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As it is an important industrial base in China, it is of great significance to improve the industrial carbon emission efficiency in the western region to promote the low-carbon sustainable development of the region. This paper selects the input–output panel data of 11 provinces in western China from 2010 to 2021, and adopts the three-stage DEA model to measure the industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China under a non-traditional geographic division at the overall and regional levels and analyze its influencing factors. The Dagum Gini coefficient, its decomposition method, and the kernel density estimation method are used to analyze the regional differences and dynamic evolution process of industrial carbon emission efficiency in the western region. The results of the study show that (1) after removing environmental and random factors, the industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China has been improved, but there are inter-regional differences, characterized by "the third region > the second region > the first region"; (2) the levels of green development, shared development, innovative development, and coordinated development have a positive impact on the improvement of industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China, while the level of industrialization has a relatively smaller influence, and economic development, government support, open development level, and energy consumption structure have not yet played a significant role; (3) the spatial differences in the efficiency of industrial carbon emissions in western China have generally increased during the sample period, with inter-regional differences being the main source; and (4) the industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China is characterized by overall improvements in time and space but with stage differences and multi-polarization of regional differences. This study has a certain reference value for improving industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vast majority of rural settlements in Western China are located in the ecologically sensitive and diverse mountainous environment, which also experienced rapid changes in policy and institutional interventions over the past 40 years. At present, in the transitional period of "post-poverty alleviation," they have more opportunities to re-integrate themselves into the large regional development. However, there is a lack of systematic evaluation and cognition of the related functions of the spatial structure between the settlements at the regional village scale and town scale. Therefore, in this paper, the theory of complex adaptive system and its analytical NK model were introduced, and a quantitative measurement framework was constructed for the adaptability level of this kind of rural settlement spatial structure organization so as to explore the effective path for its global optimization. Taking Xinglong Town of Chongqing in the western mountainous area as an example, it was found from the analysis that (1) the number of villages at a high comprehensive adaptation level has increased over time, which has an obvious positive correlation with the construction of transportation network, and a structural adsorption effect. (2) The spatial structure of the rural settlement system in the region has changed from weak industrial nodes – traffic single branch connection – public service decentralized coverage in 2010 to the organizational adaptation characteristics of stable industrial agglomeration – traffic expansion and extension – public service continuous coverage in 2019. (3) The spatial elements related to industry and public service in each village have an increasingly significant impact on the reconstruction and differentiation of its spatial structure. Finally, based on the changing trend of adaptability level and the correlation characteristics of regional space, in this paper, the spatial structure optimization strategy of Xinglong Town is put forward, which provides a reference basis for the coordinated development of the town and village space under the township-level planning in the western region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal power industry takes the important social responsibility of energy conservation and environmental protection. The carbon emissions made by the thermal power industry are affected by the industrial structure. In this paper, the carbon emission of thermal power generation is divided into three links: energy combustion, desulfurization process, and power transportation. The total carbon emission of thermal power in 11 provinces in western China from 2000 to 2017 is calculated. Combined with industrial reform, this paper constructs a panel data fixed effect model to systematically analyze the interactive response relationship between thermal power carbon emission and industrial structure in the western region. The research shows that due to the continuous expansion of hydropower, wind power, and other new energy power generation scale and the improvement of energy efficiency in the western region, the growth trend of thermal power carbon emission has slowed down since 2010. The industrial development pattern is the main driving force of regional economic development, and the secondary industry in the western region is the main driving factor of thermal power carbon emission. High quality economic development in the western region can be promoted through technological upgrading, new energy development, and industrial multi-mode operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variability of renewable energy generation and its mismatch with demand may lead to curtailment issues, which necessitates the deployment of energy storage on a significantly larger scale. A‐CAES is a promising technology for its green ability and technology maturity to serve as grid's load following. However, previous research mainly focuses on system analysis and core component optimal, and the performance of A‐CAES when constructing with renewable resources has not been fully addressed. In this paper, a comprehensive evaluation on A‐CAES is presented based on an annual photovoltaic (PV) output in western China. The A‐CAES is modeled from the systematic perspective and the PV output is classified into four types (sunny, mostly‐sunny, mostly‐cloudy, and cloudy). First, the performance with different weather and different rated power of A‐CAES is fully investigated. Then, performance availability with different rated power has been proposed—the optimal condition occurs with average 5.936 MWh/day capacity and 53.49% efficiency on 1800 kW rated power. The evaluation framework is suitable for evaluating the role of CAES with other sources and such result provides a reference for A‐CAES designing and further application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of enterprises as the mainstay of commercial breeding mechanism is the inevitable choice of China's seed industry modernization and food security. But the R&D strength of Chinese seed enterprise is still weak; they need to cooperate with scientific institutions. This paper aims to investigate scientific institutions'[1] willingness to participate in science-enterprise cooperation[2] and the factors influencing their selection. The Logistic model was used to analyze the impact factors of scientific institutions' willingness.365 respondents from 53 units of four major agricultural province in western China were surveyed. The results indicate that the factors such as technology transfer mode, the cooperation enterprise' ability to accept and recreate, leaders' recognition degree, personnel regulation, incentive regulation, distribution of benefit and risk regulation, support from the government's policy and law guarantee have positive effect on scientific institutions' selection. It first analyzes the scientific institutions' selection of choosing cooperative breed enterprises in transition period, and investigates the commercial breeding mechanism more scientifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurial followers are defined as the crucial members of a specific entrepreneurial team and do not include the leader or normal employees in the present paper. This population can be viewed as indispensable factors in the success of entrepreneurship, especially in the start-up stage. In addition, according to the following time, they can be divided into two groups, namely long-term entrepreneurial followers and short-term entrepreneurial followers. However, studies focusing on entrepreneurship cultivation for entrepreneurial followers are relatively few. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the needs of Chinese entrepreneurial followers in entrepreneurship cultivation from the early stage of entrepreneurship. In this paper, a sample of 200 long-term entrepreneurial followers from Tianfu New Area in China was investigated. To enable the researchers to explore the unique opinions of entrepreneurial followers, a mixed data collection approach that combined interviews and questionnaires was chosen in this study. The results revealed following findings: (a) high levels of social capital, good entrepreneurial opportunities and projects, and highly cooperative teams were viewed as the most important factors for entrepreneurship by entrepreneurial followers in China; (b) most entrepreneurial followers believed that the primary difficulty in the cultivation process was the inefficiency in talent training mechanism; and (c) nearly 40% of samples suggested that the cultivation and enhancement of local talents should be firstly carried out by the Chinese government, indicating a gap between the supporting force for local and returned talents in China. In addition, various types of incentive policies and good environments for talent growth were also considered as important suggestions by entrepreneurial followers. We found that unlike entrepreneurial leaders, entrepreneurial followers focus more on income expectation, and personal development rather than supporting the development of companies in China. These findings should be viewed as priorities when enhancing current entrepreneurship cultivation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordinated development of rural infrastructure and ecological environment is an effective way to improve agricultural productivity. The primary focus of the current research is how the two can work together to promote regional economic development in rural areas and in related fields. This study takes the western region as the research object, constructs an evaluation index system for rural infrastructure and ecological environment, and uses the Min-max Scaling method, coupling coordination model, gray GM (1, 1) model, and standard deviation elliptical model for evaluation. The trends and driving factors for the coordinated development of rural infrastructure and ecological coupling in the region from 2012 to 2021 are analyzed. The main results are as follows: (1) Except for Tibet, Qinghai, and Ningxia, the coupling degree of rural infrastructure and the ecological environment in western China reached the maximum level during the research period, also the coordination degree showed a gradual upward trend. (2) A prediction for the development and evolution of rural infrastructure and the ecological environment in western China indicates a trend of agglomerative development in the southern region. (3) By strengthening the construction of reservoirs, improving sanitary conditions, improving cultivated land use area and forest coverage, and controlling soil erosion, the coordinated development of the two can be effectively promoted. The purpose of this study is to promote the sustainable and coordinated development of rural infrastructure and ecological environment, and to provide a reference for policy formulation in the relevant sectors and other countries and regions with similar situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to global warming and other climate changes, it is increasingly important to study the response of regional environmental changes and dynamic changes in vegetation to climate change. Based on meteorological data from the last 60 years, this paper calculates the humidity index of western China under a wide range of long time series in different regions and explores the cross-correlation effect between series by offering a comparison with NDVI data, to analyze the cross-correlation between wet and dry changes and changes in vegetation in western China on a spatial scale. The results show that the spatial distribution of the interdecadal humidity index is different between different regions in western China. For example, the semi-arid and the semi-humid zones of the Weihe River region exhibit significant changes, while the Xinjiang and Qinghai–Tibet regions show a trend of constant wetness, on the whole, and the Sichuan and Yunnan–Guizhou regions are relatively humid and the distribution of wetness and dryness is relatively stable. The distribution of high and low values of the humidity index is very obvious and consistent with that of the distribution of desert bare land and precipitation in western China. In common with the distribution in the humidity index, the maximum correlation number between the NDVI and the humidity index in the whole western region is also significantly different in spatial distribution. There is a positive correlation between the NDVI and the humidity index in 99% of the study area. However, the delay in response time of the NDVI to changes in the humidity index in each region is inconsistent. For example, changes in the NDVI lag changes in the humidity index in the Menggan region by generally either 2 months or 5 months, while in the Sichuan region the delay in response time is generally 3 months. The variation and trend in dry and wet areas are closely related to the geographical location, climate zone, and topographic terrain, which may be the reason for the differences in the distribution of vegetation types and the response time to dry and wet changes. There is significant interaction between the humidity index and the vegetation type or precipitation distribution in western China. The positive correlation between the NDVI and the humidity index means that the positive effect is more sensitive, and the response of grassland is the most sensitive in the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Geography & Geographic Information Science is the property of Geography & Geo-Information Science 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.)

Migrant workers in China and their children too frequently are treated as outsiders in the city. This paper explores and compares the opportunities for female Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in western rural areas of China. Learning from migrant girls how they perceive and evaluate benefits in and from their schooling provides us insights into how TVET played a role in achievements that rural migrant girls value and enact. The capability approach specified for education is used as a structure to assess TVET as experienced by its participants. This research shows that despite its deficiencies and obscurity within socio-economic structures, for the current generation of young rural migrant girls, TVET education was highly accessible, provided a singular opportunity and space to equip them with some skills and knowledge, and enhanced their capabilities to participate in a rapidly changing urbanizing economy. TVET education created changes on both individual and collective levels. Rural migrant girls' opportunities were constrained by unequal migration patterns and were structured along intersections of gender and ethnic lines. Implications for improving TVET policy include improved information flow, diversification of TVET curriculums, standardization of regulations, and increased opportunities for female and ethnic students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Western Development Strategy (WDS) has been carried out since 1999 with remarkable achievements, whereby Western China also experienced a rapid and stable development during the past decade. This paper analyzes policy actions and effects of WDS. The findings indicate that Western China's economic development has experienced a dramatic reversion after implementation of WDS, which to a certain extent, proves that WDS has played a significant role in promoting western regions' development. This paper also reveals some key constraints on Western China's economic development and then offers a set of policy ideas for the next stage of Western development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yushenfu mining area is located in an ecological fragile area in western China, the coal seam of which is the Jurassic Yan'an Formation. The Jurassic Yan'an Formation contains five minable coal seams, the top layer of which is thick, covered by shallow overburden and located under aquifers. Therefore, the mining induced water flowing fractured zone can easily extend to the aquifers of both the Quaternary Sarahu and Jurassic Zhiluo Formation. This would result in a series of negative hydrological and ecological effects, including groundwater leakage, groundwater lowering, furtherly causing surface vegetation withering and dying, surface water body reduction, spring drying out, and water flow of river being decreased substantially. To solve these environmental problems, several technologies have been carried out by Chinese scientists, one of which is water-preserved coal mining. This paper presents a review of the origin, definition and development of water-preserved coal mining, and its applications in Yushenfu mining area. The applicable conditions, research contents, research methodology, and technical foundation of water-preserved coal mining are addressed in this paper. The future research focuses regarding water-preserved coal mining in China are also discussed in this paper. Its results serve as a guide for selecting the methods to be preferred for mining in case the geological conditions, roof overburden structure and coal mining process are similar to Yushenfu mining area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of pork consumption in urban western China and the different consumption patterns across income strata with respect to income elasticity and price elasticity of demand. Design/methodology/approach – The double-hurdle model is fit to the household data of Sichuan and Xinjiang provinces which is from the National Bureau of Statistics urban household surveys. Findings – The paper finds that consumers’ purchasing decisions regarding pork are related to both non-economic and economic factors. The results also indicate large differences among the determinants for decision of how much pork to buy across the three income strata. Low-income households have higher income elasticity than middle-income and high-income households. High-income and middle-income households’ level of pork consumption is more sensitive to pork price. High-income households have greater cross-price elasticity. Originality/value – In the previous studies, the non-economic determinants of pork consumption have not been addressed, and neither does the issue of difference pork purchasing behavior across income strata for urban households in western China. So this study uses the double-hurdle model to investigate the determinants of pork consumption in urban western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroseismic intensity data play an important role in seismic hazard analysis and in developing reliable earthquake loss models. This paper adopts an ellipse model to predict the macroseismic intensity attenuation in both the long-axis and the short-axis directions based on 136 earthquakes recorded throughout western China during 1970–2012. The geometric spreading and energy release of seismic waves are considered in the models proposed in this study. The proposed relation describes the macroseismic intensity simply as a function of the surface wave magnitude, source-to-site distance, and focal depth. This study adopts the focal depth that is not often considered in the current intensity prediction equations in China and uses different functional forms in the long- and short-axis directions. Based on residual analysis and evaluation, a more suitable macroseismic intensity predictive equation was established for western China, and it was compared and discussed with macroseismic intensity prediction equations of other researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefabricated building industry bases emerged at exactly the right moment, and therefore coincided with the transformation and upgrade of the construction industry and the rapid development of urbanization, but the analysis of the process through which prefabricated buildings develop often neglects the actual operating efficiency of prefabricated building industry bases. This is due to differences between the western region and other regions that relate to, inter alia, policy, technology level, standard specification, and market demand. The study of the operational efficiency of prefabricated building industry bases in the western region is therefore of great significance. This paper uses a literature review and expert correction to establish an input–output index system. It also conducts field research in different regions and uses the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) research method to analyze overall differences between prefabricated building industry bases in Western China and other regions. It also draws on macro and micro perspectives to assess problems that exist in their own operations. In conclusion, it provides four targeted suggestions that operate from within government and base investor perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses the 2012 household skills survey conducted by the World Bank in Kunming, China, to investigate the relationship between personality traits and entrepreneurial development with a discrete choice model. The paper systematically examines whether different kinds of personality characteristics measured by the Big Five traits (extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability. and openness) and risk preference influence entrepreneurial development in western China. The analysis indicates that personalities have significant effects on entrepreneurship behavior in general. In particular, individuals with higher risk preferences, extroversion, emotional stability, and conscientiousness are associated with a higher probability of choosing entrepreneurship. However, other factors have negligible impacts on entrepreneurship in our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National key towns are one of the most important units for mitigating China's carbon emissions from urbanisation, industrialisation and agricultural modernisation under China's rural revitalisation strategy. The rise in the carbon footprint (CF) corresponding to increasing populations and energy consumption in national key towns has not been underestimated. This paper aims to explore the impact of local resident energy consumption on the degree of coordination between ecology and the economy. To achieve this objective, the carbon pressure index (CPI), carbon occupancy index (COI) and eco-economic coordination index (EECI) are constructed by applying the CF, carbon carrying capacity (CC) and carbon deficit (CD) of Caijiapo Town from 2012 to 2017. Furthermore, the relationship between the CF, economic growth and per capita disposable income is described based on the decoupling index (DI). The results reveal that, apart from a decline in 2014, the per capita CF of Caijiapo Town has increased, with an average annual growth rate of 16.80%. The CF of different energy sources shows that the CF of natural gas is much larger than those of raw coal, oil and electricity. The DI between GDP, the per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents and the resident energy CF first decreases and then increases. The DI between GDP, the per capita disposable income of urban residents and the resident energy CF is 1.09 and 1.72, and urban residents are the main contributors to the resident energy CF from 2015 to 2017. The CPI and COI show an upward trend, and the eco-economic coordination index (EECI) of Caijiapo Town undergoes a change from poor coordination (grade II) to worst coordination (grade I) from 2012 to 2017. Therefore, the following suggestions are proposed: the CC should be treated as a constraint, energy utilisation should be improved, residents' consumption structure should be optimised, differentiated policies should be implemented for the energy consumption of urban and rural residents and a spatial planning system and operational mechanism should be established that combines multiple regulations into a single regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater quality issues are becoming as important as groundwater quantity issues, making groundwater quality research a hot topic worldwide. With human activity intensifying in western China as a result of the West Development Program and the Silk Road economic belt project of China, groundwater quality in western China is deteriorating rapidly. This special issue of Exposure and Health promotes groundwater quality research to respond to these challenges. This introductory article details the challenges faced by contemporary groundwater quality researchers, and proposes ways to advance groundwater quality research in western China. The paper also introduces the articles that follow in this special issue. The key goal of this work is to encourage new and experienced scholars to engage with this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (RR-PTB) presents a significant threat to global public health security. China bears a substantial burden of RR-PTB cases globally, with Guizhou Province experiencing particularly alarming trends, marked by a continual increase in patient numbers. Understanding the population characteristics and treatment modalities for RR-PTB is crucial for mitigating morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. Methods: We gathered epidemiological, diagnostic, and treatment data of all RR-PTB cases recorded in Guizhou Province from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2023. Utilizing composition ratios as the analytical metric, we employed Chi-square tests to examine the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of RR-PTB patients and the evolving trends among different patient classifications over the study period. Results: In our study, 3396 cases of RR-PTB were analyzed, with an average age of 45 years. The number of RR-PTB patients rose significantly from 176 in 2017 to 960 in 2023, peaking notably among individuals aged 23–28 and 44–54, with a rising proportion in the 51–80 age group (P < 0.001). Since 2021, there has been a notable increase in the proportion of female patients. While individuals of Han ethnic group comprised the largest group, their proportion decreased over time (P < 0.001). Conversely, the Miao ethnicity showed an increasing trend (P < 0.05). The majority of patients were farmers, with their proportion showing an upward trajectory (P < 0.001), while students represented 4.33% of the cases. Geographically, most patients were registered in Guiyang and Zunyi, with a declining trend (P < 0.001), yet household addresses primarily clustered in Bijie, Tongren, and Zunyi. The proportion of floating population patients gradually decreased, alongside an increase in newly treated patients and those without prior anti-tuberculosis therapy. Additionally, there was a notable rise in molecular biological diagnostic drug sensitivity (real-time PCR and melting curve analysis) (P < 0.001). However, the cure rate declined, coupled with an increasing proportion of RR-PTB patients lost to follow-up and untreated (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Enhanced surveillance is crucial for detecting tuberculosis patients aged 23–28 and 44–54 years. The distribution of cases varies among nationalities and occupations, potentially influenced by cultural and environmental factors. Regional patterns in RR-PTB incidence suggest tailored prevention and control strategies are necessary. Despite molecular tests advances, challenges persist with low cure rates and high loss to follow-up. Strengthening long-term management, resource allocation, and social support systems for RR-PTB patients is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Burnout is prevalent among pediatric residents. Self-efficacy and resilience, as concepts of positive psychology, may be protective factors for burnout. However, no current data demonstrates the mechanism of their interaction. Objectives: To investigate the pediatric residents' status of self-efficacy, resilience, and job burnout in a university-affiliated hospital in western China. To explore relationships among them, especially the mediating effects of resilience. Methods: The study was conducted with 190 pediatric residents from an A-Class women's and children's hospital in western China. Data included demographic characteristics, status of pediatric residents, measures of burnout (using the Physicians' Career Burnout Questionnaire), self-efficacy (using the General Self-Efficacy Scale) and resilience (using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale). Multiple regression analysis and mediation analysis with bootstrapping were used to identify whether resilience mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and burnout. Results: Female pediatric residents exhibited significantly lower self-efficacy (t = 2.53, p<0.05) and higher levels of job burnout (t=-2.64, p<0.01) compared to male residents. Residents in the standardized training stage experienced higher levels of job burnout compared to those who had completed the training, as indicated by t-values of -3.21, -2.13, and − 2.80 (p<0.05). Significant correlations (p ≤ 0.01) were found among self-efficacy, resilience, and burnout. Additionally, our findings indicated that pediatric residents' self-efficacy can positively predict job burnout and its three dimensions through a major mediating effect of resilience. Conclusions: The findings regarding the mediating effect of resilience on the influence of self-efficacy on burnout, and their association with gender and residency status, have practical implications for interventions aimed at reducing burnout and improving the well-being of pediatric residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To deeply understand the quantity, quality, spatial distribution characteristics and the representative of cultivated land of national standard farmland in western China at macro scale, it is very important to set up and improve the monitoring system of cultivated land quality in the whole country. This paper, based on the database of farmland classification and national standard farmland in western China (12 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions), gives a analysis of the quantitative distribution characteristic of national standard farmland of the western region in gradation (quality) and on a secondary zone of the standard farming system. The paper then analyzes the spatial distribution features of standard farmland based on GIS and conducts inspection, definition and statistical tests for the representative of national standard farmland. Results show that: (1) In the view of quantitative distribution characteristics, national standard farmlands of the western China were distributed across all the gradations 4-15, but exhibited great differences in each gradation, such as more than half of them concentrated in 8-12 gradation. The distribution of national standard farmland in the 4, 5, 14, and 15 grades was less. Furthermore, national standard farmlands of the western China are unevenly distributed in the secondary zone and have not covered 28 secondary zones of the standard farming system. Therefore, there exists cultivated land but no national standard farmland in five secondary zones such as Daxing'an Mountains region and so on. (2) From the spatial distribution characteristics, national standard farmland is uniformly distributed on the whole, but there is a significant spatial difference and there exist excessive concentration phenomena in six secondary zones. Thus, the data presented suggest that we should adjust and optimize the monitoring sample plot layout of national standard farmland in western China, according to a comprehensive analysis of the testing results and the distribution characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reveal the unsafe factors in the whole life cycle of the water diversion open channel in the dry and cold areas in western China, it is necessary to avoid frequent diseases of open channel in this area, which brings great losses to society and economy. In this paper, for the western dry and cold regions unique climatic and geological conditions, according to the Code for Design of Irrigation and Drainage Canal System Structures and combined with the expert consultation and the previous team’s study on characteristics of open channel diseases in this area, this paper established the safety index system of diversion channel and used the gray Euclid theoretical model to evaluate the safety of the whole life cycle. This paper used IAHP to solve the weight of each index, used gray Euclid association theory to determine the correlation between the indicators and finally got the relative gray Euclid weighted correlation degree of diversion channel safely sort. Taking four open channel sections in the dry and cold areas of western China for an example, the paper applied the gray Euclid model to evaluate the safety. The conclusion was in agreement with the actual situation. The research result shows that the model is effective and practical for the safety evaluation of the open channel in western China and it can provide an important basis for the safety management of open channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little available attenuation relationship for Arias Intensity (AI) in China. Empirical relationships between AI and peak ground acceleration (PGA) provide another option for predicting AI. We establish empirical relationships for AI and PGA for western China, utilizing 3,169 horizontal and 979 vertical strong motion records with PGA >0.01 g from 274 earthquakes (M[sub S] 4.0-8.0), originating in eight provinces in southwest (Yunnan, Sichuan) and northwest China (Gansu, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang). The influences of M[sub S] epicenter distance, and site conditions indicators V[sub S30], generic site classes (i.e., rock and soil) are explored. The results show that the logarithm of AI increases linearly with the increase of the logarithm of PGA and M[sub S], and decreases with the logarithm of V[sub S30]. However, the influence of site conditions on AI-PAG relationships can't be recognized by the simple generic rock and soil site classes. The epicenter distance has little effect on the AI-PAG relationships. Empirical relationships are developed to estimate horizontal or vertical AI as a function of PGA (basic model), PGA and M[sub S] (model 2) for southwest, northwest, and western China, using all the records. Empirical relationships for AI as a function of PGA, M[sub S], and V[sub S30] (model 1) are established using the 2,248 horizontal (70.9% of the total) and 670 vertical (68.4% of the total) records with V[sub S30] between 148 and 841m/s. The notable disparity between model 1 of the southwest and northwest regions is chiefly attributed to local site conditions, indicating that the AI-PGA correlation is region-dependent. These findings enable one way of estimating AI for western China and will contribute to a better understanding of AI attenuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, China has entered the development stage of a "low birth rate" demographically. There is a huge contradiction between the unbalanced and inadequate distribution of preschool education facilities (PEFs) and the people's expectations for "full and good education for children". This study took the Lingui New District, a typical new urban area in West China as the research area, and through the introduction of POI big data and GIS analysis methods, supplemented by GeoDA Bivariate Moran index analyses, established a kindergarten spatial database. The study found that preschool education facilities have problems such as insufficient quantity, uneven quality, low service coverage, poor accessibility, etc. Therefore, it is suggested to increase the proportion of public affordable preschool education facilities including kindergartens and nurseries, optimize the spatial distribution of preschool education, and improve the accessibility of preschool services to promote affordable, safe, and high-quality development of preschool education and to provide reference suggestions for the revision of relevant standards and the adjustment of the layout of preschool education in undeveloped regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a key factor in regional economic, social, and environmental development. In this study, we constructed a regional sustainability system of 24 indicators by combining the Sustainable Development Goals and triple-bottom-line model to evaluate sustainability in the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities (12 regions) of western China. We further propose a novel three-stage difference-driven model, which includes a dynamic objective weighting method that considers the correlation between indicators' status and development trends, introducing a time factor to highlight the difference in indicator values among different periods. Based on this model, the dynamic indicator weight, comprehensive sustainability performance, sustainability trends, and coordination among the various dimensions were analysed. The evaluation results indicated that regional sustainability was differentiated at the spatial level from 2000 to 2019. The sustainability performance and average annual growth rate in southwest China were superior to those in northwest China. The 12 regions performed better in social and environmental dimensions than in economic dimensions, implying that the economy is the main point of restriction for regional sustainable development. The coordinated development of these regions was not particularly high, with all coordination degrees below 0.7. Additionally, the average growth rates of the coupling degree and coupling coordination degree in the southwest were higher than those in the northwest. These findings can guide regional policymakers in formulating sustainable development measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty is a chronic problem all over the world. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in 2012, the Chinese government has continuously increased its poverty alleviation efforts. In addition, absolute poverty in China was eliminated by the end of 2020. Tourism has played an important role in poverty alleviation. To explore the role of the tourism industry in reducing poverty, this paper takes the Liupan Mountain area of Gansu Province in western China, as a case site. An input–output evaluation index system was constructed, and a Super-SBM model was used to evaluate the tourism poverty alleviation efficiency in 40 districts and counties in the Liupan Mountain area from 2009 to 2018. The results show that the overall starting point of tourism poverty alleviation efficiency in the study area was high, which needed to be further optimized. The difference in tourism poverty alleviation efficiency among districts and counties tended to decrease in the time series. The restrictive factors were the lack of technological progress and lack of innovation. The spatial distribution of tourism poverty alleviation efficiency in the study area presented a pattern of high in the east and low in the west, high in the north and low in the south. In the future, the tourism poverty alleviation efficiency in the concentrated and contiguous destitute areas of the Liupan Mountain area in Gansu Province could be improved by cultivating the tourism industry, strengthening technological innovation, cultivating core growth poles, and exerting radiation effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient marine strata in large basins in western China (the Ordos, Sichuan and Tarim Basins) are complicated by multi-stage structural transformation, which makes it difficult to accurately identify and analyze sedimentary formations and identify oil and gas exploration targets. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the sedimentary tectonic background and infill sequences of the marine carbonate rocks in these basins, and establishes the geological structural model of typical sedimentary formations. It is found that the marine carbonates in these basins were deposited during the pre-Mesozoic discrete period of the China Block; the Ordos Basin is quasi-stable, and there was almost no clastic rock cushion in most areas before the deposition of the ancient carbonate rocks. The sub-stable Sichuan Basin and active Tarim Basin each have a clastic base. Ancient underlying rifts developed in the basement and at the margins of the three basins, containing ochsenkopf (Niutou)-type formations. During the pre-Indosin-ian, a number of different-scale paleo-uplifts were extensively formed, around which para-anticlinal formations were deposited. During tectonically stable intervals, an epicontinental sea covered the marine interior craton, and dolomite sheet formations developed in the wide tidal platform. Few of these have been studied until now. The strongly concealed Niutou, para-anticlinal and dolomite sheet formations at great burial depths and subject to tectonic/ sedimentary differentiation, are all important targets for oil and gas exploration. Therefore, how to accurately extract information about these structures that were formed and re-formed by multiple cycles of tectonic movement, and identify the fine structures of the three basins and their hydrocarbon accumulation, are challenges for the oil and gas exploration of deep marine strata, and further study is very necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exist many difficulties for the college libraries of western China to develop digital libraries. These difficulties are shortage of funds, restriction of information infrastructure, library leadership, short- age of technical knowledge and user training. After analysis of these problems, this paper sums up some experiences and lessons learned. Based on this, some suggestions on how to solve those problems are put forward, including trying to extend funding sources, improving management knowledge, extending external communication, etc. The conclusion is that in order to provide good information service, the college libraries of western China must male every effort to conform to digital trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving eco-efficiency can promote sustainable development. This study first evaluated the urban eco-efficiency of 84 cities in Western China from 2004 to 2017 by the undesirable-super-slack-based measure (US-SBM) and analysed their spatiotemporal characteristics, and then investigated its influencing factors using spatial econometric models. The results indicated that the urban eco-efficiency in Western China was at a relatively low level and showed a fluctuating upward trend with the highest average value of 0.65; however, capital cities of Western China have improved their eco-efficiency rapidly. Furthermore, there were obvious spatial spill-over impacts of the urban eco-efficiency in Western China. This paper also found that both the economic development level and urbanization level have “U” shaped impacts on Western China’s urban eco-efficiency, which decreases at first and then rises. Similarly, increasing the proportion of secondary industry promotes urban eco-efficiency, and FDI, trade activities, improved environmental regulations as well as technological innovation capabilities have a positive impact on urban eco-efficiency in Western China. This paper also put forward corresponding policy suggestions to promote Western China’s urban eco-efficiency. The present study may be helpful for policy-makers to balance economic development and environmental protection in Western China.

Abstract Yushenfu mining area is located in an ecological fragile area in western China, the coal seam of which is the Jurassic Yan’an Formation. The Jurassic Yan’an Formation contains five minable coal seams, the top layer of which is thick, covered by shallow overburden and located under aquifers. Therefore, the mining induced water flowing fractured zone can easily extend to the aquifers of both the Quaternary Sarahu and Jurassic Zhiluo Formation. This would result in a series of negative hydrological and ecological effects, including groundwater leakage, groundwater lowering, furtherly causing surface vegetation withering and dying, surface water body reduction, spring drying out, and water flow of river being decreased substantially. To solve these environmental problems, several technologies have been carried out by Chinese scientists, one of which is water-preserved coal mining. This paper presents a review of the origin, definition and development of water-preserved coal mining, and its applications in Yushenfu mining area. The applicable conditions, research contents, research methodology, and technical foundation of water-preserved coal mining are addressed in this paper. The future research focuses regarding water-preserved coal mining in China are also discussed in this paper. Its results serve as a guide for selecting the methods to be preferred for mining in case the geological conditions, roof overburden structure and coal mining process are similar to Yushenfu mining area.

In the late 1990s, the entire population of the Aksay Kazakh Autonomous County in Gansu, China, was resettled to the newly built town of Hongliuwan. About onethird of Aksay's Kazakh population had already left before the resettlement started, migrating predominantly to Kazakhstan. In order to keep the favourable status of an Autonomous County, the remaining Kazakhs had to be persuaded to stay. This paper argues that by building the new town, the Chinese state has considerably shaped its citizen's decision-making process regarding migration. The state has offered appealing options regarding financial safety and a modern lifestyle, so that most Kazakhs in Hongliuwan would see no reason to leave anymore. This case presents an example of how the Chinese state impacts the decisions of its citizens by manifesting itself in an urban context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of remote sensing (RS) technology and increasing demand for the application of RS in natural resources survey, RS is promoting the transformation of procedure and method in natural resources survey by means of prior-observation, prior-detection and prior-monitoring to enhance the acquisition of natural resources data and improve the accuracy and speed of survey. Based on the new changes of natural resources survey system in the new era, the paper puts forward the concept, goal and development direction of Remote Sensing First as follows: RS-first is an important part of the construction of natural resources survey and monitoring technology system, which can realize the total-factor, full-coverage, all-weather and full-scale survey and monitoring of natural resources; Through the innovation of RS technology and transformation/application of RS products, RS can play an important leading role in survey and monitoring of minerals, ecology, water, soil and disaster; The integrated satellite-aero-ground RS observation is the most effective technical means to promote the accurate and rapid survey of natural resources in western China, as well as monitoring of global-scale environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an investigation of the English language learning aspirations and deprivations of female rural migrant youth in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools in two locales in western China. This study adopted basic interpretive research focused on individual voices and experiences. The capability approach provided the conceptual framework. Participants in this research primarily aspired to learn English for instrumental purposes: to pass exams, earn higher degrees, find better jobs in cities, and support their children in learning English. A lack of English proficiency, economic situation, and living environment greatly limited their aspirations. Participants showed a spectrum of levels of aspirations of English learning. For participants with low levels of English proficiency, their English could neither support their educational and employment goals nor inspire them for greater future plans. Participants from the TVET–university joint program formulated a stronger and wider range of aspirations when compared to those encapsulated in secondary TVET. Recommendations include increasing opportunities for exposure to English, reforming exam-oriented English learning, enriching the prevailing culture of learning and the perceived value and social uses of English, increasing TVET school and university cooperation, and adapting the TVET English curriculum to economic imperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food, water, and energy (FWE) are foundational resources that sustain human well-being and societal advancement. The examination of climate change effects on FWE resources is imperative, particularly in regions abundant in natural resources but ecologically fragile. In this context, we investigated the spatiotemporal changes of FWE resources in China's western frontiers, where both resource wealth and climate vulnerability are critical. This study proposes an innovative approach to comprehensively analyze the dynamics of food production, surface water, and solar energy from 2010 to 2021 by integrating easily accessible and widely applicable variables, and utilizing remote sensing and statistical data within a sustainable development framework. The results show that: (1) both crop yield and cropland area display an upward trend; (2) the expansion of overall surface water area in Xinjiang is mainly driven by changes in precipitation and temperature, while in Xizang, such a relationship is not evident; (3) Xinjiang and Xizang have advantages in solar photovoltaic (PV) development due to their abundant solar resources. Our results suggest that such spatiotemporal dynamics in food production, surface water and solar energy resources can intuitively reflect the sustainable development status of FWE resources in China's western frontiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-border investment is essential for western China's globalization. Global value chain (GVC) forms cross-border investment networks between industries in western China and overseas cities. Focusing on GVC, this study uses the social network analysis method, entropy method, multi-index comprehensive evaluation method, and quadratic assignment procedure analysis method to examine the characteristics and influencing factors of the urban networks of research and development (R&D), production, and sales formed as a result of the overseas investments of listed manufacturing companies in western China. Results showed that the three types of investment networks involved multiple industry types and multiple central cities with differentiated diversity and multicentrality. The R&D urban network's leading sub-industries were the mechanical equipment and instruments, medicine and biological products, and metal and nonmetal industries. The destination cities were mostly those home to educational and scientific research centers. The production urban network's leading sub-industries were the mechanical equipment, instrument, and food and beverage industries. The destination cities were mostly regional central cities in developing countries. The sales urban network's leading sub-industries were the mechanical equipment and instrument, metal and nonmetal, and petrochemical and plastics industries. The destination cities were numerous and scattered. In addition, the R&D urban network easily formed specialized clusters, core nodes easily controlled the production urban network, and individual nodes did not easily control the sales urban network. Technological and economic system advantages greatly impacted the three network types. Considering the different influencing factors, this study suggests optimizing the institutional investment environment to narrow the institutional gap, adjusting and optimizing the investment layout to expand overseas markets, and increasing R&D funds to stimulate technological progress and overseas investments in western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurial followers are defined as the crucial members of a specific entrepreneurial team and do not include the leader or normal employees in the present paper. This population can be viewed as indispensable factors in the success of entrepreneurship, especially in the start-up stage. In addition, according to the following time, they can be divided into two groups, namely long-term entrepreneurial followers and short-term entrepreneurial followers. However, studies focusing on entrepreneurship cultivation for entrepreneurial followers are relatively few. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the needs of Chinese entrepreneurial followers in entrepreneurship cultivation from the early stage of entrepreneurship. In this paper, a sample of 200 long-term entrepreneurial followers from Tianfu New Area in China was investigated. To enable the researchers to explore the unique opinions of entrepreneurial followers, a mixed data collection approach that combined interviews and questionnaires was chosen in this study. The results revealed following findings: (a) high levels of social capital, good entrepreneurial opportunities and projects, and highly cooperative teams were viewed as the most important factors for entrepreneurship by entrepreneurial followers in China; (b) most entrepreneurial followers believed that the primary difficulty in the cultivation process was the inefficiency in talent training mechanism; and (c) nearly 40% of samples suggested that the cultivation and enhancement of local talents should be firstly carried out by the Chinese government, indicating a gap between the supporting force for local and returned talents in China. In addition, various types of incentive policies and good environments for talent growth were also considered as important suggestions by entrepreneurial followers. We found that unlike entrepreneurial leaders, entrepreneurial followers focus more on income expectation, and personal development rather than supporting the development of companies in China. These findings should be viewed as priorities when enhancing current entrepreneurship cultivation in China.

In this paper, we explore the strong familial responsibility sense of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in rural western China, based on the data obtained from in-depth interviews. The data show that PLHIV were coping positively with a poor family economic status, caring for their family more than themselves, and taking concrete steps to fulfill their familial obligations. However, unique economic, cultural, and social factors exert negative impact on their ability to achieve their aims. The findings from our study illustrate that proper governmental and social interventions should be launched based on the actual situation and needs of local PLHIV and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many well-preserved silicified megalodontids found from the Jiapila Formation of the Upper Triassic in western China show great variations in the amorphous teeth and the massive hinge plate, making the internal molds vary greatly in size and shape. Thus, the internal molds of megalodontids do not always provide reliable taxonomic characters. As a result, about 3/4 of the 132 species and 6 of 9 genera of Triassic Megalodontidae erected on the basis of internal molds have to be revised. The revised definitions of genera Neomegalodon, Triadomegalodon, and Conchodon are given in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Western Development Strategy (GWDS) is a long term national campaign aimed at boosting development of the western area of China and narrowing the economic gap between the western and the eastern parts of China. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure was employed to assess the environmental challenges brought about by the western development plans. These plans include five key developmental domains (KDDs): water resource exploitation and use, land utilization, energy generation, tourism development, and ecological restoration and conservation. A combination of methods involving matrix assessment, incorporation of expert judgment and trend analysis was employed to analyze and predict the environmental impacts upon eight selected environmental indicators: water resource availability, soil erosion, soil salinization, forest destruction, land desertification, biological diversity, water quality and air quality. Based on the overall results of the assessment, countermeasures for environmental challenges that emerged were raised as key recommendations to ensure ecological security during the implementation of the GWDS. This paper is intended to introduce a consensus-based process for evaluating the complex, long term pressures on the ecological security of large areas, such as western China, that focuses on the use of combined methods applied at the strategic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The distribution of energy and industry in China is extremely uneven. The western region is rich in energy resources but relatively economically backward, while the eastern region, particularly, the southeast coastal area, is an industrially-developed area but is short of energy resources. On the basis of such a situation, this paper recommends the sustainable development of energy systems for the western region. The specific innovative energy systems adopted here can convert the western region''s fossil fuels to alternative fuels and electricity with higher efficiency, lower investment cost, and less impact upon the environment. As one of such innovative energy systems, the MES (multi-functional energy system) can achieve 10–14% in the energy conservation ratio, 4–8% reduction of investment cost, and a 10–37% decrease of main pollutants. Moreover, its adoption will increase the income and accelerate the development of the energy industry in the western region, as well as meet the energy demand of the eastern region. The analysis in this paper presents a feasible energy road map for the rapid yet sustainable development of China''s western region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Accompanied with the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization, the large and medium-scale valley-cities in the western China are facing environmental problems at respective levels in common. The urban environmental pollution causes economic losses, and also brings out negative effects on urban society. Based on the social investigation method, this paper aims to study the harms to urban society brought by environmental pollution. After the investigation to the inhabitants of six typical valley-cities: Lanzhou, Xining, Chongqing, Baiyin, Luzhou and Zigong, we found that the urban environmental pollution has resulted in negative influences with different levels on residents’ physical, psychological, work, recreations, studies and social activities. The problem of environmental pollution has become a serious restriction to sustainable development of cities mentioned above. Herewith, it has become urgent to strengthen the government regulations for controlling urban environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports our field study findings about the efforts of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to rationalize Chinese public organizations. Our focus here is on public organizations in western China. Classifying the development of China into the strategizing, politicizing, and pragmatizing eras, with each era having its unique historical events, reflecting CPC’s basic logic in organization and management and in turn affecting officials’ behavioral tendencies, we examine CPC’s basic political–rational approach and the different rationalization models used in different eras. The contending models had produced mix-results, as most officials are either politically submissive to higher authority, as in the case of western China or, as in eastern region, in transformation, becoming a self-serving hybrid with monopoly of both economic and political powers. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the combined methods of digital image processing of remote sensing data, a Geographical Information System (GIS) and analysis of historical books and maps, this paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the processes and mechanisms of land-use and land-cover changes and hydrological variations during the last 2000 years in a hyper-arid environment. The southern and eastern Taklamakan Desert, one of the driest and ecologically most sensitive regions in China and characterized by a long history of human settlements, was chosen as the study area. A hydrological connection between the Keriya and Niya rivers in former times was recognized for the first time using satellite imagery. After transferring the notes and maps of historical times into a simplified modern map, it shows that the Lop Nuer decreased in size from a large lake in the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220) to a much smaller one in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644–1911). Areas settled in former times differ morphologically from the dune landscape in satellite imagery because of flat relief along dried river courses. A review of archaeological literature reinforces the fact that in the lower reaches of the Keriya and Niya rivers, in the interior of the Taklamakan Desert, irrigated agriculture was widely practised from ca. 200 BC to ca. AD 500. A possible climatic change toward drier conditions at ca. AD 500 is suggested as the cause of the abandonment of the cities in the desert and for the initial drying of the formerly large Lop Nuer Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]