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China shale oil can be classified as interlayer shale oil (in sandstone, carbonate, and diamictite) and genuine shale oil. Considering the characteristics and strong heterogeneity of continental shales, it is recommended to evaluate the interlayer shale oil resources using the elemental volume method based on pore volume, and the genuine shale oil resources using the elemental weight method based on oil content. Four key parameters for genuine shale oil resource evaluation (i.e., S1, TOC, Ro, and shale thickness) and three key parameters for interlayer shale oil resource evaluation (i.e., interlayer thickness, porosity, and oil saturation) are determined, and the lower limits of parameters are defined accordingly. The evaluation results show that the geological resources of genuine shale oil in Qing-1 member of Songliao Basin are 52.23 × 108 t; the geological resources of shale oil in Chang-73 sub-member of Ordos Basin are 66.80 × 108 t, including 27.73 × 108 t interlayer shale oil and 39.07 × 108 t genuine shale oil; the geological resources of shale oil in Lucaogou Formation of Junggar Basin are 15.62 × 108 t, including 11.99 × 108 t interlayer shale oil and 3.63 × 108 t genuine shale oil. This study provides a reference for exploration decision of shale oil in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the causal effect of regional market integration on firm productivity through the use of 2001–2008 firm-level microdata in China. The research design relies on a regression discontinuity design based on China's Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) regional cooperation policy. The results indicate that the PPRD regional cooperation policy increases the total factor productivity (TFP) of firms by 6% on average. The positive impact of the PPRD regional cooperation policy on TFP is greater for private firms, large firms, and labour-intensive firms. Exploring the mechanism through which regional cooperation increases firm TFP, we find that the PPRD regional cooperation policy improves firms' productivity primarily by expanding the scale of firms, promoting technological innovation, and optimizing the allocation of factors. The study findings deepen our understanding of productivity improvement from the perspective of the market environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's numerous resource-based cities have confronted severe environmental and economic problems, which were substantial impediments to the regional sustainable development. In 2013, China started to implement its 'National Sustainable Development Plan of Resource-Based Cities', in order to transform the previous development patterns. This study employs the difference-in-differences (DID) method to evaluate the policy's impact on the city-level carbon dioxide (CO2) emission intensity. CO2 intensity is defined as the scale of CO2 emitted per unit of GDP. The research sample covers 326 Chinese cities during 2008—2017. Research results indicate that the policy significantly increased the CO2 intensity in resource-based cities. Moreover, it is found that the policy dampened resource-based cities' innovation levels and these cities did not strengthen their environmental regulations, which can be provided as the explanations of why the policy effect on carbon intensity was positive. Furthermore, this study reports the discrepancies in policy effects when cities have different development stages, spatial locations and marketization levels. Overall, this research discovers an undesirable policy effect. More actions should be taken to reduce the carbon intensity during the structural transformation in resource-based cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon mitigation and net-zero targets have an important place on the political agenda for all countries. Countries have been seeking to decouple economic growth and carbon emissions to achieve decarbonization. However, there is a cost of the decarbonization of economies, which can be called as Green Sacrifice Ratio (GSR), and this is critical for developing countries because they have been in the growing stage. By considering the critical role of GSR in achieving net-zero emissions by decarbonizing economies, the study comparatively examines how much environmental quality should be sacrificed for per capita economic growth in China and India. In line with this purpose, the study uses the Fourier-Shin cointegration test and various time series estimators with Fourier approximations for the period from 1989/Q1 to 2022/Q4. Estimation results are as follows: (i) all variables follow the non-stationary process, (ii) the long-run relationship exists between variables, and (iii) Estimation results show that GSR is 0.65% for China and 0.78% for India. Therefore, China and India sacrifice a significant amount of environmental quality for a 1% increase in per capita income level. Also, the ecological cost of increasing economic welfare in India is higher with regard to China. Besides, the results are robust according to the alternative method. Thus, the study recommends that both Chinese and Indian policymakers should revise the economic expansion structure with green growth strategies to prevent irreversible environmental degradation due to higher economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of smartphone trading on investor attention allocation. We find a positive connection between smartphone trading ratio and return comovement. Smartphone traders relatively pay less attention to firm-specific information and more to information at the market level than computer-based traders. The impact of smartphone trading is positively correlated to the Internet searching level but negatively correlated to social media discussion intensity and analyst following. We also show that market boom and crush would increase the effect of smartphone trading on attention allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local bias and home bias are conventional phenomena in the financial market. This paper examines whether local bias and home bias exist in virtual loan transactions on the debt-based crowdfunding marketplace. Using loan-level and lender-level transaction data from a large crowdfunding marketplace in China and employing a potential-dyad approach, we find that lenders are more likely to invest in local borrowers rather than in their hometown borrowers, indicating that local bias exists in this virtual marketplace rather than home bias. More interestingly, the local bias is more pronounced for local lenders whose work area and hometown are the same than for moving lenders who leave their hometowns. Furthermore, lenders' local bias is more pronounced if lenders (borrowers) are from more trust-propensity (trustworthy) regions. Finally, we find that lending to local borrowers cannot significantly increase the welfare of lenders. Various specifications, alternative dependent variables, and alternative potential-dyad sets show that our empirical-based results are robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By analysing comprehensive firm data from 1999 to 2013 categorized by zip code, we find that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) companies consistently received more local government subsidies in China. When comparing FDI within the same county and year, it becomes evident that FDI creates positive growth and productivity spillovers for other businesses in the same zip code. Furthermore, there is additional evidence to support the amenities channel as a possible productivity spillover channel. This paper makes a significant contribution to the debate regarding FDI's spillover effects at a disaggregated level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates linear and nonlinear impacts of political relations on China's service trade import and export to 8 countries from 2005 to 2019. The result shows that positive effect of political relations on both service trade import and export can be obtained. Using a threshold model, it is found that when the trading country's economy level reaches the first threshold, the role of political relations will change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether CEOs working near their birthplace (i.e. local CEOs) commit less fraud. Using data of Chinese listed firms, where local social network is important for business, we find that local CEOs are associated with less fraud commitment. Cross-sectional analyses show that the inhibitory effect is weakened when the CEOs have poverty or oversea experiences. Such impact is more pronounced when the firms are owned by non-state owners or have weaker internal control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the balanced panel data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) covering the period 2016–2018, this paper investigates the effect of ICT use on job satisfaction of employees. The results show that ICT use improves job satisfaction and has an indirect effect on job satisfaction through income status. Further research shows that ICT use has more significant effect on job satisfaction among male, younger, and unmarried employees; the effect of ICT use on job satisfaction of different skilled employees is in descending order: low-skilled employees, medium-skilled employees, and high-skilled employees. Moreover, there are evidence indicating the presence of a nonlinear relationship between education level and job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of different long-term (36 years) fertilizer treatments on soil pH, exchangeable acids, exchangeable base cation and cation exchange capacity (CEC) at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers in a double-cropping rice field. The following fertilizer treatments were included: chemical fertilizer (MF), rice straw and chemical fertilizer (RF), 30% organic manure and 70% chemical fertilizer (OM), and without any fertilizer input as a control (CK). This result indicated that soil pH at 0–10 cm layer with RF and OM treatments was higher than that of MF and CK treatments. Soil exchangeable acidity content at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers with RF and OM treatments were decreased by 48.4%, 51.6% and 49.2%, 54.2%, compared with CK treatment, respectively. Soil exchangeable calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and potassium (K+) contents at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in paddy field with OM and RF treatments were higher than that of CK treatment. Moreover, compared with CK treatment, soil exchangeable base ion content at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers in paddy field with OM treatment were increased by 54.1% and 42.6%, respectively. Soil CEC and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers with OM and RF treatments were significantly higher than that of MF and CK treatments. In conclusion, our results indicated that long-term application of crop residue or organic manure can improve soil exchangeable base ion and exchangeable capacity contents, alleviate soil acidity in a double-cropping paddy field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the potential of FinTech in China is immense. After a prolonged period of dormancy, a blazing trail in finance surges. This study estimates the extent to which risk is transmitted from FinTech to various sub-industries within the Chinese financial sector, employing the GARCH copula quantile regression model. Our empirical findings indicate that FinTech exerts significant risk spillover effects on these financial sub-industries. Notably, at lower risk levels of 0.1 and 0.05, the securities and state-owned commercial banks sub-industries demonstrate the most substantial and least significant risk spillovers, respectively. Conversely, at the highest risk level of 0.01, the joint-stock commercial banks and securities exhibit the largest and smallest risk spillovers, respectively. Additionally, our analysis reveals that the dynamic risk spillovers for each financial sub-industry differ and reflect the influences of the stock market crash that occurred during 2015–2016. The implications of our study extend to portfolio managers and financial authorities, highlighting the importance of enhancing supervision and regulation of FinTech companies to uphold financial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the impact of information search costs on firms' access to trade credit used as a major source of interfirm financing. Using the openings of high-speed rails (HSR) in China as exogenous shocks, we find that firms located in cities with HSR connections receive more trade credit from their suppliers. Further analyses show that the HSR effect on trade credit concentrates among customers with poor information transparency and that HSR openings improve the customers' information environment, suggesting that a decline in information search costs promotes supplier financing. Our finding reveals a positive externality of HSR construction on interfirm financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir in-situ stress is crucial in oil and gas exploration and development. With the transitional shale as the research object, the ultrasonic transmission test and uniaxial compression test of rock samples from different sampling angles were performed. Further, the transversely isotropic in-situ stress logging calculation method for transitional shale reservoirs was established based on the transversely isotropic constitutive relationship. Finally, the in-situ stress profile of the transitional shale reservoir in the study area was analyzed, and the reliability of the results was verified. The results indicated that the mechanical characteristics of rock and its acoustic velocity varied significantly depending on the sample angle, with some regularity in the changes between vertical and horizontal mechanical properties. The logging profile revealed that the transverse Young modulus was greater than the vertical, and the vertical Poisson's ratio was typically greater than the transverse. The suggested transversely isotropic model performed better than the conventional in-situ stress model at predicting the in-situ stress of transitional shale reservoirs, with an error of less than 2%. This demonstrated the applicability of the model's in-situ stress calculation of the transitional shale reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, tattooing has become a form of social and artistic expression. To apply a tattoo, the skin is marked by the internal injection of ink in the skin. Hence, it includes human health exposure to metals since the tattoo ink composition includes such elements. The present paper reports the determination and quantification of 8 elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb) in twenty tattoo ink colors available in the Greek market imported from the USA and China. The elemental content was carried out by atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave-assisted digestion. A comparison was carried out between the results of the present study and the maximum permitted concentrations as proposed in the ResAP and EPA guidelines, while the level of dermal exposure due to pigment application through ink injection was also estimated. All inks contained Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb, while the content of As, Cd, and Co was below the detection limit in certain samples. Mercury was determined in three samples. Chromium, Cu, and Ni were present in the highest concentrations, while Cd and Hg contents were in general low. Most elements presented their maximum levels in the brown ink originating from USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the question of whether self-esteem affects women's intra-household bargaining power by using the National Survey on Women's Social Status of China (NSWSS). While providing a conceptual framework, the study employs econometric models to show that self-esteem positively affects women's intra-household bargaining power. The analyses, using an instrument-variable approach, and using different indicators of household bargaining power, further collaborate the robustness of our conclusion. Overall, the empirical study provides important insights on future academic research and policy measures in women's empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the new generation of information technology represented by the Internet has swept the world, driving a new round of scientific and technological revolution as well as industrial transformation. In this context, an in-depth discussion of the relationship between Internet development and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is of great significance for promoting the high-quality development of the economy. Based on 2006 to 2020 annual reports of listed manufacturing enterprises in China, this paper takes resource allocation into the analysis framework of the impact of Internet development on manufacturing TFP to analyse the internal mechanism. The conclusions reveal that Internet development has not only a direct positive effect on manufacturing TFP but also a significant indirect promoting effect on manufacturing TFP by improving resource allocation efficiency. The resource allocation effect of Internet development on manufacturing TFP is mainly realized through the improvement of the allocation of labour factors. Furthermore, resource allocation can strengthen the nonlinear spillover effects of Internet development on manufacturing TFP. Therefore, enough attention should be paid to the improvement of resource allocation in the process of relying on Internet development to improve manufacturing TFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the trade policy substitution hypothesis, this paper uses detailed product-level data from 1997 to 2015 to supplement empirical evidence in China. We find that to the extent permitted by the WTO, there is a substitution relationship between temporary trade barriers and tariff reductions in China. Among the three types of temporary trade barriers, antidumping is the most frequent tool and presents a remarkably negative relationship with tariff reductions. After a set of robustness tests, the relationship still holds. Therefore, this paper verifies the trade policy substitution hypothesis and provides theoretical support for trade policy practice in the context of trade liberalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a special issue on technological development and policy making in China, highlighting their importance for China's economic growth. It discusses the shift in China's economy from reliance on property sector investment and low-value manufacturing to a new paradigm based on technological innovation and internal market expansion. The article emphasizes the need for adaptive policy making and financing support for science and technology development to enhance productivity growth. It also explores the Augmented National Innovation System (ANIS) in China, the growth of the semiconductor industry, and the limitations of the fiscal system. The research papers in this collection provide insights into China's economic transformation and propose reforms to support its development. [Extracted from the article]

I demonstrate that China is building an Augmented National innovation system or ANIS, with semiconductor industry and AI at the core. There are two dimensions along which China's NIS has been augmented. One is to move toward a more egalitarian innovation system in accordance with the goal of creating a harmonious, moderately prosperous economy and society. And the other is to include the AI and semiconductor base for high technology for the 4th Industrial Revolution. The Chinese ANIS has important regional and geoeconomic implications for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of industrial Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is the basis for the high-quality development of China's economy. Sci-tech finance affects industrial TFP through screening and allocation mechanism, governance mechanism, and integration mechanism. Based on provincial panel data from 2009 to 2016, this paper constructs a comprehensive index of regional Sci-tech finance and explores the impact of Sci-tech finance on industrial TFP from two perspectives: differences in financial development levels and transmission paths. The results show that Sci-tech finance has a significant role in promoting the industrial TFP, but this promotion needs to meet certain financial development conditions. In high-level financial development areas, the promotion effect is significant. It is not linear. The effect is a threshold effect with the diminishing marginal efficiency. Sci-tech finance mainly promotes industrial TFP through boosting the industry's scientific and technological innovation capacity. Policies and channels of Sci-tech finance to support science and technology innovation are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this exploratory research, we examine the effect of economic and noneconomic indicators on the creation of Chinese Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission policies using a VAR model. We find that CBIRC policies are predicted by State Council construction policies and policies set by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. This indicates that the CBIRC is inward-looking, observing what other regulators are doing rather than responding to changes in the real and financial economy. This may be a product of market distortions due to China's unique blend of state-oriented and market-based institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing the Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), this paper examines the current Chinese fiscal system and highlights its three characteristics. First, fiscal revenues are centralized at the central government while expenditures are decentralized at the local governments; second, fiscal spending focuses on public investment but is insufficient in providing social safety net and public services; and third, indirect tax accounts for a great majority of tax revenues, leading to limited progressivity of the tax system. These limitations have constrained the effectiveness of China's fiscal policies and generated many perverse impacts. With the understanding that the central government has the monetary sovereignty and does not face financing constrained and that taxes are not to raise revenues for fiscal spending but to serve other purposes, the paper calls for fiscal reforms that realign fiscal resources and spending responsibilities between the central and local governments, increase fiscal spending on social security and public services, as well as broaden personal income tax to improve the distributive effect of taxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Chengyuchelys latimarginalis (Xinjiangchelyidae) specimen is reported based on a well-preserved, nearly complete shell from the upper part of the Upper Jurassic Shangshaximiao Formation of Qijiang District, Chongqing Municipality, China. The Xinjiangchelyidae were widely distributed in Asia during the Jurassic and were the dominant turtle group in Asian freshwater ecosystems during the Late Jurassic. The Qijiang specimen adds a new element to the yet poorly known freshwater vertebrate fauna and extends the geographical distribution of C. latimarginalis. This paper discusses the intraspecific variation in C. latimarginalis for the first time. It provides a new insight for studying the evolution, habitat, and diversity of xinjiangchelyids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of firms are openly disclosing knowledge through academic journals and conferences; however, the impact of this practice on their market value needs further research. From a signalling theory perspective, we investigate the relationship between open knowledge disclosure and firm value and identify potential contingency factors. We propose that open knowledge disclosure conveys a firm's technical capability and commitment to open science, consequently contributing to its market value. Drawing upon data from listed companies within China's information and communication technology sector, we confirm that open knowledge disclosure enhances firm value. Furthermore, this enhancement is more pronounced for small firms, young firms, private firms, firms with few patents, firms drafting few technical standards, or firms operating in an immature technology market. Our findings suggest that firms, especially those facing high information asymmetry or lacking alternative signals, can increase their market value by sending positive signals through open knowledge disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of entrepreneurs' inventor identity and entrepreneur patent participation on enterprise performance using the panel data of 358 firms from the Science and Technology Innovation Board in China from 2014–2019. The methodology applied in this study is ordinary least square (OLS) regression. Inventor identity (a dummy variable) and patent participation (measured by Entrepreneur Degree Centrality and Entrepreneur Betweenness Centrality) are independent variables. The dependent variable enterprise performance is split into patent quantity, speed, and quality. The results show that an entrepreneur's inventor identity positively affects the patent quantity and quality but slows the patent speed. Entrepreneur Degree Centrality negatively affects the patent quantity and quality but increases the patent speed. Entrepreneur Betweenness Centrality positively affects the patent quantity and quality, and there is a U-shape association between Entrepreneur Betweenness Centrality and patent speed. The findings suggest that entrepreneurs who are inventors can actively improve the patent quantity and quality. Still, an entrepreneur's full participation in patent may negatively affect the patent quantity and quality. Entrepreneurs should participate in a patent in a direction-oriented or node-controlled way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Palaeozoic evolution of the Chinese Altai-East Junggar orogenic collage is vital for a better understanding of the accretionary evolution in the southern Altaids. This paper reports new geochronological, geochemical, and isotopic data for the magmatic rocks collected from the northern part of the Dulate arc. The ~304.6 Ma tonalite samples present typical adakitic features of high Sr (396–714 ppm), low Y (1.42–2.60 ppm), Yb (0.11–0.24 ppm), and high Sr/Y (177.25–440.23) ratios. Combining high Mg# (55.35–57.21) and depleted isotopic composition (εHf(t): +9.89 to +13.37 and εNd(t): +5.36 to +6.06), we suggest that they were derived from the partial melting of a subducted oceanic slab. The ~299.4 Ma monzogranite samples have high A/CNK values (1.08 to 1.25), CIPW normative corundum contents (1.28–3.25 wt.%), and positive εHf(t) (+5.14 to +8.63) and εNd(t) (+1.08) values, which are similar to S-type granite that may be generated by the melting of greywackes. The monzogranite (~286.9 Ma) and rhyolitic porphyry (~283.9 Ma) are high-K calc-alkaline and similar to the highly fractionated I-type granites with depleted isotopic features (εHf(t): +11.68 to +14.99 and +0.75 to +7.18, εNd(t): +5.91 and +6.18). The monzogranite and rhyolitic porphyry could have been derived from a depleted mantle source, but the rhyolitic porphyry probably suffered partial assimilation of the overlying crust materials. Combining regional rock associations of mafic-ultramafic complexes, adakitic rocks, high-Mg diorites, and A-type granites with close spatial-temporal relationship, we conclude that a mid-oceanic ridge of the Ob-Zaisan Ocean subducted southward beneath the Dulate arc during the latest Carboniferous to Permian. With the opening of the slab window, the upwelling asthenosphere provided high heat flux and triggered various magmatism in the upper plate. We propose that ridge subduction is one of the most effective mechanisms of continental growth in the southern Altaids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jurassic-Cretaceous magmatic rocks are widely distributed in the Jiaodong area, North China. These magmatic rocks are closely associated with gold deposits, but their petrogenesis and geodynamic background are still controversial. The Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous granitic rocks exposed in the Guocheng area, Jiaodong Peninsula are the focus of this paper. Zircon U-Pb dating, Hf-O isotope and whole rock geochemical analysis are used to determine the petrogenesis of these rocks. Combined with previous data, the geodynamic processes of granite formation in different time intervals are investigated which provide new petrological evidence for understanding the magmatic-mineralization and tectonic background of the Jiaodong area. Samples were collected from the Queshan and Shazibu plutons. The Queshan pluton is a mylonite granite, one sample of which yields a 206U-238Pb zircon age of 156 Ma, while the Shazibu pluton is a quartz monzonite, one sample of which records a 206U-238Pb zircon age of 117 Ma. The two plutons have variable zircon Hf-O isotopic compositions: zircon εHf(t) values of the Queshan pluton are −29.2 to −22.8, and δ18O values are 7.30–7.84 ‰, while the Shazibu pluton has relatively high zircon εHf(t) values (−21.6 to −21.0) and δ18O values of 7.48–8.43 ‰. Whole-rock geochemical data shows that the Queshan pluton has high Sr/Y (60.7–169) and (La/Yb)N (34.6–65.9) values and low Y (3.11–10.3 ppm) and Yb (0.29–0.85 ppm) contents, akin to adakites, whereas granites of the Shazibu pluton are A-type with high Zr+Nb+Ce+Y contents (354–420 ppm) and zircon saturation temperatures (752–795°C). Based on the geochemical and isotopic data, the Late Jurassic Queshan pluton is the product of partial melting of thickened lower crust of the North China Block, while the Early Cretaceous Shazibu pluton formed via fractional crystallization of mafic rocks derived from partial melting of the lower crust of the North China Block. Although both plutons were derived from the lower crust of the North China Block, the nature of the lower crust was modified by involvement of more depleted mantle-derived materials during the Early Cretaceous. From the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, the rock types (from the adakite to A-type granite) and the nature of the magma source suggest a shift in geodynamic processes. Combined with previous research, the Late Jurassic Queshan pluton is proposed to have formed under low-angle subduction of the ancient Pacific Plate, while the Early Cretaceous Shazibu pluton formed subsequently during Pacific Plate rollback and extension. The Early Cretaceous transformation of tectonomagmatic environments provided favourable conditions for the formation of large-scale gold deposits in the Jiaodong region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the safety of tebuconazole as a fungicide in bananas, after a simple and rapid pre-treatment, the residues of tebuconazole in different parts of banana were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) within 35 days. The mean recoveries and relative standard deviations in banana samples were 87.17 ~ 96.68% and 2.85 ~ 8.49%, respectively. The half-lives of tebuconazole in whole banana, banana pulp, and banana peel were 7.31 ~ 8.68 days, 11.12 ~ 13.39 days, and 4.06 ~ 5.74 days, respectively. It can be seen that tebuconazole dissipated fastest in the peel and slowest in the pulp. And the contents of tebuconazole in banana pulp and banana peel were 3 ~ 35% and 65 ~ 97%, respectively, which can be seen that tebuconazole was mainly distributed in the peel, and only a small part was transmitted to the pulp. Results also showed that the residual amounts of tebuconazole in banana pulp were increased at the first three days and then gradually dissipated, and were below the maximum residue limit (MRL) in China. The results of dietary intake risk assessment showed that the HQ (hazard quotient) were 0.45 ~ 2.69%, which were within the acceptable range. Overall, our research results show that tebuconazole in the field control of banana freckle disease has high security and low risk with the application dose of 133 g/L and diluted 1000 times in water, and can provide an important reference for the rational use of tebuconazole as a systemic fungicide in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1937, for a period of six weeks, the Imperial Japanese murdered approximately 300,000 people, including civilians, in Nanjing, China. This historical event is known as the Nanjing Massacre. As few survivors remain, studies on memory consumption can clarify how modern Chinese individuals remember this event. By writing the individual back into collective memory, this study identifies the importance of the Chinese state in fashioning individual remembrance of the Nanjing Massacre from the audience's perspective. Specifically, drawing on the theoretical frameworks of remembrance and sites of memory, we analysed the interaction between memory consumers, memory representations, and memory makers. We focused on the relationship between visitors and the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders and how the state permeated this process. This study adds to the literature by offering an empirical study of memory consumption. Through participant observations and 23 semi-structured interviews with visitors, we found that education systems and media constructed visitors' pre-existing memories of the Nanjing Massacre. During their visit, the prosthetic memories of the interviewees were reproduced and re-verified. After they left the Memorial Hall, visitors' reshaped memories awaited arousal at a future time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper unpacks the multi-level efforts to establish, promote and implement China standards in overseas contexts through an examination of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Africa. Drawing upon document analysis of government policies, institutional guidelines and corporate reports from four case companies, as well as field research in Ethiopia, it identifies ways that Chinese corporate actors interpret, incorporate and initiate CSR standards through strategic planning and during overseas business activities. Analysis of both first-hand and secondary data shows the development of Chinese CSR standards is a co-production of international, national and local standards, which involves diverse actors and institutions and is driven by multiple considerations to fulfill commercial, political, social and diplomatic objectives for overseas companies and Chinese government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the police have been the single dominant player in criminal cases, while the procuracy and the courts have played only complementary roles. More often than not, as long as the police have launched a criminal investigation, the procuracy will prosecute the targeted person and the courts will return a guilty verdict. In the shadow of policing power, the Chinese criminal justice system operates with unique characteristics, with both the procuracy and the courts mostly coordinating with the police to address crime, but rarely practising 'mutual constraint'. If a criminal prosecution encounters an irregularity, the three agencies coordinate with one another first and seek a solution that benefits all. Under this operational mode, both defendants and their lawyers are entirely excluded from the core decision-making process of the criminal justice system, in which they have no choice but to passively accept the result of the coordination between the police, the procuracy and the courts. Through an analysis of courtroom discourses, this paper unfolds the dynamics of criminal trials and the interactions between the defence, prosecutors and judges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many regions or countries seek to transition to a low-carbon economy, but there is ambiguity about how carbon emissions change with economic growth. This paper captures characteristics of carbon emissions in China using the Tapio Method. To detect driving factors of carbon emissions in economic growth, we adopt the Log-Mean Divisia Index decomposition method. The results of the paper are as follows: (1) Economic growth in most regions of China has outpaced the growth rate of carbon emissions, showing the characteristics of decoupling. (2) Metropolitan cities have a greater impact on the level of decoupling in neighboring provinces and municipalities. (3) The decoupling of carbon emissions from economic growth is caused by declining energy intensity in China. (4) The energy mix and industrial structure have little impact on the growth rate of carbon emissions. In addition, some policy implications are summarized according to the findings of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the concept of the Plantationocene through an analysis of sugarcane plantations in Guangxi province, China. It argues that although these plantations are owned and operated by local villagers, they are de facto controlled by corporations, and subject to state intervention through a 'zoning scheme'. They are constructed and operated according to the same logic as other plantations all over the world, namely, the logic of extraction based on cheap land and labor. By demonstrating that plantations are not necessarily large-scale and do not always entail the alienation of land and labor, this paper hopes to empirically broaden the concept of the Plantationocene and to highlight the extractive nature of and the power relations around plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the evolution of rural water governance in the People's Republic of China through a historical review of its water governance transformations, including the ideology, institutions, and discourses. It is argued that the evolution of agricultural water management and rural drinking water development in China is inextricably linked to addressing political legitimacy. Rural water governance, is shown to be intertwined with state identity and citizenship formation, in order to produce and control hydrosocial territorial objects and subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends the literature on economic consequences of corruption. We simultaneously consider corruption's impacts on output, production efficiency, and environmental performance in an eco-efficiency framework. Pollution is considered as undesirable output in the production process. We construct an eco-efficiency measure from a non-oriented data envelopment analysis model that incorporates a non-convex metafrontier, super-efficiency, and undesirable outputs into a directional distance function. By using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 1998 to 2016 in a spatial analysis, we find that corruption, measured by filed-cases of corruption-related crimes, has a significantly negative direct impact on eco-efficiency. The regional spillover effect is not significant for provinces in the same geographical region, but is marginally significant for provinces sharing a common border. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the relation between international competitiveness and currency internationalization by employing an analytical framework and applying it to RMB internationalization. Our results reaffirm that economic size, financial market development and network externalities are keys in currency internationalization. We also find that international competitiveness is a potential determinant of currency internationalization. However, a more comprehensively and fully measured index of international competitiveness than the GCI is needed to investigate the potential relation between international competitiveness and currency internationalization. The RMB could become an international reserve currency that is larger than the Japanese yen and the British pound sterling, but still lags far behind the US dollar and the euro by 2035. Given the network externalities and historical experience of currency internationalization, however, it will be a long and bumpy process for the RMB to become an international currency, particularly an international reserve currency. Exploring the relation between international competitiveness and currency internationalization; Reaffirming economic size, financial market development and network externalities as keys in currency internationalization; International competitiveness is a potential determinant of currency internationalization; The RMB could become an international reserve currency by 2035; RMB internationalization will be a long and bumpy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more Chinese enterprises have participated in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) since its launch in 2013. However, have they all actually benefited? Which companies otherwise have benefited most from the plan? To answer these questions, this paper analyzes the impact of the BRI on Chinese enterprises. Among several findings, it reveals that the performance of companies remained low even though the initiative policy initially stimulated performance, the performance of enterprises depends on the geographical location of enterprises and that the returns of China's outward foreign direct investment in various industries became more volatile with only the mining industry enjoying better returns. Thus, the paper shows that the BRI offers Chinese enterprises opportunities but also brings challenges for companies to optimize the allocation of their resources and improve the performance of their investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we evaluate the role of the high speed railway (HSR) project, one of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in the world, in poverty alleviation in China. This study combines county-level data from the China County Statistical Yearbooks with HSR data from the China Railway Yearbooks. The method of difference-in-differences is applied to examine the HSR connection effect on government expenditure in poverty alleviation across Chinese poverty counties over the period of 2010-2018. The results show that the HSR connection has a significantly positive impact on reducing government expenditure in poverty alleviation. Our results, which are based on alternative measurement of poverty alleviation and possible bias arising from endogeneity issue, are robust. This paper highlights that HSR can help achieve accessibility of rural area and poverty alleviation simultaneously. An understanding of the effect is critical for policymakers to promote intra-regional development, balancing efficiency and regional equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of seepage-stress coupling failure instability of cemented gangue-fly ash backfill (CGFB) with defects, the triaxial compression test and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring test of the CGFB were carried out in this paper. The strength characteristics of defective CGFB under seepage-stress coupling were analysed，the variation rules of AE parameters (ring count, b-value and entropy value) in the failure process were systematically studied. It is found that the AE parameters (ring count, b-value, and entropy value) of backfill with defects under seepage-stress coupling have a 'mutation' phenomenon, which can be used as a precursor feature of failure instability of backfill. Combined the grey-cusp catastrophe theory, a failure prediction model of backfill based on AE parameters (ringing count) was established, and the seepage-stress coupling fracture of backfill with defects was effectively predicted, indicating that the model is feasible to predict the seepage-stress coupled failure of backfill with defects. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for stability monitoring and failure prediction of backfill in deep water-rich mines in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volcanic rocks in the deep depth of Nanpu sag is the main formation of oil and gas enrichment. It has huge resource potential and prospects for exploration and development. Accurate characterization of lithology and pore space is the basis of reservoir quality prediction. Through petrography studies of cores and thin sections, explosive and sedimentary facies represent the dominant oil and gas-bearing reservoirs, and intergranular pores and fractures are major pore and seepage space. In order to predict favorable reservoirs and improve the efficiency of fracturing, according to composite well loggings and electrical images, logging response features of different lithofacies are characterized and five types of pore structure facies are classified. Further, five types of petrophysical facies are proposed. Among them, Type I and Type II are the most favorable petrophysical facies in the study area. The petrophysical facies typing approach show consistency with oil test data, which verifies that this approach can well predict reservoir quality and provide technical support for the exploration and development of the oil and gas-bearing volcanic rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to 1) identify linguistic features important for Chinese text complexity with a theory-based and systematic approach, and 2) address how feature sets and algorithms affect the performance of Chinese text complexity models. Texts from Chinese language arts textbooks from Grades 1 to 6 (N = 1,478) in Mainland China were analyzed. The predictor variables were 265 linguistic features of texts: 154 lexical features and 111 sentence and discourse features. The outcome variable was the complexity level of texts; a one-semester-scale was applied, thus 12 levels in total (two semesters per grade). Features of the categories of character and word frequency, character and word semantic features, lexical diversity, part-of-speech syntactic categories, and referential cohesion were found the most important. With the important features identified, we found that text complexity models with features at all levels outperformed those with features at only one level. Models using the two machine learning algorithms (Random Forest Regression and Support Vector Regression) outperformed those using Linear Regression. This work clarifies important linguistic features for Chinese text complexity, and points to the necessity of considering features across levels and using machine learning algorithms in future text complexity research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Income inequality had been one of the important manifestations of social inequality, which can affect the health level by affecting savings, health care and living standards. Existing researches about the relationship between income inequality and health ignored the comprehensive characteristic of health concept, and did not consider the intrinsic relationship between health and income inequality. This paper attempts to re-shed light on the relationship. Firstly, this paper constructs a new health level evaluation system from three aspects: health basis, health environment and behavior, and health security. By means of the combination evaluation method, the health levels can be obtained. Then, considering the interaction between health and income inequality, a simultaneous equation group model is constructed to empirically test the relationship between income inequality and health levels in China. The results reveal that health level is negatively correlated with income inequality. Reducing income inequality plays an important role in improving health levels in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of the trade in artists' materials in Canton between 1750 and 1842. Through an investigation of China's foreign trade archives and records, this study gives a picture of international trade in artists' materials, particularly pigments, during this period in Canton. Furthermore, it reveals a close trade in Western modern pigments between the West and China. The results of this research may be helpful to conservators and conservation scientists conducting treatments or technical studies on Chinese export paintings of this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the rapid development of the digital economy, it's an important topic how to play the role of digital technology in improving innovation efficiency. Employing the spatial econometric model with province-level panel data during 2006–2018, the article explores the impact of the development of the digital economy on innovation efficiency in China. The analysis unveils three major findings. First, the innovation efficiency has significant positive spatial externalities and the digital economy has significantly positive direct effects and spatial spillover effects on innovation efficiency, but the above effects are heterogeneous for different regions and innovation subjects. Second, the impact of digital economy development on innovation efficiency has characteristics of a certain degree of lag effect and continuity. Third, the threshold effect analysis reveals the non-linear characteristic of the increasing marginal effect of the digital economy on innovation efficiency. Altogether, the development of the digital economy has become an important driving force for promoting China's innovation efficiency. The findings of this paper provide empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between the digital economy development and innovation efficiency, giving significant implications for the innovative development of developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective in this paper is to evaluate the benefits of bus transit. To obtain the more accurate and highly discrimination results, this study establishes an evaluation indicator system from a stakeholder perspective and proposes a novel combined method consisting of dynamic network data envelopment analysis, cross-efficiency evaluation, and Shannon entropy aggregation method. An empirical study of bus transit systems in 33 key Chinese cities from 2016 to 2019 is provided. The results show that the benefit of bus transit in most key cities was ineffective. In contrast to production efficiency, focusing on improving service effectiveness is more conducive to improving the benefits of bus transit. Small cities have higher benefits than large cities. Meanwhile, the benefits of bus transit vary geographically. This evaluation outcome provides a more appropriate basis for decision-making related to the benefits of public transit services, as well as for operational and management studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the literature shows that stricter environmental regulations deter exports and inward foreign direct investment (FDI), few studies examine the impacts on outward FDI, especially for developing countries. In this paper, we analyse this issue in the context of China, which is the largest developing country in terms of FDI. We collect the transaction-level data of all the overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by Chinese firms from 2000 to 2019. For the identification of the causal effect, we exploit the implementation of the Environmental Protection Law in 2015 as a quasi-natural experiment and carry out the difference-in-difference-in-differences analysis (DDD). The results show significant impacts of stricter environmental regulations on outward FDI. When the provincial emission reduction target increases by 10% points, the number of overseas M&A transactions in the high-polluting industries has increased by 32 every year since 2015. Moreover, the investments are more likely towards countries with better environmental protection. This suggests that firms aim at gaining cleaner technologies via M&As rather than transferring pollution abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past years, human computer interaction (HCI) research and innovation have developed substantially, leading to a number of fruitful research topics. In this paper, we surveyed the HCI research and innovation in China from a 10-year perspective. We analyzed the popular research methodology and topics among Chinese researchers, including human modeling, user interface techniques, context awareness, user acceptance and performance, user experience design, human-AI interaction, HCI applications and social influences. We also conducted a bibliography analysis on the published papers in top-tier conferences and journals, which revealed a significant rising trend, and a generally broad distribution of research types. Moreover, we described typical applications and the industry influence of the research outcomes. We concluded with implications and reflections for HCI researchers across the world and shared the future research trends envisioned by Chinese researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by pine wood nematodes, has brought a great loss in ecology and economy all over the world. In China, the forest health status is also significantly affected by PWD since 1980, especially in coniferous forests and mixed forest regions. The PWD spreads very fast and can cause a healthy pine wood tree to die within a very short time. An effective way to protect other healthy pine wood trees is to discover PWD trees early. Using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images can help people discover the PWD tree quickly and accurately, and a few automatical methods have been developed to monitor PWD trees including the deep learning methods. Because of the robust spatial-temporal transferability, deep learning methods have become the mainstream algorithms to monitor PWD trees. As we know, the training dataset is the most important material to train a deep learning model. However, there is still a lack of a PWD segmentation dataset so far. To fill this gap, in this paper, we have generated the first open-sourced PWD segmentation dataset based on very high-resolution UAV images to help the community conduct PWD monitor research conveniently. This dataset has 994 training samples, and each sample has visible bands with 512 × 512 pixels, and the spatial resolution of this dataset is 0.05 m. In order to train an advanced segmentation model, we have designed a lightweight deep-learning model for mobile devices or edge devices in this manuscript, named MobileSeg. The main feature of MobileSeg is its decoupling, which uses the re-parameterization technology to improve the model performance. Finally, a large-scale real-world scenario experiment with very high-resolution UAV images was utilized to validate the performance of MobileSeg, the experiment result indicated that MobileSeg has achieved the best performance compared with the recent lightweight segmentation models, and the experiment also proved the effectiveness of the proposed PWD dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the relation between the scale and scope of an individual auditor's client portfolio and audit quality. Using a sample of auditor-years for the period of 2001–2016 from China, where the personal identities of signing auditors are publicly disclosed, we find that auditors with large client portfolio scale (measured by an auditor's total audit fees from clients) provide higher quality audits (measured by discretionary accruals and the likelihood of issuing modified audit opinions). However, auditors with large client portfolio scope (measured by the number of industries where clients are located) provide lower quality audits. Further analyses indicate that auditors of higher ability and reputation tend to have larger client scales and wider client scopes. Overall, our results suggest that, at the individual auditor level, the scale of the client portfolio conveys the auditor's ability, and given the scale, the industry and geographic scope of clients reflects the auditor's workload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]