Train post‑derailment behaviours and containment methods:a review

Railway accidents,particularly serious derailments,can lead to catastrophic consequences.Therefore,it is essential to prevent derailment escalation to reduce the likelihood of severe derailments.Train post-derailment behaviours and containment methods play a critical role in preventing derailment escalation and providing passive safety protection and accident prevention in the event of a derailment.However,despite the increasing attention on this field from academia and industry in recent years,there is a lack of systematic exploration and summarization of emerging applications and containment methods in train post-derailment research.For this reason,this paper presents a comprehensive review of existing studies on train post-derailment behaviours,encompassing various topics such as post-derailment contact-impact models,dynamic modelling and simulation techniques,and the primary factors influencing post-derailment behaviours.Significantly,this review introduces and elucidates substitute guidance mechanisms(SGMs),which serve as railway-specific passive safety protection and accident prevention measures.The various types of SGMs are depicted,and their ongoing developments and applications are explored in depth.The review additionally points out several unresolved challenges including the adverse effects of SGMs,and proposes future research directions to advance the theoretical understanding and practical application of train post-derailment behaviours and containment methods.This review seeks to be a valuable reference for railway industry professionals in preventing catastrophic derailment consequences through post-derailment containment methods.

Mushroom cultivation for soil amendment and bioremediation

Intensive crop production,use of pesticides,and unsustainable farming practices are known to cause land degradation and soil contamination.Both have led to a decline in biodiversity and changes in the functional groups of soil microorganisms.Although physicochemical methods have been used to apply soil amendments to agricultural land,mushroom cultivation in agricultural land for soil improvement have been poorly studied.In-field mushroom cultivation is considered a good strategy for improving soil quality by reducing the input of chemical fertilizers.In this paper,we list the edible mushroom species suitable for growing in fields and summarize the important role that mushroom field cultivation can play in soil erosion control,nutrient cycling,and the bioremediation of contaminants.Decomposition,symbiosis,assimilation,degradation,bioweathering,oxidation,biosorption,and bioconversion are all critical components of mushroom field cultivation.Research has shown that field mushroom cultivation contributes to nutritional bioavailability while also promoting the degradation of pollutants and formation of soil aggregates.Through soil amendment practices,a portion of agricultural waste can be converted into high-quality food and nutraceutical sources,and the remaining organic matter improves soil quality via fungal mycelial networks and the re-use of spent mushroom substrates.Only a small number of mushroom species have been used in the application of soil amendments in field conditions.This review shows the need for further research into specific mushroom species for achieving different soil amendment goals in order to balance agricultural development with sustainable land management.

Implications of population ageing for the Chinese productivity

Since 2000 when China entered the‘ageing society’,the pace of ageing has speeded up.At the same time,traditional growth engines of the Chinese economy(i.e.export and investment)are losing momentum.Against this background,to what extent the expected demographic transformation would affect growth trajectory of the Chinese economy is of great interest.Among new growth engines,productivity has been receiving increasing attention among China’s top policy makers.In this paper,we try to identify both micro and macro effects of ageing on China’s productivity.In general,our research supports the hypothesis that more working experience and/or elder contributes to higher wage growth and total factor productivity,although with a reversed Ushaped pattern.

China’s pension system and reform:an OECD perspective

Population ageing is a worldwide phenomenon,but the speed and scale of ageing are much greater in China than in most other countries.This paper discusses the key demographic indicators of the population in China and provides a comparison with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD)countries.The evolution of the Chinese pension system is summarised before concentrating on the current structure for both public-and private-sector workers as well as rural and urban residents.The level of future pension promises for full career workers is calculated and compared with those of selected OECD countries.Possible future challenges are highlighted as China seeks to achieve an adequate and sustainable pension system.The paper highlights the issue of high level of pensioner poverty in comparison to many OECD countries as well as the low retirement age,particularly for women,despite China’s relatively high employment rates for older workers.

Editorial

Demographic transition in the age structure as featured by ageing populations has become a global phenomenon.On the one hand,ageing manifests one of the greatest achievements of humankind since people now live longer and healthier.On the other hand,however,ageing has become one of the major challenges for the twenty-first century.Meanwhile,China,as the most populous country,has witnessed rapid economic growth over the past decades,which is argued to largely benefit from the so-called demographic dividends,i.e.large surplus of younger population.But with population ageing and,particularly the much greater speed and scale of demographic transformation in China than in most other countries.