Energy Market Integration and Economic Convergence: Implications for East Asia

Energy Market Integration (EMI) has been pursued by East Asian countries in recent years, but how it could play a role in facilitating economic growth of countries in the region remains to be an empirical question. This paper uses the economic convergence analysis (including both the σ-convergence and β-convergence approaches) to examine the impact of EMI - measured by two newly constructed indexes (namely, the energy trade index and the energy market competition index) - at the country level, on dynamic economic growth path across countries, with a special interest to inform policy makings related to promoting EMI among East Asian countries. The result shows that a more integrated energy market may significantly reduce income disparity across countries and thus help poor countries to catch up with rich countries in economic development. Moreover, a comparison among the three regions including EU, NAFTA and EAS shows that EAS countries are more likely to achieve economic convergence along with the construction of EMI process. An important policy implication is that less developed countries in the EAS region can increase benefits from actively participating into the EMI process.

Research on Transforming Capability of Economic System and Its Impact on Urban Competitiveness

With rapid development of Internet, ICT-drive forces for stimulating productivity and economic growth are becoming hot issues nowadays. Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an and Kuming are representatives of advanced productivity in Southwest China. Digitalization of economic system in these cities has raised a topic of great importance regarding transforming capabilities on Internet. To accelerate transforming and to foster sustainable growth, the research moves beyond ICT adoption to explore internal factors to speed up transforming in economic systems of the four cities. Evaluation Framework of Transforming Capabilities (EFTC) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Model (FCEM) are proposed, and empirical data of the observing cities’ during 2010-2015 has been collected. We further our research to the extent of internal regional economic system, and try to identify common factors in transforming based on industrial theory. Our research yields four findings. 1) Transforming capabilities range slightly in growth poles in South-west China; 2) New growth poles are shaping when economic society transforming on Internet; 3) Regions will face increasing pressure to develop on Internet;4) Internal industrial structure has dominant impact on transforming capabilities. Finally, we offer recommendations regarding accelerating economic system transforming on Internet

Operation of a sequencing batch reactor for cultivating autotrophic nitrifying granules

The granulation of nitrifying sludge in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with NH4 +-N-laden inorganic wastewater was investigated. After 120-day operation spherical and elliptical granules with an average diameter of 0.32 mm were observed. The hydrophobicity surface, settling velocity and specific gravity of the matured granules increased with the processing of sludge granulation. Spatial distribution of bacterial species within the autotrophic granules was analyzed with fluorescence in situ hybridization. Both ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria were observed in the granular sludge. The Michaelis-Menten equation was used to describe their NH4 +-N utilization rate, and the kinetic coefficients were calculated to be vm = 18.0 mg/g-VSS/h and Km = 36.7 mg/l. Taking into account the NH4 +-N utilization rate and removal efficiency together, an NH4 +-N concentration range of 100-250 mg/l was found to be favourable for the operation of the SBR to cultivate nitrifying granules. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin