Search

In the modern world, green digital financing is believed to be an efficient, resilient, and viable source of funding for crisis conditions and to solve the preceding issues in a timely manner. It is a modern tool of financing mainly introduced by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Following the paths, most economies started considering it to solve their national economic issues. Thus, to fulfill the requirements of the modern world, current research aims to study the driving role of green digital financing on low-carbon energy transition in China. Using the generalized method of moments (GMM) model based on data collected from 2015 to 2020, this research made an effort to determine the empirical nexus between the green digital financing index and the low-carbon energy transition index and to recommend the possible policy implications to the policymakers and other practitioners. Results have shown that a 0.27% rise in green digital financing is observed in the Chinese economy from scratch, and it resulted from a 0.365% efficiency in the low-carbon energy transition in China. Accordingly, the study resulted that the role of green digital finance is clustering in the Chinese renewable energy industry, which impacts both the performance of the Chinese renewable energy industry and the economy. For more resilience, extended efficiency and viable energy transition study suggested the practical implications for the stakeholders to consider for practice. The novelty of the study is its motivation, findings, and solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of whether community nucleic acid testing contributes to an increase in infections within residential compounds has not been definitively answered. Shanghai, one of the largest cities in China, conducted city-wide community testing during its lockdown from late March to May 2022. This situation provided a unique opportunity to examine the effect of community testing on infection rates, as the lockdown largely eliminated confounding factors such as citizen mobility. In our study, based on a survey of 208 residential compounds in Shanghai and the daily infection data during the lockdown period, we found a significant correlation between community testing and infection risk in these compounds. However, after addressing potential issues of reverse causality and sampling bias, we found no significant causal link between community testing and infection risk. Furthermore, we discovered that increased awareness of mask-wearing correlated with a decrease in infections within the residential compounds during community testing. This suggests that the perceived correlation between community testing and infection risk may be confounded by residents' adherence to mask-wearing practices. Our findings emphasize the need for public health decision-makers to reinforce the importance of mask-wearing during community testing, as a means to prevent infections among citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Many obesity-related chronic diseases originate from unhealthy childhood habits. The aim of this study was to describe 9-month-old infants’ physical activity levels and patterns and to examine the correlates. Understanding these factors is necessary for improving the effectiveness of physical activity intervention programs for infants. Methods In total, 143 infant-mother dyads from Macau, SAR China, participated in this study. Physical activity (PA) was assessed by using the Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer and the demographic variables were collected by questionnaires. Results The most important findings were that: (1) infants had more screen time during weekdays (p = .044); (2) infants and mothers were least active at 8 a.m. (both weekdays and weekends) in the morning and most active at 7 p.m. (weekdays) and 8 p.m. (weekends) in the evening; (3) infants’ PA levels significantly correlated with their mothers’ PA intensities during the weekends (r = .192, p = .036), especially the mothers’ lower intensities in the mornings and evenings; (4) maternal BMI predicted the PA levels of the 9-month-old infants’ (R2 = .06, β = 29.188, p = .009). Conclusions for Practice Physical activity promotion programs for infants should be time-specific starting from early infancy. This study was one of the first to examine 9-month-old infants’ PA levels, patterns and correlates. The results may be helpful in improving the effectiveness of future healthy lifestyle intervention programs for infants in Macau and in the region in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene sandstones in the northern Dongying Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China, are reservoirs for large accumulations of hydrocarbons. The sandstones are mainly lithic arkoses and feldspathic litharenites, texturally and compositionally immature. These sandstones have a wide range of porosity (0.4–37%) and permeability (0.004–6969 mD) and show an overall decrease in reservoir quality from 1500 m to 5000 m below sea level. The reduction in reservoir quality is a product of several digenetic processes; these include compaction, precipitation of dolomite and calcite in eodiagenetic stage; compaction, feldspar dissolution, precipitation of quartz cements and clays (kaolin and illite) and precipitation of ferrocalcite and ankerite in mesodiagenetic stage. Mineral distribution pattern and isotopic composition suggest carbonate cements in sandstones originate from sources outside the sandstones. Carbonate cementation, together with compaction reduced the sandstones’ porosity and permeability significantly. In a sandstone bed, marginal sandstones with distance to sandstone/mudstone interface less than one meter always have lower porosity than central sandstones. As burial depth exceeds 4000 m, marginal sandstones have very low porosities (<5%), indicating that thin sandstone beds (<2 m) were totally destroyed by cementation and compaction, and only thick sandstone beds (>2 m) can be potential effective reservoirs. Feldspar dissolution and precipitation of clays and quartz cements have little impact on absolute porosity. Mineral distribution pattern and quantitative data show that leached feldspars are the internal source of authigenic quartz and clays in sandstones, and the volume difference between feldspar secondary porosity and related authigenic cements is generally less than 0.25%. However, although there is little or no net import of matter to the sandstones, the pore architecture changes dramatically. Primary macropores are lost as clays and quartz precipitate while the proportion of microporosity increases, occurring mainly between clay crystals. The overall result is that permeability is significantly degraded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional villages have received widespread attention from all walks of life based on important carriers of Chinese rural culture. The mutual superposition of natural and cultural factors may exacerbate the evolution of traditional village geographical patterns. To understand such relationships and effects, factors and degrees influencing traditional villages need to be determined. Here, we analysed the data of 724 traditional villages in Guizhou recognised by relevant national ministries and commissions in China using average nearest neighbour analysis, Tyson polygon analysis, nuclear density analysis and Geodector. The geographic pattern feature revealed that traditional villages, in general, are highly clustered regionally and have significant edge effects on administrative units. Different substrate environments result in significant spatial heterogeneity in village spatial density, clustering, surface undulation, sun exposure, and waterfront. The geographic pattern of traditional villages is mostly affected by the closest distance to river valleys, the types and number of intangible cultural heritage resources in the county, river gorge density, edge effect index, degree of county ethnic language use, and proportion of paddy fields to the regional area; and their combined effects influence and control the community structure. The results highlight the impact of nature and culture on the distribution of traditional villages, which helps traditional village conservation and scientific exploration of human-land relationship issues in the mountainous areas of Southwest China., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The influence of overlying hydrodynamics on the exchange behaviour and fluxes of heavy metals at the sediment-water interface (SWI) is poorly understood. In the study, metals exchange behaviour and exchange rate at the SWI under resuspended and undisturbed scenario were investigated The results showed that dissolved Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations increased rapidly to attain maximum values between 0.3 and 0.5 N·m -2 after the sediment resuspended. Following the quick release, metals concentrations gradually decreased and remained at relatively low levels, especially for Cu and Zn. Meanwhile, Cu, Zn, and Pb had higher potential remobilization potential in the undisturbed case. Calculating with the hydrodynamics in the Modaomen, the metals efflux under the resuspension scenario could reach 0.55 to 4130.83 mg·m -2 ·yr -1 , which were 1-3 orders of magnitudes higher than the undisturbed case. Whether or not resuspension events occurred, estuarine sediments were source of heavy metals, especially in the weakly mixed zone., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Shiziyang Bay, located in the upstream of the Pearl River Estuary, has frequently suffered from hypoxia since 2000, which has persisted in recent years despite effective controls on anthropogenic pollutant loads. To explore the underlying causes, changes in dissolved oxygen (DO), nutrients, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and chlorophyll a (Chl a) along the bay in response to altered pollutant inputs were investigated using observations collected in summers of 2015-2019 and historical data during 2000-2008. In addition, DO sources and sinks were calculated based on data from August 2020 and laboratory incubations for water column respiration (WCR) and sediment oxygen uptake, and were compared with their equivalents in August 2008 to elucidate changes in primary processes controlling hypoxia. The results showed that ammonia has decreased significantly with pollutant control, while other parameters responded in different trends, especially for Chl a (with a substantial increase over time). The intensified eutrophication contributed to high COD levels, leading to a strong WCR (as dominant oxygen depletion) close to that in the 2000s and thereby maintaining low-oxygen conditions despite reduced effluent discharges. The shifted primary oxygen-consuming substances from allochthonous inputs to in-situ phytoplankton production were also evidenced by significant correlation between oxygen consumption rate and Chl a in recent data. Simultaneously, the enhanced algal blooms could also modulate oxygen supply, resulting in higher photosynthetic oxygen production and lower air-sea reaeration compared with the past. Furthermore, the impact of major environmental changes on exacerbated eutrophication was explored and it was speculated that notable declined sediment loads would be important by improving light conditions to promote phytoplankton proliferation in the bay. Collectively, substantial control on eutrophication as well as tracking DO source-to-sink processes is of great importance to mitigate hypoxia in Shiziyang bay., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Many estuaries have undergone severe saltwater intrusion in addition to simultaneously experiencing serious heavy metal pollution. To explore the effect of water density stratification associated with saltwater intrusion on the behaviour of heavy metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Cd) in water and sediments, a field survey was conducted in a typical estuary (Modaomen). The content, distribution, and mobility of heavy metals were investigated, as well as the influence of environmental factors on their future. The results showed that Modaomen estuary was characterised by a notable variation in salinity along the estuary, presenting total freshwater upstream, high salinity stratification water in the mouth, and saltwater offshore. Dissolved metals presented a prominent gradient vertically, with 1.2-2.1 times higher in bottom water than in surface water and the highest contents in the highly-stratified bottom water. Elevated salinity and restricted mixing induced by water stratification were likely the causes of this outcome. The distribution of heavy metals in sediments was greatly governed by grain size, Fe/Mn (hydr)oxides, total organic carbon, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Comprehensive evaluation, combined with total contents and chemical fractions of heavy metals, indicated that internal release from sediments contributed a considerable part to the higher levels of heavy metals in bottom water, particularly for Zn and Pb, which was fully consistent with their status in water body, and elevated salinity and lack of oxygen were likely the primary driving factors. During the phase-partition processes between bottom water and sediments, partitioning coefficients were markedly lower in the highly stratified zone, implying that saltwater intrusion facilitated the mobility and repartitioning processes of metals. Because of increased levels and toxicity of heavy metals in water and extended residence time during saltwater intrusion, the potential damage to the estuarine ecosystem should receive more attention., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution, ecological risk and quantitative source apportionment of seven heavy metals in surface sediments along a partially mixed estuary (Modaomen, China). The study area was divided into three regions based on salt-freshwater mixing: a tidal river channel, weakly mixed zone and strongly mixed zone. The concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni were significantly higher in the weakly mixed zone, while a higher Co content was found in the tidal river channel. From enrichment factor (EF) analyses, Cd was moderate to extreme severely enriched at most stations, and other heavy metals were minor enrichments. Adverse effects on aquatic biota may occur occasionally for all seven heavy metals based on the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). The correlations between Al and heavy metals suggested that metals in sediments were mainly attributed to anthropogenic sources. Then Positive matrix factorization (PMF) and Geostatistic method were used to quantify the heavy metal sources and determine impacted regions. A mixed source from the inner Lingding Bay and West River contributed approximately 50% of the Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr and Ni. The electroplating industry accounted for about 57% of the Cd content, and the major contaminated area was concentrated at the confluence of the West River and its tributaries. The alloy industry contributed approximately 65% of the Co, most of which was near an industrial park., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)