The landscape of gentrification: exploring the diversity of “upgrading” processes in Hong Kong, 1986–2006

<div><p>In the late twentieth century, Hong Kong experienced a transformation from an industrial to a specialized services and high-tech economy. Accompanying this shift, extensive local redevelopment has fundamentally altered the physical and social characteristics of the city. This analysis explores the physical and social transformation of Hong Kong from 1986 to 2006, examining the diversity of gentrification processes. The specific questions focus on: (1) How extensive are gentrification processes operating within Hong Kong? and (2) What is the role of new-builds in facilitating displacement? Principal component analysis and K-means clustering are used to identify areas within Hong Kong that are experiencing physical and social upgrading. From the quantitative analysis, three neighborhoods—Kennedy Town, Tiu Keng Leng, and Yuen Long—are selected for a qualitative study into the complexity and the diversity of capital reinvestment, social conflict, and displacement.</p></div

Controllable and Directional Transportation of Bubbles on Asymmetric Hexagonal Cage Substrate in Aqueous Environment

Controllable and directional bubble transport is usually the critical step in applications involving bubbles. However, current bubble transport strategies either are limited in controllability and transport distance or require the assistance of a specific external field. Here, we propose a strategy for bubble transport in an asymmetric hexagonal cage (ASHC), which works smoothly even under antibuoyancy conditions. The transport efficiency of bubbles can be greatly improved by adjusting the structural parameters of the cage. The control of the bubble depends only on the change of the bubble’s volume, so there is no strict restriction on the driving force, which can be pressure, photothermal, electrothermal, and even acoustic-thermal forces. Moreover, we demonstrate that long-distance transport and controllable merging of bubbles can be easily achieved by cascading multistage ASHC structures. This investigation offers a simple, low-cost, extensible, and versatile construction for bubble transport for fundamental research and practical applications

Controllable and Directional Transportation of Bubbles on Asymmetric Hexagonal Cage Substrate in Aqueous Environment

Controllable and directional bubble transport is usually the critical step in applications involving bubbles. However, current bubble transport strategies either are limited in controllability and transport distance or require the assistance of a specific external field. Here, we propose a strategy for bubble transport in an asymmetric hexagonal cage (ASHC), which works smoothly even under antibuoyancy conditions. The transport efficiency of bubbles can be greatly improved by adjusting the structural parameters of the cage. The control of the bubble depends only on the change of the bubble’s volume, so there is no strict restriction on the driving force, which can be pressure, photothermal, electrothermal, and even acoustic-thermal forces. Moreover, we demonstrate that long-distance transport and controllable merging of bubbles can be easily achieved by cascading multistage ASHC structures. This investigation offers a simple, low-cost, extensible, and versatile construction for bubble transport for fundamental research and practical applications

Lorenz curve and the Gini index.

<p>The value of the Gini index equals the area of the shaded gray region.</p

Urbanization rate and Gini index in China from 1978 to 2014.

<p>Fig 2A shows the time series in levels. Fig 2B shows the first differences of log-transformed data.</p

Correlogram for the first differences of the log-transformed Gini index series.

<p>ACF: autocorrelation function; PACF: partial autocorrelation function.</p

Urbanization and Income Inequality in Post-Reform China: A Causal Analysis Based on Time Series Data

<div><p>This paper investigates the potential causal relationship(s) between China’s urbanization and income inequality since the start of the economic reform. Based on the economic theory of urbanization and income distribution, we analyze the annual time series of China’s urbanization rate and Gini index from 1978 to 2014. The results show that urbanization has an immediate alleviating effect on income inequality, as indicated by the negative relationship between the two time series at the same year (lag = 0). However, urbanization also seems to have a lagged aggravating effect on income inequality, as indicated by positive relationship between urbanization and the Gini index series at lag 1. Although the link between urbanization and income inequality is not surprising, the lagged aggravating effect of urbanization on the Gini index challenges the popular belief that urbanization in post-reform China generally helps reduce income inequality. At deeper levels, our results suggest an urgent need to focus on the social dimension of urbanization as China transitions to the next stage of modernization. Comprehensive social reforms must be prioritized to avoid a long-term economic dichotomy and permanent social segregation.</p></div

Electrical actuation of single-crystal diamond MEMS resonators at high temperatures

Achieving efficient low-voltage actuation of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) resonators in high-temperature environments poses a difficult topic due to the thermal interference and the risk of high-temperature failure. In this work, the single-crystal diamond (SCD) resonators fabricated through the ion implantation-assisted lift-off (IAL) technique exhibit a SCD-on-SCD cantilever structure. We propose an electrical actuation system based on the electrostatic effect specifically designed for SCD MEMS resonators with a low radio-frequency amplitude of ∼ 100 mV. The SCD resonators demonstrate stable and efficient actuation across a wide temperature range, from room temperature to 500 °C. Importantly, the actuation voltage exhibits little impact on the resonance frequency and the Q factor of the resonator. The SCD resonator showcases exceptional thermal stability in resonance frequency, with a low temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) below −12 ppm/°C up to 500 °C. The developed actuation scheme holds tremendous potential as a robust platform for realizing SCD MEMS devices, particularly in applications requiring high integration at high temperatures. An electrical actuation system harnessing the electrostatic effect is showcased for SCD MEMS resonators. In this setup, the electrode on the resonator is grounded, while the electrode on the SCD substrate, connected to an RF signal, is utilized to actuate the motion of the resonator. Notably, the SCD resonators exhibit reliable and efficient actuation across a wide temperature range, from room temperature to 500 °C.</p

Summary of AR(1) estimates.

<p>Summary of AR(1) estimates.</p

Impulse response functions with 90% intervals.

<p>^a Using Gini index estimates by Cheng (2010) (Years: 1981–2004). ^b Using Gini index estimates by Wu and Perloff (2006) (Years: 1985–2001).</p