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Guanxi refers to a Chinese system of doing business on the basis of personal relationships, and it is representative of the way that business is done throughout much of the non-western world. In this paper we first evaluate guanxi from an ethical perspective, and then attempt to shed light on the sources of its economic advantages and disadvantages through the use of a simple mathematical model. Finally, we point out how eastern and western business practices may already be converging toward systems based on more complete models of trust to deal with the conditions of progress coupled with uncertainty that form our new economic reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs a version of the error correction model to investigate China's demand for international reserves in the period 1980:1 to 1990:4. China's officially quoted reserves included the net foreign exchange balance of the country's foreign exchange bank (Bank of China) during this period, but the reserves truly owned by the state were substantially smaller than the officially quoted reserves. We test the behaviour of both concepts and their relevance for decision making of reserve holdings. Factors derived under the traditional inventory models as well as disturbances from the domestic markets and debt repayment ability were considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The waste-to-energy (WTE) project can handle the expanding volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) and promote the development of the circular economy, effectively. To achieve sustainable MSW management, it is pivotal to select a promising WTE incineration plant site. Thus, this paper aims to propose a novel methodology for selecting the optimal WTE incineration plant site. A sustainable evaluation index system is constructed from the environment, economy, society, risk, and energy aspects. Evaluation criteria are articulated by mathematical models and hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set, respectively. Given interactional relations among criteria and computation efficiency, HFL-BWM-ANP (hesitant fuzzy linguistic Best-Worst method-Analytic Network Process) is proposed to obtain criteria weights. The double parameters TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) approach is employed to rank alternative sites. The feasibility of the proposed methodology is illustrated by a numerical case. Triple sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis are performed to demonstrate the robustness, effectiveness, and superiority of the proposed methodology. Some managerial insights are provided from multiple dimensions for investors and the government to implement the WTE incineration plant project. Image 1 • Constructing a sustainable evaluation index system from multiple dimensions. • Articulating evaluation criteria by mathematical models and hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set, respectively. • Proposing a weighting model to improve efficiency and handle correlations among criteria. • Introducing the double parameters TOPSIS method to rank WTE incineration plant sites. • Providing managerial insights for investors and the government to manage WTE incineration plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Free variables are selected based on mathematical model of hybrid cascaded MTDC. • System security operating range is analyzed to determine the free variables values. • An operation point calculation method for the hybrid cascaded MTDC is proposed. • The hybrid MTDC system operational dispatching and scheduling strategy is proposed. A hybrid cascaded Multi-terminal HVDC (MTDC) system involving both series and parallel-connected converters, which combines the advantages of line commutated converter based (LCC) and voltage source converter based (VSC) HVDC for ultra-high voltage, large-capacity and flexible power transmission, is proposed and is to be implemented in a real project in China. Due to complexity of operational control and difficulty of operational scheduling brought by the hybrid cascaded MTDC system and the lack of prior related research works, this paper establishes the mathematical model of the hybrid cascaded MTDC system and then proposes a system operational dispatching and scheduling strategy, which includes: 1) feasible coordinated operational control strategies investigation; 2) security operating range of the whole hybrid cascaded MTDC system analysis; 3) operating points of the hybrid cascaded MTDC system calculation. Simulations results based on PSCAD/EMTDC are used to validate the proposed system operational dispatching and scheduling strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research on the relationships between economic development, energy consumption, environmental pollution, and human health has tended to focus on the relationships between economic growth and air pollution, energy and air pollution, or the impact of air pollution on human health. However, there has been little past research focused on all the above associations. Methods: The few studies that have examined the interconnections between the economy, energy consumption, environmental pollution and health have tended to employ regression analyses, DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis), or DEA efficiency analyses; however, as these are static analysis tools, the analyses did not fully reveal the sustainable economic, energy, environmental or health developments over time, did not consider the regional differences, and most often ignored community health factors. To go some way to filling this gap, this paper developed a modified two stage Undesirable Meta Dynamic Network model to jointly analyze energy consumption, economic growth, air pollution and health treatment data in 31 Chinese high-income and upper-middle income cities from 2013–2016, for which the overall efficiency, production efficiency, healthcare resource utilization efficiency and technology gap ratio (TGR) for all input and output variables were calculated. Results: It was found that: (1) the annual average overall efficiency in China's eastern region was the highest; (2) the production stage efficiencies were higher than the healthcare resource utilization stage efficiencies in most cities; (3) the high-income cities had lower TGRs than the upper–middle income cities; (4) the high-income cities had higher average energy consumption efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities; (5) the health expenditure efficiencies were the lowest of all inputs; (6) the high-income cities' respiratory disease and mortality rate efficiencies were higher than in the upper–middle income cities, which had improving mortality rate efficiencies; and (7) there were significant regional differences in the annual average input and output indicator efficiencies. Conclusions: First, the high-income cities had higher average efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities. Of the ten eastern region high-income cities, Guangzhou and Shanghai had average efficiencies of 1, with the least efficient being Shijiazhuang. In the other regions, the upper-middle income cities required greater technology and health treatment investments. Second, Guangzhou, Lhasa, Nanning, and Shanghai had production efficiencies of 1, and Guangzhou, Lhasa, Nanning, Shanghai and Fuzhou had healthcare resource utilization efficiencies of 1. As the average production stage efficiencies in most cities were higher than the healthcare resource utilization stage efficiencies, greater efforts are needed to improve the healthcare resource utilization. Third, the technology gap ratios (TGRs) in the high-income cities were slightly higher than in the upper-middle income cities. Therefore, the upper-middle income cities need to learn from the high-income cities to improve their general health treatment TGRs. Fourth, while the high-income cities had higher energy consumption efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities, these were decreasing in most cities. There were few respiratory disease efficiency differences between the high-income and upper-middle income cities, the high-income cities had falling mortality rate efficiencies, and the upper-middle income cities had increasing mortality rate efficiencies. Overall, therefore, most cities needed to strengthen their health governance to balance economic growth and urban expansion. Fifth, the average AQI efficiencies in both the high-income and upper-middle income cities were higher than the average CO2 efficiencies. However, the high-income cities had lower average CO2 emissions and AQI efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities, with the AQI efficiency differences between the two city groups expanding. As most cities were focusing more on air pollution controls than carbon dioxide emissions, greater efforts were needed in coordinating the air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions treatments. Therefore, the following suggestions are given. (1) The government should reform the hospital and medical systems. (2) Local governments need to strengthen their air pollution and disease education. (3) High-income cities need to improve their healthcare governance to reduce the incidence of respiratory diseases and the associated mortality. (4) Healthcare governance efficiency needs to be prioritized in 17 upper-middle income cities, such as Hangzhou, Changchun, Harbin, Chengdu, Guiyang, Kunming and Xi'an, by establishing sound medical management systems and emergency environmental pollution treatments, and by increasing capital asset medical investments. (5) Upper-middle income cities need to adapt their treatment controls to local conditions and design medium to long-term development strategies. (6) Upper-middle income cities need to actively learn from the technological and governance experiences in the more efficient higher-income cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hainan is an island province in south China with a high frequency of unconventional emergencies due to its special geographic location and national military defense role. Given the limited transportation route from Hainan to the outside world, self-rescue is more important to Hainan Province than other provinces in China and it is therefore imperative to establish an independent, scientific as well as efficient provincal disaster medical system in Hainan. The regulatory role for vulnerability analysis/assessment has been demonstrated in establisment of disaster medical system in varoius countries and or regions. In this paper, we attempt to describe/propose how to adopt vulnerability assessment through mathematical modeling of major biophysical social vulnerability factors to establish an independent, scientific, effieicnt and comprehensive provincial disaster medical system in Hainan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Charging directly affects the burden distribution of a blast furnace, which determines the gas distribution in the shaft of the furnace. Adjusting the charging can improve the distribution of the gas flow, increase the gas utilization efficiency of the furnace, reduce energy consumption, and prolong the life of the blast furnace. In this paper, a mathematical model of blast furnace charging was developed and applied on a steel plant in China, which includes the display of the burden profile, burden layers, descent speed of the layers, and ore/coke ratio. Furthermore, the mathematical model is developed to combine the radar data of the burden profile. The above model is currently used in Nanjing Steel as a reference for operators to adjust the charging. The model is being tested with a radar system on the blast furnace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new dynamic compartmental model was proposed to investigate the disease burdens of cancer. • The number of undiagnosed gastric cancer (GC) cases was estimated. • The effect of endoscopic screening coverage, frequency and initiating time on GC disease burdens in China were evaluated. Gastric cancer (GC) incidence and mortality in China remained high due to delayed diagnosis and accounted for about half of the world's GC cases and deaths. Early detection with endoscopic screening and consequent timely treatment can significantly improve survival. This study aimed to explore the long-term population impact of endoscopic screening on national GC disease burdens in China. Most of previous studies investigated the disease burdens of cancer using Markov model or age-period-cohort (APC) model, which are difficult to estimate the population size of undiagnosed cases. In this paper, we proposed a new dynamic compartmental model based on GC natural history and calibrated model outputs to diagnosed GC cases and GC-related death counts using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. We investigated the impact of screening strategies with various coverage (10%, 40%, 70%) and frequency (every 1, 3, 5 years) on disease burdens. We estimated that 2.22 (95%CI: 1.97–2.47) million Chinese are living with GC in 2019, among which, 42.7% (40.3–45.0%) remained undiagnosed. Without systematic screening, we projected 10.46 (9.07–11.86) million incident cases and 7.35 (6.59–8.11) million GC-related deaths over the next 30 years (2019–2049). Screening with coverage rate at 10%, 40%, 70% every 3 years could prevent 0.85 (0.63–1.06), 2.32 (1.79–2.86), and 3.04 (2.38–3.70) million incident cases, and prevent 1.17 (1.01–1.32), 3.08 (2.70–3.46), and 3.93 (3.46–4.40) million deaths respectively, compared with 'no screening' scenario. Screening would substantially increase the number of diagnosed GC cases within the first three years of program initiation, but this number would quickly reduce below 'no screening' scenario. Three-yearly screening at the above coverage rates would reduce the proportion of undiagnosed GC cases to 38.8% (36.9–40.7%), 25.5% (23.4–27.6%), and 17.8% (16.0–19.6%) by 2049, respectively. Delaying implementation of the screening program would substantially reduce its effectiveness. Initiating national endoscopic screening programmes would likely have a major effect on reducing GC incidence and mortality in China. Health resources should be substantially increased and directed to treatment of GC to cope with the initial rise in diagnosed GC cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the research paper "Back Analysis of the Draining Process of the Tangjiashan Barrier Lake," by Zuyu Chen and colleagues. Topics discussed include the hyperbolic erosion model, uncertainties of dam breach modeling, and sediment transport models for surface erosion and breach evolution processes.

Urbanization results in a considerable economic disparity between urban and rural areas in developing countries, which has had a consequent significant impact on CO 2 emissions. To accommodate this directly, this paper presents a modified version of the Kaya Identity formula, U-Kaya, that includes a direct urbanization factor to determine the relationship between energy consumption intensity, population growth, urbanization rates, urban and rural GDP per capita and the volume of carbon emissions, for application in the dynamic forecasting of carbon emissions by Monte Carlo simulation. The method is demonstrated in forecasting China’s likely carbon emissions in 2020 by three different modes of urbanization policy: the government-dominant mode, market-dominant mode and a hybrid government market-dominant mode. The results indicate that a higher urbanization rate, energy carbon emission coefficient and energy intensity will lead to increased carbon emissions. Finally, three policy implications are identified, comprising the narrowing of the economic gap between urban and rural areas, adjustments to the energy structure and technical innovation, which will provide a valuable reference for developing countries in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a clarification to a study which examined the use of inter-basin water diversion to solve a problem related to water shortage at the Biliu River Reservoir in China, in response to a comment about a paper published in this journal. Several issues are explained including the randomness of genetic algorithm (GA) and a heuristic-based optimization algorithm, the use of linear optimization models, and a comparison of a nonlinear objective function with a linear function.

This paper accounts for China?s economic growth since 1980 in a unified endogenous growth model in which a sequencing of physical capital accumulation, human capital ac-cumulation and innovation drives the rise in China?s aggregate income. The first stage is characterized by physical capital accumulation. The second stage includes both physical and human capital accumulation, and in the final stage innovation is added to the mix. Model calibrations indicate that the growth model can generate a trajectory that accords well with the different stages of development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents life-cycle-analysis (LCA) energy consumption (EC) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of China’s current six biofuel pathways, which are: corn-derived ethanol (CE); cassava-derived ethanol (KE); sweet sorghum-derived ethanol (SE); soybean-derived bio-diesel (SB); jatropha fruit-derived bio-diesel (JB); and used cooking oil (UCO)-derived bio-diesel (UB). The tool utilized here is the WTW (Well-to-Wheels) module of Tsinghua-CA3EM model covering the entire lifecycle including: raw materials cultivation (or feedstock collection); fuel production; transportation and distribution; and application in automobile engines, compared with Conventional Petroleum-based gasoline and diesel Pathways (CPP). The results indicate: (1) the fossil energy inputs are about 1.0–1.5 times the energy contained in the fuel for the CE, SE and SB pathways, but 0.5–0.9 times for the KE, UB and JB pathways; (2) compared with CPP, the JB, KE and UB pathways can reduce both fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions; the CE and SB pathways can only reduce fossil fuel consumption, but increase GHG emission; the SE pathway increases not only fossil fuel consumption but also GHG emission; and (3) the main factors inducing high EC and GHG emission levels include: high EC levels during the fuel production stage and high fertilizer application rates during the planting of raw feedstocks. Conclusions are that of the aforementioned biofuel pathways in China: (1) only the JB, KE and UB pathways have energy-saving merits as indicated by the LCA energy inputs and outputs; (2) compared with CPP, all but the SE pathway reduces fossil fuel consumption. However, the SB and CE pathway increase GHG emission; (3) all six displace petroleum by utilizing more coal; and (4) feedstock productivity levels must be increased, and there must be a reduction in fertilizer utilization and EC consumption during the cultivation and transportation stages in order to achieve the goals of energy balance and GHG emission reduction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The tilt and azimuth angles of a photovoltaic (PV) array affect the amount of incident solar radiation exposed on the array. This paper develops a new mathematical model for calculating the optimum tilt angles and azimuth angles for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications in Hong Kong on yearly, seasonal, and monthly bases. The influence of PV cladding orientation on the power output of PV modules is also investigated. The correlations between the optimum tilt angle and local weather conditions or local environmental conditions are investigated. The results give reasonable solutions for the optimum tilt angles for BIPV applications for both grid-connected and stand-alone systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The propulsion of the winter counter-wind current in the northern South China Sea (SCS) is investigated with a regional, three-dimensional, primitive equation model. This current is usually called the SCS Warm Current (SCSWC). Model results well reproduced the banded structure of the Guangdong coastal current, the SCSWC and the slope current from the coast to the slope in the northern SCS in the climatological data. The across-shelf flow is active in the shelf break area. Both onshore and offshore flows exist; the net across-shelf transport is shoreward throughout the year, and is larger in winter than in other seasons. The joint effect of baroclinicity and relief (JEBAR) is the dominant forcing of the across-shelf transport in the shelf break area. The major mass source of the SCSWC is the onshore-veered slope current. It is the JEBAR effect that supplies the necessary negative vorticity to maintain the slope current flowing across the isobaths and veering to the right hand to feed the SCSWC. Analyses of the momentum fields indicate that the onshore pressure gradient in the outer shelf balances the Coriolis force induced by the northeastward SCSWC in the frame of geostrophy. In winter, such an onshore pressure gradient is mainly provided by the strong density contrast between waters of the shelf and of the upper slope, which results from the Kuroshio intrusion via the Luzon Strait. The notable intrusion of the Kuroshio in winter is crucial for maintaining the density structure in the shelf break area and facilitates the set-up of the onshore pressure gradient over the outer shelf. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Like many countries in the world, China is also facing serious problems of marine pollution in the coastal zone. The prevailing concern is eutrophication of the coastal water due to river inputs and, in some bays, also due to the over-expansion of aquaculture. As part of themarine pollution research activities in China, applications of mathematical models are also widely used, both to understand the present and to project the future. In this paper, selected Chinese works are reviewed, especially with respect to the effort in reducing the errorsintroduced in the numerical treatment of the water quality equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the relationship between venture capital ( VC) networks and investment performance in China. Distinct features of China's VC networks are captured in our econometric model through the inclusion of an index of network stability and a dummy variable that indicates a VC firm's connections with the Chinese state. Our econometric analysis shows that a VC firm's position in its network, its network stability and close connections with the state all contribute to its investment performance. Comparison with the findings in Hochberg et al. (2007) indicates that networks are more important for investment performance in China than in the US. Moreover, our analysis suggests that familiarity with local culture and customs and understanding of the idiosyncrasies of China's markets and institutions are important for the success of a VC firm in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information regarding theoretical and econometric issues related to property price bubbles in China. It presents several graphs and equations to explain mathematical models for the housing prices in China using the relationship between rate change of housing price index and that of the price bubble.

The author comments on an article about demographic characteristics and economic growth in China and India. It is argued that the model of the global economy disaggregating regional households by age and sex and integrating demographic behavior has failed to explain restrictions in private capital outflow in the two countries. The article, according to the author, also failed to explain the contribution of female labor to economic development and the labor market dynamics in India.

The article offers information on the equilibrium rates and simulation models used in the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model. It states that when the equilibrium interest rates were used on required reserves then the equilibrium policy rate converged to a cost-weighted average of the deposit rate. It further states that simulating models helped to determine the impact of investments on the monetary policy of China.

The article summarizes a discussion on the study "An Empirical Analysis of China's Dualistic Economic Development: 1965-2009." Author Fredrik Sjöholm noted the assumption of perfect competitive product and factor markets by production function in studies on labor surplus. Agnes Benassy, however, talked about the impact of different market reforms on the estimates. The econometric model was discussed by Bhanupong Nidiprabha which is based on the assumption of large sample properties.