Western Provinces Of China Research Articles

A long-term high-resolution dataset of grasslands grazing intensity in China

Grazing is a significant anthropogenic disturbance to grasslands, impacting their function and composition, and affecting carbon budgets and greenhouse gas emissions. However, accurate evaluations of grazing impacts are limited by the absence of long-term high-resolution grazing intensity data (i.e., the number of livestock per unit area). This study utilized census livestock data and a satellite-based vegetation index to develop the first Long-term High-resolution Grazing Intensity (LHGI) dataset of grassland in seven pastoral provinces in western China from 1980 to 2022. The LHGI dataset effectively captured spatial variations in grazing intensity, with validation at 73 sites showing a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.78. The county-level validation showed an averaged R2 values of 0.73 ± 0.03 from 1980 to 2022. This dataset serves as a vital resource for estimating grassland carbon cycling and livestock system CH4 emissions, as well as contributing to grassland management.

Evaluating impacts of ICT development on wages of workers

At the provincial level, there is a research gap in discussing the causality and internal mechanism between ICT development and wages of workers. The study utilizes the province-level balanced panel data over the period 2006–2021 in China, clarifies the impact and internal mechanism of ICT development on wages of workers, and uses the DID method to identify the causality between the two. This study found that there is a positive correlation between ICT development and workers’ wages, and skill level is a mediate transmission channel. Moreover, ICT development has a positive impact on workers’ wages in the central and western regions. Besides, compared to low-wage workers, high-wage workers gain more information dividends. The findings of this study have reference significance for policymakers. First, for the central and western provinces in China, it is necessary to actively develop the ICT industry, cultivate high-tech enterprises, and improve local ICT development levels. Second, we should improve the skill level of workers and enhance their competitive advantage in employment. Third, each province should continue to expand the enrollment scale of higher education institutions, and improve the quality of labor force.

Measurement and Spatial-Temporal Evolution of Industrial Carbon Emission Efficiency in Western China

As it is an important industrial base in China, it is of great significance to improve the industrial carbon emission efficiency in the western region to promote the low-carbon sustainable development of the region. This paper selects the input–output panel data of 11 provinces in western China from 2010 to 2021, and adopts the three-stage DEA model to measure the industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China under a non-traditional geographic division at the overall and regional levels and analyze its influencing factors. The Dagum Gini coefficient, its decomposition method, and the kernel density estimation method are used to analyze the regional differences and dynamic evolution process of industrial carbon emission efficiency in the western region. The results of the study show that (1) after removing environmental and random factors, the industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China has been improved, but there are inter-regional differences, characterized by “the third region > the second region > the first region”; (2) the levels of green development, shared development, innovative development, and coordinated development have a positive impact on the improvement of industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China, while the level of industrialization has a relatively smaller influence, and economic development, government support, open development level, and energy consumption structure have not yet played a significant role; (3) the spatial differences in the efficiency of industrial carbon emissions in western China have generally increased during the sample period, with inter-regional differences being the main source; and (4) the industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China is characterized by overall improvements in time and space but with stage differences and multi-polarization of regional differences. This study has a certain reference value for improving industrial carbon emission efficiency in western China.

Where are the provincial-level new records in China from the past 20 years, and which traits determine their shift directions?

Birds are sensitive to environmental changes and can drive range shifts rapidly due to their high mobility. Though previous studies have examined the associations between species traits and range shifts, whether species traits could still explain heterogeneity in shift directions remains poorly explored. Here, we compiled new bird records of China from 2000 to 2019 and analyzed species traits associated with apparent shift directions. We collected 350 provincial-level new records of birds belonging to 67 families of 22 orders. Of these, 32 are threatened, with 3 critically endangered, 11 endangered, and 18 vulnerable. Provinces in western China (i.e., Yunnan and Xizang) had relatively higher species richness of new recorded birds; this pattern was also reflected in the phylogenetic diversity we observed. In addition, provinces in northern China (i.e., Tianjin, Shandong, and Beijing) had relatively higher richness-controlled phylogenetic diversity. Phylogenetic overdispersion of new recorded bird communities was observed in 61.29% of provinces (19 of 31). The main shift directions indicated by new bird records were northward (with nearly 50% of birds moving NW, N and NE). Migration, hand-wing index (HWI), body mass, and range size are the four key factors that most significantly influence the shift directions in bird species, suggesting that bird movement toward newly suitable areas varies with species-specific traits. Together, these results demonstrate the importance of considering species ecological traits when predicting shift directions of birds.

Exploring the Impact of Financial Development on Water–Energy Efficiency in Western China

The western region of China is a fundamental ecological protection barrier for China. The conflict between regional economic development and ecological environmental protection has always existed in the region. This study first evaluated the water–energy efficiency (WEE) of 11 provinces in western China from 2011 to 2019 using the super-slacks-based model with undesirable outputs and analyzed their spatiotemporal characteristics. It then investigated the influence of financial development level on WEE. The results indicate that (a) the WEE in Western China was at a relatively low level, showing an upward trend from 2011 to 2016 and fluctuating after 2016; (b) financial development levels had U-shaped impacts on the WEE of Western China, which reduced at first and then rose; (c) increasing technological innovation capabilities and trade openness had positive impacts on WEE in Western China, while urbanization level had a negative effect on WEE; and (d) an examination of robustness using two different methods showed that the test results are consistent with the above conclusions. Therefore, this study has robustness. We also put forward corresponding policy suggestions, such as increasing financial support for clean and low-carbon industries, increasing input in science and technology, vigorously developing cleaner and environmentally friendly foreign trade, and implementing a new type of urbanization strategy, to promote the WEE of Western China.

Multidimensional influencing factors of postpartum depression based on the perspective of the entire reproductive cycle: evidence from western province of China

ObjectiveChina has a serious burden of Postpartum depression (PPD). In order to improve the current situation of high burden of PPD, this study explores the factors affecting PPD from the multidimensional perspectives with physiology, family support and social support covering the full-time chain of pre-pregnancy–pregnancy–postpartum.MethodsA follow-up survey was conducted in the Qujing First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province from 2020 to 2022, and a total of 4838 pregnant women who underwent antenatal checkups in the hospital were enrolled as study subjects. Mothers were assessed for PPD using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and logistic regression was used to analyse the level of mothers’ postnatal depression and identify vulnerability characteristics.ResultsThe prevalence of mothers’ PPD was 46.05%, with a higher prevalence among those who had poor pre-pregnancy health, had sleep problems during pregnancy, and only had a single female fetus. In the family support dimension, only family care (OR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.42–0.64) and only other people care(OR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.64–0.96) were the protective factors of PPD. The experience risk of PPD was higher among mothers who did not work or use internet.ConclusionThe PPD level in Yunnan Province was significantly higher than the global and Chinese average levels. Factors affecting mothers’ PPD exist in all time stages throughout pregnancy, and the influence of family support and social support on PPD shouldn’t be ignored. There is an urgent need to extend the time chain of PPD, move its prevention and treatment forward and broaden the dimensions of its intervention.

A Hybrid Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Approach Considering Correlations Among Indicators

Considering the fuzzy and uncertainty of the evaluation information of the evaluation object, the type of indicators are expanded into five types of mixed evaluation information, namely, exact number, interval number, triangular fuzzy number, hesitant fuzzy number, and probabilistic linguistic term sets, and different types of evaluation information are adopted according to the different characteristics and types of indicators, respectively. When the evaluation information is hybrid information, the generalized Shapley function based on fuzzy measurement is used to analyze the interaction between indicators and determine the weights of indicators, considering that the interaction between indicators is more complicated. In view of the fact that the conversion of mixed information into the same kind of information will lead to the problem of complicated calculation and missing information, the VIKOR method is used to comprehensively evaluate the evaluation objects and select the best ones. Finally, the validity and feasibility of the proposed method is verified by taking the assessment of data literacy level and competence of teachers in a university in a western province of China as an example.

The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment, Green Technology Innovation and GDP on CO2 Emissions in Western China: A Static Panel Data Analysis

This study investigates the impact of FDI, green technology innovation and GDP on CO2 emissions in the western region of China. This study applies the extended STIRPAT model, selects the relevant data of nine provinces in western China from 2000 to 2019, applies the static panel data analysis method, compares and analyses the estimation methods of Pooled OLS, fixed effect and random effect, and finally adopts the robust standard error estimation method of fixed effect. The results of the robust standard error estimation indicate that, in addition to the negative impact of green technology innovation on CO2 emissions, CO2 emissions are positively impacted by FDI, GDP, population, and the proportion of the secondary and tertiary industries. Therefore, reasonable introduction of FDI and improving green technology innovation levels are crucial in reducing CO2 emissions in the western region of China.

Comparative Analysis of Virulence and Molecular Diversity of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici Isolates Collected in 2016 and 2023 in the Western Region of China.

Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is adept at overcoming resistance in wheat cultivars, through variations in virulence in the western provinces of China. To apply disease management strategies, it is essential to understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of Pst populations. This study aimed to evaluate the virulence and molecular diversity of 84 old Pst isolates, in comparison to 59 newer ones. By using 19 Chinese wheat differentials, we identified 98 pathotypes, showing virulence complexity ranging from 0 to 16. Associations between 23 Yr gene pairs showed linkage disequilibrium and have the potential for gene pyramiding. The new Pst isolates had a higher number of polymorphic alleles (1.97), while the older isolates had a slightly higher number of effective alleles, Shannon's information, and diversity. The Gansu Pst population had the highest diversity (uh = 0.35), while the Guizhou population was the least diverse. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that 94% of the observed variation occurred within Pst populations across the four provinces, while 6% was attributed to differences among populations. Overall, Pst populations displayed a higher pathotypic diversity of H > 2.5 and a genotypic diversity of 96%. This underscores the need to develop gene-pyramided cultivars to enhance the durability of resistance.

Molecular assessment of oat head blight fungus, including a new genus and species in a family of Nectriaceae

Head blight (HB) of oat (Avena sativa) has caused significant production losses in oats growing areas of western China. A total of 314 isolates, associated with HB were collected from the major oat cultivating areas of Gansu, Qinghai, and Yunnan Provinces in western China. Based on morphological characters, the isolates were initially classified into three genera, as differentiation to species was a bit difficult. Taxonomic analysis of these isolates based on muti-gene phylogenetic analyses (ITS, TEF1, TUB2, and RPB2) revealed four known Fusarium species, F. proliferatum, F. avenaceum, F. poae, and F. sibiricum, and one Acremonium specie (A. sclerotigenum). In addition, a new genus Neonalanthamala gen. nov., similar to genus Nalanthamala was introduced herein with a new combination, Neonalanthamala graminearum sp. nov., to accommodate the HB fungus. The molecular clock analyses estimated the divergence time of the Neonalanthamala and Nalanthamala based on a dataset (ITS, TUB2, RPB2), and we recognized the mean stem ages of the two genera are 98.95 Mya, which showed that they evolved from the same ancestor. N. graminearum was the most prevalent throughout the surveyed provinces. Pathogenicity test was carried out by using two different methods: seed inoculation and head inoculation. Results showed that F. sibiricum isolates were the most aggressive on the seed and head. A. sclerotigenum isolates were not pathogenic to seeds, and were developed less symptoms to the head compared to other species. Data analyses showed that the correlation of the germination potential, germination index, and dry weight of seed inoculation and disease index of plant inoculation had a highly significant negative correlation (P < 0.001). These results showed that the development of HB might be predicted by seed tests for this species. A. sclerotigenum and N. graminearum causing HB are being firstly reported on oat in the world. Similarly, F. proliferatum, F. avenaceum, F. poae and F. sibiricum causing oat HB are firstly reported in China.

Digital economy and carbon emission: The coupling effects of the economy in Qinghai region of China

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the complex relationship between the digital economy and carbon emissions, fully drawing on essential principles of environmental economics, coupled economics, and sustainable development theory. Focusing on the Qinghai region in the western province of China, the study employs highly sophisticated methods such as multiple regression analysis and system dynamics modeling to reveal the multidimensional coupling effects between digital economy development and carbon emission dynamics. The study's results clearly show that in the Qinghai region of China, the booming growth of the digital economy is related to carbon emissions. Of particular interest, the study finds that this relationship exhibits a high degree of complexity and non-linearity and evolves gradually over time. Initially, the rapid expansion of the digital economy, accompanied by high energy consumption and increased carbon emissions, posed a significant challenge to environmental protection. However, a clear inverted “U"-shaped relationship has emerged as the digital economy evolves. This key inflection point signals a shift in the landscape as the digital economy begins to deliver some ecological benefits, potentially reducing the trend of carbon emissions in the future. The findings of this study go beyond simple causality and reveal a complex and evolving dynamic relationship between the digital economy and carbon emissions. Through such insights, this study provides a solid academic foundation and carefully constructs actionable policy recommendations to drive sustainable development. These insights apply to the Qinghai region of China and provide valuable references and lessons for other areas facing similar challenges.

Environmental factors influencing the diversity and distribution of dictyostelid cellular slime molds in forest and farmland soils of western China.

Soil protists are an essential yet seriously understudied component of the soil microbiome. In this study, 11 new records of dictyostelids belonging to 2 orders, 3 families, and 4 genera were identified from 99 soil samples collected from different elevations and habitats in central Gansu and the southeastern and southcentral portions of Guizhou Province, China. We found that dictyostelid communities were significantly different between Gansu and Guizhou Provinces, apparently in response to different environmental factors. Moreover, dictyostelids were found to have the highest species diversity in mixed forests. Soil pH, temperature, and elevation were determined to be the primary factors that affect the distribution and occurrence of dictyostelids in Guizhou and Gansu Provinces. This work supplements the survey data available for dictyostelids elsewhere in China. These new findings have significant implications for our understanding of the diversity of soil microorganisms.

Incidence and related factors of antiviral drug resistance in HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women in some areas of three western provinces of China from 2017 to 2019

Objective: To analyze the incidence and related factors of drug resistance in HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women in some areas of three western provinces of China from 2017 to 2019. Methods: From April 2017 to April 2019, face-to-face questionnaires and blood sample testing were conducted in all health care institutions providing maternal and perinatal care and midwifery-assisted services in 7 prevention of mother-to-child transmissi project areas in Xinjiang, Yunnan and Guangxi provinces/autonomous regions. Information was collected during the perinatal period and viral load, CD4+T lymphocytes and drug resistance genes were detected at the same time. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between different factors and drug resistance in HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women. Results: A total of 655 HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women were included in this study. The incidence of drug resistance was 3.4% (22/655), all of whom were cross-drug resistant. The rate of low, moderate and high drug resistance was 2.1% (14/655), 1.2% (8/655) and 0.8% (5/655), respectively. The drug resistance rate in the people who had previously used antiviral drugs was 1.9% (8/418), and the drug resistance rate in the people who had not used drugs was 5.9% (14/237). The NNRTI drug resistance accounted for 2.8% (18/655) and the NRTI drug resistance rate was 2.5% (16/655). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that the risk of HIV resistance was lower in pregnant women who had previously used antiviral drugs (OR=0.32, 95%CI: 0.11-0.76). Conclusion: Strengthening the management of antiviral drug use and focusing on pregnant and postpartum women who have not previously used antiviral drugs can help reduce the occurrence of drug-resistant mutations. Personalized antiviral therapy should be considered to achieve viral inhibition effects in clinical practice.

Moringa and Spirulina: Mini Review on their use against COVID-19

The world woke up in 2020 with a new virus called coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The virus spread easily from Wuhan, a western province in China to the whole world and caused a pandemic situation. Some preventive measures such as wearing of face masks and the use of alcohol-based sanitizers have been prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). All these measures could not effectively handle the virus, and the world started to search for a new solution by using herbal medicines. This mini-review discusses the use of Moringa and spirulina to combat COVID-19.

What Are the Impacts of Urbanisation on Carbon Emissions Efficiency? Evidence from Western China

The contributions of this research are making the theoretical analysis of the impact mechanism of urbanisation on carbon emissions efficiency (CEE), and then empirically analysing the effects of urbanisation on CEE in Western China from 2010 to 2019 by applying the super-efficiency epsilon-based measure model with undesirable outputs and the Tobit model. Major findings are: (1) The mean CEE of the 11 western provinces show a trend of declining and then increasing over those 10 years, demonstrating U-shaped change characteristics. (2) The CEE of Guangxi has the most significant decrease, while the CEE of Chongqing showed only a small fluctuation; the CEE of Guizhou has the characteristic that first it rises, then descends, then rises again; the CEEs of Inner Mongolia and Yunnan have been in the production frontier surface from 2010 to 2015, and presents the trend of declining, then increasing after 2015. The CEEs of the other six western provinces present a trend of declining, then increasing. (3) Chongqing, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, and Yunnan have a high level of CEE, followed by Shaanxi, Xinjiang, Guangxi, and Guizhou, with an intermediate level of CEE, and Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai, with the lowest level of CEE. (4) The effects of urbanisation on CEE in Western China present a U-shaped relationship, meaning that the process of influence was first inhibition, then stimulation. At present, the process of urbanisation shows negative impacts on the CEE, while the tipping point has not yet arrived. The western provinces of China should follow the path of high-quality urbanisation to quickly shift the impact of urbanisation on CEE to the right side of the U-shaped curve.

Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 on Hospital Profit Compensation Activities: A Difference-in-Differences Event Study Analysis in China.

The impact of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is still being revealed, and little is known about the effect of COVID-19-induced outpatient and inpatient losses on hospital operations in many counties. Hence, we aimed to explore whether hospitals adopted profit compensation activities after the 2020 first-wave outbreak of COVID-19 in China. A total of 2,616,589 hospitalization records from 2018, 2019, and 2020 were extracted from 36 tertiary hospitals in a western province in China; we applied a difference-in-differences event study design to estimate the dynamic effect of COVID-19 on hospitalized patients' total expenses before and after the last confirmed case. We found that average total expenses for each patient increased by 8.7% to 16.7% in the first 25 weeks after the city reopened and hospital admissions returned to normal. Our findings emphasize that the increase in total inpatient expenses was mainly covered by claiming expenses from health insurance and was largely driven by an increase in the expenses for laboratory tests and medical consumables. Our study documents that there were profit compensation activities in hospitals after the 2020 first-wave outbreak of COVID-19 in China, which was driven by the loss of hospitalization admissions during this wave outbreak.

Research on the Measurement and Spatial Spillover Effects of Green Total Factor Productivity in Western Regions

Green total factor productivity emphasizes the progress of technology and the improvement of factor input efficiency. The western region is an important ecological barrier in China, and more attention should be paid to green development. Firstly, the paper selects the panel data of 12 provinces in western China from 2007 to 2020, and measures their green total factor productivity and its decomposition factors using the EBM model and GML index. Based on this, the paper selects control variables such as industrial structure, government behavior, economic development level, foreign investment and scientific research investment, and uses the spatial Durbin model to study the spillover effect of green total factor productivity in western China, it was found that the driving force of green total factor productivity in the western region to promote the economy mainly comes from the efficiency of green technology. Foreign investment has a positive effect on it, while government behavior is opposite to the level of economic development, and the industrial structure has a positive spillover effect on it, while the level of economic development is opposite. Therefore, suggestions have been put forward to improve the level of green technology, promote industrial structure upgrading, and focus on the quality of foreign investment introduction, in order to provide reference for the development of green total factor productivity in the western region.

Can Non-Subject-Based Off-Campus Training Improve Student Mental Health in the Context of the Implementation of the Double Reduction Policy? A Study Based on a Survey in 30 Counties in Six Eastern, Central, and Western Provinces of China

Mental Health of primary and secondary school students has drawn wide public attention against the backdrop of the implementation of the Double Reduction policy. This article aims to analyze the effects of non-subject-based off-campus training on student mental health based on an investigation among primary and secondary school students from 30 counties (cities, districts) in six eastern, central, and western provinces of China.

Sleep duration and testosterone levels in community older men: results from the West China Health and Aging Trend study.

Sleep duration and testosterone levels in community older men: results from the West China Health and Aging Trend study.

Using the Sustainable Development Capacity of Key Counties to Guide Rural Revitalization in China.

Counties are the basic unit for addressing unbalanced development in a region, revitalizing rural areas, and promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. Despite the importance of county-level research, few studies have been conducted research at such a small scale. To address this gap in knowledge, this study constructs an evaluation system to measure the county sustainable development capacity (CSDC) of counties in China, identify constraints to development, and provide policy suggestions to promote the counties' long-term stable development. Specifically, the CSDC indicator system was based on the regional theory of sustainable development and included economic aggregation capacity, social development capacity, and environmental carrying capacity. This framework was applied to 103 key counties to receive assistance in pursuing rural revitalization in 10 provinces in western China. The AHP-Entropy Weighting Method and TOPSIS model were employed to inform the scores of CSDC and its secondary indicators, and ArcGIS 10.8 was used to portray the spatial distribution of CSDC and to classify these key counties into categories that guided specific policy recommendations. The results demonstrate a high degree of unbalanced and inadequate development in these counties and that rural revitalization efforts can be targeted to increase the speed of development. It is crucial to follow the recommendations that conclude this paper to promote sustainable development in areas that have been lifted out of poverty and to revive rural areas.