Macao Special Administrative Region Research Articles

Water quality ensemble prediction model for the urban water reservoir based on the hybrid long short-term memory (LSTM) network analysis

ABSTRACT The water quality of drinking water reservoirs directly impacts the water supply safety for urban residents. This study focuses on the Da Jing Shan Reservoir, a crucial drinking water source for Zhuhai City and the Macau Special Administrative Region. The aim is to establish a prediction model for the water quality of drinking water reservoirs, which can serve as a vital reference for water plants when formulating their water supply plans. In this research, after smoothing the data using the Hodrick-Prescott filter, we utilized the long short-term memory (LSTM) network model to create a water quality prediction model for the Da Jing Shan Reservoir. Simulation calculations reveal that the model's fitting degree is consistently above 60%. Specifically, the prediction accuracy for pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the water quality prediction model aligns with actual results by more than 70%, effectively simulating the reservoir's water quality changes. Moreover, for parameters like pH, DO, BOD, and total phosphorus, the relative forecasting error of the LSTM model is less than 10%, confirming the model's validity. The results of this study offer an essential model reference for predicting water quality for the Da Jing Shan Reservoir.

Challenges, Rewards, and Digital Aspects in Establishing Macau’s First Regional Biobank

Abstract Biobanks have proven to be significant research and reference infrastructures that house collections of specimens and associated data for future biomedical research. The Macau Special Administrative Region government has determined the need to diversify its economy and has set a target ratio for a gross domestic product contribution in the high-tech research industry. This article presents the rewards, challenges, and digital aspects of the potential establishment of a regional biobank in Macau to improve health research capacity and innovative high-tech initiatives while recognizing biosecurity, digital, and public health issues without compromising legal, social, ethical, and/or ethnic boundaries within the region. The development of a regional biobank of biological samples and data, along with additional information from diverse populations for future conducted research projects, is anticipated to stimulate the region’s economic, scientific, and public health growth.

Uncovering multi-level mental healthcare barriers for migrants: a qualitative analysis across China, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, and South Africa

BackgroundForced displacement is a significant issue globally, and it affected 112 million people in 2022. Many of these people have found refuge in low- and middle-income countries. Migrants and refugees face complex and specialized health challenges, particularly in the area of mental health. This study aims to provide an in-depth qualitative assessment of the multi-level barriers that migrants face in accessing mental health services in Germany, Macao (Special Administrative Region of China), the Netherlands, Romania, and South Africa. The ultimate objective is to inform tailored health policy and management practices for this vulnerable population.MethodsAdhering to a qualitative research paradigm, the study centers on stakeholders’ perspectives spanning microsystems, mesosystems, and macrosystems of healthcare. Utilizing a purposive sampling methodology, key informants from the aforementioned geographical locations were engaged in semi-structured interviews. Data underwent thematic content analysis guided by a deductive-inductive approach.ResultsThe study unveiled three pivotal thematic barriers: language and communication obstacles, cultural impediments, and systemic constraints. The unavailability of professional interpreters universally exacerbated language barriers across all countries. Cultural barriers, stigmatization, and discrimination, specifically within the mental health sector, were found to limit access to healthcare further. Systemic barriers encompassed bureaucratic intricacies and a conspicuous lack of resources, including a failure to recognize the urgency of mental healthcare needs for migrants.ConclusionsThis research elucidates the multifaceted, systemic challenges hindering equitable mental healthcare provision for migrants. It posits that sweeping policy reforms are imperative, advocating for the implementation of strategies, such as increasing the availability of language services, enhancing healthcare providers’ capacity, and legal framework and policy change to be more inclusive. The findings substantially contribute to scholarly discourse by providing an interdisciplinary and international lens on the barriers to mental healthcare access for displaced populations.

An Exceptional Retrocession: the Establishment of the Macau SAR from a Political Perspective

Abstract In late 1999, Macau became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) under the administration of the People’s Republic of China and the “one country, two systems” principle, following a different, unique path compared to former Portuguese colonies. In light of such a reality, this paper uses postcolonial theory to situate the political debate involving the SAR’s establishment. Furthermore, it suggests that the two main factors that explain Macau’s potential exceptionalism in the Lusophone world, when it comes to decolonisation processes, are the retrocession concept and the Macanese political structure, which, in turn, helped to guarantee smooth repatriation proceedings.

Multi-Scenario analysis of rooftop greening regulation on runoff effects based on adaptive Evaluation: A case study of Macau, China

The reduction in internal ecological spaces within urban environments and the expansion of impervious surfaces have been identified as factors significantly increasing the susceptibility of cities to flood disasters. Rooftop greening, an essential component of urban stormwater management strategies, offers a versatile solution for augmenting permeable surfaces and delivering ecological services while seamlessly integrating with existing urban infrastructure. This approach has been proven effective in enhancing urban resilience against rainfall-induced flooding events. Hence, the precise identification of suitable building rooftops for green infrastructure within urbanized regions, combined with the simulation of runoff regulation effects brought about by these rooftop greening interventions, holds substantial practical significance. This study innovatively constructs a technical method for measuring the runoff control performance of urban-scale green roofs from identification, evaluation to simulation. Taking the Macao Special Administrative Region as an example, a green roof suitability evaluation index system that is consistent with urban characteristics has been constructed, integrating machine learning, comprehensive evaluation, SWMM simulation methods to evaluate the suitability of roof greening in urban areas and simulate the impact of multi-senarios green roof construction types on runoff regulation. Finally, a comprehensive strategy for rooftop greening construction in Macau is proposed, with the aim of amplifying the runoff regulation capabilities of such initiatives. The main findings of the research include the following: (1) The research area exhibits a notably high aggregate potential for rooftop greening, with suitable rooftop areas comprising approximately 34% of the total rooftop expanse. Notably, construction vintage and roof elevation are identified as the most substantive constraints on rooftop greening. (2) Discernible differences in rooftop greening construction scale exert a significant influence on runoff regulation capacity, with the magnitude of greening positively correlated with its runoff regulation efficacy. Distinct greening typologies elicit varying impacts on runoff regulation, with semi-intensive rooftop greening surpassing extensive approaches in runoff regulation performance. Disparate distribution patterns of rooftop greening engender dissimilar runoff regulation effects, with rooftop greening layouts situated distant from drainage outlets facilitating runoff mitigation, while those in close proximity to drainage outlets enhance peak flow reduction effects.

People’s Republic of China—Macao Special Administrative Region

People’s Republic of China—Macao Special Administrative Region

People’s Republic of China—Macao Special Administrative Region

People’s Republic of China—Macao Special Administrative Region

Diversity pattern of insects from Macao based on an updated species checklist after 25 years.

Insects represent one of the most diverse groups in the organism world with extremely rich species and morphological diversity, playing important roles in natural and city ecosystems. Regional compilation of insect species lists helps to clarify the richness of insect species in a region, enhances our understanding the structure and function of a local ecosystem and promotes the protection and development of insect resources. Moreover, it also serves as a valuable reference for cities with small area, large population and high urbanisation like Macao. Macao (Macau) Special Administrative Region (SAR) is situated at the Pearl River Delta on the southeast coast of mainland China. With urban development accelerating at great rate in a quite restricted area, Macao still has rich fauna, within which the insect diversity is surprisingly high. In this study, we systematically sorted out major references items of manuals or handbooks, monographs, articles, dissertations, official websites and other publicly available information sources about the insects recorded in Macao and, thus, generated a checklist of 15 orders, 166 families, 868 genera, 1,339 species and 118 subspecies. During this process, the preliminarily summarised list was re-examined to eliminate synonyms and invalid species, based on many more extensive literature reviews. Besides, spelling errors of scientific names, authors and years were corrected. Meanwhile, the catalogue revealed a different composition pattern of species diversity between orders from those of the world and China. Even based on the most conservative estimates, the number of insect species in Macao should not be lower than 3,340 species, which hints at the necessity of deeper investigations with adequate collecting in the future to achieve more comprehensive recognition and understanding of Macao's insect biodiversity.

An Approximation to the Invariant Measure of the Limiting Diffusion of G/Ph/n + GI Queues in the Halfin–Whitt Regime and Related Asymptotics

In this paper, we develop a stochastic algorithm based on the Euler–Maruyama scheme to approximate the invariant measure of the limiting multidimensional diffusion of [Formula: see text] queues in the Halfin–Whitt regime. Specifically, we prove a nonasymptotic error bound between the invariant measures of the approximate model from the algorithm and the limiting diffusion. To establish the error bound, we employ the recently developed Stein’s method for multidimensional diffusions, in which the regularity of Stein’s equation obtained by the partial differential equation (PDE) theory plays a crucial role. We further prove the central limit theorem (CLT) and the moderate deviation principle (MDP) for the occupation measures of the limiting diffusion of [Formula: see text] queues and its Euler–Maruyama scheme. In particular, the variances in the CLT and MDP associated with the limiting diffusion are determined by Stein’s equation and Malliavin calculus, in which properties of a mollified diffusion and an associated weighted occupation time play a crucial role. Funding: X. Jin is supported in part by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grants JZ2022HGQA0148 and JZ2023HGTA0170]. G. Pang is supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation [Grants DMS-1715875 and DMS-2216765]. L. Xu is supported in part by the National Nature Science Foundation of China [Grant 12071499], Macao Special Administrative Region [Grant FDCT 0090/2019/A2], and the University of Macau [Grant MYRG2018-00133-FST]. This work was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation [Grant DMS-2108683].

Analysis of the Reasons for the Rejection of Parole Applications in Macao with 10 Criminal Judgments as Examples

The criminal law of the Macao Special Administrative Region has been influenced by European criminal law, and its provisions on parole are also very distinctive. This paper analyzes the current judicial situation of the application of the parole system in the Macao Special Administrative Region and carries out the necessary theoretical research and analysis by taking the relevant past judgments as the object of study. Based on the analysis and summarization of the cases, it can be concluded that the parole system of the Macao Special Administrative Region is characterized by the importance of the completeness of the formal and substantive elements, the impact of parole on society, and the individual’s right to consent to parole. Both the protection of the right to request parole and the provision of appeal against parole decisions are the application of the right to parole doctrine.

Internationalization of higher education research in the Greater Bay Area of China: Building capacities, alleviating asymmetries

AbstractInternationalization is known to enhance university capacities in cross‐border learning and encourage institutional transformations for improved quality of scholarship and education. Studies on internationalization of research and teaching are, however, under‐problematized with regard to asymmetries that pervade different collaborating systems and cultures. This paper addresses this gap by elucidating asymmetries in the Greater Bay Area of China (GBA), which is dealing with differences in legacies and experiences of internationalization in university research and teaching. At a time when the governments in the three constituent jurisdictions of GBA—Guangdong Province, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), and Macao SAR—encourage universities to collaborate across jurisdictional borders, this study applies a bibliographic analysis to shed light on asymmetries and mitigation strategies in internationalization of research and teaching.

Epidemiology and distribution of 207 rare diseases in China: A systematic literature review.

Epidemiological data on rare diseases in China are currently limited. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and incidence of rare diseases by systematically analyzing the available epidemiological data. We conducted a comprehensive search of English and Chinese databases, the Incidence and Prevalence Database, the Chinese Rare Disease Guideline, and the Taiwan Health Promotion Administration from 2010 to 2023. We identified the top diseases and regions based on epidemiological data and present the maximum, minimum, and median prevalence and incidence values in tables and forest plots. 1,264 prevalence and incidence data were retrieved from 277 studies, guidelines and official websites, covering 110 rare diseases (53.1%) and 32 regions (94.1%). In terms of geographical regions, incidence or prevalence data were available for 32 regions (94.1%), excluding Tibet Hui Autonomous Region and Macao Special Administrative Region. In terms of rate, 60 and 77 out of 207 diseases (29.0% and 37.2%) had available incidence and prevalence data, respectively. Eight diseases had an incidence rate equal to or greater than that of 1,000 patients per million. The present study provides a comprehensive epidemiological analysis and valuable insights into the prevalence and incidence of rare diseases in China. Our findings underscore the pressing need for sustained drug research and medical support for individuals and families impacted by rare diseases.

Associated Factors of Patients' Survival in Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest; a Cross-sectional Study.

Chinese populations have an increasingly high prevalence of cardiac arrest. This study aimed to investigate the prehospital associated factors of survival to hospital admission and discharge among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) adult cases in Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), China. Baseline characteristics as well as prehospital factors of OHCA patients were collected from publicly accessible medical records and Macao Fire Services Bureau, China. Demographic and other prehospital OHCA characteristics of patients who survived to hospital admission and discharge were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 904 cases with a mean age of 74.2±17.3 (range: 18-106) years were included (78%>65 years, 62% male). Initial shockable cardiac rhythm was the strongest predictor for survival to both hospital admission (OR=3.57, 95% CI: 2.26-5.63; p<0.001) and discharge (OR=12.40, 95% CI: 5.70-26.96; p<0.001). Being male (OR=1.63, 95% CI:1.08-2.46; p =0.021) and the lower emergency medical service (EMS) response time (OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.12-2.34; p =0.010) were also associated with a 2-fold association with survival to hospital admission. In addition, access to prehospital defibrillation (OR=4.25, 95% CI: 1.78-10.12; p <0.001) had a 4-fold association with survival to hospital discharge. None of these associations substantively increased with age. The major OHCA predictors of survival were initial shockable cardiac rhythm, being male, lower EMS response time, and access to prehospital defibrillation. These findings indicate a need for increased public awareness and more education.

The association of social capital and mental well‐being among older residents living in public housing in Macau Special Administrative Region (S.A.R.) – A qualitative case study of Seac Pai Van

AbstractMacau is a rapidly aging city, with 13.8% of the population aged over 65. Social capital has been identified as a crucial protective factor for negative mental health outcomes, yet its relationship with mental health among older adults in Macau remains unclear. This study thematically analyzed the narratives of 19 in‐depth face‐to‐face interviews of Cantonese‐speaking elderly aged 60 or above residing in the Seac Pai Van public housing project, the largest public housing project in Macau. This study aimed to collect information on how social networks and social participation impact their mental well‐being that may shed light on the promotion of resident mental health in future public housing developments. Results revealed shallow social capital in the community and a high prevalence of loneliness among senior residents who resided in the studied estate. The study also shed light on the participants' thoughts on death, including suicidal ideation, and how they are shaped by their mental health situation and environment. The findings highlight the need to revisit the current mental health policy in Macau and address the urban and architectural design and social organization in new communities, empowering communities to build a friendly environment.

Explore the Relationship Between Consumer Satisfaction and Consumer Loyalty Based on Four Industries

In recent years, with the continuous development of customer relationship management, the two indicators of consumer satisfaction and consumer loyalty are often regarded as the criteria for measuring the success of customer relationship management, but at the same time whether these two indicators are applicable to the market competition environment is often controversial, this article will use the questionnaire survey method to explore the relationship between consumer satisfaction and consumer loyalty in the catering industry in the Macao Special Administrative Region, and use the case summary method to explore the other three industries in different market environments. It also summarizes the factors that contribute to this situation and also tries to provide more suggestions for improvement for practitioners.

Research on the Relationship Between Higher Education Development and Economic Growth in China

Education has always been a very important research issue, and China's higher education has developed rapidly along with its economic take-off. The issue of the correlation between education and economic development has also been researched many times in the academic world. So, this paper analyzes the dynamic correlation between the development of higher education and China's economic development, as well as the gross domestic product of the People's Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, and Taiwan Province of China) for the period 1978-2021, based on the existing literature, through the data on the number of graduates from higher education, general higher education, and postgraduates (master's degree and doctorate). It is finally concluded that economic growth will directly contribute to the development of higher education, and similarly, the growth of higher education will offset economic growth with a slight lag.

The UNESCO Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention in Asia: the case of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China

ABSTRACT The UNESCO Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention was adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2009. Since then, it has been ratified by a total of 72 parties, but Cambodia remains the only one of these parties located in Asia. Against this backdrop, this article presents the case of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) located on the shores of the South China Sea. The Macao SAR has a strong economy, which relies primarily on the gaming services and tourist industries, but is seeking to diversify its economy in order to make it more sustainable. To this end, the article assesses the role of underwater cultural heritage in diversifying its economy and stresses the need for greater policy coherence both between different cultural policies but also between cultural, commercial and other policy areas.

A novel method for spatial allocation of volatile chemical products emissions: A case study of the Pearl River Delta

The spatial allocation of volatile chemical products (VCPs) emissions is often inaccurate, which hampers the evaluation and improvement of models and the study of urban secondary pollution and exposure risk. This work developed a 1 km grid spatial allocation factors dataset based on the actual emission characteristics of each VCPs sector. For the industrial VCPs sector, we used industrial output per unit firm as the spatial allocation factors. For the non-industrial VCPs sector, we used specific datasets (e.g., GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for personal care products use, etc.) as the spatial allocation factors. Our work accounted for the high emission characteristics of industrial point sources and the dependence conditions of non-industrial VCPs use. Using this methodology, we developed a 1 km gridded emission inventory (denoted by Mo-E) of VCPs in the Pearl River Delta (PRD, Excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Macau SAR) region in 2017. The results show that the non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) emissions of VCPs in the PRD region in 2017 were 1046.7 Kt, with coatings (567.3 Kt) and personal care products (225.5 Kt) being the key sectors for emission control. Different cities in the PRD region have different VCPs control strategies. The industrial VCPs sector was the dominant VCPs emitter in high-emitting cities (64.9%–72.2%), while the non-industrial VCPs sector was the main contributor in low-emitting cities (43.3%–58.4%). More VCPs emissions were allocated to medium-population-density areas (37.6% higher than before) and within 3 km of the urban-rural fringe (41.4% higher than before), compared with the spatial characteristics of VCPs emissions from Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC), due to the relocation of industrial VCPs enterprises and the architectural activities during urban expansion. Meanwhile, the uniform distribution pattern caused by population density allocation in these areas was corrected, and the point-source high-emission feature was tracked. The VCPs emissions in high-population-density areas were overestimated (31.4%), with personal care products (57.9%) as the main emission sources in these areas. We compared the Mo-E inventory with an inventory (Mo-M) derived using MEIC's spatial allocation factors, and found a maximum difference in emissions per unit grid of +14,602 t and a minimum of −880 t. Finally, we discuss the uncertainties in the emissions from each VCP sector (±30–80%) and the spatial emission patterns, which resulted from the spatial allocation dataset (±10.4–20%) and the spatial analysis methods (−6.9-+7.8%).

Dynamic Causal Modeling and Online Collaborative Forecasting of Air Quality in Hong Kong and Macao.

The Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, situated within China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, significantly influence and are impacted by their air quality conditions. Rapid urbanization, high population density, and air pollution from diverse factors present challenges, making the health of the atmospheric environment in these regions a research focal point. This study offers three key contributions: (1) It applied an interpretable dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) to construct a dynamic causal model of air quality in Hong Kong and Macao, amidst complex, unstable, multi-dimensional, and uncertain factors over time. (2) It investigated the dynamic interaction between meteorology and air quality sub-networks, and both qualitatively and quantitatively identified, evaluated, and understood the causal relationships between air pollutants and their determinants. (3) It facilitated an online collaborative forecast of air pollutant concentrations, enabling pollution warnings. The findings proposed that a DBN-based dynamic causal model can effectively explain and manage complex atmospheric environmental systems in Hong Kong and Macao. This method offers crucial insights for decision-making and the management of atmospheric environments not only in these regions but also for neighboring cities and regions with similar geographical contexts.

Isolation and characterization of Rhodococcus sp. GG1 for metabolic degradation of chloroxylenol

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly increased the demand of disinfectant use. Chloroxylenol (para-chloro-meta-xylenol, PCMX) as the major antimicrobial ingredient of disinfectant has been widely detected in water environments, with identified toxicity and potential risk. The assessment of PCMX in domestic wastewater of Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) showed a positive correlation between PCMX concentration and population density. An indigenous PCMX degrader, identified as Rhodococcus sp. GG1, was isolated and found capable of completely degrading PCMX (50 mg L−1) within 36 h. The growth kinetics followed Haldane's inhibition model, with maximum specific growth rate, half-saturation constant, and inhibition constant of 0.38 h−1, 7.64 mg L−1, and 68.08 mg L−1, respectively. The degradation performance was enhanced by optimizing culture conditions, while the presence of additional carbon source stimulated strain GG1 to alleviate inhibition from high concentrations of PCMX. In addition, strain GG1 showed good environmental adaptability, degrading PCMX efficiently in different environmental aqueous matrices. A potential degradation pathway was identified, with 2,6-dimethylhydroquinone as a major intermediate metabolite. Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) was found to play a key role in dechlorinating PCMX via hydroxylation and also catalyzed the hydroxylated dechlorination of other halo-phenolic contaminants through co-metabolism. This study characterizes an aerobic bacterial pure culture capable of degrading PCMX metabolically, which could be promising in effective bioremediation of PCMX-contaminated sites and in treatment of PCMX-containing waste streams.