Cities In Guangdong Research Articles

Application and Development of Smart City in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area

With the acceleration of the global urbanization process, all countries and regions pay more and more attention to the sustainable development of cities. As of October 2021, 132 countries and regions have upgraded the goal of "carbon peak and carbon neutral" to a national strategy, and have proposed a vision of a zero-carbon future. The construction of a smart city has become an important factor in sustainable urban development. The special geographical location of Guangdong Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area (hereinafter referred to as GBA) determines its development flexibility, and this region is bound to become one of the important development strategic regions in China. This paper selects the three core cities of GBA, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, as the research objectives, and to integrate, compare, and analyze the achievements of these cities in terms of smart cities. The research results can provide a reference for the construction direction of smart cities in other cities.

Spatial network analysis and driving forces of urban carbon emission performance: Insights from Guangdong Province

As the primary contributor to carbon emissions, how cities enhance their carbon emission performance and mitigate emissions is crucial for achieving low-carbon urban environments in China. However, existing research often overlooks the spatial interconnectedness of carbon emission performance, neglecting reciprocal influences among cities. This study examines the network structure of carbon emission performance among Guangdong's cities from 1997 to 2019, using a super-efficient SBM model and social network analysis, and measures spatial impacts of network factors with the spatial Durbin model. Findings reveal that: (1) The overall network of carbon emission performance is relatively loose with minimal changes in connectivity and efficiency but shows significant local clustering. (2) Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai have high centrality, dominating carbon emission performance resources and acting as key transmission nodes, while most other regions have low centrality, indicating network polarization and potential vulnerabilities. (3) Enhancing a region's centrality, economic development, industrial structure, openness, and attraction of talent and technology can boost local carbon emission performance, but may also lead to the displacement of emissions to neighboring areas and outflow of low-carbon and innovative elements, negatively affecting surrounding regions through spatial spillover effects. This research advances regional carbon emission reduction strategies by highlighting the interplay between spatial networks and carbon emission performance, fostering synergies in reduction efforts.

Molecular genetic characterization analysis of a novel HIV-1 circulating recombinant form (CRF156_0755) in Guangdong, China.

The characteristic of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is its susceptibility to erroneous replication and recombination, which plays a crucial role in the diverse and dynamic variation of HIV-1. The spread of different subtypes in the same population often leads to the emergence of circulating recombination forms (CRFs). At present, the main recombinant subtypes of HIV-1 in China are CRF07_BC, CRF01_AE, CRF08_BC and B' subtypes, while CRF55_01B has become the fifth major epidemic strain in China after rapid growth in recent years since it was first reported in 2013. In this study, we obtained five nearly full-length genomes (NFLGs) and one half-length genome from five different cities in Guangdong. Here, we focused on analyzing their characteristics, parental origin and drug resistance. Plasma samples were collected from six HIV-1 infected patients in Guangdong Province who had no epidemiological association with each other. The NFLGs of HIV-1 were amplified in two overlapping segments by the near-terminal dilution method. The positive products were sequenced directly to obtain genomic sequences. The recombinant patterns and breakpoints of the NFLGs were determined using the Simplot software and confirmed by the maximum likelihood trees for segments using the IQ-TREE and BEAST software. The genotypic resistance profiles of the protease reverse transcriptase and integrase were resolved by the Stanford HIV drug resistance database. The six genomes shared highly similar recombinant pattern, with the CRF55_01B backbone substituted by CRF07_BC segments, therefore assigned as CRF156_0755. The evolutionary analysis of the segments showed that CRF07_BC segments were not clustered with the Chinese MSM variants in the CRF07_BC lineage. All the five NFLGs were identified with the non-nucleoside reverse-transcription inhibitors (NNRTIs) resistance mutation V179E. With the accumulation and evolution of recombination between CRF55_01B and CRF 07_BC, the prevalence of more recombinant strains of CRF55_01B and CRF 07_BC may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the identification and monitoring of the recombination of CRF55_01B and CRF 07_BC.

Statistical Measurement of Zhuhai's Digital Economy Development Level Based on Entropy Method

Against the backdrop of the increasing popularity of mobile internet and the expanding commercialization of fifth-generation mobile communications (5G), the digital economy is booming with continuous innovations and integrations of internet technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data. As one of the special economic zones, Zhuhai has emphasized in its work report the need to "vigorously develop the digital economy." Based on panel data from Zhuhai and its surrounding cities from 2018 to 2022, this paper empirically measures the level of digital economic development in Zhuhai and conducts a deep analysis of its development from the perspective of temporal characteristics. The research results indicate that: (1) Among various evaluation indicators of the digital economy, the output value of the communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing industries (in tens of thousands of yuan) has the greatest impact on the development of the digital economy, followed by the total volume of telecommunications business (in tens of thousands of yuan). The number of internet broadband users (in tens of thousands of households) and FTTH/O fiber-optic access users (in tens of thousands of households) have relatively smaller impacts. (2) In terms of temporal characteristics, the annual growth rate of Zhuhai's digital economy exhibits a steady decline, which differs from that of surrounding cities. (3) Regarding spatial characteristics, the development of the digital economy is highly unbalanced among different cities in Guangdong, and there is still a significant gap between Zhuhai and its surrounding cities. Based on the measurement results, countermeasures and suggestions are proposed to enhance the digital economic development in Zhuhai.

The Professional Identity of Primary Mathematics Teachers and Their Intention to Implement STEM Education in Mainland China

As mathematics is one of the key disciplines of STEM education, primary mathematics teachers can play important roles in STEM education, and it is generally acknowledged that teachers’ professional identity can affect their teaching effectiveness. With the attention paid to STEM education in Mainland China, it is of great significance to find out the primary mathematics teachers’ level of intention to implement STEM education. This research was aimed at studying the degree of professional identity of primary mathematics teachers from different cities in Guangdong, the most populous province of Mainland China, and tried to figure out their intentions about implementing STEM education, further exploring whether there is a correlation between the above two variables. The paper mainly adopted quantitative research, through online questionnaires (n = 41), finding that the professional identity of primary mathematics teachers in Guangdong, Mainland China, is at a mid to upper level and they generally have a positive intention to implement STEM education. Through correlation analysis, this study verified that the teachers’ professional identity and intention to implement STEM education are significantly positively correlated (r = 0.69, p < 0.001), and found that professional identity shows a positive impact in predicting teachers’ intention to implement STEM education (b = 0.89, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the gender factor has a significant impact on predicting STEM intention using identity (b = 0.35, p < 0.01). Overall, with these findings, this empirical research identified the potential influencing factors for promoting STEM education in Mainland China in the future.

A Case Report of Bilateral Postoperative Inguinal Hernia Leading to Obstructive Azoospermia

The study focused on a case involving a patient with bilateral inguinal hernia and obstructive azoospermia, who was admitted to People’s Hospital of Yide City Guangdong Province on November 24, 2022. A comprehensive analysis of the patient’s condition was conducted, including the determination of the surgical plan and exploration and analysis of key points related to surgical treatment and perioperative nursing intervention. The patient underwent a combined microscopic and laparoscopic exploration of both vas deferens and epididymis, with left epididymal anastomosis and right vas deferens recanalization. High-quality nursing intervention was implemented during the perioperative period. After treatment, the patient’s examination results returned to normal, and his overall condition showed significant improvement, leading to a smooth discharge.

Spatial effect of digital economy on the coordinated development of Port cities

Under the background of thriving digital economy and the digitization of port industry, using data derived from port cities in Guangdong, this study intends to investigate the spatial effect of digital economy on the port city coordination. This paper firstly measures the port city coupling coordination degrees and the digital economy comprehensive development levels, then estimates the spatial spill over effect of digital economy on the port city coordination by constructing the dynamic Spatial Durbin Model (SDM). To further clarify local patterns of the spatial effect, this paper subsequently analyses the spatial effects within and between three sub regions in Guangdong. The results show that first, the port city coordination has a habit persistence; second, the digital economy development may be mainly due to the local policy; third, the digital economy has a positive spatial spillover effect on the port city coordination, and the effect will increase over time; forth, the spatial effects in the Pearl River Delta and in the western and eastern areas present different patterns. The quantitative research enriches the port city theory under the new circumstances of digital economy, and brings new insights into regional integration and sustainable development.

Dynamic assessment of eco-civilization in Guangdong Province based on geographic information system (GIS) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP)

Based on the data from 2017 to 2021, this paper uses the organic combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to conduct a dynamic evaluation of the standard of Guangdong's ecological civilization. The results clearly reveal that: (1) the Guangdong Province's ecological civilization is 46.31 % above the Chinese average, but growth is uneven across cities; (2) the fluctuation of the level of eco-civilization building in the province declines more obviously; (3) cities perform differently in different dimensions of eco-civilization building, most cities in Guangdong exhibited positive performance in terms of ecology and environment, but poor performance in terms of economic development and social construction; (4) economic benefits have a strong positive influence on the level of eco-civilization building in Guangdong Province. Finally, targeted suggestions are made for the construction of eco-civilization in Guangdong Province.

Prevalence and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus argenteus isolated from rice and flour products in Guangdong, China

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus argenteus have been implicated in food poisoning outbreaks, and have been found in various types of food products according to our previous study. Rice and flour products are popular and widely consumed around the world. However, limited data are available on the microbial safety of S. aureus in rice and flour products, and S. argenteus has never been reported. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the contamination of S. aureus and S. argenteus in 250 fresh rice and flour product samples from five cities in Guangdong, China. According to qualitative and quantitative analyses, 68 (27.2 %) and 11 (4.4 %) samples were positive for S. aureus and S. argenteus, including 9 samples that exceeded 100 MPN/g. For antibiotics susceptibility tests in 16 antibiotics, the S. aureus isolates exhibited higher rates of resistance and multidrug resistance than S. argenteus. The S. aureus and S. argenteus isolates were mainly resistant to penicillin (70.21 %; 79.17 %), tetracycline (20.21 %; 58.33 %) and azithromycin (19.68 %, 8.33 %). However, the other antibiotic resistance rates were <10 %. Furthermore, the genetic background of the isolates was analyzed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). As a result, the S. aureus isolates were divided into 18 known sequence types (STs) and 4 novel STs (ST7675, ST7679, ST7680 and ST7682), which mainly belonged to ST188 (20.6 %) and ST6 (14.7 %). The S. argenteus isolates mainly belonged to ST2250 (90.9 %), with a novel type (ST7683). In total, 36 and 16 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were found in S. aureus and S. argenteus isolates, respectively. In addition, 91 virulence genes (VFs) were detected in S. aureus isolates as well as 90 % of core VFs were similar to S. argenteus. More than 20 % of the S. aureus isolates carried the classic enterotoxin gene (sea-sec), but chp, cna and map were free in all S. argenteus isolates. Importantly, 33.8 % of S. aureus isolates belonged to the immune evasion cluster (IEC) type B, whereas most of S. argenteus isolates (90.9 %) belong to IEC type E. According to the phylogenetic analysis, the S. aureus and S. argenteus isolates in fresh rice and flour products may indicate loss or acquisition of ARGs and VFs to survive and adapt to the environment. Our study confirmed the presence of S. argenteus in rice and flour products at first and focused on the multi-dimensional systematic comparative analysis of S. aureus and S. argenteus to reveal their ubiquity and similarities or differences, and provide more accurate and effective basic information for follow-up monitoring and tracking.

Changes in Influenza Activities Impacted by NPI Based on 4-Year Surveillance in China: Epidemic Patterns and Trends.

Since the Non-pharmaceutical Intervention (NPI) by COVID-19 emerged, influenza activity has been somewhat altered. The aim of this study was to explore changes in influenza activities in the context of COVID-19 based on the sentinel hospitals/units in Guangdong, southern China. The surveillance data in influenza-like illness (ILI) were collected from 21 cities in Guangdong between September 2017 and August 2021, while 43 hospitals/units were selected to analyze the predominant types of influenza, population characteristics, and seasonal features by three methods (the concentration ratio, the seasonal index, and the circulation distribution), based on a descriptive epidemiological approach. During the four consecutive influenza seasons, a total of 157345 ILIs were tested, of which 9.05% were positive for influenza virus (n = 14238), with the highest positive rates for both IAV (13.20%) and IBV (5.41%) in the 2018-2019 season. After the emergence of COVID-19, influenza cases decreased near to zero from March 2020 till March 2021, and the dominant type of influenza virus changed from IAV to IBV. The highest positive rate of influenza existed in the age-group of 5 ~ < 15years in each season for IAV (P < 0.001), which was consistent with that for IBV (P < 0.001). The highest annual positive rates for IBV emerged in eastern Guangdong, while the highest annual positive rates of IAV in different seasons existed in different regions. Furthermore, compared with the epidemic period (ranged from December to June) during 2017-2019, the period ended three months early (March 2020) in 2019-2020, and started by five months behind (April 2021) during 2020-2021. The highest positive rates in 5 ~ < 15 age-group suggested the susceptible in this age-group mostly had infected with infected B/Victoria. Influenced by the emergence of COVID-19 and NPI responses, the epidemic patterns and trends of influenza activities have changed in Guangdong, 2017-2021.

The more the better? How social support predicted perceived barriers to tuberculosis treatment across groups of different socioeconomic statuses

ObjectiveSocial support can lower perceived barriers to medical treatment, but this relationship may vary in groups of different socioeconomic statuses (SES). This study examined whether different types of social support predicted different types of perceived barriers to tuberculosis (TB) treatment and whether these relationships varied across different levels of SES. MethodA paper-pencil survey covering 12 cities in Guangdong, China (N = 1386) was conducted in December 2020, which measured demographics, three types of perceived social support (informational, instrumental, and emotional) and barriers to TB treatment (cognitive, instrumental, and psychological). ResultsInformational support and instrumental support were negatively related to cognitive barriers and instrumental barriers. These relationships were stronger among more educated individuals and urban residents. However, emotional support predicted psychological barrier positively, and this relationship was stronger among less educated individuals and rural residents. ConclusionHigh SES groups benefit more from individual-level support. Thus, there is a gap of social support, which reveals the power nature of social support exchanges. Practice ImplicationsTB campaigns need provide support for low SES groups to compensate for their insufficient support. Campaigns need provide information about disease management and the legal and financial support for TB patients, and change tuberculosis-related norms.

Dissemination of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins in Southern China, 2021: a genome-wide surveillance from 20 cities

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) of untreatable gonococcal infection is an emerging threat, especially in Guangdong, a prosperous province in Southern China.MethodsN.gonorrhoeae was isolated from 20 cities in Guangdong and determined antimicrobial susceptibility. Through whole-genome sequencing (WGS), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), N.gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST), and N.gonorrhoeae sequence typing for antimicrobial resistance (NG-STAR) were obtained based on the PubMLST database (https://pubmlst.org/). Phylogenetic analysis was used for dissemination and tracking analysis.ResultsAntimicrobial susceptibility was performed on 347 isolates, and 50 isolates were identified as decreased susceptibility (DS) to cephalosporins. Of which 16.0% (8/50) were ceftriaxone DS, 38.0% (19/50) were cefixime DS, and 46.0% (23/50) were both ceftriaxone and cefixime DS. In all, the dual-resistant rate of the cephalosporin-DS isolates was 96.0% for penicillin and 98.0% for tetracycline-resistant, and 10.0% (5/50) were resistant to azithromycin. All cephalosporin-DS isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin but sensitive to spectinomycin. The predominant MLSTs were ST7363 (16%, 8/50), ST1903 (14%, 7/50), ST1901 (12%, 6/50), and ST7365 (10%, 5/50). Besides some isolates that failed genotyping (NA), NG-STAR ST1143 (n = 6) and NG-MAST ST17748 (n = 4) were the most prevalent. Twelve isolates with mosaic penA-60.001 allele retained the most elevated cephalosporin MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that epidemic penA-60.001 clones, either domestic or foreign, had spread to nine cities in Guangdong, and 9/12 clones were from the Pearl River Delta region.ConclusionsN. gonorrhoeae with cephalosporins-DS was extensively disseminated in Guangdong, Southern China, requiring strict surveillance.

Measurement and Coupling Coordination of High-Quality Development in Guangdong Province of China: A Spatiotemporal Analysis

Regional high-quality coordination plays a crucial role in promoting high-quality national development. Guangdong province is a trailblazer in China's reform and opening-up policies and high-quality development. This study analyzes the high-quality development of the economic, social, and ecological environments from 2010 to 2019 in Guangdong with the entropy weight TOPSIS model. Meanwhile, the coupling coordination degree model is used to investigate the spatial-temporal pattern of the coupling and coordinated development of the three-dimensional system in 21 prefecture-level cities. The results show that the high-quality development index of Guangdong increased from 0.32 to 0.39, a 21.9% increase during 2010-2019. The Pearl River Delta had the highest value of the high-quality development index, whereas Western Guangdong had the lowest level in 2019. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Dongguan are the core cities in the high-quality development of Guangdong, with the index decreasing from the Pearl River Delta estuary cities to the province's edge. We also found that the coupling degree and coupling coordination of high-quality development of the three-dimensional system grew slowly during the study period. Half of the cities in Guangdong entered the stage of benign coupling. Except for Zhaoqing, all cities in the Pearl River Delta have a high coupling coordination degree of high-quality development of the three-dimensional system. This study provides valuable references for the high-quality, coordinated development of Guangdong province and some policy suggestions for other regions.

Insulin injection knowledge, attitude and behaviour of nurses: A cross-sectional study in Guangdong Province.

To understand the insulin injection knowledge, attitude and behaviour of nurses and their influencing factors in Guangdong Province. Cross-sectional study. A total of 19,853 nurses from 82 hospitals in 15 cities in Guangdong, China, participated in this study. The scores of the nurses' insulin injection knowledge, attitude and behaviour were determined through a questionnaire, and multivariate regression analysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors of insulin injection in different dimensions. STROBE. Among all nurses involved in this study, 22.3% of nurses had good knowledge, 75.9% of nurses had good attitude and 92.7% of nurses had good behaviour. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that knowledge, attitude scores and behaviour scores were significantly correlated. The influencing factors of knowledge, attitude and behaviour included gender, age, education, nurse level, work experience, type of ward, diabetes nursing certification, position held and most recent insulin administration.

Optimizing Peer Distribution of Syphilis Self-Testing Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: A Multi-City Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

Syphilis testing uptake is low among men who have sex with men (MSM) around the world. Syphilis self-testing (SST) may complement facility-based testing; the distribution model is yet to be explored. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of peer distribution of syphilis self-testing on promoting syphilis testing. We conducted a three-arm, unblinded, parallel individually randomized controlled trial among MSM in three cities in Guangdong, China. Inclusion criteria were: men who were born biologically male, aged 18 or above, have ever had sex with a man, will refer the interventions to peers, and will take the three-month follow-up survey. Enrolled indexes were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio into standard-of-care arm (SOC arm), standard SST delivery arm (S-SST arm), and a web-based referral link SST delivery arm (RL-SST arm). The primary outcome was the number of returned photograph-verified syphilis testing results per index. A total number of 300 indexes were enrolled, with 100 indexes in each arm. The number of verified syphilis tests per index conducted by alters was 0.05 in the control arm, 0.51 in the S-SST arm, and 0.31 in the RL-SST arm. The cost per alter tested was $760.60 for SOC, $83.78 for S-SST, and $93.10 for RL-SST. Minimal adverse event was reported among both indexes and alters during the study. This study showed that peer distribution of SST could improve syphilis testing uptake among MSM in China compared to facility-based testing. This approach warrants further consideration as part of expanding syphilis self-testing.

Willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among HIV positive men who have sex with men in China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPeople living with HIV(PLWH) are deemed more vulnerable to the SARS-CoV-2 infection than the uninfected population. Vaccination is an effective measure for COVID-19 control, yet, little knowledge exists about the willingness of men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV in China to be vaccinated.MethodsThis cross-sectional study evaluated the willingness of MSM living with HIV to receive COVID-19 vaccination in six cities of Guangdong, China, from July to September 2020. Factors associated with willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsIn total, we recruited 944 HIV-positive MSM with a mean age of 29.2 ± 7.7 years. Of all participants, 92.4% of them were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants who were separated, divorced, or widowed (adjusted OR: 5.29, 95%CI: 1.02–27.48), had an annual income higher than 9,000 USD (adjusted OR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.01–2.86), had ever taken an HIV self-test (adjusted OR: 1.78, 95%CI: 1.07–2.95), had ever disclosed sexual orientation to a doctor/nurse (adjusted OR: 3.16, 95%CI: 1.33–7.50), had ever disclosed sexual orientation to others besides their male partners (adjusted OR: 2.18, 95%CI: 1.29–3.69) were more willing to receive the vaccine. Sex with a female partner in the past six months decreased the likelihood of willingness to receive the vaccine (adjusted OR: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.17–0.95). Economic burden, worry that my health condition could not bear the risk of receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and concern that the vaccination would affect the immune status and antiretroviral therapy were the main reasons for unwillingness to receive vaccination.ConclusionOur study showed that HIV-positive MSM had a high willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Targeted interventions such as health education should be conducted among MSM with HIV infection to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Factors Driving Exploration of Industrial Carbon-Emission Intensity: A Case Study of Guangdong Province, China

Research on spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of industrial carbon emissions intensity is crucial to the efforts of reducing carbon emissions. This paper measures the industrial carbon emissions intensity (CI) by energy consumption in Guangdong from 2012 to 2020 and evaluates the regional differences of CI. In addition, we apply the extended STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence and technology) and GTWR (geographically and temporally weighted regression) models to reveal the influence of driving factors on CI from spatial–temporal perspectives, based on the economic panel data and night-time light (NTL) data of 21 cities in Guangdong. To show the robustness of the results, we introduce the ordinary least squares (OLS) model, geographically weighted regression (GWR) model and temporally weighted regression (TWR) model compared with the GTWR model and find that the GTWR model outperforms these models. The results are as follows: (1) CI shows an overall downward trend and presents a pattern of being low in the middle and being high on both sides in space. (2) The industrial carbon emission is mainly affected by six main factors: economic development level, population scale, energy intensity, urbanization level, industrial structure and energy consumption structure. Among them, energy intensity occupies a significant position and poses a positive impact on the CI of the industrial sector.

Planning and Energy–Economy–Environment–Security Evaluation Methods for Municipal Energy Systems in China under Targets of Peak Carbon Emissions and Carbon Neutrality

In order to mitigate the negative effects of global climate change, the Chinese government has committed to achieving peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Since municipal cities are the bottom administrative level for drawing up development plans, it is necessary and important to conduct decarbonization pathway research on municipal energy systems (MESs). However, there is little research on decarbonization at the municipal level, and the impact of development paths in each forecast scenario is mostly based on expert evaluation and qualitative assessment. Therefore, this study established a complete decarbonization framework for MESs, including general research procedures, models, and a sustainable evaluation method. The models of energy consumption and carbon emission were adapted and improved for MESs. In order to quantitatively evaluate the energy system development for each scenario, we proposed an energy–economy–environment–security (3E–S) evaluation method, in which principal component analysis (PCA) was adopted for multi-criterion decision making. According to the analysis results of the case city in Guangdong, this evaluation method was proved to be an effective way to identify the factors that may influence coordinated development. By adjusting the relevant parameters and factors in the model, the optimal decarbonization pathway can be found to promote sustainable and coordinated development, thus helping government decision makers to quantitatively evaluate planning paths.

Transcriptome analysis reveals differential effects of beta-cypermethrin and fipronil insecticides on detoxification mechanisms in Solenopsis invicta.

Insecticide resistance poses many challenges in insect pest control, particularly in the control of destructive pests such as red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). In recent years, beta-cypermethrin and fipronil have been extensively used to manage invasive ants, but their effects on resistance development in S. invicta are still unknown. To investigate resistance development, S. invicta was collected from populations in five different cities in Guangdong, China. The results showed 105.71- and 2.98-fold higher resistance against fipronil and beta-cypermethrin, respectively, in the Guangzhou population. The enzymatic activities of acetylcholinesterase, carboxylases, and glutathione S-transferases significantly increased with increasing beta-cypermethrin and fipronil concentrations. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 117 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the BC-ck vs. BC-30 treatments (39 upregulated and 78 downregulated), 109 DEGs in F-ck vs. F-30 (33 upregulated and 76 downregulated), and 499 DEGs in BC-30 vs. F-30 (312 upregulated and 187 downregulated). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that DEGs associated with insecticide resistance were significantly enriched in metabolic pathways, the AMPK signaling pathway, the insulin signaling pathway, carbon metabolism, peroxisomes, fatty acid metabolism, drug metabolism enzymes and the metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450. Furthermore, we found that DEGs important for insecticide detoxification pathways were differentially regulated under both insecticide treatments in S. invicta. Comprehensive transcriptomic data confirmed that detoxification enzymes play a significant role in insecticide detoxification and resistance development in S. invicta in Guangdong Province. Numerous identified insecticide-related genes, GO terms, and KEGG pathways indicated the resistance of S. invicta workers to both insecticides. Importantly, this transcriptome profile variability serves as a starting point for future research on insecticide risk evaluation and the molecular mechanism of insecticide detoxification in invasive red imported fire ants.

A study of the spatial correlation network structure of urban innovation in Guangdong.

Based on the modified gravity model, a spatial correlation network of innovation was constructed among cities in Guangdong, China. Social network analysis was employed to explore their evolution characteristics during 2009–2017. The results indicate that the innovation output of prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province shows both spatial correlations and differences. Their network shows lower density, higher efficiency, and rigid stratification properties. Based on small cluster analysis, these cities are classified into four blocks, the members of which changed. In 2017, four well-defined subgroups formed, which are “bidirectional spillover plate”, “main spillover plate”, “net beneficial plate”, and “agent plate”. With this network, the geographical characteristics of the innovation capabilities and differences among the cities in Guangdong, as well as the different positions and roles of each city in the associated network, can be properly understood. Consequently, the transmission mechanisms and development strategies of innovation in Guangdong Province can be better explored.