Effective charge separation and migration pose a critical challenge in the field of solar-driven hydrogen production. In this work, a Z-scheme structured CuInS₂/ZnIn₂S₄ heterojunction was successfully fabricated through a two-step hydrothermal synthesis method to significantly enhance the efficiency of solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. Structural characterization revealed that the lattice-matched CuInS₂/ZnIn₂S₄ heterojunction exhibits an enlarged interfacial contact area, which facilitates the transfer and separation of photogenerated charges. Microscopic analysis indicated that the CuInS₂/ZnIn₂S₄ composite material has a tightly interwoven interface and a morphology resembling small sugar cubes. Photoelectrochemical spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that the heterojunction structure effectively enhances visible light absorption and charge separation efficiency, leading to an improvement in photocatalytic activity. Hydrogen production experimental data indicated that the CuInS₂/ZnIn₂S₄ heterojunction photocatalyst prepared with a CuInS₂ content of 20 wt% exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution rate, reaching 284.9 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹. Moreover, this photocatalyst maintains robust photocatalytic stability even after three consecutive usage cycles. This study demonstrated that the Z-scheme CuInS₂/ZnIn₂S₄ heterojunction photocatalyst exhibits enhanced hydrogen evolution efficiency, offering an effective structural design for harnessing solar energy to obtain hydrogen fuel. Therefore, this heterojunction photocatalyst is a promising candidate for practical applications in solar hydrogen production.

On February 6, 2018, a moderate earthquake with a magnitude of ML6.2, known as the 0206 earthquake, struck Hualien in eastern Taiwan, resulting in significant destruction, 17 fatalities, and over 300 injuries. This research investigates the kinematic source model of the earthquake by inverting coseismic Global Positioning System (GPS) displacement recordings from the area surrounding the epicenter. The inverted source model indicates that most asperities above the hypocenter are minor, with large slips occurring at depths shallower than 10 km, which contributed to the severe damage in Hualien City. Additionally, we calculated the Coulomb stress changes at depths ranging from 6 km to 14 km, revealing that most aftershocks within a month occurred within a Coulomb stress range of >0.1 bar, extending from shallow to deep and from southwest to northeast of the epicenter. Notably, despite high Coulomb stress, few aftershocks were generated in the western part of the epicenter, suggesting a seismic gap that may lead to a more significant earthquake in the future. Two years later, two moderate earthquakes (ML=5) occurred at depths of 17.53 and 12.1 km in the region where Coulomb stress had increased, validating our predictions. Furthermore, by applying the derived seismic source model and a stochastic semi-empirical technique to assess five parameters related to building damage, we found that all damaged buildings were within the danger alert level, with some located along the Meilun Fault, indicating that the destruction was due to the combined effects of the 0206 earthquake and the fault's induced movement.

The kinematic source rupture process of the 2016 Meinong earthquake (M_w = 6.4) in Taiwan was derived from apparent source time functions retrieved from teleseismic S-waves by using a refined homomorphic deconvolution method. The total duration of the rupture process was approximately 15 s, and one slip-concentrated area can be represented as the source model based on images representing static slip distribution. The rupture process began in a down-dip direction from the fault toward Tainan City, strongly suggesting that the rupture had a unilateral northwestern direction. The asperity with an area of approximately 15 × 15 km² and the maximum slip of approximately 2 m were centered 12.8 km northwest of the hypocenter. Coseismic vertical deformation was calculated based on the source model. Compared with the results derived from InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) data, our results demonstrated that the location with maximum uplift was accurately well detected, but our maximum value was just approximately 0.4 times of the InSAR-derived value. It reveals that there are the other mechanisms to affect the vertical deformation, rather than only depending on the source model. At different depths, areas west, east, and north of the hypocenter maintained high values of Coulomb stress changes. This explains the mechanism behind aftershocks being triggered and provides a reference for predicting aftershock locations after a large earthquake. The estimated seismic spectral intensities, including spectral acceleration and velocity intensity (SIa and SIv), were derived. Source directivity effects caused damage to buildings, and we concluded that all damaged buildings were located within a SIa value of 400 gal. Destroyed buildings taller than seven floors were located in an area with a SIv value of 30 cm/s. These observations agree with those on damages caused by the 2010 Jiasian earthquake (ML 6.4) in Tainan, Taiwan.

Objective: A study carried out in the traditional villages of Qiandongnan in Guizhou province, located in China, to portray 409 traditional villages’ spatial distribution and fractal charicteristic, as well as its implications for the preservation of the group of traditional villages. Theoretical framework: From previous research, traditional village quantitative research on spatial area focuses on the statistics of mathematical models and spatial analyses of GIS, which indirectly reflect the complexity of the spatial patterns of traditional villages. Therefore, applying fractal theory to the spatial complexity of villages can provide a relatively objective and direct assessment for studying traditional villages with different formation backgrounds. Method: Data were collected in Google Earth map data and spatial data were obtained, which were synthesized and analyzed using spatial, statistical and mathematics analysis to verify the distribution factors and know about villages’ spatial fractal characteristics. Results and conclusion: The mountain settlements in Qiandongnan are concentrated in Leishan based on the Miao national group and “Liping-Congjiang-Rongjiang” based on the Dong national group. The q values of the explanatory power of each factor for the spatial distribution of traditional villages in the Qiandongnan area are, in descending order, intangible cultural heritage > GDP > distance from roads > height > the proportion of ethnic minorities > urbanization rate > average annual temperature > average annual precipitation > distance to rivers. Research implications: Villages contribute significantly to the enhancement of traditional Chinese culture, especially the preservation of historical buildings and distinctive local cultures. Furthermore, Knowing the factors of traditional village centralized contiguous protection mode and rural planning based on the policy of rural revitalization in China. Originality/value: Collected traditional villages’ distribution data from the official website and marked on the Google Earth map. Spatial analysis distribution of villages and emphasizes the importance of spatial correlation analysis in understanding the relationship between land use and rural population distribution. A sustentabilidade dos assentamentos rurais é um tema constante da exploração humana. As aldeias contribuem significativamente para a valorização da cultura tradicional chinesa, especialmente a preservação de edifícios históricos e culturas locais distintas. O objeto de pesquisa deste trabalho é a análise espacial de 409 aldeias tradicionais de Qiandongnan em Guizhou. Nas aldeias de grupos minoritários vivem os ancestrais do grupo minoritário, que produziram e construíram assentamentos humanos com produção e espírito. Usando dados do mapa do Google Earth de áreas de assentamento de grupos minoritários como fontes de dados, este artigo examina a visão de grupos minoritários do espaço de assentamento humano, analisa as conotações espaciais e culturais de aldeias minoritárias e o conceito de ecologia sustentável de assentamentos humanos por meio da análise dos fatores da forma espacial das aldeias. As principais descobertas são as seguintes: (1) Os assentamentos montanhosos em Qiandongnan estão concentrados em Leishan com base no grupo nacional Miao e "Liping-Congjiang-Rongjiang" com base no grupo nacional Dong. (2) As aldeias localizam-se geralmente em zonas montanhosas, que se caracterizam pela sua orientação ao sol e proximidade à água, incorporando o conceito ecológico sustentável de "adaptação às condições locais e convivência com a natureza". (3) Os valores q do poder explicativo de cada fator para a distribuição espacial das aldeias tradicionais na área de Qiandongnan são, em ordem decrescente, patrimônio cultural imaterial > PIB > distância das estradas > altura > proporção de minorias étnicas > taxa de urbanização > temperatura média anual > precipitação média anual > distância dos rios.