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Prior to this study, no species of Pseudophanias Raffray had been reported from Nanling, a vast biodiversity conservation area that spans five provinces in southern China. In this paper, three new species of the genus are described: Pseudophanias furcilobus sp. nov. (Guizhou, Guangxi), P. leigong sp. nov. (Guizhou), and P. mulun sp. nov. (Guangxi), suggesting that additional study on the diversity of this group in the area is required. These species are characterized, keyed, and compared to similar congeners, supplemented with illustrations of the habitus and other morphological characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do provincial governments change policy, even when those policies have proven successful? This paper explores a debate regarding the determinants of provincial policy choice and the degree of discretion provinces are permitted in this area. It does so by scrutinizing the shift in Guizhou's development policy from a poverty reduction orientation to a wholehearted pursuit of economic growth, urbanization and industrialization. In contrast to those who argue that central experience, prospects for promotion or local conditions are key factors explaining policy choice, the paper concludes that Guizhou's shift in policy had more to do with the backgrounds and experiences of top provincial leaders. The result has implications for our understanding of central–local relations and local government decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the reconstruction of a county tea industry in order to help map capitalist agrarian change in contemporary China. The concentration of the tea industry in Meitan County, Guizhou, that began in the 1930s was further centralized under a state-owned farm and factory after 1949. Following the 1990s decline of the state-owned industry, the tea industry reemerged in a new form under a process of state-directed capitalist agrarian change in the early 2000s. Contemporary Meitan's almost 500 independent tea processors market their products to the changing tastes of Chinese consumers. With an increased attention to tea "quality," capitalist processors have had to take greater control over the labor process of farmers. Thus the industry has taken on a complex structure through a process of vertically integrating tea growers and processors, making use of a county tea producers association, dragonhead enterprises, specialized cooperatives, contract farming, and new property forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A c. 0.30 m thick cherty limestone bed in the Dalong Formation at Gujiao (Guizhou) has yielded a highly diverse Changhsingian nautiloid assemblage. Its age is late Changhsingian, indicated by the co‐occurring ammonoid Pseudotirolites sp. This assemblage is composed of nine species and five taxa in open nomenclature in nine genera, including one new genus and three new species: Neotainoceras zhaoi sp. nov., Nodopleuroceras gujiaoense sp. nov. and Gujiaonautilus longliensis gen. et sp. nov. Sholakoceras is for the first time recorded in South China. Compared with literature data from 52 sites in various regions worldwide, the material described here presents the most diverse Changhsingian nautiloid assemblage. Among the genera of the Gujiao assemblage, Pleuronautilus, Tainoceras and Liroceras are cosmopolitan, while the others are more endemic or genera known so far only from South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the large-scale implementation of China's ex situ poverty alleviation relocation (ESPAR) policy, China's poverty-alleviation migrants (PAMs) have increased significantly in a short period of time. The majority of the literature has indicated that the changes associated with resettlement in, for example, livelihood, living environment, and living standards have improved the lives of the PAMs. However, a few researchers have studied PAMs' subjective well-being (SWB) after relocation. Taking the PAMs in Anshun City, Guizhou Province of China as an example, this work used interviews and questionnaire surveys to investigate the well-being of PAMs under three resettlement models––resettlement in nearby villages and townships, resettlement in county seats, and resettlement in cities. Through a multiple linear regression model, we analyzed the SWB level and influencing factors of PAMs, and the differences in SWB under different resettlement models. The results show that: (1) the overall SWB level of PAMs is relatively high; (2) living conditions and public services, livelihoods and housing, lifestyle, and social networks all have significant impacts on the SWB of PAMs; and (3) the SWB levels of the migrants resettled in county seats is the highest, followed by resettlement in cities, and resettlement in nearby villages and townships. We also put forward relevant guiding suggestions, hoping to provide references for the sustainable development of future ESPAR projects. Moreover, we hope that this work has guiding significance for improving the mental health of PAMs and constructing healthy living cities for PAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of gold ore prospecting and exploration in recent years a new type of micro-disseminated gold deposits have been found in the regions of Southwest Guizhou Province and Northwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with the orebodies directly occurring in diabase or in the contact zone between diabase and strata. The orebodies are strictly controlled by fault structures. The discovery of this type of gold deposits has brought about new prospects for gold ore prospecting in the Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi Golden Triangle region. From the preliminary analysis of the geological characteristics of the Qiaoxiang gold deposit in Wangmo County, in combination with the results of research work in the adjacent areas in recent years, this paper roughly described the geological characteristics and metallogenic conditions of this type of gold ore deposits with an attempt to make more and more geologists pay enough attention to this type of gold ore deposits, so as to promote gold ore prospecting in Guizhou Province to develop toward a variety of types of gold deposits in all round way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the genus Catapiestus Perty, 1831 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Cnodalonini), C. bispinosus, is described from Leigonsan National Nature Reserve, Leishan County, Guizhou, China. The identification key by Lang and Ren for the species of Catapiestus is modified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the loss of forest vegetation is a significant concern due to the crucial roles that forests play in the Earth's system, including the provision of ecosystem services, participation in biogeochemical cycles, and support for human well-being. Forests are especially critical in mountains environments, where deforestation can lead to accelerated biodiversity loss, soil erosion, flooding, and reduced agricultural productivity, as well as increased poverty rates. In response to these problems, China has implemented a series of ecological restoration programs aimed at restoring forests. However, there is a lack of knowledge as to whether the forest cover is increasing or decreasing, as well as the relative roles played by natural and human factors in forest change. Here, we aim to address these issues by analyzing the pattern and process of the forest changes in Guizhou province, a typical mountainous karst area with a fragile environment in southwestern China, between 1980 and 2018, and evaluating the extent to which these forest changes were influenced by natural and anthropogenic driving forces. Using a temporal sequence of satellite images and a Markov model, we found that the forest cover increased by 468 km2, and that over 33% of the cropland in Guizhou province was converted into forest between 1980 and 2018, with the most significant increases in the forest cover occurring in Qiandongnan. Through correlation analyses and generalized linear model (GLM) regression, we demonstrate that management factors exerted a more significant positive impact on the forest cover than climate change. While the mean annual precipitation and temperature were mostly stable during the period studied, the effects of population and gross domestic product (GDP) on the forest changes weakened, and the influence of land-use change markedly increased. These findings provide valuable information for resource managers engaging in forest protection, deforestation prevention, and ecological restoration in similar regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A late Kasimovian (Pennsylvanian) coral reef is reported in the Yanbanzhai (YBZ) area, southern Guizhou Province, South China. The YBZ coral reef, with a thickness of approximately 5.5 m and a lateral exposure of nearly 50 m, is primarily composed of the colonial rugose coral Fomichevella. The fusulinids collected from the reef indicates a late Kasimovian age. Five microfacies types have been identified, including coated bioclastic grainstone, coral (Fomichevella) framestone, bioclastic wackestone, bioclastic grainstone, and peloidal grainstone. The vertical evolution of the microfacies in the YBZ coral reef indicates major sedimentary environmental changes associated with relative sea‐level changes. The growth of the reef‐builder Fomichevella was controlled by the transgression and regression. Deep water promoted the upward expansion of Fomichevella, while shallow water inhibited its growth. Published records of atmospheric pCO2 estimation and sea‐surface temperatures, combined with geochemical proxies, confirm a warm climatic period during the late Kasimovian. This is an interglacial period conducive to the growth of the coral reef. Sea‐level and climate changes associated with the Late Palaeozoic ice age (LPIA) are interpreted as significant controls of the development of the YBZ coral reef. This research of the YBZ coral reef in South China provides practical palaeobiological evidence for global sea‐level rising during the late Kasimovian period caused by the high‐latitude Gondwana delaciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The termitophilous genus Trichopsenius Horn, 1877 is recorded from China for the first time. A new species, Trichopsenius huaxiensis sp. nov. is described; it was collected in a nest of the termite genus Reticulitermes Holmgren from a dead and flattened pine tree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Strong laboratory capacity is essential for detecting and responding to emerging and re-emerging global health threats. We conducted a quantitative laboratory assessment during 2014-2015 in two resource-limited provinces in southern China, Guangxi and Guizhou in order to guide strategies for strengthening core capacities as required by the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005).Methods: We selected 28 public health and clinical laboratories from the provincial, prefecture and county levels through a quasi-random sampling approach. The 11-module World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory assessment tool was adapted to the local context in China. At each laboratory, modules were scored 0-100% through a combination of paper surveys, in-person interviews, and visual inspections. We defined module scores as strong (> = 85%), good (70-84%), weak (50-69%), and very weak (< 50%). We estimated overall capacity and compared module scores across the provincial, prefecture, and county levels.Results: Overall, laboratories in both provinces received strong or good scores for 10 of the 11 modules. These findings were primarily driven by strong and good scores from the two provincial level laboratories; prefecture and county laboratories were strong or good for only 8 and 6 modules, respectively. County laboratories received weak scores in 4 modules. The module, 'Public Health Functions' (e.g., surveillance and reporting practices) lagged far behind all other modules (mean score = 46%) across all three administrative levels. Findings across the two provinces were similar.Conclusions: Laboratories in Guangxi and Guizhou are generally performing well in laboratory capacity as required by IHR. However, we recommend targeted interventions particularly for county-level laboratories, where we identified a number of gaps. Given the importance of surveillance and reporting, addressing gaps in public health functions is likely to have the greatest positive impact for IHR requirements. The quantitative WHO laboratory assessment tool was useful in identifying both comparative strengths and weaknesses. However, prior to future assessments, the tool may need to be aligned with the new WHO IHR monitoring and evaluation framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stromatoporoids are the major constructors of a Givetian (Middle Devonian) fossil reef in shallow marine facies, in the Jiwozhai Member of the Dushan Formation, at Dahekou, near Dushan, Guizhou Province, South China. Stromatoporoids, together with other reef building and dwelling components (rugose corals, tabulates, chaetetids and others), form a high diversity community, making the Jiwozhai reef a palaeobiodiversity hotspot. In this study 11 species belonging to nine genera and four orders are identified, including Gerronostromaria grossum (Clathrodictyida), Pseudotrupetostroma porosum, and Salairella buecheliensis (Stromatoporida), Clathrocoilona spissa, Stictostroma saginatum, and Synthetostroma actinostromoides (Stromatoporellida) and ?Habrostroma laminosum, Parallelopora sp., Stachyodes costulata, Stachyodes fasciculata and Stachyodes sp. (Syringostromatida). Among them, Clathrocoilona spissa and Gerronostromaria grossum are the most abundant stromatoporoid taxa. Stromatoporoid growth form, size, substrate and growth interruption are considered to be key autecological parameters to evaluate their growth behaviour and contribution in reef formation. Skeletons of laminar Clathrocoilona spissa are commonly smaller (up to 40 mm in basal dimension and less than 2 mm in thickness) than other stromatoporoid taxa and frequently encrusted on other organisms. In contrast, Gerronostromaria grossum dominates the assemblage, with its larger laminar growth form (up to 500 mm in basal dimension and 40 mm in thickness) expanding both on bioclastic and clay-rich micritic substrate and shows repeated growth interruptions, altogether evidence that this taxon was resilient to environmental pressure and may have pioneered the reef development. The variation of growth preference among stromatoporoid taxa therefore indicates a different growth strategy of each stromatoporoid in this reef environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue Anthropologie et Sociétés is the property of Anthropologie et Societies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: There are remarkable characteristics of the “one poor, two more, three higher and four bigger” in the coalbed methane (CBM) conditions of Guizhou, China. These show in one aspect the predominance with higher CBM resource accumulation, coal reservoir energy and developing potential in Guizhou, and in another aspect come into being disadvantageous of coal reservoir permeability and recasting. So, new thought and technologies must be sought ask for the CBM development in Guizhou. The authors in the paper considered that it is essential to survey clearly CBM resources in whole province, to analyze the adaptability of various CBM-mining technologies to the geological conditions in Guizhou, and, then, to frame rationally the stratagem and layout of CBM exploration and development aiming at the particularity of CBM geology in the province. In was suggested that near CBM exploration and surface development should be focalized to the Zhina coal field and a CBM pilot test with vertical or cluster wells may be carried into execution using for reference the Jincheng''s pattern. As for the Liupanshui and other coal fields, the Huainan''s pattern can be used for reference. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fengshui forests, very popular among the ethnic minorities in the rural areas in Guizhou Province of China, have spiritual symbolic meanings and are strictly managed. This paper examines the nature, history, local perceptions and management of fengshui forests in two Buyi villages in the Guizhou Province. With their long history, the fengshui forests are perceived to provide good wishes, security, unity, fortune, wealth and health to the local communities. Fengshui forests act as a form of “community based nature reserve” which maintains the health of natural forests, especially hydrological features and prevention of soil erosion. Cunguimingyue (Folk Regulation and Customs) is the primary local normative mechanism that maintains the fengshui forests in a good condition. The lessons learnt from local fengshui forest management needs to be incorporated in for contemporary China''s forest policy formulation as these forests play an important role in rural livelihoods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes the influence of siliceous and iron-rich calcic low-temperature hydrothermal fluids (LTHF) on the mineralogy and geochemistry of the Late Permian No. 11 Coal (anthracitic, Rr=2.85%) in the Dafang Coalfield in northwestern Guizhou Province, China. The No. 11 Coal has high contents of vein ankerite (10.2 vol.%) and vein quartz (11.4 vol.%), with formation temperatures of 85 and 180 °C, respectively, indicating that vein ankerite and vein quartz were derived from low-temperature calcic and siliceous hydrothermal fluids in two epigenetic episodes. The vein quartz appears to have formed earlier than vein ankerite did, and at least three distinct stages of ankerite formation with different Ca/Sr and Fe/Mn ratios were observed. The two types of mineral veins are sources of different suites of major and trace metals. Scanning electron microscope and sequential extraction studies show that, in addition to Fe, Mg, and Ca, vein ankerite is the dominant source of Mn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the coal, and the contents of these five elements are as high as 0.09% and 74.0, 33.6, 185, and 289 μg/g, respectively. In contrast, vein quartz is the main carrier mineral for platinum-group elements (PGEs) Pd, Pt, and Ir in the coal, and the contents of Pd, Pt, and Ir are 1.57, 0.15, and 0.007 μg/g, respectively. Sequential extraction showed a high PGE content in the silicate fraction, up to 10.4 μg/g Pd, 1.23 μg/g Pt, and 0.05 μg/g Ir, respectively. It is concluded that the formation of ankerite and quartz and the anomalous enrichment of trace elements in the No. 11 Coal in the Dafang Coalfield, Guizhou, result from the influx of calcic and siliceous low-temperature hydrothermal fluids. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There has been a conflicting issue in rural China that whether or not encouraging the development of medium–large-scale biogas plants (MLBPs) to reduce household biogas digesters (HBDs) will be better for China in the long run. In this study, we investigate the difference between HBD users and MLBP users and the factors that affect the biogas use of these two user types on the basis of a survey of 1125 households in four provinces in China. The results indicate that compared to HBD users, MLBP users have a higher ratio (29%) of biogas use, obtain a higher subsidy-to-cost ratio (25%), and present a more positive evaluation of biogas service (3%). For HBD users, installation years and service evaluation are significant predictors of biogas use. For MLBP users, in addition to installation years and service, the subsidy-to-cost ratio affects biogas use negatively, and the biogas price is a key constraint for biogas use. These results provide valuable insights into the future development of biogas energy in rural China and guidance for the development of biogas in similar countries worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the 280 species of Elatostema documented in China, 189 are known only from a single collection. Elatostema setulosum is one such species, having been known only from the type collection for nearly half a century, until recent field investigations in Guangxi. Due to its morphological similarity to E. huanjiangense and E. tetracephalum, we undertook a critical review of all three species using morphological and molecular evidence. Our results suggest that all three names refer to the same species, which based on priority should be known as Elatostema setulosum. We recognize E. huanjiangense and E. tetracephalum as synonyms. A distribution map of E. setulosum and the extinction risk according to the IUCN criteria is provided. After recircumscription, the taxon must be considered as Least Concern (LC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guizhou Karst Plateau is located at the center of the karst region in Asia, where landslides are a typical disaster. Affected by the local karst environment, the landslides in this region have their own characteristics. In this study, 3975 landslide records from inventories of the Guizhou karst plateau are studied. The geographical detector method is used to detect the dominant casual factor and predominant multi-factor combinations for the local landslides. The results show that landslides are prone to areas on slopes between 10° and 35°, of clay rock, in close proximity to gullies, and especially in areas of moderate vegetation, dryland, and mild rocky desertification. Continuous precipitation over 10 days has a great effect on landslide occurrence. Compared with the individual factors, the impact of two-factor interaction has greater explanatory power for landslide volume. The volume of earthquake-induced landslides is predominantly controlled by the interactions of faults and slopes, while that of human-induced landslides is affected by the interactions of land cover and hydrological conditions. For rainfall-induced landslides, the dominant interactions vary in different regions. In the central karst basin, the interactions between faults and precipitation can explain over 90% of the variations in landslide volumes. In the southern hilly karst region, the interactions between lithology and slope can explain over 71% of the variations in landslide volume and those between fault and land-use can explain 50% of the variations of the landslide volumes in the northeastern mountainous karst region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of zinc in general and its contribution to China’s material culture during the late Ming and early Qing period in particular is obscure. Specific issues have remained understudied, especially the historical demand for and production of this metal, as well as the locations of zinc mines. This article is the result of collaborative research that approaches these issues by employing and examining the historical development of zinc’s commodity chain, in general, and by focusing on the early demand, in particular, for this metal. The authors discuss the emergence of demand for metallic zinc as a mint metal in the Ming, which spatially influenced the development and shift of zinc mining development from Guangdong province northwards and finally to Guizhou province in the Ming–Qing transition. Based upon primary Chinese texts, this article geographically situates the locations of zinc bearing ore (calamine) deposits that directly resulted in investing and developing zinc mines over this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an effective livelihood approach to alleviate poverty without rural population migration, ethnic tourism has become the primary choice of economic development in ethnic areas worldwide in addition to traditional livelihood approaches. This article applies the theories of livelihood to study the community evolution driven by tourism livelihood and examine three mountainous tourism communities in different stages of tourist area life cycle. Drawing on the methods of GIS spatial analysis, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, this article proposes a sustainable livelihood framework for ethnic tourism to explore the evolution of ethnic tourism communities by identifying changes in livelihood assets (natural, financial, social, cultural and human capitals) in the process of tourism development. The results show that the development of ethnic tourism has led to changes in the increase of building land, and the diversification of land use functions with a trend of shifting from meeting local villagers' living needs to satisfying tourists, income composition and uneven distribution of tourism income spatially. Ethnic tourism also led to the deterioration of traditional social management structure, collapse of neighboring relationship, the over- commercialization and staged authenticity of ethnic culture, as well as the gradual vanish of agricultural knowledge with a trend of increasing modern business knowledge and higher education. In addition, these changes, involving livelihood assets from natural, economic, human, social and cultural aspects are interrelated and interactive, which form new evolution characters of ethnic community. This study reveals the conflicts over livelihood approaches which have formed new vulnerabilities to impact on sustainable evolution of ethnic communities. This research provides implications for achieving the sustainable development of ethnic communities with the driving force of tourism livelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the health, disease and socioeconomic circumstances of garbage collectors in Guiyang, southwestern China. It aims to contribute to medical anthropology and understandings of Chinese society by examining garbage collectors’ understandings of waste picking, pollution and the health risks and diseases associated with their struggles for survival at the “bottom of the heap” of peri-urban society in contemporary China. Drawing on one month of ethnographic fieldwork, it provides new insights into the oft-neglected subjectivity of individuals struggling for survival at the margins of Chinese society, and how this subjectivity is shaped by their structural position as well as by their own agency in making sense and making the best of their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To characterize the genetic profiles and relationships between ancient ethnic populations, we analyzed polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) isolated from the blood of 753 members of 12 ethnic groups (Buyi, Dong, Gelao, Hui, Man, Miao, Menggu, Mulao, Maonan, Qiang, She and Zhuang) living in the Guizhou Province of China. The 9-bp deletion of mtDNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-PAGE, and 11 SNPs by restriction fragment length polymorphism and mini-sequencing. Thereafter, these genotyping results were verified by PCR-DNA sequencing. The mtDNA of these populations exhibited considerable diversity, both with respect to the haplogroups M and N, and subgroups thereof. The differences between the major ethnic groups reflected the maternal inheritance. These ethnic groups in Guizhou demonstrated a genetic profile that differed considerably from that of other Asian populations. Our findings indicate that the matrilineal genetic profiles of Guizhou groups are relatively complex and distinct, showing relationships that reflect national history and geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species, Armascirus jini sp. nov., is described and illustrated. It is similar to A. cerris and A. gimpeli, and can be distinguished by the following features: lateral plates over the level of c1, with fine striation; genital plates triangle-shaped; genital setae g1- g4 unequal in length; leg genu I with 2 sts, tarsus I without tsl; median shield length:width 1:1. The key to the world species of Armascirus is updated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here is currently little consensus on the branching order and phyletic status of the oldest metazoan groups, but sponges are widely believed to be the earliest-branching living metazoans. Porifera are thought to have diverged before the emergence of developmental characters typical of Eumetazoa, such as well-defined symmetry; extant sponges show radial symmetry of indeterminate high order, or none, combined with polarisation along the axis. In contrast, other early-branching phyla include bilateral and tetraradial (Cnidaria) and biradial (Ctenophora) symmetry, or none (Placozoa). A variety of prismatic early fossil sponges had shown here where the shared symmetry has been overlooked, and also describe structural tetraradial symmetry in Cambrian sponges from South China. Based on this study, this symmetry is likely to have been a primitive feature of sponges, and that the earliest-known fossil sponges were highly organised, cellularly integrated individuals whose body form was under strict genetic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preliminary summary of the lower Visean to uppermost Moscovian (Carboniferous) conodont succession and biostratigraphy of the Dianzishang section in Zhenning, Guizhou, South China is presented. Eleven conodont zones, in ascending order, can be recognized: Gnathodus praebilineatus, Gnathodus bilineatus, Lochriea ziegleri, Declinognathodus noduliferus, Neognathodus symmetricus, ‘Streptognathodus’ expansus (primitive form), ‘Streptognathodus’ expansus, Mesogondolella donbassica – Mesogondolella clarki, Idiognathodus podolskensis, Swadelina fauna and Idiognathodus swadei zones. The first occurrences of Lochriea ziegleri at the base of the Serpukhovian Stage, Declinognathodus noduliferus noduliferus at the base of the Bashkirian Stage and ‘Streptognathodus’ expansus at the base of the Moscovian Stage are recognized. The definitions of these stage boundaries, as well as that of the base of the Kasimovian Stage are discussed. Correlations with the Naqing section in South China, Russian and North American sections, as well as other important sections in the world, are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to present a weighting method, integrating subjective weight with objective weight, for landslides susceptibility mapping based on geographical information system (GIS). First, the landslide inventory, aspect, slope, proximity to streams of drainage network, proximity to railway, proximity to road, topography, elevation, lithology, tectonic activity and annual precipitation, including their subclasses, were taken as independent landslide causal factors. Second, objective weights of the causal factors were calculated according to the landslide area density based on entropy weighting method, and key factors were selected according to the rank of the objective weights. Third, trapezoidal fuzzy number weighting approach was used to assess the sub-classes of each key factor. Finally, a case study was carried out in Guizhou province, China. A landslide susceptibility map was created using weighted linear combination model based on GIS. Using a predicted map of probability, the study area was classified into four categories of landslide susceptibility: low, moderate, moderate-high, and high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The karst area accounts for 61.9% of the total area in Guizhou Province, which gives rise to a fragile environment and backward economy. Comparative studies on the element contents of rock and soil and agriculture production in both carbonate area and non-carbonate area have been made to establish factors leading to low output and poor quality of agricultural products in the karst area. The result shows that there is an apparent lack of nutrient elements in carbonate rocks. The trace element contents of carbonate rocks are only 3532.27×10, but those of non-carbonate rocks are 10894.21×10. The available element contents in cultivated soil delivered from carbonate rocks are merely 101.4×10, but those from non-carbonate rocks are 326.05×10. The available element contents and total element contents in cultivated soil delivered from non-carbonate rocks are 3 times higher than those from carbonate rocks. Besides, high-quality agricultural products such as rice, potato and tea are mainly produced in the non-carbonate area. It is indicated that the low output and quality of agricultural products are caused by the above-mentioned low trace element contents and poor agricultural environment. Therefore, a new method of mineral nutrients compensation has been put forward, which is very effective to raise the load-bearing capacity of agricultural environment, agricultural output and quality of agricultural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kam big song is an important genre sung within Kam (in Chinese, Dong) minority communities in southeastern Guizhou, China. It has traditionally served as a medium for transmitting historical, philosophical and ecological knowledge. Since the 1978 reforms, this region of Guizhou has been increasingly drawn into the national labour economy and has experienced a surge in economic development. The ensuing youth migration to urban centres, growing school attendance rates, and a marked rise in television viewing have led to a decline in Kam singing amongst younger generations. Nevertheless, in recent years certain forms of big song have featured increasingly in staged Kam cultural performances intended for broader audiences. Kam big song was recognised as a form of National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in 2006, and was included on UNESCO's Representative List of the ICH of Humanity in 2009. This study draws upon various big songs that I learnt during almost twenty-four months of musical research in rural Kam regions from 2004 to 2011. It illustrates the cultural and ecological significance of this musical tradition, and the importance and complexities of its maintenance at a time of social transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids are important and ubiquitous chemical constituents in the atmosphere. A comprehensive study of the chemical composition of precipitation was carried out from June 2007 to June 2008 at a rural site in Anshun, in the west of Guizhou Province, China. During this period, 118 rainwater samples were collected and the main LMW carboxylic acids were determined using ion chromatography. The average pH of rainwater was 4.89 which is a typical acidic value. The most abundant carboxylic acids were formic acid (volume weight mean concentration: 8.77 µmol L-1) and acetic acid (6.90 µmol L-1), followed by oxalic acid (2.05 µmol L-1 ). The seasonal variation of concentrations and wet deposition fluxes of organic acids indicated that direct vegetation emissions were the main sources of the organic acids. Highest concentrations were observed in winter and were ascribed to the low winter rainfall and the contribution of other air pollution sources northeast of the study area. The ratio of formic and acetic acids in the precipitation ([F/A]T) was proposed as an indicator of pollution source. This suggested that the pollution resulted from direct emissions from natural or anthropogenic sources. Comparison with acid precipitation in other urban and rural areas in Guizhou showed that there was a decreasing contribution of LMW organic acids to free acidity and all anions in rainwater from urban to remote rural areas. Consequently, it is necessary to control emissions of organic acids to reduce the frequency of acid rain, especially in rural and remote areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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According to systemically monitoring results of oxygen (hydrogen) isotope compositions of precipitation, soil waters, soil CO2, cave drip waters and their corresponding speleothems in Liangfeng Cave (LFC) in Guizhou Province, Southwest China, it is found that local precipitation is the main source of soil waters and drip waters, and that the amplitudes of those δ18O values of three waters (precipitation, soil water and drip water) decrease in turn in the observed year, which are 0‰ to -10‰, -2‰ to -9‰ and -6‰ to -8‰, respectively. Moreover, the δ18O values for three waters show a roughly simultaneous variation, namely, that those values are lighter in the rainy seasons, weightier in the dry seasons, and that the average δ18O value of drip waters is about 0.3‰ weightier than that of precipitation, which is modified by surface evaporation processes. We also find that oxygen isotope equilibrium is reached or neared in the formation processes of speleothems in LFC system, and that it is feasible to reconstruct paleotemperature and paleoprecipitation by using δ18O values of speleothems. However, it should be noted that surface evaporation would affect the oxygen isotope values in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of two Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) sections on top of a Changhsingian reef in Ziyun, Guizhou Province, southwestern China indicate that the end-Permian mass extinction of reef ecosystems occurred in two steps. The first step is the extinction of all stenotropic organisms such as calcisponges and fusulinids in the latest Permian (in the Clarkina yini conodont zone). The biota after the first extinction is simple, comprising eurytropic organisms including microgastropods, ostracods, and some small burrowing organisms, or only algal mats. At the beginning of the Early Triassic (i.e. the beginning of the Hindeodus parvus zone), the environments became anoxic, and the microgastropod dominated biota or algal mats disappeared, which constituted the second episode of the mass extinction. The biota after the second extinction comprises small spherical microproblematica, some kinds of specialized organisms tolerant of anoxic or oxygen-poor conditions. As the environments became oxygenated, the specialized biota was replaced by a microgastropod-dominated simple biota. When the environmental conditions improved further, the simple biota was replaced by a diverse biota with normal-sized ammonoids, bivalves, and gastropods, representing restoration of normal oceanic conditions. Comparison with PTB sections in Dolomites, Italy and Meishan, Zhejiang Province shows that non-reef ecosystems had a similar first episode of mass extinction in the latest Permian. In the case that oceanic anoxia happened, non-reef ecosystems had a second extinction episode similar to that of reef ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of several studies on environmental geochemistry. Some of the abstracts presented include "Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Karstic Catchments, Southwestern China: Linkages to Changes of Eco-Environments," by Congqiang Liu and "Emerging Organic Contamination in China," by Guibin Jiang and colleagues.

This review provides a summary of the published information on Guizhou liverworts and hornworts. Representing the first checkist of Guizhou for these groups, it includes all published names of taxa and their distribution up to 2004. A total of 246 specific and subspecific names in 67 genera and 32 families are included. Of these, 205 taxa are currently accepted taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study on the geochemical behavior of cadmium (Cd) and its environmental effects under supergene weathering-leaching conditions in the Niujiaotang Cd-bearing zinc deposit in Guizhou Province, China. Geological setting of the deposit; Experimental and analytical methods; Experimental results and discussion; Conclusions.

Focuses on a study of the state of cadmium (Cd) in the Niujiaotang Cd-rich zinc deposit in Guizhou, China. Geological setting; Distribution characteristics of Cd in ores and minerals; Conclusions and discussion.