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2‐(2‐Oxoalkylidene)‐1,3‐oxazolidine derivatives were synthesized in good to excellent yields regiospecifically through the catalyst‐free electrophilic ring expansion of N‐unprotected aziridines and the ketene C=O double bond of α‐oxoketenes, in situ generated from the microwave‐assisted Wolff rearrangement of 2‐diazo‐1,3‐diketones. The ring expansion predominantly underwent an SN1 process and the hydrogen bond decides the (E)‐configuration of products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient method for the direct synthesis of aziridine‐containing chiral tridentate ligands was developed from enantiopure aziridines and salicylaldehydes. The method achieved the regiospecific cleavage of more substituted C−N bonds of aziridines through an iminium‐mediated self‐ring opening reaction of aziridines with up to 95% yield and complete inversion of configuration. The (S)‐2‐alkylaziridine‐derived tridentate ligands displayed excellent activity and stereoselectivity in the zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate‐catalyzed asymmetric aldol reactions of acetone and aromatic aldehydes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate of decline in ecosystem services has been exacerbated by inefficient and inequitable natural resource use and management. This study analyzes the natural capital stock and outflow in the Arid and Semi-Arid Northern Region of China (ASRNC) from 2000 to 2020. The Gini coefficient and coefficient of variation are used in the equity assessment of natural capital consumption. Over-appropriation of natural capital is a prerequisite for the inequitable distribution of natural resources, and all variables were accounted for through a geographic probe. Since most of the variables in this study have a nonlinear relationship, an in-depth analysis was conducted using NARDL. The results show that (1) natural capital flow occupancy generally shows an upward and downward trend and peaks in 2015. Natural capital stock occupancy was on a linear upward trend over the study period, rising from 14.580hm2/cap to 18.272hm2/cap. Depletion of natural capital is increasing and construction land has become the land type that leads to deep footprint changes (2) A city's consumption of natural capital matches its ecological carrying capacity to contribute to economic growth. However, the Gini coefficient for the depth of the ecological footprint from 2000 to 2020 is on a fluctuating upward trend. It reached its maximum in 2020 (1.457), indicating that the inequitable use of natural capital stock is increasing. (3) In the long run, population density and urbanization rate have different adverse effects on utilizing natural capital stock. In addition, the equity of planted forest area on natural capital use is heterogeneous in the long and short term. There is a negative effect of planted forest area on natural capital stock under long-term development. The study helps to judge the equity of regional consumption of natural capital and provides a scientific basis for the harmonious development between socio-economic systems and ecosystems. • The inequities in natural capital consumption are accounted for in a condition allowing nonlinear development. • Longitudinally, a chain of three aspects, natural capital accounting - equity measurement - imbalance tracing, is dissected. • In the long term, planted forests can exacerbate regional water shortages and lead to an imbalance in the use of natural capital. • Constructing an equity assessment framework for natural capital depletion can help guide the sustainable development of natural resources in arid and semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave-assisted copper-catalyzed ring expansions of three-membered heterocycles with α-diazo-β-dicarbonyl compounds were investigated. Thiiranes generated 3-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-oxathiines in the presence of copper sulfate and trans -3-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-oxathiines as stereospecific products for 1,2-disubstituted cis -thiiranes through an intramolecular S N 2 process. Oxiranes gave rise to 2-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-dioxines under the catalysis of copper hexafluoroacetylacetonate and cis -3-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-dioxines as stereospecific products for 1,2-disubstituted cis -oxiranes via an intimate ion-pair mechanism. The current method provides a direct and simple strategy in efficient preparation of 3-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-oxathiines and 2-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-dioxines, important agents in medicinal and agricultural chemistry, from readily available thiiranes and oxiranes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The important role of spatial scale in exploring the geography of poverty as well as its policy implications has been noticed but with limited knowledge. To improve such limited understanding, we mainly investigated the spatial patterns and influencing factors of rural poverty (indicated by poor population and poverty incidence) at three different administrative levels in the Liupan Mountain Region, one of the fourteen poorest regions in China. Our results show that from a global perspective, poor areas are clustered significantly at the county-, township-, and village-level, and more greatly at a lower level. Locally, there is spatial mismatch among poverty hotspots detected not only by the same indicator at different levels but also by different indicators at the same level. A scale effect can be found in the influencing factors of rural poverty. That is, the number of significant factors increases, but the degree of their association with poverty incidence decreases at a lower level. Such scale effect indicates that poverty incidence at lower levels may be affected by more complex factors, including not only the new local ones but also the already appeared non-local ones at higher levels. However, the natural conditions tend to play a scale-independent role to poverty incidence. In response to such scale-dependent patterns and factors, anti-poverty policies can be 1) a multilevel monitoring system to reduce incomplete or even misleading single-level information and understanding; 2) the village-based targeting strategy to increase the targeting efficiency and alleviate the mentioned spatial mismatch; 3) more flexible strategies responding to the local impoverishing factors, and 4) different task emphasises for multilevel policymakers to achieve the common goal of poverty reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of 3-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-oxathiines has been achieved via reactions of thiiranes and α-diazo-β-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds under microwave and copper sulfate-assisted conditions. The current method provides a direct and simple strategy in efficient preparation of 3-acyl-1,4-oxathiines from readily available thiiranes and trans -3-acyl-5,6-dihydro-1,4-oxathiines as stereospecific products for 1,2-disubstituted cis -thiiranes. The reaction mechanism was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The achievement of regional sustainable development is at the core of PLES. • The quantitative identification of land use functions forms the foundation of territory spatial planning and management. • The COAL model provides a reference for determining future PLES development. Analysis of the dynamics of regional production-life-ecological space (PLES) can help to mitigate conflicts between economic development and the natural environment and can also promote sustainable and healthy regional development. However, the delineation and optimal integration of PLES at large scales, and predictions about its future, still lack sufficient scientific basis and reliable quantitative analysis. To fill this gap, this paper therefore chooses the city cluster as a research scale and the Lanzhou-Xining City Cluster (LXCC), an area typical of the "human-nature" conflict in northern China, as a case study. A collaborative optimal allocation of land-use (COAL) model was established to explore the future development of PLES in city clusters. In COAL, a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and a minimum cumulative resistance model are used to determine the spatial functional areas of the country in 2020. Then, combined with the future land use simulation model, the PLES of LXCC is predicted in a multi-scenario perspective and differential control strategies are implemented for different land use functions. The results show that: (1) The identification and prioritization of source sites with important functions were the basis for enhancing the multiple functions of the land in the region. The ecological "source" of expansion accounts for 42% of the total area of LXCC, mainly in the mountains, forests, and ecological reserves, while the living "source" of expansion accounts for 58% of the total area of the city, mostly scattered on flat terrain. Based on this, five functional zones have been defined. The ecological protection zone was the largest, mainly in the western part of LXCC, and the agricultural buffer zone was the smallest. (2) The integration of different functional areas into the optimal allocation of land use is the premise of PLES delineation under the COAL framework. After a comparative analysis of multiple scenarios, the result of land use optimization under coordinated the city cluster scenario increased the area of productive land to 177,780.68 km2 and the area of living land to 13,947.33 km2. Based on this, the proportion of LXCC ecological, production, and living space were 77.20%, 18.23%, and 4.57% respectively. The optimized results have been proven to serve to meet the future spatial needs for food security and ecological conservation. The results of this study demonstrate that the COAL framework can help the government to determine the future development of PLES and promote balanced regional development in city clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Markov-FLUS and InVEST models can effectively predict the spatiotemporal changes of LULC and carbon storage. • Carbon storage will continue to increase in the future, with the largest increase in the ecological protection scenario (EP). • The implementation of ecological engineering and economic development had obvious promotion effect on carbon storage. There are more than 2,800 counties in China, including 341 in the Loess Plateau region. The county is the basic unit of administrative management and is considered to be the best scale for land use control, environmental planning and policy implementation. Since the 1990 s, socioeconomic development and the implementation of ecological engineering have greatly changed the land use and land cover (LULC) patterns in the Loess Plateau counties, and presumably in the county's carbon. However, accurate assessment of carbon storage and driving factors remains a challenge. This paper selected Qingcheng County, a typical county in the Loess Plateau, and used multi-source data and comprehensive environmental modeling methods to evaluate and analyze the temporal and spatial trends and driving factors of carbon storage in Qingcheng County from 2000 to 2030. The results showed that: (1) the carbon storage in the terrestrial ecosystem increased from 2000 to 2030 in Qingcheng, and it was mainly distributed in grassland and forest, accounting for 49 %–53 % and 36 %–40 % of the total carbon storage, respectively. (2) The implementation of ecological engineering had obvious promotion effect on carbon storage in the terrestrial ecosystem. The precipitation and temperature in the past 20 years had provided favorable climatic conditions for ecological engineering. In addition, carbon storage was also affected by economic development, land input intensity, and population size. These findings provide recommendations for achieving sustainable socioeconomic and ecological development at county-level. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between LULC and carbon storage caused by natural environment and socioeconomic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Liaodong Bay Depression was shaped by the Bohai Bay rift basin (BBRB) and the Tan-Lu strike-slip fault system (TSFS) in the Cenozoic and has undergone a tectonic transition from rifting to strike-slip. Therefore, it is an ideal region to study the transition from rifting to strike-slip. Based on new 3D serial seismic data interpretation, we investigated the types and formation times of the main faults in the Liaodong Bay Depression and restored them within the palaeogeography of each evolution stage. Our results show that the Liaodong Bay Depression underwent a tectonic transition from rifting to strike-slip: (1) The mantle material upsurge caused by the Izanagi plate trapped in the mantle transition zone led to rifting of the Liaodong Bay Depression from the Palaeocene to the Eocene. (2) In the middle Eocene, the change in the subduction direction of the Pacific plate led to dextral strike-slip movement along the Tan-Lu fault zone. (3) The rifting and strike-slip in the Liaodong Bay depression are related, and the transition from rifting to strike-slip occurred from the middle Eocene to the early Oligocene. The strike-slip faults developed when rifting was weak in the Oligocene. The transition from rifting to strike-slip faulting formed oil-gas accumulation zones along the strike-slip fault zone and thus resulted in the good oil and gas exploration prospects of this area. • The Liaodong Bay Depression experienced tectonic transition from rifting to strike slip in the Paleogene. • The transition from rifting to strike-slip occurred from middle Eocene to early Oligocene in the Liaodong bay depression. • During the transition from rifting to strike-slip, strike slip faults develop when rifting is weak. • The transition from rifting to strike-slip forms oil-gas accumulation zones along the strike-slip fault zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LUCC) is a core program supported by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) and the International Human Dimensions Program on Global Environmental Change (IHDP). Analyzing anthropogenic influence impacting on LUCC is one of key frontier domains supported by IGBP and IHDP, which requires differentiating and analyzing impact by anthropogenic factors on LUCC, and tightly combining LUCC with social, political, and economic issues. LUCC reflects the most direct and most close relationship between humanity and nature in the interaction. It is a process of adjusting all kinds of land use constantly in order to meet the need of social and economic development, and give expression to the development tendency that humans utilize land to be working and living. Due to the effect of the restriction of the special natural conditions, resources and the environment system in a continental river basin in an arid zone are especially affected by anthropogenic influences. Some scholars pointed out that, if the effective strength of human activities exceeds 37%, the river surface runoff process shits from its natural state to giving priority to an anthropogenic disturbance, Therefore, affecting the middle and lower reaches of the oasis area size would directly impact on the process of the middle reaches of land -use and land-cover change. In order to understand the current problem of the land, we needed to identify the key human influencing factors, discuss its regulatory mechanism, and evaluate its effect on land -use and land-cover change, on basis of which we sought countermeasures to solve the problem. There are many attempts at related research on an anthropogenic driving effect on land -use and land-cover change by quantitative analysis. However, the anthropogenic influence during the course of basin scale land change has not been extensively researched. In order to investigate the driving effect by anthropogenic influence on land use and land cover change in the Heihe Middle Reaches, this paper took Ganzhou District as an example. First, this article analyzed the velocity and amplitude of various land use types and a comprehensive index of LUCC in the study area under anthropogenic influence from the year 2002 to 2011. Secondly, based on specifying the trend of various types of land use change, this article established a humanistic factors index system, and simulated multiple linear relationships between humanities factors and LUCC. Finally, it extracted key humanity factors that affected different land use types through Grey Relational Analysis. The results of the analysis were as follows: 1) In the overall structure of land use/cover of the Ganzhou area from 2002 to 2011, construction land expanded at an accelerating pace, agricultural land resources were being reduced, and the non-agricultural trend of land use structure was evident. 2) Population, poverty and wealth conditions, social economy, technology, policy and cultural concepts resulted in resultant forces to promote regional land use/cover change. The contribution rates of different anthropogenic influences were different in the process of land use change of different types. 3) Using a grey correlation analysis method in the evaluation index system, we found that the agricultural population declined, agricultural science and technology personnel rose, and the amount of motor-pumped well electricity continuing to grow were the dominant cultural factors index respectively to the change of urban and rural construction land, transportation and water conservancy, construction land and cultivated land in 2002-2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, The People's Republic of China proposed goals for peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, in the 15 counties (districts) of the Main Stream Area of the Yellow River Basin in Gansu that plays an important role in ecological protection and green development. Next the CO2 equivalents were converted according to the IPCC2 standard, the total agricultural GHG emissions was calculated, the relationship with the agricultural output value was analyzed, and the discretization of the space was analyzed by the coefficient of variation and standard deviation. Firstly, the total agricultural GHG emissions in 15 counties (districts) of the Main Stream Area of the Yellow River Basin increased 55.54% in 2000–2019, and 2.35% annually, roughly divided into three stages: the rapid growth period (2000–2008), the slow decline period (2009–2014) and the rapid decline period (2015–2019). The economic efficiency is significantly improved, with an average annual decline of 6.49%, roughly divided into three stages: the slow-descent stage (2000–2004), the period of slow-growth stage (2005–2008) and the period of fast-decline (2009–2019). Secondly, based on the characteristics of the total GHG emissions, Maqu County has the largest GHG emissions increase, from 26.8842 kt in 2000 to 38.9603 kt, in 2019, an increase of 44.92%, while the smallest GHG emissions, in Anning District, decreased 87.33% from 111 t in 2000 to 14.1 t in 2019; In the rate of increase in the total GHG emissions, Dongxiang County had the largest rate of increase from 2000 to 2019, an increase of 160.28% and an average annual increase of 4.90%. The smallest rate of decrease in GHG emissions was seen in Chengguan District, where they decreased 92.11% from 2000 to 2019, an average annual decrease of 11.93%. The characteristics of agricultural GHG emissions intensity is a significant declining trending and agricultural production efficiency has been significantly improved. Finally, to provide a basis for the formulation of differentiated agricultural energy conservation and emissions reduction policies, reduce agricultural GHG emissions intensity and reduce the use efficiency of resources by formulating differentiated emission targets, tasks and incentive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an open artificial ecosystem, the development of a city requires the continuous input and output of material and energy, which is called urban metabolism, and includes catabolic (material-flow) and anabolic (material-accumulation) processes. Previous studies have focused on the catabolic and ignored the anabolic process due to data and technology problems. The combination of remote-sensing technology and high-resolution satellite images facilitates the estimation of cumulative material amounts in urban systems. This study focused on persistent accumulation, which is the metabolic response of urban land use/urban land expansion, building stock, and road stock to land-use changes. Building stock is an extremely cost-intensive and long-lived component of cumulative metabolism. The study measured building stocks of Jinchang, China's nickel capital by using remote-sensing images and field-research data. The development of the built environment could be analyzed by comparing the stock of buildings on maps representing different time periods. The results indicated that material anabolism in Jinchang is a distance-dependent function, where the amounts and rates of material anabolism decrease with changes in distance to the central business district (CBD) and city administration center (CAC). The cumulative metabolic rate and cumulative total metabolism were observed to be increasing, however, the growth rate has decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract China is currently the world's largest carbon emitter. As a large agricultural country, understanding the relationship between carbon emissions, economic growth and energy consumption in the agricultural sector can contribute to achieving the sustainable development of agriculture. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in the agricultural sector using a time series of data from China's main grain-producing areas during the period between 1996 and 2015. We first estimate the agricultural carbon emissions. And then based on the estimated results, we employ the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, the Granger causality test based on the vector error correction model (VECM), and impulse response and variance decomposition to test the relationship between carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in the agricultural sector. The estimated results support the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for agricultural carbon emissions in China's main grain-producing areas. Furthermore, agricultural energy consumption has both the short-run and the long-run negative impacts on agricultural carbon emissions. In addition, we find that there is a bidirectional causality between agricultural carbon emissions and agricultural economic growth in both the short-run and the long-run, and the unidirectional causalities are found to exist from agricultural energy consumption to agricultural carbon emissions and agricultural economic growth. Finally, several policy recommendations are offered to promote the sustainable development of agriculture in China's main grain-producing areas. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The environment-energy-economy nexus is examined for agricultural sector. • The study confirms the existence of the EKC for agricultural carbon emissions. • Bidirectional causality between carbon emissions and economic growth is found. • Unidirectional causalities from energy use to carbon emissions and economic growth. • Energy consumption contributes the most to carbon emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to determine the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and microRNA (miR)-30b in the blood of patients with acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) and in the blood and myocardial tissue of mice with AMI. In addition, the present study aimed to identify the mechanism of action of miR-30b in AMI. A total of 36 patients with AMI were included in the present study and 28 healthy subjects were included as a control. Peripheral blood was collected from all subjects. For animal experiments, mice in the AMI group received an intraperitoneal injection of pituitrin (20 U/kg), whereas mice in the negative control group received an intraperitoneal injection of the same volume of saline. Blood and myocardial tissue was collected from all mice for analysis. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expression of PAI-1 mRNA and miR-30b in the serum and myocardial tissue. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure the expression of PAI-1 protein in the serum of humans and mice, whereas western blotting was performed to determine the expression of PAI-1 protein in mouse myocardial tissue. Catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity was measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. A dual luciferase assay was performed to identify the interactions between PAI-1 mRNA and miR-30b. The results indicated that patients with AMI have higher PAI-1 levels and lower miR-30b expression in the peripheral blood compared with healthy subjects. AMI damaged the myocardium tissue of mice and reduced catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity. Mice that have undergone AMI exhibit increased PAI-1 levels but decreased miR-30b expression in the peripheral blood and myocardial tissues. It was also demonstrated that miR-30b is able to bind to the 3'-untranslated region of PAI-1 mRNA to regulate its expression. The present study demonstrates that patients with AMI exhibit decreased miR-30b expression and elevated PAI-1 expression in the peripheral blood. miR-30b may therefore inhibit the damage to myocardial cells that occurs following AMI and protect myocardial cell function by targeting PAI-1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines four phases in bicycle evolution in China from initial entry and slow growth (1900s to 1978), to rapid growth (1978 to 1995), bicycle use reduction (1995 to 2002), and policy diversification (2002 to present). Two bicycle innovations, electric bikes, and public bikesharing (the shared use of a bicycle fleet), are also explored in this article. Electric bikes could provide a transitional mode on the pathway to bicycle and public transportation integration or to small battery electric cars. Four lessons have been learned from China's electric bike experience relevant to government policy and management. Public bikesharing represents an important step towards integrating the bicycle with bus, metro, and rail systems. Five early operational lessons have been identified from China's limited public bikesharing experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important energy base in China, Shanxi Province, in its economic development, has depended heavily on coal resources. However, enormous coal consumption produces a large amount of carbon dioxide and an aggravated ecological problem. In this paper, the super efficiency slack-based measure and data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) model and Malmquist index were used to calculate the energy consumption and carbon emission efficiency of 11 prefecture-level cities in Shanxi in the period from 2000 to 2020. The results were as follows: (1) The primary form of energy consumption in Shanxi Province is the burning of coal, and the carbon emission efficiencies of the 11 prefecture-level cities are quite different. The technical efficiency, technological progress, and total factor productivity of Taiyuan and Shuozhou were found to be greater than 1 compared to other cities in Shanxi. (2) On the whole, although the carbon emission rate of Shanxi Province has slowed down, it still faces the problems of a large total emission base, high carbon emission intensity, and low efficiency of the unit carbon emission output. Industrial structure is the key factor restricting improvements in the efficiency of carbon emissions in Shanxi Province. (3) From the spatial and temporal evolution of the carbon emission efficiency in Shanxi Province, we can see that the carbon emission efficiency of the whole province gradually dispersed and improved from the central and northern regions to the southern regions during the period of 2000–2020. In order to achieve a low-carbon economy, Shanxi Province must optimize its industrial structure, accelerate research and development in low-carbon technologies, adjust the energy structure, and promote the construction of an energy supply system with clean low-carbon energy as the main source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has a pharmacological profile that should allow rapid recovery and prevent undesirable outcomes such as pulmonary complications. Methods: This large retrospective study compared the beneficial effects of perioperative infusion of DEX with propofol on the postoperative outcome after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. We reviewed patients' medical notes at Luoyang Central Hospital from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2019. All continuous variables, if normally distributed, were presented as mean ± SD; Otherwise, the non-normally distributed data and categorical data were presented as median (25-75 IQR) or number (percentage). The Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test were used to evaluate the difference of variables between the DEX and propofol groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the main related and differential factors in the perioperative period. Results: A total of 1388 patients were included in the study; of those, 557 patients received propofol infusion, and 831 patients received dexmedetomidine. DEX significantly reduced postoperative pulmonary complications compared with propofol, 7.82% vs 13.29%; P < 0.01, respectively. When compared with propofol, DEX significantly shortened the duration of mechanical lung ventilation, 18 (13,25) hours vs 21 (16,37) hours; P < 0.001, the length of stay in the intensive care unit, 51 (42,90) vs 59 (46,94.5) hours; P = 0.001 and hospital stay, 20 (17,24) vs 22 (17,28) days; P < 0.001, respectively. The incidences of postoperative wound dehiscence and infection were significantly reduced with DEX compared with propofol groups, 2.53% vs 6.64%; P < 0.001, respectively. Interestingly, patients receiving DEX had significantly shorter surgical time compared to propofol; 275 (240,310) vs 280 (250,320) minutes respectively (P = 0.005) and less estimated blood loss (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Perioperative infusion of dexmedetomidine improved the desirable outcomes in patients who had coronary artery bypass graft surgery compared with propofol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on household-level survey data collected from Qinghai Province of China, we estimated the greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions from spatial perspectives, including household energy consumption in pastoral, agropastoral, and agricultural zones. The findings suggest that the total annual GHG and pollutant emissions per capita in the area was 2296.32 kg per year. The highest amount of pollutants was emitted from the pastoral zones, followed by the agropastoral and agricultural zones. CO 2 is the primary GHG emitted by household energy consumption. Dung burning was the cause of the high PM 2.5 emissions in the pastoral areas, while the use of coal was the primary cause of GHG and pollutant emissions in the agropastoral and agricultural zones. • We used empirical data from rural households in Qinghai, China. • This paper indicates the reliance of local energy consumption on non-commercial energy. • We estimate greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions resulting from solid-fuel combustion. • We compare indoor pollutant emissions from pastoral, agropastoral, and agricultural zones spatially. • This paper provides policy recommendations for energy transition towards clean energy. Energy consumption in the household sector has become an important issue in China's energy consumption and an important unit of China's clean energy transformation. Currently, the potential air pollution, carbon emissions and health risks caused by energy consumption in many areas cannot be ignored, and refined and regionalized index-based research data necessary to support decision making are lacking. Based on household-level survey data collected from Qinghai Province, China, we estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions from spatial perspectives, including household energy consumption in pastoral, agropastoral, and agricultural zones. The findings suggest that the total annual GHG and pollutant emissions per capita in the area was 2296.32 kg per year. The highest amount of pollutants was emitted from the pastoral zones, followed by the agropastoral and agricultural zones. CO 2 is the primary GHG emitted by household energy consumption. Dung burning was the cause of the high PM 2.5 emissions in the pastoral areas, while the use of coal was the primary cause of GHG and pollutant emissions in the agropastoral and agricultural zones. These findings highlight the need to integrate household energy policies with rural development to enable a complete transition towards cleaner fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strew pellet production not only contribute to regional sustainable development and localized energy transition, but also help to mitigate global greenhouse gas emissions. With the development strew pellet products in China, it is critical to uncover the embodied emissions, land use and economic cost effectiveness from producing strew pellet. In order to reach such a target, two main categories of biomass pellet production including a large-scale centralized factory and a small-scale distributed workshop are investigated. Compared with raw coal production, the unit co-benefits in terms of per gigajoule of straw pellets from centralized factory are 1687 kg CO 2 , 8.65 g SO 2 , 3.21 g NOx, and 3.897 g PM 10 , and 0.33 m2 land use, and those for straw pellets from centralized factory are 1352 kg CO 2 , 8.46 g SO 2 , 3.12 g NOx, and 4.22 g PM 10 , and 0.33 m2 land use. Cost-effectiveness for the two straw pellets production system were also uncovered so that the relevant interested agents such as decision makers, business investors or environmental researchers can see the potential economic performance from developing such kind biomass plants. We conclude that environmental performance of the straw pellets whether from centralized factor or decentralized workshop have attractive alternatives to coal production. Image 108297 • LCA-based co-benefits approach was applied to investigate biomass pellet production. • The analysis framework includes energy consumption, equipment and infrastructure. • Emission factors and land demand for producing one-unit products are presented. • Environmental performance of straw pellets has attractive alternatives to raw coal. • Electricity is an important factor affecting the performance of pellets production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-existing fault reactivation, interaction, and linkage with new fault segments are critical for understanding the evolution of fault network development in petroliferous basins. This study analyses the influence of different types of pre-existing faults on the tectonic evolution characteristics of two adjacent areas in the Bohai Bay Basin. We use high-resolution 2D and 3D seismic and well data to discuss the influence of different types of pre-existing faults on the evolution of fault networks and basins. The pre-existing faults began to move in the Mesozoic times. In the Cenozoic, the Chengbei fault reactivated, but the Wuhaozhuang fault did not. The Chengbei fault developed "zigzag" plane-view geometries and controlled the sedimentary characteristics of the Chengbei sag. In this area, the near-EW-striking faults developed perpendicular to the Cenozoic regional stress direction. The Wuhaozhuang fault did not reactivate and was cut by NNE-striking faults, which controlled the Cenozoic sedimentation. Based on the above mentioned observations, we discuss the factors that influence the reactivation of pre-existing faults, including their geometric characteristics (fault strike and dip), the influence of regional stress, and the heterogeneity of basement rocks. These observations demonstrate the influence of pre-existing faults and regional stress on the later normal faults development and basin evolution. • The reactivation of pre-existing faults is affected by regional stress, fault geometry and basement lithology. • There are three groups of faults, one group is reactivated pre-existing fault, the other two groups are affected by pre-existing faults. • The reactivation of pre-existing faults and the regional stress affect the basin evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vertical curve is a major factor affecting vehicle exhaust (CO2, CO, NOx, PM2.5) emissions. This article takes a heavy-duty diesel truck as a typical vehicle, combining instantaneous speed, acceleration and the vehicle-specific power VSP to divide the operating mode, and the exhaust emission of a heavy-duty diesel truck is then calculated by using MOVES. Finally, the environmental modification factors (EMFs) are used to evaluate the influence of curvature change on the exhaust emissions. The results show that CO2 and PM2.5 emissions of heavy-duty diesel trucks are increasing with the curvature of the crest vertical curve changing; with the increase and decrease of curvature K of the crest vertical curve by 50%, CO and NOx emissions showed an increasing trend. Among the four main emissions, CO2 emission amount is the largest, followed by NOx, CO and PM2.5. The emission rates of CO2 and PM2.5 increase with the increase of curvature of the crest vertical curve, and the minimum values of CO2 and PM2.5 emission rates are 46.7 g/s and 0.022 g/s, respectively. The emission rates of CO and NOx increase with the increase of curvature. The minimum point of emission rates of CO and NOx are 0.042 g/s and 0.259 g/s, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public environmental cognition is an important basis for optimizing environmental management and reducing tensions between humans and land. Although the level of environmental cognition is a gradual process under normal conditions, it often changes qualitatively because of major public emergencies. During the 2019 new coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19), the most significant public health event in recent years, 24,188 national samples were obtained based on a network survey. The comprehensive evaluation method was used to assess the impact of major public events on public environmental cognition and the characteristics of spatial and temporal distribution. The findings are as follows. (1) During the epidemic period, sudden public health emergencies effectively promoted the national residents' environmental awareness, whether urban residents or rural; most respondents generally agreed with the concept of "respect nature and cherish life". (2) The environmental cognition of national residents was higher in the northwest and lower in the northeast of China, which is suitable for economic and social development and humanistic tradition. (3) There was a clear positive correlation between environmental awareness and education level. (4) During the epidemic, nervousness of respondents had a negative effect on environmental cognition. This study provides scientific support and a basis for decision making for the government to carry out environmental management optimization and improve the ecological and environmental cognition of the public, as well as devise effective intervention mechanisms with different time and space dimensions for similar future public health emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a large agricultural country with a high level of agricultural carbon emissions. Whether market prices can be used in agricultural production as a means of agricultural carbon emissions reduction is of great significance to improve the allocation of agricultural production factors and expand large-scale production. This paper applies an autoregressive distributed lag–pooled mean group(ARDL–PMG) model to evaluate the relationship between agricultural production factor prices, food consumption prices, and agricultural carbon emissions, using Chinese provincial panel data from 1994 to 2018. The results show that agricultural carbon emissions and agricultural production factor prices show environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) characteristics; agricultural carbon emissions and food prices show a U-shaped curve; and agricultural production factors are positively correlated with food price in both directions in the long-term. The results of Granger causality tests show that price is the cause of agricultural carbon emissions; the price of agricultural production factors and the price of food consumption are mutually causal. Such results have implications for price, agriculture, and environmental policies. The analysis implies that the market price can be applied to agricultural carbon reduction, which will help policymakers to implement effective price policies in order to reduce agricultural carbon emissions. One implication is that promoting the marketization of agricultural production factors and reducing price distortions will be conducive to carbon emissions reduction in agriculture, which in turn will increase food consumption prices. Therefore, subsidies are needed at the consumption end, which will eventually achieve further carbon emissions reduction at the production and consumption ends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilized drilling and 3D seismic data to investigate the control of strike-slip faults on the dynamics of different morphological elements and associated sediment dispersal from a source to sink perspective. Three types of geomorphological elements and associated depositional systems were identified. Two types of sediment dispersal systems consisting of different source areas, sediment transport conduits, and sediment infillings were also identified. The spatial and temporal variations in the geometry and kinematics of strike-slip faults control the dynamics of sediment dispersal systems. Inner-basin systems are mainly controlled by the ancient stress field variations generated by changes in the fault strike of the main strike-slip faults. Outer-basin systems are mainly controlled by the temporal kinematic variations of strike-slip faults. Sediments were supplied transversely into the basin during the early extension dominant stage (the deposition period of E k -E s 3), whereas the movement was axial or longitudinal during the strike-slip dominant stage (E d). This study also suggests that the axial transport of sediment through the axial fault trough is the main sediment dispersal pattern along the side of the gentle slope within strike-slip fault-controlled basins. Additionally, results of this study could help model the locations of sand-rich areas in a strike-slip fault-controlled basin. • Two types of sediment dispersal systems with variable morphology and infilling are distinguished. • Strike-slip fault controls the development of sediment dispersal systems. • A double layers model with different sediment dispersal patterns is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural energy consumption not only significantly affects the national economy but also informs us about the living conditions of rural residents. A comprehensive survey of households in the agropastoral area of Qinghai Province was conducted from 2017 to 2018 to identify its energy consumption characteristics. In this paper, a typical household energy flow model was established. The results show that 1) the proportion of noncommercial energy in the agropastoral area of Qinghai Province is 52.89%, and it is affected by the 'returning farmland to forest' (RFF) policy and the 'returning grazing land to grassland project' (RGLGP). Furthermore, the household energy consumption structure has shifted from traditional biomass to coal and a combination of other energy sources. 2) Households of different cultural backgrounds have different energy consumption patterns. 3) High-income households consume more energy and have more frequent energy flows compared with low-income households. The results of this survey will help policymakers and scholars to formulate strategies for energy conservation and more effectively assess energy policies. • The study is based on household survey during 2017–2018 in Qinghai, China. • A household energy flow model is applied to examine household energy consumption. • The proportion of noncommercial energy use in Qinghai's agropastoral area is 53%. • Household energy use is affected by land policies, cultural backgrounds, and income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xijiang Sag is located in northwestern Pearl River Mouth Basin and belongs to passive margin basin system. Pearl River Mouth Basin has gone through multiple phases of complex tectonic evolution during Cenozoic, because it is situated at the intersection of Eurasia Plate, Indio-Australia Plate, and Pacific Plate. Existing structural evolution analyses about Xijiang Sag are restricted by localized research and the lack of high resolution seismic data. Based on borehole data and high resolution 2D seismic profiles, this study aims to investigate characteristics of fault system in Xijiang Sag and demonstrate implication for regional tectonic evolution. Fault polygons maps, isopach maps and balanced cross sections are presented to reconstruct the structural evolution. Xijiang Sag predominantly developed normal faults with NE, NW, and EW striking and the striking of faulting varied across different geological stages. It suggests that Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Xijiang Sag could be divided into 4 stages. The first stage was characterized by positive and intense fault activity. The western Pacific subduction zone's moving back resulted in the generation of NE-striking faults and the reactivation of NW-striking pre-existing faults during Early-Middle Eocene. The second stage ranging from Late Eocene to Early Oligocene was accompanied by dominant EW-trending faults with a comparatively intense fault activity. The India-Asia collision and the change of subduction direction of Pacific Plate integrally induced the transition of regional stress field. The third stage experienced a relative tectonic silence due to the expansion of South China Sea during Late Oligocene-Middle Miocene. The last stage occurred when the Philippine Plate collided with the Taiwan Plate, which changed the tectonic stress to a NE-striking right-lateral shearing. A series of NWW-trending faults and EW-trending faults were reactivated while a number of secondary strike-slip faults were generated in response to the stress field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]