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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]

Copyright of People & Nature is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

This paper presents a longitudinal interpretive case study on the development of healthcare costing in China over the period 2002 to 2015. Adopting a middle‐range theory lens, the study explores dynamic interactions in the use of cost information among societal institutions and organizations. It reports the successful internalization of costing systems in public hospitals in Beijing, which supports the effectiveness of a hybrid steering mechanism combining both transactional and relational features; however, such successful internalization does not indicate the success of steering the lifeworld of institutions and organizations towards change. Notably, hospitals' responses to steering alter over time, from passive absorption to active manipulation, revealing how cost information may underpin hospital beliefs in marketization. At an institutional level, the paper provides empirical evidence for relational steering among societal institutions, where a reaction of 'rebuttal' is observed. It offers insights on how accounting can be a powerful tool in legitimizing such rebuttal, while keeping political considerations as hidden agendas. The findings suggest the importance of understanding lifeworld complexity at both societal and organizational levels, and cross‐institutional collaboration in using accounting as a steering mechanism. The findings have important policy implications for public sector reform, both in China and worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geographer is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

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]

Provides information on the International Conference on Systems, Development and Self-Organization (ICSDS), hosted by the Research Centre for Contemporary Management, School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, in Beijing, China from November 30 to December 1, 2002. Purpose of ICSDS 2002; Topics related to Systems Science to be addressed during the event; Organizers of the conference.

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 rise of online‐to‐offline (O2O) e‐commerce business has brought tremendous opportunities to the logistics industry. In the online‐to‐offline logistics business, it is essential to detect anomaly merchants with fraudulent shipping behaviours, such as sending other merchants' packages for profit with their low discounts. This can help reduce the financial losses of platforms and ensure a healthy environment. Existing anomaly detection studies have mainly focused on online fraud behaviour detection, such as fraudulent purchase and comment behaviours in e‐commerce. However, these methods are not suitable for anomaly merchant detection in logistics due to the more complex online and offline operation of package‐sending behaviours and the interpretable requirements of offline deployment in logistics. MultiDet, a semi‐supervised multi‐view fusion‐based Anomaly Detection framework in online‐to‐offline logistics is proposed, which consists of a basic version SemiDet and an attention‐enhanced multi‐view fusion model. In SemiDet, pair‐wise data augmentation is first conducted to promote model robustness and address the challenge of limited labelled anomaly instances. Then, SemiDet calculates the anomaly scoring of each merchant with an auto‐encoder framework. Considering the multi‐relationships among logistics merchants, a multi‐view attention fusion‐based anomaly detection network is further designed to capture merchants' mutual influences and improve the anomaly merchant detection performance. A post‐hoc perturbation‐based interpretation model is designed to output the importance of different views and ensure the trustworthiness of end‐to‐end anomaly detection. The framework based on an eight‐month real‐world dataset collected from one of the largest logistics platforms in China is evaluated, involving 6128 merchants and 16 million historical order consignor records in Beijing. Experimental results show that the proposed model outperforms other baselines in both AUC‐ROC and AUC‐PR metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal systemic treatment for pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) remains controversial, and recent advances in LCNEC molecular subtype classification have provided potential strategies for assisting in treatment decisions. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of treatment regimens, molecular subtypes and their concordance on clinical outcomes of patients diagnosed with LCNEC. Patients and Methods: All patients diagnosed with advanced pulmonary LCNEC in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) between January 2000 and October 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The tumor samples were collected and sequenced using a tumor-specific gene panel, while clinical information was retrieved from the medical records system. The survival and therapeutic response were analyzed and compared between different subgroups classified by treatment regimen (SCLC or NSCLC-based), molecular subtype (type I or II) or the combination. Results: In univariate subgroup analysis categorized only by treatment regimen or molecular subtype, there were no differences identified in DCR, ORR, PFS, or OS. Nevertheless, the group with consistent treatment regimen and molecular subtype exhibited significantly longer OS than that of the inconsistent group (median OS 37.7 vs. 8.3months; p=0.046). Particularly, the OS of patients with type II LCNEC treated with SCLC-based regimen was significantly prolonged than that of others (median 37.7 vs. 10.5months; p=0.039). Conclusions: Collectively, our study revealed the clinical outcomes of different treatment regimens for LCNEC patients highly depend on their molecular subtypes, highlighting the need for sequencing-guided therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CHINAGUT 2023, the premier conference on gut research in China, gathered over 10,000 participants in Beijing. Spanning 14 tracks and 35 sessions, it featured presentations from more than 300 scholars, over 400 presentations, and displayed 1000 posters, highlighting global advancements in the field. Photo by the R Institute. [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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

On 20–22 July 2012, a severe rainstorm occurred in the Sichuan basin of Southwest China and in the Beijing area of North China. This rainstorm was related to the activities of a Tibetan Plateau vortex (TPV) and Southwest China vortex (SWCV). By using radiosonde, satellite brightness temperature, and NCEP_FNL data, we investigated the helicity characteristics nearly the vortexes and their effect on convection. Results showed that (1) strong precipitation in the Sichuan basin was mainly related to the interaction between the TPV and SWCV, while strong precipitation in the Beijing area was related to the northward movement of a cyclonic vortex caused by a split in the SWCV. (2) During the occurrence of the rainstorm, four mesoscale convection systems (MCSs) were observed. Their vertical structure showed a positive vorticity–negative divergence in the lower levels, and negative vorticity–positive divergence in the upper levels, accompanied by vertical upward movement. This was an important factor in the development and maintenance of MCSs, as well as one of the mechanisms for producing heavy precipitation. On this basis, we further discussed the effect of helicity on the MCSs in the atmospheric environment with rotational characteristics. Results showed that the increase in negative water vapour helicity and storm‐relative helicity were more likely to cause a strong development of MCSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We constructed a multicentre cohort in China to analyse the differences in clinical characteristics, treatment strategies and prognoses between breast neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast. Methods: All patients with early‐stage breast cancer who attended three hospitals in Beijing from 2000 to 2018 were included in the study. We used propensity score matching to make a 1:3 match between NEC and IDC. Results: After propensity score matching, 153 patients with IDC and 51 patients with NEC were analysed. Multivariate Cox regression showed that compared to patients with IDC, patients with NEC had a worse disease‐free survival (HR = 2.94, 95% CI: 1.69–5.12, p < 0.001). Conclusion: NEC patients have a worse disease‐free survival than IDC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worsening volatility in the domestic and global hog and pork markets is a cause of concern for China's producers and government, as well as the global market. Cyclical price fluctuations have been caused by domestic small‐ and medium‐scale farmers' frequent exits and re‐entries into the hog market, which may have been partly driven by information asymmetry and risk resistance. This study examines the impact of a farmer field school (FFS) program aiming to deliver information and services that may facilitate hog farmers' decision‐making. Using survey data collected from 226 hog farms in Beijing, we employ probit models to examine the exit decisions of hog farmers based on their FFS participation and its effect on hog farm size. We find evidence that FFS participation significantly reduces hog farmers' exit rates, and that this effect increases as farm scale decreases. The findings suggest that such a program may be an effective policy tool to support and improve the resilience of small‐ and medium‐scale hog farms, thereby alleviating the volatility in China's hog industry and those of other developing countries where small‐ and medium‐scale hog farms play an important role. [EconLit Citations: C21, D13, Q16, Q18]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Communist Party is consolidating one party rule under the leadership of Xi Jinping. Beijing seeks to rule by central mandate while limiting local autonomy. The central government response to the COVID‐19 public health emergency reinforces this view. In January 2020 Beijing established the Central Epidemic Response Leading Group to mobilise a comprehensive nationwide policy effort to contain the virus. The exceptional nature of the COVID‐19 national emergency allows the central government to project power over local authorities and leverage over citizens, but we argue that this is a short‐term phenomenon because local disease control initiatives remain important, with local authorities adapting national policies to meet constituent needs. There are degrees of policy discretion and divergence at the subnational level that enable context‐specific responses to the virus within China's strict bureaucratic hierarchy. Primary data derives from interviews and observations in Nancun village, Hebei Province, conducted from January to April 2020. Evidence from Nancun explains how local authorities interpret the edicts and mandates of the central government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary inorganic aerosol (especially SNA: sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium) formed from different pathways, account for significant proportions of ambient particulate matter during haze events. For the first time, we quantitatively explored contributions from different SNA formation pathways by an online monitoring AMS instrument and 3‐dimension factor analysis PMF3 model, which is called "SNA formation pathway apportionment". Three formation process were identified: NH4NO3 heterogeneous phase reactions (NH4NO3‐heter), (NH4)2SO4 gas phase reactions ((NH4)2SO4‐gas), and mixed NH4NO3 and (NH4)2SO4 aqueous phase processes (S&N‐aque). Their overall contributions to SNA were 25.7%, 22.1%, and 52.2%, respectively. Moreover, (NH4)2SO4‐gas contributed mainly in clean (52.1%); S&N‐aque got the highest contribution in haze episode (69.6%); while sulfate gas phase formations were also found in haze stage (10.3%). The quantitative findings from this work provide hard evidence that aqueous phase processes (including sulfate aqueous phase reactions and nitrate gas‐particle partition) were major drivers for SNA increasing. Plain Language Summary: Secondary inorganic aerosol (particularly SNA: sulfate, nitrate and ammonium) was found to be the main component of particulate matter in northern China. SNA can be formed through different reaction pathways, such as gas phase, aqueous phase, and heterogeneous reactions pathways. However, quantitative assessments of different pathways are still lacking, especially during different pollution processes. In this work, AMS data with high time resolution and three‐dimension receptor model (PMF3) were used to study the characteristics of secondary aerosols in winter in Beijing and make SNA formation pathway contribution apportionment. Three possible formation pathways were identified by PMF3: Heterogeneous reactions pathway of NH4NO3, gas phase reactions pathway of (NH4)2SO4, and aqueous phase processes of mixed NH4NO3 & (NH4)2SO4, respectively. We found that the main dominant factors were diverse during different periods: (NH4)2SO4 gas phase reactions pathway contributed mainly to SNA in clean period; mixed NH4NO3 and (NH4)2SO4 aqueous phase processes contributed mostly in haze episode. The methods and findings of this work enable and further our understandings on the formations of secondary inorganic aerosol in haze. Key Points: Mixed NH4NO3 and (NH4)2SO4 (aqueous phase process) had the highest contribution during winter haze period (69.6%)(NH4)2SO4 (gas phase formation pathway) contributed mainly in clean (52.1%)(NH4)2SO4 (gas phase formation pathway) was also found during haze pollution stage (10.3%) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at investigating the roles of house price expectations and mortgages in urban dwellers' subjective well‐being (SWB) in China. Using 3,717 urban householder respondents collected in the 2011 China Household Finance Survey and categorizing the sample into three subsamples: homeowners without and with a home loan, and nonhomeowners, the ordered logit models of the ordinal‐dependent variable SWB with and without considering the endogeneity problem are estimated using these three subsamples separately. The primary finding is that house price expectations have a negative influence on the likelihood of having a better SWB only for homeowners without a home loan. However, more houses can mitigate this negative influence. For homeowners with a home loan, mortgages have a negative impact on the likelihood of having a better SWB. Finally, the Beijing sample based on the 2017 data also supports the influences of house price expectations and mortgages on SWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the factors influencing path dependence in regional information and communications technology (ICT) innovation. Silicon Valley influenced ICT innovation in Zhongguancun (China) and Bangalore (India). Yet, they evolved in distinctive ways. Zhongguancun's ICT innovation is mainly based on indigenous firms, localizing multinational corporations' (MNCs) computer products for the domestic market. ICT innovation in Bangalore began with MNCs, with the indigenous firms supporting them in outsourcing. Moreover, Zhongguancun leads Bangalore in computer equipment manufacturing, but lags in terms of software services. Our comparative examination identifies the specific forces behind the differential evolution along four dimensions: institutions, agglomeration, social capital and university-industry linkages. We argue that the path dependence/ creation debate needs to be viewed critically, depending on the local context. Resumen. Este artículo examina los factores que influyen en la dependencia de la trayectoria de la innovación regional de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC). Silicon Valley ha influido en la innovación de las TIC en Zhongguancun (China) y Bangalore (India). Sin embargo, ambas ciudades han evolucionado de manera diferente. La innovación de las TIC en Zhongguancun se basa principalmente en empresas nacionales, dedicadas a localizar productos de informática de empresas multinacionales (EMN) para el mercado doméstico. La innovación de las TIC en Bangalore comenzó con EMN, con la ayuda de empresas locales apoyándolas como subcontratistas. Por otra parte, Zhongguancun está por delante de Bangalore en la fabricación de hardware, pero se queda atrás en la oferta de servicios de software. Nuestro examen comparativo identifica las fuerzas que impulsan específicamente esta evolución diferente con respecto a cuatro dimensiones: instituciones, aglomeración, capital social y vínculos universidad-industria. Nuestra postura es que el debate acerca de la dependencia de la trayectoria / creación debe ser visto críticamente, en función del contexto local. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus spp. are increasingly cultivated in cropland worldwide due to their bioenergy potential and multiple ecological services. Effects of long‐term cropland‐to‐Miscanthus conversion without N fertilizer on soil microbiome and N cycling largely remain unknown. We aimed to explore the effects of Miscanthus conversion on soil microbiome and N cycling over a 15‐year period. We analyzed diversity, composition, and abundance of bacterial and archaeal communities using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and abundances of N‐cycling‐related genes using quantitative polymerase chain reaction of 0–10 cm soils collected from bare land, cropland, 10‐year Miscanthus × giganteus, and 15‐year Miscanthussacchriflorus land in Beijing. Conversion decreased soil sand and micro‐aggregate proportion, nitrate N (NiN), available phosphorus levels, conductivity, temperature, and pH, while increasing proportion of soil clay and macro‐aggregate (MAA), soil organic C (SOC), available N (AN), exchangeable Mg2+ (EMg2+), and available potassium (AK) contents as well as microbial C/N. Consequently, diversity, composition, and abundance of soil bacterial community exhibited larger changes than those values of archaeal community after conversion. Soil AP, EMg2+, AK, and SOC were key factors in shifting microbiome from the cropland to Miscanthus pattern. Moreover, abundances of bacterial and archaeal communities and the N fixer gene nifH increased, whereas that of the bacterial ammonia monooxygenase gene decreased. The copies of other N‐cycling‐related genes in the two Miscanthus lands seemed similar to those values of cropland. The nifH copies negatively correlated with soil NiN and positively correlated with AN, EMg2+, ECa2+, SOC, AK, and MAA. We conclude that changes in soil microbiome pattern induced by the variation of soil properties enhance microbial N fixation potential, maintaining stable N levels and robust N cycling with lower N leakage risk after conversion. These results should inspire farmers and governments to large‐scale use Miscanthus on marginal cropland in Northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The secondary circulation (SC) plays a vital role in the vertical exchange of meteorological variables and aerosol particles between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and the free atmosphere. We show that, under favorable synoptic‐scale weather conditions aggravating PM2.5 pollution, heavy particle contaminations reduce wind speed in the low ABL via an aerosol feedback mechanism that perturbs the SCs. We examine the aerosol feedback impact on the reinforcement of SCs subject to heavy PM2.5 pollution occurring in Beijing and its surroundings in China. Results reveal that episodic and composite heavy PM2.5 events simulated by the aerosol feedback model runs reduce the ABL wind speeds and enhance the SC. We identify the SC signals by the differences of resultant wind speeds and PM2.5 concentrations between "feedback" and "nonfeedback" simulations under the presence of a hill topographic forcing, which is conducive to the vertical exchange of PM2.5 between the ABL and free atmosphere. Plain Language Summary: Vertical exchange of an air pollutant between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and free atmosphere has been a major concern for the transfer of the pollutant out of the ABL. The secondary circulation (SC) provides one of the pathways for the vertical mixing of air pollutants. Following the classical SC formation mechanism in the ABL, in the present study, we demonstrate that heavy PM2.5 pollution reduces the wind speed and temperature near the surface via an aerosol feedback mechanism, which reinforces the SC. We carried out extensive model simulations of heavy PM2.5 pollution cases in Beijing and surrounding regions in China, subject to feedback and nonfeedback modeling scenarios. The differences between the feedback and nonfeedback model runs revealed enhanced SCs associated with heavy PM2.5 contamination. The reinforced SCs could also be discerned in the presence of hill topography. The results fill our knowledge gaps in the understanding of how and to what extent the aerosol feedback could contribute to the change in SCs, in addition to meteorological factors. Key Points: PM2.5 pollution tends to decrease near surface wind speed and temperature via an aerosol feedback mechanismDeclining wind speed near the surface over heavily polluted areas reinforces the secondary circulation (SC) in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL)Reinforced SC enhances PM2.5 vertical mixing between the ABL and free atmosphere [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The effects of assisted reproductive technology on the outcomes of twin pregnancies are controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the maternal and perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies conceived spontaneously and those conceived by assisted reproductive technology.Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH). Data on twin pregnancies (conceived spontaneously and by in vitro fertilization [IVF]/intracytoplasmic sperm injection [ICSI]) were obtained from the National Birth Registry of China for the period between 1 October 2016, and 30 September 2017. The primary obstetric outcomes were compared between twin pregnancies conceived by different methods. Logistic regression analysis with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) was used for the multivariate analysis.Results: A total of 3270 twin pregnancies (2003 and 1209 conceived spontaneously and by IVF/ICSI, respectively) were identified. The proportion of twin pregnancies among all pregnancies was 3.4% (3332/97 278). Multiple regression analysis indicated that the incidences of gestational diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.42, 95% CI 1.10-1.83, p = 0.007), preterm premature rupture of membranes (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.21-2.25, p = 0.002), placenta accreta spectrum (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.42-3.17, p < 0.001) and postpartum hemorrhage (AOR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.02-1.86, p = 0.037) were significantly higher in the IVF/ICSI group than in the natural pregnancy group. Multivariate analysis also revealed that conception mode was not an independent risk factor for neonate outcomes.Conclusions: In twin pregnancies, IVF/ICSI is independently associated with multiple maternal complications, including gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm premature rupture of membranes and placenta accreta spectrum compared with spontaneous conception, although potential residual confounders due to indications for assisted reproductive technology exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing pressure from population growth and economic development, northern China (NC) faces a grand challenge of water scarcity, which can be further exacerbated by climatic and societal changes. The South‐to‐North Water Diversion (SNWD) project is designed to mitigate the water scarcity in NC. However, few studies have quantified the impact of the SNWD on water scarcity within the context of climatic and societal changes and its potential effects on economic and agricultural food in the region. We used water supply stress index (WaSSI) to quantify water scarcity within the context of environmental change in NC and developed a method to estimate the economic and agricultural impacts of the SNWD. Focuses were put on alleviating the water supply shortage and economic and agricultural benefits for the water‐receiving NC. We find that societal changes, especially economic growth, are the major contributors to water scarcity in NC during 2009–2099. To completely mitigate the water scarcity of NC, at least an additional water supply of 13 billion m3/year (comparable to the annual diversion water by SNWD Central Route) will be necessary. Although SNWD alone cannot provide the full solution to NC's water shortage in next few decades, it can significantly alleviate the water supply stress in NC (particularly Beijing), considerably increasing the agricultural production (more than 115 Tcal/year) and bringing economic benefits (more than 51 billion RMB/year) through supplying industrial and domestic water use. Additionally, the transfer project could have impacts on the ecological environment in the exporting regions. Key Points: Societal changes, especially economic growth, are the major contributors to water scarcity problem in northern China (NC) during 2009–2099Diverting water from Yangtze River can significantly reduce water scarcity in NC but cannot entirely solve the issue in next few decadesWater diversion can increase agricultural food (115 Tcal/year) and economic benefit (51 billion RMB/year) in NC under global warming of 1.5°C [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study quantified the acceptability of smart food packaging technologies and determined their associations with sociodemographic, attitudinal, and behavioral characteristics of consumers in China. Two quantitative surveys were conducted using an intercept method in Beijing with one for intelligent food packaging and the other for active food packaging. Chi‐square tests of independence and contingency tables were used to determine the acceptability of smart food packaging and significant associations with multiple variables. Smart packaging was accepted by 56% of participants in both surveys. Marital status and employment status were associated with the acceptance of active packaging, while consumer interactions with current food packaging were associated with the acceptance of intelligent packaging. Acceptance of both active and intelligent packaging was associated with trust in multiple institutions. This study is the first to provide broad information about Chinese consumers' acceptance of smart packaging technologies for food products. Findings from this research can contribute to further detailed consumer studies in product‐specific packaging designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the performance-enhancing sportswear that are expected to be boosting athletes' capabilities in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. It states that one item of sportwear already gaining headlines is Speedo's LZR Racer swimsuit. The said swimsuit from Speedo is the first fully bonded or seamless bodysuit that is ultrasonically welded. Over in the track and field, however, Nike's "Flywire" shoe technology, which claims to be breaking new ground with the creation of paper-thin shoes, to be worn as part of the official China team kit. British Olympic and Paralympic teams, meanwhile, will be putting to the test the Powerweb compression technology. INSETS: Computer-designed seamless swimwear;Lunar cushioning.

The hydrogeologic systems of alluvial fan are characterized by a heterogeneous distribution of various lithological units/facies. The structure (integral scale and volumetric proportion) of the hydrofacies distribution and the values of the hydrogeomechanical parameters of each facies can play a major role on the system response to groundwater withdrawal in term of land subsidence. We propose a novel approach where stochastically simulated hydrofacies distributions are coupled with 3-D finite element groundwater flow and geomechanical simulations to characterize land subsidence and horizontal movements due to groundwater withdrawal under a statistical framework. The integrated approach is applied on the Chaobai alluvial plain, China, an area of about 1,100 km2 where the main wellfields supplying water to Beijing are located. Groundwater pumping from the 1960s to now caused a land subsidence larger than 1 m and the present subsidence rate peaks to 70 mm/year. A Monte Carlo simulation with 100 hydrofacies generations is used. The model outcomes highlight how the heterogeneous structure of the hydrofacies fan reflects into the computed displacement fields. The standard deviation associated to the mean displacement field amounts up to 1/10 of the displacement components. The larger coefficient of variation (CV up to 0.5) is associated to the zone characterized by longer integral scale and with localized groundwater withdrawals. The computed variability of the subsidence rate, in the range of 1 to 3 mm/year, reflecting the intrinsic heterogeneous nature of an alluvial fan, corresponds to the short-distance variability of land subsidence measured by persistent scatterer interferometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a joint symposium of British Ecological Society and the Ecological Society of China on environmental problems of industrialized countries, which was held at Beijing, China, in September 1988. Industrial development is the main cause of the environmental pollution in both China and the Great Britain. Topics included in the symposium are, air and water pollution, its management, land restoration, rural and urban ecosystems and nature conservation. Environmental awareness among the people of the country lead to the formation of pollution control schemes.

Quantitative evaluation of earthquake‐induced permeability changes is important for understanding key geological processes, such as advective transport of heat and solute and the generation of elevated fluid pressure. Many studies have independently documented permeability changes in either an aquifer or an aquitard, but the effects of an earthquake on both the aquifer and aquitard of the same aquifer system are still poorly understood. In this study, we use the well water‐level response to earth tides and atmospheric pressure to study the changes in hydraulic properties in an aquifer and an overlying confining layer in Beijing, China, following the 11 March 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan. Our results show that both the tidal response amplitude and the phase shift increased and that the phase shift changed from negative to positive after the earthquake. We identified increased permeability in both the aquifer and aquitard by the barometric response function method. The horizontal transmissivity of the aquifer increased by a factor of 6, and the vertical diffusivity of the aquitard doubled. Key Points: Water‐level response to earth tides and atmospheric pressure is used to study earthquake‐induced changes in hydraulic propertiesTidal response and barometric pressure response methods both show permeability changes in the aquifer and aquitardThe transmissivity of the aquifer increased by a factor of 6, and the vertical diffusivity of the aquitard doubled after the earthquake [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background With the increase in patient activity during the 2009 H1N1 pandemi c, came an associated increase in occupational infections of healthcare workers (HCWs). Objectives The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with the transmission of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 among HCWs. Methods A 1:4 matched case-control study by hospital, ward, age, and gender was conducted in HCWs from hospitals in Beijing during February 2010. Cases were diagnosed with pandemic (H1N1) 2009, and controls had neither influenza-like illness nor diagnosis with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 during August 2009 to January 2010. Information during 7 days before symptom onset of case was collected, and controls were queried about the same period. Results A total of 51 cases identified via National Notifiable Infectious Disease Surveillance System participated in this study. Controls were matched to cases for a total of 255 individuals. About 19·6% (10/51) of cases and 26·0% (53/204) of controls recalled they had conducted a high-risk procedure on a patient with pandemic (H1N1) 2009. 72·5% (37/51) of cases and 71·6% (146/204) of controls stated they wore medical masks in ≥80% of working time. Only 5·9% (3/51) and 36·3% (74/204) of cases and controls, respectively, reported receiving pandemic vaccination. Participants receiving pandemic vaccination had a significantly lower risk of infection during the pandemic (OR = 0·150, 95% CI: 0·047-0·479, P = 0·001). The estimated vaccine effectiveness was 85·0%. Conclusions We showed a high vaccine effectiveness of the pandemic vaccine and that vaccination was the only factor significantly associated with risk of infection in HCWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Beijing, the metropolitan government has made enormous place-based investments to increase green space and to improve public transit. We examine the gentrification consequences of such public investments. Using unique geocoded real estate, new restaurant count data and demographic data by neighborhood, we document that the construction of the Olympic Village and two recent major subway systems have led to increased new housing supply in the vicinity of these areas, higher local prices and an increased quantity of nearby private chain restaurants. Recent time trends in local resident income and human capital attainment support the claim that these investments have caused local gentrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers world news brief related to the chemical industry. The Beijing University's College of Engineering and the U.S. Association for Laboratory Automation has established the travel exchange programme for the student. BASF AG has entered a licence agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. Dow Chemical Co. has established Dow Coatings Materials, a new business unit that focuses on the coatings market.

The article examines the recognition of Beet western yellows virus on sugarbeet and lettuce for the first time in China. According to the report, Beet yellows virus was previously regarded as a viral agent on sugar beet's yellowing disease in China. In a September 2006 survey, it was indicated that the incidence of diseased sugar beet experiencing yellowing symptoms ranged from 5% to 30%. Other symptoms observed included yellowing, developing mostly in the interveinal tissue of old- and middle-ages leaves. The author also suggests that samples of diseased lettuces were also collected from Beijing.

The article presents a research conducted in Beijing, China to confirm that the diseased Orychophragmus violaceus were infected by Potato virus X (PVX). Samples of the plant were tested by ACP-ELISA with the use of polyclonal antibodies against several viruses like cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco mosaic virus among others, and the samples reacted positively only with antibodies against PVX. The test was further confirm when the total RNA of the infected plant was extracted and performed with RT-PCR using potexviruses-specific degenerate primers Potex 1RC and Potex 5.

. Drawing on micro-level census data and interviews with individual workers and employers, this article examines the job-search, hiring and promotion experiences of ethnic minority workers and jobseekers in Beijing. Labour market data indicate that ethnic minorities are at a disadvantage relative to the dominant Han ethnic group, particularly when it comes to employment in high-wage, skilled jobs. The evidence provided here suggests this may be attributable to gaps in the institutional framework that encourage reliance on social-network capital for job search, hiring and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the seventh World Congress on Recovery, Recycling and Re-Integration event that was held in Beijing, China on September 25-29, 2005. Organization of the event by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Science; Focus of the conference on the shortage of resources and energy worldwide; Estimated number of papers that were presented from more than 55 countries.

To identify HLA-B*15 subtypes distribution in Han population in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, 826 unrelated healthy individuals were typed using the polymerase chain reaction-sequence-based typing method. Within the 246 HLA-B*15 positive individuals, 29 HLA-B*15 alleles were identified, the most predominant of which is B*1501 (40.07%), followed by B*1502 (12.87%), B*1511 (12.87%), B*1518 (9.19%) and B*1532 (3.31%). The distribution of HLA-B*15 subtype frequencies was compared between the Beijing Han, eight other Chinese ethnic minorities and six Chinese populations covering the mainland of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was constructed and revealed that the Beijing Han population clustered into the northern populations group and had a closer relationship with northern Han and Hui than with southern Han or other ethnic minorities. These results thus provide useful information that can be used in anthropology, selection for bone marrow transplantation as well as in disease-association study, such as in carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced Stevens–Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To document the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Beijing on indicators of social and economic activity. Methods Associations between time series of daily and monthly SARS cases and deaths and volume of public train, airplane and cargo transport, tourism, household consumption patterns and gross domestic product growth in Beijing were investigated using the cross-correlation function. Results Significant correlation coefficients were found for all indicators except wholesale accounts and expenditures on necessities, with the most significant correlations occurring with a delay of 1 day to 1 month. Conclusions Especially leisure activities, local and international transport and tourism were affected by SARS particularly in May 2003. Much of this consumption was merely postponed; but irrecoverable losses to the tourist sector alone were estimated at about US$ 1.4 bn, or 300 times the cost of treatment for SARS cases in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded in the patrilineal family system in presocialist China, this study explores the intersection between generation and gender dimensions of family patriarchy in influencing marital power relations. Data come from the life stories of 80 elderly married individuals, collected during the 2000–2001 period in the city of Beijing. Patterns of male dominance in marital relations were found to be incomplete, inconsistent, and even countervailing in the presence of generation patriarchy. Consequently, women's experience with family patriarchy was mixed over the life course. They were particularly disadvantaged as daughters-in-law, but their lives were improved as they became fully integrated into the patrilineal system through reproduction and their husband's growing reliance on their contributions to family continuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban stormwater runoff quality, widely investigated around the world, has been monitored less in Beijing, China, which impedes the municipal government to use best management practices to protect surface water. In this study, rainwater and stormwater runoff samples from roofs, roads, and a lawn on the campus of the Research Center for Eco- Environmental Sciences (RCEES) (Beijing, China) and from a ring road, with heavy traffic, have been sampled and analyzed for 31 storm events from June 2004 to August 2005. Total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total nitrogen, and total phosphorus concentrations in rainwater and runoff ranged over 2 or more orders of magnitude, meaning that the highest concentration of a certain pollutant did not always occur in a certain kind of runoff. Runoff contained significantly higher concentrations of pollutants than rainwater. On the campus of RCEES, TSS and total phosphorus in runoff samples from the lawn and roads were significantly higher than those from roofs, while the COD, BOD5, and total nitrogen concentrations were not significantly different in runoff among surfaces. Compared with runoff from the roads on campus, runoff from the ring road contained more COD and total nitrogen, but less TSS, BOD5, and total phosphorus. All pollutants measured in runoff from roofs on campus and from the ring road showed a peak concentration in starting runoff, which then decreased sharply. The peak concentrations of COD, BOD5, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in the roof runoff increased with the increase in time of the antecedent dry period. Thus, urban stormwater pollution control, especially for first-flush control, is of great importance for the full use of rainwater and prevention of water pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the steady shear viscosity and dynamic viscoelastic properties of glass beads filled with polycarbonate melts by researchers from Beijing, China. Indications showing an increase flow property of polycarbonate with the addition of hollow glass beads; Use of filled polymers containing solid particulate fillers dispersed in a polymeric matrix to enhance the mechanical properties of plastics; Identification of factors that contribute to the alignment of filler particles.

Focuses on a premise that life cultivation arts is a political practice in Beijing, China. Continuation of the transformation of sovereignty; Outline of a popular form of life which draws on biopolitical techniques; Application of the Aristotelian tradition of political thought.

This study revealed the collective values of the flood victims in the Beijiang area, Guangdong, China, as a result of a hazardous flood in 1994. The victims were sceptical of large flood-prevention engineering structures. They believed that flooding was unavoidable, but by extending support networks, applying hazard-resistant designs, and developing loss-sharing adjustments the disastrous effects of a flood could be mitigated. Seemingly, victims were prepared to live with floods and adopted functional adjustments to lessen flood impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the International Association of Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) Council Meeting which was held on July 6, 2010. It states that the meeting was attended in by several IAPT officials including David Mabberley, Tod Stuessy and Warren Wagner. It also adds that 11 individuals were added to the list of new IAPT members during the congress in Beijing, China. Moreover, it provides details on the budget of the association for its projects.

Information about biological water saving in agriculture discussed at the First International Conference on the Theory and Practices in Biological Water Saving in Beijing, China on May 21-25, 2006 is presented. The conference focused on the molecular and genetic bases of biological saving, physiology and breeding of biological-water saving, agronomic methods in biological water-saving, and integrated methods in biological water-saving. There were more than 200 attendees from nearly 20 countries.