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In this article, we discuss the significance of English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility, using Kachru's (1985) Three Circles Model of World English. As education is one of the major forms of migration (Liu-Farrer, 2022; Borlongan, 2023) in the so-called 'age of migration' (cf. de Haas, Castles, & Miller, 2020), more and more students are motivated to study abroad to complete their tertiary education. First, we discuss motivating factors both for the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility. Second, we point out how English has been playing a very central role in the internationalization of higher education institutions and international student mobility (Philipson, 2010; Jenkins, 2017) among these factors. Then, we present the dynamics of international student mobility by looking at their global flow, English-medium programs, and English language proficiency requirements. While Inner Circle countries are still the most attractive destinations for most international students, Expanding Circle countries, where English is not an institutionalized medium of instruction in higher education, also value English by expanding English-medium degree programs and requiring English proficiency test scores to admission. Finally, we end the article by reiterating the dominance and utility of English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility and its stable position as the language of educational migration.

This study examined the effect of e-learning compared to traditional education on student achievement and satisfaction, and to find out if COVID-19 is the first step for creating a society without a school, an online survey was conducted. The study sample consisted of 125 Palestinian bachelor's degree students from different universities in the Republic of China and the Arab Gulf states. The study took place during the first half of the pandemic's academic year, from the end of February to the end of August 2020. The findings revealed that there are no statistically significant differences between the E-learning and traditional learning concerning students' achievement based demographic variables (university years and scientific specialization), and the student's satisfaction variable from (teaching staff style, educational programs provided, and quality). The study indicated that e-learning has proven its feasibility during the pandemic, so it should not be excluded and underestimated. Some third world societies still prefer traditional education, but e-learning should be a permanent option that is not limited to times of crisis; Educational institutions should recognize e-learning as a fait accompli, as is the case in many developed countries. This study recommended the necessity of recognizing e-learning and enhancing this style of study by allocating specific budgets and specialized technical and educational cadres. It also recommended adopting a hybrid education pattern by integrating e-learning and F2F education.

We have reviewed publications on the physiological and ecological features of the growth and regeneration processes of Juniperus sabina L. which grows in semiarid sandy land in the Ordos plateau in northern China where desertification has progressed over time. J. sabina is a key native plant species used for ecological restoration in this region. The life history of J. sabina in this sandy land that has been revealed through this review includes several unique features: (1) both vegetative and seed propagations are observed, but seed propagation is not successful in the location where the mature J. sabina stands. Instead, seed propagation can occur at a different place with different landscapes from the mature stands. (2) Nurse plants play an important role in providing the microclimatic environment necessary for the growth of J. sabina seedlings and young plants. (3) During the horizontal and vertical growth processes of the J. sabina patch, the root system was affected by burial in shifting sand and consequently acquired greater access to the water supply in deeper soil horizons, which could support larger growth. These characteristics suggested that the regeneration by seed propagation and growth strategy of J. sabina in this region was strongly affected by sand movement and the landscape that is generated by sand movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being the largest contributor to the global source of fossil-fuel CO2 emissions, China's emissions need to be accurately quantified and well understood. Previous studies have usually focused on the amount of national emissions and rarely discussed their spatiotemporal distributions, which are also crucial for both carbon flux and carbon management. In this study, we calculated China's CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use and industrial processes using provincial statistics and then mapped those emissions at 0.25° resolution on a monthly basis. Several key steps have been implemented to gain a better understanding of the spatiotemporal distributions, including (1) development and application of China's CO2 emission inventories using provincial statistics; (2) separate calculations of emissions from large point sources and accurate identification of their geographical locations; (3) development of 1 km×1 km gridded population and GDP (gross domestic product) data for China from 2000 to 2009 and application of them as dynamic spatial proxies to allocate emissions; and (4) monthly variation curves of CO2 emissions from various sectors that were developed for each province and applied to our inventory. China's total CO2 emission from fossil fuels and industrial processes has increased from 3.6 billion tons in 2000 to 8.6 billion tons in 2009, which may be off by 14-18% and is enough to skew global totals. The resulting spatiotemporal distributions of our inventories also differed greatly in several ways from those derived using a national statistics and populationbased approach for the various economic development levels, industrial and energy structures, and even large point emission sources within China and each province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On the Loess Plateau, China, several planted tree species such as Populus hopeinsis and Robinia pseudoacacia suffer occasional diebacks in the top shoots, reducing growth rates after maturation. However, this does not usually occur in other species, e.g., Ulmus pumila and Zizyphus jujuba. We compared stable carbon isotope ratios (δ 13C) as indicators of leaf water-use efficiency (WUE), leaf mass per unit area (LMA), and leaf area- and mass-based nitrogen content (Narea and Nmass) by tree height (1, 5, and 10m) in P. hopeinsis, R. pseudoacacia, U. pumila, and Z. jujuba. In P. hopeinsis and R. pseudoacacia, leaf δ 13C and Narea were significantly lower in 10-m trees than in 1-m saplings, indicating that leaf WUE and photosynthetic rates of both species decreased with tree height. In contrast, δ 13C in Z. jujuba varied little with tree height. The δ 13C of 10-m-tall U. pumila trees was significantly higher than that of 1-m plants, demonstrating an increase in WUE with tree height. Decreasing WUE, leaf Narea, and Nmass with height increases in P. hopeinsis and R. pseudoacacia may be related to water and nutrient limitations for these species in semiarid regions. In contrast, stable or increasing δ 13C with tree height in U. pumila and Z. jujuba may account (to some extent) for successful production of these species under identical environmental conditions. Diameter growth rate also decreased with maturity in P. hopeinsis and R. pseudoacacia, but increased or was stable for U. pumila and Z. jujuba. The differences in leaf WUE and LMA among species with tree maturity may be related to species’ growth patterns and susceptibility to drought stress, and are likely to be important new criteria for plantation species selection on the Loess Plateau. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sabina vulgaris is a heterophyllus tree with two leaf forms: needle leaves and scale leaves. Most seedlings establish under a tree canopy and have only needle leaves, whereas mature individuals grow in the open and have both leaf forms. To clarify the functional traits of both leaf types, we studied the leaf mass per area (LMA), nitrogen content, stable carbon isotope composition, and photosynthetic traits of the two leaf forms. Scale leaves had a larger LMA, higher leaf area-based photosynthetic rate, higher water-use efficiency, and stronger tolerance of photoinhibition compared to needle leaves. Conversely, needle leaves had a lower light compensation point and higher leaf mass-based photosynthetic rate than scale leaves. With their low light compensation point and dark respiration rate, needle leaves appeared to be more effective at maximizing photosynthetic production under light-limited conditions in the inner crown or dark seedling stage. In contrast, scale leaves appeared to be more efficient at the canopy surface due to their higher area-based photosynthetic rate, tolerance to photoinhibition, and higher water-use efficiency. These different leaf functional traits of scale and needle leaves indicate functions similar to those of sun and shade leaves, respectively, in other tree species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to probe anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) characteristics of tide-influenced sediments, AMS analyses and primary sedimentary structure observation and description were conducted on the borehole CM-97 samples from Changjiang delta, China. Primary sedimentary structure (cross-laminations) observation and description were based on a detailed examination of X-ray photographs of samples. Primary cross-laminations were found on 19 of 35 subcores, among which five subcores, A6, A7, B17, B30, and B38, have bidirectional cross-laminations. We found a total of 35 cross-laminations on the subcore sections of tide-influenced sediments, of which 14 were distributed on the five subcores with bidirectional cross-laminations. By their bidirectional dipping foreset laminae, the primary cross-laminations clearly showed bidirectional flow features of the environments in which these sediments formed. Comparing the paleocurrent directions shown by these cross-laminations with those indicated by the in situ AMS data, we found that more than 64% exhibited similar current directions, demonstrating that AMS can supply us with the true paleocurrent directions for such sediments. From the downhole paleocurrent changes inferred from the in situ AMS data, it was also clear that there were bidirectional flows during the deposition of these sediments and that sediments deposited in different environments had different change characteristics with respect to downhole paleocurrents. These differences among the muddy intertidal- to subtidal-flat sediments (unit 5), the Changjiang estuary central basin sediments (unit 6), and the delta front sediments (unit 8) may have resulted from the different hydrodynamic conditions of these sedimentary environments. Furthermore, stratigraphic unit 5 was subdivided into three parts based on downhole AMS characteristics, which may correlate with those subdivided according to downhole paleocurrent changes. Therefore, besides its long recognized role in paleocurrent determination, AMS can also be used to determine stratigraphic divisions and to reconstruct sedimentary paleoenvironments in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The particle flux from sediment traps moored in the East China Sea from the continental shelf to the Okinawa Trough between 25 February 1993 and 22 February 1994 was analyzed for particle transport processes based on planktonic foraminifera. Conventional sediment traps were moored at points from the continental shelf to the shelf edge. These experiments revealed that benthic foraminifera occurred along with planktonic foraminifera, with contained mud, particularly in sediment traps moored at 10–40 m above the bottom. This finding implies that surface sediment resuspension from the sea bottom is active in this region. In addition, time-series sediment traps were deployed in the Okinawa Trough at three depths (606, 813 and 1017 m) under the main stream of the Kuroshio Current. The total planktonic foraminiferal flux increased with increasing depth and was associated with very few benthic foraminiferal specimens in the two deeper traps. However, planktonic foraminiferal tests filled with mud as seen in traps on the continental shelf were not found in the three traps. This observation suggests that the planktonic foraminifera did not originate in the sediments of the continental shelf and were likely carried laterally during settling. Furthermore, based on comparing the species composition of the foraminiferal flux for the Okinawa Trough station with that for the shelf edge in late October, planktonic foraminifera were considered to arrive at the deeper traps in the Okinawa Trough from the Kuroshio front area which was characterized by high productivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the sand samples in Taklimakan Desert, China for a mineral magnetic study. Measurements of temperature and low-field susceptibility; Dominance of stoichiometric magnetite in the samples; Estimation of magnetic grain size.

Abstract: Subtropical forests in SW China, receiving high nitrogen (N) deposition, have been reported to show high N retention. N removal by denitrification may be one important process favored by warm and wet soils during monsoonal summer when most of the atmogenic N input occurs. Due to low pH soils which are common in this region, N removal by denitrification may entail substantial N2O emissions. In this study, we explored intrinsic denitrification characteristics of soils from different landscape elements of a forested headwater catchment in SW China (Tieshanping, Chongqing). Laboratory incubations were used to measure instantaneous denitrification rates, apparent specific denitrifier growth rates, denitrification product stoichiometries (N2O/(N2O + N2)) and response to carbon-addition as a function of soil depth and landscape position. The results revealed that potential denitrification and denitrifier growth rates were highest in top soils along a hill slope, and decreased strongly with soil depth due to C-limitation. A hydrologically connected, colluvial groundwater discharge zone showed equally high instantaneous denitrification rates which were more equally distributed with depth. Denitrifying communities in the top horizons of the hill slope were less efficient in expressing N2O reductase in response to anoxia resulting in higher N2O/(N2 + N2O) product ratios than found in soils of the groundwater discharge zone, suggesting that a significant share of the deposited N can be lost as N2O from the hill slopes. Differences in denitrification traits appeared to be linked to eco-hydrological conditions in the two landscape elements and to substrate availability along the hydrological flowpath. Our study supports the notion that denitrification plays an important role for observed N removal in SW Chinese forest ecosystems and illustrates how habitat functions constrain the amount of N2O emitted during N removal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

China pledges to reach a peak in CO 2 emissions by 2030 and to make its best efforts to reach this peak earlier. Previous studies have paid much attention to the total amount of China's CO 2 emissions, but usually only one dataset is used in each evaluation. The pledged national reduction target is administratively divided into provincial targets. Accurate interpretation of province-level carbon emissions is essential for making policies and achieving the reduction target. However, the spatiotemporal pattern of provincial emissions and the associated uncertainty are still poorly understood. Thus, an assessment of province-level CO 2 emissions considering local statistical data and emission factors is urgently needed. Here, we collected and analyzed 7 published emission datasets to comprehensively evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution of provincial CO 2 emissions. We found that the provincial emissions ranged from 20 to 649 Mt CO 2 and that the standard deviations (SDs) ranged from 8 to 159 Mt. Furthermore, the emissions estimated from provincial-data-based inventories were more consistent than those from the spatial disaggregation of national energy statistics, with mean SDs of 26 and 65 Mt CO 2 in 2012, respectively. Temporally, emissions in most provinces increased from 2000 to approximately 2012 and leveled off afterwards. The interannual variation in provincial CO 2 emissions was captured by provincial-data-based inventories but generally missed by national-data-based inventories. When compared with referenced inventories, the discrepancy for provincial estimates could reach −57%–162% for national-data-based inventories but were less than 45% for provincial-data-based inventories. Using comprehensive data sets, the range presented here incorporated more factors and showed potential systematic biases. Our results indicate that it is more suitable to use provincial inventories when making policies for subnational CO 2 reductions or when performing atmospheric CO 2 simulations. To reduce uncertainties in provincial emission estimates, we suggest the use of local optimized coal emission factors and validations of inventories by direct measurement data and remote sensing results. • Estimates from provincial statistics were more consistent than the national ones. • The interannual variations were well-captured by provincial-data-based datasets. • The provincial-based estimates help to allocate duties and set reduction targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]