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This paper aimed to explore the factors that influenced teachers' adaptations of the curriculum materials of the new senior secondary chemistry curriculum, a standards-based science curriculum, in China. This study was based on the premise that the interaction of the teacher with curriculum materials in a given social context determined what happens in classroom. An interpretive approach was employed and six chemistry teachers in four senior secondary schools participated in this study. Classroom observation and interview were used as research methods. The data analysis revealed that there were seven factors that led to the teachers' adaptations of curriculum materials, and these factors were teacher's pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), external examinations, time constraint, teaching resources, class size, belief about science, and peer coaching. Among these factors, teacher's PCK, external examinations, and time constraint were the more significant factors that influenced teachers' adaptations of curriculum materials. These factors were discussed in the social contexts of China in the last section of this paper.

Objectives: To confirm whether multicomponent exercise following vivifrail recommendations was an effective method for improving physical ability, cognitive function, gait, balance, and muscle strength in Chinese older adults. Methods: This was a multicenter and randomized clinical trial conducted in Jiangsu, China, from April 2021 to April 2022. Intervention lasted for 12 weeks and 104 older adults with functional declines were enrolled. All participants were randomly assigned to a control (usual care plus health education) or exercise group (usual care plus health education plus exercise). Primary outcomes were the change score of Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and activities of daily living (ADL). The secondary outcomes included instrumental activities of daily living, Tinetti scores, Frailty score, short-form Mini Nutritional Assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale-15, the 12-item Short Form Survey, 4-meter gait speed test, 6-min walking distance, grip strength, and body composition analysis. Results: Among the participants, the average age was 85 (82, 88) years. After 12 weeks of follow-up, the exercise group showed a significant improvement in SPPB, with a change of 2 points (95% confidence interval [0, 3.5], P<0.001) compared to control. In contrast, SPPB remained stable in the control group. Compared to the control group, ADL improved in the exercise group, as did instrumental activities of daily living, Tinetti, Frailty, Short Form Survey, 4-meter gait speed test, and 6-min walking distance. Although there was no significant difference between groups in body composition analysis after post-intervention, the exercise group still improved in soft lean mass (P=0.002), fat-free mass (P=0.002), skeletal muscle mass index (P<0.001), fat-free mass index (P=0.004), appendicular skeletal muscle mass (P<0.001), and leg muscle mass (P<0.001), while the control group had no significant increase. No difference was observed in adverse events during trial period. Conclusions: The multicomponent exercise intervention following vivifrail recommendations is an effective method for older adults with functional decline and can reverse the functional decline and improve gait, balance, and muscle strength. Additionally, the 12-week multicomponent exercise method provides guidance for Chinese medical professionals working in the field of geriatrics and is a promising method to improve physical function in the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total fish of 31 species, 20 genera 9 families were found in the Biliu River Basin in northeast China, including 1384 fish in the autumn of 2015, 1148 fish in the spring and 1801 fish in the summer of 2016. Through interference response, index distribution, discriminant ability analysis, normal distribution test and correlation analysis of 31 candidate indicators, and fish index of biological integrity in the Biliu River was established. Moreover, by using the ration scoring method and the step method to unify the standardized index, the indices were added to get the Fish Index of Biological Integrity (F-IBI) value. The results showed that the overall situation of the Biliu River downstream was bad while the situation of its upstream was good. The results indicated that the specimen near the source point (sampling site 12 and 13) and Ge Li River (sampling site 14, 15 and 16) was healthy or sub-healthy. The other sampling points were sub-healthy or generally well. The results of the two evaluation methods were consistent, indicating that the F-IBI evaluation results were more reliable and could be used as an effective evaluation method to promote the application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confronting the dual challenges of air pollution control and carbon mitigation, China is seeking a "win-win" pathway to achieve the co-reduction of air pollution and CO2 emission. In this study, taking 31 provinces in China as research objects, a novel index system, characterized by total emission, emission intensity and emission per capita, was established to evaluate the coupling coordination degree between the air pollution control (AP) subsystem and carbon mitigation (CM) subsystem at the provincial scale from 2013 to 2017. Local Geary's C Index was performed to determine where the coupling coordination was correlated to its neighbour provinces. Considering the discrepancy of the socio-economic status, industrial and energy structure among provinces, Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) was employed to measure the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the influences of the driving factors on the coupling coordination degree, aiming to reduce uncertainty in the interpretation of spatial and temporal variability. Results show that: (1) Since the implementation of "Clean Air Action" in 2013, there has been an obvious improving trend of synergistic governance of air pollution control and carbon mitigation. (2) The synergy of air pollution control and carbon mitigation did not achieve good joint governance, locally. (3) The influence of drivers presents significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity among provinces. Generally, the improvement of the coupling coordination is greatly affected by the local energy structure and economic level. This conclusion has propounded practical significance for synergistic governance of air quality improvement and low-carbon development in the context of carbon neutrality achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper domestic food handling in rural areas of China is an important public health issue leading to foodborne illness. However, the underlying factors responsible for poor domestic food hygiene practices have not been comprehensively studied. Here, a crosssectional study was conducted in Anhui Province, China between 2015 - 2016, using a questionnaire to collect data from 819 respondents, selected using multistage cluster random sampling techniques. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was then used to assess the demographic factors associated with improper food handling. Results showed that 525 (64.1%) of respondents used improper food handling techniques. The factors associated with improper food handling included gender, age, education, income, and occupation. Males (vs. females), adults aged = 50 years (vs. those aged 18 - 30 years), individuals with primary school education or lower (vs. individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher), individuals with annual incomes of < 4,387 USD (vs. income = 13,161 USD), and workers (vs. other occupation groups) were more likely to report inappropriate food handling practices in rural areas. The results obtained from the present work may provide the basis for training in domestic food safety hygiene/handling practices in rural areas of China in order to reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a country prone to natural disasters, and roads are easily damaged in natural disasters. As the infrastructure of people's production and life and the lifeline of post-disaster rescue, roads play a very important role. There are many previous studies on geological disasters risk assessment, but few special researches on highway geological disasters risk assessment, especially quantitative risk assessment combined with remote sensing images. Therefore, the risk assessment of geological disasters along the road is of great significance for the prevention and control of geological disasters and the protection of life and property safety. Based on GF-6 data and other geographic data, this study used the comprehensive evaluation method to realize the geological disasters risk assessment of the Maoxian-Wenchuan section along the G213 line, and analysed and discussed the causes and spatial distribution of geological disasters along the G213 line. Our study presents several key findings, (1) The order of impact degree of each impact factor is road network density, soil erosion, slope, human activities, vegetation coverage, rainfall, and slope aspect, among them, the road network density factor plays a leading role, and the aspect factor is the least impact factor; (2) The geological disasters risk in the study area is divided into five categories: extremely low risk, low risk, medium risk, high risk, and extremely high risk. In general, the geological disasters risk of the research road section is relatively high, and the risk area division is consistent with the historical disaster point data. The research results can provide reference for the smooth development and implementation of road geological disasters risk assessment in the mountainous areas in southwestern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake disasters often cause massive casualties and property losses, so it is essential to achieve rapid emergency rescue response. Although many scholars have studied the speed of emergency rescue response from different perspectives, there are still many problems in the impact of road congestion on travel paths and distances, as well as the timeliness of the road network. Therefore, this study calculated the travel distance from the rescue point to the disaster point using the path planning method based on the Baidu map navigation data, and obtained the distribution map of the emergency rescue response level in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China. The results show that :(1) the path planning method based on Baidu map navigation data is more realistic and accurate than the traditional method. (2) there are apparent spatial differences in the emergency rescue response in Wenchuan County, and the emergency rescue response level in Weizhou town in the north is higher than that in Wolong and Sanjiang town in the southwest. The research results have significant reference value for planning emergency rescue routes and improving rescue speed in Wenchuan County and similar counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Orogenic Belt is a part of the Eastern Block, North China Craton. The Shuangcha rock mass has been recently recognized in Laohe group of Jiao-Liao-Ji Orogenic Belt, and it consists of mainly porphyritic monzonitic granite and porphyritic K-feldspar granite. We present detailed studies of petrography, geochronology and geochemistry of Shuangcha rock mass to constrain the petrogenesis and tectonic evolution features of the Jiao-Liao-Ji Orogenic Belt. The mineral of the Shuangcha granite consists of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz and a small amount of biotite (<5%). Zircon U–Pb dating of the Shuangcha granites yield 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1863~1882 Ma, dating them to the late Paleoproterozoic period. The Shuangcha granites are enriched in total alkali (K2O + Na2O; 8.29~10.57 wt %), and depleted in MgO (0.87~1.75 wt %), CaO (0.23~0.60 wt %), with high FeOT/MgO (2.98~3.47). They are characterized by high Zr + Y + Nb + Ce contents (352~669 ppm, >350 ppm) and 10,000Ga/Al ratios (average 2.69), which are typical features of A-type granite. The Shuangcha A-type granites can be further subdivided into A2-type subgroup based on some geochemical features, such as high Y/Nb ratios (0.99~3.14, average 1.84). Petrographic and geochemical studies have shown that the Shuangcha granites were the product of partial melting of quartzo-feldspathic rocks under a high temperature (>899°C), low pressure and anhydrous environment. Based on geochemical studies of Shuangcha granites, spatial and temporal distributions of regional magmatism and metamorphism records, the Jiao-Liao-Ji Orogenic Belt was in a typical post-collision extension setting in late Paleoproterozoic period (1.82~1.88 Ga) probably triggered by the slab breaks off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mt. Tianmu is one of the most important refugia of Tertiary relict plant taxa in Eastern China. We analyzed the habitat characteristics, community structure, demographic structure, and production methods of Tertiary relict deciduous forests at 1,100 m on Mt Tianmu (1,506 m), Zhejiang province, China. Emmenopterys henryi mostly occurred in unstable habitats with gap-formation or landslides, and these populations showed a sporadic regeneration pattern. E. henryi colonized and established at unstable sites by abundant wind-dispersed seeds. After colonization, E. henryi persisted for a long time and dominated in the canopy layer and even reached emergent layer due to its long lifespan and vegetative reproduction capability. It could thus be regarded as an undifferentiated climax pioneering species with an 'r-selected' life history that produced abundant minute seeds and experienced intermittent recruitment and often became pioneer species of secondary succession after moderate disturbance. Here, we discussed conservation strategies for Tertiary relict deciduous trees as climax pioneering species that accounted for the peculiarity of their habitat and population structure in broad-leaved forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, landslides are widely distributed in the mountainous areas of western regions. Especially after the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008, a large number of landslides were triggered. This work focuses on the deformation monitoring of Xishancun Landslide based on multi-platform spaceborne radar remote sensing techniques. The spatio-temporal deformation characteristics of landslide could be retrieved from time series InSAR processing with joint use of Sentinel-1 and TerraSAR-X datasets. Eventually, the deformation and evolution histories are cultivated thoroughly to realize an effective and comprehensive monitoring and research of Xishancun Landslide. This work concludes that spaceborne radar remote sensing applications could demonstrate great potentials to identify the spatio-temporal characteristics and investigate the kinematics for hazardous landslides, especially combined with in situ measurements and other remote sensing observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial upwelling, artificially pumping up nutrient-rich ocean waters from deep to surface, is increasingly applied to stimulating phytoplankton activity. As a proxy for the amount of phytoplankton present in the ocean, the concentration of chlorophyll a (chl-a) may be influenced by water physical factors altered in artificial upwelling processes. However, the accuracy and convenience of measuring chl-a are limited by present technologies and equipment. Our research intends to study the correlations between chl-a concentration and five water physical factors, i.e., salinity, temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH, possibly affected by artificial upwelling. In this paper, seven models are presented to predict chl-a concentration, respectively. Two of them are based on traditional regression algorithms, i.e., multiple linear regression (MLR) and multivariate quadratic regression (MQR), while five are based on intelligent algorithms, i.e., backpropagation-neural network (BP-NN), extreme learning machine (ELM), genetic algorithm-ELM (GA-ELM), particle swarm optimization-ELM (PSO-ELM), and ant colony optimization-ELM (ACO-ELM). These models provide a quick prediction to study the concentration of chl-a. With the experimental data collected from Xinanjiang Experiment Station in China, the results show that chl-a concentration has a strong correlation with salinity, temperature, DO, and pH in the process of artificial upwelling and PSO-ELM has the best overall prediction ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The kinetics of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) during the natural history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been studied, but the factors affecting them remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the factors affecting HBsAg titres, using data from multicentre, large‐sized clinical trials in China. The baseline data of 1795 patients in 3 multicentre trials were studied, and the patients were classified into 3 groups: hepatitis B early antigen (HBeAg)‐positive chronic HBV infection (n = 588), HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B (n = 596), and HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B (n = 611). HBsAg titres in the different phases were compared, and multiple linear progression analyses were performed to investigate the implicated factors. HBsAg titres varied significantly in different phases (P = .000), with the highest (4.60 log10 IU/mL [10%‐90% confidence interval: 3.52 log10 IU/mL‐4.99 log10 IU/mL]) in patients with HBeAg‐positive chronic HBV infection. In all phases, age and HBV DNA were correlated with serum HBsAg level. In HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B patients, a negative correlation between HBsAg titres and fibrosis stage was observed. Alanine amonitransferase or necroinflammatory activity was also correlated with HBsAg titres in HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B patients. In conclusion, decreased HBsAg titres may be associated with advancing fibrosis in HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B patients or increased necroinflammation in those with HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B. Our findings may help clinicians better understand the kinetics of HBsAg and provide useful insights into the management of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN‐AML), which accounted for nearly half of total AML patients, is a highly heterogeneous subset of AML. The specific genetic profile and the ethnic features of CN‐AML are worth to be studied. Methods: Using deep sequencing technology, we detected the mutation pattern of 39 genes in 152 Chinese CN‐AML patients and analyzed their clinical features. Results: A total of 503 mutations of 39 genes were identified in 145 (95.4%) patients, with the median number of 3 mutations per case. Nine genes (NPM1, CEBPA, DNMT3A, GATA2, NRAS, TET2, FLT3, IDH2, and WT1) mutated in more than 10% patients. Function groups of myeloid transcription factors, activated signaling, and DNA methylation were most affected. The distribution of variant allele frequencies (VAF) of recurrent genes was different among functional groups. High mutation rates of CEBPA and GATA2 together with the low frequency of FLT3‐ITD mutation seemed to be the distinct characteristics of Chinese patients. Furthermore, CEBPAbi and GATA2 were found to mutate most in M2 subtype, while NPM1 and DNMT3A mutated more in M4 and M5. The prognostic analysis identified CEBPAmo mutation as an inferior factor. FLT3‐ITD, TP53, DNMT3A, CEBPAmo, and WT1 mutations were selected as high‐risk markers to identify the CN‐AML patients with poor prognosis. Conclusion: Our study provided the valuable information of ethnic genetic characteristics and the clinical relevance of Chinese CN‐AML patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a member of the Kyoto Protocol, Macao faces the enormous challenge to tackle with energy conservation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. Though many studies have been devoted to understanding Macao's GHG emissions from energy consumption and external trade, an investigation of the underlying driving forces is still absent. Therefore, this study decomposed the energy-related emissions change and imbalance in embodied emissions of external trade during 2000–2011, respectively, by using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method. The economic scale effect and energy structure change were identified as the main driving factors of Macao's increasing energy-related emissions, while trade structure and embodied emission intensity contributed to make Macao a net importer of embodied emissions. However, some variations can be seen during the period concerned. Then the underlying reasons for the two decomposition results were further investigated. On account of the results and analysis, instructive policy implications can be put forward for Macao to better proceed with energy conservation and emissions reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objectives Tacrolimus ( TAC) is widely used as part of immunosuppressive regimens. There is great interindividual variation on the disposition of TAC. The aim of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic ( PPK) model for Chinese liver transplant patients and evaluate genetic polymorphism and other possible factors on the PK parameters. The exposure of TAC is to be estimated through Bayesian modelling. Methods A total of 47 sets of rich-time PK and 1234 conventional therapeutic drug monitoring ( TDM) data were collected from 125 Chinese liver transplant patients. The pathophysiological data of these patients were recorded. CYP3A5*3 and ABCB1 genotypes were determined for each patient. The PPK model for TAC was established by nonlinear mixed-effects modelling ( nonmem). The impact of pathophysiology and genotype on PPK parameters was evaluated. Bayesian estimators for the area under concentration-time curve ( AUC) of TAC were validated. Results A two-compartment model with lag time was found to be the most suitable model for the pooled full PK and TDM data for Chinese liver transplant patients. The CL/F, V2/F, Q/F, V3/F, Ka and lag time were 17.4±0.81 L/h, 165±44.1 L, 54.9±25.8L/h, 594±87.5 L, 0.51±0.095 L/h and 1.57±0.34 h. Post-operative day ( POD), creatinine clearance ( CLcr) and ABCB1 C3435T genotypes were found to have significant influences on CL/F ( P<.01). ABCB1 C3435T genotypes showed a significant correlation with V2/F ( P<.01). C0-C2 and C0-C2-C4 were shown to be suitable for the estimation of AUC in Chinese liver transplant patients. What is new and conclusion A PPK model for TAC was established successfully in Chinese liver transplant patients. POD, CLcr and ABCB1 C3435T genotypes were shown to have significant effects on CL/F. The AUC of TAC in Chinese liver transplant patients could be estimated through Bayesian modelling, based on which individualized immunosuppressive regimens can be designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural strain plays a significant role in structural condition assessment of in-service bridges in terms of structural bearing capacity, structural reliability level and entire safety redundancy. Therefore, it has been one of the most important parameters concerned by researchers and engineers engaged in structural health monitoring (SHM) practices. In this paper, an SHM system instrumented on the Jiubao Bridge located in Hangzhou, China is firstly introduced. This system involves nine subsystems and has been continuously operated for five years since 2012. As part of the SHM system, a total of 166 fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors are installed on the bridge to measure the dynamic strain responses of key structural components. Based on the strain monitoring data acquired in recent two years, the strain-based structural condition assessment of the Jiubao Bridge is carried out. The wavelet multi-resolution algorithm is applied to separate the temperature effect from the raw strain data. The obtained strain data under the normal traffic and wind condition and under the typhoon condition are examined for structural safety evaluation. The structural condition rating of the bridge in accordance with the AASHTO specification for condition evaluation and load and resistance factor rating of highway bridges is performed by use of the processed strain data in combination with finite element analysis. The analysis framework presented in this study can be used as a reference for facilitating the assessment, inspection and maintenance activities of in-service bridges instrumented with longterm SHM system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The nasal cavity is the main colonization site of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in human body. Nasal carriage may be a strong risk factor for some serious infection. There was still limited information about the nasal carriage for S. aureus in south China. Methods: Sought to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of S. aureus nasal carriage, 295 volunteers residing on a medicine campus were investigated and sampled the nasal cavity swab. Selected S. aureus isolates were carried through molecular analysis, including pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence analysis, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and virulence gene detection. Results: A total of 73 S. aureus isolates were recovered from separate subjects (24.7%, 73/295), with one methicillinresistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolate (0.3%, 1/295). Among the 73 isolates, 71 isolates were successfully grouped into 13 pulsotypes by PFGE analysis, with profiles A and L the most prevalent; 12 sequence types (STs) were found among the 23 isolates which had similar drug resistant spectrum. ST59, ST188 and ST1 were the most prevalent, accounting for 17.4, 13.0 and 13.0% of all isolates, respectively. The MRSA isolate presented ST8-SCCmec III. 56.5% of isolates carried both the staphylococcal enterotoxin A (sea) and enterotoxin B (seb) genes. 83.6% of the S. aureus isolates were resistant to penicillin, all isolates were susceptible to quinupristin/dalfopristin, levofloxacin, teicoplanin and vancomycin. The most common risk factors for S. aureus carriage were being male, age ≤30 years, and nasal cavity cleaning habits. Conclusions: Colonization by S. aureus was greater among male and young age (20-30 years) students and those with irregularity nasal cleaning. The S. aureus isolates selected were revealed into various sequence types and pulsotypes, indicating molecular heterogeneity among S. aureus isolates from the populations in the medical college in Guangzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world's largest energy consumer, China contributes significantly to the global atmospheric mercury emissions, a toxic air pollutant with global importance. This study aims to systematically analyze China's energy-related mercury emissions in light of environmentally extended input-output analysis (EEIOA), considering the impact of China's inter-sector connection and external trade. The results reveal that embodied emission intensities of some manufacturing sectors are magnified about 100 times compared with their corresponding direct mercury emission intensities. Generally, the magnified effect of upstream sectors (e.g., Sector Coal Mining ) is less remarkable than downstream sectors (e.g., Sector Electric Equipment and Machinery Manufacturing ), underlying the effect of inter-sector connection. As for external trade, over a quarter of China's direct mercury emissions from fuel combustion (359.7 tonnes) are attributed to foreign consumption of commodities produced in China, manifesting China's role as world factory. Due to the prominent role of China's processing trade, mercury emissions embodied in re-exports takes a considerable amount of total emissions embodied in China's exports. These findings have implications for China's mercury pollution mitigation policies focusing on different stages in domestic supply chains and responsibilities redistribution of international collaborative mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaomiaozi (GMZ) bentonite has been recognized as the first choice for using as buffer/backfill material in deep geological repository for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste in China. High salinity and high pH of the pore solutions may cause changes in the mineralogical composition, and the swelling capacity of the bentonite results in affecting the long-term performance of the engineering barrier system. In the present work, a series of hydrothermal reactivity experiments were performed using batch reactors at 20, 35 and 80 °C for evaluating the chemical and mineralogical responses of GMZ bentonites. The results show that the dissolution of smectite releases Si and Al under the conditions of 1 M KOH at 35 and 80 °C and the released Si and Al may work as a cementing agent in GMZ bentonite. XRD pattern results show that alteration of the GMZ bentonite is expected to be insignificant for reaction with NaCl, KCl and NaOH solutions under low temperatures. However, it is obviously reacted with KOH solutions especially at 80 °C, during which cementitious material was produced leading to kaolinitization. When contacted with KOH solutions, the basal spacing (d001) of the main primary diffraction peaks (001) value of GMZ bentonite increases with increasing temperature. Salinity also can influence the smectite stability and accordingly loss of swelling capacity. This conclusion could be explained by the diffusing double-layer effects induced by salt solutions and ion exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two model experiments, namely a control (CTL) experiment without aerosol-radiation feedbacks and a experiment with online aerosol-radiation (RAD) interactions, were designed to study the radiative feedback on regional radiation budgets, planetary boundary layer (PBL) meteorology and haze formation due to aerosols during haze episodes over Jing-Jin-Ji, China, and its near surroundings (3JNS region of China: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, East Shanxi, West Shandong and North Henan) with a two-way atmospheric chemical transport model. The impact of aerosols on solar radiation reaching Earth's surface, outgoing long-wave emission at the top of the atmosphere, air temperature, PBL turbulence diffusion, PBL height, wind speeds, air pressure pattern and PM2.5 has been studied focusing on a haze episode during the period from 7 to 11 July 2008. The results show that the mean solar radiation flux that reaches the ground decreases by about 15% in 3JNS and 20 to 25% in the region with the highest aerosol optical depth during the haze episode. The fact that aerosol cools the PBL atmosphere but warms the atmosphere above it leads to a more stable atmospheric stratification over the region, which causes a decrease in turbulence diffusion of about 52 % and a decrease in the PBL height of about 33%. This consequently forms a positive feedback on the particle concentration within the PBL and the surface as well as the haze formation. Additionally, aerosol direct radiative forcing (DRF) increases PBL wind speed by about 9 % and weakens the subtropical high by about 14 hPa, which aids the collapse of haze pollution and results in a negative feedback to the haze episode. The synthetic impacts from the two opposite feedbacks result in about a 14 % increase in surface PM2.5. However, the persistence time of both high PM2.5 and haze pollution is not affected by the aerosol DRF. On the contrary over offshore China, aerosols heat the PBL atmosphere and cause unstable atmospheric stratification, but the impact and its feedback on the planetary boundary layer height, turbulence diffusion and wind is weak, with the exception of the evident impacts on the subtropical high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the ever-increasing focus on China's CO 2 emissions, little attention has been given to its non-CO 2 greenhouse gases (GHGs). Based on the latest released official GHG emission data, this paper presents an inventory and embodiment analysis of the non-CO 2 GHG emissions covering CH 4 , N 2 O, HFCs, PFCs and SF 6 by the Chinese economy in 2005. The total direct non-CO 2 GHG emissions from economic sectors amount to 1368.5 Mt CO 2 -eq, of which CH 4 contributes 848.4 Mt, N 2 O 356.8 Mt and F-GHGs 163.3 Mt. Responsible for 93.2% of the total emissions are the three sectors of Agriculture , Coal Mining and Dressing and Chemicals . Exports, urban consumption and capital formation derive the major fractions of embodied emissions for final demand. Rural and urban consumption are both non-CO 2 GHG emission intensive, having the largest embodied emission intensities among all final demand categories. The impact of international trade on China's non-CO 2 GHG emissions is significant. The total emissions embodied in exports are 487.0 Mt CO 2 -eq, equivalent to 35.6% of the total domestic emissions. Prominently, the re-exported emissions amount to 135.3 Mt CO 2 -eq due to the processing trade. Textile and Garments and Other Fiber Products, Leather, Furs, Down and Related Products are the top two net embodied emission export sectors. While China's non-CO 2 GHG emissions are expected to increase steadily in the future, both the direct emissions from on site production and the embodied emissions induced by final consumption and international trade need to be addressed and targeted to inform effective mitigation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objective There is great interindividual variability in citalopram ( CIT) pharmacokinetics. We attempted to establish a population pharmacokinetic ( PPK) model of CIT in Chinese healthy subjects, to evaluate the effect of genetic polymorphism on CIT pharmacokinetics and to compare the PPK and non-compartmental ( NCA) assays in the estimation of CIT bioequivalence. Methods Blood samples of 23 healthy subjects were collected after administration of CIT; plasma concentration of CIT was analysed using LC/ MS- MS. CYP2 C19 and CYP2 D6*10 genotypes were determined. PPK model was established by using nonlinear mixed-effect modelling ( NONMEM). The model was evaluated using goodness-of-fit plots and relative error measurements. Bioequivalence of CIT was evaluated by both PPK and NCA method. Results and discussion The estimated population absorption rate constant ( ka), clearance ( CL/ F) and volume of distribution (Vd/F) in Chinese healthy subjects are 0.64 L/h, 12.7 L/h and 705 L, respectively. Different CYP2 C19 and CYP2 D6 genotypes have impacts on CIT pharmacokinetics. There is about 5.5% decrement of CL/ F for each CYP2 C19*2 or CYP2 D6*10 allele. The 90% confidence interval of CIT bioavailability obtained from NCA and PPK model were 96.4-105.4% and 92.5-103.4%, respectively. What is new and conclusion The PPK of CIT is best characterized by a one-compartment disposition model with first-order absorption. CYP2 C19 and CYP2 D6 genotypes have impacts on the CL/F of CIT. Bioequivalence of CIT can be estimated by both NCA and PPK model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study was designed to compare the effects of alendronate (ALN), strontium ranelate (SR), and zoledronic acid (ZOL) on bone-implant osseointegration in ovariectomized rats. Histological examination and biomechanical tests show that ZOL, ALN, and SR enhance bone-implant osseointegration; ALN and SR have similar effects, while ZOL enhances bone-implant osseointegration more than ALN and SR Introduction: This study aims to compare the effects of ALN, SR, and ZOL on bone-implant osseointegration in ovariectomized rats. Methods: Sixty female Sprague-Dawley rats were included in this study. Of them, 48 rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and assigned to four groups: OVX (OVX + Veh), ALN (OVX + ALN), SR (OVX + SR), and ZOL (OVX + ZOL). And another 12 rats were sham-operated as a control group (Sham). Four weeks after ovariectomy, HA-coated titanium implants were inserted into the tibias bilaterally in all rats. Then the rats in groups ALN, SR, and ZOL were systemically administrated with alendronate (7 mg/kg/week, orally), strontium ranelate (500 mg/kg/day, orally), or a single injection of zoledronic acid (0.1 mg/kg, iv), respectively. Twelve weeks after implantation, all rats were sacrificed to get the femurs and tibias. Histological examination and biomechanical tests were used to evaluate bone-implant osseointegration in all groups. Results: ALN, SR, and ZOL significantly increased distal femoral BMD when compared with group OVX; ZOL increased BMD significantly more than ALN and SR ( P < 0.05). Significant increase of bone-to-implant contact and peri-implant bone fraction were observed in groups ALN, SR, and ZOL when compared with group OVX ( P < 0.05). Groups ALN and SR were inferior to groups ZOL and Sham ( P < 0.05) in bone-to-implant contact and peri-implant bone fraction. Similar results were found in biomechanical testing (max pushout force). Conclusions: In rats losing bone rapidly after ovariectomy, systemic administration of ZOL, ALN, and SR causes better bone-implant osseointegration when compared to OVX; ALN and SR have similar positive effects on osseointegration, while ZOL, that was given in a dose with more positive BMD effect than that of ALN or SR, causes better osseointegration than either ALN or SR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technology of crop straw gasification is a kind of promising biomass gasification technology. It not only solves air pollution but also improves the life quality of local households. However, there are some commercialization development barriers in China. They include the low price of the fuel gas, few gas consumers, high initial investment for the gasification station, non-market support from the government, imperfect crop straw gasification technology, and a deficiency of instructions for the standard checking system of crop straw gasification equipment and construction. In order to further develop crop straw gasification technology, it is necessary to rely on increasing economic benefit rather than lessen the dependence on the support of government by degrees. The prompting policies consist of enhancing support to gasification technology, enlarging the straw gas consumption scale through amending government subsidy, building a fair competing market environment, promoting investment in crop straw gasification technology, and promoting effective use of crop straw through restrictive policies and measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical and tribocorrosion behaviors of Ti-6Al-4V, 316 stainless steel and Monel K500 alloys sliding against Al2O3 in artificial seawater are investigated in this paper. It can be observed that the open circuit potential drops down to more negative values due to the removal of passive film. And a rapid dissolution occurs in the wear track compared with the unworn area. The wear loss polarized in cathodic potential is lower than that in anodic potential and open circuit potential conditions, because the material deterioration is enhanced by corrosive attack. The wear volumes of 316 stainless steel are much higher than the ones measured for Ti-6Al-4V and Monel K500 alloys. Friction coefficients are significant large in cathodic polarization compared with anodic polarization for all alloys. Moreover, the 316 stainless steel exhibits large friction coefficients compared with Ti-6Al-4V and Monel K500 alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been generally acknowledged that the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation of leukemia largely rely on an adequate identification of genetic abnormalities. A systemic analysis of genetic aberrations was performed in a cohort of 1346 patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in China. The pediatric patients had higher incidence of hyperdiploidy and t(12;21) (p13;q22)/ETV6-RUNX1 than adults (P<0.0001); in contrast, the occurrence of Ph and Ik6 variant of IKZF1 gene was much more frequent in adult patients (all P<0.0001). In B-ALL, the existence of Ik6 and that of BCR-ABL were statistically correlated (P<0.0001). In comparison with Western cohorts, the incidence of t(9;22) (q34;q11)/BCR-ABL (14.60%) in B-ALL and HOX11 expression in T-ALL (25.24%) seemed to be much higher in our group, while the incidence of t(12;21) (p13;q22)/ETV6-RUNX1 (15.34%) seemed to be lower in Chinese pediatric patients. The occurrence of hyperdiploidy was much lower either in pediatric (10.61% vs 20-38%) or adult patients (2.36% vs 6.77-12%) in our study than in Western reports. In addition, the frequencies of HOX11L2 in adult patients were much higher in our cohort than in Western countries (20.69% vs 4-11%). In general, it seems that Chinese ALL patients bear more adverse prognostic factors than their Western counterparts do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Analyzing the structure and functioning of the urban system revealed ways to optimize its structure by adjusting the relationships among compartments, thereby demonstrating how ecological network analysis can be used in urban system research. Based on the account of the extended exergy utilization in the sector of urban socio-economic system, which is considered as the composition of extraction (Ex), conversion (Co), agriculture (Ag), industry (In), transportation (Tr), tertiary (Te) and households (Do) sectors, an urban ecological network model is constructed to gain insights into the sustainable urban development process. Taking Beijing city as a model case, the network accounting and related ecological evaluation of a practical urban economy are carried out in this study in the light of flux, utility and structure analysis. The results showed Beijing had made some progress in moving manufacturing economy into service economy during the 10years. The increased output of the domestic sector (labor services) relieves the energy demand being placed on agricultural, industrial, transportation and tertiary sectors. The transportation sector was becoming a controlling factor to fluctuate the other sectors and the cross-regional trade is beginning to overshadow the crucial role of local manufacturing, which is due partly to the restructuring of the Beijing''s commodity markets since the 1990s. The major implication of our work is that the exergy-based network analysis can be refined to become an integrative tool for evaluation, policy-making and regulation for ecosystem management concerning structure and efficiency at urban levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The molecular characterization of cytogenetic abnormalities has not only provided insights into the mechanisms of leukemogenesis but also led to the establishment of new treatment strategies targeting these abnormalities and thereby further improve the prognosis of patients. We analyzed the prognosis of 1091 Chinese patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and explored the prognostic impacts of a large number of cytogenetic/molecular abnormalities. It was demonstrated that, in both B- and T-ALL settings, the prognosis was negatively correlated to the age as reported to date. For childhood T-ALL patients, it was also documented that the HOX11 expression represented a favorable prognostic factor as it was in adult ones. We identified CRLF2 overexpression as an intermediate-risk marker and Ik6 variant of IKZF1 gene as a high-risk one when stratifying pediatric B-ALL cases according to cytogenetic/molecular risks. We also found that Ik6 variant and CRLF2 overexpression had an important role in dictating the prognosis of Ph-negative patients, which may be useful markers in guiding the treatment of ALL in the future, with tyrosine kinase inhibitors on the other hand reversing the fate of Ph-positive ALL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The method of ecosystem health assessment (EHA) based on an index system using thermodynamic indicators has been applied to assess the state of health of Baiyangdian Lake. Indicators consisting of eco-exergy, structural eco-exergy, ratio of zooplankton biomass to phytoplankton biomass, and phytoplankton biomass were selected for the ecosystem health characterization. The assessment principle has been modified based on the typical characteristics of current ecological conditions for water areas in Baiyangdian Lake. The results of the health assessment indicate that water areas in sites 4 and 14 are in relatively good health, while the states of health of other water areas are deteriorated to varying degrees. By comparing the values of the ratio of zooplankton biomass to phytoplankton biomass and structural eco-exergy, the order of relative states of health from good to bad has been determined as: water area in the northeast and southeast (A) > water area in the north (D) > water area in the central and south (C) > water area in the west (B). Furthermore, based on the distribution of human disturbances in the water areas, for proposed regulating measures to improve the health of the impaired water areas we focus mainly on decreasing the nutrient loadings in water areas B and C and the submerged plant management of water area D. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Carbon fluxes scenario within urban areas plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, which is critical for the adjustment of urban development activities influencing our living environment. Adapting network environ theory, a generic metabolic model is developed in this study for carbon metabolism in urban areas, in which compartmental utility analysis and system performance assessment are featured. Taking carbon dynamic of Hong Kong as a case study, the metabolic flows within urban carbon balance are illustrated though two analogous input/output networks. Based on this, the compartmental mutual relationships between different urban sectors are addressed and the overall properties of the city''s carbon metabolism are aggregately evaluated. Our findings showed that each metabolic component has its specific mutual relations with other components connected, playing a unique role within the ecological system. As to Hong Kong''s case, specifically, the metabolic system is considered self-mutual and stable when incorporating its interactions with its supporting environment. In light of these insights, potential extensions and applications of the network-based metabolic model in future are discussed. The recommendation is that the tracking of interactive relationships and pathways from network environ perspective be incorporated into present urban metabolism study for a more comprehensive sustainable urban design. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes the development of a forecasting model, named the emergy-based urban dynamic model capable of accurately simulating the observed resource consumption, economic growth and environmental impact of Beijing. This model differs from previous urban emergy models by monitoring the negative effects to human well-being and ecosystem integrity in the developing urban system. A fresh perspective focuses on urban comprehensive performance linking such impacts to a supply-side environmental cost evaluation (including ecological service supply, ecological and economic losses and investment for treatment). In this introductory paper, we present the conceptual considerations of the most important components of the emergy-based urban dynamic model: the urban assets, lands, capitals, population, water resources, economic and environmental loss. Each subsystem in this model will enrich the feedback dynamics, policy levers and post-scenario analyses. Statistical Information and calibration are also considered in this dynamic emergy accounting. This study advances the temporal dynamic principles of emergy accounting through integrating upstream and downstream evaluation methods to quantify the environmental impact by addressing specific damages to human health and ecosystem''s integrity and by linking such impacts to a supply-side environmental cost evaluation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is undoubted that low-carbon city has become a vital development trend for Chinese cities in the new century. Many Chinese cities have been devoted to the upsurge of low-carbon city construction in recent years. Focusing on these problems - What measures has been adopted to construct low-carbon city in China? How is the effect of low-carbon city construction? Are there some issues needing attention in the future - this paper summarizes the situation of low-carbon city development in China and clarifies a few viewpoints that need be paid attention to in the subsequent development. It is expected that the discussion in this paper can help promote the construction of low-carbon city in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Evaluation of the ecosystem health of urban clusters will help to establish effective management that promotes sustainable regional development. The procedure for using emergy synthesis and set pair analysis models (EM-SPA) is established in this paper by combining the emergy synthesis''s ability to reflect health status from biophysical perspective and set pair analysis’ ability to describe extensive relationships among different variables. Based on the EM-SPA model, the relative health levels of different urban clusters and related health characteristics can be analyzed. The health states of three typical Chinese urban clusters, Jing-Jin-Tang, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta, were investigated using the model. The results show that the health status of the Pearl River Delta was relatively good, while that of the Yangtze River Delta was poor. The specific health characteristics of three urban clusters were further compared. The management guidelines of the different urban clusters are also suggested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Landscape ecology planning of a scenery district is the typical application of landscape ecology principles and methods. It focuses on the spatial pattern, ecological process, and especially the relationship between human activities and landscape characteristics in a scenery district. In this paper, the spatial pattern of the Wuyishan Scenery District was studied at two scale levels:1) landscape elements and 2)the whole landscape. The change in spatial patterns for 10 types of landscapes from 2001 to 2006 was analyzed using diversity, dominance, evenness, and fragmentation. According to widely accepted landscape ecological classification principles, a new characteristic evaluation index system for landscape ecological suitability evaluation for a scenery district, including representativeness, stability, coordination, particularity, ornamental value, society, and gradient, was applied to assess its ecological suitability by the analytic hierarchy process and the composite evaluation index (CEI) was further calculated. By CEI, the ecological suitability of the scenery district was divided into three classes, including urgent landscape, normal landscape, and ideal landscape. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ZHANG M., JIN M., YU Y., ZHANG S., WU Y., LIU H., LIU H., CHEN B., LI Q., MA X. & CHEN K. (2011) European Journal of Cancer Care 21, 274-280 Associations of miRNA polymorphisms and female physiological characteristics with breast cancer risk in Chinese population mircoRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles on regulation of gene expressions. Aberrant expression of miRNAs was involved in various biological and pathological processes, including tumorigenesis of breast cancer. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were implicated in altered expression or biological functions of mature miRNAs. To explore the relevance of miRNA polymorphisms and female physiological characteristics to breast cancer risk, SNPs located within hsa-miR-605 (rs2043556), hsa-miR-149 (rs2292832), hsa-miR-27a (rs895819), hsa-miR-196a-2 (rs11614913) and hsa-miR-618 (rs2682818) were selected, and their associations with breast cancer risk were analysed. In addition, associations between physiological characteristics-related factors and breast cancer risk were estimated too. We found that the ones with menarche age less than 16 years had increased breast cancer risk (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.23-3.60). Marginally significant association between rs11614913 CT/CC genotypes and reduced breast cancer risk was observed (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.40-1.06), while no significance was detected about the other miRNA polymorphisms. We concluded that menarche at less than 16 years old increased breast cancer risk, while the genetic variants in miR-196-a-2 might decreased the risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy observed in the surface layer, when using eddy-covariance techniques to measure turbulent fluxes, is not balanced. Important progress has been made in recent years in identifying potential reasons for this lack of closure in the energy balance, but the problem is not yet resolved. In this paper, long-term data that include output of tower, radiation, surface turbulence flux and soil measurement collected from September 2006 to August 2010 in the Semi-Arid Climate Change and Environment Observatory, Lanzhou University, in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of Northwest China, were analysed, focusing on the seasonal characteristics of the surface energy and the factors that have impact on the energy balance closure (EBC). The analysis shows that (1) the long-term observations are successful; the interaction between the land and the atmosphere in semi-arid climates can be represented by the turbulent transport of energy. In addition, even though the residual is obvious, this suggests that the factors that impact the EBC are stable, and their seasonal variations are identical. The analysis also shows that (2) four factors have obvious impact on the EBC: the diverse schemes for surface soil heat flux, the flux contribution from the target source area, the low-frequency part of the turbulence spectra, and the strength of atmospheric turbulence motion. The impact of these four factors on the EBC are similar in all seasons. Lastly, the results indicate that (3) atmospheric turbulence intensity is a very important factor in terms of its impact on the EBC. The relative turbulence intensity, RIw, characterises the strength of atmospheric turbulence motion, and is found to exert a noticeable impact on the EBC; in all seasons, the EBC is increased when the relative turbulence intensity is enlarged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We evaluated the factors associated with inpatient costs including total costs, pharmaceutical costs and laboratory costs for diabetesrelated admissions. Patients and Methods: Using data for 960 adult patients admitted between May 2005 and April 2008 with a primary or secondary diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated with Zhejiang University Medical School (SRRSH) in Hangzhou, China, we evaluate the association between patient characteristics and inpatient costs with multivariable regression analyses. Results: Total inpatient costs were positively associated with age, higher UKPDS stroke risk score, and presence of any complication. A regression that included patient socioeconomic and clinical characteristics explained 21.5 % of the variation in total inpatient costs; regression estimates indicate that patients with coronary artery disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and diabetic foot had inpatient costs that were respectively 93.7 %, 14.0 %, 17.5 %, 11.5 % and 89.0 % higher than otherwise similar patients without those complications. Pharmaceutical costs did not differ by insurance coverage. Insured patients spent 7-16 % more on laboratory tests than otherwise similar patients did. Conclusions: Clinical factors, especially presence of diabeteselated complications, appear to be the primary determinants of variation in inpatient costs for patients with type 2 DM in China. To mitigate the health costs increases associated with China's DM epidemic, policymakers should focus on cost-effective ways to manage patients in outpatient settings to prevent the complications associated with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods and indicators need to be developed to investigate urban ecosystem health to mitigate eco-environmental problems and develop holistic policies for integrated urban ecosystem management. Considering the importance of energy and materials flows in urban ecosystems, the emergy synthesis model was applied to organize the urban ecosystem health indicators from the biophysical perspective in this paper, through which a better understanding of urban ecological patterns and processes can be obtained. Set pair analysis was combined to conduct the data processing of health indicators and promote objectivity of ecosystem health criteria. Set pair analysis defines the approximate degree of a real index set relative to an optimal one, which is evaluated to describe the relative urban ecosystem health levels in view of the emergy-based health indicators. Six cities in the Yangtze River Delta urban cluster in China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Nanjing and Hangzhou) were selected as case studies using 2005 data. The evaluation showed that the urban ecosystem health states of Shanghai and Hangzhou are relatively good, while the health states of Wuxi and Suzhou are relatively poor. The health states of the cities based on the factors (vigor, structure, resilience, ecosystem service maintenance and environmental impact) and individual indicators were also analyzed to identify regulatory directions and measures for improving the health status of those cities with relatively poor ecosystem health. This paper presents a meaningful comparison between different urban ecosystems at different indicator levels and provides a useful framework for urban ecological management with respect to urban ecosystem health status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many individual wetlands are interconnected by complex hydrological processes, acting as a large wetland system (WS) with specific structure and function in certain temporal and spatial scale. An understanding of the holistic attributes of a WS is especially critical for the long-term persistence and biodiversity maintenance of various wetlands. In this study, we developed a framework to use ecological network analysis (ENA) in a holistic assessment to WSs. The Baiyangdian WS in China and the Okefenokee WS in USA were presented as two examples. Network models of two WSs were developed to facilitate the application of network analysis, in which network nodes represent river segments, lakes and reservoirs, and network links are directional representations of water flow between nodes. Using 25 network indicators, we compared two WSs to show how ENA can be used to provide a unified benchmark for holistic comparisons. Results show there is a large difference, such as system activity, inner organization and so on, between two WSs. The Baiyangdian WS is a sparsely connected system with a connectance of 0.13 while the Okefenokee WS is a well connected system with a connectance of 1.08. Comparing with the Okefenokee WS, the Baiyangdian WS has higher inner organization (2.25 bits versus 1.27 bits) but lower system activities (0.19 m3y-1/m2 versus 0.34 m3y-1/m2). System ascendency of the Baiyangdian WS is slightly lower than that of the Okefenokee WS (0.43m3y-1/m2 versus 0.42 m3y-1/m2). On the basis of the current results, we proposed the network-based indicators for assessing the holistic attributes of WSs. This study could provide a novel prospective and methodology for evaluating system attributes at the system level and contributes to the basin-wide wetland protection and water resources management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Gaositai complex is a typical Alaskan-type intrusion, emplaced in the northern margin of the North China Craton at about 280Ma. It is a concentrically zoned intrusion, with dunite in the core, rimmed by wehrlite, clinopyroxenite and hornblendite outwards. To understand the chemical compositions of the parent magma to the ultramafic complex, and thus that of the mantle source, we conduct petrological and geochemical studies on the dunite core and high-Mg clinopyroxene (cpx) inclusions in the chromitite from the rock unit, including the major and trace elements of cpx inclusions and whole-rock Re–Os isotope of the chromitites and chromite-rich dunites. The cpx inclusions have chemical compositions similar to the high Mg# cpx of primitive ankaramite, suggesting that the cpx inclusions could have formed from a primitive parent magma. The calculated chemical compositions of the primitive parent magma are characterized by high Mg# and CaO, with CaO/Al2O3 ratios >1, and enriched in Sr and other large ion lithophile elements compared to high field strength and rare earth elements. This, together with the high fO2 (up to FMQ+2.83) of chromitite, suggests that the parent magma was a typical arc ankaramite (wet and CaO-rich picrite), originated probably from a hydrous-carbonatite fluxed sub-continental lithospheric mantle above a subduction zone that formed as a result of the subduction of the paleo-Asian oceanic slab beneath the north China craton in late Paleozoic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is commonly assumed that the application of solar power system can save energy and relief global climate change. Presented in this study is the account of energy performance and greenhouse gas emissions of a planned solar tower power plant in China based on the life cycle analysis method. The conservative estimation of energy cost for the concerned plant is 1.21 times of the electricity output, which is a relatively decent performance amongst power generation technologies. In order to analyze the greenhouse gas performance, a comparison is carried out between the solar tower power plant and conventional coal-fired power plant in China. Results show the application of this solar system obtains a net greenhouse gas emission reduction of 0.31E+06 ton CO2 equivalent, during its operating period of twenty years. It is believed that this successful example can lend solid support to a future wide use of solar power in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Wind power is considered as one of the most promising renewable energy sources in China. Presented in this study is a life cycle analysis of energy performance and greenhouse gas emission for a typical wind farm in Guangxi, with different stages of manufacturing, transportation, and installation of mechanical components, operation and maintenance, and disassemble and disposal taken into account. Results show that the nonrenewable energy cost and greenhouse gas emission to generate 1 MJ of electricity for the grid are 0.046 MJ and 0.002 kg CO2 equivalent, respectively. In consideration of the dominant power generation technology of coal combustion in China, the nonrenewable energy saving brought about by the concerned wind farm is estimated at 1.22E+7GJ during its twenty year operating period, while the reduced greenhouse gas emissions are as much as 1.03E+06 ton CO2 equivalent. It is believed that this successful example can lend solid support to a future wide use of wind power in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Emergy analysis provides a feasible approach to evaluate the status and position of different energy carriers in the universal energy hierarchy. In this paper, an emergy-based method is conducted to measure the resources input of Chinese industry from 1997 to 2006. Resources inflows including fossil fuels, mineral resources, agricultural products, and other imported materials are accounted, based on which related indicators including resources intensity, industrial output, and environmental emissions are investigated. Results show a steady upward trend for the total resources input of Chinese industry during the past decade. The total resources input amounted to 1.53×1025 sej in 2006, of which non-renewable one accounted for 70.65% owing to the dominating input of fossil fuels and nonmetal minerals. Resources intensity measured by the ratio of resources input to industrial value added declined gradually during 1997–2002, but the rapid expansion of resource–intensive sub–sectors resulted in a reverse trend since 2003. The current resources use pattern of Chinese industry is characterized by increasing input of non-renewable resources, excessive expansion of resource–intensive production, and tremendous challenge from environmental pressure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this research, input-output (I-O) model was used to calculate the embodied (direct plus indirect) energy consumption of the Chinese 42 major sectors based on the estimation of the direct energy inputs to the Chinese economy in 2002. Several indicators, involving the embodied energy intensity, imported energy dependent index, and energy balance of trade, were provided to analyze the energy basement of the current Chinese industry. This study also explored the Chinese energy use structure for the added value and final use in 2002, and investigated the disparity in energy use between the rural consumption and the urban consumption. The cluster analysis was employed to group these sectors according to their similarities in embodied energy intensity, imported energy dependency, and energy use structure of final use. Conclusion shows that the energy industries held the highest energy intensities in China while most light industrial sectors, hi-tech sectors and various service sectors enjoyed the lowest energy intensities. And the petroleum associated sectors are most in degree for the imported-energy dependency in 2002, as a great contrast to the coal-associated industries. This was further explored through the Chinese energy balance of trade in 2002, which reveals that the oil consumed sectors encountered serious embodied energy deficits, but the sectors with coal as major fuel held embodied energy surplus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Biodiesel from non-grain feedstock has been considered as one of the proper substitutes for fossil fuels associated with a series of activities emerging in China in order to meet the resource shortage and develop the energy crops. This paper presents an ecological accounting framework based on embodied energy, emergy, and CO2 emission for the whole production chain of biodiesel made from Jatropha curcas L. (JCL) oil. The energy and materials invested in and CO2 emission from the whole process, including cropping, transportation, extraction, and production, are accounted and calculated. Also, EmCO2, the ratio of real CO2 released to the emergy-based sustainability indicator per joule biodiesel, is proposed in this paper to present a new goal function for low-carbon system optimization. Finally, the results are compared with those of the bioethanol (wheat) production in Henan Province, China, and bioethanol (corn) production in Italy in view of the indices of embodied energy, emergy and CO2 emissions and EmCO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presented a thermodynamic synthesis that involved resource accounting, evaluation and modeling of urban ecosystems based on embodied cosmic exergy (EcE), which redefined embodied exergy with the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) as the reference for solar exergy. In a case study of the Beijing urban ecosystem, the major resources supporting the urban ecosystem, both from free natural resources and from the economy, were accounted for, analyzed and evaluated in the same units, Cosmic Joules (Jc). These indicators revealed the current performance of the Beijing urban ecosystem by considering five aspects of the system: EcE sources, EcE intensity, EcE welfare, environmental impacts and economic efficiency. Moreover, through the combination of the EcE synthesis with a systems dynamics, this research constructed an embodied cosmic exergy-based urban system model (EESM) using Beijing as an example of urban development. The results show that the 10 years from 2010 to 2020 will be very critical for the sustainable development of Beijing because many key factors, such as water resources, wastes and urban assets, might be confronted with great changes during this period. These changes will inevitably transform the urban system not only in its external circumstances but also in its inner structure and may lead to serious consequences. Of all the necessary resources, the most sensitive factor is water supply. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wetlands research and restoration has become one of the critical concern due to their importance in providing ecosystem services. This study proposes a holistic methodology to assess the wetland ecosystem based on cosmic exergy as a thermodynamic orientor. This new approach is applied to two typical wastewater treatment facilities (an activated sludge system and a cyclic activated sludge system) and to a constructed wetland ecosystem in Beijing for comparison. Results show that the Beijing wetland ecosystem gains positive net present ecological value of 3.08E+14 J c regarding its total life cycle. Comparison with the activated sludge system and cyclic activated sludge system, shows that the wetland ecosystem has greater dependencies on local resources (22% vs. 0% vs. 0%) and renewable resources (67% vs. 38% vs. 31%) as well as a larger ecological sustainability index (0.64157 vs. 0.00005 vs. 0.00008). This implies that the wetland ecosystem is more environmentally friendly and sustainable method for water treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Alendronate (ALO) and calcitonin (CT), as commonly used antiosteoporosis drugs in current clinical practice, have been experimentally confirmed to produce the effectiveness of promoting osseointegration at the interface between prosthesis and host bone and enhancing the long-term stability of the prosthesis. Our current study compared these two drugs' effects on the osseointegration of prosthesis and found that both of them could promote bone attachment between prosthesis and host bone; moreover, ALO produced more pronounced effectiveness. Introduction: A series of findings confirmed that ALO and CT improved bone attachment of implant in animals. However, which one shows stronger effectiveness has not yet been reported by previous researches. Our study compared the effects of the two commonly used antiosteoporosis drugs on the bone-prosthesis osseointegration so as to provide valuable reference for current clinical options of medication. Methods: Forty female SD rats aged 5 months were randomly set into A, B, C, and D groups. Except for group A, the others were ovariectomized to establish osteoporosis model (lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) decreased by 20% 4 weeks after ovariectomy). All the rats received prosthesis implantation at their tibial plateau. Then, the rats in groups C and D were given ALO (7 mg/kg/ w) orally and CT (5 IU/kg/day) subcutaneously for 12 weeks, respectively. Prior to the execution, application of tetracycline hydrochloride for staining in vivo was done. After harvesting and embedding, the tibia with implants were cut into thin slides, then the bone histomorphometry was measured to observe the new bone around prosthesis and to calculate the osseointegration rate of the implants. By comparison, the effect of the two drugs on osseointegration was evaluated. Results: (1) Both ALO and CT can effectively enhance the volume of bone mass surrounding the hydroxyapatite (HA) prosthesis and also significantly lever up osseointegration rate to 63.7% and 45.7%, respectively ( p < 0.05). However, ALO produced more periprosthesis osseointegration rate than CT, with difference of 18% ( p < 0.05). (2) The rats' lumber BMD increased in both ALO and CT groups, from 0.081 ± 0.009 and 0.078 ± 0.009 to 0.116 ± 0.008 and 0.109 ± 0.010 g/cm, respectively. Moreover, the effect of ALO was observed more pronounced than that of CT. Conclusions: In osteoporotic conditions, both administration of ALO orally and CT subcutaneously can enhance periprosthesis bone mass and the effects on osseointegration between host bone and prosthesis. Compared with CT, the effect of ALO is more pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]