Spatial-temporal changes and driving factors of eco-environmental quality in the Three-North region of China

Eco-environmental quality is a measure of the suitability of the ecological environment for human survival and socioeconomic development.Understanding the spatial-temporal distribution and variation trend of eco-environmental quality is essential for environmental protection and ecological balance.The remote sensing ecological index(RSEI)can quickly and objectively quantify eco-environmental quality and has been extensively utilized in regional ecological environment assessment.In this paper,Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)images during the growing period(July-September)from 2000 to 2020 were obtained from the Google Earth Engine(GEE)platform to calculate the RSEI in the three northern regions of China(the Three-North region).The Theil-Sen median trend method combined with the Mann-Kendall test was used to analyze the spatial-temporal variation trend of eco-environmental quality,and the Hurst exponent and the Theil-Sen median trend were superimposed to predict the future evolution trend of eco-environmental quality.In addition,ten variables from two categories of natural and anthropogenic factors were analyzed to determine the drivers of the spatial differentiation of eco-environmental quality by the geographical detector.The results showed that from 2000 to 2020,the RSEI in the Three-North region exhibited obvious regional characteristics:the RSEI values in Northwest China were generally between 0.2 and 0.4;the RSEI values in North China gradually increased from north to south,ranging from 0.2 to 0.8;and the RSEI values in Northeast China were mostly above 0.6.The average RSEI value in the Three-North region increased at an average growth rate of 0.0016/a,showing the spatial distribution characteristics of overall improvement and local degradation in eco-environmental quality,of which the areas with improved,basically stable and degraded eco-environmental quality accounted for 65.39%,26.82%and 7.79%of the total study area,respectively.The Hurst exponent of the RSEI ranged from 0.20 to 0.76 and the future trend of eco-environmental quality was generally consistent with the trend over the past 21 years.However,the areas exhibiting an improvement trend in eco-environmental quality mainly had weak persistence,and there was a possibility of degradation in eco-environmental quality without strengthening ecological protection.Average relative humidity,accumulated precipitation and land use type were the dominant factors driving the spatial distribution of eco-environmental quality in the Three-North region,and two-factor interaction also had a greater influence on eco-environmental quality than single factors.The explanatory power of meteorological factors on the spatial distribution of eco-environmental quality was stronger than that of topographic factors.The effect of anthropogenic factors(such as population density and land use type)on eco-environmental quality gradually increased over time.This study can serve as a reference to protect the ecological environment in arid and semi-arid regions.

Pollen Assemblage Features of Modern Water Samples from the Shiyang River Drainage, Arid Region of China

Pollen analysis of 30 modem water samples from the Shivang River, an internal river system located between the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts, Northwest China was carried out to examine the river's capacity to carry pollen and spores, and to assess the contribution of the water-borne pollen to pollen assemblages in lake sediments at the end of the river system. Results indicate the pollen assemblages in water samples consist of both local and upland pollen. Percentages of upland pollen reach 30% - 60%, and pollen assemblages in water samples do not indicate the nature of local vegetation at the sampling sites. Fluvial currents have the capacity to transport large quantities of pollen long distances, and the contribution of this fluvial transported pollen is relatively high, For example, percentages of Picea Dietr. pollen in water samples at sampling sites 130 km and 145 km away from Picea forests reach 16.5% and 7.7%, respectively. Fluvial pollen transport occurs primarily during flood periods, and pollen concentrations from the flood samples are 17.1 - 12.5 times those from normal fluvial flow. Reservoirs affect pollen transportation since pollen is deposited at reservoir inlets and pollen concentrations are much reduced at reservoir outlets. Human activity can thus change natural features of pollen transportation and deposition. The main factors influencing pollen concentrations and assemblages are sampling time, sampling location, and rainfall intensity.

Discussion Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Corresponding Strategies for Maize Breeding in Southwest Region of China

Maize is an important food crop, as well as the irreplaceable feed and industrial materials, having huge market demand in China. Southwestern region of China is the third largest main maize producing zone, and the frequent occurrence of abiotic stress conditions such as drought, heat, cold, wet shaded stress have severely affected the development of maize production, causing low and unstable corn yields, severely restricting the maize industry development in the southwest of China. This paper preliminarily describes the maize resistance to abiotic stresses in southwestem region of China, putting forward the countermeasures and the key research direction in the practice of breeding in order to provide reference for the cultivation of new varieties with high yield and stress resistance, and improving the levels of maize stress resistance breeding in southwestern region of China.

PRESSURE OF WATER SHORTAGE ON AGRICULTURE IN ARID REGION OF CHINA

The arid areas in China are mainly located in North China and NorthwestChina. The North China is the main region for food production. There is 31. 19% of the totalfarmland and 26. 01% of the total population, but only 6. 14% of the available water resources ofChina. Groundwater is over pumped (6. 53 X 10~9m^3 every year) in the regions of Beijing, Tianjin,and Hebei Province, so water supply could not meet the water demand there. The distribution of waterin Northwest China is uneven, some inland rivers and lakes are dried up, and desertification hasexpanded since river water in the upper and middle reaches is diverted for irrigation. Up to 2050,population will be up to 1. 6 X 10~9 in China, and industry will be developed fast, therefore 50% ofthe water supply will be used by industry and resident, and water for agriculture will be decreasedyear by year. In the coming 50 years, water demand for agriculture will be increased by 5. 6 x10^9m^3 in the Huanghe (Yellow) River valley, and by 1. 7 x 10~9m^3 in the Northwest China. It willbe impossible for the Huanghe River to meet the water demand, because it always dried up in the coldhalf year since 1984. To avoid water shortage of agriculture in the arid regions, it is necessaryto divert water from the Changjiang (Yangtze) River in the south of China, and to use waterefficiently. It is the best way to use drip irrigation in agriculture, recycle water in industry andresident use, and control water pollution. Otherwise water shortage in the arid regions willrestrict the development of agriculture in China.

STUDY ON URBAN LAND SAVING IN THE ECONOMICDEVELOPED COASTAL REGION OF CHINA

In the initial period of industrialization a great deal of land is needed for Chinese industry development as well as land resource per person of China is much lower than the average value in the world, thus it is necessary to save land in Chinese urban constrUction. This paper mainly discussed the features of urban land use in economic developed coastal cities: one is that the index of urban land per person in middle-small cities was higher than in large cities; another is that urban land has not been used highly and strongly; the third is that the industrial land occupied an irrationally large percentage of whole urban land; the final is that rural enterprises took up a quantity of land. Thereafter, this paper put forward five land-saving measures: first, to adopt the idea of saving land; next, to adjust the land-use structure when redeveloping the old city and alternate some land use when adjusting the industry structure of the city; the third, to develop the system of payment for using land and the management of urban planning; finally to enhance the effective regional plan and the urban landuse plan.

Climate Change and Ecological Projects Jointly Promote Vegetation Restoration in Three-River Source Region of China

As the source of the Yellow River,Yangtze River,and Lancang River,the Three-River Source Region(TRSR)in China is very important to China’s ecological security.In recent decades,TRSR’s ecosystem has degraded because of climate change and human disturbances.Therefore,a range of ecological projects were initiated by Chinese government around 2000 to curb further degradation.Current research shows that the vegetation of the TRSR has been initially restored over the past two decades,but the respective contribution of ecological projects and climate change in vegetation restoration has not been clarified.Here,we used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)Enhanced Vegetation Index(EVI)to assess the spatial-temporal variations in vegetation and explore the impact of climate and human actions on vegetation in TRSR during 2001–2018.The results showed that about 26.02%of the TRSR had a significant increase in EVI over the 18 yr,with an increasing rate of 0.010/10 yr(P<0.05),and EVI significantly decreased in only 3.23%of the TRSR.Residual trend analysis indicated vegetation restoration was jointly promoted by climate and human actions,and the promotion of human actions was greater compared with that of climate,with relative contributions of 59.07%and40.93%,respectively.However,the degradation of vegetation was mainly caused by human actions,with a relative contribution of71.19%.Partial correlation analysis showed that vegetation was greatly affected by temperature(r=0.62,P<0.05)due to the relatively sufficient moisture but lower temperature in TRSR.Furthermore,the establishment of nature reserves and the implementation of the Ecological Protection and Restoration Program(EPRP)improved vegetation,and the first stage EPRP had a better effect on vegetation restoration than the second stage.Our findings identify the driving factors of vegetation change and lay the foundation for subsequent effective management.

Planting Performance of Pennisetum purpureum Schumab cv.Purple in the Southern Region of China

[Objective] The present experiment was conducted to investigate the yield,adaptability and quality characteristics of Pennisetum purpureum Schumach cv. Purple to provide reference for the certification and development of new varieties.[Method] With P. purpureum Schumab cv. Purple as experimental material, the variety comparison tests were conducted in Nanning, Lingyun, and Tiandeng in Guangxi from 2007 to 2009, and variety regional trials were conducted in Danzhou of Hainan, Fuzhou of Fujian and Zhanjiang of Guangdong from 2011 to 2013. Its comprehensive characters of plant height, hay yield, stem-leaf ratio and nutritional components were determined, and were compared with those of P. purpureum × P.americanum cv. Reyan No.4 and P. purpureum Schum cv. Guiminyin. [Result] The average height of P. purpureum Schumach cv. Purple was 706.54 cm, which was5.92% and 8.44% lower than that of P. purpureum × P. americanum cv. Reyan No.4 and P. purpureum Schum cv. Guiminyin, respectively. The average hay yield of P. purpureum Schumach cv. Purple was 32.74 t/ha in Nanning, Lingyun, and Tiandeng of Guangxi from 2007 to 2009, and 22.41 t/ha in Danzhou of Hainan, Fuzhou of Fujian and Zhanjiang of Guangdong from 2011 to 2013. Although its hay yield was lower than two control varieties, the difference was not significant（P 0.05）.The stem-leaf ratio of P. purpureum Schumach cv. Purple was 0.98：1. Moreover,the analysis on the nutritional components of dry matter showed that compared with P. purpureum × P. americanum cv. Reyan No.4 and P. purpureum Schum cv.Guiminvin, the crude fiber of P. purpureum Schumab cv. Purple was decreased by4.76% and 2.78%, respectively; the neutral detergent fiber decreased by 5.07% and2.22%, respectively; the acid detergent fiber was decreased by 2.54% and 1.99%,respectively; the crude fat was increased by 64.29% and 43.75%, respectively; the calcium content was increased by 28.00% and 33.33%, respectively; the phosphorus content was increased by 9.68% and 22.73%, respectively; the total content of amino acid was increased by 43.23% and 68.41%, respectively; the anthocyanin content of leaf was increased by 400.00% and 216.90%, respectively（P 0.05）.[Conclusion] P. purpureum Schumach cv. Purple is a new high-quality forage variety with wide adaptability, high yield, rich nutrient and good palatability, which is appropriate for comprehensive exploitation and application in the southern region of China.

Present Tectonic Stress Field in the Capital Region of China Inverted from Focal Mechanisms of Small and Strong Earthquakes

A dense seismic network was installed in the capital region of China in recent years,which makes it possible to resolve the focal mechanisms of small earthquakes. We gathered large earthquake focal mechanisms from the last fifty years and moderate or small earthquake focal mechanisms from between 2002 and 2004,and calculated the present tectonic stress field of the capital region by the grid search method, which weighs different sized earthquakes and can improve the accuracy of the stress field inversion. The analysis of inversion results of different sub-regions shows that the azinuth of the maximum principal compressive stress axis is NE43°- 86° in the Beijing-Zhangjiakou-Datong area,NE38°-86° in the Tangshan area,and NE79°- 81° in the Xingtai area. Inversion results of this paper are similar to previous results,which proves the correctness of the approach. As revealed by the results,the stress field of the capital region is characterized by overall consistency and sub-regional differences. This study provides reference for earthquake mechanism explanation and geodynamics research.

The dynamic analysis of natural environment change of nuclear test field in Lop Nur region of China

Using earth satellite observation means, remote sensing information distilled technique and regional research production, we have roundly analyzed and made an integrated evaluation about the Lop Nur nuclear test field in western China. This product reveals the rarely-known nuke explosion effect and response events of geology conditions. It also offers us legible and practical first-hand materials about human extreme effects, important engineering environment and intimidating influence process. By excavating and appraising the materials gradually on the natural environment factors changing in the test field through macroscopic elimination and typical filtration, it can supply basic scientific data for security of national nuclear usage, appraising the nuclear environment synthetically and developing nuclear strategy expediently.

Experiment and Achievement Enlightenment of Integrated Prospecting of Carbonate-Type Lead-Zinc Deposits in the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Region of China

Mississippi-Valley＇s carbonate-type （MVT） lead-zinc deposits are the most important type of lead-zinc deposits in the southwest of China. In 2013, China Geological Survey Bureau deployed a project named ＂Experimental Investigation of Integrated Prospecting Technology for Concealed Carbonate-Type Lead-Zinc Deposits in the Region of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces＂. This project has been implemented by the Chengdu Center of China Geological Survey since 2013, and the project has run for 3 years. The general objective of this project is to establish an effective and adaptable integrated prospecting methodology （including geological, geophysical and geochemical techniques） in search for deep concealed lead-zinc deposits.

Integrity and Size of Green Spaces Are Critical for the Functional Di-versity of Birds:Evidence from the Eastern and Northwestern Regions of China

Urbanization often changes bird species richness and affects the functional diversity.Therefore,understanding these changes helps city planners improve green space design and land use planning.Our study used multiple datasets to explore the effects of land-scape patterns and natural environments on the functional diversity of birds in urban parks and campuses in the eastern and northwest-ern regions of China.Firstly,we used the data to calculate birds of the functional richness(FRic),functional evenness(FEve),and func-tional divergence(FDiv)of 68 urban spaces in the eastern and northwestern regions of China.Further,we established generalized linear models of natural factors,human factors,and functional diversity.Results showed more bird species with unique traits were in the north-western region.This may be because the earlier urbanization in the eastern region filtered out urban-sensitive species,leaving behind urban adapters.Moreover,we found that the fractal dimension index was the most significant positive factor of FRic in the eastern re-gion but the most significant negative factor of FDiv.Elevation was the most significant negative influence factor of FEve in the eastern region,but it was the most potent positive influence factor of FRic in the northwestern region.Population density had a significant posit-ive effect on FDiv in the northwestern region.However,green space areas significantly negatively impacted FEve in the northwestern region.In addition,birds in parks in both regions had more functional traits than those on campuses,possibly because of the larger green space in parks,which may contain more fragments of native vegetation and reduce human interference.Our study suggests that pre-serving more original vegetation and reducing human disturbance in cities can increase the functional diversity of urban birds and im-prove urban ecosystem functions.

Rubber plantation and its relationship with topographical factors in the border region of China, Laos and Myanmar

Rubber plantation is the major land use type in Southeast Asia. Monitoring the spa- tial-temporal pattern of rubber plantation is significant for regional land resource development, eco-environmental protection, and maintaining border security. With remote sensing tech- nologies, we analyzed the rubber distribution pattern and spatial-temporal dynamic; with GIS and a newly proposed index of Planted Intensity （PI）, we further quantified the impacts and limits of topographical factors on rubber plantation in the border region of China, Laos and Myanmar （BRCLM） between 1980 and 2010. The results showed that： （1） As the dominant land use type in this border region, the acreage of rubber plantation was 6014 km2 in 2010, accounting for 8.17% of the total area. Viewing from the rubber plantation structure, the ratio of mature- （〉10 year） and young rubber plantation （〈 10 year） was 5：7. （2） From 1980 to 2010, rubber plantation expanded significantly in BRCLM, from 705 km2 to 6014 km2, nearly nine times. The distribution characteristics of rubber plantation varied from concentrated toward dispersed, from border inside to outside, and expanded further in all directions with Jinghong City as the center. （3） Restricted by the topographical factors, more than 4/5 proportion of rubber plantation concentrated in the appropriate elevation gradients between 600 and 1000 m, rarely occurred in elevations beyond 1200 m in BRCLM. Nearly 2/3 of rubber plantation concentrated on slopes of 8^-25~, rarely distributed on slopes above 35~. Rubber plantation was primarily distributed in south and east aspects, relatively few in north and west aspects. Rubber planted intensity displayed the similar distribution trend. （4） Comparative studies of rubber plantation in different countries showed that there was a remarkable increase in area at higher elevations and steeper slopes in China, while there were large appropriate topog- raphical gradients for rubber plantation in Laos and Myanmar which benefited China for rubber trans-boundary expansion. （5） Rubber plantation in BRCLM will definitely expend cross borders of China to the territories of Laos and Myanmar, and the continuous expansion in the border region of China will be inevitable.

The effect of environmental factors on spatial variability in land use change in the high-sediment region of China＇s Loess Plateau

In areas with topographic heterogeneity, land use change is spatially variable and influenced by climate, soil properties, and topography. To better understand this variability in the high-sediment region of the Loess Plateau in which soil loss is most severe and sediment diameter is larger than in other regions of the plateau, this study builds some indicators to identify the characteristics of land use change and then analyze the spatial variability as it is affected by climate, soil property, and topography. We build two indicators, a land use change intensity index and a vegetation change index, to characterize the intensity of land use change, and the degree of vegetation restoration, respectively. Based on a subsection mean method, the two indicators are then used to assess the spatial variability of land use change affected by climatic, edaphic, and topographic elements. The results indicate that： 1） Land use changed significantly in the period 1998-2010. The total area experiencing land use change was 42,302 km2, accounting for 22.57%of the study area. High-coverage grassland, other woodland, and forest increased significantly, while low-coverage grassland and farmland decreased in 2010 compared with 1998.2） Land use change occurred primarily west of the Yellow River, between 35 and 38 degrees north latitude. The four transformation types, including （a） low-coverage grassland to medium-coverage grassland, （b） medium-coverage grassland to high-coverage grassland, （c） farmland to other woodland, and （d） farmland to medium-coverage grassland, were the primary types of land use change, together constituting 60% of the area experiencing land use change. 3） The spatial variability of land use change was significantly affected by properties of dryness/wetness, soil conditions and slope gradient. In general, land use changed dramatically in semi-arid regions, remained relatively stable in arid regions, changed significantly in clay-rich soil, remained relatively stable in clay-poor soil, changed dramatically in steeper slopes, and remained relatively stable in tablelands and low-lying regions. The increase in vegetation coincided with increasing changes in land use for each physical element. These findings allow for an evaluation of the effect of the Grain to Green Program, and are applicable to the design of soil and water conservation projects on the Loess Plateau of China.

A preliminary study on pollution characteristics of surfactant substances in fine particles in the Beibu Gulf Region of China

The pollution characteristics of surfactant substances in fine particles(PM_(2.5))in spring were studied in the Beibu Gulf Region of China,68 samples of PM_(2.5)were collected at Weizhou Island in Beihai City from March 12 to April 17,2015.The Anionic Surfactant Substances(ASS)and Cationic Surfactant Substances(CSS)in the samples were analyzed using Byethyl Violet Spectrophotometry and Disulfide Blue Spectrophotometry,respectively.Combined with the data from backward trajectory simulation,the effects of air pollutants from remote transport on the pollution characteristics of surfactant substances in PM_(2.5)in the Beibu Gulf Region were analyzed and discussed.The results showed that the daily mean concentrations of ASS and CSS in spring in the Beibu Gulf Region were 165.20 pmol/m^(3)and 8.05 pmol/m^(3),and the variation ranges were 23.21–452.55 pmol/m^(3)and 0.65–31.31 pmol/m^(3),accounting for 1.82‰±1.65‰and 0.12‰±0.11‰of the mass concentration of PM_(2.5),respectively.These concentrations were lower than those in comparable regions around the world.There was no clear correlation between the concentrations of ASS and CSS in PM_(2.5)and the mass concentrations of PM_(2.5).Tourism and air transport had a positive contribution on the concentrations of ASS.The concentration of surfactant substances in PM_(2.5)was significantly impacted by wind speed and wind direction.Atmospheric temperature,air pressure and precipitation had little effect on the concentrations of surfactant substances.Surfactant substances in PM_(2.5)significantly impacted visibility.Results also showed that the main sources of surfactant substances were from the southern China and Southeast Asia.

Gridded reconstruction of the population in the traditional cultivated region of China from 1776 to 1953

Using modern census and environmental factor data,this study first identified the environmental factors that significantly affect the population distribution through Geodetector analysis and then constructed a population spatial distribution model based on the random forest regression algorithm.Finally,with this model and historical population data that were examined and corrected by historians,gridded population distributions with a spatial resolution of 10 km by 10 km in the traditional cultivated region of China(TCRC,hereafter)were reconstructed for six time slices from 1776 to 1953.Using the reconstruction dataset,the spatiotemporal characteristics of the population distribution were depicted.The results showed that(1)the environmental factors that significantly affected the population density differences among counties in the TCRC mainly consisted of elevation,slope,relief amplitude,distances to the nearest prefectural and provincial capitals,distance to the nearest river and the climatology moisture index.(2)Using the census data of 1934 counties in the TCRC in 2000 and the abovementioned environmental factor data,a random forest regression algorithm-based population spatial distribution model was constructed.Its determination coefficient(R^(2))is 0.81.In 88.4%of the counties(districts),the relative errors of the model predictions were less than 50%.(3)From 1776 to 1953,the total population in the study area showed an uptrend.Prior to 1851,the population increased mainly in the Yangtze River Delta.During this period,the number of grid cells in which the population densities were greater than 500 persons per km^(2) increased from 292 to 683.From 1851 to 1953,the population increased extensively across the study area.In the North China Plain and the Pearl River Delta,the number of grid cells in which the population densities were greater than 500 persons per km^(2) increased from 36 to 88 and from 4 to 35,respectively.The spatial clustering pattern of the population distribution varied temporally.The potential reasons included the shifts in economic development hot spots,traditional beliefs,wars,famine,and immigration policies.(4)Between our reconstructions and the HYDE dataset,there are large differences in the data sources,selected environmental factors and modeling methods.As a consequence,in comparison to our reconstructions,there were fewer populations in the eastern area and more populations in the western area from 1776 to 1851 and more populations in urban areas and fewer populations in rural areas after 1851 in the HYDE dataset.

Impacts of Climate Change on Net Primary Productivity in Arid and Semiarid Regions of China

In recent years, with the constant change in the global climate, the effect of climate factors on net primary productivity(NPP) has become a hot research topic. However, two opposing views have been presented in this research area: global NPP increases with global warming, and global NPP decreases with global warming. The main reasons for these two opposite results are the tremendous differences among seasonal and annual climate variables, and the growth of plants in accordance with these climate variables. Therefore, it will fail to fully clarify the relation between vegetation growth and climate changes by research that relies solely on annual data. With seasonal climate variables, we may clarify the relation between vegetation growth and climate changes more accurately. Our research examined the arid and semiarid areas in China(ASAC), which account for one quarter of the total area of China. The ecological environment of these areas is fragile and easily affected by human activities. We analyzed the influence of climate changes, especially the changes in seasonal climate variables, on NPP, with Climatic Research Unit(CRU) climatic data and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) satellite remote data, for the years 2000–2010. The results indicate that: for annual climatic data, the percentage of the ASAC in which NPP is positively correlated with temperature is 66.11%, and 91.47% of the ASAC demonstrates a positive correlation between NPP and precipitation. Precipitation is more positively correlated with NPP than temperature in the ASAC. For seasonal climatic data, the correlation between NPP and spring temperature shows significant regional differences. Positive correlation areas are concentrated in the eastern portion of the ASAC, while the western section of the ASAC generally shows a negative correlation. However, in summer, most areas in the ASAC show a negative correlation between NPP and temperature. In autumn, precipitation is less important in the west, as opposed to the east, in which it is critically important. Temperatures in winter are a limiting factor for NPP throughout the region. The findings of this research not only underline the importance of seasonal climate variables for vegetation growth, but also suggest that the effects of seasonal climate variables on NPP should be explored further in related research in the future.

Optimization and Regulation Policy for Land Use Changes Based on Low-carbon Emission in Developed Regions of China

Land use and cover change(LUCC) is one of the important causes of the Earth’s carbon cycle imbalances resulting from failure in optimizing land use. The solution to this problem has been the hotspot of research in land and environmental science. We took 'low carbon', 'energy saving' and 'high-efficiency' as the goals of land use optimization,and integrated Markov-CA(Cellular Automaton),the Grid-Fractal model and GIS,in order to study carbon emission objective function,to establish a simulation method for land use spatial allocation optimization,to evaluate the effect of the method on carbon emissions. Regulation policy on three types of land use spatial allocation was proposed,including 'low-carbon type', 'low-carbon-economic type' and 'economic type'. We applied the method to analyze the land use spatial allocation in Taixing City of the 'Yangtze River Delta' regions in China,and obtained the following results:(i) The three optimization types would improve carbon emissions by 3. 21%,1. 80% and 0. 36% respectively in 2020,compared with 2010;(ii) The actual planning for 2020 was close to the 'low-carbon-economic type';(iii) The optimization method and regulation policy,combining local optimization and global control,could meet the sustainable multi-objective requirements for low-carbon constraints of land use spatial allocation. The result of this research could also serve as a reference for exploration into patterns of regional low-carbon land use and measures for energy saving and emission reduction.

Long-term Therapeutic Outcome and Prognostic Factors of Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Receiving Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy: An Analysis of 608 Patients from Low-endemic Regions of China

Objective To evaluate the long-term outcome and prognostic factors of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)from low-endemic regions of China who received definitive intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT).Methods The clinical data from 608 patients with newly-diagnosed non-metastatic NPC who have received initial treatment at our cancer center from January,2008 to December,2013 were retrospectively reviewed.All patients received definitive IMRT,and 87.7%received platinum-based chemotherapy.Results The median follow-up duration was 51 months(follow-up rate,98.5%;range,10–106 months)for the entire cohort.The 5-year overall survival rate was 79.7%.The 5-year local relapse-free survival rate,regional relapse-free survival rate,distant metastasis-free survival rate and progression-free survival rate were 92.4%,93.3%,79.2%and 74.3%,respectively.A total of 153 patients had experienced treatment failure,with distant metastasis as the primary cause in 77.1%(118/153).Patients with T4 or N3 diseases had a significantly poorer prognosis than other subcategories.Stage T4 and N3 were closely associated with distant metastasis,with the metastatic rate of 29.3%and 45.5%,respectively.Conclusion IMRT provides patients with non-metastatic NPC with satisfactory long-term survival.Both T stage and N stage are important prognostic factors for NPC patients.Patients with T4 or N3 diseases have significantly increased distant metastatic rates and poor survival time.