Heading towards sustainable development

Innerhalb der letzten drei Jahrzehnte des 20. Jahrhunderts wurde der Begriff der „Nachhaltigen Entwicklung“ geprägt und hat international an Bedeutung gewonnen. Das traditionell verwendete Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) als Indikator zur Messung des Wohlstandes einer Nation wurde mehr und mehr in Frage gestellt, und aus diesem Grund hat sich die internationale Gemeinschaft auf die Suche nach Alternativen begeben. Die Volksrepublik China (VR China) wollte diesen Bemühungen um nichts nachstehen und hat an einem eigenen Entwurf des Konzeptes nachhaltiger Entwicklung gearbeitet. Als Folge dieser Bemühungen hat die Kommunistische Partei das Konzept der Wissenschaftsbegründeten Entwicklung („Scientific Outlook on Development“) ausformuliert und in weiterer Folge im Jahr 2006 einen Bericht über die Berechnung des so genannten Grünen BIP veröffentlicht, welcher versucht, den Faktoren Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit erhöhte Bedeutung bei der Bewertung des nationalen Wohlstandes beizumessen. Danach wurden die Aktivitäten der chinesischen Regierung hinsichtlich der nachhaltigen Entwicklung abrupt eingestellt. Die Nichtfortführung dieser Aktivitäten ist auf eine Vielzahl von Gründen zurückzuführen und kann mehrheitlich durch existierende Probleme des regierungsmäßigen Umgangs mit Umweltproblemen (environmental government) und des in der VR China vorherrschenden Systems des Kadermanagement erklärt werden. Erst die Lösung dieser Probleme in den beiden eben genannten Bereichen durch umfassende strukturelle Reformen kann eine Wiederbelebung der Initiative zur Berechnung des grünen BIP in der VR China ermöglichen.The last three decades of the 20th century witnessed the booming development of the concept “Sustainable Development” in the global arena. During this time, the traditional GDP index for measuring national wealth was put into question and the international community has been in eager in its search of alternative indicators to GDP. Following this global tide, China started drawing its blueprint for the achievement of sustainable development in the country. The Chinese central government put forward the formulation of “Scientific Outlook on Development” and officially published its environmentally-adjusted GDP accounting report in 2006. The sudden suspension of the Green GDP accounting project subsequent to the release of the report was caused by multiple factors. The decline of the Green GDP accounting project mirrored the most common problems existing in environmental governance and in the cadre management system in China that need to be tackled urgently. It can be concluded that the revival of the Green GDP accounting in China is possible only if fundamental structural reform in both aspects take place

Contributions of photosynthetic organs to the seed yield of hybrid rice: The effects of gibberellin application examined by carbon isotope technology

The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Contributions of photosynthetic organs to the seed yield of hybrid rice: The effects of gibberellin application examined by carbon isotope technology. Seed Science and Technology, 46(3), (2018): 533-546, doi:10.15258/sst.2018.46.3.10.Changes in the structure and quality of a hybrid combination population have been observed after the application of gibberellins. Such changes would affect the accumulation and distribution of photosynthetic products, which would subsequently affect the yield during hybrid rice seed production. In this study, photosynthetic physiological characteristics and the distribution of photosynthetic products were evaluated in a field experiment. The transport of panicle photosynthetic products to grain was demonstrated using a 14C isotope tracer technique.The contribution ratios of the panicle and leaf to yield in the hybrid rice seed production were 32.3 and 42.1%, respectively. Through isotope tracing technology, it was determined that about 90% of the photosynthetic products of the panicle and 50% of those of the leaf were delivered to the panicle. During the filling period, the contribution of panicle to yield was concentrated in the early period (0–10 days after pollination), and the contribution of leaf to yield was more significant in the late period (10 days after pollination to maturity). These results suggest that the panicle makes an important photosynthetic contribution (equivalent to that of the flag leaf) during the process of grain filling, especially at 0–5 days after the heading stage.We are thankful to anonymous reviewers and editors for their helpful comments and suggestions. This research was part of the project for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31271666), “12th 5-year plan” Agro-Scientific Research in the Public Interest (Grant No. 201303002) and the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (Grant No. CARS-01-26)

An Example of E-Commerce Platform in Anhui Tobacco Corporation

Anhui Tobacco Corporation (ATC) is a large state-owned group corporation. After a long period of planned economy system, ATC is not suit for marketing economy. With rigid management method, bad service and high trade cost, ATC is weak in competition. Shortly after 1-year’s construction, ATC built up an E-commerce platform which has the largest bargain and perfectly combines the traditional industry with modern information technology. The information system is based on a network connecting all the subordinate factories, branches and wholesale center. It is centered by e-business, including e-commerce platform, centralized fund management system, and ERP for manufacturing factories and MIS for sales firms will be applied later. Since the platform went into operation in Oct.,2001,an average of thousand boxes of cigarette has been dealt. Up to March,2002, the trading fund amounts to 400 million yuan. This figure is forecasted to be one billion in 2002. At the same time, income grows rapidly. The allot income increases 24% compared with the same period last year; wholesale increases 14%, profit increases 21%. Information system must service the strategy target, and be driven by management innovation. The success is due to idea renewing, leadership, organization and Training from beginning to end

Dynamic Fluid Flow In Heterogeneous Porous Media And Through A Single Fracture With Rough Surfaces

This study investigates the frequency-dependence of fluid flow in heterogeneous porous media using the theory of dynamic permeability and a finite-difference method. Given a permeability distribution, the dynamic permeability is applied locally to calculate the frequency-dependence of fluid flow at each local point. An iterative Alternating Direction Implicit finite-difference technique is applied to calculate the flow field in the frequency domain. We compare the flow through a 2-D heterogeneous porous medium and that through an equivalent homogeneous medium and find that the two media do not behave equivalently as a function of frequency. At very low-frequencies, the heterogeneous medium is less conductive than the homogeneous medium, However, in the transition region from quasi-static to dynamic regimes, the former medium becomes more conductive than the latter medium, with the ratio of the former flow over the latter flow reaching a maximum in this region. The larger the scale, or the higher the degree of the heterogeneity, the higher this maximum is. This finding is important for studying the interaction of a borehole stoneley wave with a heterogeneous porous formation. The finite-difference technique is also applied to simulate frequency-dependent flow through a single fracture with rough surfaces. It is shown that the flow exhibits strong frequency-dependence even for small fractures with contacting surfaces. The amount of flow through the fracture is reduced by the surface roughness .Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Borehole Acoustics and Logging ConsortiumUnited States. Dept. of Energy (Grant DE-FG02-86ERI3636

MFI2-AS1 enhances the survival of esophageal cancer cell via regulation of miR-331-3p/SOX4

Purpose: To investigate the specific role of melanotransferrin antisense RNA (MFI2-AS1) in esophageal cancer (EC) progression. Methods: The differential expression of MFI2-AS1 in EC tissues and cells was determined using quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Silencing MFI2-AS1 was performed by transfection with specific short hairpin RNAs targeting MFI2-AS1. The 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay (MTT) and flow cytometry (FC) were used to assess cell viability and apoptosis of EC cells, respectively. The sponging microRNA (miRNA) of MFI2-AS1 was validated using luciferase activity and RNA immunoprecipitation assays while the downstream target gene of the sponging miRNA was evaluated by luciferase activity assay. Results: MFI2-AS1 was significantly enhanced in EC tissues (p < 0.01) and indicated a poor prognosis in EC patients. Knockdown of MFI2-AS1 in EC cells decreased cell viability and promoted cell apoptosis of EC cells. Functionally, MFI2-AS1 targeted miR-331-3p, and sex-determining region on Ychromosome-related high-mobility-group box4 (SOX4) was identified as a target gene of miR-331-3p. Ectopic expression of SOX4  counteracted the suppressive effect of MFI2-AS1 knockdown on EC cell viability and stimulative effect on EC cell apoptosis. Conclusion: The pro-oncogenic effect of MFI2-AS1 on EC progression occurs via the regulation of the miR-331-3p/SOX4 axis, providing a new potential therapeutic target for EC

Formiranje produkata Maillardove reakcije u odležanom octu od sirka i zaštitni učinak melanoidina iz octa na jetru štakora oštećenu tetraklormetanom

Research background. The processing method generally affects the toxicity and biological activity of aged sorghum vinegar. This study investigates the changes in the intermediate Maillard reaction products of sorghum vinegar during ageing and the in vivo hepatoprotective effects of pure melanoidin obtained from it. Experimental approach. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence spectrophotometry were utilized to quantify intermediate Maillard reaction products. The CCl4-induced liver damage in rats was used to evaluate the protective role of pure melanoidin in rat liver. Results and conclusions. Compared with the initial concentration, the 18-month ageing process caused a 1.2- to 3.3-fold increase in the concentrations of intermediate Maillard reaction products, i.e. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), 5-methylfurfural (MF), methyglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The concentrations of HMF in the aged sorghum vinegar were 6.1-fold higher than the 450 μM limit standard for honey, implying the need for shortening the ageing of the vinegar in practice for safety concerns. Pure melanoidin (Mr>3.5 kDa) demonstrated significant protective effects against CCl4-induced rat liver damage, as evidenced by normalized serum biochemical parameters (transaminases and total bilirubin), suppressing hepatic lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species, as well as increasing glutathione amount and restoring antioxidant enzyme activities. Histopathological analysis revealed that melanoidin in vinegar reduced cell infiltration and vacuolar hepatocyte necrosis in rat liver. The findings demonstrated that a shortened ageing process should be considered in practice to ensure the safety of aged sorghum vinegar. Vinegar melanoidin is a potential alternative for the prevention of hepatic oxidative damage. Novelty and scientific contribution. This study demonstrates that the manufacturing process had a profound influence on the generation of vinegar intermediate Maillard reaction products. In particular, it revealed the in vivo hepatoprotective effect of pure melanoidin from aged sorghum vinegar, and provides insight into the in vivo biological activity of melanoidin.Pozadina istraživanja. Postupak pripreme često utječe na toksičnost i biološku aktivnost odležanog octa od sirka. U ovom su radu ispitane promjene u međuproduktima Maillardove reakcije u octu od sirka tijekom starenja, te in vivo hepatoprotektivni učinak čistog melanoidina izdvojenog iz dobivenog octa. Eksperimentalni pristup. Međuprodukti Maillardove reakcije određeni su visokodjelotvornom tekućinskom kromatografijom i fluorescencijskom spektrofotometrijom. Hepatoprotektivno djelovanje čistog melanoidina ispitano je na jetri šakora oštećenoj tetraklormetanom. Rezultati i zaključci. U usporedbi s početnom koncentracijom, koncentracija međuprodukata Maillardove reakcije u octu odležanom tijekom 18 mjeseci, i to 5-hidroksimetilfurfurala (HMF), 5-metilfurfurala (MF), metilglioksala (MGO), glioksala (GO) i konačnih produkata glikacije (engl. AGEs), porasla je za 1,2 do 3,3 puta. Koncentracija HMF-a u odležanom octu od sirka bila je 6,1 puta veća od dozvoljene granice od 450 μM u medu kao standardu, što znači da je u praksi potrebno skratiti vrijeme odležavanja octa radi postizanja sigurnosti njegove uporabe za potrošače. Čisti melanoidin (Mr>3,5 kDa) je učinkovito štitio jetru štakora od oštećenja izazvanih tetraklormetanom, što su potvrdili normalizirani biokemijski parametri seruma (aktivnost transaminaze i koncentracija ukupnih bilirubina), smanjena lipidna peroksidacija u jetri i manja količina reaktivnih spojeva kisika, te veća količina glutationa uz obnovljenu aktivnost enzima. Histopatološka analiza je pokazala da je melanoidin u octu smanjio staničnu infiltraciju i nekrozu hepatocita u jetri štakora. Rezultati pokazuju da bi u praksi trebalo razmotriti skraćeno vrijeme odležavanja octa od sirka, da bi on bio siguran za primjenu. Melanoidin iz octa može se koristiti umjesto lijekova za zaštitu jetre od oksidacijskog oštećenja. Novina i znanstveni doprinos. U radu je prikazano da postupak proizvodnje bitno utječe na stvaranje međuprodukata Maillardove reakcije u octu. Poglavito je prikazan in vivo hepatoprotektivni učinak čistog melanoidina iz odležanog octa od sirka, te je dan uvid u in vivo biološku aktivnost melanoidina

RCRN: Real-world Character Image Restoration Network via Skeleton Extraction

Constructing high-quality character image datasets is challenging because real-world images are often affected by image degradation. There are limitations when applying current image restoration methods to such real-world character images, since (i) the categories of noise in character images are different from those in general images; (ii) real-world character images usually contain more complex image degradation, e.g., mixed noise at different noise levels. To address these problems, we propose a real-world character restoration network (RCRN) to effectively restore degraded character images, where character skeleton information and scale-ensemble feature extraction are utilized to obtain better restoration performance. The proposed method consists of a skeleton extractor (SENet) and a character image restorer (CiRNet). SENet aims to preserve the structural consistency of the character and normalize complex noise. Then, CiRNet reconstructs clean images from degraded character images and their skeletons. Due to the lack of benchmarks for real-world character image restoration, we constructed a dataset containing 1,606 character images with real-world degradation to evaluate the validity of the proposed method. The experimental results demonstrate that RCRN outperforms state-of-the-art methods quantitatively and qualitatively.Comment: Accepted to ACM MM 202

Charge-separation driven mechanism via acylium ion intermediate migration during catalytic carbonylation in mordenite zeolite

By employing ab initio molecular dynamic simulations, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, and two-dimensional correlation analysis of rapid scan Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data, a new pathway is proposed for the formation of methyl acetate (MA) via the acylium ion (i.e.,CH(3) − C ≡ O(+)) in 12-membered ring (MR) channel of mordenite by an integrated reaction/diffusion kinetics model, and this route is kinetically and thermodynamically more favorable than the traditional viewpoint in 8MR channel. From perspective of the complete catalytic cycle, the separation of these two reaction zones, i.e., the C-C bond coupling in 8MR channel and MA formation in 12MR channel, effectively avoids aggregation of highly active acetyl species or ketene, thereby reducing undesired carbon deposit production. The synergistic effect of different channels appears to account for the high carbonylation activity in mordenite that has thus far not been fully explained, and this paradigm may rationalize the observed catalytic activity of other reactions