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The opening of high‐speed rail (HSR), as an exogenous shock, has had a profound and complex effect on social life. This study analyzes the effect of the opening of HSR on social trust. Results show that the opening of HSR promotes social trust. Mechanism analysis showed that although the opening of HSR accelerated population mobility and decreased trust in strangers, economic growth and improvement of local social issues mitigated the negative effects of its opening. In addition, our results also show that individuals turn to trust in their parents, neighbors, and doctors. Considering the potential endogeneity problem, instrumental variable and difference‐in‐differences estimators consistently indicated the promoting effect of the HSR opening on trust. Heterogeneity analysis showed that the opening of HSR had a greater effect on female, urban residents, younger groups, and married people. Last, cities with larger populations and tourist cities were more vulnerable to shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To adapt to an ocean environment of changing wave period, a novel point-absorber concept is proposed: a fully-enclosed Dual Mass-Spring-Damper (DMSD) floater system that has an internal mass and spring so that its resonance frequency can be varied by changing the movable internal mass and spring. In a waterproof floater, this one-degree-of-freedom heaving energy converter can float or be submerged to evade excessive storm load. Optimization of the internal mass, spring and damping system in the frequency domain is first developed to demonstrate that favorable capture width is achievable for a range of incident-wave frequency. Next, power and motion response of this system in an ISSC wave spectrum are studied in time domain. With constant damping for power-takeoff, the DMSD system is found to have noticeably lower capture width in irregular waves than that in regular waves at a frequency that is the same as the peak wave frequency of the spectrum. Since excessive relative motion can occur in irregular-wave excitation, end-stops, modeled by a stiff spring and strong damper, are applied in the time-domain simulation. When properly designed, degradation of only 1–2% in the capture width in the irregular-wave environment is found when end-stops are applied. Highlights • Novel DMSD concept allows variable resonance-frequency capability to adapt to waves. • Capture width of WEC is optimized in the frequency domain with physical limitations. • Motion and power are analyzed and optimized in the time domain for irregular waves. • End-stop effect for internal mass is studied in the time domain for irregular waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new concept of point-absorber wave energy converter (WEC) with a waterproof outer-floater and a built-in power take-off (BI-PTO) mechanism, named Dual-Resonance WEC (DR-WEC), is put forward and investigated by experiments and numerical simulations. The BI-PTO mechanism includes spring, sliding-mass and damping systems, where the spring system is the most complicated and should be designed specially. A 1:10 scale model is designed. The mechanical performance of the BI-PTO system is investigated by a bench test. The results have shown that the design is feasible, and the added inertia effect of the BI-PTO has a negative influence on the power output. The average mechanical efficiency of the BI-PTO is 65.8% with maximum up to 80.0%. The motion and power responses of the DR-WEC are studied by a wave tank experiment and a linear numerical model with corrected mechanical added mass and viscosity. The viscous added mass and damping correction coefficients are obtained by a free decay test. The good agreement between the experimental measurements and numerical simulations has indicated that the present numerical model with corrections is of enough accuracy and the effects of mooring system and other degree of freedoms on the heave motion and power responses can be ignored. Highlights • A new WEC with waterproof outer-floater and built-in PTO mechanism is put forward. • The spring system of the variable-parameter PTO mechanism is designed in detail. • The Dual-Resonance WEC was tested both on a special test bench and in a wave tank. • The mechanical property of the built-in PTO system is acquired. • The numerical model is validated in comparison with the experiment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although efficiency measurement has become relevant for logistics infrastructure planning, research on railway efficiency still remain scarce and rather focused on discussing rankings to the detriment of possible improvement paths. In fact, while the use of multi-activity models is increasing in railway efficiency research, previous studies fail short to assess their drivers at each operational stage. Here, we develop a novel super-efficiency Multi-activity Network DEA (MNDEA) model - based on directional distance functions (DDFs) and capable of handling undesirable outputs - to assess how different contextual variables impact railway efficiency levels in Asia. Two case studies are provided: one focused on six different countries, taken in aggregate (Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia). The other, on major state-owned Chinese railways. Differently from previous research, Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) are used for the first time to regress super-efficiency scores on the contextual variable set. Findings reveal that the Asian railways are strongly marked by heterogeneity, the Chinese railways need to improve passenger-operation efficiency, while the other countries need to increase the cargo-operation efficiency. It also sheds lights on the design of policies for efficiency improvement in several different areas for the Asian railway system. Highlights • Develop a novel super-efficiency Multi-activity Network DEA model. • Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape are used in regression. • The Asian railways are strongly marked by heterogeneity. • The Chinese railways need to improve passenger-operation efficiency. • The other countries need to increase the cargo-operation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite rapid economic development, the transport industry has been claimed to account for a major part of climate change. This paper investigates total factor carbon-sensitive productivity growth in the regional transport sector in China and decomposes its dynamic changes over time taking account of the regional heterogeneity of different provinces. Thus, the contemporaneous metafrontier Malmquist-Luenberger approach that combined with non-radial directional distance functions is proposed and define a new indicator called the contemporaneous metafrontier Malmquist-Luenberger carbon emission performance index (CMML). This total factor indicator includes the metafrontier efficiency-change index (MEC), the metafrontier technology-change index (MTC), and the metafrontier technology-gap-change index (TGC). Results show an about 4% increase in overall total factor carbon emission productivity during the period of 2000–2012. Different growth patterns are also observed in the transport sector across different area of China. In the eastern region, the growth of carbon productivity is driven mainly by pure efficiency changes, whereas the central region is driven mainly by innovations in the low-carbon transport technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically examines the effects of high-speed rail (HSR) projects on individual happiness by matching city-level HSR data with individual-level happiness data. This study finds that the opening of an HSR project can promote individual happiness, with a coefficient of 0.076. This study constructs instrumental variables, namely, urban slope and area, and performs a series of robustness checks to address the potential omitted variable bias. Results show that in the study of happiness, the omitted variables of the HSR project are less biased. Further analysis reveals that provincial capitals, individuals with a rural hukou, men, the elderly, and healthy individuals are likely to benefit from the HSR project. In addition, the HSR project can improve the happiness of residents through the environment, commodity prices, and income. This study provides a new perspective on the tradeoff between the costs and benefits of HSR projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the performance assessment of Chinese airlines from 2006 to 2014 using a stochastic distance function where technical efficiency and a measure of flight delays follow a joint structural autoregressive process. This model is used to investigate whether technical efficiency causes flight punctuality or the other way around. The model, however, yields a non-trivial likelihood function and is not amenable to estimation using least squares or standard maximum likelihood techniques. To estimate the model therefore, we propose and implement maximum simulated likelihood with importance sampling. The results suggest a mutual dependence (feedback) between technical efficiency and delays. Policy implications are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Poyang Lake Eco-Economics Zone is a national zone that has been approved by State Council as part of China's national strategy for sustainable development in the largest lake area since 2009. In this study, we aim to examine its sustainability characteristics, including environmental efficiency, the shadow price of pollutants, and substitutability among inputs and outputs, so that to improve the environmental regulation in this area. For this purpose, we use the global non-radial directional distance function and its duality theory. By using the envelope model, the environmental efficiency indicator can be calculated. By employing the dual model of the non-radial directional distance function, the shadow prices and Morishima elasticities of substitution among inputs and outputs can be derived. We use the proposed method to conduct an empirical study of the Poyang Lake Eco-Economics Zone at the prefecture-level during the period from 2009 to 2013. Results show that many regions in the Poyang Lake Eco-Economics Zone are not performing well on environmental efficiency and have potential to improve by 31.9% on average. Meanwhile, the waste water has much lower shadow prices than the either sulfur dioxide or soot. On the other hand, with regard to the shadow prices of soot emission, approximately one-third of these regions were not charged anything for disposing soot emissions at any time of day or night during the 2009–2013 periods. Moreover, these 38 regions show energy-intensive as well as labor-intensive features. Finally, this paper also discusses the policy implications, including establishing the pollutant emissions trading system in China as well as encourage the technology innovation for energy saving and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ferrous metal industry is the largest energy-consuming industrial sector in China. This paper examines the low-carbon production characteristics of this industry during the period 1980–2013. We employ the duality theory of the Weighted Russell Directional Distance Function to propose a general procedure for modeling production characteristics with carbon emissions being considered the undesirable output. Using the Weighted Russell Directional Distance Function model, we measure the carbon-adjusted technical efficiency and environmental regulatory costs for this industry. To investigate policy effects, we test the Porter hypothesis using the Granger causality between regulatory cost and technical efficiency. By using the dual model of Weighted Russell Directional Distance Function, we estimate the carbon shadow pricing and inter-factor substitution possibilities. Results show that the carbon-adjusted technical efficiency and environmental regulation costs of the Chinese ferrous metal industry have significantly increased in recent decades. However, the latter does not significantly cause the improvement of former. The indirect Morishima elasticities of substitution reflect that the increase of fixed assets will effectively improve the carbon emissions performance of the Chinese ferrous metal industry. Finally, some policy implications are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After three decades of reform, the medical care system in China has experienced significant changes. However, the present research has not made a tentative evaluation of it to justify further reform. This paper analyses the cost efficiency of Chinese hospitals in 31 provinces during the period from 2002 to 2011 and adopts a Bayesian stochastic frontier model taking account of the identified heterogeneity according to the background of Chinese medical system reform, including the coastal location, 3A class hospital proportion, public subsidies and medical insurance reforms. It finds that the public subsidies and medical insurance reforms have improved the cost efficiency of Chinese hospitals, while the coastal location and 3A class hospital proportion have decreased the cost efficiency of Chinese hospitals. Therefore, these results imply that it will be beneficial for Chinese medical system to optimize the fiscal subsidies of public hospitals, encourage the entrance of private hospitals, improve the medical insurance coverage and set up the pre-triage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses long range fractional dependence of China pollution in four major cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen from September 28 of 2013 to December 12 of 2015. Unit roots hypotheses are tested by using fractional integration methods using both uncorrelated and autocorrelated errors. The results reveal that the pollution is persistent, meaning that it will continue until strong anti-pollution measures are adopted. Policy implication is derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study analyzes the effects of extreme heat on health using CHNS. • Health cost is about CNY 38.97 million for one day of extreme high temperature. • Mechanism is reducing physical activity and walking commutes. Climate change has led to significant health effects. This study uses data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) to analyze the effects of extreme heat on health. The results show that extreme heat increases morbidity, disease severity, hospitalization, and treatment costs. Each additional day of extreme high temperature leads to an increase of approximately CNY 38.97 million in health expenditure, which is a non-negligible health cost. We further consider the environmental migration situation and model specifications, and the results remain consistent. In addition, we find that male, rural, and unemployed residents are more vulnerable to extreme heat. Education and income can moderate the negative effects of extreme heat, while increasing age increases the health effects of extreme heat. In addition to the negative health effects of extreme heat, we find that extreme heat affects individual health by reducing physical activity and reducing walking commutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyses the duration of housing project sales in the city of Beijing, China. In the housing market, new properties sometimes experience delays before they are sold. Such delays reflect the preferences of buyers with regard to the characteristics of the dwelling. Therefore, it is important for managerial purposes to identify the causes of delays in the sales of housing projects. A survival model with heterogeneity is adopted in the present research. The principal finding of this study is that delays are largely explained by the characteristics and the location of the housing project. Policy implications of the research findings, particularly those related to means of reducing the delays, are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examines the causal effect of air pollution on health expenditure using a sample of the China Health and Nutrition Survey in 2015. It concludes that exposure to air pollution is associated with the increase in health expenditure with an elasticity of 10.013. The coefficient is roughly seven times bigger than the cost of traditional respiratory diseases. The large coefficient will be the social cost of medical insurance and various diseases. Results also indicate that sample mobility can underestimate health cost. Meanwhile, we identify heterogeneity among different populations and pollutants. The estimates show that PM 2.5 is the main cause of health expenditure and that males, high-income individuals, highly educated individuals, people with health insurance, and older people are more sensitive to air pollution. Moreover, our evidence suggests that air pollution nonlinearly affects health expenditure. We also find that the mechanism is through diseases occurrence and diseases severity to increase health expenditure. Unlabelled Image • The causal relationship between air pollution and health cost is analyzed. • Identification relies on the random and exogenous variations of air pollution. • China Health and Nutrition Survey data in 2015 are used. • Air pollution rises health cost and has heterogeneous effects. • Incidence, hospitalization, respiratory diseases are potential mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the outbreak of COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease, 2019), China adopted traffic restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Using daily data before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, an exogenous shock, this paper analyzes the effects of private vehicle restriction policies on air pollution. We find that the private vehicle restriction policies reduce the degree of air pollution to a certain extent. However, their effect varies with other policies implemented in the same period and the economic development of the city itself. Through the analysis of different categories of restrictions, we find that restriction policy for local fuel vehicles and the restriction policy based on the last digit of license plate numbers have the best effect in reducing air pollution. Under the background of COVID-19 epidemic and the implementation of private vehicle restriction policies and other traffic control policies during this period, we have also obtained other enlightenment on air pollution control. • The causal relationship between air pollution and restriction is analyzed. • An exogenous shock from COVID-19 is used to identify this relationship. • The private vehicle restriction reduces the degree of air pollution. • The restriction policies have heterogeneous effects. • The effects of restriction are affected by other policies against COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change on the economy are becoming increasingly evident. Based on information of all newly registered enterprises in China from 2000 to 2019, we discuss the relationship between heatwave and entrepreneurial activities at county level. Results indicate that extremely high temperatures can negatively affect entrepreneurial activities. Moreover, after considering endogeneity issues and conducting a series of robustness checks, the conclusion remains. In addition, mechanism testing shows that extremely high temperatures reduce the attractiveness of entrepreneurship by generating fiscal pressure effects, industrial dependence effects, and leading demonstration effects. Finally, heterogeneity analysis indicates that the adverse effects of extremely high temperatures will be alleviated in areas with large populations and high levels of education and healthcare. Different from the relief effect brought by the vigorous development of the secondary and tertiary industries, regions that rely more on the primary industry suffer more severe damage. • Temperature rise suppresses the growth of entrepreneurial activities. • Temperature rise has a negative impact on agriculture, industry, and finance. • Temperature rise has heterogeneous effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the China Health and Nutrition Survey, this study quantifies the causal effects of air pollution on the demand for medical insurance from the perspective of avoidance behavior; an instrumental variable approach was used. The rise in air pollution is associated with an increased probability of purchasing medical insurance. Results suggest that the effect of air pollution on the demand for medical insurance may be overestimated without considering the migration of people. Furthermore, the substitution between basic medical and commercial insurance is becoming increasingly evident with the reform of the medical system. The effect of air pollution on the demand for medical insurance is mainly observed on women, children, the elderly, and people with high income and educational levels, all of whom are more likely to take an avoidance behavior. This study suggests that environmental issues must be considered in future medical insurance designs due to avoidance behavior to mitigate the negative effects of poor air quality. Avoidance costs must also be considered when governments formulate environmental policies. • The causal relationship between air pollution and insurance demand is analyzed. • Instrumental variable approach deals with endogenous problems of air pollution. • China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data in 2004–2015 are used. • Air pollution rises the demand for medical insurance and has heterogeneous effects. • The medical reform is effective in mitigating negative effects of air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the sustainability efficiency of the Chinese transportation system by investigating the relationship between CO 2 emission levels and the respective freight and passenger turnovers for each transportation mode from January 1999 to December 2017. A novel Robust Bayesian Stochastic Frontier Analysis (RBSFA) is developed by taking carbon inequality into account. In this model, the aggregated variance/covariance matrix for the three classical distributional assumptions of the inefficiency term—Gamma, Exponential, and Half-Normal—is minimized, yielding lower Deviance Information Criteria when compared to each classical assumption separately. Results are controlled for the impact of major macro-economic variables related to fiscal policy, monetary policy, inflationary pressure, and economic activity. Results indicate that the Chinese transportation system shows high sustainability efficiency with relatively small random fluctuations explained by macro-economic policies. Waterway, railway, and roadway transportation modes improved sustainability efficiency of freight traffic while only the railway transportation mode improved sustainability efficiency of passenger traffic. However, the air transportation mode decreased sustainability efficiency of both freight and passenger traffic. The present research helps in reaching governmental policies based not only on the internal dynamics of carbon inequality among different transportation modes, but also in terms of macro-economic impacts on the Chinese transportation sector. • Examine carbon inequality for China's four transportation modes in 1999–2017. • a novel Robust Bayesian Stochastic Frontier Analysis was employed. • Chinese transportation system has high sustainability efficiency with fluctuations. • Waterway, railway, roadway improved sustainability efficiency of freight traffic. • Railway improved sustainability efficiency of passenger traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses the China Health and Nutrition Survey data to investigate the relationship between infrastructure construction and health inequality, particularly by exploring a quasi-natural experiment, namely, high-speed rail (HSR) projects. We find that HSR accessibility improves the health of local residents with a coefficient of 0.298, which means that HSR operation will lead to a 2.30% increase in health. HSR accessibility also increases individual income, per capita household income, and the probability of purchasing medical insurance, thereby increasing the health level of individuals. Further analysis shows that HSR reduces the health gap across gender and urban–rural areas. Unfortunately, HSR also increases the health gap among different income groups. • This paper evaluates the health effects of high-speed rail (HSR). • HSR accessibility improves the health of local residents. • HSR accessibility have increased the health gap among different income groups. • HSR layout should be complementary with medical resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil aviation is a crucial transportation mode, which plays a crucial role in air pollution. This study investigates the effect of aircraft frequency on the PM 2.5 level. This study evaluates whether flight frequency has a significant positive effect on air pollution based on the monthly data of aircraft movements from 59 major airports in China from January 2014 to December 2017 by employing the two-way fixed effects model. The effect occurs mainly through two channels, namely, the aircraft and the emissions while commuting to the airports. The former is significantly positive, whereas the latter is significantly negative. This study utilizes the spatial econometric methods to consider the spatial correlation. Results show that after considering the spatial correlation, the aircraft frequency also has a substantial effect on the PM 2.5 level. These results indicate that decision-makers should provide attention to air pollution driven by aircraft and emissions while commuting to the airport. This study also calls for the concern of the spatial correlation in the reduction of air pollution. Moreover, the study provides a distinctive contribution to the relative field by identifying the influence of each channel and considering the spatial correlation. • Explore the impact of the aircraft's frequency on the PM2.5 concentration. • Use a two-way fixed-effects model with samples of 59 cities during 2014–2017. • Aircraft's frequency has a positive impact on the PM2.5 concentration. • The railway plays a crucial role in mitigating effects of aircraft's frequency. • Considering the spatial correlation, the influence is more substantial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local government debt plays a vital role in achieving financial financialization and regional economic growth. However, the environmental side effects of the debt-financed infrastructure development model have received little attention. Using a large panel data of Chinese enterprises from 2007 to 2016, we explored the relationship between local government debt in terms of urban investment bonds and corporate pollution emission. We observe that the increase in local government debt exaggerates the intensity of COD emission, equal to 26% of the average. This pollution-promoting effect remains after a series of robust checks. In heterogeneous analysis, local government debt is more likely to affect enterprises located in coastal areas, from pollution intensive industry, operating in regions with weak fiscal strength and operating in regions with low governance quality. The mechanistic exploration from government environmental governance and financial constraint reveals that the local government debt increases corporate pollution when the local fiscal finance emphasizes economy over environmental governance, which has been alleviated after the central government advocates the construction of an environmentally friendly and resource-saving society; An increase of corporate pollution is also possible when local government debt increases the financing constraints of enterprises. We also unveil the source of corporate pollution, and find that if enterprises do not actively adopt environmental strategies either in terms of "end-of-pipe" or "source prevention", they choose to emit more to face with the onslaught of local debt. This study uncovers the environmental impacts of government debt, and explores the potential mechanisms, which can help reduce pollution from local government debt and achieve global climate governance. • Exploring the effect of local government debt on corporate pollution. • Local government debt significantly exaggerates corporate pollution. • The positive promotion effect is heterogenous by areas, industry, fiscal strength, and governance quality. • Mechanism is explored from government environmental governance, and financial constraint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is focused on assessing the efficiency of six major Nigerian ports from 2007 to 2013 by applying a two-stage fuzzy-based methodology adequate to handle imprecise data. More precisely, fuzzy data envelopment analysis models for traditional assumptions with respect to scale returns are employed to assess the productivity of Nigerian ports over the course of time. In the second stage, fuzzy regressions based on different rule-based systems are used to predict the relationship of a set of contextual variables on port efficiency. These contextual variables are related to different aspects of port service level, berth utilization, accessibility, cargo type, and operator type. The results reveal the impact of operator and cargo type on efficiency levels. Policy implications for Nigerian ports are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical health has been associated with ambient temperature and heatwave. With the frequent occurrence of heatwave, the adaptive effects and mechanisms on mental health remain uncertain. On the basis of the China Health and Nutrition Survey, we estimated the relationship between heatwaves and self-assessed mental health scores in the Chinese population aged 50 and above. This study has identified that with each additional heatwave event, mental health scores decreased by an average of 0.027 points, which is equivalent to 0.3% of the average level. Heat is more likely to affect groups with low education, no medical insurance, and living in rural areas. In mechanistic exploration, we found that stress emotion is a fully mediating effect. Heat led to reduced health activities and more frequent drinking, which may lead to lower psychological well-being. Moreover, good dietary preference is a regulator that can help mitigate the adverse effects of heat on mental health. This study corroborates the impact of heat on spiritual welfare, and demonstrates the mechanisms and channels of impact, which can help reduce global economic losses due to mental health problems. • We examine the negative effects of heatwave events on mental health. • We incorporate environmental adaptation into the research framework. • Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the medically uninsured and the less educated are more sensitive. • The impact of high temperature on mental health is mainly transmitted through stressful emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient water sources, large regional differences, and serious waste caused by leakage of water make the performance of urban water supply industry in China worth exploring. This paper proposes a metafrontier-biennial cost Malmquist productivity index approach combining metafrontier-biennial data envelopment analysis and cost function based on cost minimization. The leakage of water in the urban water supply industry is considered as an undesirable output. We purpose to evaluate total factor productivity and the decomposition of its growth, including technical efficiency, technological change, allocative efficiency, factor prices effect, catch-up effect of pure technology and relative change of potential technology through the data set of water supply industry in 226 cities of China. Findings show that the U-shaped trend in cost technology gap ratio appeared during the period from 2001 to 2016, and the production technology of cities with moderate water shortage is closest to the optimal production frontier. The growth rate of total factor productivity of urban water supply industry gradually slowed down, and even slightly decreased in 2007–2008. The growth rate of productivity among the cities with extreme water shortage, severe water shortage, moderate water shortage, mild water shortage and sufficient water resources shows an increasing trend. Furthermore, the growth of productivity is mainly due to the increase of allocative efficiency and technological progress, while the decline of factor prices effect inhibits the growth of productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, based on measuring green innovation efficiency (GIE), the regional differences, distribution dynamics and convergences of GIE among 284 Chinese cities from 2005 to 2020 were investigated. It was found that: (1) the GIE showed a decreasing regional difference within and between the eight economic zones and among the whole sample population, with the intensity of transvariation making the major contribution to the differences; (2) the GIE across the country and the eight economic zones appeared to rise slowly, showing a certain level of polarization within the zones, but the gap and polarization tended to narrow gradually on the whole, except for the Northwest Economic Zone; (3) the GIE across the country and among the eight economic zones presented prominent convergences. It was conducive to enrich the research contents and methods of green innovation and provide references for green innovation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water rights trading is a market mechanism that promotes the conservation, protection and optimal allocation of water resources. This paper takes the water rights trading pilots' policy as a quasi-natural experiment, and then adopts the spatial difference-in-differences model to investigate the water-saving and wastewater-reducing effects of water rights trading pilots by using the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2019. The results indicate that water rights trading has good environmental governance effects on water-saving and wastewater-reducing in the pilot areas. However, water rights transactions are mainly concentrated within provinces, and there is no spatial spillover effect. Besides, the pilot policy has more long-term dynamic effects in reducing sewage discharge than water-saving due to rebound effect possibly. The optimization of the industrial structure and environmental regulation play important roles in the realization of the policy effects of the water rights trading pilots. An important implication is that water rights trading pilots are worthy of promotion throughout China in view of the policy effects, and China should focus on inter-regional market transactions and industrial structure transformation to promote the optimization of the water rights trading mechanism. • Take the water rights trading pilots' policy as a quasi-natural experiment in China. • Adopt the spatial difference-in-difference model with the panel data of 30 provinces. • Evaluate the water-saving and wastewater-reducing effects and exploit its drive mechanism. • Has good environmental governance effects on water-saving and wastewater-reducing in the pilot area. • The optimization of the industrial structure and environmental regulation are important mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a novel hybrid Trigonometric Envelopment Analysis for Ideal Solutions (TEA-IS) model to assess the ecological efficiency of 248 Chinese cities for a 14-year period and employs a difference-in-difference approach to reveal the mechanism of the impact of low-carbon pilot city policies on ecological efficiency from the perspective of green technology innovation. This TEA-IS approach not only combines the advantageous features that exist in each individual model, but also allows an analysis of ecological efficiency in terms of the synergistic effects that may exist among correlated positive and negative criteria. Machine learning methods are also employed to predict high-low performance and synergistic Chinese cities in terms of the socio-economic and demographic context. Results indicate that ecological efficiency is generally low in Chinese cities. The low-carbon pilot city policy does help to improve ecological efficiency, which results from the mechanism of green technology innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the importance of environmental innovation to corporate sustainable development, this study investigates whether and how the education levels of chief executive officers (CEOs) promote corporate environmental innovation. Using a panel sample of listed nonfinancial Chinese enterprises from 2008 to 2017, we provide robust evidence that enterprises with highly educated CEOs are likely to engage in environmental innovation, especially when they operate in regions with strict environmental pressures. The heterogeneity analysis also shows that the promotion effect of CEO education is heterogeneous in terms of corporate ownership, industry attributes, and CEO characteristics. By exploring potential mechanisms, we confirm that the promotion effects of CEO education on corporate environmental innovation are driven by corporate green research and development investment and environmental responsibility. Our findings contribute to the clean and sustainable development literature by providing a new driver for corporate environmental innovation from the perspective of CEO education and revealing the role of corporate internal and external factors on green production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable airline operations have become an increasingly important issue in recent years. With this respect, several initiatives for reducing pollutant emissions—such as carbon dioxide (CO2)—in the airline industry are now under consideration by regulators, policymakers, and companies. The impact of these initiatives upon efficiency levels of airline operations is still being analysed by different authors. This article is focused on the efficiency assessment of 13 major Chinese airlines from 2008 to 2015, applying a modified slack‐based measure model to account for CO2 emissions. The impact of contextual variables related to the airline's age, fleet mix, stock market governance, ownership type, network span, and whether or not it has undergone a previous merger and acquisition process is tested by means of a stochastic non‐linear robust regression approach. Findings suggest that sustainability in Chinese airline operations is dependent upon a number of economic factors such as learning curve, economies of scale, technology type, and network management. Policy implications are derived for Chinese airlines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve a wider frequency range where the device has a larger capture width ratio, the performance of a heaving coaxial-cylinder wave energy converter is optimized through actively controlled generator damping and stiffness using a linear frequency domain model. The generator power take-off system is modeled as a damping-spring system, and the numerical model is validated against published results. The coupled dynamics of a two-body model is analyzed to search for the optimal generator damping and stiffness leading to maximal capture width ratio. The optimization process, which can be decoupled into two independent steps, leads to an improved performance of the device, with increased frequency bandwidth and better capture width ratio. The effects of water depth, mooring stiffness, and the dimensions of the WEC on the capture width ratio are also studied, and parameter values are identified which correspond to optimal performance of the device. • Extend a WEC's working band by actively controlled generator stiffness and damping. • Suggest use a non-stiff mooring line to optimize the WEC's power absorption. • Water depth is considered not very important in the optimization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using 64,270 daily observations from a large hospital in Guangzhou between 2017 and 2019, we analyzed the impact of extreme temperature on the health of newborns via OLS regression with time fixed effect. Given that the short-term temperature change can be regarded as exogenous and random, solving the potential endogenous problem is critical. We find that extreme temperature negatively affects the health of newborns. The Apgar score, an index for evaluating neonatal health, decreases by 0.008 (0.029%) when the duration of extreme temperature events increases by a day. A series of robustness checks verify the reliability of this negative effect. Extreme temperature also has a particularly serious effect on the health of newborns whose mothers have poor education. By gradually extending the observation period, we find that the effect of extreme temperature on neonatal health is mainly concentrated 1–6 weeks before delivery, whereas the effect of extreme temperature on hospitalization cost is mainly concentrated 4–8 weeks before delivery. This paper provides a valuable reference for evaluating the health and social costs of extreme weather, and our findings are conducive to the construction of climate-resilient health systems, especially in Guangzhou. • The relationship between extreme temperature and neonatal health was analyzed. • Extreme temperatures have an impact on socioeconomic inequality. • Extreme temperatures increase the cost of neonatal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation and efficient use of water resources are directly related to the sustainable and high-quality development in China. This paper regards the pilot policy of water-saving society construction as a quasi-natural experiment, and employs a differences-in-differences approach to evaluate the effectiveness of urban water-saving policies and exploit its drive mechanism by using the panel data of 263 cities in China from 2001 to 2016. Findings show that the pilot policy of water-saving society construction can achieve better water-saving effects, which can not only promote the reduction of urban water consumption in intensity and total amount, but also improve the efficiency of water resources utilization. And this policy has brought long-term dynamic effects on the urban water resources conservation. Heterogeneous effects exist in different types of cities, that is, the water-saving performance is more significant in cities with sufficient water resources and in central China. Besides, this paper finds that the impact of this water-saving policy on urban water resource conservation is mainly through two channels such as water resources infrastructure investment and water resources pricing. These findings provide useful inspirations for local governments to take effective economic measures to manage water resources. • Regard the pilot policy of water-saving society construction as a quasi-natural experiment. • Employ a differences-in-differences approach with the panel data of 263 cities in China from 2001 to 2016. • Evaluate the effectiveness of urban water-saving policies and exploit its drive mechanism. • Water-saving society construction can achieve better water-saving effects. • Water infrastructure investment and water pricing are important mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water entry impacts are quite common for seagoing ships. However, the understanding of the characteristics of slamming loads has normally relied on vertical water entry experiments. This paper proposes an experimental study to isolate the impact characteristics of water entry of a 3D bow-flare model with various pitch angles. A series of drop tests were carried out, with the pitch angle adjusted by an angle device. The falling kinemics and slamming loads were measured by arranging relevant sensors. Experimental repeatability was verified by analyzing the repeatable tests that indicated good stability. The completed datasets including displacements, velocities, accelerations, and impact forces were provided for all tests to improve the further development of 3D impact theory. Oscillations of measured data were analyzed via a combination of FFT analysis and free surface characteristics. Finally, the influences of pitch angles on impact pressure are discussed by comparing the slamming pressures at various water entry cases. Our findings show that the pitch angle greatly increases the slamming pressure in the flare region. These findings provide insights into 3D water entry with various pitch angles, which will be helpful for the structural design of ships. • Drop-test experiments of 3D bow-flare model with pitch angles were performed well. • Complete experimental dataset including falling kinematics and slamming loads were provided. • Influence of pitch angle and drop height on impact pressure characteristics was clarified. • Experimental results indicated that pitch angle remarkably influences the flare slamming pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]