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Habitat degradation is one of the most serious environmental problems worldwide, which threatens human wellbeing and sustainable development. Exploring how to protect natural habitats has become a research hotspot in the environmental management field. Ecological zoning has been widely used in habitat protection, but its actual effectiveness has been rarely revealed, especially with the robust and reliable causal inference method. Therefore, taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) in China as the study area, we first quantified habitat quality and changes at the district/county scale during 2005–2019. Then, we used the National Key Ecological Function Zone (NKEFZ) as a representative ecological zone scheme, and explored the effectiveness of the NKEFZ in protecting habitat quality with the Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Difference combined method, which is a representative causal inference method. We found that habitat quality showed an uneven distribution during the study period, and habitat quality of districts/counties within the NKEFZ was higher than that outside the NKEFZ with statistical significance. Most districts/counties experienced a habitat quality decrease, but the decrease within the NKEFZ is less than that outside the NKEFZ. We observed that the NKEFZ can protect habitat quality from the causal relationship perspective, but there was the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of the NKEFZ effectiveness. In terms of the spatial dimension, the NKEFZ was the most effective in the Lower Reach of the YREB. In terms of the temporal dimension, there was a 1-year time-lag effect of the NKEFZ effectiveness, and NKEFZ effectiveness experienced a sharp increase from 2016. The NKEFZ contributed to protecting habitat quality through multiple management strategies such as urban land quota, high pollution industry prohibition, and ecological compensation. Overall, this study verified that the ecological zone scheme can contribute to habitat quality protection, and emphasizes that the effectiveness of ecological zoning may vary across time and space. This work can support ecological zoning implementation with robust evidence, and provides a novel perspective for understanding the effectiveness of ecological zoning. • The effectiveness of ecological zoning in protecting habitat quality is still unclear. • We used a causal inference method to analyze the effectiveness of ecological zoning. • Regional habitat quality showed a continuous decrease trend. • Ecological zoning can effectively protect habitat quality. • The effectiveness of ecological zoning exhibited spatio-temporal heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose a novel evaluation method for human–machine effectiveness of exoskeleton. • An evaluation system is constructed based on effectiveness indicators research. • A multi-indicator dataset is formed by processing experiment data. • The dataset is clustered and analyzed based on SOM neural network. • Superiority of multi-indicator method was verified compared with single-indicator. The human–machine effectiveness evaluation is crucial in designing and optimizing lower limb exoskeletons. However, the current single-indicator evaluation method lacks a unified standard and it is one-sided. Therefore, a more objective and comprehensive multi-indicator evaluation method was proposed in this study. Firstly, some single indicators of human–machine effectiveness evaluation were integrated, and a comprehensive evaluation system was constructed accordingly. Then, multi-task gait experiments were designed to collect the evaluation indicators, and the dataset was constructed by processing the collected indicators. Finally, the dataset was clustered and analyzed based on the self-organizing map (SOM) neural network. The results demonstrated that evaluating human–machine effectiveness by multi-indicator was more reliable and comprehensive than single-indicator and this superiority was verified by abnormal and fuzzy samples. It compensates for the one-sided of single-indicator and provides a more reliable theoretical reference for the design and optimization of the lower limb exoskeleton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequent occurrence of air pollution in winter has aroused widespread concern. Identifying the detailed source composition of PM 2.5 and assessing the reduction effects of different emission sources are crucial steps in improving pollution levels. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of emission source reductions, encompassing ten local and ten regional sources. Furthermore, we analyzed the influence of meteorological changes on the abatement of PM 2.5 in Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, and Handan during the winter period from 2016 to 2018. Our findings indicate that, in comparison to the winter of 2016, there were significant decreases in the average concentrations of PM 2.5 during the winter of 2017. These decreases were attributed to favorable meteorological conditions and emission reductions. However, during the winter of 2018, there was a rebound in PM 2.5 concentrations for all four cities. This rebound was primarily caused by adverse meteorological diffusion conditions. Throughout the entire research period spanning from the winter of 2016 to 2018, emission reduction played a significant role in PM 2.5 abatement, contributing to 68% in Tangshan, 87% in Shijiazhuang, 93% in Xingtai, and 96% in Handan, respectively. The source apportionment analysis revealed that industrial and residential sources were the dominant contributors to PM 2.5 concentrations in the cities. These findings not only confirm the effectiveness of existing industrial and residential pollution control policies but also highlight the imperative need for implementing non-point source control and joint control measures for regional elevated sources in the future. • Drivers of 2016–2018 trends in winter PM 2.5 reduction was identified. • Emission cut played a significant role in PM 2.5 abatement during 2016–2018 winter. • Industrial and residential emission cut dominated the PM 2.5 decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution, due to its detrimental impacts on the environment, economy, and human health, has emerged as a significant global challenge. To curb air pollution, policymakers have implemented a series of policies. Evaluating the effectiveness of these policies is a critical part of the policy-making process, as it can inform the development of more efficient and impactful policies. We presented a systematic review of research conducted between 1998 and 2022 on this subject, employing bibliometric analysis and keyword co-occurrence network analysis. Our findings reveal a rising trend in research, which has evolved from focusing solely on air pollutants to including methodologies, policies, and health implications. More recently, it has expanded to incorporate a broader range of pollutants and methodologies. Ex-post evaluation methods, including empirical analysis, bottom-up approaches, emission inventory, and macro models, are more commonly used by researchers. China has emerged as a major contributor in this field of research, and the comprehensive sector is the most frequently addressed. This study illuminates trends and gaps in air pollution policy research, offering valuable insights for future inquiries and policy-making. • There is a rising trend in research on air policies and their impacts. • It has expanded to incorporate a broader range of pollutants and methodologies. • China has emerged as a major contributor in this field of research. • The synergistic effects of air policies are a worthwhile direction for future study. • The coupling of integrated and empirical models is a challenge for policy evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Appropriate infant and young child feeding practices are critical for optimal child growth and development, but in Ethiopia, complementary feeding (CF) practices are very poor. Alive & Thrive (A&T) provided intensive behavior change interventions through 4 platforms: interpersonal communication (IPC), nutrition-sensitive agricultural activities (AG), community mobilization (CM), and mass media (MM).Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of A&T intensive compared with nonintensive interventions (standard nutrition counseling and agricultural extension service and less intensive CM and MM) on CF practices and knowledge and child anthropometric outcomes.Methods: We used a cluster-randomized evaluation design with cross-sectional surveys among households with children aged 6-23.9 mo [n = 2646 at baseline (2015) and n = 2720 at endline (2017)]. We derived difference-in-difference impact estimates (DDEs) and conducted dose-response and path analyses to document plausibility of impacts.Results: At endline, exposure to IPC was 17.8-32.3%, exposure to AG was 22.7-36.0%, exposure to CM was 18.6-54.3%, and exposure to MM was 35.4% in the intensive group. Minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet increased significantly in the intensive group but remained low at endline (24.9% and 18.2%, respectively). Significant differential declines in stunting prevalence were observed (DDE: -5.6 percentage points; P < 0.05) in children aged 6-23.9 mo, decreasing from 36.3% to 22.8% in the intensive group. Dose-response analyses showed higher odds of minimum dietary diversity (OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 2.2, 4.8) and minimum meal frequency (OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.4, 2.6) and higher height-for-age z score (HAZ) (β: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.4) among women exposed to 3 or 4 platforms. Path analyses showed a strong relation between AG and egg consumption, which led to increased child dietary diversity and HAZ.Conclusions: Delivery of social and behavior change interventions using multiple platforms was feasible and effective, resulting in improvements in CF practices and child stunting within a 2-y period. There is a need for continued efforts, however, to expand intervention coverage and to improve CF practices in Ethiopia. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02775552. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the present time new methods of threats implementation with respect to nuclear facilities are being developed. This creates a need to improve methodological approaches to the security systems effectiveness evaluation. Modern security violation methods include the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as elements of external influence on the facilities protection. The paper considers a method to evaluate a physical protection system (PPS) effectiveness of threats countering performed with the help of UAV. The method is based on the interaction simulation techniques in the "adversary – PPS" system. The paper describes the algorithms for this simulation. They include specialized software instruments for building and analysis of the interaction model for a specific facility. The results of the analysis of different impact options on the security system elements are presented with the proposed approach application. The article also covers the possibility to identify the critical scenarios, which are possible in real conditions of UAV usage, with respect to the reviewed system. To forecast the condition of the facility's protection and the processes of external influence on the PPS the most significant factors and causes of their occurrence were identified. The characteristics of the interaction processes in the "adversary – PPS" system were formed based on the received data. Then the PPS effectiveness of the discussed threats countering was evaluated. • A method to evaluate the effectiveness of threats counteracting implemented through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is developed. • The method is based on the assessment of UAV detection and destruction probabilities by observers on the security areas boundaries. • The method takes into account the properties of UAV, conditions of visual observation, characteristics of firing, as well as the presence of communication between observers. • The developed method was tested on a real nuclear facility in operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood obesity is becoming a serious problem, and prevention programs are needed.Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate, after 1 y, the effectiveness of a multicomponent, school-based obesity intervention program.Methods: This intervention, conducted in Barcelona, Spain, was a quasi-experimental obesity primary prevention intervention targeting schoolchildren aged 9-10 y. Participants were assigned to an intervention group (IG) (1464 students) or to a comparison group (CG) (1609 students). The intervention consisted of a 9-session classroom program, 6 weekly sessions of physical education and out-of-school physical activity, and a workshop for families. It lasted from October 2011 to May 2012. Data obtained at baseline (spring 2011) and follow-up (spring 2012) included information on nutrition and physical activity, through 2 self-reported questionnaires, and measurement of weight, height, triceps skinfold thickness, and waist circumference. The cumulative incidence rate (CIR) of obesity was calculated from triceps skinfold measures. A multilevel logistic regression model was fitted to determine the association between the intervention and the CIR of obesity. The effect size of the program was estimated with Cohen's criteria.Results: The overall prevalence of obesity at baseline was 12.7%. At the 12-mo follow-up, the incidence of obesity was 7.8% in the IG compared with 11.4% in the CG (P < 0.005), representing 31% fewer new cases of obesity in the IG. The Cohen's d effect size of the program was 0.33. In the multilevel analysis, there was a protective effect of the intervention on the CIR of obesity at 12 mo (OR: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5, 0.9) (P = 0.009).Conclusions: The first Prevención de la Obesidad Infantil en Barcelona (Childhood Obesity Prevention in Barcelona) (POIBA) intervention, targeting children aged 9-10 y, reduced the incidence of obesity as measured by adiposity. The intervention could prevent 1 in 3 new cases of childhood obesity in this age range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A convex set–based method identifying seepage behavior of a gravity dam is proposed. • An integrated approach is developed to analyze the certain and uncertain seepage fields. • The seepage control measures can be simulated and their influence ranges can be determined. Abstract The seepage problems of dam engineering with complex seepage control measures are usually investigated by numerical simulation methods such as the finite element method (FEM). In general, the material and geometrical parameters and the boundary conditions on dam seepage are regarded as definite values. The heterogeneous and uncertain changes of seepage parameters and boundary conditions, which are caused by seepage control measures and material aging, are not considered. To describe more comprehensively the seepage behavior of a gravity dam and to identify more objectively the seepage control effectiveness of a gravity dam, the conventional FEM implementing numerical analysis for dam seepage is combined with the nonprobabilistic convex set–based method. Firstly, the FEM is introduced to implement the detailed simulation of typical seepage control measures and the certain seepage field analysis. Then a nonprobabilistic convex set–based numerical simulation method, which is suitable for the description of the uncertain seepage field of a gravity dam, is presented. The influence range of seepage control measures can be determined with the proposed method without the probability distribution knowledge of uncertain parameters. Lastly, an actual gravity dam undergoing seepage reinforcement is taken as an example. The seepage control effectiveness of the gravity dam is assessed with the FEM-based calculation model of the seepage field and the analysis model of the uncertain seepage field before and after seepage control implementation. In addition, the effect of the seepage field on the stress field is considered to fulfill the further analysis for the process and mechanism of seepage control of typical measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake Hazen, the largest lake north of the Arctic circle, is being impacted by mercury (Hg) pollution and climate change. The lake is inhabited by two morphotypes of land-locked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), a sensitive indicator species for pollution and climatic impacts. The objectives of this study were to describe the trends in Hg concentration over time and to determine the relationship of climate to length-at-age and Hg concentrations in each char morphotype, as well as the relationship to atmospheric Hg measurements at a nearby monitoring station. Results for Hg in char muscle were available from 20 sampling years over the period 1990 to 2021. We found significant declines in Hg concentrations for both morphotypes during the 31-year study period. Increased rain and earlier freeze-up of lake ice during the summer growing season was linked to increased length-at-age in both char morphotypes. For the large morphotype, higher total gaseous Hg in the fall and winter seasons was related to higher concentrations of Hg in char, while increased glacial runoff was related to decreases in char Hg. For the small morphotype char, increased snow and snow accumulation in the fall season were linked to declines in char Hg concentration. The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Arctic Oscillation were positively related to the large char Hg trend and Arctic Oscillation was positively related to the small char Hg trend. Significant trend relationships between atmospheric Hg and Hg in biota in remote regions are rare and uniquely valuable for evaluation of the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention and related monitoring efforts. [Display omitted] • Lake Hazen, the largest lake in the High Arctic, is home to two Arctic char morphs • Growth (length-at-age) and mercury concentration trends in Arctic char were studied • Late lake freeze-up and more rain in summer promoted growth in both morphs • Airborne mercury in fall and winter were linked to char mercury in the large morph • At the top of the northern hemisphere, mercury is declining in air and Arctic char [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attribute weight assignment plays a key role in multiple attribute decision making (MADM). For the issue of labeled multiple attribute decision making (LMADM), the existing methods of attribute weight determination that have been well developed for MADM usually ignore or do not take full advantage of the supervisory function of labels. As a result, the weights produced by these methods may not be ideal in practice. To make up for this deficiency, this paper develops an objective method based on Bayes risk. Specifically, the LMADM problem is first put forward, then a Gaussian kernel based loss function is proposed to cope with the drawback that the loss function in Bayes risk is usually determined by experts. Meanwhile, Mahalanobis distance and fuzzy neighborhood relationship are employed to measure the fuzziness of data set. Finally, a number of experiments, including the comparison experiments on UCI data and the effectiveness evaluation of fighter, are carried out to illustrate the superiority and applicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Catalytic and thermal toluene removal was performed in fixed bed reactor. • Kinetic parameters of thermal cracking and catalytic conversion of toluene were examined. • Thermal cracking, carbonization, and catalytic conversion reactions occur simultaneously. • Coke formation occurred at all tested temperatures (700–900 °C). • For catalytic conversion, activation energy was 62.1 kJ/mol and frequency factor was 3.16 × 103 s−1. This research aims to study abundant Jordanian zeolite in its natural form as a catalyst to eliminate tar, modelled by toluene, from gasification systems. Natural zeolite was characterized using TGA, BET, XRF, SEM and particle size analysis. The pseudo first-order kinetic parameters of thermal cracking and catalytic conversion reactions of toluene were determined at temperatures of 700 °C, 800 °C and 900 °C. It was found that thermal cracking, carbonization, and dry reforming reactions took place simultaneously. Natural zeolite achieved a greater degree of toluene conversion than that achieved with the thermal cracking, with the highest value of 79 % at 900 °C. The activation energy of the catalytic conversion of toluene reaction was found to be 62.1 kJ/mol while that of thermal cracking of toluene to be 85.0 kJ/mol. The presence of the catalyst lowered the activation energy. The thermal cracking test had a frequency factor of 1.5432 × 104 s−1, while the test employing Jordanian zeolite to catalyze the conversion of toluene had a frequency factor of 3.1754 × 103 s−1. Natural Jordanian zeolite proved to be a suitable catalyst that can be used in tar reforming processes in gasification systems, especially at 800 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the problem of evaluation of effectiveness for separating layers in railway track structure. The statistical analysis of railway track characteristics in this study was carried out for sections of railways with separating layers in track structure and without such layers. Evaluation of effectiveness was done by means of life cycle cost calculation and failure rate prediction, using the life cycle model based on reliability analysis. Parameters of trends between intensity of failure accumulation and operating time of track structure (in years or tons) were calculated on the basis of railway infrastructure automated system database. Source data for calculations are characteristics of operational condition, features of track construction, values of failure rate, statistics on track geometry and maintenance of way works, performed on railroad section. Values of failure rate were calculated using the life cycle model based on reliability analysis. This model describes changes of railway track technical condition for all periods of its life cycle: period of infant mortality, useful life period and wear out period. As a result, values of economic effect for separating layers in different operation conditions are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rigorous evaluations of health system-based interventions in large-scale programs to improve complementary feeding (CF) practices are limited. Alive & Thrive applied principles of social franchising within the government health system in Vietnam to improve the quality of interpersonal counseling (IPC) for infant and young child feeding combined with a national mass media (MM) campaign and community mobilization (CM).Objective: We evaluated the impact of enhanced IPC + MM + CM (intensive) compared with standard IPC + less-intensive MM and CM (nonintensive) on CF practices and anthropometric indicators.Methods: A cluster-randomized, nonblinded evaluation design with cross-sectional surveys (n = ∼500 children aged 6-23.9 mo and ∼1000 children aged 24-59.9 mo/group) implemented at baseline (2010) and endline (2014) was used. Difference-in-difference estimates (DDEs) of impact were calculated for intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses and modified per-protocol analyses (MPAs; mothers who attended the social franchising at least once: 62%).Results: Groups were similar at baseline. In ITT analyses, there were no significant differences between groups in changes in CF practices over time. In the MPAs, greater improvements in the intensive than in the nonintensive group were seen for minimum dietary diversity [DDE: 6.4 percentage points (pps); P < 0.05] and minimum acceptable diet (8.0 pps; P < 0.05). Significant stunting declines occurred in both intensive (7.1 pps) and nonintensive (5.4 pps) groups among children aged 24-59.9 mo, with no differential decline.Conclusions: When combined with MM and CM, an at-scale social franchising approach to improve IPC, delivered through the existing health care system, significantly improved CF practices, but not child growth, among mothers who used counseling services at least once. A greater impact may be achieved with strategies designed to increase service utilization. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01676623. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Promoting adequate nutrition through interventions to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) has the potential to contribute to child development.Objective: We examined whether an intensive intervention package that was aimed at improving IYCF at scale through the Alive & Thrive initiative in Bangladesh also advanced language and gross motor development, and whether advancements in language and gross motor development were explained through improved complementary feeding.Methods: A cluster-randomized design compared 2 intervention packages: intensive interpersonal counseling on IYCF, mass media campaign, and community mobilization (intensive) compared with usual nutrition counseling and mass media campaign (nonintensive). Twenty subdistricts were randomly assigned to receive either the intensive or the nonintensive intervention. Household surveys were conducted at baseline (2010) and at endline (2014) in the same communities (n = ∼4000 children aged 0-47.9 mo for each round). Child development was measured by asking mothers if their child had reached each of multiple milestones, with some observed. Linear regression accounting for clustering was used to derive difference-in-differences (DID) impact estimates, and path analysis was used to examine developmental advancement through indicators of improved IYCF and other factors.Results: The DID in language development between intensive and nonintensive groups was 1.05 milestones (P = 0.001) among children aged 6-23.9 mo and 0.76 milestones (P = 0.038) among children aged 24-47.9 mo. For gross motor development, the DID was 0.85 milestones (P = 0.035) among children aged 6-23.9 mo. The differences observed corresponded to age- and sex-adjusted effect sizes of 0.35 for language and 0.23 for gross motor development. Developmental advancement at 6-23.9 mo was partially explained through improved minimum dietary diversity and the consumption of iron-rich food.Conclusions: Intensive IYCF intervention differentially advanced language and gross motor development, which was partially explained through improved complementary feeding. Measuring a diverse set of child outcomes, including functional outcomes such as child development, is important when evaluating integrated nutrition programs. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01678716. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Muddy coast damaged ecosystems are in urgent need of ecological restoration. • There has been a lack of theoretical work on choosing restoration approaches. • We here apply-two selection models, threshold effect and development need. • Appropriate approaches and technical measures were applied for two target areas. • We report results for muddy coast at Yundanmen Island, Sansha Bay, China. Scientific selection of an ecological restoration approach from among the three common approaches: natural restoration, assisted restoration, and ecological reconstruction is the first step to successful ecological restoration. This study chose the appropriate ecological restoration approach for the study area from the following two perspectives. The threshold effect considers the degree of damage to the muddy coast and makes an estimate of its resilience. The development needs of the coastal zone consider the needs of muddy coasts for ecological protection, safety, and culture and aesthetics; development planning aims to determine the priority of these three needs. This study also assessed common technical measures for ecological restoration of muddy coasts and analyzed the applicability and advantages and disadvantages of each perspective to assist in the selection of specific ecological restoration measures suited to local conditions. The target area for ecological restoration was the muddy coastal area around Yundanmen Island, Sansha Bay, Ningde City, China, which had been degraded by reclamation and aquaculture. Based on conceptual models for selection, ecological restoration approaches for the study area were determined, technical measures were selected, and the plan was developed and implemented. We analyzed the initial effects of ecological restoration on birds, vegetation, and benthic organisms to verify the effectiveness of the chosen ecological restoration approach. This study provides scientific support for rationally planning the ecological restoration of muddy coasts and a reference for the selection of other coastal ecological restoration approaches and technical measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large increase in number and extent of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) over the last few decades has been an important step towards the conservation of marine environments. However, it is not clear whether these important conservation tools are effectively managed, especially in the developing world where resources are limited and there are frequent conflicts with traditional resource users. An innovative approach was used to identify the most important governance, socioeconomic and biophysical variables that are associated with the management effectiveness of Brazilian MPAs. Management effectiveness data was extracted from Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Areas Management (RAPPAM), applied by World Wildlife Fund-Brazil in 2005 and 2010. This comprehensive dataset was summarized in a single management effectiveness metric and related to a set of 15 explanatory variables using generalized linear models (GLMs). An innovative multi-model averaging approach was employed to identify the most important variables relating to management effectiveness. As a result, five main indicators showed high influence on management effectiveness: 1) higher levels of monitoring/research; 2) higher investment; 3) greater human resources; 4) greater social participation, and; 5) lower levels of conflicts between users and managers. managerial effectiveness of Brazilian MPAs could be significantly improved by adopting an indicator based approach to management prioritization. Specifically, MPA managers should dedicate special attention to the highlighted factors when choosing how to allocate available resources in order to boost the overall effectiveness of their protected area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the amount and variety of information available on digital repositories, answering complex user needs and personalizing information access became a hard task. Putting the user in the retrieval loop has emerged as a reasonable alternative to enhance search effectiveness and consequently the user experience. Due to the great advances on machine learning techniques, optimizing search engines according to user preferences has attracted great attention from the research and industry communities. Interactively learning-to-rank has greatly evolved over the last decade but it still faces great theoretical and practical obstacles. This paper describes basic concepts and reviews state-of-the-art methods on the several research fields that complementarily support the creation of interactive information retrieval (IIR) systems. By revisiting ground concepts and gathering recent advances, this article also intends to foster new research activities on IIR by highlighting great challenges and promising directions. The aggregated knowledge provided here is intended to work as a comprehensive introduction to those interested in IIR development, while also providing important insights on the vast opportunities of novel research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complementary feeding (CF) contributes to child growth and development, but few CF programs are delivered at scale. Alive & Thrive addressed this in Bangladesh through intensified interpersonal counseling (IPC), mass media (MM), and community mobilization (CM).Objective: The objective was to evaluate the impact of providing IPC + MM + CM (intensive) compared with standard nutrition counseling + less intensive MM + CM (nonintensive) on CF practices and anthropometric measurements.Methods: We used a cluster-randomized, nonblinded evaluation with cross-sectional surveys [n = ∼600 and 1090 children 6-23.9 mo and 24-47.9 mo/group, respectively, at baseline (2010) and n = ∼500 and 1100 children of the same age, respectively, at endline (2014)]. We derived difference-in-difference impact estimates (DDEs), adjusting for geographic clustering, infant age, sex, differences in baseline characteristics, and differential change in characteristics over time.Results: Groups were similar at baseline. CF improvements were significantly greater in the intensive than in the nonintensive group [DDEs: 16.3, 14.7, 22.0, and 24.6 percentage points (pp) for minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, minimum acceptable diet, and consumption of iron-rich foods, respectively]. In the intensive group, CF practices were high: 50.4% for minimum acceptable diet, 63.8% for minimum diet diversity, 75.1% for minimum meal frequency, and 78.5% for consumption of iron-rich foods. Timely introduction of foods improved. Significant, nondifferential stunting declines occurred in intensive (6.2 pp) and nonintensive (5.2 pp) groups in children 24-47.9 mo.Conclusions: The intensive program substantially improved CF practices compared with the nonintensive program. Large-scale program delivery was feasible and, with the use of multiple platforms, reached 1.7 million households. Nondifferential impacts on stunting were likely due to rapid positive secular trends in Bangladesh. Accelerating linear growth further could require accompanying interventions. This study establishes proof of concept for large-scale behavior change interventions to improve child feeding. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01678716. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than a decade ago, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), one of the multilateral environmental agreements administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), entered into force. The objective of this Convention is to protect human health and the environment by controlling the releases of POPs. According to its Article 16, the effectiveness of the Stockholm Convention shall be evaluated using comparable monitoring data on the presence of POPs as well as their regional and global environmental transport. Here, we present a time series analysis on atmospheric POP concentrations from 15 monitoring stations in North America and Europe that provide long-term data and have started operations between 1990 and 2003. We systematically searched for temporal trends and significant structural changes in temporal trends that might result from the provisions of the Stockholm Convention. We find that such structural changes do occur, but they are related mostly to effects of national regulations enforced prior to the implementation of the Stockholm Convention, rather than to the enforcement of the provisions laid out in the Convention. One example is that concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, many of which started to decrease rapidly during the 1990s. Also effects of chemical transport and fate, for instance the re-volatilization of POPs from secondary sources, are thought to be a cause of some of the observed structural changes. We conclude that a decade of air monitoring data has not been sufficient for detecting general and statistically significant effects of the Stockholm Convention. Based on these lessons, we present recommendations for the future operation of existing monitoring programs and advocate for a stricter enforcement of the provisions of the Stockholm Convention, in the current absence of proof for its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial transformation has been regarded as a significant measure for promoting fishery prosperity, fishing village revitalization and fishermen living conditions, and draws attentions in coastal areas since the turn of the new millennium. Although this relationship has been recognized, it was poorly studied in terms of the impact on fishing village revitalization, especially at the level of fishing villages. In this study, a new composite indicator is proposed to evaluate the impact of industrial transformation on fishing village based on the "Three F″ dimension, namely Fishery, Fishing Village and Fishermen, and their development process, internal logic, driving forces and mechanisms have also been explored. Wangjiataihou Village, located in the most rapid urbanized area, Qingdao West Coast New Area of China, was selected as a case study to empirically investigate the industrial transformation in fishing villages through in-depth interviews and observations. The results show that Wangjiataihou Village has undergone an industrial transformation from primary industry, fishery to tertiary industry, fishing village tourism since 2004. With the evolution and restructuring of socio-economic morphology, significant changes have occurred in the "Three F". On the whole, industrial transformation has boosted the overall revitalization to a certain degree. However, there still exist some problems, such as the loss of attractiveness and competitiveness and the low participation of villagers in decision making. Accordingly, this paper puts forward some suggestions, which aim to optimize industrial development and promote revitalization of fishing village, including accelerating infrastructure construction, enriching the local culture by diversifying tourism products and activities, exploring new driving forces and mechanisms to adapt to the new developing patterns of fishing villages. • A new composite indicator was proposed to evaluate the impact of industrial transformation on fishing village based on the "Three F″ dimension: Fishery, Fishing Village and Fishermen. • Industrial transformation from fishery to fishing village tourism promotes the overall revitalization to a certain degree. • New driving forces and mechanisms were explored to adapt to the new developing patterns in fishing villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review examined 140 outcome evaluations of primary prevention strategies for sexual violence perpetration. The review had two goals: 1) to describe and assess the breadth, quality, and evolution of evaluation research in this area; and 2) to summarize the best available research evidence for sexual violence prevention practitioners by categorizing programs with regard to their evidence of effectiveness on sexual violence behavioral outcomes in a rigorous evaluation. The majority of sexual violence prevention strategies in the evaluation literature are brief, psycho-educational programs focused on increasing knowledge or changing attitudes, none of which have shown evidence of effectiveness on sexually violent behavior using a rigorous evaluation design. Based on evaluation studies included in the current review, only three primary prevention strategies have demonstrated significant effects on sexually violent behavior in a rigorous outcome evaluation: Safe Dates (Foshee et al., 2004); Shifting Boundaries (building-level intervention only, Taylor, Stein, Woods, Mumford, & Forum, 2011); and funding associated with the 1994 U.S. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA; Boba & Lilley, 2009). The dearth of effective prevention strategies available to date may reflect a lack of fit between the design of many of the existing programs and the principles of effective prevention identified by Nation et al. (2003). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In the four seasons of the year, the tree species classification effect of spring data was the best. • The combination of two-, three- and four-season data could improve the classification accuracy of tree species. • A large-scale and appropriate texture extraction window could optimise the accuracy of tree species classification. • Using the mixed features of four-season data could significantly improved tree species classification effect. In the remote sensing discrimination of tree species, the use of multi-temporal images may considerably improve the accuracy of recognising tree species. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the RedEdge-MX sensor, which was used to capture images during the key node period of tree growth, for driving the identification of tree species. The spectral band, texture and digital surface model (DSM) features of these data and their combinations were used as data sets, and 32 tree species were classified using maximum likelihood classification and random forest. The results demonstrated that the image imaging period considerably influenced the recognition of tree species. The recognition accuracy of tree flowering and leafing period data was the highest (52.98%, 86.66% and 86.90% based on spectral, texture and spectral + texture + DSM features, respectively), whereas that of the leafy period data was the lowest (34.32%, 82.39% and 82.81%). The classification accuracy significantly improved (72.76%, 91.51% and 92.16%) when multi-temporal data were combined. Moreover, the texture extraction window significantly affected the classification accuracy. The accuracy was low (70.47%, four seasons) when the minimum window was used, and this rate increased to 91.52% when the appropriate window was used but declined when an excessively large window was used. Furthermore, the classification accuracy obtained using texture features was higher than that of the spectral bands and DSMs were used. Their combination optimised the accuracy of tree species classification (92.16%). These results show that the capture of key node images in tree growth, the selection of appropriate texture extraction windows, and the use of multiple types of features can drive the effective recognition of urban greening tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The rapid economic growth in China has caused ever-increasing pollution and gradual deterioration of surface water quality over the whole territory of China since 1978. Along with it, there have been 130 environmental protection policies publicized and enacted. Unfortunately, even though these contradictory phenomena have coexisted for almost three decades, the cause analysis and the effective evaluation of policy measures are still rare. The Jiaxing region, a lowland located at the Taihu Lake watershed, is a typical representative of this dilemma and was proposed as a case study area for an assessment on the effectiveness of the environmental policy measures mentioned above. The pollutant loads originating from point pollution sources were discharged into rivers at fixed in-stream sites, while pollutant loads from non-point pollution sources in rural areas were assumed to be rushed into rivers by stormwater runoff. The environmental policy measures concerning water quality in the Jiaxing region were specified quantitatively as parameters for estimating the variation of pollutant loads. The base case and other three cases with the effects of policy measures were then simulated by the surface water quality models. The results show that a significant improvement of the surface water quality can be achieved by controlling the non-point pollution in rural areas and the point pollution over the whole area, if the water protection policies are sustainable and executed completely, and if the local government is active in their administrative, supervising and educational responsibilities and the farmers assume voluntary activities on rural pollution control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many existing parks are currently experiencing difficulties in achieving their conservation aims, yet they remain an important option for maintaining and enhancing the conservation of biological diversity and ecosystem processes. Critics have claimed that many national parks cannot continue to protect the biological resources within their borders, and the sustainability of these areas over the long-term is in question. Ways need to be found to strengthen those that are failing, and to understand and replicate those that are succeeding. This paper presents the empirical results from a systematic evaluation of how effectively six case study national parks and national park reserves in Canada and South Africa have been protecting ecological integrity. Several parks were effective at addressing the priorities for which they had monitoring data, however the effectiveness rating of each park decreased when all indicators, including those identified as priorities but lacking monitoring data, were analysed. This indicates that the parks had generally identified more priority indicators than they were actually able to address (for many reasons, including lack of budget or trained staff, managerial challenges). Overall, a systematic approach to evaluating ecological integrity in national parks is recommended as the managers of protected areas cannot be expected to conserve the biological diversity and ecosystem processes within their borders if they are unaware of the ecological status of the park’s biodiversity. The paper concludes with several practical recommendations for monitoring ecological integrity in national parks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Effectiveness of dendrogeomorpic approach for past flood detection was evaluated. • The minimal detected discharge corresponded to ca Q 2 recurrence interval of floods. • The ca 50% of floods above Q 2 were successfully dated. • Different tree-ring-based results between two contrasting catchments were detected. Recently, dendrogeomorphic methods have been increasingly used for the dating past-flood events, and tree-ring-based approaches are generally considered valuable tools in palaeohydrology. Several limitations of the approach are known, but their effects on the resulting chronologies have not been assessed or quantified. Thus, this study attempts to critically evaluate and quantify the effectiveness of dendrogeomorphology in past-flood analysis. The tree-ring-based methods were tested on two long-term monitored, contrasting catchments in a region in the Outer Western Carpathians. In total, 101 sampled trees provided evidence of 126 growth disturbances, enabling the reconstruction of seven flood events approximately during the last 30 years in each catchment. After the comparison of monitored discharges with tree-ring records, standard dendrogeomorphic indices enabled the detection of approximately half of the flood events with discharges larger than the maximal sensitivity of the approach used (minimal detected discharge corresponding to ca. Q 2). Nevertheless, significant differences were identified between the two catchments. Values of dendrogeomorphic indices corresponded well to values of maximal discharges, and increasing the indices thresholds increased the proportion of detected floods in narrow mountainous catchment. In contrast, no effect on the proportion of detected flood events after indices threshold increase was detected in the case of a wide braided channel (in the second catchment). However, the indices values corresponded well to the flood volume. The differences were probably caused by the water-level behaviour in narrow and wide channels. Thus, it seems that the characteristics of channel reaches must be very carefully considered in regard to the interpretation of dendrogeomorphic results of past-flood events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effectiveness of crosswalk tactile paving on street-crossing behavior was evaluated by a field trial study for people with visual impairment in Nanjing, China. • Multi-variant indexes were used, including crossing trajectory, maximum distance of the directional deviation, crossing speed, crossing time and gait regularity and symmetry. • People with blindness and with low vision conducted the field trial separately to evaluate the effectiveness of crosswalk tactile paving. • One-to-one interviews were conducted after the street-crossing tests to report participants' attitudes towards crosswalk tactile paving. People with visual impairment cannot easily obtain external information through vision and thus they face more challenges when traveling than sighted people. The travel environment for people with visual impairment includes pedestrian safety concerns, especially when crossing roads at intersections. Tactile paving can be used as a guidance cue for street-crossing purposes but its use is not yet widespread globally (except at some test sites in Japan). This study investigated the effectiveness of tactile paving on crosswalks based on a field trial conducted in China. A drone and three-axis accelerometer were used to collect participants' behavioral data. Several quantitative indices for street-crossing behavior, including trajectory, maximum distance of the directional deviation, crossing speed, crossing time, and gait regularity and symmetry, were investigated to measure the participants' street-crossing performance. Before-after comparative analysis of the quantitative index results was conducted to compare the participants' use of crosswalks with and without tactile paving. The results reveal that tactile paving helps people with visual impairment to maintain a straight crossing path, avoid directional deviation, reduce their crossing time, and improve their gait regularity and symmetry. Study participants reported positive impressions of the effectiveness of crosswalk tactile paving based on one-to-one interviews conducted after the crosswalk tests. The results also indicate that crosswalk tactile paving is more effective for people with blindness than for those with low vision. This study's findings could serve as a theoretical basis for the deployment of various barrier-free traffic facilities (especially street-crossing facilities) for people with visual impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article describes an effectiveness evaluation of an intensive case management intervention coordinated by a non-profit organization in a midsize Midwest City. As an effectiveness evaluation, the primary evaluation question was causal in nature; the key task of the evaluative study was to establish and probe connections between the intervention and positive psychosocial outcomes for youth and families. The evaluation process described in this article differs from most effectiveness evaluations in that participatory evaluation elements were integrated into the evaluation design, so that stakeholders provided practical knowledge to guide study decision-making. Therefore, in this evaluation, stakeholder contributions represent substantive ones that directly shaped the conduct of the effectiveness evaluation. The article employs a first-person evaluator narrative to retrospectively detail the process of involving stakeholders and ends with a discussion of issues relevant to involving stakeholders in an effectiveness evaluation and highlights areas in need of further study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The reconceptualization of substance use disorders (SUD) as a chronic phenomenon calls for a paradigm shift in service provision, particularly by way of long-term treatment and support. Studies that have evaluated the efficacy of long-term treatment models seem to indicate that they are an improvement on more standard short-term treatments, even though these studies do not take the durations into consideration. Measure the efficacy of SUD treatments and support lasting 18 months or more regarding their ability to decrease substance use as compared to shorter treatments. A meta-analysis based on a systematic literature review was conducted. Eight databases were consulted for peer-reviewed studies. Certain variables were coded as moderators: intervention length, participant characteristics, and treatment characteristics. The main results suggest that the people who received a planned long-term treatment or support had a 23.9 % greater chance of abstaining or consuming moderately than did people who received a shorter standard treatment (OR = 1.347 [CI 95 % = 1.087–1.668], p <.006, adjusted OR = 1.460 [CI 95 % = 1.145–1.861]). None of the moderation analyses revealed any variation in the efficacy of the long-term treatments and support. The reconceptualization of the SUD as a chronic disorder among people with this problem leads us to reconsider both the length of the services provided and the paradigms underlying their organization. • Substance use disorder treatments are usually short-term in nature. • For some people, the substance use disorder may persist over time. • Length of service is generally associated with better results. • This meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness of treatments of 18 months or more. • The results show that these models have better results in reducing substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photovoltaic poverty alleviation project (PPAP), as an integration of solar photovoltaics and poverty alleviation, has gained great attention since it was proposed in China. So far, four different modes of PPAP have been formed - household level, village level, jointly-village level, and centralized PPAP. A comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of different PPAP modes is essential to achieve the aim of getting rid of poverty in Chinese rural areas and to provide references for other developing countries. Therefore, this paper, for the first time, evaluates the economic performance of PPAP under the four modes. By employing cost-benefit analysis, this research elaborates on the effectiveness of PPAP from three aspects – cashflow, net present value, and payback period. The results show that the village level and the jointly-village level PPAP are the most effective modes. However, due to the overplus of installed capacity per household, the centralized PPAP, which is in line with the local governments' income, becomes the most popular mode. Besides, bank loans can significantly increase the number of benefited households, and the beneficiary ratio is critical to the effectiveness of corporations' participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microfluidic BBB chips composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes and multifarious neurons can simulate the complex and dynamic 3D structure of human brain. • In vitro microfluidic BBB chips reproduce the mesh of the human brain anatomical structure and physiological function. • Brain on a chip has a great potential in exploring the mechanisms of CNS diseases and drug development. • Microfluidized BBB-related target organ chip platform can in vitro comprehensively investigate the dynamic process of brain-related multi-organ diseases. The human blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a complex multi-dimensional reticular barrier system composed of cerebral microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes and a variety of neurons. The conventional in vitro cell culture model fails to truly present the dynamic hemodynamics of BBB and the interaction between neurons. And it is even more impossible to explore brain-related multi-organ diseases, which brings huge obstacles to explore diseases of the central nervous system and the interaction between brain-related multi-organs, and evaluate drug efficacy. Miniaturized microfluidics based BBB chips are being commonly used to co-culture a variety of cells on a small-sized chip to construct a three-dimensional (3D) BBB or BBB-related organ disease models. By combining with other electrophysiological, biochemical sensors or equipment and imaging systems, it can in real time and quickly screen disease-related markers and evaluate drug efficacy. This review systematically summarized the research progress of in vitro BBB and BBB-related organ chips, and analyzed the obstacles of BBB models in depth. Parallelly combined with the current research trends and hot spots, we give the further improvement measures of microfluidic BBB chips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing's air pollution has become of increasing concern in recent years. The central and municipal governments have issued a series of laws, regulations, and strategies to improve ambient air quality. The "Clean Air Action" issued in 2013 and the "Comprehensive Action" issued in 2017 largely addressed this concern. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of the two action plans by environmental monitoring data and evaluated the influencing factors including meteorology, pollutant emissions, and energy structure. The spatial distributions of air pollutants were analyzed using the Kriging interpolation method. The Principal Component Analysis-Multiple Nonlinear Regression (PCA-MNLR) model was applied to estimate the effects of meteorological factors. The results have shown that Beijing's air quality had a measurable improvement over 2013–2019. "Good air quality" days had the highest increases, and "hazardous air quality" days had the most decreases. SO 2 decreased most, followed by CO, PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 in descending order, but O 3 showed a fluctuant increase. The "Comprehensive Action" was more effective than the "Clean Air Action" in reducing heavy pollution days during the heating period. The meteorological normalized values of the main pollutants were lower than the observation data during 2013–2016. However, the observed values became lower than the normalized values after 2017, which indicated beneficial weather conditions in 2017 and afterwards. The emissions of SO 2 and dust significantly decreased while NOx had a slight decrease, and the energy structure changed with a dramatic decrease in coal consumption and an obvious increase in the use of natural gas and electricity. The significant reduction of coal-fired emissions played a dominant role in improving Beijing's air quality, and vehicle emission control should be further enhanced. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the two action plans and the experience in Beijing should have potential implications for other areas and nations suffering from severe air pollution. Unlabelled Image • The air quality of Beijing before and after two action plans was assessed. • SO 2 decreased the most, followed by CO, PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 , while O 3 increased slightly. • The control of coal consumption played a dominant role in pollutant reduction. • The influences from meteorology, pollutant emissions, and energy structure were evaluated. • The control measures have proved to be effective in improving Beijing's air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Established an effectiveness evaluation methods considering multiple aspects. • Research on traditional method, ink-jet bonding 3D printing and sand mold milling. • Detailed analysis and comparison of new technologies considering multiple aspects. • Better resource utilization rate of new technologies in the foundry industry. • Suitable for single or small batch production with better economic benefits. The emergence of new technologies has accelerated the process of sustainable development, gradually moving traditional manufacturing away from labor-intensive low-end towards high value-added and high-quality production. In order to study the application effectiveness of new technologies, the production of single or small batch castings in the traditional foundry industry is taken as the analysis object by using traditional manufacturing method, additive manufacturing (ink-jet bonding 3D printing) and subtractive manufacturing (sand mold milling), from the aspects of resources consumption, environmental impact and production efficiency. Among them, the resources consumption takes material, energy, and human resources into comprehensive consideration, while the environmental impact takes carbon emission as the main evaluation index, and the production efficiency is determined according to the actual casting output of the enterprise, this evaluation method is applicable to most of the traditional manufacturing industries. The results indicate that in the production of this kind of castings, additive and subtractive manufacturing have better resource utilization and significantly reduced the carbon emission of sand casting process by about 20.78% and 4.82%, respectively. Besides, the production efficiency of additive and subtractive manufacturing are 92.66% and 91.39% respectively, which has superiority not only in production capacity but also in economic benefits. According to the research conclusion, reference of what or whether new technologies can be used in traditional manufacturing to realize sustainability is provided, which has certain practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Minamata Convention on Mercury (MC) includes provisions for a global monitoring program (GMP) and effectiveness evaluation (EE) to provide information on changes in mercury sources in various environmental media. While conventional measurement and modeling techniques have limitations in explaining the changes in mercury concentrations, the measurements of natural abundances of mercury stable isotopes have become powerful tracers for distinguishing between mercury sources and for understanding biogeochemical processes in the environment. Unfortunately, it is uncertain whether mercury isotope ratios can provide globally comparable results on specific mercury sources for the GMP and trend analyses for the EE. We have compiled a dataset from the literature to evaluate large-scale patterns of mercury isotope ratios in various environmental samples and to summarize sample types that can be used for the GMP. Total gaseous mercury, precipitation, foliage, and litter can provide comparable source information regarding atmospheric mercury across a large spatial scale. Interpretation of spatially relevant information using sediment and fish mercury isotope ratios are challenging because they represent multiple mercury sources and contain mercury that has been subject to biogeochemical transformation leading to isotope fractionation. In regards to the EE, data that provides evidence of changes due to source regulation needs to be gathered from local point source regions to assess health impacts. We recommend that the measurements of particulate-bound mercury in the atmosphere and sediment mercury isotope ratios near mercury hotspots and in fish, are needed to identify ecosystems sensitive to atmospheric deposition and to evaluate the effectiveness of the MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• To investigate and built up the conceptual framework of company-dominated land consolidation pattern. • To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of company-dominated land consolidation pattern from land fragmentation, economic, social and ecological aspects. • To compare the advantages and disadvantages of traditional government-dominated pattern with company-dominated land consolidation pattern. Since late 1970s, the implementation of the household contracted responsibility system (HCRS) has raised farmers' enthusiasm for production and effectively enhanced China's agricultural productivity. However, the absolutely equal distribution of quantity and quality of farmland has also resulted in the problem of land fragmentation, which has currently become a major obstacle to the realization of economy of scale and agricultural modernization. Land consolidation has traditionally been taken as a necessary approach for solving this problem. This study takes Long'an County of Guangxi Autonomous Region in Southwest China as a case study, to examine the effectiveness of a newly introduced company-dominated model for land consolidation. Contrasted to commonly-adopted government-dominated models, in this model a company would lease scattered farmlands from farmers, and carry out a land consolidation project to merge small plots into large plots, then use consolidated land for scale operation. In this whole process, local governments only play an assistant role by subsidizing the project and supervision. The evaluation results show that after land transfer and consolidation, farmland fragmentation degree in Langwan project area is effectively reduced, with the total number of plots decreasing from 1738 to 92 and the average plot size increasing from 0.11 to 2.00 ha, and plot shape tends to be enlarged and regular, which is conducive to large-scale and mechanized operation. Besides, agricultural infrastructure and soil quality are both improved, which facilitate the implementation and mechanization of field work, such as transportation, irrigation, tillage, pesticides and fertilizers application. The improvement of land productivity and government subsidy kindles entrepreneurial enthusiasm for investment and participation in agriculture, which promoted crop structure transformation from sugarcane to high value-added dragon fruit (pitaya), resulting in a great increase in profit from 5212.5 to 57,000 Yuan/ha/a. Meanwhile, local government can free themselves from the cumbersome work of project design, implementation and supervising scattered individuals. Farmers can also gain revenue from land leasing and employment opportunities on the field provided by the company. This new company-oriented model proves itself as a more efficient and effective approach of incentive-based middle-out strategy to deliver multi-agents, multi-goals benefits, which is in line with recent call for self-organized and collaborative resource governance, and can be extended to other regions and contribute to rural revitalization in China and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the electrical conductivity (EC) of the influents and effluents of rural domestic sewage treatment facilities from eight counties in Jiaxing City were investigated through correlation with pollutants, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 +-N), total phosphorus (TP) and suspended solids (SS). EC exhibited good correlations with the concentrations of TN (R 2 = 0.7068, p < 0.01), NH 4 +-N (R 2 = 0.6718, p < 0.01) and TP (R 2 = 0.5944, p < 0.01), suggesting that EC could be used to indicate TN, NH 4 +-N and TP concentrations in rural domestic sewage, and thus, dynamically adjust the treatment load of rural domestic sewage treatment facilities. A higher level of pollutants in rural domestic sewage resulted in higher correlations between TN/NH 4 +-N/TP and EC. Furthermore, a novel evaluation methodology for rural domestic sewage facilities in Jiaxing was established. This method could indicate the effectiveness of facilities when the ratio of effluent EC to influent EC was below 0.8 or beyond 1.0. In particular, this method identified the ineffective facilities, with a recognition rate of 70% and an accuracy rate of 84%. This study not only provides an efficient, fast and low-cost effectiveness assessment method for rural domestic sewage treatment facilities, but also increases the possibility of remotely controlled evaluation based on online conductivity. • Rural domestic sewage samples from 164 facilities in Jiaxing were investigated. • Positive correlations were found between TN/TP concentrations and EC. • Higher level of pollutants resulted in higher correlations between TN/TP and EC. • A novel evaluation technique for facilities efficiency based on EC was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]