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Abstract. The paper introduced the model of the additive tectonics stress from celestial tide-generating force. The model can be used to explain the relationship between additive tectonics stress and seismic fault sliding. According to the periodic changes of the additive tectonics stress, the temperature is analyzes based on the temperature data of NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) which are gathered for a period of time before and after the Hokkaido, Japan earthquake (25 September 2003). It is found that the abnormal increasing of the temperature is significantly associated with the seismic deformation, even if the epicenter was covered by the clouds. The effect of the additive tectonics stress on activities of the fault is to trigger it at a time when the stress level has already reached an advanced stage as indicated by the temperature increase. Based on this model, it is possible to forewarn short-impending earthquakes.

In the period between the idealistic vision of the ׳Reshaping society׳ and Thatcherism, in the so-called ׳Swinging London׳, the second wave of modernism is facing the demands and the quantities of bombed cities. The architects of that season, moved by political ideals and interpreting the cultural ferment, have been responsible for shaping the city on the collective dreams and aspirations of the society and for forging the identity of London as unique experience in the international panorama. This paper focuses on the spatial relations between city and home, how they raised in that specific historical context, in which form they realized, and what are the architectural implications for current design culture. The methodology, based both on the literature review and on the graphic comparison of six case-studies, is articulated in four steps. First, the six case-studies are selected according to specific criteria. Second, the sociohistorical background is reported. Third, the cases are shortly introduced using text descriptions and graphic tools. Fourth, the cases are compared. This process leads to the definition of four transversal architectural items: the density, the settlement pattern, the basement, and the threshold, intended as elements able to raise connections between past and contemporary design culture.

Abstract. The temperature variations caused by additive tectonic stress has been studied to explain its relationship with the seismic fault sliding of the Abruzzo M = 6.3 Earthquake in April 2009. According to the periodic changes of the additive tectonic stress caused by the celestial tide-generating force, the temperature variations before and after the earthquake have been analyzed based on the temperature data from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The figures of temperature variations clearly show that the abnormal increasing of the temperature has resulted from seismic fault sliding. Based on this method, it is possible to forewarn short-impending earthquakes.

Rural settlements in China face different critical challenges in the current civilisation course, which aims at drastically alleviating poverty and building a prosperous, harmonious and beautiful nation. Indeed with the turn of the millennium, the Chinese central government started promulgating arrays of policies targeted to promote virtuous cycles of restructuring in rural areas, which culminate with the recent Five-year Strategic Plan for Rural Revitalization (2018-2022) and situate the countryside renaissance as one of the top priority of Beijing's agenda. However, the dramatic frictions between the urban and the rural are far to be narrowed, remaining the main obstacle to inclusive nationwide development. In the countryside, the transition from a planned to a market economy is coupling with the production of new architectural forms and spatial aggregations which are reshaping the rural territories. Taking two villages in Fujian Province, the paper compares the spatial implication of their spontaneous and planned land-use transitions. Indeed, the selected villages represent a compelling sample of current policies implementation, since one has just been the object of re-development while the other is in the process of. The purpose is to investigate the quality and intensity of their patterns of change. The methodology includes both fieldworks, based on several months of on-site surveys and deskwork, with the implementation of graphic elaborations. The results identify and describe three patterns of development, providing an overview about contemporary phenomena of land-use transition taking place in Chinese ruralities. The paper concludes highlighting the weaknesses and potentialities embedded in the showed rural fabrics, questioning their values in the pursuit of local development.

This paper focuses on the connections between politics and the design culture in London during the postwar era. In the period between the end of World War II and the defeat of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a significant part of the architectural production in London can be attributed to the social policies of the central government. On one side, the state-driven approach fuelled the development of the Welfare State promoting the most important facilities and services, including housing. On the other side, a deep interest by local architects in the exploration of both innovative settlement patterns and formal systems nourished by political ideology, social aspirations, cultural fervour, and technological progress turned this period into a significant moment of reinterpretation of the tenets of modernism. The authors focus on the ambiguity of public and private realms to explain the connections between policies and architecture. The experimentation of innovative settlement patterns, hybridization of traditional ones, and the reinterpretation of principles of modernism were applied to re-shape society.

Abstract. The paper presents a wavelet transform method to identify possible seismic brightness temperature anomalies that might be associated with the Yushu (Ms = 7.1) earthquake that occurred in Qinghai province of China on 14 April 2010. Daily infrared data from the Chinese geostationary meteorological satellite FY-2E were used for the period from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011 and the spatial region 28.1–38.1° N by 91.7–101.7° E. We find that the wavelet transform is an effective method to analyse time series which contain nonstationary power, and identify here anomalous power both in the time and frequency domain. The results show that, over the two years, the relative wavelet power spectrum (RWPS) showed anomalous RWPS variations in nine cases: two of these were followed by earthquakes; seven were not. One of the two RWPS anomalies that were followed by an earthquake was in the southern area of the epicentre of the Yushu earthquake, with the RWPS anomaly starting to appear around 29 March 2010, decreasing in the period before the earthquake, and completely gone by 14 April 2010. The Yushu earthquake was the only strong earthquake within the region and two-year time period chosen, so the abnormal change of RWPS during this time period was possibly associated with the Yushu earthquake.

Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (national projects MAT2015-65525-R, FIS2014-60195-JIN, MAT2017-88358-C3-3-R, MAT2014-53432-C5-4-R, and the project MDM2016-0618 of the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme). P.A.-G. acknowledges support from the European Research Council under Starting Grant 715496, 2DNANOPTICA. J.M.-S. acknowledges support through the Clarín Programme from the Government of the Principality of Asturias and a Marie Curie-COFUND grant (PA-18-ACB17-29). P.L. acknowledges support from a Marie Sklodowska-Cuire individual fellowship (SGPCM-705960) ; Ma, W., Alonso-González, P., Li, S., Nikitin, A.Y., Yuan, J., Martín-Sánchez, J., Taboada-Gutiérrez, J., Amenabar, I., Li, P., Vélez, S., Tollan, C., Dai, Z., Zhang, Y., Sriram, S., Kalantar-Zadeh, K., Lee, S.-T., Hillenbrand, R., Bao, Q.

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this record. ; Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. ; Marine biogeochemical models have been widely used to understand ecosystem dynamics and biogeochemical cycles. To resolve more processes, models typically increase in complexity, and require optimization of more parameters. Data assimilation is an essential tool for parameter optimization, which can reduce model uncertainty and improve model predictability. At present, model parameters are often adjusted using sporadic in-situ measurements or satellite-derived total chlorophyll-a concentration at sea surface. However, new ocean datasets and satellite products have become available, providing a unique opportunity to further constrain ecosystem models. Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats are able to observe the ocean interior continuously and satellite phytoplankton functional type (PFT) data has the potential to optimize biogeochemical models with multiple phytoplankton species. In this study, we assess the value of assimilating BGC-Argo measurements and satellite-derived PFT data in a biogeochemical model in the northern South China Sea (SCS) by using a genetic algorithm. The assimilation of the satellite-derived PFT data was found to improve not only the modeled total chlorophyll-a concentration, but also the individual phytoplankton groups at surface. The improvement of simulated surface diatom provided a better representation of subsurface particulate organic carbon (POC). However, using satellite data alone did not improve vertical distributions of chlorophyll-a and POC. Instead, these distributions were improved by combining the satellite data with BGC-Argo data. As the dominant variability of phytoplankton in the northern SCS is at the seasonal timescale, we find that utilizing monthly-averaged BGC-Argo profiles provides an optimal fit between model outputs and measurements in the region, better than using high-frequency measurements. ; European Space Agency ; UK Research and Innovation ; National Natural Science Foundation of China ; Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) ; European Union ; Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Among known studies of city branding by Chinese megacities to realise urban transformation, there is no explorative study of how smaller Chinese cities engage in city branding and attempt to trigger industrial transformation. In response, this article presents an in-depth case study of city branding processes in a medium-sized Chinese city. Roles, resources and interactions among the city's stakeholders are analysed during the brand creation and implementation stages in two different economic city branding projects. The stakeholder involvement mechanisms we identify confirm that city branding creation in China primarily follows political rather than business channels. Chinese local public authorities and more specifically key politicians, departments, and public enterprises are core stakeholders in branding creation. However, this leads to challenges in the branding implementation, since key public sector players tend to withdraw themselves when implementation begins, leaving previously uninvolved private (and public) players to implement the brands. The unsuccessful transformation contrasts with those observed in Chinese megacities, where involvement of powerful corporations and support from higher levels of government are both much higher. It appears that the imperative of broad stakeholder involvement to make city branding successful as we know it for Western cities may also apply in medium-sized Chinese cities.

Abstract. Positive thermal anomalies about one month before the 3 September 2010 Mw = 7.1 New Zealand earthquake and "coincidental" quasi-synchronous fluctuations of GPS displacement were reported. Whether there were similar phenomena associated with the aftershocks? To answer it, the following was investigated: multiple parameters including surface and near-surface air temperature, surface latent heat flux, GPS displacement and soil moisture, using a long-term statistical analysis method. We found that local thermal and deformation anomalies appeared quasi-synchronously in three particular tectonic zones, not only about one month before the mainshock, but also tens of days before the 21 February 2011 Mw = 6.3 aftershock, and that the time series of soil moisture on the epicenter pixel had obvious peaks on most of the anomalous days. Based on local tectonic geology, hydrology and meteorology, the particular lithosphere-coversphere-atmosphere coupling mode is interpreted and four mechanisms (magmatic-hydrothermal fluids upwelling, soil moisture increasing, underground pore gases leaking, and positive holes activating and recombining) are discussed.

Abstract. With increasing urbanization, particularly in the coastal regions of developing countries, the development of disaster management schemes is needed as the losses from a single event can destroy decades of development and threaten local populations, buildings and infrastructure. Geo-environmental suitability is often evaluated systematically in order to assess the nature of hazards and their potential damage to human life, land, buildings and other property. A suitability assessment will indicate the priorities for geological and environmental hazard management. This paper presents a geological environment suitability assessment that aims to identify grading in a current seaside urban development and develop practices to aid in the identification of hidden geological and environmental hazards. The Laoshan area in the city of Qingdao was used as a case study because it constitutes a good example of a developing city with geological and environmental threats. Also, urban plans have been drawn up here with insufficient or absent information on losses from potential natural hazards.

China's livestock industry has experienced a vast transition during the last three decades, with profound effects on domestic and global food provision, resource use, nitrogen and phosphorus losses, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the driving forces around this transition and its national and global consequences. The number of livestock units (LUs) tripled in China in less than 30 years, mainly through the growth of landless industrial livestock production systems and the increase in monogastric livestock (from 62 to 74% of total LUs). Changes were fueled through increases in demand as well as, supply of new breeds, new technology, and government support. Production of animal source protein increased 4.9 times, nitrogen use efficiency at herd level tripled, and average feed use and GHG emissions per gram protein produced decreased by a factor of 2 between 1980 and 2010. In the same period, animal feed imports have increased 49 times, total ammonia and GHG emissions to the atmosphere doubled, and nitrogen losses to watercourses tripled. As a consequence, China's livestock transition has significant global impact. Forecasts for 2050, using the Shared Socio-economic Pathways scenarios, indicate major further changes in livestock production and impacts. On the basis of these possible trajectories, we suggest an alternative transition, which should be implemented by government, processing industries, consumers, and retailers. This new transition is targeted to increase production efficiency and environmental performance at system level, with coupling of crop-livestock production, whole chain manure management, and spatial planning as major components.

China's livestock industry has experienced a vast transition during the last three decades, with profound effects on domestic and global food provision, resource use, nitrogen and phosphorus losses, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the driving forces around this transition and its national and global consequences. The number of livestock units (LUs) tripled in China in less than 30 years, mainly through the growth of landless industrial livestock production systems and the increase in monogastric livestock (from 62 to 74% of total LUs). Changes were fueled through increases in demand as well as, supply of new breeds, new technology, and government support. Production of animal source protein increased 4.9 times, nitrogen use efficiency at herd level tripled, and average feed use and GHG emissions per gram protein produced decreased by a factor of 2 between 1980 and 2010. In the same period, animal feed imports have increased 49 times, total ammonia and GHG emissions to the atmosphere doubled, and nitrogen losses to watercourses tripled. As a consequence, China's livestock transition has significant global impact. Forecasts for 2050, using the Shared Socio-economic Pathways scenarios, indicate major further changes in livestock production and impacts. On the basis of these possible trajectories, we suggest an alternative transition, which should be implemented by government, processing industries, consumers, and retailers. This new transition is targeted to increase production efficiency and environmental performance at system level, with coupling of crop-livestock production, whole chain manure management, and spatial planning as major components.