Central Jiangsu Research Articles

Preliminary study on diagnostic reference levels of whole-body PET-CT examinations in Jiangsu Province, China.

To survey the whole-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) examinations in Jiangsu Province and establish the diagnostic reference levels (DRL). A total of nine hospitals in southern, central and northern Jiangsu Provinces were selected. Activity duration product (ADP), activity per body weight (AW), dose-length product (DLP) and total effective dose (ET) were choosen to establish DRLs for whole-body PET-CT examinations. DRL and achievable dose (AD) were calculated according to International Commission on Radiological Protection report. The conversion coefficient method was used to calculate the ET induced by PET-CT whole-body imaging. DRLs of whole-body PET-CT examinations in Jiangsu Province were set to be 922mGy·cm (DLP), 4453MBq.min (ADP), 5.22MBq.kg-1(AW), 19.8mSv (ET). The ET for whole-body PET-CT examinations is higher than other countries. The effective dose from radionuclides (EF) in female patients is lower than that in male patients. Effective doses from CT(ECT), ET and ECT/ET in female patients are higher than that in male patients (P<0.01). Provincial DRLs are established for four radiation metrics in whole-body PET-CT examinations. DRL of AW in whole-body PET-CT examinations is at the medium level, and DLP is higher than that reported in most literature, which has the potential to be further reduced.

Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of the Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Energy-Consumption-Related Carbon Emissions in Jiangsu Province Based on DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS

Scientific estimations and the dynamic monitoring of the development trend of carbon emissions from energy consumption with a long time series can provide the scientific basis for formulating and implementing regional carbon-reduction strategies. Based on DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS night-time light data, a pixel-scale estimation model of energy-consumption carbon emissions in Jiangsu Province from 2000 to 2019 was constructed. The spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors were analyzed using the GIS method and a GTWR (geographically and temporally weighted regression) model. The results showed that: (1) The goodness of fit of the image-fusion correction of the two night-time light data sources from 2012 to 2013 was 0.894; the goodness of fit of the carbon-emission estimation model by stages was above 0.99; and the average relative error was 7.71%, which met the requirement for the estimation accuracy. (2) During the study period, the total carbon emissions from energy consumption in Jiangsu Province continued to increase, rising from 94.7618 million tons to 313.3576 million tons, with an annual growth rate of 6.50%; and the growth rate presented an upward trend of “slow-accelerate-decelerate”. Spatially, it showed an unbalanced distribution pattern of “low north and high south”. (3) Per-capita GDP and energy intensity were the core driving factors affecting carbon emissions in Jiangsu Province over the past 20 years. Energy intensity had the greatest driving effect on carbon emissions in southern Jiangsu, while per-capita GDP had the greatest influence in central and northern Jiangsu. Coordinating the relationship between central, north, and south Jiangsu is of great significance for the realization of the sustainable economic and social development of the double carbon goal.

Identifying the coupling coordination relationship between urbanization and forest ecological security and its impact mechanism: Case study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Boosting the coordination and symbiosis of urbanization and forest ecological security is notably critical for promoting regional green and sustainable development and achieving emission peak and carbon neutrality goals. However, there was still a lack of in-depth analysis of the coupling coordination relationship between urbanization and forest ecological security and its impact mechanism. On the basis of the data from 844 counties in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, this paper explored the spatial differences and influencing factors of the coupling coordination degree of urbanization and forest ecological security. The results manifested that: i) There were apparent spatial disparities in the urbanization index, forest ecological security index, comprehensive index, coupling degree and coupling coordination degree of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Among them, the spatial pattern of coupling coordination degree had a strong consistency with urbanization index, that is, areas with higher urbanization index also had higher coupling coordination degree. ii) Based on coupling feature identification, it was found that 249 ‘problem areas’ were mainly located in Yunnan Province, southeastern Guizhou Province, central Anhui Province, and central and eastern Jiangsu Province. The main factor for the formation was due to the lag of urbanization in coordinated development. iii) Among the socioeconomic indicators, population structure (0.136), per capita year-end financial institutions loan balance (0.409) and per capita fixed asset investment (0.202) all had a positive impact on coupling coordination degree, while location conditions (−0.126) had a negative impact. Among the natural indicators, soil organic matter (−0.212) and temperature (−0.094) had a negative impact on coupling coordination degree. iv) During the process of coordinated development, it was necessary to increase financial investment and financial support, actively formulate policies to attract talents, enhance the education and publicity of ecological civilization, and develop a green circular economy. The above measures can promote the harmonious development of urbanization and forest ecological security in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Pb and O isotopic characteristics of single minerals in the Jianggang radial sand ridges of the southwestern Yellow Sea: Implications for provenance and pathways of silt-size sediments

Understanding the sediment provenance of the Jianggang radial sand ridges (RSRs) along the Jiangsu coast in the southwestern Yellow Sea is crucial for sustainable coastal development and land resource management. In this study, the provenance and transport patterns of silt-size sediments in the Jianggang RSRs were explored using Quartz oxygen (O) and K-feldspar lead (Pb) isotopic compositions and their large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) concentrations. The Pb-O isotopic compositions and concentrations of most LILEs in RSRs sediments were between those of the Yangtze River Mouth (YTZ), Old Yellow River Delta (OYR), and Modern Yellow River Mouth (MYR). The Pb-O isotopic compositions and typical elemental ratios were similar between the onshore and northwest offshore RSRs sediments, implying shoreward transport of offshore silt-size sediments. Through multidimensional scaling and graphic methods, it was found that the sediments of onshore and offshore RSRs originate mainly from the YTZ and OYR. Furthermore, the MixSIAR model showed that the contributions of the YTZ to onshore and offshore RSRs reached 33 ± 4 % and 36 ± 3 %, respectively. Followed by the OYR with contributions of 36 ± 3 % and 25 ± 8 %, respectively, and the contributions of the MYR and Korean Peninsula were <21 % and 8 %, respectively. Meanwhile, contributions from the Northern Chinese Deserts (approximately 10 %) deserved attention. Through the distribution of indicators, the transport patterns of silt-size sediments were proposed and compared with those of other fractions for the first time. According to the correlation analysis, the change in the area of central Jiangsu coast was mostly affected by terrestrial river supply and coastal mariculture. Therefore, it was necessary to control the scale of river reservoir construction and strengthen mariculture for sustainable land development and management. In future, comprehensive interdisciplinary and large temporal–spatial scales are suggested to further understand the coastal development.

Evaluation of the Sustainable Use of Land Resources in the Cities along the Jiangsu Section of the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal

Sustainable development is an important topic of urban research. The rational use of land resources is of great significance for urban development and is conducive to promoting regional governance and coordinated development. The purpose of this study was to construct an effective evaluation framework for urban land resources to maintain sustainable urban development. Taking the cities along the Jiangsu Section of the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal as the research object, this study constructed an evaluation system for the sustainable use of land resources including the dimensions of economic level, social development, and environmental resources. The statistical data for 2010, 2015, and 2020 were selected to comprehensively calculate and evaluate the level of sustainable use of land resources in the study area via the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-entropy combined weight method, which combines the analytic hierarchy process and the entropy weight method. According to the research results, the sustainable use of land resources in the study area presented an overall upward trend from 2010 to 2015, and an overall downward trend from 2015 to 2020. Overall, the study area was in a critically sustainable stage, although the annual change rate of the level of sustainable use of land resources showed significant fluctuations and exhibited a spatial pattern of progressive increase from north to south. The cities in southern Jiangsu were in the initially sustainable and basically sustainable stages; those in central Jiangsu were in the critically sustainable and initially sustainable stages; and those in northern Jiangsu were in the unsustainable and critically sustainable stages. This study proposed a scientific and effective evaluation method for cities along the Grand Canal to explore the efficient, sustainable use of land resources in the future. The evaluation framework constructed on this basis can serve as an important reference for urban governance and is expected to guide the sustainable use and development of land resources for other cities of the same type.

Formation mechanism of NO2 distribution heterogeneity at different spatial scales

NO2 is one of the main pollutants in the atmospheric environment, which can directly or indirectly cause harm to human health. Jiangsu province is economically developed and densely populated, and the conflict between economic development and ecological environment protection is more prominent, which causes its mean annual NO2 concentration to be higher than other neighboring provinces. The study takes the formation mechanism of NO2 concentration distribution heterogeneity at different spatial scales as the research object. By using OMI satellite remote sensing data and NO2 concentration ground monitoring data in Jiangsu Province from 2015 to 2020, the paper studies NO2 concentration distribution heterogeneity at macroscopic and microscopic scales, respectively, to analyze the formation mechanism. The results show that: (1) The spatial distribution characteristics of NO2 concentration obtained based on the analysis of two data sources have good consistency, with the overall performance of high NO2 concentration in the south of Jiangsu where the concentration of NO2 column reached 16.3 × 1015 molec/cm 2 and the monitoring concentration reached 46.3μg/m3, while the concentration of NO2 in central Jiangsu is relatively low, with average concentrations of 6 × 1015 molec/cm 2 and 26μg/m3. (2) Under the macroscopic spatial scale, the average NO2 column concentration in the south of Jiangsu is 9 × 1015 molec/cm 2 higher and the monitoring concentration is 15μg/m3 than that in the north of Jiangsu; natural factors such as temperature are the important influencing factors for the heterogeneity of NO2 concentration distribution under this scale. (3) At the microscopic spatial scale, NO2 concentration is 5–10% higher in industrial concentrations in southern Jiangsu, some heating cities in northern Jiangsu, and industrial parks in northern Jiangsu. In addition, NO2 concentration decreases gradually with distance from this area; anthropogenic factors such as population density, GDP, and car ownership are important factors to influence the heterogeneity of NO2 concentration distribution at this scale. Based on the above findings, the paper proposes to adjust the industrial structure, limit the number of high energy-consuming and high-emission enterprises, and develop seasonal emission reduction measures.

Spatio-Temporal Change Pattern Investigation of PM2.5 in Jiangsu Province with MODIS Time Series Products

In the last decade, the spatio-temporal patterns of PM2.5 on various scales, ranging from global, continent, and country to regional levels, has been the focus of considerable studies. However, these studies on spatio-temporal variability have concentrated primarily on changes in the spatial distribution patterns of regional PM2.5 concentrations and ignored temporal characteristics at a local site from a heterogeneous surface, such as local variability, persistence, and stability of PM2.5 exposure. Understanding the temporal characteristics of PM2.5 concentration changes at the local scale will help determine the local impacts of PM2.5, such as local exposure risk and vulnerability to PM2.5. This study aims to reveal the local characteristics of temporal variation at the scale of a prefecture-level city and its distinct-varying patterns from those at the provincial scale by using the annual satellite-derived PM2.5 concentration product from 2000 to 2015. The evolutionary trends, stability, and persistence of annual changes were discovered with a set of time series analysis methods, such as linear regression analysis + F-test, coefficient of variation method, and Hurst index. This study uses PM2.5 product data for a total of 16 years, from 2000 to 2015, and uses time series analysis methods, such as Theil–Sen median trend analysis + Mann–Kendall test, one-dimensional linear regression analysis + F-test, coefficient of variation method, and Hurst index, to reveal the temporal variation characteristics and spatial patterns of PM2.5 in Jiangsu Province. The results show that the increasing trends or slopes of annual averaged PM2.5 concentrations in Jiangsu Province are not consistent at the prefecture-level city scale, but they are consistent in northern, central and southern Jiangsu at a larger upward trend since 2000. The areas with significant increasing trends are concentrated in Xuzhou and Lianyungang and other northern cities. From the viewpoint of variability, the areas in medium and high variability are mainly aggregated in the areas north of the Yangtze River. According to the combination of persistence analysis and trend analysis, future variation in PM2.5 concentrations indicates an inverse persistence for an increasing trend, meaning the air quality decline in Jiangsu will slow.

Evaluation of Tourism Efficiency in Jiangsu Province Based on Three-stage DEA Model and Malmquist Index Model

This paper innovatively uses a three-stage DEA model in combination with the Malmquist index to assess the tourism development efficiency and situation of municipalities in Jiangsu Province from 2016-2019 in both a cross-sectional and vertical comparison perspective. The results showed that: all cities in Jiangsu Province are in the state of increasing scale payoff or efficiency frontier surface, total factor productivity is almost all greater than 1, the tourism industry as a whole is developing well, and management inefficiency is the main factor that restricts the further development of tourism. The tourism industry in southern Jiangsu [1] is in a highly de- veloped and mature stage, with high tourism efficiency, and tourism development is more closely related to technological progress; the tourism industry in central Jiangsu[2]and northern Jiangsu[3] is in a rapidly developing and rising stage, with low tourism efficiency but rapid development, and tourism development is more closely related to technological and management efficiency.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution Characteristics of Ozone Concentration and Population Health Benefit Assessment in the Yangtze River Delta Region from 2017 to 2020

In recent years, the ozone (O3) concentration has showed a rising trend in China, becoming second only to PM2.5 as an important factor affecting air quality. To grasp the spatial-temporal variations characteristics of O3 and the associated health impacts during the implementation of the three-year plan on defending the blue sky in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, data collected from 210 monitoring stations in the YRD from 2017 to 2020 were analyzed using the global Moran's index and Getis-Ord Gi* index methods, and the associated health benefits of reduced O3 exposure were evaluated using the health risk and environmental value assessment methods. The results showed that during the study period, the interquartile range (IQR) of the annual average O3 concentration and that of the warm season both presented a declining trend. The average O3 concentrations in both warm and cold seasons showed a similar spatial distribution pattern, with the northern part exhibiting the higher concentrations and the southern part showing the lower concentrations. Furthermore, the O3 concentrations in the warm season were characterized by high O3 concentrations clustering in the northern and central part of the region. The proportion of the population exposure to annual average O3 concentration over 160 μg·m-3 decreased from 72.3% in 2017 to 34.8% in 2020 in the YRD. Although the population-weighted annual mean O3 concentration in the whole YRD region showed a downward trend, some cities in western Anhui province, northern Jiangsu province, and central Jiangsu province showed fluctuations and even an increasing trend. In terms of health benefits, there were 3782 cases (95% CI:2050-5511 cases) of avoided premature deaths associated with reduced O3 concentrations in the warm season in 2020 compared to 2017. The total health benefit was 26198 million yuan (95% CI:14201-38175 million yuan). Compared to the cost of the main O3 precursor emission reduction, the cost-benefits ratio was 1:1.67 to 3.23.

How Does Policy Support Affect the Behavior and Effectiveness of Domestic Waste Classification? The Mediating Role of Environmental Protection Perception.

Waste classification is the key initiative to solve environmental pollution and achieve resource recycling, environmental improvement, and high-quality development in rural areas. Under the perspective of "external support-internal drive", this paper adopts the survey data of 2628 rural residents in Jiangsu province to analyze the influence and spatial effect of policy support (PS) on the behavior and effectiveness of rural residents' domestic waste separation and the mediating effect of environmental protection perception using the PSM and Sobel test. The study found that: (1) PS has a significant positive effect on the governance of the domestic residents' waste classification in rural areas. The variation in classification behavior (BWC) is more obvious than classification effectiveness (EWC). (2) PS has a significant difference in the positive influence on waste separation by regions. Specifically, the enhancement effect of PS on BWC decreases from south to north, and the enhancement effect on EWC is more obvious in southern Jiangsu than in central Jiangsu, but not significant in northern Jiangsu. (3) The mediating effect indicates that PS promotes the enhancement of BWC and EWC by strengthening farmers' environmental protection perceptions, and the effect of EWC enhancement is more obvious. Drawing on the results of this paper, the government should improve the policy support system for waste classification, strengthen environmental protection-related policy publicity and knowledge popularization, stimulate the endogenous motivation of rural residents, narrow the regional environmental governance gap, and promote green and sustainable development in rural areas.

Spatio-temporal characteristics of PM2.5 and O3 synergic pollutions and influence factors in the Yangtze River Delta

Since the implementation of pollution prevention and control action in China in 2013, particulate pollution has been greatly reduced, while ozone pollution has become gradually severe, especially in the economically developed eastern region. Recently, a new situation of air pollution has emerged, namely, enhanced atmospheric oxidation, ascending regional ozone pollution, and increasing particle and ozone synergic pollution (i.e., double-high pollution). Based on the long-term observation data from 2015 to 2021, we examined the spatio-temporal characteristics of urban PM2.5 and O3 pollution in the Yangtze River Delta and quantified the effects of meteorological and non-meteorological factors on pollution in four city clusters using stepwise multiple linear regression models. Temporally, PM2.5 decreased gradually year by year while, O3 increased in city clusters. Spatially, PM2.5 declined from northwest to southeast, while O3 decreased from northeast to southwest. Except for southern Zhejiang, other city clusters suffer from complex air pollution at different levels. In general, pollution intensity and frequency vary with city location and time. Single PM2.5 pollution mostly occurred in northern Anhui. Single O3 pollution occurred in central and southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. Synergic pollutions of PM2.5 and O3 mainly occurred in central Jiangsu. The contributions (90%) of non-meteorological factors (e.g., anthropogenic emission) to PM2.5 decrease and O3 increase are far larger than that of meteorological factors (5%). Relative humidity, sea level pressure, and planetary boundary layer height are the most important meteorological factors to drive PM2.5 changes during pollution. Downward solar radiation, total cloud cover, and precipitation are the most important meteorological factors that affect O3 changes during pollution. The results provide insights into particulate and ozone pollution in the Yangtze River Delta and can help policymakers to formulate accurate air pollution prevention and control strategies at urban and city cluster scales in the future.

Regional Energy–Economy–Environment Coupling Coordinated Development System Driven by Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutralization over 13 Cities in Jiangsu Province

It is important to explore the energy–economy–environment (3E) coupling mechanism for building a sustainable economy in the context of carbon-peaking and carbon-neutralization strategy. Based on the DPSIRM (driving force–pressure–state–influence–response–management) theoretical model, this paper constructs the evaluation system of 3E coupling-coordinated development, takes the carbon-neutral and sustainable-development strategy and spatiotemporal heterogeneity into account in the index system, and constitutes the energy–economy–environment and carbon-neutral strategy–sustainable development–space (3E3S) strategic-development model. This paper uses the coupling-coordination-degree model to measure the coordinated development of 3E in Jiangsu from 2010 to 2020 and analyzes the time-sequence evolution and spatial-difference evolution characteristics of the coupling-coordinated development. The results show that (1) when the coupling coefficient of 3E was in a stable and high-level coupling state and the correlation degree of each system was high, the coupling-coordination degree increased from 0.4 in 2010 to 0.7 in 2020; the level of coordination of 3E coupling transited from the initial maladjustment recession to the intermediate coordinated development and moved towards high-quality coordinated development. (2) In addition, at the beginning, the development level of southern and central Jiangsu was generally higher than that of northern Jiangsu; in the middle term, the overall development was in a stage of barely coordinated development. The urban difference between northern and central Jiangsu was relatively high, and the level in southern Jiangsu was generally high; in the later stage, the overall development was in a well-coordinated stage. The development of southern Jiangsu was relatively saturated, gradually approaching the stage of high-quality coordinated development. Roughly speaking, in 2010, the average level of coupling coordination degree of South Jiangsu, Central Jiangsu, and North Jiangsu was 0.5, 0.4, and 0.3, respectively; by 2020, it had developed to 0.9, 0.8, and 0.7, respectively, and the development level rose steadily despite regional differences. The level of coupling coordination generally increased from north to south. Therefore, strengthening the strategic-development awareness of 3E and establishing and improving the government consultation mechanism according to local conditions will help decision-makers to formulate effective regional sustainable-development and carbon-neutral strategies and form a coordinated-development strategy of 3E3S in Jiangsu.

Influence Research of Digital Inclusive Finance on Innovation Efficiency of Agricultural Science and Technology in Jiangsu Province

Based on the balanced panel data of 13 Jiangsu prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2020, this study utilizes the overall effect model and intermediary effect model to explore the impact of digital inclusive finance on innovation efficiency of agricultural science and technology. It is found that the digital inclusive finance has a positive and direct impact on the innovation efficiency of agricultural science and technology in Jiangsu. By further inspection, the marketization level has a masking effect between digital inclusive finance and innovation efficiency of agricultural science and technology, and urbanization level plays a part intermediary role between them. Concerning the positive effect of digital inclusive finance on agricultural science and technology innovation efficiency, central region, southern region and north region rank first, second and third respectively in Jiangsu province. Finally, the forecast model shows that in Central, Northern and Southern Jiangsu, the improvement of innovation efficiency of agricultural science and technology will benefit from the driving power of digital inclusive finance except Nantong.

Loss of tidal creek ecosystem vitality caused by tidal flat narrowing on the central Jiangsu coast, China

Globally, tidal flats are increasingly narrowing due to continuous reclamation and sea level rise. Nonetheless, the impact of tidal flat narrowing (TFN) on tidal creek systems that play a crucial role in the formation and shaping of tidal flats is not well understood, despite a cognition that the tidal flat-creek system is integrated and coevolved. In this study, based on the quantification and mapping of tidal creek ecosystem vitality (TCEV), we detected the state evolution of tidal creek systems in response to TFN process on the central Jiangsu coast (CJC), China. The results showed that two thirds of the original tidal flat width was lost from 1984 to 2020, with a narrowing rate of 210.9 m/yr. The seaward movement of seawall lines and the landward movement of low tide lines contributed 82.5 % and 17.5 % to this serious TFN process, respectively. Across the study period, the overall TCEV lost 82.3 % with a substantial transformation from high level to low level. In terms of three dimensions of structural complexity, functional integrity and spatial occupancy, the tidal creek system of CJC has greatly deviated from the high-quality state in 1984, which was significantly associated with TFN. For a natural mature tidal flat, the loss of its initial width seems acceptable when <1/3, but unacceptable when >1/2, which are two important thresholds corresponding to the lower and higher loss of TCEV, respectively. It is worried that the CJC tidal flat-creek system would fall into a vicious circle of state evolution. Therefore, efforts should be made to control irrational reclamation and perform ecological restoration based on an insight into the relationship between TCEV and TFN.

Impact of Internet Development on Carbon Emissions in Jiangsu, China.

Based on STIRPAT and panel threshold models, this study empirically tested the impact of Internet development on carbon emissions using panel data of Jiangsu Province from 2007 to 2020. The results showed that the carbon emissions intensity of the Internet development level had a significant promotion effect, while the carbon emissions intensity of technological progress showed a significant inhibition effect, but this inhibition effect is less than the promotion effect brought about by internet development. Considering the threshold effect, the development of the Internet had a double-threshold effect on carbon emissions in northern and central Jiangsu. Jiangsu Province should further accelerate the pace of Internet development and cross the threshold value as soon as possible. Finally, this study constructed a prediction model of emissions reduction to predict the future emissions reduction potential of Jiangsu Province and found that there was still much room for improvement regarding carbon emissions reduction in Jiangsu Province.

Surveillance of Aedes populations in Jiangsu Province in 2020

To investigate the seasonal Aedes population fluctuation and the resistance of Aedes populations to common insecticides in Jiangsu Province in 2020, so as to provide insights into vector-borne infectious diseases control. One village was randomly sampled from each of Xinbei District of Changzhou City and Zhangjiagang County of Suzhou City in southern Jiangsu Province, Hai'an County of Nantong City and Yandu District of Yancheng City in Central Jiangsu Province, and Suining County of Xuzhou City and Sihong County of Suqian City in northern Jiangsu Province during the period between May and October, 2020. A small ponding container was sampled, and larval Aedes mosquitoes were collected using straws once each in early and late stages of each month. All larvae were bred in laboratory to adults for population identification. In addition, larval breeding were observed in all small ponding containers in and out of 30 households that were randomly sampled from six surveillance sites, and the larval mosquito density was estimated using Breteau index. Larval A. albopictus mosquitoes were sampled around Cuiyuan New Village in Jintan District of Changzhou City, and bred in laboratory to the first offspring generation, and the susceptibility of adult female mosquitoes to deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, malathion, and propoxur was tested using the filter-paper bioassay recommended by WHO. A total of 1 165 larval Aedes mosquitoes were captured from small ponding containers in six surveillance sites of Jiangsu Province in 2020, and all were identified as A. albopictus following eclosion. The largest number of Aedes larvae captured was found in July. A total of 1 152 households were investigated in six surveillance sites, and the mean Breteau indexes were 9.58, 13.20, 13.71, 13.20, 12.18 and 5.58 from May to October, respectively, while a high Aedes transmission risk was seen in Xinbei District of Changzhou City, with a higher Breteau index than in Suining (H = 23.667, Padjusted = 0.001) and Sihong (H = 22.500, Padjusted = 0.003) counties. The field-captured A. albopictus from Cuiyuan New Village in Jintan District of Changzhou City remained sensitive to malathion, but was resistant to propoxur, and developed high-level resistance to deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin. A. albopictus was present in southern, central and northern Jiangsu Province in 2020, and the larval density peaked in July. A. albopictus captured from Cuiyuan New Village in Jintan District of Changzhou City has developed high-level resistance to pyrethroid pesticides.

Does Trade Openness Influence the Development of Two-way Direct Investment? Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China

Background: As a major foreign trade province in China, Jiangsu is at the forefront of introducing inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) and conducting outward foreign direct investment (OFDI), which share equivalent economic emphasis during the development of China in the recent decades. Many studies have analyzed the factors influencing IFDI or OFDI at a province or country level, while little knowledge is available related to the investigation at the prefectural city level by using a fixed effect model. Objective: The goal of this study is to examine the impact of trade openness on two-way direct investment in Jiangsu Province, China by using a fixed effect model. Methods: This study examines the impact of foreign trade openness on IFDI and OFDI by adding control variables such as industrial structure, real GDP per capita, and the number of patents granted using panel data for 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu Province from 2010 to 2020. Moreover, considering the economic gap between northern, central, and southern Jiangsu, a subregion analysis was performed. The panel data for analysis are mainly derived from China City Statistical Yearbook and Jiangsu Statistical Yearbook. Results: A 1% increase in trade openness will yield a 0.637% increase in IFDI, but no significant correlation with OFDI with observed. Conclusion: Trade openness is significantly correlated with IFDI, and its relationship with OFDI requires further investigation.

How land use functions evolve in the process of rapid urbanization: Evidence from Jiangsu Province, China

The continuous urbanization of the world is exacerbating the severe situation of insufficient supply of land resources. Therefore, realizing the synergy between urbanization and land use functions is the key to regional sustainable development. Our purpose is to discuss the synergistic state of land use functions and the transition characteristics of dominant functions under specific urbanization conditions. The theoretical framework of urbanization and land use functions is constructed from the four dimensions of “systems-elements- process-relationship”, entropy method, mechanical equilibrium model and curve estimation model are specifically considered. The results indicated that: (1) The comprehensive urbanization clearly shows characteristics of “Southern Jiangsu > Central Jiangsu > Northern Jiangsu” from 1997 to 2018, and the dominant type of urbanization has gradually shifted from population urbanization to economic urbanization. (2) The deviation index of land use functions is between 0.0055 and 0.2101, which is significantly higher in Southern Jiangsu than in Northern Jiangsu, and the dominant function of land use is gradually transformed into production function. (3) There is an obvious positive correlation between urbanization and land use functions from multiple dimensions, and when the production function becomes dominant, the urbanization development level of Southern Jiangsu reaches 0.5038, correspondingly, Northern Jiangsu is 0.2791. This research can provide a quantitative reference and policy decision basis for rationally regulating land use functions at different stages of urbanization.

Correlations among population genetic structure, geographic origin, growth rate, and fungicide resistance of Rhizoctonia solani AG 1-IA, the pathogen of rice sheath blight

Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA is a necrotrophic fungus that causes rice sheath blight and results in severe yield and quality reductions in rice worldwide. Differences of genetic structure and fungicide sensitivity of the pathogen have significant effects on the severity and control effect of this disease in the field. To determine correlations among population genetic structure, geographic origin, growth rate, and fungicide resistance of the pathogen, 293 strains of R. solani were isolated from diseased rice collected from 13 cities of Jiangsu Province and five regions of China. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular marker technology was used to analyze the genetic diversity of these strains, and a total of 74 bands were amplified by nine pairs of primers. Population genetic structure analysis showed that strains from Central China and northern Jiangsu had the highest Nei’s gene diversity index and Shannon diversity index. The vast majority of strains grew fast with colony diameters of more than 60.0 mm cultured at 28 °C for 36 h. The half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of them to tebuconazole, thifluzamide, and propiconazole varied ∼16.2-, 3.8-, and 7.5-fold. However, the genetic diversity of R. solani had no significant correlation with their geographic origin, growth rate or fungicide sensitivity.

Temporal and Spatial Evolution and Driving Mechanism of Urban Ecological Welfare Performance from the Perspective of High-Quality Development: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province, China

Based on the concept of high-quality development, this paper constructs an urban ecological welfare evaluation framework, measures the urban ecological welfare performance in Jiangsu Province from 2005 to 2019 using a stochastic frontier production function model, and conducts a spatial and temporal divergence feature analysis, combining a spatial panel econometric model and a threshold panel regression model to explore the spatial effects and mechanisms of urban ecological welfare performance. The results show that: (1) The urban ecological welfare performance in Jiangsu province has been increasing every year, and the spatial divergence between north and south is significant, with the overall trend of southern Jiangsu &gt; central Jiangsu &gt; northern Jiangsu. (2) The differences in urban ecological welfare performance among the three regions are gradually decreasing, with the high values expanding and the low values decreasing, and the urban ecological welfare performance in northern Jiangsu Province is gradually approaching that in southern Jiangsu Province, and the urban ecological welfare performance level tends to be balanced. (3) There are significant negative spillover effects of industrial structure, city scale, and economic development level on urban ecological welfare performance, as well as significant threshold effects of innovation level, industrial structure, foreign trade dependence, and economic development, and significant differences in the degree of influence of urbanization on urban ecological welfare performance under different threshold variables. (4) The urbanization and economic development levels are the fundamental factors driving urban ecological welfare performance improvement. Industrial structure optimization, city scale, technological innovation, and foreign trade dependence positively contribute to urban welfare performance, and government financial pressure constrains the performance level improvement. In the future, a long-term mechanism for high-quality green development should be constructed, spatial spillover channels should be continuously improved, welfare thresholds should be effectively circumvented, and urban ecological welfare performance should be promoted in a concerted manner.