Base In China Research Articles

Exploring the emission reduction and economic impacts of environmental regulation from a dynamic endogenous perspective: evidence based on the PVAR and threshold models

How to effectively reduce pollution emissions and achieve high-quality economic development (HQED) is an important challenge currently facing China. On the basis of China’s provincial panel data from 2008 to 2020, this paper constructs a panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model, to clarify the dynamic interactive relationships among environmental regulation, pollution emissions and HQED from an endogenous perspective. On this basis, the threshold model was used to test the threshold effect of environmental regulation and pollution emission intensity. The results indicate the following: (1) A bidirectional Granger causality relationship exists between environmental regulation and pollution emission, and between pollution emission and HQED, with environmental regulation being a one-way Granger cause of HQED. (2) Environmental regulation can significantly promote HQED in the long term. Pollution emission intensity and HQED have a mutual inhibitory effect, with the inhibitory effect of pollution emission intensity showing a lag, and a long-term “inverted M” pattern. Pollution emission intensity has a positive promoting effect on environmental regulation intensity in the long term, whereas the reverse relationship is inhibitory, following an inverted U-shaped trend. (3) Variance decomposition reveals that, in addition to the variables themselves, pollution emissions contribute the most to the intensity of environmental regulation. Environmental regulation contributes the most to the other two variables. (4) The threshold regression model indicates that when the intensity of environmental regulation crosses the threshold value of 0.8430, pollution emission intensity has a significant negative impact on HQED. When pollution emission intensity crosses the second threshold value of 0.4870, the intensity of environmental regulation begins to show a positive promoting effect. This article not only effectively supplements the EKC hypothesis from a theoretical level, but also clarifies the dynamic interactive relationship between environmental regulation, pollution emissions and HQED from a practical level, providing a reference for the government to improve environmental regulation policies and facilitate HQED in China.

Port governance and sustainable development: The impact of port smartization on port carbon emission efficiency

Considering the growing volume of seaborne trade worldwide, most ports need smart policies to address high carbon emissions. As a major shipping nation, China is committed to reducing port carbon emissions. China recently introduced a series of smartization policies to accelerate the construction of smart ports, but their effectiveness in energy saving and emission reduction is unclear. Taking 39 major ports in China as research subjects, this study uses the super-efficiency SBM model to measure carbon emissions and the generalized difference-in-differences method to deeply explore the impact of port smartization policies on port carbon emission efficiency. Results indicate that these policies have significantly improved the carbon emission efficiency of ports, a conclusion validated through multiple robustness tests. Heterogeneity analyses show that ports in coastal areas, and in cities with larger populations or moderate economic development, are more significantly affected by port smartization initiatives. Mechanism analysis suggests that the number of port berths, the length of wharves, and container throughput are important channels through which smart port policies influence carbon emission efficiency. This research enriches carbon emission efficiency literature, offers insights for developing countries on reducing emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, and provides a basis for China's smart port construction.

Evolution of support policies for the development of distant-water fishing bases in China: Review, performance, challenges and prospects

Distant-water fishing bases are an important carrier and development platform for the development of distant-water fishing. It is necessary to analyze the evolution of the policies supporting offshore fishing bases in order to promote the standardized and orderly development of distant-water fisheries. Based on 302 policy documents, this paper adopts the content analysis method to analyze the policies since 1993 using ROSTCM6 software. These policies can be divided into three phases: the start-up period (1993–2010), the rapid development period (2011–2015) and the steady development period (2016–2023). The study found that the interrelationship and complementarity between fishing base-focused and related policies have increased, with continuous improvements in the policy framework, a shift toward developing a green and healthy industry chain, and an expanded scope of policy support. However, there are still some limitations in the evolution of support policies for the development of distant-water fishing bases, including an imperfect industrial support system, insufficient talent reserves and inadequate management policies. Finally, the paper emphasizes the need to improve the policy system, promote the development of the whole industry chain of distant-water fisheries, build a talent training system, strengthen scope and capacity of international cooperation in distant-water fisheries, promote the sustainable development of fisheries and enhancing international compliance capacity.

Efficiency and Driving Factors of Agricultural Carbon Emissions: A Study in Chinese State Farms

Promoting low-carbon agriculture is vital for climate action and food security. State farms serve as crucial agricultural production bases in China and are essential in reducing China’s carbon emissions and boosting emission efficiency. This study calculates the carbon emissions of state farms across 29 Chinese provinces using the IPCC method from 2010 to 2022. It also evaluates emission efficiency with the Super-Slack-Based Measure (Super-SBM model) and analyzes influencing factors using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method. The findings suggest that the three largest carbon sources are rice planting, chemical fertilizers, and land tillage. Secondly, agricultural carbon emissions in state farms initially surge, stabilize with fluctuations, and ultimately decline, with higher emissions observed in northern and eastern China. Thirdly, the rise of agricultural carbon emission efficiency is driven primarily by technological progress. Lastly, economic development and industry structure promote agricultural carbon emissions, while production efficiency and labor scale reduce them. To reduce carbon emissions from state farms in China and improve agricultural carbon emission efficiency, the following measures can be taken: (1) Improve agricultural production efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in all links; (2) Optimize the agricultural industrial structure and promote the coordinated development of agriculture; (3) Reduce the agricultural labor scale and promote the specialization, professionalization, and high-quality development of agricultural labor; (4) Accelerate agricultural green technology innovation and guide the green transformation of state farms. This study enriches the theoretical foundation of low-carbon agriculture and develops a framework for assessing carbon emissions in Chinese state farms, offering guidance for future research and policy development in sustainable agriculture.

Automated generation of consistent annual maximum NDVI on coal bases with a new algorithm

Coal is one of the most important fossil energy sources and is ensuring global energy security. Annual maximum NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data is an important indicator for the research in balancing coal mining and vegetation conservation. However, the existing annual maximum NDVI data displayed lower values with temporally inconsistent and a noticeable mosaic line. Here we propose an algorithm for automatically generating the annual maximum NDVI of China’s coal bases in Google Earth Engine called: Auto-NDVIcb. The accuracy of the Auto-NDVIcb algorithm has been verified with an average RMSE of 0.087 for the 14 coal bases from 2013 to 2022. Based on the proposed Auto-NDVIcb algorithm, an annual maximum NDVI dataset for all 14 coal bases in China from 2013 to 2022 was publicly released. This dataset can be fast and automatically updated online. Hence, the public dataset will continuously serve to monitor the vegetation change induced by coal mining, exploring the mechanism of vegetation degradation, and providing scientific data for developing vegetation protection policies in coal mines.

Biogeography and diversity patterns of abundant and rare bacterial communities in paddy soils along middle and lower Yangtze River.

The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River serve as principal rice production bases in China, yet the biodiversity and ecological processes of bacterial communities in paddy soils are not well understood. This study explores the diversity, composition, ecological function, and assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterial communities in paddy soils. A total of 129 paddy soil samples from 43 sites along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were collected and analyzed using NovaSeq sequencing. The results showed that the dominant phylum for both abundant and rare taxa was Proteobacteria, with a greater relative abundance of the abundant taxa. The diversity of the abundant community was lower than that of the rare community. Soil properties and geographic variables explained more of the variation in the abundant community than in the rare community. The rare community exhibited a significant distance-decay relationship. The assembly of the abundant community was more influenced by stochastic processes, although both the abundant and rare communities were governed by stochastic processes. It is concluded that both abundant and rare bacterial communities exhibit differing biogeographic patterns, yet they undergo similar ecological processes in the paddy soils along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. These observations offer a theoretical framework for a deeper comprehension of the function of both abundant and rare bacteria, as well as the development and preservation of soil bacterial diversity within agricultural ecosystems.

Combining chemical analysis and toxicological methods to access the ecological risk of complex contamination in Daye Lake

As one of the nine primary non-ferrous metal smelting bases in China, Daye Lake basin was polluted due to diverse human activities. But so far the pollution status and related ecological risks of this region have not been detailly investigated. In current study, pollutants including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in eight sediment samples from Daye Lake were quantified. 18S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to profile the nematode community structure within these sediments. Model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) were further applied for a comprehensive ecological risk assessment of Daye Lake. Notably, Cadmium (Cd) was identified as a key driver of ecological risk, reaching an index of 1287.35. At sample point S4, OCPs particularly p,p′-DDT, displayed an extreme ecological risk with a value of 23.19. Cephalobidae and Mononchida showed strong sensitivity to pollutant levels, reinforcing their suitability as robust bioindicators. The composite pollutants in sampled sediments caused oxidative stress in C. elegans, with gene Vit-2 and Mtl-1 as sensitive biomarkers. By employing the multiple analysis methods, our data can offer valuable contributions to environmental monitoring and health risk assessment for composite polluted areas.

A survey on brachytherapy training of gynecological cancer focusing on the competence of residents in China.

The brachytherapy is an indispensable treatment for gynecological tumors, but the quality and efficiency of brachytherapy training for residents is still unclear. An anonymous questionnaire was designed to collect information on gynecological brachytherapy (GBT) training for radiation oncology residents from 28 training bases in China. The questionnaire content was designed based on the principle of competency based medical education (CBME). The Likert scale was employed to evaluate self-reported competence and comprehension regarding GBT. A total of 132 senior residents were included in the final analysis. 53.79% (71/132) of senior residents had experience in performing image-guided GBT, whereas 76.52% (101/132) had observed the procedure during their standardized residency training. The proportion of senior residents who reported having the self-reported competence to independently complete the GBT was 78.03% for intracavity GBT, 75.00% for vaginal stump GBT, and 50.03% for interstitial GBT, respectively. The number of successful completion of Interstitial, intracavity and vaginal GBT was correlated with the self- confidence of trainees after standardized training. In particular, the independent completion of interstitial GBT for more than 20 cases was an independent factor for the self-reported competence of senior residents. During the training period, 50.76% and 56.82% of the residents had not participated in the specialized examinations and professional GBT courses. The study revealed that the self-confidence of residents to independently complete brachytherapy was relatively high, and the specialized curriculum setting and training process assessment for brachytherapy training still need to be strengthened in the future.

Neonicotinoid insecticides in well-developed agricultural cultivation areas: Seawater occurrence, spatial-seasonal variability and ecological risks

Neonicotinoids (NEOs) are widely used insecticides and have been detected in aquatic environments globally. However, little is known about NEOs contamination in the coastal environments under the terrestrial pressure of multiple planting types simultaneously. This study investigated the occurrence, spatial-seasonal variability, and ecological risks of NEOs along the coast of the Shandong Peninsula during the dry and wet seasons, where located many largest fruit, vegetable, and grain production bases in China. The concentrations of ∑NEOs in seawater were higher in wet seasons (surface: 195.46 ng/L; bottom: 14.56 ng/L) than in dry seasons (surface: 10.07 ng/L; bottom: 8.45 ng/L). During the wet seasons, NEOs peaked in the northern and eastern areas of the Shandong Peninsula, where the inland fruit planting area is located. While dry seasons had higher concentrations in Laizhou Bay, influenced by rivers from vegetable-growing areas. Grain crops, fruit, and cotton planting were major NEOs sources during wet seasons, while wheat and vegetables dominated in dry seasons. Moderate or above ecological risks appeared at 53.8% of the monitoring sites. Generally, NEOs caused high risks in the wet seasons mainly caused by Imidacloprid, and medium risk in the dry seasons caused by Clothianidin, which should be prevented and controlled in advance.

Study on the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Cynodon dactylon in the Riparian Zone Slopes of a Large Reservoir

The stability of riverbank slopes is crucial in watershed ecology. The morphology and tensile strength properties of plant roots play a significant role in slope stability, which is of great importance for the ecological stability of riverbanks. The Jinsha and Yalong River basins are the largest hydropower bases in China and are in the ecologically fragile areas of the dry and hot river valleys, yet fewer studies are available on these basins. Further studies on the growth morphology and root mechanical properties of plant roots in the riparian zone at different elevations have not been reported. Therefore, we selected the dominant species of Cynodon dactylon root as the research subject, analyzed the root morphology, and conducted indoor single-root tensile tests to study its root structure and mechanical properties at various elevations. The results showed that the root morphology of Cynodon dactylon was positively correlated with elevation. Compared to low elevations (L and M), the root length increased by 57.3% and 21.47%, the root diameter increased by 24.85% and 13.92%, the root surface area increased by 93.5% and 67.37%, and the total root volume increased by 119.91% and 107.36%. As the elevation gradient increased, the flooding time decreased, leading to more developed plant roots for Cynodon dactylon. The Young’s modulus ranged from 148.43 to 454.18 MPa for Ertan Cynodon dactylon roots and 131.31 to 355.53 MPa for Guanyingyan Cynodon dactylon roots. The maximum tensile strength, ultimate tensile strength, ultimate elongation, and Young’s modulus of the plant root of the Cynodon dactylon showed a power function relationship with the diameter. The maximum tensile strength increased as the diameter increased, while the remaining properties decreased following a power function relationship. The maximum tensile strength, ultimate tensile strength, and Young’s modulus of Cynodon dactylon were positively correlated with elevation, while the ultimate elongation was negatively correlated with elevation. The results elucidate the influence of elevation on the root morphology and mechanical properties of dominant riparian species. This provides a theoretical basis for managing and protecting riparian slopes in ecologically fragile areas.

Combination of Cultural Heritage and Hotel Tourism: A Case Study of Fabric Culture in Wufeng Village, Guangzhou

The Wufeng Village is an urban village that located in Haizhu District, Guangzhou city. Urban village is a special product of rapid urbanization since reform and open up of China. It’s the village (collective land) left in the city (state-owned land), wrapped up by the modern city. However, Wufeng Village has a long history and is one of the two largest textile cluster bases in China. Guangzhou Textile Trading Park, Yangtze River International Textile City, Dazhong Fabric Market, Zhongdajiangnan Textile City is located there, is the world’s fabric distribution center. The people there rely on the fabric industry for their livelihood. But in recent years, due to the deterioration of the economic environment, the rise of international competition, the rise of systematic risks in the industrial chain, and the impact of the pandemic, the industry of Wufeng Village needs an opportunity to upgrade and innovate.

Research on the Spatial and Temporal Distribution Evolution and Sustainable Development Mechanism of Smart Health and Elderly Care Demonstration Bases Based on GIS

Utilizing GIS technology and spatial analysis methodologies, this study endeavours to delve into and grasp the localized attributes of the regional units under investigation from a geographical vantage point, as well as the interrelationships among these units. This endeavour encompasses the identification and quantification of developmental patterns, the assessment of trends, and the resolution of any intricate issues about geographical location to make prognostications and informed decisions. Classic spatial analysis techniques such as the geographic concentration index, kernel density analysis, Thiessen polygons, and spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran’s I index) are employed in this inquiry. Initially, the study utilized the nearest neighbour index and geographic concentration index to gauge the equilibrium, proximity, and concentration of the spatiotemporal distribution of smart health elderly care demonstration bases across 31 provinces in China. Upon confirming the spatial clustering and imbalance of the distribution of elderly care demonstration bases in China, kernel density analysis was applied to compute the density of point features surrounding each output raster cell and to visually represent the spatiotemporal distribution status of the bases. Finally, Thiessen polygons and spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran’s I index) were introduced to further elucidate and validate the spatial distribution patterns of the elderly care demonstration bases. The findings of the research reveal that smart health and elderly care bases in China manifest spatial clustering, predominantly concentrated in the central and eastern regions of the country. The overarching pattern embodies a spatial model characterized by a “concentration in three poles with multiple cores surrounding”. Ultimately, the study offers recommendations for the nexus between three principal mechanisms: market-driven development mechanisms, policy-driven development mechanisms, and technology-driven development mechanisms, advocating for the further progression of intelligent construction to attain the sustainable development of demonstration bases. This research furnishes a scientific foundation for the planning and industrial advancement of pertinent departments.

Lagrange-enhanced GRA framework for probabilistic simplified neutrosophic multiple-attributes decision-making and applications to painting teaching quality evaluation

Universities are important talent training bases in China and the main driving force for achieving the strategic layout of “revitalizing the country through science and education” and “strengthening the country through talent". Oil painting is a global art with rich humanistic and artistic value. Most art colleges in China have set up oil painting courses. Analyze the current situation and value of oil painting course teaching in local art (teacher training) majors, and leverage the educational role of oil painting courses by enriching course offerings, emphasizing the integration of humanistic innovation, improving teacher literacy, and striving to further improve the quality and efficiency of oil painting course teaching. The quality evaluation of oil painting teaching in universities is viewed as multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM). The grey relational analysis (GRA) is a useful tool to cope with the MADM issue. The probabilistic simplified Neutrosophic set (PSNSs) is easy to characterize uncertain information during the quality evaluation of oil painting teaching in universities. In this paper, in order to obtain the weight information, an optimization model implemented to obtain a simple and exact formula which can be employed to derive the attribute weights values based on the Lagrange function and the probabilistic simplified neutrosophic number grey relational analysis (PSNN-GRA) technique is implemented for MADM to rank the alternatives. Finally, a numerical example for quality evaluation of oil painting teaching in universities is used to verify the practicability of the PSNN-GRA technique and compares it with other techniques.

Unsustainable imbalances in urbanization and ecological quality in the old industrial base province of China

The benign interaction between ecological quality and urbanization is a crucial guarantee for regional sustainability, especially for the old industrial bases in China. However, the linkage and interplay between these two aspects have not yet been well revealed. By using the compound night light index (CNLI) and the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), we conducted a long-term quantitative assessment of Liaoning, which is a typical old industrial base province in China. Both CNLI and RSEI have been proven to be effective indicators for monitoring and evaluating regional urbanization and ecological quality (EQ) respectively. Trend analysis methods were performed to detect the spatiotemporal dynamics of EQ. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) model is employed to estimate the linkage between urbanization and EQ. Results show that the mean RSEI of Liaoning province generally fluctuated within the range of moderate grade and displayed an oscillating upward trend from 2001 to 2020. The gaps of EQ among different cities were narrowing, and obvious clustering characteristics can be seen. According to the trend analysis findings, the area exhibiting EQ improvement over the past 20 years was larger than that showing degradation, in which forest land and cropland were the main contributors. The results from the CCD model showed that the majority of cities in the case area have not fully entered the stage of transformation development. The imbalance between urbanization and EQ is very severe and common in Liaoning province, which is mainly attributed to the relatively sluggish spatial urbanization. Additionally, the negative impact of spatial urbanization on ecological land use is not obvious in Liaoning, which indicates the relationship between urbanization and ecological quality is not always a simple negative correlation. Our results have an important implication for further understanding urbanization-induced impacts on the ecological environment and promoting sustainable development.

Associations of interannual variation in summer tropospheric ozone with the Western Pacific Subtropical High in China from 1999 to 2017

Abstract. Associations between tropospheric ozone (O3) and climate variations have been extensively investigated worldwide. However, given the lack of historical O3 monitoring data, the knowledge gaps regarding the influences of climate variations on long-term O3 trends in China remain. The present study used a tropospheric O3 dataset from the summers of 1999 to 2017 simulated by an atmospheric chemistry model to explore the linkage between summer O3 and a dominant atmospheric circulation system – the Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) pressure – on an interannual basis in China. During this period, both WPSH strength and O3 concentrations in eastern and central China illustrated a growing trend. An EOF analysis was conducted to examine significant summer O3 characteristics and patterns and their potential connections with the WPSH. We find that the correlation between the first principal component of summer ozone concentration in the EOF analysis and the WPSH reached 0.56 (P≤0.01) in China from 1999 to 2017. We show that the WPSH determines interannual fluctuations of summer O3, whereas O3 precursor emissions contribute primarily to the O3 long-term trend. Our results reveal that the WPSH plays a vital role in O3 perturbation in the eastern seaboard regions and inland China. Precursor emissions made more significant contributions of up to 60 % to increasing O3 trends in the inland urban agglomerations than coastal regions in eastern and southern China. The strongest contribution of meteorological conditions associated with the WPSH to summer O3 occurred in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), accounting for over 9 % to ozone perturbations from 1999 to 2017. We find that the effect of the WPSH on regional O3 depends on the spatial proximity to the WPSH. We attributed the effects of the WPSH on O3 interannual variations to the changes in air temperature, precipitation, and winds associated with the WPSH's intensity and positions.

Indosinian W-Sn mineralization event in the Xikeng deposit, southern Jiangxi Province, Nanling Range: Evidence from U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopes

The Chongyi–Shangyou–Dayu ore-concentrated district represents one of the most important wolframite production bases in China, and most of the W-Sn deposits formed in the early Yanshanian period. The Xikeng quartz vein-type W-Sn deposit is located spatially not far from the Triassic Keshuling granitic pluton. The deposit contains 43 ore-bearing quartz veins, in which the ore minerals are mainly cassiterite and wolframite. These ore veins are concentrated in the Sinian metasandstone and sandy slate of the Laohutang Formation and extend down to the top of the concealed granite. The concealed intrusion is composed of medium- to fine-grained muscovite granites, which relate to the Indosinian Keshuling granite, according to geophysical data. Zircon grains from the concealed Xikeng granitic intrusion have a concordant U-Pb age of 232.1 ± 1.1 Ma (MSWD = 0.9). The zircon εHf(t) values range from −11.0 to −7.9, indicating primary reworking of the ancient crustal materials. Wolframite and cassiterite grains yield Tera-Wasserburg concordia intercept ages of 228.4 ± 0.9 Ma (MSWD = 1.2) and 227.8 ± 1.6 Ma (MSWD = 0.3) for the Xikeng deposit, respectively. These data demonstrate that the Indosinian W-Sn mineralization events were genetically related to granitic magma activities that share similar magmatic sources with the Yanshanian W-Sn mineralization-associated granitic intrusions. Combined with previous robust granitic and metallogenic ages, this paper identifies a new Indosinian W-Sn mineralization event in southern Jiangxi Province, Nanling Range.

Research on the Innovative Path of Student Management in Universities-Based on the Perspective of Medical Intern Mentoring System

Universities are important professional talent training bases in China. Promoting the reform and innovation of student management in universities is a solid foundation and strong guarantee for cultivating talents of the new era who possess both moral integrity and talent, and are fully developed. Currently, the traditional management of college students lags behind, teachers lack enthusiasm for teaching, and students lack the ability to learn independently. In order to improve the level of student management and the quality of clinical internship teaching, this article focuses on the opportunities and challenges faced by university student management work, always adhering to the logical mainline of high-quality talent cultivation, and starting from the research background, existing problems, influencing factors, and countermeasures of the internship supervisor system, constructing a student-centered clinical teaching concept and establishing a diversified teaching quality evaluation system. It’s important to standardize the rules and regulations of the mentor system, innovate teaching ideas, improve the assessment and incentive mechanism of the mentor system for medical interns, continuously improve the hospital teaching system, establish a suitable teaching management system, enhance the effectiveness of university student management work, and serve the cultivation of high-quality talents.

A Study of Apple Orchards Extraction in the Zhaotong Region Based on Sentinel Images and Improved Spectral Angle Features

Zhaotong City in Yunnan Province is one of the largest apple growing bases in China. However, the terrain of Zhaotong City is complicated, and the rainy weather is more frequent, which brings difficulties to the identification of apple orchards by remote sensing. In this paper, an improved spectral angle feature is proposed by combining the Spectral Angle Mapper and Sentinel-1 data. Based on the Google Earth Engine and Sentinel image, a random forest classifier was used to extract apple orchards in the Ganhe Reservoir area, Zhaoyang District, Zhaotong City, which provides a theoretical basis for extracting the spatial distribution and sustainable development of the local apple industry. The classification results show that the improved spectral angle characteristics can improve the overall accuracy and F1 score of apple orchards. The RGB band combined with NDVI, GLCM, and improved spectral angle features obtained the most favorable results, and the F1 score and overall accuracy were 88.89% and 84.44%, respectively, which proved the reliability of the method in identifying apple orchards in Zhaotong City.

Construction and Practice of Livelihood Efficiency Index System for Herders in Typical Steppe Area of Inner Mongolia Based on Super-Efficiency Slacks-Based Measure Model

Inner Mongolia is one of the main animal husbandry production bases in China, with herders being the main animal husbandry producers. A systematic analysis of the efficiency of herding households’ livelihoods and the influencing factors is of great importance to formulate effective policies to support herding households’ livelihoods, enhance their social adaptability, and alleviate the vulnerability of poor people in herding areas. This study used a typical steppe of Inner Mongolia as the research area. It used the interview data of herding households from 2021, constructed the evaluation index system of herding households’ livelihood efficiency, analyzed the redundancy of the inputs and outputs of herding households’ livelihoods, and examined the key factors affecting herding households’ livelihood efficiency. The results indicate that (1) the pure technical effectiveness of the livelihood efficiency of typical grassland herding households in Inner Mongolia is the highest; the comprehensive technical efficiency and scale efficiency are low. The scale return of most herders’ livelihoods shows a decreasing state. (2) According to the results of the model, under the premise of the output not being reduced, reducing the amount of social capital input can effectively save resources. Without increasing the input, the room for improvement in the living level is the most obvious. (3) The pasture area, the communication network, and the access to information have significant negative effects on the efficiency of herders’ livelihoods; infrastructure and water supply have significant positive impacts. In summary, we built a model for evaluating the livelihood efficiency of herders in typical grassland areas of Inner Mongolia, which can provide a reference for the revitalization work of pastoral areas and related research in the future.

Contamination profiles and potential health risks of environmentally persistent free radicals in PM2.5 over typical central Chinese megacity

As one of the most important transportation hubs and industrial bases in China, Zhengzhou has suffered from serious PM2.5 pollution for a long time. However, the investigation of contamination status and possible exposure risks of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in PM2.5 from Zhengzhou is rare. In this work, a comprehensive study of pollution levels, seasonal variations, sources, and potential health risks of PM2.5-bound EPFRs in Zhengzhou was conducted for the first time. The atmospheric concentrations of EPFRs in PM2.5 from Zhengzhou ranged from 1.732 × 1012 spin m−3 to 7.182 × 1014 spin m−3 between 2019 and 2020. Relatively serious contamination was noticed in winter and spring. Primary fossil fuel combustion and Fe-mediated secondary formation were apportioned as possible sources of PM2.5-bound EPFRs in Zhengzhou. Moreover, to avert the bias of the toxicity assessment induced by utilization of incompletely extracted EPFRs from sample filter, simulatively generated EPFRs were applied to toxicological evaluations (cell viability and reactive oxygen species assays). Corresponding experimental dosages were based on the estimated adults’ annual exposure amounts of EPFRs in real PM2.5 samples. The results elucidated that EPFRs might cause growth inhibition and oxidative stress of human lung cells, suggesting the possible exposure-induced health concerns for local people in Zhengzhou. This study provides practical information of real contamination status of PM2.5-bound EPFRs in Zhengzhou, which is favorable to local air pollution control and reduction of exposure risks on public health in central China.