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This paper conceptualises digital displacement as both a way through which the digital, dynamic and fragile spatialities of contentious politics can be examined and as a geographic critique of censorship. Digital displacement, understood here as the act of removing users from the digital places and spaces they wish to remain in and use, often through the act of deletion, is conceptualised through the digital displacement of two contentious political groups that attempted to contest the forced eviction of migrants from Beijing in 2017; hashtag focused #BeijingSurgery# and instant messaging group using BeijingTogether. Explored through participant observation, interviews and playful digital exploration, this paper examines the spatialities that made multiple digital displacements possible and the activist spatialities that emerged during and post‐displacement. In exploring this, I develop a flexible vocabulary around digital place, space, scale, territory and mobility to analyse the practices of digital displacement, to understand the socio‐spatial positionality of activists involved in digitally centred contentious politics and to contextualise their territorial positionality within Chinese digital territory and global digital territories. Through the examination of #BeijingSurgery# and BeijingTogether, the article highlights: the importance of digital territorial positionality for both activists and the digital places and spaces used for contentious politics; that within systems of digital spatial governance, deletion and displacement can be effective strategies of repressive governance with wide‐ranging displacement effects; and that while digital displacement is not necessarily the ending point of contentious politics, the re‐production of activist spatialities is more difficult when the authority being protested against governs the digital territory used for protest. This paper conceptualises digital displacement as: a way through which the digital, dynamic and fragile spatialities of contentious politics can be examined; a way to understand China's digital territorialization project; and as a geographic critique of censorship. Digital displacement is conceptualised through the ethnographic research conducted in Beijing and examines efforts to contest the forced eviction of migrants from Beijing in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China's advanced light sources have entered a period of rapid construction and development. As modern X-ray detectors and data acquisition technologies advance, these facilities are expected to generate massive volumes of data annually, presenting significant challenges in data management and utilization. These challenges encompass data storage, metadata handling, data transfer and user data access. In response, the Data Organization Management Access Software (DOMAS) has been designed as a framework to address these issues. DOMAS encapsulates four fundamental modules of data management software, including metadata catalogue, metadata acquisition, data transfer and data service. For light source facilities, building a data management system only requires parameter configuration and minimal code development within DOMAS. This paper firstly discusses the development of advanced light sources in China and the associated demands and challenges in data management, prompting a reconsideration of data management software framework design. It then outlines the architecture of the framework, detailing its components and functions. Lastly, it highlights the application progress and effectiveness of DOMAS when deployed for the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) and Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban barrier effect is one possible physical mechanism by which the urbanization alters the spatial distribution of cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning activity in a city. There is a gap in the preceding research on an urban barrier effect to alter patterns of CG lightning in Beijing, and the urban morphology does not receive enough attention as an important influencing factor. By combining lightning location data, ground meteorological data, and urban morphology datasets, we identify a possible urban barrier effect from the perspective of CG lightning in Beijing during 2010–2017. Analysis of one typical thunderstorm on 13 July 2017 revealed that the barrier effect might result in a bifurcation of low‐level airflow and splitting of the convergence line. A more important finding was the modulation of the barrier effect by the scale and density of the built‐up area, and the numerical simulation experiments further confirmed this potential association. Plain Language Summary: Lightning is a common hazard associated with thunderstorms, which can result in $332 million of property damage annually in the United States and cause more than 1,000 casualties per year in China. Beijing, as one of the first‐tier cities in China, is undergoing a rapid urbanization in both city size and building density. Statistical results of cloud‐to‐ground lightning activity over 8 years showed that there were lots of lightning at the edge of the city, and most lightning seemed to be diverted around the city center. Due to a possible barrier effect, the path of a thunderstorm on 13 July 2017 was obviously altered by the city, also resulting in the change of near‐surface wind field. Except for synoptic forcing, wind speed, and urban heat island, this paper pointed out that the size of a city and its building density could influence whether the barrier effect occurred and how strong it was. Key Points: The strong synoptic forcing, strong wind speed, and weak urban heat island were in favor of the formation of a barrier effect in the built‐up area of BeijingWhen thunderstorms passed over city, the bifurcation of low‐level airflow and splitting of convergence line was a result of the urban barrier effectThe size of a city and its building density might influence the occurrence and strength of a barrier effect [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning towards community‐based alternatives for service provision, health geographers have turned their gaze towards the changing meanings of place across dynamic landscapes for older people. Yet, little is known about how such a transition has manifested as a new phenomenon in a non‐western country, within a variegated geo‐historical context. Using a relational approach, this paper examines what it means to embed care services in a community for supporting aging‐in‐place through a new model, community‐based care centre (CBCC) in Beijing, China. Interview data were obtained from 47 participants (including administrative staff, service providers, and older people) to understand how stakeholders envision the transition towards the CBCC model. Our findings show that embedding CBCCs into communities is a three‐dimensional process: 1) the dynamics of locating services and socio‐relational distance in shaping a sense of place; 2) the blurring of formal and informal care relations in creating care spaces; and 3) the interweaving of collectivism and individualism in a transition from "work‐unit" to community. These interactions indicate that community‐embedded care is geographically, socially, politically, and culturally constructed and needs to be understood as dynamic and relational. Our findings suggest that the theoretical underpinnings of aging‐in‐place need to broaden to include non‐western perspectives. Key Messages: Community‐embedded care services for supporting aging‐in‐place needs to be understood as dynamic and relational.How people and places are related in a wider network (re)produce various meanings of community‐embedded care to different people.The theoretical underpinnings of aging‐in‐place need to broaden to include non‐western perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malthusian population theory states that, when population growth exceeds the growth of the means of production, socioeconomic development will be hindered. This paper analyzes this issue from the perspective of uncoordinated urbanization. We used the data available for 262 cities at the prefecture level and above in China, for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. We empirically investigated the relationship between uncoordinated urbanization and urban economic growth. We also examined how this relationship is affected by natural resource constraints. The research results show that there are temporal and spatial differences in the distribution of uncoordinated urbanization in China. From a temporal perspective, from 2000 to 2015, 45.61% of China's 262 cities show under‐urbanization, while 36.45% of cities show over‐urbanization. However, the number of cities with over‐urbanization is growing. From a spatial perspective, the number of cities in the northeastern region with over‐urbanization is declining. Conversely, the number of cities with over‐urbanization in Beijing in the central and southeastern coastal areas is increasing. Empirical research shows that uncoordinated urbanization and urban economic growth have an inverted U‐shaped relationship. Abundant natural resources can make the inverted U‐shaped curve of uncoordinated urbanization and economic growth flatter. The "resource curse" seems to occur only under high levels of uncoordinated urbanization (over‐urbanization). For some cities where there is under‐urbanization, abundant natural resources are conducive to urban economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the relationship between community attributes and the subway home-price capitalization effect, asking whether the magnitude of the subway proximity premium is affected by neighbourhood economic status and location. Using longitudinal data from Beijing, the paper estimates that decreasing a community's distance to a subway station by 10 per cent increases the housing price per square metre by 0.2 per cent ~ 0.9 per cent. The paper also shows that, subway capitalization effect is around 0.1 per cent ~ 0.2 per cent lower for communities that have higher quality and charge a 1 Yuan higher property management fee. Moreover, the analysis also reveals that the subway capitalization will decrease by around 0.08 per cent as a community's distance to the central business district (CBD) increases by 1 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper studies the extent to which spatial heterogeneity in housing prices is affected by housing supply in Beijing's specific context of centralized metropolitan government without local property tax. Taking data sets of residential land leases and private housing sales records from 2006 to 2008 within Beijing's metropolitan area, this paper examines how the capitalization of school quality and subway accessibility in housing prices varies with land availability instrumented by the employment density of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) at the beginning of SOE reform. Results confirm that the capitalization of school quality and subway accessibility is larger in supply-constrained locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper introduces a new way of decomposing regional inequality. It divides the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan region into three sets of districts in terms of the urban-rural resource flows: urban, peri-urban, and peripheral areas. Unlike the administrative divisions, these three sets of districts show how resource flows and agglomerates at the regional level. The paper decomposes regional inequality according to the three sets of districts. The paper's findings show that regional inequality decreased between 1990 and 1994, after which it remained steady. The study, for the first time, brings peri-urban areas into a regional decomposition analysis, and contributes to the understanding of urban-rural resource flows and inequality changes at the regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our existing knowledge of the links between urban growth and commuting patterns are dominated by cases from developed countries. This paper examines the impact of urban growth on workers' commutes using the case of Beijing, which is undergoing rapid economic and spatial restructuring. The results of an analysis of household survey data show that clustered and compact urban development in planned sub-centres is likely to reduce suburban workers' need for a long-distance commute to the city centre when the workers' socio-economic characteristics, the level of transport accessibility and household preferences for residential location are taken into account. Workers employed in the manufacturing sector tend to have shorter commutes and travel within the planned suburban sub-centres. This reveals that the decentralization of employment in the manufacturing sector provides more opportunities to enhance the spatial matches between household residential and job location choices. Household preferences for residential location have an effect on commuting patterns, and high-income workers are likely to accept longer commutes in order to fulfil their residential preferences. Dramatic urban restructuring, in conjunction with changes in lifestyle, is creating new commuting patterns in the rapidly growing cities of China. Resumen El estado actual del conocimiento sobre los vínculos entre el crecimiento urbanístico y los patrones de desplazamiento al trabajo está dominado por ejemplos de países desarrollados. Este artículo examina el impacto del crecimiento urbano en los desplazamientos al trabajo en una ciudad como Pekín, la cual está siendo objeto de una rápida reestructuración económica y espacial. Los resultados del análisis de datos de un muestreo de hogares mostró que es probable que un desarrollo urbano compacto y agrupado en torno a sub-centros planificados a propósito de este modo reduzca la necesidad de largos desplazamientos al trabajo hasta el centro de la ciudad, si se tienen en cuenta las características socioeconómicas de los trabajadores, la facilidad de acceso a transporte y las preferencias de cada hogar en cuanto a la zona residencial. Los trabajadores empleados en el sector manufacturero tienden a realizar desplazamientos más cortos y a viajar dentro de los sub-centros suburbanos planificados. Esto revela que la descentralización del empleo en el sector manufacturero proporciona más oportunidades de mejorar la correspondencia espacial entre la elección de la zona residencial y la del puesto de trabajo. Las preferencias familiares en cuanto a la zona residencial tienen un efecto en los patrones de desplazamiento al trabajo, siendo más probable que los empleados con ingresos más altos estén dispuestos a realizar desplazamientos más largos a cambio de satisfacer sus preferencias residenciales. Una dramática reestructuración urbana, junto con cambios en el estilo de vida, está creando nuevos patrones de desplazamiento al trabajo en las ciudades chinas de rápido crecimiento. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Beijing Olympic Games, one of the most significant social events for contemporary China, is a milestone for China's efforts for globalization. ‘One World, One Dream’, the motto of the Beijing Olympic Games, is an embodiment of the encounter between Chinese culture and Western civilization, and a symbol of integration between China and the rest of the world. This Special Section seeks to address the psychosocial ramifications of the Beijing Olympic Games and, thereby, to shed light on China's domestic situation and its international relations from a social psychological perspective. Moving beyond the psychology of athletic excellence, the four papers included use a wide range of methods, ranging from longitudinal tracking to priming, to examining self-construal and volunteering, to representations of China's past and future, competition towards foreigners, and perceived intercultural differences. Consistently found across the papers, patriotism was associated with ingroup cohesion, whereas nationalism was associated with competition and differentiation towards outgroups. This Special Section thereby pays tribute to the social psychological significance of the Beijing Olympic Games to China and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the emergence of the real estate market since 1990, the operation Beijing's economy has led to a re-shaping of its inner city. By reviewing the Old and Dilapidated Housing Redevelopment (ODHR) programme in Beijing in the 1990s, this paper seeks to uncover the forces that led to the prevailing large-scale urban redevelopment which induced serious environmental and socio-economic problems. By analysing conflicts between major stakeholders of the ODHR programme, the paper finds that the root cause of these problems was embedded in the ‘mismatch of plan and market’ by which local officials and local developers utilised their privileges inherited from a planned economy to benefit from the emerging real estate markets. As a result, the hidden agenda of local elites was facilitated during the urban redevelopment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a spatial research on the relationship between street pattern and the vitality of everyday life in the city center of Beijing and Tianjin. It illustrates how traditional street pattern as a hierarchical and introverted spatial structure is transformed by modern development and how this change can affect the use of local places. A detailed mapping of local shops inside 179 urban blocks in Beijing and 114 urban blocks in Tianjin was conducted. The space syntax software was utilized to measure the external and internal spatial conditions involved in the emergence and clustering of these shops. The findings suggest that even in the imported regular grid structure, local Chinese inhabitants still appropriate these extroverted spaces in an introverted way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: Yang et al. (2011) Seroprevalence of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza and effectiveness of 2010/2011 influenza vaccine during 2010/2011 season in Beijing, China. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(6), 381-388. Background In the post-pandemic period, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus was expected to circulate seasonally and was introduced into trivalent influenza vaccine during 2010/2011 season in the Northern Hemisphere. Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the evolution of herd immunity against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in Beijing, China, during 2010/2011 season and effectiveness of the 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine. Methods Two serological surveys were conducted before and after 2010/2011 season in Beijing. A case-control study was used to investigate vaccine effectiveness against influenza-like illness (ILI) and lower respiratory tract infection (LRI). Results A total of 4509 and 4543 subjects participated in the pre- and post-season surveys, respectively. The standardized seroprevalence of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza increased from 22·1% pre-season to 24·3% post-season ( P < 0·001). Significant elevation in seroprevalence appeared in the ≥60 years age-group ( P < 0·001), but not in others. The 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine contributed to the higher post-seasonal seroprevalence in unvaccinated individuals ( P = 0·024), but not in those vaccinated with monovalent pandemic vaccine ( P = 0·205), as well as in those without prior immunity versus those with immunity. The adjusted effectiveness of the 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine was 79% protection against ILI (95% CI, 61-89%) and 95% against LRI (95% CI: 59-99%). Conclusions A slight increase in herd immunity against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza was observed in Beijing, China, during the 2010/2011 season. Prior vaccination and immunity had a suppressive impact on immune response toward this novel influenza virus, elicited by 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine. This trivalent vaccine conferred good protection against ILI and LRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty-five sediment samples collected from Dongjiang River, which drains one of the most industrialized and urbanized regions in South China, were analyzed for 19 linear alkylbenzene (LAB) components. The sample dry weight-based concentrations of total LABs (ΣLAB) ranged from 1.5 to 410 ng/g. Comparison of the relative abundances of n-dodecylbenzenes (or C12-LABs) and internal to external ratio (I/E) values in riverine sediment, wastewater, and sediment samples from the outfalls of paper mills, as well as three brands of domestic detergents obtained from the present and previous studies, implicated the occurrence of untreated wastewater in the sampling sites. Levels of ΣLAB were significantly linear correlated with those of total organic carbon (TOC) but not with those of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Multiple linear regression integrated principal component analysis indicated that 56% of LABs in wastewater in the study area were treated, but the extent of degradation of LABs was low. Finally, it is proposed that ineffective law enforcement and loopholes in the current regulations for wastewater discharge account for the substantial amount (44%) of untreated wastewater discharged in the study region. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:724-730. © 2012 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: MacIntyre et al. (2011) A cluster randomized clinical trial comparing fit-tested and non-fit-tested N95 respirators to medical masks to prevent respiratory virus infection in health care workers. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2010.00198.x. We compared the efficacy of medical masks, N95 respirators (fit tested and non fit tested), in health care workers (HCWs). A cluster randomized clinical trial (RCT) of 1441 HCWs in 15 Beijing hospitals was performed during the 2008/2009 winter. Participants wore masks or respirators during the entire work shift for 4 weeks. Outcomes included clinical respiratory illness (CRI), influenza-like illness (ILI), laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus infection and influenza. A convenience no-mask/respirator group of 481 health workers from nine hospitals was compared. The rates of CRI (3·9% versus 6·7%), ILI (0·3% versus 0·6%), laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus (1·4% versus 2·6%) and influenza (0·3% versus 1%) infection were consistently lower for the N95 group compared to medical masks. By intention-to-treat analysis, when P values were adjusted for clustering, non-fit-tested N95 respirators were significantly more protective than medical masks against CRI, but no other outcomes were significant. The rates of all outcomes were higher in the convenience no-mask group compared to the intervention arms. There was no significant difference in outcomes between the N95 arms with and without fit testing. Rates of fit test failure were low. In a post hoc analysis adjusted for potential confounders, N95 masks and hospital level were significant, but medical masks, vaccination, handwashing and high-risk procedures were not. Rates of infection in the medical mask group were double that in the N95 group. A benefit of respirators is suggested but would need to be confirmed by a larger trial, as this study may have been underpowered. The finding on fit testing is specific to the type of respirator used in the study and cannot be generalized to other respirators. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), ACTRN: ACTRN12609000257268 (). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 25 years since drug abuse re-emerged in China in the 1980s, the National Institute of Drug Dependence (NIDD) has made many contributions to China's antidrug campaign. This present paper offers an account of the history, current status and future of drug dependence research at NIDD. NIDD was originally a research centre at Beijing Medical University, founded by the Chinese Ministry of Health to address the rapid spread of drug abuse in China. Originally, the main task of NIDD was to complete the commissions assigned by the government and university. Further developments transformed NIDD into a national research institute in the field of drug addiction that began to conduct its own research. NIDD has now created a professional team spread across several independent departments involved in neurobiological mechanisms, epidemiological surveys and monitoring, pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of new drugs (mainly analgesic drugs and detoxification drugs) and informatics and data analysis. As a university-based research institute, NIDD's funding derives mainly from grants provided by the government and financial support from international organizations. Its past and present research has a gained NIDD a reputation with both practitioners and policy makers in the field of drug addiction. In the future, NIDD will continue to engage in various aspects of drug addiction research and will enter the field of brain function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid income growth, dairy production and consumption in China have increased significantly. The emergence of the dairy sector provides opportunities for farmers to participate in a high-value, potentially more lucrative enterprise. The overall goal of this paper is to analyze the major determinants of farmer participation in dairy production. Our main questions include whether or not the pace of the emergence of the dairy processing industry has affected the ability of farmers (especially small and relatively poor ones) to participate in dairy production; and whether or not it has limited the expansion of their herd size. Based on household, village, and processor surveys conducted in the Greater Beijing region, our analysis indicates that the location of dairy processing firms is one key factor that determines the participation of farmers in dairy production. Although other factors affect participation and herd size, including road access and the ability to find employment off the farm (which affects the opportunity cost of household members), the proximity to a dairy processor is shown to be one of the major factors that has encouraged the growth of dairy production for a given farmer in a specific region during the past decade. The results also show that poor, less educated farmers with relatively less access to land are not excluded from the expansion of the Greater Beijing dairy market. La production laitière et la consommation ont augmenté considérablement en Chine, en raison de la croissance rapide du revenu. Pour les producteurs, la croissance du secteur laitier offre des occasions de se lancer dans des activités à forte valeur, potentiellement plus lucratives. L’objectif global du présent article consiste à analyser les principaux déterminants de la participation des producteurs à la production laitière. Nous nous sommes alors posé deux questions. Le rythme d’émergence de l’industrie de la transformation de produits laitiers influence-t-il ou non la capacité des producteurs (en particulier les petits producteurs de condition modeste) à se lancer dans la production laitière? Le rythme d’émergence de cette industrie limite-t-il ou non l’expansion de la taille de leurs troupeaux? Une analyse des enquêtes menées auprès des ménages, des villages et des transformateurs dans l’agglomération pékinoise a révélé que le lieu où se trouvent les entreprises de transformation de produits laitiers est l’un des principaux facteurs qui déterminent la participation des producteurs à la production laitière. Bien que d’autres facteurs influencent la participation des producteurs et la taille des troupeaux, notamment l’accès routier et la capacitéà trouver un emploi à l’extérieur de la ferme (qui influence le coût d’opportunité/d’option des membres du ménage), la proximité d’une usine de transformation serait l’un des principaux facteurs qui ont encouragé la croissance de la production laitière, pour un producteur donné dans une région en particulier, au cours des dix dernières années. Les résultats ont également indiqué que les producteurs de condition modeste, moins instruits et ayant un accès restreint à des terres ne sont pas exclus de l’expansion du marché laitier dans l’agglomération pékinoise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient air pollution has been linked to cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality in epidemiology studies. Frequently, oxidative and nitrosative stress are hypothesized to mediate these pollution effects, however precise mechanisms remain unclear. This paper describes the methodology for a major panel study to examine air pollution effects on these and other mechanistic pathways. The study took place during the drastic air pollution changes accompanying the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. After a general description of air pollution health effects, we provide a discussion of panel studies and describe the unique features of this study that make it likely to provide compelling results. This study should lead to a clearer and more precise definition of the role of oxidative and nitrosative stress, as well as other mechanisms, in determining acute morbidity and mortality from air pollution exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Not long after the conclusion of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, I was invited by my friend Eric Xu, an editor at Shanghai's largest paper, The Xinmin Evening News, to attend a seminar in Shanghai with some of China's top philosophers and scholars. They had gathered to assess the “powershift” in China's self-image and in global esteem as a result of such a successful execution of the games. The following short essay reports on their views and puts them in historical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The XXIst International Congress of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing was held at the Beijing International Convention Centre, China, from 3rd to 11th July 2008. Reports are given on the Congress as a whole, including the General Assembly, some Technical Commission activities and the Congress Exhibition. Papers from the Congress are published in Volume XXXVII of the International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of ‘information hinterland’ as a determinant to financial agglomeration and financial centre development. The concept is then applied to investigate the potentials of Beijing and Shanghai in becoming financial centres in China. Specifically, the information hinterlands of the two cities are identified in two steps: first, the boundaries of the hinterlands are demarcated on the basis of distance, intensity of transport connection and interactions in terms of migration. Second, the intensity of information from the hinterland is assessed in terms of business information, policy information and the seats of multinational headquarters. Results of the analysis and their implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying spatial patterns of species richness and determining the processes that give rise to these patterns are core problems in biodiversity theory. The aim of the present paper was to more accurately detect patterns of vascular species richness at different scales along altitudinal gradients in order to further our understanding of biodiversity patterns and to facilitate studies on relationships between biodiversity and environmental factors. Species richness patterns of total vascular plants species, including trees, shrubs, and herbs, were measured along an altitudinal gradient on one transect on a shady slope in the Dongling Mountains, near Beijing, China. Direct gradient analysis, regression analysis, and geostatistics were applied to describe the spatial patterns of species richness. We found that total vascular species richness did not exhibit a linear pattern of change with altitude, although species groups with different ecological features showed strong elevational patterns different from total species richness. In addition to total vascular plants, analysis of trees, shrubs, and herbs demonstrated remarkable hierarchical structures of species richness with altitude (i.e. patchy structures at small scales and gradients at large scales). Species richness for trees and shrubs had similar spatial characteristics at different scales, but differed from herbs. These results indicated that species groups with similar ecological features exhibit similar biodiversity patterns with altitude, and studies of biodiversity based on species groups with similar ecological properties or life forms would advance our understanding of variations in species diversity. Furthermore, the gradients or trends appeared to be due mainly to local variations in species richness means with altitude. We also found that the range of spatial scale dependencies of species richness for total vascular plants, trees, shrubs, and herbs was relatively large. Thus, to detect the relationships between species richness with environmental factors along altitudinal gradients, it was necessary to quantify the scale dependencies of environmental factors in the sampling design or when establishing non-linear models. (Managing editor: Ya-Qin Han) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue that transnational feminist practices have become the dominant modality of feminist movements around the world, since the Fourth Women's World Conference in Beijing. By transnationalism I mean both organising across national borders as well as framing local, national, regional, and global activism in “transnational” discourses. I review two sites of transnational feminism, the UN and the World Social Forum, especially the emergence of the Feminist Dialogues from the Forum. I argue that the changed socio-political context following Beijing – in particular the continuing hegemony of the neo-liberal economic agenda, the entrenchment of religious fundamentalisms, and the post 9/11 wars and focus on terrorism in the US and around the world – has highlighted the limitations of transnational activism, for both internal movement politics and social transformation. Transnational feminism fragments movement politics as tensions emerge between movement organisations that can actually cross borders versus those that cannot and reproduces inequalities among activists within and between countries in the North and South. More importantly, however, given the spaces within which transnational feminists operate and the modalities of transnational activism, the strategic focus of movements' shifts from outcome to process and from redistribution to policy and discursive changes. Thus, the ironic state of the feminist movements post Beijing, I argue, is that (some) women's agency is visible everywhere even as (most) women's lives remain mired in multiple inequalities. What is needed in this neo-liberal moment is a neo-radical feminist politics that is based on intersectional analysis and democratic practices but devises strategies with other mass movements that can redistribute resources and emancipate women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does globalization unfold in the process of urban development? Rather than examine the impact of globalization on the city as if the former were independent of and superimposed on the latter, this paper aims to address how globalization can be imagined, pursued and exploited in the process of local growth. Through examining the emergence of Western architectural motifs in a late socialist capital, Beijing, it is shown that transplanting cityscapes is a conscious action by developers to exploit globalization and thereby overcome the constraints of local markets. By associating themselves with globalization, the development elite hope to sell the vision of the good life in the era of globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from a number of family intervention strategies demonstrates a beneficial impact on the course of schizophrenia. It appears that different family interventions have generic features that aid the patient to avoid relapse and improve functioning. A significant challenge for researchers is to modify these generic strategies to be sensitive to different cultural groups in order to ensure their effectiveness. Chinese culture, with its distinct cultural norms governing family interaction and intense stigma towards the mentally in, would seem to raise a particular challenge. This paper offers an account of an eclectic model of structural family therapy that incorporates psychoeducation and behavioural treatments for schizophrenia as a theoretical guide to working in a cross-cultural context. A Beijing family, consisting of parents and their daughter with schizophrenia, were seen for sixteen months during a trial of family intervention in China. Through structural family concepts, China's sociocultural context of treatment resource constraints, population policy and stigma are examined and the impact of the illness on family organization is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on several conference papers are presented from the International Symposium on Hepatology in Beijing, China from December 5-9, 1999. Extrahepatic manifestations of cholestasis include pruritus, fatigue, osteoporosis, and cholangiocellular carcinoma, which develops when the epithelium of the intrahepatic bile duct invades the liver. Transplantation of patients with cholestatic liver disease showed good results with few chances to recurring in the graft.

Information on several conference papers are presented from the International Symposium on Hepatology in Beijing, China on December 5-9, 1999. Hepatitis C virus patients improved their natural history of liver disease due to antiviral therapy and modern hepatic imaging methods, which include hepatic sonography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Stanford University used liver transplantation, ablative, and gene therapy for the treatment of hepatitis contagiosa canis.

This paper on drug use and HIV/AIDS in China follows on from the column's May 2005 article on the description of the first methadone maintenance clinic in Beijing. Methadone maintenance clinics and needle exchange programmes are now being implemented in China as a response to the rapid increase in prevalence of HIV/AIDS over the last 10 – 15 years. It is worth noting that in prior years methadone was available only as for short-term detoxification from opioids and for research purposes. Accordingly, the Department of Health Education and Behavioural Intervention at the National Center for AIDS Prevention and Control in China plans to establish 1000 methadone replacement clinics within the next 5 years to treat 200 000 heroin-dependent users who are at increased risk of HIV/AIDS. Robert Ali & Rachel Humeniuk Editors, Asia Pacific Column The cumulative number of registered drug users in mainland China increased from 70 000 in 1990 to 1.14 million in 2004. Heroin continues to be the most commonly used drug in China; however, polydrug use is popular among heroin users. Sedatives/hypnotics (e.g. triazolam) and other uncontrolled prescription opioids (e.g. pethidine and tramadol) are used commonly in combination with heroin. The majority of drug users (79%) are young people aged between 17 and 35 years and comprise predominantly farmers (30%) and unemployed people (45%). The HIV/AIDS epidemic in China has reached expansion phase (1995 – present). It is estimated that the actual number of HIV/AIDS cases reached 840 000, including 80 000 actual AIDS patients, in 2003, with injecting drug users (IDUs) making up the largest proportion of these cases. Although the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is only 0.065% in the Chinese population overall, there is potential for an explosive spread of HIV/AIDS if preventative measures are not employed. Supported by the Chinese government and other related international organisations, harm reduction strategies such as methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and needle-syringe programmes (NSP) have commenced implementation to reduce the risk of HIV infection among heroin users. [Liu Z, Lian Z, Zhao C. Drug use and HIV/AIDS in China . Drug Alcohol Rev 2006;25:173 – 175] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates spatial dependence and mechanisms of regional development in Greater Beijing, China by employing spatial statistical techniques. We have detected positive, strengthening global spatial autocorrelation from 1978 to 2001, and found such strengthening is the result of newly formed/extended clusters in the area. The local analysis recognizes local regimes of two-tier urban-rural spatial structure at the beginning of the reform period. While the urban-rural divide was lessening due to the reform, a north-south divide has emerged because of local natural conditions and development trajectories. Regarding mechanisms of regional development, ordinary least squares analysis is constrained by the existence of significant spatial autocorrelation among spatial units. Analytical results reveal that an error spatial regression model is a more appropriate alternative due to possible mismatch between boundaries of the underlying spatial process and the spatial units where data are organised. In 1995 and 2001, the signs of all the regression coefficients remained the same for both OLS and spatial models. However, their magnitude and significance change. Specifically, foreign direct investment and fixed-asset investment became less influential in the spatial model, while local government spending emerged as more influential. Este estudio investiga la dependencia especial y los mecanismos de desarrollo regional en el Gran Beijing, China, empleando técnicas estadísticas espaciales. Hemos detectado una autocorrelación espacial global en aumento y positiva desde 1978 al 2001, y hallado que dicho aumento es el resultado de clusters formados/ampliados recientemente en el área. El análisis local reconoce regimenes locales de estructura espacial urbana-rural de dos niveles al inicio del periodo de reforma. Mientras que la separación urbana-rural fue disminuyendo con la reforma, ha aparecido una separación norte-sur por condiciones naturales locales y trayectorias de desarrollo. Respecto de los mecanismos de desarrollo regional, el análisis de mínimos cuadrados ordinario (OLS) se ve restringido por la existencia de una autocorrelación espacial significativa entre unidades espaciales. Los resultados de análisis revelan que un modelo de regresión del error espacial es una alternativa más apropiada debido a una posible disparidad entre los límites del proceso espacial subyacente y las unidades espaciales donde están organizados los datos. En 1995 y en 2001, los signos de todos los coeficientes de regresión permanecieron iguales para OLS y modelos espaciales. Sin embargo, su magnitud y significancia cambian. En particular, la inversión extranjera directa y la inversión en activos fijos pasaron a ser menos influyentes en el modelo espacial, mientras que el gasto del gobierno local apareció más influyente. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on a paper which examines the meaning of caring from the perspective of cancer patients in Beijing, China. The author stresses that the study is important as a deeper understanding of what caring means to patients with cancer is warranted. She asserts that the researchers do not consider the resource in which the caring relationship occurs. She emphasizes that the idea that nurses and people with cancer share the same understanding of the need of patients is unfounded.

The article presents information about special events related to dermatology that will be take place worldwide from May 2004 to September 2004. The IX International Congress of Dermatology will be held in Beijing, China, from May 19, 2004 to May 22, 2004. The overall program will consist of plenary lectures, symposia, free paper sessions, and poster discussions. From May 27, 2004 to May 29, 2004, the 31st Annual Meeting of the SCUR will take place in Rome, Italy. The article also presents details about microscopy courses that will be held from June 2004 to August 2004.

The article discusses the highlights of the GEOANALYSIS 2006 Conference which was held in Beijing, China in September 2006. The conference demonstrated the intense interest in the analysis of geological and environmental materials throughout a broad spectrum of research fields. More than 140 papers were presented at the conference, providing both a wonderful introduction for new students and an amazing variety of methodologies and instrumentation to enlighten even the most seasoned of academics.

Presents information about several papers discussed at the 19th International Congress of Zoology held in Beijing, China on August 23 to 27, 2004. Organizations that sponsored the event; Elected committee of the International Society of Zoological Sciences; Sections covered by the conference proceedings.