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To achieve China's "double carbon" goal, it is necessary to make quantitative evaluation of the power grid enterprises' contribution to carbon emission reduction. This paper analyzes the contribution of power grid enterprises to carbon emission reduction from three points: power generation side, power grid side, and user side. Then, PLS-VIP method is used to screen the key influencing factors of carbon emission reduction contribution of power grid enterprises from three aspects: consumption of clean energy emission reduction, reduction of line loss emission reduction, and substitution of electric energy. Based on GA-ELM combined machine learning algorithm, we establish an intelligent evaluation model of power grid enterprises' carbon emission reduction contribution. Furthermore, according to the distribution law of key influencing factors, this paper uses Monte Carlo simulation method to calculate the contribution of power grid enterprises to carbon emission reduction by scenario, so as to evaluate the contribution of power grid enterprises to carbon emission reduction. Finally, combined with the relevant data of power grid enterprises from 2003 to 2019, this paper makes an empirical study on the completion of carbon emission reduction contribution and the promotion path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transnational adoption process includes a child assessment programme that evaluates children's mental and physical health to select and produce adoptable children. Based on ethnographic research conducted in 2015 and 2016, this paper describes in detail this assessment programme, which compares children to their global peers. Adoption agencies and Chinese social welfare institutions rank children by their likelihood of being adopted. The closer a child is to what is considered normal, the easier it will be for the child to be adopted. This socially and spatially shifting ranking of the children's normality enables the flow of children from societies that exclude children from families to societies that re‐include them in families. In addition to ranking the children, the process also involves further normalising them. This paper contributes to the geography of adoption by focusing on the normalisation process implemented to produce adoptable children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper undertakes a conceptual analysis of the ‘efficacy’ and ‘efficiency’ dichotomy and argues that the latter should form an important component in the assessment of the former. Although an efficiency analysis of laws can stand its ground, the potential arguments that such a methodology can be apt only in certain vocations could be overcome if it is carried out as an integral part of a wider efficacy analysis of laws. To successfully carry out an assessment of any normative order, the clear identification of the reference standards or criteria upon which the effectiveness or the efficiency can be determined is a sine qua non. The paper delves on the potential reference standards, which could emanate from either legal or non-legal sources. Using the human rights normative order in Europe, the paper identifies the utility of regional legal norms in serving as the source of reference standards in determining the efficacy or efficiency of the domestic laws of the member states. The paper demonstrates how the European jurisprudence has sought to read the obligation of ‘efficient’ conduct of trails as part of the broader obligation to provide an ‘effective’ remedy. In the absence of binding legal references, how the relevant assessment of norms could be carried out is examined finally. Firstly, the issue is examined in the context of economic analysis of law and then the question is raised in the context of promoting the greater bay area regional cooperation in southern China. Specific challenges in achieving efficacy and efficiency in norms governing cybersecurity from the perspective of promoting the greater bay regional economic cooperation are identified. The paper concludes with the identification of some potential reference standards that could be of utility in assessing and improving the norms governing cybersecurity in the three involved jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was designed to produce a new parent‐report measure, the Diagnostic Receptive Expressive Assessment of Mandarin‐Infant Toddler Assessment of Communication and Language (DREAM‐IT) in order to provide norms for the developmental skills of children aged 0–36 months in four areas: expressive language, receptive language, cognitive play and social skills. Methodology: The scale was designed to be both broader and deeper than existing instruments that neglect one or more of these significant domains involved in early language. Items were chosen by a group of specialists with clinical experience working with the age group and with attention to the developmental literature. Caregivers were tested individually by a trained person who asked the questions and provided examples. In addition to an extensive health questionnaire, caregivers answered questions in Mandarin about their child's behaviour using a scale of 'not yet', 'sometimes' or 'always' or listing out words and/or sounds understood or said by the child. The 476 participating caregivers were recruited at maternal and child healthcare clinics centred in Chengdu, China, 191 of whom were tested a second time seven months later. The children were sampled in three‐month age‐bands from 0 to 36 months. The sample was balanced for child gender by age band, and parental education was balanced. Caregivers of 0–24‐month‐old children and caregivers of 12–36 months were each asked a different set of questions, to determine the appropriate age range and cutoff points for each question, requiring the sample size to be doubled for children aged 12–24 months. Results: The results were subject to item‐response theory analysis to remove outlying items, and the resulting internal reliability was high for each domain (average Cronbach's alpha=0.87). The final instrument (between 67 and 113 questions in total) was refined to include the least redundant questions that had the highest intercorrelations, with attention paid to coverage of all domains across the age range. Two scales were developed: one for children 0–18 months, the second for children aged 18–36 months. The longitudinal design permitted the creation of growth curves and norms for each domain for six‐month intervals from 0 to 36 months. A small sample of 32 parents of children with Down syndrome aged 18–36 months provided validation that the scales are highly sensitive to developmental delay. Conclusion: The instrument shows considerable promise for detecting early communication problems in children in China. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: In China, efforts were made in recent years to develop language assessments for infants and toddlers, but limitations existed with the domains included and number of items included per age group. Many clinical practitioners also continued to rely on language subtests of general developmental scales, which were limited in depth and breadth of language skills tested and were never intended for diagnosis of language delay. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This paper discusses the development of a valid caregiver report instrument for early communication and language skills of infants and toddlers in mainland China. The Diagnostic Receptive Expressive Assessment of Mandarin‐Infant Toddler (DREAM‐IT) includes foundational domains necessary for language and communication development in young children (receptive language, expressive language, cognitive play and social communication domains). The results show strong internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha) for each domain on a sample of 716 children sampled in three‐month age bands from 0 to 36 months. The external validity proved strong when tested on a group of 32 young children with Down syndrome. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Besides helping to inform the diagnosis of language delays in infants and toddlers in China, the caregiver report instrument has special features to support clinical practitioners in a field that is just emerging in China. The unique support features include the automatic generation of a profile of relative strengths and weaknesses of the child on the report and the recommendation of child‐specific caregiver coaching videos on a companion app. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The paper version of the training assessment was time-consuming and labor-consuming. It is an inevitable trend to change the appraisal method utilizing information technology. This study aimed to realize convenient and rapid management of the whole process of clinical nursing operation technology through information-based training and assessment platform. Methods: Combined with the operation mode of clinical nursing operation skills and set the basic functions of the information platform of clinical nursing operation training and assessment, the information-based training and evaluation platform for clinical nursing operation skills was established. The platform was officially operated in a tertiary level A general hospital in Shandong Province in 2018. Results: The information-based training and assessment platform is composed of Management Center (Computer Terminal) and a client terminal (APP terminal). The computer terminal contains 11 modules, and the APP terminal contains 8 modules. By December 2020, a total of 12,619 nurses had completed the training in nursing operation skills, and a total of 11,986 nurses had completed the examination. The examination results of nursing operation skills of the same nurses in 2018 were significantly higher than those in 2017(P < 0.05), and the error rate was significantly lower (P < 0.05). From 2016 to 2020, the scores of nasal feeding, CPR, and respiratory airbag of N1 level nurses significantly increased after using the information-based training and Assessment Platform (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the information terminal training assessment can realize the management of the whole process of clinical nursing operation technology training and assessment, which is better than the traditional method, and is a very practical and convenient clinical training and assessment method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The unbridled expansion of urban development in China has created unsustainable challenges in the management of urban rainwater. In response, the Chinese government has endorsed sponge city (SPC) theory as a sustainable urban development model that aims to enhance urban planning, construction, and sustainable wastewater management. However, despite the issuance of policies and regulations, the envisioned SPC goals remain difficult to achieve in current implementations. This review paper proposes an idealized SPC strategy model that can be adopted by pilot cities in China. This model was developed by thoroughly analyzing policy requirements and in-field achievements, evaluating diverse implementation scenarios, and contrasting the outcomes in three different pilot cities in China. The demonstrated success of city construction has highlighted the potential to simultaneously achieve multiple objectives, including conserving urban water resources, enhancing urban water quality, ensuring water safety, and revitalizing urban water ecosystems. This review supports the use of a planning approach that integrates the drainage division, aligns with project-specific conditions and emphasizes the importance of low-impact development (LID) facility placement within drainage zones. Consequently, this study calls for exploring the impact of catchment topography on LID performance. Finally, the results of this study highlight the necessity of investigating precipitation variations among LID facilities during rainfall events and exploring cost-effective material alternatives to improve the effectiveness of SPC implementations. Highlights: Contribution to SPC, an idealized stratgy model was proposed. SPC implementation in three different pilot cities were assessed and compared. The groundwater depth affects strategy selection of LID. Integrated planning, LID placement, and the impact of topography on LID should be emphasized for effective SPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Supply Chain Management (SCM) of agricultural products (AP) is an important part of modern logistics, and cultivating talents with rich theoretical knowledge and practical operation skills of the SCM of agricultural products is particularly meaningful for China as a major agricultural country. However, at present, few studies have concerned about the training path for such talents, so to fill in this research blank, this paper studied the training path for AP-SCM talents and the assessment of their training quality, aiming to find and solve the defects in the existing training programs. At first, this paper proposed training path for AP-SCM talents and attained the conclusion that colleges and universities should pose requirements for AP-SCM talents from 9 training directions. Then, a prediction model was built for assessing the training quality of AP-SCM talents, and the specific model framework and modeling principles were given. At last, experimental results verified the effectiveness of the prediction made by the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In many countries and regions, such as the United States, Europe and China, a trend has emerged in which students' enthusiasm for STEM is declining. This decline may be related to students' lack of science self-efficacy. An accurate examination of students' science self-efficacy can provide a research foundation for how to cultivate it. This paper used mixed methods to develop a valid science self-efficacy scale for high school students, focusing on the perceived competence dimension. A cross-sectional analysis exploring and interpreting differences across grades and genders in science self-efficacy among high school students was conducted. Subsequently, a 1-year longitudinal study was conducted on the development of science self-efficacy in China. Results: This study developed a 24-item science self-efficacy instrument based on the Rasch model, and the validity of the instrument was assessed through multiple aspects, including face, content, construct, and predictive validity. This instrument was used to divide students' science self-efficacy into four different levels. A cross-sectional study examining 1564 high school students in 10th–12th grades revealed that students' science self-efficacy exhibited a complex process of decreasing and then increasing by grade. Most girls' science self-efficacy was higher than that of boys for Levels 1 and 4, while for the intermediate levels, i.e., Levels 2 and 3, most boys had higher science self-efficacy than girls. The quantitative and qualitative results of the longitudinal study through a 1-year follow-up of 233 high school students indicated that students' science self-efficacy significantly improved. We revealed inconsistencies between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of the change in science self-efficacy from 10 to 11th grade. Conclusions: This study makes many contributions. First, we developed a science self-efficacy measurement instrument for high school students with high reliability and validity based on the Rasch model and characterized four different levels of student science self-efficacy. Second, the gender differences in science self-efficacy and the complex changes among grades were explained from the perspective of science self-efficacy level. Finally, students' science self-efficacy significantly improved in the longitudinal study, which was explained by self-efficacy theory and the Chinese core competency-oriented science curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Femoral neck fracture (FNF) accounts for approximately 3.58% of all fractures in the entire body, exhibiting an increasing trend each year. According to a survey, in 1990, the total number of hip fractures in men and women worldwide was approximately 338,000 and 917,000, respectively. In China, FNFs account for 48.22% of hip fractures. Currently, many studies have been conducted on postdischarge mortality and mortality risk in patients with FNF. However, there have been no definitive studies on in-hospital mortality or its influencing factors in patients with severe FNF admitted to the intensive care unit. Objective: In this paper, 3 machine learning methods were used to construct a nosocomial death prediction model for patients admitted to intensive care units to assist clinicians in early clinical decision-making. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using information of a patient with FNF from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III. After balancing the data set using the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique algorithm, patients were randomly separated into a 70% training set and a 30% testing set for the development and validation, respectively, of the prediction model. Random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and backpropagation neural network prediction models were constructed with nosocomial death as the outcome. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity. The predictive value of the models was verified in comparison to the traditional logistic model. Results: A total of 366 patients with FNFs were selected, including 48 cases (13.1%) of in-hospital death. Data from 636 patients were obtained by balancing the data set with the in-hospital death group to survival group as 1:1. The 3 machine learning models exhibited high predictive accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and backpropagation neural network were 0.98, 0.97, and 0.95, respectively, all with higher predictive performance than the traditional logistic regression model. Ranking the importance of the feature variables, the top 10 feature variables that were meaningful for predicting the risk of in-hospital death of patients were the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, lactate, creatinine, gender, vitamin D, calcium, creatine kinase, creatine kinase isoenzyme, white blood cell, and age. Conclusions: Death risk assessment models constructed using machine learning have positive significance for predicting the in-hospital mortality of patients with severe disease and provide a valid basis for reducing in-hospital mortality and improving patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farming-pastoral Ecotones in China (FPEC) is one of the most fragile ecological area in China. Landscape ecological risk assessment of FPEC based on terrain gradients has important strategic significance for ensuring national ecological security and the sustainable development of social economy. Based on the 30 × 30 m land use data and DEM data of FPEC in 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, this paper constructs a landscape ecological risk assessment model, and uses the methods of spatial autocorrelation analysis and terrain distribution index to appraise the dynamic change law and influential factors of FPEC landscape ecological risk on various terrain gradients. The results showed that: (1) In recent 40 years, land use/land cover changes (LUCC) has significantly changed, and the farmland area has increased continuously, mainly transferred from grassland, forest and bare land, particularly the bare land converted into grassland in recent 10 years, which leads to substantial increase in grassland area. (2) The overall ecological risk of the study area showed an upward trend, and the area of highest risk regions has increased more than twice during the study period, mainly distributed in the regions of "interference of human activities in low terrain" and "change of natural high terrain environment," these regions showed a high spatial concentration. (3) Ecological risk along with terrain gradient distribution is mainly limited by climate and terrain factors, the interference of human activities and natural environment change are the main influential factors of ecological risk increase in low and high terrain, respectively. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt to local conditions, and low terrain should rationally develop and utilize natural resources to reduce the interference of unreasonable production and human activities. In order to promote the sustainable and healthy development of FPEC, the policy of closing hillsides to facilitate afforestation should be adopted in the high terrain to reduce the impact of natural environment changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research / Zhongguo Zuzhi Gongcheng Yanjiu is the property of Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 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.)

Purpose: Owing to the consumption of considerable resources in developing physical pipe prediction models and the fact that the statistical models cannot fit the failure records perfectly, the purpose of this paper is to use data mining method to analyze and predict the risks of water pipe failure via considering attributes and location of pipes in historical failure records. One of the Automatized Machine Learning (AutoML) methods, tree-based pipeline optimization technique (TPOT) was used as the key data mining technique in this research. Design/methodology/approach: By considering pipeline attributes, environmental factors and historical pipeline broke/breaks records, a water pipeline failure prediction method is proposed in this research. Regression analysis, genetic algorithm, machine learning, data mining approaches are used to analyze and predict the probability of pipeline failure. TPOT was used as the key data mining technique. A case study was carried out in a specific area in China to investigate the relationships between pipeline broke/breaks and relevant parameters, such as pipeline age, materials, diameter, pipeline density and so on. Findings: By integrating the prediction models for individual pipelines and small research regions, a prediction model is developed to describe the probability of water pipe failures and validated by real data. A high fitting degree is achieved, which means a good potential of using the proposed method in reality as a guideline for identifying areas with high risks and taking proactive measures and optimizing the resources allocation for water supply companies. Originality/value: Different models are developed to have better prediction on regional or individual pipeline. A comparison between the predicted values with real records has shown that a preliminary model has a good potential in predicting the future failure risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at evaluating print media's agenda regarding China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), flagship Belt and Road initiative, and a huge development plan between China and Pakistan. For this purpose, researchers collected data from a Pakistani newspaper The News International and a Chinese newspaper Daily China to compare the portrayal of CPEC. Quantitative analysis was used for collection of data, which was collected through purposive sampling. The timeframe of the study is from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018. The results supported the study's objectives and hypotheses. It is concluded that both the newspapers covered CPEC; however, The News International published more CPEC-related project stories than China Daily. The former paper published 57 news stories, while the latter published 33. The variables of the study were revenue and economy, services and employment, transport & infrastructure, energy & power, investment and security, debt and economic aid, environmental destruction, cheap labor, ethnic conflict and international, and sovereignty. Study revealed that both newspapers framed the project positively, although some frames were negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of global warming and environmental deterioration, the environment impact assessment is a crucial institutional guaranty to assure less or no pollution during the process of the economic growth and rapid social development. This paper selected the environmental regulation system in China as a research target and assesses the effectiveness of green tax on the environment through an empirical analysis. The panel data from 2005 to 2015 in different cities in China are employed to analyze with a two-way fixed regression model; it analyzes the impact of environmental instruments like resource tax, excise tax, vehicle purchase tax, and pollutant discharge fees on environmental pollution and finds that the modeling conditions with green tax reform can lead to higher effect on environmental pollutant constrain but is distributed differently among east, central, and west based on the empirical analysis in China. Moreover, resource tax has a significant effect in the east and midwest of China. The effectiveness of excise tax on integrated pollution is not statistically significant. Compared with the midwest, eastern China's green tax had a much better performance on reducing environmental pollution. Pollutant discharge fees indicates a significant negative correlation to integrated pollution. The consumption of the other goods (like meat consumption) plays a mediating effect between vehicle purchase tax and integrated environmental pollution. In addition, the relevant policy recommendations are proposed against different tax types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a study of the computer essay-scoring program BETSY. While the use of computers in rating written scripts has been criticised in some quarters for lacking transparency or lack of fit with how human raters rate written scripts, a number of essay rating programs are available commercially, many of which claim to offer comparable reliability with human raters. Much of the validation of such programs has focused on native-speaking tertiary-level students writing in subject content areas. Instead of content areas with native-speakers, the data for this study is drawn from a representative sample of scripts from an English as a second language (ESL) Year 11 public examination in Hong Kong. The scripts (900 in total) are taken from a writing test consisting of three topics (300 scripts per topic), each representing a different genre. Results in the study show good correlations between human raters' scores and the program BETSY. A rater discrepancy rate, where scripts need to be re-marked because of disagreement between two raters, emerged at levels broadly comparable with those derived from discrepancies between paired human raters. Little difference was apparent in the ratings of test takers on the three genres. The paper concludes that while computer essay-scoring programs may appear to rate inside a 'black box' with concomitant lack of transparency, they do have potential to act as a third rater, timesaving assessment tool. And as technology develops and rating becomes more transparent, so will their acceptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the complex geologic conditions in mountainous areas of China, the highways often encounter different risks induced by geological hazards during highway slope construction. In this paper, a new assessment system for highway construction risk is developed based on 11 parameters being classified into five categories. In addition, index importance ranking is proposed for a weighting coefficient distribution in the evaluation index system for the 11 parameters. This ranking substantially reduces subjectivity during the rating process. Feedback on this system has been received from many successful applications in 13 provinces of China. Therefore, the new system of slope construction risk uncertainty assessment based on index importance ranking has attracted wide attention in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the several methodologies and activities taken to assess the environmental impacts of a $33 million pilot project undertaken through a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) jointly with significant Chinese government investments. The ADB biogas utilization project has supported construction of over 7,500 biogas digesters in more than 140 rural villages. An additional 10,000 biogas digesters are programmed as well as significant investment in biogas production through large-scale animal agribusinesses. The latter will be supported through investments utilizing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Design/methodology/approach - The paper provides a longitudinal perspective by: looking at the project's Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) undertaken at appraisal; assessing the ongoing energy and environmental monitoring plan currently under way; and examining the potential for the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as a tool for integrating environmental policy considerations on a regional or provincial level in China. Findings - Improved technologies for application of renewable energy - in particular successful application and adoption of biogas digesters at the village level - offer the potential to promote sustainable, cost-effective growth in agriculture with concurrent positive environmental impacts. Practical implications - Based on the relative success of ongoing efforts to promote the adoption of biomass technologies, a significant expansion of the bioenergy program is under consideration by the Ministry of Agriculture. Originality/value - The case study suggests that there is potential for use of SEA as a tool for the establishment of regional or provincial environmental priorities by taking account of information on the economic, social and environmental benefits, costs and risks of adopting a national strategy for biomass utilization. SEA is a recent innovation in China and must be adapted to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to select a theoretical framework for effective school leadership that is connected with research, standards and current practices in the USA, and examine its validity and generalizability cross-culturally. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses both qualitative and quantitative methods through expert panel evaluation, cognitive interviews, and field testing of the instrument. The author asks: How well does the Learning-Centered Leadership (LCL) framework align with the professional standards and current practices of principals in urban Chinese schools in the opinion of the experts? Is there evidence that its leadership assessment instrument has construct validity in Chinese urban schools based on the re-examination of its content and measurement criteria? And is there evidence that the instrument is yielding consistent results when taken by the intended participants? How effective are the analytic strategies employed by this study in detecting the equivalences and discrepancies in how educational leadership is defined and evaluated, between two vastly different educational systems? Findings – The paper finds evidences that give support to the claim that there is strong cross-cultural alignment on the overarching goal of improving student learning. However, the US framework and assessment will need to be modified to reflect the Chinese reform priorities that emphasize the balance between academic and social learning. Originality/value – The belief that there are common elements in contemporary international educational policy has brought growing interest in sharing leadership theories and successful models cross-culturally. This paper addresses the challenges in understanding the complexity of cross-cultural translation of theories and applications, and explores viable solutions to meaningful adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student perceptions of the purposes of assessment have been shown to be significant predictors of self-regulated learning. Their relationship to achievement emotions is less well understood. This paper reports a survey study of Chinese middle and high school students (N = 1,393) self-reported conceptions of the purpose of assessment and their achievement emotions using inventories with previously developed Chinese versions. While pre-existing models were not replicated, exploratory techniques developed well-fitting measurement models for each inventory and a structural equation model showed that significant variance in achievement emotions was elicited by certain beliefs about assessment. Positive emotions of pride and enjoyment depended primarily on conceptions that assessment (1) contributed to student moral and skill development, (2) was accurate, and (3) was not for evaluating schools or teachers. Negative emotions of anger and shame depended primarily on conceptions that assessment was (1) for evaluating schools and teachers and (2) not for improving teaching and learning. Thus, student emotional responses to assessment in China logically depend on beliefs that assessment reliably relates to developing their own learning, skills, and moral character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to understand ecotourism resources, taking into considering their quality and the comparative advantages of districts in order to develop effective strategy. Ecotourism is an important developmental model for those undeveloped regions that have superior landscape resources in ecologically fragile environments. This article has identified 181 ecotourism sites in Guizhou province, based on field work in the province. A quantitative assessment using 18 indicators was performed and, based on the results, these resources were divided into five levels. The paper also analyzed the comparative advantage of districts to reflect the developmental potential of different districts. Results show that ecotourism resources in Guihzhou province are numerous, varied in type and high quality; among them, six sites ranked level 5 represented the essence of Guizhou province. Moreover, there are four districts that are high superiority - Anshun, Qiannan and Qianxinan and Zunyi - one that is average and four that are low. According to our analysis, ecotourism development models for Guizhou province can be classified into four types; effective strategies were proposed for each. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Chinese government has formulated a series of policies and strengthened training of general practitioners (GPs) to support their role as "gatekeepers" of residents' health. This study aimed to explore the core competencies of Chinese GPs and develop a competency framework in line with China's actual conditions, which can provide a more scientific basis for the education, training, and evaluation of GPs. Methods: Literature analysis and behaviour event interviews were conducted to build the competency dictionary and the initial version of the competency model. Two rounds of Delphi were performed to gain consensus on the final model. The questionnaire survey was carried out in 10 provinces (municipalities, autonomous regions) of China, and GPs were invited to score the importance of each competency item. The total sample was randomly divided into two groups. One group was for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the other was for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the scale's reliability and validity. Results: The dictionary of general practitioners' competency including 107 competency items was constructed. After two rounds of Delphi, a consensus was reached on 60 competencies in 6 domains. A total of 1917 valid questionnaires were obtained in the nationwide survey. The average importance score of all second-level indicators is 4.53 ± 0.45. The Cronbach's α coefficient is 0.984. The results of the five factors extracted by EFA showing the 68.16% cumulative explained variance variation is considered to be consistent with the six dimensions obtained by Delphi after thorough discussion. The model fitness indexes obtained by CFA were acceptable (χ2/df = 4.909, CFI = 0.869, NFI = 0.841, RMSEA = 0.065). The values of the composite reliability (CR) of the six dimensions were all greater than 0.7 (0.943, 0.927, 0.937, 0.927, 0.943, 0.950), and the average of variance extracted (AVE) were all greater than 0.5 (0.562, 0.613, 0.649, 0.563, 0.626, 0.635). The results showed that the model has good reliability and validity. Conclusion: A competency model for GPs suited to China has been developed, which may offer guidance for future training and medical licensing examinations of GPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 15 sampling sites were set up in Dongting Lake, a typical river-connected lake in China, to investigate water quality and diatioms in March, June, September and December from year 2017 to 2022. Seven diatom indices, including relative abundance of diatoms (RAD), percentage motile diatoms (PMD), generic diatom index (GDI), diatom quotient (DU), pollution tolerance index for diatoms (PTI), trophic diatom index (TDI), and Pampean diatom index (IDP), were selected to screen the adaptability of water quality assessment comparing with the Nemero index (NI), which is simple to calculate and has always been the main method for water quality assessment in Dongting Lake. The results from 2017 to 2019 showed that the diatom density in Dongting Lake ranged from 0.7 × 104 to 85.5 × 104 ind./L, with a certain decreasing trend. The spatial and temporal changes of some water quality factors were obvious, just like the temperature of water (WT), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+–N), dissolved oxygen (DO) and the comprehensive trophic level index (∑TLI) ranged from 45.99 to 50.72, with an average value of 47.85, indicating that the overall condition of Dongting Lake was medium nutrition. Correlation analysis showed that PTI, RAD and PMD could represent the information of DU, GDI, TDI and IDP, and were significantly positively correlated with DO (p < 0.01), while significantly negatively correlated with electrical conductivity (Cond), potassium permanganate (CODMn), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) and ∑TLI (p < 0.001). The index verification results from year 2020 to 2022 showed that PTI, RAD and PMD were all significantly positively correlated with NI (p < 0.001). Taking into account the data integrity of the index calculation and the difficulty degree, RAD was finally selected as the biological indicator for evaluating the water quality of Dongting Lake. The results of this study provide a new path or alternative method for water quality assessment of the river-connected lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NDVI data are crucial for agricultural and environmental research. The Fengyun-3 (FY-3) series satellites are recognized as primary sources for retrieving NDVI products on a global scale. To apply FY-3 NDVI data for long-term studies, such as climate change, this study conducted a thorough evaluation to detect the potentials of the FY-3B and FY-3D satellites for generating a long time series NDVI dataset. For this purpose, the spatiotemporal consistency between the FY-3B and FY-3D satellites was evaluated, and their performances were compared. Then, a grey relational analysis (GRA) method was applied to detect the factors influencing the consistency among the different satellites, and a gradient boosting regression (GBR) model was constructed to create a long-term FY-3 NDVI product. The results indicate an overall high consistency between the FY-3B and FY-3D NDVIs, suggesting that they could be used as complementary datasets for generating a long-term NDVI dataset. The correlations between the FY-3D NDVI and the MODIS NDVI, as well as the leaf area index (LAI) measurements, were both higher than those of FY-3B, which indicates a better performance of FY-3D in retrieving NDVI data. The grey correlation degrees between the NDVI differences and four parameters, which were land cover (LC), DEM, latitude (LAT) and longitude (LON), were calculated, revealing that the LC was the most related to the NDVI differences. Finally, a GBR model with FY-3B NDVI, LC, DEM, LAT and LON as the input variables and FY-3D NDVI as the target variable was established and achieved a robust performance. The R values between the GBR-estimated NDVI and FY-3D NDVI reached 0.947, 0.867 and 0.829 in the training, testing and validation datasets, respectively, indicating the feasibility of the established model for generating long time series NDVI data by combining data from the FY-3B and FY-3D satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the general context of the attention being given to vocational education in China and imminent major reform in the English language vocational education curriculum, this paper describes the construction of a set of calibrated tests of reading skills, grammar and vocabulary knowledge to inform curriculum planners about levels of ability in senior secondary vocational education schools. Since there is no common measure of English language competence in China's vocational education schools, the current study aims to provide such an instrument, with a set of tests that will provide a snapshot of vocational education students' English language competence in the above competence areas. The study describes the development of two sets of tests. The first test was developed with the objective of providing a set of IRT-calibrated items. These items were then used as anchors for a set of tests developed for less able, mid ability and more able students. After being administered to a large and diverse sample (N=1,200 for the three levels of tests), test means for mid ability and able students emerged, as hoped, close to zero and +1 logits. The test mean for less able students revealed that the test was rather more demanding, with a mean of -0.4 rather than -1 logits. Nonetheless, the three robust tests which have emerged cater to a spread of ability of almost three logits, which will provide valuable information on what is being and what may be achieved in terms of English language competence in China's vocational education schools as vocational education is expanded and developed and curriculum reform implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using naturally occurring conversation data, this paper investigates preverbal ah in Shishan, a dialect of Lingao of the Tai-Kadai language family. On the surface, Shishan ah displays broad parallels to English also, too, and Mandarin ye in the marking of “sameness” and “additivity,” as well as concessive relations and a variety of speaker stances. This paper proposes a unified analysis of Shishan ah through the central meaning of [addition + reassessment]. Specifically, in direct interaction, ah-marked utterances primarily constitute misaligning responses, signaling a piece of information as capable of engendering a shift in the interlocutor's prior evaluative stance. In narratives, ah highlights aspects of the narratives where re-evaluation occurs, which ultimately leads to a more elaborate, thorough understanding of the situation of concern. Overall, this paper contributes to particle research, particularly research of the interactive basis of the meanings and functions of particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to highlight the key problems encountered when Western-trained consultants evaluate leaders in China using a toolkit and consulting process derived from Anglo-American leadership theory and HR consulting practice. Design/methodology/approach - A composite case example from the authors' recent consulting experience illustrates a model assessment process and toolkit tailored to the Chinese business, social and cultural environment. Findings Cultural and situational differences, require special consideration when assessing Chinese leaders. Assessments and feedback should be tailored to the "traditionalism" of the team being assessed. Practical implications - The paper presents practical guidelines and insights into selecting appropriate assessment tools and structuring the process for China-based clients. Originality/value - The paper provides new insights into the tools and process required to deliver accurate and leadership assessment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a constructivist view of learning in science, principles for designing science assessment are drawn. The principles are in line with recommendations from science educators that science assessment tasks need to offer opportunities for students to apply their science concepts through alternative modes of assessment, experience group work, and allow teachers to assess changes in students' science concepts. While teachers in Hong Kong have traditionally adopted mostly paper-and-pencil exercises or tests and end-of-term examinations, science teachers were invited to participate in a schoolbased curriculum development project where they received support in designing alternative assessment tasks in science. This paper explores the views of junior secondary science teachers in Hong Kong about implementing alternative assessment tasks in their science classes and hence provides insights into the conditions that may support or hinder the implementation of science assessment tasks that are consistent with a constructivist view of learning. The findings provide implications on shifting the current culture of science assessment in Hong Kong from being mainly summative and involving pen-and-paper tasks to implementing formative and alternative assessment tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective way to change student learning is to change the form of assessment. This has become known as the backwash effect of assessment. However, academic teachers’ ways of understanding the role of assessment in student learning are also important. This paper reports a phenomenographic study of the views of the role of assessment amongst Swedish and Hong Kong university teachers. The results are described in eight categories of conceptions, placed within a two-dimensional outcome space. The two dimensions are (1) the relation between teaching and assessment, and (2) the focus of the backwash effect. The results indicate that two features of the described conceptions are critical for changing teachers’ views of the role of assessment. One is the way one understands the significance of “basic knowledge” in one’s discipline while the other is whether one looks upon the relation between teaching and assessment as being of an internal or external nature. As much research literature points out, to bring about changes in approaches to teaching and learning you must first bring about changes in conceptions of teaching and learning. To utilize assessment to improve student learning, teachers need to be made aware of the need of such improvement and of the role assessment can play in this process. On the basis of research such as that reported in this paper, staff developers could develop workshops or other strategies, which can accomplish this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapid urbanization has generated substantial attention throughout the world. There are various studies that assess China's urbanization process but without consistent conclusions. This paper attempts to evaluate China's urbanization level based both on global urban development experience and on urbanization theories; in addition, it adopts the quadrant plots method to assess China's regional urbanization level. The results of this study show that China's urbanization rate is proceeding at a normal level that is consistent with Northam Curve Growth Theory, the Lewis's Migration Theory, Chenery's Theory of Normal Growth, and also with China's economic development stage. However, certain problems and challenges remain to be examined, such as the low-level coordination between China's urbanization and nonagricultural employment and the narrow difference between urbanization rate and industrialization level. In general, most of the eastern provinces show a high coordination between urbanization and economic development, whereas all the provinces with low coordination, both low urbanization rate and economic development levels, are located in central and western China. These results not only advance the previous literature but also deserve particular attention from Chinese policymakers. Local governments should pay close attention to the urbanization quality, the urban planning support systems, and the upgrading of industry structure while not focusing too much on the urbanization quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of the era of low-carbon economy, China enterprises urgently need for innovation in enterprises management if they want to occupy a place in the fierce market competition environment in the era of low-carbon economy, which puts forward the new requirements for energy conservation and emissions reduction to enterprises. To enterprises, promoting the management innovation under low carbon economy circumstances has the very vital significance, which can enhance the management ability and management level, and always possess a leading position in the market competition. In this paper, inspired by the method of traditional I-CG operator, we have proposed the induced hesitant fuzzy uncertain linguistic correlated geometric (IHFULCG) operator. Next, we exploited the IHFULCG operator to design some approaches to tackle the hesitant fuzzy uncertain linguistic multiple attribute decision making issues for evaluating the enterprise management innovation ability under low carbon economy circumstances. In the end, an example to estimate the enterprise management innovation ability under low carbon economy circumstances is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth system models (ESMs) are important tools for assessing the historical characteristics and predicting the future characteristics of precipitation, yet the quantitative understanding of how these land–atmospheric coupling models perform in simulating precipitation characteristics remains limited. This study conducts a comprehensive evaluation of precipitation changes simulated by 43 ESMs in CMIP5 and 32 ESMs in CMIP6 in Arid Central Asia (ALL) and its two sub-regions for 1959–2005 with reference to Climate Research Unit (CRU) data, and predicts precipitation changes for 2054–2100. Our analyses suggest the following: (a) no single model consistently outperformed the others in all aspects of simulated precipitation variability (annual averages, long-term trends, and climatological monthly patterns); (b) the CMIP5 and CMIP6 model simulations tended to overestimate average annual precipitation for most of the ALL region, especially in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China (XJ); (c) most model simulations projected a stronger increasing trend in average annual precipitation; (d) although all the model simulations reasonably captured the climatological monthly precipitation, there was an underestimation; (e) compared to CMIP5, most CMIP6 model simulations exhibited an enhanced capacity to simulate precipitation across all aspects, although discrepancies persisted in individual sub-regions; (f) it was confirmed that the multi-model ensemble mean (MME) provides a more accurate representation of the three aspects of precipitation compared to the majority of single-model simulations. Lastly, the values of precipitation predicted by the more efficient models across the ALL region and its sub-regions under the different scenarios showed an increasing trend in most seasons. Notably, the strongest increasing trend in precipitation was seen under the high-emission scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the growing interest in evaluating young learners’ foreign language (FL) performance, this study aims to deepen our understanding of young learners’ developmental differences in interaction during task-based paired-language assessments. To examine age effects separately from the effect of general language proficiency, we analysed learners’ interaction in both their first language (L1) and FL. We observed the students as they engaged in an assessment consisting of a set of decision-making tasks with their peers. After each task, the students self-assessed their performance. We found differences in interactions across grade levels in both L1 and FL with respect to holistic interactional patterns, topic development, and turn-taking patterns. The students’ understanding of communicative interactive tasks also appeared to differ between grade levels, perhaps reflecting their experiential differences with communicative tasks in class. The paper concludes with implications for implementing task-based paired-language assessments for young learners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tsunami is one of the world's most dangerous marine disaster. In this paper, freely available remote sensing data are applied to study the hazard, vulnerability, and evacuation in the event that a tsunami strikes the district of Tianya in the city of Sanya. Tsunami inundation is calculated using a tsunami numerical model, and the tsunami vulnerability and evacuation in the inundation area are analyzed. Aster Global Digital Elevation Model elevation data are applied to provide input data for the tsunami numerical model and thus obtain tsunami inundation areas, while they are also used to study the surface slope for evacuation. Landsat satellite imagery is used to analyze land–water borders and land cover in both hazard assessment and evacuation analysis. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite nighttime lights data provide information of the socioeconomic activity for vulnerability analysis. The analysis results show that the remote sensing data is suitable for tsunami assessment and evacuation analysis of China's county-level region. We can get a general understanding about tsunami vulnerability and evacuation situation. One kind of remote sensing data can accomplish several tasks, avoiding the error caused by different source data. Remote sensing can play an important role in tsunami assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aims: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the most commonly used radiotherapy technology in oncology, which enables precise conformation of the radiation dose to the target volume and reduces the risk of radiation damage to the adjacent normal structures. Nevertheless, it is still inevitable for IMRT of head and neck cancer to cause radiation-related toxic and side effects, such as dry mouth, mucositis, oral dysarthria, taste disorder, osteonecrosis, and trismus. Trismus is one of the most common late side effects caused by radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which seriously affects the quality of life for patients with NPC. However, the current clinical assessment and management of trismus after radiotherapy for NPC are still imperfect. This best practice implementation project aimed to implement an evidence-based practice in assessing and managing trismus for NPC patients who underwent radiotherapy, thereby improving the compliance of clinical practice with the best evidence and the quality of life of patients with NPC. Methods: This evidence-based audit and feedback project was implemented using a three-phase approach at a third-class hospital in China, following JBI's Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System (PACES) and GRiP evidence application. The first phase included a baseline audit with six evidence-based audit criteria derived from the best available evidence. The second phase included analyzing the results of the baseline audit, identifying barriers to compliance with best practice principles, and developing and implementing strategies to address the barriers identified in the baseline audit. The third phase involved a follow-up audit to assess the results of the interventions implemented to improve practice. Results: After evidence application, the compliance rate for audit criterion 1 increased from 0% at baseline audit to 70% at follow-up audit. The compliance rate for audit criterion 2 increased from 0% to 100%. The compliance rate for audit criterion 3 increased from 22 to 62%. The compliance rate for audit criterion 4 increased from 88 to 100%. The compliance rate for audit criterion 5 was 100% at baseline audit and follow-up audit. The compliance rate for audit criterion 6 increased from 0 to 55%. Conclusion: Implementation of the best evidence for the assessment and management of trismus of patients with NPC after radiotherapy is conducive to improving the compliance of clinical practice with the best evidence, standardizing clinical nursing practice, improving the quality of clinical nursing, and better preventing severe trismus in patients with NPC after radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this paper were to survey the total Hg levels and distribution character in intertidal sediment in continental coast of Shanghai, and identify the environment factors that might influence the sediment Hg concentrations, and to assess the pollution degree and potential ecological risk of Hg in sediment. Eighty-eight surface sediment samples and 18 sediment cores were collected for Hg contamination analysis. Physicochemical properties including Eh, particle size, content of total organic carbon (TOC), and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) were also measured. Index of geo-accumulation ( I) and potential ecological risk index were used respectively to assess the pollution levels and the ecological risk of sediment Hg. The average of total Hg concentrations in surface sediments was 107.4 ± 90.9 ng/g with the range from 0 to 465.9 ng/g. Higher Hg concentrations were generally found in surface sediments near sewage outfalls and the mouth of rivers. Total Hg concentrations were significantly correlated with TOC ( p < 0.05) both in surface ( r = 0.24) and core ( r = 0.29) sediments, but not with the other environment factors (Eh, AVS, and particle size). Geo-accumulation index indicated that Hg contamination in intertidal sediments was generally at none to moderate degree, while potential ecological risk index demonstrated that the risk caused by Hg were at moderate to considerable level. Intertidal sediment in continental coast of Shanghai has generally been contaminated by Hg, and it might pose moderate to considerable risk to the local ecosystem. The Hg contamination is related more to the coastal pollution sources and complicated hydrodynamic and sedimentary conditions than the other environment factors studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper first defines the term “urban fire risk” by referring to both the definition of “risk” in U.N.’s “International Strategy for Disaster Reduction” which was enacted in 2004 and the features of urban fire. Secondly, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis on the urban fire risk from the respects of risk of fire accidents in urban areas, urban vulnerability and urban anti-fire capability. Based on the analysis, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is employed in this paper to establish an urban fire risk assessment system, which includes 3 first-level indicators, 13 second-level indicators and 48 third-level indicators. With the data on fire accidents and fire statistics in the past as the basis, this paper applies the Gray Correlation Degree Method to set up the Weight Coefficient of the system and quantify the indicators mentioned above, and finally, this paper applies what has been discussed above to the case of Haikou, capital city of Hainan province, P.R. China. In the city''s chosen 17 sub-districts and 1 town, fire risk assessments are conducted, and the values of risk of fire accidents in urban areas, urban vulnerability, anti-fire capability and comprehensive fire risk in the mentioned selected areas are computed and identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the results of a survey on the social work tasks and competences required in disaster management in China. The survey questionnaire was administered at two training workshops held in Sichuan in July and September 2010. The number of survey respondents was 67. The results of tasks analysis indicated perceptions of a division of labor among government officials, social workers, and other disaster responders. The survey results also showed that identifying and addressing the special needs of vulnerable populations required moderate to high levels of competency. Overall, the results should be seen as preliminary and used as the basis for ongoing dialogue with social work educators and social workers about what is required in disaster training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In freshwater aquaculture ecosystems with high-frequency occurrences of cyanobacteria blooms, a chronic neurotoxic cyanobacteria toxin, β- N -methylamino- l -alanine (BMAA), is a new pollutant that affects the normal growth, development, and reproduction of aquaculture organisms. BMAA poses a great threat to the food quality and food safety of aquatic products. In this paper, high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used to detect the contents of BMAA in the edible portions of six representative freshwater aquaculture products (Corbicula fluminea, Anodonta arcaeformis, Macrobrachium nipponense, Eriocheir sinensis, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Mylopharyngodon piceus) from Taihu Lake Basin in China. Noncarcinogenic health risks were assessed with reference to the model recommended by the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society and based on the biomagnification characteristics of BMAA in the various aquaculture products investigated by the stable nitrogen isotope technique. The average BMAA concentrations in the edible portions of the six freshwater culture products were from 2.05 ± 1.40 to 4.21 ± 1.26 μg g−1 dry weight (DW), and the difference was significant (p < 0.05), such a difference increased with the increase in the trophic level in the aquaculture products. Although a biomagnification indication was observed, the trophic magnification factor (TMF) was only 1.20 which exhibited a relatively low biomagnification efficiency. The annual health risk values of BMAA in all the measured aquatic products were within the maximum tolerable range (<1 × 10−6 a−1), and the health risk increased with the increase in the trophic level. The risk values of BMAA in the six freshwater aquaculture products for children was slightly higher than the negligible level (<1 × 10−7 a−1), thus there might have potential health risks for children's long-term consumption. Considering China's national conditions, the guidance values of BMAA based on the quality and safety of freshwater aquaculture products were proposed to be 7.2 μg g−1 DW for adults and 1.8 μg g−1 DW for children. Image 1 • BMAA in freshwater aquaculture products (FAPs) were investigated. • Biomagnification characteristics of BMAA in FAPs were revealed. • Noncarcinogenic health risks of BMAA in FAPs were assessed. • Guidance values of BMAA were proposed to ensure the quality and safety of FAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the theoretical foundations and development of a multidimensional, water-focused, thematic indicator of rural poverty: The Water, Economy, Investment and Learning Assessment Indicator (WEILAI). The WEILAI approach was specifically designed for application in rural China, to support poverty alleviation project planning, monitoring and evaluation, as well as targeting and prioritization. WEILAI builds primarily on the basic needs framework of poverty alleviation, and on the methodological structure of the Water Poverty Index, to provide a proxy measure of an area's poverty by assessing eight key poverty sectors, with a strong focus on the components of water-poverty. The WEILAI approach was piloted and implemented in 534 households in China's mountainous southwest. This paper describes the indicator construction, weighting schemes, methodology, field sites, and statistical validation of the results. In addition, we discuss the results, feedback from in-country project staff, and the likely utility of the tool for project planning, monitoring and evaluation support. The paper concludes with a discussion of WEILAI's overall utility and ongoing development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Erosion control is one of the most important functions of forest ecosystems, and its accurate assessment is useful to illuminate the importance of forest ecosystem services for humans so as to rationally conserve forest resources. This paper examines Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the first national forest park in China, to seek practical methods for assessment of the forest erosion control function using a geographical information system (GIS). The results show that the potential and actual amounts of soil erosion are 2.92 million ton and 0.14 million ton per year, respectively, in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The total reduction in soil loss reaches 2.77 million ton per year with the existence of a forest ecosystem. The erosion control function of near mature, mature and over mature broadleaf forest is excellent, and natural forest conservation and natural restoration of the degraded forest ecosystem can provide the largest benefits in soil erosion control. Nearly all the near mature, mature and over-mature forest in the park is at the top and in steep mountain areas, and could be rationally cut and utilized by local communities, but extensive timber felling should be strictly prohibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, wildlife is facing increasing threats from rapid urbanisation in China. Ecological safety for wildlife requires an ecosystem that provides the conditions necessary for sustaining life. In this paper, two major breeding habitats and ten typical foraging habitats of egrets living in the urban environment were selected to assess the extent to which the needs of egrets can be satisfied and maintained. Ecological suitability and impacts from humans are the two major factors affecting egret ecological safety. An ecological indicator system was adopted to assess the ecological suitability of areas. Different land-use types were used to represent different degrees of human impact on the egret habitats, by employing a geographic information system. The results show that the two breeding habitats are at a safe level, while the ten foraging habitats are on the whole marginally safe. Full attention should be given to the conservation of wildlife foraging habitats in Xiamen Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water security is related closely to ecological, environmental, economic, social, and political problems, and may possibly even affect national security. The problem is especially important in arid inland watersheds. In this paper, we assess the water resources security of three watersheds in the Hexi Corridor (Northwest China) using a multi-level, multi-target, analytical hierarchy process approach. We constructed an assessment system based on the current situation and future development of the region’s water resources in the context of the society, economy, and environment of these inland watersheds. The assessment used 21 indicators that describe the ratio of water supply to demand, the ecological environment, food security, drinking-water security, disaster control capacity, water resources management, and economic conditions. The level of the water resources security was highest in the Shulehe watershed, followed by the Heihe watershed and the Shiyanghe watershed. Strategies to promote water security for all three watersheds are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on analyses of key issues concerning watershed ecological security assessment including the subject, content, and methodology of assessment, this paper points out that ecological security should be assessed dynamically at different levels (e.g. watershed and ecosystem levels) with human being as the main assessment subject. Both the functional security and the structural security must be considered in watershed ecological security assessment. In order to reflect the overall and timely security status of the watershed, the PSR (pressure-state-response) method should be employed. Longitudinal Range-Gorge Region (LRGR) was researched as an example. An index system of watershed ecological security assessment has been proposed, which includes structural index, functional index, pressure and response index, and the state of ecological security is analyzed for LRGR in Yunnan Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from an investigation of the implementation of 'assessment for learning' in classroom music instruction in Hong Kong primary schools, focusing on the changes in assessment practice and music teachers' classroom instruction. Qualitative methodology was employed to document the cases of three music teachers. It was found that change in assessment practice in classroom music instruction led to a change in curriculum design which enhanced curricular alignment, as well as change in the mode of instruction which facilitated communication and interaction between teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains detailed ecological baseline data collected from the proposed gold mining area in Lannigou, Zhenfeng County, Guizhou Province, China. The study includes characteristics and types of vegetation, such as common plants, rare or endangered plants, large ancient trees, and rare and endangered animals. An analysis of the data provides an assessment of the eco-environmental baseline in this mining area. Suggestions for protecting the sensitive ecology of this gold mining area are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the development and application of a mechanism to assess the tourism potential of cultural and heritage assets. The assessment tool considers cultural, physical, product and experiential values. It was tested on a sample of 16 secondary museums, historic sites and temples in Hong Kong that are currently being promoted by the local destination management organisation. While their cultural and physical values were rated strongly, their tourism and experiential values were low. Indeed, a number of fatal flaws were identified that effectively precluded most of them from ever functioning as viable attractions. Remoteness, isolation from other attractions, small scale, a lack of uniqueness and poor setting exacerbated their weaknesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since the Earth Summit was launched at Rio de Janeiro, research has been done on the problems of developing indices for the health of the environment and for its sustainable development. However, this research has concentrated more on national and regional levels than on local levels, more on spatial comparisons than on time series analysis, more on short-term than on long-time analysis, more on qualitative than on quantitative analysis. In contrast, therefore, this paper presents an indicator system procedure for measuring Beijing (the capital of China) environmental sustainability based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) philosophy, evaluates the trend of Beijing environmental sustainability index (BESI) quantitatively for 21 years, from 1983 to 2003, and suggests three great opportunities in the near future that are expected to provide some dependable information to policy makers. The results suggest that Beijing is still far from environmental sustainable development. The total trend was better in the 1980s than in the 1990s, and has improved slightly since 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private supplementary tutoring (PT) has expanded significantly and attracted widespread public interest in China in recent years. It deserves systematic empirical research and reflection, given its crucial theoretical and practical implications. Based on the data of a large-scale survey and testing project, this study examined its effects on the students' academic achievements in mathematics. The results revealed that PT in the current semester did not have any significant positive effect on the students' academic achievement in mathematics. This suggested that households' huge financial investment in PT failed to achieve the desired result. Accordingly, these findings imply that parents should carefully select private tutoring for their children, and the government should provide more comprehensive professional guidelines to regulate the private tutoring industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]