Association of Traffic-Related Air Pollution with Children’s Neurobehavioral Functions in Quanzhou, China

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Variations of Particle Size Distribution, Black Carbon, and Brown Carbon during a Severe Winter Pollution Event over Xi'an, China

Real-time particulate matter (PM) size distributions, 4-hour time resolution, PM2.5, carbonaceous materials, and their optical properties were measured during a severe pollution event in Xi'an, China High PM2.5 /PM10 ratios were observed on both pollution (0.83) and non-pollution (0.73) days, emphasizing the abundance of fine particles during sampling days. The particle number (PN) first peaked with a wide size range (30-100 nm) before morning rush hours (approximately 01:00-05:00) on pollution and non-pollution days, demonstrating that PN was governed by the accumulation of freshly emitted diesel particles and characterized by distinct aerosol condensation growth. By contrast, the second peak time and size range differed between pollution and non-pollution days because of different formation mechanisms The light-absorbing coefficients of both black carbon (BC, b(abs-880nm,BC)) and brown carbon (BrC, b(abs-370nm, BrC)) were high on pollution days and decreased to approximately half of those values on non-pollution days, indicating that the degree of light absorption is reduced by rain. The diurnal variation in b(abs-880nm, BC) pollution peaked with traffic on January 1 and 2. By contrast, it remained in relatively stable and high ranges (120-160 Mm(-1)) in the second period (January 3-5) without traffic peaks, illustrating that the dominant sources changed even during the same pollution period. High values of both b(abs-370nm, BrC) and b(abs-880nm,) (BC )coincided in the afternoon and evening due to emissions from primary sources, and abundant aqueous secondary organic carbon, respectively. A highly variable mass absorption coefficient of BrC also indicated the variety of fuel combustion sources of primary BrC in Xi'an

Schistosomiasis Research in the Dongting Lake Region and Its Impact on Local and National Treatment and Control in China

Schistosomiasis is a chronic and debilitating parasitic disease that has often been neglected because it is a disease of poverty, affecting poor rural communities in the developing world. This is not the case in the People's Republic of China (PRC), where the disease, caused by Schistosoma japonicum, has long captured the attention of the Chinese authorities who have, over the past 50–60 years, undertaken remarkably successful control programs that have substantially reduced the schistosomiasis disease burden. The Dongting Lake region in Hunan province is one of the major schistosome-endemic areas in the PRC due to its vast marshland habitats for the Oncomelania snail intermediate hosts of S. japonicum. Along with social, demographic, and other environmental factors, the recent completion and closure of the Three Gorges dam will most likely increase the range of these snail habitats, with the potential for re-emergence of schistosomiasis and increased transmission in Hunan and other schistosome-endemic provinces being a particular concern. In this paper, we review the history and the current status of schistosomiasis control in the Dongting Lake region. We explore the epidemiological factors contributing to S. japonicum transmission there, and summarise some of the key research findings from studies undertaken on schistosomiasis in Hunan province over the past 10 years. The impact of this research on current and future approaches for sustainable integrated control of schistosomiasis in this and other endemic areas in the PRC is emphasised

The phylogenetically-related pattern recognition receptors EFR and XA21 recruit similar immune signaling components in monocots and dicots

During plant immunity, surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The transfer of PRRs between plant species is a promising strategy for engineering broad-spectrum disease resistance. Thus, there is a great interest in understanding the mechanisms of PRR-mediated resistance across different plant species. Two well-characterized plant PRRs are the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) EFR and XA21 from Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) and rice, respectively. Interestingly, despite being evolutionary distant, EFR and XA21 are phylogenetically closely related and are both members of the sub-family XII of LRR-RKs that contains numerous potential PRRs. Here, we compared the ability of these related PRRs to engage immune signaling across the monocots-dicots taxonomic divide. Using chimera between Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21, we show that the kinase domain of the rice XA21 is functional in triggering elf18-induced signaling and quantitative immunity to the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the EFR:XA21 chimera associates dynamically in a ligand-dependent manner with known components of the EFR complex. Conversely, EFR associates with Arabidopsis orthologues of rice XA21-interacting proteins, which appear to be involved in EFR-mediated signaling and immunity in Arabidopsis. Our work indicates the overall functional conservation of immune components acting downstream of distinct LRR-RK-type PRRs between monocots and dicots

Microwave-assisted synthesis of water-dispersed CdTe/CdSe core/shell type II quantum dots

A facile synthesis of mercaptanacid-capped CdTe/CdSe (core/shell) type II quantum dots in aqueous solution by means of a microwave-assisted approach is reported. The results of X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the as-prepared CdTe/CdSe quantum dots had a core/shell structure with high crystallinity. The core/shell quantum dots exhibit tunable fluorescence emissions by controlling the thickness of the CdSe shell. The photoluminescent properties were dramatically improved through UV-illuminated treatment, and the time-resolved fluorescence spectra showed that there is a gradual increase of decay lifetime with the thickness of CdSe shell

Value Creation from Big Data: Looking Inside the Black Box

The advent of big data is fundamentally changing the business landscape. We open the ‘black box’ of the firm to explore how firms transform big data in order to create value and why firms differ in their abilities to create value from big data. Grounded in detailed evidence from China, the world’s largest digital market, where many firms actively engage in value creation activities from big data, we identify several novel features. We find that it is not the data itself, or individual data scientists, that generate value creation opportunities. Rather, value creation occurs through the process of data management, where managers are able to democratize, contextualize, experiment and execute data insights in a timely manner. We add richness to current theory by developing a conceptual framework of value creation from big data. We also identify avenues for future research and implications for practicing managers

Aggregated impact of allowance allocation and power dispatching on emission reduction

Climate change has become one of the most important issues for the sustainable development of social well-being. China has made great efforts in reducing CO2 emissions and promoting clean energy. Pilot Emission Trading Systems (ETSs) have been launched in two provinces and five cities in China, and a national level ETS will be implemented in the third quarter of 2017, with preparations for China’s national ETS now well under way. In the meantime, a new round of China’s electric power system reform has entered the implementation stage. Policy variables from both electricity and emission markets will impose potential risks on the operation of generation companies (GenCos). Under this situation, by selecting key variables in each domain, this paper analyzes the combined effects of different allowance allocation methods and power dispatching models on power system emission. Key parameters are set based on a provincial power system in China, and the case studies are conducted based on dynamic simulation platform for macro-energy systems (DSMES) software developed by the authors. The selected power dispatching models include planned dispatch, energy saving power generation dispatch and economic dispatch. The selected initial allowance allocation methods in the emission market include the grandfathering method based on historical emissions and the benchmarking method based on actual output. Based on the simulation results and discussions, several policy implications are highlighted to help to design an effective emission market in China