The mediating effect of body mass index on the relationship between cigarette smoking and atopic sensitization in Chinese adults

Background: It is unclear whether the relationship between cigarette smoking and atopy is mediated by body fat mass, such as the Body Mass Index (BMI). We assessed the mediating role of BMI on the relationship between smoking and atopy in Chinese adults. Methods: A hospital-based case-control study of 786 atopic cases and 2771 controls was conducted in adults aged 18 years or older from March 2010 to September 2014 in Harbin, China. Mediation models were used to estimate the indirect effects of smoking on atopic sensitization through BMI. Results: Compared to non-smokers, light smokers and moderate smokers had a lower risk of inhalant allergen sensitization. The indirect effect of smoking and sensitization to aeroallergens were only observed in light smokers (point estimate, -0.026; 95% CI, -0.062 to -0.004). The mediating roles of BMI on the relationships between smoking and other types of allergic sensitization were not statistically significant. Conclusion: BMI appeared to partially mediate the effect of light smoking on sensitization to aeroallergens. However, considering the other harmful health effects of cigarette smoking, the effective method to lower the incidence of atopy would be to decrease body fat mass by physical exercise and employing other more healthy ways of living rather than smoking

Study on fluorescence characteristics of the Ho 3+ :ZBLAN fiber under ~640 nm excitation

Abstract(#br)We investigated the absorption and emission characteristics of the Ho 3+ :ZBLAN fiber under ~640 nm excitation. Based on the Judd-Ofelt theory, a detailed spectroscopic analysis on excited states 5 I 6 and 5 I 7 of the Ho 3+ -ion was performed. The population dynamics was conducted by using the rate equation method, and a set of analytical expressions for population densities of various levels were obtained at steady state. Moreover, the fluorescence intensities of the 5 S 2 , 5 F 4 → 5 I 7 , 5 I 8 and 5 I 6 → 5 I 7 , 5 I 8 and 5 I 7 → 5 I 8 transitions were measured in different pumping powers. The simulated and experimental results are quite consistent. This work could provide the spectral information for optimal design of the visible oscillations in the Ho 3+ :ZBLAN fiber excited at ~640 nm

Political Resource Curse under Authoritarianism: Evidence from China *

Abstract By analyzing a panel constructed on the political turnovers of 4,390 county leaders in China during 1999-2008, we find that the revenue windfalls accrued to these officials from land sales since 1998 have both undermined the effectiveness of the promotion system for government officials and fueled corruption. Instead of rewarding efforts made to boost GDP growth, promotion is now also positively correlated with signaling efforts or specifically increased spending on flamboyant (so-called "image") public projects, with those politically connected to their superiors and those who are beyond the prime age for promotion being the primary beneficiaries. Likewise, the same revenue windfalls have also led to corruption, as gauged from the increases in the government workforce and administrative expenditure but not social welfare spending. Our findings highlight how land revenue windfalls can lead to a political resource curse in a highly politically centralized authoritarian regime

The genome sequence of the orchid Phalaenopsis equestris

Orchidaceae, renowned for its spectacular flowers and other reproductive and ecological adaptations, is one of the most diverse plant families. Here we present the genome sequence of the tropical epiphytic orchid Phalaenopsis equestris, a frequently used parent species for orchid breeding. P. equestris is the first plant with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) for which the genome has been sequenced. Our assembled genome contains 29,431 predicted protein-coding genes. We find that contigs likely to be underassembled, owing to heterozygosity, are enriched for genes that might be involved in self-incompatibility pathways. We find evidence for an orchid-specific paleopolyploidy event that preceded the radiation of most orchid clades, and our results suggest that gene duplication might have contributed to the evolution of CAM photosynthesis in P. equestris. Finally, we find expanded and diversified families of MADS-box C/D-class, B-class AP3 and AGL6-class genes, which might contribute to the highly specialized morphology of orchid flowers. (Résumé d'auteur

Land commodification and hukou policy innovation in China: evidence from a survey experiment

This article examines how land commodification has changed the dynamics of hukou policy innovations in China. The increasing demand of local governments for land to fuel industrialization and urbanization creates appreciating land values, which in turn lead villagers to update their belief about the value associated with their rural hukou. This is perhaps especially the case in economically more developed areas where rural benefits, many of which involve land, induce villagers to value their rural hukou and to be more resistant against land expropriation. This leads local governments, many of which are fiscally dependent on land, to provide more generous land-taking compensation, including an urban hukou. Drawing on an original survey experiment, we find that villagers are less willing to give up their land and change their hukou status from rural to urban when they are not provided with pension benefits and when their collective yearly dividends are discontinued. Our findings suggest the difficulties in implementing the ‘land for hukou’ policy innovations in China