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Abstract: For thousands of years, cinnamon has been used as a traditional treatment in China. However, there are no studies to date that investigate whether cinnamon supplements are able to aid in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Chinese subjects. We hypothesized cinnamon should be effective in improving blood glucose control in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. To address this hypothesis, we performed a randomized, double-blinded clinical study to analyze the effect of cinnamon extract on glycosylated hemoglobin A1c and fasting blood glucose levels in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 66 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited and randomly divided into 3 groups: placebo and low-dose and high-dose supplementation with cinnamon extract at 120 and 360 mg/d, respectively. Patients in all 3 groups took gliclazide during the entire 3 months of the study. Both hemoglobin A1c and fasting blood glucose levels were significantly reduced in patients in the low- and high-dose groups, whereas they were not changed in the placebo group. The blood triglyceride levels were also significantly reduced in the low-dose group. The blood levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and liver transaminase remained unchanged in the 3 groups. In conclusion, our study indicates that cinnamon supplementation is able to significantly improve blood glucose control in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The provision of universal service in China is currently executed under a “Village Access Project” (“VAP”), which is neither explicit nor sustainable in terms of both regulatory incentives and regulatory governance. Four years after the execution of the VAP, this paper reviews possible deficiencies underlying the current regime and explores a sustainable institutional arrangement for Universal Service Obligations (USOs) in China based on the identification of unique institutional constraints. It is argued that the Universal Service Fund (“USF”) is currently unsuitable for China. Instead, a layer-based regulatory approach featuring a “non-subsidy” regime could be a sustainable institutional arrangement when coordination and agency problems are properly addressed in a governance architecture based on a “Joint-Commission” with members from various stakeholder groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The sharp contradiction between environment and economy arouses stronger expectancy that corporates should engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Unfortunately, there is little empirical evidence that explains CSR from an air-pollution perspective. Based on this research gap, adopting 482 Chinese listed companies from 2014 to 2017 as sample, this study explores the effect of air pollution on CSR performance in Chinese high energy-consumption industry. The results show that worse air pollution significantly increases the CSR performance. And this relationship is stronger under higher executive political ties, firms' better prior performance, and higher market development level. Our conclusions provide plentiful theoretical contributions to CSR and clean production field, as well as some implications for enterprises and governments. • We investigate the effect of air pollution on CSR performance in China. • Air pollution significantly increased CSR performance in our sample. • The political ties, prior performance and market development work as moderators. • Heckman two stage model is used to control the possible selection bias problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Until now, researchers have not addressed the relationship of competition and investment in China''s telecommunications industry, the biggest mobile telecommunications market in the world with unique institutional characteristics. This paper seeks to fill this gap by examining the effects of mobile telecommunications competition on mobile network investment in China. Fixed effects and dynamic panel data models using Chinese regional panel data over the period 2003–2009 show a consistent positive correlation between the mobile market concentration and mobile network investment in the industry. This phenomenon is attributed mainly to the soft budget constraint problem that occurs under asymmetric market competition between state-owned enterprises. It is suggested that the asymmetric competitive structure has been a potential driving force of overinvestment in the mobile network in China; hence, improving the competitive structure by implementing appropriate regulatory policy rather than by policy allowance or inequitable policy burdens would be an effective way to alleviate overinvestment in network facilities. Co-construction and sharing of network infrastructure should be carried out to reduce duplication of infrastructure especially in the coming 3G era of China''s telecommunications industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A index system for assessing the ecological security of island tourism is established. • A new methods are proposed to measure the ecological security of tourist islands. • An empirical analysis of Mount Putuo Island, Zhejiang Province, China, was carried out. • A complementary to theoretical studies of ecological risk on islands. Comprehensive assessment of the ecological risks of oceanic island destinations is conducive to determining the characteristics and rules of ecological risks brought by oceanic island tourism development. The purpose of this study is to scientifically examine and study the ecological risks of oceanic island destinations and seek for sustainable development, taking Mount Putuo Island of Zhoushan in China as a case. Based on the landscape ecological risk (ERI) assessment results, pressure-state-response (PSR) ecological risks assessment results of tourism development, and the overlay function of ArcGIS, we carried out a study about comprehensive assessment of ecological risks of oceanic island destinations. The results showed that: (1) From 2010 to 2019, the areas of low-level and medium–low-level ERIs on Mount Putuo Island decreased, whereas the areas of medium-level and medium–high-level ERIs increased year by year, with growth rates of 6.038% and 8.99%, respectively. (2) The results of ecological risks of tourism development showed that the construction of risk tourist attractions, tourism service facilities, tourism accommodations, and commercial facilities is critical to promoting the gradual increase in medium-level and medium–high-level areas. (3) The analysis of comprehensive ecological risks revealed that from 2010 to 2019, the areas of low ecological risks regions decreased significantly, whereas the areas of medium and high ecological risks regions spread from south to north in a concentrated way mainly near the tourist attractions of Mount Putuo Island, with significant hierarchical characteristics and spatial effects. The research results can provide theoretical basis and decision-making reference for the management and monitoring of the ecological security of oceanic island destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This research presents a successful case, in which geotextile tubes have been used to construct a tailings dam for fine tailings disposal since 2008. Up to the end of 2016, the tailings dam raise has reached 9 m in height. The total height of the dam including the starter dike was 61 m. In order to ensure that the tailings reservoir is safe in its current condition and during future construction, the comprehensive geotechnical investigation and stability analyses of the tailings embankment are conducted in this study. The results show that the application of geotextile tubes in the construction of tailings dam is a good alternative for fine tailings disposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Strong spatio-temporal variation of denitrification exist in an agricultural river system. [•] Hot spots of denitrification were found in animal/human wastes dominated rivers. [•] DIN concentration and DO influence the spatial variation of denitrification. [•] Seasonal dynamic of denitrification was linked to temperature and nitrogen concentration. [•] Over 20% DIN can be removed by denitrification but constrained in hyper-N rich rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]