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The inter-salt shale of the Qianjiang Formation in Jianghan Basin is a typical and important continental saline lake shale oil system in China. To achieve a better understanding of the formation of the inter-salt organic-rich shale, the mineral, major and trace elements and organic geochemical characteristics (total organic carbon (TOC) and biomarkers) of the Eq34-10 shale (high TOC) and the Eq40-5 shale (low TOC) were studied. The results suggest that (a) the organic matter in the inter-salt shale was predominantly derived from endogenous lower aquatic organisms, algae and bacteria; (b) there was a hot arid palaeoclimate and a low degree of chemical weathering conditions during the deposition of the inter-salt shale; (c) the inter-salt shale deposited in an extreme restriction hyper-saline lacustrine and reducing environment, and the salinity of the palaeolake decreases with the increase of the input of terrigenous clastic materials; and (d) the inter-salt shale deposited under an arid and semi-arid climate condition with an intermittent warm and humid climate. In summary, lake palaeoproductivity under the control of palaeoclimate change is the key and direct factor controlling the development of inter-salt organic-rich shale of Qianjiang Formation in Jianghan Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Long-term follow-up of the Caries Management System (CMS) protocol demonstrated that regular monitoring and noninvasive management of dental caries is effective in reducing the number of caries-related events over a 7-year period. This analysis complements the authors' original economic evaluation of the CMS by re-evaluating the per-protocol cost-effectiveness of the CMS approach.Methods: An individual patient-simulation Markov model was developed previously, based on 3-year randomized-controlled trial (RCT) data, to simulate the incidence and progression of dental caries, and resultant interventions, and to evaluate the lifetime cost-effectiveness of the CMS versus standard dental care from the Australian private dental practitioner perspective (in which the baseline age distribution was similar to that of the Australian population). The 4-year posttrial follow-up data are used to re-evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of the CMS in a more real-life setting.Results: The reduction in caries risk was maintained among those practices within which the CMS protocols were adhered to. The per-protocol model appears to be reasonably accurate at predicting the risk of restorative events in the posttrial follow-up period. The per-protocol lifetime cost per restorative event avoided is AUD1,980 (USD1,409; 1 AUD = 0.71 USD).Conclusions: The current analysis confirms that the CMS approach is both effective, when the protocols are adhered to appropriately, and cost-effective compared with standard care in the Australian private practice setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I argue that in emerging markets firms' market capabilities are positively related to the political strategies that they employ to reduce the risks of expropriation by public and private entities. I focus specifically on the moderating conditions, including institutional environments that have direct constraint on governmental power, supportive policies that promote private sector growth, and developed legal systems. My empirical analysis utilizes data on privately owned Chinese enterprises. The results show that firms' market capabilities – as indicated by their asset turnover ratios and R&D intensity – are positively related to their likelihood of participating in key policymaking political organizations but this relationship is weaker in provinces that have more effective constraints on governmental power, more supportive policies for private sector growth, and more developed legal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Paleomonsoon strength is difficult to reconstruct. The strength of the East Asian monsoon and precipitation over large areas correlate well on a decadal time scale. Thus, monsoon strength can be reconstructed through proxies of sediments originating from large areas. In the present study, we investigated the characteristics of a sediment core from the Northern Yellow Sea Mud. The results showed that sedimentary characteristics are mainly controlled by discharge changes of the Yellow River. The relationships between median grain size (MZ), magnetic susceptibility (MS) and the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of sediments and spatially averaged precipitation around the Yellow River Drainage basin reveal that changes in MZ and MS are correlated with variation in precipitation. The agreement of temporal trends in MZ, MS and the monsoon strength index confirm that spatially averaged precipitation changes in the Yellow River Drainage basin on decadal time scale are driven by the monsoon strength. These characteristics of marine sediments from the Northern Yellow Sea Mud can thus be used as proxies for monsoon strength. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Large desiccation cracks were discovered in the intertidal zone of Zhoushan archipelago, East China Sea. Radiocarbon dating showed that desiccation cracks were formed around 31.2–30.4calka BP. Palynological, mineralogical, and elemental geochemical analyses indicated that the cracks were formed as the result of an abrupt climate shift event. The climate changed from warm and humid, to cold and arid, and back to warm and humid again. This climate event is quite likely linked to Heinrich event 3 via the East Asian Monsoon. Desiccation cracks may provide a new proxy material for studying paleoclimate and paleoenvironment in the Quaternary. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many family characteristics were reported to increase the risk of bipolar disorder (BPD). The development of BPD may be mediated through different pathways, involving diverse risk factor profiles. We evaluated the associations of family characteristics to build influential causal-pie models to estimate their contributions on the risk of developing BPD at the population level. We recruited 329 clinically diagnosed BPD patients and 202 healthy controls to collect information in parental psychopathology, parent-child relationship, and conflict within family. Other than logistic regression models, we applied causal-pie models to identify pathways involved with different family factors for BPD. The risk of BPD was significantly increased with parental depression, neurosis, anxiety, paternal substance use problems, and poor relationship with parents. Having a depressed mother further predicted early onset of BPD. Additionally, a greater risk for BPD was observed with higher numbers of paternal/maternal psychopathologies. Three significant risk profiles were identified for BPD, including paternal substance use problems (73.0%), maternal depression (17.6%), and through poor relationship with parents and conflict within the family (6.3%). Our findings demonstrate that different aspects of family characteristics elicit negative impacts on bipolar illness, which can be utilized to target specific factors to design and employ efficient intervention programs., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)