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Most existing studies on shrinking cities focus on identifying and characterizing population contraction at the city scale and lack an in-depth exploration of the mechanisms of population contraction and daily life scenarios at the street scale. To fill this gap, this study employed semi-structured interviews and participant observation to analyze the street vitality and mechanisms of operation of Dongda Street in Rugao County of Jiangsu Province in China. The study found the following. First, the interspersed urban renewal has allowed residents to retain their original lifestyles and time-space routines, and they continue to enact an endogenous street ballet. Second, new residents gradually develop new lifestyles and time-space routines in the streets, showcasing an exogenous street ballet. Third, both groups jointly perform hybrid street ballets in their daily lives through close public interactions. These findings suggest that while Dongda Street is an aging neighborhood, the survival of the original street pattern and old buildings has allowed the neighborhood to retain its historical flavor. Additionally, the moving in of creative industries and merchants injects new vitality into the neighborhood. These findings examine daily street life in the context of population contraction and help break the stereotypes of population contraction. • The interspersed urban renewal has allowed local residents to retain their original endogenous street ballet. • New residents gradually develop time-space routines in the streets, showcasing an exogenous street ballet. • Both groups jointly perform hybrid street ballets in their daily lives through close public interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pattern of international capital flows has changed dramatically in the process of globalization. In this study, we argue that human capital (HC) facilitates a region's reversal from being a net recipient of external resources to being an active contributor in the global market. Using a panel vector autoregressive regression method, we examine the relationships among regional HC, foreign direct investment (FDI), and outward FDI during 2004–2015 in China. Our results show that HC plays a key role in both attracting FDI and generating outward FDI. The findings contribute to research on the dynamic capacity building of regions participating in the global economy, especially strengthening HC for local economies participating in the global economy as either investment recipients or contributors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mastitis is one of the most frequent clinical diseases in dairy animals. Epithelial cells undergoing epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) promote the process of mastitis. Oestrogen deficiency is disadvantaged of many tissue inflammation and regeneration, while exogenous oestrogen treatment can reverse these effects. G protein‐coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) is a membrane estrogen receptor. However, the potential effects of oestrogen via GPER1 on EMT in goat mammary epithelial cells (GMECs) are still unclear. Here, this study discovered that the activation of GPER1 by oestrogen could inhibit the EMT in GMECs via NF‐κB signalling pathway. The activation of GPER1 by oestrogen inhibited the EMT accompanied by upregulation of E‐cadherin and downregulation of N‐cadherin and vimentin. Meanwhile, mRNA expression of transcription factors including Snail1 and ZEB1 was decreased. Further, like to oestrogen, GPER1 agonist G1 repressed the EMT progression. Conversely, GPER1 antagonist G15 reversed all these features induced by oestrogen. What's more, GPER1 silencing with shRNA promoted GMECs undergoing EMT. Additionally, oestrogen increased the phosphorylation of Erk1/2, which then decreased the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of NF‐κB, inhibiting the NF‐κB signalling pathway activity. Taken, GPER1 may act as a suppressor through the regulation of EMT to prevent the development of mastitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world economy has witnessed the proliferation of economic clusters and the growth of transitioning economies. This study attempts to further understand the roles that economic clusters play in the evolving urban economic space in a Chinese transitional city from the perspectives of regional industrial restructuring and urban spatial transformation. An exploratory approach is applied that combines a factor analysis and spatial data analysis to examine the transitioning process of Beijing's spatial-economic development between 1987 and 2002. This was the period when substantial economic and spatial restructuring happened in the city since the transition from a planned economy to a market economy started in 1978. Two spatial-economic models were derived to illustrate this transitioning process from a manufacturing-driven structure to a clustered service-driven structure. The key drivers analyzed include institutional reforms, market economy mechanisms, and global forces. The researchers argue that this cluster approach can advance the theories on transitional urban restructuring as applied to contemporary city development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential mobility has become an increasingly important issue in China, where urban families participate frenetically in the commodity housing market leading to soaring property prices. Applying place dependence approach and logistic regression models, this paper examines the association between residential mobility intentions and place dependence for employment and education in Beijing. The results reveal that people's intentions to move homes are driven by place dependence on the access to high-quality schools for their children, while the dependence for employment is rather weak. The findings indicate children's education has emerged as a new driving force that shapes urban space in contemporary China and therefore should be a focal point for planners and policy makers in urban resource distribution. This paper provides evidences to further our understanding of the high premium of properties that enable access to good schools. The needs for other spatial utilities and sentimental attachment to a place also encourage residential mobility intentions, which deserves further research. • Residential mobility intention was analyzed in Zhongguancun area in Beijing. • Influences of children's education and parents' employment were measured. • Children's education has emerged as a new driving force affecting residential choices. • Place dependence provides a useful lens to comprehend housing mobility in contemporary cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the understanding of how the external environment impact the local industrial development, this study builds a conceptual framework of industrial evolutionary development by integrating evolutionary and developmental theories from the perspective of evolutionary economic geography. This study emphasised the combination of two mechanisms. The first evolutionary mechanism consisting of variation, selection and retention, and the diversity within and between enterprise clusters serves as the starting point for evolution. The external environment selects and retains the most competitive enterprises under the mechanism of selection. The second developmental mechanism is the influence of the external environment on enterprises. The external environment screens and affects the development of firms at and across multiple levels, same level and across levels. Based on the case studies of the e‐sports industry in China, this study finds that technological development has driven the transformation of the e‐sports industry. Additionally, location cost, spatial proximity, local policy, urban strategy and national planning have been identified as crucial factors that influence the location choice of the e‐sports industry. This study highlights the importance of paying more attention to environmental dynamics in the research and practice of industrial evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Social inclusion poses challenges in many areas, especially regarding immigrants. This study contributes to the understanding of the multidimensional nature of livelihoods of immigrants and non-immigrants and their associated satisfaction, with an empirical study of Nansha Special Economic Zone in China. Overall levels of immigrants' livelihoods were found to be lower than those of non-immigrants, especially in the social and physical dimensions. Immigrants with higher livelihood capital were more satisfied than those with lower livelihood capital, and they were generally less satisfied with their livelihoods than non-immigrants at similar livelihood levels. These results advance our understanding of the situations of immigrants compared to non-immigrants, informing the policy-making process better dealing with provisions to improve living conditions in desired ways towards socially inclusive development. Highlights • Levels of immigrants' livelihoods were found to be lower than those of non-immigrants. • Immigrants with higher livelihood capital were more satisfied than those with lower. • Immigrants were not satisfied with their financial capital. • Policies that treat immigrants as equal to non-immigrants are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can transdifferentiate into different types of cells and may serve as a cell source for tissue engineering. Resveratrol has been shown to possess many benefits, including activation of osteogenesis. Furthermore, Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been known to promote osteogenic differentiation in many cells. In this study, we investigated the role of resveratrol in osteoblastic differentiation of canine BMSCs. Resveratrol treatment of canine BMSCs remarkably increased alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium nodules, inhibited the function of glycogen synthase kinase 3β, led to an increase in stabilization and nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, and upregulated expression of osteoblast-related marker gene expression. In addition, resveratrol caused rapid activation of ERK1/2. Collectively, our results indicate that resveratrol promotes osteoblastic differentiation of canine BMSCs by activating the Wnt/β-catenin; ERK/MAPK signaling pathways are also involved in osteogenic differentiation of canine BMSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the spatiotemporal evolution of China's flash flood disasters (FFDs) since 1949 and explores driving factors affecting the spatial distribution of historical FFDs. Records of more than 60000 FFDs are examined, and the centroid comparison method is used to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution of FFDs from 1951 to 2015. In particular, the geographical locations of the centroids, degrees of aggregation, and associated movement tendencies are examined to conduct a preliminary analysis of correlations between rainfall, population, and the spatiotemporal evolution of FFDs. Subsequently, using relevant data from 2000 to 2015, three factors relating to FFDs in natural watershed units include namely rainfall, human activity, and the environment of the Earth's surface. The geographical detector method is then employed to explore the effect of these driving factors on the spatial distribution of FFDs. Analysis results show that displacement of the spatial distribution of FFDs since 1949 is correlated with variations in rainfall and population distribution. In addition, it is determined that the distribution of FFDs occurring between 2000 and 2015 have regional differentiation characteristics. However, the effect of rainfall on the distribution of FFDs is more significant than that of human activity or the environment of the Earth's surface, but interactions occur between these latter two factors in disaster-formative environments. Furthermore, results also show that the driving factors of FFDs have significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. In China, regions at high risk of FFDs include the Sichuan-Chongqing ecological zone, the South China ecological zone, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, while regions with a low risk of FFDs include the Northwest China arid zone, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Inner Mongolian Plateau, and the Northeast China ecological zone. These findings support further studies investigating disaster-formative environments, facilitate FFD risk zoning, and provide a scientific basis for plans to effectively prevent and control FFDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to deal with anthropogenic environmental impacts are focussed predominantly on cities. This paper applies metafrontier-data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the capacity of 286 Chinese cities of different sizes and in different regions towards green growth development and assesses gaps in their efficiencies. The determinants of efficiency, including regional and population size effects, were estimated using logistic regression model. Results show that the state of green growth efficiency was different for cities of different sizes and from different regions, and gaps existed compared to the best production frontier. The paper suggests that more endeavours are required for environmental and social dimensions, and a short-term target can include achievement of group frontier efficiency and significant reduction in technology gap ratios. Owing to significant population size effect, policy programs should have target plans for cities of different sizes as they differ in performance and capacity building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth in car ownership has significant impacts on the use of urban space and management of urban environments, which makes it a topic of increasing interest especially for developing countries such as China. The dynamics of and factors influencing ownership in Chinese cities need careful investigation. Using fixed effects models applied to annual panel data (1994–2012; 293 cities) this study aimed to achieve the following: 1) assess the relationships between car ownership and average annual income per capita , population, built-up area, road area per capita , urban population density, number of taxis and bus passenger volume; 2) examine the variation of these relationships across geographical regions (East, middle, and West China) and city sizes (cities with small, medium, large, and super-large populations). The results showed that car ownership was positively associated with average annual income per capita , built-up area, road area per capita , urban population density, and number of taxis at the national level. All associations, except with the number of taxis, varied significantly across geographical regions. Built-up area, road area per capita , and number of taxis had different associations with car ownership depending on city sizes. The findings improve the understanding of relationships between car ownership and urban environments vis-a-vis variations in income and infrastructure per capita , population density, and transportation alternatives. These results have important policy implications for managing cars and health problems related to cars in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rust belt cities are a special but important phenomenon in the world's industrialization landscape and city development trajectory. This profile analyses the struggling process and revitalization initiatives of Harbin, which was the first city established after the liberation of China, featuring the largest land area and highest latitude among all Chinese cities. The remarkable history of urban and industrial development once made Harbin the cradle of manufacturing in China, strongly supported by national government with concentration of SOEs. The city however has been suffering during the transition to a market economy. Its transition is painfully challenged by the strong socialist legacies of SOEs. This paper emphasizes that the new initiatives of Harbin, based on local endowments, cold climate condition and geolocation, demonstrate great potential for successful revitalization. Such strategic choices provide experiences and alternatives for other rust belt cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture in peri-urban areas is prone to dynamic changes due to urban influences. Previous studies have explored the impact of urban growth on peri-urban agriculture (PUA), but the active responses of the agricultural sector are rarely examined. This paper investigates recent agricultural development practices in peri-urban Beijing and explores approaches to agricultural transformation in the rapid process of urbanisation. The investigation finds that high-tech precision agriculture, down-stream processing and agro-tourism have emerged as major forms of PUA in Beijing. It also uncovers that the PUA developments are not only economically appealing, but also socially inclusive and environmental friendly. The findings contribute to a better understanding of PUA progress in China. The paper suggests policy implications in facilitating integrated development between urban and rural sectors, which would help improve economic development, spatial planning and local governance in peri-urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial parks have been tested in various regions around the world, in attempt to foster innovation and fuel economic growth. Despite the importance of industry co-agglomerations in regional growth, few studies examine them in regional geographic space. This paper combines exploratory spatial data analysis and input–output method to explore the spatial pattern of key industrial co-agglomerations in Beijing, which is illustrated by location, function, frequency, spatial hierarchy and spacing. The results contribute to linking abstract economic and actual geographical spaces in urban and regional growth, enabling urban and regional planners to judge and evaluate planning initiatives before and after implementation. The failure of sub-center plans and risks of industrial parks schemes in Beijing are addressed. By considering industrial input–output relations including environmental and human resources, urban planners can optimize the development of such co-agglomerations to foster sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecosystem-based management requires both overall and internal knowledge of the ecoregion. • A dual approach to combine biodiversity and human value in ecosystem management. • The Qilian Mountain Protected Area in China was used as a case study area. • Ecosystem-based adaptations for biodiversity (EbA-BI) and humans (EbA-HI) compared. • These are sensitive metrics that will help achieve optimal EBM. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has attracted wide attention in climate change adaptation strategy. However, EBM requires the realization of co-benefits of biodiversity and human wellbeing improvement. Furthermore, overall and internal knowledge of the ecoregion of interest is essential. With this knowledge, EBM can be integrated better into the spatial planning process. The present study proposes a dual service strategy for ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA): the ecosystem-based adaptation for human index (EbA-HI) and the ecosystem-based adaptation for biodiversity index (EbA-BI), which are examined at finer spatial scales. The Qilian Mountain protected area was used as an example to investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of the two indices. Panel quantile regression was used to identify factors influencing the spatial distribution variations. Both EbA-HI and EbA-BI increased by 1.87% and 0.84%, respectively, from 2003 to 2019 in the Qilian Mountain Protected Area. Nevertheless, variations in the values of these indices, as well as their factors, were evident in different areas. Higher air temperatures significantly facilitated the increase in both EbA-HI and EbA-BI. A higher degree of land use positively affected EbA-HI but negatively impacted EbA-BI. Our findings illustrate the complexity associated with EbA and elucidate the need for in-depth theoretical thinking and practical adaptation measures for efficient ecosystem management, which will help to sustain and improve both biodiversity and human well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After facing climate change and other environmental problems, many countries have prioritized research on environmental protection. However, there is still a lack of relevant research in the field of regional green production and trade systems. From the perspective of the production side, this study examined the regions' abilities of constructing a green production and trade system on the local, inter-provincial, and international levels. The Epsilon-based model-data envelopment analysis method was used to measure the local, inter-provincial, and international green production and trade system efficiency of 30 Chinese provinces during 2012–2017. The measurement considered the embodied emissions of eight greenhouse and polluting gases, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, flue dust, and carbon dioxide. The results showed that for most regions, the local green production efficiency was higher than the average efficiency value of the inter-provincial green production system, whereas the inter-provincial efficiency was higher than the average efficiency of the global green trade system. Factors, such as economic level, industrial structure, government's administrative capacity, technological investment, energy structure, urbanization level, and external dependence level affect the construction of the local, inter-provincial, and international green production and trade systems at different levels in the global-local system. The research results are helpful for understanding, in theory and from multiple spatial scales, the capacity, and major problems of the regions in constructing green production and trade systems and promote the construction of a more scientific and reasonable regional green production and trade system in practice. • Multi-scalar view and analysis of global-local system in production and trade are suggested. • The average change in national total factor productivity in 2012–2017 was 1.065 • Eastern region's capacity to build a green system is comparably more. • Western region's green economic level and technology are comparatively behind the time. • Development of strict laws is important to oversee the use of funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental impact of materials and energy is an important concern when cities and regions produce goods and services. To examine this requires an evaluation tool which can deal with the complex system of resources, energy inputs, products and wastes involved. This paper evaluates the urban material and energy flow efficiencies of 31 cities in China using a combination of the Data Envelopment Analysis model and Principal Component Analysis method. The results show that the urban flow system is composed of several input and output principal components, including energy, materials, urban capital investment, overall output, wastes, and others. In 2010, 16 cities were efficient as judged by the material and energy inputs and outputs. The remaining 15 cities were not efficient, primarily due to product shortfalls and waste excesses. Since 2000, half of the analyzed cities experienced a decline in the urban flow efficiencies, while only six cities showed a positive trend. The reasons include excess inputs of coal, coke, electricity, cement, investment, as well as output shortfalls in terms of overall output, wastes, services, agriculture and transport. We conclude that key priorities for improving urban systems with material and energy flow inefficiency are the use of urban renewable supplies, focus on sustainable endogenous development model, and improvement management of waste output, in order to increase efficiency and sustain economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic clusters have been recognised as important elements of urban and regional economic strategies, but their role in spatial planning is under-appreciated. This paper examines the initiatives and outcomes of economic clusters in relation to urban spatial planning in the periods of planned and market economies in China. Through an examination of the planning and development practices in Beijing, the effect of economic clusters in facilitating local growth and shaping urban spatial structure is revealed. The significance of economic clusters in achieving synergy between economic and spatial policies is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the irresistible drive of urban growth, the questions as to whether and how agriculture is restructured and repositioned in relation to urban development have received little attention. Based on the method of hypothetical extraction from input-output tables, and on the Beijing case, this paper puts forward an approach to assess the dependence of the agro-economy on urban sectors. The research shows that in Beijing in the period from 1982 to 2007 the relationship between agriculture and the urban economy has gone through three phases. At the start of the economic reform, the relationship was weak, characterised by intensive inputs of agricultural productive materials and policy orders. What followed was a phase of disconnection characterised by fast urban growth and low competitive status of agriculture. The third was a period of increasingly integrated development with technological inputs and upgrading of the management of agriculture. The current strong relationship indicates that agriculture can be tuned to meet the preferences of urban consumers. Key associated urban sectors are screened out to verify this relationship. The approach is valuable for quantifying the structural relationship between agriculture and urban sectors, for further analysing rural-urban economic relationships to support development policy design and programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic clusters have been a central focus of current urban and regional research, policies and practices. However, a methodology to identify and analyze policy-relevant economic cluster dynamics is still not well developed. Based on input-output (I-O) data of 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007 of Beijing, this article presents an adapted principle component analysis for identifying the evolution of local economic cluster patterns. This research addresses the changes of economic interaction of industries with complementary and common activities over time. The identified clusters provide an insight into the reality of economic development in a diversifying urban economy: the increasing importance of services and the growing interaction between service and manufacturing industries. Our method therefore provides the analysts with a better understanding of the emergence, disappearance and development of economic clusters citywide. The results could be used to assist monitoring urban economic development and designing more practical urban economic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During decidualization in rodents, uterine stromal cells undergo extensive reprogramming to differentiate into distinct cell types, forming primary decidual zones (PDZs), secondary decidual zones (SDZs), and layers of undifferentiated stromal cells. The formation of secondary decidual zones is accompanied by extensive angiogenesis. During early pregnancy, besides ovarian estrogen, de novo synthesis of estrogen in the uterus is essential for the progress of decidualization. However, the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Studies have shown that Cystatin B (Cstb) is highly expressed in the decidual tissue of the uterus, but the regulation and mechanism of Cstb in the process of decidualization have not been reported. Our results showed that Cstb was highly expressed in mouse decidua and artificially induced deciduoma via in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence. Estrogen stimulates the expression of Cstb through the Estrogen receptor (ER)α. Moreover, in situ synthesis of estrogen in the uterus during decidualization regulates the expression of Cstb. Silencing the expression of Cstb affects the migration ability of stromal cells. Knockdown Cstb by siRNA significantly inhibits the expression of Dtprp, a marker for mouse decidualization. Our study identifies a novel estrogen target, Cstb, during decidualization and reveals that Cstb may play a pivotal role in angiogenesis during mouse decidualization via the Angptl7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a geographic analysis of consumption pattern of electricity in China through online shopping. It mentions the trend of rise in online shopping in China and state the need for research to explore reasons for the rise in the Chinese retail industry. It provides cartographic maps of electric power sales, consumption patterns, and online shopping trends in Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guandong.

The article presents the data from a Chinese census which show the ratio and rate of acceleration of older people across China by using the techniques of cartogram and kernel density. Topics include the increasing ratio of older people in 2030, the rapid growth of ageing in China due to widespread birth control practice and low fertility rates, and the move of Chinese government to adjust the pension fund and to ease the rules of birth control.

Abstract: Although the scale and speed of China’s urban and economic transition is well acknowledged, a detailed account of the transformation of a single city’s development in this context is quite rare. This paper provides an insight into the recent dynamics of China’s capital city, Beijing. In the early 1980s, China’s transition process from a planned to a market economy started to deeply affect the urban economy of Beijing, so much so that the city is on its way to become one of the world’s leading cities. This article focuses on this development by looking at Beijing’s institutional context and its economic-spatial dynamics over the past 30years. Economic Clusters (ECs) are also discussed because they have contributed significantly to Beijing’s rapid growth and change. The city’s development is however under increasing pressures of ecological deterioration, limited water resources, high living costs and uncertainties regarding the future urban policy orientation of the city region. These current challenges and responses in planning are assessed and discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An identification of economic clusters and analysing their changing spatial patterns is important for understanding urban economic space dynamics. Previous studies, however, suffer from limitations as a consequence of using fixed geographically areas and not combining functional and spatial dynamics. The paper presents an approach, based on local spatial statistics and the case of Beijing to understand the spatial clustering of industries that are functionally interconnected by common or complementary patterns of demand or supply relations. Using register data of business establishments, it identifies economic clusters and analyses their pattern based on postcodes at different time slices during the period 1983–2002. The study shows how the advanced services occupy the urban centre and key sub centres. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) cluster is mainly concentrated in the north part of the city and circles the urban centre, and the main manufacturing clusters are evolved in the key sub centers. This type of outcomes improves understanding of urban-economic dynamics, which can support spatial and economic planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The modulation response (MR) improvement in mutually injection-locked semiconductor lasers is analyzed. We show that the system becomes increasingly sensitive to the modulation when its operation point approaches the lock band boundary, suggesting that the MR enhancement results from a modulation-induced transition between locked and unlocked operations of the laser system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The peri-urban area of fast growing Chinese cities is under great pressure from the land demands of urban expansion, resulting in the loss of arable land, environmental deterioration and social exclusion of village communities. The recent development of agro-tourism enterprises in peri-urban areas, as a form of commercial urban agriculture, offers a means to promote integrated urban and rural development in a manner that can counteract some of the negative impacts of urbanization. This paper describes and analyzes the performance of a large-scale agro-tourism enterprise, Xiedao Green Resort in Beijing, over the period 2004–2008. The business model combines agricultural production and tourism services fostering a demand-supply relationship between urban and rural areas. It offers a way to improve the quality of agricultural products and services, while developing multiple functions of agro-tourism which have wider economic, environmental and social benefits, creating opportunities for integrated and sustainable urban–rural development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

More and more recent studies have come to realize that the emerging industries not only occur within a city but also are impacted by the city network. This study uses a shift-share analysis (SSA) method to measure the evolutionary characteristics of the esports industry in 26 cities of the Yangtze River Delta region from 2004 to 2018. The study found that the esports industry showed a process of spreading from the central city to the surrounding small- and medium-sized cities. This phenomenon was also impacted by factors such as technological diffusion, knowledge sharing of enterprises in the city network, complementarity between industries, and common market. This study further explored the influencing factors of the esports industry's evolution in the city network through the econometric model, and the results showed that technology spillovers and market integration effects have a significant positive effect on the esports industry's growth. This study verifies that the evolution of emerging industries in small- and medium-sized cities can benefit from a city network. Industrial clusters within cities and city networks are complementary and jointly promote the development of emerging industries. This study expands industrial development from urban inside to city network, which provides a broader perspective for urban and regional industrial planning. Furthermore, this study provides technical support for regional development planning and reminds urban decision makers to need to establish horizontal industrial linkages in city networks to achieve integrated regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the quantum effects of entanglement between continuous-mode photon and phonon fields in waveguide channels that are coupled to an optomechanical resonator structure with two optical modes. We show that such optomechanical resonator–waveguide system can drastically enhance the efficiency for generating entangled traveling photon–phonon single pairs, and can serve to implement controllable continuous-mode photon–phonon squeezing of weak input signals. The effectiveness of the generation-efficiency enhancement and the quantum squeezing operation is attributed to the resonance between the normal-mode photon transition and the phonon mode in the optomechanical resonator structure. • Two-mode optomechanical resonator–waveguide system is employed to generate entangled traveling photon–phonon fields. • Generation efficiency of entangled traveling photon–phonon pairs is drastically enhanced. • Continuous-mode photon–phonon squeezing operations can be implemented. • Entanglement of photon–phonon pairs and characteristics of photon–phonon squeezing operations can be controlled by pump spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of path dependence provides a useful perspective to understand the dynamics of industrial space. However, it is much developed on institutional and technological aspects. This paper proposes the idea of spatial path dependence, arguing that previous spatial distribution of economic activities and associated factors in a given industrial space shall affect current and future ones. Availing of big data technology, the spatial distribution is quantified, and spatial path dependence is examined by means of standard deviation ellipse and machine learning method for information service and its sub-sectors in Beijing during the periods of 2008 and 2013. The analysis shows an existence of spatial path dependence for those industries in the two periods. The dominant factors are screened out, which are differ in different sub-sectors and in different periods, but contribute to the same or similar spatial path. The findings call for the attention of the existing situation for industrial spatial planning, and new emerging "people-oriented" factors in influencing the spatial layout of information services industries. • Spatial path dependence is suggested. • Big data technology (BDT) offers new opportunities for industrial space analysis. • Uses case study of Beijing's information services industry development, 2008–2013. • Shows spatial path dependence in industry as whole, and among individual industry types. • Demonstrates value of BDT in identifying and examining spatial path dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The human ecosystem is conceptualized into four dimensions: openness, vulnerability, harmony and independence. • Quantitative and qualitative analysis reveals complex factors influencing human ecosystems. • The quality of the human ecosystem in the park fluctuated and declined. • The openness of the human ecosystem in the park was far ahead between four dimensions. As one of the most critical ecological functional areas in China and even the world, Sanjiangyuan National Park's sustainable development has attracted attention. The integrated evaluation method, the coupling coordination model, and the grey correlation model were employed to uncover the coupling coordination relationship among sub-systems in the human ecosystem of Sangjiangyuan National Park. The results are as follows. First, the sustainable development capacity of the human ecosystem in Sanjiangyuan National Park fluctuated and declined during the study period, with insufficient momentum for sustainable development. Second, from 2005 to 2020, Sanjiangyuan National Park experienced a process of optimization and adjustment from moderately uncoordinated to nearly uncoordinated. At the county scale, the coupling coordination state of the sub-system was consistent with the overall national park. Third, among the four dimensions, the correlation degree of openness to the human ecosystem of Sanjiangyuan National Park was far ahead, followed by harmony, independence, and vulnerability. Our research can provide a reference for the coordinated development of the human ecosystem in other national parks with similar ecological functions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the dynamic agglomeration economies through matching channel between human capital agglomeration, regional economic development, and housing prices. Using data from 31 Chinese provinces from 1999 to 2015, it employs a panel vector auto regression model to study the interactive relationships among these factors. Overall, the results show that human capital agglomeration has a positive long-term influence on housing prices and economic development, and has become a determinant of regional economic growth. Housing prices have a negative long-term influence on economic development. However, human capital accumulation responds positively to housing price in regions other than municipalities. These findings suggest that vie for talent through housing policy might not be effective in underdeveloped regions and could lead to misallocation of government fiscal resources. • Relations among human capital, housing price and economic growth are examined by panel VAR model. • Human capital affects regional economic through labor market effects. • Regional economic affects human capital through its agglomeration and matching. • Housing price affects human capital through wealth effects or crowd-out effects. • Housing price affects regional economic through industrial agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although disputed, population is often used to measure shrinking cities. Facing by this challenge, this paper proposes an alternative indicator, average human capital (HC), to investigate city vitality. The improved measurement relaxes the traditional assumption that HC has a linear relation with schooling, and combine inputs with outputs of HC by considering the heterogeneity of returns to schooling of each city. Empirical analysis was performed by constructing a comprehensive dataset and calculating average HC level for each city in the year of 2000, 2005 and 2010, our results suggest that city shrinkage might not be so serious as emphasized in previous literature based on population decline. But average HC across Chinese cities has been diverging since 2005. We also validate that our measurement is substantially better than population for explaining economic vitality in cities. The article sheds a new insight on the understanding of urban growth process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of new and functional macrocyclic host compounds is an important part of supramolecular chemistry. Since the experimental synthesis, prism[n]arenes (Pr[n]As), a class of naphthol‐based macrocyclic arenes, have attracted much attention. In this work, from the perspective of theoretical calculation and research, Pr[n]As (n = 4 ~ 7) were studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The prismatic configuration isomers, electronic structures, absorption spectra, and host‐guest chemistry were discussed thoroughly. DFT calculation results showed that 1,5‐, 3,7‐, and "hybrid" 15,37‐Pr[n]As were the most representative configurations with the rigid prismatic molecular skeleton. Based on time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT), the absorption spectra of Pr[n]As were all in the range of ultraviolet light which were mainly attributed to π‐π* transitions. The molecular cavities of Pr[n]As were electron‐rich and capable of accommodating a variety of cations or electron‐conjugated molecules. MD simulation results showed that a Pr[n]A molecule was able to capture the guest molecule into its molecular cavity and maintain in the state of equilibrium in solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The homogenous and hybrid configurational isomers of pagoda[ n ]arenes are proposed and obtained by DFT calculations. • Electronic structure analysis reveals the π-electron rich nature within molecular cavity of pagoda[ n ]arenes. • Pagoda[ n ]arenes are able to accommodate various electron-deficient or organic conjugated guests besides cations. Studies on the synthesis, characterization, and applications of new macrocyclic host species have greatly promoted the development of supramolecular chemistry. Recently, pagoda[ n ]arenes (Pa[ n ]As), a class of anthracene-based macrocyclic arenes, were reported by Chen's group. Pa[ n ]As are inherently endowed with many fascinating properties. In order to fully understand Pa[ n ]As and expand their potential applications, the structures, properties, and supramolecular chemistry of Pa[ n ]As are systematically studied by using a computational approach. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, nine homogenous Pa[ n ]As (n = 4∼6) and six hybrid Pa[4]As are discussed in detail because of their rigid pagoda molecular frameworks and their lower energies. The frontier molecular orbitals and electrostatic potential maps reveal the nature of their electronic structures. Correspondingly, UV–vis spectra are predicted by time-dependent (TD)-DFT calculations. Moreover, Pa[ n ]A molecules are capable of forming host‒guest complexes and self‒assemblies by noncovalent interactions. H-bonding, ion···pi, C H···pi, and van der Waals (vdW) interactions are addressed with the reduced density gradient (RDG) analysis. Finally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in the solvent show that Pa[ n ]As are able to recognize guests and maintain a dynamic equilibrium in the form of host-guest complexes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban metabolism is a complex system of materials, energy, population and environment, which usually can be measured by the Emergy Synthesis (ES) and the Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) approach. In this paper, by employing the two approaches of ES and SBM, as well as metabolic evolution index, urban metabolic stocks, efficiencies and elasticity of 31 Chinese cities are evaluated in a systematic way. The results imply that over the last decade (2000-2010), most of the cities, such as Chongqing, Nanjing, Shijiazhuang, Hangzhou, were experiencing drastic urban metabolic efficiency decline accompanied with a moderate decrease of industrial outputs. By contrast, metropolises and specialized cities have improved their urban metabolic performances, with higher output-input ratio and fewer undesirable outputs. However, their exported emergy experienced a substantial increase as well. It is concluded that local urban management might develop policies to diversify urban renewable supplies and address the undesirable output problems. The urban emergy of renewable resources should be specified as a prime focus for future research. In addition, mechanisms of different urban metabolic models will also be necessary for researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has come up with ecological civilization as one of major goals to improve its ecological sustainability during development in future. Under this broad framework, social, economic and natural ecosystems are expected to develop in harmony. However, there is lack of evaluation mechanism for this newly proposed strategy. Therefore, in this article, ecosystem services, Ecological Footprint and gross domestic product per capita were selected in order to reflect the resource endowment, human occupation on natural capital, and the economic growth. Thus, an integrated indicator was constructed from the three indexes based on the linear correlation among them, and we provided comprehensive evaluation on ecological civilization construction in the provinces and municipalities in China in 2010. When it comes to the indicator of ecological civilization construction, Hainan province has the greatest value which is 0.5091 and Beijing municipality has the smallest value which is 0.0377. At last, the article analyzed the ecological pressure and efficiency in ecological civilization construction in China. The results contribute to scientific and objective evaluation of regional ecological civilization construction in order to properly make decisions and take actions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[Display omitted] • The lowest-energy conformations of thiapillar[5]arenes are obtained by DFT calculations. • Electronic structure analysis reveals the evolution from electronegativity to electropositivity in the molecular cavities of thiapillar[5]arenes. • Thiapillar[5]arenes are able to accommodate various guests based on the electronic complementarity and the spatial matching. • The sulfur-containing derivatizations of pillar[ n ]arenes are expected to expand the application prospects in supramolecular biology and electrochemistry related fields. The chemical modification of bridging groups of the pillar[ n ]arenes is an important way to functional derivatization and expand the application fields. So far, however, there have been few reports on this issue. On the basis of experimental reports, a series of thiapillar[5]arene structures with sulfur, sulfoxide and sulfone as bridging groups are proposed in this work. By using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, thiapillar[5]arenes are studied systematically at the ωB97XD/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. All the structures have regular pentagonal shape with the point group of D 5. The substitution of bridging methylene by sulfur leads to a significant enlargement in the molecular cavity, an extension of the spatial delocalization of the electrons, and a redshift of the absorption spectrum. The bridging groups of sulfoxide and sulfone can greatly improve the solvent effects in polar solvents, which is followed by the weakening of the pi-electron donating capacity inside the molecular cavity. Thiapillar[5]arenes have rich host–guest chemistry and can recognize a variety of guest species. Interestingly, the inclusion of thiapillar[5]arenes to ferrocene is a synergistic result of electronic and spatial effects. The sulfur-containing derivatizations of pillar[ n ]arenes are expected to expand the application prospects in supramolecular biology and electrochemistry related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decidualization is essential to rodent and primate pregnancy. Senescence is increased during decidualization. Failure of senescence clearance during decidualization will cause pregnancy abnormality. Caveolin-1 is located in plasmalemmal caveolae and involved in senescence. However, whether caveolin-1 is involved in decidualization remains undefined. In this study, we examined the expression, regulation and function of Caveolin-1 during mouse early pregnancy and under mouse and human in vitro decidualization. From days 1 to 8 of pregnancy, Caveolin-1 signals are mainly located in endothelium and myometrium. Estrogen stimulates Caveolin-1 expression in endothelium. Deficiency of estrogen receptor α significantly promotes Caveolin-1 level in uterine stromal cells. Progesterone upregulates Caveolin-1 expression in luminal epithelium. During mouse in vitro decidualization, Caveolin-1 is significantly increased. However, Caveolin-1 is obviously decreased during human in vitro decidualization. Caveolin-1 overexpression and siRNA suppress and upregulate IGFBP1 expression under in vitro decidualization, respectively. Blastocysts-derived tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) regulate Caveolin-1 in mouse and human decidual cells, respectively. Caveolin-1 levels are also regulated by high glucose and insulin. In conclusion, a low level of Caveolin-1 should be beneficial for human decidualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate has received great attention because of its unique advantages at fast detection and on-site analysis in practical applications. Here, a biomimetic flexible SERS substrate was fabricated on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film with nanopore arrays which was completely transferred from nanostructures in cicada wings by a replication process, and loaded with uniform silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) via efficient magnetron sputtering method. By optimizing the deposition time, the optimal biomimetic flexible SERS substrate provided an analytical enhancement factor (4.2 × 105), excellent uniformity and reproducibility with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 7.3 % and 2.8 %, respectively. Moreover, the biomimetic flexible SERS substrate exhibited excellent mechanical stability, and can obtain high-quality SERS signals under backside illumination. Specifically, malachite green (MG) residues on apple and pear peel can be rapidly and reliably determined using a portable Raman spectrometer, with a minimum detectable concentration of 10−6 M and a high correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.99). The proposed biomimetic flexible SERS substrate coupled with a portable Raman spectrometer has great potential to be implemented in point-of-care testing applications. • A biomimetic flexible SERS substrate was prepared through replication of cicada wings and magnetron sputtering. • The PDMS nanopore arrays coated with Ag NPs has high sensitivity, superior reproducibility and good mechanical stability. • The prepared SERS substrates are suitable for in situ detection of pesticide residues on curved surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between the built environment and travel behavior has long been a hot research topic. However, most existing research focus on aggregate measures of the patterns of daily travel (e.g. vehicle miles travelled, total distance travelled), while the mechanisms and processes that lead to these outcomes are much less researched. We therefore propose an activity-based model that simulates people's detailed decision making in daily travel and the influences of the neighborhood-scale built environment throughout the process, using Beijing as the study case. More specifically, it deals with eight activity types, eleven most common activity plans, 652 traffic analysis zones, six time slots and four travel modes. The model is then applied to simulate how people's travel behavior would change in response to changes in the built environment. The simulation is implemented by changing the built environment conditions. The major advantage of the model lies in its ability to 'trace back' the influence of the built environment on aggregate travel outcomes to detailed travel aspects, such as activity frequency, travel distance for various purposes, mode choice, etc. The simulation results show that although compact design generally reduce VMT, the mechanisms of influence by different built environment variables vary, e.g. through a major impact on the mode choice or through distributed impacts on several travel aspects. • Propose an activity-based model that simulates the detailed influences of neighborhood-scale built environment on travel • The model can 'trace back' the influence of the built environment on aggregate travel outcomes to detailed travel aspects • Although compact design generally reduces car use, the mechanisms of influence by different built environment variables vary [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Large-scale and cost-effective fabrication method to prepare flexible and transparent SERS substrates was proposed. • The thin, free-standing SERS substrate consists of ALNHS decorated PDMS film. • The ALNHS induced plentiful multiple-type hot spots. • The excellent SERS performance of the ALNHS@PDMS film was demonstrated. • In situ detection of malachite green on apple and tomato skin was readily performed with a portable Raman spectrometer. Flexible and transparent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates have attracted much attention as a fast, sensitive and in situ detection platform for practical applications. However, the large-area fabrication of flexible and transparent SERS substrates with high performance is still challenging. Here, a flexible and transparent SERS substrate based on large-area thin PDMS film decorated with Ag microlabyrinth/nanoparticles hierarchical structures (denoted as ALNHS@PDMS) is fabricated by using the floating-on-water method and magnetron sputtering technology. By optimizing the sputtering time, the ALNHS with multiple hot spots are uniformly distributed on the PDMS surface. Based on characterizing the rhodamine 6G (R6G) with a portable Raman spectrometer, the optimal ALNHS@PDMS film exhibits a high enhancement factor (5.2 × 106), excellent uniformity and reproducibility, as well as superior mechanical stability. In addition, thanks to the good sticky feature and bi-directional activation property of the thin ALNHS@PDMS film, the prepared flexible and transparent SERS substrate can achieve in situ detection of malachite green residues (10-6 M) on apple and tomato skins. This large-area, thin, mechanically robust, flexible and transparent ALNHS@PDMS film, integrated with a portable Raman spectrometer, shows great potential for point-of-care testing (POCT) in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A 3D flexible SERS substrate based on Ag NPs@PDMS nanoripple array film was proposed. • Ag NPs@PDMS nanoripple array film demonstrated excellent SERS performance. • The substrate was used for in situ detection of pesticide residues on fruit surfaces. • The minimum detectable concentration of malachite green was down to 10−6 M. The large-area fabrication of flexible and transparent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates with high performance by a facile and efficient method is still challenging. Here, we demonstrated a large-scale, flexible and transparent SERS substrate composed of PDMS nanoripple array film decorated with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs@PDMS-NR array film) prepared by a combination of plasma treatment and magnetron sputtering. The performances of SERS substrates were characterized by rhodamine 6G (R6G) using a handheld Raman spectrometer. The optimal Ag NPs@PDMS-NR array film exhibited high SERS sensitivity, with a detection limitation of R6G reaching 8.20 × 10−8 M as well as excellent uniformity (RSD = 6.8%) and batch-to-batch reproducibility (RSD = 2.3%). In addition, the substrate showed outstanding mechanical stability and good SERS enhancement by backside illumination, thus it was suitable for in situ SERS detection on curved surfaces. The detection limit of malachite green on apple and tomato peels was 1.19 × 10−7 and 1.16 × 10−7 M, respectively, and quantitative analysis of pesticide residues could be realized. These results demonstrate that the Ag NPs@PDMS-NR array film has great practical potential in rapid in situ detection of pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondria play a key role in embryo development by providing energy. However, vitrification often causes mitochondrion damage of embryo, which further impairs embryo development. Therefore, the efficiency of embryo development after vitrification could be improved by protecting mitochondrial function from vitrification injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol on mitochondrial damage after vitrification. The results showed that vitrification induced the abnormal mitochondrial distribution and damage mitochondrial function of mouse 2-cell embryos. However, co-culturing with resveratrol for 2 h could repair the abnormal mitochondrial distribution and mitochondrial dysfunction of embryos after vitrification. More than anything, the subsequent development ability of vitrified-thawed 2-cell embryos was significantly higher than that with no resveratrol treatment. In conclusion, resveratrol could protect the mitochondrial from injury caused by vitrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A systematic theorical approach to connect the density-matrix formalism and the Stokes formalism for modal analysis in mode-division multiplexing systems is developed; • The formal connections between the density-matrix formalism and the Stokes formalism allow for handy communications among researchers employing different formalisms; • The underlying approach offers a more regular and concise way to derive existing formulas in the Stokes formalism, and more importantly, to acquire useful new formulas in the Stokes formalism; • We find that the conditions for treating different mode groups separately in modal analysis could be much more stringent than previously indicated in literature. Based on some general properties of the Gell-Mann operators, we establish systematic connections between the density-matrix formalism and the Stokes formalism for modal analysis of mode-division multiplexing optical-fiber communication systems. We present analytical formulas to connect key quantities, differential evolution equations, transformations, concatenation rules, and observable information in the two formalisms, such that researchers employing different formalisms can handily communicate with each other. The underlying approach offers a more regular and concise way to derive existing formulas in the Stokes formalism, and more importantly, it also allows for acquiring useful new formulas in the Stokes formalism. With the formal connections, we examine the equivalence of statistical models in the two formalisms, and conduct numerical simulations on the modal properties of a randomly-perturbed 4-mode fiber. The numerical results suggest that the conditions for treating different mode groups separately in modal analysis could be more stringent than previously conceived in literature. Also, the agreement in numerical results obtained from the two formalisms verifies the applicability of the theoretical connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • 17β-estradiol accelerates the process of oocyte meiosis resumption via GPR30. • 17β-estradiol-GPR30 mediated meiosis resumption ascribe downregulation of gap junction permeability in goat COCs. • GPR30-mediated gap junction permeability downregulation resulted from GPR30-MAP kinase-dependent phosphorylation of Cx43. Abstract Estrogen plays a critical role in the regulation of gap junctions between oocytes and granulosa cells in mammalian ovaries. G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) was identified as a membrane estrogen receptor, mediating rapid, nongenomic signaling events that might be responsible for the regulation of oocyte meiosis resumption and gap junction intercellular communications (GJICs). The present study aimed to determine the expression and localization of GPR30 and its role in oocyte meiotic progression and GJICs in goat cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). Immunofluorescence experiments revealed that GPR30 was primarily located in the plasma membrane of cumulus cells and oocytes in goats. 17β-estradiol could promote oocyte meiotic progression, which was blocked by G15 (a selective GPR30 antagonist) but not ICI182780 (a nuclear estrogen receptor inhibitor) in the early stage of in vitro culture. The effect of 17β-estradiol on the GJICs was quantified by lucifer yellow (LY) microinjection and calcein-AM fluorescent dye diffusion. 17β-estradiol treatment of goat COCs resulted in rapid downregulation of GJICs. The transfer of calcein from cumulus cells to oocytes could be significantly inhibited by carbenoxolone (a known gap junction blocker), 17β-estradiol or G1 (a GPR30 agonist), and this inhibition could be reversed by G15 but not ICI182780, indicating that GPR30 mediates the effect of 17β-estradiol on the rapid downregulation of GJICs. 17β-estradiol also stimulated the serine 368 phosphorylation of connexin 43 (Cx43) when COCs were in vitro cultured for 4 h, 6 h, and 8 h. More importantly, 17β-estradiol or G1 could separately promote the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2) and Cx43 significantly when COCs were cultured for 4 h. Furthermore, both ERK1/2 and Cx43 phosphorylation could be inhibited by G15 and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor AG1478 or by the ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059, indicating that EGFR-ERK1/2 signaling was involved in these events. These results supported the hypothesis that GPR30 mediated 17β-estradiol-stimulated meiotic resumption and GJIC reduction in goat COCs. Thus, the present study provides novel insights into elucidating the mechanisms for steroid hormone action in the regulation of oocyte maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key to studying urban sustainable development depends on quantifying stores, efficiencies of urban metabolisms and capturing urban metabolisms' mechanisms. This paper builds up the metabolic emergy account and quantifies some important concepts of emergy stores. Emphasis is placed on the urban metabolic model based on the slack based model (SBM) method to measure urban metabolic efficiencies. Urban metabolic mechanisms are discussed by using the regression method. By integrating these models, this paper analyzes the urban metabolic development in Beijing from 2001 to 2010. We conclude that the metabolic emergy stores of Beijing increased significantly from 2001 to 2010, with the emergy imported accounting for most of the increase. The metabolic efficiencies in Beijing have improved since the 2008 Olympic Games. The population, economic growth, industrial structures, and environmental governance positively affect the overall urban metabolism, while the land expansion, urbanization and environmentally technical levels hinder the improving of urban metabolic efficiencies. The SBM metabolic method and the regression model based on the emergy analysis provide insights into the urban metabolic efficiencies and the mechanism. They can promote to integrate such concepts into their sustainability analyses and policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of urban carbon emissions, the carbon emissions from household energy consumption are increasing with the continuous improvement of Chinese urbanization. This study divides family population into 4 groups: adolescents (aged 0–17), young people (aged 18–44), middle-aged people (aged 45–59), and elderly people (aged 60 and older) and develops a calculation model for carbon emissions of household energy consumption in accordance with the latest standards of the World Health Organization based on Chinese Family Panel Studies in 2016. Results showed that the marginal and intergenerational effects coexist in various types of household energy consumption: Families with 3–5 people have the most economical consumption scale and the largest marginal sharing effect; multigenerational families or families with a large proportion of middle-aged and older people are beneficial in reducing household energy consumption. This paper suggests it is important to fully consider the impact of the intergenerational effect, marginal effect, and cultural shock caused by the electronic information age on household energy consumption when formulating standards of household energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a systematic approach to expand non-ideal eigenmodes as superposition of ideal eigenmodes, we develop a theoretical formalism to study mode coupling in perturbed fibers. The formalism explicitly yields the maximum energy-conversion ratios among ideal eigenmodes and the corresponding propagation lengths to reach the maximum conversion, and errors inherent to the underlying perturbative assumption can be estimated straightforwardly. Moreover, the formalism provides a simple way to divide the modes into smaller approximately-decoupled subsets, thus substantially simplifying the theoretical analysis and more directly catching the physical essence. By employing the formalism to analyze a ring fiber under perturbations of ellipticity and misalignment, we find that stability of the ideal eigenmodes is sensitive to the specific perturbation form, i.e., with some modes strongly affected by the ellipticity but not the misalignment, or vice versa. Furthermore, it is revealed that the EH 11 and HE 31 modes are strongly coupled under perturbation of ellipticity despite the relatively large effective-refractive-index difference, which suggests possible inadequacy of a widely adopted criterion against the coupling of EH ν − 1 , p and HE ν + 1 , p modes. • A new theory for mode coupling in perturbed fibers is proposed. • The theory is employed to study OAM-mode coupling in a ring fiber. • The stability of OAM-modes is found to be sensitive to perturbation types. • A widely-adopted criterion on mode coupling is found to be potentially inadequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]