Spatial-temporal Divergence Characteristics and Driving Factors of Green Economic Efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China

The spatial and temporal variation of green economic efficiency and its driving factors are of great significance for the con-struction of high-efficiency and low-consumption green development model and sustainable socio-economic development.The research focused on the Yangtze River Economic Belt(YREB)and employed the miniumum distance to strong efficient frontier DEA(MinDs)model to measure the green economic efficiency of the municipalities in the region between 2008 and 2020.Then,the spatial autocorrel-ation model was used to analyze the evolution characteristics of its spatial pattern.Finally,Geodetector was applied to reveal the drivers and their interactions on green economic efficiency.It is found that:1)the overall green economic efficiency of the YREB from 2008 to 2020 shows a W-shaped fluctuating upward trend,green economic efficiency is greater in the downstream and smallest in the upstream;2)the spatial distribution of green economic efficiency shows clustering characteristics,with multi-core clustering based on‘city clusters-central cities'becoming more obvious over time;the High-High agglomeration type is mainly clustered in Jiangsu and Zheji-ang,while the Low-Low agglomeration type is clustered in the western Sichuan Plateau area and southwestern Yunnan;3)from input-output factors,whether it is the YREB as a whole or the upper,middle and lower reaches regions,the economic development level,labor input,and capital investment are the leading factors in the spatial-temporal evolution of green economic efficiency,with the com-prehensive influence of economic development level and pollution index being the most important interactive driving factor;4)from so-cio-economic factors,information technology drivers such as government intervention,transportation accessibility,information infra-structure,and Internet penetration are always high impact influencers and dominant interaction factors for green economic efficiency in the YREB and the three major regions in the upper,middle and lower reaches.Accordingly,the article puts forward relevant policy re-commendations in terms of formulating differentiated green transformation strategies,strengthening network leadership and informa-tion technology construction and coordinating multi-factor integrated development,which could provide useful reference for promoting synergistic green economic efficiency in the YREB.

Effect of Agricultural Land Use Changes on Soil Nutrient Use Efficiency in an Agricultural Area,Beijing,China

Agricultural land use and management practices may affect soil properties,which play a critical role in sustaining crop production.Since the late 1970s,several new agricultural land use types had been introduced in the rural areas of China.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of these land use changes on the soil properties,nu-trient absorption rate,and nutrient use economic efficiency ratio in an agricultural area of Beijing.Specifically,the cropland,the orchard and the vegetable field were examined.Results of this study suggest that land use and farming management practices significantly affect the content of soil organic carbon (SOC),total nitrogen (TN),total phos-phorus (TP),and available phosphorus in the surface layer of 0-25 cm (p<0.05) in the Yanqing Basin,northwestern Beijing.Soil nutrients in each agricultural land use type decrease rapidly with the increasing soil depth.Orchard and vegetable field tend to have higher soil nutrients than the cropland does.However,the soil nutrient-absorption rate (NAR) of the orchard and vegetable field is lower than that of the cropland,even though orchard and vegetable field may provide much higher economic benefit.While increasing SOC,TN,and TP in the orchard and vegetable field by intensive farming may be a valuable option to improve soil quality,potential increase in the risk of nutrient loss,or agricultural non-point source pollution can be a tradeoff if the intensive practices are not managed appropriately.

Measurement of Technical, AIIocative and Economic Efficiency of Tomato Farms in Northern Pakistan

The study measures productive efficiency of tomato growers in village Akbarpura of Disctrict Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa （KPK） province of Northern Pakistan. The study uses household level data collected in summer 2010 from sample farmers selected by multi-staged sampling. The study uses a theoretical framework to measure productive efficiency and estimates the Cobb-Douglas frontier production and cost models. The study found that technical efficiency indices varied significantly, with technical efficiency index averaging at 65%. The indices of allocative efficiency also varied widely, with an average of 56%. There was a wide gap between the highest and lowest economic efficiency indices, with a mean economic efficiency of 35%. The study concluded that farmer education, extension visits, age and access to credit contributed significantly and positively to productive efficiencies. A policy implication of this study is that there is enough potential for farmers to increase tomato production and net profits. The study recommends that the government should further invest in public education and strengthen extension services farmer education and because extension visits constituted important determinants of productive efficiencies.

Oppugnation on the Efficiency of the Perfect Competitive Market

In the classical economic prevalent opinions, economic efficiency is in direct proportion to the level of the market competitiveness and perfect competitive market has the highest efficiency. However, in this paper, it will be approved the viewpoint that perfect competitive market owns highest efficiency is not existent in practical economy, even on the theoretic level, uncertainty exits. So the perfect objective model the government oolicv should oursue is coexistence of the effective competition and effective monopoly.

Rural Financial Development and Rural Economic Efficiency Improvement Based on Granger Causality Test

Based on the co-integration test theory,Financial Interrelation Ratio(FIR),level of financial efficiency(LFE),level of financial development(LFD) and other indices evaluating the rural financial development are selected by Granger Causality Test.The rural loan balance(RLB),rural deposit balance(RDB),total rural output(TRO),fixed assets investment(FAI),Financial Interrelation Ratio(FIR),economic efficiency(EE),level of financial efficiency(LFE),and level of financial development(LFD) in the years 1979-2007 are collected.Graphical method intuitively reflects the development trend and historical track of relevant indices;and Granger Causality Test verifies the relationship between rural financial development level and rural economic efficiency in the years 1979-2007.Result shows that rural financial development level has significant impact on rural economic growth,but rural economic growth has no significant impact on rural financial development;and rural financial development also has insignificant promotion impact on rural economic efficiency.Thus,conclusions are obtained.Although rural financial development has made certain contribution to the development of rural economy,this kind of contribution is only reflected in total quantity,but not efficiency.Therefore,government should further strengthen the promotion function of financial development for economic efficiency,and gradually establish a virtuous circle system for rural finance and economic development.

Eco-Efficiency： Environmental Performance vs Economic Performance

The second half of the 20th century was characterized by an increasing interest in the pace of economic growth and its impact on the environment. As a result, the concept of eco-efficiency as a philosophy of management has arisen, which combines the excellence of the environment and business. This paper uses the distribution-free approach to provide empirical evidence in relation to the eco-efficiency paradigm by studying the relation between environmental performance （measured by the level of emissions of air-contaminating substances） and economic performance （approximated by economic efficiency）, in 199 companies from mineral manufacturing industry in Spain between 2004 and 2007. The empirical analysis shows that the results are consistent with the paradigm of eco-efficiency and therefore it can be concluded that being responsible for the environment is positively related to economic efficiency.

Estimating the Efficiency of Summer Tomatoes Production: A Case Study in Borg El-Arab Area, Egypt

Tomatoes are one of the most popular and widely consumed vegetable crops worldwide. Egypt is characterized by its tomatoes production, whether for domestic use or export. Summer tomato farmers’ income has recently been reduced due to high production costs, particularly in new lands. As a result, the purpose of this research is to evaluate the economic efficiency of the elements used in summer tomato production in the Borg El-Arab area of Egypt as a new land. According to the findings, the summer tomato crop produced a reasonable profit for small-holding farmers in the study area. However, the elements are being used excessively in the production process, particularly seeds and fertilizers, resulting in increased production costs and failure to achieve economic efficiency of the elements used in the study area.

Energy transmission modes based on Tabu search and particle swarm hybrid optimization algorithm

In China, economic centers are far from energy storage bases, so it is significant to select a proper energy transferring mode to improve the efficiency of energy usage. To solve this problem, an optimal allocation model based on energy transfer mode was proposed after objective function for optimizing energy using efficiency was established, and then, a new Tabu search and particle swarm hybrid optimizing algorithm was proposed to find solutions. While actual data of energy demand and distribution in China were selected for analysis, the economic critical value in comparison between the long-distance coal transfer and electric power transmission was gained. Based on the above discussion, some proposals were put forward for optimal allocation of energy transfer modes in China. By comparing other three traditional methods that are based on regional price differences, freight rates and annual cost with the proposed method, the result indicates that the economic efficiency of the energy transfer can be enhanced by 3.14%, 5.78% and 6.01%, respectively.

Leaf area development, dry weight accumulation and solar energy conversion efficiencies of Phaseolus vulgaris L. under different soil moisture levels near Nairobi, Kenya

Leaf area development, dry weight accumulation and solar energy conversion efficiencies of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv GLP\|2 under two soil moisture levels in two contrasting seasons near Nairobi, Kenya were investigated. The experiment confirms that dry weights and yields of Phaseolus vulgaris are limited by a drought induced decrease in leaf area, leading to less radiation interception as a source for assimilation. However, photosynthetic efficiency in Phaseolus vulgaris also appears to decrease and to contribute to these effects. Finally, an even larger decreases of economic efficiency as obtained in the second season, where stress lasted much later into the season, reveals that such a drought also limits considerably the partitioning and translocation of assimilates to the seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris. The efficiencies obtained are in line with the better literature data for other crops.

Effect of Zinc Methionine Supplementation on Productive Performance of Lactating Friesian Cows

Twelve lactating Friesian Cows with body weight of 450 to 550 kg and in the second to fifth lactating season were used after 8 weeks of cal- ving in a complete switch-back design. The cows were fed a basal ration of 35% concentrate feed mix-ture with 40% berseem and 25% rice straw （ on a dry matter （DM） basis） without supplementation （ G1 ） or supplemented with 5 and 10 g zinc methionine per head per day （G2 and G3, respectively）. Nutrient digestibility coefficients and nutritive values were significantly increased （P 〈0.05） by zinc methionine supplementation. Cows in G2 had the highest feed intake of total digestible nutrients （TDN） and digestible crude protein （DCP）, followed by Ga and G1, respectively （ P 〈 0.05 ）. The ruminal total volatile fatty acid concentration increased and ammonia nitrogen decreased significantly （ P 〈 0.05 ） by zinc methio-nine supplementation. Cows in G3 showed the highest plasma total protein, albumin, and globulin concen- trations （ P 〈 0.05 ）. Zinc methionine supplementa- tion led to significant decreases （ P 〈 0.05 ） in the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. A significant increase （ P 〈 0.05 ） was observed in the milk yield for G2 （2.54 kg/d or 18. 1% ） and G3 （ 1.95 kg/d or 14.2% ） compared with the control group. The corresponding increase in 4% fat-corrected milk （FCM） was 2.85 and 2.03 kg/d （21.63% and 15.74% ） for G2 and G3, respectively. Cows in G2 had the highest fat, total protein, and total solids contents, and the yield of all milk constitu- ents and animals in G3 showed the highest lactose, solids-not-fat, and ash contents. Zinc methionine sup- plementation improved feed conversion, reducing the quantities of DM, TDN, and DCP required to pro- duce 1 kg of 4% FCM （P〈0.05）. The average dai- ly feed cost per kilogram of 4% FCM decreased and the average income from milk production increased with zinc methionine supplementation （ P 〈 0.05 ）. Quadratic analysis showed that the optimal level of zinc methionine supplementation is 6 g per head per day in terms of milk yield and net revenue.

An estimation framework of regional rooftop photovoltaic potential based on satellite remote sensing images

This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for estimating the regional rooftop photovoltaic(PV)potential.The required rooftop information is extracted from Gao Fen-7 satellite images.In particular,the rooftop area is obtained using a semantic segmentation network.The azimuth and inclination angles are calculated based on the digital surface model.In addition,to improve the accuracy of the economic evaluation,buildings are divided into commercial and industrial buildings and residential buildings.Based on the difference in the roof inclination,the rooftops can be divided into flat roofs,on which the PV panels are installed with the optimal inclination angle,and sloped rooftops,on which the PV panels are installed in a lay-flat manner.The solar irradiation on the plane-of-array is calculated using the isotropic sky translocation model.Then,the available installed capacity and generation potential of the rooftop PV is obtained.Finally,the net present value,dynamic payback period,and internal rate of return are used to evaluate the economic efficiency of the rooftop PV project.The proposed framework is applied in the Da Xing district of Beijing,China,with a total area of 546.84 km^(2).The results show that the rooftop area and available installed capacity of PV are 25.63 km^(2)and 1487.45 MWp,respectively.The annual rooftop PV generation potential is 2832.23 GWh,with significant economic returns.

Sustainable livelihood security in Odisha, India: A district level analysis

Sustainable livelihood security(SLS) is an integrating framework that encompasses current concerns and policy requirements for ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development. It carries particular importance for developing economies. This study intends to verify the relative status of SLS of the 30 districts in Odisha, which is a backward state in eastern India. In this study, a total of 22 relevant indicators relating to the three components of SLS—ecological security, social equity, and economic efficiency have been taken, based on various kinds of government reports. The principal component analysis(PCA) was used to ascertain the indicators and the importance of each of them to the corresponding component of SLS. The ecological security index(ESI), social equity index(SEI), economic efficiency index(EEI), and composite sustainable livelihood security index(CSLSI) of each district of Odisha were calculated through the min-max normalization technique. The results revealed that there are wide variations in SLS among the districts of Odisha. In this study, the districts are categorized into four levels based on the scores of ESI, SEI, EEI, and CSLSI as very low(<0.400), low(0.400–0.549), medium(0.550–0.700), and high(>0.700). According to the classification result of CSLSI, 2 districts are found to be in the very low category, 20 districts are under the low sustainability category, 8 districts are in the medium category, and none of the districts are found to be in the high sustainability category. The district of Sambalpur ranks the highest with a CSLSI score of 0.624. The bottom five districts are Gajapati, Bolangir, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri, having the CSLSI scores of 0.438, 0.435, 0.406, 0.391, and 0.344, respectively. The result of this study suggests that region-specific, systematic, and proactive approaches are desirable for balanced development in Odisha. Further, policy intervention is required to implement more inclusive tribal welfare policies.

Prospect Analysis of the United States' Crude Oil Exports to the Asia-Pacific Region

At the end of 2015, the United States lifted a 40-year ban on crude oil exports, which has far-reaching implications for the global crude oil market and crude oil trade patterns. Since the release of crude oil exports, with the recovery of crude oil production and improved export infrastructure in the United States, U.S. crude oil exports have been growing rapidly, with an average of about one million barrels/day in 2017, making the U.S one of the major global crude oil exporters. Currently, the AsiaPacific region has replaced North America as the first major destination for U.S. crude oil exports. In light of future trends in the oil refining industry of the Asia-Pacific region, it will usher in a new wave of refinery operations around 2020 and crude oil imports will continue to grow rapidly. The American region, represented by the United States, will replace West Africa as the second largest source of crude oil imports to the Asia-Pacific region, and that energy trade cooperation between the Asia-Pacific region and the United States will continue to grow. In particular, for China, the United States will become an important source of crude oil imports for our country in the future, and the two countries will shift from the past of energy competition to energy cooperation. Sino-US energy trade will play a more active role in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Industrial Green Spatial Pattern Evolution of Yangtze River Economic Belt in China

We use the directional slacks-based measure of efficiency and inverse distance weighting method to analyze the spatial pattern evolution of the industrial green total factor productivity of 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt in 2003–2013.Results show that both the subprime mortgage crisis and ‘the new normal' had significant negative effects on productivity growth,leading to the different spatial patterns between 2003–2008 and 2009–2013.Before 2008,green poles had gathered around some capital cities and formed a tripartite pattern,which was a typical core-periphery pattern.Due to a combination of the polarization and the diffusion effects,capital cities became the growth poles and ‘core' regions,while surrounding areas became the ‘periphery'.This was mainly caused by the innate advantage of capital cities and ‘the rise of central China' strategy.After 2008,the tripartite pattern changed to a multi-poles pattern where green poles continuously and densely spread in the midstream and downstream areas.This is due to the regional difference in the leading effect of green poles.The leading effect of green poles in midstream and downstream areas has changed from polarization to diffusion,while the polarization effect still leads in the upstream area.

Economic Evaluation of the Resource-Saving Technologies in Non-irrigated Lands

Conservation agriculture （CA） is especially relevant for Uzbekistan＇s agriculture, particularly in non-irrigated lands where soil fertility has been steadily declining and the risk of crop failure has been growing. CA has three main characterizations given in scientific literature, which are the minimal soil disturbance, crop rotation and surface crop residue retention. Nowadays, the majority of farmers are not widely using CA in their agricultural practices in Uzbekistan. Maybe, this is due to different perception of the economic efficiency of CA. The objective of the research was to calculate economic efficiency of CA in non-irrigated lands and to show whether it is effective or not in agricultural production. To achieve this objective, literature review including a variety of secondary data is employed. Overall, the costs of labor and fuel consumption per ha at CA technology are less in comparison with conventional technology. Using CA practices gives a chance to increase labour productivity, to use resource effectively and to improve soil quality and crop diversification.

Economic Analysis of the Use of Restrictive Food Management in the Cultivation of Tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)in a Recirculation System

The development of more adequate food programs regarding the intensity and duration of the restriction can be an effective way to minimize the effects of exaggerated food consumption and its negative consequences for the economy of the business.In this sense,juvenile Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)(137±3 g)were submitted to different feeding strategies in a recirculation system.Five feeding strategies were tested in subsequent weekly cycles:continuous feeding;skipping one meal a week;suppression of two non-consecutive meals a week;suppression of three non-consecutive meals a week;suppression of four non-consecutive meals a week.Productive performance,feed consumption in the post-restriction period and economic indicators were evaluated through projections and profitability analyses.Compensatory intake occurred in all tested groups,so that the total feed intake(FI)did not differ significantly between them(p>0.05).Moderate food restriction provided a linear increase in the relative gross margin for each treatment with each change in salary level,as well as greater profitability when compared to the respective control group(p<0.05).

Measurement of Economic Power： An Engineering Approach

Business Directory defines economic power as ＂conditions of having sufficient productive resources at command that give the capacity to make and enforce economic decisions, such as allocation of resources and apportioning of goods and services＂. This qualitative definition may be sufficient for general discussions, but it does not offer any quantitative measurements for management and control. Is there a way to measure economic power for analysis and synthesis of economic systems in this 21st century？ This paper answers this question by introducing a set of quantitative terms from the field of electrical engineering, used in power measurement and control of electrical systems. Circuit theory concepts are introduced to show how the relationship between cash and cash flow in finance is analogous to that of electric charge and electric current and how education level, as economic potential, is analogous to electrical potential that causes current to flow in a circuit. An individual is identified as the basic cash flow source in the economy. Circuit models for an individual as well as a typical production facility are developed and demonstrated with an example. Equations for the measurement of economic power, losses, efficiency, and power factor are presented. It is shown that the individuals are the basic cash flow sources and producers of economic power.

Feminist Perspective on Economic Theory, Policies, and Institutions for Women Workers in the Informal Employment of Indonesian Post-economic Crisis

This paper aims to have a grounded picture regarding the impacts of the economic crises on women workers in the informal employment, identify the economic theory whose application is disadvantageous to the women home-based workers, support recognition of women homeworkers by the policy makers, and empower the workers through exercising their rights. Research methodology for women＇s studies from a feminist perspective is employed covering action-oriented research initiating from the grounded issues, a bottom-up approach, and a participatory method where the researchers act as facilitators. It is necessarily a longitudinal research work with a new paradigm to change the women＇s situation. This methodology is deemed effective to identify impacts of the crises as described in the paper. It can be found that the root cause of women workers＇ exploitation is the economic efficiency theory, while policy development should be specifically designed along with engendering policy makers. Exercising the rights to organize the unorganized women home-based workers is no way repeatable from standard practice of organizing formal workers. All these require action of committed and skilled feminists with adequate praxis resources.

Elasticity Ratio of Resource Consumption and the Resource Consumption

Today the resources are becoming scarcer, which should not be regarded as unexhausted any more. Correspondingly, the production would be constrained by the scarcity of resources clearly. Then the economic researchers would pay much more attention to reducing the consumption of natural resources in the future. Therefore this paper brings foreword the conception of elasticity ratio of resource consumption based on the concept of elasticity and analyzes the relationship between the parameters. For the certain relationships between the elasticity ratio of resource consumption and resource consumption, this paper will try to reveal, to keep economy growing while resource consumption reducing, what conditions should be met as to the relationships among resource productivity, its growth rate, energy saving efficiency, economic growth rate and elasticity ratio of resource consumption. This paper proves the relationship between the China＇s energy consumption and economy growth using statistic data from 1978 to 2003.

A Consortium Blockchain-enabled Double Auction Mechanism for Peer-to-peer Energy Trading among Prosumers

This paper investigates a double auction-based peer-to-peer(P2P)energy trading market for a community of renewable prosumers with private information on reservation price and quantity of energy to be traded.A novel competition padding auction(CPA)mechanism for P2P energy trading is proposed to address the budget deficit problem while holding the advantages of the widely-used Vickrey-Clarke-Groves mechanism.To illustrate the theoretical properties of the CPA mechanism,the sufficient conditions are identified for a truth-telling equilibrium with a budget surplus to exist,while further proving its asymptotical economic efficiency.In addition,the CPA mechanism is implemented through consortium blockchain smart contracts to create safer,faster,and larger P2P energy trading markets.The proposed mechanism is embedded into blockchain consensus protocols for high consensus efficiency,and the budget surplus of the CPA mechanism motivates the prosumers to manage the blockchain.Case studies are carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.