Using data from 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in mainland China from 2006 to 2019, we employ a double difference (DID) model and a spatial double difference (SDID) model to estimate the impact of the High-speed Railway (HSR) on the income gap between urban and rural residents, as well as its spatial spillover effects. Our research reveals several key findings. Firstly, the introduction of high-speed railways helps to narrow the income gap between urban and rural residents within local areas, but its spatial effects can lead to an increase in the income gap in neighboring provinces. Secondly, from a spatial perspective, intermediate variables such as industrial structure, education, science and technology, and foreign trade can also contribute to balancing the income gap between urban and rural residents, although the impact of population mobility is not significant. Thirdly, further analysis of the spatial effects demonstrates that education plays a significant role in balancing the income gap both within the local province and neighboring provinces. Additionally, adjustments in industrial structure, advancements in science and technology, and foreign trade have stronger spillover effects in reducing the income gap among neighboring provinces compared to their impact at a local level.

High-quality development in China requires higher vocational education, scientific and technological innovation, and sustainable economic development. The spatial distribution patterns of these factors show higher levels in the east and coastal areas compared to the west and inland regions, emphasizing the need for coupling coordination with the social economy. This study examines the impact of sustainable economic development on the coupling coordination degree using the spatial Durbin model. The results show a positive promotion and spillover effect, with regional variations. The main factors affecting the difference in coupling coordination are the amount of technology market contracts, fiscal expenditure on science and technology, patent application authorizations, tertiary industry output value, and the number of R&D institutions. According to the grey prediction model, the coupling coordination degree is expected to increase from 2022 to 2025, but achieving primary coordination may still be challenging in some areas. Therefore, strategies that utilize regional characteristics for coordinated development should be developed to improve the level of coupling coordination and create a mutually beneficial environment.

This contribution aims to appraise, analyze and evaluate the literature relating to the interaction of electromagnetic fields (EMF) with matter and the resulting thermal effects. This relates to the wanted thermal effects via the application of fields as well as those uninvited resulting from exposure to the field. In the paper, the most popular EMF heating technologies are analyzed. This involves on the one hand high frequency induction heating (HFIH) and on the other hand microwave heating (MWH), including microwave ovens and hyperthermia medical treatment. Then, the problem of EMF exposure is examined and the resulting biological thermal effects are illuminated. Thus, the two most common cases of wireless EMF devices, namely digital communication tools and inductive power transfer appliances are analyzed and evaluated. The last part of the paper concerns the determination of the different thermal effects, which are studied and discussed, by considering the governing EMF and heat transfer (or bio heat) equations and their solution methodologies.

Richard’s equation was approximated by finite-difference numerical scheme to model water infiltration profile in variably unsaturated soil^[1]. The published data of Philip’s semi-analytical solution was used to validate the simulated results from the numerical scheme. A discrepancy was found between the simulated and the published semi-analytical results. Morris method as a global sensitivity tool was used as an alternative to local sensitivity analysis to assess the results discrepancy. Morris method with different sampling strategies were tested, of which Manhattan distance method has resulted a better sensitivity measures and also a better scan of input space than Euclidean method. Moreover, Morris method at p = 2 , r = 2 and Manhattan distance sampling strategy, with only 2 extra simulation runs than local sensitivity analysis, was able to produce reliable sensitivity measures (μ^*, σ). The sensitivity analysis results were cross-validated by Sobol’ variance-based method with 150,000 simulation runs. The global sensitivity tool has identified three important parameters, of which spatial discretization size was the sole reason of the discrepancy observed. In addition, a high proportion of total output variance contributed by parameters β and θ_s is suggesting a greater significant digits to reduce its input uncertainty range.

Countries employ various strategies to strengthen their soft power through education, public campaigns, mandatory service, and community involvement, essential for building a well-informed, prepared, and resilient citizenry. In Indonesia, the Civic Awareness for State Defence (CASD) program is designed to instil state defence awareness among citizens. This study introduces the Indonesia State Defence Index (SDI), a novel metric grounded in theoretical constructs such as national identity, nationalism, patriotism, and national pride. Differentiating from previous indices, our SDI employs advanced methodologies including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to enhance measurement accuracy. Unlike earlier approaches that used traditional aggregation methods, our use of PCA ensures the reduction of dimensions for each state defence indicator, thereby guaranteeing that only the intended dimensions are measured. Utilising data from the State Defence Survey conducted by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence from 1 March to 26 June 2024, we aim to measure and benchmark SDI values across Indonesian regions, thereby elucidating the civic awareness profile in the context of state defence. The refined SDI provides critical insights for policymakers, highlighting regions that require focused interventions to bolster state defence preparedness.