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The ecological conservation of nature reserves has garnered considerable attention and is subject to stringent management in China. However, the majority of these areas have a history of underdeveloped economies and require urgent improvements in the well-being of local communities. Effectively coupling and harmonizing the dynamic relationship between ecosystem services and socio-economic development has emerged as a crucial concern for nature reserves. Therefore, further exploration is needed to achieve a spatio-temporal balance and alignment between the supply and demand of ESs in nature reserves in China. Utilizing multiple datasets, RULSE, and bivariate autocorrelation methods, this study investigated the spatio-temporal evolution of the ecosystem services supply–demand ratio (ESDR) and supply–demand spatial matches for soil conservation services (SCSs) in the Qinling Mountains (QMs) from 2000 to 2020. The results indicated the following: (1) Over the years, the supply of SCSs exhibited a consistently high level, with an upward trend observed in 63.10% of the QMs, while the demand for SCSs is generally low, with a decreasing trend observed in 82.68% of the QMs. (2) The supply and demand of SCSs remained favorable, with a positive ESDR reaching 82.19% of the QMs. From 2000 to 2010, there was a significant decline in ESDR; however, a substantial rebound was observed in the ESDR across the region from 2010 to 2020. (3) Over years, the majority of counties and districts exhibited positive values in ESDR. When examining cities, Weinan, Xi'an, and Ankang demonstrated relatively consistent patterns with higher ESDR values over time. In 2000, the ESDR on the northern slope exhibited lower values than that on the southern slope; however, this situation subsequently underwent a reversal. (4) The spatial distribution of SCS supply and demand was predominantly characterized by matching regions exhibiting either High Supply–High Demand or Low Supply–Low Demand for years. This study suggests that the supply and demand dynamics of SCSs in the Qinling Mountains have been favorable in recent years, with consistent spatial supply–demand matches. These findings can provide valuable insights for similar nature reserves aiming to implement ecological environmental protection and achieve sustainable development. The future research endeavors, however, should strive to expand upon these findings by exploring the supply and demand patterns associated with other ESs across diverse nature reserves, while considering their unique geographical characteristics, in order to promote more rational ecological management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Energy hubs （EHs） can effectively facilitate the consumption of renewable energy with high uncertainty. Still， the existing EH planning methods have not fully considered the correlation between siting and sizing. Hence， this study introduces an alternate optimization method considering the supply-demand balance. Firstly， utilizing graph theory and weighted similarity， the study defines the energy moment （EM）， a concept that represents the energy transmission cost， and proposes an optimal partitioning criterion for energy internet system with minimum total EM as the goal. Subsequently， the supply-demand balance index within each EH is calculated based on the time-series energy interaction information of the energy supply and demand entities. The paper then proposes a sizing strategy for multi-energy coupling units within EH， aiming to maximize the average supply-demand balance of the entire energy internet system. On this basis， the paper constructs an alternate optimization model for EH siting and sizing based on K-means clustering， and achieves an optimal solution through iteration of EHs. Finally， case studies are presented， and their results indicate that the proposed method can significantly improve the accuracy and economy of EH planning.

[Objective] This study was aimed to reveal the spatio-temporal characteristics of supply-demand balance of ecosystem services, and further to explore the dual effects and influencing mechanisms of land use change on the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services. [Methods] Taking the middle reaches of the Yangtze River as the research area and seleting 2000— 2018 as the research period, the quantitative matrix of supply-demand of ecosystem services was employed to analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of the supply-demand balance of ecosystem service, and the ecological contribution rate of land use change was introduced to analyze the influencing mechanisms of land use change on the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services. [Results] (1) During the study period, the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River had been continuously deteriorating, which was mainly caused by the large-scale expansion of construction land and the large-scale reduction of cultivated land and forest land, resulting in the decrease of supply capacity and the increase of consumption demand of ecosystem services. (2) The relationship between different supply of ecosystem services had changed from trade-off to synergy in time scale, and the synergy between different demand and supply-demand balance of ecosystem services had been further enhanced on the time scale, but the trade-off or synergy between supply, demand, and supply-demand balance was highly heterogeneous on the spatial scale. (3) Land use change in the MRYR had dual effects on the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services, and the deterioration effect was significantly larger than the improvement effect, but the types of land use change that cause the improvement and deterioration of supply-demand of ecosystem services and their sub-services had temporal heterogeneity. [Conclusion] Promote types of land use change that could improve the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services; promote types of land use change that are compatible with key ecosystem services; and curb types of land use change that would worsen the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services, in order to increase the sustainability of ecosystem services and improve the quality of the ecological environment.

Copyright of Journal of Soil & Water Conservation (1009-2242) is the property of Institute of Soil & Water Conservation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Understanding the response of the mechanisms driving ecosystem services (ESs) to socioecological factors is imperative for regional sustainable ecosystem management. However, previous studies of the mechanisms driving ESs have focused more on the degree and direction (positive and negative) of effects on ES supply or the supply–demand balance, while their nonlinear response processes have not been fully considered. In this study, a theoretical framework was developed through integrating land use/land cover data and supply and demand matrices with random forest models to assess response processes, including the relative importance and marginal effects, of essential factors that drive ES demand, supply, and supply–demand balance. Using the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as an example, our results indicated that the ES deficit regions (332 of 1070 counties or 14.45% of the area) of the YREB were located mainly in the three national urban agglomerations. Moreover, this study indicated that natural environmental factors (such as slope and precipitation) significantly influence the supply and supply–demand balance of ESs, while socioeconomic factors (such as cropland ratios and population density) profoundly influence the demand for ESs. However, cropland ratios were the most important drivers of ES supply, demand, and supply–demand balance in the YREB. Moreover, three types of response processes were identified in this study: logarithmic increase, logarithmic decrease, and volatility increase. Specific driving factors (e.g., proportion of cropland area, precipitation, population density, and slope) had significant threshold effects on the supply–demand balance of ESs. The turning points that can be extracted from these response processes should be recommended for ecosystem restoration projects to maintain regional sustainable ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tropical rainforest regions, rivers face significant challenges from stormwater, flooding, and human activities, making the construction of resilience in their blue-green spaces critical for overall habitat sustainability. While domestic and international studies have focused on resilient flood management practices and quantitative resilience evaluations, there is a lack of assessments specifically addressing the resilience of river blue-green spaces under different ecological pressure impacts. To address this gap, this study incorporates the "pulse" and "pressure" methods into the Pressure-Pulse-Resilience model to measure the resilience of blue-green spaces. This study also develops a theoretical framework for the resilience of aquatic ecosystems by linking societal and ecological factors. The resilience evaluation route consists of four steps: theoretical model construction, pressure-bearing evaluation superposition, analysis of coincidence and conflict points, and resilience planning strategy layout. To achieve the two main objectives of ensuring a balance between water supply and demand for both water security patterns and ecosystem services, this thesis delves into the regulatory mechanisms of river resilience, adaptation, and recovery, providing valuable insights into the spatial resilience planning of rivers in such regions. By focusing on the Nansheng river in Wuzhishan city as a practical case, this study conducted a multidimensional resilience assessment to cope with the frequent occurrence of water security vulnerable zones or the imbalance between the supply and demand of ecosystem services under double ecological pressure. Using advanced simulation methods, such as the SCS-CN model, the Equivalent Factor Approach, and the Hot Spot Analysis Method, the study identified distinct zones that are prone to stormwater and flood inundation, zones at risk of water safety threats, and zones experiencing a mismatch between water supply and demand in the blue-green space. Based on the identification of resilience deficiencies, including multiple stormwater threat zones, an imbalance between supply and demand of ecosystem services, and the seasonal nature of slow pressures, the thesis proposes three planning strategies: first, an ecological security pattern and zoning control approach is suggested based on stormwater and flood pulses to improve the resilience to cope with sudden pulses, following the principle of bottom-line control. Second, a demand-oriented blue-green space planning and service supply strategy was proposed to coordinate the slow-onset pressure on the blue-green spaces of rivers caused by the demands of residents for daily life and recreation, integrating land space and other related planning to balance the supply and demand of the social-ecological system. Lastly, the study advocates for the construction of dynamic and adaptive resilience facilities that cater to the seasonal changes in ecological pressure faced by the blue-green space in tropical rainforest regions, in fulfillment of multidimensional and multilevel water resilience requirements, that is, water security, water ecology, water landscape, water function, and water vitality. In summary, this study presents an innovative theoretical framework for water ecosystem resilience, utilizing the measurable concepts of "pulse" and "pressure." Through an empirical case study of the Nansheng river in Wuzhishan city, this dissertation established a region-specific evaluation path for the spatial resilience of rivers in tropical rainforest areas.

Improving the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services (SDBES) from the perspective of land use is essential for managing regional ecosystem and realizing sustainable development. By combining land use with the supply and demand of ecosystem services (SDES), a technical framework for defining land use threshold and optimizing its structure to improve the SDBES state was constructed and applied to a practical case. The spatial pattern of supply and demand of each ES in Lancang county was distinctly heterogeneous, with significant differences in SDES across different land use types. Strong spatial heterogeneity existed in the ESDR of each ES at the grid scale, and the areas of deficit were ranked as carbon sequestration > water conservation > habitat quality > food production. The structure of dry land, paddy field, tea, evergreen broad-leaved forest, grassland, urban construction land, and industrial and mining construction land were the focus of land use optimization. Based on the land use area thresholds under the SDBES, the optimal land use structure for maximizing comprehensive benefits contributed to a balanced relationship between SDES and promoted sustainable regional development. The study provides a new perspective and method for improving the SDBES state, alleviating land conflicts, and managing ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tropical rainforest regions, rivers face significant challenges from stormwater, flooding, and human activities, making the construction of resilience in their blue-green spaces critical for overall habitat sustainability. While domestic and international studies have focused on resilient flood management practices and quantitative resilience evaluations, there is a lack of assessments specifically addressing the resilience of river blue-green spaces under different ecological pressure impacts. To address this gap, this study incorporates the "pulse" and "pressure" methods into the Pressure-Pulse-Resilience model to measure the resilience of blue-green spaces. This study also develops a theoretical framework for the resilience of aquatic ecosystems by linking societal and ecological factors. The resilience evaluation route consists of four steps: theoretical model construction, pressurebearing evaluation superposition, analysis of coincidence and conflict points, and resilience planning strategy layout. To achieve the two main objectives of ensuring a balance between water supply and demand for both water security patterns and ecosystem services, this thesis delves into the regulatory mechanisms of river resilience, adaptation, and recovery, providing valuable insights into the spatial resilience planning of rivers in such regions. By focusing on the Nansheng river in Wuzhishan city as a practical case, this study conducted a multidimensional resilience assessment to cope with the frequent occurrence of water security vulnerable zones or the imbalance between the supply and demand of ecosystem services under double ecological pressure. Using advanced simulation methods, such as the SCS-CN model, the Equivalent Factor Approach, and the Hot Spot Analysis Method, the study identified distinct zones that are prone to stormwater and flood inundation, zones at risk of water safety threats, and zones experiencing a mismatch between water supply and demand in the bluegreen space. Based on the identification of resilience deficiencies, including multiple stormwater threat zones, an imbalance between supply and demand of ecosystem services, and the seasonal nature of slow pressures, the thesis proposes three planning strategies: first, an ecological security pattern and zoning control approach is suggested based on stormwater and flood pulses to improve the resilience to cope with sudden pulses, following the principle of bottom-line control. Second, a demand-oriented blue-green space planning and service supply strategy was proposed to coordinate the slow-onset pressure on the blue-green spaces of rivers caused by the demands of residents for daily life and recreation, integrating land space and other related planning to balance the supply and demand of the social-ecological system. Lastly, the study advocates for the construction of dynamic and adaptive resilience facilities that cater to the seasonal changes in ecological pressure faced by the blue-green space in tropical rainforest regions, in fulfillment of multidimensional and multilevel water resilience requirements, that is, water security, water ecology, water landscape, water function, and water vitality. In summary, this study presents an innovative theoretical framework for water ecosystem resilience, utilizing the measurable concepts of "pulse" and "pressure." Through an empirical case study of the Nansheng river in Wuzhishan city, this dissertation established a region-specific evaluation path for the spatial resilience of rivers in tropical rainforest areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of how socioecological factors influence multiple ecosystem services (ESs) may provide stakeholders with a management tool to coordinate economic development and environmental protection. However, previous studies have focused more on the supply side compared with the demand of ESs. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms for the changes in the supply–demand balance of ESs and their multiple drivers remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, an integrated theoretical framework was developed to assess the interactions of socioecological factors, including land use and cover, the social economy, climate, and topography, with the variations in ES supply, demand, and balance, which were mapped at the city scale in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). A variance inflation factor (VIF) was employed to detect the multicollinearity of the factors, and the sum of Akaike weights was used to simplify the driving factors and identify essential driving factors. We employed variation partitioning analysis (VPA) to reveal the effects of unique and combined drivers on ES supply, demand and balance. The results revealed that undersupply cities (11.93% of the area) were concentrated within the three national urban agglomerations and increased in area from upstream to downstream, whereas oversupply cities (88.07%) were distributed mainly in the surroundings of the urban agglomerations. According to the VPA, the essential driving factors effectively explain the variation in the ES supply, demand, and balance in the YREB. More importantly, these driving factors were simplified with no significant decrease in explanatory power. In oversupply cities, the ES changes were determined based on socioeconomic factors (urbanization rate and population density), land use/land cover (cropland, woodland, and unused land), and their interactions. In undersupply cities, population density (PD) explained the majority of the variation in ESs. However, the effects of climate and topography on ESs were more prominent at the scale of all cities in the YREB. In addition, PD displayed a significant negative correlation with ES supply and balance, but was positively related to ES demand in the undersupply cities. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the effects of the interactions among socioecological factors on the supply–demand balance of ESs. This study is informative for human well-being and sustainable socioeconomic development in the region.

The ecological conservation of nature reserves has garnered considerable attention and is subject to stringent management in China. However, the majority of these areas have a history of underdeveloped economies and require urgent improvements in the well-being of local communities. Effectively coupling and harmonizing the dynamic relationship between ecosystem services and socio-economic development has emerged as a crucial concern for nature reserves. Therefore, further exploration is needed to achieve a spatio-temporal balance and alignment between the supply and demand of ESs in nature reserves in China. Utilizing multiple datasets, RULSE, and bivariate autocorrelation methods, this study investigated the spatio-temporal evolution of the ecosystem services supply–demand ratio (ESDR) and supply–demand spatial matches for soil conservation services (SCSs) in the Qinling Mountains (QMs) from 2000 to 2020. The results indicated the following: (1) Over the years, the supply of SCSs exhibited a consistently high level, with an upward trend observed in 63.10% of the QMs, while the demand for SCSs is generally low, with a decreasing trend observed in 82.68% of the QMs. (2) The supply and demand of SCSs remained favorable, with a positive ESDR reaching 82.19% of the QMs. From 2000 to 2010, there was a significant decline in ESDR; however, a substantial rebound was observed in the ESDR across the region from 2010 to 2020. (3) Over years, the majority of counties and districts exhibited positive values in ESDR. When examining cities, Weinan, Xi’an, and Ankang demonstrated relatively consistent patterns with higher ESDR values over time. In 2000, the ESDR on the northern slope exhibited lower values than that on the southern slope; however, this situation subsequently underwent a reversal. (4) The spatial distribution of SCS supply and demand was predominantly characterized by matching regions exhibiting either High Supply–High Demand or Low Supply–Low Demand for years. This study suggests that the supply and demand dynamics of SCSs in the Qinling Mountains have been favorable in recent years, with consistent spatial supply–demand matches. These findings can provide valuable insights for similar nature reserves aiming to implement ecological environmental protection and achieve sustainable development. The future research endeavors, however, should strive to expand upon these findings by exploring the supply and demand patterns associated with other ESs across diverse nature reserves, while considering their unique geographical characteristics, in order to promote more rational ecological management strategies.

Ecological infrastructure plays a crucial role in strengthening the relationship between humans and the environment by optimizing ecological space and resource allocation in urban environments. However, there are few studies on the functional assessment and spatial and temporal evolution of ecological infrastructure and its layout optimization. In this study, we developed an ecological infrastructure optimization method based on ecosystem service supply, demand, and flow in Yantai City as the study area; identified the spatial extent of urban ecological infrastructure and its spatial and temporal changes based on the spatial quantification of multiple ecosystem services; assessed whether the existing ecological infrastructure could satisfy the needs of the urban residents by calculating the ecosystem service supply and demand indexes; and used the spatial quantification of ecosystem service flows to optimize the spatial layout of urban ecological infrastructure. This study shows that, from 2010 to 2018, ecological infrastructure in Longkou, Zhaoyuan, and Laiyang decreased, contrasting with the growth in the existing peripheral areas. The study found a clear spatial mismatch between the supply and demand of ecosystem services, especially in the central urban areas, suggesting that the existing infrastructure was unable to satisfy the needs of high-demand areas. This study assessed the peripheral areas of the city using comparative ecological radiation force (CERF), including 314.64 km2 of environmentally beautiful village units as key components of ecological infrastructure in Yantai City. These findings are crucial for sustainable environmental management and urban development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major interdisciplinary issue can be the interaction between the supply and demand of ecosystem services, as well as the welfare of residents in the natural and socioeconomic system. Frequent contradictions need to be balanced in the research on the ecosystem and residents' welfare. However, previous studies have focused only on the contribution rate of the supply of ecosystem services to residents' welfare. A tradeoff can consider the demand and supply-demand balance of ecosystem services. Particularly, there has been a dramatic change in the relationship between the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services and welfare residents in recent years. The rapid economic growth and dramatic land use have led to a decrease in supply while an increase in demand for ecosystem services. The spatial heterogeneity of supply-demand levels can also lead to the deterioration of the supply-demand of ecosystem services, even the ecological environment and damage to residents' wellbeing. This study aims to focus on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (MRYR) in the period from 2000 to 2018. A quantitative matrix was established to measure the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services. The annual combined empowerment and linear function weighting were employed to accurately assess the score of residents' welfare. The elasticity coefficient model was then used to determine the coupling relationship between the supply-demand balance of ecosystem service and the welfare of residents. Four types were divided for the coupling relationship between supply-demand balance on the ecosystem services and welfare of residents: supply-demand improving and welfare increases, deteriorated supply-demand but welfare increases, supply-demand improving but welfare decreases, as well as the deteriorated supply-demand and welfare decreases, representing by the optimal, sub-optimal, sub-poor, and worst relationships, respectively. A tradeoff relationship was dominated gradually over time. The proportion of county units with deteriorated supply-demand but welfare increase increased from 81.99% in 2000-2010 to 91.57% in 2010-2018. However, both stability and fluctuation were also observed. The former was dominated by the vast majority of counties that remained the deteriorated supply-demand but welfare increases; the latter was a significant contraction of counties with supply-demand improving and welfare increases. The feedback depended mainly on the welfare type, services type, spatial scale, time scale, and economic-social development level. The socioeconomic development was transitioned from the primary product production stage II to the late industrialization stage from 2000 to 2018. However, there were outstanding spatial differences in the socioeconomic development. The rapid urbanization and industrialization zones continued to allocate excessive resources and energy toward economic growth without environmental protection. Economic growth showed the potential to enhance the material prosperity and life quality of residents, offsetting the adverse effects of the supply-demand deterioration in the ecosystem services on residents' safety and health welfare. Consequently, the comprehensive welfare of residents can be enhanced for the coordinated development between the ecological environment and residents' welfare in the rapidly urbanizing and industrializing areas. The findings can also provide a strong reference for the decision-making on regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services are an essential foundation for sustainable human development. In view of the severe soil erosion on the Loess Plateau (LP), it is important to explore the spatial and temporal characteristics of the supply-demand balance of soil conservation services (SCSs). In this study, the soil conservation ecosystem service supply-demand ratio was innovatively proposed to quantitatively assess the supply and demand balance of soil conservation. First, the InVEST model was used to spatially quantify the supply (soil retention) and demand (soil erosion) of soil conservation services (SCS) in the LP from 2005 to 2020. Meanwhile, the spatial variation characteristics of supply-demand matching were analyzed. Second, to predict the soil conservation ecosystem service supply-demand in the future, the InVEST-PLUS model was used to simulate the supply-demand balance under multiple scenarios in 2030. The natural development (NDS), ecological protection (EPS) and economic development scenarios (EDS) were coupled with shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and representative concentration pathways (RCPs). The results showed that: (1) from 2005 to 2020, the annual average soil erosion modulus of LP increased by 60.58 (t/(hm²·a)); soil retention per unit area increased by 12.89 t/hm2; both increased from northwest to southeast, and the spatial matching pattern of supply-demand was mainly low-low and shifted to low-high each year; and (2) based on the LULC of LP simulated by the PLUS model, the kappa coefficient and overall accuracy were 86.29% and 91.14%, respectively. A total of 19.8% and 22.97% of the built-up land was expanded under the NDS and EDS scenarios, respectively, and a total of 17,515.65 km2 of forestland and grassland was expanded under the EPS scenario; (3) 2030. NDS-SSP245, 2030. EPS-SSP126 and 2030. EDS-SSP585 scenarios, moderate and high surpluses accounted for 11.40%, 14.34% and 10.80% of the total surplus area, respectively; compared to 2020, the high deficit increased by 49.67%, 43.29% and 56.65% respectively. The study provided innovations for the coupling degree of future ecosystem services simulated by the InVEST-PLUS model.

Karst areas are characterized by poor surface water storage capacity, which makes them more sensitive to drought events. To enhance drought resistance in karst landform areas, this study focuses on a typical region in the Yun–Gui Plateau of China, specifically Guizhou Province, which includes 88 counties and districts. According to the regional characteristics, the index system for the assessment of drought resistance and disaster reduction ability was constructed to include 17 indexes in five evaluation layers, including natural conditions, water conservancy project, economic strength, water usage and water conservation level, and emergency support capacity. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted using a fuzzy evaluation model. Furthermore, the drought resistance and disaster reduction capacity of Guizhou Province was evaluated according to the fulfillment of water supply and water demand under the frequency of 75%, 90%, 95%, 97%, and 99% drought frequency inflow in each research unit. This assessment serves to define the spatial distribution pattern of drought resistance and disaster reduction capability within the province. Additionally, according to the results of the supply–demand balance method, the weight of the main influencing factors in regards to drought resistance and disaster reduction ability was optimized and adjusted to identify the key restricting factors of drought resistance and disaster reduction ability. This research data was obtained from the National Disaster Survey database, aiming to provide practical guidance for drought resistance in Guizhou Province. The research findings show that: (1) the distribution characteristics of drought resistance and disaster reduction capability in Guizhou Province are the most significant in Guiyang City, Liupanshui City, and Anshun City in the southwest, with higher drought resistance and disaster reduction ability found in central region, and lower drought resistance primarily identified in the eastern part of Qiandongnan Prefecture, Tongren City, the southern part of Qiannan Prefecture, and the northwestern part of Bijie City; (2) there are six main influencing factors in the three criterion layers, i.e., hydraulic engineering, emergency drought resistance, and social economy, and their contribution rates are as follows: surface water supply and storage rate > average number of soil moisture monitoring stations > per capita GDP > agricultural emergency drought irrigation rate > regional water supply assurance rate > cultivated land effective irrigation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the response of the mechanisms driving ecosystem services (ESs) to socioecological factors is imperative for regional sustainable ecosystem management. However, previous studies of the mechanisms driving ESs have focused more on the degree and direction (positive and negative) of effects on ES supply or the supply–demand balance, while their nonlinear response processes have not been fully considered. In this study, a theoretical framework was developed through integrating land use/land cover data and supply and demand matrices with random forest models to assess response processes, including the relative importance and marginal effects, of essential factors that drive ES demand, supply, and supply–demand balance. Using the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as an example, our results indicated that the ES deficit regions (332 of 1070 counties or 14.45% of the area) of the YREB were located mainly in the three national urban agglomerations. Moreover, this study indicated that natural environmental factors (such as slope and precipitation) significantly influence the supply and supply–demand balance of ESs, while socioeconomic factors (such as cropland ratios and population density) profoundly influence the demand for ESs. However, cropland ratios were the most important drivers of ES supply, demand, and supply–demand balance in the YREB. Moreover, three types of response processes were identified in this study: logarithmic increase, logarithmic decrease, and volatility increase. Specific driving factors (e.g., proportion of cropland area, precipitation, population density, and slope) had significant threshold effects on the supply–demand balance of ESs. The turning points that can be extracted from these response processes should be recommended for ecosystem restoration projects to maintain regional sustainable ecosystem management.

Considering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the need for a balanced spatial distribution of urban medical resources capable of perspective of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, i.e. providing continuous and accessible medical services during potential public health emergencies, we assessed accessibility and service capacity of the three hospital levels in Beijing. Using geographical information systems (GIS) and the two-step floating catchment area method with the street as research unit, we found that there is an over-supply of medical resources in the centre of the city with weaker support in the peripheral areas as manifested by less supply in relation to popular demand of medical services. The spatial distribution of hospitals at all levels and their resources was found to be uneven: 82.4% of the residents can reach a tertiary hospital (a hospital offering advanced specialized medical and health services to multiple regions) within a 15-minute drive; 50.6% can reach a secondary hospital (a hospital offering comprehensive medical and health services to various communities) within a 10-minute drive; and 77.6% can reach a primary hospital (a hospital directly delivering prevention, medical treatment, healthcare, and rehabilitation services to the community of a certain population) within a 15- minute walk. It was noted that the supply/demand balance of medical resources in the tertiary hospitals decreases from the centre to the periphery, while the secondary hospitals show a dual-centre pattern and the primary hospitals a more uneven distribution, with oversupply in the East and the opposite in the Centre. The results of the study provide supplementary decision support for improving the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system and accelerate the overall deployment of medical resources.

The food supply–demand balance is a perpetual concern for many countries, especially developing countries, such as Uzbekistan. Using the land resource carrying capacity model, here, food supply and demand for the cereals and calories in Uzbekistan during 1995–2020 were revealed. Despite increased demand for cereals and calories, unstable crop production has led to volatile growth patterns. The carrying capacity of cropland resources under Uzbekistan's consumption standard shifted from overload to surplus and then to balance. Moreover, the carrying capacity of cropland resources under the healthy diet standard moved from balance to surplus in the past 25-years. Additionally, the calorific equivalent land resource carrying capacity under Uzbekistan's consumption standard fluctuated, with the carrying state shifting from balance to surplus, and the healthy diet standard still in overload. These findings can help guide sustainable production and consumption strategies in Uzbekistan and other countries by analyzing the consumption structure and changes in supply and demand relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Supply and demand balance of potential recyclable textile in Nordics is studied. • Recyclable volumes and fiber content estimated based on prior textile waste studies. • Textile automated sorting and recycling capacities in the Nordics are studied. • Supply and demand imbalances create opportunity for collaboration in the Nordics. • Circularity challenges can be solved locally. The textile industry is on its early steps towards circular economy. Being a highly resource-intensive and waste-generating industry, it is essential to embrace fiber-to-fiber recycling in addressing the increasing textile waste problem. Several innovative initiatives are happening within this area, not least in the Nordic countries, where automated sorting and fiber-to-fiber recycling technologies and capacities are developing. These large investments require economy of scale; however, this is challenged by the fractioned supply due to the specific fiber requirements of the recycling facilities. To ensure economy of scale and support strategic planning, it is important to investigate the balance of the demand of those capacities with the supply of recyclables generated in the region. Local and regional perspectives are needed in order to avoid unnecessary transportation of low value materials. Based on a synthetises of existing textile flow studies and interviews with relevant actors in four Nordic countries, this study investigates the balance between the supply of recyclable textiles and the sorting and recycling capacity. This is accomplished by estimating the volumes of recyclables and their fiber composition (based on developed weighting average method) and comparing these with the current and upcoming capacities in each country and in the Nordics as a whole. The findings indicate that the upcoming automatic sorting and recycling capacity will be sufficient to deal with the total recyclable fraction in the Nordic region, except for some of the synthetic fibers. However, there are imbalances between supply and demand within individual countries, highlighting opportunities for collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to increase water productivity at the Collective Irrigation System (CIS) level it is crucial to adapt the existing irrigation infrastructure, enhancing water intake at the source, as well as its transport and delivery efficiency. Rehabilitation may involve structural changes and thus, a large capital investment. This investment should be proportionate to the increase in climate resilience associated to different rehabilitation alternatives. A methodology framework was developed to evaluate CIS resilience to climate change considering different rehabilitation alternatives. The assessed components were: (i) crop production systems; (ii) on-farm irrigation systems; and (iii) project rehabilitation alternatives for the conveyance and distribution of the irrigation water from the source to the farmer fields. This framework was applied to the Maiorga CIS, in central Portugal, to test the methodology performance in assessing the impacts of climate change on the supply-demand balance of the proposed rehabilitation alternatives and to evaluate their climate resilience, for the representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, and two time periods, 2041–2070 and 2071–2100. For each scenario, period, and rehabilitation alternative, irrigation requirements at the source (demand) and stream flows (supply) were computed and the supply-demand balance was performed. Projected increases in irrigation water demand varied between 5.5% for RCP4.5/2071–2100 and 35.7% for RCP8.5/2071–2100. For RCP4.5, 11% (2050) and 9% (2080) reductions in irrigation water supply were projected, while for RCP8.5 the reduction ranges between 13% (2050) and 30% (2080). The proposed framework determined that the rehabilitation alternatives considering just one type of water source, without flow regularization and with open channel distribution to the farmer's field, have proved to be unviable due to low resilience to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world, with more than 80% of the population engaged in agricultural production and more than two-fifths of the population still living below the poverty line. Ensuring food security has always been a key national policy in Nepal. Using a nutrient conversion model and an improved resource carrying capacity model as well as statistical data and household questionnaires, an analysis framework for food supply balance is developed in this study, which quantitatively analyzes the balance of food supply and demand in Nepal from the perspectives of food and calories during the period 2000–2020. Nepal's agricultural production and consumption have increased significantly, and the diet has been relatively stable over the past two decades. The diet structure is stable and homogeneous, with plant products occupying the absolute position in overall dietary consumption. The supply of food and calories varies widely from region to region. Although the increasing supply level at the national scale can meet the needs of the current population, the food self-sufficiency level cannot meet the needs of the local population development at the county level due to the influence of population, geographical location, and land resources. We found that the agricultural environment in Nepal is fragile. The government can improve agricultural production capacity by adjusting the agricultural structure, improving the efficiency of agricultural resources, improving the cross-regional flow of agricultural products, and improving international food trade channels. The food supply and demand balance framework provided a reference for achieving balance between the supply and demand of food and calories in a resource-carrying land and provides a scientific basis for Nepal to achieve zero hunger under the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, development of policies in order to increase agricultural productivity will be critical for improving food security in agricultural countries such as Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological infrastructure plays a crucial role in strengthening the relationship between humans and the environment by optimizing ecological space and resource allocation in urban environments. However, there are few studies on the functional assessment and spatial and temporal evolution of ecological infrastructure and its layout optimization. In this study, we developed an ecological infrastructure optimization method based on ecosystem service supply, demand, and flow in Yantai City as the study area; identified the spatial extent of urban ecological infrastructure and its spatial and temporal changes based on the spatial quantification of multiple ecosystem services; assessed whether the existing ecological infrastructure could satisfy the needs of the urban residents by calculating the ecosystem service supply and demand indexes; and used the spatial quantification of ecosystem service flows to optimize the spatial layout of urban ecological infrastructure. This study shows that, from 2010 to 2018, ecological infrastructure in Longkou, Zhaoyuan, and Laiyang decreased, contrasting with the growth in the existing peripheral areas. The study found a clear spatial mismatch between the supply and demand of ecosystem services, especially in the central urban areas, suggesting that the existing infrastructure was unable to satisfy the needs of high-demand areas. This study assessed the peripheral areas of the city using comparative ecological radiation force (CERF), including 314.64 km2 of environmentally beautiful village units as key components of ecological infrastructure in Yantai City. These findings are crucial for sustainable environmental management and urban development strategies.

Tree height (Htree) and root depth (Droot) are the two most critical functional traits for plant ecological strategies. However, the global varying patterns of Htree and Droot and the ecological significance for tree survival under changed climate conditions are less understood. Here, we compiled Htree, Droot, and six root traits related to soil resource absorption for 301 field-grown tree species distributed 776 sites worldwide. The relationships between Htree and Droot across different climate conditions and the implications for tree mortality during drought events were investigated. We found Htree and Droot were often decoupled in angiosperms and gymnosperms among different climate conditions. Greater Htree was prone to occur in warm and moist climates, while greater Droot tended to occur in warm and dry climates with low soil water availability. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that trees have evolved towards smaller Htree but deeper Droot from the deep time. Although dense root structures to some extent contributed to sustaining the resource supply–demand balance of large trees with shallow roots (great Htree/ Droot), the large trees with greater Htree/ Droot were more vulnerable to drought-induced mortality. The findings suggest that the linkage of below- and above-ground reaches has a pivotal role in understanding tree mortality during drought events. The insight will allow more accurate vegetation model prediction for tree sorting processes under climate change scenarios.

As an important public facility in cities, hospitals provide services that are vital to people's lives. Big data is representative of geographic data from numerous sources. It has the advantages of large amounts of data, high timeliness, and abundant information, which may compensate for the inadequacy of traditional planning and design, which is overly subjective. Big data can be used to obtain large-scale human movement data to study hospital characteristics from a supply–demand balance perspective. Here, 182 comprehensive hospitals in three districts of Shenzhen were picked as an example, and multi-source data were introduced as a quantitative assessment tool to analyze them. First, the mobile public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) was researched and developed independently and used to collect volunteered geographic information (VGI) data, which was adopted to quantify hospital service supply. Second, the population's demand for hospitals was characterized by the quantified point of interest (POI) data. Finally, the location entropy method was utilized to quantify the levels of supply and demand for comprehensive hospital services from a supply–demand balance perspective, which was used to guide the classification of the comprehensive hospitals. The result shows that: (1) the service scopes and the service pressure are different for the same type of comprehensive hospitals classified by the traditional method; (2) the spatial distribution of patients is related to land function; (3) the overlap area between the part with a high service pressure level in the comprehensive hospital and the part with high medical demand of the patient is prone to service blindness. This study paves a new way to optimize the spatial allocation of medical institutions or other types of public facilities, rationalize resource allocation, and alleviate urban transportation congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Technical advance has an inverted U-shape impacts on primary supply of cobalt and makes it increase by a maximum of 10 %. • Effects of technical advance in the refining, manufacturing and recycling stages are linear promotions. • By 2030, China is expected to produce 76 % of the world's refined cobalt. • The European Union will provide the largest secondary supply in the future, followed by China, the United States and Japan. • Supply-demand contradiction could be effectively alleviated with the simultaneous development of technical advance on the supply and the demand sides. By coupling dynamic material flow analysis and econometric models, the effects of technical advance on cobalt supply in the whole industrial chains are explored. Then, its supply trends are investigated at the global and national levels. The results show that: (1) the impact of technical advance on cobalt supply in the mining stage is inverted U-shape, while in the other stages, they are linear promotions. (2) Technical advance could increase global primary supply by up to 10 % from current production capacity. By 2030, secondary and total supplies will reach 79 kt and 251 kt or even more. (3) Refined cobalt supply share of China is expected to be 76 % by 2030. The European Union will produce the largest secondary supply, followed by China, the United States and Japan. (4) With the simultaneous development of technologies in each stage, supply-demand balance could be realized under some ideal scenarios. The above findings help intuitively recognize the roles of technical advance and strengthen the determination to do it. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, with the expansion of the scope of power market-oriented reform and the increase in uncertainty of social, political, and economic factors outside the market, the market environment is becoming more and more complex, and it is more difficult to analyze and control the market situation. From a macro perspective, overall modeling for the power transmission link between the generation side and the consumption side of the provincial power market is built, in which a variety of real-time elements or scenarios such as renewable energy power generation growth, carbon emission quota, coal shortage, and dual control system of total energy consumption and energy intensity are considered. The system dynamics tools are used for simulation, and the medium and long-term operation trends of the market are analyzed. In the case studies, the actual situation of the Jiangsu power market is used as background. The trend of the power market situation under the basic scenario is analyzed, and the sensitivity analysis is carried out for three factors: coal supply growth rate, carbon emission caps, and electricity demand growth rate. It is shown that diversified macro factors inside and outside the market will affect the balance of the market operation situation to varying degrees, making the key operation indicators of the market deviate from the existing stable state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the whole process of ecosystem services from generation through transfer to use, and analyzing the balance between the supply and demand of regional ecosystem services are of great significance for formulating regional sustainable development strategies, realizing regional ecosystem management, and effective resource allocation. Based on the SWAT model, InVEST model, ArcGIS, and other software, this study analyzed the supply-demand balance of water provision services in Jinghe River Basin, a typical region located in the Loess Plateau, using multi-source data. This research then analyzed the spatial-temporal distribution pattern and spatial matching characteristics of the supply and demand of water provision services in Jinghe River Basin from 2000 to 2015. On this basis, a spatial flow model of water provision service was constructed, the flow rules (flow paths) of the water provision service were explored at the subwatershed scale, and the spatial scope of the supply area and benefit area were depicted. The results show that: (1) Water resource supply and demand in the Jinghe River basin both showed increasing trends from 2000 to 2015. (2) The supply-demand balance of water resources was generally up to the standard, however, there were significant differences between urban and rural areas. The supply-demand balances of the central urban areas of each county were relatively low, and even exceeded the supply in the lower reaches of the Jingyang River, such as Gaoling County, Qindu District, and Jingyang County. In rural areas, due to the small population and industrial distribution, coupled with a better ecological environmental base, the supply-demand balance was relatively high, such as Pengyang County, Lingtai County, Huachi County, Huanxian County, Ningxian County, and Zhenyuan County. (3) From 2000 to 2015, the spatial matching pattern of supply and demand in the Jinghe River Basin showed a trend of decline with fluctuations. In 2015, the supply-demand ratios of more than 60% of the subwatersheds showed trends of decline, and the proportion of under-supply area increased by 55.7% in 2015 compared with that in 2000. (4) The supply areas of water provision service in Jinghe River Basin are distributed in the upper reaches of the basin, and the benefit areas are Huating County, Chongxin County, Yongshou County, Chunhua County, Ganxian County, Liquan County, Qindu District, and others in the middle and lower reaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Assessing ecosystem service (ES) balance and exploring critical drivers are crucial for landscape management. However, a lack of understanding of the determinants of the ecosystem service supply–demand budget, their spillover effects, and spatial variabilities offsets the efficacy of landscape planning and ecosystem conservation. This novel study attempted to close this gap by quantifying ecosystem service budget using an expert knowledge-based supply–demand matrix and explored its dependencies through spatial econometrics and geographically weighted regression approaches instead of using ordinary model simulation and conventional statistical analysis. The overall patterns of ecosystem service balance in the southeastern coast were found to have remained stable in 1980, 2000, and 2017, although remarkable ecosystem service deficits were identified in hotspots of rapid urbanization. The ecosystem service balance was negatively associated with the proportions of built-up land and cropland (p < 0.0001) and exhibited positive associations with the proportions of woodland and grassland (p < 0.0001). Landscape structure and population density were identified as the primary determinants of ecosystem service balance and exhibited spatial variability and spillover effects (i.e., determining ecosystem service balance in both individual and adjacent units). These findings demonstrate the significance of spatial disparities and external effects of determinants of the supply–demand budget in integrative landscape governance. Consequently, localized and targeted strategies for landscape planning are increasingly needed to optimize landscape configuration and alleviate ecosystem service imbalance according to individual socioeconomic conditions and landscape structures. In addition, the spillover effects demonstrate that the maintenance of regional ecosystem service balance and ecosystem sustainability depends not only on individual areas but also on cross-regional collaborations with neighboring regions. These findings have critical implications on strategy formulation for coastal landscape management and ecosystem sustainability.

The food supply–demand balance is a perpetual concern for many countries, especially developing countries, such as Uzbekistan. Using the land resource carrying capacity model, here, food supply and demand for the cereals and calories in Uzbekistan during 1995–2020 were revealed. Despite increased demand for cereals and calories, unstable crop production has led to volatile growth patterns. The carrying capacity of cropland resources under Uzbekistan’s consumption standard shifted from overload to surplus and then to balance. Moreover, the carrying capacity of cropland resources under the healthy diet standard moved from balance to surplus in the past 25-years. Additionally, the calorific equivalent land resource carrying capacity under Uzbekistan’s consumption standard fluctuated, with the carrying state shifting from balance to surplus, and the healthy diet standard still in overload. These findings can help guide sustainable production and consumption strategies in Uzbekistan and other countries by analyzing the consumption structure and changes in supply and demand relationships.

Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world, with more than 80% of the population engaged in agricultural production and more than two-fifths of the population still living below the poverty line. Ensuring food security has always been a key national policy in Nepal. Using a nutrient conversion model and an improved resource carrying capacity model as well as statistical data and household questionnaires, an analysis framework for food supply balance is developed in this study, which quantitatively analyzes the balance of food supply and demand in Nepal from the perspectives of food and calories during the period 2000–2020. Nepal’s agricultural production and consumption have increased significantly, and the diet has been relatively stable over the past two decades. The diet structure is stable and homogeneous, with plant products occupying the absolute position in overall dietary consumption. The supply of food and calories varies widely from region to region. Although the increasing supply level at the national scale can meet the needs of the current population, the food self-sufficiency level cannot meet the needs of the local population development at the county level due to the influence of population, geographical location, and land resources. We found that the agricultural environment in Nepal is fragile. The government can improve agricultural production capacity by adjusting the agricultural structure, improving the efficiency of agricultural resources, improving the cross-regional flow of agricultural products, and improving international food trade channels. The food supply and demand balance framework provided a reference for achieving balance between the supply and demand of food and calories in a resource-carrying land and provides a scientific basis for Nepal to achieve zero hunger under the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, development of policies in order to increase agricultural productivity will be critical for improving food security in agricultural countries such as Nepal.

Oxygen levels in vivo are autonomously regulated by a supply–demand balance, which can be altered in disease states. However, the oxygen levels of in vitro cell culture systems, particularly microscale cell culture, are typically dominated by either supply or demand. Further, the oxygen microenvironment in these systems is rarely monitored or reported. Here, a method to establish and dynamically monitor autonomously regulated oxygen microenvironments (AROM) using an oil overlay in an open microscale cell culture system is presented. Using this method, the oxygen microenvironment is dynamically regulated via the supply–demand balance of the system. Numerical simulation and experimental validation of oxygen transport within multi‐liquid‐phase, microscale culture systems involving a variety of cell types, including mammalian, fungal, and bacterial cells are presented. Finally, AROM is applied to establish a coculture between cells with disparate oxygen demands—primary intestinal epithelial cells (oxygen consuming) and Bacteroides uniformis (an anaerobic species prevalent in the human gut). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we had presented a power system electricity frequency control approach of 100% renewable energy sources isolated power grid by applying model predictive control (MPC). As the PV panel and storage battery price had dramatically dropped in these years, large capacity of PV generation and storage battery had been introduced base on an original 100% renewable energy power system. MPCs had been design for each of the model (Photovoltaic Generation, Wind turbine Generation, Storage Battery, Fuel Cell and Seawater Electrolyzer) to suppress the consumption and generation balance. In addition, in order to suppress the load frequency, demand response (real-time pricing) also had been applied in this scheme by adjust the controllable loads. All of the control approach proposed in this work had been verified by Matlab@/Simulink@. And by discuss and analysis the simulation results, the stability, robustness, reliability and effectiveness of this scheme had been examined.

Abstract Oxygen levels in vivo are autonomously regulated by a supply–demand balance, which can be altered in disease states. However, the oxygen levels of in vitro cell culture systems, particularly microscale cell culture, are typically dominated by either supply or demand. Further, the oxygen microenvironment in these systems is rarely monitored or reported. Here, a method to establish and dynamically monitor autonomously regulated oxygen microenvironments (AROM) using an oil overlay in an open microscale cell culture system is presented. Using this method, the oxygen microenvironment is dynamically regulated via the supply–demand balance of the system. Numerical simulation and experimental validation of oxygen transport within multi‐liquid‐phase, microscale culture systems involving a variety of cell types, including mammalian, fungal, and bacterial cells are presented. Finally, AROM is applied to establish a coculture between cells with disparate oxygen demands—primary intestinal epithelial cells (oxygen consuming) and Bacteroides uniformis (an anaerobic species prevalent in the human gut).

This paper proposes an Energy Management System (EMS) of an off-grid residential microgrid comprised of a solar photovoltaic array, wind turbine, and a battery-based energy storage system for a residential building in a remote area. The aim is to design a less complex energy management system that addresses energy resources dispatch challenge in a hybrid residential microgrid. It equitably dispatches resources and manages the generated energy to meet the residential load. The management control system algorithm is implemented using the state machine and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment for validation. Three scenarios are simulated, they emulate various contingencies scenarios that might rise due to the intermittency nature of the renewable resources. Simulation results show that the proposed energy management system achieves its design objectives. It maintains the power supply and demand balance, through an appropriate scheduling of resources even during contingency due to the intermittence nature of the renewable resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to increase water productivity at the Collective Irrigation System (CIS) level it is crucial to adapt the existing irrigation infrastructure, enhancing water intake at the source, as well as its transport and delivery efficiency. Rehabilitation may involve structural changes and thus, a large capital investment. This investment should be proportionate to the increase in climate resilience associated to different rehabilitation alternatives. A methodology framework was developed to evaluate CIS resilience to climate change considering different rehabilitation alternatives. The assessed components were: (i) crop production systems; (ii) on-farm irrigation systems; and (iii) project rehabilitation alternatives for the conveyance and distribution of the irrigation water from the source to the farmer fields. This framework was applied to the Maiorga CIS, in central Portugal, to test the methodology performance in assessing the impacts of climate change on the supply-demand balance of the proposed rehabilitation alternatives and to evaluate their climate resilience, for the representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, and two time periods, 2041–2070 and 2071–2100. For each scenario, period, and rehabilitation alternative, irrigation requirements at the source (demand) and stream flows (supply) were computed and the supply-demand balance was performed. Projected increases in irrigation water demand varied between 5.5% for RCP4.5/2071–2100 and 35.7% for RCP8.5/2071–2100. For RCP4.5, 11% (2050) and 9% (2080) reductions in irrigation water supply were projected, while for RCP8.5 the reduction ranges between 13% (2050) and 30% (2080). The proposed framework determined that the rehabilitation alternatives considering just one type of water source, without flow regularization and with open channel distribution to the farmer’s field, have proved to be unviable due to low resilience to climate change.

As the largest iron and steel producer, China still cannot meet its demand of iron and steel only through domestic primary supply in the last few decades. Hence, secondary iron resources are increasingly significant in meeting China's iron supply and demand balance. However, the secondary iron resource availability in China and how it impacts the future supply demand balance were still insufficiently discussed. In this work, we developed a material flow analysis and secondary resources reserve assessment (MFA-SRRA) integrated model, assessed secondary iron resources availability, and conducted a supply demand analysis through nine scenarios for irons in China. The results showed that China's secondary iron reserves will increase from 8.9 Gt in 2021 to 14.04 to 19.01 Gt in 2050. With the increasing secondary iron supply, more than 60% of iron ore as a source of steelmaking can be replaced by 2050. Landfills, as a significant reserve of iron but always ignored, will accumulate 1.42-1.51 Gt secondary iron resources by 2050 and should be noticed to be mined and utilized in the future. Last, we suggest that promoting innovation in landfill mining technology and making sustainable material management policies are urgent to prevent these secondary iron resources from becoming real waste.

Critical infrastructures are so vital for a country that their destruction or incapacity with war, terrorist attack and natural disasters may have irrecoverable effects on security systems together with other social, economic, and public systems. The protection of these facilities is one of the important problems. This study is one of the facility protection problems to determine which facilities will be protected to ensure the uninterrupted demand of a critical zone. Different attack types and counter defense types, which were ignored in previous studies, were taken into account in this study. Disrupting the supply-demand balance for critical systems with limited resources is also included in the model. This paper presents two new mathematical models for the defense of critical infrastructure systems. The contribution of our models is considering different types of attacks and defense options and disrupting the supply-demand balance. The first model is ReIMF and considers different attack and defense types. The second model is SD - ReIMF and considers supply-balance disruption. Both models are based on RIMF (r-interdiction median problem with fortification) model in the literature. Due to security reasons, it is not possible to find real data to apply the methodology to a real system in our case, therefore we developed a toy problem to solve the models proposed and discussed the results. ReIMF model offers solution for problems with unlimited capacity and model SD - ReIMF offers a solution to problems with limited capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, with the expansion of the scope of power market-oriented reform and the increase in uncertainty of social, political, and economic factors outside the market, the market environment is becoming more and more complex, and it is more difficult to analyze and control the market situation. From a macro perspective, overall modeling for the power transmission link between the generation side and the consumption side of the provincial power market is built, in which a variety of real-time elements or scenarios such as renewable energy power generation growth, carbon emission quota, coal shortage, and dual control system of total energy consumption and energy intensity are considered. The system dynamics tools are used for simulation, and the medium and long-term operation trends of the market are analyzed. In the case studies, the actual situation of the Jiangsu power market is used as background. The trend of the power market situation under the basic scenario is analyzed, and the sensitivity analysis is carried out for three factors: coal supply growth rate, carbon emission caps, and electricity demand growth rate. It is shown that diversified macro factors inside and outside the market will affect the balance of the market operation situation to varying degrees, making the key operation indicators of the market deviate from the existing stable state.

In the urban ecosystem, the demand for cultural ecosystem services (CES) has greatly increased, and the imbalance of CES supply and demand has been prominent. This paper integrated multi-source data to analyze and visualize the spatial differences in CES demand and supply capacity between Shanghai urban center and suburbs. Based on the geo-tagged photo data, the spatial distribution differences of the four types of CES demand, Recreation & tourism services (RTS) demand, Aesthetic services (AS) demand, Heritage & cultural services (HCS) demand, and Spiritual & religious services (SRS) demand, were analyzed. Residents and tourists had a strong demand for recreation and tourism, and the spatial agglomeration effect was the most obvious. Overall, CES demand was more concentrated in urban center, while the spatial distribution of suburbs was relatively discrete. At the same time, there were under supply areas of CES near the Huangpu River in urban center and suburbs. Results from bivariate Moran’s I method showed: 1) there was a significant positive spatial correlation between CES demand and CES supply capacity in urban center; 2) CES supply had a positive external impact on CES demand; and 3) the increase in CES supply capacity can promote the growth of CES demand.

Electric vehicle (EV) carsharing operation is facing major challenge to balance the increasing user demand with insufficient vehicle availability and station capacity. Previous researchers mainly focus on reallocating EVs in limited stations and discrete periods through operator-oriented strategies, while containing scant study of dynamic pricing scheme that can benefit supply-demand balance and service profitability in continuous operation periods. Therefore, this paper proposes a multistage simulation-optimization-integrated methodology framework for adaptively incentivizing users based on dynamic price subsidy (DPS). In stage I, Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) is used to determine the real-time supply-demand distributions from user historical data. In stage II, a novel user-oriented reallocation optimization model is established to maximize the operation profit based on the obtained SUMO results. To obtian feasibile solutions, an improved immune genetic algorithm is developed to effectively solve the model. The real-world case study in Shanghai shows that, compared with other benchmark methods, the proposed methodology can significantly increase the daily profit from 78981 RMB to 89506 RMB and improve the system balance from 78.1 % to 94.5 %. Sensitivity analysis and cost-benefit analysis show that the user-oriented DPS can reduce operation cost and order waiting time, while promoting EV utilization within different user populations. • A novel user-oriented EV carsharing reallocation strategy based on dynamic price subsidy (DPS) is proposed. • A multistage simulation-optimization-integrated methodology framework is established to effectively perform user-oriented reallocation and obtain real-time supply-demand distributions. • Real-world case study shows that daily maximum profit has improved to 89506 RMB and system balance has increased up to 94.5 % under DPS. • Cost-benefit analysis shows that the proposed DPS can reduce cost and order waiting time, while promoting EV utilization. • Feasible implications are given to relevant carsharing stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework was published in April 2019 following an industry task group and extensive consultation process. The framework acts as guidance for achieving net zero carbon for operational energy and construction emissions, with a whole life carbon approach to be developed in the future. In consultation with industry, further detail and stricter requirements are being developed over time. In October 2019, proposals were set out for industry consultation on minimum energy efficiency targets for new and existing commercial office buildings seeking to achieve net zero carbon status for operational energy today, based on the performance levels that all buildings will be required to achieve by 2050. This was complemented by modelling work undertaken by the LETI network looking into net zero carbon requirements for new buildings. In January 2020 UKGBC published its guidance on the levels of energy performance that offices should target to achieve net zero and a trajectory for getting there by 2035. This paper describes the methodology behind and industry perspectives on UKGBC's proposals which aim to predict the reduction in building energy intensity required if the UK's economy is to be fully-powered by zero carbon energy in 2050. Practical application : Many developers and investors seeking to procure new commercial offices or undertake major refurbishments of existing offices are engaging with the 'net zero carbon' agenda, now intrinsic to the legislative framework for economic activity in the UK. A UKGBC initiative effectively filled a vacuum by defining a set of requirements including energy efficiency thresholds for commercial offices in the UK to be considered 'net zero carbon'. This paper provides all stakeholders with a detailed justification for the level of these thresholds and what might be done to achieve them. A worked example details one possible solution for a new office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban parks play a distinctive and important role in satisfying residents’ demands on leisure and recreation, and thus have become the focus of research in the field of urban planning and sustainable development. This paper used equity as indicator to combine both the supply and demand sides of urban park service. Taking Xiamen as the study case, the relationship between spatial distribution of population and park services was analyzed. The results show that while population density has a significant spatial relationship with urban park service level at the city scale, Xiamen has the problem of neglecting the equity of urban park service between people and regions within the city. The proposed approach builds up the linkage between urban park service and urban population in order to evaluate the performance of urban park. Although the mechanism remains to be discussed, this study provides a useful auxiliary tool for constructing a guideline for urban green space planning, since urban park is increasingly seen as a kind of restricted public resource and ensuring its equity should be an important task for city mangers.

Sewer pipes health and failure consequences evaluation are vital to ensure the safety of urban sewer networks. Sewer pipes with low health and severe failure consequences should be the primary focus of daily maintenance and management for drainage authorities. Conversely, sewer pipes with high health and low failure consequences are temporarily not a primary concern, in order to reduce resource wastage within the constraints of limited economic and time resources. Thus, the scientific analysis of their relationships is deemed essential. This paper applies supply-demand balance theory to analyze the relationship. On the supply side, a health Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation model (HFCE) is proposed with weighted hierarchies established. On the demand side, a failure consequences FCE model (FFCE) is established. Each sewer pipe's supply-demand balance score is analyzed using matrix multiplication, highlighting two types of imbalanced pipes and sub-districts. Taking the Liangshui River Basin in Beijing as an example, the results show that the health evaluation can identify the spatial distribution of the health of sewer pipes, with low health levels V and IV accounting for 10.23 % and 4.43 %, respectively. The failure consequences evaluation can evaluate the spatial distribution of the severity of sewer pipe failure consequences, with high failure consequences levels V and IV respectively accounting for 10.97 % and 16.77 %. The supply-demand balance analysis identifies the proportion of the first and second types of imbalanced pipes, respectively 14.24 % and 6.80 %. This method, by analyzing the relationship of health and failure consequences, provides a decision-making basis for drainage authorities to prioritize sewer pipe operation management, repair, and maintenance. • Supply-demand balance to identify the relationship of health and failure consequences. • DEMATEL optimized AHP calculated weights by considering inter-indicator relationships. • Improved health evaluation via hydraulic metrics in drainage models, enhancing accuracy. • Identifying low(high) health/high(low) failure consequences areas for drainage authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Suggest a novel model of BSSIRP with multiple delivery vehicle types. • Consider dispatch cost, station waiting time, and user satisfaction during inventory balancing. • Combine offline and online reinforcement learning with heuristics to solve the model. • Leverage machine learning to predict station demand based on spatiotemporal patterns. • Offer managerial insights and practical implications for the bike-sharing industry. Bike-sharing systems have become increasingly popular, providing a convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly transportation option for urban commuters on short trips. However, an efficient and sustainable bike-sharing system faces a key challenge to dynamically balancing the supply and demand of bicycles through efficient inventory routing. This paper introduces a comprehensive combinatorial framework that tackles the critical challenges in the bike-sharing system's inventory routing problem. Firstly, we present a novel mathematical model that considers multiple delivery vehicle types and incorporates important factors like dispatch cost, service time, and user satisfaction, all while ensuring fair scheduling. The comprehensiveness of our model makes it highly applicable to real-world scenarios, addressing practical concerns faced by bike-sharing companies. Secondly, we leverage reinforcement learning mechanisms to gather quantitative information on the spatial and temporal patterns of demand and supply. With this data, we construct an effective regression model that accurately predicts station demand. Additionally, we propose an efficient heuristic approach to generate service sequences for delivery vehicle dispatching. Our approach employs a far-sighted strategy-based local iterative search algorithm to construct solutions, coupled with an adaptive exploration algorithm to continually improve solution quality. The proposed solution method is an innovative integration of reinforcement learning, demand prediction, and heuristic-based dispatching, significantly enhancing solution quality and computational efficiency. By bridging the gap between academic research and real-world practice, our framework offers practical and effective solutions for bike-sharing systems. Finally, we validate our proposed framework with extensive experimental results using real-world datasets. Our approach outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms within a short computational time, demonstrating its superiority in terms of solution quality compared to prior literature. Our research opens a new, viable direction for industrial practice, providing valuable insights for decision-makers to optimize bicycle inventory management in a smarter and more efficient way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The balanced supply and demand of the cereal is essential for achieving economic sustainable development in China. The wheat and products, the rice (including the milled equivalent), and the maize and products are three main cereals in China, the three cereals but the rice (including the milled equivalent) in China were enerally seriously comparatively insufficient before 1997, and then became fully sufficient. The co-integrative test demonstrated that there existed long-term equilibrium between balance of supply and demand and influencing factors, and the correcting coefficient was about 2.2 percent. As for balance degree of supply and demand, increase of machinery cost, daily-average labor price and indirect cost would improve it, increase of fertilizer expenditure and labor-input quantity would deteriorate it at short-term. The Granger causality test implied that balance of supply and demand owned interactive effect with laborer-input quantity, but not with the other cost. The highlight of this article was evaluating hypothesis of “Who will feed China” and influencing factors from perspective of the cost, achieving that the above hypothesis was not a real problem in China.

Due to the environmental burden, natural hazard and energy dilemma in Japan, renewable energy integration has become a key technology in the development of power systems and there has been significant increase in the use of wind and solar power generation. With the development of technologies and free fuel source offering, renewable energy power has been widely used in power system all over the world. On the other hand, because of diversification of generation operating in power system, it becomes more and more important to ensure the security and stability of power system in terms of supply–demand balance with a proper frequency range, to this end, balancing market has been developed in some European countries and regions in order to purchase the balancing power capacity and energy efficiently. In Japan, with the feed-in tariff policy spreading from 2012, it becomes a possibility that renewable energy balancing power participating in balancing market which will be newly established in 2020.