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• Propose a coupled WA-LSTM-TL model for robust river water quality prediction. • Wavelet analysis helps LSTM capture highly non-stationary water quality dynamics. • Transfer learning optimizes the pre-trained WA-LSTM to solve data-limited problem. • Suitable source domains maintain performance and reduce the costs of TL modeling. Accurate predictions of river water quality are vital for sustainable water management. However, even the powerful deep learning model, i.e., long short-term memory (LSTM), has difficulty in accurately predicting water quality dynamics owing to the high non-stationarity and data limitation in a changing environment. To wiggle out of quagmires, wavelet analysis (WA) and transfer learning (TL) techniques were introduced in this study to assist LSTM modeling, termed WA-LSTM-TL. Total phosphorus, total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, and permanganate index were predicted in a 4 h step within 49 water quality monitoring sites in a coastal province of China. We selected suitable source domains for each target domain using an innovatively proposed regionalization approach that included 20 attributes to improve the prediction efficiency of WA-LSTM-TL. The coupled WA-LSTM facilitated capturing non-stationary patterns of water quality dynamics and improved the performance by 53 % during testing phase compared to conventional LSTM. The WA-LSTM-TL, aided by the knowledge of source domain, obtained a 17 % higher performance compared to locally trained WA-LSTM, and such improvement was more impressive when local data was limited (+66 %). The benefit of TL-based modeling diminished as data quantity increased; however, it outperformed locally direct modeling regardless of whether target domain data was limited or sufficient. This study demonstrates the reasoning for coupling WA and TL techniques with LSTM models and provides a newly coupled modeling approach for improving short-term prediction of river water quality from the perspectives of non-stationarity and data limitation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract TiO 2 nanotree arrays films were obtained on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates through a facile two-step hydrothermal method. The synthesized nanostructures were investigated by means of X-ray diffractometer, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The effect of TiO 2 nanotree morphology on optical and photoelectrochemical performance was systematically studied using UV–Vis absorption spectra, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Mott-Schottky, linear voltammetry and transient photocurrent measurements. The results revealed that a TiO 2 nanotree arrays film sample synthesized at 120 ℃ for nanobranched growth time 0.5 h showed a higher light trapping effect than TiO 2 nanorod arrays film, and achieved relatively lower charge transport resistance and higher photocurrent density compared with the other TiO 2 nanotree arrays samples. These behaviors can be mainly attributed to the formation of appropriate nanobranches manipulated the TiO 2 nanotree arrays by varying the hydrothermal reaction time to improve photoexcited electrons rate under the premise of high electronic transmission performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The coupled effects of land use pattern and hydrological regime on composition and diversity of riverine eukaryotic community are needed for understanding riverine ecosystem health and algal blooming mechanism. In-situ monitoring and 18S rRNA gene sequencing were used to investigate spatiotemporal variations of eukaryotic community in three types of watershed with different dominant land use type (i.e. urban, forest, and natural) during three seasons (i.e. dry, transition, and wet seasons) in a coastal watershed of Southeast China. Results showed that agricultural and urban watersheds had significantly higher diversity in dry and transition seasons, and higher richness in transition and wet seasons than those in forest watershed. The non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis further verified great spatiotemporal variations of eukaryotic community. Stramenopiles , Alveolata , Animalia , and Eukaryota , dominated the sequences reads for all sampling sites in three seasons. Agricultural watershed had the highest relative abundant of Animalia , whereas Eukaryota was the most abundant in urban watershed and forest watershed had the highest relative abundance of Stramenopiles and Alveolata. The RDA ordination showed that Builtup and streamflow were two most important factors for moderate taxa and abundant taxa, respectively. Variation partitioning revealed that land use pattern and hydrological regime together explained 54.4%, 61% and 67.2% variances of the composition of eukaryotic community. Among three sampling seasons, the relative contribution of land use pattern was higher than that of hydrological regime. The results of this investigation demonstrated how land use pattern and hydrological regime affected the composition and diversity of riverine eukaryotic community. The findings can provide a useful insight into the riverine eukaryotic communities and their underlying ecological mechanisms in coastal China watersheds. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Eukaryotic communities were studied in a coastal watershed. • The urban and agricultural watersheds had higher species diversity. • Stramenopilies were the most abundant group, especially in dry season. • Land use pattern and hydrological regime greatly influenced eukaryote assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Mitochondrial dysfunctions play major roles in many diseases. However, how mitochondrial stresses are relayed to downstream responses remains unclear. Here we show that the RNA component of mammalian telomerase TERC is imported into mitochondria, processed to a shorter form TERC-53 , and then exported back to the cytosol. We found that the import is regulated by PNPASE, and the processing is controlled by mitochondrion-localized RNASET2. Cytosolic TERC-53 levels respond to changes in mitochondrial functions but have no direct effect on these functions. These findings uncover a mitochondrial RNA trafficking pathway and provide a potential mechanism for mitochondria to relay their functional states to other cellular compartments. Graphical Abstract Highlights • The RNA component of mammalian telomerase TERC is imported into mitochondria • TERC RNA is processed to a shorter form, TERC-53 • TERC-53 is exported from the mitochondria and remains in the cytosol • Cytosolic TERC-53 levels respond to changes in mitochondrial functions The functions of most mitochondrial RNAs imported from the cytosol are poorly understood. Cheng et al. provide evidence that the RNA component of mammalian telomerase TERC is imported into mitochondria, processed to a shorter form TERC-53 , and then exported back to the cytosol. The cytosolic TERC-53 level serves as a potential indicator of mitochondrial functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare two popular methods to quantify temporal change among categories: 1) Intensity Analysis and 2) the land use dynamic degrees. We apply the methods to measure land change both outside and inside the coastal zone of Longhai, which is a typical county-level coastal city in Southeast China. The maps show eight categories at four time points: 1986, 1996, 2002, and 2010. Intensity Analysis shows graphically the size and the intensity of changes at three increasingly detailed hierarchical levels in a manner that facilitates interpretation. In contrast, the comprehensive land use dynamic degree (CLUDD) has no practical interpretation because the CLUDD is the sum of loss intensities of categories that have different sizes. The single land use dynamic degree is the annual net change as a percentage of the initial size of the category, which offers limited information because the single degree: 1) fails to reveal the sizes of the category’s loss and gain, 2) does not indicate how each category contributes to total change, 3) is sensitive to the category’s initial size, and 4) reveals neither the size of the category’s annual net change nor the size of the category’s initial size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated watershed management requires an analytical model capable of revealing the full range of impacts that would be caused by the uses and developments in the watershed. The SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) model was developed in this study to provide empirical estimates of the sources, transport of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) and to develop nutrient management strategies in the Jiulong River Watershed, southeast China that has enormous influence on the region's ecological safety. We calibrated the model using data related to daily streamflow, monthly TN and TP concentrations in 2014 at 30 locations. The model produced R 2 values for TN with 0.95 and TP with 0.94. It was found that for the entire watershed, TN came from fertilizer application (43%), livestock breeding (39%) and sewage discharge (18%), while TP came from livestock breeding (46%), fertilizer application (46%), and industrial discharge (8%). Fifty-eight percent of the TN and 80% of the TP in upstream reaches are delivered to the outlets of North and West rivers. A scenario analysis with SPARROW was coupled to develop suitable management strategies. Results revealed that controlling nutrient sources was effective in improving water quality. Normally sharp reduction in nutrient sources is not operational feasible. Hence, it is recommended that preventing nutrient on land from entering into the river as a suitable strategy in watershed management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Multivalency strategy can be utilized to improve the binding affinity of anti-VEGF nanobodies. • The rigidity and length of linkers affected the binding affinity of bivalent nanobodies. • Binding affinity exponentially increased with the valency. • A tetravalent nanobody with comparable binding affinity and half the molecule weight of aflibercept was designed. Intravitreal VEGF neutralization is the cornerstone of current wet AMD therapy. To achieve longer duration of action, anti-VEGF proteins with high affinity and low molecule weight are highly desirable. Besides binding affinity maturation, multivalency antibody connected with optimal linkers could also achieve high binding affinity. In this study, we systematically investigated the effects of linkers on the structure and binding affinity of multivalent antibodies, and further elucidated the mechanism of binding affinity enhancement through structure prediction by AlphaFold 2 and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. We observed that flexible linkers improved the binding affinity of bivalent nanobodies independent of linker length, while an optimal length was required when rigid linkers were used. With linker analysis and optimization, we successfully constructed tetravalent nanobodies for efficient VEGF neutralization, with an ∼ 134 times enhancement of binding affinity and ∼ 6 times increase of VEGF-VEGFR pathway inhibition in vitro , when compared to the monovalent nanobody. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Regional Sea Use Planning (RSUP) system, initiated in 2006 and terminated in 2018 in China, required a concentrated layout and unified planning for multiple reclamation projects in the same coastal area to improve reclamation management. In this study, we investigated the driving factors and challenges by analysing policy evolution, temporal and spatial changes of the approved reclamation area under RSUP system, and utilisation efficiency of reclamation land. Our results show that the progress of RSUP in China was strongly influenced by macro policies and the economy, local industrial structure, and bottom-level governance system. First, RSUP items increased steadily from 2006 to 2008, peaked from 2009 to 2012, and decreased sharply thereafter, indicating that the policy adjustment and the trend of economic fluctuation has played a crucial role in promoting or controlling reclamation. Second, the reclamation scale curve of each coastal region was highly consistent with the proportion curve of the marine secondary industry. This implies that the coastal industrial structure largely relied on traditional land-based secondary industry has led to a surge in RSUP items. Moreover, the reclamation completion rate of 79.7% and construction rate of 24.8% exposed the excessive conversion of the sea to land, and the main reason is that the bottom-up governance process of the RSUP system did not coincide with its top-down decision-making process. Hence, adaptive management is an important approach for coastal reclamation policymaking, marine industrial structure should be redesigned to become less dependent on secondary industry, and the bottom-level governance system must be improved to connect effectively to the top-level design. The experiences gained from China's RSUP system are highly important and relevant even to other countries, as the policy implications from this study would inform reclamation and other sea use management policies. • RSUP items increased steadily 2006–2008, peaked 2009–2012, and then decreased sharply. • Reclamation completion rate of 79.7% and construction rate of only 24.8% exposed excessive conversion. • Policy adjustment and economic fluctuation either promoted or curbed reclamation. • China's RSUP system has shifted focus from economic development to sustainable marine development. • The relationship between marine secondary industry, bottom-level governance system, and reclamation under RSUP is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation marine shales are the main shale gas reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin, SW China. The present study analyzes the characteristics of the Longmaxi shales using samples selected from wells N1 and N2 in the Changning block, southern Sichuan Basin. Several methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), helium gas expansion and low pressure nitrogen (N 2 ) adsorption/desorption, were used to investigate the mineralogical composition, geochemical characteristics, pore structure and other characteristics of the shales. The total organic carbon (TOC) contents of the samples range from 0.8 to 6.429%, and the thermal maturity is at the overmature stage. Two wells are rich in quartz and clay, with the average contents of 39.4% and 29.6%, respectively. The Longmaxi shales have the specific surface area and total pore volume around 16.6 m 2 /g and 0.0165 mL/g, respectively. It is suggested that the TOC content contributes significantly to the average pore size, specific surface area and total pore volume, and the thermal maturity strongly influences the development of porosity, as does the mineralogical composition. Based on imagine analysis, we classify shale gas microreservoirs into three types: organic matter with microfractures, organic matter alone and organic matter with mineral pores (interparticle pores (InterP pores) and intraparticle pores (IntraP pores)). The first type is the best for shale gas exploitation. The second type and the type of organic matter with InterP pores are better, while the type of organic matter with IntraP pores is almost useless. The analysis results show that the microreservoirs of well N1 mainly contain the type of organic matter with InterP pores, while the microreservoirs of well N2 are dominated by the type of organic matter with InterP pores and the type of organic matter with microfractures. Combing all the analysis results and their influencing factors, we consider that well N2 is more favorable for gas production than well N1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncovering the associations between land use and river water quality is useful for managing land-based pollution in the catchment-coast continuum. However, it is not clear how land use affects water quality in the context of simultaneous point source (PS) pollution. In this study, we develop a self-organizing map (SOM)-based approach to explore the relationship between land use and water quality in the Minjiang River Watershed, Southeast China. Water samples from 139 headwater sub-watersheds were associated with six land use categories, namely, Woodland, Agriculture, Orchard, Built-up, Unused land and Water. Sampling sites are delineated into six clusters based on six water quality parameters: ammonium-N, nitrate-N, total nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphate, total phosphate and potassium permanganate index. Local relationships between land use and water quality among four clusters that have sufficient sample sizes are further identified. There is no significant land use-water quality correlation in one of the four clusters (including 37 sub-watersheds). And the greater the PS pollution is, the less significant the land use-water quality correlations are in clusters. The results demonstrate how PS pollution weakens the land use-water quality correlation. Our method can help to determine whether non-point source or PS pollution exerts greater influence on the quality of the water coming from watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on element geochemical and total organic carbon (TOC) analyses of core samples from the Silurian Longmaxi Formation black shales in the Sichuan Basin, this study tried to figure out the temporal changes of palaoenvironmental settings for the shale deposition. The redox-sensitive element ratios, such as U/Th, V/Sr, V/Cr, Ni/Co and V/(V + Ni) are useful indicators to define the redox condition of marine black shale deposition. Element geochemical analysis of Longmaxi Shale samples taken from well W201 and Z106 in the southern Sichuan Basin shows that the organic-rich shales at the bottom of the Longmaxi Formation were deposited in an anoxic environment, while the upper part organic-poor shales were deposited in an oxic environment. Meanwhile, the sedimentary and paleontological characteristics show that pyrite and microfossils are concentrated mainly in the lower organic-rich black shales, indicating also an anoxic environment. All these geochemical, sedimentary and paleontological criteria indicate a paleoenvironmental change from bottom anoxic to middle and upper dysoxic/oxic conditions for the Longmaxi Formation shales. Furthermore, geochemical indicators should be combined with sedimentary and paleontological features in the study of palaeoenvironment conditions for shale deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We used RFR models and SHAP method to identify the factors that determined the nonlinearity of linkage between land use and water quality. • The machine learning method is effective to simulate and understand the linkage between land use and stream water quality. • The threshold effects of land use patterns on water quality were obvious for TN and NH 4 +-N. • The wetland may become major source of P export under specific conditions. Understanding the relationship between land use and water quality is essential for effective watershed management. However, it remains challenging to identify such a relationship owing to its nonlinearity. We developed an interpretable machine learning method that integrated the random forest regression (RFR) model with the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method to explore the relationship between water quality and land use in the Potomac River Basin (PRB), the second largest tributary entering Chesapeake Bay from 2006 to 2019. The water quality of the 26 sub-watersheds, classified into five types (natural, forested, agricultural, mixed, and urbanized), was investigated using statistical methods and scenario analysis. The results showed that the models employed were effective in predicting the water quality. The mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), percent bias (PBIAS), R2 coefficient of determination (R2), and Kling-Gupta efficiency (KGE) were 0.011–0.159 mg/L, 0.019–0.219 mg/L, −0.14–0.64%, 0.79–0.99, and 0.69–0.98, respectively, during the training period, which were 0.010–0.201 mg/L, 0.017–0.292 mg/L, −1.87–0.41%, 0.82–0.99, and 0.80–0.97, respectively, during the testing period. The threshold effects of land use patterns were obvious for water quality indicators with high concentrations (i.e., TN and NH 4 +-N). In contrast, the water quality at low concentrations (i.e., TP and NO 3 –-N) may be more sensitive to wetland or barren land with changing climate. Agricultural activities and urbanization could be the dominant factors determining nutrient export to the PRB. Meanwhile, the typical 'sink' for the nutrient such as wetland may change into the 'source' for different nutrient. This study provides an in-depth understanding of how riverine nutrient export responds to the land use gradient in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use can influence river pollution and such relationships might or might not vary spatially. Conventional global statistics assume one relationship for the entire study extent, and are not designed to consider whether a relationship varies across space. We used geographically weighted regression to consider whether relationships between land use and water pollution vary spatially across a subtropical coastal watershed of Southeast China. Surface water samples of baseflow for seven pollutants were collected twelve times during 2010–2013 from headwater sub-watersheds. We computed 21 univariate regressions, which consisted of three regressions for each of the seven pollutants. Each of the three regressions considered one of three independent variables, i.e. the percent of the sub-watershed that was cropland, built-up, or forest. Cropland had a local R 2 less than 0.2 for most pollutants, while it had a positive association with water pollution in the agricultural sub-watersheds and a negative association with water pollution in the non-agricultural sub-watersheds. Built-up had a positive association with all pollutants consistently across space, while the increase in pollution per increase in built-up density was largest in the sub-watersheds with low built-up density. The local R 2 values were stronger with built-up than with cropland and forest. The local R 2 values for built-up varied spatially, and the pattern of the spatial variation was not consistent among the seven pollutants. Forest had a negative association with most pollutants across space. Forest had a stronger negative association with water pollution in the urban sub-watersheds than in the agricultural sub-watersheds. This research provides an insight into land-water linkages, which we discuss with respect to other watersheds in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The study analyzed the factors that led to high total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the Jiulong River Basin, a subtropical basin with intensive agricultural activities. The results showed that the TP in the river basin originated mainly from non-point sources. Livestock (including poultry) breeding was the main contributor, accounting for 35% of the total load in 2003 and 43% in 2007. The close correlation between TP load and environmental capacity explained the spatial variability of TP concentration in the entire watershed. There was also significant correlation between flow and water quality from 2003 to 2007. Key areas with high concentrations of TP were further identified and evaluated. The results suggest that livestock breeding should be controlled to reduce the TP load. The water requirement for sustaining ecosystem functions should also be addressed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A systematic approach was developed to quantify land-based pollutant loads in selected bays in China where there is sparse or limited relevant data. The approach was applied to Luoyuan Bay and Xiamen Bay. Despite the data limitations in the two study areas, the approach was able to show that in Luoyuan Bay, the chemical oxygen demand (CODMn) load was mainly from soil losses, which accounted for 63 percent of the total pollutant load, whereas point sources only contributed 4 percent. Soil losses constituted the main pollution source for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). Similarly, spatial variability of the source portion of land-based pollution was detected in Xiamen Bay. Non-point sources were the main source of CODMn load in all Xiamen Bay sub-sea areas, accounting for over 60 percent of the total pollutant loads. Non-point sources contributed largely to the TN and TP loads for most Xiamen Bay sub-seas. However, river discharges and point sources of pollution were also responsible for considerable TN and TP loads in some sub-seas. The application of the approach at the two bays resulted in a clear identification of the source apportionment and spatial distribution of land-based pollutant loads. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A watershed-scale approach was used to evaluate the land-based nonpoint source nutrients in the Bohai Sea Bay, which plays a vital ecological and economic role on regional scale in China. This study firstly defined the watershed boundary of the Bohai Sea Bay with an area of approximately 676,000 sq km. Loads and source apportionment of land-based nonpoint source nutrients from the 13 coastal cities, seven major watersheds, and five sub-sea areas were quantified. The land-based nonpoint source total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads from the 13 coastal cities contributed only 16.9% and 12.5% of the total land-based nonpoint source TN and TP loads entering the Bohai Sea. Land-sea integration was highlighted for managing land-based nonpoint source TN and TP loads entering the Bohai Sea. Soil losses, livestock and poultry breeding should be regulated for land-based nonpoint source TN load management while soil losses, livestock and fertilizer use should be controlled for land-based nonpoint source TP load management. Several critical source areas for land-based nonpoint source TN and TP loads were identified where management measures to reduce nutrient should be directed. The findings of this study would be helpful in gaining insights into water quality issues derived from land-based nonpoint source pollution in the BSBW from a holistic perspective, thereby providing scientific support for land-based management in the Bohai Sea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper characterizes transitions among three land categories during three consecutive time intervals in a subtropical coastal watershed of southeast China that has enormous influence on the region’s economic and ecological health. Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery of 1986, 1996, 2002, and 2007 were used to create maps of each time point for three categories: Agriculture, Natural, and Built. Intensity analysis was applied to quantify the annual intensity of the changes at three levels: time interval, category, and transition. The results show that overall land transformation is accelerating across the three time intervals. Agriculture shows net gain in the first time interval, then net losses in the subsequent two time intervals. The swap change is larger than the net change for both Agriculture and Natural during all three time intervals. Nearly all of the changes are exchanges between Agriculture and Natural areas. Agriculture and Built are active categories, whereas Natural is a dormant category during all three time intervals. The changes are stationary for all three time intervals in terms of the intensities of categories and transitions for Natural to Agriculture, Agriculture to Natural, and Agriculture to Built. The transition from Agriculture to Built is intensively systematic. The land-cover change is associated with the overall economic growth and recent agricultural decline of the area. The intensity analysis in the Jiulong River watershed reveals information that links patterns to processes of land-use and land-cover changes that are common in many other urbanizing places in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The sintering behavior and dielectric properties of the 16CaO–9Li2O–12Sm2O3–63TiO2 (abbreviated CLST) ceramics with different amounts of BaCu(B2O5) (abbreviated BCB) addition were investigated in this paper. The sintering temperature of the CLST ceramics was efficiently lowered by 250 ∘C. The CLST ceramics doped by small amounts of BaCu(B2O5) could be well sintered at 1050 ∘C and possesses good dielectric properties. Especially, the 4 wt% BaCu(B2O5)-doped CLST ceramics sintered at 1050 ∘C for 2 h have optimum dielectric properties of Kr=81.4 and . Obviously, BaCu(B2O5) could be used as a suitable sintering aid that could improve densification of the CLST ceramics at very low temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Understanding how land use and climate variability interact could amplify riverine nitrogen exports is needed to develop effective watershed management strategies in coastal China, a region that is experiencing the most rapid urbanization globally. We investigated the interactive effects of land use and climate variability on riverine nitrogen exports. We analyzed long-term historical data (1961–2014) in two river reaches of the Jiulong River Watershed and spatial data (2010–2014) across a land use gradient spanning 17 monitored headwater streams. Results showed that annual riverine nitrate-N (NO 3 −-N) and ammonia-N (NH 4 +-N) exports have significantly increased from 1961 to 2014 coinciding with urban expansion. Nitrate-N exports were correlated with river flow during 1961–1980, while they were not correlated with river flow during 1981–2002 when fertilizer use rapidly increased in this region. Nitrate-N export was tightly correlated with river flow during 2010–2014 as fertilizer use decreased and there was conversion of agricultural lands to urban lands. Annual NO 3 −-N and NH 4 +-N exports for 17 headwater streams across land use showed significant inter-annual variability (2–10 times) during 2010–2014 across dry and wet years. There was greater inter-annual variability in N exports at the urban/agricultural sites than at the forest sites. Urban watersheds had the highest runoff and nitrate-N export during the flood season. Runoff was the "master variable" controlling nitrate export in urban watersheds across time and space. Given rapid urbanization, the interaction between climate variability and land use change can amplify river nitrogen loads and coastal water quality issues in the developing world unless more effective management of the watershed and associated riverine system is applied. • We analyzed long-term historical data (1961–2014) in two river reaches and spatial data (2010–2014) for headwater streams. • Wet years and wet seasons had higher nitrogen exports. • Urban & agricultural land use and climate variability can amplify the N exports. • Nitrogen exports in headwater watersheds had larger fluctuation than those in two largest river reaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent shoreline management efforts have extended the scope of management plan to address multi-stakeholders' conflicts over the use of coastal resources and their preservation. As cell identification is a critical step towards the development of Shoreline Management Plan (SMP), this paper provides the needed evidence to justify its rationality using Longhai city as a testing site. The coastal zone boundary of Longhai city was firstly defined taking into consideration the interface between land and sea. Seven cell units were identified with due consideration of existing plans. Subsequently, Multi-criteria Decision Making analysis coupled with GIS techniques was performed to verify the rationality of the cell identification. The results justified and supported the cell identification approach and outcomes with respect to dominant sectors within each unit, as well as the integrative and adaptive characteristics of the SMP in balancing environmental conservation and socioeconomic development. The quantitative approach further enables evaluating its adaptability in a changing environment. • A systematic coastal planning is required in Longhai in line with the Integrated Coastal Management practice in Xiamen. • A more integrative planning in consideration of various terrestrial and marine plans is required in coastal area. • Cell identification is a critical step in Shoreline Management Plan so as to make executable plan for each cell. • Multi-Criteria Decision Making is a powerful tool to testify the rationality of the planning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]