Effect of different drying processes on the protein degradation and sensory quality of Layú: a Chinese dry-curing grass carp

Five different drying methods, sun drying, intermittent drying, low-temperature drying at 5°C, low-temperature drying at 15°C, and hot-air drying at 45°C, were comparatively evaluated based on physicochemical properties and sensory properties of dry-cured Layú. Sun drying and intermittent drying Layú showed superior sensory qualities compared with other dried samples. Based on the comprehensive comparison of sensory qualities and safety concerns, intermittent drying Layú was more acceptable compared to other dry-cured Layú and thus was recommended for dry-curing fish products as it could shorten the drying time with relative constant drying rate, increased flavor amino acid content, and fewer safety concerns

Research on system of ultra-flat carrying robot based on improved PSO algorithm

Ultra-flat carrying robots (UCR) are used to carry soft targets for functional safety road tests of intelligent driving vehicles and should have superior control performance. For the sake of analyzing and upgrading the motion control performance of the ultra-flat carrying robot, this paper develops the mathematical model of its motion control system on the basis of the test data and the system identification method. Aiming at ameliorating the defects of the standard particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, namely, low accuracy, being susceptible to being caught in a local optimum, and slow convergence when dealing with the parameter identification problems of complex systems, this paper proposes a refined PSO algorithm with inertia weight cosine adjustment and introduction of natural selection principle (IWCNS-PSO), and verifies the superiority of the algorithm by test functions. Based on the IWCNS-PSO algorithm, the identification of transfer functions in the motion control system of the ultra-flat carrying robot was completed. In comparison with the identification results of the standard PSO and linear decreasing inertia weight (LDIW)-PSO algorithms, it indicated that the IWCNS-PSO has the optimal performance, with the number of iterations it takes to reach convergence being only 95 and the fitness value being only 0.117. The interactive simulation model was constructed in MATLAB/Simulink, and the critical proportioning method and the IWCNS-PSO algorithm were employed respectively to complete the tuning and optimization of the Proportional-Integral (PI) controller parameters. The results of simulation indicated that the PI parameters optimized by the IWCNS-PSO algorithm reduce the adjustment time to 7.99 s and the overshoot to 13.41% of the system, and the system is significantly improved with regard to the control performance, which basically meets the performance requirements of speed, stability, and accuracy for the control system. In conclusion, the IWCNS-PSO algorithm presented in this paper represents an efficient system identification method, as well as a system optimization method

Forty years of reform and opening up:China’s progress toward a sustainable path

After 40 years of reform and “opening up,” China has made remarkable economic progress. Such economic prosperity, however, has been coupled with environmental degradation. We analyze diverse long-term data to determine whether China is experiencing a decoupling of economic growth and environmental impacts, and where China stands with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of reducing regional division, urban-rural gap, social inequality, and land-based impacts on oceans. The results highlight that China’s desire to achieve “ecological civilization” has resulted in a decoupling trend for major pollutants since 2015, while strong coupling remains with CO2 emissions. Progress has been made in health care provision, poverty reduction, and gender equity in education, while income disparity continues between regions and with rural-urban populations. There is a considerable way to go toward achieving delivery of the SDGs; however, China’s progress toward economic prosperity and concomitant sustainability provides important insights for other countries

Electricity portfolio innovation for energy security: the case of carbon constrained China

China’s energy sector is under pressure to achieve secure and affordable supply and a clear decarbonisation path. We examine the longitudinal trajectory of the Chinese electricity supply security and model the near future supply security based on the 12th 5 year plan. Our deterministic approach combines Shannon-Wiener, Herfindahl-Hirschman and electricity import dependence indices for supply security appraisal. We find that electricity portfolio innovation allows China to provide secure energy supply despite increasing import dependence. It is argued that long-term aggressive deployment of renewable energy will unblock China’s coal-biased technological lock-in and increase supply security in all fronts. However, reduced supply diversity in China during the 1990s will not recover until after 2020s due to the long-term coal lock-in that can threaten to hold China’s back from realising its full potential

Modelling the Spatial Expansion of Green Manure Considering Land Productivity and Implementing Strategies

In modern sustainable agriculture, green manuring is increasingly emphasized for a reasonable land use management. However, the expansion of green manure is affected by a range of factors, such as soil geophysical properties and human intervention. This paper proposes an approach of spatial modelling to understand the mechanisms that influence green manure expansion and map the future distribution of green manure intercropped in the orchards in the Pinggu District, Beijing, China. We firstly classified the orchards into five grades according to a land productivity evaluation, and then considered two strategies for implementing green manure. Two scenarios were designed to represent the strategies: prioritizing low-productivity orchards to promote green manure intercropping (scenario 1) and prioritizing high-productivity orchards to promote green manure intercropping (scenario 2). The spatial expansion of green manure for 2020 was simulated at a resolution of a 100 × 100 m grid in the CLUE-S (the Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at the Small Region Extent) model. The two strategies led to quite different spatial patterns of green manure, although they were applied to the same areas. As a result, the spatial pattern of green manuring of scenario 1 was more concentrated than that of scenario 2. To summarize, the modelled outcomes identified the driving factors that affect green manure expansion at a grid scale, whereas the implementing strategies directly determined the spatial arrangements of green manuring at a regional scale. Therefore, we argue that the assessment of the driving factors and the prediction of the future distribution of green manuring are crucial for informing an extensive use of green manure