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The general requirements of China's rural revitalization strategy are industrial prosperity, ecological livability and rich life. However, the traditional livestock breeding model has struggled to balance the dual requirements of production development and ecological protection, and it is urgent to inject new impetus and explore new development paths. At present, e-commerce has become a bridge between pastoral areas and cities, herdsmen and consumers. E-commerce participation is not only an important starting point for herdsmen to increase the added value and profit space of livestock products, but also an effective way to change the original breeding behavior based on the premise of destroying grassland. Therefore, this paper presents an in-depth study on the issue of e-commerce enabling grassland ecological restoration, aiming to provide more scientific and effective guidance for e-commerce to be used to achieve a win–win situation in economy and ecology. Therefore, based on the data of 271 herdsmen in pastoral areas of Inner Mongolia, we used the OLS model and the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method to identify the direct impact of herdsmen's e-commerce participation on grassland utilization pressure. The empirical results show that e-commerce participation can significantly decrease the grassland utilization pressure. The conclusion was still valid after alleviating endogeneity and conducting a robustness test. The results of a mechanism analysis suggest that the reduction effect of e-commerce participation on grassland utilization pressure is mainly due to price incentive, reputation incentive and place identity. Subjective norms can strengthen the inhibitory effect of e-commerce participation on grassland utilization pressure. Furthermore, a heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that e-commerce participation has a better, decreased impact on the grassland utilization pressure on the banners of China's rural e-commerce demonstration county program. Under a counterfactual assumption, if herdsmen who can participate in e-commerce choose not to do this, their grassland utilization pressure will increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pastoral areas are the key difficulty in China's pursuit of common prosperity and a key region for China to build the northern ecological safety barrier and to realize the Two Centenary Goals. It is of great significance to scientifically evaluate the quality of rural life (QRL), measure the relative poverty level (RPL), and identify the relatively poor areas, making it possible to dock poverty elimination with rural revitalization. Based on the socio-economic data of 18 pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia, this paper draws on spatial layout theory to evaluate QRL and measures RPL by the natural breakpoint method and then identifies the relatively poor areas in Inner Mongolia. The results show that (1) the QRLs of pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia were unbalanced and highly polarized. The mean score of QRLs was 0.2598. Eleven (61.11%) of the counties/banners had a QRL smaller than the mean score. On the spatial layout of QRLs, the western areas were stronger than the central areas. High QRL counties/banners are mainly concentrated in the western region. In the central region, the QRLs were very fragmented, falling onto all five levels. (2) The pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia differed significantly in RPL. The mean score of RPL stood at 0.3788. Nine counties/banners (50%) had an RPL greater than the mean. Contrary to the spatial layout features of QRLs, the central pastoral areas in Inner Mongolia had stronger RPLs than the eastern ones. High RPL counties/banners are mostly clustered in the central region. The spatial layout of RPLs is relatively reasonable in the central region: the RPLs decreased gradually from Dorbod Banner. (3) Nearly 45% of the pastoral areas in central and western Inner Mongolia face serious relative poverty and a high risk of returning to poverty. Eight counties/banners (45%) were identified as high composite relative poverty areas. From spatial layout, the composite relatively poor counties/banners clustered clearly, mainly in the western region. Finally, this paper establishes a warning mechanism against large-scale returning to poverty, aiming to lower composite RPL. The research results provide empirical reference and implementation path for consolidating the results of poverty eradication and facilitating rural revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is a primary freshwater resource for human consumption and an essential source for industry and agriculture. Therefore, understanding its spatial and temporal trends and drivers is crucial for governments to take appropriate measures to manage water resources. This paper uses Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) to derive groundwater storage anomalies (GWSAs) and to analyze the spatial and temporal trends of GWSA in different regions of China (Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, North China Plain, South China, and Northeast China). It used groundwater-level observation data to verify the accuracy of GWSA estimates and analyzed the drivers of regional GWSA changes. The results showed that: (1) GWSA in South China increased at a rate of 4.79 mm/a from 2003 to 2016, and GWSA in other regions in China showed a decreasing trend. Among them, the decline rates of GWSA in Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, North China Plain, and Northeast China were −6.24 mm/a, −3.33 mm/a, −3.17 mm/a, −7.35 mm/a, and −0.75 mm/a, respectively. (2) The accuracy of the annual-scale GWSA estimates was improved after deducting gravity losses due to raw coal quality, and the correlation coefficient between GWSA and groundwater levels monitored by observation wells increased. (3) In Xinjiang, the annual water consumed by raw coal mining, industrial, and agricultural activities had a greater impact on GWSA than rainfall and temperature, so these human activities might be the main drivers of the continued GWSA decline in Xinjiang. Water consumption by raw coal mining and industry might be the main drivers of the continued decline in GWSA in Inner Mongolia and the North China Plain. The increase in groundwater storage in South China was mainly due to the recharge of rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold surge (CS) is an extreme climate event that frequently affects China. By using a 0.25° × 0.25° gridded observation dataset provided by the China Meteorological Administration (CN05.1), this paper investigates the spatial–temporal characteristics of various CSs in China during 1962–2018. According to the duration and coverage area (CA), CSs are classified into the short‐lived cold surges (SLCSs), the persistent cold surges (PCSs) and the extensive and persistent cold surges (EPCSs). They are also divided into the weak cold surges (WCSs), the strong cold surges (SCSs) and the super strong cold surges (SSCSs) based on the temperature drop (ΔT). The extreme cold surges (ECSs) are also defined and occur 38 times over 57 years. The total CSs and various CSs all display patterns of higher frequencies in the northeast and lower frequencies in the southwest. Northeast China and Inner Mongolia are frequently hit by various CSs, but the frequencies show overall downward trends in the regions during 1962–2018. The ΔT of the total CSs and ECSs both show significant decreasing trends in the whole of China from 1962 to 2018. From 1962 to 2018, the annual frequency and the ΔT of the total CSs both show decreasing trends. SLCSs and WCSs frequencies show overall increasing trends, but other kinds of CSs show overall decreasing trends. The annual frequencies of the total CSs and various CSs all have trend abrupt changes around 2000. The ΔT of ECSs shows a sharply increasing trend during 1962–2018. The total CSs and all kinds of CSs frequencies have a significant periodic oscillation. ECSs occur most in February. The total CSs and other kinds of CSs occur most in January. There are obvious differences between the multiyear average ECSs frequencies before 2000 and after 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desertification research plays a key role in the survival and development of all mankind. The Normalized Comprehensive Hotspots Index (NCH) is a comprehensive index that reveals the spatial distribution of research hotspots in a given research field based on the number of relevant scientific papers. This study uses Web Crawler technology to retrieve the full text of all Chinese journal articles spanning the 1980s–2018 in the Chinese Academic Journal full-text database (CAJ) from CNKI. Based on the 253,055 articles on desertification that were retrieved, we have constructed a research hotspot extraction model for desertification in China by means of the NCH Index. This model can reveal the spatial distribution and dynamic changes of research hotspots for desertification in China. This analysis shows the following: 1) The spatial distribution of research hotspots on desertification in China can be effectively described by the NCH Index, although its application in other fields still needs to be verified and optimized. 2) According to the NCH Index, the research hotspots for desertification are mainly distributed in the Agro-Pastoral Ecotone and grassland in Inner Mongolia, the desertification areas of Qaidam Basin in the Western Alpine Zone and the Oasis-Desert Ecotone in Xinjiang (including the extension of the central Tarim Basin to the foothills of the Kunlun Mountains, the sporadic areas around the Tianshan Mountains and the former hilly belt of the southern foothills of the Altai Mountains). Among these three, the Agro-Pastoral Ecotone in the middle and eastern part of Inner Mongolia includes the most prominent hotspots in the study of desertification. 3) Since the 1980s, the research hotspots for desertification in China have shown a general downward trend, with a significant decline in 219 counties (10.37% of the study area). This trend is dominated by the projects carried out since 2002. The governance of desertification in the eastern part of the Inner Mongolia-Greater Khingan Range still needs to be strengthened. The distribution of desertification climate types reflects the distribution of desertification in a given region to some extent. The Normalized Comprehensive Hotspots Index provides a new approach for researchers in different fields to analyze research progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon control in the thermal power generation industry is crucial for achieving the overall carbon peak target. How to predict, evaluate, and balance the allocation of inter provincial carbon emissions has a significant impact on the decision-making of reasonable allocation of inter provincial carbon emissions in the target year. Therefore, this paper uses Monte Carlo-ARIMA-BP neural network and ZSG-DEA model to conduct temporal trend prediction and carbon emission quota allocation research. We propose the "intra provincial and inter provincial" framework for carbon emissions trading in thermal power plants, which aims to break through the barriers in carbon emission rights exchange among provinces. The conclusions are as follows: (1) the growth trend of carbon emissions from thermal power is gradually slowing down and is expected to peak before 2030. (2) Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, and Shandong have high input–output efficiency, and are all the main output provinces for carbon emission quota allocation. After being adjusted using the ZSG-DEA model, they can still be at the forefront of efficiency. (3) The "intra provincial and inter provincial" framework for carbon emissions trading can effectively predict and allocate the carbon emission demand of each province from time and space dimensions, balance the carbon emission rights and interests of each province, and provide forward-looking planning suggestions for inter provincial carbon emission rights exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desertification as a bio-physical stressor threatens food and water security, and is exacerbated by climate change. Other issues such as peace, gender equity, and livelihood are some examples of socio-economic issues also connected to desertification. This is apparent in the cases of Inner Mongolia and the Sahelo-Saharan region, where desertification has spurred the creation of afforestation projects, colloquially known as "Green Walls": these are the Three-North Shelterbelt Project, and the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative, respectively. This paper explores the principles of environmental ethics (such as vulnerability, common goods, biological and cultural diversity, and environmental virtues) in the two Green Wall projects and compares these in their respective environmental management strategies. The paper concludes that both Green Wall projects can benefit from collaboration such as an exchange of knowledge and effective methods and practices. These include the capacity of the Chinese State in resource mobilization and of the African Union's emphasis on organization at the grassroots level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines two contrasting cases of ethnic-group political activism in China – the Uighurs in Xinjiang and the Mongols in Inner Mongolia – to explain the former's political activism and the latter's lack thereof. Given similar challenges and pressures, how can we explain the divergent patterns in these two groups' political behavior? This paper forwards the argument that domestic factors alone are not sufficient to account for differences in the groups' political behavior. Instead, international factors have to be included to offer a fuller and satisfactory explanation. The paper illustrates how three types of international factors – big power support, external cultural ties, and Uighur diaspora community activism – have provided opportunities and resources to make the Uighur political activism sustainable. In Inner Mongolia, its quest for self-determination reached the highest fervor in the early half of the twentieth century, particularly with the support of imperial Japan. However, since the end of WWII, Inner Mongolia has not received any consistent international support and, as a result, has been more substantially incorporated into China's geopolitical body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has suffered from extensive and serious SO2 pollution. The central and provincial governments have reinforced environmental awareness by increasing fiscal expenditure for environmental protection for years. This paper extended an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework to evaluate the direct and indirect spillover effects of environmental awareness of provincial governments on SO2 emissions, applying spatial econometric models. The empirical findings are as follows. (1) There exists an inverted U-shaped curve. Of 30 Chinese provinces, only 9 provinces, namely, 8 eastern provinces and Inner Mongolia, have passed the turning point at about 53,000 Yuan while the rest 21 provinces have not yet. (2) Expenditure for environmental protection is negatively correlated with SO2 pollution. In other words, environmental awareness of governments contributes to substantially reducing SO2 emissions. Besides, significant and negative spillover effects of environmental awareness are found, implying that provinces follow suit if neighboring provinces enhance environmental awareness by increasing spending on environmental protection, thereby reducing SO2 emissions. (3) The SO2 reduction policy implemented by the central government is found to have a negative impact on SO2 emissions, implying that the policy effectively works. To conclude, the central and provincial governments play pivotal roles in addressing the problem of SO2 pollution in China. Hence, more expenditure for environmental protection cannot be overstated for China's environmental quality improvements and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Sprawy Miedzynarodowe / International Affairs is the property of Instytut Studiow Politycznych PAN and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In Mongolian culture, wedding speeches are a traditional component of a marriage celebration, but in bilingual, bicultural urban Inner Mongolia, China, two hybrid genres have emerged which reflect competing ideologies of languages and speakers. There can be a Mongolian performance with a commentary in Chinese, or a blended Mongolian and Chinese language performance. In these hybrids, Mongolian is often associated with a minority status but an authentic tradition, while Chinese seems to represent a modern majority, but alien, culture. By situating the hybrid and bilingual Mongolian wedding speech genre in the contexts of Mongolian cultural loss and revival, urbanization, and the increasing weight of the Chinese state's political discourse in public space, the study unravels the complexity and contestations inherent in a hybridized traditional Mongolian speech genre. Drawing on the inherent duality of genre, that is its boundedness/monology and its plasticity/heteroglossia, this paper presents ethnographic evidence of these sociolinguistic representations, and contributes to the understanding of hybrid genre, agency, and a transforming expressive culture in the context of social displacement, cultural shift, and internal colonization in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and new species of the euthemistid, Kidaneuthemis ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. It can be assigned to the Euthemistidae by the several long intercalary veins between RP1 and IR1, IR1 and RP2, as well as between RP2 and IR2 and between IR2 and RP3/4. Kidaneuthemis ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov. distinguishes from the other two genera of this family by the presence of not less than eight intercalary veins between MP and wing margin; about three rows of cells in the distal part between MA and MP; the base of IR2 is two cells distal to that of RP3/4. In addition, a revision of the family Euthemistidae has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires spread rapidly and cause considerable ecological and socioeconomic losses. Inner Mongolia is among the regions in China that suffer the most from wildfires. A simple, effective model that uses fewer parameters to simulate wildfire spread is crucial for rapid decision-making. This study presents a region-specific technological process that requires a few meteorological parameters and limited grassland vegetation data to predict fire spreading dynamics in Inner Mongolia, based on cellular automata that emphasize the numeric evaluation of both heat sinks and sources. The proposed method considers a case that occurred in 2021 near the East Ujimqin Banner border between China and Mongolia. Three hypothetical grassland wildfires were developed using GIS technology to test and demonstrate the proposed model. The simulation results suggest that the model agrees well with real-world experience and can facilitate real-time decision-making to enhance the effectiveness of firefighting, fire control, and simulation-based training for firefighters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy (GECP) is a large-scale program in which China has invested since 2011 to alleviate grassland degradation and increase herders' income. Although the amount invested in the program has increased each year, little research has been conducted to evaluate the impacts of the program; as such, this study examines such impacts on livestock production, grazing intensity, and structure using panel data from a herders' field survey conducted in 2015 in Inner Mongolia, China. Results from the econometric models show that the forage-livestock balance, which is one sub-policy of the GECP, had incentivized large farms to reduce their total number of sheep, but the implementation of the GECP could not greatly influence the reduction in the number of cattle present on any farm size. This study also reveals that herders made their livestock production and grazing decisions in response to market prices and that herder households that also had off-farm jobs raised fewer livestock and grazed lighter. Several policy implications are discussed in this paper. • We evaluate the impacts of grassland conservation subsidy on livestock. • Herders' survey and econometric models are used. • Subsidies were found to be more effective for larger farms. • Herders make livestock production decisions in response to livestock market prices. • Herder households with off-farm jobs raised fewer livestock and grazed lighter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of China's five autonomous regions, Inner Mongolia has not been highlighted in the international news, and the Mongols have not demonstrated significant political will for greater autonomy in the way the Tibetans and the Uighurs have in recent decades. Why haven't the Mongols mobilized? This paper argues that the Mongols' lack of aspiration for greater autonomy is in part due to the relationship between Inner Mongolia and Mongolia as an independent kin state. The different trajectories of national identity construction in these two places and the perception of better living conditions in Inner Mongolia have made the Inner Mongols less anxious about their current incorporation within the Chinese state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land management has made a strong impact on the landscapes, especially in arid environments. Based on historical data, this paper evaluates the role of Catholic churches in the shaping of the Sanshenggong area in western China in the 1870s. Sanshenggong, an arid/semi-arid region located in western Inner Mongolia, was an important Catholic region in the west Ordos Plateau after the 1870s. After the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) (CICM) obtained land from the Maharajah of Alashan Banner, the Belgian priests converted local Chinese (Hans) to Catholicism by lending land, houses and farm implements. By 1949 most people living there had been converted. As a result of intensive land management by the Catholic mission, the arid/semiarid landscape, formerly used as grazing lands, was changed to more intensive agricultural use. This case study exemplifies the practices and the important role an authoritarian religious organisation played in shaping oasis landscapes in arid and semiarid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expanding use of resettlement as a tool for addressing environmental and poverty-related concerns in China calls for further research into its impacts on local populations. Our knowledge of the effects of such resettlement is very limited, particularly in relation to its social impacts. This paper examines the impoverishment risk of social disarticulation as it is experienced by resettlers in an Inner Mongolian environmental resettlement village—Wan Sheng village. We argue that social disarticulation as a risk of resettlement is by no means an inevitable downward spiral towards social oblivion and anomie. Resettlers, in this case at least, have recreated a living, functioning community that provides many aspects of support for its inhabitants. This is in spite of unfavourable construction and increased economic deprivation. It is the adaptive abilities of these resettlers that come to the fore in Wan Sheng, suggesting aspects of rearticulation and cohesion, and not simply disarticulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid economic development in the aftermath of the Chinese post-1978 reforms has resulted in a shrinking of grain grown area in the southern and eastern regions of the country which in turn is believed to have put the marginal northern regions under increased pressure. This paper examines key indicators of agricultural performance as well as cultivated land area development of the pre- and post-1978 reform periods focusing on the agro-pastoral Tongliao City Prefecture, eastern Inner Mongolia. The results are related to the village level development through a case study as well as to the provincial level. Average annual grain per capita production increased from about 400 kg in the late 1970s to more then 1000 kg in the late 1990s. This was achieved through a combination of intensification and reclamation of cropland, with the latter restricted to pastoral classified counties. Production variability, in particular for the low producing counties, has also increased possibly as an effect of the substitution of traditional mixed pattern of crops with HYV monocultures. Average living standards have improved but have been accompanied by widening income gaps. Poor farmers' livelihoods continue to be insecure, particularly during dry years. Concern is raised regarding the sustainability of the rapid agricultural development; an increased use of costly fertilisers constrains poorer farmer's economy and may lead to deteriorating water quality while increasing irrigation depletes water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to measure the parameters of the proximal femur in the older people of Inner Mongolia, China and understand the influence of age and gender so as to provide guidance for the design and improvement of prosthesis for total hip arthroplasty. Methods: A total of 236 patients who underwent CT angiography of lower limbs in the Department of Imaging, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University of China were collected. They were divided into 4 groups according to age: < 60 (group A), 60–69 (group B), 70–79 (group C), and > 80 years (group D). Four anatomical parameters, including femoral head diameter (FHD), femoral neck-shaft angle (FNSA), femoral offset (FO), femoral neck anteversion (FNA), were measured by Mimics 21.0. Comparisons were made between age groups of the same gender and between genders in the same age group to analyze the correlation of the 4 parameters of proximal femur with age and gender. In addition, the results of this study were compared with previous studies. Results: There were no significant differences in FHD and FO between age groups, indicating no correlation with age. FNSA and FNA were no significantly different between group C and group D in the same gender, whereas there were significant differences between other age groups and were negatively correlated with age. There were significant differences in FHD and FO between genders in the same age group, with the males being larger than the females. FNSA and FNA were no significant differences between genders in the same age group. Conclusions: FNSA and FNA decrease with age. FHD and FO were larger in males than in females in all age groups. Age and gender should be considered in the design of prosthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrofossil evidence has demonstrated a first radiation of gnetophytes in the Early Cretaceous. However, the origin of the diversity of gnetophytes remains ambiguous because gnetalean macrofossils have rarely been reported from pre-Cretaceous strata. Here, we report a new putative gnetalean macrofossil reproductive shoot which possesses opposite phyllotaxy, long linear leaves more or less decurrent and having a prominent midvein and pedicled ovoid-ellipsoid and longitudinally striated chlamydosperms. Our new fossil is different from other known gnetalean macrofossils in the linear-lanceolate leaves with a midvein and pedicled chlamydosperms. As a result, we describe this new macrofossil reproductive shoot as new to science, i.e., Daohugoucladus sinensis gen. et sp. nov. Our new macrofossil displays additional morphological characters distinct from other known Mesozoic and modern gnetalean species and provides additional evidence of the origin and early evolution of female reproductive organs of gnetophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problems of national and international research and the current situation, the following must be addressed: the research method is more traditional; the research perspective is relatively single; the index construction lacks a theoretical basis; the index selection is more one-sided; the data is only cross-sectional; the financial and talent support is insufficient; the service level of public service facilities is not good; the awareness of cultural preservation and inheritance is insufficient; and the level of management across administrative regions is differentiated. At the same time, to meet the top-level design needs of constructing a rural historical and cultural preservation and inheritance system, the non-oriented, region-wide EBM (Epsilon-Based Measure)-GML (Global-Malmquist) model is constructed under the condition of VRS (Variable Returns to Scale), which includes non-desired outputs. Additionally, an index system for assessing the value of rural preservation and inheritance in China is also constructed. Taking the typical rural area in the Western Liao River Basin of Inner Mongolia as an example, the panel data from 2019 to 2021 are selected for empirical analysis, and the conclusions and countermeasures are as follows: 1. The overall preservation improves year by year, and partly shows high preservation in the southwest and low preservation in the northeast. The advantageous areas should update the preservation and inheritance methods to enhance the driving effect on other areas; other areas should continuously improve the quality and efficiency. 2. The difference between rural areas with the highest and lowest assessed values increases year by year, showing the Matthew effect. It is necessary to realize the policy meaning of the value assessment index system by strengthening the overall preservation, integrating the preservation and inheritance into the rural development of the whole basin, strengthening the overall management, reforming the preservation and inheritance management mode, and improving the management efficiency of rural in the whole basin. 3. Strengthen the technical empowerment and scientific preservation and inheritance. It is necessary to learn the advanced technology concept and transform the technical achievements over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although diverse fossil angiosperms (including their reproductive organs) have been reported from the Early Cretaceous, few of them are well-documented due to poor preservation and limited technologies available to apply. For example, paraffin sectioning, a routine technology applied to reveal the anatomical details of extant plants, was hitherto at most rarely applied to fossil plants. This undermines the comparability between the outcomes of studies on fossil and extant plants, and makes our understanding on plants incomplete and biased. Here, we applied paraffin sectioning technology, in addition to light microscopy, SEM, and TEM, to document a fossil reproductive organ, Xilinia gen. nov., from the Early Cretaceous in Inner Mongolia, China. The anatomical details of this new reproductive organ were documented. Xilinia bears a remarkable resemblance to conifer cones, although its ovules are enclosed in carpels. The paradoxical cone-like morphology of Xilinia appears to represent a transitional snapshot of plant evolution that is absent in extant plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a renewable energy, wind power has been improving energy structures and assisting in the maintenance of strategic energy security. Based on provincial level panel data from 2000 to 2018, this paper developed models to evaluate the effects of different policies on newly installed wind power capacity and investigated the market reform influences on wind development in eight spot market pilots. It was found that on a national level, while the pricing and government guideline policies significantly promoted wind power growth, present market reforms were having an opposite effect. The results also suggested that from a resource endowment heterogeneity perspective, there was a significant difference in the wind capacity promotion policy performances. Additionally, of the eight spot market pilots, market designs had led to a significant reduction in new wind power installations in Gansu and Inner Mongolia, and no significant wind power development effects were found in the other pilots. Based on the research results, a discussion on policy use and suggestions on policy improvements are given. • Effectiveness of different representative wind power policies are examined. • The panel models are developed using data that covers 30 provinces over 2000–2018. • Policy effectiveness varies by policy types and wind resource levels. • The current market designs show little impact on wind power development. • Implications on policy use and improvement suggestions are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and species of middle size bunodont artiodactyl (Mammalia), Erlianhyus primitivus, is established based on a partial maxilla with P3–M3 from the lower middle Eocene Irdin Manha Formation, Erlian Basin, Nei Mongol, China. Erlianhyus is characterised by a low tooth crown, bunodont cusps, a protocone smaller and lower than the paracone on P4, a large metaconule, reduced paraconule, no hypocone and styles on M1–3, and weak crista between the main cones on the upper cheek teeth. Erlianhyus is more similar in dental morphology to the Asian Myanmarius, Myaingtherium and Siamotherium rather than to other artiodactyls. Our cladistics analysis shows that Erlianhyus is positioned outside of the anthracotheriid-suoid-dichobunoid clade and is located more basally within the Artiodactyla, so now it is not referred to any known family or superfamily in artiodactyls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Eco−spatial networks play an important role in enhancing ecosystem services and landscape connectivity. It is necessary to study landscape structure optimization to achieve synergistic gains in network connectivity and ecosystem functionality. (2) Method: Based on remote sensing data, RS and GIS were used to evaluate the spatiotemporal changes in ecosystem services in China. Combined with complex network theory, the spatiotemporal evolution of China's ecological spatial network and its topological structure from 2005 to 2020 is discussed. Network function–structure co−optimization was carried out using the edge augmentation strategy. (3) Result: The "three River resource" has high water conservation and high soil and water conservation in southeastern hilly areas. There is strong windbreak and sand fixation in southeastern Inner Mongolia. In the past 15 years, there have been about 8200 sources and about 14,000 corridors. The network has the characteristics of small−world and heterogeneity. After optimization, 18 sources and 3180 corridors are added, and the network connectivity and robustness are stronger. Finally, five regions are divided according to the network heterogeneity and corresponding protection and management countermeasures are proposed to provide scientific guidance for the country's territorial space planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overgrazing is the key factor that has exacerbated grassland degradation in China's pastoral regions. Herder's grazing-based livestock production behavior becomes important to grassland conservation. Several formal environmental institutions and policies exist to improve grassland degradation; however, there remain contradicting conclusions regarding the contribution of these policies. Informal institutions become major instruments that might encourage herder's behavior on overgrazing. Using village rules and conventions (VRC) as a proxy for informal institutions, the article attempts to scrutinize whether the VRC emerge to respond to herders' willingness to reduce grazing intensity for grassland conservation and elicit factors affecting their reduction behavior using a Double-Hurdle model. Based on a survey of 193 respondents in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Autonomous regions of China, the empirical results provide evidence that VRC is effective in reducing herders' grazing intensity. In detail, the VRC in written form and an unchanging context within five years could significantly improve herders' willingness to reduce grazing intensity. Herders who consider the VRC as an important impact to their livestock production observe an increased reduction degree of grazing intensity. Additionally, variables referring to herder's education and religious belief play a significant role in the reduction degree of grazing intensity. Our findings highlight the importance of VRC in controlling herders' overgrazing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 30 years, the Cenozoic basalts in eastern China have been the subject of many investigations, but their origin remains highly controversial. The Abaga–Dalinuoer volcanic field in Inner Mongolia consists of an approximately 10,000 km 2 lava plateau and more than 300 volcanic cones and extends northwestward to the adjacent Dariganga lava plateau of Mongolia, forming one of the largest Cenozoic volcanic fields in eastern Asia. In this paper, we concentrate on the Abaga volcanic field that comprises more than 200 monogenetic cones, including scoria cones, lava flows, and maars. Phreatomagmatism has contributed to the generation of several volcanic edifices, and the diameter of the maars craters can reach 3 to 6 km, which are among the largest in eastern China. The volcanic rocks in the Abaga area can be divided into alkaline basalts and tholeiites. According to trace element and Sr–Nd isotopic characteristics, the Abaga magmas were primarily derived from a relatively homogeneous garnet peridotite source within the asthenosphere. Variable degrees and depths of partial melting played a key role in the genesis of magma from alkaline basalts to tholeiites. In contrast to the surrounding Cenozoic volcanic fields, such as Datong, Jining, and Hanuoba, in the western block of the North China Craton, the Abaga volcanic region in the southern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt is distinguished by the deepest melting and the thickest lithosphere. Negative Ba-, Rb-, K-, and Ti anomalies and relatively high 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios suggest the presence of residual phlogopite/amphibole during mantle melting. The origin of the Abaga magma most likely required involvement of fluids released from the stagnant Pacific slab in the mantle transition zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using survey data from Inner Mongolia, this paper explores the role of stakeholder engagement in the implementation of the Sloping Land Conversion Programme, a payments for environmental services (PES) programme designed to restore forest in degraded land. Based on the idea that volunteerism and satisfaction with the programme's outcome are two important components of the programme's viability, we successively analyse the intensity of households' participation in the programme and their reported satisfaction with its economic achievement, which we relate to their stated volunteerism. We show that households' participation intensity in the SLCP is primarily driven by land and location characteristics, and that these findings hold true whether or not the households voluntarily enrolled in the programme. Moreover, as far as participants' satisfaction can be interpreted as an indicator of potential long-term support for the programme, our findings also support plausible sustainability for the programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Yimin Ge-coal deposit, located in the Yimin coalfield, Inner Mongolia, is the third largest Ge-rich coal deposit in China just after the Lincang and Wulantuga Ge-coal deposits. Based on the coal and non-coal samples recently collected from the Wumuchang coal mining district in the Yimin Ge-coal deposit, this paper reports some new data on the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the Yimin high-Ge coals, and provides some new evidence for the possible mode of Ge enrichment in the Yimin coals. Mineralogical analyses were performed by means of Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Major and trace element concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), respectively. Element affinities were determined by Pearson's correlation analysis. The studied coals fall within the coal rank between sub-bituminous A and high volatile bituminous C, with relatively high moisture content, high volatile matter yield and low to medium ash yield. Quartz and kaolinite are the main mineral matters in the Yimin coals, with small amounts of pyrite and traces of microcline. Common pyrite and As-bearing pyrite occurring in the Yimin coals show an epigenetic origin. The epigenetic precipitation of kaolinite, quartz and As-rich pyrite (with Ge, and other trace elements) in the Yimin coal fractures may be caused by activities of both hydrothermal and low temperature fluids. Compared to common Chinese and worldwide coals, the Yimin coals are markedly enriched in Ge (43mg/kg), As (155mg/kg), and W (9.84mg/kg) and slightly enriched in Pb (22mg/kg) and Hg (0.24mg/kg). Most of the elements (e.g. Al, K, Sc, Ti, V, Cu, Ga, Sn, Th and REEs) in the studied coals present an aluminosilicate affinity as deduced from their obvious positive correlation with Al and ash yields. High correlation coefficients of As and Hg with Fe and S indicate a sulfide affinity of these elements in the Yimin coals. Germanium, B, Mo, and W in the studied coals show an organic affinity and a partial sulfur affinity as deduced from their negative correlation with Al and positive correlation with S, respectively. The preliminary and possible model for Ge enrichment in the Yimin Ge-coal deposit was that Ge was carried by hydrothermal fluids and then these fluids were incorporated in the water existing in the upper porous conglomerates and percolate in the top of the coal seam, where Ge was trapped by organic matter and finally enriched in an early diagenetic stage (humification–gelification). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The development of animal husbandry in China is facing enormous pressure from increasing demand of meat consumption, climate change, degrading grassland, and changing national policies. This paper presents the latest findings from an anthropological field investigation interviewing local herders, traders, and local officials from farming-pastoral ecotone in Inner Mongolia and shed lights on how locals have adapted their lives to climate change and the new national husbandry policies of the twenty-first century. Based on the anthropological interviews, we discussed the future opportunities and challenges of animal husbandry development in farming-pastoral ecotone. Results suggested that national ecological conservation policies and meat price have much larger impacts on animal husbandry than climate change, as perceived by locals. Family Fencing Policy, a relatively new policy aiming to avoid overgrazing and restore vegetation, was neither well accepted nor well implemented by the local herders. This is partially explained by the poor fencing technology, insufficient support facilities, as well as the high costs and low-profit margins in the animal husbandry. We conclude by suggesting that pastoralism in Northern China may greatly benefit from the development of rural cooperatives and active participation of locals in policy designing and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand the impact mechanism of grassland transfer on herders' production behaviour in pastoral areas. The impact of grassland transfer on herders' livestock production and grazing intensity is quantified. Design/methodology/approach: Using the survey data collected for 356 herder households from Inner Mongolia and Gansu, China, quantile regression is employed to assess the heterogeneous effects of grassland transfer on livestock production and grazing intensity. To correct the potential self-selection bias of grassland transfer, the propensity score matching technique is used. Findings: Results show that labour, percentage of livestock income and livestock stock are the main factors affecting herders' choice to transfer grassland. The positive effect of grassland transfer on livestock numbers on behalf of those who rented additional grassland is statistically significant but declines with livestock numbers. The sustainability-enhancing effect of grassland transfer on grazing intensity is significant, and the effect becomes larger amongst herder households with higher grazing intensity. The analysis on the impact mechanism shows that grassland transfer significantly promotes the adoption of sustainable grazing modes, such as rotational and seasonal rest grazing, which in turn increases herders' livestock numbers and decreases grazing intensity. Originality/value: Few studies have empirically analysed the influence of grassland transfer on livestock numbers and grazing intensity. This study fills this gap by employing a quantile regression to assess the heterogeneous effects of grassland transfer on livestock numbers and grazing intensity, while accounting for self-selection bias. In addition, the authors have examined the influencing mechanisms under which grassland transfer impacts on livestock numbers and grazing intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Renewable energy is one of the possible solutions when addressing climate change. Today, large-scale renewable energy integration needs to include the experience to balance the discrepancy between electricity demand and supply. The electrification of transportation may have the potential to deal with this imbalance and to reduce its high dependence on oil production. For this reason, it is interesting to analyse the extent to which transport electrification can further the renewable energy integration. This paper quantifies this issue in Inner Mongolia, where the share of wind power in the electricity supply was 6.5% in 2009 and which has the plan to develop large-scale wind power. The results show that electric vehicles (EVs) have the ability to balance the electricity demand and supply and to further the wind power integration. In the best case, the energy system with EV can increase wind power integration by 8%. The application of EVs benefits from saving both energy system cost and fuel cost. However, the negative consequences of decreasing energy system efficiency and increasing the CO2 emission should be noted when applying the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV). The results also indicate that developing renewable energy is crucial for transportation electrification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Early Cretaceous Wulantuga high-Ge coal deposit in Inner Mongolia is one of the major coal-hosted Ge deposits in China. This paper reports new data on the petrological, mineralogical, and geochemical compositions of 13 bench samples of the high-Ge No. 6 coal from the Wulantuga deposit, and provides new insight into the origin and modes of occurrence of the minerals and elements present. The No. 6 Coal has a low rank (Ro,max =0.45%) and is a low-ash coal (8.77%). The total content of inertinite (52.5vol.% on average) in most coal benches is higher than that of huminite (46.8vol.% on average). The dominant huminite maceral is textinite (averages 43.9%), and the dominant inertinite macerals are mainly fusinite (averages 33%) and semifusinite (12.5%), along with trace portions of intertodetrinite, secretinite, funginite, and macrinite. Fungus, seen as the maceral funginite, played a role in the development of degraded maceral forms in the Wulantuga coals. Funginite is present in samples examined in this study, but is not easily extracted during palynological studies; recovered fungal taxa are saprophytes, indicating woody decomposition prior to incorporation in the mire. Palynology revealed a sparse flora that is consistent with the early Cretaceous age. Minerals in the coal include quartz, kaolinite, illite (and/or illite/smectite), gypsum, pyrite, and traces of rutile and anatase. A varying proportion of bassanite was observed in the low-temperature ashes (LTAs). Bassanite in the LTAs was derived both from the dehydration of gypsum in the raw coals and from the interaction between organically-associated Ca and S during the low-temperature ashing. In addition to a proportion of detrital quartz, fine-grained and cell-filling quartz of authigenic origin is also present. Pyrite is of syngenetic origin and derived from sulfate-rich hydrothermal fluids. Compared to common Chinese and world low-rank coals, the No. 6 Coal is enriched in Be (25.7μg/g), F (336μg/g), Ge (274μg/g), As (499μg/g), Sb (240μg/g), Cs (5.29μg/g), W (115μg/g), Hg (3.165μg/g), and Tl (3.15μg/g). Germanium in the coal is organically associated, and its enrichment is attributed to hydrothermal fluids from the adjacent granitoids. Beryllium is probably associated with Ca- and Mn-bearing carbonate minerals and to a lesser extent with clay minerals, rather than with organic matter. Fluorine largely occurs in clay minerals (kaolinite and illite). The elevated concentrations of Tl, Hg, As, and Sb are mainly distributed in pyrite and were derived from the same hydrothermal source. The high W in the coal occurs in both the organic matter and the authigenic quartz. Illite is the major carrier of Cs in the coal. The accumulation of rare earth elements (REE) in the coals had a polygenetic and multistage nature, including two syngenetic stages (early hydrothermal and terrigenous) and one diagenetic (late hydrothermal) stage. The REE distribution patterns of the early hydrothermal and terrigenous stages were characterized by the enrichment of medium REE (M-type REE) and light REE (L-type REE), respectively. A H-type REE distribution pattern (HREE enrichment) occurred in the late diagenetic hydrothermal stage. The high-Ge Wulantuga coals are also abnormally enriched in precious metals. Gold, Pt, and Pd in the coals, calculated from their concentrations in the LTAs, are 3.5–25.8, < 4–25.5, and<2.5–15.5 times higher in comparison with those in the continental crust. The highest concentrations of precious metals occur in the pyrite contained in the coal and are 18 (Pd), 130 (Au), and 725 (Pt) times higher than those of the continental crust. The pyrite is probably the basic carrier of the Pt and some portion of the Au in the coal; additionally, a portion of precious metals may be organically (halogen-organic) bound in the coal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tetranychus huhhotensis n. sp. and T. zeae n. sp. are described and illustrated from corn leaves in Inner Mongolia. Tetranychus huhhotensis n. sp., assigned to Flechtmann and Knihinicki's Group 4 of Tetranychus, can be separated from its allied species by having the aedeagal knob with dorsal surface distinctly emarginate centrally. Tetranychus zeae n. sp. is distinctive in Group 9 of this genus in that the aedeagal knob is minute, with anterior projection practically absent and posterior projection conspicuous, acute. Summer females of the two new species are pale greenish-yellow, while their diapausing females are pale-orange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Knowledge about changes of regional carbon density during late Quaternary is of great significance for understanding regional and global carbon cycles. Taking the Hunshandake Sandy Land, located in eastern Inner Mongolia of China as an example, this paper aims to reconstruct Late Quaternary environmental changes, and then to discuss the fluctuations of organic carbon density and storage in the desert environment of northern China. The study area with a mean annual precipitation ca. 300 mm is characterized by the occurrence of fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes reaching a maximal height of 30 m. The research methods included field observations, examinations of grain sizes, as well as carbon and calcium carbonate contents of the sediment samples. The chronology is based on Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating and radiocarbon analyses. This work reveals that the organic carbon density in the surface layer of the Hunshandake Sandy Land changed between at least 2500 g/m2 during the Holocene Climatic Optimum and 1500 g/m2 when aeolian processes dominate. The dune construction was restricted by periglacial processes during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The Holocene Climatic Optimum, indicated by extensive formation of kastanozem soils, occurred between 5 ka and 3 ka in the study area. Although desertification might cause a 40% loss of total organic carbon storage within several dozen of years in the study area, a considerable amount of this carbon was re-deposited in the regions of downwind directions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Hypertension has always been a worldwide health concern. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates of hypertension among adult residents of northern China, where people usually have a high-fat, high-salt diet and heavy alcohol consumption.Methods: Through the Early Screening and Comprehensive Intervention Project for High Risk Groups of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Inner Mongolia of northern China, we collected data of 70,380 residents, from September 2015 to June 2017. We assessed the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the total population and sub-populations. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with the prevalence and control of hypertension.Results: Among participants, only 13.4% had optimal blood pressure levels. About 55.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 55.3-56.1%) of the participants had hypertension. In addition, the awareness, treatment, control and control under-treatment rate of hypertension were 52.8% (95%CI = 52.3-53.3%), 43.3% (95%CI = 42.8-43.8%), 8.6% (95%CI = 8.3-8.9%) and 19.8% (95%CI = 19.2-20.4%), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression showed that older, male, Han, living in rural areas, current drinker, not married, lower educational level, lower annual income, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia were more likely to be suffered from hypertension (P < 0.05). Controlled hypertension was less common in those younger, Mongol, not married, farmer, current drinker, lower educational level, obesity, diabetes, without prior CHD, and without prior CVD (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Among populations aged 35-75 years in Northern China, more than half have hypertension, fewer than one-tenth have successfully controlled hypertension, and fewer than one-fifth of hypertension patients receiving treatment have controlled hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "condylarth" genus Hyopsodus is diverse and abundantly represented in Eocene mammalian faunas of North America. In contrast, fossil specimens of Hyopsodus are rather sparse in Eurasia. Only four species of Hyopsodus are known from Asia and two from Europe, as compared to the 18 species of Hyopsodus described from North America. Here, we report a new species of Hyopsodus, Hyopsodus arshantensis sp. nov., from the middle part of the Arshanto Formation in the Erlian Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. The holotype and only specimen of the new species, a right mandible with m1-m2, exhibits a unique combination of characters on m1-m2 not present in other species of Hyopsodus, including a moderately lophodont crown, a long trigonid without a paraconid, an obliquely aligned protolophid, an angle between the cristid obliqua and the posthypocristid slightly greater than 90°, a midline position of the hypoconulid, and a relatively large entoconid. The m1-m2 morphology of H. arshantensis is intermediate between specimens of Hyopsodus from the Wasatchian and Uintan North American Land Mammal Ages (NALMA), and is comparable to that of Hyopsodus from the Bridgerian NALMA. Moreover, its relatively large size is near the size range present among the late Bridgerian species of Hyopsodus. Based on those similarities, in combination with a few fossil mammals from overlying layers, the middle part of the Arshanto Formation could be correlated in part to the late Bridgerian, and the upper part of the Arshanto Formation may bracket the time interval equivalent to the Bridgerian/Uintan boundary. That proposed correlation and somewhat different faunas recognized within the Arshanto Formation suggest that it may be necessary to subdivide the Arshantan Asian Land Mammal Age (ALMA) and/or redefine the Arshantan/Irdinmanhan ALMA boundary in future comprehensive studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unanticipated environmental shocks impact the livelihoods of many resource users around the world. These shocks are likely to be more unpredictable as the effects of climate change continue to mount. Yet how households adapt to these changing climatic conditions especially in the context of rapidly changing market conditions in most areas of the world, is poorly understood. These interactions have wide implications for both smallholder livelihoods and sustainable use of natural resources. In this paper, we examine the relationship between environmental shocks and stocking rates in livestock herds in the Inner Mongolian grasslands of northern China. We uniquely examine three types of shocks and how households adapt livestock production strategies in response to each. Separately and in aggregate, we look at three common shocks in Inner Mongolia: droughts, snowstorms, and locust outbreaks. We use a difference-in-differences approach to estimate changes in stocking rates among households that experience shocks versus those that do not with a panel dataset from 2009 to 2014 of 597 households. While we find no clear impact from locusts, our results suggest droughts and snowstorms have opposite effects: droughts are associated with increases in herd sizes, but snowstorms result in decreased herds. We suggest these differences are due to interactions between shocks, emerging options to borrow on credit, and livestock markets. Household adaptation to climate change will be strategic and take advantage of both available resources as well as market conditions. • Climate change is causing stronger and more unpredictable environmental shocks. • We use a difference-in-differences model to estimate the impact of shocks on stocking rate. • Drought relates to bigger herds; snowstorms relate to smaller herds. • Households adapt to shocks taking advantage of both available resources and market conditions. • Shaping well-functioning market may reduce opportunistic resource exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines multivocal Mongolian costumes to shed light on the performance and representation of Mongolian identities in China. In particular, it explores the promotion of Mongolian costumes in online media spaces, in commercial cultural studios, and at state-sponsored heritage events. The article argues that the discursive construction of authenticity and cultural hegemony overshadows and hierarchises heterogenous Mongolian cultures and identities. The article also finds that the meanings taken on by Mongolian costumes contest and go beyond those inscribed by the state. The study aims to improve our understanding of minority cultural transformation in post-Mao China and the agency of minority Mongols who reshape their evolving cultural forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose ICTP to coordinate between tourism development and ecological protection. • Areas with higher ICTP are more prone to nature-based tourism vs. ecological protection conflicts. • Considerable proportion of studied areas (ca. 13.79%) have very high ICTP. • These areas are characterized with both high landscape attractiveness and high ecological sensitivity. Developing spatial regulation strategies is important for nature-based tourism, and this procedure could be more rational and scientific with the understanding of the spatial distribution of conflicts tendency between tourism development and ecological protection. In this study, we developed an Indicator of Conflict tendency between nature-based Tourism development and ecological Protection (ICTP), based on the combination of landscape attractiveness and ecological sensitivity. By integrating land cover, topography, climate and other datasets, this paper presents the spatial distribution of the ICTP in the study area in China. The results show that most areas of China have a low or medium ICTP. Areas with very high ICTP account for 13.79% of the studied areas, including the central part of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, northern part of the Loess Plateau, southwestern part of the Northeast Plain, north and south sides of Tianshan Mountains, coast of Bohai Bay and coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province. These areas are mainly confronted with problems of desertification, salinization and soil erosion. 11.09% of studied areas have very low ICTP, mainly located in the Tarim Basin and western part of Inner Mongolia Plateau, characterized by low landscape attractiveness and low ecological sensitivity. Our results can inform decision makers with regard to where are most likely to suffer from ecological problems caused by nature-based tourism activities, and to which types of problems that are likely to arise. Such information can help decision makers forecast the developmental trend of the relationship between nature-based tourism development and ecological protection, further determine the degree of control on nature-based tourism. The study developed the basic framework for measuring the conflict tendency of nature-based tourism development and ecological protection, which can inspire researchers to think about factors that should be considered when measuring such tendency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Joint Prevention and Control of Regional Air Pollution in China" has been put forward to solve serious regional air pollution. However, there is no geographical division covering the whole country that could reveal the similarities and differences among regions to support implementing this policy. This paper applied an air quality model and a multiregional input-output model to analyze the impacts and patterns of atmospheric transmission and trade transfer of regional air pollution, then compared the differences among typical provinces in the northern, central and southern regions. The social network analysis method was used to analyze the interacting pattern of regional atmospheric transmission and trade transfer, and 31 provinces in mainland China were divided into 5 clusters to reveal the interprovincial relationship of atmospheric transmission; then, the 31 provinces were divided into 3 clusters to reveal the interprovincial relationship of trade transfer. Based on these results, the provincial geographical division of "Nine Atmospheric Environmental Transmission Zones" covering mainland China was carried out. In addition, the key regions linking atmospheric transmission and trade transfer were also found. For example, Inner Mongolia is a typical key linkage region. From an atmospheric transmission perspective, it is linked to the northeast area. However, from a trade transfer perspective, it has a close relationship with the southern provinces. The linkage among provinces provides support for the interregional interaction mechanism of air pollution and the formulation of "Joint Prevention and Control of Regional Air Pollution in China". Image 1 • The impact of atmospheric and trade transfer on regional pollution were discussed. • The atmospheric transmission is location-sensitive and trade transfer is not. • The social network analysis was used in air atmospheric environmental zoning. • The 31 provinces were classified into 9 atmospheric environmental transmission zones. • There are four provinces being nodes connecting atmosphere and trade transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassic-hastingsite (IMA2018–160), ideally KCa2(Fe2+4Fe3+)(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2,was discovered in Danailingou, Inner Mongolia, China. Potassic-hastingsite is black to dark green with a vitreous luster, brittle with conchoidal fracture. The {110} cleavage is perfect and the calculated density is 3.541 g·cm−3. It is biaxial negative with α = 1.708 (2), β = 1.716 (3) and γ = 1.718 (3). Combined electron probe,icro-analyser (EPMA) and Mössbauer spectroscopy data yielded 35.02 wt% SiO2, 0.35 wt% TiO2, 10.69 wt% Al2O3, 0.03 wt% Cr2O3, 7.33 wt% Fe2O3, 26.08 wt% FeO, 11.35 wt% CaO, 0.43 wt% MnO, 0.23 wt% MgO, 0.061 wt% Na2O, 2.79 wt% K2O, F 0.00 wt%, Cl 2.79 wt%, Cl ≡ O − 0.67 wt%, and H2O+ 1.43 wt%, resulting in an analytical total of 98.66 wt%. The empirical structural formula, calculated based of the assumption of a total of 24 anions per formula unit and OH + F + Cl = 2 atoms per formula unit (apfu) at the W site is A(K0.61Na0.20Ca0.07)0.88BCa2.00C(Fe2+3.72Fe3+0.94Al0.12Mn0.06Mg0.06Ti0.04Ni0.01)4.96T(Si5.97Al2.03)O22(OH1.14Cl0.86). The derived simplified formula is (K,Na,□)Ca2(Fe2+,Fe3+)5[(Si,Al)6Al2]O22(OH,Cl)2. Potassic-hastingsite is monoclinic, space group C2/m, with the unit-cell parameters a = 9.9405(7) Å; b = 18.2561(19) Å; c = 5.3501(3) Å; β = 105.117(5)°; V = 937.304(11) Å3; Z = 2. The structure was solved (R1 0.044) using all measured independent data and the reflections with I>2σ (I). The strongest six X-ray powder-diffraction lines [d in Å; (I/I0); (hkl)] are 8.504 (100) (110), 3.417 (35) (131), 3.155 (60) (310), 2.735 (70) (151), 2.623 (35) (061) and 2.570 (35) ( 2 ¯ 02). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Belt and Road Initiative has led to an efflorescence of interest in the heritage of the "Silk Road," both in China and abroad. In this article, I approach the BRI and its associated "Silk Road fever" ethnographically, discussing its effects on a particular region of China. What was once characterized in official discourse as a "remote border region" is now recovering its history of camel-based connectivity, and using this to imagine its future development. I situate this Silk Road discourse within the context of the politics of land, ethnicity, and the environment in a Chinese border region. Drawing on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in this region, and analysis of local publications, the article shows how this discourse provides ethnic Mongol elites in the west of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region with resources to defend pastoralist livelihoods threatened by the state's recent grassland conservation policies. I thus show how the BRI's spatial imaginary is "domesticated" in a particular part of China, and shine a light on the spatial politics which this imaginary – and the nonhumans involved in it – affords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species Ufadendron elongatum sp. nov., attributed to the family Tomiodendraceae Naugolnykh, is represented by two well-preserved stems in the collection under study. This new species was recently discovered from the Upper Permian Linxi Formation in the Jalaid locality, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region, China. The genus Ufadendron is characterized as having the long fusiform leaf cushions, with small and rounded leaf scar containing a central point-like scar which is situated at the upper part of leaf cushion; the infrafoliar bladder of fusiform shape positioned in the middle part of leaf cushion; the wings and heel well-developed in the lateral parts and the lower part of leaf cushion, respectively. The new species is different from the type species U. ufaense (Naugolnykh 2014) collected from the Lower Permian of the Cis- Urals, western limits of Angaraland, in the elongated leaf cushion and in the well-pronounced heel. It should be noted, that a vascular bundle (conductive strand) occupied the middle part of the central point-like scar. So far, only 5 genera of Angaran elements among lycopsids have been discovered in the region geographically belonging to Angaran Realm (Phytogeoprovince) in China. The new species U. elongatum not only enlarges our knowledge on the taxonomy of Tomiodendraceae lycopsids, and also provides an opportunity to understand the difference between Angaran and Cathaysian floras in paleoclimatic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergy will play an intimate and critical role in energy supply and carbon mitigation in the future. In recent years, "customizing the development of bioenergy to local conditions" and "prioritizing distributed utilization" have been the two key principles that have been released by the Chinese government to promote the national‐ and provincial‐level development of bioenergy. While many recognize the importance of bioenergy in achieving low‐carbon transition, little is known about the high‐resolution distribution of usable biomass feedstock and technical bioenergy potential in China, which brings about uncertainties and additional challenges for creating localized utilization plans. We propose a new assessment framework that integrates crop growth models, a land suitability assessment, and the geographic information systems to address these knowledge gaps. Distributions of 11 types of usable biomass feedstock and three kinds of technical bioenergy potential are mapped out through specific transformation technologies at 1 km resolution. At the national level, the final technical biogas potential is 1.91 EJ. The technical bioethanol potential (0.04–0.96 EJ) from the energy crop can supply 0.13–3.12 times the bioethanol demand for the consumption of E10 gasoline in 2015. The technical heat potential (1.06 EJ) can meet 20% of the demand for heating in all provinces (5.38 EJ). Most of the 2020 bioenergy goals can be achieved, excluding that for bioethanol, which will need to require more cellulosic ethanol from residues. At the provincial level, Henan and Inner Mongolia have the potential to develop clean heating alternatives via the substitution of agroforestry residues for coal. The results can provide a systematic analysis of the distribution of biomass feedstocks and technical bioenergy potential in China. With economic factors taken into consideration in further research, it can also support national and provincial governments in making bioenergy development plans in an effective and timely manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are one of the most critical resources in Inner Mongolia Plateau. However, the region has experienced severe wetland loss in the context of global change. To quantify the dynamic change and the related driving forces, we extracted wetland information using multi-temporal Landsat images between 1993 and 2013 using ArcGIS platform and man-machine interactive interpretation. Dynamically changing characteristics for the past 20 years were analyzed, including wetland types and spatial distribution patterns of the wetlands in Inner Mongolia. We also performed correlation analysis and generalized linear models to quantify the contribution of natural and human factors to the changes in natural wetland area. Our results indicated that the total area of wetlands was 42421.2 km2 in 1993, and decreased to 38912.4 km2 in 2013, a decline ratio of 8.3%. Meanwhile, all types of wetlands showed a trend of transformation into non-wetlands. Anthropogenic factors led to the loss of natural wetlands in Inner Mongolia. In grasslands, mining coal was the dominant driver for natural wetland loss, while in arable lands, agricultural encroachment and irrigation were the primary driving forces. These findings can provide meaningful information for improving sustainable wetlands management strategies according to local conditions in different sub-regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately predicting reference evapotranspiration (ET0) with limited climatic data is crucial for irrigation scheduling design and agricultural water management. This study evaluated eight machine learning models in four categories, i.e. neuron-based (MLP, GRNN and ANFIS), kernel-based (SVM, KNEA), tree-based (M5Tree, XGBoost) and curve-based (MARS) models, for predicting daily ET0 with maximum/maximum temperature and precipitation data during 2001–2015 from 14 stations in various climatic regions of China, i.e., arid desert of northwest China (NWC), semi-arid steppe of Inner Mongolia (IM), Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), (semi-)humid cold-temperate northeast China (NEC), semi-humid warm-temperate north China (NC), humid subtropical central China (CC) and humid tropical south China (SC). The results showed machine learning models using only temperature data obtained satisfactory daily ET0 estimates (on average R2 = 0.829, RMSE = 0.718 mm day−1, NRMSE = 0.250 and MAE = 0.508 mm day−1). The prediction accuracy was improved by 7.6% across China when information of precipitation was further considered, particularly in (sub)tropical humid regions (by 9.7% in CC and 12.4% in SC). The kernel-based SVM, KNEA and curve-based MARS models generally outperformed the others in terms of prediction accuracy, with the best performance by KNEA in NWC and IM, by SVM in QTP, CC and SC, and very similar performance by them in NEC and NC. SVM (1.9%), MLP (2.0%), MARS (2.6%) and KNEA (6.4%) showed relatively small average increases in RMSE during testing compared with training RMSE. SVM is highly recommended for predicting daily ET0 across China in light of best accuracy and stability, while KNEA and MARS are also promising powerful models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on spatiotemporal variations in groundwater levels are crucial for understanding arsenic (As) behavior and dynamics in groundwater systems. Little is known about the influences of groundwater extraction on the transport and mobilization of As in the Hetao Basin, Inner Mongolia (China), so groundwater levels were recorded in five monitoring wells from 2011 to 2016 and in 57 irrigation wells and two multilevel wells in 2016. Results showed that groundwater level in the groundwater irrigation area had two troughs each year, induced by extensive groundwater extraction, while groundwater levels in the river-diverted (Yellow River) water irrigation area had two peaks each year, resulting from surface-water irrigation. From 2011 to 2016, groundwater levels in the groundwater irrigation area presented a decreasing trend due to the overextraction. Groundwater samples were taken for geochemical analysis each year in July from 2011 to 2016. Increasing trends were observed in groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) and As. Owing to the reverse groundwater flow direction, the Shahai Lake acts as a new groundwater recharge source. Lake water had flushed the near-surface sediments, which contain abundant soluble components, and increased groundwater salinity. In addition, groundwater extraction induced strong downward hydraulic gradients, which led to leakage recharge from shallow high-TDS groundwater to the deep semiconfined aquifer. The most plausible explanation for similar variations among As, Fe(II) and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations is the expected dissimilatory reduction of Fe(III) oxyhydroxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]