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• We construct a multidimensional poverty index for chinese counties. • We establish a staggered DID model that controls for selection bias. • Highways significantly reduce county poverty. • The poverty-reduction effect of highways is conditional. • The poverty-reduction effect of highways diminishes with increasing altitude. This paper establishes a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model to estimate the impact of highways on regional poverty using county-level panel data from China. We construct a multidimensional poverty index and use satellite-monitored night light brightness as a proxy indicator. The results demonstrate that highways significantly reduce county poverty and that the poverty reduction effect becomes increasingly pronounced over time. This result remains robust after controlling for non-random highway route selection. Furthermore, the poverty reduction effect of highways is conditional, with a significant poverty reduction effect in the less economically-developed western regions and non-municipal counties, and no significant poverty reduction effect in the economically-developed eastern and central regions and municipal districts. Moreover, the poverty reduction effect of highways gradually decreases as the average altitude of counties increases. Our tests provide empirical evidence for effective road investments in developing countries that incorporate poverty alleviation targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the energy system's resilience to risks is a pressing need, and green finance provides inspiration in achieving this goal. Nevertheless, only a limited number of scholars have empirically examined the impact of green finance on energy resilience. This study employs panel data for 16 years (2006–2021) from 30 provinces in China to empirically investigate the correlation between energy resilience and green finance. The study also aims to analyze heterogeneity and the underlying influencing mechanisms. The results indicate that green finance can effectively enhance China's energy resilience, particularly in the economic and social domains. This finding is highly reliable, as it passes several robustness checks. Additionally, this positive impact is not universal. The significance of promoting green financing is limited to the eastern and western areas, where it can indirectly bolster energy resilience by fostering industrial transformation and driving green technology innovation. These discoveries offer valuable insights for policymakers aiming to enhance the energy system's resilience to risks from a green financing perspective. • This study examines the effect of green finance on energy resilience. • Heterogeneity and paths of influence are examined. • Green finance contributes to China's energy resilience improvement. • There exists regional heterogeneity in the effects of green finance. • Industrial upgrading and green technology innovation serve as mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the level of innovation factor allocation is an important route to achieve high-quality economic development in China and has received much attention from scholars. As a policy system to change the old and new dynamics of innovation, the impact of innovation pilot cities on the allocation of innovation factors is of great importance. Using a sample of 254 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper empirically analyses the impact of innovative pilot city policies on the allocation of innovation factors and their paths of action using a multi-temporal double-difference model. The study finds that the innovative pilot city policy significantly improved the level of innovation factor allocation, and this result held true after considering a series of robustness tests and endogeneity tests. Mechanistic tests show that the innovation pilot city policy has an impact on the allocation of innovation factors through the factor mobility effect and the innovation environment effect. Heterogeneity test shows that the influence of innovation pilot city policies on innovation factor allocation is greater in cities with higher administrative levels and better geographical locations. The economic consequences show that the innovation pilot city policy can significantly promote high-quality regional economic development. This study provides useful lessons for giving full play to the innovation-driven policy's innovation factor allocation effect, thereby enhancing China's high-quality economic development. • This paper studies the influence of innovative pilot cities on the allocation of innovation factors. • It provides a new method for measuring innovation factor allocation. • The basic results were confirmed by a series of robustness tests and endogeneity tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 13,584 observations of 4772 undergraduate students enrolled in 523 online classes offered synchronously at a research university in China, and using online-learning platform data and administrative data, this paper examines the impacts of class attendance on academic performance. Based on student-level and course-level fixed effects models with a unique set of student-course level control variables, this paper finds class attendance to have a significantly positive impact on academic performance. This effect is larger for low-performing students and smaller for students in courses with larger class sizes. The above findings survive a number of robustness checks, including a bounding technique, restricting sample to compulsory courses and limiting variation in attendance caused by whole day absence. • This paper represents the first attempt to examine the effects of class attendance on academic performance of college students in synchronous online courses. • Based on 13584 observations of 4772 students enrolled in 523 online classes at a research university in China, this paper uses a larger sample with a diverse range of courses and more accurate indicators of class attendance. • Employing student and course fixed effects, we find that students' class attendance has a significantly positive impact on their academic performance. For a one standard deviation increase in class attendance, academic performance increases by 0.08 standard deviation. • The positive attendance effect is stronger for lower-performing students and students in smaller classes, and remains substantial even for courses without mandatory attendance requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal monitoring of inland water bodies using remote sensing images is often impeded by missing data caused by clouds and other adverse conditions. To date, various data recovery algorithms have been developed based on the water occurrence threshold (WOT), where the contaminated pixels are recovered by using long-term historical water distribution information. Here, we propose an improved algorithm, enhanced WOT (EWOT), which addresses the issue of mismatch between the water occurrence product and the actual historical water presence that has been neglected by previous WOT algorithms. The EWOT algorithm achieved an overall high accuracy (with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 5.1%) and prevailed against a representative WOT algorithm. The accuracy could be further reduced (MAPE = 1.6%) after the application of a novel quality control process. In addition, the temporal coverage of the high-quality surface water area time series was improved by an average of 26.2%, and the percent count and percent area of lakes with high-quality reconstructed data reached as high as 84.5% and 94.7%, respectively, facilitating the utilization of these data in further time series analysis. In general, the improvement was closely associated with the extent of the contamination before recovery. We evaluated the algorithm's ability to be implemented on a large scale in China, and the results generally were in line with previous studies. Nonetheless, our high-quality annual-based dataset presented a more comprehensive and continuous representation of the changes in lake area spanning from 2000 to 2019. The significance of improving the existing WOT algorithms is highlighted in this study, and the proposed method can be readily extended to lakes worldwide, thus providing a valuable data source to examine the causes and possible impacts of lake dynamics. • A novel improvement towards current WOT-based reconstruction algorithms. • A robust quality control process by utilizing two effective quality indicators. • A significant improvement for the overall quality of the lake area time series. • An annual lake area dataset for 4936 natural lakes and 2237 reservoirs in China. • A substantial yet diverse lake area changes between 2000 and 2019 in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the structural and functional robustness of networked critical infrastructure systems (CISs). We propose a structural and functional robustness model of a typical complex network and take into account the corresponding measuring metrics and cascading processes to assess the impact of different hazard modes on robustness. We analyze the robustness of the shanghai subway network and the central China power grid to demonstrate an application of the model. We find that both are strongly robust to random failure but extremely vulnerable to targeted attack. We identify the critical areas most likely to be attack targets and use a functional perspective to identify vulnerabilities. Our proposed method can be applied to other CISs and aid in understanding the mechanisms of network robustness. • The structural and functional robustness are analyzed. • The critical areas most likely to be attack targets are identified. • The fraction of the system after a series of failures occur are determined. • Overload failures are examined to determine how they propagate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Is idiosyncratic volatility priced? The existing literature finds conflicting results on the cross-sectional relation between expected returns and idiosyncratic volatility. This paper examines the relation between idiosyncratic volatility and expected returns in Chinese Stock Market. We find there is a significantly positive relation between idiosyncratic volatility and expected returns when we use Fama–French five-factor model to estimate idiosyncratic volatility. However, the positive relation disappears when we use GARCH (1,1) model to estimate idiosyncratic volatility. This result indicates that in Chinese Stock Market, the idiosyncratic volatility premium is just an apparent phenomenon, whether the idiosyncratic volatility matter or not depend on the way we estimate the idiosyncratic volatility. The result is robust after controlling for investors' lottery preference, investors' sentiment and other factors. Highlights • A new method is applied to estimate idiosyncratic volatility. • The idiosyncratic volatility is positively related to expected return. • Positive relation disappears when using alternate estimate method. • In China, the idiosyncratic volatility premium is just an apparent phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper matches the province-level ICT development with the micro-level data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), uses multiple indicators to measure ICT development and job quality, and investigates the impact of regional ICT development on job quality of the employee. The research conclusions are as follows: First of all, ICT development has a significant positive impact on job quality of the employee. After a series of robustness tests and dealing with endogeneity issues, the research conclusion continues to be valid. Second, when the job quality of the employee is poor, the promotion of ICT development is relatively strong. Third, ICT development has an indirect impact on job quality through the Internet awareness. Finally, ICT development has a relatively strong role in promoting job quality of women, older, non-agricultural, and medium-skill employees. From the policy perspective, in order to improve the job quality of the employee, we suggest promoting ICT development, narrowing the digital gap, increasing investment in education, and taking into account the different characteristics of employees. • First of all , this paper reveals the impact of regional (macro-level) ICT development on job quality of the individual (micro-level) employees, and it provides a new research perspective for scholars. Namely, we should not ignore the impact of macro ICT environment on job quality of the individual labor force. • Secondly , this paper reveals that regional ICT development may have improved the job quality of employees through the Internet awareness. • Thirdly , we use multiple indicators to measure ICT development and job quality, and the study enriches the indicator system for ICT development and job quality. • Finally , this paper finds that there are differences in the impact of regional ICT development on job quality of different employees. Therefore, we should formulate dissimilar ICT development policies to improve job quality of employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of past glaciation across the Tian Shan provides a proxy for past climate change in this critical area. Correlating glacial stages across the region is difficult but cosmogenic exposure ages have considerable potential. A drawback is the large observed scatter in 10 Be surface exposure data. To quantify the robustness of the dating, we compile, recalculate, and perform statistical analyses on sets of 10 Be surface exposure ages from 25 moraines, consisting of 114 new and previously published ages. We assess boulder age scatter by dividing boulder groups into quality classes and rejecting boulder groups of poor quality. This allows us to distinguish and correlate robustly dated glacier limits, resulting in a more conservative chronology than advanced in previous publications. Our analysis shows that only one regional glacial stage can be reliably correlated across the Tian Shan, with glacier expansions occurring between 15 and 28 ka during marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 2. However, there are examples of older more extensive indicators of glacial stages between MIS 3 and MIS 6. Paleoglacier extent during MIS 2 was mainly restricted to valley glaciation. Local deviations occur: in the central Kyrgyz Tian Shan paleoglaciers were more extensive and we propose that the topographic context explains this pattern. Correlation between glacial stages prior to late MIS 2 is less reliable, because of the low number of samples and/or the poor resolution of the dating. With the current resolution and spatial coverage of robustly-dated glacier limits we advise that paleoclimatic implications for the Tian Shan glacial chronology beyond MIS 2 are speculative and that continued work toward robust glacial chronologies is needed to resolve questions regarding drivers of past glaciation in the Tian Shan and Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rail transit network usually represents the core of a city’s public transportation system. The overall topological structures and functional features of a public transportation network, therefore, must be fully understood to assist the safety management of rail transit and planning for sustainable development. Based on the complex network theory, this study took the Beijing Subway system (BSS) as an example to assess the robustness of a subway network in face of random failures (RFs) as well as malicious attacks (MAs). Specifically, (1) the topological properties of the rail transit system were quantitatively analyzed by means of a mathematical statistical model; (2) a new weighted composite index was developed and proved to be valid for evaluation of node importance, which could be utilized to position hub stations in a subway network; (3) a simulation analysis was conducted to examine the variations in the network performance as well as the dynamic characteristics of system response in face of different disruptions. The results reveal that the BSS exhibits typical characteristics of a scale-free network, with relatively high survivability and robustness when faced with RFs, whereas error tolerance is relatively low when the hubs undergo MAs. In addition, illustrations of dynamic variations in the influence of the BSS under a series of MAs were provided by spatial analysis techniques of Geographical Information System (GIS), which directly verified the earlier conclusions. We believed the proposed methodology and the results obtained could contribute to a baseline for relevant research of transportation topological robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: River boundaries extraction from SAR imagery is valuable for flood monitoring and damage assessment. Several rivers, parts of which include dammed lakes caused by landslides and rock avalanches triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, were taken as a case study for robust extraction. In this paper, a novel state-of-the-art approach for automated river boundaries extraction using high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) intensity imagery is presented. The key of our approach lies in the combined usage of local connectivity feature of the river and a region-based active contours model (ACM) in a variational level set framework to differentiate between river and the background. First, sub-patched intensity thresholding segmentation is applied to SAR imagery. Pixels with intensities below the threshold are selected as potential river pixels while the others are potential background pixels. Second, potential river pixels are divided into several connected regions, considering that the river is a big connected region, only relatively bigger regions with similar contrast value are retained as the regions of interest (ROI) while others are noise due to pixel-level decision approach in the first step or shadows due to mountains terrain. Third, the ROI and their contours are regarded as local region and the initial contours to refine the river boundaries, which are used to reduce the scene complexity of ACM and its sensitivity to initial situation, respectively. A novel ACM driven by local image fitting (LIF) energy is presented and used for river boundaries extraction for the first time, which is not only robust against inhomogeneity widely spread in SAR imagery but also can work with efficiency without the need of re-initialization during iteration compared to traditional ACM. The proposed approach was tested on numerous high resolution airborne SAR images containing connected rivers or dammed lakes obtained by Chinese domestic radar system after Wenchuan Earthquake. For the overall dataset, the average commission error, omission error and root mean squared error were 6.5%, 3.3%, and 0.51, respectively. The average computational time for 4000 by 4000 image size was 21min using a PC-based MATLAB platform. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach is robust and effective. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Proposed a robust multiobjective control operation and risk decision-making model. • Introduced Conditional Value-at-Risk to approximate extreme flood damage. • Revealed mechanism of robust flood control operation in different flood events. • Reduced maximum reservoir release by 7.33% in adverse scenarios. Forecast uncertainty in real-time flood forecasting is the primary source of risk regarding reservoir flood control operation, affecting both reliability and safety of the entire system. Informing reservoir operation for real-time flood control coping with forecast uncertainty encourages overall robust control of risk probability, vulnerability, and resilience of upstream and downstream protection areas. Current stochastic programming models or chance constrained programming models (CCP) focuses on reducing either risk loss or vulnerability, thereby failing to ensure systematic control. This study established a robust multiobjective operation and risk decision-making model to inform reservoir operations. The proposed model includes three modules. First, a copula function was applied to capture multidimensional temporal dependences of forecast uncertainties, following which stochastic inflow scenarios were generated. Second, a robust multiobjective optimization (RMOO) model was established with the objectives of minimizing the probability of risk events, Conditional Value-at-Risk of risk loss (vulnerability) and the maximum sequential duration for both upstream and downstream areas. Then, an adaptive reference multiobjective evolutionary algorithm was used to solve the model and obtain noninferior solutions. Finally, the TOPSIS multicriteria decision-making method was introduced to select the compromise solution. Methodologies were verified by application to Xianghongdian reservoir, China. The main findings were as follows. (1) The copula function effectively captured the multidimensional positive temporal dependences of forecast uncertainties. (2) RMOO provided more widely distributed noninferior solutions than CCP, and performed better in lowering vulnerability of the system. (3) RMOO reduced the maximum release by 135.6 m3/s (7.33%) by increasing prerelease before the occurrence of flood peak. The proposed methodologies provide insights for supporting robust control of real-time operations of a reservoir system through simultaneous control of flood risk probability, vulnerability, and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Three sources of energy security risks, namely sovereignty, robustness and resilience, affect China’s energy chains. [•] Energy security issues in China both have shaped and at the same time were shaped by ideas and institutions. [•] China remains rigid with equating ‘security’ with ‘national security’ and the notion of “national” is socially constructed. [•] Powerful actors, such as Chinese NOCs, inclined to interpret the problem so that it fits their preferred solution. [•] Securitization of any energy supply chains results from their historical roots, system properties and institutional agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Late Quaternary megafaunal extinction chronologies are poorly understood across eastern and south-east Asia. Previous radiometric studies suggested that surprisingly many extinct Late Pleistocene large mammal species survived into the Holocene in northern China (Bos primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Mammuthus primigenius) and southern China (Ailuropoda baconi, Crocuta [crocuta] ultima, Megatapirus augustus, Stegodon orientalis, Sus cf. xiaozhu), indicating that Chinese megafaunal extinctions may have been “staggered” across the Late Quaternary. We critically re-examined all radiometric evidence suggesting Holocene survival of Chinese Late Quaternary megafauna, and conducted new dating of mammal material from reportedly Holocene sites containing characteristically Late Pleistocene faunas. Evidence for Holocene survival of any Chinese Late Pleistocene megafaunal species is weak or untenable. No previous radiometric dates used to support Holocene megafaunal survival represent direct bone dates for species of interest, and stratigraphic association between material yielding Holocene dates and megafaunal remains is dubious at most sites. Concerns over accurate identification of faunal material further confuse claims for Holocene survival of many species. Robust radiometric last-occurrence dates for extinct Chinese megafauna are all restricted to the Late Pleistocene, similar to the timing of many other Late Quaternary megafaunal species extinctions elsewhere in Eurasia and the Americas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Genotypic classification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis has greatly contributed to the comprehension of phylogenetic and population genetic relationships. It is, therefore, necessary to verify the robustness of the genetic markers for phylogenetic classification. In this study, we report some examples of homoplasy for two molecular markers, the IS6110 insertion at the NTF region, and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at locus 909166, through genotyping of 1054 Beijing family strains. Our data revealed that a small fraction of strains traditionally classified into modern sublineages by IS6110 insertion at NTF actually belong to an ancient sublineage. We also proved that the robustness of branches in the evolutionary tree established using the putative homoplasious SNP 909166 is relatively low. Our findings highlight the importance of validating genetic markers used to establish phylogeny, evolution, and phenotypic characteristics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, we employ recent and robust estimation techniques of cointegration to provide more conclusive evidence on the nexus of CO2 emissions, economic growth and coal consumption in China and India. Furthermore, the causal relationships among the variables are further examined using the Granger causality test. Our empirical results suggest that the variables are cointegrated in the case of China but not India. In other words, there is a long-run relationship between CO2 emissions, economic growth and coal consumption in China. Granger causality test for China reveal a strong evidence of uni-directional causality running from economic growth to CO2 emissions. Moreover, there is a bi-directional causality between economic growth and coal consumption as well as CO2 emissions and coal consumption in the short and long run. In the case of India, only a short-run causality is detected. Causality between economic growth and CO2 emissions as well as CO2 emissions and coal consumption are bi-directional. Nonetheless, there is only a uni-directional Granger causality running from economic growth to coal consumption in India. The implications of the results are further discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We applied a joint inversion of teleseismic data and InSAR measurements, aiming at obtaining a robust rupture process and slip distribution of the 2010 Yushu earthquake, through reducing the trade-off between slip timing and location. With the condition of the final static deformation of InSAR measurements, the rupture history can be achieved with more confidence. Surface offset constraint is also applied to our inversion. Through synthetic data inversion we find that InSAR data can resolve better fault slip at near surface depth range of 0–15km than teleseismic data; yet it has much poorer resolution at near hypocenter area, where teleseismic data has a relatively better resolution. Our final joint inversion results show that the 2010 Yushu earthquake has an essential rupture time around 20s, during which 90% of the seismic moment has been released. Two peak energy releasing moments occur at 8 and 12s after the earthquake initiation, respectively. The fault slip breaks the surface at most segments of the total 76km fault model and the maximum slip reaches 2.2m. We also find two peak-slip asperities, one at near hypocentral area, mainly distributed at depth around 10–15km; the other distributed in a large area at the eastern segments at near surface. Our most robust estimation of the seismic moment reaches 2.30×1019 N.m, equivalent to a moment magnitude of M w 6.9. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We obtained the coseismic deformation field of the Ms7.1 earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai, China on 14 April 2010 using L band and C band SAR images. The results show that the deformation fields derived from L and C bands separately are consistent in general. They are all characterized by concentric elliptic interference fringes surrounding a NW trending fault with two local intensively deformed regions. Meanwhile they have small differences in area coverage of the deformation field, magnitude of LOS displacements and other details of deformation nearby the fault. The deformation from C band and L band covers 89∗59km square and 77∗43km square, with maximum displacements of about 45cm and 65cm in the radar line of sight, respectively. Using these two kinds of InSAR measurements separately and jointly, we constructed a three-segment fault model and inverted the coseismic fault slip of the Yushu event. The inversion results show that the slip distributions constrained by the two kinds of inSAR data are in agreement on the whole. They all indicate two concentration regions of slip distribution, one is located near the Jiegu town on the southeastern segment of the Yushu fault with a large area and the maximum slip of 2.4m, and the other is at the epicenter on the northwestern segment of the fault with a relatively small area. There are also discrepancies between the two kinds of slip distribution models. In general, the scale, magnitude, and depth of slip distribution constrained by C band ASAR data are larger than that by L band PALSAR data. The slip distribution from a joint inversion of the two kinds of SAR data is considered to be the most robust model compared to the results of that constrained by L band SAR data or C band SAR data alone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A 7-day cycle is a special time-scale that corresponds with the weekly working schedule. However, there is no consensus on the existence of the weekly cycle of aerosol loading, which is closely related to human activities. In the present study, we analyzed the surface concentration of PM10 (Particulate Matter with a diameter of less than 10 μm) and other physically linked variables over Southeastern China under calm weather conditions to detect signs of the aerosol loading weekly cycle. Results show that the weekly cycle of PM10 is distinct; the maximum occurs on Thursday and the minimum occurs on Saturday and Sunday. The range of this cycle is over 8 μg m−3, approximately 8% of the daily average. The existence of the PM10 weekly cycle was supported by the pronounced amplitude of the 7-day cycle compared with those of 6-day and 8-day cycles and by significant results from the Monte–Carlo test. There are also distinct weekly cycles in the directly linked variables of adjusted horizontal visibility, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2); the patterns of these cycles are corresponding with that of PM10. The changes of total cloud cover and relative humidity on the weekly time-scale were analyzed, and the relationship with PM10 was discussed. It is likely that the cloud cover weekly cycle is conducted by the change of PM10 through the semi-direct aerosol effect. We also found that precipitation and wind might weaken the PM10 weekly cycle by scavenging the heavy aerosol loading. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The time control point strategy is often adopted by bus operators in China and Singapore to provide more reliable transit service. It is thus important to design a schedule, in which bus drivers should devote their efforts to catch up a scheduled arrival time at a predetermined time control point on a bus route because passengers can definitely benefit from a reliable bus route schedule. This paper first proposes a novel reliable bus route schedule design problem by taking into account the bus travel time uncertainty and the bus drivers’ schedule recovery efforts. It proceeds to develop a robust optimization model for the proposed problem, which aims to minimize the sum of the expected value of the random schedule deviation and its variability multiplied by a weighting value. A Monte Carlo simulation based solution method is subsequently designed to solve the robust optimization model. Finally, a numerical example based on a real bus route in Suzhou city of China is carried out to demonstrate the strength of the robust optimization model. We find that the optimal scheduled travel time (or slack time) depends on bus drivers’ schedule recovery behavior and on decision makers’ scheduling philosophies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Proper design, reliable control and health of variable–air–volume (VAV) terminals are essential for reliable operation and energy efficiency of VAV air-conditioning systems. This paper presents an online fault diagnosis tool for pressure-independent VAV terminals and its implementation. The fault diagnosis tool is developed using a robust fault detection and diagnosis strategy for VAV terminals. Cumulative sum (CUSUM) control chart with estimated process parameters is utilized to detect faults in VAV terminals. A rule-based fault classifier is designed and utilized to find the sources of faults in VAV terminals. The fault diagnosis tool relies only upon the sensor data and control signals that are commonly available in building management control systems (BMCS). The fault diagnosis tool can be installed in BMCS to online read the operating data of all VAV terminals in a building through local area network and diagnose faults of VAV terminals in the building. The fault diagnosis tool has been validated in a large-scale office building located in Hong Kong and can effectively find all faults occurring in VAV terminals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper investigates the effect of a major water quality improvement program in rural China on the health of adults and children. Using panel data covering about 4500 households from 1989 to 2006, I estimate the impact of introducing village-level access to water from water plants on various measures of health. The regression results imply that the illness incidence of adults decreased by 11 percent and their weight-for-height increased by 0.835kg/m, and that children''s weight-for-height and height itself both rose by 0.446kg/m and 0.962cm respectively, as a result of the program. And these estimates are quite stable across different robustness checks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: After tremendous growth of wind power generation capacity in recent years, China now has 44.7 GW of wind-derived power. Despite the recent growth rates and promises of a bright future, two important issues - the capability of the grid infrastructure and the availability of backup systems - must be critically discussed and tackled in the medium term. The study shows that only a relatively small share of investment goes towards improving and extending the electricity infrastructure which is a precondition for transmitting clean wind energy to the end users. In addition, the backup systems are either geographically too remote from the potential wind power sites or currently financially infeasible. Finally, the introduction of wind power to the coal-dominated energy production system is not problem-free. Frequent ramp ups and downs of coal-fired plants lead to lower energy efficiency and higher emissions, which are likely to negate some of the emission savings from wind power. The current power system is heavily reliant on independently acting but state-owned energy companies optimizing their part of the system, and this is partly incompatible with building a robust system supporting renewable energy technologies. Hence, strategic, top-down co-ordination and incentives to improve the overall electricity infrastructure is recommended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recently, cities have become larger and larger, and more and more people are living in large cities. This phenomenon has caused serious traffic congestion which is very detrimental to the development of large cities. In this context, the subway has become the most effective solution for relieving traffic congestion and subways have been constructed in many cities, so the reliability and robustness of subways should be guaranteed. In this paper, Shanghai subway network, in China, will be analyzed and investigated; the topological characteristics and functional properties can be studied in order to assess the reliability and robustness. The topological characteristics can be measured using several parameters; meanwhile the fraction of removed nodes of Shanghai subway network is discussed and compared against that for a random network, and the critical threshold of this fraction is obtained. Two novel parameters called the functionality loss and connectivity of subway lines are proposed for measuring the transport functionality and the connectivity of subway lines. Subway lines 4 and 7 are selected as examples for evaluating the connectivity of lines subjected to different attack protocols. This study indicates that the subway network is robust against random attacks but fragile for malicious attacks, and the highest betweenness node-based attacks can cause the most serious damage to subway networks among the different attack protocols. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The study of properties of speech sound systems is of great significance in understanding the human cognitive mechanism and the working principles of speech sound systems. Some properties of speech sound systems, such as the listener-oriented feature and the talker-oriented feature, have been unveiled with the statistical study of phonemes in human languages and the research of the interrelations between human articulatory gestures and the corresponding acoustic parameters. With all the phonemes of speech sound systems treated as a coherent whole, our research, which focuses on the dynamic properties of speech sound systems in operation, investigates some statistical parameters of Chinese phoneme networks based on real text and dictionaries. The findings are as follows: phonemic networks have high connectivity degrees and short average distances; the degrees obey normal distribution and the weighted degrees obey power law distribution; vowels enjoy higher priority than consonants in the actual operation of speech sound systems; the phonemic networks have high robustness against targeted attacks and random errors. In addition, for investigating the structural properties of a speech sound system, a statistical study of dictionaries is conducted, which shows the higher frequency of shorter words and syllables and the tendency that the longer a word is, the shorter the syllables composing it are. From these structural properties and dynamic properties one can derive the following conclusion: the static structure of a speech sound system tends to promote communication efficiency and save articulation effort while the dynamic operation of this system gives preference to reliable transmission and easy recognition. In short, a speech sound system is an effective, efficient and reliable communication system optimized in many aspects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In many practical important cases, a massive dataset can be represented as a very large network with certain attributes associated with its vertices and edges. Stock markets generate huge amounts of data, which can be use for constructing the network reflecting the market’s behavior. In this paper, we use a threshold method to construct China’s stock correlation network and then study the network’s structural properties and topological stability. We conduct a statistical analysis of this network and show that it follows a power-law model. We also detect components, cliques and independent sets in this network. These analyses allows one to apply a new data mining technique of classifying financial instruments based on stock price data, which provides a deeper insight into the internal structure of the stock market. Moreover, we test the topological stability of this network and find that it displays a topological robustness against random vertex failures, but it is also fragile to intentional attacks. Such a network stability property would be also useful for portfolio investment and risk management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• This paper examines the Internet security environment as an FDI location determinant and its mechanisms. • The spatial econometric approach is employed to analyze both the direct and spatial spillover effects. • Internet security plays an increasingly important role in acquiring FDI with time passing. • Internet security becomes more crucial for attracting FDI when host country turning into Internet society. This paper examines the impact of the Internet security environment on Chinese outward foreign direct investment (FDI) using a merged cross-country data set over 2010–2017 with a dynamic spatial model. The results show that Internet security is a crucial determinant for Chinese firms to make location decisions overseas. Particularly, a secure Internet significantly promotes Chinese outward FDI to a host country. In contrast, Internet security in surrounding countries yields negative spatial location spillovers that hinder Chinese firms from investing in the host country. This phenomenon can be regarded as a national competition for Internet security to attract FDI. Mechanism tests show that Internet security promotes FDI in host countries through four channels: operating cost reductions, transaction cost-cutting, information asymmetry decreases, and confidentiality protection. Further heterogeneous analyses show that the impact of Internet security is more significant as time passes and the host country becomes an Internet society. In contrast, specific international cooperation frameworks led by China weaken the location effect of Internet security for Chinese outward FDI. These results are robust after controlling for potential endogeneity and to different specifications. Therefore, the host authorities should endeavor to create a high-quality Internet security environment to attract FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media is increasingly used to express people's concerns regarding air pollution. Using simultaneous equation models to analyze data from Weibo (Chinese Twitter) posts concerning the environment, this study examines the influence of social media on environmental governance, particularly its effect on mitigating urban PM 2.5 levels. We find that social media exerts a positive influence on air quality improvement, with the results remaining robust after controlling for endogeneity. Specifically, a 10% increase in the number of environment-related posts is associated with a 2.7% decrease in PM 2.5 emissions. Further analysis suggests that government regulations act as a mediator in response to environment-related complaints on social media. The findings point to a new bottom-up force that might affect environmental governance in China and suggest the emergence of a new type of environmental injustice among regions with different levels of social media participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Institutional rules and good cadre-farmer relationships can improve farmers' willingness. • A good cadre-farmer relationship is necessary for ensuring institutional rules' taking effect. • A good cadre-farmer relationship could enhance farmers' participation in the enthusiasm of public product maintenance; • The cognitive and mobilization effects are considered as main mechanism in driving cadre-farmers' governance process. Maintaining and improving rural infrastructure is one approach to realize rural revitalization in China. The running of rural infrastructure maintenance projects constructed upon village land generally involves two major problems, which are the lack of institutional rules and a weakening relationship between village cadres and farmers. By extending the IAD Framework, this paper studies how institutional rules, cadre-farmer relationships and their interaction term affect farmer willingness to maintain infrastructure. When involving the utilization and governance of public resources such as collective land, both local resource endowment and farmers' willingness should be fully considered. The results show that institutional rules and good cadre-farmer relationships can both significantly improve farmer willingness, and strengthen the positive effect of institutional rules on farmer willingness. However, the introduction of the interaction term renders institutional rules insignificant, showing that a good cadre-farmer relationship is necessary for ensuring institutional rules take effect. The results are robust after controlling village heterogeneity. Furthermore, we identify two mechanisms underlying successful cadre-farmer relationships. The first is cadres mobilizing farmers to participate, and the second is enabling farmers to have a better understanding and recognition of institutional rules, thus improving their willingness to participate in rural infrastructure maintenance. This paper concludes by discussing how these findings point to new policy prescriptions surrounding the tragedy of the commons and tragedy of the anti-commons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]