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We project drought losses in China under global temperature increase of 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C, based on the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), a cluster analysis method, and "intensity-loss rate" function. In contrast to earlier studies, to project the drought losses, we predict the regional gross domestic product under shared socioeconomic pathways instead of using a static socioeconomic scenario. We identify increasing precipitation and evapotranspiration pattern for the 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C global warming above the preindustrial at 2020-2039 and 2040-2059, respectively. With increasing drought intensity and areal coverage across China, drought losses will soar. The estimated loss in a sustainable development pathway at the 1.5 °C warming level increases 10-fold in comparison with the reference period 1986-2005 and nearly threefold relative to the interval 2006-2015. However, limiting the temperature increase to 1.5 °C can reduce the annual drought losses in China by several tens of billions of US dollars, compared with the 2.0 °C warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, influential tropical cyclones (ITCs) are defined as those that cause significant national economic losses. Based on direct economic losses, socioeconomic data, and tropical cyclone track data from the National Climate Centre of the China Meteorological Administration and the National Bureau of Statistics, this study investigated 249 ITCs that occurred during 1984-2015. National economic losses directly attributable to each ITC were normalized by the Consumer Price Index to facilitate a comparison of annual variability, and the spatiotemporal distribution of ITC-related economic losses was analyzed using different statistical methods. The Pearson correlation method was used to analyze annual variations, while abrupt changes were detected by the Moving t test, and the Yamamoto and Mann-Kendall tests. The possibility of periodicity of ITC frequency and economic losses was investigated using Red-noise spectra and wavelet analysis. The results revealed that although 249 ITCs affected China during 1984-2015, no significant monotonic trend in annual frequency was detectable; however, a significant upward trend was found for strong ITCs (ITC intensity greater than that of typhoons). Among the 22 provinces affected, Guangdong Province in southern China has the highest frequency of ITCs. An abrupt change in the annual frequency of ITCs occurred in 2007, and a periodic 3-6-year pattern was detected. Annual direct economic losses during 1984-2015 were approximately 44.7 billion CNY, and they have increased at the rate of 1.8 billion CNY annually. The severest losses occurred in 1996. Although an obvious abruption occurred in 1992, a 2-3-year periodicity was detected in ITC-related losses. Temporally, most affected provinces showed a slight increase in ITC-related losses. Spatially, ITC-related losses were greatest in Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. These findings could be helpful for raising local awareness and ensuring the preparedness of local government for mitigating ITC-related damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite-based precipitation monitoring at high spatial resolution is crucial for assessing the water and energy cycles at the global and regional scale. Based on the recently released 7th version of the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) product of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), and the monthly precipitation data (3B43) are evaluated using observed monthly precipitation from 65 meteorological stations in Jiangsu Province, China, for the period 1998-2014. Additionally, the standardized precipitation index (SPI), which is derived by a nonparametric approach, is employed to investigate the suitability of the TRMM 3B43 precipitation data for drought monitoring in Jiangsu Province. The temporal correlations between observations and the TRMM 3B43 precipitation data show, in general, reasonable agreement for different time scales. However, in summer, only 50% of the stations present correlation coefficients that are statistically significant at the 95% confidence interval. The overall best agreement of TRMM 3B43 precipitation data at seasonal scale tends to occur in autumn (SON). The comparative analysis of the calculated SPI time series suggests that the accuracy of TRMM3B43 decreases with increasing time scale. Stations with significant correlation coefficients also become less spatially homogeneous with increasing time scale. In summary, the findings demonstrate that TRMM 3B43 precipitation data can be used for reliable short-term drought monitoring in Jiangsu province, while temporal-spatial limitations exist for longer time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Low Carbon Future Cities (LCFC) project aims at facing a three dimensional challenge by developing an integrated city roadmap balancing: low carbon development, gains in resource efficiency and adaptation to climate change. The paper gives an overview of the first outcomes of the analysis of the status quo and assessment of the most likely developments regarding GHG emissions, climate impacts and resource use in Wuxi-the Chinese pilot city for the LCFC project. As a first step, a detailed emission inventory following the IPCC guidelines for Wuxi has been carried out. In a second step, the future development of energy demand and related CO2 emissions in 2050 were simulated in a current policy scenario (CPS). In parallel, selected aspects of material and water flows for the energy and the building sector were analyzed and modeled. In addition, recent and future climate impacts and vulnerability were investigated. Based on these findings, nine key sectors with high relevance to the three dimensions could be identified. Although Wuxi's government has started a path to implement a low carbon plan, the first results show that, for the shift towards a sustainable low carbon development, more ambitious steps need to be taken in order to overcome the challenges faced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We investigated the effects of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on biologic signals induced by interferon-α(IFN-α) and IFN-γ. In hematopoietic cell lines, IFN-induced signaling was investigated by Western blotting, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), flow cytometry, protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) assays, and RT-PCR. GM-CSF inhibited IFN-α-induced and IFN-γ-induced Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner. EMSA showed that GM-CSF inhibited IFN-α-induced and IFN-γ-induced IFN-γactivator sequence (GAS) binding activity. As a consequence, IFN-induced transcription of the early response gene, IFN-stimulated gene 54 (ISG54), was inhibited. The expression of IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) and MHC class I antigens was downregulated at protein levels in hematopoietic cell lines (U937, THP1). In contrast to GM-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and interleukin-3 (IL-3) did not influence the IFN-induced Stat1 activation. To explore the molecular mechanism of suppression of Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation, we investigated the induction and activation of cytokine-inducible SH2-containing proteinsuppressor of cytokine signaling (CISSOCS) molecules and phosphatases on GM-CSF treatment. In contrast to G-CSF and IL-3, GM-CSF strongly induced the expression of CIS1 and SOCS2 at mRNA levels, but overexpression of CIS1 or SOCS2 in HEK293 cells did not show inhibition of Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation upon IFN treatment. In PTP assays, on GM-CSF incubation, no enhanced src homology 2 domain tyrosine phosphatase 1 and 2 (SHP1 and SHP2) activity was detectable. However, GM-CSF-induced downregulation of Tyk2 and Jak1 tyrosine phosphorylation as well as Tyk2 protein levels likely contributed to the reduced Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation. In hematopoietic cells, GM-CSF antagonizes IFN-induced signals by a block in Stat1 activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imatinib (IM) is a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor of c‐Kit. c‐Kit is expressed in the majority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Whereas clinical trials evaluating monotherapy with IM in AML revealed low response rates, Ara‐C and IM showed synergistic effects in vitro. This suggested evaluation of a combination treatment.Low‐dose Ara‐C (LDAC) combined with IM was tested to determine the efficacy and safety of this regimen. Forty patients from 4 centers with c‐Kit‐positive AML (n = 34) and high‐risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR‐MDS) (n = 6) with a median age of 73 years were enrolled. They were either not eligible for myelosuppressive therapy and/or had recurring/refractory disease.Thirty‐eight patients were evaluable for analysis. In 6 of 38 patients a blast response was observed. Eight of 38 patients showed stable disease for more than 2 months. The objective hematologic response rate was low (11%), with 2 patients showing hematologic improvement and 1 each with a partial response (PR) or complete response (CR). Median overall survival was 138 days, with 20% of patients alive after an observation period of 600 days. Study medication was applied in an ambulatory setting with minimal hospitalization time, an early mortality rate of only 18.9%, and a low toxicity rate.LDAC plus IM does not appear to be inferior in older AML patients incomparison with historic controls receiving myelosuppressive therapy. However, this trial also shows that LDAC/IM does not appear to be more effective than LDAC monotherapy in a patient population not selected for appropriate molecular markers. Cancer 2007 © 2007 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Conventional ultrasound parameters such as the resistance index (RI) are only of limited use in the diagnosis of early allograft dysfunction. We, therefore, performed a prospective study to compare the value of ultrasound contrast media (USCM) with conventional US in the diagnosis of early allograft dysfunction.Methods. A total of 48 consecutive kidney recipients underwent US examination after USCM administration 4–10 days after transplantation. Arterial inflow was determined in the interlobar artery and renal cortex using time–intensity curve (TIC) software. The difference in time-to-peak intensity between these two vascular territories was determined, and a perfusion quotient (PQ) was defined as the ratio of TIC increase of interlobar artery to renal cortex. Three patients with segmental loss of renal perfusion demonstrated by Doppler US were excluded.Results. Nineteen patients had an uneventful clinical course (control group); PQ was 1.2 ± 0.4. Seven patients with a large perirenal haematoma, without rejection had an increased PQ (P < 0.05) and a prolonged time difference (P < 0.05). Based on clinical and histological criteria, the remaining patients were classified as acute tubular necrosis (ATN) (n = 7), non-vascular rejection (n = 7) or vascular rejection (n = 5). RI determination could not discriminate these groups. Patients with ATN (PQ = 1.6 ± 0.7) or non-vascular rejection (PQ = 1.1 ± 0.6) had a lower PQ than patients with vascular rejection (PQ = 2.2 ± 0.8, P < 0.05). The time difference in all three subgroups was longer compared with controls.Conclusions. USCM might be superior in the diagnosis of early kidney allograft dysfunction compared with conventional US by means of RI determination. Perirenal haematoma, ATN and vascular rejection are associated with characteristic changes of the TIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are known to increase the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). Whether the severity of outcome of UGIB associated with NSAIDs differs from non-NSAID-related UGIB is less clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common soft wheat flour was extruded at three different temperatures and two different moistures. To investigate the dependence of the wheat protein modification on processing conditions, their solubilities in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were compared with those in SDS+(2-mercaptoethanol) ME. Furthermore, free sulfhydryl groups were detected with Ellman’s Reagent and SDS-PAGE was performed under reducing and non-reducing conditions. The solubility values in SDS were greatly reduced after extrusion. The solubility values in SDS+ME were not affected. We therefore concluded that intermolecular cross-linking by disulfide bonding through extrusion cooking had occurred. This result was confirmed by SDS-PAGE under reducing and non-reducing conditions. At low and medium temperatures the solubilities were lower at low moisture; however, more free sulfhydryl groups were detected under these conditions, suggesting that moisture content of the flour has an influence on the way and the nature of the protein polymerization. At the highest thermal energy input at low moisture the solubilities increased again. This was accompanied by an increase of detectable free sulfhydryl groups. This led to the conclusion that disulfide bonds were cleaved at high energy input. The solubility development in 70% ethanol was nearly the same as in SDS. This is seen as a proof that gliadins are highly involved in the protein network formed under extrusion conditions. This finding was also confirmed by the results of SDS-PAGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the role of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with conventional radiography in the detection of chronic and acute inflammatory manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of the shoulder joint. Forty-three consecutive patients with known RA prospectively underwent clinical examination, radiography, ultrasound, and MRI of the shoulder joints. Each patient was assigned a clinical/laboratory score consisting of 7 parameters, including measurements of shoulder mobility, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein level. Conventional radiography was standardized and performed in 2 planes. Ultrasound was performed in 10 predefined planes using a 7.5-MHz linear transducer. MRI at 1.5T comprised transverse and oblique coronal T1- and T2*-weighted fast spin-echo, gradient-echo (GRE), and inversion-recovery sequences with a matrix size of up to 512 pixels. A dynamic T1-weighted GRE sequence was acquired with intravenous administration of contrast medium. Erosions were assessed using all 3 imaging techniques on a 4-point scale. Soft-tissue involvement was evaluated according to the presence of synovitis, tenosynovitis, and bursitis on ultrasound and MRI. The results in the study group were compared with those obtained in a control group of 10 patients with shoulder pain. In the study group, erosions of the humeroscapular joint were detected by conventional radiography in 26 patients, by ultrasound in 30 patients, and by MRI in 39 patients; the differences were statistically significant for the comparisons of conventional radiography with MRI and for ultrasound versus MRI (P < 0.0001). Conventional radiography detected 12 erosions of the scapula and MRI detected 15. Synovitis was demonstrated in 12 patients by ultrasound and in 27 patients by MRI (P = 0.0003). Tenosynovitis was observed in 15 patients by ultrasound and in 28 patients by MRI (P = 0.0064). Bursitis was detected in 13 patients by ultrasound and in 18 patients by MRI. The findings on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI correlated significantly with the detection of synovitis by ultrasound and erosions by static MRI (P < 0.05). Ultrasound and MRI supplement conventional radiography in assessing the shoulder joint. Although conventional radiography can be used as the sole method of following up known joint destruction in RA, ultrasound and, preferably, MRI are recommended as additional techniques in the initial diagnostic evaluation when radiography yields negative results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The article provides guidance for managers seeking to successfully position their products in the Chinese medium market segment. Design/methodology/approach - Data are collected and analyzed from about 25 international manufacturing companies. Findings - Findings identify barriers and challenges and give guidance during strategy preparation, formulation, and implementation for entering the Chinese medium market segment. Practical implications - Managers benefit from a practical framework to overcome barriers during the strategy process on market entry into the Chinese medium market segment. Originality/value - New strategic potentials and risks in China's emerging market make entry into the medium market for international firms an imperative step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]