Mapping and measuring urban-rural inequalities in accessibility to social infrastructures

Equal access to social infrastructures is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development,but has long been a great challenge worldwide.Previous studies have primarily focused on the accessibility to social infras-tructures in urban areas across various scales,with less attention to rural areas,where inequality can be more severe.Particularly,few have investigated the disparities of accessibility to social infrastructures between urban and rural areas.Here,using the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration,China,as an example,we investigated the inequality of accessibility in both urban and rural areas,and further compared the urban-rural difference.Accessibility was measured by travel time of residents to infrastructures.We selected four types of social infrastructures including supermarkets,bus stops,primary schools,and health care,which were funda-mentally important to both urban and rural residents.We found large disparities in accessibility between urban and rural areas,ranging from 20 min to 2 h.Rural residents had to spend one to two more hours to bus stops than urban residents,and 20 min more to the other three types of infrastructures.Furthermore,accessibility to multiple infrastructures showed greater urban-rural differences.Rural residents in more than half of the towns had no access to any infrastructure within 15 min,while more than 60%of the urban residents could access to all infrastructures within 15 min.Our results revealed quantitative accessibility gap between urban and rural areas and underscored the necessity of social infrastructures planning to address such disparities.

Spatial Distribution Pattern and Influencing Factors of Bed-and-breakfasts(B&Bs)from the Perspective of Urban-rural Differences:A Case Study of Jiaodong Peninsula,China

There are significant differences between urban and rural bed-and-breakfasts(B&Bs)in terms of customer positioning,economic strength and spatial carrier.Accurately identifying the differences in spatial characteristics and influencing factors of each type,is essential for creating urban and rural B&B agglomeration areas.This study used density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise(DBSCAN)and the multi-scale geographically weighted regression(MGWR)model to explore similarities and differences in the spatial distribution patterns and influencing factors for urban and rural B&Bs on the Jiaodong Peninsula of China from 2010 to 2022.The results showed that:1)both urban and rural B&Bs in Jiaodong Peninsula went through three stages:a slow start from 2010 to 2015,rapid development from 2015 to 2019,and hindered development from 2019 to 2022.However,urban B&Bs demonstrated a higher development speed and agglomeration intensity,leading to an increasingly evident trend of uneven development between the two sectors.2)The clustering scale of both urban and rural B&Bs continued to expand in terms of quantity and volume.Urban B&B clusters characterized by a limited number,but a higher likelihood of transitioning from low-level to high-level clusters.While the number of rural B&B clusters steadily increased over time,their clustering scale was comparatively lower than that of urban B&Bs,and they lacked the presence of high-level clustering.3)In terms of development direction,urban B&B clusters exhibited a relatively stable pattern and evolved into high-level clustering centers within the main urban areas.Conversely,rural B&Bs exhibited a more pronounced spatial diffusion effect,with clusters showing a trend of multi-center development along the coastline.4)Transport emerged as a common influencing factor for both urban and rural B&Bs,with the density of road network having the strongest explanatory power for their spatial distribution.In terms of differences,population agglomeration had a positive impact on the distribution of urban B&Bs and a negative effect on the distribution of rural B&Bs.Rural B&Bs clustering was more influenced by tourism resources compared with urban B&Bs,but increasing tourist stay duration remains an urgent issue to be addressed.The findings of this study could provide a more precise basis for government planning and management of urban and rural B&B agglomeration areas.

Development of Sustainable Urban-Rural Integration:Dongtan Case Study

The environmental impact issues,such as global warming and expansion of the urban zone,seem more serious and have become the biggest defining challenges of the 21st century.Climate change can lead to water shortages,desertification,land degradation,air pollution,rising sea levels,accelerated deforestation,and exacerbated economic pressures.Global urban growth greatly impacts changes in sociability,humanity,and the environment of the Earth.The human presence,especially in cities,seriously affects resource use and waste disposal,and they are consuming natural resources faster than the planet can sustain during urbanization,changing how people live.China,with a population of 1.3 billion,has seen tens of millions of people living in the countryside migrate to cities,especially megacities,since the 1980s.As a result of its decision to industrialize and urbanize to boost the economy,China has become the world’s second-largest consumer of energy.In recent years,China’s government has quickly recognized the lessons of“limits to growth”and has taken action by initiating the construction process in Dongtan,Shanghai,China.They are making efforts to build urban-rural integration communities to promote sustainable development.Based on a literature review focusing on Dongtan,research questions are raised according to the research objective:(1)What are the challenges of sustainable development in urban-rural integration?(2)What practices has Dongtan implemented for sustainable development,or how is sustainable development being applied to Dongtan?(3)What are the social,political,environmental,and economic concerns regarding the sustainable development of Dongtan?The sustainable urban-rural integration concerns the ecological,economic,environmental,and psychological aspects of urban-rural integration design and management.The overall objective is to promote sustainable development in economic,social,ecological,and spatial dimensions.It will be a liveable,complete community that makes economic,environmental,and social sense locally while also contributing to national and global sustainable development.It will serve as a compelling model for how to build sustainable urban-rural integration worldwide.

Spatial pattern of urban-rural integration in China and the impact of geography

Urban-rural integration (URI) is a global challenge that is highly related to inequalities, poverty, economic growth, and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Existing research has evaluated the extent of URI and explored its influencing factors, but urban-rural linkages are seldom incorporated in evaluation systems, and geographical factors are rarely recognized as the influencing factors. We construct a URI framework including regional economy, rural development, urban-rural linkage, and urban-rural gap. Based on a dataset consisting of 1,669 counties in China in 2020, we reveal the spatial pattern of URI and find a high correlation between the spatial pattern of URI and the relief degree of land surface (RDLS). Using structural equation modeling, we discover that topography has direct ( − 0.18, p < 0.001) and indirect ( − 0.17, p < 0.001) effects on URI. The indirect negative effects are mediated through the infrastructure, and the combination of localized advantages and modern technical conditions could mitigate the negative impact of topography. Finally, we identify 742 counties as lagging regions in URI, which can be clustered into eight types. Our findings could facilitate policy designing for those countries striving for integrated and sustainable development of urban and rural areas.

Comparative Research on Prediction Model of China's Urban-rural Residents' Income Gap

By using the data concerning China's urban-rural residents' income gap from 1978 to 2010,this paper mainly researches the application of several kinds of models in predicting China's urban-rural residents' income gap.By conducting empirical analysis,we establish ARIMA prediction model,grey prediction model and quadratic-polynomial prediction model and conduct accuracy comparison.The results show that quadratic-polynomial prediction model has excellent fitting effect.By using quadratic-polynomial prediction model,this paper conducts prediction on trend of China's urban-rural residents' income gap from 2011 to 2013,and the prediction value of income gap of urban-rural residents in China from 2011 to 2013 is 14 173.20,15 212.92 and 16 289.67 yuan respectively.Finally,on the basis of analysis,corresponding countermeasures are put forward,in order to provide scientific basis for energy planning and policy formulation:first,strengthen government's function of public service,coordinate resources,and strive to provide an equal opportunity of development for social members,so as to promote people's welfare and promote social equality;second,breach industrial monopoly and bridge income gap between employees in monopoly industry and general industry;last but not the least,support,encourage and call for government to establish social relief fund,adjust residents' income distribution from the non-governmental perspective,and endeavor to promote the income level of low-income class.

Comparative transcriptome analysis between rhesus macaques(Macaca mulatta) and crab-eating macaques(M. fascicularis)

Understanding gene expression variations between species is pivotal for deciphering the evolutionary diversity in phenotypes. Rhesus macaques(Macaca mulatta, MMU)and crab-eating macaques(M. fascicularis, MFA) serve as crucial nonhuman primate biomedical models with different phenotypes. To date, however, large-scale comparative transcriptome research between these two species has not yet been fully explored. Here, we conducted systematic comparisons utilizing newly sequenced RNA-seq data from84 samples(41 MFA samples and 43 MMU samples)encompassing 14 common tissues. Our findings revealed a small fraction of genes(3.7%) with differential expression between the two species, as well as 36.5% of genes with tissue-specific expression in both macaques. Comparison of gene expression between macaques and humans indicated that 22.6% of orthologous genes displayed differential expression in at least two tissues. Moreover,19.41% of genes that overlapped with macaque-specific structural variants showed differential expression between humans and macaques. Of these, the FAM220A gene exhibited elevated expression in humans compared to macaques due to lineage-specific duplication. In summary,this study presents a large-scale transcriptomic comparison between MMU and MFA and between macaques and humans. The discovery of gene expression variations not only enhances the biomedical utility of macaque models but also contributes to the wider field of primate genomics.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Influencing Factors of Urban-rural Construction Land in Rural Industrialized Areas in China:Case Studies in Changyuan City and Xinxiang County of Henan Province

Since China’s reform and opening up in 1978,the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization in China had led to dramatic changes in the pattern of urban-rural land use.In this paper,we focused on the rural industrialized areas in central China(Xinxiang County and Changyuan City of Henan Province).We used the average nearest neighbor index,spatial statistical analysis,and a structural equation model to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of urban-rural construction land based on multisource spatial data and survey data.The results showed that:1)from 1975 to 2019,the spatial distribution of urban-rural construction land in rural industrialized areas had evolved from homogeneous distribution to local agglomeration.In terms of comparative analysis of cases,the spatial distribution of urban-rural construction land in Changyuan City had shown a trend from diffusion to agglomeration,and Xinxiang County had overall shown a spatial change from homogenization to agglomeration and then to regional integration development.2)The hot spots with increased urban-rural construction land significantly expanded,and they had a high degree of spatial overlap with industrial development.Among them,Xinxiang County was concentrated in central and marginal areas,and Changyuan was mainly concentrated in central urban areas.3)From the evolution of spatial proximity of urban-rural construction land,rural industrialized areas generally decline,showing the characteristics of internal differentiation in the rate of change.4)Industrial development,social economy,the policy environment,and urban development played a positive role in promoting the expansion of urban-rural construction land in rural industrialized areas.To promote the optimal use of regional land and the integrated development of urban-rural areas,we should combine the advantages of regional endowment,formulate development strategies according to local conditions,and adjust the way that land is used in a timely manner.

A new approach towards the sustainability of urban-rural integration:The development strategy for central villages in the Abbasiya District of Iraq using GIS techniques

The development of rural areas usually has a positive impact on the urban-rural integration. This study explores an innovative approach to stimulate rural development by proposing qualified villages as central villages that can provide basic urban services for their residents and residents of neighboring villages. This approach can contribute to overcoming the various problems that rural areas faced at the social, economic, and environmental levels. It seeks to achieve spatial sustainability of rural areas, representing a new approach by integrating urban development methods to revitalize rural villages. The study analyzed 15 villages belonging to Abbasiya District of AL Kufa City in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. Based on the GIS techniques and the analysis of urban service indicators(village population, percentage of urban building materials used in villages, distance between village and health centers, distance between village and main roads, nature of economic activity, distance between village and educational institutions, distance between village and drinking water sources, number of communication towers, and distance between village and urban administrative center), this study proposed that Abu Gharb and Albu Ghraib can served as central villages in Abbasiya District in the future. This study establishes a new rural spatial structure to achieve rural sustainable development, improves the development status of rural areas, and provides a theoretical basis for the government and relevant institutions to use urban service indicators, achieving rural sustainable development and formulating relevant development policies in Abbasiya District.

Thinking about Value Realization of Ecological Products under the Background of Urban-rural Integration in Chengdu“Western Control”Area

Chengdu's development strategy of“western control”has laid a solid ecological background for 8 western districts,cities and counties and cultivated good ecological resources.The integrated urban-rural development in the new era will realize the balanced development of urban and rural areas and give full play to the value of rural ecological resources through the“powerful combination”of urban and rural areas.To realize the urban-rural integration and high-quality rural development in Chengdu“western control”area,it is necessary to enhance the awareness of ecological resources and ecological products,and carry out unified planning of ecological infrastructure,ecological material products and ecological service products in the whole“western control”area.Meantime,ecological restoration must be carried out scientifically,and scene design for value transformation of ecological products should be implemented innovatively.

Descriptive and Comparative Histology of the Urinary System of the Hematophagous Bats Desmodus rotundus and Diphylla ecaudata

Desmodus rotundus and Diphylla ecaudata, both of which are mammals of the order Chiroptera, Desmodontidae family, their diet consisting exclusively of blood. D. rotundus is the main vector and transmitter of the rabies virus, which affects human beings as well as several livestock species so the study of this bat species is of high importance within the fields of animal agriculture and public health. The present study describes and compares the histologic characteristics of the urinary system of two hematophagous bat species. A total of 5 bats from each species were captured in the municipalities of Progreso de Obregón, Hidalgo (D. rotundus), and Huayacocotla, Veracruz (D. ecaudata). Organs belonging to the urinary system were extracted: kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra;samples were fixed using 10% formalin and processed by the paraffin embedding technique, obtaining sections of 5 µm thickness, which in turn were stained using hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) and Gomori trichrome (GT) stains. From the obtained histologic preparations, a descriptive and comparative analysis of the structural organography of the urinary system of both species was made, and no noteworthy histological differences between samples were noted. The present research is intended to provide a framework for future studies of these species’ currently understudied microscopic anatomy.

Comparative Research on the Reform and Exploration of Balancing Urban-Rural Development

Balancing urban and rural comprehensive reform is the major reform and developmental strategy of China. On the basis of the concept and theory of balancing rural and urban reform, the two national pilot cities Chengdu, Chongqing and several provincial pilot cities including Ningbo, Yangzhou, Shaoxing and Zigong are compared. The experiences and connotation of balancing urban and rural areas are concluded from the following four aspects. Firstly, scientific plan is a prerequisite; secondly, promoting "three collections" is the core; thirdly, developing people's livelihood is the basis; fourthly, organization security is the key.

Comparative Orotomy of the Archean Superior,North China,and Phanerozoic Altaid Orogenic Systems Architecture

Geological maps encode vast amounts of data about rock types,ages,chemistry,orogenic architecture and deep-time history or different tectonic units,yet these are often difficult to extract because of the way different geologists portray their results at various scales.To understand orogenesis in 4D,it is essential to uniformly integrate map data,together with geophysical data and deep geochemical mapping(Wang et al.,2023).

Rice-wheat comparative genomics:Gains and gaps

Rice and wheat provide nearly 40%of human calorie and protein requirements.They share a common ancestor and belong to the Poaceae(grass)family.Characterizing their genetic homology is crucial for developing new cultivars with enhanced traits.Several wheat genes and gene families have been characterized based on their rice orthologs.Rice–wheat orthology can identify genetic regions that regulate similar traits in both crops.Rice–wheat comparative genomics can identify candidate wheat genes in a genomic region identified by association or QTL mapping,deduce their putative functions and biochemical pathways,and develop molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding.A knowledge of gene homology facilitates the transfer between crops of genes or genomic regions associated with desirable traits by genetic engineering,gene editing,or wide crossing.

Comparative genomic analysis revealed that dietary habits affected the adaptation of Bifidobacterium bifidum to the intestinal tract in different geographic populations

Recent research on the genome of Bifidobacterium bifidum has mainly focused on the isolation sources(intestinal tract niche)recently,but reports on the isolation region are limited.This study analyzed the differences in the genome of B.bifidum isolated from different geographical populations by comparative genomic analysis.Results at the genome level indicated that the GC content of American isolates was significantly higher than that of Chinese and Russian isolates.The phylogenetic tree,based on 919 core genes showed that B.bifidum might be related to the geographical characteristics of isolation region.Furthermore,functional annotation analysis demonstrated that copy numbers of carbohydrate-active enzymes(CAZys)involved in the degradation of polysaccharide from plant and host sources in B.bifidum were high,and 18 CAZys showed significant differences across different geographical populations,indicating that B.bifidum had adapted to the human intestinal environment,especially in the groups with diets rich in fiber.Dietary habits were one of the main reasons for the differences of B.bifidum across different geographical populations.Additionally,B.bifidum exhibited high diversity,evident in glycoside hydrolases,the CRISPR-Cas system,and prophages.This study provides a genetic basis for further research and development of B.bifidum.

Comparative and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes of 19 Species in Rosaceae Family

Rosaceae represents a vast and complex group of species,with its classification being intricate and contentious.The taxonomic placement of many species within this family has been a subject of ongoing debate.The study utilized the Illumina platform to sequence 19 plant species from 10 genera in the Rosaceae.The cp genomes,vary-ing in size from 153,366 to 159,895 bp,followed the typical quadripartite organization consisting of a large single-copy(LSC)region(84,545 to 87,883 bp),a small single-copy(SSC)region(18,174 to 19,259 bp),and a pair of inverted repeat(IR)regions(25,310 to 26,396 bp).These genomes contained 132–138 annotated genes,including 87 to 93 protein-coding genes(PCGs),37 tRNA genes,and 8 rRNA genes using MISA software,52 to 121 simple sequence repeat(SSR)loci were identified.D.arbuscular contained the least of SSRs and did not have hexanotides,A.lineata contained the richest SSRs.Long terminal repeats(LTRs)were primarily composed of palindromic and forward repeat sequences,meanwhile,The richest LTRs were found in Argentina lineata.Except for Argentina lineata,Fragariastrum eriocarpum,and Prunus trichostoma,which varied in gene type and position on both sides of the boundary,the remaining species were found to be mostly conserved according to IR boundary analysis.The examination of the Ka/Ks ratio revealed that only the infA gene had a value greater than 1,indicating that this gene was primarily subjected to positive selection during evolution.Additionally,9 hotspots of variation were identified in the LSC and SSC regions.Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the scientific validity of the genus Prunus L.sensu lato(s.l.)within the Rosaceae family.The separation of the three genera Argentina Hill,Fragariastrum Heist.ex Fabr.and Dasiphora Raf.from Potentilla L.may be a more scientific classification.These results offer fresh perspectives on the taxonomy of the Rosaceae.

Exploring Nominalization in English Abstracts of Applied Linguistics Research Articles:A Comparative Study Between Chinese and International Journals

Researchers around the world strive to communicate new knowledge,primarily via publication,with the abstract being crucial in conveying core insights.Previous research has generally analyzed the discourse features of abstracts from a macro perspective and often employed either outdated texts,such as those over a decade old,or papers written by authors with lower English academic writing proficiency as research material.In this study,we analyzed forty abstracts from leading journals in applied linguistics,evenly split between Chinese and international journals.It revealed that the use of nominalization in abstracts by Chinese and international scholars showed similarities due to the universal academic requirement for conciseness.However,due to cultural and educational differences,each group differed in their respective language choices and nominalization usage.By analyzing the application of nominalization in different cultural contexts,the results of our study offered practical suggestions for crafting abstracts that effectively convey information,thereby,contributing to the broader academic community.

Comparative proteomics analysis reveals the domesticated Lepista sordida primordium differentiation regulation mechanism and the subsequent different development patterns in the pileus and stipe

The wild Lepista sordida is a kind of precious and rare edible fungus.An excellent strain of it by artificial domestication was obtained,which was high-yield and high in iron content.In this study,high-throughput comparative proteomics was used to reveal the regulatory mechanism of its primordium differentiation in the early fruiting body formation.The mycelium before the primordium differentiation mainly expressed high levels of mitochondrial functional proteins and carbon dioxide concentration regulatory proteins.In young mushrooms,the highly expressed proteins were mainly involved in cell component generation,cell proliferation,nitrogen compound metabolism,nucleotide metabolism,glutathione metabolism,and purine metabolism.The differential regulation patterns of pileus and stipe growth to maturity were also revealed.The highly expressed proteins related to transcription,RNA splicing,the production of various organelles,DNA conformational change,nucleosome organization,protein processing,maturation and transport,and cell detoxification regulated the pileus development and maturity.The proteins related to carbohydrate and energy metabolism,large amounts of obsolete cytoplasmic parts,nutrient deprivation,and external stimuli regulated the stipe development and maturity.Multiple CAZymes regulated nutrient absorption,morphogenesis,spore production,stress response,and other life activities at different growth and development stages.

The relationship between compartment models and their stochastic counterparts:A comparative study with examples of the COVID-19 epidemic modeling

Deterministic compartment models(CMs)and stochastic models,including stochastic CMs and agent-based models,are widely utilized in epidemic modeling.However,the relationship between CMs and their corresponding stochastic models is not well understood.The present study aimed to address this gap by conducting a comparative study using the susceptible,exposed,infectious,and recovered(SEIR)model and its extended CMs from the coronavirus disease 2019 modeling literature.We demonstrated the equivalence of the numerical solution of CMs using the Euler scheme and their stochastic counterparts through theoretical analysis and simulations.Based on this equivalence,we proposed an efficient model calibration method that could replicate the exact solution of CMs in the corresponding stochastic models through parameter adjustment.The advancement in calibration techniques enhanced the accuracy of stochastic modeling in capturing the dynamics of epidemics.However,it should be noted that discrete-time stochastic models cannot perfectly reproduce the exact solution of continuous-time CMs.Additionally,we proposed a new stochastic compartment and agent mixed model as an alternative to agent-based models for large-scale population simulations with a limited number of agents.This model offered a balance between computational efficiency and accuracy.The results of this research contributed to the comparison and unification of deterministic CMs and stochastic models in epidemic modeling.Furthermore,the results had implications for the development of hybrid models that integrated the strengths of both frameworks.Overall,the present study has provided valuable epidemic modeling techniques and their practical applications for understanding and controlling the spread of infectious diseases.

Construction and harmonious development of urban-rural com-paring fi nancial systems based on comparative advantages theory

There exist diferences between urban-rural financial systems,Generally,the development of unban financial industry has absolute advanages compared with rural financial industry.According to the Matthew Effect,the financial resources will flow into cities for higher benefit ,so rural areas are unable to obtain absolute advantages However,relative advantage theory of the comparative advantage theory of the comparative advantage theory provides an lmportant way to observe res[ectove advamtage of both city and country.Therefore,there are comparative advantages for the development of financial industry in both urban and rural areas.The respective comparative advantages of urban-rural financial systems will supply greater efficiency than that in current dual puttern condition.Closely connected with China＇s financial development and reform and the fact of recreation of urban-rural financial system,this paper tries to explain the comparative advantage of the urban-rural financial systems.The anaalysis of the comparative advantage between urban and rural finance is the clue for the bonndary between urban-rural financial systems.This paper analyzes the current situration of urban-rural financial system.Then it proposes some views and suggestions on how to develop and maintain these two systemw as well as how to promote their coordinative development.

Comparative efficacy of proximal femoral nail vs dynamic condylar screw in treating unstable intertrochanteric fractures

BACKGROUND Among the most frequent hip fractures are trochanteric fractures,which usually occur from low-energy trauma like minor falls,especially in older people with osteoporotic bones.AIM To evaluate the treatment efficacy of dynamic condylar screws(DCS)and proximal femoral nails(PFN)for unstable intertrochanteric fractures.METHODS To find pertinent randomized controlled trials and retrospective observational studies comparing PFN with DCS for the management of unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures,a thorough search was carried out.For research studies published between January 1996 and April 2024,PubMed,EMBASE,Scopus,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,and Google Scholar were all searched.The complete texts of the papers were retrieved,vetted,and independently examined by two investigators.Disputes were settled by consensus,and any disagreements that persisted were arbitrated by a third author.RESULTS This study included six articles,comprising a total of 173 patients.Compared to the DCS,the PFN had a shorter operation time[mean difference(MD):-41.7 min,95%confidence interval(95%CI):-63.04 to-20.35,P=0.0001],higher success rates with closed reduction techniques[risk ratio(RR):34.05,95%CI:11.12-104.31,P<0.00001],and required less intraoperative blood transfusion(MD:-1.4 units,95%CI:-1.80 to-1.00,P<0.00001).Additionally,the PFN showed shorter fracture union time(MD:-6.92 wk,95%CI:-10.27 to-3.57,P<0.0001)and a lower incidence of reoperation(RR:0.37,95%CI:0.17-0.82,P=0.01).However,there was no discernible variation regarding hospital stay,implant-related complications,and infections.CONCLUSION Compared to DCS,PFN offers shorter operative times,reduces the blood transfusions requirements,achieves higher closed reduction success,enables faster fracture healing,and lowers reoperation incidence.