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Establishing infrastructure that effectively coordinates social, economic, and environmental growth is crucial to sustainable development. This study aims to identify the current research trends for sustainable and resilient infrastructure in terms of years, classify the various types, research methods, and indicators of infrastructure projects, and compile an overview of indicators from the existing literature. The results are anticipated to contribute to the current knowledge body about sustainable and resilient infrastructure project development by highlighting recurrent themes and emerging trends in the field. This research applied the PRISMA strategy, which incorporates bibliometrics and visualisation tools, to analyse the 442 bibliographic papers published in databases on the topic between 2005 and 2022. According to the findings, the amount of research conducted increased between 2018 and 2021, with China and Europe being the most significant contributors. The total of 105 articles was selected, covering various infrastructural types and approaches. The examination led to the extraction of four sustainable infrastructure indicators: environmental, economic, social and resilient. This study provided valuable data on the latest research trends and indicators for designing sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects which will assist future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the rural revitalisation strategy was first introduced in the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, government agencies and scholars have put forward a series of indicators to measure its implementation. However, such a large number of indicators complicate the process. The rural revitalisation strategy aims to boost agricultural labour productivity, reduce the urban–rural income disparity, and promote the equalisation of basic public services, thereby accelerating the modernisation of agriculture and rural areas. This paper puts forward five indicators to evaluate the progress of implementing the rural revitalisation strategy. The indicators, though simple, underscore the key issues in promoting rural revitalisation in China. This paper also suggests that the rural revitalisation policy should aim to improve the quality of life of the rural population and promote the equalisation of basic public services rather than to reverse the population flow brought by industrialisation and urbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unbalanced development strategy makes the regional development unbalanced. Therefore, in the development process, resources must be effectively utilized according to the level and characteristics of each region. Considering the resource and environmental constraints, this paper measures and analyzes China's green economic efficiency and green total factor productivity. Moreover, by expounding the characteristics of high-dimensional data, this paper points out the problems of traditional clustering algorithms in high-dimensional data clustering. This paper proposes a density peak clustering algorithm based on sampling and residual squares, which is suitable for high-dimensional large data sets. The algorithm finds abnormal points and boundary points by identifying halo points, and finally determines clusters. In addition, from the experimental comparison on the data set, it can be seen that the improved algorithm is better than the DPC algorithm in both time complexity and clustering results. Finally, this article analyzes data based on actual cases. The research results show that the method proposed in this paper is effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the significant residuals in the sewage treatment system, sludge treatment and reuse play a pivotal impact on the environmental sustainability study in China. In this paper, two sewage sludge treatment systems have been investigated, calculated, and analyzed, including the conventional treatment system (Scenario A) and improved reuse system (Scenario B), respectively. The results demonstrate that (1) Compared to Scenario A, Scenario B is a comprehensive system, which integrates a sewage sludge treatment system and a brick production system for sludge recycling. (2) After considering the brick system (scenario B), on the one hand, the sludge treatment capacity has been enhanced and raised sludge utilization; on the other hand, negative influences have also generated due to the non-renewable resources input and several outputs. (3) In Scenario A and Scenario B, the input resources part reflects the main impact (about 59.6% in the entire emergy value). (4) In this new paper, the UEVs are 2.73E + 11sej/kg and 6.29E + 11sej/kg in Scenario A and Scenario B, respectively. (5) The emergy sustainability indexes (ESI) are 0.012292 and 0.00848, which express the weak comprehensive effects in Scenario A and Scenario B. (6) Scenario B has a more extensive range of change than Scenario A because of the more resource input for the sensitivity analysis. Given the all discussions, there are two effective approaches to be used for perfecting environmental sustainability in the Scenario A system and Scenario B system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) targets have been included as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and indictors are important to monitor progress towards these targets. SRH indicators are recommended for setting norms and measuring progress globally. However, given the diverse political, socioeconomic and cultural contexts in different countries, and lack of global agreement on broad indicators, it is important to select appropriate indicators for specific countries. Based on internationally recommended indicators and data availability in China, this paper selected four indictors to reflect SRH in China and interpreted these indictors by analyzing the underlying factors. Methods: We employed secondary data analysis and key informant interviews. Secondary data were obtained from the China Health Statistical Yearbook (2005–2017), China Statistical Yearbook (2005–2017), and the sub-national estimates of the Global Burden Diseases Study 2016. We interviewed 36 key informants at national and sub-national levels. Results: The four selected SRH indicators are contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), adolescent birth rate, abortion rate, and availability of school sex education. CPR of married women has remained above 75% over the last three decades, indicating a high level of access to family planning (FP) services; however, unmarried but sexually active women have significant unmet needs for FP services. Although adolescent birth rates in China remain low, the abortion rate, abortion numbers, and the ratio of abortions to births increased from 2014 to 2016 while FP policy was relaxed. This suggests that abortion among unmarried women is a significant contributor to overall figures. Qualitative analysis of the availability of school sex education, reveals an absence of policy due to conservative attitudes of key stakeholders. Conclusion: Since SRH challenges vary significantly between contexts, indicators for measuring progress towards SRH targets should be selected based on country context. The CPR and abortion rate are currently available and important indicators to monitor the most basic part of SRH in China, but require modification to ensure they reflect universal access to quality reproductive healthcare by all reproductive age women, regardless of their marriage status. Policy and indicators on sex education need to be carefully developed to fit the context in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As one of the most important overhead capital of urban economics and social development, the sustainable development of urban infrastructure is becoming a key issue of prosperous society growing. The purpose of this paper is to establish a basic model to analysis certain infrastructure project's sustainable construction and operation. Design/methodology/approach: System dynamics is an effective stimulation method and tool to deal with such complex, dynamics, nonlinear systems, which could be used in analyzing and evaluating all aspects of infrastructure sustainability internally and externally. In this paper, the system is divided into four subsystems and 12 main impact indicators. Through setting the boundary and other basic hypothesis, this paper designs the basic causal loop diagrams and stock & flow diagrams to describe the relationship between variables and establish a quantifiable structure for the system. Findings: Adopting a sewerage treatment in China as a case to test our model, we could conclude that the model of internal sustainable subsystem is reasonable. However, this model is a basic model, and it need to be specific designed for the certain project due to the diversity of infrastructure types and the unique conditions of each projects. Originality/value: System Dynamics (SD) is widely used in the study of sustainable development and has plentiful research achievements from macro perspective but few studies in the microcosmic project systems. This paper focuses on the unique characteristics of urban infrastructure in China and selects infrastructure project which is based on micro-system discussion. The model we designed has certain practical significance in policy setting, operation monitoring and adjustment of the urban projects with high rationality and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of the disaster resilience index (DRI) is an effective decision support tool for managing natural disasters. This study holds that disaster resilience is a dynamic process accompanied by coping capacity, adaptive capacity, and transformative capacity in different phases; therefore, we develop a three-dimensional capacity-based framework using seven indicators (including 38 subindicators) to map the multigoals for measuring resilience at the household level. Our data were acquired through questionnaire responses by 516 representative rural households in mountainous hazard-prone areas in Chongqing, China. The results reveal that more households are deemed "low resilience" and that geographical spatial differences exist in the DRI across the case regions. Several factors affecting the ability to survive, bounce back, and bounce forward from mountain hazards for rural households were found in China. The framework constructed in this paper offers a new perspective for a holistic understanding of disaster resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong and Singapore were former British colonies, have a predominant Chinese population and value. They began to develop quickly in the late 1960s, become financial hubs of the world in the 21st century. This paper reviews the tertiary education development of the two cities, particularly on the perspective of university rankings. It first elaborates about the emergence of university rankings, and the reason why it becomes a growing exercise, and who would be the benefactors of these exercises. Then it examines the performance of universities of the two cities in the international university ranking systems, makes a general assessment about the relative merits of the higher education systems in both cities. The paper requests ranking comparisons on the detailed items rather than just the sums, and argues that universities in the two cities are on par. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with the application of the Water Poverty Index (WPI) as a holistic tool to assess the Shiyang River Basin's water stress at the regional level. The basin is one of the inland river basins in China, with the degree of exploitation and utilization of water resources very high and water scarcity most severe. Appropriate indicators are needed to measure water stress for policy making and decision-making. The WPI links physical estimates of water availability with socio-economic factors associated with water scarcity. The study presents details of the methodology used, and the results show that the water stress in Minqin is the most severe in the basin, with a WPI value of 26.3, and that the water situation is the best in Jingchang with a WPI score of 66.9. In addition, measures in the basin are obtained of resources, access, capacity, use and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-industrial park projects have become increasingly popular in China. Because of their rapid proliferation and the lack of accepted and common characteristics, the performance of these projects has been difficult to evaluate. In 2006, the former State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China became the first national organization to establish a national standard for eco-industrial parks. This paper aims to explore the applicability and feasibility of the selected indicators. First, it presents the details of this new standard. Second, the feasibility of the new standard is explored by applying the indicators to two industrial zones in China. The benefits and challenges faced in applying the indicators are then discussed in relation to the literature. The analysis demonstrates that the new indicators have a fairly narrow focus on eco-efficiency, rather than a broad objective of ecologically sustainable industrial development. Nevertheless, the Chinese standard is a useful beginning. In future, the authors suggest that this set of indicators be revised to add ecological dimensions that will help promote more sustainable development of industrial parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yuan, S.; Guo, J., and Zhao, X., 2017. Integrated weighting technique for coastal vulnerability to storm surges. In: Zhi, Y. and Guido Aldana, P.A. (eds.), Sustainability of Water Resources and the Development of Coastal Environments: Select Proceedings from the 2016 International Conference on Water Resource and Environment (WRE2016). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 80, pp. 6-12. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Weighting different indicators plays a critical role in quantifying vulnerability to natural disasters. However, there is no consensus about which weighting method performs best. This paper proposed a method to aggregate different weighting techniques to quantify vulnerability to storm surges using social, economic, and environmental indicators. Viewing vulnerability through exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability dimensions, a geographic information system was used to establish areas of vulnerability in eleven coastal provinces in China. The results suggested that the spatial distribution of vulnerability to storm surges varies drastically from one area to another, and does not follow expected geographic boundaries. The study found that Shandong province is the most vulnerable area and Shanghai is the least vulnerable. Subgroup weights showed that exposure and adaptive capacity drive more vulnerability compared to sensitivity. This analysis can enable policy makers in disaster management to identify areas' strengths and weaknesses, and integrate these criteria into more robust vulnerability evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on Leydesdorff, Bornmann, and Mingers (2019), we elaborate the differences between Tsinghua and Zhejiang University as an empirical example. We address the question of whether differences are statistically significant in the rankings of Chinese universities. We propose methods for measuring statistical significance among different universities within or among countries. Based on z-testing and overlapping confidence intervals, and using data about 205 Chinese universities included in the Leiden Rankings 2020, we argue that three main groups of Chinese research universities can be distinguished (low, middle, and high). When the sample of 205 Chinese universities is merged with the 197 US universities included in Leiden Rankings 2020, the results similarly indicate three main groups: low, middle, and high. Using this data (Leiden Rankings and Web of Science), the z-scores of the Chinese universities are significantly below those of the US universities albeit with some overlap. We show empirically that differences in ranking may be due to changes in the data, the models, or the modeling effects on the data. The scientometric groupings are not always stable when we use different methods. Differences among universities can be tested for their statistical significance. The statistics relativize the values of decimals in the rankings. One can operate with a scheme of low/middle/high in policy debates and leave the more fine-grained rankings of individual universities to operational management and local settings. In the discussion about the rankings of universities, the question of whether differences are statistically significant, has, in our opinion, insufficiently been addressed in research evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This emergy-based urban economic account provided a historical portrait of the urban economy and its structures to understand the overload of the biosphere‘s assimilative capacity. The basic situation of the urban economy, involving the indigenous resources base, emergy consumption patterns, emergy exports and imports, was investigated, accounted and discussed. Using a series of ratios and indices arising from emergy analysis, including emergy intensity, environmental load ratio and environmental sustainability, this paper analyzed the economic development in Beijing during the years of 1999 to 2006 and the heavy pressure it has put on the environment. Results showed that the development of economy in Beijing was closely correlated with the consumption of the non-renewable resources and it was exerting rising loads on the environment. Of the total emergy use by the economic system, the imported non-renewable resources from other provinces contributed most with increasing use from imported nonrenewable resources. Emergy intensity kept rising during the periods, with the increase of the environmental loads. The pressure of environmental protection, which was caused by the over-heated investments in Beijing, could be released after the completion of the infrastructure construction. On the whole, the results of this paper outlined a frame of reference towards how the urban metabolic analysis could drive the economic policies and sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Floods, the most common natural hazard in the world, cause serious loss in terms of lives, buildings, and infrastructures. As a consequence, the need for flood risk assessment has become critical. Using a semi-quantitative model and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) weighting approach, this paper assessed flood risk in the Dongting Lake region, Hunan Province, Central China, an area where flood hazards frequently occur. The model was designed using spatial multi-criteria analysis (SMCA) techniques in a Geographic Information System (GIS). A GIS database of indicators for the evaluation of hazard and vulnerability was created. Each indicator was analyzed, standardized, and weighted; after which, the weights of the indicators were combined to obtain the final flood risk index map. Using the flood risk index, the study area was classified into five categories of flood risk: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. The high and very high risk zones are mainly concentrated in the northern and central plains. The results obtained can provide useful information for decision makers and insurance companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the theoretical foundations and development of a multidimensional, water-focused, thematic indicator of rural poverty: The Water, Economy, Investment and Learning Assessment Indicator (WEILAI). The WEILAI approach was specifically designed for application in rural China, to support poverty alleviation project planning, monitoring and evaluation, as well as targeting and prioritization. WEILAI builds primarily on the basic needs framework of poverty alleviation, and on the methodological structure of the Water Poverty Index, to provide a proxy measure of an area's poverty by assessing eight key poverty sectors, with a strong focus on the components of water-poverty. The WEILAI approach was piloted and implemented in 534 households in China's mountainous southwest. This paper describes the indicator construction, weighting schemes, methodology, field sites, and statistical validation of the results. In addition, we discuss the results, feedback from in-country project staff, and the likely utility of the tool for project planning, monitoring and evaluation support. The paper concludes with a discussion of WEILAI's overall utility and ongoing development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Studies of housing systems lying in the ‘middle ground’ between state and market are subject to three important shortcomings. First, the widely used Esping-Andersen (EA) approach assesses only a subset of the key housing outcomes and may be less helpful for describing changes in housing policy regimes. Second, there is too much emphasis on tenure transitions, and an assumed close correspondence between tenure labels and effective system functioning may not be valid. Third, due attention has not been given to the spatial dimensions in which housing systems operate, in particular when housing policies have a significant devolved or localised emphasis. Updating EA’s framework, we suggest a preliminary list of housing system indicators in order to capture the nature of the housing systems being developed and devolved. We verified the applicability of this indicator system with the case of China. This illustrates clearly the need for a more nuanced and systematic basis for categorising differences and changes in welfare and housing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to excessive resource consumption and pressing environmental issues of the sewage treatment industry, there is extensive attention in China. Given the unique craft production process in the sewage treatment system, a series of integral emergy indicators have been used to evaluate the environmental sustainability based on infrastructure construction and operation stage emergy analysis. Taking a new typical sewage treatment plant as an example, this paper performed a case study. The results illustrate that (1) the infrastructure construction process emergy (approximate 92.6%) is more critical than sewage treatment process emergy; (2) nonrenewable resource is the primary factor for the emergy analysis, followed by energy (23.5%) and purchased supply (7%); (3) cement, steel, and gravel have dominant impacts on the nonrenewable resource emergy; (4) the emergy sustainability index is 0.001101, which displays weak environmental sustainability; (5) the unit emergy value (UEV) of the new sewage treatment plant is 3.40 × 1012 sej/m3; (6) sensitivity analysis results of the hypothesis demonstrate that nonrenewable resources have significant fluctuations (6.903%) while, for the indicators, emergy sustainability index (ESI) (4.8072%) has the most significant impact; and (7) wastewater is a major contributor. In light of comprehensive discussions, two positive measures are proposed in order to ameliorate the environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper highlights the findings of a study from selected ecosystems in Indonesia, China and Japan. The study sought to trace changes to productive resources of ecosystems over a period of 50years; and trace the dependence of well-being of local populations on the ecosystems for the same time period. Data was collected from land-use maps, records and participatory rapid/rural appraisal (PRA) surveys in multistakeholder forums. To illustrate the changes, an indicator-based assessment framework was developed that integrates data from biophysical and socio-economic parameters. We observed that the approach (1) provides a better representation of the preferences of different stakeholders of ecosystem services, (2) fosters validation of data between the different stakeholders and (3) enables a communication and planning process among the stakeholders to sustainably utilize and manage their ecosystems. The use of spatial maps validates the relevance and utility of diachronic observations of communities and other stakeholders directly dependent on ecosystems. At the same time, they can be used to strengthen local planning processes for the development of services in the ecosystem. Such research thereby also acts as a catalyst to a social process of coordinated action to address local issues of global relevance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Anaerobic digestion is a widely applicated technology for the treatment of wastes. Though it has been developed for many years, there are still some existing problems that need to be solved especially when it is used in a large scale in China. Substantial researches have been carried out and tried to increase biogas production and treatment efficiency in anaerobic digestion. In this review, the development and problems existed in anaerobic digestion are summarized like raw materials, indicators; hydrogen sulfide, ammonia; temperature, optimization, biogas slurry and residues in order to supply the suggestions for the researchers for the further development of anaerobic digestion and its application in a large scale in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of global and national energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) investments between 2000 and 2018 reveals that global public energy RD&D and cleaner energy RD&D investments dramatically increased, but then plateaued after 2009. In absolute values, nuclear energy has held steady, fossil energy contracted, and clean energy RD&D quadrupled. As a percentage of overall investments, both fossil fuel and nuclear investments contracted during the period. This review compares the energy innovation priorities of the world's largest economies using the metric of public expenditures on energy RD&D. China and India have become important global public investors in energy innovation, now among the top five globally. Priorities set by the Chinese and Indian governments will thus influence new energy technology breakthroughs in the coming years. The US and Chinese governments are now competing for first place in clean energy RD&D, depending on whether or not nuclear and cross‐cutting technologies are included. India has dedicated substantial funding to indigenizing nuclear power technologies. Energy RD&D by state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) in major emerging economies remains skewed toward fossil fuels and nuclear. Reforming SOE expenditures to move away from fossil fuels could have a major impact on global energy technology trajectories, making a material difference in the quest to decarbonize the energy system. This article is categorized under: TheCarbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Policies, Instruments, Lifestyles,Behavior [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hybrid framework for agricultural water utilization and efficiency evaluation was constructed. • WRU, WRE and WRP are water appropriation amount, effective rate and production ability measurement. • Water use efficiency in China promoted over time while varied among both regions and crops. • Indices in hybrid framework were novelty and unique on scientific nature and spatial performance. Efficient agricultural water use is required for food safety and water alleviation on a global scale. Combining the water footprint and agricultural water use paradigms and enveloping water resource movement and its impact on the environment in the agricultural production process, a hybrid framework for agricultural water utilization and efficiency evaluation was constructed in the current paper. The indicators water resources use (WRU), efficiency (WRE) and productivity (WRP) are used in this framework for the total water exploitation, the effective utilization rate and the production capacity measurement, respectively. An empirical study on the framework was conducted with major cereals (wheat, maize and rice) in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities (PAMs) of China. The national WRU, WRE and WRP values of integrated cereal were calculated to be 669.0 G m³, 0.633 and 0.679 kg/m³, respectively, from 1996 to 2015. The PAMs with high WRE values were located in southwestern, northeastern and northern China, while the ones with low values were clustered in northwestern and southeastern China. The spatial distribution pattern of WRP is consistent with precipitation. The water use efficiency (WRE and WRP) of the three specific crops in this framework increased over time. The WRE of maize was significantly higher than that of rice and wheat, while the WRP of wheat was the lowest. WRU measures the total water resource appropriation during crop growth in both quantity and quality; WRP was able to show where water use efficiency needs to be improved; and the function of WRE to indicate water saving potential could not be replaced by notable indices, such as irrigation efficiency or generalized efficiency. Therefore, further research is warranted to evaluate agricultural water use efficiency at different scales using this hybrid framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Body composition is a crucial factor associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, no study on this relationship has been performed in the Chinese population. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between body composition indicators and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among Chinese adults undergoing medical examination.Methods: Between January 2018 and July 2018, a retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on 3367 (2307 male and 1060 female) participants aged ≥18 years undergoing medical examination in Zhengzhou. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between body composition indicators and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to calculate cutoff points and the predictive power of each indicator.Results: Among the 3367 participants, 12.53% were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that male participants (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-2.19), older participants (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.04-1.06), participants with a waist-to-hip ratio above the reference value (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.18-2.07), participants with body fat percentage above the reference value (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.01-2.68), and participant with a large visceral fat area (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01-1.02) had a high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage, and visceral fat area were the best indicators of type 2 diabetes mellitus (P < 0.001) with cutoff values of 0.90, 25.02%, and 92.00 cm2, respectively.Conclusion: This study suggests a predictive relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and body composition indicators of waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage, and visceral fat area, which are valuable for screening diabetes and providing effective health education and behavioral intervention for high-risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) is very important for sugarcane yield improvement, but the excessive application of N fertilizer brings about N pollution and a cost increase. Through distinguishing the difference of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), we can reasonably apply N fertilizer according to the NUE characteristics of sugarcane varieties, and thus reduce N loss and maintain high yield. The present study showed the pot experiment results of identifying NUE types of nine main sugarcane varieties in the main sugarcane producing areas of China under controlled conditions, and identified the key physiological and agronomic indictors which can help to determine the NUE types of sugarcane. The test clones were exposed to varying levels of N fertilizer and 15 parameters that are likely to impact NUE were measured. The key results are (1) Sugarcane variety ROC22 has the high plant dry weight (PDW) and NUE among nine varieties under different N rates, it can take advantages under low N supply (225 kg/hm2 urea), and less N fertilizer can be applied properly in production. (2) Varieties of GT32 was good performing genotype for PDW and NUE under low N supply (225 kg/hm2 urea), GT42 was more suitable for moderate N environment (450 kg/hm2 urea), while YT94-128 was at middle N and high N supply (450–675 kg/hm2 urea). (3) Late stage of shoot elongation is suitable for differentiating sugarcane clones for NUE. (4) Leaf glutamine synthetase activity is the most reliable predictor of NUE in sugarcane. The result of pot experiment is sufficient to differentiate clonal variation for NUE in sugarcane as it reflects field experimental results. This study can set up a basis for identification the NUE types of sugarcane varieties and the development of reasonable N fertilizer application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with an analysis, modeling, and assessing performances of supply chains served by long-distance intercontinental intermodal rail/road- and sea-shipping freight transport corridor(s). For such a purpose, the supply chains are defined and the methodology for assessing their performances under given conditions is developed. The methodology consists of the analytical models of indicators of the operational, economic, environmental and social performances of particular corridors and corresponding supply chains assumed to be dependent on the infrastructural and technical/technological capabilities. The models of particular indicators have been applied according to "what-if" scenario approach to assessing performances of the long-distance intercontinental inland and maritime freight transport corridors spreading between China and Europe in the scope of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and "A New Maritime Silk Road" policy initiative. The results prove that the intermodal inland rail/road alternative could act as a serious competitive alternative to its maritime deep-sea counterpart under given conditions. Nevertheless, in order to realize the opportunities, large investments in the inland rail/road infrastructure are required to appropriately connect China with Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to test indicators and improve the assessment of groundwater sustainability by using a synthetic method. An indicator system of groundwater sustainability was constructed under the framework of driver-pressure-state-impact-response, and a method for the assessment of groundwater sustainability was developed by using analytic hierarchy process together with information entropy theory. This method was used to calculate the weight of each indicator. And then, the sustainability scale was determined by the indicator zoning methods. The assessment results of a case study in Hohhot Plain, China, demonstrated that the method greatly reduced the randomicity and anthropogenic influence on the determination of weight of indicators; and gave a quantitative classification on sustainability scale which produced a rational result on the assessment of groundwater sustainability in Hohhot Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can competitiveness be defined and measured within China's construction industry to evaluate the overall performance and also allow enterprises to assess and improve their competence? The Competitiveness Index for the Construction Industry (CICI) is a new single index that can measure relative competitiveness of the construction industry at China's provincial level. The principles and process of the system development are elaborated. Using the CICI, the competitiveness of the construction industry in ten target provinces and/or municipalities is evaluated, the competitiveness of Shandong Province's building sector is further analysed, and the system's limitations and further research work are identified. It is concluded that currently there is no so-called 'powerful province/municipality' in the construction industry, that according to the status quo and the tendency of development, it is most probable for Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong provinces may be the first to achieve this goal, and that the indicators of Relevant industries and Structure are the bottleneck that hampers enhancing the competitiveness of Shandong's building sector. Comment la compétitivité peut-elle être définie et mesurée dans le secteur de la construction en Chine pour évaluer les performances globales et pour permettre également aux entreprises d'évaluer et d'améliorer leurs compétences? L'indice de compétitivité de l'industrie de la construction (CICI) est un nouvel indice simple qui peut mesurer la compétitivité relative de ce secteur au niveau provincial chinois. Les principes et processus de développement du système sont élaborés. Au moyen du CICI, on évalue la compétitivité de l'industrie de la construction dans dix provinces et (ou) municipalités; la compétitivité du secteur du bâtiment de la province de Shandong fait l'objet d'une autre analyse tandis que sont identifiées les limitations du système et que sont décidés des travaux complémentaires de recherche. L'article conclut en disant qu'actuellement il n'existe pas ce qu'on pourrait appeler des provinces/municipalités puissantes dans l'industrie de la construction et que, conformément au statu quo et à la tendance de développement, il est vraisemblable que les provinces de Jiangsu, Zhejiang, et Shandong soient les premières à atteindre cet objectif et que les indicateurs du Relevant industries and Structure constituent le goulot d'étranglement qui empêche d'améliorer la compétitivité dans le secteur du bâtiment de Shandong. Mots clés: système d'évaluation, compétitivité, industrie de la construction, marchés de la construction, performances de la construction, indicateurs, productivité, police publique, entreprises nationalisées, Chine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term temporal and spatial dynamics of marine coastal water quality in Tolo Harbor. Hong Kong were explored. The Harbor is divided into three zones represented as Harbor, Buffer, and Channel Subzones. The time range for the study covers the period from the 1970s to the 1990s. The selected indicators for the comprehensive assessment of water quality consist of physical, chemical and biological aspects, including suspended solids (SS). Secchi disk depth (SD). 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), faecal coliform, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and the number of red tide occurrences. The results indicated the presence of obvious temporal and spatial trends with regard to changes in water quality. Spatially, water quality in the Channel Subzone is the best, while that in the Harbor Subzone Is the worst. On a temporal basis, the average trend from bad to good was 1980s > 1990s > 1970s as indicated by most of the selected water quality indicators. Water quality during the late 1980s reached its worst level with the lowest SD, the highest BOD3 TN, TP, Chl-a concentrations, and the number of red tide occurrences. These long-term temporal-spatial water quality trends were also found in other studies of the Tolo Harbor. The large quantity of pollutants produced as a result of increasing population, industrial and commercial actives, and urbanization and industrialization trends in both Shatin and Tai Po seem to be primarily responsible for the changes in marine coastal water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The relationship between species and environment are an important basis for the study of biodiversity. Most researchers have found the distribution of indicator insects such as carabid beetle at the local community scale; however, a few studies on the distribution of indicator insects in grassland in China. Here, we used Generalized Additive Models (GAM) to predict temperate steppe of northwestern China carabid beetle species richness distribution, and to determine the possible underlying causal factors. Predicted values of beetle richness ranged from 3 to 12. The diversity hotspots are located in the southwest, south and southeast of the study area which have moist environment, the carabid beetle is mainly influenced by temperature and precipitation. The results underline the importance of management and conservation strategies for grassland and also provides evidence for assessing beetle diversity in temperature steppe. Beetles are key insect species in global biodiversity and play a significant role in steppe ecosystems. In the temperate steppe of China, the increasing degeneration of the grasslands threatens beetle species and their habitat. Using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs), we aimed to predict and map beetle richness patterns within the temperate steppe of Ningxia (China). We tested 19 environmental predictors including climate, topography, soil moisture and space as well as vegetation. Climatic variables (temperature, precipitation, soil temperature) consistently appeared among the most important predictors for beetle groups modeled. GAM generated predictive cartography for the study area. Our models explained a significant percentage of the variation in carabid beetle richness (79.8%), carabid beetle richness distribution seems to be mainly influenced by temperature and precipitation. The results have important implications for management and conservation strategies and also provides evidence for assessing and making predictions of beetle diversity across the steppe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In karst areas of Quaternary sediments, fissures and solution channels through soluble rocks provide unseen conduits for the vertical movement of surface water into the underlying karst aquifers. This downward flow may also transport overburden material, which can result in the formation of soil caves and ground loss called cover-collapse sinkholes. Because of the concealed development of such soil caves and generally complicated geological conditions, the prediction of soil cave development and sinkhole activity is far from perfect. This study focused on the early warning of soil cave and sinkhole development by monitoring groundwater-level decline. Based on the improved Terzaghi loosening pressure theory and using excess pore water pressure, two types of critical groundwater-level decline are discussed. The first, denoted as ∆0, is the critical groundwater-level decline related to soil cave formation and evolution; the second, denoted as ∆HT, is the critical groundwater-level decline related to soil cave roof collapse. This method of groundwater monitoring for the early warning of soil cave and sinkhole development is currently being applied on Datansha Island in Guangzhou, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors comment on the article "Cumulative biophysical impact of small and large hydropower development in Nu River, China," by Kelly M. Kibler and Desiree D. Tullos in the 2013 issue. The authors express their concerns on the findings of the study regarding high impact estimates for six of the nine metrics as a result of dewatering of diversion or bypass and the term cumulative impact as misleading in referring to dams as there is nothing accumulated .