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Element flow has gradually become an important method for studying urban spatial structure. This study examined 11 prefectural cities in the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration; constructed a measurement model for information, traffic, migration, and composite networks; and analyzed the spatial structure of the urban network of the urban agglomeration through social network analysis and spatial visualization. The spatial structure of the composite flow network had Xi'an as the center and Xianyang, Baoji, Weinan and Tianshui as important nodes; Yuncheng, Linfen and Qingyang were the secondary nodes, radiating to the surrounding three cities. Element flow connection strength was unbalanced, and only three city pairs were in the first level of the composite flow network. Network density was low-middle, and the network connection was weak. Xi'an was the primary central city of the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration with the strongest agglomeration and radiation capabilities; it could communicate with other cities without intermediate cities and was a bridge for other cities. Tongchuan, Pingliang, Shangluo, and Qingyang were at the edge of the urban agglomeration and had weak agglomeration, radiation, and intermediary capabilities. The inner cities of cohesive subgroups were closely related with weak connections between subgroups. The single-polarization of the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration was serious, and the single-core spatial structure centered on Xi'an had limited impact on the urban agglomeration. Development of small and medium-sized cities should be strengthened in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scientific and comprehensive effectiveness evaluation is a prerequisite for clarifying the guiding direction of rural socio-economic development and environmental protection. By using the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method and weight combination based on game theory, this paper systematically assessed the integrated effectiveness of rural socio-economic development and environmental protection (IERSE) of Wenchuan County in 2018 from the administrative village scale perspective. Results showed that: (1) VIKOR with combined weight and Jenks Natural Breaks Classification is both comprehensive and feasible for large-sample-size evaluation, such as IERSE assessment. (2) The general IERSE of Wenchuan demonstrated considerable positive outcomes. The villages with favorable scores were located along the northwest-central-southeast, whereas unfavorable ones were principally distributed in the northeast and south-central regions. Local spatial agglomeration of favorable IERSE was found in Miansi, Wolong, and Sanjiang Town, whereas the agglomeration of unfavorable IERSE was seen in Yingxiu and Xuankou Town. (3) The IERSE of Wenchuan is mainly constrained by ecological conservation and villagers' autonomy from the village-scale perspective. Villages with favorable IERSE are chiefly constrained by the education level of the village heads or Party secretaries, while villages with unfavorable IERSE are restricted by ecological conservation. To improve the IERSE in rural Wenchuan, thoroughly taking into account the restrictive factors of local IERSE is an essential step for putting forward differentiated and targeted recommendations connected with ecological environment management, as well as social development initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes using membrane distillation (MD) as an alternative to the conventional multi-stage flushing (MSF) process to concentrate a semi-product of organic fertilizer. By applying a unique asymmetric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, which was specifically designed for MD applications using a nonsolvent thermally induced phase separation (NTIPS) method, the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) performance was investigated in terms of its sustainability in permeation flux, fouling resistance, and anti-wetting properties. It was found that the permeation flux increased with increasing flow rate, while the top-surface facing feed mode was the preferred orientation to achieve 25% higher flux than the bottom-surface facing feed mode. Compared to the commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane, the asymmetric PVDF membrane exhibited excellent anti-fouling and sustainable flux, with less than 8% flux decline in a 15 h continuous operation, i.e., flux decreased slightly and was maintained as high as 74 kg·m-2·h-1 at 70 °C. Meanwhile, the lost flux was easily recovered by clean water rinsing. Overall 2.6 times concentration factor was achieved in 15 h MD operation, with 63.4% water being removed from the fertilizer sample. Further concentration could be achieved to reach the desired industrial standard of 5x concentration factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvement of soil nutrients is crucial for the long-term development and stability of restored ecosystems in mine areas. However, knowledge about the variation in soil nutrients and their influencing factors during the reclamation of sub-alpine metal mine soil is still scarce. We assess the status of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), N fractions, total phosphorus (TP), and available P in reclaimed soil at a copper mine site (2702 m above sea level) in the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, southwest China. The mine area had been reclaimed by distributing stockpiled topsoil (~15 cm) in 2008, sowing seeds of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in 2009, and planting seedlings of A. ferdinandi-coburgii and Rosa omeiensis f. pteracantha in 2010. We found that, eight years after the reclamation, although the concentrations of SOC (24.3 g kg−1) and TN (2.21 g kg−1) in the reclaimed soil increased by 25% and 29% compared with the stockpiled topsoil, respectively, they only accounted for about half of the levels in the undisturbed topsoil. In contrast, the concentration of TP (498–570 mg kg−1) did not significantly change between the reclaimed and stockpiled topsoil. The concentrations of NH4-N (30.1 g kg−1), NO3-N (17.2 g kg−1), and available P (11.1 mg kg−1) in the reclaimed soil were 2.2, 1.3, and 1.6 times the levels in stockpiled topsoil, respectively, but still lower than those in undisturbed soil. The concentrations of microbial C, N, and P in the reclaimed soil had a similar variation pattern to the available nutrients. The soil C:P and N:P ratios and microbial biomass C:P and N:P ratios in the reclaimed soil were significantly lower than the levels in the undisturbed forest soil. The average accumulation rates of SOC and TN in the reclaimed soil were 85.3 and 11.4 g m−2 year−1, respectively. The rates are much lower than those of reclaimed mine soils with similar reclaim duration but better climate conditions. Relatively slow development of vegetation and soil microorganisms and leaching due to a freeze–thaw cycle controlled by the sub-alpine climate are likely responsible for the slow recovery of soil SOC and TN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional zoning is the primary basis for developing differentiated spatial planning systems and management policies of territorial spaces. The purpose of the paper is to generate an integrated multifunctional zoning scheme of the territorial space in Panxi by employing the functional significance assessment funded on the niche theory and its measurement models, in order to benefit the high efficiency land utilization and other socioeconomic development initiatives, such as the industrial poverty alleviation and mountainous urbanization in the regional scale. In this paper, the six main functions of territorial space were selected and the corresponding index systems were established for the Panxi Area. First, the significances of six territorial functions were evaluated using two niche models. Second, the K-means clustering method was employed to cluster the functional significance grades, acquiring the integrated multifunctional zoning scheme after qualitative adjustment. The results showed that the spatial distribution characteristics of the functional significance for territorial spaces were different. Prominent regions with higher functional significance of agricultural production were concentrated in the vicinity of the Anning River Basin. The distributions of higher significance for industrial development and mineral resources supply functions were correlated with the overall economic development in the Panxi Area. The regions with higher functional significance for tourism & leisure showed advantages on tourist attractions' quality. The regions with higher significance for habitat service and ecosystem services functions presented advantages on good livability and ecological conditions. The integrated multifunctional zoning scheme for territorial space was highly in consistence with the Major Function Oriented Zoning of Sichuan Province and the "Thirteen Five" Development Plan for Panxi Economic Zone. Generally, the results indicated the rationality and feasibility of the research method, which provides a theoretical basis for coordinating and shaping the structure and pattern of territorial spaces, especially in the mountainous environment with distinct geographical as well as functional differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender mainstreaming is a key for achieving inclusive economic growth, poverty reduction and equitable development. A gender disaggregated analysis of changing livelihood activities is, therefore, crucial for devising gender-sensitive policies and programs. This paper presents a gender disaggregated analysis to assess trend and influencing factors of switching livelihood to higher returning activities at the intra-household level in three villages in rural areas of central Nepal. The result showed that both men and women have changed their livelihood activities from subsistence to cash-earning activities in the last decade. However, the livelihood activities of men have changed considerably compared to women. Men are primarily attracted to out-migration and non-farm wage-based jobs whereas women to market-oriented commercial farming and rural enterprises. Individual as well as location-specific characteristics influence behavior switching to higher returning activities irrespective of gender, while the ethnicity of a household influences only women. Building human and financial capital through education and training along with strengthening access to credit and increasing connectivity through rural road and market centers would be pivotal for encouraging rural men and women to change traditional subsistence activities to higher returning undertakings, leading to equitable livelihood improvement in rural Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty eradication is currently a central issue within the national economic development strategy in developing countries. Understanding the spatial changes and possible drivers of poverty from different geographical perspectives has the potential to provide a policy-relevant understanding of the trends in poverty. By district-level data, poverty incidence (PI), and a statistical analysis of the period from 2005 to 2011 in Nepal, we used the location quotient (LQ), as well as the Lorenz curve, to inspect the poverty concentration and the spatial-temporal variation of poverty in Nepal. As such, this study analyzed the change in identified typologies of poverty using an approach, which accounts for inter-regional and three identified terrain components. The PI methodological approach was applied in order to (i) compare the spatial change in poverty for Nepal during the study period from a geographical-administrative perspective and (ii) to develop Lorenze curves which show the change of poverty concentration over the study period. Within the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) approach, PI was further used, in combination with the indices of poverty gap (PG) and squared poverty gap (SPG), in order to highlight the unidimensional poverty (UP), that is the incidence, depth, and severity of poverty between 2005 and 2011. Simultaneously, the spatial relationship between UP and economic development was assessed, leading to five specific economic modes or typologies of poverty. Our findings identified that proportional poverty appears to have grown in mountainous areas as well as more urbanized and developed regions, while the mid hill regions have steadily reduced proportions of poverty. We propose a hypothesis, for further examination, which suggests that the increase in proportional poverty in the mountain regions is as a result of the migration to the urban areas of Nepal of the relatively less poor, leaving behind a trapped poorer population. This migration to urban areas of the relatively less poor, rather counterintuitively, produced an increase in proportional poverty in the urban areas. This is due to the fact that while this population represents the wealthier mountain communities, they are still relatively poor in an urban setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]