Legal screens against flies and mosquitoes (Part II, Rev. Draft)

Revised draft of a paper on how Hainan could attract wanted foreign investment while still avoiding legal "flies and mosquitoes"

Tropical component of the moss Flora of China

In many ways, it is presumptuous for me to speak on the mosses of the tropical regions of China. Many consider the knowledge about the taxonomy, ecology, and geography of tropical bryophytes inadequate (Pócs 1982; Schuster 1983; Richards 1984), and this is certainly the case for the bryophytes of the tropical regions of China. The taxonomy of Chinese taxa is generally in a state of disarray. Early workers, both Chinese and others, have tended to describe new species based upon minor or inconsequential morphological characters and without apparent reference to related taxa found outside of China. This is clear from recent monographic studies that compared Chinese taxa with taxa throughout the world

Studies on Hong Kong hepatics : 2., notes on some newly recorded liverworts from Hong Kong

Based on field work and herbarium studies, 44 species belonging to 21 genera and 11 families of hepatics are newly reported for Hong Kong. A first checklist of liverworts and hornworts in Hong Kong is also included

An inventory of invasive alien species in China

Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major global challenge requiring urgent action, and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) includes a target on the issue. Meeting the target requires an understanding of invasion patterns. However, national or regional analyses of invasions are limited to developed countries. We identified 488 IAS in China’s terrestrial habitats, inland waters and marine ecosystems based on available literature and field work, including 171 animals, 265 plants, 26 fungi, 3 protists, 11 procaryots, and 12 viruses. Terrestrial plants account for 51.6% of the total number of IAS, and terrestrial invertebrates (104 species) for 21.3%. Of the total numbers, 67.9% of plant IAS and 34.8% of animal IAS were introduced intentionally. All other taxa were introduced unintentionally despite very few animal and plant species that invaded naturally. In terms of habitats, 64.3% of IAS occur on farmlands, 13.9% in forests, 8.4% in marine ecosystems, 7.3% in inland waters, and 6.1% in residential areas. Half of all IAS (51.1%) originate from North and South America, 18.3% from Europe, 17.3% from Asia not including China, 7.2% from Africa, 1.8% from Oceania, and the origin of the remaining 4.3% IAS is unknown. The distribution of IAS can be divided into three zones. Most IAS are distributed in coastal provinces and the Yunnan province; provinces in Middle China have fewer IAS, and most provinces in West China have the least number of IAS. Sites where IAS were first detected are mainly distributed in the coastal region, the Yunnan Province and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The number of newly emerged IAS has been increasing since 1850. The cumulative number of firstly detected IAS grew exponentially

The late Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the South China Sea: A petrologic perspective

This paper presents a review of available petrological, geochonological and geochemical data for late Mesozoic to Recent igneous rocks in the South China Sea (SCS) and adjacent regions and a discussion of their petrogeneses and tectonic implications. The integration of these data with available geophysical and other geologic information led to the following tectono-magmatic model for the evolution of the SCS region. The geochemical characteristics of late Mesozoic granitic rocks in the Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB), micro-blocks in the SCS, the offshore continental shelf and Dalat zone in southern Vietnam, and the Schwaner Mountains in West Kalimantan, Borneo indicate that these are mainly I-type granites plus a small amount of S-type granites in the PRMB. These granitoids were formed in a continental arc tectonic setting, consistent with the ideas proposed by Holloway (1982) and Taylor and Hayes (1980, 1983), that there existed an Andean-type volcanic arc during later Mesozoic era in the SCS region. The geochonological and geochemical characteristics of the volcanics indicate an early period of bimodal volcanism (60-43. Ma or 32. Ma) at the northern margin of the SCS, followed by a period of relatively passive style volcanism during Cenozoic seafloor spreading (37 or 30-16. Ma) within the SCS, and post-spreading volcanism (tholeiitic series at 17-8. Ma, followed by alkali series from 8. Ma to present) in the entire SCS region. The geodynamic setting of the earlier volcanics was an extensional regime, which resulted from the collision between India and Eurasian plates since the earliest Cenozoic, and that of the post-spreading volcanics may be related to mantle plume magmatism in Hainan Island. In addition, the nascent Hainan plume may have played a significant role in the extension along the northern margin and seafloor spreading in the SCS. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Effects of Information and Country of Origin On Chinese Consumer Preferences for Wine: An Experimental Approach in the Field

Wine is a product whose value largely depends on the reputation associated with its region of production. China is a newcomer and latecomer to wine production and consumption. Wine consumption, especially imported wine, rarely exists outside of major urban areas. Therefore, understanding the Chinese local markets and consumer preference for wine products is important for foreign wine producers. WTP (Willingness-to-Pay), in economics, is the maximum amount a person would be willing to pay for a good, which is a useful tool to address consumers’ preference. In our study, we investigate the effects of information and origin of production on Chinese consumers’ WTP for wine. By using a second-price sealed-bid auction mechanism, which was first developed by Vickrey (1961), we organized experimental auctions in both Beijing and Shanghai, China. The items for auctions are four different wine products originated in China, France, USA, and Australia. And there are two comparison groups, with or without information exposure. With 436 participants in total, our experiments collected data on their WTP’s and socio-demographics. Our data shows that participants would like to pay the highest price for the wine from France, while their WTP for the Chinese wine is the lowest among the four. Furthermore, we find important factors affecting their WTP for wine, including age, gender, employment status, education status, household income, and household size. Our results provide meaningful and insightful marketing suggestions for the “new world” and Chinese wine producers, such as the target consumers and pricing strategy.wine consumption, willingness-to-pay, second price auction, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing,

Three new and remarkable species of mosses from China and the Philippines

Distichophyllum meizhii Tan & Lin and D. wanianum Tan & Lin (Hookeriaceae) collected from southwestern region of China are described as new to science. Also, Horikawaea redfearnii Tan & Lin is described as a new species based on collections from Hainan Island of China and Palawan Island of the Philippines. The sporophytic specimen of Horikawaea Nog. was collected for the first time and support a family placement in Pterobryaceae

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of volcanic rocks from Daimao Seamount (South China Sea) and their tectonic implications

The South China Sea (SCS) experienced three episodes of seafloor spreading and left three fossil spreading centers presently located at 18°N, 17°N and 15.5°N. Spreading ceased at these three locations during magnetic anomaly 10, 8, and 5c, respectively. Daimao Seamount (16.6. Ma) was formed 10. my after the cessation of the 17°N spreading center. Volcaniclastic rocks and shallow-water carbonate facies near the summit of Daimao Seamount provide key information on the seamount's geologic history. New major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of basaltic breccia clasts in the volcaniclastics suggest that Daimao and other SCS seamounts have typical ocean island basalt-like composition and possess a 'Dupal' isotopic signature. Our new analyses, combined with available data, indicate that the basaltic foundation of Daimao Seamount was formed through subaqueous explosive volcanic eruptions at 16.6. Ma. The seamount subsided rapidly (>. 0.12. mm/y) at first, allowing the deposition of shallow-water, coral-bearing carbonates around its summit and, then, at a slower rate (<. 0.12. mm/y). We propose that the parental magmas of SCS seamount lavas originated from the Hainan mantle plume. In contrast, lavas from contemporaneous seamounts in other marginal basins in the western Pacific are subduction-related

Exporting Destruction: Export Credits, Illegal Logging and Deforestation

Analyzes case studies of the role of export credit agencies, which make government-subsidized loans to companies doing business in countries considered investment risks, in supporting illegal logging, corruption, and deforestation. Lists policy options