Understanding the Relationship Between Shrinking Cities and Land Prices:Spatial Pattern,Effectiveness,and Policy Implications

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a widespread phenomenon globally and has a significant impact on land,particularly in terms of land use and price.This study focuses on 2851 county-level cities in China in 2005–2018(excluding Hong Kong,Macao,Taiwan,and‘no data’areas in Qinhai-Tibet Plateau)as the fundamental units of analysis.By employing nighttime light(NTL)data to identify shrinking cities,the propensity score matching(PSM)model was used to quantitatively examine the impact of shrinking cities on land prices,and evaluate the magnitude of this influence.The findings demonstrate the following:1)there were 613 shrinking cities in China,with moderate shrinkage being the most prevalent and severe shrinkage being the least.2)Regional disparities are evident in the spatial distribution of shrinking cities,especially in areas with diverse terrain.3)The spatial pattern of land price exhibits a significant correlated to the economic and administrative levels.4)Shrinking cities significantly negatively impact on the overall land price(ATT=–0.1241,P<0.05).However,the extent of the effect varies significantly among different spatial regions.This study contributes novel insights into the investigation of land prices and shrinking cities,ultimately serving as a foundation for government efforts to promote the sustainable development of urban areas.

The Relationship Between the Communist Party of China and the Japanese Communist Party During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

It is important to clarify the historical facts and summarize the characteristics of the communication and cooperation between the CPC and the JCP during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,as it holds historical and contemporary relevance.The research findings indicate that the Comintern played a crucial role as the key intermediary in facilitating the establishment of connections between the CPC and the JCP and in driving the deepening of their relationship.During their exchanges,both parties adhered to a flexible and multi-layered friendship based on the unified values of patriotism and internationalism.Their efforts played a significant role in the establishment of an international anti-fascist front in the East.

Geometry and 3D seismic characterisation of post-rift normal faults in the Pearl River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea

Based on high-resolution 3D seismic data acquired in the Pearl(Zhujiang)River Mouth Basin of the northern South China Sea,this study investigated the geometry,spatial extension,and throw distribution of the post-rift normal fault through detailed seismic interpretation and fault modeling.A total of 289 post-rift normal faults were identified in the study area and can be classified into four types:(1)isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform;(2)isolated normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform;(3)conjugate normal faults,and(4)connecting normal faults.Throw distribution analysis on the fault planes show that the vertical throw profiles of most normal fault exhibit flat-topped profiles.Isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform exhibit roughly concentric ellipses with maximum throw zones in the central section whereas the normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform miss the lowermost section due to the chaotic seismic reflections in the interior of the carbonate platform.The vertical throws of conjugate normal faults anomalously decrease toward their intersection region on the fault plane whereas the connecting normal faults present two maximum throw zones in the central section of the fault plane.According to the symmetric elliptical distribution model of fault throw,an estimation was made indicating that normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform extended downward between-1308 s and-1780 s(two-way travel time)in depth and may not penetrate the entire Liuhua carbonate platform.Moreover,it is observed that the distribution of karst caves on the top of the carbonate platform disaccord with those of hydrocarbon reservoirs and the post-rift normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform in the study area.We propose that these karst caves formed most probably by corrosive fluids derived from magmatic activities during the Dongsha event,rather than pore waters or hydrocarbons.

Corrections of shipboard GPS radiosonde soundings and applications on historical records in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean and South China Sea

Shipboard radiosonde soundings are important for detecting and quantifying the multiscale variability of atmosphere-ocean interactions associated with mass exchanges.This study evaluated the accuracies of shipboard Global Positioning System(GPS)soundings in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean and South China Sea through a simultaneous balloon-borne inter-comparison of different radiosonde types.Our results indicate that the temperature and relative humidity(RH)measurements of GPS-TanKong(GPS-TK)radiosonde(used at most stations before 2012)have larger biases than those of ChangFeng-06-A(CF-06-A)radiosonde(widely used in current observation)when compared to reference data from Vaisala RS92-SGP radiosonde,with a warm bias of 5℃and dry bias of 10%during daytimes,and a cooling bias of-0.8℃and a moist bias of 6%during nighttime.These systematic biases are primarily attributed to the radiation effects and altitude deviation.An empirical correction algorithm was developed to retrieve the atmospheric temperature and RH profiles.The corrected profiles agree well with that of RS92-SGP,except for uncertainties of CF-06-A in the stratosphere.These correction algorithms were applied to the GPS-TK historical sounding records,reducing biases in the corrected temperature and RH profiles when compared to radio occultation data.The correction of GPS-TK historical records illustrated an improvement in capturing the marine atmospheric structure,with more accurate atmospheric boundary layer height,convective available potential energy,and convective inhibition in the tropical ocean.This study contributes significantly to improving the quality of GPS radiosonde soundings and promotes the sharing of observation in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

The Relationship Between the Communist Party of China and the Japanese Communist Party During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

It is important to clarify the historical facts and summarize the characteristics of the communication and cooperation between the CPC and the JCP during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, as it holds historical and contemporary relevance. The research findings indicate that the Comintern played a crucial role as the key intermediary in facilitating the establishment of connections between the CPC and the JCP and in driving the deepening of their relationship. During their exchanges, both parties adhered to a flexible and multi-layered friendship based on the unified values of patriotism and internationalism. Their efforts played a significant role in the establishment of an international anti-fascist front in the East.

Robust Radiometric Normalization of the near Equatorial Satellite Images Using Feature Extraction and Remote Sensing Analysis

Relative radiometric normalization (RRN) minimizes radiometric differences among images caused by inconsistencies of acquisition conditions rather than changes in surface. Scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) has the ability to automatically extract control points (CPs) and is commonly used for remote sensing images. However, its results are mostly inaccurate and sometimes contain incorrect matching caused by generating a small number of false CP pairs. These CP pairs have high false alarm matching. This paper presents a modified method to improve the performance of SIFT CPs matching by applying sum of absolute difference (SAD) in a different manner for the new optical satellite generation called near-equatorial orbit satellite and multi-sensor images. The proposed method, which has a significantly high rate of correct matches, improves CP matching. The data in this study were obtained from the RazakSAT satellite a new near equatorial satellite system. The proposed method involves six steps: 1) data reduction, 2) applying the SIFT to automatically extract CPs, 3) refining CPs matching by using SAD algorithm with empirical threshold, and 4) calculation of true CPs intensity values over all image’ bands, 5) preforming a linear regression model between the intensity values of CPs locate in reverence and sensed image’ bands, 6) Relative radiometric normalization conducting using regression transformation functions. Different thresholds have experimentally tested and used in conducting this study (50 and 70), by followed the proposed method, and it removed the false extracted SIFT CPs to be from 775, 1125, 883, 804, 883 and 681 false pairs to 342, 424, 547, 706, 547, and 469 corrected and matched pairs, respectively.

The influence of lipid-extraction on theδ^(13)C of mesopelagic and demersal fish in the South China Sea:modification and application of lipid normalization models

Mesopelagic fish,the most important daily vertically migrating community in the oceans,are characterized by high lipid content which may obscure the interpretation of stable isotopes analysis.Demersal fish,which are important consumers in the food web dominated by mesopelagic fish,also have a high lipid content.Here we collected 127 fish samples from the South China Sea and evaluated the effect of lipid contents on△δ^(13)C of mesopelagic and demersal fish.In lipid-extracted mesopelagic fish,the C/N content ratio(<5.5)shows a clear correlation withΔδ^(13)C(the offset of bulk and lipid-extractedδ^(13)C values),especially in non-migratory and semi-migratory species;these values were less correlation in demersal fish.Based on our results,we suggest that mesopelagic and demersal fish in different regions of the South China Sea should be studied separately using appropriate correction models and less fit for the traditional model.Moreover,the C/N content ratio should be used cautiously for establishing the lipid normalization model,especially for the fish in migratory mesopelagic fish and demersal fish.Our results also reveal that mesopelagic fish across nearby regions could be analyzed together.The new models described here can be applied in future studies of mesopelagic and demersal fish in the South China Sea.

Drivers,Trends,and Patterns of Changing Vegetation-greenness in Nansha Islands,China from 2016 to 2022

Changes in vegetation status generally also represents changes in the ecological health of islands and reefs(IRs).However,studies are limited of drivers and trends of vegetation change of Nansha Islands,China and how they relate to climate change and human activities.To resolve this limitation,we studied changes to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)vegetation-greenness index for 22 IRs of Nansha Islands during normal and extreme conditions.Trends of vegetation greenness were analyzed using Sen's slope and Mann-Kendall test at two spatial scales(pixel and island),and driving factor analyses were performed by time-lagged partial correlation analyses.These were related to impacts from human activities and climatic factors under normal(temperature,precipitation,radiation,and Normalized Difference Built-up Index(NDBI))and extreme conditions(wind speed and latitude of IRs)from 2016 to 2022.Results showed:1)among the 22 IRs,NDVI increased/decreased significantly in 15/4 IRs,respectively.Huayang Reef had the highest NDVI change-rate(0.48%/mon),and Zhongye Island had the lowest(–0.29%/mon).Local spatial patterns were in one of two forms:dotted-form,and degradation in banded-form.2)Under normal conditions,human activities(characterized by NDBI)had higher impacts on vegetation-greenness than other factors.3)Under extreme conditions,wind speed(R^(2)=0.2337,P<0.05)and latitude(R^(2)=0.2769,P<0.05)provided limited explanation for changes from typhoon events.Our results provide scientific support for the sustainable development of Nansha Islands and the United Nations‘Ocean Decade’initiative.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation response to permafrost degradation in Northeast China

Permafrost in Northeast China is undergoing extensive and rapid degradation,and it is of great importance to understand the dynamics of vegetation response to permafrost degradation during different periods in this region.Based on the meteorological station data and MODIS land surface temperature data,we mapped the distribution of permafrost using the surface frost number(SFN)model to analyze the permafrost degradation processes in Northeast China from 1981 to 2020.We investigated the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of vegetation and its response to permafrost degradation during different periods from 1982 to 2020 using the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI).We further discussed the dominant factors influencing the vegetation dynamics in the permafrost degradation processes.Results indicated that the permafrost area in Northeast China decreased significantly by 1.01×10^(5) km^(2) in the past 40 a.The permafrost stability continued to weaken,with large areas of stable permafrost(SP)converted to semi-stable permafrost(SSP)and unstable permafrost(UP)after 2000.From 1982 to 2020,NDVI exhibited a significant decreasing trend in the seasonal frost(SF)region,while it exhibited an increasing trend in the permafrost region.NDVI in the UP and SSP regions changed from a significant increasing trend before 2000 to a nonsignificant decreasing trend after 2000.In 78.63%of the permafrost region,there was a negative correlation between the SFN and NDVI from 1982 to 2020.In the SP and SSP regions,the correlation between the SFN and NDVI was predominantly negative,while in the UP region,it was predominantly positive.Temperature was the dominant factor influencing the NDVI variations in the permafrost region from 1982 to 2020,and the impact of precipitation on NDVI variations increased after 2000.The findings elucidate the complex dynamics of vegetation in the permafrost region of Northeast China and provide deeper insights into the response mechanisms of vegetation in cold regions to permafrost degradation induced by climate change.

Indonesia's China Policy in the Context of Major-Country Rivalry

In recent years, with the intensification of major-country rivalry and the profound changes in the global geopolitical landscape, Southeast Asia has become a focal point for the world's major countries vying for influence. Since the inauguration of the Biden administration, which inherited its predecessor's “Indo–Pacific” strategy, the United States has spared no effort to woo Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, pressuring them to take sides. Against such a backdrop, Indonesia has strengthened cooperation with the United States while enhancing relations with China. Based on its traditional “free and active” foreign policy, Indonesia insists on deepening ties with China in spite of pressure from the United States. Given the victory of Prabowo Subianto, currently Indonesian Defense Minister, in the 2024 presidential election, China and Indonesia are expected to maintain the momentum of their friendly cooperation, which will however face strong headwinds such as American interference, tensions in the South China Sea, and changes in Indonesian politics.

Cost analysis of radical resection of malignant breast tumors under the China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups payment system

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women worldwide and poses a severe threat to their health.Therefore,this study examined patients who underwent breast cancer surgery,analyzed hospitalization costs and structure,and explored the impact of China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups(CHS-DRG)management on patient costs.It aimed to provide medical institutions with ways to reduce costs,optimize cost structures,reduce patient burden,and improve service efficiency.AIM To study the CHS-DRG payment system’s impact on breast cancer surgery costs.METHODS Using the CHS-DRG(version 1.1)grouping criteria,4073 patients,who underwent the radical resection of breast malignant tumors from January to December 2023,were included in the JA29 group;1028 patients were part of the CHS-DRG payment system,unlike the rest.Through an independent sample t-test,the length of hospital stay as well as total hospitalization,medicine and consumables,medical,nursing,medical technology,and management expenses were compared.Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to test the cost correlation.RESULTS In terms of hospitalization expenses,patients in the CHS-DRG payment group had lower medical,nursing,and management expenses than those in the diagnosis-related group(DRG)non-payment group.For patients in the DRG payment group,the factors affecting the total hospitalization cost,in descending order of relevance,were medicine and consumable costs,consumable costs,medicine costs,medical costs,medical technology costs,management costs,nursing costs,and length of hospital stay.For patients in the DRG nonpayment group,the factors affecting the total hospitalization expenses in descending order of relevance were medicines and consumable expenses,consumable expenses,medical technology expenses,the cost of medicines,medical expenses,nursing expenses,length of hospital stay,and management expenses.CONCLUSION The CHS-DRG system can help control and reduce unnecessary medical expenses by controlling medicine costs,medical consumable costs,and the length of hospital stay while ensuring medical safety.

Probability Distribution of China Aviation Network Average Degree of Edge Vertices and Its Evolutionary Trace Based on Complex Network

In order to reveal the complex network characteristics and evolution principle of China aviation network, the probability distribution and evolution trace of average degree of edge vertices of China aviation network were studied based on the statistics data of China civil aviation network in 1988, 1994, 2001, 2008 and 2015. According to the theory and method of complex network, the network system was constructed with the city where the airport was located as the network node and the route between cities as the edge of the network. Based on the statistical data, the average degrees of edge vertices in China aviation network in 1988, 1994, 2001, 2008 and 2015 were calculated. Using the probability statistical analysis method and regression analysis approach, it was found that the average degree of edge vertices had the probability distribution of normal function and the position parameters and scale parameters of the probability distribution had linear evolution trace.

Relationships between Basic and Silicic Magmatism in Continental Rift Settings:A Petrogeochemical Study of Carboniferous Post-collisional Rift Silicic Volcanics in Tianshan,NW China

Petrogeochemical data are reported for silicic volcanic rocks from the Tianshan Carboniferous rift, with the aim of discussing the petrogenesis of silicic magmas. Incompatible element vs. incompatible element diagrams display smooth positive trends for the Tianshan Carboniferous rift-related volcanic rocks; the isotope ratios of the silicic lavas [^87Sr/^86S（t）=0.699880.70532; eNd（t）=4.76-8.00; ^206pb/^204pb（t）=17.435-18.017; ^207Pb/^204Pb（t）=15.438-15.509; ^208Pb/^204Pb（t） = 37.075-37.723] encompass those of the basic lavas. These data suggest a genetic link between rhyolites and basalts, but are not definitive in establishing whether silicic rocks are related to basalts through fractional crystallization or partial melting. Geochemical modeling of incompatible vs. compatible elements excludes the possibility that silicic melts are generated by the melting of basaltic rocks, and indicates a derivation by fractional crystallization plus moderate assimilation of wall rocks （AFC） starting from intermediate rocks to silicic rocks. Continuous AFC from basalt to rhyolite, with small rates of crustal assimilation, best explains the geochemical data. The presence or absence of bimodal volcanism （the ＂Daly Gap＂） might be related to cooling rates of magma chambers. In central and eastern Tianshan, the crust was thinner and the cooling rates of the magma chamber within the crust were greater. These conditions resulted in a rapid fall in temperature within the magma reservoir and caused a narrow temperature interval over which intermediate melts formed, effectively reducing the volume of the intermediate melts.

Bush' s China Policy and the Future of Sino-U.S.Relations

The past two years have witnessed great fluctuations ininternational oil prices,and diplomatic efforts,both above andunder the table,by major powers around this issue.The currenttension in the war-threatened Iraq has added more uncertainties to thefuture world oil situation.Will the world oil supply and demand change?What impact would this exert on big powers’ oil strategy choices,geopolitics as well as world economy?What should China do in such asituation?To find the answers to these questions,at the invitation of theeditor of the Contemporary International Relations,seven experts fromChina Institute of Contemporary International Relations gathered to have adiscussion in early February this year.Naturally,they have differentviews over many issues.Still,we hope our readers would find theirdiscussion interesting.Following is the list of participants.

The Trend of U.S.-China Relations: Is a Conflict Between the United States and China Inevitable?

International relations theory can serve as a guide to understanding national behaviour,especially those that are strained by ideological misunderstandings.Realism basically believes that state behaviour reflects the state’s pursuit of power.Constructivism believes that thought drives behaviour.Therefore,in order to better understand the behaviour between states,this essay suggests that constructivism and realism can interact rather than repel each other,because constructivism can play a complementary role in realism.This combination can promote behavioural understanding between countries without compromising the interests of countries,thereby reducing the possibility of conflict and war.Finally,the ups and downs of Sino-US relations reflect the participation of ideology.In other words,based on this method to analyse the current relationship between China and the United States,it can be predicted that the two countries can basically avoid the war between them.

The Study of Trade Relationship between Kazakhstan and China

To explore the momentum and direction of the bilateral trade and economic sustainable development, make a comprehensive study on the economic and trade relations between China and Kazakhstan from multiple angles. In comparison, the China-Kazakh economic and trade relations between the two countries is close, the investment partnership is relatively stable, there are good prospects for trade and economic cooperation; However. the economic and trade relations between China and Kazakhstan have a certain distance, in Bilateral trade structure still exist some problems.

Contributions of annual and semiannual tidal constituents to chart datum in the China seas and adjacent waters

Global uniform chart datum(CD)surface construction is the basic upon which to realize various vertical datums transformation,and is of great importance for geospatial data expression under the same vertical datum.Generally,the CD level is computed by developing the function between tidal constituents’harmonic constants and time,i.e.,the lowest astronomical tide is taken as the lowest predicted tide level by adopting the major constituents over a 19-a period.The CD surface prescribed in China is the theoretical lowest tide(TLT)and is calculated using 13 tidal constituents,i.e.,short-period(Q_(1),O_(1),P_(1),K_(1),N_(2),M_(2),S_(2),K_(2),M_(4),MS_(4)and M_(6))and long-period(Sa and Ssa)tidal constituents.Although the accuracy in determining short-period tidal constituents has improved gradually,the long-period tide has not been studied thoroughly owing to nonstationary and temporal variations.Previous studies have intended to evaluate the effect of Sa and Ssa tides in the determination of the TLT level for the purpose of determining a more accurate CD surface for the China seas and adjacent waters.Here,the parameters of long-period tidal correction and long-period tidal correction rate were treated as the effect of both Sa and Ssa on the TLT,and the TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason series satellite altimetry data ranged from October 1992 to April 2022 were adopted to analyze the contribution of long-period tidal constituents.Results showed that the average long-period correction value is 10.10 cm(range from 8.57 cm to 14.98 cm),and that the average long-period tidal contribution rate is 14.56%(range from 9.09%to 23.97%)in the China seas and adjacent waters.Finally,data from 82 tide gauge station with at least a 1-a record of hourly observations were compared with satellite-derived result.We concluded that the long-period tidal contribution should not be neglected in TLT construction.Furthermore,to reduce tidal datum uncertainty,accurate extraction of long-period tidal constituents should receive closer attentions.

Empirical Analysis on the Relations between Rural Residents' Consumption and Economic Growth——A Case of Liaoning Province

Liaoning is a granary province with a large agricultural population and great market potential. Expanding rural residents' consumption becomes a necessity for enlarging domestic demand, solving three agriculture problems and promoting sustainable and rapid economic development. The research shows that since invigorating old industrial base in Liaoning, the contribution rate of rural residents' consumption to economic motivation is low and unstable, which has become one of the choke points for the development of economy. By using the grey correlation method, the influences of rural residents' consumption in different periods to GDP per capita are analyzed, the results show that the consumption level of rural residents were increasing, but their contribution rate on economic growth showed the descending tend. The residential expenses stay in the major position of consumption expenses; the education and entertainment products and service consumption play an important role; the growth of transportation and telecommunication is slow; the expenses on medical care are low and its contribution rate on economic growth is relatively weak. The countermeasures on developing rural economy, increasing rural residents' income, improving rural consumption environment, accelerating rural infrastructure construction, constructing and perfecting rural social security system and expanding rural consumption credit market are put forward to expand rural residents' consumption demand and realize the sustainable development of economy.