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Green buildings can play a role in helping countries meet their commitments under theParis Agreement on Climate Change. Green building can provide an important contributionto sustainability, for example, by improving energy efficiency, by improving indoorair quality, and by effective waste treatment. In practice, we see that there is an increasinginterest in various forms of green building. However, the existing literature has notidentified the role of law in promoting green building. It is, moreover, striking that greenbuilding has taken off in a rather impressive manner in China. Although generally there arestill huge environmental problems with which China is confronted, for many years alreadyChina has been engaged in green building. This paper wants to examine what explains therelative success of green building in China; What specific legal instruments can be used topromote green building; and what lessons can be drawn more generally from experiencein China? The paper uses the theory of smart regulation (Gunningham/Grabosky) and theeconomic analysis of law to examine the importance of different instruments in promotinggreen building. The paper comes to two key results, being that no single instrumentin itself is optimal to promote green building as a result of which a smart mix needs to bedesigned to promote green building; moreover, for the specific case of China, it is the largegovernment involvement in the economy that has been able to jump-start green building.The Chinese government has, on the one hand, mandated green building in governmentprojects, but on the other hand, also used market-based instruments (like subsidies andpublic procurement) to promote green building.

This article discusses the extent to which private standardization contributes to environmental governance in China. It starts from the law and economics literature, which sees not only particular advantages in private standardization, more particularly lower administrative costs, technological innovation and flexibility, but also potential disadvantages, such as regulatory capture and under-enforcement. The article then discusses the use of environmental standards in China, with a particular focus on the role of private standards in environmental governance. The article points to the interdependence between private and public standards, as the government encourages private standardization, and public regulation equally incorporates private standards. Finally, the article analyses the benefits of private standardization as they appear in the specific case of China, but also the potential disadvantages and points towards possibilities of using private standards in a differentiated manner, enjoying the benefits and trying to remedy the potential disadvantages.

The enhanced dissolution of Se without organo-phosphines is a key issue in the synthesis of oil-soluble selenide nanocrystals. In this article, the dissolution of Se powder was greatly promoted by addition of 1-dodecanethiol at 200–220 °C. This Se precursor was of high reactivity and was suitable for the preparation of Se semiconductor nanocrystals. With this greener Se precursor, approximately spherical and large-sized Mn:ZnSeS quantum dots (QDs) could be prepared after multiple injections of the Zn precursor, and the size of Mn:ZnSeS can reach over 8.5 nm after the tenth injection of the Zn precursor. The preparation of this novel selenium precursor is simple and convenient, and provides a meaningful method for the synthesis and application of other selenium nanocrystals.

Aqueous Ag:ZnCdS quantum dots (QDs) with pure, color-tunable fluorescence were prepared based on co-nucleation doping strategy by using a highly reactive S powder precursor, which was reduced by NaBH 4 at high temperature of 180 °C in a closed hydrothermal autoclave. For a meaningful comparison, thiourea as a relatively low reactive precursor was employed to test the advantages of this highly reactive S powder precursor in synthetic chemistry. The influences of various experimental variables, including the Zn/Cd ratio and Ag-doping concentration, on the optical properties of Ag:ZnCdS QDs were systematically investigated. The color-tunable quarternary Ag:ZnCdSeS QDs were also successfully prepared via the variation of Se/S precursor ratio based on the similar reactivity of the Se and S powder precursors. Further, the highly efficient Ag:ZnCdS/ZnS and Ag:ZnCdSeS/ZnS core/shell QDs were constructed by the deposition of the ZnS shell around the crude Ag:ZnCdS and Ag:ZnCdSeS core QDs. The results indicated that this facile synthetic route would provide a versatile approach for preparation of other aqueous multinary metal chalcogenide QDs.

High-quality, pure, and color-tunable Ag:ZnCdS quantum dots (d-dots) are prepared by optimization of the experimental conditions including Ag-doping concentration and Zn/Cd precursor ratio. Highly emissive Ag:ZnCdS/ZnS core/shell d-dots with photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) as high as 58% are constructed in situ by the growth of a ZnS shell around the crude Ag:ZnCdS solution, which is the highest PL QY reported to date for Ag-based semiconductor d-dots. The emission color of a Ag:ZnCdS d-dot can be tuned toward a larger red region by simple Se treatment at high temperature (220–260 °C). With Se treatment, Ag:ZnCdS alloyed d-dots are transformed into Ag:ZnCdSSe alloyed d-dots, and the corresponding optical changes of d-dots in this process are investigated systematically. This strategy provides a versatile approach for the preparation of other multinary semiconductor nanocrystals.

Aqueous Ag:ZnCdS quantum dots (QDs) are prepared based on a co-nucleation doping strategy using aqueous solutions of Cd(OAc)2, Zn(OAc)2 (in presence of mercaptopropionic acid; Cd:Zn molar ratio of 1:1), and AgNO3 at pH 7 to which a reactive S (and Se) powder precursor (hydrothermal S (Se) solution in presence of NaBH4) is given (autoclave, 180 °C, 2 h).

Adiponectin, an adipocyte protein important in insulin sensitization and cardioprotection, has a strong genetic component. We hypothesized that variants in the adiponectin gene (adipocyte collagen–domain containing [ACDC]) contribute to adiponectin levels in a biracial adolescent cohort. We genotyped 11 ACDC single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 631 non-Hispanic white and 553 African-American unrelated adolescents in grades 5–12 randomly selected from the Princeton School District Study. ACDC SNPs −11,391 (A allele), −10,068 (G allele), and +276 (T allele) were associated with higher adiponectin, adjusting for sex, puberty stage, BMI Z score, and waist Z score. Contiguous two-SNP haplotypes of promoter variants −11,391/−10,068 were significantly associated with adiponectin levels in whites and African Americans (P < 0.0001 and 0.03, respectively). Extended haplotypes from the promoter through the second intron (−11,391 to +349) strongly associated with adiponectin in whites (P = 6 × 10−11) and African Americans (P = 0.004), but haplotypes of first intron SNPs −4,521 to −657 did not (P > 0.2). Noncontiguous haplotypes or interactions between two-SNP (−11,391/−10,068) and three-SNP (+45, +276, and +349) haplotypes predicted adiponectin better than either region alone. Variants of ACDC are associated with adiponectin levels in whites and African Americans. Interactions between noncontiguous ACDC haplotypes strongly influence adiponectin levels, suggesting nonadditive and potentially cis relationships between these regions.

Inherited genetic variation has a critical but as yet largely uncharacterized role in human disease. Here we report a public database of common variation in the human genome: more than one million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for which accurate and complete genotypes have been obtained in 269 DNA samples from four populations, including ten 500-kilobase regions in which essentially all information about common DNA variation has been extracted. These data document the generality of recombination hotspots, a block-like structure of linkage disequilibrium and low haplotype diversity, leading to substantial correlations of SNPs with many of their neighbours. We show how the HapMap resource can guide the design and analysis of genetic association studies, shed light on structural variation and recombination, and identify loci that may have been subject to natural selection during human evolution. © 2005 Nature Publishing Group., link_to_OA_fulltext

The study of genomic divergence between humans and primates may provide insight into the origins of human beings and the genetic basis of unique human traits and diseases. Chromosome 21 is the smallest chromosome in the human genome, and some of its regions have been implicated in mental retardation and other diseases. In this study, we sequenced the coding and regulatory regions of 127 known genes on human chromosome 21 in DNA samples from human and chimpanzees and a part of the corresponding genes from orangutan, gorilla, and macaque. Overall, 3,003 nucleotide differences between human and chimpanzee were identified over ≈400 kb. The differences in coding, promoter, and exon–intron junction regions were 0.51 ± 0.02%, 0.88 ± 0.03%, and 0.85 ± 0.02%, respectively, much lower than the previously reported 1.23% in genomic regions, which suggests the presence of purifying selection. Significant variation in substitution rate among genes was observed by comparing the divergence between human and chimpanzee. Furthermore, by implementing a bioinformatics-based approach, we showed that the identification of genetic variants specific to the human lineage might lead to an understanding of the mechanisms that are attributable to the phenotypes that unique to humans, by changing the structure and/or dosage of the proteins expressed. A phylogenetic analysis unambiguously confirms the conclusion that chimpanzees were our closest relatives to the exclusion of other primates and the relative divergence of the Homo – Pan and that of ( Homo – Pan )– Gorilla are 4.93 million years and 7.26 million years, respectively.

A new sulfur precursor with a highly reactive chemical nature was prepared with S powder and NaBH₄ at the high temperature of 180 °C in a closed autoclave and made it possible to carry out the synthesis of high quality metal sulfide nanocrystals (NCs) with diverse composition and structure. Using this new sulfur source, we demonstrated aqueous synthesis of colloidal Cu-doped ZnCdS NCs (d-dots) with pure, color-tunable photoluminescence (PL) in a wide spectral range (from 517 to 650 nm) based on the 'co-nucleation doping' strategy. The influences of the various experimental variables, including Cd/Zn ratio, Cu-doping concentration, pH value and amount of mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), on the optical properties of Cu-doped ZnCdS NCs were systematically investigated. Furthermore, highly efficient and stable dopant emission from Cu:ZnCdS/ZnS core/shell d-dots with PL quantum yield as high as 40% was achieved by the deposition of a ZnS shell around the bare Cu:ZnCdS cores; this is the highest reported to date for aqueous doped NCs. The optical properties and structure of the d-dots were characterized by UV-vis absorption spectra, PL spectra, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results indicated that this facile synthesis route would provide a versatile approach for the preparation of other water-soluble sulfide NCs.

The discovery of the block-like structure of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in human populations holds the promise of delineating the etiology of common diseases. However, understanding the magnitude, mechanism, and utility of between-population LD sharing is critical for future genome-wide association studies. In this study, substantial LD sharing between six non-African populations was observed, although much less between African-American and non-African, based on 20,000 SNPs of chromosome 21. We also demonstrated the respective roles of recombination and demographic events in shaping LD sharing. Furthermore, we showed that the haplotype-tagged SNPs chosen from one population are portable to the others in East Asia. Therefore, we concluded that the magnitude of LD sharing between human populations justifies the use of representative populations for selecting haplotype-tagged SNPs in genome-wide association studies of complex diseases.

Catalase is an important antioxidant enzyme that detoxifies H2O2 into oxygen and water and thus limits the deleterious effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Because chronic exposure to excess ROS may contribute to vascular damage, we investigated whether genetic variation in catalase was associated with susceptibility to essential hypertension (EHYT) in 324 individuals (at least 50 years old) who were randomly sampled from an isolated population living in Xiangchang, China. They were screened for genetic variation in the promoter of catalase by direct sequencing. In total, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. The association between the SNPs and EHYT was investigated by a linear regression model under phenotypic selection; in our analyses, we used both SBP>150 mmHg and SBP>160 mmHg as thresholds. A SNP 844 bp upstream of the start codon (SNP-844) demonstrated strong evidence of association with EHYT (SBP>150 mmHg: F=5.09, P=0.008; SBP>160 mmHg: F=7.13, P=0.002). This is the first study to implicate genetic variation in catalase in susceptibility to EHYT and suggests that polymorphisms in promoter regions may be particularly relevant to the study of complex diseases.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common head and neck cancer in southern China, and the genetic susceptibility is believed to play an important role in the aetiology of this malignancy. In our previous studies, one candidate susceptibility locus has been mapped to chromosome 4p11-p14 in a subset of NPC families. In the present study, we screened the cytochrome oxidase VIIb2 (COX7B2) gene which resides in this region and investigated the relationship of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of this gene with these familial NPC patients. We identified five novel SNPs in this gene, among them -158101 G > T and -157322G > A in promoter region, -109602A > G in intron 2, 78T > A in exon 3, and 354T > A in 3′-untranslational region. The change 78T > A at codon 26 which leads to CAT26CAA (His26Gln) was shared by patients from family 31 that carried the susceptibility haplotype, but not found in cases from other NPC families nor in sporadic cases. However, the frequency of allele A was relatively low in normal controls both from Guangdong and eastern China (0.45% and 0.26%, respectively), and this variant was not found in pooled DNA samples from the white and the black population. Protein sequence alignment showed that the 26His of COX7B2 protein is consistent among different species. Our results suggested that the codon 26 of COX7B2 gene might be conservative during the process of evolution, and the rare variation His26Gln was probably associated with the high risk in NPC pedigree 31.

A smart mix of legal instruments is not new, but green building (GB) compliance is. As a way to environmental compliance in general, the mixing of instruments may also work to overcome the challenges facing GB compliance. The mix can be justified by the failings of government regulation, liability, and self-regulation. Therefore in theory, a smart mix of instruments makes sense, since each of the above instruments may be subject to imperfect information, private interests, the inaccuracy of measurement, and/or ineffectiveness. In practice, instrument mixes have been around in the U.S. GB laws. The theory and the U.S. case law indicate that, first, GB compliance may owe its survival to self-regulation in early times, but over time law and policy will play a big role. Second, in pursuit of GB compliance, governments can make the most of self-regulation by incorporating industry-based certifications into statutory mandates. Apart from the traditional carrots and sticks, governments eventually can enlist private information as behavioral interventions to encourage GB compliance.