Search

Water and energy are mutually reinforcing elements in production and consumption activities, forming an inseparable relationship. This study, conducted at the provincial level, investigates the intricate connections between energy water footprint flow, water shortage, and water pollution. It aims to elucidate the vulnerability of provincial energy sectors to water use, fostering regional coordinated management for sustainable energy and water development. Utilizing a multi-regional input–output model, the research analyzes both the quantity and quality of water resources. The water footprint of China's provincial energy sector is quantified and scrutinized. Furthermore, an evaluation index system is constructed based on the water footprint concept. The entropy weight TOPSIS method is then applied to assess the vulnerability of inter-provincial energy sector water footprints. The key findings are as follows: (1) The energy water footprint has shifted from water resource-deficient areas, such as the northwest, North China, and northeast, to economically developed regions with relatively abundant water resources, such as East China and South China. This reveals that the transfer of water footprints in economic activities does not entirely alleviate water shortages in China and may even exacerbate shortages in certain water-deficient areas. (2) The graywater footprint of the energy sector is significantly larger than the blue water footprint and water shortage footprint. (3) The production and supply departments of power and heat emerge as the largest contributors to the transfer of energy and water footprints from water shortage areas to water-rich areas, followed by coal mining and dressing departments. (4) Top 10 Vulnerable Provinces: Tibet, Zhejiang, Ningxia, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Henan, Hunan, Beijing, Chongqing, and Hebei are identified as the top 10 provinces vulnerable to water footprints in the energy sector. This vulnerability closely correlates with the energy sector's dependence on water footprints and production leverage. Recommendations include optimizing the energy mix and establishing stable external water footprint supply channels for provinces with high water footprint dependence. Provinces with high production leverage are advised to accelerate innovation and application of water-saving technologies in key energy sectors, increase the utilization of clean energy, and enhance resource recycling. National government departments should focus on controlling and reducing water pollutants in the energy sector across regions, addressing water shortages by purifying water bodies and improving water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in sea levels, driven by global climate change, poses a significant threat to cultural heritage in coastal regions. Traditional risk assessment methods, focusing on direct inundation, often fail to consider the crucial impact of socio-economic factors, which are significantly vulnerable to sea level rise. To bridge this gap, this study introduces an innovative Sea Level Rise Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment Model (SLR-CHIA Model), a novel approach that integrates both land inundation and socio-economic aspects. This comprehensive model evaluates potential risks to various types of cultural heritage in coastal China, including intangible cultural heritage, relics, and traditional villages. The study's findings are striking: (1) About 7.79% of coastal villages, 53.94% of relics, and 2.53% of intangible cultural heritage are potentially at high risk in a 100-year sea level rise event; (2) Relics in the Eastern coast and villages in the Southern coast are most vulnerable; (3) Different types of cultural heritage rely on diverse principal factors for protection, resulting in varied risk levels under sea level rise conditions. The SLR-CHIA Model provides a vital methodological framework for evaluating cultural heritage risks in other global regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rather than relying on traditional factors, low-carbon transportation should be developed by paying more attention to innovation. By constructing an extended stochastic frontier production function, this study explores the threshold effect of technological progress bias on CO2 emission in the transportation sector in eight different regions of China. It is found as the technological progress bias crosses the threshold, the impact of technological progress bias on transportation CO2 emission changes from positive to negative in Northeast China, the midstream of the Yellow River, East China, the Southeast Coast, the midstream of the Yangtze River and the Northwest region. In Northeast China, the coefficient changes from 0.121 to −0.168. In the middle reaches of the Yellow River, the coefficient changes from 0.528 to −0.0468. In East China, the coefficient changes from 0.495 to −0.325. In the Southeast Coast, the coefficient changes from 0.112 to −0.757. In the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the coefficient changes from 0.518 to −0.177. In Southwest China, the coefficient changes from 0.293 to −0.014. In Northwest China, the coefficient changes from 1.021 to −1.436. In North China, when the technological progress bias exceeds the threshold, the biased technological progress still promotes CO2 emission. The coefficient changes from 0.157 to 0.406. The governments should continue to encourage the transformation of energy technologies from non-renewable energy to renewable energy through differentiated policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To establish a new method for quantitative detection of house dust mite (HDM)–sIgE based on light-initiated chemiluminescence assay (LiCA). Methods The assay was established after optimizing the reaction conditions, and the assay performance was evaluated according to the clinical guidelines. Further, the results of LiCA were compared with those from the ELISA and ImmunoCAP methods. Results Coefficients of variation for repeatability ranged from 4.22% to 7.69%, and intermediate precision from 8.38% to 10.34%. The limit of blank (LoB), limit of detection (LoD), and limit of quantitation (LoQ) were 0.066 kUA/L, 0.165 kUA/L, and 0.171 kUA/L, respectively. The coefficient of correlation (r) between the results of LiCA and ELISA was 0.9263, and the r between the results of LiCA and ImmunoCAP was 0.8870. Conclusions A HDM-sIgE quantitation assay based on LiCA was established, which could be used as a new reliable analytical tool for the determination of HDM-sIgE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the difference in gut microbiome composition between patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and healthy controls, and to assess the potential of gut microbiota as predictive markers for CP/CPPS risk. Methods: The present study included 41 CP/CPPS patients and 43 healthy controls in China. Fecal specimen data were obtained and analysed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Alpha and beta-diversity indices, relative microbiome abundances, cluster analysis, and linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) were employed. Microbial biomarkers were selected for the development of a diagnostic classification model, and the functional prediction was conducted using PICRUSt2. Results: Alpha-diversity measures revealed no statistically significant difference in bacterial community structure between CP/CPPS patients and controls. However, significant differences were observed in the relative abundances of several bacterial genera. Beta-diversity analysis revealed a distinct separation between the two groups. Significant inter-group differences were noted at various taxonomic levels, with specific bacterial genera being significantly different in abundance. The LEfSe analysis indicated that three bacterial species were highly representative and seven bacterial species were low in CP/CPPS patients as compared to the control group. A diagnostic model for CP/CPPS based on microbial biomarkers exhibited good performance. PICRUSt2 functional profiling indicated significant differences in the development and regeneration pathway. Conclusion: Significant differences in the gut microbiome composition were found between groups. The study provided a novel diagnostic model for CP/CPPS based on microbiota, presenting promising potential for future therapeutic targets and non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for CP/CPPS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional ground micro-seismic monitoring is performed by laying long survey lines. This is expensive and difficult to implement in complex mountainous areas and deep marine shale gas reservoirs in China. To address these challenges, this study proposes a ground micro-seismic monitoring method using a sparse planar array that offers greater flexibility in implementation. This study presents a weak signal enhancement method based on a broadband-array adaptive beamforming algorithm to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of micro-seismic data collected by sparse planar arrays and to suppress coherent noise. The proposed method involves establishing a signal model for a broadband planar array, estimating the direction of arrival (DOA) of broadband signals using a grid search method, and setting constraint conditions and objective functions based on the DOA results. The optimal weight vector is then calculated by solving the objective function to obtain the desired signal and suppress noise. This study demonstrates that the proposed method effectively improved the SNR and suppressed coherent noise in synthetic and real data. It also highlights the effectiveness of the sparse planar array as a ground micro-seismic monitoring method and the adaptive broadband beamforming method as a practical weak signal enhancement technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its determinants among rural glaucoma participants compared to age-matched normal controls in the population-based Handan Eye Study (HES), in rural Yongnian County, northern China. Methods: We enrolled 99 adults with glaucoma (mean age 63.0 ± 11.0 years), including primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG, n = 67) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG, n = 32) and 102 controls (mean age 58.5 ± 5.3 years) with normal visual acuity and visual field and no history of glaucoma. Results of ophthalmic examinations and socioeconomic data were recorded. HRQOL was measured using the EQ-5D (converted to utility valves, UVs), and visual function (VF) and vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) were evaluated using the visual function-quality of life (VF-QOL) instrument. Primary and secondary outcome measures: EQ-5D and VF-QOL scores. Results: The mean UVs, VF, and VRQOL scores for glaucoma cases were 0.98 ± 0.04, 87.9 ± 15.2, and 95.5 ± 12.8, respectively, significantly worse than VF (94.4 ± 4.4) and VRQOL (100.0 ± 0.0) among controls, even after adjusting for age, gender, educational level, and family income (P = 0.015, P = 0.033). UVs were significantly lower among glaucoma participants with impaired VRQOL (55.4 ± 11.5) compared to those with normal VRQOL scores (99.1 ± 2.8) (UVs: 0.92 ± 0.08 vs. 0.99 ± 0.03, P = 0.036), also after adjustment for age and family income (P = 0.006). Participants with PACG had significantly lower VF and VRQOL scores compared to POAG (77.8 ± 21.4 vs. 92.9 ± 6.8, P < 0.001; 89.0 ± 18.1 vs. 98.7 ± 7.5, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Participants with glaucoma have worse visual function and related quality of life compared to age-matched normal population controls. Participants with PACG have lower VF and VRQOL compared to those with POAG. UVs can be used for cost-effectiveness research and to support public health strategies for glaucoma in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The forest of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica is an important semi-arid ecosystem in Hulunbuir sandy land that plays a key role in the carbon cycle and wind erosion control. It is crucial to explore the main factors affecting the radial growth of trees of P. sylvestris var. mongolica. (2) Methods: The study established the tree-ring chronology of P. sylvestris var. mongolica and analyzed the relationships among the radial growth, competition index, and climate variables using correlation analysis and a linear mixed effect model to explore the influence of competition and climate on radial growth of P. sylvestris var. mongolica. (3) Results: The results indicated that tree growth is mainly affected by the maximum average temperature (Tmax) and precipitation in June and July of the current year and that tree growth significantly decreased with increasing competition pressure. Analysis of the linear mixed effect model showed that tree age, competition intensity, self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI) from May to July, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) have a significant impact on radial growth. (4) Conclusions: The competition plays a dominant role in radial growth of P. sylvestris var. mongolica compared to climate factors. This study helps to understand the growth mechanism of P. sylvestris var. mongolica forests under climate change and provides a scientific basis for effective management of semi-arid forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On February 26, 2021, the ancient Moli landslide in Guoye town, Zhouqu County, Gansu Province, China, was reactivated. The volume of the reactivated landslide was approximately 2120 × 104 m3, which was classified as a remote accumulation layer landslide in a deep superlarge fault fracture zone. No casualties occurred due to timely warnings. The deformation characteristics and failure mechanisms of the landslide were systematically studied by means of field investigations and engineering mapping, field exploration, deep displacement monitoring, and high-density electrical methods. We found that the geological structure and landform of Zhouqu County are extremely complex. The sliding mass of this landslide was mainly gravelly soil with poor soil mechanical properties. The gravelly clay and phyllite clastic layers were prone to sliding. The landslide as a whole presented the comprehensive characteristics of front edge erosion traction and rear load displacement and was associated with multiple secondary landslides. The Heisongping–Sanjiaoping fault zone of the Bailong River passes through the rear edge of the landslide, and a variety of inducing factors worked together to make the landslide failure mechanism particularly complex. The monitoring and comprehensive control of this kind of landslide should be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International climate and green technology cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) have attracted significant attention, which led to several studies exploring B&R carbon emissions from the perspective of driving factors. While existing studies fail to consider the diversification of China's technology spillovers, the stochastic impacts by the STIRPAT and GWTR models are integrated in this study to determine the spatial impacts of three types of international technology spillovers (i.e., foreign direct investment (FDI), imports, and migrants) on the carbon emissions of B&R countries through independent innovations and technology following during 2003–2018. China's FDI and migration technology spillovers will increase B&R countries' CO2 emissions through independent R&D and technology following, while imported technology spillovers will decrease B&R countries' carbon emissions through the same means. Therefore, this study shows that China's three technology spillovers show spatial differences in the CO2 emissions of B&R countries. In short, government departments should formulate low-carbon technology policies according to the technology impact path and regional characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfire is essential in altering land ecosystems' structures, processes, and functions. As a critical disturbance in the China–Mongolia–Russia cross-border area, it is vital to understand the potential drivers of wildfires and predict where wildfires are more likely to occur. This study assessed factors affecting wildfire using the Random Forest (RF) model. No single factor played a decisive role in the incidence of wildfires. However, the climatic variables were most critical, dominating the occurrence of wildfires. The probability of wildfire occurrence was simulated and predicted using the Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The particle swarm optimization (PSO) model and genetic algorithm (GA) were used to optimize the ANFIS model. The hybrid ANFIS models performed better than single ANFIS for the training and validation datasets. The hybrid ANFIS models, such as PSO-ANFIS and GA-ANFIS, overcome the over-fitting problem of the single ANFIS model at the learning stage of the wildfire pattern. The high classification accuracy and good model performance suggest that PSO-ANFIS can be used to predict the probability of wildfire occurrence. The probability map illustrates that high-risk areas are mainly distributed in the northeast part of the study area, especially the grassland and forest area of Dornod Province of Mongolia, Buryatia, and Chita state of Russia, and the northeast part of Inner Mongolia, China. The findings can be used as reliable estimates of the relative likelihood of wildfire hazards for wildfire management in the region covered or vicinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have examined the associations among the family environment, children's attentional control indexed by intraindividual reaction time variability (IIRTV), and externalizing problems, and they have mainly focused on between-child comparisons. However, few studies have explored within-child associations among the family environment, IIRTV, and children's externalizing problems, especially for conduct problems. The present study examined how children's attentional control indexed by IIRTV and family functioning jointly predict Chinese children's conduct problems from ages 6 to 9 years old at the within- and between-child levels.Two hundred thirty-six elementary school children and their parents participated in this longitudinal study, and data were collected when the children were in grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3. Elementary school children completed the go/no-go task to assess their IIRTV. Children's parents completed the Chinese versions of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES II-CV) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-CV) to assess family functioning and conduct problems, respectively.Multilevel models indicated that within-child changes in conduct problems were negatively correlated with within-child changes in family functioning. Moreover, both IIRTV and its interaction with family functioning significantly predicted individual differences in the development of conduct problems. Poor family functioning and attentional control indexed by greater IIRTV are stronger predictors of conduct problems, while better attentional control indexed by lower IIRTV could buffer the adverse effects of a poor family environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haze pollution poses a serious threat to residents' health. In this study, a spatial econometric model of environmental health was established to investigate the direction, intensity, and spatial–temporal heterogeneity of the impact of haze pollution and its spillover effects on public health in 26 cities of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations from 2005 to 2018. The study found that (1) PM2.5 pollution and public health level all show the characteristic of positive spatial correlation and spatial clustering. (2) Haze pollution is the main influencing factor of residents' public health level, with significant negative effects and obvious spillover effects. The urbanization rate, the number of health technicians, and the green area per capita have significant positive impacts on public health. (3) The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the impact of haze pollution and other factors on public health is obvious. The negative correlation between PM2.5 pollution and public health in eastern cities is higher than that in other cities. Both urbanization rate and green area per capita have a greater positive impact on public health in the northeast of the Yangtze River Delta region. The improvement effect of the number of health technicians on the public health is stronger in the cities of Anhui Province. The research results of this paper provide certain support for the city governments to formulate targeted policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological progress is vital for China to reduce carbon emissions. A comprehensive understanding of the relationship between intellectual property (IPR) protection and city carbon emissions can better serve China achieve carbon peak and carbon neutral goals. This study focuses on exploring the spatial effects of IPR protection on city-level carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through research and development (R&D) investment, foreign direct investment (FDI) technology spillover, and intercity technology spillover (DS). This work developed an extended Environmental Kuznets Curve model to investigate the influencing mechanism of IPR protection using the geographical weighted regression Kriging method. Our study period covered 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017. We identified spatial correlation characteristics in various cities and found that the impact of IPR protection on carbon emissions through R&D investment showed a trend of decreasing first and then increasing. IPR protection through DS had a significant impact of inhibiting CO2 emissions. The impact of IPR protection on carbon emissions through FDI showed a trend of fluctuating up and down. Space coordination in IPR protection, technology convergence between cities, infrastructure construction, and a strict negative list of foreign investment all contributed to city carbon-emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have examined the moderating effect of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) on the association between marital conflict and externalizing problems, however the findings were inconsistent. One possible reason is that the covariation of internalizing problems in externalizing problems. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine this issue. Participants were 332 Chinese adolescents (54.5% boys) age from 13 to 15 years old. At T1, electrocardiogram monitoring was performed on adolescents during the resting state and stressor tasks (a speech task and a mental arithmetic task) to obtain RSA data. The Chinese version of the Achenbach Youth Self-Report-2001 (YSR-2001) and the Chinese version of the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict scale were used to assess adolescents' externalizing and internalizing problems and their perception of marital conflict, respectively. Adolescents' problem behaviors were assessed again in the second and third waves of data collection, with a 1-year lag among each wave. The results revealed that the 3- interactions of marital conflict × RSA reactivity in speech task × sex significantly predicted the trajectory of externalizing problems when controlling for internalizing problems from externalizing problems. Specifically, girls with greater RSA suppression to the speech task reported low and stable externalizing problems, however, boys with the same pattern were associated with slightly increased levels of externalizing problems. While, RSA augmentation to the speech task predicted the increase in externalizing problems among both girls and boys in high marital conflict families over time. However, this interaction effects were not significant when not partial out internalizing problems from externalizing problems. The findings highlight the importance of controlling for the covariation of internalizing problems when examining the interaction effects of person and environment on the development of adolescents' externalizing problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the distribution of ocular biometric parameters and its association to refraction in university students in central China. Methods: Ocular biometric parameters including axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), keratometry power (K), anterior chamber depth (AQD) and lens thickness (LT) were measured by an optical biometry in a cohort of university students. Corneal radius of curvature (CR), lens position (LP), lens power (PBennett), vitreous chamber depth (VCD) and AL to corneal radius ratio (AL/CR) were calculated. Cycloplegic refraction was measured using an autorefractor. Results: A total of 7650 undergraduate students participated in this study, with a mean age of 20.0 ± 1.4 years. The following ocular biometric parameters were measured: AL (24.78 ± 1.21 mm), CCT (539.83 ± 33.03 μm), AQD (3.23 ± 0.25 mm), LT (3.47 ± 0.18 mm), CR (7.79 ± 0.27 mm), LP (4.97 ± 0.23 mm), VCD (17.55 ± 1.15 mm), PBennett (25.00 ± 1.07 dioptres) and AL/CR (3.18 ± 0.15). Male subjects were found to have longer AL, thicker CCT, flatter CR, thinner lens, deeper AQD and VCD than female ones. Myopic subjects were found to have longer AL, thinner CCT, steeper CR, thinner and posterior lens, deeper AQD and VCD, lower PBennett and larger AL/CR than emmetropes and hyperopes. Spherical equivalent (SE) showed a negative correlation with AL/CR (r = −0.914), AL (r = −0.755) and VCD (r = −0.751). Conclusions: This study provided a range of reference values for the main ocular biometric parameters in young adults and reported their distributions based on gender and refractive status. Our study indicates that SE has a strong correlation with AL/CR ratio, AL and VCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branching in long-lived plants can cause scarring at the base and affect wood density, which greatly inhibits wood yield and quality. Eucalyptus urophylla is one of the most important commercial forest tree species in South China, with diverse branch number and branch angles under different genetic backgrounds. However, the main elements and regulatory mechanisms associated with different branching traits in E. urophylla remain unclear. To identify the factors that may influence branching, the transcriptome and metabolome were performed on the shoot apex (SA), lateral shoot apex (LSA), and stem segment at the 5th axillary bud from the shoot apex (S1) in lines ZQUC14 (A) and LDUD26 (B), with A exhibiting a smaller Ba than B. A total of 307.3 million high-quality clean reads and nine hormones were identified from six libraries. Several differentially expressed regulatory factors were identified between the two genotypes of E. urophylla. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were enriched in plant hormone signal transduction, plant hormone biosynthesis and their transport pathways. Furthermore, gene expression pattern analysis identified genes that were significantly downregulated or upregulated in S1 relative to the SA and LSA segments, and the plant hormone signal transduction pathway was constructed to explain branching development. This study clarified the main plant hormones and genes underlying branch numbers and angles of E. urophylla, confirmed that ABA and SA could promote a larger branch angle and smaller branch number, while IAA has an opposite function. Numbers of key candidate genes involved in plant hormone signal transduction were found in the positive regulation of branch formation. These novel findings should aid molecular breeding of branching in Eucalyptus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Land use change due to the increasing anthropogenic activities is the most important driver leading to alteration of multiple ecosystem functions. Overgrazing is thought to be one of most pervasive and significant degrading processes in grasslands, but direct comparisons with other comparable drivers of land use intensification are lacking. Our results aimed to test how single land use practices (grazing, mowing), and combined land use practices (both grazing and mowing), influence biodiversity, soils and plant function, and the coupling of aboveground and belowground functions and properties in a Eurasian steppe grassland. Methods: We examined changes in individual functions associated with aboveground and belowground plant and soil compartments, and multiple combined functions (hereafter 'multifunctionality') at 317 sites along an extensive climatic gradient in Northern China. Further, we investigated the correlations (coupling) between aboveground and belowground processes under the three land use scenarios. Results: We found a mixture of effects of grazing, mowing and mowing plus grazing. However, values of many aboveground and belowground attributes were lower when sites were grazed. Although grazed sites had lower values of soil carbon and nutrients, there were no grazing-induced changes in root carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. More importantly, the most intense land use scenario (grazing combined with mowing) decoupled the correlations between belowground and aboveground functions compared with that of single land uses. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that mowing is a better long-term management method than grazing for semi-natural grasslands in the Eurasian steppe are heavily grazed. Our results demonstrate that additional land use pressures imposed when mowing and grazing are applied together can decouple the positive associations between plant richness and functions. This knowledge is critical if we are to adopt strategies to maintain diverse grassland ecosystems and the important services and functions that they provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mid-domain effect (MDE) explains altitudinal patterns of species diversity of mountainous plants at different elevations. However, its application is limited by the species life form and family flora in different layers of plant communities. To verify the MDE hypothesis at the plant community level, we chose a mountain with representative characteristics of the study area in the east of the Loess Plateau, China, such as obvious elevation (from 1324 to 2745 m) and latitude (from 36° 23′ to 39° 03′) gradients and considerable vegetation types (mainly coniferous and broad-leaved forests). We measured the life forms, families, and species diversity indices of tree, shrub, and herb communities along different elevations. We determined that the family numbers of the herb and shrub communities presented unimodal patterns across an altitudinal gradient, and the highest values occurred at intermediate elevations. The importance values of dominant families in the shrub and tree communities presented unimodal patterns, but the lowest values occurred at intermediate elevations. The species diversity indices of the herb, shrub, and tree communities conformed to unimodal change patterns following an altitudinal gradient, but the greatest diversity occurred at high, low, and intermediate elevations, respectively. At higher elevations, forbs and grasses grew well, whereas sedges grew well at lower elevations. Responses of different tree life forms to the altitudinal gradient were greater for evergreen coniferous tree species than for deciduous coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved tree species. We concluded that the MDE hypothesis of species diversity for mountainous plants is influenced greatly by the community life form and family at the plant community level in a temperate semi-arid region of the Loess Plateau, China. This conclusion tested and modified the MDE hypothesis and may be valuable for fueling prediction of biodiversity models and for the comparison with similar studies in arid and semi-arid mountainous regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Theoretical and experimental evidence, predominantly from temperate grasslands, demonstrates strong support for a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This relationship is likely to be affected by land use drivers that remove vegetation, and/or disturb the soil surface. Our study aimed to examine the links between land use intensity and plant richness, and potential effects on productivity and function. Methods: We examined the impact of mowing, grazing, and mowing plus grazing, on the relationship between plant diversity, and two measures of function; aboveground biomass and soil carbon. Our focus was on Eurasian grasslands, which support a high diversity of plant species, millions of people and their livelihoods, and where livestock grazing and mowing are predominant land uses. We used structural equation modelling to examine the effects of these land use drivers at 371 sites across 100,000 km2 of northern China. Results: Mown sites supported a greater number of plant species than sites that were either grazed, or grazed and mown. Increasing plant richness was associated with greater aboveground biomass and soil carbon when sites were either mown or grazed, but these relationships disappeared when the two land use drivers were combined. Relationships among plant diversity and two measures of function were maintained when we accounted for the spatial differences between sites. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that additional land use pressure imposed when mowing and grazing are applied together can decouple the positive associations between plant richness and functions. An understanding of these potential effects is important if we are to adopt strategies, such as destocking or reduced mowing, to maintain diverse grassland ecosystems, and their services and functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encroachment of woody plants into grasslands is a global phenomenon that has substantial impacts on pastoral productivity and ecosystem services. Over the past half century, pastoralists and land management agencies have explored various options to control woody plants in order to improve ecosystem services in shrub‐encroached grasslands. We examined the effectiveness of controlling the encroachment of the shrub Caragana microphylla into grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. We cut and removed all of the aboveground biomass from 450 shrubs, predicting that the effectiveness of this technique to control shrubs would depend on shrub morphology. Specifically, we expected that larger shrubs with more biomass would be more difficult to kill by cutting than smaller shrubs. A year after treatment, we found that cutting killed only 11% of the 450 treated shrubs, and of these, three‐quarters of the locations that they occupied reverted to grasses and one‐quarter to bare soil. Shrubs that survived the cutting treatment produced more stems and leaf biomass, and therefore had a greater leaf to stem ratio. Shrubs that died after cutting had a lower crown area and basal area, and less stem biomass than shrubs that resprouted within 12 months of cutting. There were no effects of shrub height on the fate of treated shrubs. Cutting had no effect on understory plant cover or richness, but reproductive plants were taller under shrubs that were not cut. Overall, our study showed that removing aboveground shrub biomass by cutting is an ineffective technique for "restoring" the original grassland community unless shrubs are very small. Strategic targeting of small shrubs would be a more effective technique for controlling the spread of C. microphylla in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to achieve the "double carbon" goal in energy systems has been the concern of governments. Integrated energy system (IES) is affected by climate change during his operation, in order to study the impact of climate change on IES and achieve the "double carbon" goal in energy systems, this paper proposes an integrated machine learning(IML) to forecast the long-term load, then investigates IES costs and carbon emissions in relation to climate, followed by the establishment of carbon peak energy system(CPES) and carbon neutral energy system(CNES), finally the honey badger algorithm is used to optimize the configuration of CPES and CNES. The results show that: IML can accurately make load forecasts. Under climate change, changes in load reduce the cost and carbon emissions of IES, and changes in equipment efficiency increase the cost and carbon emissions of IES. When both are considered, the cost and carbon emissions of IES increase by 1.18% and 0.92% per decade respectively. The costs of CPES and CNES increase by 0.93% and 1% respectively for every 10 years earlier than the year of achievement. To meet China's "double carbon" goal, CPES and CNES need to increase their costs by 1.97% and 2% respectively. • Integrated machine learning proposed for long-term load forecasting. • Studied the impact of system equipment efficiency and load with climate change. • Proposing carbon peaking energy system to achieve the carbon peak goal. • Proposed carbon-neutral energy system to achieve carbon neutrality goal. • The increased costs of achieving carbon peak and carbon neutral were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE) represent people's confidence that they can alleviate their negative affect or induce a positive emotional state through thought or action. NMRE predict coping behaviour and mood outcomes for individuals under stress. Since 1990, much research documents the reliability and validity of the English language Negative Mood Regulation (NMR) scale as a measure of NMRE. The current research reports two studies developing a Chinese language translation of the NMR (NMR‐C) scale that goes beyond literal translation to be a culturally sensitive measure of NMRE in China. In Study 1, 713 college students from both a major city and a rural setting in China were surveyed. Data support the resulting 32‐item NMR‐C's reliability (alpha = .88) and validity. The NMR‐C showed both direct and indirect links to depression and anxiety; coping mediated the indirect effect. In Study 2, 331 prison police officers in three Chinese provinces participated. NMRE buffered the effect of high role pressure, moderating the relationship between prison police role stress and job engagement. Results of the two studies support the reliability and validity of the Chinese language NMR scale and parallel results found with measures of NMRE in the West and in other Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies showed that increased fresh fruit consumption is significantly associated with lower risks of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (CVD); other studies suggested that albuminuria is associated with diabetes, hypertension, and CVD. Therefore, we hypothesized that lower fresh fruit consumption is associated with higher risk of incident albuminuria among Chinese adults in rural areas, where fresh fruit consumption level is very low and prevalence of albuminuria is high. Methods: We tested the hypothesis in a village-based cohort study of 3574 participants aged ≥ 30 years from the Handan Eye Study conducted from 2006 to 2013. Albuminuria was defined as urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g. Results: Overall, 35.4% of the participants never or rarely consumed fresh fruits, and 33.9, 21.6, and 9.1% consumed fresh fruits 1–3 times/month, 1–2 times/week, and ≥ 3 times/week, respectively. During a median follow-up period of 5.6 years, albuminuria developed in 17.6% (n = 629) of the participants. Compared with participants who consumed fresh fruits ≥ 3 times/week, the multivariable adjustment odds ratios (ORs) for incident albuminuria associated with fruit consumption 1–2 times/week, 1–3 times/month, and no or rare consumption were 1.58 (95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.05–2.40), 1.74 (95% CI, 1.17–2.58), and 1.78 (95% CI, 1.20–2.64), respectively. After excluding participants with diabetes, the association remained significant. Conclusions: Lower fresh fruit consumption was significantly associated with higher risk of incident albuminuria, and fresh fruit consumption frequency could be an essential intervention target to prevent albuminuria in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the relationships among interparental conflict, moral disengagement, moral identity, and cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents. Participants were 649 Chinese high school students (aged 11–19 years, 48% girls). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis and SPSS macro PROCESS were conducted to test the proposed the moderated mediation model. Results showed that moral disengagement was positively correlated with adolescents' cyberbullying perpetration behavior. Moral identity was negatively related to cyberbullying perpetration behavior. Moral disengagement and moral identity mediated the effect of interparental conflict on cyberbullying perpetration. Moreover, moral identity moderated the indirect effect of interparental conflict on cyberbullying perpetration behavior through moral disengagement. These findings suggest that interparental conflict could foster cyberbullying perpetration through adolescents' moral disengagement and moral identity. In addition, a strong moral identity can buffer the negative effect of moral disengagement on cyberbullying perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of toxic elements (Hg, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni and As) was measured in the sediments of the Qinhuai River in Eastern China along a rural to urban gradient. Multiple approaches were undertaken to evaluate the degree of enrichment and adverse biological effects of these elements. The results showed that the concentration of Hg, Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb increased exponentially from the agricultural headwater to the urbanized downstream, which reflects a severe anthropogenic influence. In addition, area-specific references, such as the local soil background (LSB) and upper continental crust (UCC) derived from the Yangtze craton, were more applicable for evaluating the enrichment of toxic elements in the Qinhuai River than was global UCC. In addition, Cd and Hg had the highest enrichment factor values (EF, with averages of 9.18 and 7.14, respectively); Zn, Pb and Cu had moderate EFs (averages from 1.52 to 2.40), while the average EFs of Ni, Cr and As were approximately equal to 1. Based on consensus-based sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), the contamination characteristics of all of the samples studied were associated with low to moderate priority of adverse biological effects (ABEs) in the rural upstream area, while it was associated with a high to moderate priority of ABEs in the urban sections of the Qinhuai River. Our results suggest that the adverse biological effects of elevated levels of toxic elements were strongly related to the degree of anthropogenic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrations of heavy metals in coastal soils, stream sediments and intertidal sediments of Yueqing Bay basin were analyzed to study their distribution and trace the possible sources. According to various single- and multi-index methods, heavy metal enrichment, especially for Cu, Zn, Cr and Ni in stream sediments, should draw environmental concern. Controlling factors such as inorganic scavengers, organic matter, sample grain size and hydrodynamic conditions were identified to influence the transportation and distribution of metals within coastal soils and sediments. Principal component analysis indicated that most metals in soils and stream sediments originate primarily from natural and anthropogenic sources, respectively. Most metals in intertidal sediments, originating both from natural processes and human activities, tend to be concentrated in fine particles. The exchange of water and sediment between the bay and open waters is strong enough to keep the metals in the tidal flats from rising to very high levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the water-limited Loess Plateau, reference evapotranspiration (ET) is an important hydrological factor affecting the implementation of ecological projects, agricultural production, and water resource management, and its long-term variation is of great interest in climate change studies. Based on daily data from 57 meteorological stations, temporal and spatial patterns in ET and related driving factors were evaluated for the period 1958-2011. In addition, the influences of agricultural cultivation and urbanization on ET trends were also analyzed. The results indicated both decreasing and increasing trends in annual and seasonal ET series in this area. The area-average ET series experienced a weak decreasing annual trend. However, more ET series were found with increasing trends. More decreasing trends were found in summer, winter, and the growing season, but more increasing trends were seen in spring and autumn. Analysis of the contributions of meteorological variables on trends in ET showed that wind speed was the most dominant factor affecting ET variation at most stations. In addition, cultivation and urbanization also affected ET trends. The impact on ET trend was more obvious for the urbanization than cultivation. A warmer and drier trend would affect the implementation of ecological projects, the occurrence of dried soil layers, desertification, and agricultural production of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Clarified the trend of woody plant cover (WPC) in temperature steppe (China). • High-resolution imagery datasets stored in the GEE platform were used. • The BRT model was adopted to explain and assess potential drivers of WPC change. • Spatial patterns of dominant drivers for WPC change were evaluated. • A framework was proposed to maintain ecological stability with sustainable WPC management. The Horqin temperate steppe is the largest grassland in northern China. With the combined disturbance of multiple potential drivers, the native herbaceous vegetation has degraded with different intensity, and woody plants have transformed into the dominant vegetation in this area. On the one hand, woody plants play an important role in sand control, food/timber product provision, etc. On the other hand, this transformation process significantly affects the steppe ecosystem structure and function. It is necessary to clarify the patterns and determinants of woody plant cover changes. In view of the lack of high spatio-temporal resolution remote sensing data for woody cover. Here, based on high-resolution satellite images and the random forest model, the study reports the annual mean woody plant cover of the Horqin temperate steppe is 17.55 % over the past 35 years, and the significant increase area is approximately 43.7 % of the total area. Analysis of the boosted regression tree model showed potential drivers were mainly attributed to climate change (i.e., mean annual temperature, mean annual wind speed, and annual precipitation) and grazing intensity, with the cumulative contribution approaching 70 %. Furthermore, large-scale and high-density afforestation could also be responsible for the increase in woody plant cover. Against the background of frequent climate extremes, maintaining and improving steppe productivity, avoiding regional climate deterioration caused by blind afforestation, and developing a reasonable grazing management policy is the urgently needed to ensure the relative ecological stability of semi-arid temperate steppes and to achieve relatively sustainable development of the regional agro-pastoral economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Spatial and temporal distributions of temperature, precipitation and wind speed from 1960 to 2013 at 179 meteorological stations situated in the desertification prone region ( DPR) of China are analysed using the Mann-Kendall test and the Theil-Sen's slope estimator on monthly, seasonal and annual timescales. The results indicate that annual mean temperature has increased at a rate of 0.33 °C (10 year)−1 over the DPR. Tmin generally increased at a higher rate than Tmax in the majority of the months and seasons over the past 54 years; this has resulted in a decrease in the diurnal temperature range. Precipitation increased for the majority of the meteorological stations in the western area of the DPR, and decreased in the eastern area, but few of these trends are statistically significant on all timescales. The majority of meteorological stations recorded a significant decrease in wind speed at the majority of timescales. Results from this investigation show that the climate is becoming warmer and wetter in the western area of the DPR, and warmer and drier in eastern area of the DPR. A greater understanding of how the historical climate has been changing enables scientific support for the adaption of mitigation policies for land desertification/degradation, water resources, ecological projects and agricultural production. These policies will aid in combating the desertification processes, maintaining ecological security and promoting sustainable development in the DPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have focused on a certain atmospheric pollutant, and few studies that comprehensively considered the drivers to synergistic impact on multiple pollutants. This study uses panel data of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA) from 2005 to 2018. We aim to assess drivers of coordinated control for fine particulate (PM 2.5) and ozone (O 3) pollution using atmospheric remote sensing and spatial econometric model. Satellite image extraction shows that the key areas of pollution control are concentrated in the eastern coastal areas and northern cities. Here we show the empirical results of the Spatial Durbin Model indicating the drivers that significantly coordinated control of PM 2.5 and O 3 pollution: economic growth, urbanization, population density and energy intensity. The promotion of urbanization of YRDUA can help mitigate pollution, which proves that the new urbanization approach can improve environmental quality. Other significant drivers have their own adverse effects on PM 2.5 and O 3 pollution. Besides, the spillover effects of drivers are stronger than their local effects, which means that regional joint prevention and control will significantly improve the ambient air quality. As a result, policy recommendations are finally put forward such as promoting new-type urbanization, further standardizing the regional joint prevention and control mechanism, and exploring source management of PM 2.5 and O 3 pollution. • Data used in the study are collected from 41 cities in YRD from 2005 to 2018. • The atmospheric remote sensing and the spatial econometric model are utilized for analyzing. • Four key drivers identified can significantly coordinate control of PM 2.5 and O 3. • Spillover effects of drivers are significantly stronger than the local effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Evapotranspiration is a sensitive parameter for assessing climate change. It controls energy and mass exchange and is a descriptor of drought in arid- and semi-arid regions. Using the Mann- Kendall ( M-K) test, Sen's slope estimator, and the stepwise regression, temporal, and spatial variations in potential evapotranspiration ( ET0) and its dominant factors were analysed. The analysis was based on data from 173 meteorological stations in a desertification-prone region of China over the period from 1960 to 2013. The annual ET0 decreased prior to 1990s and increased thereafter. The majority of stations had a decreasing ET0 trend, especially in summer, in which the average slope of all stations was −2.43 mm decade−1. Analysis of determining factors showed that a decrease in wind speed was the primary factor associated with decreasing ET0. The trend magnitude of ET0 increased from −2.25 mm decade−1 to −7.43 mm decade−1 as wind speed increased, then decreased to −3.00 mm decade−1. Decreasing ET0 and increasing P in the western region led to decrease in the aridity index, suggesting a wetter climate and reduced desertification. Increasing aridity index in the eastern region reduced the vegetation cover and facilitated desertification processes, which might be a disadvantage for ecological reconstruction and desertification control. Better understanding of the response of ET0 to regional climate change may facilitate efficient use of limited water resources and establish management strategies that can combat desertification and maintain ecological security in a desertification-prone region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the relationships among media multitasking, time management, and psychological wellbeing in Chinese adolescents. A total of 320 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years old were recruited and asked to complete the Media Use Questionnaire, Chinese Adolescent Mental Health Inventory, and Adolescent Time Management Disposition scale. A structural equation model was used to assess possible relationships among media multitasking, time management, and psychological wellbeing. The results showed that the media multitasking index of the sample was 2.5, indicating that adolescents also had access to other 2.5 media tasks when performing the primary media task. Media multitasking was significantly negatively correlated with psychological wellbeing. Time management disposition was negatively correlated with Media multitasking and positively correlated with psychological wellbeing. Our findings indicate that time management disposition can moderate the relationship between Media multitasking and psychological wellbeing. The theoretical and practical implications of adolescent media use are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• To compare the effects of centralized and decentralized environmental governance. • To provide a solution to achieve a dual goal: economic growth along with environmental improvement. • To construct a two-level model to investigate the interaction among the central government, local governments, and local firms. • To examine the effects of information superiority of the central government in relation to the local governments on distribution of authority. • To propose a hybrid model to help cushion firms against high agency costs and local government–firm collusion. How to balance the central government and local governments' political authority relating to environmental governance has long been a topic of intense debate in China. Since both environmental and economic regulations are regulatory tools of governments, political authority and systems must be considered in deciding to what extent to empower local governments. Central government needs to find a tradeoff point when being placed under the dual pressure of environmental protection and maintaining the economic growth rate. Based on a two-level principal–agent model, our research compares the effects of centralized and decentralized governance on the efficiency of environmental regulation. Our results suggest that under decentralized environmental governance, the local governments' incentives increase, which results in either "race to the top" or "race to the bottom" competition in environmental regulation. Moreover, such governance prompts local governments to reduce their investment in economic development and environmental protection. However, decentralization in environmental governance will become more beneficial to the central government if the benefits of reducing information asymmetry surpass enhanced agency costs; otherwise, centralized environmental governance is preferred. Our research proposes a hybrid model of centralized and decentralized environmental governance to help cushion firms against high agency costs and local government–firm collusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western Ordos Plateau is a key area of shrub diversity and a National Nature Reserve of endangered shrub species in north-west China. Desert expansion is becoming the most important threat to these endangered species. However, little is known about the effects of sand burial on the dynamics of the shrub community. This study aims to investigate how the shrubs as a community and as different individual shrubs respond to the disturbances caused by the desert expansion. The approach used by this study is to separate the seed-dispersal strategy from the sand-burial forces that are involved in structuring the shrub communities at different disturbance stages. Four communities for different disturbance stages were surveyed by using 50×50 m plots. The individual shrubs were classified into coloniser and successor groups at the seed-dispersal stage and strong and weak sand-burial tolerance groups at the sand-expansion stage. We employed spatial point pattern analysis with null models for each community to examine the seed-dispersal strategy and sand-burial forces affecting community distribution patterns. At the seed-dispersal stage, the interactions between the colonisers and the successors showed significant positive correlation at a scale of 0–1 m and significant negative correlation at a scale of 2 m; significant negative correlations between the groups with strong and weak sand-burial tolerance in the early stage of sand expansion at scales of 3–6 m, and significant positive correlation in the later stage of sand expansion at a scale of 13 m, were found. Seed-dispersal strategy is a reasonable mechanism to explain the shrub community pattern formation in the earlier stages, whereas sand burial is the primary reason for the disappearance of shrubs with weak sand-burial tolerance, this irreversible disturbance causes homogenisation of the community structure and produces aging populations of shrub species. This has an important influence on the succession direction of desert shrub communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wildland fire, especially surface fire, is one of the major disturbances in forest ecosystems such as the Mongolian pine forest of the Hulun Buir sandland. However, little is known about the impact of fire on the spatial patterns at the stand level and its consequences for successional dynamics. To fill this gap we mapped three plots of Mongolian pine forest comprising sites of the same age that were affected by fire in 2006 and 1994, and a site without fire. We explored the stand structure using diameter at breast height (DBH) distributions and basal area, and used point pattern analysis to quantify the observed spatial patterns. Null models included homogeneous Poisson and Thomas cluster processes for univariate analyses, toroidal shift to test for independence, and random labelling for analyzing mortality. Large stems showed at all three stands a tendency to regularity, whereas small stems were mostly clustered. However, small stems did not become more regular at plots with earlier fire, and only the “overstocked” 2006 pre-fire stand showed negative association between large and small trees. Mortality was non-random, showing clustering of dead (or surviving) trees and clear density dependence where stems with more neighbors had a higher risk to die. Fire killed mostly smaller trees and after prolonged fire-free periods the stand approached the pre-fire patterns structurally and spatially. Our study showed that surface fire causes strong thinning in later succession stages and pushes the forest into maturity. It may also enhance resistance of our forest to more severe fire under the relatively harsh environmental conditions. A novel test statistic for random labeling allowed directly testing for density-dependent mortality and could be widely applied in point pattern analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives To explore the prevalence of menopausal symptoms in Chinese women aged 40-65 years living in Guangdong province in southern China, and to investigate their care-seeking behavior. Design A cross-sectional population-based study performed in Guangdong province, PR China. Methods A total of 9939 women were selected by multistage cluster sampling. From November 2003 to July 2004, women were interviewed in person with a prepared questionnaire about symptoms experienced in the 2 months preceding the survey. The main outcome measurements were self-reported menopausal symptoms and related factors. Results The mean age of natural menopause was 48.9 years. The prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms were low. The three most prevalent symptoms were insomnia, joint and muscle pain, and dizziness (in 37.2%, 35.7%, and 31.5% of the sample, respectively). Hot flushes were experienced by 17.5% of women. The factors associated with the frequency of menopausal symptoms included profession, education, type of menopause and the presence of physical or emotional problems. Ever and current hormone replacement therapy usage was reported in 0.8% and 1.3% of women, respectively. Of the total study population, 28.9% had sought health care because of menopausal symptoms. Conclusions The prevalence of menopausal symptoms in southern Chinese women is low, and this is accompanied by low usage of hormone replacement therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many papers have been published regarding age-related eye diseases in Mainland China in the past two decades, the variable quality of those reports limit the conclusions that can be drawn. Many of these studies assessed blindness and low vision rates, and these estimates are likely accurate. However, due to lack of standardization of techniques for assessing cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, estimates of the burden of these diseases on the population are less reliable. Owing to the rapid economic development of China in the last decade, resources to address eyecare problems are more likely to be available. Therefore, an accurate assessment of the burden of various eye diseases is needed in order to improve blindness prevention planning and program development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modernization of the different economic sectors has drastically increased energy consumption and CO 2 emissions in developing countries, leading to a literature stream on the relationship between technological progress and the carbon emissions from the various sectors. However, most related policies do not consider the diversity of technological sources. As such, this study develops a comprehensive model that combines the expanded stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology (STIRPAT) and the geographically and temporally weighted (GWTR) models to explore the spatial effects of three technology progress channels (research and development investment, technology spillover related to FDI, and DS) on the CO 2 emissions in China from six sectors during 2000–2017. The results show that research and development investment has an inhibitory effect on the CO 2 emissions from the agricultural, industrial, and wholesale sectors, and a catalytic effect for those from the construction, transportation, and residential sectors. The DS has a negative impact on the CO 2 emissions from the agricultural, construction, and wholesale sectors, but a positive one for those from the industrial, transportation, and residential sectors. Finally, foreign direct investment has a positive effect on the CO 2 emissions from all sectors (except for transportation). Therefore, this study shows that all the effects of the three technological progress channels on the carbon emissions from different sectors display spatial correlations and differences. In conclusion, policymakers should tailor policies to the various sectors in the different provinces. [Display omitted] • We develop a model combining the extended STIRPAT and GWTR models. • We explore the spatial effects of three technology progress channels. • These channels display spatial correlations and differences for the various sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) based in insulating oil has become a more mature method in the field of transformer fault diagnosis. However, due to the complexity and diversity of fault types, the traditional modeling method based on oil sample analysis is struggling to meet the industrial demand for diagnostic accuracy. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a probabilistic neural network (PNN)-based fault diagnosis model for power transformers and optimizes the smoothing factor of the pattern layer of PNN by the improved gray wolf optimizer (IGWO) to improve the classification accuracy and robustness of PNN. The standard GWO easily falls into the local optimum because the update mechanism is too single. The update strategy proposed in this paper enhances the convergence ability and exploration ability of the algorithm, which greatly alleviates the dilemma that GWO is prone to fall into local optimum when dealing with complex data. In this paper, a reliability analysis of thirteen diagnostic methods is conducted using 555 transformer fault samples collected from Jiangxi Power Supply Company, China. The results show that the diagnostic accuracy of the IGWO-PNN model reaches 99.71%, which is much higher than that of the traditional IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) three-ratio method. Compared with other neural network models, IGWO-PNN also has higher diagnostic accuracy and stability, and is more applicable to the field of transformer fault diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrub encroachment, i.e., shrub emergence or an increase in woody plant cover, has been widely observed in arid and semiarid grasslands and savannas worldwide since the 2000s. However, until now, there has been a clear division of opinion regarding its ecological implications. One view is that shrub encroachment is an indicator of ecological degradation, and the other is that shrub encroachment is a sign of the restoration of degraded ecosystems. This division leads to completely different judgments about the states and transition phases of shrub-encroached ecosystems, which further affects decisions about their conservation and management. To determine whether ecosystems experiencing shrub encroachment are degrading or are in a postdegraded restoration stage, the spatial distributions and interactions of woody plants after shrub encroachment were investigated in this study. An Ulmus pumila-dominated temperate savanna-like ecosystem with significant shrub encroachment in the Otindag Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia, China, was selected as the research area, and woody plants were surveyed within a 25-hectare (500 × 500 m) plot. Spatial point pattern analysis was employed to analyze the distribution patterns of the woody plants. The results indicated different patterns for U. pumila trees, i.e., a random distribution pattern for old trees (with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of more than 20 cm) and aggregated distribution patterns for medium (5 cm ≤ DBH < 20 cm) and juvenile trees (DBH < 5 cm) at scales of 0–9 and 0–12 m, respectively. For most shrubs, there was significant aggregation at a scale of 0–6 m. However, there were significant negative relationships between old U. pumila trees (DBH ≥ 20 cm) and most shrub species, such as Caragana microphylla and Spiraea aquilegifolia. In contrast, there were positive relationships between juvenile trees (DBH < 5 cm) and most shrub species. These results suggest that, to some extent, shrub encroachment may have disrupted the normal succession pattern in the U. pumila community in this area, and without conservation, the original tree-dominated temperate savanna-like ecosystem may continue to deteriorate and eventually become a shrub-dominated temperate savanna-like ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The proportion of older HIV-1 infected people in China has increased rapidly in recent years. Elucidation of the transmission characteristics of this high-risk population subgroup is helpful for the development of tailored interventions.Methods: A phylogenetic analysis was performed that uses available HIV-1 pol sequences amplified with nested RT-PCR from plasma samples of all newly diagnosed participants spanning from October 2017 to September 2018 in Fuyang, Anhui Province. Transmission clusters were identified as two or more sequences that shared a corresponding node with an aLRT-SH value ≥90 in the maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree and had an overall mean genetic distance of ≤1.5%. A local transmission cluster was defined as a cluster that had more than 80% of its sequences from Fuyang. The role of older people in local HIV-1 transmission was determined using an integration of molecular and demographic data.Results: Of 362 available sequences, 14 subtypes, and 28 local transmission clusters were identified. It was found that the proportion of older people in the local transmission cluster (69/77, 89.61%) was much higher than that of younger people (46/114, 40.35%) (χ2 test, P < 0.001). In the pretreatment drug resistance analysis, the proportion of sequences with PDRMs in the local transmission cluster was not significantly different between the older people group (57.14%, 4/7) and non-old-aged group (11.11%, 1/9) (Fisher's exact test, P > 0.05).Conclusion: By combining phylogenetic analyses with demographic data, more detailed information was provided about the local transmission structure in Fuyang. These findings suggested that older people play an important role in local transmission, and more tailored interventions for this population subgroup are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive coastal wetland reclamation in China followed by agricultural use had significant impacts on soil carbon (C) dynamics due to the alterations in soil hydrology and physicochemical properties. The changes in C and its driving factors in reclaimed soils generally concentrated on soil organic C (SOC) and soil inorganic C (SIC) as major subpools of soil C, but this topic has received little attention. In this study, we have assessed the changes in SOC and SIC concentrations (0–20 cm) with reclamation duration and land use change based on 746 surface soil samples collected from three typical reclamation areas (with differences in sediment sources) in eastern China. Key factors driving SOC and SIC dynamics were identified using a random forest model (RF). The results revealed similar SOC concentration (7.24–7.69 g kg−1) and different SIC concentration (7.25–10.9 g kg−1) for the three study areas. Overall, SOC increased with reclamation duration, suggesting a positive impact of tidal flat reclamation on SOC accumulation. For SIC, slight increases in the younger land and dramatic decreases in the older land were observed, indicating a fast IC turnover time. The land impacted strongly by human activities had higher SOC than natural tidal flats. Compared with upland soil, paddy soil resulted in greater OC (except for 10 years reclaimed land in Cixi) and comparable levels of IC. Soil nutrient levels (the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus) were determined to be important factors for SOC in reclaimed lands. Soil CaO was determined to be the factor with the highest importance in controlling SIC dynamics in reclaimed lands. More attention should be given to the quality of the OC sequestrated by reclaimed soils. • Organic and inorganic carbon (OC and IC) dynamics of reclaimed soils were studied. • Key factors driving for soil OC and soil IC were measured using random forest method. • Paddy soil management was practical for carbon sequestration on reclaimed lands. • More attention should be given to the quality of the OC sequestered by reclaimed soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on the progress made by higher forestry education in China since 1984 until 2014. He discusses the history of higher education in forestry, the universities and colleges that offer the course, and how the progress has supported the development of forestry industries. The author also cites the need for university managers to strengthen traditional forestry subjects.

In the water-limited Beijing–Tianjin Sand Source Control Project Region, reference evapotranspiration ( ET O ) is a vital hydrological factor for the revegetation implementation, and its long-term variation is of much interest in climate change studies. In our study, temporal and spatial patterns in ET O and related driving factors in the project region are evaluated for the period 1959–2011, based on daily data from 46 meteorological stations, using Mann–Kendall (M-K) test, Sen's slope estimator, and multivariate regression. The results indicated that annual ET O had an insignificant decreasing trend in the study area, in which 15 stations showed significant negative trends and only 1 station showed significant positive trend at the 95% confidence level. Significant downward ET O was detected in the north sub-region (I) in spring, in the west sub-region (II) in summer and autumn. Analysis of the impacts of meteorological variables on spatiotemporal trends of ET O showed that wind speed was the most dominant factor affecting ET O variation at 35 stations. Downward ET O induced by decreased wind speed may be result from revegetation of Beijing–Tianjin Sand Source Control Project. In addition, ET O change was influenced by sunshine duration in summer and maximum air temperature in winter. Better understanding ET O response to climate change will enable efficient use of water resources and vegetation management, which could improve the ecological and environmental quality in Beijing, Tianjin, and the surrounding areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Temporal dynamics of heavy metal (HM) in reclaimed soils were studied. • Random forest and positive matrix factorization were used for sources apportionment of soil HMs. • Random forest produced robust results on soil HM predictions. • Cd enrichment in reclaimed soils should be given more attention. Quantitative estimations of sources and spatial distribution of soil heavy metals (HMs) is essential for strategizing policies for soil protection and remediation. As a special soil ecosystem, the intensified human activities on coastal reclaimed lands generally causes soil contamination with HMs. This study aimed to apportion sources of HMs and predict their spatial distributions on coastal reclaimed lands. A total of 241 surface (0–20 cm) soil and sediment samples were collected from a reclamation zone following intensive agricultural use of eastern China. The concentrations of soil and sediment As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Hg were measured along with organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, pH, Cl, clay, silt, sand, CaO, Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , and SiO 2. The potential sources of HMs were identified and apportioned using random forest (RF) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) models. According to the models, natural and a portion of anthropogenic sources, agricultural activities, and human emission from solar power generation and vehicle exhaust contributed 42.9%, 28.9%, and 28.2% of the total HMs, respectively. Separately, 65.0% of As, 36.6% of Cr, 49.1% of Cu, 46.4% of Ni, 39.5% of Pb, and 44.0% of Zn were originated from natural and some anthropogenic sources. Agricultural activities contributed 54.9% of Cd and 46.4% of Hg to the reclaimed soils. Emissions from solar power generation and vehicle exhaust had significant influences on Cr and Pb, with contributions of 39.0% and 28.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the RF model yielded satisfying results in predicting HM distributions based on the measurement of soil variables. When only considering independent variables, the RF model revealed slightly lower but still satisfactory abilities in HMs prediction. In reclaimed soils, the temporal increase and close relationship between soil Cd and phosphorus signified the potential threats of Cd contamination in coastal reclaimed soils. Therefore, the applications of Cd-rich phosphoric fertilizers should be considered with high concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In past decades, coastal tidal flats in China have experienced rapid and extensive agricultural reclamation due to the increasing pressure of population growth. With more coastal land likely reclaimed in the future, an increase in the understanding of the effects of the reclamation history and changes in land use on soil properties is essential. In this study, a total of 746 surface soil/sediment samples were collected from three study areas with different reclamation durations and land use patterns on the coasts of Dafeng, Rudong and Cixi in eastern China, covering a total area of 1926 km 2 . The results showed that mean soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) in the three study areas differed slightly and ranged from 7.24 to 7.69 g kg −1 and from 0.71 to 0.76 g kg −1 , respectively. SOC and STN increased significantly with an increase in reclamation duration in all of the study areas, except for the early stage of land conversion in Cixi and the late stage of conversion in Dafeng, which highlighted that the accumulation of SOC and STN was positively correlated with reclamation duration. In Dafeng and Rudong, land dominated by human uses had much higher levels of SOC and STN than those in the tidal flats. For the same duration of reclamation, paddy land had higher levels of SOC and STN than those in the upland, with the exception of the 10-year-old land in Cixi. Our results also indicated that reclaimed coastal soils can sequester considerable amount of OC through improved land management. The differences in the sequestration potential for OC and the dynamics of SOC and STN among the three chronosequences were attributed to specific land use patterns in each study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem service changes associated with land use and land cover change (LULC) will provide an important indicator and an early warning of ecological changes. However, there have been few attempts to estimate the effects of LULC on ecosystem services in desert-oasis ecotones, which are recognized as critical ecological barriers and buffers that prevent deserts from expanding into oases. Here, we used Landsat image-based LULC maps (1988–2018) and a modified benefit transfer method to estimate the changes in ecosystem service value (ESV) in response to LULC in Dengkou County along the Yellow River, China. Our results showed that the most significant feature of LULC in Dengkou County was a large area expansion of cropland and a reduction in the area of desert. The total estimated ESV was nearly US $400 million year−1, of which 76% was derived from cropland, water bodies and rangelands. LULC resulted in a net increase in the total ESV by US$ 43.7 million during 1988–2018. Cropland expansion accounted for approximately 72% of the increase in the total ESV, thereby outweighing the huge decrease in ESV due to the expense of woodlands, rangelands and water bodies. Many low ESV clustering areas appeared in the central part of the county, resulting in ESV loss of approximately US $13.4 million, all of which was due to the conversion of water bodies to bare land and rangelands. Our results provide powerful evidence to make informed land use decisions for relevant managers and help fill the gap between the supply of ecosystem services and the societal demands for these services. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5μm) and TSP (total suspended particulates) aerosol samples were collected in Ya''an, a middle-sized city with extensive wood resources in Southwestern China, to characterize the contribution of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) to the regional troposphere, the composition of the organic tracers as well as factors affecting their concentrations. A total of 34 samples were gathered on the Campus of Sichuan Agricultural University (SAU, urban site, in the city zone of Ya''an), while 49 samples were collected at Baima Spring Scenic Area (BSSA, forest site, situated about 30km to the northeast of SAU) during June to July, 2010. Using GC/MS analysis with prior trimethylsilylation, organic tracers including isoprene oxidation products (2-methyltetrols, C5-alkene triols and 2-methylglyceric acid), α-/β-pinene oxidation products (norpinic acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid, 3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethylglutaric acid, and 3-methyl-1,2,3- butanetricarboxylic acid), a sesquiterpene oxidation product (β-caryophyllinic acid), sugars (glucose and fructose), sugar alcohols (arabitol, mannitol, erythritol, sorbitol and xylitol), anhydrosugars (levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan) and malic acid were determined. The factors that could potentially affect the SOA tracer concentrations, i.e. trace gases (SO2, NOx, O3, NH3), aerosol acidity and meteorological parameters, were monitored. The results showed that the concentrations of total isoprene oxidation products were 72 and 82ng/m3 at the two sampling locations, with 29±18, 37±9, 6±2ng/m3 at SAU and 57±34, 33±33, 4±2ng/m3 at BSSA for 2-methyltetrols, C5-alkene triols and 2-methylglyceric acid respectively. Compared with the concentrations of isoprene oxidation products, those of α-/β-pinene oxidation products and β-caryophyllinic acid were much lower, being 6±33 and 0.5±1.9ng/m3 at SAU, and 9±14 and 1.0±1.2ng/m3 at BSSA, respectively. The unique composition of isoprene oxidation products, particularly, the high concentrations of the C5-alkene triols and their relative abundances comparable to those of the 2-methyltetrols, are possibly due to the fact that they are formed through acid-catalyzed reactions of C5-epoxydiols on weak acidic aerosols. Moreover, sugars and sugar alcohols were measured in important fractions at the two study areas, with the median concentrations of 309.7 and 465.7ng/m3 at SAU and BSSA, respectively. The high abundances of sugar and sugar alcohols in the study area are explained by the robust metabolism of microorganism in the fertile soil under the warm and moist climate as well as vigorous physiological activities of vegetations in the exuberant subtropical areas. The detected organic tracers accounted in total for 1.5–1.8% of organic carbon (OC) in the study atmosphere, and about 15–21% of the OC could in total be apportioned to biogenic aerosol sources and source processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]