and improve the management of natural gas price to avoid negative effects, and implement a differential price as the industries exhibit different levels of resistance in response to natural gas price changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the 2011-2013 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study with 14,507 respondents from 393 neighborhoods, and applying generalized linear mixed-effects model, this study examines how individual-level education and neighborhood-socioeconomic contexts affect health through social engagement. Findings reveal that measures of social engagement-social activity and productive activity-are significantly related to self-rated health and partially mediate the effects of individual-level education. Neighborhood-socioeconomic contexts have independent effects on self-rated health beyond individual socio-demographics, and social activity mediates the effects of neighborhood recreational facilities. This study is among the first to simultaneously explore the health effects of individual and neighborhood-level socioeconomic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To explore the association between leisure participation and subjective well-being and the role gender in this issue among elderly Chinese in Shanghai, China. Methods Principal components analysis and logistic regressions are used to analyze the cross-sectional data of the 2013 Shanghai Elderly Life and Opinion Survey that contains 2884 respondents (60+ with a mean age of 72.6) recruited from a multistage cluster sampling design. Subjective well-being is measured by happiness and life satisfaction, and leisure participation is examined by the type and diversity of leisure activities. Results Principal components analysis identifies four major types of leisure activity that elderly Chinese are actively engaged in—detachment-recovery, aesthetic, social, and performing-arts activities. Among them, social activities and performing-arts activities have the most relevance to subjective well-being. Females are more likely to engage in social and performing-arts activities whereas males are more likely to engage in detachment-recovery and aesthetic activities. Performing-arts activities promote subjective well-being only for females. Social activities are beneficial for both gender groups, but more so for males than for females. While increased levels of leisure diversity are linearly related to increased odds of subjective well-being for females, moderate level of leisure diversity is found to be the most important for males. Conclusions Leisure participation is positively related to subjective well-being among elderly Chinese, and thus could play a critical role in promoting healthy aging. The major gender differences as observed suggest the need to further explore gender-specific barriers in leisure participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the annual maximum water level record spanning about 60 years at 34 gauging stations, we conduct flood frequency analysis in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) with generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. The GEV model performs sound estimation with the correlation coefficient at most stations larger than 0.99. To better understand the flood risk especially in ungauged regions, the spatial distribution of flood-stage is displayed for three given return periods, 10-year, 20-year and 50-year. Similar pattern can be identified for different return periods except the difference in magnitude, which generally exhibits a decreasing trend from the upper region to offshore area with a scope of about 2–9 m. Additionally, a comparison between pre-1980 and post-1980 is carried out to quantify the flood-stage alteration. The results show that most stations display increasing flood risk except for some stations in the upper estuaries, which experienced slight water level decline. Particularly, the lower part of the PRD is vulnerable to the most severe flood-stage increment. The estimated extreme water level increases by 0.35 m (14.96%), 0.59 m (21.23%) and 1.06 m (29.96%) on average at stations corresponding to 10-year, 20-year and 50-year return period, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology-enabled bike-sharing services are increasingly being regarded as effective means of reducing air pollution. However, their actual impact on urban air pollution, especially the factors that might amplify these environmental benefits, is still not well understood. Taking advantage of Ofo and Mobike's staggered entry into 98 major Chinese cities as a quasi-natural experiment, this study empirically examines the impact of technology-enabled dockless bike-sharing services on air pollution and its heterogeneity using a difference-in-differences approach. The results show that there is significant heterogeneity in the impact of the entry of bike-sharing services on urban air pollution, while the overall effect is not significant. Specifically, the reduction effect of dockless bike-sharing service entry on air pollution is greater in cities with larger urban populations, longer average commute times, and higher public transit use, and the increase in traffic congestion further amplifies such effects. This study serves as the first empirical analysis of the impact of bike-sharing services on air pollution, providing important and valuable references for policymakers to better utilize these services to improve air quality and develop sustainable urban transport systems. • Empirically examines the air pollution reduction effect of bike-sharing services. • Notable heterogeneity effects are observed, but overall effect is not significant. • Pollution reduction effect of DBS is greater in large cities with heavy traffic. • Urban commuting features also moderate the pollution reduction effect of DBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Quartz in carbonatite-related REE deposits has distinguishable compositions. • The composition of quartz exhibits systematic, spatial variation in REE deposits. • Quartz can be used as an indicator in the exploration of REE deposits. Quartz is a common gangue mineral in many magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits (e.g., porphyry, epithermal and skarn deposits) and its trace element composition was widely used to constrain ore genesis. Quartz is also a common phase in carbonatite-related rare earth element (REE) deposits, but its geochemical characteristics and significance for ore genesis have not previously been documented in this environment. In this contribution, we report in-situ LA-ICP-MS trace element compositions of quartz from seven carbonatite-related REE deposits, namely the Maoniuping, Lizhuang and Dalucao deposits in the Mianning-Dechang REE metallogenic belt, SW China and the Miaoya, Taipingzhen, Huangshuian and Huanglongpu deposits in the Qinling REE metallogenic belt, Central China. Rare earth element mineralization in these deposits is associated with well-developed hydrothermal systems in which the dominant REE minerals, bastnäsite, parisite, and monazite, are intergrown with aegirine-augite, arfvedsonite, calcite, fluorite, barite, and quartz. The results show that quartz grains from the carbonatite-related REE deposits are characterized by low budgets of trace elements, of which Al is generally less than 50 ppm whereas others are generally less than 10 ppm. In general, the trace element concentrations in quartz from different deposits are similar (the total concentration is commonly <50 ppm), and are distinguishable from those of quartz in other magmatic-hydrothermal systems. The low concentration of trace elements in carbonatite-related REE deposits is controlled by the unusual nature of carbonatitic magmas and their derived fluids, and thus can be used for defining the affinity of hydrothermal REE systems that are of unknown origin. Significantly, the trace element chemistry of quartz samples collected from a cross-section in the open pit of the Maoniuping REE deposit displays a systematic spatial variation such that the concentrations of Al, Ti, Na, and K decrease with increasing distance of the samples from carbonatites. This spatial variation correlates well with the variation of physio-chemical conditions during the evolution of ore-forming fluids. This implies that the geochemistry of quartz can be used as a vector detecting the concealed carbonatite intrusions in carbonatite-related REE deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phoebe zhennan S. Lee et F. N. Wei (Lauraceae), is the main source of Gold Phoebe, a rare and extremely valuable wood in China. However it has undergone a dramatic decline. In this study, we used 12 amplified fragment length polymorphism primer combinations to assay 92 accessions, which were highly representative of the entire P. zhennan germplasm. It revealed that P. zhennan consisted of three genetic populations, named as SCZ (central Sichuan), CQH (eastern Sichuan, Chongqin, Hubei and Hunan) and YG (Yunnan and Guizhou), probably owing to natural selection caused by topography differences. The CQH population further diverged into two geographical sub-populations: CD-CQ (SCD and west region of Chongqin) and HB-HN (eastern side of Chongqin, Hubei and Hunan). The loci were moderately polymorphic (40.4%). The genetic distance between SCZ and YG was the highest, between CD-CQ and HB-HN the lowest. Pairwise fixation indices (Ф PT ) between any inferred populations were significant. This rare species exhibited low genetic diversity; therefore, the results provided significant data related to the conservation and management of P. zhennan . That is, with this genetic information, land managers are equipped with better tools allowing them to more effectively protect this species and its limited genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of global warming, climate extremes, including extreme wet event and drought events, have become one of the most significant and attractive themes around the world. The target region of this study is confined to eastern China, with most of the country's population concentrated, where both the wet and drought climate extremes can cause considerable damages to the economy, particularly to agriculture. From the inter-annual and intraseasonal scale, temporal and spatial distributions of climate extremes for 27 stations in the Huaihe River Basin over the period 1960–2013, are examined rigorously by means of a modified FAO Penman-Monteith method and the standardized variables of the monthly Surface Humid Index. Morlet wavelet analysis is utilized to thoroughly investigate the oscillation and periodicity of extreme wet/drought events during four seasons, as well as the whole year. The results suggest that the frequency of extreme wet events has significantly increased by 0.0118 times/year, whereas the trend for extreme drought events has gradually decreased, at the rate of 0.0127 times/year, both of which are in accordance with inter-decadal variations of climate extremes. Comparative study reveals climate extremes in autumn shows great differences, in sharp contrast to other seasons and the general inter-annual tendency. Spatial distributions of inter-annual extreme climate events exhibit certain symmetry characteristics, from west to east, indicating the combined influences of topography and monsoon circulation. The major cycles of extreme wet and drought events are 14 years and 24 years, respectively. Finally, possible causes of the temporal and spatial distributions of climate extremes are tentatively analyzed, by correlation analysis of six indexes, namely, AOI, AAOI, EASMI, WNPMI, SASMI, and NAOI, with AOI and NAOI being the dominant indexes under the background of large-scale atmospheric circulation. Additionally, other factors such as total annual precipitation, northward movement and enhancement of the subtropical anticyclone, and anthropogenically induced greenhouse forcing can also contribute to the changes in extreme climate events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of different rainfall characteristics on pollutant wash-off was investigated in stormwater runoff from three road surfaces in a highly urbanized area of Shanghai, China. The relationships between rainfall characteristics and pollutant wash-off were analyzed using sectional analysis, an innovative concept of using sector parameters to investigate the relationship between the pollutant wash-off process and different sectors of the runoff hydrograph and rainfall hyetograph. Results indicated that the rainfall intensity of the initial phase of a rainfall event was critical to the magnitude of the first flush. Rainfall duration and the antecedent dry period also influenced pollutant load washed-off during intermediate and final phases of a rainfall event. No influence of rainfall depth on first flush was observed. Several rainfall characteristics played important roles in pollutant wash-off processes. These findings are critical for designing and implementing low impact development practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Carbon emissions trading inhibits green technology innovation in the short run. • Carbon emissions trading will reduce the carbon emissions and carbon intensity greatly at this stage. • Carbon emissions trading has a crowding-out effect on R&D investment and increases the carbon trading price, which inhibited green technology innovation. • It is necessary to control the scale of carbon emission quota and diversify the subjects of carbon trading. Carbon emissions trading is an important measure to promote high-quality economic development. Based on the panel data of 30 provincial administrative regions in China from 2008 to 2017, this paper uses the difference-in-differences method to analyze the impact of carbon emissions trading on green technology innovation. The results show that: (1) Carbon emissions trading inhibits green technology innovation in the current stage, but greatly reduces carbon emissions and carbon intensity; (2) Carbon price and R&D investment are the mainly working channels, carbon emissions trading has a crowding-out effect on corporates' R&D investment and increases the carbon trading price, which in turn inhibits green technology innovation; (3) Carbon emissions trading has a stronger inhibitory effect on green technology innovation in eastern regions and regions with low emission intensity. Local government competition positively moderates the green technology innovation effect of carbon emissions trading. However, the command-controlled environmental regulations and the scale of the carbon emission quota have opposite effects, with the compatibility of environmental regulation tools remaining to be resolved. Therefore, it is necessary to control the scale of carbon emission quota to diversify the subjects of carbon trading and strengthen the impact of market-incentive environmental regulation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bottleneck of China's industrial carbon efficiency improvement is that the contribution of carbon emission technology is less than that of energy technology, and that of neutral technology is less than that of capital-based technology. The key to breaking through this bottleneck is to clarify how heterogeneous technological progress enhances carbon efficiency through industrial structural upgrading. The effects of four levels of technological progress on carbon efficiency under two technical classifications based on technology sources and carbon emission processes from energy consumption are studied by using the DEA method. The suitable choice of the path of technological progress to promoting China's industrial carbon efficiency is provided accordingly. The panel data model is used to deeply investigate the effects of these four levels of technological progress on industrial carbon efficiency in China's 30 provincial industries. The main results are as follows: First, in terms of direct effects, progress in energy technology is more conducive to improving carbon efficiency than progress in carbon emission technology, and progress in neutral technology is more effective in improving carbon efficiency than progress in capital-embodied technology. Second, in terms of indirect effects, progress in capital-embodied technology is effective in upgrading industrial structures and enhancing carbon efficiency; and, through green upgrading of industrial structures, progress in energy technology has a positive and significant impact on carbon efficiency. Third, the level of industrial development and government environmental governance have a positive impact on carbon efficiency, and the energy structure has a negative impact on carbon efficiency. • Different technologies impact carbon efficiency through different paths. • NT and CET promote industrial structure grading and carbon efficiency. • Industrial structure grading promotes ET and CT progress. • Promoted by industrial structure grading promotes carbon efficiency. • ET and CT progress promotes carbon efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pestalotiopsis -like fungi are an important plant pathogenic genus causing postharvest fruit rot and trunk diseases in grapevine in many countries. Pestalotiopsis -like fungi diseases were studied in vineyards in nine provinces across China. Multi-gene (ITS, β-tubulin and tef1 ) analysis coupled with morphology showed that a Neopestalotiopsis sp. and Pestalotiopsis trachicarpicola are associated in causing grapevine fruit rot and trunk diseases in China. Pestalotiopsis trachicarpicola is reported as the causative agent of grapevine diseases in the world for the first time. Neopestalotiopsis sp. caused significantly longer lesions than the other taxon present. This study represents the first attempt to identify and characterize the Pestalotiopsis -like fungi causing grapevine diseases in China using both morphological and molecular approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefabricated buildings (PB) are assembled using prefabricated components, known for their cost-effectiveness and high efficiency. They are seen as an effective means to achieving sustainable development goals and mitigating climate change. This paper examines the impact of prefabricated buildings on urban green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) using panel data from 278 cities in China. The analysis is conducted through the application of a super-efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model and a difference-in-differences model. The results of the study indicate that the promotion of PB can significantly improve urban GTFEE; there is heterogeneity in the improvement of urban GTFEE by PB; the innovation effect, industrial effect and marketization effect of PB are the main ways to improve urban GTFEE. Specifically, PB exerts an innovation effect by promoting technological innovation. It influences consumer and investor demand, leading to increased activity in the secondary industry, thereby creating an industrial effect. Moreover, PB facilitates the marketization effect by phasing out outdated industries, encouraging autonomous enterprise innovation, and fostering the growth of new advanced enterprises. This study reveals the critical role of PB in urban GTFEE improvement. It clarifies its mechanism of action, which provides a reference for urban sustainable development strategies and energy efficiency. • Prefabricated buildings can improve green total-factor energy efficiency. • Urban green total-factor energy efficiency has been measured. • PB improves GTFEE through innovation, industry and marketization effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water eutrophication caused by nitrogen pollution is an urgent global issue that requires attention. The Qingyi River is a typical micro-polluted river in China. In this study, we took this river as the research object to investigate the nitrogen pollution purification capacity of a herbaceous plant, Rumex japonicus Houtt. (RJH). Compared to nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 −-N) and nitrite nitrogen (NO 2 −-N), RJH showed better purification performance on total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 +-N), with a highest removal rate of 37.22%, 52.13%, and 100%, respectively. RJH could completely remove ammonia nitrogen and exhibit excellent resistance to pollutant interference when the initial concentration of ammonia nitrogen in the cultivation devices increased from 1 mg/L to 10 mg/L or in the actual river. This indicated the great application potential of RJH in ammonia nitrogen removal from natural micro-polluted rivers. In addition, combined effects of nitrification of roots, absorption of self-growth, stripping, and others contributed to nitrogen removal by RJH. Particularly, the nitrification of roots played a dominant role, accounting for 73.85% ± 8.79%. High-throughput sequencing results indicate that nitrifying bacteria accounted for over 75% of all bacterial species in RJH. Furthermore, RJH showed good growth status and strong adaptability. The correlation coefficients of its relative growth rate with chlorophyll A and the degradation rate of absorption were 0.9677 and 0.9594, respectively. Our research demonstrates that RJH is one of the excellent varieties for ammonia removal. This provides a very promising and sustainable method for purifying micro-polluted rivers. [Display omitted] • A Rumex japonicus Houtt.(RJH)-based phytoremediation technology was proposed. • Nitrification, absorption, stripping and other effects influenced ammonia removal. • Nitrification of roots accounted for 73.85% ± 8.79% of the total degradation rate. • The good growth status and strong purification ability of RJH were verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global trade may lead to unequal distribution of CO 2 emissions and economic benefits among countries. While regional carbon inequality within a country driven by specific foreign consumers is rarely discussed. Taking China as an example, this study constructed a nested MRIO table to trace the CO 2 emissions & value-added flows between each province of China (30 in total) and 18 other countries/regions, and measured the provincial carbon inequality based on emission terms of trade (ETT), emission-value (EV), carbon-Gini coefficient indicators triggered by these global consumers. Here we show that most provinces are net emission exporters and almost half of China's provinces suffered both environmental and economic losses in international trade. What is worse, it triggered severe regional imbalance of emissions and economic gains within China. The less developed western provinces with high emission intensity are always at a disadvantage in international trade, but some eastern provinces are on the favorable side. The consumption of the EU caused the most severe carbon inequality among provinces. These findings provide further information to relieve trade-induced carbon inequality at a refined scale and give inspiration to build more equitable trading mechanisms globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon travel for rural residents in China is of great significance for reducing CO 2 emissions and achieving the "dual carbon goals". This paper uses system dynamics modeling and case analysis to explore the realization path of low-carbon travel in rural China, establishes a complex system dynamics model of low-carbon rural travel in China. By running multi-scenario simulations, the characteristics of rural residents' travel and the trend of CO 2 emissions in China are found. Through the case study, it is found that the built environment, low-carbon travel policy, rural residents' travel preference and travel cost are the important factors affecting rural low-carbon travel. New energy policy can effectively reduce rural travel CO 2 emissions. However, an excessively large increase in rural low-carbon public transport would reduce marginal benefits. The government should choose the right policy intensity according to the economic and fiscal situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines China's dual leadership model and compares it with the more traditional (western) single leader model. It addresses an important question in educational leadership: whether singular school leadership or a dual leadership is better? It is innovative as it mobilised an international research team to collect data from 115 Chinese school leaders and compare China's dual leadership with faith-based schools in other contexts. Given so much now is written about distributed leadership within and across schools, this paper offers valuable insights, especially for readers interested in the educational leadership practices of a rising global power. • This paper looks at China's dual leadership model and compares it with the more traditional (western) single leader model. • It addresses a vital question in educational leadership: whether a singular school leader or a dual leadership model is better? • International researchers collected data from 115 school leaders in China and compared dual faith-based leadership. • It addresses the under-researched but important relationship between school principals and party secretaries in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thus far, the effect of environmental antibiotics exposure to offspring's growth remains unclear. Here we aimed to evaluate whether and to what extent environmental antibiotics exposure is associated with fetal and postnatal growth. A total of 735 pregnant women and their full-term offspring from the Shanghai Obesity Birth Cohort were involved in the study. Maternal urine specimen was collected during the third trimester, and urinary concentration of fifteen environmental antibiotics was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and enzymatic method. Children were followed at birth, 12, 24 and 60 months, and growth parameters of the weight and height of children were recorded. Linear regression model was applied, and it was found that maternal veterinary antibiotic (VA) concentration was negatively associated with birth weight and ponderal index [per natural-logarithm (ln)-unit: adjusted β (95% confidence interval, CI) = – 42.1 (– 74.0, – 10.3) for birth weight, –0.11 (– 0.19, – 0.02) for birth weight z-score, and – 0.03 (– 0.05, – 0.002) for ponderal index]. Regarding specific VA, each ln-unit increment of florfenicol concentrations was likely to be associate with 39.7 g (95%CI: – 69.3, – 10.1) reduced birth weight, 0.10 (95%CI: – 0.18, – 0.02) reduced birth weight z-score, and 0.02 g/cm3 (95%CI: – 0.04, – 0.00) reduced ponderal index. Ciprofloxacin, a preferred-as-veterinary antibiotic, showed a similar dose-response relationship with neonatal anthropometric parameters to florfenicol. However, these adverse effects diminished as children grew up to 12-, 24- and 60-month-old. Larger prospective cohort studies and animal experiments are warranted to verify the hypothesis that environmental antibiotics exposure in early life, even at low doses, may cause fetal growth restriction. [Display omitted] • Nearly three quarters of fetuses were exposed to low-dose veterinary antibiotics. • Prenatal veterinary antibiotics exposure may be inversely associated with birth weight. • Ciprofloxacin and florfenicol were the main contributors to the decreased fetal growth. • The adverse effects of veterinary antibiotics diminished as children grew up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we study the dynamics of absolute return, trading volume and bid–ask spread after the trading halts using high-frequency data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange. We deal with all three types of trading halts, namely intraday halts, one-day halts and inter-day halts, of 203 stocks in Shanghai Stock Exchange from August 2009 to 2011. We find that absolute return, trading volume, and in case of bid–ask spread around intraday halts share the same pattern with a sharp peak and a power law relaxation after that. While for different types of trading halts, the peaks’ height and the relaxation exponents are different. From the perspective of halt reasons or halt durations, the relaxation exponents of absolute return after inter-day halts are larger than those after intraday halts and one-day halts, which implies that inter-day halts are most effective. From the perspective of price trends, the relaxation exponents of excess absolute return and excess volume for positive events are larger than those for negative events in case of intraday halts and one-day halts, implying that positive events are more effective than negative events for intraday halts and one-day halts. In contrast, negative events are more effective than positive events for inter-day halts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, an ultra-rare and disabling genetic disorder of skeletal malformations and progressive heterotopic ossification (HO), is the most catastrophic condition of skeletal metamorphosis in humans. We studied 72 patients with FOP in China and analyzed their phenotypes and genotypes comprising the world's largest ethnically homogeneous population of FOP patients. Ninety-nine percent of patients (71/72 cases) were of Han nationality; and 1% of patients (1/72 cases) were of Hui nationality. Based on clinical examination, 92% of patients (66/72 cases) had classic FOP; 4% of patients (3/72 cases) were FOP-plus; and 4% of patients (3/72) were FOP variants. Importantly, all individuals with FOP had mutations in the protein-coding region of activin A receptor, type I/activin-like kinase 2 (ACVR1/ALK2). Ninety-seven percent of FOP patients (70/72 cases) had the canonical c.617G>A (p.R206H) mutation, while 3% of FOP patients (2/72 cases) had variant mutations in ACVR1/ALK2. Taken together, the genotypes and phenotypes of individuals with FOP from the Han nationality in China are similar to those reported elsewhere and support the fidelity of this ultra-rare disorder in the world's most highly populated nation and across wide racial, ethnic, gender and geographic distributions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyzes the ex-ante short-term impacts of the Chinese RMB appreciation on the Chinese and world economy, using a novel approach of modeling nominal exchange rate adjustment in the GTAP, a global CGE model. Scenario results show that Chinese economy will be affected negatively, with lower real GDP, lower employment rates, and a decline in the trade surplus. Chinese currency appreciation has positive impact on the GDP of the major countries and regions, although by a small margin. With higher Chinese exchange rate, trade balance for other trading partner countries improves with the exception of the U.S. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]