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Background: Adult-led organized settings for children (eg, classrooms) provide opportunities for physical activity (PA). The structure of setting time may influence inequalities (ie, unequalness) in the distribution of PA. This study examined differences in PA inequality by setting and time-segment purpose in time-segmented organized group settings for children. Methods: PA and setting meetings were assessed using accelerometer and video observation data from school, before-/after-school, and youth club groups (n = 30) for third- through sixth-grade children (n = 699) in 2 rural US communities. Meetings (n = 130) were time-segmented into smaller units (sessions; n = 835). Each session was assigned a purpose code (eg, PA). Accelerometer data were paired with the meetings and sessions, and the Gini coefficient quantified inequality in activity counts and moderate to vigorous PA minutes for each segment. Beta generalized estimating equations examined differences in PA inequality by setting and session purpose. Results: Activity count inequality was lowest (P <.05) during youth club meetings (Gini = 0.17, 95% CI, 0.14–0.20), and inequality in moderate to vigorous PA minutes was greatest (P <.01) during school (Gini = 0.34, 95% CI, 0.30–0.38). Organized PA sessions (Gini = 0.20, 95% CI, 0.17–0.23) had lower activity count inequality (P <.0001) than academic (Gini = 0.30, 95% CI, 0.27–0.34), enrichment (Gini = 0.31, 95% CI, 0.27–0.36), and nonactive recreation (Gini = 0.30, 95% CI, 0.25–0.34) sessions. Inequality in moderate to vigorous PA minutes was lower (P <.05) in organized PA (Gini = 0.26, 95% CI, 0.20–0.32) and free play (Gini = 0.28, 95% CI, 0.19–0.39) than other sessions. Conclusions: PA inequality differed by setting time structure, with lower inequality during organized PA sessions. The Gini coefficient can illuminate PA inequalities in organized settings and may inform population PA improvement efforts in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain development during childhood involves significant structural, functional, and connectivity changes, reflecting the interplay between modularity, information interaction, and functional segregation. This study aims to understand the dynamic properties of brain connectivity and their impact on cognitive development, focusing on temporal co-occurrence diversity patterns. We recruited 481 children aged 6 to 12 years from the Healthy Brain Network database. Functional MRI data were used to construct dynamic functional connectivity matrices with a sliding window approach. Modular structures were identified using multilayer network community detection, and the Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition technique, which uniquely allows for multi-faceted exploration of modular temporal co-occurrence diversities, quantified these diversities. Mediation analysis assessed the impact on small-world properties. Temporal co-occurrence diversity in brain networks increased with age, especially in the default mode, frontoparietal, and salience networks. These changes were driven by disparities within and between communities. The small-world coefficient increased with age, indicating improved information processing efficiency. To validate the impact of changes in spatiotemporal interaction disparities during childhood on information transmission within brain networks, we used mediation analysis to verify its effect on alterations in small-world properties. This study highlights the critical developmental changes in brain modularity and spatiotemporal interaction patterns during childhood, emphasizing their role in cognitive maturation. These insights into neural mechanisms can inform the diagnosis and intervention of developmental disorders. • Used multilayer networks to construct dynamic functional connectivity matrices from fMRI. • Dagum Gini coefficient explored brain network disparities, showing age-related increases. • Spatiotemporal interaction disparities increased within and between communities with age. • Mediation analysis showed spatiotemporal interaction mediates age and small-world properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the context of public health emergencies, the presence of medical and health talents (MHT) is critically important for support in any country or region. This study aims to analyze the spatial and temporal distributions and evolution of MHT in China and propose strategies and recommendations for promoting a balanced distribution. Methods: This research used data from 31 provinces in China to construct a multidimensional index system for measuring the agglomeration level of MHT. The indices include talent agglomeration density (TAD), talent agglomeration scale (TAS), talent agglomeration intensity (TAI), and talent agglomeration equilibrium (TAE). Using provincial data from the years 1982, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, a spatiotemporal analysis of the MHT agglomeration levels was conducted. Furthermore, the regional dynamic distribution of MHT was analyzed using kernel density estimation diagrams. The spatial autocorrelation of MHT was assessed through global and local Moran's I, and the spatial gap and decomposition of MHT were analyzed using the Dagum Gini coefficient. Results: From the temporal level, the TAD and TAI of MHT showed an increasing trend over the studied period, whereas TAS decreased and TAE first increased and then decreased from 1982 to 2020. At the spatial level, the TAD, TAS, TAI, and TAE of MHT exhibited varied patterns among the eastern, central, and western regions of China, showing significant geographical disparities, generally demarcated by the Hu Huanyong Line. The regional dynamic distribution level of MHT in the country and the three regions were expanding. Spatial autocorrelation analysis using global and local Moran's I for TAD, TAS, TAI, and TAE demonstrated significant regional differences. The Dagum Gini coefficient of TAD, TAS, TAI, and TAE revealed divergent trends in regional disparities, with overall declines in disparities for TAD and TAI, a slight increase for TAS, and fluctuating patterns for TAE. Conclusions: From a temporal perspective, the overall number of MHT in China has been increasing annually at the national and provincial levels. From the spatial perspective, TAD, TAS, TAI, and TAE exhibit significant differences among the three regions. Kernel analysis reveals that the distribution differences are gradually expanding in national level and varying in regional level. Moreover, the global and local Moran's I indices reveal varying spatial autocorrelation for TAD, TAS, TAI, and TAE. The Dagum Gini coefficients of TAD, TAS, TAI, and TAE show different patterns of decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop an efficient model to predict the arrears behavior of electricity users by integrating multi-scale feature learning with a backpropagation (BP) neural network. The goal is to provide accurate early warning systems and enhanced risk management tools for power companies. The BP neural network algorithm adjusts weights to minimize prediction errors, while multi-scale feature learning captures the diversity and regularity of user behavior by extracting data from various time dimensions, such as daily, weekly, and monthly intervals. First, electricity usage and weather data from the UMass Smart Dataset are preprocessed, including steps such as data cleaning, standardization, and normalization. Next, features are extracted across three time scales—daily, weekly, and monthly. These features are then input into the BP neural network model using the multi-scale feature learning method. A hierarchical neural network structure is designed to address the characteristics of different scales in distinct layers. Key model parameters are optimized, and a sensitivity analysis is conducted. The experimental results demonstrate that the BP neural network model incorporating multi-scale features outperforms traditional BP neural network models and other control models in several evaluation metrics. Specifically, the Gini coefficient is 0.55, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic is 0.60, the Matthews correlation coefficient is 0.45, and specificity is 0.82. These results indicate that the proposed method offers significant improvements in capturing user behavior patterns and enhancing prediction accuracy. The study concludes that the effective fusion of multi-scale features not only enhances the model's prediction performance but also strengthens its generalization ability. This method provides an advanced risk management tool for power companies, helping to increase the operational efficiency of smart grids and encouraging further research toward greater intelligence in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating machine learning techniques within metaheuristics has shown promise for effectively solving combinatorial problems like the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). However, key challenges remain in initializing metaheuristics to balance exploration and exploitation across vast search spaces. This paper introduces a novel clustering-driven technique for constructing high-quality initial solutions to Euclidean TSP instances. Our method uses hierarchical hybrid clustering with K-means, affinity propagation, and density peaks clustering to recursively partition cities into a compressed quadtree structure. A rigorous assessment using the Davies–Bouldin index and Gini coefficient optimizes intra- and inter-cluster quality and balance at each level. The multi-tiered decomposition strategically abstracts complex optimization landscapes into localized clusters that are solved efficiently in parallel within each using heuristics such as nearest neighbor and ant colony optimization. A genetic networking heuristic then interconnects independent intra-cluster solutions to construct unified inter-cluster routes. The clustering-guided initialization provides a diverse population of initialized tours that balance global exploration against localized exploitation. To validate our method, we conduct experiments using the generated solutions to seed a simulated annealing metaheuristic. This experimental evaluation will demonstrate this technique's ability to initialize metaheuristics for TSP instances closer to optimality compared to traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupled development of new-type urbanization (NTU) and rural revitalization (RR) represents a critical proposition put forth by China for forging a novel paradigm of urban-rural relationship. Initially, this study employs the entropy method to quantify NTU and RR. Subsequently, it carries out a comprehensive analysis concerning their coupled relationship with the relative development degree model (RDDM), coupled coordination degree model (CCDM), Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and Tobit model. The findings drawn from the study indicate from 2011 to 2022, NTU and RR in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) have exhibited a consistent upward trajectory, but lagging NTU disorders are widely distributed and numerous. The coupled coordination degree (CCD) of NTU and RR constantly improves, transitioning from moderate imbalance to primary coordination, exhibiting a spatial distribution of a "high in the east and low in the west". The relative disparity between the coupled development of NTU and RR demonstrates a slowly narrowing trend, whereas the absolute disparity indicates an expanding trend. Among the influencing factors, the development of the agricultural industry exerts the most significant positive impact on the coupled development, whereas the level of financial support for agriculture exerts a dampening effect, which is heterogeneous in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological Welfare Performance (EWP) is a core issue in sustainable development and ecological civilization. Although Guangdong Province is one of China's most developed economies and most highly urbanized areas, there is a gap in the evaluation of the ecological welfare performance of the province. Previous studies have mainly calculated the performance of ecological welfare from a static viewpoint or only from the perspective of network efficiency, and few researchers have considered dynamic characteristics and network structures. This research focuses on 21 prefecturelevel cities in Guangdong Province and measures their ecological welfare performance by applying the dynamic network slacks-based measure (DNSBM) model. Using the Dagum Gini coefficient, this study identifies the sources and contributions of differences in ecological welfare performance among regions in Guangdong Province. The results reveal a low overall level of ecological welfare, with levels of ecological welfare showing an uneven distribution among the 21 cities. EWP and economic growth are spatially mismatched. The overall variations in the ecological welfare performance in the province are mainly due to ultra-high-density contributions. Therefore, we recommend that Guangdong Province strengthen overall regional coordinated development and promote high-quality "shared" development in the northern, eastern, and western areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard interpretation of inequality uses a number, such as the Gini coefficient, to compare income inequality across countries. These numbers apply universal upper limits to the maximum feasible inequality (Gini = 100) in vastly diverse economies even though floors for socially acceptable living standards vary quite a bit in different societies. I develop a new measure of income inequality — the Nationally Representative Inequality Extraction Ratio (NR IER) — and apply it to 112 countries. The NR IER uses country-by-country social and economic parameters to measure the distance between the actual income distribution and the country-specific feasible limit (a counterfactual distribution). I ground the counterfactual distribution in a functional income concept, corresponding to Marx's concept of exploitation. NR IERs are inversely related to per-capita income and exceed the feasible limits in the world's poorest countries. However, I find little variation in extractive inequality between closed autocracies (e.g., China) — where corruption is expectedly extractive — and liberal democracies (e.g., USA). Controlling for different political regimes, the NR IER explains over 60 per cent of a person's income anywhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is struggling to facilitate the application of renewable portfolio standards to realize sustainable economic growth. As such, improving the current distribution mechanism is crucial. In this paper, the context‐dependent data envelopment analysis and multi‐objective linear programming are combined to allocate the renewables quota for each province. This integrated approach can maximize total electricity generation while minimizing the total CO2 emission with considering the disparity of production technology level. Then, the extended Gini coefficient is employed to assess the fairness of new quota mechanism. We find that (1) the eastern region is the most efficient during the power generation process. During 2016–2019, the efficiency in the western region presents an upward trend. (2) The allocation results indicate that Inner Mongolia and Qinghai have the greatest pressure to absorb renewable energy electricity, while Guangdong and Guizhou can instead reduce the most. Shandong and Inner Mongolia face the greatest burden in conserving non‐renewable electricity. (3) Compared to 2020, the newly allocated scheme can mitigate inequality, with the Gini coefficient changing from 0.264 in 2020 to 0.248 after the allocation. Meanwhile, the reallocation reduces the Gini coefficient related to renewable electricity, non‐renewable electricity, and CO2 emissions by 0.003, 0.028, and 0.073, respectively at the 2020 level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the regional gaps in green total factor productivity (GTFP) growth by using the Dagum's Gini coefficient based on panel data for 306 cities from 1996 to 2017, then adopt a geographical detector to test the contribution of resource misallocation to the unbalanced growth in GTFP. The results show that Chinese agricultural GTFP continues to grow, but the overall growth gap has expanded year by year, mainly due to the inter-provincial gap. Compared with land, labor and machinery, fertilizer misallocation is the main factor driving the unbalanced growth in GTFP. Moreover, the interaction contribution of fertilizer misallocation with any one resource misallocation is higher than that in a single factor. Finally, resource misallocation also leads to unbalanced growth in technological progress and technical efficiency, but more so for the latter. Our research helps to provide a new solution to the "dilemma" of food security and ecological security from the perspective of optimizing resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional villages embody China's long-standing farming culture and are the carriers for the inheritance and development of traditional culture in rural China. However, because of the continuous erosion of rural space due to China's rapid urbanization, traditional villages are gradually declining and even disappearing. Protecting traditional villages has become a significant scientific problem in the implementation of the "Rural Vitalization Strategy" in the new era. The study of the spatial distribution pattern of traditional villages and its influencing factors is an important basis for formulating macro-protection policies for traditional villages in China. However, the existing literature is one-sided and subjectivity in revealing the influencing factors, making it difficult to form accurate and comprehensive protection policies. Employing the Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model, this study analyzes the impact of human settlements factors on the spatial distribution patterns of traditional villages in Liaoning province. Results can be summated as follows. (1) The spatial distribution of traditional villages in Liaoning exhibits a clustered pattern. (2) In terms of the geographical regional scale, the distribution is highly uneven and mainly concentrated in the western region of Liaoning. At the municipal scale, the distribution is relatively uneven and primarily located in the cities of Chaoyang, Jinzhou, Huludao, Panjin, Anshan, and Dalian. (3) The majority of traditional villages are distributed along the southwest–northeast axis of the standard deviation ellipse, which corresponds with the main mountain ranges of Liaoning. (4) The distribution density features a western continuous clustering, central and eastern scattered clustering, and edge clustering pattern. (5) The spatial distribution patterns of traditional villages in Liaoning are influenced by various human settlements factors, with spatial variation in the nature and intensity of the effects of these factors. (6) The natural factors of human settlements are the dominant factors in the spatial distribution patterns of traditional villages, while the humanistic factors of human settlements have a dual impact on these patterns. This paper presents novel ideas for the study of the spatial distribution pattern of traditional villages, scientific support for the development of the disciplines of rural geography and the geography of human settlements, and new scientific decision-making and theoretical support for the protection and utilization of traditional villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordination development of the Water-Energy-Food complex system (WEF CS) is vital to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. However, the existing research ignores the influence of external environment, and it is not clear which dimension is the key driving mechanism for coordinated development of WEF CS. Herein, it built a theoretical framework of "system unit-nexus-natural environment" WEF CS based on the logical framework of "unit-nexus-external environment", and adopted Dagum Gini coefficient, coupling coordination degree, and grey correlation models to explore the sustainable development ability of water resource, energy resource and food resource of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). It showed that (1) the overall development level of WEF CS showed significant stage differences, indicating upstream > downstream > midstream; (2) the overall Gini coefficient decreased from 0.123 in 2004 to 0.084 in 2020, and the spatial mismatch of development level mainly came from the difference between reaches; (3) the influencing factors of the key zones that hindered the development of WEF CS chiefly came from the nexus dimension. This study provides insights into optimizing spatial adaptation pattern and improving coordination development in basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The array of wildfire activities instigated by human endeavors has emerged as a significant source of atmospheric pollution, posing considerable risks to both public health and property safety. This study harnesses Sentinel-2 satellite data, employing a variety of methods including spectral index methods, thresholding, and the Random Forest (RF) model for active fire spot detection. The research encompasses a wide range of land cover types across various Chinese regions. Utilizing the Gini coefficient, the study assesses the importance of spectral and texture features in the RF, culminating in the selection of an optimal feature combination for the construction of a bespoke RF model tailored for active fire detection. The research utilized texture features based on the Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM), demonstrating their significant contribution to enhancing the accuracy of fire detection using the RF model. Our analysis reveals that GLCM-based texture features, which form 40% of the model's final feature set, are crucial for improving detection accuracy. The optimized RF model demonstrates a marked superiority in identifying active fires, achieving an overall accuracy of 86.1%. The study results demonstrate that the bespoke RF model is suitable for detecting active fire across various land cover environments in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural revitalization (R), new-type urbanization (U) and the ecological environment (E) are a unity of complementary advantages and mutual promotion and coexistence, the coupling and coordination of the three is the key to realizing the Chinese modernization and the harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature. Based on China's provincial panel data from 2011 to 2022, this paper constructed a comprehensive evaluation index for the R-U-E system, using the entropy method, coupled coordination model, Dagum's Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, spatial correlation analysis, and spatial Durbin model to explore the level of comprehensive development, spatial-temporal evolutionary characteristics of coupled coordination, regional differences and spatial effects of the three systems. The following results were observed: (1) The comprehensive index of rural revitalizationand new-type urbanization exhibits a growing trend and significant regional differences, with East China outperforming other regions, but the average value of below 0.5 needs to be further improved. The ecological environment index exhibits a smoother growth trend, higher in South China than in other regions. (2) The level of R-U-E coupling coordination has increased year on year, from barely coordinated to primary coordination. (3) The spatial imbalance in coupling coordination has improved both nationally and in the seven regions, with the largest intra-regional differences in South China and the smallest intra-regional differences in Central China. The differences between the Northeast and Central China regions exhibit a widening trend, while the differences between all other regions exhibit a decreasing trend. Interregional variations are the main factor affecting overall variance, but their impact on the overall variance is gradually diminishing. (4) The level of coupling coordination has obvious spatial correlation, and the "high-high" and "low-low" cluster aggregation characteristics was evident. (5) Government behavior and the levels of economic growth, human capital, and digitization significantly contribute to the coupled and coordinated development of the region and, at the same time, have a significant spatial spillover effect on neighboring provinces; the degree of openness to the outside world contributed to the coordinated development of the region, while it had an inhibitory effect on the neighboring provinces; and the drive to innovate has only a certain contributing effect on the neighboring regions. Targeted policy measures in response to this paper's empirical findings may provide policymakers with a reference point for achieving regional sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internet searches offer an indicator of public attention and possible demand for certain things. Studying the spatiotemporal characteristics of the public's concern for vaccination can determine the spatiotemporal distribution of demand for vaccines in China, and capture the changes in the health awareness of the Chinese population, thus informing future vaccination strategies. Methods: Based on the collection of Baidu search indices for vaccination-related keywords in 363 cities in China, This paper seeks to explore the spatiotemporal changes and regional differences in public attention toward vaccination in China by using the seasonal index, seasonal concentration index, Herfindahl index, Moran index, and Dagum Gini coefficient. Results: The following findings are presented. First, there are significant seasonal fluctuations and unbalanced monthly distributions of vaccination-related public attention in China. Second, the public attention in Chinese cities shows the spatial characteristics of "leading in the east, followed by the central, western and northeastern regions". The spatial correlation of attention has been strengthened, and the high-high clusters are mainly distributed in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Greater Bay Area (GBA) urban agglomerations. Third, regional differences in overall public attention narrowed in China, with intra-regional differences narrowing in seven regions (Northwest China, Central China, and so on), and intra-regional differences increasing in East China. The dominant role in the Gini coefficient changes from transvariation intensity to inter-regional differences. Conclusion: Major public health emergencies stimulate the public's attention to health topics. Although the short-term increase in vaccination-related public attention was not observed to translate into a long-term increase in public vaccine literacy, the seasonal and regional differences in vaccination-related public attention in China have significantly narrowed before and after COVID-19, suggesting that the imbalance between public health literacy levels has improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific estimation of China's transport carbon reduction potential (CERP) and exploration of its temporal and spatial characteristics and influencing factors are important bases for formulating emission reduction policies. Based on the dual perspective of equity and efficiency, we assess the CERP of the transportation industry in 30 provinces in China from 2010 to 2019 and analyze its spatio-temporal evolution characteristics using the Kernel density estimation method. Then, the Dagum Gini coefficient is used to measure the regional differences and sources of the CERP, and its influencing factors are analyzed with the help of the random effects panel Tobit regression model. The results show that: (1) from 2000 to 2019, the CERP of the transportation industry in China and the three regions show an oscillating upward trend, with a spatial pattern of "high in the west and low in the east". (2) The overall difference in the CERP of the transportation industry shows a fluctuating downward trend, and the difference in hypervariable density has the highest contribution rate. The inter-regional differences between the West and other regions are the largest, and the intra-regional difference pattern shows the pattern of western > central > east. (3) The technological improvement, industrial structure, and scale of transportation industry development have a significant positive impact on the CERP of the transportation industry. The influence of urbanization influence and environmental regulation have a significant negative influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of personal networks reflects how we organise and maintain social relationships. The distribution of tie strengths in personal networks is heterogeneous, with a few close, emotionally intense relationships and a larger number of weaker ties. Recent results indicate this feature is universal across communication channels. Within this general pattern, there is a substantial and persistent inter-individual variation that is also similarly distributed among channels. The reason for the observed universality is yet unclear—one possibility is that people's traits determine their personal network features on any channel. To address this hypothesis, we need to compare an individual's personal networks across channels, which is a non-trivial task: while we are interested in measuring the differences in tie strength heterogeneity, personal network size is also expected to vary a lot across channels. Therefore, for any measure that compares personal networks, one needs to understand the sensitivity with respect to network size. Here, we study different measures of personal network similarity and show that a recently introduced alter-preferentiality parameter and the Gini coefficient are equally suitable measures for tie strength heterogeneity, as they are fairly insensitive to differences in network size. With these measures, we show that the earlier observed individual-level persistence of personal network structure cannot be attributed to network size stability alone, but that the tie strength heterogeneity is persistent too. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the two measures on multichannel data, where tie strength heterogeneity in personal networks is seen to moderately correlate for the same users across two communication channels (calls and text messages). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of urbanization, which leads to increased population density, changes in land use patterns, and heightened demand for industrial and domestic water use, exacerbates the contradiction between the supply and demand of water resources. This study examines the discrepancies between the supply and demand of water resources amidst urbanization, utilizing data from 110 cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) spanning from 2012 to 2021. The research employs the projection pursuit clustering model and the Dagum Gini coefficient method to evaluate the developmental status of water resources. While the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region maintains a leading position with a water resources development score of 9.827 in 2023, there is a 2.2% increase in intra-regional disparity. The water resources development score for the City Cluster in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (CCRYR) has experienced a decline, from 8.263 in 2012 to 8.016 in 2021; however, a reduction in intra-regional disparities has been observed since the implementation of the 2016 Outline of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Plan (YREBP), which suggests the policy's efficacy. The Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone (CCEZ), despite its initially lower level of development, has demonstrated significant growth, with scores rising from 7.036 in 2012 to 7.347 in 2021. Collectively, the water resources development in the YREB exhibits an upward trend, yet the development remains uneven. The CCRYR shows a catching-up effect because of the YREBP, and the differences in other regions are widening. The research results provide decision-making support for water resources planning and management, and are of great significance in promoting the sustainable use of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to objectively analyze the situation of spatial matching and carrying capacity of water resources in Henan Province, this paper evaluated the situation of spatial matching and carrying capacity of water resources in Henan Province from 2012 to 2021 by constructing Lorentz curve, improving mutation series model and mature-element extension model based on the data of total water resources and population, and used obstacle degree model to diagnose the main factors affecting the carrying capacity. At the same time, based on the water resources situation and the planned annual supply and demand of Henan Province, the multi-objective optimal allocation model of water resources was constructed. The results show that the spatial distribution of water-irrigated area and water-population is in equilibrium, while the spatial equilibrium of water-secondary industry production value and water-green coverage area is poor. From 2012 to 2021, the overall water resources carrying capacity of Henan Province is gradually increased, and the evaluation comprehensive value is increased steadily. The carrying capacity of water resources in Henan Province is mainly affected by natural population growth rate, industrial water consumption, population density, surface water resources, water production modulus and annual average precipitation. Water resources allocation can be divided into five water allocation schemes, and different schemes have different water use benefits, which can provide reference for regional water allocation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of promoting educational equity and improving welfare, exploring ways to further enhance residents' subjective well-being from the perspective of educational equity holds significant practical importance. This study uses the educational Gini coefficient to measure the educational inequality index across different provinces and cities, and matches it with data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the relationship between educational inequality and residents' subjective well-being. The research findings reveal a significant negative correlation between educational inequality and residents' well-being, with observed heterogeneity. Specifically, educational inequality has a greater negative impact on groups with lower levels of well-being, rural areas, and the central and western regions of China. Mechanism analysis confirms the income distribution effect and economic growth effect of educational inequality. Therefore, increasing attention to the issue of educational equity and understanding the well-being effects of educational inequality are of great significance for the Chinese government in improving residents' welfare in the new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanding upon the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model system, this work employs the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approach, Kernel density estimation, Spatial autocorrelation, Dagum Gini coefficient, and geographic detectors to evaluate the ecological security level of China’s tourism industry from 2010 to 2020. Examining the tourism ecological security’s spatio-temporal evolution, geographical disparities, and driving variables is the goal of this study. One thing that stands out from the data is that (1) there is a clear increase trend in the time series of tourism ecological security (TES). (2) There is spatial variability and lack of landscape equilibrium when the general geographical distribution pattern in space gradually decreases from east to west. (3) According to the Dagum Gini coefficient, there is a decreasing geographical non-equilibrium of tourism ecological security, with the main cause of this non-equilibrium being the inter-regional disparity between the east and west. (4) The factors affecting the tourism ecological security are complex and diverse. These factors are closely related to the economy, environment and population of the city. The findings provide a reference for the sustainable development of regional tourism ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As industrial technologies advance, climate change and environmental pollution increasingly pose threats to human health. This study examines the coupling coordination characteristics between ecological environmental civilization (EEC) and resident public health (RPH) to promote both higher public health standards and enhanced societal sustainability. Utilizing panel data from 31 provinces in China spanning from 2010 to 2022, this paper constructs evaluation indices for EEC and RPH. Initially, the entropy method is employed to determine the development levels of each domain. Subsequently, a modified coupling coordination degree (CCD) model is applied to assess the CCD between EEC and RPH. This research further investigates the spatiotemporal evolution trends of the CCD using methods such as the Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation (KDE), and Markov chains. Finally, the panel Tobit model is utilized to analyze factors influencing the CCD. Findings reveal that during the study period, both EEC and RPH in China exhibited a stable upward trend, although the overall development level remained relatively low. The CCD showed consistent growth both nationally and across three major regions. Overall inequality in coupling coordination, as measured by Dagum Gini coefficient, has decreased, with the coefficient reducing from 0.0316 in 2010 to 0.0199 in 2022. KDE results indicate a rightward shift in the density curve of the CCD, suggesting a significant reduction in absolute disparities. Panel Tobit regression analysis shows that economic development, urbanization, and education levels significantly and positively influence the CCD on a national scale, with urbanization having the most substantial impact, followed by economic development and education levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Income inequality is related to farmers' welfare, access and satisfaction. Addressing income inequality among farmers is particularly urgent as it is growing. So, as an important symbol of the development of the agricultural industry, what is the impact of agricultural product branding on farmers' income inequality? Methods: To answer this question, this paper uses panel data from 1986 counties in China from 2000 to 2021 and employs the Recentered Influence Function (RIF) method to explore the impact of agricultural product branding (APB) on farmers' income inequality and its mechanism of action. Results and discussion: The results of the study show that while the APB boosted farmers' incomes by an average of 1.6%, they exacerbated farmers' income inequality by an average of 0.4% (using the Gini coefficient as an example). Mechanistic analysis shows that the APB exacerbates farmers' income inequality by widening the gap between counties in terms of the level of adoption of agricultural technology and agricultural labor productivity. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that, compared to non-agricultural provinces, the APB in agricultural provinces reduces interregional farmers' income inequality. Furthermore, the APB in the grain category mitigates this inequality, whereas the APB in the cash crop and aquatic product categories exacerbates it. The APB in the livestock category, however, has no significant effect on interregional farmers' income inequality. Considering these findings, the government should regularly assess the impact of agricultural branding policies on income inequality among farmers and adjust policies in a timely manner to ensure their effectiveness and fairness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commonly used figure to highlight inequality in Chile is the median income of the Chilean socioeconomic household survey (known by its acronym in Spanish, CASEN). According to this survey, in 2017 the median monthly income per worker was CLP (Chilean pesos) 400,718 pesos, which compares to average income per worker from National Accounts of CLP 1,350,000 in the same year. For this difference to be correct, the implied Gini coefficient would be 0.7, which much above the Gini implied by the same survey. However, surveys, such as CASEN, often underreport income, particularly for middle- and high-income earners, leading to an underestimation of the median income. This study compares various data sources, including national accounts, household surveys, and administrative records, to create a more accurate picture of income distribution and median income. The corrected data shows higher median incomes and greater inequality than previously reported. On average, the underestimation of gross wages in the Chilean national household survey as compared to national accounts is 40%, significantly larger than other countries. About a quarter of this gap is attributed to the "missing rich" in the survey. For 2017, this equates to an estimated median gross income for dependent labor of CLP 600,000 and CLP 570,000 for all workers. The corrected mean-median income ratio (Gini) is 26% (17%) larger than in the raw survey of 2017 and falls only 6% (3%) between 2006 and 2017 compared with a larger decline of 12% (11%) in the original data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the long-run evolution of the labour income distribution for Chile. To this end, we use thirteen waves of the CASEN household socioeconomic survey from 1990 to 2017. During this period hourly earnings inequality measured by the Gini coefficient fell from 0.47 to 0.40. We use a RIF regression approach similar to Ferreira et al. (2021) for Brazil to decompose changes in average earnings and earnings inequality. We do not find observable variables that explain -either through an endowment effect or through a structural price change- a significant part of the decrease in hourly earnings inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skewness, a measure of the asymmetry of a distribution, is frequently employed to reflect a biologically important property. Another statistic, the Gini coefficient (GC), originally used to measure economic inequality, has been validated in measuring the inequality of biological size distributions. Given that the GC and skewness control overlapping domains and interact with each other, researchers are perplexed by their relationship (varying with the biological [organ, tissue or cell] size distributions) and use both of them together to provide a more complete picture of the data. This study provides analytical forms of the GC for biological size distributions, including two‐parameter Weibull, uniform, normal, two‐parameter lognormal, gamma, three‐parameter Weibull, three‐parameter lognormal, and three‐parameter gamma distributions. Two empirical data sets and simulation data sets were used to clarify the GC–skewness relationships under different distributions. For the aforementioned distributions, the GC–skewness relationships can be divided into three types: (i) for a symmetrical distribution, the skewness is 0, and the GC ranges from 0.56 to 0.58 multiplied by the standard deviation divided by the mean irrespective of its relationship with the skewness; (ii) for an asymmetric distribution with a zero threshold, the GC is a monotonously increasing function of the skewness, and the two measures are equivalent; (iii) for an asymmetric distribution with a non‐zero threshold, the GC is determined by the skewness and an additional correction factor. We showed the differences in improving the accuracy of GC calculations based on small‐sample adjustments among various calculation methods, including the polygon (trapezoidal set) area method and the rotated Lorenz curve method. The present study turns the GC into a property of the distribution and offers a clear understanding for the GC–skewness relationship. This work provides insights into selecting and using the GC to measure inequality in ecological data, facilitating more accurate and meaningful analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the change in eye health disparities due to trachoma using longitudinal country-level data (1990–2019) from the global burden of disease study 2019. Methods:Statement We obtained data on the burden of trachoma and population statistics from the Global Health Data Exchange website. We assessed the geographic distribution of trachoma at the global level and World Bank regional level from year to year using Gini coefficients and statistics of inequality that ranged from 0 (total equality) to 1 (total inequality). Result: We found that 60 countries and territories had a burden of trachoma, and these were from all regions except Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. At the global level, the Gini coefficient had increased from 0.546 to 0.637 (p for trend: <0.001) in the last three decades, while the mean disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 people declined from 13.0 to 3.2 (p for trend: <0.001). The inequality statistics had significantly worsened in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (p for trend: <0.001) despite the decrease in the mean DALYs per capita. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the burden of trachoma dramatically decreased; however, the eye health inequality due to trachoma increased globally and in two of the most endemic regions in the last three decades. Global eye health experts need to monitor the distribution of eye diseases and ensure appropriate, effective, uniform, and high-quality eye care for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation methods of reproduction numbers and serial intervals are important in the early stages of infectious diseases. During the COVID pandemic, China implemented a dynamic zero-COVID policy on the Chinese mainland until the end of 2022. This study compares three estimation methods of basic reproduction numbers on small-scale, short-duration COVID-19 epidemics in Fujian Province. Basic reproduction numbers were investigated using a varying-strain model via a next-generation matrix method. Serial intervals were derived using the infector-infectee pairs of two epidemics from the Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Basic reproduction numbers were estimated using the maximum likelihood estimation method and the exponential growth method. The curves of the effective reproduction numbers of the three epidemics were plotted by utilizing daily cases and the EpiEstim R package. The spatial heterogeneity of infection cases was described using the Gini coefficient. This study provides significant insights on the estimation methods of reproduction numbers for policymakers in the local government. The results reveal that social contacts between infectors and susceptible individuals should be reduced to avoid an increase in deaths and to fight against the spread of infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes family-level wealth inequality and social mobility in Dudelange (Luxembourg) over five generations between 1766 and 1872, a period that saw the end of feudal social relations. While the integration of Luxembourg into the French revolutionary regime produced a reduction in the Gini coefficient for the ownership of land, the social mobility analysis reveals a relative stability of family positions within the land-wealth distribution throughout the period. This shows that family-level transmission mechanisms limit social mobility and strongly advantage those with ancestors owning property wealth, even when there are significant changes in the organization of property relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patent transfer-in is a crucial approach and source for regions to reduce R&D costs and develop innovative technologies. Referring to patent transfer records from the China National Intellectual Property Administration as the data source, this paper explores the drivers of patent transfer-in in Chinese cities using geographically and temporally weighted regression and geographical detectors. Results show that: (1) from 2013 to 2019, the quantity of urban patent transfer-in increased obviously and distributed heterogeneously. The Gini coefficient remained above 0.7, while the overall difference in patent transfer-in significantly declined. (2) The contribution of each influencing factor showed spatial heterogeneity. Foreign direct investment had a negative impact on the acquisition of patented technologies from other domestic cities in most cities. In addition, most cities within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region had not benefited from the accumulation of urban human capital for patent transfer-in. (3) Regional economic development and R&D investment gradually became the dominant influencing factors of patent transfer-in at the city level. In 2019, the influencing factors showed relatively-balanced interactions, but the interactions between human capital and industrial scale remained high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban assessment is an important basis for judging the sustainable development capability of cities. This study constructs an urban assessment index system from six aspects: health and comfort, ecological livability, convenient transportation, cleanliness and orderliness, diversity and inclusiveness, and innovation and vitality. Based on the spatial panel data of 286 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, the spatial differences that exist in urban appraisal among the three major regions of China and their convergence are investigated. The study shows the following: First, the study reveals a significant improvement in the level of city governance across the country, with a gradual reduction in absolute differences. Second, the overall differences in the urban assessment scores of individual cities in China have been decreasing year by year. Intraregional differences are smaller than interregional differences, with the east-central region showing the largest interregional difference. Third, regarding σ convergence, the evolutionary trends of city governance levels in the nation and the eastern, central, and western parts of China are somewhat turbulent but show significant σ convergence characteristics overall. Absolute spatial β-convergence coefficients in the nation and the eastern, central, and western parts of China are significantly smaller than 0. Additionally, there are conditional β-convergence trends in city governance in the nation and each city in the eastern, central, and western parts of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recreational open spaces (ROS), as essential public amenities, provide a multitude of benefits for city residents. The rapid growth of urban population is raising significant concerns about diminishing green infrastructure, shifts in land use, and erosion of valuable ecosystem services. This necessitates the equitable allocation of green infrastructure in appropriate proximity to the city residents. This study assessed disparity in ROS distribution, considering both availability and accessibility at varying administrative levels. The distribution is assessed with respect to resident population, providing special regard to the adolescent age group. Study is conducted taking Bhopal, India as the case. The Green Space Index and the Lorenz curve are utilized to assess social equity of ROS distribution. In addition, location quotient is employed to assess spatial equity concerning ROS distribution with respect to distribution of resident population. The study outcome illustrates that urban park accessibility varies at different administrative levels. Analysis reveals that higher number of ROS do not necessarily translate to higher ROS accessibility, especially for the adolescent age group. This is due to the inadequate size and proximity of ROS to residents, particularly in recent developments. A participatory GIS survey of 651 adolescents is conducted to further confirm the preceding spatial analyses by exploring associations between ROS accessibility and adolescents ROS visits. The prevailing urban ROS planning in India and several developing nations primarily relies on per capita availability and ratios of ROS to developed land. This approach alone is insufficient. The study results hold vital implications and can be incorporated in the existing urban ROS guidelines. This analysis is pivotal for sustainable ROS planning and policy-making, aiming to achieve environmental and social sustainability, centered on population, especially adolescents. Practical Applications: This study centers on assessing the spatial allocation of ROS with a focus on equity considerations. The particular emphasis lies in examining how well the spatial distribution of ROS aligns with the requirements of its population in the same planning region. The outcomes of this investigation reveal that the conventional metrics used in ROS planning, namely the per capita ROS area and ratio of ROS to urban land, do not adequately capture the equity dimensions of ROS provision. The results reveal that spatial misalignment exists in the allocation of ROS and its distribution among the population, especially among adolescents. Furthermore, the results highlight that urban growth and densification can result in a general decline in urban green infrastructure. Such results will help to implement green initiatives across identified administrative levels to enhance the wellbeing of residents with an understanding of the population distribution within a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a resource-friendly consensus protocol, Proof-of-Authority (PoA) has been widely deployed in IoT applications with blockchain technology. It relies on a fixed set of trusted nodes called validators for block generation. In contrast to traditional consensus mechanisms, PoA offers better performance but also leads to a centralized blockchain. In a centralized blockchain, PoA gives a few authorities the power to tamper with all nodes. To improve the decentralization of the protocol, this paper proposes a proof of authority based on a dynamic set of validators (DyPoA). The protocol decouples the right to generate and commit blocks to the blockchain from the authority node in the original PoA. It enables unauthenticated nodes to perform the process of packing transactions into blocks, while authenticated nodes validate and commit blocks to the blockchain. Additionally, DyPoA introduces a contribution score mechanism to measure the work accomplished by each node when a block is appended to the blockchain. Based on the contribution score, DyPoA selects and replaces validators through cryptographic sortition. We evaluate DyPoA through decentralization metrics and performance tests. The experimental results show that the Shannon entropy, Gini coefficient, and Nakamoto coefficient of DyPoA are 1.5 times, 0.7 times, and 1.7 times that of the original PoA, respectively, and achieve a 2.2x throughput improvement and 3x latency reduction compared to the original PoA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a panel vector autoregressive model, this paper assesses the impact of monetary policy on the Gini coefficient of disposable income for 30 OECD countries between 1995Q1 and 2019Q4. We assume house prices and household credit as transmission channels, representing households' financial balance. To capture the effect of the financial crisis, the analysis further distinguishes the period that started in 2008Q4. We find that a contractionary monetary policy increases the Gini coefficient in a moderate way. For the entire period, house prices are an effective transmission channel, a positive shock decreasing inequality, while credit is not statistically significant. Following the crisis credit stands out as the transmission mechanism, a positive credit shock reducing the Gini coefficient, while house prices lose relevance. These results are robust to different model specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on retail sales distributions finds both product concentration and long tails. However, gross margin dollars (rather than sales dollars) are critical drivers of retail financial performance, especially in sectors characterized by short product cycles and declining average selling prices. The paper is the first to use sku level data to estimate both sales and margin distributions for an office supply/technology retailer. We calculate Lorenz curves, Gini coefficients, and Pareto curves for in-store, on-line, and omni-channels. The estimated distribution of gross margin dollars is less skewed than the sales distribution; that is, more of the margin dollars are in the middle of the distribution. Significant differences in sales and margin distributions are found in store, online, and omnichannel products. These differences are only partially explained by price architecture and by private label merchandise. We analyze the decile distributions of sales and margin across channels and develop a classification matrix with implications for merchandise planning. Because merchandise strategies often focus on best sellers and managing long tails, the paper highlights opportunities for increasing profitability by emphasizing the middle of the margin distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how Free-Floating Bike-Sharing (FFBS) affects the accessibility equity of public transit sytems by serving as a first-mile feeder. To evaluate accessibility improvements for various opportunities within a 30-min travel time, we construct a complete travel chain approach based on multi-source, real-world data from Nanjing, China. The results indicate that FFBS significantly enhances accessibility, particularly for job opportunities and green spaces, with improvements of up to 180.02% and 155.82%, respectively. This integration also enhances the accessibility equity of public transit systems, particularly in green spaces, with a Gini coefficient improvement of 0.0336. Additionally, we find that areas with low housing prices exhibit greater accessibility inequality, while those with moderate housing prices benefit more from FFBS integration. These findings can potentially support transport planners in optimizing and managing FFBS and public transit systems to facilitate sustainable and inclusive transportation networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on measuring the accessibility and equity of park green spaces (PGSs) often overlook differences in walking speeds across age groups, which may lead to research results that deviate from actual conditions. This study expands the current literature by investigating whether ignoring age-related differences in walking speeds affects the measurement of PGS accessibility and equity. The Gaussian Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (G2SFCA) method, along with the Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient are used to measure and evaluate the accessibility and equity of PGSs in Wuhan, China, taking into account both average walking speed and variations in walking speed across different age groups. This empirical study reveals significant spatial disparities in walking speeds across Wuhan's districts, ranging from 77.2 to 78.55 m per minute (m/min), with urban areas having faster walking speeds than suburban areas. This study finds that ignoring variations in walking speed across age groups leads to an overestimation of PGS accessibility and equity in Wuhan. Furthermore, regardless of whether average walking speeds or age-specific walking speeds are considered, spatial disparities in PGS accessibility remain evident, with urban areas demonstrating significantly better accessibility compared to suburban areas. Additionally, small changes in walking speed differences between age groups (−3% to 3%) have minimal impact on accessibility and equity results, demonstrating low sensitivity to variations in speed differences among groups. Overall, scholars and policymakers should consider differences in walking speeds among various populations when planning public facilities such as PGSs to ensure stronger policy support for vulnerable groups and achieve the goal of social equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban densification has heightened residents' demand for equitable access to urban park services, particularly those that support physical activity (PA). This access is crucial for public health and sustainable urban development. We developed the Park-Based Physical Activity Composite Attractiveness Score (PCAS) to assess the supply and service equity of parks at the sub-district scale in the central city of Xianyang, western China. The average PCAS for all parks in the study area was 46, with 69% scoring below the benchmark of 60, indicating that the parks fail to meet residents' PA needs. We found a significant imbalance in park distribution. The 14 sub-districts we measured had an average supply score of 42 and a demand score of 49, demonstrating a clustering of park services in areas with natural resources and higher socioeconomic status. While the overall park service level was found to be reasonably equitable (Gini coefficient of 0.38), a large gap in the sub-dimensional indicators point to inequities in park services. The following scenario optimization suggested that adding new parks could more effectively enhance equity and residents' PA levels than simply increasing park facilities. Our results provide valuable insights for urban park planning and policy-making, and contribute to the development of more equitable and accessible park services to achieve public health objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An environmental assessment is a complex and interrelated entity. A multidimensional and dynamic environmental assessment can directly reflect the effectiveness and capacity of the ecological governance system. Assessing the factors influencing the resource–environment coupling efficiency in the Yellow River Basin is crucial for advancing environmental management and regulation, enhancing public participation and transparency, as well as fostering international exchange and cooperation. This study uses the PSR analysis framework and the Bootstrap-DEA model to measure the resource–environment coupling efficiency. It employs spatial autocorrelation, kernel density estimation, Dagum Gini coefficient analysis, σ-convergence, and spatial beta convergence methods to explore the multi-level spatial pattern and convergence trend of the resource–environment coupling efficiency. The findings indicate that overall resource–environment coupling efficiency exhibits minimal temporal variation characterized by a hierarchy of upstream > downstream > middle reaches, alongside a spatial differentiation trend marked by small agglomeration coupled with significant dispersion. Additionally, regional disparities reveal a distribution pattern of downstream > middle reaches > upstream. Notably, while there are no σ-convergence characteristics, evidence supporting spatial β-convergence suggests that these efficiencies will converge toward a steady-state level over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]