Natural capital accounting of land resources based on ecological footprint and ecosystem services value.

Land resources are the material basis for human survival and development. Rapid economic development in the past has resulted in the over-utilization of land, and the undervaluation of land in market transactions has further exacerbated the loss of land benefits. This calls for monitoring the quantity and quality of land and reversing the undervaluation of land to reduce the waste of land resources. Based on this, a scientific natural capital accounting system of land resources should be established to understand the quantity and value of land resources in time. In order to provide a comprehensive evaluation of land utilization, this paper introduces the idea of compiling the land resources balance sheet. First, the physical quantity of land is calculated through the ecological footprint method improved by net primary productivity. Second, the value quantity of land is calculated through the equivalent factor method which is improved by the biologically productive land area obtained above, and then using ArcGIS to further demonstrate spatial and temporal changes in land resources. Taking the relevant data of Chongqing from 2000 to 2020 as an example, the land status is comprehensively evaluated from multiple perspectives, including quantity, value and spatial distribution. The results show that: (1) Under the dual impact of changes in the physical quantity and the unit price of land, the value quantity of land assets and equity in Chongqing realized 5.9 times and 5.1 times growth respectively during the study period. (2) Grassland was the most productive land type in Chongqing. Over a long time period, Chongqing prioritized the development of animal husbandry, placing too much emphasis on the production function of grassland and neglecting ecological protection, which was caused by an imbalance in the pasture area. In 2020, grassland utilization exceeded 40.9 % of the carrying capacity. (3) The value quantity of land in Chongqing existed in a spatial distribution pattern that was high in the southeast and northeast and low in the center and west, and there was a great imbalance in its growth rate among regions. The research results are helpful to the rational utilization and standardized transaction of land resources in Chongqing, and provide references for the inclusion of land resources in the management of state-owned assets.

Development of multidimensional water poverty in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China.

As a basic natural and strategic resource, water is of great significance to the sustainable development of economies and societies. Owing to population growth, industrialization, the acceleration of urbanization, and global warming, water poverty is gradually increasing in some parts of the world. Effectively assessing water poverty from different dimensions is still a serious challenge for global water resources planning. This paper establishes a framework of multidimensional water poverty (MWP) from six dimensions: water management, water technology, water assets, water welfare, water resources, and water environment. The measurement model of MWP is built based on the Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), and the Spatial Correlation Analysis tool is used to visualize the spatial effects of MWP. The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) was used as a case study and the main factors affecting the MWP of the YREB were determined by the Geodetector. When analyzing the results the following observations were made: (1) In terms of time distribution, the level of MWP in the YREB has gradually increased, and the poverty gap between the upper reaches, as well as the middle and lower reaches, shows an increasing trend. (2) With respect to spatial distribution, there is a continuously increasing agglomeration effect that shows a gradient-increasing distribution pattern of "West-Central-East." (3) The MWP in the YREB is mainly affected by these indicators in the three dimensions consisting of water resources, water technology, and water management. Specifically, R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, the proportion of water-saving irrigation area in the cultivable land area, the urban daily wastewater treatment capacity, the land surface water resources per capita, and the groundwater resources per capita play an important role in the MWP. Based on the above findings, targeted policy recommendations are proposed to alleviate the MWP in the YREB.

CFD-assisted modeling of the hydrodynamic cavitation reactors for wastewater treatment - A review.

Hydrodynamic cavitation has been a promising method and technology in wastewater treatment, while the principles based on the design of cavitational reactors to optimize cavitation yield and performance remains lacking. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), a supplementation of experimental optimization, has become an essential tool for this issue, owing to the merits of low investment and operating costs. Nevertheless, researchers with a non-engineering background or few CFD fundamentals used straightforward numerical strategies to treat cavitating flows, and this might result in many misinterpretations and consequently poor computations. This review paper presents the rationale behind hydrodynamic cavitation and application of cavitation modeling specific to the reactors in wastewater treatment. In particular, the mathematical models of multiphase flow simulation, including turbulence closures and cavitation models, are comprehensively described, whilst the advantages and shortcomings of each model are also identified and discussed. Examples and methods of the coupling of CFD technology, with experimental observations to investigate into the hydrodynamic behavior of cavitating devices that feature linear and swirling flows, are also critically summarized. Modeling issues, which remain unaddressed, i.e., the implementation strategies of numerical models, and the definition of cavitation numbers are identified and discussed. Finally, the advantages of CFD modeling are discussed and the future of CFD applications in this research area is also outlined. It is expected that the present paper would provide decision-making support for CFD beginners to efficiently perform CFD modeling and promote the advancement of cavitation simulation of reactors in the field of wastewater treatment.

Spatial-temporal variation and driving factors decomposition of agricultural grey water footprint in China.

The management of agricultural water pollution is crucial to alleviate the water crisis and promote regional sustainable development. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of the agricultural grey water footprint (GWF) and accurately identify its main influencing factors, aiming at formulating differentiated regional management strategies. Based on this, the agricultural GWFs of 31 provincial regions in China from 2011 to 2019 were firstly calculated, and then the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of agricultural GWF were analyzed using the ArcGIS software and Standard Deviational Ellipse (SDE) method. Finally, the Generalized Divisia Index Method (GDIM) was creatively introduced to decompose the factors of agricultural GWF change and their respective contributions at the national and provincial levels. The main results are as follow: (1) Agricultural GWF in China decreased on the whole and showed significant provincial differences. Among them, the agricultural GWF of Henan Province was the largest while that of Shanghai City was the smallest. Compared with 2011, most provinces saw a decrease in agricultural GWF in 2019 while Yunnan, Tibet, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang Provinces achieved growth. (2) Areas with higher agricultural GDP generally had higher agricultural GWF. The spatial distribution of agricultural GWF and breeding GWF generally tended to be consistent, with the lower value in northwest and southeast of China and higher value in the northeast and southwest of China. Meanwhile, the mean center of SDE of agricultural GWF was located in Henan Province from 2011 to 2018, and shifted to Shaanxi Province in 2019, showing a slight northwest shift. (3) Agricultural GWF intensity and agricultural GDP had the largest restraining effect and driving effect on agricultural GWF growth, respectively. Additionally, China has achieved decoupling between agricultural GWF and agricultural GDP, reflecting that the patterns of agricultural production and consumption have become more sustainable. The findings of this study can provide important decision-making insights for agricultural water pollution management and industry adjustment.

The influence of carbon emission disclosure on enterprise value under ownership heterogeneity: evidence from the heavily polluting corporations.

Under the background that China puts forth the goals of "Emission Peak" and "Carbon Neutrality", heavily polluting corporations as the main source of carbon emissions, whether the restriction of carbon emission disclosure could promote the transformation and upgrading of heavily polluting corporations to raise their value, is a problem worthy of in-depth study. This paper selected listed companies in heavily pollution industries from 2009 to 2019 as the research samples, and analyzed the impact of carbon emission disclosure on short-term and long-term performance based on the perspective of ownership structure heterogeneity. This paper also discussed the moderating effect of carbon emission disclosure on state-owned enterprises and private enterprises taking into account government environmental regulations, media evaluation, and corporate image management based on the Gatekeeper Theory. Firstly, this paper found that in the short term, the improvement of carbon emission disclosure level will inhibit the value growth of enterprises in the initial stage, but will promote the value growth to a certain extent. In the long run, carbon emission disclosure plays a positive role in promoting enterprise value. Secondly, the government environmental regulation, media evaluation, and corporate image management produced different moderating effects under the difference in ownership structure. For state-owned enterprises, the higher the level of government environmental regulations and media evaluation, the more significant is the short-term and long-term value effect. While the higher the level of corporate image management, the more significant is the short-term value effect, however, the long-term value effect is not significant. For private enterprises, government environmental regulations, media evaluation, and corporate image management have no significant moderating effects. Based on the above findings, this paper presents countermeasures and suggestions for the high-quality development of enterprises from the perspectives of government management and enterprise operations.

Research on supporting mechanism of ancillary service of PV system to grid energy efficiency based on multi-time and space-time operation.

Under the background of high-energy penetration of new energy into the power grid, this paper takes the ancillary service capability of photovoltaic energy integrated into the grid as the starting point and builds a photovoltaic system reactive power service impact evaluation model on the grid energy efficiency. This is based on the multi-temporal and spatial scale operation mode, in order to study the supporting principles of photovoltaic system reactive power services on the energy efficiency of grid operation and the law of influence on system energy efficiency changes. In this way, the space for power system energy efficiency improvement and the reactive power service market value of renewable energy are explored to improve the renewable energy auxiliary services participation in the theoretical system of electric power spot market transactions. The research conclusions can provide a decision-making reference for system dynamic energy efficiency management and can assist relevant market entities to make optimal decisions in spot market transactions, and provide empirical data for improving the theory of renewable energy participation in auxiliary service market transactions.

Elucidating competing strategic behaviors using prospect theory, system dynamics, and evolutionary game: a case of transjurisdictional water pollution problem in China.

Water is a critical natural resource for socio-economic and environmental systems. In transjurisdictional river basins, when basin-wide water pollution management scheme is absent, stakeholders tend to adopt utility-maximizing behavior based on incomplete information. Such a scenario could lead to a free-riding problem. This paper attempts to elucidate the strategic behavior of riparian regions using prospect theory, evolutionary game, and system dynamics. The evolution of riparian regions' strategic behaviors is explained, and the impacts of different factors on their strategic selections are simulated. The results showed that the prospective value of factors and stakeholders' attitude to risk are a key for resolving transjurisdictional river water pollution problems. Improving the subjective judgment of the probability of water pollution, raising awareness, strengthening the penalties in "polluter pays" schemes, abandoning segmented river basin management, and building a basin-wide water management system are vital for maintaining the ecological integrity of any transjurisdictional river basin and accelerate the sustainable development of its riparian regions.

Blood Pressure Control and the Association With Diabetes Mellitus Incidence: Results From SPRINT Randomized Trial.

The SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) demonstrated reduced cardiovascular outcomes. We evaluated diabetes mellitus incidence in this randomized trial that compared intensive blood pressure strategy (systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg) versus standard strategy (<140 mm Hg). Participants were ≥50 years of age, with systolic 130 to 180 mm Hg and increased cardiovascular risk. Participants were excluded if they had diabetes mellitus, polycystic kidney disease, proteinuria >1 g/d, heart failure, dementia, or stroke. Postrandomization exclusions included participants missing blood glucose or ≥126 mg/dL (6.99 mmol/L) or on hypoglycemics. The outcome was incident diabetes mellitus: fasting blood glucose ≥126 mg/dL (6.99 mmol/L), diabetes mellitus self-report, or new use of hypoglycemics. The secondary outcome was impaired fasting glucose (100-125 mg/dL [5.55-6.94 mmol/L]) among those with normoglycemia (<100 mg/dL [5.55 mmol/L]). There were 9361 participants randomized and 981 excluded, yielding 4187 and 4193 participants assigned to intensive and standard strategies. There were 299 incident diabetes mellitus events (2.3% per year) for intensive and 251 events (1.9% per year) for standard, rates of 22.6 (20.2-25.3) versus 19.0 (16.8-21.5) events per 1000 person-years of treatment, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.19 [95% CI, 0.95-1.49]). Impaired fasting glucose rates were 26.4 (24.9-28.0) and 22.5 (21.1-24.1) per 100 person-years for intensive and standard strategies (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.17 [1.06-1.30]). Intensive treatment strategy was not associated with increased diabetes mellitus but was associated with more impaired fasting glucose. The risks and benefits of intensive blood pressure targets should be factored into individualized patient treatment goals. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01206062.

The impact of central IRB's on informed consent readability and trial adherence in SPRINT.

BACKGROUND: Federal agencies have encouraged the use of central institutional review boards (CIRBs) for multi-site clinical trials. There is limited evidence supporting the use of CIRBs. Our aim is to evaluate how SPRINT sites regulated by CIRBs performed regarding informed consent readability and participant trial adherence compared to those regulated by local IRBs. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study using the SPRINT clinical trial. We collected the IRB of record from the stamped and approved 2012 informed consents from each of the sites. We defined CIRB as an IRB for more than one SPRINT site. Our outcomes were informed consent readability measured using the Flesch-Kincaid readability scale and trial adherence defined as a loss to follow-up, consent withdrawal, and missed last 3-month visit. RESULTS: Sixty-one percent of all SPRINT sites used a CIRB as their IRB of record. The adjusted mean grade reading level for CIRB consents was 13.4 (95% CI 12.6-13.8) compared to 12.3 (95% CI 12.1-13.1) for non CIRB consents (p = 0.07). CIRB sites had similar rates of withdrawal of consent and loss to follow-up as non-CIRB sites; subjects missing the last appointment of the study were more likely to come from sites regulated by a CIRB. The Veterans Affairs CIRB had the lowest rate of withdrawal of consent (1.9%) and the lowest rate of missed appointments (1.9%) among CIRBs. CONCLUSIONS: Niether CIRB-regulated sites nor IRB regulated sites enforce the recommended readability level of the informed consent documents. Sites regulated by both IRBs had similar participant trial adherence.

Adapting an Early Palliative Care Intervention to Family Caregivers of Persons With Advanced Cancer in the Rural Deep South: A Qualitative Formative Evaluation.

CONTEXT: There is a scarcity of early palliative care interventions to support family caregivers of persons with advanced cancer living in the rural Southern U.S. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to adapt the content, format, and delivery of a six session, palliative care, telehealth intervention with monthly follow-up for rural family caregivers to enhance their own self-care and caregiving skills. METHODS: Qualitative formative evaluation consisting of one-on-one, semistructured interviews with rural-dwelling persons with metastatic cancer (n = 18), their primary family caregiver (n = 20), and lay patient navigators (n = 26) were conducted to elicit feedback on a family caregiver intervention outline based on published evidence-based interventions. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Coinvestigators reviewed and refined preliminary themes. RESULTS: Participants recommended that intervention topical content be flexible and has an adaptable format based on continuous needs assessment. Sessions should be 20 minutes long at minimum, and additional sessions should be offered if requested. Faith and spirituality is essential to address but should not be an overarching intervention theme. Content needs to be communicated in simple language. Intervention delivery via telephone is acceptable, but face-to-face contact is desired to establish relationships. Other Internet-based technologies (e.g., video-conferencing) could be helpful, but many rural dwellers may not be technology savvy or have Internet access. Most lay navigators believed they could lead the intervention with additional training, protocols for professional referral, and supervision by specialty-trained palliative care clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: A potentially scalable palliative care intervention is being adapted for family caregivers of rural-dwelling persons with advanced cancer and will undergo piloting in a small-scale randomized controlled trial.

Effect of Intensive Blood-Pressure Treatment on Patient-Reported Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The previously published results of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial showed that among participants with hypertension and an increased cardiovascular risk, but without diabetes, the rates of cardiovascular events were lower among those who were assigned to a target systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg (intensive treatment) than among those who were assigned to a target of less than 140 mm Hg (standard treatment). Whether such intensive treatment affected patient-reported outcomes was uncertain; those results from the trial are reported here. METHODS: We randomly assigned 9361 participants with hypertension to a systolic blood-pressure target of less than 120 mm Hg or a target of less than 140 mm Hg. Patient-reported outcome measures included the scores on the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey, the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item depression scale (PHQ-9), patient-reported satisfaction with their blood-pressure care and blood-pressure medications, and adherence to blood-pressure medications. We compared the scores in the intensive-treatment group with those in the standard-treatment group among all participants and among participants stratified according to physical and cognitive function. RESULTS: Participants who received intensive treatment received an average of one additional antihypertensive medication, and the systolic blood pressure was 14.8 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 14.3 to 15.4) lower in the group that received intensive treatment than in the group that received standard treatment. Mean PCS, MCS, and PHQ-9 scores were relatively stable over a median of 3 years of follow-up, with no significant differences between the two treatment groups. No significant differences between the treatment groups were noted when participants were stratified according to baseline measures of physical or cognitive function. Satisfaction with blood-pressure care was high in both treatment groups, and we found no significant difference in adherence to blood-pressure medications. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported outcomes among participants who received intensive treatment, which targeted a systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg, were similar to those among participants who received standard treatment, including among participants with decreased physical or cognitive function. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; SPRINT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01206062 .).

Recruitment strategies and challenges in a large intervention trial: Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.

BACKGROUND: The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial is a multicenter, randomized clinical trial of 9361 participants with hypertension who are ≥50 years old. The trial is designed to evaluate the effect of intensive systolic blood pressure control (systolic blood pressure goal <120 mm Hg) compared to standard control (systolic blood pressure goal <140 mm Hg) on cardiovascular events using commonly prescribed antihypertensive medications and lifestyle modification. OBJECTIVE: To describe the recruitment strategies and lessons learned during recruitment of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial cohort and five targeted participant subgroups: pre-existing cardiovascular disease, pre-existing chronic kidney disease, age ≥75 years, women, and minorities. METHODS: In collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Project Office and Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial Coordinating Center, five Clinical Center Networks oversaw clinical site selection, recruitment, and trial activities. Recruitment began on 8 November 2010 and ended on 15 March 2013 (about 28 months). Various recruitment strategies were used, including mass mailing, brochures, referrals from healthcare providers or friends, posters, newspaper ads, radio ads, and electronic medical record searches. RESULTS: Recruitment was scheduled to last 24 months to enroll a target of 9250 participants; in just over 28 months, the trial enrolled 9361 participants. The trial screened 14,692 volunteers, with 33% of initial screens originating from the use of mass mailing lists. Screening results show that participants also responded to recruitment efforts through referral by Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial staff, healthcare providers, or friends (45%); brochures or posters placed in clinic waiting areas (15%); and television, radio, newspaper, Internet ads, or toll-free numbers (8%). The overall recruitment yield (number randomized/number screened) was 64% (9361 randomized/14,692 screened), 77% for those with cardiovascular disease, 79% for those with chronic kidney disease, 70% for those aged ≥75 years, 55% for women, and 61% for minorities. As recruitment was observed to lag behind expectations, additional clinics were included and inclusion criteria were broadened, keeping event rates and trial power in mind. As overall recruitment improved, a greater focus on subgroup recruitment was implemented. CONCLUSION: Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial met its overall projected recruitment goal using diverse, locally adapted enrollment strategies to specifically target persons with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, ≥75 years old, women, and minority subgroups. The trial exceeded its recruitment goal for minorities but found it a challenge to meet the competing demands of the targeted goals for recruiting into the remaining four subgroups. Important lessons include the imperative to monitor the recruitment process carefully, decide early to add new clinics or modify inclusion and exclusion criteria if recruitment lags, and consider limiting enrollment to subgroups only. We found benefit in using multiple recruitment sources simultaneously; mass mailing produced the largest number of participants, but referrals resulted in the greater randomization yield.