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This case is about Canada-based luxury apparel brand Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (Canada Goose) a manufacturer of parkas. It traces the journey of the company and the way it had built a global luxury apparel brand. The parkas were made in Canada at the company's facilities using a 13-step production process. As the company's popularity grew and the demand from countries in Europe and China grew, Daniel Reiss the CEO was in a dilemma. While producing in Canada helped Reiss maintain the quality that Canada Goose was known for, increasing its global footprint and popularity in China meant he needed to decide whether he could move the production to another location closer to the markets where it was getting popular. Will producing from a different location impact the popularity of the brand and its ethos? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In acupuncture, deqi is the sensory experience related to clinical efficacy. As the first study taking into account cultural differences on deqi sensation, this pilot survey aims to corroborate the acupuncturists' general experience in clinical practice with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings. Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to acupuncturists of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine)hospitals and acupuncturists attending workshops and seminars in the United States and China. Questions covered clinical significance of deqi, patient attitude and the nature of some pain-related sensations elicited by manual needling. Results: 47 out of a total of 86 acupuncturists agreed that dull pain was deqi and over half regarded it beneficial, while sharp pain was non-deqi and harmful instead. The patients' attitude toward deqi sensation showed a difference between US and China. There was no other dimension showing a difference. Conclusion: Results of this pilot survey indicate that the acupuncturists' perception is consistent with our previous fMRI findings. Results showed almost complete agreement that dull pain is considered deqi and beneficial to treatment, while sharp pain is not deqi and harmful. Particularly, dull pain was deqi and was beneficial to treatment whereas sharp pain was not. Patients in China liked the deqi experience whereas those in the US did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ecological and social effects of three major eco-environment policies associated with Western China Development, i.e., Program of Returning Cultivated Lands into Forest and Grassland (RCLFG), Natural Forest Protection Project (NFPP) and Grassland Ban Program (GBP) were evaluated by collecting census data and referring the literatures in this study. The results indicate that these policies have greatly improved eco-environment in western China through facilitating structural adjustment of industries in the rural regions and exerting great impacts on the livelihoods of local farmers. In order to maintain the sustainable development of eco-environment in Western China, it was suggested that long-term subsidy policy should be created. The eco-policies need to be amended according to the problems found in practices to keep the eco-policies going efficiently and smoothly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind tunnel model tests were conducted for a residential apartment block located within the complex terrain of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The test building is typical of medium-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong. The model study was conducted using modelling techniques and assumptions that are commonly used to predict design wind loads and pressures for buildings sited in regions of significant topography. Results for the building model with and without the surrounding topography were compared to investigate the effects of far-field and near-field topography on wind characteristics at the test building site and wind-induced external pressure coefficients at key locations on the building façade. The study also compared the wind tunnel test results to topographic Multipliers and external pressure coefficients determined from nine international design standards. Differences between the external pressure coefficients stipulated in the various standards will be exacerbated when they are combined with the respective topographic multipliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally occurring floods in the summer months are the main source of surface water application in the foreland of Qira oasis, which is characterized by a hyperarid climate and is located at the southern fringe of the Taklimakan Desert. We investigated the impact of repeated artificial flood irrigation on seedling recruitment and growth of Alhagi sparsifolia and Karelinia caspica plant communities which are part of the dominant vegetation in Qira oasis. Flood irrigation was applied three times during the growing season and we studied the effect of irrigation on species recruitment, vegetation growth, species composition, and changes in soil water and nutrient concentrations in the soil profile. Results show that (1) repeated flood irrigation had a positive effect on seedling recruitment of the two species, with vegetative recruitment via root tillers being more important than seed recruitment for both species. (2) Irrigation promoted the germination and establishment of herbaceous weed species, which increased species diversity as well as ground coverage. (3) Irrigation also increased soil water and soil nutrient concentrations in the upper soil layer and changed the soil nutrients in the vertical profile. Available N, P, K and the total P and K increased in the soil profile. Our study demonstrates that naturally occurring flood irrigation has significant ecological benefits and plays an important role in promoting the renewal of desert vegetation and a short-term increase of soil nutrients. Our study also highlights the potential negative consequences for vegetation composition and rejuvenation if naturally occurring floods in the study area are diminished by either the effects of climate change or human management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]