Dual‑Donor‑Induced Crystallinity Modulation Enables 19.23% Efficiency Organic Solar Cells

Trap-assisted charge recombination is one of the primary limitationsof restricting the performance of organic solar cells. However, effectivelyreducing the presence of traps in the photoactive layer remains challenging.Herein, wide bandgap polymer donor PTzBI-dF is demonstrated as an effectivemodulator for enhancing the crystallinity of the bulk heterojunction active layerscomposed of D18 derivatives blended with Y6, leading to dense and orderedmolecular packings, and thus, improves photoluminescence quenching properties.As a result, the photovoltaic devices exhibit reduced trap-assisted charge recombinationlosses, achieving an optimized power conversion efficiency of over 19%.Besides the efficiency enhancement, the devices comprised of PTzBI-dF as athird component simultaneously attain decreased current leakage, improved chargecarrier mobilities, and suppressed bimolecular charge recombination, leading toreduced energy losses. The advanced crystalline structures induced by PTzBI-dFand its characteristics, such as well-aligned energy level, and complementaryabsorption spectra, are ascribed to the promising performance improvements.Our findings suggest that donor phase engineering is a feasible approach to tuning the molecular packings in the active layer, providingguidelines for designing effective morphology modulators for high-performance organic solar cells.

Technical efficiency of cocoa farms at varying elevation levels in Davao City, Philippines: implications to sustainable upland farming systems

Elevation is one of many components that influence agriculture, and this in turn affects the level of both inputs and outputs of farmers. This article focuses on the productivity and technical efficiency of 100 cocoa farms using cross-sectional data from areas ranging from 190 to 1021 m above sea level which were classified as low, medium, and high elevation in Davao City, considered as the chocolate capital of the Philippines. Using stochastic frontier analysis, the results showed that the cost of inputs per ha and the number of cocoa trees per ha significantly increase yield. Farms at high elevations were less technically efficient, as this entails lower temperatures and increased rainfall, and cocoa farming in those areas and conditions can be more challenging, especially with changes in farming practices, terrain, and distance to markets. Other significant variables were age of cocoa farms, married farmers, and age of the farmers. Older farms may be more developed, farmers who are married benefit from their spouses being able to readily contribute as farm labor, and lastly, older farmers' inefficiency may likely stem from nonadaptation of newer farming practices. With an average technical efficiency of 0.61, 0.63, and 0.26 in low, medium, and high elevation areas, respectively, farmers therefore have an incentive to improve farm practices and consider topographical variations found in high elevation areas. Recommendations for the improvement of technical efficiency of cocoa farms are better connectivity to markets, enhancing farm practices, and continuation and improvement of government programs on cocoa with an added emphasis on research. For farmers in high elevation areas, mitigating solutions such as sustainable agriculture practices and ecolabelling are key to improving efficiency and minimizing the potential negative impact on upland farming systems. Moreover, such adaptation measures may also contribute to sustainability of cocoa farming in high elevation areas.

Impacts of Improved Supplemental Irrigation on Farm Income, Productive Efficiency and Risk Management in Dry Areas

This paper provides empirical evidence that improved supplemental irrigation (ISI) can be justified on both environmental and economic grounds. Results of a stochastic frontier model which explicitly and simultaneously accounts for technical inefficiency and production risk applied to data collected from 513 wheat farms in the rainfed areas of Syria show that the typical adopter farmer obtained yield and productive efficiency gains of 6% and 7% respectively. A stochastic dominance criterion also showed that the adopter farmers got 10% and 13% reductions in risk of obtaining yield levels below 4 tons/ha and 3 tons/ha respectively. Given its adoption level of 22.3% in 2010, ISI led to the production of 52 thousand metric tons (6%), more wheat and conservation of 120 million cubic meters of water (10%). ISI has the potential to reduce total irrigation water use by upto 45% and for further increases in yield if accompanied with sprinklers and other improved agronomic practices, thereby enhancing food security and environmental sustainability in the country. An important policy implication of these findings is that wider dissemination of ISI along with other complementary agronomic practices in postwar Syria could be a viable option to be considered by national and international efforts for the restoration and rehabilitation of agriculture in the country.

Understanding Bridging Sites and Accelerating Quantum Efficiency for Photocatalytic CO_(2) Reduction

We report a novel double-shelled nanoboxes photocatalyst architecture with tailored interfaces that accelerate quantum efficiency for photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)via Mo–S bridging bonds sites in S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3)@2H–MoTe_(2).The X-ray absorption near-edge structure shows that the formation of S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3)@2H–MoTe_(2) adjusts the coordination environment via interface engineering and forms Mo–S polarized sites at the interface.The interfacial dynamics and catalytic behavior are clearly revealed by ultrafast femtosecond transient absorption,time-resolved,and in situ diffuse reflectance–Infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy.A tunable electronic structure through steric interaction of Mo–S bridging bonds induces a 1.7-fold enhancement in S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3)@2H–MoTe_(2)(5)photogenerated carrier concentration relative to pristine S_(v)–In_(2)S_(3).Benefiting from lower carrier transport activation energy,an internal quantum efficiency of 94.01%at 380 nm was used for photocatalytic CO_(2)RR.This study proposes a new strategy to design photocatalyst through bridging sites to adjust the selectivity of photocatalytic CO_(2)RR.

Enhancing I^(0)/I^(-)Conversion Efficiency by Starch Confinement in Zinc-lodine Battery

The redox couple of I^(0)/I^(-)in aqueous rechargeable iodine–zinc(I^(2)-Zn)batteries is a promising energy storage resource since it is safe and cost-effective,and provides steady output voltage.However,the cycle life and efficiency of these batteries remain unsatisfactory due to the uncontrolled shuttling of polyiodide(I_(3)^(-)and I_(5)^(-))and side reactions on the Zn anode.Starch is a very low-cost and widely sourced food used daily around the world.“Starch turns blue when it encounters iodine”is a classic chemical reaction,which results from the unique structure of the helix starch molecule–iodine complex.Inspired by this,we employ starch to confine the shuttling of polyiodide,and thus,the I^(0)/I^(-)conversion efficiency of an I^(2)-Zn battery is clearly enhanced.According to the detailed characterizations and theoretical DFT calculation results,the enhancement of I^(0)/I^(-)conversion efficiency is mainly originated from the strong bonding between the charged products of I_(3)^(-)and I_(5)^(-)and the rich hydroxyl groups in starch.This work provides inspiration for the rational design of high-performance and low-cost I^(2)-Zn in AZIBs.

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.

Productivity and technical efficiency of Robusta coffee farms at varying elevation categories in Sultan Kudarat, Philippines: implications on sustainability

Elevation can affect agricultural outputs,affecting farms’productivity and efficiency.This article identified the significant production inputs influencing productivity and factors influencing technical efficiency(TE)and determined the average TE scores of Robusta coffee farms at varying elevations in Sultan Kudarat,Philippines.Cross-sectional data from the Mahintana Foundation,Inc.using random stratified sampling and power analysis from September 9,2021,to January 13,2022,were used to analyze 604 farms from areas ranging from 0.33 to 1284.18 above mean sea level(amsl),classified as low,medium,and high elevation.Open-Data-Kit-based(ODK)mobile data collection systems were utilized to precisely determine the farms’coordinates and elevation.Using stochastic frontier analysis,results showed that increasing the total fertilizer amount and total trees by 1%significantly increased yield by 0.20%and 0.79%,respectively.Meanwhile,increasing the total land area by 1%,including areas unutilized for coffee farming,decreases total yield by 0.11%.Regarding TE,results showed that TE decreases by approximately 0.58%at high elevations.Meanwhile,increasing net income from coffee farming alone by 1%significantly increases TE by 0.00008%.With an average TE of 0.60,0.77,and 0.63 in low,medium,and high elevations,farms may be incentivized to improve farming practices to increase their TE further.TE improvement recommendations include promoting coffee-agroforestry systems and ecolabelling at medium elevations,such as shade-grown coffee,to promote sustainable production in Robusta coffee farms by assigning a premium to consumers demanding environmental conservation.

Research on a TOPSIS energy efficiency evaluation system for crude oil gathering and transportation systems based on a GA-BP neural network

As the main link of ground engineering,crude oil gathering and transportation systems require huge energy consumption and complex structures.It is necessary to establish an energy efficiency evaluation system for crude oil gathering and transportation systems and identify the energy efficiency gaps.In this paper,the energy efficiency evaluation system of the crude oil gathering and transportation system in an oilfield in western China is established.Combined with the big data analysis method,the GA-BP neural network is used to establish the energy efficiency index prediction model for crude oil gathering and transportation systems.The comprehensive energy consumption,gas consumption,power consumption,energy utilization rate,heat utilization rate,and power utilization rate of crude oil gathering and transportation systems are predicted.Considering the efficiency and unit consumption index of the crude oil gathering and transportation system,the energy efficiency evaluation system of the crude oil gathering and transportation system is established based on a game theory combined weighting method and TOPSIS evaluation method,and the subjective weight is determined by the triangular fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.The entropy weight method determines the objective weight,and the combined weight of game theory combines subjectivity with objectivity to comprehensively evaluate the comprehensive energy efficiency of crude oil gathering and transportation systems and their subsystems.Finally,the weak links in energy utilization are identified,and energy conservation and consumption reduction are improved.The above research provides technical support for the green,efficient and intelligent development of crude oil gathering and transportation systems.

Do smart city policies improve energy efficiency?Evidence from China

To address air pollution and offer a convenient and comfortable living environment,the Chinese government launched a smart city pilot(SCP)project in 2012,accompanied by a comprehensive set of environmental and energy-related laws and regulations.Although academic interest in smart cities has surged,there remains a notable gap in empirical research exploring the economic,environmental,and energy effects of such initiatives.Taking 232 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2017 as research subjects,this study measures energy effi‐ciency by using energy consumption per unit of GDP and adopts a difference-in-differences(DID)analysis to investigate the impact of SCPs on energy efficiency.The empirical results indicate that SCPs improved energy efficiency by promoting urban technological innovation capabilities and green total factor productivity,and this effect was more pronounced in cities that were more dependent on traditional fossil fuel energy sources and had more developed fiscal and financial levels.Studying the impact of smart city construction on energy utilization efficiency in developing countries,such as China,is not only significantly enlightening for China’s green and low-carbon transition but also provides reference opinions for constructing smart cities and the path to enhancing energy efficiency in other developing countries.The findings provide valuable insights into the global development of smart cities,urban sustainability,and high-quality economic growth.

Does Financial Inclusion Influence Economic Efficiency of Rice Farming? Evidence from Ogun State, Nigeria

Local production of rice has struggled to meet local demand despite its suitability for cultivation in many parts of Nigeria.Using data from 240 rice farmers, this study examined the economic efficiency of rice production and the effects of financial inclusion on the economic efficiency of rice farming in Ogun State, Nigeria. Data were analyzed using the Stochastic Cost Frontier model with inefficiency effects.

Enhancing Energy Efficiency with a Dynamic Trust Measurement Scheme in Power Distribution Network

The application of Intelligent Internet of Things(IIoT)in constructing distribution station areas strongly supports platform transformation,upgrade,and intelligent integration.The sensing layer of IIoT comprises the edge convergence layer and the end sensing layer,with the former using intelligent fusion terminals for real-time data collection and processing.However,the influx of multiple low-voltage in the smart grid raises higher demands for the performance,energy efficiency,and response speed of the substation fusion terminals.Simultaneously,it brings significant security risks to the entire distribution substation,posing a major challenge to the smart grid.In response to these challenges,a proposed dynamic and energy-efficient trust measurement scheme for smart grids aims to address these issues.The scheme begins by establishing a hierarchical trust measurement model,elucidating the trust relationships among smart IoT terminals.It then incorporates multidimensional measurement factors,encompassing static environmental factors,dynamic behaviors,and energy states.This comprehensive approach reduces the impact of subjective factors on trust measurements.Additionally,the scheme incorporates a detection process designed for identifying malicious low-voltage end sensing units,ensuring the prompt identification and elimination of any malicious terminals.This,in turn,enhances the security and reliability of the smart grid environment.The effectiveness of the proposed scheme in pinpointing malicious nodes has been demonstrated through simulation experiments.Notably,the scheme outperforms established trust metric models in terms of energy efficiency,showcasing its significant contribution to the field.

Effect of building energy efficiency standards on carbon emission efficiency in commercial buildings

The building sector plays a crucial role in the worldwide shift toward achieving net-zero emissions.Building energy efficiency standards(BEESs)are highly effective policies for reducing carbon emissions.Therefore,exploring the provincial variations in carbon emission efficiency(CEE)in the building sector and identifying the effect of BEESs on CEE is crucial.This study focuses on commercial buildings in China and applies a difference in differences model to evaluate the impact of BEESs on the CEE of commercial buildings.The slacks-based measure–data envelopment analysis model is employed to assess the CEE of commercial buildings in 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2019.Furthermore,heterogeneous tests are used to explore how climate characteristics and economic conditions affect the efficiency of BEESs.The results indicate that BEESs positively influence the CEE of commercial buildings.Specifically,a 1%increase in the intensity of BEESs causes a 0.1484%increase in the CEE of commercial buildings.Moreover,the impact of BEESs is particularly pronounced in the southern and western provinces.This study provides valuable scientific evidence for governments to enhance BEESs implementation.

Assessing the yield difference of double-cropping rice in South China driven by radiation use efficiency

Double-cropping rice in South China continues to break the total yield record,but the yield potential of singlecropping rice is not being realized.Radiation use efficiency(RUE)has been singled out as an important determinant of grain yield in many cereal species.However,there is no information on whether the yield gaps in doublecropping rice involve differences in RUE.Field experiments were performed over two years to evaluate the effects of intercepted radiation(IP)and RUE on the above-ground biomass production,crop growth rate(CGR),and harvest index(HI),in four representative rice varieties,i.e.,Xiangyaxiangzhan(XYXZ),Meixiangzhan 2(MXZ2),Nanjingxiangzhan(NJXZ),and Ruanhuayoujinsi(RHYJS),during the early and late seasons of rice cultivation in South China.The results revealed that grain yield in the early season was 8.2%higher than in the late season.The yield advantage in the early season was primarily due to higher spikelets per panicle and above-ground biomass resulting from a higher RUE.The spikelets per panicle in the early season were 6.5,8.3,6.9,and 8.5%higher in XYXZ,MXZ2,NJXZ,and RHYJS,respectively,than in the late season.The higher early season grain yield was more closely related to RUE in the middle tillering stage(R^(2)=0.34),panicle initiation(R^(2)=0.16),and maturation stage(R^(2)=0.28),and the intercepted photosynthetically active radiation(IPAR)in the maturation stage(R^(2)=0.28),while the late season grain yield was more dependent on IPAR in the middle tillering stage(R^(2)=0.31)and IPAR at panicle initiation(R^(2)=0.23).The results of this study conclusively show that higher RUE contributes to the yield progress of early season rice,while the yield improvement of late season rice is attributed to higher radiation during the early reproductive stage.Rationally allocating the RUE of double-cropping rice with high RUE varieties or adjustments of the sowing period merits further study.

Effect of antioxidants on the efficiency of jet milling and the powder characteristics of Sm2Co17 permanent magnets

This study investigated the effect of antioxidants on the grinding efficiency,magnetic powder characteristics,microstructure,and magnetic properties of 2:17 type SmCo permanent magnet materials.The results show that adding antioxidants helps improve the dispersion among magnetic powders,leading to a 33.3%decrease in jet milling time and a 15.8%increase in magnet powder production yield.Additionally,adding antioxidants enhances the oxidation resistance of the magnetic powders.After being stored in a constant temperature air environment at 25C for 48 h,the O content in the powder decreased by 33%compared to samples without antioxidants.While in the magnet body,the O content decreased from 0.21 wt.%to 0.14 wt.%,which helps increase the effective Sm content and domain wall pinning uniformity in the magnet.Excellent magnetic properties were obtained in the magnet with added antioxidants:B_(r)=11.6 kGs,SF=79.6%,H_(cj)=16.8 kOe,and(BH)_(max)=32.5 MGOe.

The Impact of Privatization on Terminal Efficiency: A Case Study of Tema Port

Port and terminal efficiency are of utmost importance to the container shipping industry due to their significance in enhancing the competitive advantage of ports within a region. Consequently, there have always been notable variations of studies around it. This paper analyzes the impact of privatization on terminal efficiency using the Port of Tema as a Case Study. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the efficiency trends of the public and private terminals in the port over the years. To achieve this objective, DEA-CCR methodology was employed to calculate the annual technical efficiency trends of the private and public terminals using four input variables and three output variables. The main results of the paper indicated that the public and private terminals were efficient for multiple years. However, the efficiency scores over the years demonstrated inconsistency, exhibiting notable fluctuations. The findings of this study will aid policymakers across the region on policies relating to the efficiency and ownership structure of ports and terminals.

Revealing High-Efficiency Natural Mycotoxin Antidotes in Zebrafish Model Screening Against Zearalenone-Induced Toxicity

Zearalenone(ZEA),a mycotoxin,poses a significant global hazard to human and animal health.Natural products(NPs)have shown promise for mitigating the adverse effects of ZEA owing to their diverse func-tional activities.However,the current challenge lies in the absence of an efficient strategy for systematic screening and identification of NPs that can effectively protect against ZEA-induced toxicity.This study describes a phenotype-based screening strategy for screening NP libraries and discovering more effective compounds to mitigate or counteract the adverse consequences of ZEA exposure in animals.Using this strategy,we initially identified 96 NPs and evaluated the potency and efficacy of two effective candidate compounds,fraxetin,and hydroxytyrosol,based on embryonic phenotype and locomotor activity using a scoring system and the TCMacro method.Furthermore,we performed transcriptome and proteinprotein interaction(PPI)network analyses to extract two mRNA signatures to query the Connectivity Map(CMap)database and predict NPs.The predicted NPs showed the potential to reverse the gene expression profiles associated with ZEA toxicity.Consequently,we further screened these compounds using our model,which indicated that hispidin,daphnetin,and riboflavin exhibit promising in vivo effi-cacy in zebrafish.Notably,throughout the process,fraxetin consistently stood out as the most promising NP.Biological pathway analysis and functional verification revealed that fraxetin completely reversed the toxic effects of ZEA at very low doses.This was achieved by repairing damaged cell apoptosis,modifying the cell cycle pathway,and preventing senescence induction,indicating good application potential.Overall,we demonstrated that this integration strategy can be successfully applied to effectively discover potential antidotes.

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 construction 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 autocorrelation 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.

OsNPF3.1,a nitrate,abscisic acid and gibberellin transporter gene,is essential for rice tillering and nitrogen utilization efficiency

Low-affinity nitrate transporter genes have been identified in subfamilies 4-8 of the rice nitrate transporter 1(NRT1)/peptide transporter family(NPF),but the OsNPF3 subfamily responsible for nitrate and phytohormone transport and rice growth and development remains unknown.In this study,we described OsNPF3.1 as an essential nitrate and phytohormone transporter gene for rice tillering and nitrogen utilization efficiency(NUtE).OsNPF3.1 possesses four major haplotypes of its promoter sequence in 517 cultivars,and its expression is positively associated with tiller number.Its expression was higher in the basal part,culm,and leaf blade than in other parts of the plant,and was strongly induced by nitrate,abscisic acid(ABA)and gibberellin 3(GA_3)in the root and shoot of rice.Electrophysiological experiments demonstrated that OsNPF3.1 is a pH-dependent low-affinity nitrate transporter,with rice protoplast uptake assays showing it to be an ABA and GA_3 transporter.OsNPF3.1 overexpression significantly promoted ABA accumulation in the roots and GA accumulation in the basal part of the plant which inhibited axillary bud outgrowth and rice tillering,especially at high nitrate concentrations.The NUtE of OsNPF3.1-overexpressing plants was enhanced under low and medium nitrate concentrations,whereas the NUtE of OsNPF3.1 clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)plants was increased under high nitrate concentrations.The results indicate that OsNPF3.1 transports nitrate and phytohormones in different rice tissues under different nitrate concentrations.The altered OsNPF3.1 expression improves NUtE in the OsNPF3.1-overexpressing and CRISPR lines at low and high nitrate concentrations,respectively.

Enhanced Cooling Efficiency of Urban Trees on Hotter Summer Days in 70 Cities of China

Increasing the urban tree cover percentage(TCP) is widely recognized as an efficient way to mitigate the urban heat island effect. The cooling efficiency of urban trees can be either enhanced or attenuated on hotter days, depending on the physiological response of urban trees to rising ambient temperature. However, the response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature remains poorly quantified for China's cities. In this study, we quantify the response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature at noontime [~1330 LT(local time), LT=UTC+8] in 17summers(June, July, and August) from 2003–19 in 70 economically developed cities of China based on satellite observations. The results show that urban trees have stronger cooling efficiency with increasing temperature, suggesting additional cooling benefits provided by urban trees on hotter days. The enhanced cooling efficiency values of urban trees range from 0.002 to 0.055℃ %-1 per 1℃ increase in temperature across the selected cities, with larger values for the lowTCP-level cities. The response is also regulated by background temperature and precipitation, as the additional cooling benefit tends to be larger in warmer and wetter cities at the same TCP level. The positive response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature is explained mainly by the stronger evapotranspiration of urban trees on hotter days.These results have important implications for alleviating urban heat risk by utilizing urban trees, particularly considering that extreme hot days are becoming more frequent in cities under global warming.

Economic Efficiency of Maize Production in the Context of Climate Change Adaptation in the Okpara Sub-Basin

This study estimates the technical, allocative, and economic efficiency of maize-producing farms in Benin and identifies the determining factors of these efficiencies in the context of adaptation to climate change. To achieve this, data was collected from a sample of 402 corn farmers randomly selected from the municipalities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and located within the Okpara watershed perimeters. The parametric stochastic frontier approach was adopted to estimate a seedling-log stochastic frontier and a dual cost function of corn farms using the Frontier program of Stata 13 software. The Tobit regression model was used to identify the factors determining the efficiency of producers. The results show that the operators are all technically efficient and have significant random effects. However, the results from the cost frontier show the presence of allocative inefficiency within production units. The estimated technical, allocative, and economic efficiencies are, respectively, 0.94, 0.60 and 0.57 on average. Finally, estimation of the determinants of efficiency has shown that the supply of mineral manure, experience in maize production, crop rotation as well as the level of education are the main determinants of efficiency. It is necessary to support corn producers on cultivation techniques, subsidize fertilizers, and promote literacy in the face of the effects of climate change.