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Objective: To compare the risk of osteoporotic fractures between the urban and urban-rural fringe populations in southern China and to explore the effect of bone turnover markers on fracture risk. Methods: Epidemiological investigations were conducted in the urban and urban-rural fringe areas of southern China in June 2018. Residents aged 40 years and over who signed informed consent forms were included. Physical examination and questionnaire collection were completed. Bone turnover markers (BTMs) including osteocalcin (OC) and beta cross-linked C-telopeptide of type 1 collagen (ß-CTX) were tested. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck and lumbar vertebrae 1-4 were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) values were calculated to show the probability of major osteoporotic fracture (PMOF) and probability of hip fracture (PHF) over the next 10 years. Results: A total of 1,051 participants were included in this study, including 553 in the urban areas and 498 in the urban-rural fringe areas. The average PMOF and PHF were 3.4 (2.3-5.4) % and .6 (.3-1.5) %, respectively. Compared with that in the urban populations, the femoral neck BMD in the urban-rural fringe populations was lower and FRAX values were generally higher, especially for women. FRAX values in various populations were mainly negatively correlated with lumbar and femoral neck BMD and were positively correlated with ß-CTX; meanwhile, only PHF was negatively correlated with OC. After adjusting for sex, elevated ß-CTX levels significantly increased the risk of high PMOF in various populations and increased the risk of high PHF in the urban-rural fringe populations. In particular, the risks of increased PMOF and PHF could increase by as much as 33 times and 19.5 times, respectively, in the urban-rural fringe areas. Conclusion: The urban-rural fringe populations in Southern China may be at risk of osteoporotic fracture. In addition to being related to BMD, the FRAX value also correlates with some BTMs. Combining FRAX with BMD, and BTMs may better predict the fracture risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of eco-environmental water requirements (EEWRs) and water resource allocation strategies for arid, inland river basins can provide the theoretical basis for sustainable water utilization and management. In this paper, an optimal water resource allocation strategy is proposed for Yarkand River Basin in Xinjiang, China, on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of runoff data collected between 1970 and 2016, three ecological environmental protection goals, basic eco-environmental water requirement (BEEWR) aimed at sustaining aquatic ecosystems within the river, and target eco-environmental water requirements (TEEWR) aimed at protecting various types of riparian vegetation along the river. The results showed that: (1) after the runoff in Kaqun reach subtracting the BEEWR, the annual average river loss (recharge), and the amount of water diversion for irrigation (51.43 × 108 m3) from flows along the Kaqun reach, the remaining water volume during wet years was able to meet all three TEEWRs; (2) during moderately wet years, the remaining water was capable of meeting the second and third TEEWRs; and (3) during dry and extremely dry years, there was little or no residual water available to meet TEEWRs. The proposed optimal water resource allocation strategy, based on the above findings, states that the water diversion requirement for irrigation and domestic use allocated from the total amount of runoff should not exceed the National Water Policy (Three Red Lines) standard first. Then, the BEEWR allocated from the runoff should be met second, and the annual average river loss, third. Depending on the amount of remaining water, the second and third TEEWRs can be fulfilled during wet years, but during moderately wet years, only the third TEEWR can be met. During dry and extremely dry years, only the BEEWR of the river can be met and only during the flood season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yanqi Basin and the Konqi River Basin of the Kaidu-Konqi River Basin were chosen as the study sites in this paper in order to investigate suitable scales of natural and artificial oases with a specified water resource and water quantity planned by the local government. Combined with remote-sensing images from 2013, water resources in 2013, 2025 and 2035, and weather and socioeconomic data, suitable scales of oases were analyzed. The results showed that: (1) The total available water quantities in the Yanqi Basin and the Konqi River Basin without river base flow, and the input of water into Bosten Lake and Tarim River, over high-, normal and low-flow periods, in 2025 nd 2035, were 19.04 x 108 m³, 10.52 x 108 m³ 4.95 x 108 m³, 9.95 x 108 m³ and 9.95 x 108 m³, as well as 21.77 x 108 m³ 13.95 x 108 m³, 10.11 x 108 m³, 12.50 x 108 m³, and 9.74 x 108 m³. (2) The water demand of the natural oasis in the Yanqi Basin and the Konqi River Basin was 2.59 x 108 m³ and 4.59 x 108 m³, respectively. (3) The total water consumption of the artificial oasis in 2013, 2025, and 2035 were 10.51 x 108 m³, 10.99 x 108 m³ and 10.74 x 108 m³ in the Yanqi Basin, respectively, and 18.59 x 108 m³, 14.07 x 108 m³ and 13.30 x 108m³ in the Kongqi River Basin, respectively. (4) Under government planning, the optimal area in 2025 and 2035 should be 5,100.06 km² and 5,096.15 km² in the Yanqi Basin oases, and 6,008.53 km² and 4,691.36 km² in the Konqi River Basin oases, respectively, under the different inflow variations, and 4,972.71 km² and 4,969.22 km² in the Yanqi Basin oases, and 5,975.17 km² and 4,665.67 km²in the Kongqi River Basin oases, respectively, under the appropriate proportion. (5) The artificial oases in these basins should be greatly decreased in the future due to limited water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the isotopic composition of the Urumqi River and documented seasonal variability attributable to the mixing of various flow sources. Next, we applied these isotopic signals to partition the sources and studied their temporal variability in summer. The isotope hydrology separation results indicated that groundwater is the dominant streamflow source (approximately 62.7%) in the Urumqi River. Precipitation is an important source for the Urumqi River; approximately 19.1–20.7% of the runoff came from precipitation during summer and early autumn. In summer, approximately 21.1% of the runoff is derived from glacial meltwater. In summer, with the increasing distance to the glacier front, groundwater accounts for a larger and larger percentage of the river water, and the contributions of precipitation and glacial meltwater gradually diminish. Throughout 2012, the proportions of precipitation and glacial meltwater in the streamflow were 17.6% and 14.7%, respectively, and only 5% of the streamflow was derived from snowmelt.Editor Z. W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor not assigned [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sufficient iodine intake by pregnant and lactating women is crucial to their offspring's cognitive development. The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of iodised salt intake on the iodine status of pregnant and lactating women. Thirty towns were selected from 211 towns in the rural areas of Shijiazhuang city using probability proportionate to size sampling in this cross-sectional survey. In each selected town, forty pregnant women and forty lactating women were randomly selected to contribute urine samples to determine iodine content. The median urinary iodine content (UIC) of 1200 pregnant women in all was 146 (interquartile range (IQR) 88-239)μg/l. The median UIC in the first, second and third trimesters were 166 (IQR 92-276)μg/l, 145 (IQR 83-248)μg/l and 134 (IQR 79-221) μg/l, respectively. The median UIC in the first trimester was significantly higher than that in the third trimester (P=0·04). The median UIC of 1200 lactating women in all was 120 (IQR 66-195)μg/l. Their median UIC in every 4-week block was higher than the WHO criteria except in weeks 25-28 and weeks 33-36 of lactation. Pregnant women's median UIC did not correlate with median salt iodine (MSI) (P=0·402); however, there was a linear correlation between MSI and the lactating women's median UIC (P=0·007). Iodised salt failed to provide adequate iodine to pregnant women possibly due to limited intake of iodised salt during pregnancy, though it was found to provide adequate iodine to lactating women in the rural areas of Shijiazhuang city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural tracers can be used in arid regions to gain an understanding of streamflow generation and seasonal streamflow sources; their application can support water resources management, water quality studies, and assessments of the impacts of climate change. In this study, we identified hydrological processes in different seasons based on the chemical and isotopic compositions of the Urumqi River. Stable isotope (O and D) ratios and major ion concentrations were measured on a monthly basis at six sites along the Urumqi River from December 2011 to October 2012. Most waters (groundwater, precipitation, glacier, meltwater, and river water) of the Urumqi River basin are the Ca-HCO water type. In the slow flow period, the ionic composition of the river water reflects weathering and dissolution of dolomite and gypsum. Water-rock interactions control the hydrochemical processes during the slow flow period, while the hydrochemical characteristics of river water in the quick flow period are controlled by precipitation, glacier water, and groundwater. The seasonal variation in river δO and δD values at different sites was similar to that of water entering the headwaters of the Urumqi River basin. The isotopic composition of precipitation was evaluated to obtain information on the effects of subcloud evaporation and moisture recycling on the formation and isotopic composition of precipitation in arid climatic conditions. We identified five different periods in streamflow using water chemistry and isotopic composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the spoken English teaching methods and techniques in Beijing English Training Schools, such as, New Oriental School. Through the date analysis and discussion to the interviews to 8 spoken English teachers and 100 questionnaires to the spoken English class students in New Oriental School, one of the Beijing English Training Schools, demonstrate the characteristics of the spoken English teaching methods and techniques in Beijing English Training Schools. The findings of this exploration help other spoken English teachers both in public schools and English training schools to improve their spoken English teaching in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The development of oasis in the lower reaches of the Tarim River has been impeded due to serious soil salinization and water resource shortage. To examine the effect of water resource on soil salinization, we analyzed the effects of surface water resource, groundwater depths and quantity on soil salt content based on the field monitoring. The results showed that the relationship between quality of surface water and soil salt content in 0-50cm was significantly positive, but not to the salt content of the 50-100cm layers. The soil salt content also closely related to the groundwater depth, of which 0-50cm layers surface soil salt content declined with the increasing groundwater depth, and the change of 0-20cm soil salt content was biggest. When the groundwater depth was shallower, the soil salt content was high with high surface concentration, which showed a “T” distribution, and soil salt content decreased with the increasing soil depth, in the order 0-20cm>20-50cm>50-100cm. With the groundwater depth increasing, soil salt loads reduced and showed a “rhombus” distribution, which mainly accumulated in the middle layer, in the order 20-50cm > 0-20cm > 50-100cm. When the groundwater depth was more than 6m, the hardness, total dissolved solids (TDS) and conductance of the groundwater as well as the soil salt loads distribution appeared sharply changes. So, the critical groundwater depth for condensing salt content in groundwater and changing the soil salt loads distribution was 6 m. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Moisture is a primary limiting factor that affects plant growth. To determine the ideal amount of irrigation water for the growth of individual Populus bolleana Lauche, the major protective species around Qira oasis in southern edge of Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, China, we studied the moisture of soil layers with depth between 0-80cm and the response of P. bolleana''s water status such as moisture content, stomatal characteristics, leaf water potential, stem sapflow and stem diameter to different irrigation based on the field monitoring data. The results showed that the moisture content of soil layers with depth of 0-80cm gradually increased with irrigation increasing, especially when irrigation was more than 30 liters. When irrigation was 30 and 40 liters, the daily leaf water potential presented an obvious unimodal trend: the predawn and midday leaf water potential increased significantly. Along with the irrigation increased from 10 to 40 liters, sapflow and stomatal conductance followed a trend of first decreases and then increases. When irrigation was 30 liters, the daily mean stem diameter and contraction of P. bolleana reached their peaks, indicating that irrigating more than 30 liters of water could improve the water status of P. bolleana and prevent it from drought stress. Thus, we concluded that the ideal irrigation amount for the normal growth of individual P. bolleana should be 30 liters per year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, detrended canonical correspondence analysis was performed to analyze the relationships between diversity indices and environmental gradients, generalized additive model was employed to modal the response curves of diversity indices to the elevation, based on data from field investigation in the mountainous region of the Ili River Valley and a survey of 94 sample plots. Two hundred fifty-nine plant species were recorded in the 94 sample plots investigated, up to 235 species all appeared in the herb layer, and the species of woody plants were very limited. The communities with a complicated vertical structure presented higher values of indices. The distribution pattern of plant species diversity on the northern slope was affected by such factors as elevation, slope aspect, slope gradient, total nitrogen, total potassium, soil water content, organic matter, and that on the southern slope was mainly affected by such factors as slope gradient, elevation, available phosphorus, and soil water content. On the northern slope, Patrick index and Shannon-Wiener index of the plant communities presented a bimodality pattern along altitude; Simpson index and Pielou index showed a partially unimodal pattern. On the southern slope all the distribution pattern of species diversity indices showed two peaks, though Patrick index's bimodality pattern was not an obvious one. These altitudinal patterns were formed by the synthetic action of a variety of environmental factors with elevation playing an important role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

number of studies have indicated a transition from warm-dry to warm-wet climate in Northwest China after the 1980s. This transition was characterized by an increase in temperature and precipitation, added river runoff volume, increased lake water surface elevation and area, and elevated groundwater table. However, some literatures showed that the Hotan River has presented a contrary situation, i.e. the runoff decreased, whereas temperature and precipitation increased. In order to discover the nonlinear runoff trend and its causes in the Hotan River, based on the related data from hydrological stations, ground and air sounding meteorological stations, this study applied a comprehensive method combing correlation analysis, wavelet analysis and regression analysis to investigate the runoff change in the Hotan River with its relevant climatic factors over the past decades. The main findings are: (a) the hydrological process of the Hotan River is a nonlinear system, with a periodicity of 24 year cycle, and it shows different nonlinear trends at different time scales; (b) the data from the ground meteorological stations in the Hotan area shows a false appearance that there is almost no correlation between runoff and temperature, and a little negative correlation between runoff and precipitation; (c) but the data from air sounding meteorological stations shows the truth that there is a close relation between the runoff in the Hotan River and the 0°C level height in summer on the north slope of Kunlun Mountains. The two variables present a same periodicity, i.e. 24-year cycle, having similar nonlinear trends and significant correlations at different time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes of stomatal conductance ( g), net photosynthetic rates ( P) and water use efficiency (WUE) were investigated in Populus euphratica grown on sites with different groundwater depths (GDs) under two CO concentrations in the lower reaches of Tarim River, Xinjiang, northwestern China. P in P. euphratica only slightly decreased when the groundwater depth increased from 4.12 to 7.74 m below the ground surface. P values significantly increased in response to an elevated CO concentration at all GDs except at GD of 4.12 m for its good availability of groundwater. WUE values decreased with an initial increase in the groundwater depth, but increased when the groundwater depth reached 7.74 m especially under the elevated CO concentration. The g values measured at 4.12 and 4.74 m both decreased indistinctively by only 3% due to CO enrichment; however, when GDs increased to 5.54 and 7.74 m, the g values decreased significantly by about 10%. It shows that the response of g in P. euphratica to elevated CO is weaker under lower groundwater depth (mild drought stress) but stronger under deeper groundwater depth (moderate drought stress). Results from this study suggest that groundwater depth could determine the response of photosynthesis to future CO enrichment in P. euphratica in arid desert areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the chemical characteristics of groundwater and the reaction to ecological water conveyance of the Tarim River in Xinjiang, China. It states that data gathering was during the intermittent ecological water conveyance in 2000 and 2007 at 33 monitoring wells of the river. It mentions that groundwater quality consistently enhanced with the increasing ecological water-conveyance sets. It adds that the reduce of groundwater salinity favors the riparian vegetation.

The article presents a study that examines the impact of different water table levels on desert riparian forest vegetation. The study uses data from middle and lower reaches of Tarim River, to analyze relationship between vegetation and environmental factors and influence of groundwater level for species diversity. Result shows high species diversity at 2-4 meter levels, in which drop in water level also reduces diversity. It concludes that proper water level for vegetation is from 2-4 meters.

The article presents a study that evaluates the runoff process of Tarim River's headwaters in western China. The study uses several methods including correlation dimension, average temperature and wavelet analysis. Results show that the runoff processes of Yarkand, Hotan, and Aksu rivers are nonlinear and complex which resulted from climatic changes. It concludes that further study using different methods is needed for a more detailed understanding of the system.

The article discusses the study of spatio-temporal variation of snow depth in Tarim River basin in Northwestern China. The study uses the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) based on the collected data by special sensor microwave /imager (SSM/I) and scanning mutichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) from 1979 to 2005. In addition, the Mann-Kendall non-parametric test presented the long-term trend of snow depth and runoff.

The dynamic response of groundwater level is examined in traverse and lengthways directions. Take the Yinsu section for an example, we have simulated groundwater levels before and after water-conveyance every time and calculated the incidence of groundwater on the both sides of the river. It is noted that the effect keeps growing with the water-delivery times increasing, from 570 m after the first times to 3,334 m after the eighth times. In addition, this paper involves the temporal response of the natural vegetation to water conveyance, vegetation coverage, planted-species number, dominant position and species diversity from 2002 to 2006. The findings indicate that the positive influence of ecological water conveyance project (EWCP) on the ecosystem in the Lower Tarim River is a long-term process. In this paper, we try to calculate water required for recovery of damaged ecosystem by using data available. This project is likely the base of research on water demand and the reference of measures for research on ecological water conveyance effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of climate change and human activities on the surface runoff were analyzed by the Mann-Kendall and trend analysis methods based on the hydrological, meteorological and socioeconomic data over the last 50 years in the Tarim River basin. Results show that the runoff in the headstreams increased but that in the mainstreams decreased significantly during the past 50 years. The former is a response to climate change, and the later is due to human activities. The surface runoff in the mainstreams decreased by 41.59, 63.77 and 75.15% in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, respectively, as compared to that without being disturbed by human activities in the same period. The main human activities are the irrigated agriculture combined with population increase in the region. As a consequence, the ecosystem in the lower reaches of Tarim River has degenerated, largely owing to inappropriate allocation of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two data sets, annual temperature and precipitation time series from 19 observation stations in the Tarim River basin covering 1958 through 2002, were investigated by non-parametric tests to detect the trend and features of climate change and variability. Based on these data, the snow cover area (SCA) in situ for the period 1982–2001 was further analyzed to examine the effect of climate change on snow. The results showed that both the temperature and precipitation had a jump in the mid 1980s and significantly increased in winter and summer, respectively. The SCA of the entire basin showed a slowly increasing trend. Responses of the SCA to temperature and precipitation in the northern, western and southern regions showed that the effect of precipitation on SCA is larger than that of temperature. In vertical direction, the SCA in the zone below 2,500 m a.s.l. kept a slow increase, but that in the zone above 2,500 m a.s.l. was inching down. Comparatively, the lower altitude zone was apt to be affected by precipitation, while the higher altitude zone tended to be influenced by temperature. The mid zone from 2,500 to 5,000 m was the area most sensitive to and affected by climate change. Compared with that in the 1980s, both the snowing and melting rates were higher in the 1990s. Correlation analysis implied that the SCA change in the cold season was positively correlated with the contemporary precipitation change, but had no strong correlation with the contemporary temperature change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Based on the hydrologic and meteorological data in the Tarim River basin from 1958 to 2004, the trend, characteristics and spatial variation of climate change in the upper reaches of the Tarim River were examined in the study. The long-term trend of climate change and hydrological variations were determined by using both Mann–Kendall and Mann–Whitney nonparametric tests. The results showed that the temperature and precipitation had significantly increased in the drainage basin in the mid-1980s. The climate was the warmest in 1990s among the recent 50 years. The increase of temperature in the tributaries of the Aksu River and Kaidu-Kongque River is higher than that in the tributaries of the Yarkand River and Hotan River. The streamflow at Aksu River showed a significant increasing monotonic trend. The annual runoff in the Aksu River had increased by 10.9% since 1990. The independence test of temperature and precipitation with of the El Nino event reveals that there is no significant effect of the El Nino and La Nina events on the annual temperature and annual precipitation in the drainage basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on monitoring data collected from 2006 to 2009 at the lower reaches of the Tarim River, tempo-spatial variations in groundwater depth and chemistry during an approximately 3-year interval of intermittent water delivery were studied. Results indicate that as the groundwater depth increased at the upper sector of the river's lower reaches from March 2007 to September 2009, so too did the main chemical composition of groundwater. Groundwater depth at the intermediate sector also increased, but major ions in groundwater declined. The groundwater depth at the lower sector started to decrease in August 2008, and the concentrations of main ions in the groundwater generally rose and fell along with the variations in groundwater depth. The groundwater depth and chemistry in the monitoring wells located at a distance from the aqueduct expressed complex changes at different sections. For instance, at the section near the Daxihaizi Reservoir Section B, groundwater depth increased gradually, but chemical composition changed little. In contrast, the groundwater depth of monitoring wells far from the Daxihaizi Reservoir (Section I) decreased and salt content in the groundwater increased. In sectors at a moderate distance from the reservoir, groundwater depth decreased and concentrations of main ions significantly increased.