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Copyright of Wschodnioznawstwo is the property of Jagiellonian University Press 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.)

Long neglected in international relations (IRs), the Ottoman Empire is now getting the attention it deserves. Leaving its "Westphalian straitjacket" behind, the discipline has finally taken a keen interest in non-Western and historical cases. However, the discipline has long focused disproportionately on the Chinese tributary system and produced a large body of literature about it. Spruyt's The World Imagined presents two crucial innovations. The book, on the one hand, introduces the "Islamic international society" into the mainstream, and on the other hand, balances the dominance of the Chinese tributary system in the historical IR subfield. When Spruyt's book is read together with Mikhail's God's Shadow and White's Piracy and Law in the Ottoman Mediterranean , it becomes clear that the Ottoman Empire should be treated as a distinct international order. By including another book in the debate (Casale's The Ottoman Age of Exploration), this study aims to problematize "Islamic international society" and introduce the Ottoman Empire as a distinct international order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines China's academic debates on the regional order in Asia since 2012, by surveying nine thematic issues. Those thematic issues are not exhaustive, yet they provide an overview of China's intellectual landscape on the key issue of the regional order in Asia. This study shows that the United States (US) might have exaggerated China's strategic intention. Rather than aiming to replace US hegemony with a Chinese-led Tianxia/tributary system in the region, Chinese scholars advocate mutual accommodation between China and the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coincidence of flood flows in a mainstream and its tributaries may lead to catastrophic floods. In this paper, we investigated the flood coincidence risk under nonstationary conditions arising from climate changes. The coincidence probabilities considering flood occurrence dates and flood magnitudes were calculated using nonstationary multivariate models and compared with those from stationary models. In addition, the "most likely" design based on copula theory was used to provide the most likely flood coincidence scenarios. The Huai River and Hong River were selected as case studies. The results show that the highest probabilities of flood coincidence occur in mid-July. The marginal distributions for the flood magnitudes of the two rivers are nonstationary, and time-varying copulas provide a better fit than stationary copulas for the dependence structure of the flood magnitudes. Considering the annual coincidence probabilities for given flood magnitudes and the "most likely" design, the stationary model may underestimate the risk of flood coincidence in wet years or overestimate this risk in dry years. Therefore, it is necessary to use nonstationary models in climate change scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hua-Yi 華夷 system that spread in East Asia in the form of tribute relationships during the Ming dynasty [1368-1644] began as a system based on China's perceived cultural superiority, but slowly evolved into a system centered on nationalism. Accordingly, the kinship networks embedded in the Hua-Yi system were also continually evolving, breaking down, and reforming in a cycle that repeated itself multiple times. Amid this process, ethnocentrism [ zi minzu zhongxin zhuyi 自民族中心主義] and "interest centralism" [ liyi zhongxin zhuyi 利益中心主義] played key roles in the formation and eventual dissolution of the Hua-Yi system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the history of East Asia, various polities in modern-day Korea, Japan, and Vietnam accepted investitures bestowed by the Chinese royal court. Many of these states also established their own vassal structures based on this tributary system. In light of this, it would be more accurate to describe the traditional international order of East Asia as a system of investitures and tributes, an "investiture-tribute system." The significance of this system is the royal court being revered by its tributaries, which acknowledge it as the superior power. Looking at the vassal relationship between the Ming [1368-1644] and Qing [1644-1911] courts and the states of Joseon 朝鮮, Ryukyu 琉球, and Vietnam under various names, it is clear that the tributary system was a basic mechanism that facilitated bilateral trade, cultural exchange, border control, and judicial cooperation. Moreover, when vassal states encountered threats to their national security, the Chinese government assisted them with diplomatic and military resources befitting its position as the imperial court. Yet, although the tributary system enabled a relationship in which the royal court enjoyed a position of superiority and its vassal states an inferior one, none of the vassal states formed an alliance that revolved around the Chinese empire. Hence, in the near-modern period, the system struggled to contend with both the great world powers that made use of the treaty system and the expansion of Japan in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's ancient tributary system not only served the vanity of the dynasty but had multiple political implications, closely tied to the dynasty's national security. The Song dynasty's [960-1279] notion of security followed an overall policy of guarding the dynasty against external threats, surrounding barbarian nations, and maintaining domestic order. The stability and eventual collapse of the tributary system were closely tied to the domestic security of the Song dynasty and to the security of all the countries that participated in the system. The system constituted a dynamic and interactive security community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines China's approach to integrating Korea into Chinese territory in history and its significant influence on the construction of the Chinese Empire and state. It discusses major instances of Chinese integration of Korea before and under the Mongol Empire and reveals that the tributary relationship with Korea that the Ming and Qing dynasties cultivated in the post-Mongol period allowed Korea to maintain a significant degree of independence from China. It points out that the Qing imperial discourse described Korea as a province by combining the Manchu ruling house's and European Jesuits' understandings of the Chinese empire. Qing China refrained from colonizing Korea in the nineteenth century primarily because of the post-Mongol shift in its policy toward the country and because of its Confucian ethos. The article further argues that China did not become a modern state until the 1950s, when the Chinese option of provincializing Korea permanently disappeared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities impose important disturbances on both organic and inorganic chemistry in fluvial systems. In this study, we investigated the intra-annual and downstream variations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic matter (DOM) excitation-emission matrix fluorescence (EEM) with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), major ions, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) species in a mountainous tributary of the Yellow River, China. Both DOM quantity and quality, as represented by DOC and DOM fluorescence respectively, changed spatially and seasonally in the studied region. Fluorescence intensity of tryptophan-like components (C3) were found much higher at the populated downstream regions than in the undisturbed forested upstream regions. Seasonally, stronger fluorescence intensity of protein-like components (C3 and C4) was observed in the low-flow period (December) and in the medium-flow period (March) than in the high-flow period (May), particularly for the downstream reaches, reflecting the dominant impacts of wastewater pollution in the downstream regions. In contrast to the protein-like fluorescence, humic-like fluorescence components C1 and C2 exhibited distinctly higher intensity in the high-flow period with smaller spatial variation indicating strong flushing effect of increasing water discharge on terrestrial-sourced humic-like materials in the high-flow period. Pollution-affected dissolved inorganic ions, particularly Na+, Cl−, and NH4+-N, showed similar spatial and seasonal variations with protein-like fluorescence of DOM. The significant positive correlations between protein-like fluorescence of DOM and pollution-affected ions, particularly Na+, Cl−, and NH4+-N, suggested that there were similar pollution sources and transportation pathways of both inorganic and organic pollutants in the region. The combination of DOM fluorescence properties and inorganic ions could provide an important reference for the pollution source characterization and river basin management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO) emission from the river-type reservoir is an hotspot of carbon cycle within inland waters. However, related studies on the different types of reservoirs are still inadequate. Therefore, we sampled the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), a typical river-type reservoir having both river and lake characteristics, using an online system (HydroCTM/CO) and YSI-6600v2 meter to determine the partial pressure of carbon dioxide ( pCO) and physical chemical parameters in 2013. The results showed that the CO flux from the mainstream ranged from 26.1 to 92.2 mg CO/m h with average CO fluxes of 50.0 mg/m h. The CO fluxes from the tributary ranged from −10.91 to 53.95 mg CO/m h with area-weighted average CO fluxes of 11.4 mg/m h. The main stream emits CO to the atmosphere the whole year; however, the surface water of the tributary can sometimes act as a sink of CO for the atmosphere. As the operation of the TGR, the tributary became more favorable to photosynthetic uptake of CO especially in summer. The total CO flux was estimated to be 0.34 and 0.03 Tg CO/year from the mainstream and the tributaries, respectively. Our emission rates are lower than previous estimates, but they are in agreement with the average CO flux from temperate reservoirs estimated by Barros et al. (Nat Geosci 4(9):593-596, 2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The seasonal variations in macroinvertebrate communities in tropical, temperate and subarctic regions have been observed and well documented to date, but similar studies conducted in subtropical rivers at the regional scale are relatively rare. In this paper, the macroinvertebrate communities from the main tributaries in the Three Gorges Reservoir Catchment (TGRC) were investigated as a function of the four seasons to explore the temporal variations in macroinvertebrate communities and further tests the temporal stability of certain metrics that are based on macroinvertebrates under a routine bioassessment framework. Results: The taxa richness reached the highest point in spring, followed by winter, autumn and summer. The taxa Chironomidae, Heptageniidae, Corbiculidae and Baetidae dominated the communities across seasons. The temporal variations in communities were mainly reflected in the changes in taxa proportions between seasons. The percentages of the taxa Heptageniidae and Baetidae were the highest in autumn (normal discharge period) and lowest in summer (high discharge period). The abundance of macroinvertebrates was the lowest in summer, increased in autumn and winter, and then decreased in spring. Natural fluctuations of aquatic ecosystems (temporal effects) resulted in variations that were apparent in macroinvertebrate-based metrics, such as EPT%, Baetidae%, Caenidae%, Ephemerellidae% and Hydropsychidae%. Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrated that the macroinvertebrate communities in the main tributaries of the TGRC varied as a function of seasons. This variation was fundamentally similar to the seasonal patterns in subarctic and temperate streams. Different hydro-morphological characteristics and water quality during the high discharge period (summer), low discharge period (winter) and normal discharge period (spring and autumn) strongly affected the distribution patterns of macroinvertebrate communities. Discharge variation among seasons resulted in seasonal fluctuations in the density of macroinvertebrates. In the TGRC, autumn was the important hatching period for mayflies (Ephemeroptera). The variations in metrics related to macroinvertebrates indicated that temporal effects should not be neglected under a biomonitoring framework in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Taiwan Journal of East Asian Studies is the property of National Taiwan Normal University, College of International Studies & Social Sciences 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.)

Two analytical perspectives – conventional wisdom derived from warlordism and European colonialism, and soft-power concepts drawn from post-Cold-War American international relations – are prevalent lenses for analysing China's global rise. However, neither considers the role of the past in shaping China's contemporary diplomacy. This paper fills the gap of this under-researched area by providing an alternative perspective featuring analytic categories rooted in China's tributary tradition. It proposes a neo-tributary framework for systematically interpreting historical Chinese mentalities and strategies embedded in China's contemporary power strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An introduction is presented that discussed issues on topics including China's tributary system and International Order; presents hierarchical power relations between "suzerain" and "vassal"; and consideration of Ethnocentrism in the establishment and eventual downfall of the tributary order.

The impacts of different digital elevation model (DEM) resolutions, sources and resampling techniques on nutrient simulations using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model have not been well studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivities of DEM resolutions (from 30 m to 1000 m), sources (ASTER GDEM2, SRTM and Topo-DEM) and resampling techniques (nearest neighbor, bilinear interpolation, cubic convolution and majority) to identification of non-point source (NPS) critical source area (CSA) based on nutrient loads using the SWAT model. The Xiangxi River, one of the main tributaries of Three Gorges Reservoir in China, was selected as the study area. The following findings were obtained: (1) Elevation and slope extracted from the DEMs were more sensitive to DEM resolution changes. Compared with the results of the 30 m DEM, 1000 m DEM underestimated the elevation and slope by 104 m and 41.57°, respectively; (2) The numbers of subwatersheds and hydrologic response units (HRUs) were considerably influenced by DEM resolutions, but the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads of each subwatershed showed higher correlations with different DEM sources; (3) DEM resolutions and sources had larger effects on CSAs identifications, while TN and TP CSAs showed different response to DEM uncertainties. TN CSAs were more sensitive to resolution changes, exhibiting six distribution patterns at all DEM resolutions. TP CSAs were sensitive to source and resampling technique changes, exhibiting three distribution patterns for DEM sources and two distribution patterns for DEM resampling techniques. DEM resolutions and sources are the two most sensitive SWAT model DEM parameters that must be considered when nutrient CSAs are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses an extremely favorable portrayal by an envoy of Joseon Korea, Jeong Du-won, of the Portuguese Jesuit Joao Rodrigues, whom Jeong met in the course of his tributary mission to Ming China in 1630-1631. In his subsequent report to the Joseon king, Jeong portrayed Rodrigues as a benign gift-giver, while portraying himself as a passive recipient of Western gifts. Jeongs characterization of the Jesuit and his gifts has provided modern historians with an important case to illustrate their Eurocentric account of Western Learning in Korea, an account in which the Koreans played simply the passive role of recipient of European culture. While questioning this Eurocentric account, I shall situate Jeongs portrayal of the Jesuit in its political contexts-- Jeong's China mission and the bureaucratic politics of the Joseon dynasty. The image of Rodrigues as the benign gift-giver was created by Jeong, the Joseon envoy who served as the transmitter of higher culture from China to Korea. In his self-serving rhetorical efforts to legitimize the "barbarian" informant from the West, he managed to legitimize his own achievements within the China mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1880s King Kojong, ruler of the Korean Kingdom of Chosŏn, implemented balance-of-power politics, seeking to attract American aid to free Chosŏn from the interference and control of Qing China. This study seeks to demonstrate how his decade-long effort conformed to the logic of balance-of-power politics in keeping with traditional East Asian tributary interstate practices. Kojong looked to the United States for assistance to counterbalance Qing in Chosŏn. His policy of playing the "American card" against the heavy-handed Chinese government was typical balance-of-power politics. Kojong's American policy of the 1880s was characterized by the following features. First, in order to achieve his goals, Kojong employed the classical Chinese maxim of befriending a distant state and engaging in conflict with a neighboring state. Second, Kojong employed "soft balancing," by which he actively sought to win the goodwill and friendship of the American government and create closer Chosŏn-United States ties short of a military alliance. Third, Kojong conducted balance-of-power politics within the framework of the East Asian tribute system. His goal was to achieve full autonomy in the domestic and foreign affairs in his kingdom while continuing the ritual practices and conventions of the Qing-Chosŏn tributary relationship. In sum, Kojong's American policy of the 1880s conformed to the logic of balance-of-power practices under the East Asian tribute system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burbot ( Lota lota) occur in the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming, USA, at the southwestern extreme of the species' native range in North America. The most stable and successful of these populations occur in six glacially carved mountain lakes on three different tributary streams and one large main stem impoundment (Boysen Reservoir) downstream from the tributary populations. Burbot are rarely found in connecting streams and rivers, which are relatively small and high gradient, with a variety of potential barriers to upstream movement of fish. We used high-throughput genomic sequence data for 11,197 SNPs to characterize the genetic diversity, population structure, and connectivity among burbot populations on the Wind River system. Fish from Boysen Reservoir and lower basin tributary populations were genetically differentiated from those in the upper basin tributary populations. In addition, fish within the same tributary streams fell within the same genetic clusters, suggesting there is movement of fish between lakes on the same tributaries but that populations within each tributary system are isolated and genetically distinct from other populations. Observed genetic differentiation corresponded to natural and anthropogenic barriers, highlighting the importance of barriers to fish population connectivity and gene flow in human-altered linked lake-stream habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenges to the historical rise of “Western-centrism” in non-Western countries are surfacing: the Japanese scholar Hamashita Takeshi, who supports a “regional concept of China,” is one of the strongest voices in this movement. Hamashita suggests that the theories of the “Asian economic circle” and the “tributary system” can be combined to form a theory of a “regional Asia,” thus reconstructing the perspective of research on Chinese and Asian history. The regional Asia model is a composite of the network model, maritime model, and the regional model. Based on the regional concept of China, Chinese history can be studied from various perspectives, such as China as a network, maritime China, and regional China; one can thus develop a long-term view on Chinese, Asian and global history from a spatial perspective, a peripheral perspective, and an Asian perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The global NEWS model was calibrated and then used to quantify the long term trend of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export from two tributaries of Jiulong River (SE China). Anthropogenic N inputs contributed 61–92% of river DIN yield which increased from 337 in 1980s to 1662 kg N km − 2 yr − 1 in 2000s for the North River, and from 653 to 3097 kg N km − 2 yr − 1 for the West River. North River and West River contributed 55% and 45% respectively of DIN loading to the estuary. Rapid development and poor management driven by national policies were responsible for increasing riverine N export. Scenario analysis and source tracking suggest that reductions of anthropogenic N inputs of at least 30% in the North River (emphasis on fertilizer and manure) and 50% in the West River (emphasis on fertilizer) could significantly improve water quality and mitigate eutrophication in both river and coastal waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of problems, resulting from sediment deposition and channel silting, have occurred on the Hetao Plain as a result of changes to the Hobq Desert reach of the Yellow River. Therefore, improved research on channel evolution in this reach is vitally important. Using profile data from 80 channel cross-sections obtained in 1962, 1982, 1991 and 2000 from the Yellow River in the Hobq Desert, we showed that there was serious sediment deposition here (especially for the tributary section in the eastern desert) and that maximum sediment deposition occurred during 1982–1991. As sediment was deposited along the mobile channel, the channel trunk shrank and moved to the north. The characteristics of river channel evolution are dramatically different between the western and the eastern Hobq Desert reaches of the Yellow River, which include desert and the tributary sections, respectively. Erosion mainly occurred in the desert section, whereas sediment deposition occurred in the tributary section, with peak values at the mouths of on Yellow River tributaries. The desert section had a larger average erosion rate and smaller accumulation rate than the tributary section. The influences of tectonic movement and stream gradient on channel evolution in this fluvial reach were minimal. The sediment inputs from ten Yellow River tributaries (especially during flood seasons) have dominated channel evolution in these tributaries. The building of artificial levées has intensified sediment deposition in the channel, whereas the reduction of mainstream discharge (especially in the flood seasons), caused by the operation of reservoirs and water diversion activities (such as for agricultural irrigation), has further intensified the sediment deposition in the river channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, some writers on Chinese foreign relations have argued that the tributary system is a useful concept for describing imperial China's relations with its neighbors, and that it can even serve as a model for the future of international relations in East Asia. An examination of China's historical practice of foreign relations shows that there was no systematic tributary system, but instead multiple relationships of trade, military force, diplomacy and ritual. Furthermore, China's neighbors did not accept the imperial center's definition of hierarchy and subordination, but interpreted ritual relationships in their own way. Even in the 1930s, when scholars invoked Chinese history to advocate peaceful relations, they recognized the importance of military force, colonial settlement and domination in East Asian state relationships. The current myth of the tributary system ignores historical reality and misleads us about China's true position in East Asia and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The spatial trend of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) along Xiaoqing River and its tributaries was studied to characterize isomer profiles and quantify emissions from fluoropolymer (FP) manufacturers in China. Substantially elevated ∑PFAS concentrations downstream of tributary 4 demonstrated that the emissions from this FP manufacturer dominated total riverine discharges. Isomer profiles of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in water displayed a stepwise increase in percentage branched PFOA downstream of tributary 3 (14.0%) and 4 (22.7%) reflecting the importance of FP sources. Strong positive correlations between PFOA isomers in water downstream of tributary 4 indicated that isomer profiles were conserved from emission sources to the final reservoir. Riverine discharges of PFOA (23–67 t/yr) were in agreement with theoretical emission calculations from FP production (68 t/yr) whereas large discrepancies between the two methodologies were observed for perfluorobutanoic acid and perfluoropentanoic acid. Collectively, this study fills critical knowledge gaps for understanding ongoing global sources of PFASs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tributary embayments of Three Gorges Reservoir have been frequented by algal blooms over the past decade. We develop a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model to study the spatial and temporal variation of hydrodynamics and algal bloom dynamics in a eutrophic tributary embayment, Xiangxi Bay. The study area exhibits distinct longitudinal gradients in hydrodynamics, and could be generally characterized into four longitudinal zones: riverine, intermediate, lacustrine, and mainstream influenced. Compared with the typical longitudinal zonation for a pure reservoir, there is an additional mainstream influenced zone (about 5–10 km long) near the mouth due to direct effects of its adjacent reservoir mainstream. The transport and transformation of key water quality constituents associated with algal blooms, such as chlorophyll, nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon are simulated satisfactorily. We further investigate the algal bloom dynamics by combining the model results and in situ water quality observations. There is a strong spatial dependence of algal bloom events (occurrence and distribution) in Xiangxi Bay: ( i ) during 2003–2012, some 73.9% of algal bloom events were first observed in a 10 km long reach within the intermediate and lacustrine zones, and ( ii ) the spatial pattern of chlorophyll concentrations is closely related to the longitudinal variance of hydrodynamics. A conclusion from this paper is that the relatively calm environment of the intermediate and lacustrine zones provides favourable conditions for algal growth, suggesting the possibility of using longitudinal zonation for risk assessment of algal bloom initiation and levels in reservoir tributary embayments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aksu River is a principal headwater tributary of the Tarim River in northwest China providing 70-80 % of its water supply. This study aims to simulate the impact of potential future irrigation and cropping schemes on river discharge in the semi-arid and irrigation intensive part of the Aksu River basin. To achieve this goal, the eco-hydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model) was developed further by including an irrigation module and a river transmission losses module. The performance of the SWIM model in the region was then compared with that of another water management model, WEAP (Water Evaluation And Planning). The results show that both models are capable of reproducing the monthly discharge at the downstream gauge well using the local irrigation information and the observed upstream inflow discharges as inputs. Still, the SWIM model performs better than the WEAP model because it accounts for both hydrological processes and agricultural impacts. Therefore, SWIM was used for the scenario study. Different irrigation scenarios were developed based on the recent trends of agricultural practices. The study showed that the improvement of irrigation efficiency was the most effective measure for reducing irrigation water consumption and increasing river discharge downstream. The expansion of irrigation area in the basin leads to an increase in water consumption while the changes in crop structure (composition of crop types) on arable land do not have significant impact on the river discharge downstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The initial filling of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), China, has caused serious phytoplankton blooms in its tributary bays. A two-dimensional, laterally averaged, hydrodynamic and water quality CE-QUAL-W2 model was used to simulate the hydrodynamics and water temperature of a typical tributary (Xiangxi Bay XXB) of the TGR to study the relationship between phytoplankton and density currents. The CE-QUAL-W2 model was calibrated to data collected in XXB (depth profiles of velocity and water temperature at three locations) from January 2008 through December 2008. The model performed well in simulating (1) flow velocity profiles, (2) unusual water temperature profiles, (3) the plunge point location of the intrusion layer, (4) propagation speed, and (5) the travel distance of the density currents. The model was then used to examine potential factors that affect the density currents, such as water level fluctuations in the mainstem of the TGR, water temperature differences between the mainstem and XXB, and inflow rates to XXB. Therefore, a better understanding of the hydrodynamics of tributaries in the TGR can be used to understand the aquatic ecosystem dynamics of these tributaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative history on ancient empires has seen a flourishing renewal in recent years. Many studies are devoted either to the study of a particular aspect (or aspects) in many societies of the past, or to the analysis of selected characteristics present in two ancient states, usually China and Rome. However, pre-Ptolemaic Egypt is conspicuously absent in such discussions despite the considerable wealth of Pharaonic sources and archaeological evidence. Therefore, several paths for prospective comparative research are proposed, from the organization of agriculture and productive activities in general to the ways in which ancient states promoted and "captured" flows of wealth through trade, imperialism, and taxation; from the reproduction of power and authority in the long run to the integration of different actors with their own (and often diverging) interests into a single political entity. The final aim is to contribute to a theory of ancient states where long-lived monarchies like ancient China and Pharaonic Egypt could play a leading role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Kubuqi Desert suffered more severe wind erosion hazard. Every year, a mass of aeolian sand was blown in the Ten Tributaries that are tributaries of the Yellow River. To estimate the quantity of aeolian sediment blown into the Ten Tributaries from the Kubuqi Desert, it is necessary to simulate the saltation processes of the Kubuqi Desert. A saltation submodel of the IWEMS (Integrated Wind-Erosion Modeling System) and its accompanying RS (Remote Sensing) and GIS (Geographic Information System) methods were used to model saltation emissions in the Kubuqi Desert. To calibrate the saltation submodel, frontal area of vegetation, soil moisture, wind velocity and saltation sediment were observed synchronously on several points in 2011 and 2012. In this study, a model namely BEACH (Bridge Event And Continuous Hydrological) was introduced to simulate the daily soil moisture. Using the surface parameters (frontal area of vegetation and soil moisture) along with the observed wind velocities and saltation sediments for the observed points, the saltation model was calibrated and validated. To reduce the simulate error, a subdaily wind velocity program, WINDGEN was introduced in this model to simulate the hourly wind velocity of the Kubuqi Desert. By incorporating simulated hourly wind velocity, and model variables, the saltation emission of the Kubuqi Desert was modeled. The model results show that the total sediment flow rate was 1–30.99tons/m over the last 10years (2001–2010). The saltation emission mainly occurs in the north central part of the Kubuqi Desert in winter and spring. Integrating the wind directions, the quantity of the aeolian sediment that deposits in the Ten Tributaries was estimated. Compared with the observed data by the local government and hydrometric stations, our estimation is reasonable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

River floods are usually featured by a downstream flattening discharge peak whereas a downstream increasing discharge peak is observed at a rate exceeding the tributary discharge during highly silt-laden floods (hyperconcentrated floods) in China's Yellow River. It entails a great challenge in the downstream flood defence and the underlying mechanisms need to be unravelled. Previous study on this issue only focuses on one possible mechanism, while the present work aims to reveal the relative importance of bed roughness change and bed erosion in the hyperconcentrated flood. Using a newly developed fully coupled morphodynamic model, we have conducted a numerical study for the 2004 hyperconcentrated flood in the Xiaolang di-Jiahetan reach of the Lower Yellow River. In order to focus on the physical mechanism and to reduce uncertainty from low-resolution topography data, the numerical modeling was carried out in a schematized 1-D channel of constant width. The basic understanding that bed roughness decreases with concentration at moderate concentrations (e.g. several 10 s to 100 s g L-1) was incorporated by a simple power-law relation between Manning roughness coefficient and sediment concentration. The feedback between the bed deformation and the turbid flow, however, was fully accounted for, in the constituting equations as well as in the numerical solutions. The model successfully reproduced the downstream flood peak increase for the 2004 flood when considering the hyperconcentration-induced bed roughness reduction. As the hyperconcentration lags shortly behind the flood peak, later parts of the flood wave may experience less friction and overtake the wave front, leading to the discharge increase. In comparison, bed erosion is much less important to the discharge increase, at least for hyperconcentrated flood of moderate sediment concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Causes of the abrupt burst of iron discharge by the Amur R. and its tributaries in the late 1990s are analyzed. A conclusion regarding the likely climatic cause of this phenomenon is substantiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the sources of particulate organic matter (POM) and the impact of Three Gorges Dam (TGD), two large lakes and erosion processes on determining the composition and flux of POM in low water discharge periods along the middle and lower Changjiang, suspended particulate samples were collected along the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) in January 2008. Organic geochemistry of bulk sediment (particulate organic carbon, organic carbon to nitrogen molar ratio (C/N), stable carbon isotope (δ13C) and grain size) and biomarker of bulk sediment (lignin phenols) were measured to trace the sources of POM. The range of C/N ratios (6.4-8.9), δ13C (−24.3‰ - −26.2‰) and lignin phenols concentration Λ8 (0.45 mg/100 mg OC-2.00 mg/100 mg OC) of POM suggested that POM originated from the mixture of soil, plant tissue and autochthonous organic matter (OM) during the dry season. POM from lakes contained a higher portion of terrestrial OM than the mainstream, which was related to sand mining and hydropower erosion processes. A three end-member model based on δ13C and Λ8 was performed. The results indicated that soil contributed approximately 50% of OM to the POM, which is the dominant OM source in most stations. POM composition was affected by total suspended matter (TSM) and grain size composition, and the direct OM input from two lakes and channel erosion induced OM. The lower TSM concentration in January 2008 was mainly caused by seasonal variations; the impact from the TGD in the dry season was relatively small. A box model indicated that more than 90% of the terrestrial OM transported by the Changjiang in January 2008 was from the middle and lower drainage basins. Channel erosion induced OM, and contributions from Poyang Lake were the major terrestrial OM sources in the dry season. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Temporal variation of intertidal-channel morphology was monitored using a RTK GPS over three years in the macrotidal embayment of Gomso Bay, west coast of Korea. Intertidal channels have highly sinuous meander planforms with well-defined point bars and cutbanks. The channels are classified into three size categories, i.e., main channels, large tributary channels and small tributary channels. Main channels range in width between 200 and 400m and are up to 4m deep at bankful stage. Large tributary channels are 100–150m wide and up to 3m deep at bankful stage. The width and depth of small tributary channels are smaller than 10m and 1.5m, respectively. Channels migrate laterally to produce variably dipping inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS) that constitute convex-up point bar deposits. The migration rate of point bars range between 0.5m/month and 3m/month, being greatest during the summertime rainy season. Whereas the channel thalweg migrated actively, bank erosion is not prominent except for the rainy season when the cutbank retreated as fast as 3m/month. The channel-migration rate also varies with elevation and location, being greatest in the upper intertidal zone and at the large tributary channel, respectively. An IHS rarely reaches a thalweg level presumably due to the presence of strong ebb currents. The initiation of incipient ebb-chute channels leads to meander-bend cutoff and simultaneous channel abandonment, which occur over several to tens of months. Thalweg level gradually falls in the chute channel while it is on the rise in the abandoned large tributary channel, producing an inclined layer of channel lag. The abandoned large tributary channel continues to migrate until it is completely filled up with sediments. Measured sedimentation rate in the abandoned large tributary channel reaches up to 20cm/month. IHS contains erosion surfaces generated by ebb-chute channels and rill channels. Such erosion features as well as morphologic change are most prominent during the summertime rainy season, when ebb currents are reinforced by increased runoff discharge. Despite the macrotidal regime and small fluvial upstream reach, long-term evolution of tidal channels in Gomso Bay seems to be governed largely by the intensity and frequency of seasonal flooding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present major and trace element data in suspended particulate matter (SPM) collected in the Changjiang main channel and its tributaries. Suspended sediments are derived from a mafic source related to the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) in the Upper Reach and from a more felsic source in the Middle/Lower Reaches. The difference in chemical composition between the two sources has a strong influence on the apparent weathering intensity. Although the apparent loss of soluble elements follows a climatic gradient from the Upper Reach to the Lower Reach, the co-variation of weathering indices with different proxies for igneous differentiation suggests that a lithologic control cannot be ruled out. By taking into account the variability in chemical composition of the parent rocks, we show that river suspended sediments from the upper reach may have not experienced less intense chemical weathering than those transported by rivers from the Lower/Middle Reaches characterized by higher runoff and surface temperature. We argue that the relationships observed for different indices of weathering with climate are probably an artifact and are mainly driven by the change in chemical composition of the sediment's parent-rocks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: River bed sediments were collected from the main stream and major tributaries of the Yangtze River for clay mineralogy study. Surface sediments from the Yarlung Zangbo River on the Tibetan Plateau were also examined for comparison. The results show that the clay mineral compositions of the Yangtze River display a similar pattern through the whole truck stream, with illite being dominant, kaolinite and chlorite being lesser abundant, and smectite being minor component. Clay mineralogy shows distinct differences in the tributaries, which correspond to the heterogeneous source rocks and weathering intensity of the drainage. The illite crystallity and the illite chemical weathering index (5Å/10Å peak ratio) both increase downstream, indicating a increasing trend of hydrolysis along the river. It also indicates that the upperstream of the drainage is characterized with physical weathering while the middle- and lower reaches are controlled by chemical weathering process. In accordance with the result derived by the illite indexes, sediment input from upperstream including Yalong Jiang, Dadu He, Min Jiang and Jialing Jiang accounts for the major sediment load, whereas Wu Jiang, Xiang Jiang, Gan Jiang and Dongting Lake provide relatively less sediments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to analyze the distribution pattern of the sediment nitrogen and phosphorus of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the mainstream of TGR and five tributary bays in Hubei province were observed from October 2005 to July 2006. The spatial and seasonal dynamics of the sediment total nitrogen (TN sed ) and total phosphorus (TP sed ), the relationship between the mainstream and tributary, and the sediment nutrients’ effect to the surface water were analyzed. The results showed that, concentrations of TN sed ranged from 0.27 to 2.04 mg/g, and TP sed fluctuated between 0.17 and 1.21 mg/g. Both of the maximum of TN sed and TP sed appeared in the Xiangxi Bay (the longest bays studied), 1.09 and 0.90 mg/g respectively. No significant spatial differences were found among different sites in other bays ( p > 0.05). For seasonal dynamics of TP sed , only the difference in the Yuanshui Bay between spring and summer was significant ( p < 0.05). For TN sed , significant differences existed among different seasons in most bays, especially between autumn and other seasons. Cluster analysis based on the surface water nutrients and sediment nutrients indicated that the influence range of the mainstream to the surface water ranged from 10.7 to 15.1 km, while the length of the influence range to the sediment was about 5.34 km. Results of the correlation analysis showed that the internal loading in Hubei province of TGR has not caused a significant effect on the surface water in a large spatial scale, although the influence was significant in some shallow regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on the tributary system and the centrality of the basic idea for diplomacy in China. The author argues that the country's situation as the central kingdom of Asia is more basic to its external relationships than its power asymmetry. He discusses Zhou Fangyin's argument on the equilibrium analysis of the tributary system. He also explores the relationship between China and Vietnam from the Song dynasty to the Qing dynasty.

The article focuses on tributary system in China and the International Relations (IR) theory. Doctor Zhou Fangyin argues that tributary system is more than just a conceptual construct. Under the analytical lens of the English School of International Relations, tributary system is a bundle of shared and common institutional practices. Zhou added that the interaction of Imperial China with its neighbours within the framework of the system is a small but significant part of the story.

The Confucian world view in China was based on the concept of the Celestial Empire of China and embodied in the Tributary System. The Chinese view could not fit into the equal international relationship asserted among European countries. In the mid-19th century, especially after the Opium Wars, international law embarked on a furious collision with Chinese traditional Confucianism. Threatened by forces of Western powers, the Qing government had no choice but to come to compromise with the Western powers. Consequently, the Confucian world order based on the Celestial Empire of China collapsed and Chinese officials and scholars began to learn, accept and apply international law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the analysis of the equilibrium of the tributary system in East Asia. It states that the presence of tributary system depends on the conceptions of foreign policy, foreign policy strategy, and strategic considerations. It mentions that tributary system serves as self-enforcing institutional arrangement of East Asia, which is an outcome of strategic interaction among the region. It adds the superior position of China with respect to its neighbors.