City-level water withdrawal in China:Accounting methodology and applications

In the context of the freshwater crisis, accounting for water withdrawal could help planners better regulate water use in different sectors to combat water scarcity. However, the water withdrawal statistics in China are patchy, and the water data across all sectors at the city level appear to be relatively insufficient. Hence, we develop a general framework to, for the first time, estimate the water withdrawal of 58 economic–social–environmental sectors in cities in China. This methodology was applied because only inconsistent water statistics collected from different data sources at the city level are available. We applied it to 18 representative Chinese cities. Different from conventional perceptions that agriculture is usually the largest water user, industrial and household water withdrawal may also occupy the largest percentages in the water-use structure of some cities. The discrepancy among annual household water use per capita in the urban areas of different cities is relatively small (as is the case for rural areas), but that between urban and rural areas is large. As a result, increased attention should be paid to controlling industrial and urban household water use in particular cities. China should specifically prepare annual water accounts at the city level and establish a timetable to tackle water scarcity, which is a basic step toward efficient and sustainable water crisis mitigation

Optimum Operating Conditions Confirmation and Effectiveness Analysis Based on Research of the Coagulation and Precipitation Integrated Process

AbstractAiming at the increasing small-scale water supply projects, the increasingly serious pollution of the water resource and stringent water quality standards, the coagulation and precipitation integrated process on the basis of quiescent precipitation was proposed in this study. By experiments in the integrated reactor, the optimum process operating conditions were confirmed. It is verified that the optimal dosage of PAC was 16mg/L in the optimum temperature and pH range. The repeated utilization volume of the floc mud from the former precipitation period was the same as 6% of the water volume in the next processing period, and the corresponding optimal dosage of PAC was 8mg/L with 50% reduction of the flocculants dosage, while the residual turbidity was less than 1.0NTU, which could reach the standard after simple filtration and disinfection procedure. With low energy consumption, little land occupation, low cost, high efficiency of the water production and strong anti shock loading capability, this process could guarantee the safety of drinking water supply, and deserve popularization and application

Triolein-based polycation lipid nanocarrier for efficient gene delivery: characteristics and mechanism

We proposed to develop a polycation lipid nanocarrier (PLN) with higher transfection efficiency than our previously described polycation nanostrucutred lipid nanocarrier (PNLC). PLN was composed of triolein, cetylated low-molecular-weight polyethylenimine, and dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine. The physicochemical properties of PLN and the PLN/DNA complexes (PDC) were characterized. The in vitro transfection was performed in human lung adenocarcinoma (SPC-A1) cells, and the intracellular mechanism was investigated as well. The measurements indicated that PLN and PDC are homogenous nanometer-sized particles with a positive charge. The transfection efficiency of PDC significantly increased with the content of triolein and was higher than that of PNLC and commercial Lipofectamine™ 2000. In particular, the transfection of PLN in the presence of 10% serum was more effective than that in its absence. With the help of specific inhibitors of chlorpromazine and filipin, the clathrin-dependent endocytosis pathway was determined to be the main contributor to the successful transfection mediated by PLN in SPC-A1 cells. The captured images verified that the fluorescent PDC was localized in the lysosomes and nuclei after endocytosis. Thus, PLN represents a novel efficient nonviral gene delivery vector

Analysis of the Preventive Medicine Undergraduate Curriculum in China: The West China School of Public Heath Experience: A Case Study

In China, the preventive medicine undergraduate professional training program is the major approach to training public health practitioners. The history of undergraduate education in public health/preventive medicine in China is reviewed utilizing the West China School of Public Health at Sichuan University as an example for analyzing this undergraduate major and its curriculum. Needed reforms in the Chinese undergraduate preventive medicine programs are presented, including review of the traditional preventive medicine course content, revision of its curriculum structure, the need to increase practical experience and to develop variety in teaching and assessment techniques, and systematic planning for curriculum reform. Current efforts at reform of the preventive medicine undergraduate program at Sichuan University’s West China School of Public Health are presented

Amylopectin chain length distribution in grains of japonica rice as affected by nitrogen fertilizer and genotype

This study investigated the chain length distribution (CLD) of two japonica rice cultivars under six nitrogen (N) treatments by high performance size exclusion chromatography, with the aims to elucidate the effect of N on rice quality and its biological mechanism. Results showed significant influence of N on CLD. In comparison with low N rate, high N lowered the percentage of short amylopectin branches. Fitting with the CLD model of Wu-Gilbert, it suggested that relative activity of SBE to SS was lower at high N rate, thus producing fewer short amylopectin branches. Comparison of CLD between N rates and between cultivars revealed that decrease in short amylopectin branches or the relative ratio of short to long amylopcetin branches correlated with increase in flour gelatinization temperatures (T, T, and T) and decrease in pasting values (except PaT) and amylose-lipid gelatinization temperatures. In addition, quality traits of Wuyujing3, a cultivar with premium eating quality, expressed stably across N treatments compared with the high-yielding cultivar Wuyunjing7

VAT Reform, Regional Ownership Structure, and Industrial Upgrading:Evidence From Firms in Northeast China

We estimate the extent of the moderating effect of varying regional ownership structures on the relationship between the VAT reform and industrial upgrading in a panel differences-in-differences framework, using a natural experiment of the China’s 2004 value-added tax (VAT) reform pilot that introduces a permanent 17%-tax credit for fixed investment in six industries in the North-eastern regions. Results reveal that the VAT reform helps firms increase their capital-to-labor ratio, labor input, and labor productivity, indicating the positive effect of VAT reform on fixed asset renewal and industrial structure upgrading in the region. As for the role of regional ownership structure, the positive effects of the VAT reform on labor input and labor productivity are significantly suppressed in areas with large market shares of state-owned enterprises. In another words, the VAT reform significantly promotes industrial upgrading in areas with market-sensitive economies.</p

DETERMINISTIC DEPLOYMENT for DIRECTIONAL SENSOR NODES

Porezni sustav Republike Hrvatske se sastoji od više poreznih oblika koji se primjenjuju po različitim poreznim stopama na različite vrste poreznih osnovica. Porez na dobit je jedan od tih oblika i ima značajnu ulogu u poreznom sustavu. Obzirom da se porez na dobit primjenjuje na ostvareno dobit iz gospodarske djelatnost, njegova stopa i primjena utječe na događanja u gospodarstvu i jedan je od najčešćih poreza kod kojih se pojavljuje porezna evazija. Kako postojeći zakoni ne stimuliraju reinvestiranje dobiti poduzeća, često se kod poduzetnika pronalaze različiti načini izbjegavanja plaćanja ovog poreza, kroz donacije, stipendije ili kroz ulaganja u obrtna sredstva poduzeća. Porez na dobit ima i ulogu u privlačenju investicija u gospodarstvo, pa je zbog toga jako bitno po kojoj stopi se ovaj porez obračunava i na koji način se plaća. Kako bi se privukle investicije, bilo domaće bilo inozemne, bitno je što konkurentnije odrediti poreznu stopu i poreznu osnovicu za primjenu ovog poreza. Republika Hrvatska se izvjestan vremanski period nalazi u gospodarskoj krizi, a izlazak iz nje i pokretanje gospodarstva se traži u stranim investicijama. Obzirom da je gospodarstvo Republike Hrvatske otvoreno i nalazi se na globalnom tržištu, države u okruženju su mu konkurencija. U ovom radu će se analizirati stope poreza na dobit u nekim zemljama članicama Europske Unije, ali i zemalja koje to nisu, ali su izravna konkurencija Republici Hrvatskoj u privlačenju inozemnih investicija

Spatial Aggregation of Global Dry and Wet Patterns Based on the Standard Precipitation Index

Quantifying the spatial integrity and patterns of dry/wet events over land is essential to understand how the local hydrological regime responds to environmental changes. Spatial aggregation changes in dry and wet areas over land have not been studied extensively. Based on a patch-mosaic landscape model, we analyzed spatial aggregation changes at two levels corresponding to landscape design during 1949 and 2018. At the landscape level, the global aggregation degree increased initially and then weakened around 2006. However, the spatial aggregation process between dry and wet patterns was inconsistent. For the dry pattern, spatial aggregation was mainly caused by area decline induced decreases in the patch number. For the wet pattern, spatial aggregation was caused by area enlargement induced decreases in the patch number. At the class level, with increases in the dry/wet magnitude, the correlation between the affected area and aggregation strengthened. Our results provide new insights to understand the spatial processes and future trends of dry/wet patterns over land. We argue that future vulnerability of agriculture and ecosystems to drought is likely to be further mediated by the changes in drought patterns' spatial structure.Peer reviewe