Response of Rice Harvest Index to Different Water and Nitrogen Management Modes in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China

Understanding the methods leading to rice yield increase is vital for sustainable agricultural development. Improving the harvest index (HI) is an important way to increase rice yield. To explore the effects of different water and nitrogen management modes on the rice HI in the black soil region of Northeast China, a field experiment was conducted in 2019 (Y1) and 2020 (Y2). Two irrigation methods, conventional flooding irrigation (FI) and controlled irrigation (CI), were established in the experiment, and four nitrogen application levels (0 kg/ha, 85 kg/ha, 110 kg/ha, and 135 kg/ha) were set during the entire growth period, named N0, N1, N2, and N3. The dry matter weight and the rice yield at the maturity stage were determined, and the HI was then calculated. The results showed that different irrigation modes and nitrogen application levels had significant effects on the rice HI. Under different irrigation modes with the same nitrogen application level during the two years, the comparison regular of HI was consistent. In Y1 and Y2, the HI of FN0 was 3.36% and 5.02% higher than that of CN0 (p < 0.05), and the HI of CN1 was 0.31% and 2.43% higher than that of FN1 (p > 0.05). The HI under CI was significantly higher than that under FI under N2 and N3 (p < 0.05), the HI of CN2 was 4.21% and 4.97% higher than that of FN2, and the HI of FN3 was 13.12% and 20.34% higher than that of CN3. In addition, during the two-year experiment, the HI first increased and then decreased with an increase in the nitrogen application rate under FI and CI. Under the FI treatments, the HI of N1 was the highest, and that of N2 was the highest under the CI treatments. A variance analysis showed that the irrigation pattern and nitrogen application level had significant interactions on the rice HI (p < 0.01), and the appropriate water and N management mode could increase rice the HI by 26.89%. The experimental results showed that the HI of the 110 kg/ha nitrogen application rate under CI was the highest, reaching 0.574 and 0.572, respectively, in two years. This study provides a data reference and theoretical support for realizing water savings, nitrogen reduction, and sustainable agricultural development in the black soil region of Northeast China.

Straw Mulching with Minimum Tillage Is the Best Method Suitable for Straw Application under Mechanical Grain Harvesting

Mechanical grain harvesting is a crop production development direction. However, the residue management methods suitable for mechanical grain harvesting have been not established. In order to study the effect of residue management modes on maize yield formation and explore the best residue management methods for mechanical grain harvesting, four crop field surveys were carried out in Southwest China. Crops were mechanically harvested, and the residues were shredded and returned to the field using various straw application methods including straw deep burial with plowing (SDBP), straw shallow burial with rotary tillage (SSBRT), and straw mulching with minimum tillage (SMMT). The first-season rape residues were returned to the field, and the second-season maize yield under SDBP and SSBRT was significantly higher than that under SMMT. However, with the increase in rounds of residue application, compared with SDBP and SSBRT, SMMT continuously increased the soil moisture content in the 0–30 cm soil layer at the early stage of maize growth, increased the soil alkaline-hydrolyzed nitrogen content in the 0–20 cm and 40–60 cm layers, and reduced the soil compaction under 40 cm layer, which were more conducive to the root system growth. Maize yield with the SMMT increased by 5.4% compared with that of the previous season, while the yields with SDBP and SSBRT decreased by 16.7% and 12.7%, respectively, compared with those of the previous season. In conclusion, it is recommended to employ the SMMT method during crop mechanical harvesting, which is of great significance to improve soil quality and increase maize grain yield.

Relationship betwwn Interpersonal Distress and Interpersonal Conflict Management Modes among College Students

Objective To explore the status of college students' interpersonal conflict management modes and interpersonal distress, and analyze the impact of interpersonal conflict management modes on college students' interpersonal distress. Methods 471 college students in Guangdong Province were randomly selected through Internet recruitment. They were investigated with Interpersonal Comprehensive Diagnostic Scale for College Students (ICDS) and Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (MODE). Results ⑴ The total score of ICDS was (13.49±3.41); The scores of competition, cooperation, compromise, avoidance and accommodation were (7.83±1.40), (6.06±1.58), (6.59±1.37), (5.18±1.25) and (5.67 ±0.94), respectively. (2) There was a significant correlation between the score of each dimension of MODE and the total score of ICDS and the scores of following three dimensions of conversation, making friends and dealing with people (|r| =.175 to .483, all P <. 01). ⑶ The results of multivariate stepwise linear regression showed that competition, avoidance and accommodation were positively correlated with the total score of ICDS（β= . 483, . 461, . 175, all P <. 01), and cooperation and compromise were negatively correlated with the total score of ICDS (β=-.311, -. 298, P <. 01). Conclusion The interpersonal distress of college students is obvious, and their interpersonal communication ability needs to be improved. The interpersonal conflict management mode may be one of the main influencing factors of college students' interpersonal distress.

Optimization of Ecosystem Services of Shanghai Urban–Suburban Street Trees Based on Low-Carbon Targets

Road traffic carbon emissions are an important cause of global warming, and street trees play an important role in regulating road carbon emissions. During urbanization, major differences in the planting management modes and growth status of the street trees in urban–suburban gradient may exist, leading to significant differences in the low-carbon values of the street trees in urban–suburban gradient. Based on this, this study took two typical urban–suburban gradient zones in Shanghai as an example to analyze the changes in the characteristics of street tree species, planting density, tree sizes, and low-carbon contribution with urban and rural changes, and proposed strategies for optimizing the low-carbon contribution of urban street trees. The results showed that, from the inner ring to the outer ring and the suburban ring, the proportion of London plane tree gradually changed from 82% to 11%, and the proportion of the camphor tree gradually changed from 9% to 70%; the average DBH of the trees gradually decreased from 28.81 to 23.74 cm. The number of plantings per unit road length gradually increased, and the number of plantings per unit area gradually decreased; therefore, the average low-carbon contribution of urban–suburban street trees is not significant, but the low-carbon contribution of upper street trees per unit area is higher, and suburban unit street trees have a higher low-carbon contribution. Finally, this article proposes different optimization strategies for future urban micro-renewal and suburban new-city construction.

Mode Selection of the Implementation and Construction of Projects on the Comprehensive Utilization of Mineral Resources: A Feasibility Study for Higher Education

Projects for the comprehensive utilization of mineral resources involve multi-disciplinary technology and management knowledge. However, enterprises often do not have relevant technical reserves and construction experience, thus posing difficulties in balancing the cost, progress, quality, and other indicators of construction while considering the team building of enterprises If not resolved, these problems may lead to resource wastage and low rates of comprehensive resource utilization. This paper introduces the advantages and disadvantages of Outsourcing, Self-management, Consultant, and Joint Management Modes in handling such projects. Taking a mining company in Guangxi as an example, the pros and cons of the above modes are analysed from different perspectives according to the actual situation of the enterprise being studied. The study’s findings have some guiding significance and can provide a comprehensively practical view from an educational significance perspective for enterprises who are planning to implement project construction.

Tourism distribution in a transitional economy: Hotel ownership and distribution channels in Vietnam

<p>This thesis investigates how the different up-market hotel ownership modes establish distribution channels to reach domestic and international tourism markets in the context of Vietnam’s transitional economy, which has been transforming from a centrally planned to a socialist market oriented economy since 1986. It seeks to understand the current distribution channel structures of various hotel ownership modes; to explore the ways in which a number of factors influence distribution structures; and to examine the implications of these structures and factors for hotel and tourism development in Vietnam and in other economies with similar socio-political characteristics. A conceptual framework for hotel distribution channels is developed from a combination of the predominantly Western literature and the fragmented literature on hotel distribution in transition economies. The conceptual framework enables the researcher to investigate the linkages and relationships among the components that constitute the current Vietnamese hotel distribution systems. A qualitative approach is applied to address the supply-side issues of hotel distribution with data collected in the three largest urban cities located in the Northern, Central and Southern parts of Vietnam. The data collection methods were in-depth semi-structured interviews and document compilation. Different groups of participants from the Vietnam tourism industry including senior staff of sales and marketing of the four- and five-star hotels, international tour operators, high-ranking government officials of central and provincial authorities of tourism, key officers of trade organisations and academics from these cities were interviewed. The research presents the current distribution channel structures employed by four hotel ownership modes to reach domestic and international travellers. The findings also reveal that international joint venture and wholly foreign-owned hotels have effectively established their distribution channels to reach the international market. The entry of these international ownership modes as a result of Vietnam’s economic reform has forced state- and domestic privately-owned hotels to also build market-driven distribution structures. Economic restructuring in the context of Vietnam’s international integration has been the key element in creating the legal system, economic development, international tourist demand, technological advances, patterns of demand, hotel ownership and management modes that have driven the development of distribution. The research concludes that different hotel ownership and management modes and the distribution channel structures of up-market hotels are the products of Vietnam’s economic restructuring. The research suggests further economic renovation to meet the country’s commitments to international organisations, and to generate an equal tourism and hotel business environment in Vietnam.</p>

Tourism distribution in a transitional economy: Hotel ownership and distribution channels in Vietnam

<p>This thesis investigates how the different up-market hotel ownership modes establish distribution channels to reach domestic and international tourism markets in the context of Vietnam’s transitional economy, which has been transforming from a centrally planned to a socialist market oriented economy since 1986. It seeks to understand the current distribution channel structures of various hotel ownership modes; to explore the ways in which a number of factors influence distribution structures; and to examine the implications of these structures and factors for hotel and tourism development in Vietnam and in other economies with similar socio-political characteristics. A conceptual framework for hotel distribution channels is developed from a combination of the predominantly Western literature and the fragmented literature on hotel distribution in transition economies. The conceptual framework enables the researcher to investigate the linkages and relationships among the components that constitute the current Vietnamese hotel distribution systems. A qualitative approach is applied to address the supply-side issues of hotel distribution with data collected in the three largest urban cities located in the Northern, Central and Southern parts of Vietnam. The data collection methods were in-depth semi-structured interviews and document compilation. Different groups of participants from the Vietnam tourism industry including senior staff of sales and marketing of the four- and five-star hotels, international tour operators, high-ranking government officials of central and provincial authorities of tourism, key officers of trade organisations and academics from these cities were interviewed. The research presents the current distribution channel structures employed by four hotel ownership modes to reach domestic and international travellers. The findings also reveal that international joint venture and wholly foreign-owned hotels have effectively established their distribution channels to reach the international market. The entry of these international ownership modes as a result of Vietnam’s economic reform has forced state- and domestic privately-owned hotels to also build market-driven distribution structures. Economic restructuring in the context of Vietnam’s international integration has been the key element in creating the legal system, economic development, international tourist demand, technological advances, patterns of demand, hotel ownership and management modes that have driven the development of distribution. The research concludes that different hotel ownership and management modes and the distribution channel structures of up-market hotels are the products of Vietnam’s economic restructuring. The research suggests further economic renovation to meet the country’s commitments to international organisations, and to generate an equal tourism and hotel business environment in Vietnam.</p>

The Construction and Operational Modes of Internet Hospital in China: A Hospital Based Survey Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND China empowers internet hospitals to fight against COVID-19, of which embrace a booming development after the COVID-19 epidemic. Despite the increasing importance of internet hospitals, there has still been few systematic summaries of its construction and operational modes. OBJECTIVE The primary purpose of this study was to understand the construction and operational modes of internet hospitals in China. METHODS Data were collected from September 2020 to October 2020 on the hospital construction, operation, quality, evaluation, and medical staff’s self-perception of internet hospital services based on 39 medical institutions and 356 medical staff. The Likert five-subscale method was used to evaluate the innovative service modes of internet hospitals. The root cause analysis (fishbone diagram) was used to analyze the root causes and influencing factors of the current deficiencies faced by internet hospitals. RESULTS Among the 39 internet hospitals, the majority were self-constructed (26, 66.7%) and self-managed (22, 56.4%). Self-construction and self-management hospitals had lower levels in the ratio of online doctors to offline doctors (P=0.006), number of doctors in other medical institutions (P=0.006), number of online nurses (P=0.004), and the ratio of online nurses to offline doctors than other modes hospitals (P＜0.001). Moreover, self-construction and self-management hospitals accounted for a higher proportion of whether it was connecting with the provincial regulatory platform rather than other modes of hospitals (P=0.033). Among the 17 evaluation aspects on medical staff’s self-perception of internet hospital services, these five got the highest scores: transparency of various fees, reasonable fees, optimization of the space cost for patients, conscientious and responsible attitude of medical staff in the process of diagnosis and treatment, medical staff who were dignified in appearance, neatly dressed, properly behaved. The root causes and influencing factors of the current deficiencies faced by internet hospitals included 5 aspects: human, channels, prices, services and time. CONCLUSIONS There were differences between self-construction and self-management modes and other modes of internet hospitals. This study enriches the literature on construction and operational modes of internet hospitals and provides additional policy implications for tele-medicine management.

The Differentiation in Cultivated Land Quality between Modern Agricultural Areas and Traditional Agricultural Areas: Evidence from Northeast China

Many studies of cultivated land use have focused on evaluating land quality. However, these studies rarely compare cultivated land quality (CLQ) between modern agricultural areas (MA) and traditional agricultural areas (TA). Thus, policymakers sometimes experience difficulties utilizing existing CLQ theories in CLQ improvement, especially in developing countries experiencing the transformation from traditional to modern agriculture. The objective of this study was to build a comprehensive hierarchical framework to compare the CLQ in MA and TA from the multidimensional perspectives of fertility, project, landscape, and ecology. An empirical analysis was conducted in Fujin City, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. The results showed that comprehensive CLQ in MA is better than that in TA, but individual cultivated land quality results are not the same as comprehensive quality. Specifically, project, landscape, and ecology quality in MA are better than in TA. However, fertility quality in MA is still worse. Moreover, the CLQ in MA tends to be more consistent in a small range, while the spatial pattern of CLQ in TA is disordered. We then argue that these results should be associated with different management modes and agrarian property systems between MA and TA. Based on our findings, four suggestions were generated to improve CLQ. Overall, this study provides a new comprehensive insight for understanding CLQ, and the framework, method, and findings of this study can help increase the effectiveness of CLQ improvements.