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The sustainable development of pension systems has been investigated from a financial perspective worldwide. However, the pension adequacy and its effect on the sustainability of a national pension system are still understudied. Using actual replacement rate and modified living standards replacement rate, this study empirically evaluates whether China's New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) grants enough livelihood protection for the rural residents in the Northwestern China. The results show that the NRPS fails to meet the basic needs of the elderly people (i.e., age of sixty years or older) or the middle-aged people (forty-five to fifty-nine years old), while it only provides limited protection for the young people (sixteen to forty-four years old). These findings suggest that the current NRPS benefits are very low in the Northwestern China and policy reforms should be further implemented to improve the sustainable development of the New Rural Pension Scheme., Competing Interests: There are no potential competing interests in our paper and all authors have seen the manuscript and approved it to submit to your journal. We confirm that the content of the manuscript has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.

In this work, polyaniline-cellulose nanofiber (PANI-CNF) nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ polymerization of aniline on 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) oxidized CNFs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope demonstrate the successful polymerization of aniline on CNFs. The PANI-CNF nanocomposites were added as nanofillers to waterborne epoxy resin (WER) in different proportions. The composite coatings with different contents of PANI-CNFs were prepared by fabricating the mixture on the Q235 steel sheets. The corrosion resistance of different coatings was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results confirmed that composite coatings containing 0.5% PANI-CNF exhibit the optimum anticorrosion behaviors and best corrosion resistance, which shows the lowest corrosion current density (1.788 * [10.sup.-7] A/[cm.sup.-2]) and highest corrosion potential (-0.458 V). In addition, PANI-CNF can significantly enhance the anticorrosion performance of WER coatings and maintain a high value even after 40 days of immersion in NaCl solutions. The above performances are attributed to the synergistic effect of the barrier effects and the passivation mechanism. Therefore, the bio-based composite materials developed in this work are promising in enhancing the corrosion protection of mild steel, which is essential for the sustainable development of waterborne coatings. KEYWORDS anticorrosive coating, cellulose nanofiber, nanocomposite, polyaniline, waterborne epoxy resin, 1 | INTRODUCTION Metals are very important and the most used materials in modern life and industry due to their competitive prices, good mechanical performances, and high recyclability. However, most [...]

Occupying the same crucial position as land resources, ecological resources originate from the marine system nourish various aspects of human welfare and the world economy. It is significant to apply efficient decision-making approaches, which assist with the achievements of sustainable development and environmental protection. This paper aims to review decision-making approaches in marine management and present a comprehensive bibliometric study. To achieve this goal, bibliometric analysis is used to analyze the current status and emerging trends in this field, including the cluster network, the collaboration network, and burst detection. The results show that the number of publications in this field has increased rapidly, and it has become an increasing interdisciplinary research subject. Besides, marine conservation is the largest clusterand the USA is the most productive country in marine management research and the marine policy and NOAA are the most productive journal and institution, respectively. Furthermore, "Diversity," "Management," and "Population" are the most influential keywords, and "People" and "Public participation" are the emerging trends in decision-making and marine management. Our work clarifies where we are now in terms of marine management and decision-making and how do they serve each other to achieve sustainable development. More importantly, some deep insights could be given that motivate researchers to learn the connections and collaborations between natural science and social study, which is our effort to deal with the social-ecological obstacle as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Development trend of collaborative security in middle reaches is considerable. • Collaborative security levels of Sichuan, Hunan and Jiangxi are lowest in 2020. • Bellman optimal equation is used to calculate expected benefits of measures. • Quantitative assessment is conducive to the collaborative security of the nexus. • Optimal implementation sequences of indictors with poor performance are proposed. Water, energy, and food are essential for human survival, and the production and consumption of these three resources are closely related. In the backdrop of limited resources and constantly expanding demand, the collaborative security of the water-energy-food nexus (WEF-nexus) is under serious threat. It is of great practical significance to study the adaptive management countermeasures of the collaborative security of the WEF-nexus in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and to quantitatively evaluate the implementation sequence of relevant management countermeasures to improve the collaborative security and promote the sustainable development of the WEF-nexus. This study first establishes an evaluation indicator system for the collaborative security of the WEF-nexus in the YREB by utilizing the pressure-state-response (PSR) model. Then, the CRITIC and TOPSIS methods are used to determine the weight of indicators and the collaborative security level of the WEF-nexus in each province and city. The state transition matrix is determined based on the transition at the collaborative security level. Finally, based on the barrel theory to make up for shortcomings, the adaptive management countermeasures of provinces and cities with low collaborative safety levels are studied by combining the Bellman optimal equation. By comparing the expected returns of the same countermeasure in different implementation sequences and conducting quantitative research on the implementation sequence of adaptive management countermeasures, targeted policy suggestions are proposed based on regional characteristics, providing a reference for strategic decision-making of relevant resources in the YREB and improving regional WEF-nexus collaborative security. The results show that: (1) For Jiangxi, improving the water conservancy engineering regulation and storage capacity and other ways in a particular order can effectively improve the collaborative security level of nexus. (2) For Hunan, increasing the investment proportion of agriculture, forestry and water conservancy and resource exploration intensity and other means in a particular order can effectively improve the collaborative security level of the nexus. (3)For Sichuan, increasing the water-saving irrigation rate according to a particular order and other ways can effectively improve the collaborative security level of nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the logistics ecological efficiency (LEE) has become a significant part of ensuring a sustainable development and tackling environmental pollution. Previous studies in the logistics industry seldom considered air pollutants and the association of spatial information. Therefore, innovatively considering SO2, NOx, and PM, this study adopted the super-SBM-undesirable model to calculate the LEE of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2019 and, thereafter, developed information-based matrix to explore its influencing factors by using the spatial Dubin model. The results indicated that (1) the overall LEE was low with the average of 0.657, presenting a three-stage trend of "decreasing first, then rising, and later stable," and significant regional differences with the decreasing gradient pattern of the "Eastern-Central-Western." (2) A spatial directionality distributed from the northeast to southwest and a significant spatial autocorrelation were observed. (3) The LEE had a significant positive spillover effect. Industrial structure, urbanization level, environmental regulation, and technological innovation level had a positive impact on the local LEE, and industrial structure displayed the most promoting effects. Energy intensity, economic level, energy structure, and opening level had a significant effect on the local LEE with varying degree of inhibition. Local energy intensity and environmental regulation had a positive influence on the LEE in neighboring areas, while local opening level had inhibiting effects. In addition, policy recommendations for enhancing the LEE were made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating systems encounter challenges due to their subjectivity, time lag, and inconsistent coverage, which present significant obstacles for investors in the stock market. In contrast, news reporting data, characterized by its objectivity, timeliness, publicity, and sociality, has been a crucial source of quality market information for investors. The potential of ESG-related news as a robust complement to the data sources used in existing ESG rating systems merits further exploration. This study investigates the impact of ESG-related news on the Chinese stock market, with the goal of providing compelling evidence for integrating news media into ESG assessments. By analyzing 32,296 ESG-related news articles covering 3643 companies in the Chinese market from 2015 to 2021, we utilize event study methodology to assess the market's abnormal returns in response to ESG-related news. Our findings suggest a significant market impact from ESG-related news, indicating that investors are increasingly attentive to information pertaining to ESG issues. The study also reveals that different attributes of ESG-related news have diverse effects on the market. Specifically, news with negative sentiments has the most significant impact, and investors demonstrate a stronger reaction to ESG-related news disseminated through unofficial media. Furthermore, the study highlights that enterprise heterogeneity affects the impact of ESG-related news, with companies in the secondary and tertiary industries showing higher sensitivity. Privately-owned enterprises are found to be more influenced by such news compared to state-owned enterprises. This study offers a novel perspective in evaluating corporate ESG performance using news media, proposing a more effective and objective method to assess and manage corporate sustainability in a dynamic market landscape. • Significant impact of ESG-related news on Chinese stock market returns. • Diverse market reactions to varying ESG-related news sentiments and sources. • Stock response differs by company industry and ownership type. • Provides a basis for ESG-related news as a complementary tool in ESG ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the green economy efficiency (GEE) is crucial for building a sustainable economy. How can the rapidly advancing digital transformation contribute to this process? The paper empirically examines the direct and spatial spillover effects of digital transformation on cities' GEE in China. This study utilizes the National E-commerce Pilot City (NEPC) policy as a quasi-natural experiment of regional digital transformation and employs the staggered difference-in-differences (DID) method with heterogeneous effects. The findings reveal that (i) implementing the NEPC policy significantly increases urban GEE by 2.6%, corresponding to a 16% increase in the mean of GEE. This effect is particularly pronounced in non-resource-based cities and cities with high Internet penetration. (ii) The mechanism test shows that the pilot policy positively affects GEE by promoting green structural transformation, enhancing green innovation, and strengthening public environmental concerns. (iii) The study highlights a positive spatial spillover effect of the NEPC policy on the GEE of nonpilot cities. (iv) The adoption of the NEPC plays a pivotal role in advancing energy use and carbon emission efficiency. This paper expands the existing knowledge on the green development effects of the digital economy while offering valuable policy insights for building an "Inclusive Green Economy". [Display omitted] • The staggered differences-in-differences method is employed to examine the direct and spatial spillover effects of NEPC on cities' GEE in China. • This paper uses NEPC as a quasi-experiment for digital transformation. • NEPC significantly improves green economic efficiency by 2.6%. • Green structural transformation, innovation, and environmental concerns are main channels. • Positive spillover effect of NEPC on green economy efficiency in non-pilot cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid economic growth and social development in China, conflicts over water resources between human and nature are continuously increasing which is attracting the attention of researchers. At the same time, discharge of water pollutants and exploitation of water resources pose a daunting challenge to the sustainable development of economy and society. China consists of 34 provincial administrative regions having similar or different characteristics in the levels of economic development, water resource endowment, water environmental capacity and water environmental pressure. Among these, it is meaningful to analyze spatial similarities and variations in water environmental carrying capacity (WECC), which contributes to carrying out different and scientific strategies for the management of water environment and for sustainable economic and social development in China. An index system is established to quantify WECC from the perspectives of carrying capacity, environmental pressure, vulnerability of water environment and exploitation and utilization potential. The k-means clustering method is applied to conduct the similarity combination based on the quantification of 4 integrated indicators using catastrophe progression method. The silhouette coefficient is introduced to measure the quality of clustering and to determine the optimal clustering number. The obtained results indicate that carrying condition of water environment becomes more and more better and exploitation and utilization potential of WECC is decreasing gradually from the east to the west in China, and there are more overload in the north provinces and less in the south. In addition, water environmental vulnerability in the west is higher than that of central and eastern provinces in China. The optimal clustering number is 4 obtained by calculating the silhouette coefficient. Also, 31 provinces are categorized into 4 sub-areas i.e. key protected area, controlled development area, optimized development area and prioritized development area. The suggestions on the corresponding bidirectional regulation to different sub-areas are also put forward to provide a scientific reference to rational distribution of economic development, elaborate management of water environment as well as regional sustainable development in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid advancements of wearable electronics require continued innovation in sustainable power sources and human interactive sensors. An abundance of energy in various forms, such as mechanical, thermal, optical, and sound, are ubiquitous in the environment and human activities. Hybrid generators using piezoelectric polymers with relatively low piezoelectric and pyroelectric constants have been fabricated to simultaneously scavenge mechanical and thermal energies. In this work, micropatterned single‐crystal (1−x)Pb(Mg,Nb)O3‐xPbTiO3 (PMN‐PT) ribbons, which possess excellent piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties, are utilized to build human activities energy harvesting and monitoring systems. The flexible PMN‐PT ribbon‐based sensor conformally attached on the surface of human skin enables high sensitivity for human body motions and can detect acoustic sounds precisely. The sensor has been used for monitoring temperature‐related activities, caused for instance by warm water flow and even light illumination. The multifunctional performance of the PMN‐PT ribbon‐based hybrid generator shows great potential for self‐powered wearable and human activities monitoring devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing problems were analyzed in dyeing. The principle, advantages and application status of the new dyeing processes and technologies, the micro-suspended dyeing, the microcapsule dyeing, the "color-media" dyeing, the supercritical carbon dioxide dyeing, the structural coloration, the incorporated dyeing and finishing method, were presented and discussed. These new dyeing processes and technologies have the obvious ecological advantages, such as saving dye, simplifying the process, saving energy and water, and causing less environmental pollution. They will promote the cleaner production and sustainable development of the textile dyeing and finishing industry. However, there are some work remains to be done in the implementation of industrial production and popularity, so some suggestions were given in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the intensification of people's production and life behaviors, the systemic risks of water, energy and food in the Yangtze River Basin have become increasingly prominent, which has become a bottleneck for sustainable development of social, economic and ecological in the basin. Therefore, studying the symbiotic coordination between water, energy and food is of great significance to promoting regional sustainable development. First, from the perspective of water–energy–food symbiosis, with the water–energy–food ecosystem conceptual model as the nexus, the two-step measurement model of the symbiotic index and the symbiotic level index is used to study the water–energy–food symbiosis of the Yangtze River. Then, we use the BP-DEMATEL-GTCW model to identify the key influencing factors that affect the symbiotic security of the water–energy–food ecosystem. In this research, it is found that the average value of the symbiotic degree of the water–energy–food ecosystem of the 11 provinces or municipalities in the Yangtze River Basin only reached the risk grade. It can also be seen from the identification results of key influencing factors that energy microsystem-related indicators have a greater impact on the symbiotic development of the entire WEF ecosystem. Therefore, special attention needs to be paid to increasing energy sources and reducing expenditure. Relevant departments need to effectively develop primary energy production and expand energy-saving investment through multiple channels to expand energy self-sufficiency and ultimately promote the coordinated and effective development of water, energy and food in the Yangtze River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological innovation and stable customer relationships are both important factors for the sustainable development of enterprises. However, it remains unclear whether there is a relationship between stable customer relationships and technological innovation. In this work, we manually collected data regarding customer relationships and the innovation of manufacturing companies listed in the A-Share index in China from 2009 to 2016. Through empirical analysis, this work used a two-way fixed effect model and intermediary effect model tests to explore the impact of stable customer relationships on technological innovation. The empirical research found the following. (1) Stable customer relationships significantly promote the technological innovation of enterprises, and the empirical results are still valid after a variety of robust tests. The competitive advantage of enterprises forms a part of the intermediary role in the relationship above. (2) Comparing the samples of large-scale enterprises, state-owned enterprises, mature enterprises, and low-capital-intensive enterprises, the research found that stable customer relationships can significantly promote corporate technological innovation in small-scale enterprises, non-state-owned enterprises, young enterprises, and highly capital-intensive enterprises. This article enriches and deepens our understanding of the mechanism by which stable customer relationships affect enterprises' technological innovation. At the same time, this research is helpful for better evaluating the impact of establishing a stable customer relationship on the sustainable competitive advantage of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to promote the efficient use of resources and the sustainable development of the economy in Jiangsu Province, it is particularly important to ease the contradiction between water supply and demand on the basis of realizing the coordinated development of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus. With the aim of a dynamic balance of water resources, this paper used system dynamics (SD) to build a WEF nexus SD model that focused on studying the specific supply-and-demand mechanism of water resources in each subsystem. Then, Jiangsu Province was taken as an example to perform simulation research on the regional water dynamic balance to explore effective policies for increasing water supply and decreasing water demand. The results showed that the imbalance of water resources will remain severe in the next few years. To relieve the imbalance, it will be helpful to promote the energy utilization of straw, improve the irrigation efficiency, adjust the crop planting structure, and require residents to strictly follow the water quota. An important advancement in this study is the simulation of the water resources supply-and-demand mechanism in each subsystem from the perspective of the WEF nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty restricts rural sustainable development and urban–rural integration. Agricultural development is an engine of rural economic development and poverty elimination. Agricultural structure adjustment and rural poverty alleviation in Yulin City from the agro-pastoral transition zone of Northern China were studied using statistical data. Our results showed that the rural poverty ratio in Yulin was 7.70% in 2017, with clearly higher trends in southeast regions and lower trends in northeast regions. Northern Yulin had a lower proportion of primary industry to gross domestic production and ratio of agriculture to animal husbandry than southern Yulin. The agricultural structure variability index and agricultural specialization index have changed little, while the actual growth rate of the rural per capita net income has dramatically declined in the last decade. The rural poverty ratio was positively correlated with proportion of primary industry and ratio of agriculture to animal husbandry. These results suggest that a reduced proportion of primary industry and animal husbandry development will promote rural poverty alleviation and future rural revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With development of the society, the problem of environmental pollution is becoming more and more serious. There is the urgent need to develop a new type of sustainable green material for degradable pollutants. However, the conventional preparation method is limited by conditions such as cumbersome operation, high energy consumption, and high pollution. Here, a simple method named self-reduction has been proposed, to synthesize highly efficient catalytic nitro compounds and morin self-assembled MXene-Pd nanocomposites. Palladium nanoparticles were grown in situ on MXene nanosheets to form MXene@PdNPs. MXene@PdNPs composites with different reaction times were prepared by adjusting the reduction reaction time. In particular, MXene@PdNPs20 exhibited a high catalytic effect on 4-NP and 2-NA, and the first-order rate constants of the catalysis were 0.180 s−1 and 0.089 s−1, respectively. It should be noted that after eight consecutive catalytic cycles, the conversion to catalyze 4-NP was still greater than 94%, and the conversion to catalyze 2-NA was still greater than 91.8%. Therefore, the research of self-assembled MXene@PdNPs nanocomposites has important potential value for environmental management and sustainable development of human health, and provides new clues for the future research of MXene-based new catalyst materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, there has been an unprecedented growth in the development of green building projects in China. Using a unique cross-sectional database compiled from multiple sources, this study employs a Negative Binomial regression model to analyze the determinants of local green building development in 282 municipalities, with a focus on local policy and design standards. We present evidence that geographical location, local fiscal revenue, and real estate investment are strong predictors of green building counts. In terms of policy effectiveness, the results indicate that both mandatory regulations and incentive-based policies contribute to increasing the adoption of green buildings; nevertheless, mandatory regulations have a stronger effect on green building development than incentive policies. This paper also suggests that, when controlling for local green building policies, local design standards may negatively affect green building development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]