Research Progress on Evaluation Frameworks of Regional Ecological Sustainability

As natural ecosystems provide the material basis and fundamental support for regional sustainable devel-opment,the sustainability of natural ecosystems is an important prerequisite and a viable approach for the achievement of regional sustainable development.It is also the final criteria to assess whether sustainable development paradigm is successful.Along with the increasing impacts of human activities on natural ecosystems,the evaluation of regional ecological sustainability has become one of the key issues for research on macro ecology and sustainable development.Based on different unit of indicators,this study firstly groups the evaluation frameworks of regional ecological sus-tainability into three major types:comprehensive index evaluation with dimensionless unit,monetary valuation,and biophysical quantity measurement.We then discuss and compare these types in terms of basic principles,scope of ap-plications,advantages and shortcomings.Finally,drawn on the discussion about characteristics of ecological sustain-ability,we outline the current trend and future directions of regional ecological sustainability evaluation,for instance,transition from sustainable development evaluation to sustainability science,integration of goal-oriented and problem-solving approaches,combination of spatial pattern analysis and ecological sustainability evaluation,and en-hancement of ecological sustainability evaluation at landscape scale.

Research Progress of Bactrocera(Zeugodacus) scutellata(Hendel)(Diptera: Tephritidae)

The stripped fruit fly, Bactrocera （Zeugodacus） scutellata （Hendel）, is one of the most dangerous quarantine insect pests in China. Due to its wide distribution and heavy damage, it has caused serious economic losses in fruit and vegetable production in China. This paper assembles research progresses in mor- phological characteristics, classification status, host ranges, geographical distribution, population dynamics, molecular ecology and biology of B. scutellata, and put forward the following research prospects as well.

Beyond Biochar-Soil, Plant and Environment: Research Progress and Future Prospects

Since industrial revolution, the atmospheric CO2 concentration has kept a continuous increase by more than 2.2 ppm yr^-1, and approaches to almost 400 ppm at present （Jouzel 2012）. China has become the largest country of greenhouse gas emission （GHG）, and confronts with great challenge to mitigate GHG.

Research progress and prospect of interaction between rock engineering and geo-environments

In recent years, a large number of geotechnical engineering projectshave been completed or under construction in China, such asthe Three Gorges Dam Project, Expressway Network Plan, South-to-North Water Diversion Project, West-to-East Gas Pipeline Project,etc. （Wang, 2003; Li, 2010; Huang, 2011; She and Lin, 2014）. Theconstruction of large-scale geotechnical engineering not onlybrings huge economic benefits, but also causes large interferenceto the lithosphere and hydrosphere that we rely on for survival（Wang et al., 2005）. This paper focuses on the interaction mechanismof rock engineering and geo-environments in the fields of urbanunderground space utilization, natural gas hydrate exploitationand high-level radioactive waste disposal.

Prospective Cohort Research of Aortic Root Dilatation after Surgical Repair in Adults with Tetralogy of Fallot(TRANSIT)

Background:Aortic root dilatation occurs in adults with tetralogy of Fallot(TOF)after surgical repair,but the longitudinal changes are unclear.The main research aim is to determine the annual dilatation rate of aorta in adults with repaired TOF.Methods:The present,multicentric,prospective cohort study assessed the rate of aortic diameter change in adults aged 20 years or older with TOF,including pulmonary artery atresia,who underwent surgical repair.Clinical data,focusing on echocardiograms,were collected at three-year intervals from seven hos-pitals.Results:In total,104 patients(58 males;median age:29 years)were enrolled.The actual Valsalva sinus(VS)diameter was 34.3±5.8(mean±standard deviation)and 36.1±6.0 mm at the initial andfinal examinations,respectively,and the annual dilatation rate was 0.64(0.07,1.33)(median,interquartile)mm/year.The corrected diameter at the respective examination was 21.3±3.8 and 22.2±3.7 mm/m^(2),and the annual dilation rate was 0.28(-0.21,0.76)mm/m^(2)/year.Multiple regression analysis showed that factors significant associated with dila-tation rate of actual VS diameter were the diastolic blood pressure(standardized coefficient-0.22;p=0.04),cardiothoracic ratio(0.28;0.02),and the ratio of early mitral valve inflow velocity to early diastolic annular velocity(E/e′)ratio(0.31;0.004).Factors significantly associated with corrected VS diameter were diastolic blood pressure(-0.25;0.02)and the E/e′ratio(0.34;0.001).Conclusions:In adults with repaired TOF,the rate of dilatation of the aortic diameter was associated with decreased diastolic blood pressure and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction,possibly reflecting decreased aortic wall elasticity.

China's Manganese Geological Research and Prospecting have Achieved Great Breakthrough

Data announced by the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources in 2015 suggest that China has discovered more than 480 manganese ore-producing areas, with manganese ore resource reserves up to 1.22 billion tons, including 0.303 billion tons of basic reserves and 0.915 billion tons amount of resource. Among these reserves, manganese carbonate ores account for 56%, manganese oxide ores （including spongy manganese ores） accounts for 25%, and other types of manganese ore occupy 19%. Rich ores with 〉30% manganese content only account for 5% of the total resource amount, and the remaining 95% are poor manganese ores. Since 1983 when China first began to import, the imported manganese ores have increased annually by 25%. In 2001, the annual imported manganese ores reached 1.71 million tons. From 2010, the annual imported manganese ores increased by greater than 45%, reaching up to 12 million tons in 2015. Thus it seemed that the shortage of manganese ore resources will be a longterm phenomenon for China＇s economic development.

Current Status and Prospect of Process Research in CISRI

The Central Iron and Steel Research Institute(CISRI),directly under the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry(MMI),is a comprehensive research institute mainly engaged in the research and development of new metallic materials and new iron and steel process.With the rapid development of China’s iron and steel industry,CISRI has also made a great progress since it was established more than 40 years ago.In 1994,the steel output of

Research Hotspots and Prospects of Third-Tier Construction Industrial Heritage

From the perspective of bibliometric analysis, based on the data of 286 related literature retrieved and screened in the CNKI database, coOC software is used for data processing, and the relevant knowledge graphs such as the amount of publication, authors, and keywords in the field of third-line heritage research are plotted. The results show that the attention to third-line heritage research in China is increasing day by day, and the overall volume of publications shows a rapid growth trend;The authors’ clusters are scattered and do not form a broad and close network of cooperation;The research hotspots focus on the protection and reuse of third-line heritage, and the quantitative research methods are insufficient. In the future, the breadth and depth of third-line heritage research need to be expanded.

Self-perceived burden and influencing factors in patients with cervical cancer administered with radiotherapy

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is the fourth commonest malignancy in women around the world.It represents the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in South East Asian women,and an important cancer death cause in women of developing nations.Data collected in 2018 revealed 5690000 cervical cancer cases worldwide,85%of which occurred in developing countries.AIM To assess self-perceived burden(SPB)and related influencing factors in cervical cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.METHODS Patients were prospectively included by convenient sampling at The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University,China between March 2018 and March 2019.The survey was completed using a self-designed general information questionnaire,the SPB scale for cancer patients,and the self-care self-efficacy scale,Strategies Used by People to Promote Health,which were delivered to patients with cervical cancer undergoing radiotherapy.Measurement data are expressed as the mean±SD.Enumeration data are expressed as frequencies or percentages.Caregivers were the spouse,offspring,and other in 46.4,40.9,and 12.7%,respectively,and the majority were male(59.1%).As for pathological type,90 and 20 cases had squamous and adenocarcinoma/adenosquamous carcinomas,respectively.Stage IV disease was found in 12(10.9%)patients.RESULTS A total of 115 questionnaires were released,and five patients were excluded for too long evaluation time(n=2)and the inability to confirm the questionnaire contents(n=3).Finally,a total of 110 questionnaires were collected.They were aged 31-79 years,with the 40-59 age group being most represented(65.4%of all cases).Most patients were married(91.8%)and an overwhelming number had no religion(92.7%).Total SPB score was 43.13±16.65.SPB was associated with the place of residence,monthly family income,payment method,transfer status,the presence of radiotherapy complications,and the presence of pain(P<0.05).The SPB and self-care self-efficacy were negatively correlated(P<0.01).In multivariate analysis,self-care self-efficacy,place of residence,monthly family income,payment method,degree of radiation dermatitis,and radiation proctitis were influencing factors of SPB(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Patients with cervical cancer undergoing radiotherapy often have SPB.Self-care self-efficacy scale,place of residence,monthly family income,payment method,and radiation dermatitis and proctitis are factors independently influencing SPB.

The Digital Currency of China’s Central Bank:Digital Currency Electronic Payment(DCEP)

DCEP is the Chinese version of Central Bank Digital Currency(CBDC).It is the only legal digital currency in China and meets four conditions:(a)it is issued by the central bank;(b)it is digitized;(c)it is account and wallet based;(d)it is oriented towards the general public.As a retail central bank digital currency,it has three main technical features:a“tiered limit arrangement”(small-scale payments can be made anonymously while large-scale payments cannot),a“two-tier operating system”(as with the central bank-commercial bank traditional model),and a“dual offline payment system”(supporting both parties of the transaction).Compared with CBDCs in other countries,China’s DCEP has smaller economic impacts,more obscure strategic goals,and more scarce technical details.But its progress in testing is ahead of central banks of other countries.This article is based on public information and is intended to explain what DCEP is and why and how it was developed.It also offers suggestions for future research.

Goal Self-Concordance Model: What HaveWe Learned and Where are We Going

Goal self-concordance reflects self-generated personal goals aligning with people’s interests and core values in one’s implicit personality as organic components,which is measured by the“perceived locus of causality”PLOC.Pursuing and achieving self-concordant goals both predict diversified outcomes in need-satisfaction,mental and physical well-being,positive attitude and behavior,etc.Based on expounding and sorting out the concept and measurement about goal self-concordance,the author analyzes the differences among a series of goal self-concor-dance theories.This paper focuses on the latest research trends and summarizesfive influencing aspects of goal self-concordance:mental health,cognition,emotion,personal will,and behavioral outcomes.The mediating effects are discussed concerning antecedents and influence effects,the influence effects are shown in three aspects including the characteristics of individual,target,and environment.While the antecedent effects are respectively reflected in self-insight,personality,empowerment,and self-supported environment,content,and context of the goal itself.Finally,the author proposes several potential research interests from a broader perspective based on the current literature.

Recent research progress and prospects in tourism geography of China

Based on a large number of domestic literature reviews with related research abroad, academic standards and issues awareness have been intensified in domestic tourism geography, disciplinary consciousness and innovation enhancement. Hence, some valuable achievements have been made in the areas of tourism resources, tourism regional system, the spatial structure of tourism, tourism flow, ecotourism, tourism industry, tourism planning and tourism impacts, which strengthened the traditional advantages of research, expanded new areas of research and made research trends diverse. Meanwhile, with innovation of research methods, tourism geography in China is getting more and more internationally-oriented and reflecting Chinese characteristics. Research trends of China＇s tourism geography are prospected： 1） Catering to national strategic needs, persisting problem-oriented, strengthening the metatheoretical research, and building Chinese ＂localization＂ of theory of tourism geography and method system. 2） Introducing and assimilating foreign theories and research methods, while focusing on explaining new tourism phenomena and problems in the domestic socio-economic background. 3） Concerning about the new regional spatial processes of demographic process, social process, and spatial process in new tourism trend. 4） Exploring interactive process and mechanism of man-land relationship and new models to develop territorial space under the tourism impacts. 5） Exploring important research issues of tourism geography in global, national, regional and local scales, from the point of view of spatial differentiation, scale transformation, interaction of man and nature, creating tourism geography interpretation system based on ＂process-structure-mechanism＂ of China. 6） Building theoretical system actively, while strengthening application-oriented research, and focusing on tourism poverty alleviation, tourism and heritage protection, national parks＇ construction and other hot issues. Faced with econometrics research boom, we should return to rational thinking, using big data scientifically, while paying attention to the important role of qualitative evaluation in future research.

Review and Prospect of Research on Settlement Adaptation

Adaptation research is a key area in the research on the Sciences of Human Settlements. Based on tracing the origin of the concept of adaptation and reviewing relevant studies, this paper attempts to propose the concept of settlement adaptation and answer the three core questions of “object of adaptation,” “subject of adaptation,” and “type and process of adaptation.” Then, the paper summarizes the main contents of the settlement adaptation research, including the research on adaptive construction of traditional settlements centered on climate adaptation, water adaptation, and terrain adaptation, as well as that on the evolutionary characteristics and mechanisms in the process of settlement adaptation. In the end,the paper points out the directions of future settlement adaptation research: systematic and holistic theoretical research;cross-scale, inter-temporal,and multi-regional empirical research;methodological innovation supported by emerging technologies;planning and design innovation to address current challenges. The relevant research and practice of settlement adaptation can provide support and reference for the sustainable development of settlements.

Research status of lacustrine mudrock deposition constrained from astronomical forcing

The sources,transportation and depositional processes of lacustrine mudrock are still poorly understood.Existing studies have demonstrated the controlling effect of astronomical forcing on lacustrine mudrock deposition,but its depositional mechanism and evolution are still not systematically investigated.Most research related to astronomical forcing exclusively highlights the sedimentation of carbonate rocks in deep-water lacustrine setting,with insufficient attention paid to the thick organic-rich,deep-lake mudrock.With the increasing interest in exploration and development of shale oil and gas accumulations,it is urgent to deeply understand depositional rules of lacustrine mudrock.This study reviews sediment sources,depositional mechanism and evolution process of mudrock through expounding the correlations between the periodic changes of astronomical forces,the parameters of Earth orbital and mudrock compositions.By investigating the existing literature and using some actual data of Jiyang Depression,Bohai Bay Basin in East China,this study expounds on the influence of astronomical cycles on the deposition of lacustrine mudrock.Moreover,efforts are made to analyze the effects of various orbital parameters(e.g.,precession,obliquity,and eccentricity with the periods ranging from tens of thousands years to million years)on the deposition of mudrock from small-scale(decimeters to meters)to large-scale(10s to 100s meters).Further,it is feasible to apply the high-precision isochronous stratigraphic correlation into clarifying the distribution of favorable shale oil and gas reservoirs.To conclude,this study enunciates the sedimentation of mudrock from a new perspective(astronomical forcing)and provides a direction for the research on sedimentation of fine-grained sedimentary rocks.

Sentiment Analysis Research Status and Prospect

With the flourishing development of internet,reading-mode of internet has been dramatically switched to interactive mode.How to conduct analysis and computation with interactive text resources has consequently become the concern for researchers.This paper depicted the definition and fundamentals of sentiment analysis,comprehensively analysed and

Agricultural drought monitoring: Progress, challenges, and prospects

In this paper, we compared the concept of agricultural drought and its relationship with other types of droughts and reviewed the progress of research on agricultural drought monitoring indices on the basis of station data and remote sensing. Applicability and limitations of different drought monitoring indices were also compared. Meanwhile, development history and the latest progress in agricultural drought monitoring were evaluated through statistics and document comparison, suggesting a transformation in agricultural drought monitoring from traditional single meteorological monitoring indices to meteorology and remote sensing-integrated monitoring indices. Finally, an analysis of current challenges in ag- ricultural drought monitoring revealed future research prospects for agricultural drought monitoring, such as investigating the mechanism underlying agricultural drought, identifying factors that influence agricultural drought, developing multi-spatiotemporal scales models for agricultural drought monitoring, coupling qualitative and quantitative agricultural drought evaluation models, and improving the application levels of remote sensing data in agricultural drought monitoring.

Global understanding of farmland abandonment： A review and prospects

Since the 1950s, noteworthy farmland abandonment has been occurring in many developed countries and some developing countries. This global land use phenomenon has fundamentally altered extensive rural landscapes. A review of global farmland abandonment under the headings of ＂land use change - driving mechanisms - impacts and consequences - policy responses＂ found the following： （1） Farmland abandonment has occurred primarily in developed countries in Europe and North America, but the extent of abandonment has varied significantly. （2） Changing socio-economic factors were the primary driving forces for the farmland abandonment. And land marginalization was the fundamental cause, which was due to the drastic increase of farming opportunity cost, while the direct factor for abandonment was the shrink of agricultural labor forces. （3） Whether to abandon, to what extent and its spatial distributions were finally dependent on integrated effect from the physical conditions, laborer attributes, farming and regional socio-economic conditions at the village, household and parcel scales. With the exception of Eastern Europe, farmland abandonment was more likely to occur in mountainous and hilly areas, due to their unfavorable farming conditions. （4） A study of farmland abandonment should focus on its ecological and environmental effects, while which is more positive or more negative are still in dispute. （5） Increasing agricultural subsidies will be conductive to slowing the rate of farmland abandonment, but this is not the only measure that needs to be implemented. Due to China＇s rapid urbanization, there is a high probability that the rate of abandonment will increase in the near future. However, very little research has focused on this rapid land-use trend in China, and, as a result, there is an inadequate understanding of the dynamic mechanisms and consequences of this phenomenon. This paper concludes by suggesting some future directions for further research in China. These directions include monitoring regional and national abandonment dynamics, analyzing trends, assessing the risks and socio-economic effects of farmland abandonment, and informing policy making.