Forestland and property rights in China: evolution towards private rights and public regulation.

This thesis examines the impact of the current land ownership arrangement on the use and management of collective forestland in China. Increasingly, the focus of China's forest and forestry is shifting from timber production to the conservation and protection of the forest ecosystem. So far the Chinese government has carried out a number of major programmes that seek to increase the forest cover and to reduce commercial exploitation in its natural forests. These large-scale state-sponsored programmes involved not only the state but also the collective forests. The government has overwhelming control over the collective forests in relation to the production and use of forest resources. This thesis argues that this is mainly induced by the current land ownership arrangement. Although the collectives are 'self-governing' bodies and democratic elections are practised, the collectives nevertheless act more like the 'agents' of the government than true representatives of the collective members. By retaining control over collective governance, the state manages to assert control over the use of collective forests in other words, the state has chosen to regulate land and forest use via the ownership structure. With little protection for individual rights, the state imposes rigid and intrusive measures that severely limit the autonomy of land users and create instances of abuse of power by those who are in control. This has resulted in various serious and negative consequences: inefficient use of forest and land resources slow growth of rural economy limited and incomplete private rights increasing wealth gap and last but not the least, slow development in the rule of law. As a result, future reforms of collective forests will be futile if the ownership regime is not changed. It is argued that a private ownership regime is now viable and will help China's rural society to achieve further economic, social and legal development. Under a private ownership regime, the government can exercise control over forest and land use via public regulation, which would allow land use to be regulated in a more transparent and efficient way without compromising individual autonomy

Centrality and vulnerability in liner shipping networks: Revisiting the Northeast Asian port hierarchy

International audienceThis paper is essentially an empirical investigation in the network analysis of inter-port traffic flows. Based on a database of vessel movements, it applies conventional techniques of network analysis to the graph of Northeast Asian liner networks in 1996 and 2006. Such approach proves particularly helpful for analysing the changing position of major hub ports and for revealing their respective tributary areas within the region. Despite rapid traffic growth at Chinese ports during the period under study, the latter seem to remain polarized by established hubs such as Korean ports and Hong Kong. This research reveals the strong relation between local port policies and the evolution of shipping network desig

Port competition and network polarization at the East Asian maritime corridor

National audiencePort competition is often analyzed based on individual characteristics of seaports rather than inter-port connections. A maritime network perspective is applied to the circulation of liner vessels between East Asian ports in order to reveal their relative position in 1996 and 2006. Main results confirm the progress of secondary ports over their major competitors, reflecting the importance of local port policies. However, the overall structure of the regional network tends to remain polarized by few major hub ports resisting to internal and external threatsL'analyse de la concurrence portuaire se base souvent sur les caractéristiques individuelles des ports plutôt que sur les connections interportuaires. L'analyse réseau de la circulation des porte-conteneurs entre les ports d'Asie orientale permet de révéler leur position relative en 1996 et 2006. Les résultats confirment la montée de ports secondaires face à leurs concurrents principaux, reflétant par là l'importance des politiques portuaires locales. Cependant, la structure d'ensemble du réseau régional reste polarisée par quelques hubs majeurs parvenant à surmonter leurs difficultés internes et externe

Titanium dioxide nanotubes in chloride based electrolyte: an alternative to fluoride based electrolyte

Often, fluoride based electrolyte was applied to synthesize highly ordered titanium dioxide nanotubes. However, in the present work, bundled titanium dioxide nanotubes were fabricated in chloride based electrolyte through electrochemical method. Structural and morphological investigations were carried out on the nanotubes synthesized under different anodization parameters. The growth mechanism of such nanotubes was elucidated and illustrated. The estimated diameter of the as-anodized nanotube was less than 150 nm while the length varied from hundreds of nanometer to microns. X-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectra have showed anatase and rutile phases of titanium dioxide within the thermally treated samples

Understanding General Activity Motivation for Persons with Stroke—A Reversal Theory Perspective

Introduction: Motivation is the barrier identified for clients with stroke to reintegrate community living. Reversal Therapy may help to understand the pattern of bipolar variations of motivational factors. This study analyzed the general activity motivation of clients with stroke and their relationship with community participation and mental wellbeing. Methodology: Sampling of 115 subjects including 30 stroke clients and 85 normal subjects. Measurements included the validated Chinese version of General Activity Motivation Measure (GAMM), Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) & Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Results: In GAMM, the normal group scores (Mean 50.09 SD 5.79) higher then clients with stroke (Mean 46.09; SD 8.00) (p < 0.05). GAMM correlated positively with CIQ and SWEMWBS (p < 0.05). Four factors identified under GAMM namely Means-end, Relationship, Rules and Transactions that identified with Reversal Theory. Reversals between poles of each domain evidenced between two groups. “Acquiring new experiences” was strong predictor for community integration. Conclusion: Reversal Theory is useful to explain motivational changes among clients with stroke. To develop chances of “new experiences”, “feel accomplishment every day”, “get out of house regularly” and “to do the things that they can enjoy” at “their own pace” are the motivators for reintegrate into community living

Differences in a Chain Supermarket's Sales to SNAP Shoppers Before and Since the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: This study 1) compares grocery sales to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shoppers in rural and urban grocery stores and 2) estimates changes in sales to SNAP shoppers in North Carolina (NC) since the pandemic. Design: Weekly transaction data among loyalty shoppers at a large grocery chain across NC from October 2019 to December 2020 (n = 32; 182 store weeks) to assess nutritional outcomes. Setting: North Carolina large chain grocery stores. Participants: Large chain grocery store/SNAP shoppers. Intervention: Rural/urban status of the stores and COVID-19 pandemic onset. Main Outcome Measures: Share of total calories sold from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes (FVNL) with and without additives, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), less healthful foods (LHF), and processed meats (PM). Analysis: Multivariate random effects models with robust standard errors to examine the association of rural/urban status before and since coronavirus disease 2019 with the share of calories sold to SNAP shoppers from each food category. We controlled for county-level factors (eg, sociodemographic composition, food environment) and store-level factors. Results: We did not find significant rural-urban differences in the composition of sales to SNAP shoppers in adjusted models. There was a significant decrease in the mean share of total calories from sugar-sweetened beverages (−0.43%) and less healthful food (−1.32%) and an increase in the share from processed meats (0.09%) compared with before the pandemic (P < 0.05). Conclusions and Implications: Urban-rural definitions are insufficient to understand nuances in food environments, and more support is needed to ensure healthy food access

Urban vs. Rural socioeconomic differences in the nutritional quality of household packaged food purchases by store type

The U.S. food system is rapidly changing, including the growth of mass merchandisers and dollar stores, which may impact the quality of packaged food purchases (PFPs). Furthermore, diet-related disparities exist by socioeconomic status (SES) and rural residence. We use data from the 2010–2018 Nielsen Homescan Panel to describe the nutritional profiles of PFPs by store type and to assess whether these vary by household urbanicity and SES. Store types include grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, online shopping, dollar stores, and convenience/drug stores. Food and beverage groups contributing the most calories at each store type are estimated using survey-weighted means, while the associations of urbanicity and SES with nutritional quality are estimated using multivariate regression. We find that households that are customers at particular store types purchase the same quality of food regardless of urbanicity or SES. However, we find differences in the quality of foods between store types and that the quantity of calories purchased at each store type varies according to household urbanicity and SES. Rural shoppers tend to shop more at mass merchandisers and dollar stores with less healthful PFPs. We discuss implications for the types of store interventions most relevant for improving the quality of PFPs

Recent Trends in Junk Food Intake in U.S. Children and Adolescents, 2003–2016

Introduction: In the U.S., there is no consensus of how to define junk food. Strict regulations on what constitutes junk food denoted by front-of-package labels can serve as the basis for statutory actions. Chile was the first country to adopt this approach, and several countries have followed suit. This study examined the proportion of calories and nutrients of concern consumed by U.S. children and adolescents defined as junk food using the Chilean label criteria and the changes between 2003 and 2016. Methods: Data were obtained from 4 nationally representative food intake surveys in 13,016 U.S. children and adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2004, 2005–2006, 2013–2014, and 2015–2016, with analysis performed in 2019. Nutritional content of each consumed food was compared with nutrient thresholds from the Chilean regulation for energy, saturated fat, total sugars, and sodium per 100 g. Results: Between 2003 and 2016, there was a 10 percentage point decrease (71.1%–61.3%, p<0.01) in the proportion of foods consumed that were classified as junk food. A significant decrease was seen in mean intake of calories (1,610–1,367 kcal/day, p<0.01), total sugar (88.8–64.2 g/day, p<0.01), saturated fat (22.6–20.5 g/day, p<0.01), and sodium (2,306–2,044 mg/day, p<0.01). Conclusions: Although junk food intake has decreased since 2003–2006, diets of U.S. children and adolescents remain dominated by less-healthy foods. These results can help guide policy regulations regarding foods and beverages accessible in schools and marketed to children, adolescents, and their caregivers

Distributional Changes in U.S. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Purchases, 2002–2014

Introduction: U.S. policy actions focus on reducing sugar-sweetened beverage purchases. Yet, there are no studies on trends in overall purchase distribution and how it has changed by key subpopulations. This study examined changes in distributions of total sugar-sweetened beverage purchases and its major subtypes (regular carbonated soft drinks and fruit/sports/energy drinks) in 2002–2014 and distinguished among low, moderate, and high purchasers. Methods: Longitudinal data on sugar-sweetened beverage purchases of U.S. households from the 2002–2014 Nielsen Homescan Panel were used. Sugar-sweetened beverages were defined as all caloric non-alcoholic beverages containing added sugars. Longitudinal quantile regression model examined trends across distributions (from quantile 25 to 95) of purchases (measured in kcal/day/capita), while accounting for households’ unobserved differences. All statistical analyses were conducted in 2019. Results: All households across the total purchase distribution significantly reduced their purchases. High purchasers made less proportional reductions than low purchasers (e.g., 35% at 95th quantile vs 62% at 25th quantile). However, the smaller relative reductions among higher purchasers translated into larger absolute decreases (e.g., 134 kcal/day/capita at 95th quantile vs 23 kcal/day/capita at 25th quantile). Similar patterns in heterogeneity were observed across sugar-sweetened beverage subtype distributions and among racial/ethnic and income groups. In addition, there were significant racial/ethnic and income disparities in total sugar-sweetened beverage purchases in 2002–2003. Although racial/ethnic disparities among higher purchasers improved, income disparity patterns at all purchase levels persisted into 2013–2014. Conclusions: From 2002‒2003 to 2013–2014, U.S. households at all purchase levels made meaningful reductions in sugar-sweetened beverage purchases in both absolute and relative terms. Furthermore, racial/ethnic disparities in total sugar-sweetened beverage purchases narrowed, but income disparity patterns persisted

Sugar-sweetened beverage tax: The authors reply

A study using manufacturing data showed that sales of sugar-sweetened beverages in Mexico fell 7.3 percent on average two years after the tax was implemented, compared to the period 2007–13.1 These results align with those in our article (Mar 2017), which estimated changes in beverage purchases in a representative sample of urban households, and illustrate the robustness of our findings