Spatiotemporal variations,influencing factors,and configurational promotion paths of energy efficiency in China’s cities

The promotion of energy efficiency(EE)helps address energy constraints and promote environmental sustainability.This study comprehensively explores the spatiotemporal variations,influencing factors,and configuration promotion paths of EE in 284 Chinese cities during 2003‒2019 using the global super-efficiency minimum distance to strong efficient frontier(G-S-MinDS),exploratory spatial data analysis(ESDA),multiscale geographically weighted regression(MGWR),and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA)methods.The findings are:①China’s cities have an annual average EE of 0.658 with a growth rate of 0.53%,showing considerable promotion potential.②Industrial structure optimization,population agglomeration,economic development,and increased green coverage contribute positively,while government intervention and openness hinder China’s urban EE.③Four configurational promotion paths for enhancing China’s urban EE are identified,where among those paths population density is a core condition,while government intervention is not.This study provides valuable insights into substantially improving urban EE,emphasizing the need for targeted policies to address energy and environmental crises in China.

Research Advance on Influencing Factors of Crop Water Use Efficiency

The research advance on the influencing factors of crop water use effi-ciency （WUE） was reviewed in this paper. Based on the discussion on the conno-tation of crop WUE, the influencing factors of crop WUE, such as crop, environ-ment, chemicals, cultivation measures, cropping systems, etc, were elaborated. A-mong them, the species and varieties of crop, soil and chemicals were discussed in detail.

Spatial network structure of transportation carbon emission efficiency in China and its influencing factors

Grasping the spatial correlation structure of transportation carbon emission efficiency(TCEE)and its influencing factors is significant for promoting high-quality and coordinated development of the transportation industry and the relevant region.Based on the ideal point cross-efficiency(IPCE)model,the social network analysis method was employed herein to explore the spatial correlation network structure of China’s provincial TCEE and its influencing factors.The results obtained showed the following outcomes.(1)During the study period,China’s provincial TCEE formed a complex and multithreaded network association relationship,but its network association structure was still relatively loose and presented the hierarchical gradient characteristics of dense in the east and sparse in the west.(2)The correlation of China’s TCEE formed a block segmentation based on the regional boundaries,and its factional structure was relatively obvious.The eastern region was closely connected with the central region,and generally connected with the western and northeastern regions.The central region was mainly connected with the eastern and western regions,and relatively less connected with the northeastern region.Besides,the northeastern region was weakly connected with the western region.(3)Shanghai,Beijing,Zhejiang,Guangdong,Jiangsu,Tianjin,and other developed provinces were in the core leading position in the TCEE network,which significantly impacted the spatial correlation of TCEE.However,Heilongjiang,Jilin,Xinjiang,Qinghai,and other remote provinces in the northeast and northwest were at the absolute edge of the network,which weakly impacted the spatial correlation of TCEE.(4)Provincial distance,economic development-level difference,transportation intensity difference,and transportation structure difference had significant negative impacts on the spatial correlation network of China’s provincial TCEE.In contrast,the energy-saving technology level difference had a significant positive impact on it.The regression coefficients of transportation energy structure and environmental regulation differences were positive but insignificant;their response mechanism and effects need to be improved and enhanced.

Research on China's Aquaculture Efficiency Evaluation and Influencing Factors with Undesirable Outputs

Taking the aquaculture area, the number of farming boats and that of aquaculturist as input variables, the aquaculture production as desirable output variable and polluted economic loss as undesirable output variable, this paper conducts SBM model to evaluate the aquaculture efficiency based on the data of 16 aquaculture-developed provinces in China from 2004 to 2011. The results show the efficiency in China has not changed much in recent years with the efficiency values mainly between 0.39 and 0.53, and the efficiency of marine-aquaculture-dominated provinces is generally higher than that of freshwater-aquaculture-dominated ones. To analyze the difference under the efficiency, the panel Tobit model is used with education level factor, training factor, technology extension factor, technical level factor, scale factor and species factor as the efficiency influencing factors. The results show that technology extension factor and technical level factor have significant positive influence.

Operation Efficiency and Influencing Factors of Listed Companies of Swine Industry:Empirical Analysis Based on Data of 16 Listed Companies in 2010-2014

Listed companies of the swine industry,as an important form of agricultural industrialized operation,are typical representatives of large-scale production and the level of their operation efficiency exerts a direct influence on the healthy development of the swine industry.Using the DEA-based Malmquist method,this paper made a static and dynamic evaluation of the operation efficiency of 16 listed companies in China's swine industry in 2010-2014. It obtained following results:( i) The overall efficiency of listed companies of China's swine industry remained at high level and the development trend was excellent.( ii) Different types of enterprises had difference in the overall efficiency,pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. In general,pig feed processing companies had the best performance,followed by slaughtering and deep processing companies,and swine breeding companies were the worst.( iii) The total factor productivity characterized by the Malmquist index declined year by year in 2010-2013 and was improved in 2014,mainly due to technological progress.( iv) The total asset turnover ratio,equity concentration,and R & D management level had a significantly positive impact on the operation efficiency of listed companies in the swine industry,while the human capital had a significantly negative impact.

Spatial-temporal Characteristics of Green Development Efficiency and Influencing Factors in Restricted Development Zones:A Case Study of Jilin Province,China

Green development is an important issue of sustainable development in China.Due to the relatively backward economy and the fragile ecological environment,restricted development zones need to embrace green development.Taking 38 counties in Jilin Province as the empirical research objects,and based on cross-sectional data for each county in 2005,2010,and 2015,we accurately depicted the spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics of green development efficiency(GDE)in restricted development zones of Jilin Province using the slacks-based measure-data envelope analysis(SBM-DEA)model.Moreover,the factors that influence GDE were further analyzed using the Tobit model.We found that:first,GDE showed a V-shaped trend in restricted development zones of Jilin Province.The differences in GDE in the eastern,central,and western Jilin Province increased gradually.Second,76%of counties in the restricted development zones had high or higher efficiencies.The resource-based cities were the main areas with low or lower GDE.Third,the economic development level was the core factor affecting GDE.Urbanization level had a significant negative effect on GDE in the restricted development zones.The effect of technological innovation level on GDE fluctuated,and we found that a‘backward mechanism’of technological innovation was beginning to form.Industrial structure and environmental governance had no significant effects on GDE.

Influencing Factors of Total Factor Energy Efficiency in Bohai Rim Region Based on DEA-Tobit Model

Bohai Rim region is an important economic development area and a large carbon emission area in China.It is of great significance to explore the total factor energy efficiency and its influencing factors for the low carbon transformation and high-quality development of the Bohai Rim region.Based on the total factor energy efficiency framework,the DDF-DEA model was used to calculate the total factor energy efficiency,and the internal and external differences of the total factor energy efficiency were further analyzed.The internal and external influencing factors were determined by ML index method and classical endogenous growth theory,and then the Tobit panel model was used to empirically analyze the action mechanism of all influencing factors of total factor energy efficiency in the Bohai Rim region.The results show that the pure technical efficiency,scale efficiency and technological progress among the internal influencing factors contribute to the improvement of energy efficiency in the Bohai Rim region.Industrial structure,industrial internal structure and ownership structure inhibit the improvement of energy efficiency.Energy consumption structure and energy endowment also have a negative impact on energy efficiency.Therefore,measures such as promoting technological progress,adjusting economic structure and optimizing energy structure will effectively improve total factor energy efficiency in the Bohai Rim region.

Factors Influencing the Supply Efficiency of Basic Public Service at County Level

In this paper,we use DEA-Tobit model to conduct empirical study on the governmental supply efficiency of public service in Chongqing's 38 counties and the influencing factors during the period 2008-2011.The results show that the supply efficiency of basic public service at county level is generally low,and there is significant regional differences and strong volatility;per capita GDP,population density and population size,and level of education of the residents,are significantly correlated with the supply efficiency of basic public service at county level,but traffic density,urbanization level,and the proportion of government spending on public service to total fiscal expenditure,have no significant effects on the efficiency of basic public service at county level.Based on this,we propose some policy recommendations for enhancing the level of local economic development and the level of education,and reasonably guiding the residents'agglomeration.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Green Total-factor Water-use Efficiency and Its Influencing Factors in China

In this study,we developed an evaluation index system for green total-factor water-use efficiency(GTFWUE)which reflected both economic and green efficiencies of water resource utilization.Then we measured the GTFWUE of 30 provinces/municipalities/autonomous regions(hereafter provinces)in China(not including Tibet,Hong Kong,Macao,Taiwan as no data)from 2000 to 2018 using a minimum distance to the strong frontier model that contained an undesirable output.We further analyzed the regional differences and spatial correlations of GTFWUE using these values based on Global and Local Moran’s I statistics,and empirically determined the factors affecting GTFWUE using a spatial econometric model.The evaluation results revealed that the GTFWUE differed substantially between the regions.The provinces with high and low GTFWUE values were located in the coastal and inland areas of China,respectively.The eastern region had a significantly higher GTFWUE than the central and western regions.The GTFWUEs for all three regions(eastern,central,and western regions)decreased slowly from 2000 to 2011(except 2005),remained stable from 2012 to 2016,and rapidly increased in 2017 before decreasing again in 2018.We found significant spatial correlations between the provincial GTFWUEs.The GTFWUE for most provinces belonged to the high-high or low-low cluster region,revealing a significant spatial clustering effect of provincial GTFWUEs.We also found that China’s GTFWUE was highly promoted by economic growth,population size,opening-up level,and urbanization level,and was evidently hindered by water endowment,technological progress,and government influence.However,the water-use structure had little impact on GTFWUE.This study fully demonstrated that the water use mode would be improved,and water resources needed to be used more efficiently and green in China.Moreover,based on the findings of this study,several policy recommendations were proposed from the aspects of cross-regional cooperation,economy,society,and institution.

Dynamic change of agricultural energy efficiency and its influencing factors in China

In order to practice the concept of‘lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets’and promote the green development of agriculture,it is necessary to improve the efficiency of agricultural energy utilization.Based on the panel data of 28 provinces from 1995 to 2018,this paper calculated China’s agricultural energy input from two categories of direct energy and indirect energy,and used EBM(Epsilon-based Measure)mixed distance function model to measure the energy efficiency of agriculture in China.The nuclear density function and spatial autocorrelation were used to analyze the dynamic evolution of agricultural energy efficiency,and the dynamic panel model was used to analyze the influencing factors of agricultural energy efficiency.The results showed that:①From 1995 to 2018,the total agricultural energy input had increased year by year in China,with an average annual growth rate of 2%.Energy input structure changed from indirect energy-based to direct energy-based.Agricultural energy efficiency showed an evolutionary trend of‘rising-stagnating-rising rapidly’in China.The agricultural energy efficiency was generally low in China,and there was a large space for improvement in agricultural energy efficiency.②From 1995 to 2018,the average annual growth rate of agricultural energy efficiency in the eastern,central and western regions was 2.7%,1.9%and 1.4%respectively.In 2018,the agricultural energy efficiency in the eastern,central and western regions was 0.81,0.71 and 0.59 respectively.The gap between regions was expanding rapidly,and the agricultural energy efficiency in the central and western regions needed to be improved.③From 1995 to 2018,the agricultural energy efficiency of each province was polarized and the absolute gap was widened.There was obvious improvement in agricultural energy efficiency in Guangdong,Shandong,Jiangxi,Jiangsu,Liaoning and Tianjin,while the agricultural energy efficiency of Xinjiang,Guizhou,Zhejiang,Shanghai,and Inner Mongolia deteriorated.④From 1995 to 2018,there was no global spatial correlation of China’s agricultural energy efficiency.However,local‘high-high’concentration gradually appeared in the eastern region since 2010.⑤The first lag of energy efficiency had a significant positive impact on agricultural energy efficiency,and agricultural energy efficiency improvement had a time lag.The level of human capital,per capita net income of farmers and the level of urbanizaton had a significant positive impact on agricultural energy efficiency.The disaster rate,the level of development of secondary and tertiary industries,and the level of opening up had a significant negative impact on agricultural energy efficiency.In the implementation of the strategy of rural revitalization,we should focus on the central and western regions,take the cultivation of professional farmers as the key,focus on improving agricultural production conditions,enhance the level of cooperation between regions,exert the leading role of the secondary and tertiary industries,and enhance the ability of agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation.

Influencing factors of endoscopic cleaning efficiency

Cleaning is an essential step in the processing of reusable devices, which ranges from noncritical devices that only touch the skin to critical devices that contact with sterile areas of the body ^1 ^. All the reusable devices must be clean to ensure surfaces of devices are freedom from harmful residues and compliance with various regulatory requirements. The residues, especially bacteria, can readily adhere to wet surfaces and form organized colonies of cells termed biofilms, which are enclosed in a self-excreted matrix composed extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) [2] ?

Microscopic characteristics of tight sandstone reservoirs and their effects on the imbibition efficiency of fracturing fluids:A case study of the Linxing area,Ordos Basin

The Linxing area within the Ordos Basin exhibits pronounced reservoir heterogeneity and intricate micro-pore structures,rendering it susceptible to water-blocking damage during imbibition extraction.This study delved into the traits of tight sandstone reservoirs in the 8th member of the Shihezi Formation(also referred to as the He 8 Member)in the study area,as well as their effects on fracturing fluid imbibition.Utilizing experimental techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),high-pressure mercury intrusion(HPMI),and gas adsorption,this study elucidated the reservoir characteristics and examined the factors affecting the imbibition through imbibition experiments.The findings reveal that:①The reservoir,with average porosity of 8.40%and average permeability of 0.642×10^(-3)μm^(2),consists principally of quartz,feldspar,and lithic fragments,with feldspathic litharenite serving as the primary rock type and illite as the chief clay mineral;②Nano-scale micro-pores and throats dominate the reservoir,with dissolution pores and intercrystalline pores serving as predominant pore types,exhibiting relatively high pore connectivity;③Imbibition efficiency is influenced by petrophysical properties,clay mineral content,and microscopic pore structure.Due to the heterogeneity of the tight sandstone reservoir,microscopic factors have a more significant impact on the imbibition efficiency of fracturing fluids;④A comparative analysis shows that average pore size correlates most strongly with imbibition efficiency,followed by petrophysical properties and clay mineral content.In contrast,the pore type has minimal impact.Micropores are vital in the imbibition process,while meso-pores and macro-pores offer primary spaces for imbibition.This study offers theoretical insights and guidance for enhancing the post-fracturing production of tight sandstone reservoirs by examining the effects of these factors on the imbibition efficiency of fracturing fluids in tight sandstones.

Assessing coordination degree of port development and urban environment and its influencing factors

Due to limited resources regarding port development,the contradiction between ports and cities has gradually become prominent.Taking China's coastal ports as an example,this paper measures the degree of coordination between port development and urban environment,and analyzes its influencing factors.We find that this coordination degree is relatively low and needs to be further improved.The regression results of the ordinary panel model show that the scale of port logistics,port infrastructure construction,and the quality of economic development play a significant role in promoting the coordinated development of the port and the urban environment.The regression results of the threshold panel model show that the expansion of the port logistics scale is only conducive to promoting the coordinated development of the port and the urban environment when the levels of port infrastructure are relatively high.In addition,the promotion effect of the port logistics scale on the coordinated development of the port and the urban environment differs depending on the quality of economic development.Therefore,the relevant departments should pay more attention to the construction of port infrastructure and the quality of economic development,making appropriate adjustments to both in order to better promote the coordinated development of the port and city environment.

Efficiency Comparison and Influencing Factor Analysis of Dairy Farms over/at Different Scales:Based on the Survey Data of 263 Scale Farms in 22 Provinces of China

China's dairy farming has presented a striking development in recent years.Under the dual constraints of environment and resources,it is of practical significance to increase the output of dairy farming and ensure the healthy and stable development of the dairy industry,by accurately comparing the differences in the farming efficiency of dairy farms at different scales and grasping key factors influencing the farming efficiency.This study,through the cost analysis of 263 scale farms across 23 provinces and regions of China in 2019,reaches a result that the cost of a single cow in a certain scale farm increases with the enlargement of the scale,and shows an inverted-U shaped curve with the relatively large scales(1001-2000 cows)at the highest point.It measures the farming efficiency of dairy farms at different scales through the data envelopment analysis and finds that the scale efficiency and allocation efficiency of scale farms in China are relatively high,while the technology efficiency and cost efficiency are relatively low.The efficiency of different scale farms is obviously different,where the cost efficiency,allocation efficiency and scale efficiency show a U-shaped curve as the scale enlarges(with the relatively large scale as the lowest point),while the technology efficiency gradually decreases as the scale expands.It is concluded that for the scale farms,feed conversion ratio and forage-to-concentrate ratio have a significantly negative impact on the scale efficiency,while the labor cost,number of employees,and depreciation of fixed assets are negatively correlated to the technology efficiency and cost efficiency of dairy farming.

Potential and Efficiency of Agricultural Pollution Control in China and Its Influential Factors

Agricultural pollution has become the dominant source of water pollution in China and the carbon reduction in agricultural aspect is pressing.Based on list analysis method,the COD,TN and TP in agriculture in 28 provinces in China from 1995 to 2010 were evaluated and compared.By dint of directional distance function,the economics mechanism to reduce carbon emission was discussed.The reduction efficiency and potential of three kinds of pollutants were estimated.The regression indicates that the educational degree,income level and work play a crucial role in carbon emission.

Spatio-temporal pattern and influencing factors of border tourism efficiency in China

In recent years,tourism has emerged as a significant driver of economic development in China’s border regions.The study utilizes various methods,such as the super-efficiency SBM model,spatial variability,cold and hot spot analysis,and Geo-Detector approach,to measure and describe the spatial and temporal evolution patterns of land border tourism efficiency and its influencing factors.The findings reveal that the Dai autonomous prefecture of Xishuangbanna has the highest border tourism efficiency of 1.6207,while Ngari prefecture has the lowest tourism efficiency with a value of only 0.0365 at the prefecture level during the period 2010-2019.The southwest and northwest regions of China are high-and low-level agglomeration areas respectively,indicating varying levels of border tourism development.Additionally,the study identifies an upward trend in China’s border tourism efficiency from 2010-2019.The southwest region emerges as a hotspot and the most active region,while the northwest and northeast regions are considered cold spots with ample room for improvement.Furthermore,the density of transportation facilities,national vulnerability,cultural proximity,the number of border ports,and market opportunity are crucial factors influencing the spatial and temporal pattern of border tourism efficiency in China.

Spatiotemporal mismatch of land use functions and land use efficiencies and their influencing factors:A case study in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River,China

Identification of the spatial mismatch between land use functions(LUFs)and land use efficiencies(LUEs)is essential to regional land use policies.However,previous studies about LUF-LUE mismatch and its driving factors have been insufficient.In this study,we explored the spatiotemporal mismatch of LUFs and LUEs and their influencing factors from 2000 to 2018 in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River(MRYR).Specifically,we used Spearman correlation analysis to reveal the trade-off relationship between LUFs and LUEs and determine the direction of the influencing factors on the LUF-LUE mismatch,adopted spatial mismatch analysis to measure the imbalance between LUFs and LUEs,and used the geographical detector model to analyze the factors influencing this spatial mismatch.The results showed that production function(PDF),living function(LVF),ecological function(ELF),agricultural production efficiency(APE),urban construction efficiency(UCE),and ecological services efficiency(ESE)all displayed significant spatial heterogeneity.The high trade-off areas were widely distributed and long-lasting in agricultural space and urban space,while gradually decreasing in ecological space.Wuhan and Changsha showed high spatial mismatch coefficients in urban space,but low spatial mismatch coefficients in agricultural space.Hunan generally presented high spatial mismatch coefficients in ecological space.Furthermore,the interaction of the proportion of cultivated area and transportation accessibility exacerbated the mismatch in agricultural space.The interaction effects of capital investment and technology innovation with other factors have the most intense impact on the mismatch in urban space.The internal factor for cultivated area interacts with other external factors to drastically affect ecological spatial mismatch.

Mechanisms of oil displacement by ASP-foam and its influencing factors

ASP-foam （ASPF） is a system prepared by injecting natural gas into the conventional alkali- surfactant-polymer （ASP） system. Foam can be formed in the porous media by the interaction of gas and surfactant in the ASP system. With the ASPF system, oil recovery is improved as the interfacial tension （IFT） is reduced to a relatively low level, and the swept volume is enlarged. In this paper, four surfactants were evaluated and characterized by IFT between ASP system and oil and the foaming performance. AI- kyl benzene sulfonate （ORS-41） was chosen as the surfactant to best reduce IFT between displacement fluids and oil and improve the foaming performance. The mechanisms of ASPF flooding were studied in this paper, the results show that the ASPF flooding not only enlarges the swept volume but also enhances the displacement efficiency. The effects of reservoir heterogeneity, the gas-liquid ratio of ASPF system, and the concentrations of polymer and surfactant on the displacement efficiency were studied. A field trial of ASPF flooding has also been conducted. Both the laboratory results and the field trial results show that the ASPF flooding can significantly increase the oil recovery, with a 30% increase in the proportion of the original oil in place recovered compared with water flooding.

An Empirical Study on Organizational Efficiency of Drug Review Institutions

Objective To construct the influencing factor model of organizational efficiency by using structural equation model,and to put forward some suggestions for drug review institutions to their management mode.Methods The model hypothesis affecting organizational efficiency was proposed by literature analysis,and a questionnaire was designed.Then,the questionnaires returned were analyzed to investigate the relationship among the factors affecting organizational efficiency with the structural equation models.Results and Conclusion The direct effect of communication on organizational efficiency was 0.83,that of system construction was 0.60,talents cultivation was 0.25,and task management was 0.38.The model results basically fitting met the various statistical indicators,with statistical significance thresholds.Talents cultivation and task management have little effect on organizational efficiency,while system construction and communication have great effect on organizational efficiency.However,due to the correlation between organizational systems,the influencing factors should be considered in a balanced manner,so as to put forward reasonable suggestions.

Factors Influencing the Energy Efficiency of Tourism Transport in China

Transport is a major component of energy consumption and 002 emissions in travelling. Understanding changes in the energy efficiency of tourism transport （EETT） and factors affecting this is important to the promotion of low-carbon tourism. This paper established a new method following the top to bottom principle and analyzed EETT variation characteristics and influencing factors from 1994 to 2013 in China. We found that the energy consumption of tourism transport （ECTT） increased from 178.21 PJ in 1994 to 565.82 PJ in 2013 at an average annual growth rate of 6.27%; CO2 emissions of tourism transport （CETT） went up from 14.96×10^6t to 47.94×10^6 t due to person-trip and trip distance growth. EETT went from 3.22×10^6 person-trips PJ^-1 in 1994 to 5.99×10^6 person-trips PJ^-1 in 2013 at an average annual growth rate of 4.90%, and the CO2 emissions of tourism transport unit person-trips （CETTU） shifted from 26.07 kg person-trips^-1 in 1994 to 14.01 kg person-trips^-1 in 2013. Energy intensity decline, scale effects and policy promotion were key factors that enhanced EETT. Meanwhile, trip mode changes and enjoyment-oriented transport hindered EETT. Based on our analysis, we suggest methods to decrease ECTT and CETT. and enhance EETT.