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Three-dimensional (3D) mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM) uses mathematical models to integrate different types of 3D data related to mineralization to obtain mineral prospectivity information in 3D space. Existing geological data contain known deposits, non-deposits and unknown ore-bearing data, corresponding to positive samples, negative samples and unlabeled samples respectively in MPM. Different sample combination types require different mathematical models. In this paper, support vector machine class (SVMC) machine learning method is selected to compare the influence of different sample combination types on prediction results. The SVMC is a one-class SVM (OCSVM) model based on positive-only samples, the SVM is based on both positive and negative samples, and the bagging-based positive-unlabeled learning algorithm with SVM base learner (BPUL-SVM) is based on both positive and unlabeled samples. The study area is in the Sanshandao-Cangshang offshore and onshore Au district, where there are Sanshandao, Cangshang and Xinli large- and super-large-scale Au deposits. Moreover, the discovery of large-scale Sea Au deposits in the sea area indicates the great potential for mineralization in the district. According to the metallogenic geological characteristics, the Au deposits in the Sanshandao-Cangshang district are controlled by the NE-striking fault and are closely related to the Linglong intrusions and Guojialing intrusions. The ore-bearing intrusion shows low density and low-moderate magnetic susceptibility. Because the Au orebodies hosted in the Sanshandao fault and its secondary faults, the NE-striking faults are key to delineating the targets. In this paper, weights of evidence (WofE), OCSVM, SVM and BPUL-SVM are used to MPM, and the prediction-area (P-A) plot method is used to delineate the targets. According to the ROC curve, F1 score and P-A plot evaluation methods, the model performance from high to low is BPUL-SVM13, SVM12, WofE and OCSVM. The BPUL-SVM model performance with samples combination types of positive samples and unlabeled samples was optimum in SVMC prediction models. The Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation and return-risk evaluation model are used to evaluate the return and risk of the targets and finally determine the I-level targets with high return and low risk. The delineated targets are mainly distributed along the F2 and F3 faults (Sanshandao-Cangshang fault). Combined with the mineralization regularity, the deep and periphery space of the known deposits are important to explore Au orebodies. The delineated targets are important to explore offshore and onshore Au orebodies in the Sanshandao-Cangshang district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining and improving ecological resilience is of great practical significance for the Yellow River Basin to reduce potential ecological risks and deliver sustainable development. Based on the essential characteristics of evolutionary resilience, this paper developed an ecological resilience index system of "resistance-recovery-reconstruction-renewal" and calculated the ecological resilience of 75 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2007 to 2021 with the improved TOPSIS method. Then the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of ecological resilience were analyzed using the gravity center-standard deviation ellipse, Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition, and spatial autocorrelation analysis. Furthermore, the dynamic spatial Durbin model (DSDM) was used to investigate the influencing factors of ecological resilience. The main results are as follows: (1) The ecological resilience of the Yellow River Basin showed an overall fluctuating upward trend, and the average annual growth rate in the downstream region was larger than in the upstream and midstream regions. (2) Cities with similar levels of ecological resilience were distributed in a "large settlement, small scattered" pattern. The center of gravity shifted to the southeast, and the spatial distribution exhibited a "northwest-southeast" pattern and a trend towards an "east–west" pattern. The primary source of spatial differences was the intensity of transvariation. (3) The ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin showed significant spatial clustering, with the H–H clustering area shifting from the Hubao-Eyu urban agglomeration to the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration, and the L–L clustering area mainly distributed around the Central Plains city cluster. (4) The ecological resilience of the Yellow River Basin exhibited significant snowball, spillover, and siphon effects in time, space, and space-time dimensions, respectively. In the short and long term, population density and openness significantly positively affected the ecological resilience of local and surrounding cities. Urbanization had a long-term effect on ecological resilience without a short-term effect. GDP per capita and industrial structure only imparted a significant positive influence on local ecological resilience. The negative spatial spillover of the intensity of financial investment in technological innovation gradually turned into a positive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health of young people is crucial for the future and development of a nation. It is the collective responsibility and imperative mission of society to ensure the holistic well-being, both physically and mentally, of young individuals. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly comprehend the factors that influence their health in order to expedite the exploration of effective solutions. The objective of this study is to comprehend the mechanisms that underlie the correlation between physical exercise behavior and psychological resilience among teenagers, while also examining the mediating role played by social sensitivity and need to belong. So put forward the hypothesis: (1) physical exercise behavior can positively predict the psychological resilience. (2) Social sensitivity and need to belong plays a mediating role between physical exercise behavior and psychological resilience. (3) Social sensitivity and need to belong plays a chain mediating role between physical exercise behavior and psychological resilience. Using the cluster sampling method, a total of 1106 students (with an average age of 15.7 and a standard deviation of 0.598) who met the requirements were surveyed from Shandong Province in China. Standard scales were utilized to assess Physical Exercise Behavior, Psychological Resilience, Social Sensitivity, and Need to Belong. For data analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis and bias-corrected percentile Bootstrap method were sequentially conducted. (1) The present study did not find any significant methodological bias, and the observed correlations between physical exercise behavior, psychological resilience, social sensitivity, and need to belong were all statistically significant; (2) Based on the self-determination theory, this study elucidates the relationship between physical exercise behavior and psychological resilience among teenagers. The findings indicate that physical exercise behavior positively predicts the need to belong and psychological resilience, while negatively predicting social sensitivity. Similarly, social sensitivity negatively predicts the need to belong and psychological resilience. Moreover, the need to belong directly and positively predicts psychological resilience. Importantly, all hypotheses proposed in this paper were empirically supported. (3) The indirect effect of the path mediated by social sensitivity is 0.009, while the indirect effect of the path mediated by need to belong is 0.033. Additionally, the combined indirect effect of both social sensitivity and need to belong as mediating variables is 0.014. (4) The cumulative sum of all these indirect effects amounts to 0.056. Based on the self-determination theory, we propose a chain mediation model, specially, physical exercise behavior can significantly positively predict psychological resilience, among which, social sensitivity and need to belong play a significant mediating role between Physical exercise behavior and psychological resilience. In addition, the adoption of good physical exercise behavior can enhance the psychological resilience of adolescents by diminishing social sensitivity and augmenting the need to belong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of happiness and subjective wellbeing (SWB) has received increased interest among scholars in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), who published their findings nationally in Chinese language journals. This paper introduces their work to the international audience. The first study appeared in the journals in 1999, and about 800 research papers have been published to date. The field is anchored in ten areas: the most salient are the general surveying of SWB; areas within health psychology; and personality research. There was a paucity of research in most areas, and a disproportional amount of research in relation to geographical area. Most research was conducted in Shandong (North East China) and Guangdong (South China), whereas no studies reported in the Chinese journals have been conducted in regions such as Inner Mongolia and Tibet. The majority of studies used augmented versions of Western scales as their measurement instrument, although Chinese scholars have developed their own scales. The research field is developing rapidly, but is limited currently by its infancy, overuse of student samples, inadequate descriptions of research methodology, and isolation from studies published outside the country. Recommendations are provided to overcome these issues and to advance the field further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce carbon emissions effectively in Shandong province in New Normal economy, this paper presents a new way to reflect the situation of carbon emissions accurately from both time-perspective and spatial perspective. The characteristics of carbon emissions in Shandong province are presented during 2005-2014, and this paper explores the spatial autocorrelation of carbon emissions branches in 17 cities. The results show that the total amount of carbon emissions in Shandong province presented a steady growth, whereas the growth rate was low, and the proportion of coal consumption in energy structure was significantly higher than the national average. In addition, the spatial pattern of the carbon emissions in 17 cities presented obvious regionally distinction. Furthermore, the affecting factors governing carbon emissions are decomposed based on the Kaya identity. The results reveal that economic scale was the key factor to increase the carbon emissions, whereas energy efficiency was the main factor of carbon emissions reduction. Therefore, this paper draws government should promote carbon emissions reduction given priority to some regions virtually, while encouraging emission reduction in others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic shed vegetable (PSV) cultivation has become an important vegetable production system in China, which accounts for about 1/4 of the total vegetable production of China. Shandong is the largest facility vegetable growing area in China. Continued years of high-input, high-output planting methods have brought some problems to the surrounding environment. Salinization has not only affected the soil and groundwater environment, but also the growth of vegetables. A comprehensive understanding of soil salinization in plastic shed vegetable fields is important for the sustainable development of the vegetable farming industry. In this paper, random survey sampling was used to collect soil samples from representative PSV production areas in Shandong Province, and the soil salinization status, acidification status, salt ion composition, and the main causes of soil salinity were studied in the survey area. Our study found that the salinized soils (mild, moderate, and severe levels) in the surveyed areas accounted for 40% of the total samples, and the total soluble salt (TSS) increased with the increase of the planting years. After continuous planting for 10 years, the soil pH showed a downward trend, indicating that salinization and acidification occurred simultaneously. A significant positive correlation was observed between TSS and soil organic matter (SOM) (r = 0.4773**). Principal component analysis found that , , , , Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, and Na+ had higher positive loads on principal component 1, the factor loads were 0.557–0.927, and the contribution rate reached 34.928%. Correlation analysis also showed that TSS was positively correlated with the concentrations of these ions (P < 0.01). The soil salinization status should be closely monitored and regulated by regulatory authorities to improve environment and soil health through balanced fertilization, thereby improving the yield and quality of vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for evaluation floor water inrush risk using combined weighting and analytic hierarchy process. The method is validated by a case study at the Pengzhuang coal mine in Shandong Province, China. First, the relevant geological background, hydrogeological data and related data were collected and analyzed, and the risk evaluation index of water inrush from the floor was determined. Then, combined with principal component analysis, entropy weight method and analytic hierarchy process, a comprehensive evaluation model was constructed to determine the comprehensive weights of each surge evaluation index. Finally, based on the GIS geographic information processing system, the optimized comprehensive weighting mathematical model was combined with the vulnerability index method to determine the water inrush risk division. The results show that the improved integrated weighting model is more accurate than the improved comprehensive weighting model. At the same time, the evaluation results obtained by comparing the traditional water inrush coefficient method have verified the reasonableness of the evaluation model. The results can provide a theoretical basis for the safe mining of coal seam above confined groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formation comprises a distinctive set of sedimentary layers, which can be traceable laterally and mapped as a unit. It is a fundamental unit for stratigraphic position in a regional scale and provides an important basis for the interpretation of depositional processes and environments. This paper reviews the occurrence of the Jangsan Formation at the base of the Taebaek Group (Cambrian-Ordovician) in the Taebaeksan Basin and refines the geologic map unit for sedimentary characteristics and stratigraphic position. The refined Jangsan Formation comprises a set of distinctive sandstone (quartzite) with a number of sedimentary facies, including conglomerate, conglomeratic sandstone, and mudstone. The "Myeonsan Formation" is limited to a localized set, and leads it fallen into disuse. The refined Jangsan Formation can be reliably correlated with the equivalent early Cambrian sandstone unit (Liguan Formation) in Shandong Province, China about a thousand kilometers apart and elsewhere in the northeast Asian continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's food security has always been a high priority issue on the political agenda with rapid urbanization affecting agricultural land, and it is challenged by several factors, such as human activities, social politics and policy. Shandong is an important grain-producing province and the second most populous province in China. In this paper, the spatiotemporal characteristics of grain yield and their potential influencing factors were explored at the county level in Shandong by using panel data over a 19-year period. The location Gini coefficient (L-Gini) and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) were used to study the spatial agglomeration characteristics of grain yield, and spatial regression methods (SRMs) were used to analyse the influencing factors. The results indicated that grain yield increased from 38.3 million metric tons to 53.2 million metric tons in 2000–2018, with a growth rate of approximately 28.0%. The increase in grain yield in Shandong was due to the driving effect of radiation from high-yield counties to surrounding moderate-yield counties. This revealed an upward trend of spatial polarization in Shandong's grain yield. In 2000–2018, the L-Gini and global Moran's I increased from 0.330 to 0.479 and from 0.369 to 0.528, respectively. The number of counties in high-high (HH) and low-low (LL) agglomeration areas increased, and the spatial polarization effect was significant. SRMs analysis showed that irrigation investment and non-grain attention have significant positive and negative effects on grain production, respectively. The spatial relationship between grain yield and its influencing factors was explored to provide a reference for formulating scientific and rational agricultural policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deep resources within existing gold mines have great potential to prolong the life of mines such as the Jiaojia gold mine in Shandong province in China. However, with the increase of mining depth in the Jiaojia gold mine, the overburden stress is increasing and the spatial and temporal distribution of the mining stress field is becoming more complex. This in turn is causing the spatial structure of the overlying strata to be seriously damaged, which often leads to mine water disasters. In this paper, based on the analysis of borehole data and a profile map, a three-dimensional geological model was established to predict the height of the water-conducting fracture zone near a regionally significant fault. The effects of mining show that the maximum height of the water-conducting fractured zone is about 21.2 m during mining at the − 700 level. The shape of the fractures that are developed varies from nearly horizontal to micro arch-shaped. The failure range of the plastic area near the fault was found to be larger near the fault than that at a distance from the fault. The stress distribution on both sides of the fault was found to be not continuous, and to be larger in the hanging wall than that in the footwall. A stress concentration zone was found to be formed in the front and back of the stope during the mining process and to increase with mining depth. This method can restore the original state of the underground stress field to the greatest extent and make up for the lack of empirical formula theory and the limitation of the similar material methods for deep mining, which is relatively more accurate and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crop water relationship quantification is conducive to decision-making for regional food safety and resource conservation. However, irrigation water and crop water footprint (CWF) was observed separately in previous studies, which leads to incomplete evaluation of water resource occupation in agricultural system. The crop water resource use (WRU), combining WF and irrigation water accounting, in 31 provinces of China from 1999 to 2018 was estimated in current paper. The driving forces of WRU were analyzed using the logarithmic mean divisia index (LMDI) model, based on its spatial and temporal patterns demonstration. The results showed that national WRU increased from 1051.6 Gm3 in 1999 to 1676.4 Gm3 in 2018, with an average annual growth rate of 2.48%. The provinces with high WRU were mainly distributed in North China and Northeast China. Hebei, Shandong, and Henan jointly contributed 28.9% of the national WRU. In addition, economic level was the largest contributor to promote the growth of WRU, and water use intensity was the most important contributor to inhibit the growth of WRU. Economic level, resource endowment, and population size had a promoting effect on WRU in Northeast, Northwest, North China, and Southeast provinces, while water use intensity, irrigation technique, and urbanization degree showed inhibitory effect in Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest provinces. It is meaningful to combine water footprint and irrigation water use for agricultural water management and conservation. The arid North China Plain should adopt water-saving irrigation and rainwater recycling technologies to control WRU, and the Northeast granary should reduce WRU by strengthening water pollution prevention and improving water resources scheduling to ensure food security and sustainable use of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue Economy (BE), as a novel approach fostering the sustainability of oceans and coastal areas for economic growth, is considered an enabler for sustainable and inclusive development. The paper contributes to the emerging literature on the development of a participative BE by presenting an innovative Quadruple Helix model, which not only connects domestic government, academia, firms and users but acts as a driver boosting the foreign exposure of the country in this specific domain. The model is tested in Qingdao, an exemplary city included in the Blue Economic Zone of the Shandong Province in China, through an exploratory approach based on desk research integrated with semi-structured interviews with eight experts. The findings suggest that Qingdao is built on a Triple Helix where the government holds a leading role in defining the domestic and international activities of academia and businesses, as in the case of the Blue Silicon Valley and the Qingdao West Coast New Area. Contrary, structures and practices fostering the involvement of civil society were not retrieved, even if projects to develop a sustainable Quadruple Helix model are expected by exploiting international collaboration. Furthermore, the findings show that to promote international partnerships in BE it is imperative to define a common and shared language at the global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying lithology from well logs is an important step in deep prospecting and resource estimation. Various machine learning algorithms have been adopted to identify lithology in oil and gas fields. Such algorithms, however, are rarely used for mineral deposits because of their complex geological conditions. In this paper, we propose an application framework using the gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) algorithm to identify lithology from well logs in a mineral deposit. The GBDT classifier was built via the procedure of grid search and cross-validation to optimize the hyperparameters. In the Zhaoxian gold deposit, as the study area, an optimized GBDT classifier was built to fit the association between a set of well logs and ten lithological classes. The results demonstrate that the GBDT classifier has good classification performance in lithology identification, with a precision of 93.55%, a recall of 93.49% and an F1-score of 93.27%. The GBDT classification results also indicate that the major features contributing to the lithology classification are resistivity, followed by spontaneous potential and natural gamma according to the model interpretation of feature importance and partial dependence plots. The study demonstrates that the GBDT model can enhance our understanding of lithology identification from well logs in mineral deposits, which provides significant implications for further exploration targeting the deep-seated parts of mineral deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper used original survey data in Shandong province of China to depict local farmers' perceptions of combined climatic and market risks, and their adaptive behaviors. Two Logit models were developed to capture the empirical relationship between farmers' risk perception of the combined risks and adaptive behaviors. Results show that farmer's risk perception of climate change and market significantly affected their adoption behavior of adaptive measures, including perception of rainfall decrease, gale decrease, drought increase, and price fall of agricultural products. Moreover farmers' adaptive behaviors are more sensitive to their perceptions of extreme climatic events. Addition of demographic factors can improve the explanatory capacity of the Logit model. As illustrated by the models, male and better educated farmers have greater willingness to take actions for averting risks, while household heads with bigger farm are more reluctant. A majority of respondents chose to construct farm structure for irrigation and water conservation to avert climatic risks. Insurance, which is regarded as an effective tool to help farmers mitigate risks and avoid losses, has not been sufficiently accepted by farmers in rural areas in Shandong province. This underscores the need of effective communication of knowledge to enhance farmers' coping capacity and to encourage their active response to risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the adaptive analysis paradigm, this paper constructs an evaluation index system and an evaluation model of the level of industrial ecology of a restricted development zone from the perspective of the industrial system and of the environmental system, and studies the spatial-temporal differentiation characteristics and the driving factors of the level of industrial ecology of the restricted development zone of the Shandong Province, China, by using a variety of measurement methods. The results show that: 1) In the temporal dimension, the level of industrial ecology of the research area increased from 2005 to 2017, while in the regional dimension, it was higher in the eastern coastal areas, followed by the northwestern area and the southwestern area; 2) In the spatial dimension, from 2005 to 2017 the level of industrial ecology of the research area had a clear spatial dependence, and the regional spatial agglomeration of the restricted development zones with similar industrial ecology levels become increasingly evident; 3) On the whole, the industrial ecology level in the study area had a clear spatial differentiation pattern, as it was higher in the north and in the east and lower in the south and in the west. Moreover, its evolution model changed from a 'three-core driven model' to a 'spatial scattered mosaic distribution model', and then to a 'single-core driven model'; 4) Industrial ecology was positively correlated with economic development, foreign investment, science and technology, and negatively correlated with the government role, while industrial structure and environmental regulation failed to pass the statistical significance test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving "Responsible Consumption and Production" is one of the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations. Controlling overcapacity is an important guarantee in order to achieve this goal. There are many types and large quantities of raw materials in the construction industry, which easily leads to overcapacity. Studying the problems related to overcapacity in the construction industry helps to understand the formation mechanism of overcapacity in related industries. This puts forward targeted countermeasures and suggestions for the capacity resolution to achieve green and sustainable development. Based on this, this paper uses the construction industry capacity utilization data of the Shandong Province in China from 2005 to 2017. It also uses the production function method to construct a construction industry overcapacity calculation model to estimate the construction industry capacity utilization and overcapacity rate in Shandong Province. The DEA method was used to construct an extraction model of influencing factors for overcapacity. The results show that the capacity utilization ratio for Shandong Province from 2005 to 2016 was 81.98%. There was no overcapacity as a whole, but there were large fluctuations in capacity utilization for some time periods. Suggestions for optimization countermeasures were also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dongying City is located in the northeast of Shandong Province and is the central city of the Yellow River Delta. It has abundant oil and gas resources, vast saline-alkali land area, and saline brine as the main groundwater. Therefore, freshwater resources are poor, as there is a contradiction in the water supply and its demand. Judging the trend of sustainable utilization of water resources in Dongying City has an important role in promoting the local conservation and exploitation of water resources, recycling water resources, and undermining the contradiction between supply and demand of urban water resources. In this paper, 21 indicators have been selected to build the index system for judging the sustainable utilization of water resources. In addition, the DPSIR model is used to evaluate the sustainable utilization trend of water resources in Dongying City from 2005 through 2017. On the other hand, the GM (1, 1) model is considered to predict the sustainable potential-utilization of water resources in Dongying City from 2019 through 2025. The results demonstrated that the sustainable utilization of water resources in Dongying City shows an increasing trend from 2005 to 2017, So that the highest and lowest values are in 2017 and 2005, respectively. In addition, the sustainable potential-utilization of water resources in Dongying City may indicate a continuous upward trend from 2019 through 2025. Rainfall, runoff of the Yellow River and water resources per capita are the main factors affecting the sustainable utilization of water resources. According to the continuous improvement of residents' awareness of water saving and water-saving level, the development and exploitation of water resources will be more and more reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "double-carbon" policy is a new opportunity for the transformation of China's production sector. With steady economic growth, each province has proposed specific policies aimed at cleaner production. However, the interactions between regions and the complex linkages between industries have hindered the implementation of the "double-carbon" policy. In order to address this issue, we introduced a complex network framework with multiple industries at a national level. The framework aimed to clarify whether there is fluctuation diffusion in China's multi-province multi-industry carbon emission system, to identify key industries and regions, and to answer the question of "who" is the most effective in governance. The results showed that the fluctuations of industrial carbon emissions had a cross-regional diffusion effect in China indeed. The diffusion capacity of industry fluctuation depends on whether the industry is located at a "hub" position in the network. Hub industries with strong capacity can spread the carbon emission fluctuation of themselves and upstream or downstream industries to the whole country through regional interactions. This characteristic of the hub industry should be taken into account in governance to maximize the effectiveness of emission reduction. Shandong and Inner Mongolia, as important provinces for the production of intermediate products and energy chemicals in China, had a greater role to play in global carbon supply push from their hub industries than in the demand pull. The pulling capacity of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to the national carbon demand side was greater than that of Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. These findings might have implications for environmental and economic policymaking, particularly with regard to cross-provincial coordinated systemic solutions and policy anchors for synergy with industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf vegetables serve as an important food for the local residents in China. This paper focuses on the uptake, accumulation, transfer, and mercury (Hg) sensitivity of leafy vegetables. Two types of soil (an alkaline Cambosol and an acid Ferrosol) and eleven species of leafy vegetable, namely, Spinach, Tung choy, Leek, Fennel, Coriander, Chinese flowering cabbage, Wuta-tsai, Pakchoi, Chicory, Crown daisy, and Lettuce, were selected to investigate their sensitivity to Hg accumulation in a greenhouse pot experiment. Three Hg concentration treatments were carried out as control (background values), low concentration (1.5 times standard value), and high concentration (2 times standard value) as adjusted by the soil pH. Hg concentrations of more than half vegetable samples grown in Cambosol (collected from Shandong Province) reached or exceeded the maximum permissible food safety levels (10 μg kg-1) according to the General Standard of Contaminants in Food in China (GB 2762-2012), while only about 15% in Ferrosol (collected from Jiangxi Province). Meanwhile, Hg bio-concentration factors (BCF) in all treatments were < 1, while Hg translocation factors (TF) in most treatments were < 1. Correlation analysis among soil, root, and edible plant parts revealed that the principal source of Hg in leafy vegetables was most likely from Hg-contaminated soils. Species sensitivity distribution (SSD) models were constructed and their simulated curves indicated that sensitivity to Hg was highest in Pakchoi in low Hg-contaminated soils, and Chicory in highly Hg-contaminated soils. Therefore, Hg concentration is mostly accumulated in roots of leafy crops, which reduces the risk of Hg bioaccumulation in edible portion of vegetables, and (2) Brassicaceae vegetables are mostly less sensitive to soil Hg contamination. Our results provide effective guidance for the selection of leafy vegetables for cultivation and daily consumption that minimizes health risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite rapid economic growth and industrialization in the Huai River Basin within Shandong Province, water quality improved during 2005-2010 under state-controlled monitoring. The industrial structure theory, environmental Kuznets curve, and statistical analyses were used to examine correlations between economic development and industrial water pollutant loads. The beverage, textile, paper, and food processing industries are major polluters, and structural pollution deters simultaneous industrialization and water resource management. This paper proposes policy actions and indicates that constant adjustments to the industrial structure are important for promoting coordinated growth of industry and water environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of social interactions and the lender-borrower relationship by measuring the disconnect between borrowers and lenders across a wide range of lending-related attributes. The degree by which lenders and borrowers connect disconnect depends on whether lenders' and borrowers' perceptions across these attributes are symmetric or asymmetric. We compare field survey results from 120 loan officers at Rural Credit Cooperatives (RCCs) in China's coastal Shandong province, and pair them with an existing survey on identical questions to 394 farm households in the same region. Pairing lenders' perception towards borrowers regarding RCC microcredit lending mechanism, against borrowers' perception towards lenders and how themselves were perceived by lenders in the same regards, we observe on many dimensions a disconnect between them in the context of lenders' 'care' towards borrowers, loan rejection, memberships of RCC and group guarantee, lending concerns, cost of borrowing, reasons for default, credit rationing, and lending preferences. This research provides financial institutions with outreach mechanisms to borrowers, while also training lenders to borrowers' sensitivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving access to HIV/AIDS healthcare services is of great concern to government and policymakers striving to strengthen overall public health. How to reasonably allocate HIV/AIDS healthcare resources and maximize the equality of access to healthcare services across subdistrict areas has become an urgent problem to be solved. However, there is limited research on this topic in China. It is necessary to evaluate spatial accessibility to improve the accessibility and equity of HIV/AIDS healthcare services. In this study, the improved multi-modal two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) and inverted 2SFCA (i2SFCA) methods are used to measure the spatial accessibility of HIV/AIDS healthcare services and the crowdedness of the healthcare sites in Shandong Province, China. Then, the theoretical supply and the optimal spatial distribution of resources are calculated and visualized by minimizing the accessibility gaps between demand locations. This study showed that the spatial accessibility of HIV/AIDS service resources in Shandong Province was concentrated and unevenly distributed, and the accessibility scores in the marginal areas of prefecture-level cities were significantly lower than those in other areas. Regions with a large number of doctors had significantly higher levels of spatial accessibility. The ART accessibility scores in the southwest of Shandong Province were higher than those in other regions. As the travel friction coefficient increased, the accessibility scores formed an approximately circular cluster distribution centered on the healthcare sites in geographical distribution. More ART drugs needed to be supplied in marginal areas and more doctors were needed to work on HIV/AIDS in urban areas to address the spatial distribution imbalance of HIV/AIDS healthcare services. This study profoundly analyzed the spatial accessibility of HIV/AIDS healthcare services and provided essential references for decision-makers. In addition, it gives a significant exploration for achieving the goal of equal access to HIV/AIDS healthcare services in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the logarithmic curves of the per capita GDP and the urbanization, with the traditional environmental Kuznets equation, this paper presented a coupling equation showing the relationship between urbanization and the atmospheric environment. Based on the 'double exponential' coupling curve, the principles of flattening, advancing and fast-falling that new coupling curve should be followed were discussed. According to the two indicators of environmental assessment, namely the treatment cost and the deterioration degree of the environment, a new dual four times matrix model with the corresponding countermeasures and environment policy were introduced. Taking Shandong Province as an example, the coupling relationship between urbanization and atmospheric environment was investigated. The coupling curve showed that it was in running-in stage, and atmospheric quality tended to be improved. SO curve fluctuated more significantly compared with soot and industrial dust curves. The matrix model shows that the combination of flattening principle and advancing principle is preferable for SO emissions, but the fast-falling principle is recommended for soot and industrial dust emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The karst region in the central-south region of Shandong province of China is one of the typical half-drought temperate karst regions in north China. There are abundant karst water resources in this region, and are also the major water supply resource bases of the important cities of Shandong province, China. But some major features of karst water resource such as inhomogeneous distribution, large area dispersed recharge and local water concentration exist evidently in this region. These features determine that it is very significant to realize the rational exploitation and regulatory storage of karst water resource in this region. Based on the systematic investigation of the typical area of karst water resources in central-south region of Shandong province, China and the previous research findings, this paper completes a systematic research on the present situation of exploitation and utilization, influencing factor of scientific exploitation and rational storage problem of karst water resources in this region. The regional distribution features and pattern of karst water resources in this region are also analyzed. According to the basic research results, some major measures for rational regulatory reserve of karst water resources and ecology environment protection are put forwards in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Withdrawal of groundwater can dry up springs. It is, however, often difficult to determine the exact causes for the depletion of spring flow by the traditional methods. A 3-D geological model is presented in this paper to explore the groundwater flow conditions in the aquifers that feed springs. Because of the various geological data in spring areas, a date integration technique is adopted to ensure the accuracy of the model. This model is implemented in the spring protection program in Jinan City, China, and the reasons for the drying up of the springs in the city are studied. The proposed model would be particularly helpful in the spring protection, and the appropriate application of the model would result in economic and social benefits of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the deepening exploration of the study on corporate social responsibility (CSR), CSR has progressively gained significance for enterprises. This study aims to analyze the impact of fashion companies' information disclosure on the intention of Chinese consumers who purchase clothing by providing information related to the environment, suppliers, manufacturing processes, and pricing. An experimental study was conducted using stimuli on 412 consumers in Shandong Province, China. The research results are as follows. First, it was found that consumers' perception of Corporate Social Performance (CSP) has a positive effect on the authenticity of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) message and consumers' subjective norms. Second, CSR message authenticity and consumer subjective norms mediate the perception of CSP in the process of leading to purchasing activities. Third, consumers perceive the authenticity of a company's CSR activities according to the degree of transparent information disclosure of the cost and manufacturing process of its products. This study shows that the CSR information provided by the company is authentic depending on the degree of CSR information transparency of the company, and that it leads to a purchase intention when consumers judge that the company's CSR activities are authentic. Accordingly, it is suggested that many fashion companies' CSR activities lead to product purchases when they are continuously conducted on environmental, social problems, and transparency in the production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline intrusions in the eastern Shandong Province consist of quartz monzonite and granite. U-Pb zircon ages, geochemical data, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for these rocks are reported in the present paper. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb zircon analyses yielded consistent ages ranging from 114.3 ± 0.3 to 122.3 ± 0.4 Ma for six samples of the felsic rocks. The felsic rocks are characterised by a wide range of chemical compositions (SiO = 55.14-77.63 wt. %, MgO = 0.09-4.64 wt. %, FeO = 0.56-7.6 wt. %, CaO = 0.40-5.2 wt. %), light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) (i.e., Rb, Pb, U) enrichment, as well as significant rare earth elements (HREEs) and heavy field strength (HFSEs) (Nb, Ta, P and Ti) depletion, various and high (Sr/Sr) ranging from 0.7066 to 0.7087, low ε (t) values from −14.1 to −17.1, high neodymium model ages (T = 1.56-2.38Ga, T = 2.02-2.25Ga), Pb/Pb = 17.12-17.16, Pb/Pb = 15.44-15.51, and Pb/Pb = 37.55-37.72. The results suggested that these rocks were derived from an enriched crustal source. In addition, the alkaline rocks also evolved as the result of the fractionation of potassium feldspar, plagioclase, +/− ilmenite or rutile and apatite. However, the alkaline rocks were not affected by crustal contamination. Moreover, the generation of the alkaline rocks can be attributed to the structural collapse of the Sulu organic belt due to various processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of a study that examined the preparation and teaching practice of ten teachers of grades 7-12 from the Shandong province in China. This study revealed that a multi-dimensional training system has been developed to help the teachers gradually build up their knowledge base for teaching. The findings of this study indicated that the prospective teacher education emphasized a deep understanding of advanced mathematics, while the teacher professional development provided meaningful and effective ongoing activities for the enhancement of teaching skills. The teacher professional development appears to be an essential supplement to the prospective teacher education for improving teachers' performance and developing teaching expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports petrographic, mineral chemical, olivine oxygen isotopic, and whole-rock geochemical data for wehrlite xenoliths from the Early Cretaceous Tietonggou high-Mg diorites in western Shandong Province, in the eastern part of the North China Craton (NCC), and describes the origin of these wehrlites and the processes that affected the deep lithospheric mantle in this area. Wehrlite xenoliths are rounded and vary in size between 3 cm × 4 cm × 5 cm and 3 cm × 2 cm × 1 cm. Olivine within these xenoliths occurs as an isolated residual phase within clinopyroxene, has Fo contents between 89 and 91, and contains between 1414 and 3629 ppm Ni, similar to the values of olivine from peridotite xenoliths in the Cenozoic basalts of eastern China, but lower than the values of olivine from harzburgite xenoliths in the Early Cretaceous high-Mg diorites in western Shandong. In situ oxygen isotope analysis yielded δO values of olivine from (6.03±0.33)‰ to (6.82±0.35)‰, averaging (6.5±0.4)‰; this is higher than typical mantle-derived olivine ((5.2±0.3)‰). Compared with clinopyroxenes from peridotite xenoliths in the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic basalts, clinopyroxenes in the wehrlites contain relatively low concentrations of NaO, TiO, and AlO, high concentrations of CaO, and higher Mg (91.2-94.1) and Ti/Eu ratios (2082-2845), being similar in composition to clinopyroxenes within harzburgite xenoliths in the Early Cretaceous high-Mg diorites. Clinopyroxenes from wehrlite xenoliths are characterized by low total REE abundance, enrichment in light REEs, and depletion in high field strength elements such as Nb, Ta, Zr, and Hf. Moreover, the Sr/Sr, Nd/Nd, and Os/Os (125 Ma) ratios of these wehrlites vary from 0.70596 to 0.70737, 0.512181 to 0.512416, and 0.12661 to 0.57650, respectively. These data suggest that these wehrlite xenoliths were formed by modification of the lithospheric mantle by melts derived from recycled continental crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The paper describes a multi-electrode resistivity survey in the area of the Da Ye Dam in Shan Dong Province, China, undertaken to elucidate the most likely zones of observed/potential leakage. Two profiles were established, which indicated the presence of four faults and a karstic zone in the limestone bedrock. Where previous grouting had been undertaken, the rocks appeared more homogeneous. The study concluded that this is a useful technique which can realistically indicate potential zones of water leakage. Such geophysical profiles can assist in the targeting of intrusive investigations and/or remedial measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great achievements have been gained in assuring the safety of the lower Yellow River through arduous work in the past fifty years. But the disadvantages of boundary for river-flow are obvious, such as topography, tectonic movement and crustal stability. The main conflicts of less water and more sand, and the speeding up of sedimentation still exist, causing continuous river shrinkage. However, all the existing methods cannot completely avoid flood catastrophe, so a new control method needs to be explored. The method of changing-route based on geographical theory has always been a focus of debate over whether there are other feasible routes for the current Yellow River. From geoscientific point of view, this paper investigates whether there is a best feasible reservation route in Huang-Huai-Hai plain. Under the actual condition that the conflict between water and sand cannot be eradicated, the selection of the best reservation route should be the overlaying area of the optimum boundary conditions and the less social and economic loss. By detailed analysis of topography, tectonic movement, crustal stability and social-economic progress in the region of the lower Yellow River, the best reservation route is obtained by using the distance weighted function and the minimum cost function. The analysis result indicates that the reservation route can get rid of the influence of the elevation in central western Shandong Province, and the whole route flows through the Hal-Huang rift valley, which is good for channel stability. As to the basic parameters of water and sand movements, the gradient increases 36.2%, the length shortens 15.4% and the curvature reduces 12.2%. Using the reservation route can comparatively reduce the flood risk of the Yellow River, except that it will induce such problems as resettlement and relocation of towns, infrastructure reconstruction, water shortage in the abandoned area of the present route, as well as the resultant ecological and environmental degradation. But in contrast to the huge accumulative input to the harnessing of the Yellow River by the state, the absolute input of dealing with the above-mentioned problems is still acceptable. In the construction of corresponding infrastructures, using the reservation route will promote the region's socio-economic development and offer a rare chance of burgeoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effectiveness of movie character analysis for teaching psychotic symptomatology to medical undergraduates. We randomly selected two of six medical schools in Shandong Province, China, then randomly assigned eight undergraduate classes at those schools to intervention or control groups. The intervention group (n = 162) participated in seminars in which psychotic symptoms were explored through analysis of movie characters. The control group (n = 165) participated in conventional seminars. The participants in both groups were surveyed with a custom-designed questionnaire, and their knowledge was assessed using a written exam. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed greater interest in the topic (t = 5.63, p < 0.001), better understanding of psychotic symptoms (t = 2.37, p = 0.02), and greater acceptance (t = 9.80, p < 0.001). In addition, the intervention group showed significantly greater knowledge on the written exam (t = 5.78, p < 0.001). Analyzing movie characters can improve the teaching of psychotic symptomatology and should be further explored and promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing number of returnees from malaria endemic areas, imported malaria has become a public health challenge in China. To better understand the characteristics of imported Plasmodium species and adjust appropriate strategies for malaria prevention and control in Eastern China, we conducted molecular detection and species identification on 1282 imported malaria cases in Shandong Province between 2012 and 2018. The findings showed that P. falciparum was predominant, particularly in cases imported from Africa. P. vivax was the dominant species imported from Asian countries. Additionally, imported P. ovale and P. malariae emerged in the province. Further surveillance and control of imported malaria among returnees from Africa and Southeast Asia is needed to be strengthened in Eastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mastering the pattern of food loss caused by droughts and floods aids in planning the layout of agricultural production, determining the scale of drought and flood control projects, and reducing food loss. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index is calculated using monthly meteorological data from 1984 to 2020 in Shandong Province of China and is used to identify the province's drought and flood characteristics. Then, food losses due to droughts and floods are estimated separately from disaster loss data. Finally, the relationship between drought/flood-related factors and food losses is quantified using methods such as the Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression. The results show that: 1) there is a trend of aridity in Shandong Province, and the drought characteristic variables are increasing yearly while flood duration and severity are decreasing. 2) The food losses caused by droughts in Shandong Province are more than those caused by floods, and the area where droughts and floods occur frequently is located in Linyi City. 3) The impact of precipitation on food loss due to drought/flood is significant, followed by potential evapotranspiration and temperature. 4) The relationship between drought and flood conditions and food losses can be precisely quantified. The accumulated drought duration of one month led to 1.939 × 104 t of grain loss, and an increase in cumulative flood duration of one month resulted in 1.134 × 104 t of grain loss. If the cumulative drought severity and average drought peak increased by one unit, food loss due to drought will increase by 1.562 × 104 t and 1.511 × 106 t, respectively. If the cumulative flood severity and average flood peak increase by one unit, food loss will increase by 8.470 × 103 t and 1.034 × 106 t, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated land pressure represents a direct reflection of grain security. Existing relevant studies rarely approached the spatiotemporal pattern of cultivated land pressure or the spatial heterogeneity of its influencing factors from the level of economic zones. Taking the Huaihai Economic Zone (HEZ), China for case analysis, this study investigated the spatiotemporal pattern of cultivated land pressure in diverse periods from 2000 to 2018 based on a modified cultivated land pressure index and spatial correlation models. On this basis, it explored the influencing factors of the spatial differentiation of cultivated land pressure in the late stage of the study using geographical detector as well as multi-scale geographically weighted regression model. The results indicated that: 1) in the study period, the global cultivated land pressure index of the study area decreased gradually, but cultivated land pressure increased locally in a significant way, especially in the central and southern Shandong Province; 2) the spatial pattern of cultivated land pressure manifested global clustering features. Hot and secondary-hot spots presented a narrowing and clustering trend, whereas cold and secondary-cold spots manifested a spreading and clustering trend; 3) average slope, the proportion of non-grain crops, population urbanization rate, and multiple cropping index have significant effects on the spatial differentiation of cultivated land pressure. The former three factors were positively correlated with cultivated land pressure, and the last factor was negatively correlated with cultivated land pressure; and 4) the amount of cultivated land has increased in the central and southern Shandong Province through land consolidation which, nonetheless, failed to improve the grain production. In regards to major grain producing areas similar to the HEZ in China, the authors suggest that great importance should be given to the balance of the quality and quantity of cultivated land, the optimization of agricultural production factors and the rational control of non-grain crops, thus providing a powerful guarantee for grain security in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, large-scale deployment of photovoltaic (PV) power leads to management challenges for recycling PV module waste in China. With the growth of waste PV volumes, it is necessary to figure out the spatio-temporal distribution of PV waste at the provincial level. Based on China's carbon neutrality goal by 2060, six development pathways of PV installed capacity are proposed to identify in-use stocks of PV capacity. In particular, we develop the retired flow estimation model for PV modules that is constructed by three PV module degradation scenarios. The results show that a relatively large scale of PV waste will be started to emerge in China by 2030 and the cumulative waste is expected to reach 1100 ∼ 1450 GW by 2060. Our findings also indicate an unequal distribution of PV waste across regions and the highest PV waste volumes by 2060 is the East China region at 31.4%, with Shandong (8.99%) and Hebei(8.65%) ranking as the top provinces. This prospective research will help the PV industry plan the location and capacity of recovery facilities at an appropriate time to advance toward a more resource efficient and circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes the virtual restoration of the Bodhidharma polychrome sculpture from the Lingyan Temple in China. Based on scientific analyses and simulation experiments, exterior colours and textures were virtually restored by combining 3D scanning and multi-view 3D reconstruction. At the same time, an efficient cultural relics high-fidelity information 3D modelling method was proposed. Colours and textures are essential for polychrome cultural relics, reflecting the historical appearance and technology. Due to long periods of natural ageing and the destruction of environmental factors, the colours and textures of polychrome sculptures are often altered or radically changed, making it difficult for people to appreciate the initial appearance. With the rapid development of digital technology and high-fidelity 3D modelling, virtual reality technology allows us to restore the appearance of cultural relics. This study expands the dimension of cultural relics exhibition, provides new perspectives for archaeology, art history and cultural heritage research, and provides a reference for the virtual restoration and digitalised archive of other cultural relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological control (BC) is an important component of green control techniques, and its adoption in the production of fresh produce holds economic and ecological importance as an alternative to chemical pesticides, yet its current adoption rate is not high. To clarify the issue, this study analyzes the factors that influence growers' adoption of BC practices in China's orchard systems. We focus on how marketing outlets and risk attitudes affect farmers' adoption of BC practices. A field survey of 327 pear growers was conducted in three main pear-producing areas of Hebei, Shandong, and Hubei provinces of China between October and December 2020. Results show that farmers' risk aversion has a significant and negative impact on their adoption of BC practices. The market environment is another dramatic factor affecting farmers' adoption. Both green certification and cooperative marketing have a significant role in promoting farmers' adoption of BC practices. Our findings highlight the importance of risk reduction and market environment to BC adoption. Furthermore, it can provide critical information for policymakers in formulating strategies to promote the application and extension of BC practices among farmers in developing countries, such as China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste (FW) in a whole country contains a large amount of nitrogen which could be used to replace chemical fertilizers to produce organic grains, thus mitigating environmental pollution from the source. A 2-year field experiment was carried out using rural FW to grow organic grains in Shandong Province, China. Different proportions of FW and cattle manure were designed: FM0, 100% cattle manure compost (CMC); FM1, 75% CMC + 25% FW; FM2, 50% CMC + 50% FW; FM3, 25% CMC + 75% FW; FM4, 100% FW; CF, 100% chemical fertilizer; CK, without any fertilizers. Compared with CK and FM0, the application of FW significantly increased the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium content of the soil. Simultaneously, all the three indicators increased with the increase of the proportion of FW. FW did not cause increase of contents of heavy metals such as cuprum, zinc, and chromium in the soils, nor did it increase the heavy metals in the grains. Using FW to replace all cattle manure, the total organic yield of grains reached to an average of 18,163 kg ha−1. We found that 1 kg dry FW could produce 1.64 kg organic grains under organic conditions, with the average net income being 5.42 times that of chemical mode. Our findings may provide an innovative solution for treating rural food wastes, ensuring food safety, and conservating the agriculture ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the occurrence and partition of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), sediment, seawater, and biota of the eastern sea area of Shandong Peninsula (China) were sampled in 2016. Due to shipping activities and discharge of industrial wastes, the TPH levels in the sediment decreased from the coastal areas to the offshore area. Waterborne TPH concentrations showed a decreasing order of autumn > summer > spring > winter, probably caused by low input of pollutants from the river into the ocean in dry seasons and frequent aquaculture operations in wet seasons. The distribution coefficient (logKd) between sediment and seawater ranged from 2.00 to 5.05, suggesting that TPHs are preferentially retained by the sediment. Significant positive correlations between logKd and total organic carbon (TOC), mud (fine particles), and temperature, as well as negative correlations between logKd and dissolved oxygen (DO), hydrogen ion concentration (pH), and oxidation–reduction potential (Eh), suggest interactions between environmental behaviors of TPHs and physicochemical factors. Mean bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) of TPHs in fish, shrimps, and mollusks were determined to be 240 ± 200, 900 ± 1800, and 2630 ± 1280, respectively, suggesting that considerable bioaccumulation occurs in shrimps when TPHs are transported from the seawater to the shrimps. A negative linear correlation between logTPHs and trophic level indicated biodilution of TPHs along the marine food web. This is the first study that has focused on the accumulation of TPHs in the entire sediment–seawater-biota system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food safety is influenced by soil heavy metal pollution, since it is of great significance to study soil heavy metal pollution of agricultural products. In this work, 5 vertical and 20 horizontal sampling points were collected from apple orchards in Qixia City, Shandong Province to study soil pollution. Geo-accumulation index and potential ecological risk were used to assess the level of soil pollution. Positive matrix decomposition (PMF) receptor model was used to identify the source contribution of the heavy metal in soil. A geostatistical analysis method was used to study the spatial distribution patterns of heavy metals. Vertical concentration analysis of heavy metals showed that the concentration of heavy metals, excluding Cr, was higher in the soil surface than in the bottom soil. The potential ecological risk level of ordinary orchards was the highest. The horizontal concentration analysis showed that the average value of Hg was over twice the background value in Shandong Province. The potential ecological risk index values showed that the overall risk level of the soil was at moderate. No heavy metal was detected in the apple sample, but the residue of carbendazim requires attention. The spatial distribution of heavy metals indicated that the use of fertilizers and pesticides and industrial activities may be the main sources of heavy metals in orchards, which was similar to the results of PMF. The sustainable development of Qixia City orchards clearly requires focus on soil acidification, low soil organic matter, and older fruit growers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to incorporate the contribution of pollution sources to ecological risks into environmental monitoring, positive matrix factorization-risk quotient (PMF-RQ) was used to quantify the contribution of different PAH sources to ecological risks, which indicated that the unburned petroleum, vehicular emissions, and diesel combustion were the main sources of PAHs in Laizhou Bay and Jiaozhou Bay, and they were caused by petrochemical industry, maritime shipping, and urban traffic exhaust as the major sources of PAHs for ecological risk. Meanwhile, integrated biomarker response (IBR) and multi-biomarker pollution index (MPI) suggested that September was the most polluted month for PAHs in Laizhou Bay and Jiaozhou Bay and the pollution in Laizhou Bay was significantly higher than that in Jiaozhou Bay. This research was dedicated to explore the monitoring pattern for PAH pollution from the source to bioeffects, and it may have contributed a scientific support to monitoring and governance of marine PAH pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the home quarantine policy was implemented to control the spread of the pandemic, which may have a positive impact on the improvement of air quality in China. In this study, Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform was used to obtain CO, NO2, SO2 and aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from December 2018-March 2019, December 2019-March 2020, and December 2020-March 2021 in Shandong Province. These data were used to study the spatial and temporal distribution of air quality changes in Shandong Province before and after the pandemic and to analyze the reasons for the changes. The results show that: (1) Compared with the same period, CO and NO2 showed a decreasing trend from December 2019 to March 2020, with an average total change of 4082.36 mol/m2 and 167.25 mol/m2, and an average total change rate of 4.80% and 38.11%, respectively. SO2 did not have a significant decrease. This is inextricably linked to the reduction of human travel production activities with the implementation of the home quarantine policy. (2) The spatial and temporal variation of AOD was similar to that of pollutants, but showed a significant increase in January 2020, with an average total amount increase of 1.69 × 107 up about 2.54% from December 2019 to March 2020. This is attributed to urban heating and the reduction of pollutants such as NOx. (3) Pollutants and AOD were significantly correlated with meteorological data (e.g., average temperature, average humidity, average wind speed, average precipitation, etc.). This study provides data support for atmospheric protection and air quality monitoring in Shandong Province, as well as theoretical basis and technical guidance for policy formulation and urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The over-exploitation of water resources causes water resource depletion, which threatens water security, human life, and social and economic development. Only by clarifying the spatial pattern, changing trends, and influencing factors of water storage can we promote the rational development of water resources and relieve the pressure on water resources. However, there is still a lack of research on these aspects. In this study, the water-scarce area in Shandong Province, China, was selected to quantify the spatial and temporal changes in the terrestrial water storage (TWS) and groundwater storage (GWS) over the past 30 years. Nighttime light data were used to characterize the urbanization level (UL) and explore the effects of human activities (i.e., UL) and climate change (temperature and precipitation) on the TWS and GWS. The results show that 1) from 1990 to 2018, the overall TWS exhibited a significant decreasing trend (− 0.084 cm yr−1). The change trend of the GWS was consistent with that of the TWS (− 0.516 m3 yr−1). Spatially, there was significant spatial heterogeneity in the trend of the TWS and GWS. At the grid and prefectural scales, the TWS mainly exhibited a downward trend in the central and western regions, and an upward trend in the eastern region of Shandong Province. For the GWS, all cities exhibited a decreasing trend at the prefectural scale, whereas 92% of the regions exhibited a decreasing trend with less spatial heterogeneity at the grid scale. 2) Precipitation was the mean factor controlling the total amount of TWS and GWS in Shandong Province. Precipitation and temperature positively affected water storage, and the UL negatively affected it. At the prefectural scale, except for a few cities which were greatly influenced by the UL, the dominant factor of the TWS and GWS was precipitation in the other cities. At the grid scale, for the TWS, precipitation was the predominant factor in 51.82% of the entire region, followed by the UL (44.14%) and temperature (4.04%). For the GWS, precipitation was the predominant factor in 55.73% of the area, and the other 44.27% of the area was mainly influenced by the UL. Overall, precipitation and the UL were the key factors affecting the TWS and GWS. The results of this study provide a theoretical and decision-making basis for the optimal allocation and sustainable use of regional water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sulu orogenic belt is an uplift zone that was formed in the Late Triassic. Several Jurassic to Cretaceous sedimentary successions has been recognized within the Sulu orogenic belt in recent studies, including outcrops that are considered to be related to the newly discovered Riqingwei Basin. This basin has been the focus of extensive study due to its continuous Cretaceous rock sequence, geological location and petroleum resource potential. However, the lack of a consolidated chronology for the strata has precluded a better understanding of stratigraphy, tectonic evolution and resource potential of the Riqingwei Basin. Here, we present the results of a new magnetostratigraphic study of the continental scientific drilling borehole LK-1, which is located on Lingshan Island, offshore Shandong province, eastern China. The goals of this study are to (1) refine the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous chronostratigraphic framework of the Riqingwei Basin, and (2) investigate the location of the J/K boundary in the Borehole Core LK-1. The observed patterns of the paleomagnetic polarity zone in the LK-1 borehole correlate well with the geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS), and the continuous magnetostratigraphy profile defined in this core indicates an age ranging from 146.5 to 125.8 Ma for the samples interval. The sediment accumulation rates (SAR) of LK-1 show one period of high SAR (∼10.5 cm kyr−1) at 135.3–130.6 Ma and two periods of low SAR (∼4.8 and ∼2.2 cm kyr−1) at 145.7–135.3 and 130.6–125.8 Ma, respectively. In addition, the magnetostratigraphic results suggest that the Jurassic-Cretaceous (J/K) boundary of the LK-1 is located within the magnetozone N21.2n (∼1254 m). This comprehensive geochronologic framework provides a good correlation of the marine Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous strata in the Riqingwei Basin to other marine strata and continental sequences, in addition to providing a foundation for the study of the structural evolution of eastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by recent significant agricultural yield losses in the eastern China and a missing operational monitoring system, we developed a comprehensive drought monitoring model to better understand the impact of individual key factors contributing to this issue. The resulting model, the 'Humidity calibrated Drought Condition Index' (HcDCI) was applied for the years 2001 to 2019 in form of a case study to Weihai County, Shandong Province in East China. Design and development are based on a linear combination of the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), the Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and the Rainfall Condition Index (RCI) using multi-source satellite data to create a basic Drought Condition Index (DCI). VCI and TCI were derived from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data, while precipitation is taken from CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data) data. For reasons of accuracy, the decisive coefficients were determined by the relative humidity of soils at depth of 10–20 cm of particular areas collected by an agrometeorological ground station. The correlation between DCI and soil humidity was optimized with the factors of 0.53, 0.33, and 0.14 for VCI, TCI, and RCI, respectively. The model revealed, light agricultural droughts from 2003 to 2013 and in 2018, while more severe droughts occurred in 2001 and 2002, 2014–2017, and 2019. The droughts were most severe in January, March, and December, and our findings coincide with historical records. The average temperature during 2012–2019 is 1°C higher than that during the period 2001–2011 and the average precipitation during 2014–2019 is 192.77 mm less than that during 2008–2013. The spatio-temporal accuracy of the HcDCI model was positively validated by correlation with agricultural crop yield quantities. The model thus, demonstrates its capability to reveal drought periods in detail, its transferability to other regions and its usefulness to take future measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New energy investment assessment has a significant effect on facilitating the new energy industry's development. Reasonable evaluation methods can effectively reduce the risk of new energy investment and push forward the sustainable development of new energy resources. However, there are few research results in this area, especially in the complex decision-making environment. Thus, to make up for that, an integrated multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) framework is developed to assess the new energy investment problems. First, considering the complex decision-making environment of new energy investment, hesitant fuzzy dual linguistic term sets (HFDLTSs) are applied to represent the new energy alternative evaluation values. Due to the cloud models can reflect the fuzziness and uncertainties of linguistic information, an algorithm is proposed to realize the quantitative transformation from HFDLTSs to cloud models. Second, in view of the heterogeneity of decision makers (DMs) regarding to different attributes, a cloud model similarity-based method is proposed to derive the weight information of DMs. Then, an integrated TOPSIS–ORESTE method with cloud model is established to rank the new energy investment alternatives. The proposed method could overcome the information loss due to Besson's ranks. In addition, the global preference score considers the ideal and negative solutions relative to the traditional ORETSE method. Finally, a case study on new energy investment of Shandong province, China is conducted to illustrate the application of the established MAGDM model. The effectiveness and superiority of the introduced method are further demonstrated through the sensitivity analysis of parameters and the comparison with other representative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of sub-national governments' foreign affairs, this paper analyzes the role played by China's local governments at the time when China's central government was formulating polices to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea. China's local governments, with Shandong Province in particular, made strong attempts to lobby the central government on the economic need for enlarging bilateral trade and drawing investment from South Korea. These efforts played an active role on Sino-South Korean diplomatic normalization and further advanced the realization of diplomatic contacts already underway. Shandong Province's case shows that sub-national governments have been playing ever more important roles in China's overall diplomacy since the Reform and Opening Up for the economy, which began in 1978. In the multi-fold policy-making process by the central and local governments, it appears that the central government needs to respond to the reasonable interest case for engagement made by sub-national governments. How to accommodate the policy interests of the central and sub-national government entities is an important problem facing China's future diplomacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to global warming, global and regional extreme precipitation events occur frequently, causing severe drought and flood disasters. This has a significant impact on productivity and human life. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the characteristics of extreme precipitation and its spatiotemporal variation. In this study, we investigate the dominant variation patterns of extreme precipitation (EP), which is characterized by indices, and also analyze its potential causes in the Shandong province of China during 1961–2015 using the daily precipitation data from 123 metrological stations. The results show that there has been a dry trend in the Shandong Province in the past 55 years, that is, with the decrease in precipitation, most of the extreme precipitation index has basically showed a downward trend to varying degrees. In particular, the increase in the number of consecutive dry days (CDD) and the decrease in the number of consecutive wet days (CWD) can better explain the drought in this region. After the 1980s, the extreme precipitation index basically showed an upward trend to varying degrees, indicating that extreme precipitation events have shown an increasing trend in recent years. The spatial distribution of each extreme precipitation index generally increased from north to south. The mutation of each extreme precipitation index occurred in the 1970s and 1990s, and there was a main period of 0.9–2.2 years. In terms of influencing factors, the NINO3 area can be used as the critical sea area for the response of extreme precipitation to SSTAs in the Shandong Province. The research results are helpful to understand the temporal and spatial variations of extreme precipitation and have very important reference value for the prediction of and response to climate change and extreme events in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive mineral fertilizer input results in little extra yield but exacerbates insect herbivory and affects environmental health and ecosystem services. The use of organic fertilizer is considered to have promise for mitigating those impacts. How organic fertilizer amendment modifies crop resistance to insect herbivory and modulates biocontrol services on a landscape scale has not been well studied. We conducted a series of field experiments on a large spatial scale with three fertilization regimes (mineral fertilizer, mineral fertilizer amended with organic matter, and no fertilizer control) in Shandong Province, northern China. Soil nutrient content, wheat plant metabolism, cereal aphid abundance, parasitism rate, and wheat yield were quantified. Maize straw amendment combined with mineral fertilization significantly reduced cereal aphid abundance and promoted parasitism during the peak aphid period, compared with mineral fertilizer alone and the no fertilizer control. Modeling simulations showed increased biological pest control when a larger proportion of fields were additionally treated with maize straw amendment. Foliar chemical analyses revealed that the types and content of plant free amino acids, rather than plant defensive compounds, most likely accounted for the variation in aphid abundance and biological control efficiency. A mineral fertilization regime plus plant straw amendment may promote wheat resistance to herbivory and benefit biocontrol via bottom-up effects. Heterogeneity in fertilizer regimes between fields may be the key ecological force shaping pest control at a landscape scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]