Identifying the Cultural Shifts and Societal Changes That Facilitated the Rise in Box Office Performance of Chinese Women’s Cinema in the 21st Century

With the gradual improvement of Chinese women’s status in the 21st century,gender studies and gender relations have become one of the hottest topics in Chinese society,which consequently prompted Chinese Women’s Cinema to attract the attention of larger audiences.With regard to the box office performance of Chinese Women’s Cinema,there seems to be a gap in research in finding an association between women’s status and the relevant films’box office performance.The purpose of this research is to outline the underlying reasons for the changes in gender roles and gender representation in the Chinese film industry over the past few decades in order to better understand this expansive social change in the 21st century.This study provides a comprehensive analysis through the use of questionnaires to better understand society’s attitude towards gender representation within the film industry.The questionnaire findings indicate that there is a direct correlation between people’s awareness of women’s changing status and gender equality and their acceptance of materials produced by Chinese Women’s Cinema.At the some time,it highlights that the Chinese government’s support and initiatives for gender equality have had a significant impact on the general popularity of Chinese Women’s Cinema.The significance of this research is to effectively popularize Chinese Women’s Cinema culture and the box office growth by understanding the social attitude towards gender representation in the Chinese film industry and to provide relevant information about the development direction and trend of Chinese Women’s Cinema.Furthermore,this research aims to provide foundational support for gender equality and help to understand the underlying factors that society needs to promote gender equality.

Changes in Rainfall and Temperature and Its Impact on Crop Production in Moyamba District, Southern Sierra Leone

Rainfall and temperature are the important variables that are often used to trace climate variability and change. A Perception study and analysis of climatic data were conducted to assess the changes in rainfall and temperature and their impact on crop production in Moyamba district, Sierra Leone. For the perception study, 400 farmers were randomly selected from Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs) in 4 chiefdoms and 30 Agricultural Extension Workers (AWEs) in the Moyamba district were purposely selected as respondents. Descriptive statistics and Kendall’s test of concordance was used to analyze the data collected from the farmers and AEWs. Data for the analysis of variability and trends of rainfall and temperature from 1991 to 2020 were obtained from the Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency and Njala University and grouped into monthly, seasonal and annual time series. Regression analyses were used to determine the statistical values and trend lines for the seasonal and annual time series data. The Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s Slope Estimator were used to analyze the significance and magnitude of the trends respectively. The results of both studies show evidence of climate change in the Moyamba district. A substantial number of farmers and AEWs perceived a decrease in the annual rainfall amount, length of the rainy season, a late start and end of the rainy season, an increase in the temperature during the day and night, and a shortened harmattan period over the last 30 years. Analysis of the meteorological data shows evidence of variability in the seasonal and annual distribution of rainfall and temperature, a decreasing and non-significant trend in the rainy season and annual rainfall and an increasing and significant trend in seasonal and annual temperature from 1991 to 2020. However, the observed changes in rainfall and temperature by the farmers and AEWs partially agree with the results of the analyzed meteorological data. The majority of the farmers perceived that;adverse weather conditions have negatively affected crop production in the district. Droughts, high temperatures, and irregular rainfall are the three major adverse weather events that farmers perceived to have contributed to a substantial loss in the yields of the major crops cultivated in the district. In response to the negative effects of adverse weather events, a substantial number of farmers take no action due to their lack of knowledge, technical or financial capacity to implement climate-sensitive agricultural (CSA) practices. Even though few farmers are practicing some CSA practices on their farms, there is an urgent need to build the capacity of farmers and AEWs to adapt to and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The most priority support needed by farmers is the provision of climate-resilient crop varieties whilst the AEWs need training on CSA practices.

S型异质结光催化剂ZnFe_(2)O_(4)/WO_(3)的构筑及光催化还原CO_(2)性能

通过在WO_(3)纳米片表面负载ZnFe_(2)O_(4)纳米颗粒,构建了一系列S型异质结光催化剂ZnFe_(2)O_(4)/WO_(3),并研究了其光催化CO_(2)还原性能。在没有助催化剂和牺牲剂的条件下,所制备的ZnFe_(2)O_(4)/WO_(3)复合材料可对CO_(2)与水蒸汽进行光催化反应。优化后的材料光照5 h后CO_(2)还原产物CO和CH_(4)的产量分别为7.87和4.88μmol·g^(-1)。相对于单相组分,CO和CH_(4)的产量明显提高。光催化活性的提高,归因于ZnFe_(2)O_(4)和WO_(3)异质结的形成以及光生载流子的S型电荷传输模式。

Landuse/landcover changes in Zhangye oasis of Hexi Corridor

Taking two f alse color composite Landsat 5 TM (Thematic Mapper) images of band 4,3,2 taken in 1995 and 2000 as data resources, this paper carried out study on LUCC of Zhan gye oasis in recent five years by interpretation according to land reso urces classification system of 1:100,000 Resources and Environmental Data base of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The results show that great changes have taken place in landuse/landcover in Zhangye oasis since 1 995: (1) Changes of landuse structure show that cropland and land for urban c onstruction and built-up area increased, on the contrary, water area an d grassland decreased. These changes reflect the deterioration of eco-e nvironment and the acceleration of urbanization, and also indicate the problems existing in the arrangement of water and land resources betw een the upper and lower reaches of the Heihe River. (2) Regional diff erences of landuse/landcover are evident, characterized by following asp ects: in Sunan County located in Qilian Mountain area, unused land an d grassland decreased, but cropland and land for urban construction an d built-up area increased. In Minle and Shandan counties located in f oothills, unused land, water area and cropland decreased, but grassland and land for urban construction and built-up area increased. In Zhan gye City, Linze County and Gaotai County located in plain area of th e middle reaches of the Heihe River, unused land, water area and gra ssland decreased, while woodland, cropland and land for urban construction and built-up area increased.

Relationships of climate change and tree ring of Betula ermanii tree line forest in Changbai Mountain

Based on the tree-ring growth characteristics of Erman＇s birch （Betula ermanii charm.） and the relationships between it and climatic ）＇actors at elevation of 1950m, the sensitivity of tree lines in Changbai Mountain to climatic factors was assessed. The results indicated tree line forest in Changbai Mountain had an obvious sensitivity to climate factors. However, difference from other study sits is that the main climatic control factor on tree-ring growth was not current growth season temperatures, as might be expected, but previous winter and current March temperature. Although the precipitation in the region was quite abundant, the tree-ring growth was still significantly correlated with the precipitation during previous winter and current spring. Additionally, climatic factors which influenced the Erman＇s birch growth were not the yearly variables, but seasonal and monthly variables. Therefore, the reported increase in yearly mean temperature and total yearly precipitation since 1980s was not responded by sustained increase in ring widths in recent decades.

Global glaciations and atmospheric change at ca.2.3 Ga

This paper compiles lithostratigraphic and geochronological data obtained for the Palaeoproterozoic glacial diamictite-bearing successions,and thereby provides insights into understanding the geological processes causing the Huronian Glaciation Event.The majority of evidence for appearances of this glaciation event can be related to the Kenorland supercontinent breakup,allied to significant atmospheric change,as well as blooms of biogeochemical oxygenic photosynthesis.In this paper,the Huronian Glaciation Event is constrained to have occurred synchronously during 2.29-2.25 Ga,accompanied by dramatic environmental changes characteristic of the Great Oxidation Event which includes the pre- 2.3 Ga hydrosphere oxidation and the post-2.3 Ga atmosphere oxygenation.

The withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and its impact on global climate change governance

The global community has prepared for the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement since Donald Trump was elected as the president of the U.S. However, Trump's formal declaration of withdrawal still caused worldwide reaction. Trump will use the withdrawal to build his political reputation and to renegotiate the Paris Agreement despite its negative effects on the political credibility, international relationships, and potential long-term economic growth of the U.S. In general, the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement will not change the development of low-carbon technologies and the transformation trend of the global climate governance regime. However, the long-term goals and international cooperation on climate change will be affected by budget cuts in American climate change research and the cancelation of donations from the multilateral environmental fund of the U.S. If the Paris Agreement is renegotiated, the common but differentiated principle of responsibility of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be challenged again. Nevertheless, climate change governance remains a main theme of future sustainable development. Instead of national governments, local governments and non-governmental organizations will develop strategies for technical innovation and emphasize pragmatic cooperation, thus expanding their roles in climate change governance. The capacity building on climate change research and public awareness should be enhanced as a long-term objective of global climate change governance.

Synchronism of runoff response to climate change in Kaidu River Basin in Xinjiang,Northwest China

The runoff in alpine river basins where the runoff is formed in nearby mountainous areas is mainly affected by temperature and precipitation. Based on observed annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, and runoff time-series datasets during 1958-2012 within the Kaidu River Basin, the synchronism of runoff response to climate change was analyzed and iden- tified by applying several classic methods, including standardization methods, Kendall＇s W test, the sequential version of the Mann-Kendall test, wavelet power spectrum analysis, and the rescaled range （R/S） approach. The concordance of the nonlinear trend variations of the annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, and runoff was tested significantly at the 0.05 level by Kendall＇s W method. The sequential version of the Mann-Kendall test revealed that abrupt changes in annual runoff were synchronous with those of annual mean temperature. The periodic characteristics of annual runoff were mainly consistent with annual precipitation, having synchronous 3-year significant periods and the same 6-year, 10-year, and 38-year quasi-periodicities. While the periodic characteristics of annual runoff in the Kaidu River Basin tracked well with those of annual precipitation, the abrupt changes in annual runoff were synchronous with the annual mean temperature, which directly drives glacier- and snow-melt processes. R/S analysis indicated that the annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, and runoff will continue to increase and remain synchronously persistent in the future. This work can improve the understanding of runoff response to regional climate change to provide a viable reference in the management of water resources in the Kaidu River Basin, a regional sustainable socio-economie development.

Streptozotocin induced Alzheimer's disease like changes and the underlying neural degeneration and regeneration mechanism

Alzheimer’s disease（AD）is a neurodegenerative disorder which is remarkably characterized by pathological hallmarks that include neurofibrillary tangles,neuronal loss extracellular senile plaques containing aggregated amyloid beta（Aβ）,and neurofibrillary tangles composed of the hyperphosphorylated form of the microtubule protein tau.It is the most common form of dementia which is characterized by severe neurodegenerative changes such as loss of neurons and synapses in brain（Kamat et al.,2014）.

Using Airgun Source Signals to Study Regional Wave Velocity Changes before and after the Yunlong M_S5.0 and Yangbi M_S5.1 Earthquakes

On the basis of the airgun source signals recorded by the stations from January,2016 to June,2017,we use cross-correlation detection technology to obtain the characteristics of the stable phase travel time change of each station.We used the Yunlong MS5.0 and Yangbi MS5.1 earthquakes as samples.According to regional characteristics,13 stations with high signal-to-noise ratios and complete data were selected(including 3 fixed stations and 10 active source stations).They are divided into four regions,and on the basis of the GNSS baseline data,the characteristics of regional wave velocity changes before and after the earthquake are analyzed.The results show that the station phase travel time change and the regional stress characteristics represented by the GNSS baseline data have good correlation in the short-term.Due to different degrees of regional stress,there are differences in the travel time changes of different stations in the four regions.Before the Yunlong MS5.0 and Yangbi MS5.1 earthquakes,with regional stress adjustment,there is an upward trend in the travel time changes of related stations in the adjacent areas of up to 0.02 s.The difference is that there are differences in the time nodes and duration of the travel time anomalies,and there is a reverse descent process after the Yangbi MS5.1 earthquake.There are different degrees of travel time fluctuations in the relevant stations before and after the two earthquakes,but the fluctuation range before and after the earthquake was small.Compared with the water level change of the reservoir,the adjustment of the regional stress is more likely to have a substantial impact on the travel time changes of the relevant stations.

Methods of extracting change information and updating land use/cover map based on 3S technology

A fully automated approach for detecting land use/cover change using remote sensing data, GIS data, GPS data is presented. The integrating raster with vector methods of updating the basic land use/land cover map based on 3S technology is becoming one of the most important developing directions in 3S application fields, land-use and cover change fields over the world. It has been successful applied in two tasks of the Ministry of Land and Resources of China, and takes some benefit.

Climate Change: Trends and People’s Perception in Nepal

In the context of climate change, the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as floods and droughts will increase which could put tremendous challenges in water resources management in the coming days. While scientific knowledge on climate threats and changing climate patterns are essential, it is also important to consider the impacts in relation to how the threats are perceived and handled by local people. This paper intends to assess the trend and people’s perception on temperature and precipitation. Three focus groups’ discussion and a total number of 240 households were interviewed during field visit. The collected information was scaled from the least preferred-1 to the most preferred-5 based on their preferences. The trend of mean of annual average, maximum and minimum temperature indicates that the temperature has increased significantly and precipitation intensity and magnitude are also in increasing trend in the monsoon and postmonsoon seasons which may raise the extreme flood events. These facts were verified with the people’s perception. This finding could be useful for formulation of effective flood management policy and plan in this river basin as well as very applicable for other similar areas.

Application of Land-use Change Model in Guiding Regional Planning:A Case Study in Hun-Taizi River Watershed,Northeast China

This paper firstly investigated the land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) in the Hun-Taizi River watershed, Northeast China from 1988 to 2004 based on remotely sensed images and geographic information systems (GIS) technology. Then, using the famous land-use change model of Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small regional extent (CLUE-S), this paper simulated the land use changes under historical trend (HT), urban planning (UP) and ecological protection (EP) scenarios considering urban planning and ecological protection over the next 20 years. The simulated results under UP scenario in 2020 were compared with the planning map to assess the feasibility of using land-use change model to guide regional planning. Results show that forest land, dry farmland, paddy, and shrub land were the main land-use categories. Paddy and dry farmland being converted to urban area and rural settlement characterized the land-use change from 1988 to 2004. The main land-use categories changed over time. Landscape-pattern fragmentation will be worse under HT and UP scenarios, but better in EP scenario. The comparing results of simulated map with planning map in 2020 show that land-use change model is powerful tool to guide regional planning. Land-use scenarios can support regional planning and policy-making through analyzing future consequences scientifically.

东北地区土地覆被格局变化模拟:基于CLUE-S和Markov-CA模型的对比分析

研究以遥感解译的东北地区2000年、2010年、2015年的土地覆被变化为基础,充分考虑自然和社会因素对土地覆被变化的影响,分别通过CLUE-S模型和Markov-CA模型对东北地区2015年和2030年土地覆被格局进行模拟,研究结果表明:通过与遥感解译的2015年实际土地覆被类型数据对比验证,CLUE-S模型和Markov-CA模型模拟结果的总体Kappa指数分别为0.9700和0.9649,结果表明2种模型的模拟结果较为理想,CLUE-S模型的模拟精度较Markov-CA模型更高。2015—2030年东北地区草地、耕地、湿地、其他用地和水体面积呈现下降趋势,林地、人工表面面积呈现增加趋势,人地关系越发紧张。东北地区作为生态环境相对脆弱的区域需警惕不可持续的土地覆被变化,需权衡生态保护、粮食增加与基础设施建设的用地需求和协调发展。

Green's function solution for transient heat conduction in annular fin during solidification of phase change material

The Green＇s function method is applied for the transient temperature of an annular fin when a phase change material （PCM） solidifies on it. The solidification of the PCMs takes place in a cylindrical shell storage. The thickness of the solid PCM on the fin varies with time and is obtained by the Megerlin method. The models are found with the Bessel equation to form an analytical solution. Three different kinds of boundary conditions are investigated. The comparison between analytical and numerical solutions is given. The results demonstrate that the significant accuracy is obtained for the temperature distribution for the fin in all cases.

Cooperation and Divergence between China and the United States in the Governance of Global Climate Change

China and the United States are two key players in global climate governance.What about their relations in the field of climate change and how should we view these relations? An analysis of their relations in global climate governance is of great significance both for global multinational negotiations and their bilateral relations. The two parties have enhanced their cooperation on climate change since 2009 in terms of increasing willingness, broader scale, more diverse mechanisms and higher effectiveness. With the U.N. Paris Climate Conference 2015 approaching, China-US cooperation will inject much momentum into the multilateral process of reaching an ambitious agreement. However, there are also sharp divergences between China and the U.S. regarding principles, rules, and legal means. These divergences might become prominent during the Paris Conference and need to be addressed at the bilateral level.

联合GNSS与GRACE/GRACE-FO数据反演中国西南地区陆地水储量变化

GNSS和重力恢复与气候试验(GRACE)及其后续任务(GRACE-FO)给陆地水储量变化(TWSC)研究带来了技术革新,但这两种技术估计的区域TWSC具有不同的时空尺度和精度特性。因此,有必要融合两种观测数据,以获得同一尺度且高精度的TWSC。本文基于GNSS独立反演模型,使用求和算子对喷气推进实验室(JPL)的GRACE/GRACE-FO Mascon数据进行求和运算来构建约束,通过赤池贝叶斯准则选择最优模型参数,构建了一种联合GNSS与GRACE/GRACE-FO数据的区域TWSC反演模型。随后,本文设计数值模拟试验,以验证利用该模型反演中国西南地区TWSC的可行性。结果显示,1000次试验中联合反演估算的均方根误差均值为10 mm,比GNSS独立反演结果低47%。基于此方法,本文联合GNSS与JPL Mascon数据反演了中国西南地区2011年1月—2022年6月的时变TWSC。对比联合反演、GNSS独立反演、GRACE/GRACE-FO和高分辨率全球陆地数据同化系统(GLDAS)的结果,发现联合反演与GLDAS的TWSC周年振幅空间分布特征最吻合,表明联合反演估计的TWSC空间分辨率优于GNSS独立反演和GRACE的结果。最后,结合水平衡方程估算的区域水文收支情况,并通过广义三角帽方法评估陆地水储量等效水柱高的变化率(d(EWH)/d t)的不确定性。结果显示,联合反演估计的d(EWH)/d t不确定性为8 mm/月,较GRACE/GRACE-FO、GNSS独立反演和水平衡方程结果分别低33%、68%和62%。研究结果表明,与GNSS和GRACE/GRACE-FO独立反演方法相比,联合反演能够改善TWSC估值的精度,可为水资源管理决策及水文气候学研究提供更可靠的数据支撑。

Multifractal analysis of white matter structural changes on 3D magnetic resonance imaging between normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease

Applications of multifractal analysis to white matter structure changes on magnetic resonance imaging（MRI） have recently received increasing attentions. Although some progresses have been made, there is no evident study on applying multifractal analysis to evaluate the white matter structural changes on MRI for Alzheimer＇s disease（AD） research. In this paper, to explore multifractal analysis of white matter structural changes on 3D MRI volumes between normal aging and early AD, we not only extend the traditional box-counting multifractal analysis（BCMA） into the 3D case, but also propose a modified integer ratio based BCMA（IRBCMA） algorithm to compensate for the rigid division rule in BCMA. We verify multifractal characteristics in 3D white matter MRI volumes. In addition to the previously well studied multifractal feature,△α, we also demonstrated △ f as an alternative and effective multifractal feature to distinguish NC from AD subjects.Both △α and △ f are found to have strong positive correlation with the clinical MMSE scores with statistical significance.Moreover, the proposed IRBCMA can be an alternative and more accurate algorithm for 3D volume analysis. Our findings highlight the potential usefulness of multifractal analysis, which may contribute to clarify some aspects of the etiology of AD through detection of structural changes in white matter.

Exploring Variability in Sea Level at a Tide Gauge Station through Control Charts

Monitoring temporal changes in sea level is important in assessing coastal risk.Sea level anomalies at a tide gauge station,if kinematically conceived,include systematic variations such as trend,acceleration,periodic oscillations,and random disturbances.Among them,the non-stationary nature of the random sea level variations of known or unknown origin at coastal regions has been long recognized by the sea level community.This study proposes the analyses of subgroups of random residual statistics of a rigorously formulated kinematic model solution of tide gauge variations using X-bar and S control charts.The approach is demonstrated using Key West,Florida tide gauge records.The mean and standard errors of 5-year-long subgroups of the residuals revealed that sea level changes at this location have been progressively intensifying from 1913 to the present.Increasing oscillations in sea level at this locality may be attributed partly to the thermal expansion of seawater with increasing temperatures causing larger buoyancy-related sea level fluctuations as well as the intensification of atmospheric events including wind patterns and the impact of changes in inverted barometer effects that will alter coastal risk assessments for the future.