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This paper investigates China's macroeconomic fluctuations by using the agent-based New Keynesian (ABNK) model. The model features bounded rationality, heterogeneous expectations, and adaptive learning. The model is estimated by the Bayesian method combined with the differential evolution algorithm and is analyzed using the impulse response, forecast performance, and variance decomposition approach. The estimation results show that in the real economy, in addition to rational agents, there are also boundedly rational agents with adaptive learning expectations. The impulse responses of macroeconomic variables to shocks are more sensitive and last longer than those from the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model. The ABNK model exhibits better out-of-sample forecast performance than both the vector auto-regression (VAR) and DSGE models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use the combination weight of game theory to evaluate a comprehensive index of new-type urbanization and then dynamic panel data for Chinese provinces over the period 2001 to 2016 to investigate the synergistic effects between financial development and improvement in new-type urbanization. Our results are based on system-generalized method of moments, and estimators indicate that the financial development variable measured by each dimension has different impacts on the level of new-type urbanization, respectively. The level of financial deepening measured by the total loan balance of all financial institutions divided by gross domestic product has the maximum impact on urbanization, and the financial structure has a minimal effect, confirming that a bank-dominated financial system supports improvement in new-type urbanization at the current stage. From the perspective of time periods, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a more obvious effect in the post-crisis period than the period 2001 to 2008. The stock market's promotion effect on new-type urbanization also increased; thus, it is playing a greater role. These results imply that policies such as improving SMEs efficiency, optimizing the financial structure, and relaxing restrictions on private investment are likely to promote further improvement in new-type urbanization in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on how green product innovation affects green dynamic capability and competitive advantage in the Chinese manufacturing industry. The empirical research indicates that green product innovation is positively correlated with both competitive advantage and green dynamic capability, whereas green dynamic capability also has a significant impact on competitive advantage. Furthermore, this paper finds that the resource integration capability, resource reconfiguration capability, and environmental insight capability of green dynamic capability play intermediary roles between green product innovation and competitive advantage. Corporate reputation positively moderates the relationship between green product innovation and resource integration capability and positively moderates the relationship between green product innovation and resource reconfiguration capability, whereas there is no moderating effect between green product innovation and environmental insight capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: With the increasing pressure on China to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, it is crucial to clarify the effect of implementing environmental regulations and their impact on the region. Many studies have focused on the linear, rather than nonlinear, relationship between environmental regulation and CO2 emissions. The exploration of nonlinear relations is conducive to the in-depth study of policy effects and regional differences of environmental regulations in China. To ensure effective CO2 emission reductions, regional differences in CO2 emissions in China should also be considered. In this study 30 provinces of China were divided into three different regions according to their level of economic development from 2004 to 2015. Taking the energy intensity and foreign direct investment (FDI) as threshold variables, a threshold model was used to examine the relationship between environmental regulation and CO2 emissions. It was found that environmental regulation has a threshold effect on CO2 emissions, with significant differences among the eastern, central, and western regions. Environmental regulations in the eastern region were ineffective for curbing CO2 emissions, while the energy intensity was in the middle and low threshold range. However, FDI had a promotional effect on CO2 emissions. In the central region, environmental regulations reduced CO2 emissions under the influence of energy intensity and FDI. In the western region, environmental regulations could not mitigate CO2 emissions when the energy intensity and FDI were used as the threshold variables. It was concluded that a diverse range of measures for CO2 reduction should be adopted according to the local economic situation.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large amount of carbon dioxide emissions have drawn more and more attention recently. Existing regional research is mainly based on the classification of geographical location, without considering the differences in urbanization. Using panel data of 30 provinces in China during the period of 1997–2014, this paper investigates the impact of population, per capita GDP, energy intensity, urbanization, industry proportion and tertiary industry proportion on CO2 emissions. Taking into account regional differences, 30 provinces in China are divided into four regions according to the features of "urbanization–CO2 emissions." The results show that the impacts of population and per capita GDP on CO2 emissions in the LU–LC region are higher than the other three regions. The energy intensity has positive effect on CO2 emissions in the four regions. The impact of energy intensity on CO2 emissions in HU–HC and HU–LC regions is greater than the other two regions. Meanwhile, the impact of urbanization on CO2 emissions differs across regions. The urbanization has a significant negative effect on CO2 emissions in the HU–LC region, indicating the urbanization increases CO2 emissions. However, the urbanization has a positive effect on CO2 emissions in the LU–HC region, indicating the urbanization increases CO2 emissions in the region. The impact of industry proportion is not statistically significant in all the regions, while the impact of tertiary industry proportion on CO2 emissions is negatively significant in the HU–LC and LU–HC regions, which indicates that the adjustment and upgrading of industrial structure play important roles in the decrease in carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size of household CO2 emissions (HCE) has drawn increasing attention recently. Due to differences in geographical location, traditional models do not provide a valid basis or countermeasures for CO2 emissions reduction in different provinces, leading to biased estimation. This paper uses a geographical weighted regression (GWR) model to examine the spatial effect of urbanization, energy intensity, energy structure and income on HCE. The results indicate an obvious spatial effect on carbon emissions in the provinces. The impact of urbanization on household CO2 emissions presented an increasing trend from the southeastern coast to the northwest from 2000 to 2015. Energy intensity had a remarkably positive effect on HCE in 2000 and 2015, although it had a negative effect in all provinces in 2005 and in some provinces in 2010. The elasticity coefficient of energy structure on HCE was negative in most provinces in all four years, indicating that more use of natural gas and electricity decreased HCE. Income was a powerful explanatory factor for growth in household CO2 carbon emissions in all years. The effect of income on HCE was positive and showed an increasing tendency year by year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though China has increased grain output in the past decade and greatly contributed to reducing global hunger, the country is still confronted with intense food security pressure due to its huge population base and severe loss of farmland. It has become increasingly important to fully exploit yield gaps (the difference between potential and actual yields) of all staple grains and to identify priority areas in order to achieve the UN sustainable development goal of zero hunger by 2030. The objective of this study was to calculate the production and yield gaps for rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and corn (Zea mays L.) across 31 provinces of mainland China, and then to propose sustainable ways to exploit the production and yield gaps in relation to the availability of natural resources and the ecological conditions of the various regions. The yield potential was estimated by assuming that certificated cultivars were adopted in each agricultural ecological zone (AEZ) and that state-of-the-art technologies and best management practices were used. The results suggested that the gross potential productivity of the three staple grains of mainland China in 2016 was 8.86 × 108 tons, with a production gap of 2.99 × 108 tons. Corn exhibited the greatest yield gap. The highest potential productivity was observed in the Northeast Plain and the Huang-Huai-Hai/North China Plain, accounting for 26.35% and 35.91% of the country's total potential productivity, respectively. The greatest yield gaps were also found in these two plains. To narrow yield gaps, farmland infrastructure, especially irrigation facilities, should be improved, and field management should be strengthened for the provinces with the greatest gaps. However, in view of natural resource constraints (e.g., water shortages in Northern China), water-saving measures and techniques have been encouraged throughout mainland China and the planting of high water-consuming crops such as rice has been discouraged and should be reduced and replaced by other crops in the North China Plain and Northwest China. Using presently available cultivars and field management technologies, China still has great potential to increase grain production and improve food security by closing exploitable yield gaps through the use of suitable production methods based on existing natural resource capacity and ecological status. • To assess achievable potential productivity at present technology using a combined method of AEZ and certificated cultivars. • To analyze the space for the increase of food production, which provide decision basis for closing the yield gaps. • To put forward sustainable approaches to close yield gaps by considering natural resource and environmental restraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite an emerging interest in work attitudes (job, career and calling), researchers know little about whether these attitudes matter in the workplace. We explore the under-examined relationship between work attitudes and work outcomes (work satisfaction and internal work motivation) among the teachers of Northwest A&F University China. Although some theory suggests that calling may be strongly correlated with work satisfaction, this study predicted that a career attitude is more positively associated with work satisfaction. The correlation analysis revealed a significant and positive relationship between career, calling and work outcomes as well as a significant and negative relationship between job and work outcomes. The multiple regression analysis indicated a significant impact of career and calling on work satisfaction but only calling has a significant impact on internal work motivation. Further, based on this study, we suggest that work attitudes as a predictor of work satisfaction can give very useful insights into redesigning jobs for the higher education sector in order to increase the level of job satisfaction and motivation of teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the spatiotemporal heterogeneity, convergence and its impact factors of carbon emissions is not only beneficial to the formulation of differential carbon reduction policies, but also to achieve regional coordinated development. As the second largest source of carbon emissions, agricultural carbon emissions have attracted extensive attention practically and academically. The current study used the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 1997 to 2017, combining with the carbon emission accounting formula, Theil index method and convergence model, to analyze the spatiotemporal heterogeneity, convergence and its impact factors of carbon emission intensity (CEI) and carbon emission per capita (CEPC) of planting industry considering carbon sink effect. The results revealed that the total carbon emission shows a downward trend during the investigation, while evident differences exist in different regions and dimensions mainly caused by the inter-regional differences. The CEI Theil index demonstrated gradient decreasing pattern of "western (0.14) > central (0.09) > eastern (0.05) > northeast (0.03)" and the CEPC Theil index showed the distribution characteristics of "northeast (0.09) > central (0.08) > western (0.08) > eastern (0.05)". Convergence existed in the whole country and in the four regions when taking CEI as the estimation index, while different divergence characteristics appeared (except central) when CEPC is applied. The impact effects of initial CEI/CEPC, rural GDP per capita, agricultural financial support level, agricultural mechanization degree, agricultural structure, rural population size and urbanization level have spatiotemporal heterogeneity. [Display omitted] • Agricultural carbon emission is assessed with consideration of carbon sink effect. • CEI Theil index is as western (0.14) > central (0.09) > eastern (0.05) > northeast (0.03). • CEPC Theil index is as northeast (0.09) > central (0.08) > western (0.08) > eastern (0.05). • The convergence features of CEI and CEPC varies under different dimensions. • The impact effects exist significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the relative inefficiency of China's grassland utilisation compared to that of developed countries, this study analyses the social interaction effect of rotational grazing and its mechanisms of influence on the individual rotational grazing behaviour of herders from the perspective of social economics. In doing so, we conducted an empirical evaluation with micro survey data from 820 herders in Inner Mongolia and the Gansu pastoral areas. The results generally indicate that there is a positive social interaction effect of rotational grazing on the behaviour of herders. Specifically, social interaction affects herders' rotational grazing behaviour via two channels: endogenous interaction and contextual interaction. Endogenous interaction increases the likelihood of rotational grazing being adopted through the information acquisition and experience communication mechanisms. Contextual interaction improves the likelihood of rotational grazing being adopted through the ecological demonstration effect. In addition, the social interaction effect on rotational grazing is heterogeneous due to differences in natural capital and the human capital of herders, and this effect is stronger in herders with more grassland plots, lower education levels, and a higher animal husbandry labour force. Finally, this study also discovered that rotational grazing improves herders' evaluation of grassland ecology; this corresponds to the conclusions of grazing experiments. The policy implications of these findings regarding the sustainable use of grassland are as follows: first, rotational grazing can be considered to be an incentive item that should be included in China's Subsidy and Incentive System for Grassland Conservation (SISGC) in order to promote the sustainable use of grasslands. Second, policy incentives can generate a social multiplier effect through the social interaction effect of rotational grazing, which amplifies the effect of the policy, promotes the formation of a rotational grazing system, and improves the overall grazing method. Finally, this policy can prioritise pastoral areas with severe grassland fragmentation and animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood for herders. • There is an observed positive social interaction effect for the adoption of rotational grazing on the part of herders. • Social interaction affects herders' rotational grazing behaviour through endogenous interaction and contextual interaction. • The social interaction effect is heterogeneous due to differences in the natural capital and human capital of herders. • Rotational grazing improves herders' evaluation of grassland ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Systematically investigate the spatial and temporal variances of land finance across 31 provinces in mainland China from 1998 to 2017. • Provide a land financial risk indicator system to evaluate land finance risks from administrative, economic, social and ecological aspects. • Propose corresponding scientific sound suggestions to prevent land financial risks for China. Excessive dependence on land finance (hereafter LF) in China's urbanisation process has generated various problems and compromised the interests of future generations, hence a transformation from "land urbanisation" to "population urbanisation" is now called for. Nevertheless, before turning towards a new urbanisation strategy, the spatio-temporal variances of LF and associated risks for regional sustainability deserve further investigation. This study developed a comprehensive evaluation indicator system from administrative, economic, social and ecological perspectives, to evaluate the LF risks at provincial scale in mainland China from 1998 to 2017, applying the combined AHP-Entropy method and Multi-Criteria analysis. The results indicated that land transfer dependence remained high across all provinces over the last two decades, and the LF risk increased accordingly. In 2015, economic, social, and total risks of China as a whole all reached a "high" risk level, ecological risk was at the level of "critical", although administrative risk kept going down and was at a "low" risk level in recent years, thanks to the persistent nation-wide effort on cracking down on corruption. Spatially, total LF risk generally presented a declining gradient from east to west. Through analysing the tentative and plausible causes to above spatio-temporal variances, five policy suggestions were put forward: (1) reforming current cadre assessment and fiscal decentralisation systems; (2) transforming the residential housing supply structure; (3) establishing a comprehensive land ecological conservation system; (4) promoting a flexible leasehold mechanism in primary land market; and (5) restructuring the industrial layout to defuse differentiated LF risks across provinces. With empirical data and comprehensive risk evaluations, this study contributed to improve our knowledge on the spatio-temporal patterns of LF and its associated risks at provincial scale, helped to inform future urbanisation policy designs and ultimately to promote regional sustainability for China and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Investigating the spatiotemporal changes of CIA in prefecture city level. • The impacts of LPV and ERI show spatial-temporal differences by GTWR model. • The impacts of ERI on CIA are greater than that of LPV. • Freight, resource and highway all have positive impacts on CIA. China's governments have a strong control over resources, such as land resources, and determine environmental policies for the nation. As an essential part of the production cost of chemical enterprises, land price and pollution costs play a critical role in location selection. However, whether the current incompletely competitive industrial land market and improving environmental regulations in China would affect chemical industrial agglomeration (CIA) is unclear. This study incorporates the land price variations, environmental regulation, and CIA into one research framework. Calculation methods of industrial land price variation (LPV), environmental regulation (ERI), and CIA are established, to reveal their development level. Furthermore, a geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model is established to estimate the spatial and temporal impacts of land price variation and environmental regulation on CIA by using a panel data from 2007 to 2015. The results show significant spatial differences in the impacts of land price variation and environmental regulation on CIA between cities. The majority of the impacts of land price variation and environmental regulation on CIA are negative. However, the temporal change in the impacts are not as significant as the spatial change. Other control variables, namely, free trade, natural resources, and highway density, have a positive impact on CIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel MMIP with specific adsorption of patulin was successfully synthesized. • The magnetic dispersion solid-phase extraction (MDSPE) method was established. • This approach saves time and consumption of organic reagents. • This study provides a new pretreatment method for detection of patulin in juice. In this study, a novel magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) was prepared by surface imprinting technology using 2-oxin and 6-HNA as dual virtual templates and 4-vinyl pyridine (4-VP) as the functional monomer for extraction of patulin (PAT) from the surface of magnetic nanoparticles. MMIPs were characterized by fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results showed that the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was successfully coupled with magnetic nanoparticles and could be used as a magnetic selective recognition material. Moreover, MMIPs have a greater adsorption capacity for PAT than conventional MIPs. The magnetic dispersion solid-phase extraction procedure was optimized and then combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (MDSPE-LC-MS/MS) for detection of PAT in juice samples. The method showed excellent analytical performance in terms of linearity (ranged between 0.5 μg L−1 and 100 μg L−1with correlation coefficients (r) higher than 0.999) and limit of detection (LOD) (0.1 μg L−1, S/ N = 3). At three spiking concentrations (1, 10, and 50 μg L−1), the mean recoveries were ranged between 79.4% and 97.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) < 4.7% (n = 3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• To investigate and built up the conceptual framework of company-dominated land consolidation pattern. • To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of company-dominated land consolidation pattern from land fragmentation, economic, social and ecological aspects. • To compare the advantages and disadvantages of traditional government-dominated pattern with company-dominated land consolidation pattern. Since late 1970s, the implementation of the household contracted responsibility system (HCRS) has raised farmers' enthusiasm for production and effectively enhanced China's agricultural productivity. However, the absolutely equal distribution of quantity and quality of farmland has also resulted in the problem of land fragmentation, which has currently become a major obstacle to the realization of economy of scale and agricultural modernization. Land consolidation has traditionally been taken as a necessary approach for solving this problem. This study takes Long'an County of Guangxi Autonomous Region in Southwest China as a case study, to examine the effectiveness of a newly introduced company-dominated model for land consolidation. Contrasted to commonly-adopted government-dominated models, in this model a company would lease scattered farmlands from farmers, and carry out a land consolidation project to merge small plots into large plots, then use consolidated land for scale operation. In this whole process, local governments only play an assistant role by subsidizing the project and supervision. The evaluation results show that after land transfer and consolidation, farmland fragmentation degree in Langwan project area is effectively reduced, with the total number of plots decreasing from 1738 to 92 and the average plot size increasing from 0.11 to 2.00 ha, and plot shape tends to be enlarged and regular, which is conducive to large-scale and mechanized operation. Besides, agricultural infrastructure and soil quality are both improved, which facilitate the implementation and mechanization of field work, such as transportation, irrigation, tillage, pesticides and fertilizers application. The improvement of land productivity and government subsidy kindles entrepreneurial enthusiasm for investment and participation in agriculture, which promoted crop structure transformation from sugarcane to high value-added dragon fruit (pitaya), resulting in a great increase in profit from 5212.5 to 57,000 Yuan/ha/a. Meanwhile, local government can free themselves from the cumbersome work of project design, implementation and supervising scattered individuals. Farmers can also gain revenue from land leasing and employment opportunities on the field provided by the company. This new company-oriented model proves itself as a more efficient and effective approach of incentive-based middle-out strategy to deliver multi-agents, multi-goals benefits, which is in line with recent call for self-organized and collaborative resource governance, and can be extended to other regions and contribute to rural revitalization in China and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the performance of Low Carbon Agricultural Technologies (LCAT) adoption on farmers' welfare? Although there is a substantial amount of information available, there is still a continuing discussion regarding the capacity of LCAT to enhance agricultural productivity, improve farmers' quality of life, and mitigate environmental damage. In order to draw reliable conclusions about the impacts of LCAT and understand the reasons for heterogeneous effects across different studies, we employ a meta-regression to conduct a thorough analysis of 60 empirical studies conducted in the Asian region. The findings suggest that the implementation of LCAT has no significant effect on the overall welfare of farmers in terms of their collective social, economic, and ecological dimensions. However, whether examining the economic or social consequences individually, LCAT demonstrates positive results. The magnitude of these outcomes varies depending on several characteristics. Specifically, studies based on plot-level data, conducted in the rest of Asia, excluding South and East Asia, with the "economic effects" category such as income and profits as the dependent variables, involving younger and less-educated farmers, larger cultivation areas, and LCAT with comprehensive attributes, tend to show more significantly positive effects. Furthermore, a significant "U" relationship can be observed between per capita GDP and the positive effects of LCAT adoption. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly evaluate the welfare effects of LCAT adoption by considering comprehensive factors such as farmers' characteristics and regional environmental conditions. Policymakers should carefully tailor suitable LCAT for specific circumstances, ultimately striving to achieve agricultural carbon reduction, enhancement of carbon sequestration, and an overall improvement in farmers' welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource-based cities (RBCs) are cities that have emerged from the utilization of natural resources and are dominated by resource-based industries. Industry is the leading economic activity of resource-based cities. However, industrial land in resource-based cities is faced with the challenges of inefficient use, to which little attention has been paid. Because RBCs are the location of leading economic activity, improving industrial land use efficiency is pivotal in these cities. This study used sub-vector Data Envelope Analysis (DEA) to calculate the industrial land use efficiency (ILUE) of China's 109 resource-based cities from 2006 to 2015. The empirical results proved that there was redundancy of industrial land in most of China's RBCs, but the overall degree of redundancy is decreasing. There were obvious differences in ILUE among different regions, different resource types and different development stages. Factors influencing ILUE were analyzed using the Tobit model. Regional economic development, industrial development and science and technology development had significant positive effects on ILUE, while the labor structure and the ownership structure of enterprises have significant negative effects. The conclusions that are drawn from the results support recommendations to improve ILUE for RBCs. The ILUE should be taken as the guidance for the layout of industrial land use in a RBC and should be incorporated into new industry spatial development strategy planning. • This study calculates industrial land use efficiency of China's resource-based cities. • The oil and gas-based cities have the highest mean value of ILUE. • There are obvious differences of the ILUE among different regions. • The regional economic development has significant positive effect on the ILUE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract China is facing increasingly severe challenges in its quest to achieve urbanization and mitigate CO 2 emissions. The existing studies have usually introduced a single indicator to describe urbanization and have ignored the complexity and multi-dimensionality of urbanization. This study establishes an evaluation system of urbanization quality to estimate the urbanization development level. The geographically weighted regression (GWR) model is employed to examine the impact of the urbanization quality on CO 2 emissions and reveals the spatial differences of 30 provinces in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. The results show that there are significant temporal and spatial differences in the effects of the urbanization quality on CO 2 emissions between provinces. Improvements in the urbanization quality have contributed to cutting CO 2 emissions in most provinces. The impact of the urbanization quality on CO 2 emissions in the central region and western region is greater than that in the eastern region. The energy intensity has the largest positive impact on CO 2 emissions, which indicates that technical progress can effectively reduce CO 2 emissions. The industrial structure has a positive impact on CO 2 emissions in 2000 and 2015, whereas it has a negative impact on the CO 2 emissions of some provinces in 2005 and 2010. This paper provides valuable findings and conclusions of the relationship between urbanization quality and CO 2 emissions. Differentiated policy implications are proposed according to geographical differences. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • This study establishes an evaluation system of urbanization quality (UQ). • This study examines the spatial effect of urbanization quality on CO 2 emissions. • There are obvious differences in the effect of UQ on emissions between provinces. • Energy intensity has the largest positive impact on CO 2 emissions. • Industrial structure has a positive impact on CO 2 emissions in 2000 and 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Economic agglomeration harms sustainable intensification of cultivated land use. • Pathways that economic agglomeration affects sustainable intensification are complex. • Sustainable intensification verifies "pollution halo" and "pollution haven" theories. • Integrated regional development systems can promote multi-objective synergies. The sustainable intensification (SI) of cultivated land use (CLU) is important for achieving global sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, in the rapid advancement of agglomeration economies, it remains unclear whether economic agglomeration (EA) affects SI. Combined with emergy theory, this study utilized socioeconomic and natural environment data from 31 provincial administrative regions from 1990 to 2017 to evaluate the SI level in China. It further analyzed the impact of EA on SI using a spatial econometric model that includes mediating effects. The results showed that the EA level in China continued to rise, whereas the SI level continued to decline from 1990 to 2017. The mediating effect analysis showed that fiscal support for agriculture and agricultural labor productivity have a suppression effect of |−4.186|% and |−2.002|% in the local region, while cultivated land-use intensity has partial mediation of 6.350% in the local region; and agricultural labor productivity has a suppression effect of |−4.680|% on the surrounding region, while cultivated land-use intensity has stronger partial mediation relative to the local region, even up to 10.402% on surrounding regions. This implies that the impact of EA on SI involves complex paths and spatial differences. This study provides a better understanding of the reasons for the continuous decline in the SI in agglomeration-type economic development and feasible policy proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China, being a significant agricultural country and the world's greatest carbon emitter, is today faced with the combined problems of improving agricultural economic quality and reducing carbon emissions, all while dealing with resource constraints. Exploring the nexus and internal mechanism between agricultural carbon footprint (CF), energy utilization and economic quality thereby implies practical significance. For these reasons, the current study intends to explore the nexus and internal mechanism between agricultural CF, energy utilization, and economic qualities of main grain-planting provinces in China. Multi-approaches like, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, the Granger Causality Test based on the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), and Impulse Response and Variance Decomposition (IRVD) methods, and a time-series data in the duration from 1997 to 2019 are employed. The findings indicate that: 1) Agricultural CF, energy utilization and economic quality demonstrate an increasing trend; 2) There exists environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in agricultural CF in China's main grain-planting provinces; 3) Energy utilization negatively influenced agricultural CF in both the short-term and long-term; 4) In the short-term and long-term, a bidirectional causality exist among agricultural CF and economic quality, as well as a unidirectional causality from energy utilization to agricultural CF and economic quality. [Display omitted] • Agricultural CF, energy utilization and economic quality increased during the investigation. • Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) exist in China's agricultural CF. • Energy utilization negatively influenced agricultural CF both in the short- and long-term. • A bidirectional causality exists within agricultural CF and economic quality in the short- and long-term. • Unidirectional causalities exist from energy utilization to agricultural CF and economic quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Variation in willingness to pay for ecosystem services throughout the basin. • Water quality most valuable attribute for ecosystem services. • Spatial heterogeneity among people with higher WTP for agricultural production quality and lowest for oasis. • Complex pattern of heterogeneity among various groups. • Group III shows higher willingness to pay for enhanced ecosystem services. The importance of understanding people's preferences and the well-being of river systems cannot be overstated when it comes to the effective restoration and long-term management of these systems. This study aimed to determine the preferences of people in the Hei River Basin of China regarding the conservation, restoration, and development of ecological systems and their associated services. The research utilized a combination of random parameter logit models for distance decay. The study collected data using a choice experiment method and separated the study area into three distance-based groups: group I (within 25 km), group II (25 to 50 km), and group III (beyond 50 km). The findings showed that there was spatial heterogeneity among the people, with a higher willingness to pay for high-quality agricultural production and the lowest willingness to pay for oasis. The results revealed a complex pattern of spatial heterogeneity and indicated the need for increased awareness programs, environmental education, and the promotion of social responsibility towards environmental protection. It is essential to implement environmental policies, restore properties, and preserve ecological systems to achieve sustainable development and a sustainable environment. The findings highlight the importance of considering spatial heterogeneity and the need for increased environmental awareness, education, and policy implementation. This research can contribute to developing effective strategies for the preservation of river systems and ensuring sustainable development and a sustainable environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of China's key initiatives has always been to coordinate the development of water resources and the economy. This research taking specific data as an example, and develop an evaluation index system of coupling coordination degree (CCD) for evaluating China's water resources utilization efficiency (WUE) and economic development level (EDL). To estimate the weight of each index of WUE and EDL, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method (EWM) have been employed. Furthermore, the coupling coordination index of 31 provinces and cities in China was calculated using the coupling model, and the coupling coordination relationship between WUE and EDL in China's 31 provinces was empirically explored under the current development trend. Finally, the spatial global autocorrelation and local autocorrelation of the CCD are analyzed, and the dynamic evolution process of the coupled coordinated development of water resources and economy in 31 provinces in China from 1987 to 2017 is also summarized. The study put up a plausible theoretical framework and empirical support in order to accomplish the sustainable development of WUE and EDL. The findings show that; from 1987 to 2017, the comprehensive development capacity of the two systems of WUE and EDL in China's 31 provinces have continuously improved, and the coordination between the two systems of mutual adaptation and common development has gradually increased, however, the level of CCD has not significantly leapfrogged. The CCD of the four regions shows that eastern region is better than western region, and central region is better than northeast region. As a result, China, as a developing country, continue to face significant challenges in terms of sustainable development of WUE and EDL. In order to improve the WUE and their alignment with economic development, the government should begin by raising water-saving awareness, improving the wastewater recycling and reuse, optimizing the industrial structure, and strengthening agricultural water-saving efforts; while pursuing economic development, ensure the safety and health of the aquatic environment. [Display omitted] • Use AHP and EWM to estimate the weight of index of economic and water resource. • The spatial global and local autocorrelation of the coupling coordination degree are analyzed. • The coupling coordination degree shows that Eastern > Western > Central > Northeast region. • The comprehensive development capacity of water resource and economic have improved. • The level of coupling coordination degree has not significantly leapfrogged in 31 provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding public preferences and evaluating the river basin are essential for effective river basin management, and enhancing its environmental attributes can provide considerable non-market benefits. As such, the study explores the heterogeneity in people's preferences and rankings of river ecosystem services based on their willingness to pay (WTP) to upgrade these services. A research survey was conducted throughout the river basin using a choice experiment approach. In this study, we evaluated the impact of study area elevation (a spatial attribute) on residents' willingness to pay for rehabilitation of environmental attributes. The study incorporates 6 ecological attributes in order to examine the differences in people's willingness to pay at various elevation levels. A total of five cities and 33 surrounding villages and townships were surveyed, while five elevation groups were made on an ad hoc basis to split samples, i.e., 1000–1600 m, ≤1600–2200 m, ≤2200–2800 m, > 2800–3400 m, and 3400–4000 m. The results of the mixed logit model recognized that people living at different elevations value rehabilitation of varying environmental attributes differently. For example, the inhabitants in Group 1 (1000–1600 mm) are willing to pay RMB 6.70 per year for biodiversity upgrades; while the WTP of the people for the same attributes is RMB 32.68 in Group 5 (3400–4000 mm). The Krinsky Robb approach confirmed that agricultural product quality and greenhouse gases (GHGs) were the most highly valued attributes, with a willingness to pay of RMB 90.40 and RMB 47.17, respectively. Applying these results as a reference for sustainable improvements and uplift of deteriorated ecological qualities is an example of how they may be helpful in bettering the world. [Display omitted] • The study explores heterogeneity in preferences and rankings of river ecosystems. • A survey was conducted using a choice experiment approach. • Five elevation groups were made on ad hoc basis to split sample. • The respondents in groups valued ecosystems differently. • Agricultural products quality and GHGs were the most valued attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making regarding valuation of ecosystems services regarding their improvements for life on planet could be exceptionally challenging as different disciplines and theoretical views consider value of ecosystems differently. To attain a better understanding of environmental quality status across Northwest China, a discrete choice experiment approach is carried out in the entire Wei River basin with a sample size of 900 households. A cluster of ecosystem services are put together in a planning alongside betterment in ecological conditions in a choice set. Random parameter logit models (RPL) are applied for estimating spatial heterogeneity in preferences and delta method is implemented to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) values of the sampled respondents for the improvements in the currently degraded ecosystem services. The results exhibit that preferences as well as WTP values are heterogenous at different spatial dimensions, for instance, water quality is highly valued in all selected regions followed by water loss and soil erosion intensity, while there exists heterogeneity in WTP for all other ecological attributes. Similarly, there exists heterogeneity in WTP between the sampled respondents of; upper, lower and middle basins as well as urban and rural areas. The lowest valued ecological attribute includes conditions of eco-tourism & forest park across all spatially distributed urban and rural areas, various regions and at sub-basins. The results indicated that households of the entire river basin are cautious concerning upgradation in the current degraded environmental quality as can be perceived from their corresponding WTP values. The categorical empirical results of our study hence suggest for the sustainable management and conservation of ecosystem services with better environmental quality. [Display omitted] • Choice experiment & RPL model are performed for welfare estimation. • The estimation is carried out at various regional, urban-rural and sub-basins level. • Heterogeneity of preference exists among respondents living at different locations. • Most favored ecological attribute inferring highest marginal value is water quality. • Eco-tourism and forest park conditions is the lowest valued ecological attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Payments for watershed ecosystem services are the most important forms of global water environmental protection. Transboundary basin ecological compensation policies in China are mainly based on the central government's appropriation to local governments or transfer payments between local governments. However, watershed ecosystem services face many problems such as the lack of interprovincial horizontal compensation policies and insufficient public participation. Most of China's rivers are distributed in vast rural areas, and the livelihoods of farmers living in these areas are highly dependent on the water environment. Since a watershed usually spans multiple administrative regions, the inconsistency between the natural and administrative boundaries of the river affects the completeness of the ecosystem services' information exchange between the service providers and payers. To promote interprovincial government water management cooperation and spark the farmers' enthusiasm for participating in the payments for watershed ecosystem services, this study examines the mechanism by which social interactions can affect farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) by mitigating the information bias. The results show that information bias plays a mediating role in the effect of social interactions on WTP. Additionally, the cadres/associations' and village-level interactions can effectively reduce the information bias of farmers, thereby increasing their WTP for transboundary basin ecosystem services. Moreover, the intensity of the psychological ownership of the watershed and government credibility have a significant moderating effect on the above-mentioned mechanisms. This study suggests that it is necessary to broaden the source channels of farmers' information on upstream ecological governance, improve the completeness of farmers' information, and curb the negative impact of information bias on WTP. Simultaneously, it is necessary to improve the government credibility and cultivate the farmers' sense of belonging and responsibility toward the watershed. • Willingness to pay for transboundary basin ecosystem services. • Information bias affects the willingness to pay for transboundary basin ecosystem services. • Social interactions reduce information bias. • Government credibility and psychological ownership moderated the effect of information bias on willingness to pay. • Using moderated mediation model estimated the indirect effect and moderating effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valuation of environmental goods and services offers valuable information for environmental management, where there exists heterogeneity in household's taste and preferences. The current study evaluated the willingness to pay for ecosystem services with regard to assess benefit transfer among sub-basins of Wei River. In order to achieve an improved environmental status in Wei River basin, a choice experiment survey was conducted with the perception regarding valuation of ecosystem services in the upper, middle and lower basin. A total of 900 households sampled respondents were interviewed in the entire river basin. Seven ecological attributes were selected in an arrangement with improvements in ecological conditions in choice a set. Welfare estimates were measured through conditional logit (CL) and random parameter logit (RPL) models. Outcomes of our study validated the diversity in the public preferences regarding valuation of selected ecological attributes in all three basins. Like, water quality level was relatively highly valued (i.e. 109.3 Yuan) by those who live in lower basin followed by inhabitants of middle basin (81.57 Yuan). With the addition of heterogeneity in tastes and preferences, relatively lower transfer errors were estimated in RPL model as compared to CL model. While transferring benefits from lower to upper basin, the estimated transfer errors were 35.37% and 7.06% of transfer errors were estimated from upper to middle basin and 19.30% were estimated from middle to lower basin in RPL model. While for the same conditions, the estimated transfer errors in CL model were 44.49%, 9.49% and 29.37% respectively. In the light of current outcomes, there are sufficient evidences to claim for transferability of benefits between upper, middle and lower basins. The conclusive empirical outcomes of the current study thus help in proper management of ecosystem services and allow for benefit transfer from one basin to the other basins of Wei River. Image 1 • Heterogeneity exists in the willingness to pay for ecosystem services across basins. • With the inclusion of taste heterogeneity Random parameter logit model resulted in lower transfer errors. • Random parameter logit model's mean transfer errors ranges from 7.06% to 35.37%. • Conditional logit estimates predicted for relatively higher transfer errors. • Mean transfer error ranges from 9.49% to 44.49% in Conditional logit model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, scholars and governments focus on the loss of cultivated land resources as a result of urbanization, but ignore urbanization's impact on the eco-efficiency of cultivated land utilization (ECLU), which causes the wastage of cultivated land resources and environmental pollution. Hence, this study systematically analyzes how urbanization influences the ECLU and proposes four of the former's effects on the latter: agglomeration, barrier, driving, and feedback effects. Further, it uses the System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and threshold models to estimate urbanization's impact on the ECLU. The estimation results of System GMM model reveal that agglomeration and barrier effects have a significant negative effect on the ECLU, with regression coefficients of −0.6725 and −0.0415, respectively. Contrarily, driving and feedback effects have a significant positive effect on the ECLU, with regression coefficients of 0.0274 and 0.1423, respectively. Further, the threshold analysis demonstrates that the barrier, driving, and feedback effects of urbanization have single threshold values of 20.7%, 22.8%, and 18.2%, respectively, whereas the agglomeration effect by itself has two threshold values of 18.3% and 49.5%. The study concludes that focusing only on the urbanization-related occupation of cultivated land while ignoring the urbanization's effects on the ECLU will jeopardize food security and the ecological environment. After considering the effects of different levels of urbanization on the ECLU, the government should formulate appropriate policies and measures to realize the sustainable utilization of cultivated land resources. • Urbanization has an overall negative effect on the ECLU. • Impacts of agglomeration and barrier effects on ECLU are negative, but the effects of driving and feedback are positive. • Different effects of urbanization have threshold characteristics on the ECLU. • Different regions can't adopt unified policy measures to coordinate the relationship between urbanization and ECLU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Keggin-Al 13 hydroxide clusters serve as pivotal models for elucidating molecular pathways in geochemical reactions. In this study, we presented a strategy aiming at the quantitative detection of ε-Al 13 Keggin clusters using photoluminescent spectra. Specifically, we manipulate the electronic structure of ε-Al 13 by introducing Na ions onto the ε-Al 13 surface, encapsulated within a Na-O 3 motif. The Na-ion-modified ε-Al 13 (Na-ε-Al 13 ) cluster demonstrates incredible photoluminescent qualities, with fluorescence excitation and emission peaks centered at 365 and 436 nm, respectively. In addition, the fluorescence intensities display a linear dependence on the concentrations of Na-ε-Al 13 , with a detection limit of 15.4 μM. This correlation facilitates the quantitative and precise determination of Na-ε-Al 13 concentrations via fluorescence. Both experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations underscore the importance of decorated Na ions in regulating the electronic structure of the ε-Al 13 cluster. Lastly, the influence of external anions/cations on the photoluminescent properties of ε-Al 13 primarily mirrors modifications to the nonradiative decay process, which is regulated via electrostatic interactions. This work demonstrates an effective strategy for quantitative detection of the ε-Al 13 Keggin clusters through photoluminescent spectra.

The primary objective within the realm of aluminum solution chemistry is to elucidate the structural changes in aluminum polyoxocations under the influence of altered solution conditions. Notably, previous reports are primarily focused on specific types, such as aluminum monomers, species from the Keggin series, and the planar Flat-Al 13 15+ (F-Al 13 ) cluster. As a result, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the remaining aluminum polyoxocations and their respective transformation pathways. In response to this lack, we adopt a combined experimental and theoretical approach to explore the spectral properties of aluminum polyoxocations. Specifically, we analyze infrared spectra, Raman spectra, and aluminum-27 nuclear magnetic resonance ( 27 Al NMR) spectra. Notably, the changes in the spectral features originate from varying solution basicity levels. Through our findings, we can categorize the Al-O clusters into three primary groups: Al(H 2 O) 6 3+ (Al 1 ), ε-Keggin-[AlO 4 Al 12 (OH) 24 (H 2 O) 12 ] 7+ (ε-Al 13 ), and 6-coordinated aluminum species. Notably, the Raman spectra exhibit prominent peak shifts at 559 and 595 cm -1 , indicating the existence of Al 3 (1) intermediates during the transition from the Al monomer to the ε-Al 13 cluster. Overall, this paper presents a comprehensive summary of the possible mechanisms that govern the formation of ε-Al 13 from Al 3 (1), offering a clearer picture of the aluminum polyoxocation landscape and its dynamics under various solution conditions.