POLICY PROCESS AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN CHINESE LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Do Chinese citizens participate in their local policy process? Scholars from different standpoints see the answer differently. Conventional wisdoms believe that determined by the China’s single party authoritarian rule, there are limited channels for citizens to participate and the power of their participation is also restricted to merely their economic interests, which can never reach the ultimate outcome of Western-style political democratization. However, in this study, the author identifies two important variables – citizen participation and accountability structural change – that are crucial to the changes of Chinese local policy processes from agenda setting to policymaking and to implementation, which in turn alter the direction of Chinese political reform. The author examines the impact of these two variables on the policy change in Chinese local government from four aspects: formal and routine government policy processes, citizen-driven collective resistance to unpopular policies, government efforts to reform formal policy processes, and coproduction of local social welfare services between grassroots government and NGOs. The author concludes that regardless of some scholars’ pessimism toward Chinese political changes, there are clear signs of gradual movement from the traditional authoritarian accountability structure toward a more participatory policy process. Although no straightforward Western-style democratic political institutions are being established, Chinese local government is marching toward a direction of citizen-driven policy process and downward accountability structure

Microscopic remaining oil distribution and quantitative analysis of polymer flooding based on CT scanning

  To investigate the distribution characteristics of remaining oil after polymer flooding, the core samples of different stages of water flooding and polymer flooding were scanned and imaged based on CT scanning technology. The oil, water and rock were divided into three phases by image analysis method, and the corresponding digital cores were constructed. Through the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the two-dimensional image and three-dimensional structure at the same position, the quantitative characterization of the micro-residual oil distribution in different displacement stages is finally realized. The results show that, the polymer flooding can significantly improve the sweep efficiency, which can increase the oil recovery by 11.45% compared with water flooding. The remaining oil in the pore is mainly network and multiple, and mainly network distribution at the stage of water flooding. After adding polymer, the proportion of multiple remaining oil increases significantly and becomes the main occurrence state of remaining oil. Affected by Jamin effect, multiple residual oil in the pore is difficult to be recovered because it cannot pass through the throat. The radius of this part of remaining oil is usually 1.34-1.5 times that of the throat radius.Cited as: Wang, X., Yin, H., Zhao, X., Li, B., Yang, Y. Microscopic remaining oil distribution and quantitative analysis of polymer flooding based on CT scanning. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2019, 3(4): 448-456, doi:10.26804/ager.2019.04.1

Immersed Interface Method for elliptic equations based on a piecewise second order polynomial

AbstractIn this paper, we develop finite difference methods for elliptic equations in a domain Ω∈Rd, d=1,2. Within the region Ω, we suppose there is an irregular surface Γ of codimension 1 (hereafter called an interface) across which the function u or some of its derivatives are known to be discontinuous. We use uniform grid and a piecewise second order polynomial to approximate u, then we get a second order method for these problems. At last, we give several examples to show the correctness and efficiency of the scheme

REV IDENTIFICATION OF TIGHT SANDSTONE IN SULIGE GAS FIELD IN CHANGQING OILFIELD CHINA USING CT BASED DIGITAL CORE TECHNOLOGY

ABSTRACT The representative elementary volume (REV) of porous media is one essential and necessary parameter when inferring Darcy-scale flow properties from pore-scale studies. Suitable and accurate size of REV has a great influence on the geometric-topology calculation and flow simulation. Generally different types of rock can have different REVs

Association of Antioxidative Enzymes Polymorphisms with Efficacy of Platin and Fluorouracil-Based Adjuvant Therapy in Gastric Cancer

Background/Aims: Imbalance of oxidative/antioxidative enzymes in cells is associated with carcinogenesis and cancer cell chemoresistance. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical significance of potentially functional single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs) in antioxidative enzymes, GPxs and CAT, in stages II and III gastric cancer patients. Methods: A total of 591 gastric cancer patients who had radical gastrectomy were recruited. 207 patients received platinum and fluorouracil-based (PF-based) adjuvant chemotherapy and 384 patients were untreated. GPx1 rs1050450, GPx2 rs4902346, GPx3 rs736775, rs3828599 and CAT rs769218 were genotyped in the DNA samples extracted from paraffin-embedded tumor tissue. Results: CAT rs769218 was significantly correlated with the overall survival (OS) in the dominant model (P = 0.014). Multivariate analysis revealed that CAT rs769218 GA/AA (HR, 0.715; 95%CI, 0.562-0.910, P = 0.006) was an independent prognostic marker indicating improved survival. After adjustments, GPx3 rs736775 TC/CC was significantly associated with improved OS (HR, 0.621; 95%CI, 0.399-0.965; P=0.034) in patients treated with PF-based adjuvant chemotherapy, and CAT rs769218 GA/AA was significantly associated with improved OS (HR, 0.646; 95% CI, 0.482-0.864; P = 0.003) in the untreated patients. PF-based chemotherapy significantly decreased risk of death for patients carrying GPx3 rs736775 TC/CC and age ≤ 60 years or with diffused type adenocarcinoma compared to surgery alone. Conclusion: our findings suggested CAT rs769218 and GPx3 rs736775 may be considered as prognostic markers in gastric cancer. Patient stratification by GPx3 rs736775 and conventional pathological parameters may provide additional predictive information in treatment decision-making

Truncating Mutation in the Autophagy Gene \u3cem\u3eUVRAG\u3c/em\u3e Confers Oncogenic Properties and Chemosensitivity in Colorectal Cancers

Autophagy-related factors are implicated in metabolic adaptation and cancer metastasis. However, the role of autophagy factors in cancer progression and their effect in treatment response remain largely elusive. Recent studies have shown that UVRAG, a key autophagic tumour suppressor, is mutated in common human cancers. Here we demonstrate that the cancer-related UVRAG frameshift (FS), which does not result in a null mutation, is expressed as a truncated UVRAGFS in colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite instability (MSI), and promotes tumorigenesis. UVRAGFS abrogates the normal functions of UVRAG, including autophagy, in a dominant-negative manner. Furthermore, expression of UVRAGFS can trigger CRC metastatic spread through Rac1 activation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, independently of autophagy. Interestingly, UVRAGFS expression renders cells more sensitive to standard chemotherapy regimen due to a DNA repair defect. These results identify UVRAG as a new MSI target gene and provide a mechanism for UVRAG participation in CRC pathogenesis and treatment response

Volcanic Age and Geochemistry of the Permian Linxi Formation in Northeast China: Implications for the Tectonic Evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean

The tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) has been well studied, including its gradual narrowing and closure by subduction. However, aspects of the tectonic evolution of the oceanic domain remain unclear, including the exact timing and nature of the closure. The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) was formed by the closure of the PAO and, therefore, contains information about the tectonic evolution of the oceanic domain. Here, we report a study of the petrology, geochronology, and geochemistry of the Taohaiyingzi section of the Permian Linxi Formation in Alukhorqin Banner (Northeast China) in the central part of the CAOB. A newly discovered andesitic tuff from the lower part of the Linxi Formation yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 262.2 ± 1.1 Ma (n = 87), indicating that the lower part of the Linxi Formation of the Taohaiyingzi section was deposited during the late Guadalupian. Provenance weathering indicators show that the sedimentary rocks of the Linxi Formation are of low maturity. Element geochemical characteristics indicate that the Linxi Formation clastic rocks were derived from eroded magmatic rocks that formed in a continental arc setting and were deposited close to the arc in a continental arc basin environment. The active margin setting was generated by the subduction of the paleo-Asian oceanic plate beneath the Xilinhot–Songliao block. The inferred palaeosalinity of the sedimentary environment changed gradually from brackish to fresh water, suggesting the end of oceanic plate subduction during the late Guadalupian, and the closure of the PAO during or after the Lopingian