Pattern Change and Regional Disparity Tendency of Cultivated Land Use in Jiangsu Province

The study has examined the tempo-spatial patterns of cultivated land use change in Jiangsu province. A principal component analysis （PCA） of 18 selected indicators of cultivated land use during the period 1970-2010 identified 2 main pat- terns of change in planting productivity and economic efficiency. A major shift from production-centered pattern to profit-oriented one occurred in 1984, the time of grain yield surplus and the mitigation of population pressure. In response to the impending Opened Market System, there was a notable tendency of higher efficiency and less productivity since 1997, as well as remarkable regional disparity of cultivated land use change spatially. It revealed a relative decrease in grain cropping share, crop- ping scale and cultivation intensity in South Jiangsu, especially in Tai-Lake region, and the reverse in North Jiangsu. Some suggestions for the future were finally dis- cussed from the above findings.

Regional Disparity and Convergence of China's Inbound Tourism Economy

Comprehending regional characteristics and influencing factors of China＇s inbound tourism economy is im- portant to make effective policies that will help inbound tourism develop harmoniously and shrink regional disparity. This paper studied the regional disparity and convergence of China＇s inbound tourism economy during 1996-2008 with the methods of a-convergence, club convergence and r-convergence. The results indicate that 1） inbound tourism receipts per capita （ITRPC） of the whole country, the eastern, central and western regions presented the rapid increasing trend; 2） ITRPC of the whole country was characterized by convergence; 3） the eastern region presented club con- vergence, but the central and western regions did not show this trend; 4） the star-hotel levels and investment in fixed assets for the tourism industry per capita had a same trend to growth rates of ITRPC, promoting inbound tourism de- velopment, and there was no difference among the 31 provinces （municipalities） in the mainland of China; 5） but the proportion of employed persons in the tourism industry accounting for total population and the proportion of the terti- ary industry accounting for GDP had a reversal trend to growth rates of ITRPC, shrinking the provincial disparity in inbound tourism economy, and there were differences between the developed provinces and the developing provinces. Based on these analyses, we put forward some suggestions for the developing provinces to speed up inbound tourism economy.

Regional disparity in the changes of agricultural land use intensity in China during 1980-2002

Based on the cost-benefit data （1980-2002） of farm products and China Agriculture Yearbooks, this paper studies the regional disparity in the changes of the agricultural land use in China during the period 1980-2002 from three aspects such as the degree of intensity, the sown area and the abandoned farmland. The results show that： （1） The degree of intensity of land use in the westena region during 1980-2000 has a strong uptrend, but in the eastern and central regions the degree of intensity descends obviously and has shown a continuous downtrend since 1997. （2） The total sown area shrinks notably in the eastern region, while it enlarges constantly in the western region. （3） The sown area in the eastern, central and western regions has gone through a similar cyclic process： down （1980-1985）-up （1985-1991）-down （1991-1994）-up （1994-1999）-down （1999-2002）. However, there are obvious differences in amplitude variation and tendency among them. The sown area has shrunk in the eastern region and expanded in the central and western regions especially before 1999. （4） The most cases of abandoned farmland are reported in the central region, the second in the eastern region and the least in the western region. The abandonment phenomena chiefly occurred during 1992-1995 in the eastern region, and during 1998-2002 in the central region.

CHINA'S REGIONAL DISPARITY IN 1981-2000:OPENNESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF NON-STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES AND FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION

While China's economic growth has been impressive since 1978, regional disparity in terms of provincial per capita GDP has been increasing. On the other hand, this rapid but uneven growth was accompanied by China's deepening openness and structural reforms including the development of non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) and fiscal decentralization. Based on quantitative analyses, this paper tries to explore the features of regional disparity in China and the relationships between regional growth and China's openness and economic structure reforms in the period from 1981 to 2000. The paper finds that the catching-up of the coastal region to the initially rich provinces, which are mainly located in inland areas, brought about a convergence of the growth pattern across provinces in the 1980s.The subsequent divergence in the provincial growth rates between the coast and the interior generated an enlarging regional disparity in China in the 1990s. The ever-faster growth in the coastal region was benefited by China's openness and the development of non-state-owned enterprises. The development of non-state-owned enterprises underlies the higher operational efficiency in the coastal region. Additionally, with the insignificant regression results, fiscal decentralization was observed to facilitate faster growth in the coast region. The findings justify the initiative of the 'West Region Development Strategy' and offer some policy implications for China.

Mismatch between Population and Industries： A New Perspective on China＇s Regional Disparity

The mismatch between distribution of population and industries is a new perspective on studying regional disparities. This paper describes the status quo and trend of the mismatch, analyzes its formation mechanism and proposes three assumptions. Through empirical analysis, this paper concludes that the mismatch expands first and narrows later, along with economic development. Meanwhile, population migration barriers and different change in the marginal productivity of capital （mpk） expand the mismatch, while the coordinated regional development strategy contains the expansion.

Does digitalization mitigate regional inequalities?Evidence from China

Regional inequality significantly influences sustainable development and human well-being.In China,there exists pronounced regional disparities in economic and digital advancements;however,scant research delves into the interplay between them.By analyzing the economic development and digitalization gaps at regional and city levels in China,extending the original Cobb-Douglas production function,this study aims to evaluate the impact of digitalization on China's regional inequality using seemingly unrelated regression.The results indicate a greater emphasis on digital inequality compared to economic disparity,with variable coefficients of 0.59 for GDP per capita and 0.92 for the digitalization index over the past four years.However,GDP per capita demonstrates higher spatial concentration than digitalization.Notably,both disparities have shown a gradual reduction in recent years.The southeastern region of the Hu Huanyong Line exhibits superior levels and rates of economic and digital advancement in contrast to the northwestern region.While digitalization propels economic growth,it yields a nuanced impact on achieving balanced regional development,encompassing both positive and negative facets.Our study highlights that the marginal utility of advancing digitalization is more pronounced in less developed regions,but only if the government invests in the digital infrastructure and education in these areas.This study's methodology can be utilized for subsequent research,and our findings hold the potential to the government's regional investment and policy-making.

Prostate cancer temporal and regional trends in Brazil

Objectives:The Brazilian Unified Health System(SistemaÚnico de Saúde−SUS)is the universal public healthcare system of Brazil that maintains a nationwide database of its patients.Our primary objective was to analyze regional and temporal trends,while our secondary goal was to establish correlations between states’health economy status and their prostate cancer(PCa)epidemiology.Methods:We analyzed Brazil’s nationwide data on prostate cancer(PCa)incidence,mortality,and care gathered between 2013 and 2021 by the Information Technology Department of SUS(DATA-SUS),updated monthly using the International Classification of Diseases(ICD-10)code.Results:In the period,273,933 new cases of PCa and 135,336 PCa deaths were reported in men aged 50 years or over in Brazil.The median annual PCa-specific incidence rate(PCSIR)ranged from 14.7 in the Southeast to 6.9 in the North region and the median annual PCa-specific mortality rate(PCSMR)ranged from 7.7 in the Northeast to 6.0 in the South region(per 10,000 men>50).The median annual mortality to incidence ratio(MIR)was highest in the North(0.88)and lowest in the Southeast region(0.44).There were significant regional differences in PCa treatment rates(per new cases);the Midwest region had the highest median annual surgery rate(0.63)while the North region had the highest median annual systemic therapy rate(0.75)and the lowest radiation therapy rate(0.06).Temporal analysis of the data showed significant change in annual rate trends after the year 2018 for PCSIR(coefficient[β]=+3.66,p<0.001),any treatment(β=−0.06,p=0.016),surgery([SR]β=+0.05,p=0.017)radiation therapy([RTR]β=−0.06,p=0.005)and systemic therapy([STR]β=−0.10,p=0.002).After the 2020 pandemic,annual PCSIR decreased(β=−2.15,p=0.002)but annual PCSMR,MIR,and treatment rates remained stable.Correlation studies showed that the PCSIR was strongly negatively correlated with STR(p<0.001)and positively correlated with RTR(p=0.004).MIR was positively correlated with STR(p<0.001)and negatively correlated with the number of robotic surgical systems per million population(p=0.003).Conclusion:Our data shows that PCa care is dependent on the region and is likely influenced by access to treatment options.Furthermore,changes after the year 2018 underscore the influence of international guidelines on Brazilian clinicians’decision-making especially concerning population screening which in turn affected incidence and treatment rates.Limitation of our study includes limited patientrelated information and data on private practices as well as an unknown impact of traveling patients.

Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis on Regional Economic Disparity of Northeast Economic Region in China

Popular regional inequality indexes such as variation coefficient and Gini coefficient can only reveal overall inequality, and have limited ability in revealing spatial dependence or spatial agglomeration. Recently some methods of exploratory spatial data analysis such as spatial autocorrelation have provided effective tools to analyze spatial agglomeration and cluster, which can reveal the pattern of regional inequality. This article attempts to use spatial autocorrelation at county level to get refined spatial pattern of regional disparity in Chinese northeast economic region over 2000-2006 (2001 absent). The result indicates that the basic trend of regional economy is an increasing concentration of growth among counties in northeast economic region, and there are two geographical clusters of poorer counties including the counties in western Liaoning Province and adjacent counties in Inner Mongolia, poorer counties of Heihe, Qiqihar and Suihua in Heilongjiang Province. This article also reveals that we can use the methods of exploratory spatial data analysis as the supplementary analysis methods in regional economic analysis.

An analysis of the regional disparity in the average educational expenditure per senior secondary student and its relevant factors in China

The essay deals with regional disparities in the average educational expenditure of every ordinary senior secondary student,including budget funds for education,the proportion appropriated to the ordinary senior high school by the government,tuition fee per student and the proportion of tuition fees of the total educational expenditure.By analyzing the relevant educational and economic indicators,we find that the average educational expenditure and tuition of every student in the western area are lower than those in the eastern and the middle area while the proportion of funds allocated by the government is the highest.However,in the middle area,both of the government appropriation of education funds for every student and its proportion of the total educational expenditure are the lowest in China,but on the other hand the proportion of tuition fee of the total educational expenditure and the income of the rural residents are the highest.Therefore,the aim of this essay is to look at the reasons why there are such differences.

R/S AND WAVELET ANALYSIS ON EVOLUTIONARYPROCESS OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC DISPARITY IN CHINA DURING PAST 50 YEARS

This paper shows the dynamic process of regional disparity of economic development in China in the past 50 years from a new insight by using the rescaled range statistic (R/S) analysis and wavelet analysis of the Theil index sequence with different time scales. The main conclusions are: 1) The regional disparity of economic development in China, including the inter-provincial disparity, inter-regional disparity and intra-regional disparity, has existed for many years. Theil index by the comparative price has revealed the true trend for comparative disparity of regional economic development from 1952 to 2000. 2) Decomposition of Theil index indicates that the dynamic trend of comparative inter-provincial disparity in the coastal region is in line with dynamic trend of inter-provincial disparity in the whole China. 3) The R/S analysis results tell us that during 1966-1978, the Hurst exponent H=0.504 approximate to 0.5, which indicates that in that period the evolution of comparative inter-provincial disparity of economic development showed a random characteristic, and in the other periods, i.e. 1952-1965, 1979-1990 and 1991-2000, the Hurst exponent H>0.5, which indicates that in those periods the evolution of the comparative inter-provincial disparity of economic development in China had a long-enduring characteristic. 4) By using wavelet analysis at different time scale, we arrived at a conclusion that the evolutionary process of the disparity of economic development of China is not a simple inverted U shape but a compound of several U shapes. The result tells us that the evolutionary plot of inter-provincial disparity in China follows the inverted U on the whole at the higher scale, 24 ( 16 years). That is to say, the disparity tends to rise in the first stage of economic development, and fall slowly over the peak in the second stage of economic development. However, if we shorten the time scale to 23 ( 8 years), then a link of several U shapes will appear.

Identifi cation and decomposition of regional economic disparity for the west coast of Taiwan Strait of China

Regional economic disparity is a hot issue in the development of society and economy. As the conjunct of the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta and the frontier to Taiwan, the west coast of the Taiwan Strait （WCS） is of great social and political significance. The paper defines the connotation of the WCS, decomposed the regional economic disparity by using weighted coefficient of variation and Theil coefficient, and explores the industrial and regional source of the regional economic disparity of the WCS. The analysis results show that： （1） the WCS has important political, economic and military position, so it＇s better to regard it to be comprehensive region, not just refer to Fujian Province; （2）from the industrial decomposition of weighted variation coefficient, the influence o.f the primary industry was tiny; conversely, the development inequity of the secondary and the tertiary, indusoy was the main source of regional economic disparity. Their contribution has had the converse trend and the secondary contribution has gone beyond the tertiary since 2003; （3）from the regional decomposition of Theil coefficient, the regional economic disparity mainly came from inter-area inequity of 4 areas. Moreover, the inner economic disparity mainly drove by Fujian, suggesting that the urban development inequity in Fujian Province was comparatively outstanding.

Regional disparities of phytoplankton in relation to different water masses in the Northwest Pacific Ocean during the spring and summer of 2017

The West Pacific Ocean is considered as the provenance center of global marine life and has the highest species diversity of numerous marine taxa.The phytoplankton,as the primary producer at the base of the food chain,effects on climate change,fish resources as well as the entire ecosystem.However,there are few large-scale surveys covering several currents with different hydrographic characteristics.This study aimed to explore the relationships between the spatio-temporal variation in phytoplankton community structure and different water masses.A total of 630 water samples and 90 net samples of phytoplankton were collected at 45 stations in the Northwest Pacific Ocean(21.0°–42.0°N,118.0°–156.0°E)during spring and summer 2017.A total of 281 phytoplankton taxa(>5μm)belonging to 61 genera were identified in the study area.The distribution pattern of the phytoplankton community differed significantly both spatially and temporally.The average abundances of phytoplankton in spring and summer were 797.07×10~2 cells/L and 84.94×10~2 cells/L,respectively.Whether in spring or summer,the maximum abundance always appeared in the northern transition region affected by the Oyashio Current,where nutrients were abundant and diatoms dominated the phytoplankton community;whereas the phytoplankton abundance was very low in the oligotrophic Kuroshio region,and the proportion of dinoflagellates in total abundance increased significantly.The horizontal distribution of phytoplankton abundance increased from low to high latitudes,which was consistent with the trend of nutrient distributions,but contrary to that of water temperature and salinity.In the northern area affected by the Oyashio Current,the phytoplankton abundance was mainly concentrated in the upper 30 m of water column,while the maximum abundance often occurred at depths of 50–75 m in the south-central area affected by the Kuroshio Current.Pearson correlation and redundancy analysis(RDA)showed that phytoplankton abundance was significant negatively correlated with temperature and salinity,but positively correlated with nutrient concentration.The phytoplankton community structure was mainly determined by nutrient availability,especially the N:P ratio.

Effects of the Northeast China Revitalization Strategy on Regional Economic Growth and Social Development

Measuring the economic and social effects of the Northeast China Revitalization Strategy is critical to addressing regional sustainable development in China. To shed light on this issue, an integrated perspective was adopted that is combined with the difference-in-differences method to measure the effects of the strategy on economic growth and social development in Northeast China. The findings suggest that the strategy has significantly improved regional economic growth and per-capita income by increasing its gross domestic product(GDP) and GDP per capita by 25.70% and 46.00%, respectively. However, the strategy has significantly worsened the regional employment in the secondary industry of the region. In addition, the strategy has not significantly improved regional infrastructural road, education investment or social security, and has had no significant effect on mitigating regional disparity. In addition, the policy effects are highly heterogeneous across cities based on city size and characteristics. Therefore, there is no simple answer regarding whether the Northeast China Revitalization Strategy has reached its original goals from an integrated perspective. The next phase of the strategy should emphasize improving research and development(R&D) and human capital investments based on urban heterogeneity to prevent conservative path-dependency and the lock-in of outdated technologies.

Regional disparities of phytoplankton in relation to environmental factors in the western Arctic Ocean during summer of 2010

Global warming has caused Arctic sea ice to rapidly retreat,which is affecting phytoplankton,the primary producers at the base of the food chain,as well as the entire ecosystem.However,few studies with large spatial scales related to the Arctic Basin at high latitude have been conducted.This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in phytoplankton community structure and ice conditions.Fifty surface and 41 vertically stratified water samples from the western Arctic Ocean（67.0°–88°26′N,152°–178°54′W） were collected by the Chinese icebreaker R/V Xuelong from July 20 to August 30,2010 during China＇s fourth Arctic expedition.Using these samples,the species composition,spatial distribution,and regional disparities of phytoplankton during different stages of ice melt were assessed.A total of 157 phytoplankton taxa（〉5 μm） belonging to 69 genera were identified in the study area.The most abundant species were Navicula pelagica and Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii,accounting for 31.23% and 14.12% of the total phytoplankton abundance,respectively.The average abundance during the departure trip and the return trip were 797.07×10~2 cells/L and 84.94×10~2 cells/L,respectively.The highest abundance was observed at Sta.R09 in the north of Herald Shoal,where Navicula pelagica was the dominant species accounting for 59.42% of the abundance.The vertical distribution of phytoplankton abundance displayed regional differences,and the maximum abundances were confined to the lower layers of the euphotic zone near the layers of the halocline,thermocline,and nutricline.The species abundance of phytoplankton decreased from the low-latitude shelf to the high-latitude basin on both the departure and return trips.The phytoplankton community structure in the shallow continental shelf changed markedly during different stages of ice melt,and there was shift in dominant species from centric to pennate diatoms.Results of canonical correspondence analysis（CCA） showed that there were two distinct communities of phytoplankton in the western Arctic Ocean,and water temperature,ice coverage and silicate concentration were the most important environmental factors affecting phytoplankton distribution in the surveyed sea.These findings will help predict the responses of phytoplankton to the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice.

Unveiling Global Human Trafficking Trends: A Comprehensive Analysis

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of global human trafficking trends over a twenty-year period, leveraging a robust dataset from the Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC). The study unfolds in a systematic manner, beginning with a detailed data collection phase, where ethical and legal standards for data usage and privacy are strictly observed. Following collection, the data undergoes a rigorous preprocessing stage, involving cleaning, integration, transformation, and normalization to ensure accuracy and consistency for analysis. The analytical phase employs time-series analysis to delineate historical trends and utilizes predictive modeling to forecast future trajectories of human trafficking using the advanced analytical capabilities of Power BI. A comparative analysis across regions—Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe—is conducted to identify and visualize the distribution of human trafficking, dissecting the data by victim demographics, types of exploitation, and duration of victimization. The findings of this study not only offer a descriptive and predictive outlook on trafficking patterns but also provide insights into the regional nuances that influence these trends. The article underscores the prevalence and persistence of human trafficking, identifies factors contributing to its evolution, and discusses the implications for policy and law enforcement. By integrating a methodological approach with quantitative analysis, this research contributes to the strategic planning and resource allocation for combating human trafficking. It highlights the necessity for continued research and international cooperation to effectively address and mitigate this global issue. The implications of this research are significant, offering actionable insights for policymakers, law enforcement, and advocates in the ongoing battle against human trafficking.

Regional Disparities in China's Mainland at Provincial Level Between 2000 and 2005

Based on the methodology provided by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,we analyze regional disparities in China's mainland at provincial level between 2000 and 2005.It regards regional GDP growth as the joint result of contribution of a number of factors,i.e.capital productivity,capital per manpower,specialization,employment rate,active population,and population.The results show that for all provincial units,capital per manpower is a dominant contributing factor to the growth of GDP per capita during the period from 2000 to 2005 while capital productivity has quite significant negative impacts.Specialization contributes differently in different provinces.In most provincial units,employment rate and age activity have a positive impact on growth of GDP per capita,though not very significantly.

2011—2020年我国卫生资源配置的地区差异和动态演进

目的分析我国2011—2020年卫生资源配置的地区差异及动态演进趋势,为提升卫生资源效率、促进优质卫生资源均衡发展提供参考依据。方法基于2011—2020年面板数据,采用熵值法对卫生资源配置水平进行综合测度,基于自然断点分级法评价卫生资源配置空间均衡性,使用泰尔指数测算卫生资源配置地区差异程度及来源与构成,通过核密度估计法探讨卫生资源配置动态演进趋势。结果观察期内,我国卫生资源配置综合水平由1.810增至1.972,中密度、次高密度、次低密度区范围扩大6.45%。较观察初期,卫生资源配置受西部地区影响的总体差异涨幅约为1.36%,区域间差异占比约为51.38%。在动态演进过程中卫生资源配置非均衡性呈轻微缩小趋势,各区域形成两极或多极化特征。结论我国卫生资源配置渐趋均衡,而区域间差异仍是我国卫生资源配置总体差异的主要来源。

Regional Differences in Specific Health Examination Utilization and Medical Care Expenditures in Japan

Background: Despite having one of the most successful health systems in the world, annual medical expenditures in Japan have been increasing year to year. We sought to clarify regional differences in medical expenditures by analyzing the relationship between the specific health examination coverage and medical care expenditure by prefecture of Japan. Methods: We used data from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups (NDB) Open Data Japan (2015) and Overview of 2015 National Medical Expenses to compare medical care expenditure per capita and proportions of persons receiving specific health examination between Japan nationally and individual prefectures. Results: National medical expenditures were 42.3 trillion Japanese yen (JPY) (3851 hundred million dollars), with a national per capita rate of JPY347,219 (USD3156). Per capita medical expenditure rates by prefecture ranged from JPY290,900 (USD2645) in Saitama Prefecture to JPY 444,000 (USD4036) in Kochi Prefecture. The proportion of persons receiving specific health examinations was 49.0% for Japan overall and ranged from 39.3% in Hokkaido Prefecture to 63.4% in Tokyo Prefecture. We observed a significant negative correlation between per capita medical expenditures and the proportion of persons receiving specific health examinations (R = 0.553, p < 0.001). Conclusion: We found a significant negative correlation between per capita medical expenditures and the proportion of persons receiving health examinations: prefectures with lower expenditures tended to have higher rates of medical examinations. Interventions to increase the proportion of persons receiving specific health examinations by prefecture could reduce per capita medical expenditures and reduce prefectural disparities in expenditures.

SPATIAL-TEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL DISPARITIES OF INTERNET DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA

This paper attempts to summarize the disparities of Internet development in China spatially-temporally. The major objective is to measure the differences between Eastern, Central and Western China. Methods of map presentation, correlation, Lorenz curve, Gini Coefficient and location quotient analysis arc conducted in this study. For convenience, the indicator of regional Internet development is simplified as the number of domain names registered under. CN in each province. The data used are collected from the semi-annual surveys of the Statistical Survey Report on the Intrenet Development in China since 1999. There are several findings: 1) The number of domain names in each province (city) declines gradually from the east to the west. 2) The gap between the highest growth provinces (cities) and the lowest ones is rather large. 3) Although the absolute differences between the eastern, central and western China have been enlarged, the relative differences in each province (city) have remained constant. 4) Provinces (cities) are classified into three types according to location quotient changes, namely, rising type, changeless type and declining type. Compared with industrial and economic growth, Internet sector in the eastern and western China is relatively ascending, while that in the central China is descending. 5) The number of domain names at provincial level is not statistically consistent with GDP.

Regional Disparities of China's Economic Development during 1992-2013——Based on DMSP/OLS Nighttime Lights Data of Cities

Balanced regional development is essential to China's economic stability and efficiency and achievement of the goal to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Based on the DMSP/OLS nighttime lights data of 291 cities at or above prefecture level during 1992-2013, this paper examines the regional disparities and trends of Chinese mainland's economic development. The findings are as follows:(1) During sample observation period, China's overall regional disparities generally declined despite some volatility; China's intra-regional disparities have been curbed yet a consistent framework for inter-regional economic coordination is lacking.(2) Southern coastal region contributes a significant share to China's overall regional disparities as the developed cities of Guangdong Province did not create a significant spatial spillover effect on neighboring regions.(3) According to the result of spatial Markov transition probability estimation, spatial factor has played a remarkable role in the evolution of China's regional economy and proximity to high-level regions will accelerate a region's transition toward higher levels.