Search

Peri-urbanization in Asia, which is driven by state-led mega-projects, has incorporated peasants on the fringes of cities into the urban fabric through land dispossession and displacement. This paper enriches ongoing debates on peasant experiences in urbanization, with a focus on the role of non-human nature. We apply an urban political ecology analysis that dialectically integrates analyses of political–economic forces and materiality, showing how they mediate peasant dispossession and post-agrarian subjectivities. Drawing on research conducted on the eastern fringe of Vientiane, Laos, where a stretch of agrarian wetland lay, we demonstrate how partial real estate enclosures transformed the ecology of the entire area. Altered flows of water engineered by state officials and project developers constrained agricultural production and peasant livelihoods. The drainage and filling of land combined with a burgeoning property market left landowners with little option but to treat their land as real estate. By engaging in land deals and micro-level property development, these former peasants actively integrated themselves into the emerging urban economy, albeit with uneven success. Our research highlights how the intersection of material nature with the forces and influences of state and capital mediates wetland enclosure, peri-urbanization, and the production of post-agrarian subjectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundLow penetrance genetic variants, primarily single nucleotide polymorphisms, have substantial influence on colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility. Most CRCs develop from colorectal adenomas (CRA). Here we report the first comprehensive field synopsis that catalogues all genetic association studies on CRA, with a parallel online database [http://www.chs.med.ed.ac.uk/CRAgene/].MethodsWe performed a systematic review, reviewing 9750 titles, and then extracted data from 130 publications reporting on 181 polymorphisms in 74 genes. We conducted meta-analyses to derive summary effect estimates for 37 polymorphisms in 26 genes. We applied the Venice criteria and Bayesian False Discovery Probability (BFDP) to assess the levels of the credibility of associations.ResultsWe considered the association with the rs6983267 variant at 8q24 as 'highly credible', reaching genome-wide statistical significance in at least one meta-analysis model. We identified 'less credible' associations (higher heterogeneity, lower statistical power, BFDP > 0.02) with a further four variants of four independent genes: MTHFR c.677C>T p.A222V (rs1801133), TP53 c.215C>G p.R72P (rs1042522), NQO1 c.559C>T p.P187S (rs1800566), and NAT1 alleles imputed as fast acetylator genotypes. For the remaining 32 variants of 22 genes for which positive associations with CRA risk have been previously reported, the meta-analyses revealed no credible evidence to support these as true associations.ConclusionsThe limited number of credible associations between low penetrance genetic variants and CRA reflects the lower volume of evidence and associated lack of statistical power to detect associations of the magnitude typically observed for genetic variants and chronic diseases. The CRA gene database provides context for CRA genetic association data and will help inform future research directions.

As an important part of urban water use in coastal areas, shallow groundwater plays an indispensable role in people's life. It is of great significance to study the hydrochemical characteristics and distribution of shallow groundwater for drinking water safety and groundwater development and utilization. Taking the shallow groundwater in Haimen district of Nantong city as the research object, based on the systematic collection and analysis of shallow groundwater samples,the shallow groundwater is divided by Schukarev classification method. At the same time, the distribution characteristics of salinity, total hardness and pH are discussed, and the current situation of shallow groundwater quality and the causes of water pollution are analyzed. The results show that HCO3- and Ca2+ are the dominant anions and cations in the shallow groundwater in the study area, respectively. HCO3-Ca and HCO3-Ca • Mg are the main chemical types of groundwater. Under the current situation, the quality of shallow groundwater is poor. The pollutants are mainly nitrate, and the polluted area is about 719.16 km². The results can provide a theoretical basis for the further rational development and utilization of shallow groundwater in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is set to become the third most frequent cause of death and also the third largest cause of global morbidity by 2020. In China, where the population is aging rapidly, COPD has become one of the leading causes of disability and a large economic burden. An epidemiological assessment of the COPD in China is required, with a focus on the number of cases living with disease, main determinants of the disease and time trends.Methods: We systematically searched large Chinese bibliographic databases and English databases to identify spirometry-based epidemiological studies of the prevalence of COPD in China diagnosed according to GOLD criteria. We estimated age- and gender-specific prevalence of COPD using a multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression. We also presented the time trends of COPD between 1990 and 2010 by age, gender and setting (urban vs rural).Findings: In 1990, the prevalence of COPD ranged from 0.49% (95% CI = 0.29-0.85) in <20 years group to 20.95% (95% CI = 14.04-27.04) in> = 80 years group, and the crude prevalence for China was 2.70% (95% CI = 1.86-3.51). In 2010, the prevalence in <20 years was 0.55% (95% CI = 0.37-1.04) and in> = 80 years was 22.89% (95% CI = 18.13-28.96), with the crude prevalence for China of 3.84% (95% CI = 3.30-4.77). The COPD prevalence in males was about two-fold higher than in females, and it increased with increasing age. Between 1990-2010, the total number of Chinese people living with COPD increased by 66.73%, from 30.90 million (95% CI = 21.28-40.02) in 1990 to 51.52 million (95% CI = 44.26-63.93) in 2010. This increase was most striking in middle age, and greater in females than in males from 30 years up to 64 years. Our estimates, which used an independent approach to acquiring data and development of analytical methods, and were based on a more complete data set, are remarkably similar to those produced recently by the GBD 2013 collaboration, differing by only about 5% in the estimated number of COPD cases in 1990 and by 1% in 2010.Conclusions: COPD is a highly prevalent disease in China and its importance is growing steadily. The number of people living with COPD has increased substantially between 1990 and 2010. COPD is more frequent in males and in rural areas. Optimised primary and secondary prevention and treatment is urgently needed to counter this growing trend. Improved epidemiological studies will be required to assist development of more effective strategies of prevention and treatment of COPD in China in the next decade and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]