An Integrated Socio-Economic and Ecological Framework for Evaluating the Societal Costs and Benefits of Fishing Activities in the Pearl River Delta

This paper puts forward a model of Pearl River Delta (PRD) fishery in the South China Sea (SCS) that integrates the ecological, social and economic costs and benefits of fisheries activities in a multidisciplinary framework. In particular, an integrated ECOST model is composed of links between an ecological model constructed by Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) software and a region Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). Then the costs and benefits of five fishing methods are compared from economic, ecological and social three dimensions base on the ECOST model. The potential effects of fishing effort reduction on fishing communication are explored by a series of dynamic simulations for a 10-year period. Key results from prediction (2005-2015) and policy simulations illustrate that fisheries of PRE are geared toward short-term economic profits at the expense of ecological gains and the whole group of societal benefits associated with fishing. However, the status quo can be improved to better levels by reducing fishing efforts.

Why people should run after positive affective experiences instead of health benefits

Over time,physical activity(PA)has shifted from being a necessity to being an alternative.As a result,levels of PA have sharply decreased.1 Today,we are facing a worldwide pandemic of physical inactivity,with one death every 6 s attributed to insufficient PA.2 To counteract this trend,a tremendous effort is being made to promote regular PA across the lifespan,mainly through the dissemination of knowledge about the health benefits of accumulating sufficient PA.

Effects of Enclosure on Grassland Ecological and Economic Benefits in Northern China

Grasslands in northern China serve the country as both an ecological barrier and a livestock production base.There,installing enclosures has been becoming the major grassland restoration measure adopted by many local governments.However,the effects of restoration on both ecological and production benefits of grassland remain unclear for implemented grassland restoration policies.Therefore,a representative rangeland in northern China,the Maodeng pasture in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was selected as the study area,and remote sensing monitoring analyses were carried out to quantify the ecological benefits and economic benefits from 2015 to 2021.The results showed that:1) in terms of ecological benefits,the grassland area with a grassland coverage rate of more than 60% accounts for 32.3% of the regional area,and 86.4% of its grassland grew significantly better than the same period in2015,showing a significant improvement in grassland growth.Using the average amount of carbon per unit area as the ecological benefit evaluation index,it increased by 27.1% to 32.48Tg C/yr from 2015 to 2021.2) In terms of economic benefits,both theoretical grass production and livestock carrying capacity increased from 2015 to 2021.Compared to 2015,the theoretical grass production in 2021 increased by 24.8% to 71 900 t.The livestock carrying capacity reached 52 100 sheep units in 2021,nearly 11 000 sheep units more than that in 2015.During the study period,multiple economic indicators(on a per capita basis of permanent residents) for the pastoral area of Xilinhot City to which the Maodeng pasture belongs,have grown steadily.Per capita total income rose from 29 630 yuan(RMB) in2015 to 62 859 yuan(RMB) in 2021.Relying on grassland resources to develop the pastoral ecology also broadens the potential economic development space.Overall,the establishment of the reserve and the experiment of implanting an enclosure policy have had a significant and positive impact on Maodeng pasture’s development from both an ecological and economic perspective.With the support of scientific evidence,enclosure policy can be extended to more than 110 000 km~2 of grasslands in northern China with similar precipitation and temperature conditions,enhancing the productive and ecological potential of grasslands.The above research results will contribute to the scientific formulation of grassland pasture quality improvement plans in northern China.

Commentary on “Why people should run after positive affective experiences instead of health benefits”

Maltagliati et al.1 recently highlighted the vital role of affective experiences in promoting physical activity(PA).The authors suggested that positive affective experiences,rather than health benefits,can tip the balance in favor of PA over sedentary alternatives.The authors proposed a new formal decision model between PA and sedentary alternatives and reported that when health benefits are the unique reason to action,the costs of PA(e.g.,effort)and the subjective value(SV)of sedentary alternatives(V_(sed))are the main drivers of decision-making processes.

Integrated assessment of yield,nitrogen use efficiency and ecosystem economic benefits of use of controlled-release and common urea in ratoon rice production

Controlled-release urea(CRU)is commonly used to improve the crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE).However,few studies have investigated the effects of CRU in the ratoon rice system.Ratoon rice is the practice of obtaining a second harvest from tillers originating from the stubble of the previously harvested main crop.In this study,a 2-year field experiment using a randomized complete block design was conducted to determine the effects of CRU on the yield,NUE,and economic benefits of ratoon rice,including the main crop,to provide a theoretical basis for fertilization of ratoon rice.The experiment included four treatments:(i)no N fertilizer(CK);(ii)traditional practice with 5 applications of urea applied at different crop growth stages by surface broadcasting(FFP);(iii)one-time basal application of CRU(BF1);and(iv)one-time basal application of CRU combined with common urea(BF2).The BF1 and BF2 treatments significantly increased the main crop yield by 17.47 and 15.99%in 2019,and by 17.91 and 16.44%in 2020,respectively,compared with FFP treatment.The BF2 treatment achieved similar yield of the ratoon crop to the FFP treatment,whereas the BF1 treatment significantly increased the yield of the ratoon crop by 14.81%in 2019 and 12.21%in 2020 compared with the FFP treatment.The BF1 and BF2 treatments significantly improved the 2-year apparent N recovery efficiency,agronomic NUE,and partial factor productivity of applied N by 11.47-16.66,27.31-44.49,and 9.23-15.60%,respectively,compared with FFP treatment.The BF1 and BF2 treatments reduced the chalky rice rate and chalkiness of main and ratoon crops relative to the FFP treatment.Furthermore,emergy analysis showed that the production efficiency of the BF treatments was higher than that of the FFP treatment.The BF treatments reduced labor input due to reduced fertilization times and improved the economic benefits of ratoon rice.Compared with the FFP treatment,the BF1 and BF2 treatments increased the net income by 14.21-16.87 and 23.76-25.96%,respectively.Overall,the one-time blending use of CRU and common urea should be encouraged to achieve high yield,high nitrogen use efficiency,and good quality of ratoon rice,which has low labor input and low apparent N loss.

Exploring Nutritional Compositions,Volatile Compounds,Health Benefits,Emerging Processing Technologies,and Potential Food Products of Glutinous Rice:A Review

Glutinous rice(Oryza sativa var.glutinosa)stands out as one of the most popular rice varieties globally,amidst thousands of rice cultivars.Its increasing popularity is attributed to its rich nutritional compositions and health benefits.This review aims to summarize the nutritional compositions,volatile compounds,and health benefits of glutinous rice.Further,in-depth studies are necessary to explore the utilization of glutinous rice in enhancing processing technologies and developing new food products.Glutinous rice has been shown to possess numerous health benefits,including antioxidant activity,bioactive compounds,anti-cancer properties,anti-inflammatory effects,anti-diabetic potential,and cholesterol-lowering effects.Besides its nutritional compositions,the major volatile compounds identified in glutinous rice could serve as a functional food for human consumption.Emerging processing technologies related to glutinous rice are elaborated to improve the latest developments for incorporating them into various food products.

Strategies for improving crop comprehensive benefits via a decision-making system based on machine learning in the rice‒rape,rice‒wheat and rice‒garlic rotation systems in Southwest China

Rice‒rape,rice‒wheat and rice‒garlic rotations are common cropping systems in Southwest China,and they have played a significant role in ensuring ecological and economic benefits(EB)and addressing the challenges of China’s food security in the region.However,the crop yields in these rotation systems are 1.25‒14.73%lower in this region than the national averages.Intelligent decision-making with machine learning can analyze the key factors for obtaining better benefits,but it has rarely been used to enhance the probability of obtaining such benefits from rotations in Southwest China.Thus,we used a data-intensive approach to construct an intelligent decision‒making system with machine learning to provide strategies for improving the benefits of rice-rape,rice-wheat,and rice-garlic rotations in Southwest China.The results show that raising the yield and partial fertilizer productivity(PFP)by increasing seed input under high fertilizer application provided the optimal benefits with a 10%probability in the rice-garlic system.Obtaining high yields and greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions by increasing the N application and reducing the K application provided suboptimal benefits with an 8%probability in the rice-rape system.Reducing N and P to enhance PFP and yield provided optimal benefits with the lowest probability(8%)in the rice‒wheat system.Based on the predictive analysis of a random forest model,the optimal benefits were obtained with fertilization regimes by reducing N by 25%and increasing P and K by 8 and 74%,respectively,in the rice-garlic system,reducing N and K by 54 and by 36%,respectively,and increasing P by 38%in rice-rape system,and reducing N by 4%and increasing P and K by 65 and 23%in rice-wheat system.These strategies could be further optimized by 17‒34%for different benefits,and all of these measures can improve the effectiveness of the crop rotation systems to varying degrees.Overall,these findings provide insights into optimal agricultural inputs for higher benefits through an intelligent decision-making system with machine learning analysis in the rice-rape,rice‒wheat,and rice-garlic systems.

Socio-scientific quantification of the comprehensive benefits of debris flow mitigation measures for villages in western Sichuan, China

Debris flow hazards seriously threaten thesafety and sustainable development of mountainousareas. Numerous debris flow mitigation measures havebeen implemented worldwide;however, acomprehensive assessment of the specific disasterreduction effects of these measures and their economic,social and ecological benefits is yet to be performed.The western region of Sichuan Province frequentlysuffers from geohazards such as debris flow, and thegovernment has adopted many mitigation measures.This study assessed the benefits of debris flowmitigation measures and identified the key influencingfactors via a field-based study conducted in 81 villagesin western Sichuan province, China. A framework forthe evaluation of the benefits of rural debris flowmitigation measures was constructed andquantitatively evaluated using a survey. Snowballsampling was performed to recruit 81 village leadersand 468 farmers. The results showed that managementand engineering measures were the main methodsused to mitigate debris flow;ecological measures wereauxiliary. The average satisfaction scores of farmers forthese three types of measures were 4.07, 3.90, and 3.56,respectively (as measured on a five-point Likert scale).In contrast, in terms of the benefits of these mitigationmeasures, only a small proportion of villages (11.11%)obtained a high level of comprehensive benefits fromthe debris flow mitigation measures, while the majority(88.89%) received medium to low-level benefits. Toimprove this situation, we further studied and foundthat the main factors that restricted villages fromachieving high-level comprehensive benefits were theunpredictable nature of debris flows, labour forceoutflow and remoteness. Effective control measures, agood economic environment and strong governmentassistance were reported as crucial factors forimproving these comprehensive benefits. This studyprovides socio-scientific references for decisionmakingon rural debris flow mitigation measures while keeping villages at the centre of economic development.

Impact of the carbon market on investment benefits of power-grid enterprises in China: a system dynamics analysis

The power grid,as the hub connecting the power supply and consumption sides,plays an important role in achieving carbon neutrality in China.In emerging carbon markets,assessing the investment benefits of power-grid enterprises is essential.Thus,studying the impact of the carbon market on the investment and operation of powergrid enterprises is key to ensuring their efficient operation.Notably,few studies have examined the interaction between the carbon and electricity markets using system dynamics models,highlighting a research gap in this area.This study investigates the impact of the carbon market on the investment of power-grid enterprises using a novel evaluation system based on a system dynamics model that considers carbon-emissions from an established carbon-emission accounting model.First,an index system for benefit evaluation was constructed from six aspects:financing ability,economic benefit,reliability,social responsibility,user satisfaction,and carbon-emissions.A system dynamics model was then developed to reflect the causal feedback relationship between the impact of the carbon market on the investment and operation of power-grid enterprises.The simulation results of a provincial power-grid enterprise analyze comprehensive investment evaluation benefits over a 10-year period and the impact of carbon emissions on the investment and operation of power-grid enterprises.This study provides guidelines for the benign development of power-grid enterprises within the context of the carbon market.

A review:Health benefits and physicochemical characteristics of blended vegetable oils

Oil blending is the method of choice used worldwide to improve oxidative stability and nutritional value.There is no such edible oil/fat that meets all the recommendations from the health point of view.The fatty acid composition of vegetable oils decides the fate of the oil.Pure single oil is unable to provide a balanced amount of fatty acids(FAs)required/recommended on a daily intake basis.Blending oils/fats is an appropriate procedure of physically mixing multiple oils in suitable proportions which may provide functional lipids with improved antioxidant potential and desirable physical and chemical properties.This review piled up the accessible data on the blending of diverse oils/fats in the combination of binary,ternary,quaternary,or other types of oils into a single blended oil.Blending can be found very convincing towards appropriate FA profile,enhancement in physicochemical characteristics,and augmented stability for the period of storage or when used as cooking/frying processes which could ultimately serve as an effectual dietary intervention towards the health protectiveness.

Impact of Exercise on Depression in Older Adults:Potential Benefits,Risks,and Appropriate Application Strategies

As the global elderly population increases,depression within this group has become a significant public health concern.Although exercise has been recognized for its potential to improve depression in the elderly,the benefits,risks,and implementation strategies remain contentious.This review attempts to examine the impact of exercise on depression in older adults,including potential benefits,risks,and suggestions for application.Our analysis highlights the benefits of aerobic and resistance training,which can significantly alleviate depressive symptoms and enhance overall quality of life.Despite these benefits,the review acknowledges the complexity of the exercise-depression interaction in the elderly,necessitating personalized exercise regimens.Potential risks,such as muscle and joint pain,are pointed out,emphasizing the importance of tailored,supervised exercise programs.The review calls for future research to focus on identifying the most effective types of exercise and regimens for this population,considering factors such as age,gender,and existing health conditions.Lastly,it advocates for the inclusion of exercise in comprehensive treatment plans for depression in older adults,viewing it as a promising step toward achieving holistic mental health care in a growing demographic.

National Social Investment Programmes in Nigeria:A Descriptive Analysis of the Socio-Economic Contributions of N-Power Programme in Benue State

This study analysed the socio-economic contributions of N-Power programme amongst the beneficiaries of the scheme in Benue State.Prior to the introduction of N-Power programme,successive administrations in Nigeria have made concerted efforts towards improving the standard of living of the citizenry through the execution of various welfare or social intervention programmes,but not much successes were recorded.Learning from the mistakes of the past regimes,and by way of deliberate state policy,the Buhari’s government initiated a multi-pronged social investment policy,one of which is the N-power programme that came onboard in 2016,which also doubles as the subject of this study.To achieve the goal of this study,a combination of desktop research and survey design was employed.Questionnaires were administered to 390 respondents through a combination of stratified and random sampling techniques.The results of the survey were matched with that of the secondary data obtained through online websites and other related sources.The result indicated that N-Power made positive contributions to the socio-economic life of the beneficiaries in Benue State:specifically,the scheme contributed in poverty eradication,employment generation,skills acquisitions and capacity building.However,some aspect of our findings revealed that the programme has a number of challenges such as:inadequate cash support,delay in monthly cash transfer to beneficiaries,distance participants had to move to their work stations,absence of posting in N-Teach scheme,and lack of adequate working tools amongst others.To salvage this problem the paper recommended the following solutions:expansion of the scheme to cover N-Teach and other aspects,increment in the monthly cash transfer to cushion the high rate of inflation,support for the participants/beneficiaries in transportation and logistics,enrolment of more youth into the various schemes,proper monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the schemes amongst others.

Go-Ahead Element of Domestic Architecture:Socio-Economic and Cultural Characteristics of the Residents in Benin

The domestic architecture of a traditional settlement is greatly influenced by the socio-economic and socio-cultural characteristics of its residents.Benin City which is the focus of the paper is a case of a traditional settlement undergoing domestic architectural evolution with the changing times influenced by factors of growth and development.The paper has examined the effect of socio-economic and socio-cultural characteristics as factors that partly determine the design,style,pattern,space use,organization,location and meaning as well as land use of the domestic architecture of Benin.The study employed the use of questionnaire administered to residents across the cross-section of the city.In the end,descriptive frequency tables were used to analyse the data collected from the residential zones in Benin.The research has been able to corroborate the theory that socio-economic and socio-cultural factors are some of the determinants/elements of domestic architecture of a people.

Analysis of Economic Benefits Brought by Industrialization of Natural Enemy Insects

In the field of biological control of agricultural and forestry pests,natural enemy insects play an important role,constituting the core of modern integrated pest management(IPM)strategy,providing solid support for the zero growth goal of chemical pesticide use,and helping the sustainable development of green agriculture.The rise of the natural enemy insect industry has become a key driver of the transformation of green agriculture,injecting vitality into the sustainability and ecological protection of agriculture.With the increasing concern about food safety,environmental protection and ecological balance all over the world,the application scope of natural enemy insects as biological control means is constantly expanding.Its unique ecological adaptability and environmentally friendly characteristics help to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides,ensure the safety of agricultural products and maintain ecological diversity.The purpose of this study is to analyze the current situation of natural enemy insect industry,evaluate its cost and benefit,emphasize its great significance in promoting the transformation of green agriculture,improving production efficiency and promoting ecological protection by drawing lessons from foreign successful experiences,and explore an efficient and sustainable new agricultural development model.

Research on the evaluation and mechanism of socio-economic benefit of highway projects

Based on the theory of system dynamics, the paper analyzes the mechanism of socio-economic benefits of highway projects and establishes the system dynamics model of regional economic-highway development. Then taking Jinji（Tianjin--Jixian） Highway of Tianjin as an example, the errors of system simulation are tested, and the system dynamics model built is verified to be quite stable, which has a high performance. Through the comparison of simulation results with and without Jinji Highway, the paper simulates and predicts the socio-economie benefit of each year from 2003 to 2013. Thus the quantification evaluation of socio-economic benefit of highway project is realized and will provide the theory instructions for similar projects in the future.

Potential Benefits and Obstacles of the Use of Internet of Things in Saudi Universities: Empirical Study

Internet of Things (IoT) among of all the technology revolutions has been considered the next evolution of the internet. IoT has become a far more popular area in the computing world. IoT combined a huge number of things (devices) that can be connected through the internet. The purpose: this paper aims to explore the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) generally and outline the main definitions of IoT. The paper also aims to examine and discuss the obstacles and potential benefits of IoT in Saudi universities. Methodology: the researchers reviewed the previous literature and focused on several databases to use the recent studies and research related to the IoT. Then, the researchers also used quantitative methodology to examine the factors affecting the obstacles and potential benefits of IoT. The data were collected by using a questionnaire distributed online among academic staff and a total of 150 participants completed the survey. Finding: the result of this study reveals there are twelve factors that affect the potential benefits of using IoT such as reducing human errors, increasing business income and worker’s productivity. It also shows the eighteen factors which affect obstacles the IoT use, for example sensors’ cost, data privacy, and data security. These factors have the most influence on using IoT in Saudi universities.

Telecommunications and Energy Infrastructure Sharing: Technical and Socio-Economic Impact Analysis in a Multi-Operator Environment in Burundi

The sharing of telecommunications infrastructure and power supply equipment is currently an applicable and very common model for grouping signal transmission and reception equipment and their power supply on the same site to ensure coverage of fixed, mobile, Internet and radio and television broadcasting networks. This study consists of producing an inventory of telecommunications and energy infrastructure sharing, focusing on the one hand on analyzing the impacts of active and passive sharing of telecommunications infrastructure from a technical point of view, particularly in terms of legal framework, deployment, coverage and exposure to electromagnetic radiation, and on the other hand on identifying the effects of infrastructure sharing from a socio-economic point of view in a multi-operator mobile telephony environment, by indicating the economic value of the revenue generated as a result of infrastructure sharing. Finally, the results will contribute to identify strategies for ensuring maximum deployment and coverage of the country, and for developing the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector in order to contribute to the digital transformation by digitising services using mobile telephony and the Internet in Burundi.

Research on the Interactive Impact of Transportation Systems on Socio-Economic Development

This paper aims to explore the interactive impact between transportation systems and socio-economic development,employing Structural Equation Modeling(SEM)to analyze data from 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2013 to 2022.It comprehensively considers key indicators from the economic,social,and transportation sectors.The paper constructs a model encompassing 5 latent variables and 15 observed variables.Through in-depth analysis,it reveals the promoting role of transportation systems on economic growth and social development,as well as the demand for transportation system construction and optimization driven by socio-economic development levels.The results indicate that an efficient transportation system can not only directly drive economic growth but also indirectly promote social development by improving social welfare and enhancing quality of life.This paper provides new insights into understanding the complex relationship between transportation systems and socio-economic development and holds significant implications for policymakers in optimizing transportation infrastructure to foster economic and social development.

Economic Benefits of Rubber Plantations in Longjiang Farm in Hainan by the Application of Optimized Fertilization Formula

The influence of formula fertilization optimization on dry rubber yield and economic benefits of the rubber plantation in Hainan Longjiang Farm were studied by using ＂contrast＂ design method of fertilizer field experiments. The results showed that the actual production rate reached 4.61% and the net production rate of dry rubber reached 3.97% by application of optimized fertilization formula. Analysis of variance showed that the average dry rubber yield in optimization of formula fertil- ization area was significantly higher than that of conventional area. The results also indicated that the optimization of formula fertilization had obvious economic benefits, and each rubber tree reduced cost and increased 9.95 yuan on average after the test.

Analysis on Ecological Benefits of Urban Wetlands and Protection Measures with a Case of Nansha Wetland

Nansha wetland plays a crucial role in ecological balance of the Pearl River Delta or even Guangzhou. The research, based on researches available, analyzed ecological benefits of Nansha wetland and proposed protection measures in order to better protect urban wetlands and achieve sustainable development of ecological resources of Nansha wetland.