Damage In China Research Articles

A machine learning algorithm to detect pine wilt disease using UAV-based hyperspectral imagery and LiDAR data at the tree level

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a global destructive threat to forests, having caused extreme damage in China. Therefore, the establishment of an effective method to accurately monitor and map the infection stage by PWD is imperative. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based hyperspectral imaging (HI) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technique is an effective approach for forest health monitoring. However, few previous studies have used airborne HI and LiDAR to detect PWD and compared the capability for predicting PWD infection stage at the tree level. In this paper, PWD infection was divided into five stages (green, early, middle, heavy, and grey), and HI and LiDAR data were integrated to detect PWD. We estimated the power of the hyperspectral method (HI data only), LiDAR (LiDAR data only), and their combination (HI plus LiDAR data) to predict the infection stages of PWD using the random forest (RF) algorithm. We obtained the following results: (1) The classification accuracies of HI (OA: 66.86%, Kappa: 0.57) were higher than those of LiDAR (OA: 45.56%, Kappa: 0.27) for predicting PWD infection stages, and their combination had the best accuracies (OA: 73.96%, Kappa: 0.66); (2) LiDAR data had higher ability for dead tree identification than HI data; and (3) The combined use of HI and LiDAR data for estimation of PWD infection stages showed that LiDAR metrics (e.g., crown volume) were essential in the classification model, although the variables derived from HI data contributed more than those extracted from LiDAR. Therefore, we proposed a new approach combining the merits of HI and LiDAR data to precisely predict PWD infection stages at the tree level, allowing better PWD monitoring and control. The approach could also be employed for mapping and monitoring other forest disturbance issues.

Gegen Qinlian Decoction Ameliorates Hyperuricemia-Induced Renal Tubular Injury via Blocking the Inflammatory Signaling Pathway.

Background: Gegen Qinlian decoction (GGQLD) is a typical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription documented in Shang Han Lun. Clinically, GGQLD has been utilized to manage the inflammatory symptoms of metabolic diseases and to protect against renal damage in China. In the present study, a hypothesis was proposed that the multi-target solution of GGQLD produced anti-inflammatory effects on ameliorating hyperuricemia (HUA). Methods: A total of 30 primary HUA patients receiving GGQLD treatment (two doses daily) for 4 weeks were selected. Then, differences in uric acid (UA) levels and expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and urinary exosomes before and after treatment were analyzed. The therapeutic indexes for the active ingredients in GGQLD against HUA were confirmed through pharmacological subnetwork analysis. Besides, the HUA rat model was established through oral gavage of potassium oxonate and treated with oral GGQLD. In addition, proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) were stimulated by UA and intervened with GGQLD for 48 h. Subsequently, RNA-seq, flow cytometry, and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy were further conducted to characterize the differences in UA-mediated inflammation and apoptosis of human renal tubular epithelial cells pre- and post-administration of GGQLD. In the meanwhile, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was carried out to determine gene expression, whereas a western blotting (WB) assay was conducted to measure protein expression. Results: Our network analysis revealed that GGQLD treated HUA via the anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic pathways. Additionally, NLPR3 expression significantly decreased in PBMCs and urinary exosomes of HUA patients after GGQLD treatment. In vivo, GGQLD treatment alleviated HUA-induced renal inflammation, which was associated with decreased expression of NLRP3 inflammasomes and apoptosis-related mRNAs. Moreover, GGQLD promoted renal UA excretion by inhibiting the activation of GSDMD-dependent pyroptosis induced by NLRP3 inflammasomes and by reducing apoptosis via the mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathway in vitro. Conclusion: This study indicates that GGQLD efficiently reduces inflammatory responses while promoting UA excretion in HUA. Our findings also provide compelling evidence supporting the idea that GGQLD protects against the UA-mediated renal tubular epithelial cell inflammation through the mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathways. Taken together, these findings have demonstrated a novel therapeutic method for the treatment of HUA.

Status, causes and consequences of physicians\u2019 self-perceived professional reputation damage in China: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundConflict between physicians and patients is an increasingly serious problem, leading to the disrepute attached to Chinese physicians’ social image and position. This study assesses the status of physicians’ self-perceived professional reputation damage and explains it’s the adverse outcomes including withdrawal behavior and workplace well-being. Moreover, potential causes of Chinese physicians’ disrepute have been outlined.MethodsPrimary data were collected through a cross-sectional online survey of physicians from 10 provinces in China, who were invited to complete an anonymous survey from December 2018 to January 2019. A total of 842 physicians (effective response rate: 92.22%) were recruited as participants.ResultsAbout 83% of the participants self-perceived professional reputation damage from the sense of the public opinion concept. Approach half of participants exhibited the idea of turnover intention (47.3%) and one or more symptoms of burnout (46.4%). About 74.9% of the participants experienced a degree of stress. Additionally, three out of five participants reported low-level subjective well-being. More than 70% of the participants disapproved of their offspring becoming a physician. Four factors leading to physicians’ damaged professional reputations are those addressed: conflict transfer, cognitive bias, improper management, and individual deviance. Stigmatised physicians are more likely to practice high-frequent defensive medicine (β = 0.172, P <0.001), intend to leave the profession (β = 0.240, P <0.001), disapprove of their children becoming physicians (β = 0.332, P<0.001) and yield worse levels of workplace well-being, including high levels of perceived stress (β = 0.214, P <0.001), increasing burnout (β = 0.209, P <0.001), and declining sense of well-being (β = − 0.311, P<0.001).ConclusionChinese physicians were aware of damaged professional reputations from the sense of the public opinion concept, which contributes to increasing withdrawal behaviors and decreasing workplace well-being—a worsening trend threatening the entire health system. This novel evidence argues a proposal that Chinese health policy-makers and hospital administrators should promote the destigmatization of physicians immediately.

Investigation of Formation and Shedding Behavior of Slag Crust in a Large Blast Furnace with Copper Stave: Flow Properties and Crystallization Characteristics

The damage of the copper stave will affect the sustainable production of the blast furnace and is not conducive to improving the economic efficiency of the blast furnace. The formation of a stable slag crust is crucial for the longevity of the copper stave. In this study, the flow properties and crystallization characteristics of the slag crust in a blast furnace with the copper stave running for 10 years without damage in China were analyzed. The phase precipitation during the cooling process was calculated by FactSage software. The phase composition and micromorphology of the slag crust were studied in detail by XRD and SEM–EDS. The results show that the slag phase in the slag crust is a CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO-FeO slag system with high alumina content (33.62 ~ 35.72%) and low magnesium oxide content (2.68 ~ 3.84%). The melting characteristic temperature of the slag crust in the belly and the bosh is between 1127–1303 °C and 1287–1500 °C, respectively, and the characteristic temperature of the cold side of the slag crust is higher than that of the hot side, which was mainly resulted from the tendency of gehlenite and magnesia-aluminum spinel in the slag phase to precipitate during the cooling process. With the increase of the basicity of the slag phase, the precipitation temperature and amount of gehlenite increase, resulting in the characteristic temperature of the slag crust in the bosh significantly higher than that in the belly. The increase of FeO content reduces the initial precipitation temperature of crystals, and the increase of cooling strength is beneficial to the slagging on the copper stave, which provides a theoretical basis for the stable operation of the slag crust on copper stave blast furnace.

Are Energy Consumption, Population Density and Exports Causing Environmental Damage in China? Autoregressive Distributed Lag and Vector Error Correction Model Approaches

This paper investigates whether energy consumption, population density, and exports are the main factors causing environmental damage in China. Using annual data from 1971–2018, unit root tests are applied for the stationarity analyses, and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds tests are used for the long-run relationships between the variables. A Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) Granger approach is employed to examine the causal relationships amongst the variables. Our findings show that the selected variables are cointegrated, and that energy consumption and economic growth are identified as the main reasons for CO2 emissions in both the short-run and long-run. In contrast, exports reduce CO2 emissions in the long-run. Short-run unidirectional Granger causality is found from economic growth to energy consumption, CO2 emissions and exports, and from CO2 emissions to energy consumption and exports. Moreover, long-run causal links exist between CO2 emissions and exports. Five policy recommendations are made following the obtained results.

China's Economy Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Current Situation, Countermeasures, and Implications for Financial Institutions

Prior to 2020, global economic forecasts were on a downward trend. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a further disruption in economic activity across the world, temporarily ceasing operations in numerous sectors. China, the first country with known cases of COVID-19, has suffered from slower economic growth. Relative to other nations, however, economic damage in China has been mitigated: despite predominantly negative global economic forecasts, the International Monetary Fund projects China to be one of the only major economies to record positive GDP growth in 2020 and 2021. Much of this can be attributed to China’s “Dual Circulation” countermeasures. We examine three lenses through which these measures can be comprehended, as well as key factors for “Dual Circulation” to be sustained. Ultimately, we find that in order for China’s economic recovery to continue over an extended timeframe, an emphasis must be placed on the health of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Capital investment must also remain a continuous driver to sustain domestic circulation.

草原生态环境损害因果关系判定路径

近年来，随着生态环境损害鉴定评估技术指南等相关文件的陆续出台，我国的生态环境损害鉴定评估工作已逐渐向专业化、程序化、标准化的方向发展，相关作用机理、技术方法方面的研究也逐渐深入。草原是我国占地面积最大的生态系统，是生态文明建设的核心区域。然而近些年来，草原生态环境损害事件屡有发生，迫切需要依据草原生态环境损害机制与特点制定具有针对性的鉴定评估技术与方法，保障草原生态环境损害鉴定评估工作的顺利开展。以草原生态环境损害为研究对象，对其鉴定评估的重要环节——因果关系的判定进行了探讨，提出了判定的一般过程与基本思路，即损害发生的可能性分析、损害行为识别、损害路径推演、其他损害行为存在的可能性分析与不确定性阐述五个过程，同时提出了因果关系判定准则与理论依据，以期为草原生态环境损害鉴定评估工作及相关政策的制定者提供科学依据。;With the rapid growth in population and economic and social development, China's ecological and environmental damage incidents occur frequently, resulting in varying degrees of impact and damage to the structure and function of different ecosystems, which seriously threatens the safety of human life and property, natural resources and the health of ecosystem. Along with the successive releases of related technical guides and documents in recent years, identification and assessment of eco-environmental damage in China have been gradually developing towards professionalism, proceduralization and standardization, and the research on the related mechanisms and technical methods has been developing more and more sophisticated. Identification and assessment of eco-environmental damage refers to the process in which identification agencies conduct a scientific and reasonable analysis of the causal relationship between behavior of environmental damage and environmental damage, assess the scope and extent of environmental damage, and quantify the amount of ecological environmental damage. Systematic research on the theory and technical methods of identification and assessment of eco-environmental damage has important theoretical and practical significance for ensuring our country's ecological security and realizing regional sustainable development, and it is also an important aspect of promoting construction of China's ecological civilization. Grassland is the largest ecosystem in our country and the core area for construction of ecological civilization. However, grassland eco-environmental damage occurs frequently in recent years, it is necessary to formulate identification and assessment techniques and methods based on mechanisms and characteristics of the grassland eco-environmental damage. The judgement of causality is an important part of the identification and assessment of eco-environmental damage of grassland, and it is directly related to the accountability of eco-environmental damage of grassland. However, there are not many studies on the causality judgement of eco-environmental damage of grassland, and relevant systems need to be established as soon as possible to promote the further development of identification and assessment of eco-environmental damage of grassland. This article targets grassland eco-environmental damage and discusses one of its important processes of identification and assessment——causality judgement. The article puts forward the general process and basic logic of the causality judgement, which includes analysis of possibility of damage occurrence, identification of damage behavior, deduction of damage path, analysis of possibility of existence of other damage behavior and explanation of uncertainty, as well as judgement rules and theoretical basis. We hope to provide scientific basis for related work and policy makers of identification and assessment of the grassland eco-environmental damage.

First report of phytoplasma belongs to 16SrXXXII group associated with witches'-broom symptoms in Trema tomentosa in China.

Trema tomentosa (Roxb.) Hara belonging to Ulmaceae displayed abnormal symptoms including witches'-broom, internode shortening, leaf chlorosis and leaflet that affected seriously their growth causing financial loss and ecological damage in China. During August through September 2020, these plants with the symptoms were first found and collected in Dingan and Qinghai counties of Hainan province, China. PCR were performed using the primers R16mF2/R16mR1 and secAfor1/secArev3 specific for phytoplasma 16S rRNA and secA gene fragments. The two gene fragments of the DNA extracted from the four disease samples were identical, with length of 1303 bp 16S rRNA and 587 bp secA gene fragments. The phytoplasma strain was named as Trema tomentosa witches'-broom (TtWB) phytoplasma, TtWB-hn strain. Phylogenetic and computer-simulated RFLP analyses based on the nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the TtWB phytoplasma strain is more closely related to the 16SrXXXII-A subgroup than to the other subgroups within 16SrXXXII group. It may represent a new subgroup, designed as 16SrXXXII-D subgroup, which is distinct from the other phytoplasma subgroups within the 16SrXXXII group. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the occurrence of the phytoplasma strain belongs to 16SrXXXII-D subgroup associated with witches'-broom disease in Trema tomentosa in China. Genetic analysis indicated that the TtWB strain was closely related to the phytoplasma strains infecting periwinkle, oil palm, coconut palm in Malyasian, Camptotheca acuminate in Yunnan province of China and Elaeocarpus zollingeri in Japan.

Review the Progress of the Compensation System for Ecological and Environmental Damage in China

The establishment of the Compensation System for Ecological and Environmental Damage is the key implementation content of the "Ecological Civilization" strategies in China. The purpose of the Ecological and Environmental Damage Compensation System is to break the dilemma of "environmental priceless, no claim for compensation", "corporate pollution, government paying". It is a feasible method to comprehensively remedy China's damaged environment by imposing negotiation and litigation against liable parties that engaged in environmental pollution and ecological destruction. The reform began in 2015. In recent years, the reform has been trailed in the mainland of China. Some provinces have promulgated their local version of an implementation plan and formed regulations about it. Many cases have been done in practice. This paper purports to introduce the practice of the Ecological and Environmental Damage Compensation System in China, analyze the problems disclosing from the trailed implementation, such as insufficient judicial support for claimants, absence of procedural legislation and unclear relationship with other public interest litigation. Meanwhile, the paper also proposes three suggestions to improve the Ecological and Environmental Damage Compensation System: restoration priority principle in negotiation; limited applicable scope; procuratorates’ performing legal supervision duties.

Construction and comparative analysis of mitochondrial genome in the brown tide forming alga Aureococcus anophagefferens (Pelagophyceae, Ochrophyta)

Aureococcus anophagefferens Hargraves & Sieburth (Pelagophyceae, Ochrophyta) is a marine harmful microalga responsible for brown tides causing significant economic and ecological damage in China, USA, and South Africa. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome of A. anophagefferens strain CCMP 1984 has been constructed and characterized as a 42,401 bp circular-mapping molecule with the A + T content of 65.3%. The mitogenome encompassed 37 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 23 tRNAs, three rRNAs, and six genomic-specific orfs. A group I intron was present in the cox1 gene and encoded an LAGLIDADG homing endonuclease (LHE) in A. anophagefferens. One of the most interesting findings was the presence of three accessory PCGs (dam1, dam2, and dcm) encoding two DNA adenine methyltransferases and a DNA cytosine methyltransferase in the A. anophagefferens mitogenome, which had the nature of microbial origin, indicating that the DNA fragment of virus and bacteria might be obtained via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). This is the first published Pelagophyceae mitogenome, which improves our understanding of its evolutionary history and provides essential genomic information for tracking its ecological dynamics in field investigation on brown tides.

Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Service: A Paradigm Shift from Disaster Data Towards Knowledge Services

Earthquakes have caused tremendous damage in China and around the world; the Wenchuan earthquake that occurred in China 10 years ago is among the deadliest earthquakes in history. The importance of earthquake monitoring and seismic data analysis is now recognized in China. However, the effective dissemination of earthquake-related disaster risk reduction (DRR) knowledge to decision-makers and the public has not been adequately addressed. Under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Knowledge Centre for Engineering Science and Technology (managed by the Chinese Academy of Engineering) launched the Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Service in 2016. This service, based on the development of disaster metadata standards, was constructed to share disaster information and provide thematic knowledge services; it facilitates the integration and sharing of disaster data, disaster maps, expert opinions, institutional knowledge, research literature, and videos. A series of earthquake DRR knowledge services applications have been implemented using this knowledge service platform, including (1) a global earthquake daily distribution map service, (2) a spatiotemporal map of historical earthquakes in the One Belt One Road region, (3) a Wenchuan earthquake disaster relief knowledge service, and (4) a thematic knowledge service for disaster relief work and contingency planning during the Jiuzhaigou earthquake. In the long term, this system will support the conversion of disaster data into DRR knowledge and provide services for international organizations, government institutions, research and educational institutions, enterprises, and the general public.

Flood risk and its reduction in China

Despite massive flood protection efforts in China, undertaken since the ancient times, disastrous floods continue to plague the country. In this paper, we discuss changes in flood hazard and flood risk in China. First, we review published results (including our own works) on change detection in observed records of intense precipitation, high river flow and flood damage in China. We provide information on essential features of extreme floods in last decades – floods on large rivers, urban floods, and flash floods. Next, we review available projections for the future (including our own results), related to intense precipitation, high river flow and flood damage in China. We try to interpret the difference in flood hazard projections obtained in various publications. Since the spread of river flood hazard projections is large, projections have to be interpreted with caution, because of the impact on decisions related to climate change adaptation, flood risk reduction, and water resources management. We review flood risk reduction strategies in China, focusing on the present situation and division of responsibilities. China has embarked upon an ambitious and vigorous task to improve flood preparedness, by both structural (“hard”) defences, such as: dikes, dams and flood control reservoirs, and diversions, as well as non-structural (“soft”) measures: spatial planning and zoning; watershed management (source control), flood forecasting and warning systems; and awareness raising. The strategy of flood mitigation includes flood retention and urban water management to alleviate the burden of flash and urban flooding.

First Report of Diaporthe passiflorae and Diaporthe nobilis Causing a Postharvest Kiwifruit Rot in Sichuan Province, China

In recent years, postharvest rot diseases of kiwifruit (Actinidia sp.) have caused severe damage in China (Li et al. 2017). Infected fruit were obtained from a commercial farm (30°98′N) after 4 months cold storage. Nineteen fruits (21.1%) out of one package showed rot symptoms with dark-brown, sour-smelling lesions. The lesions began as small pale yellow or light brown spots and then enlarged rapidly and formed dark or dark brown lesions. The margins between symptomatic and healthy tissues (4 × 4 mm) were cut from five rotted fruits, surface disinfested in 1% NaClO and 70% ethanol solution, washed, dried, plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing 50 mg/liter of streptomycin sulfate, and incubated at 25°C for 3 days. Hyphal tips were transferred to PDA to obtain pure cultures. After 7 days, a total of 20 fungal isolates were obtained, including 16 previously reported Botrytis spp. (Xue et al. 2017), Penicillium spp. (Prodromou et al. 2018), and Alternaria spp. (Li et al. 2017), and four unknown isolates (DJY16A1-4, DJY16A1-5, DJY16A5-1, and DJY16A5-2). Strains DJY16A1-4 and DJY16A1-5 were incubated at 25°C for 7 days on PDA, wherein abundant white, fluffy aerial mycelium were grown on the dish. After 25 days, colonies produced black, spherical, or bluntly conical pycnidia. The conidia were hyaline, unicellular, ellipsoidal or fusiform in shape, and 6.52 × 3.43 µm in size. Similarly, incubated DJY16A5-1 and DJY16A5-2 formed white to light brown aerial mycelial mats with gray concentric rings. Pycnidia formed after 26 days, and α-conidia of the isolates were similar to those of the DJY16A1-4 and DJY16A1-5. β-Conidia were filiform or hamate, 23.9 × 1.2 µm in size. To identify these four isolates to species, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin (BT), and translation elongation factor-1 alpha regions (TEF-1α) were amplified using specific primer pairs (You et al. 2015) and sequenced. By BLASTn analysis, DJY16A1-4 and DJY16A1-5 were 98% homologous to Diaporthe passiflorae CBS 132527 (NR_120155.1) based on ITS sequences (MH595928 or MH595929), 99 or 98% to D. passiflorae CBS 132527 (KY435674.1) based on BT sequences (MH621348 or MH621349), and 91% to D. passiflorae CBS 132527 (KY435633.1) based on the TEF-1α sequences (MH621352 or MH621353). DJY16A5-1 and DJY16A5-2 were 99% homologous to D. nobilis strain JL1 (KT163359.1) based on ITS sequences (MH595930 or MH595931), 97% to D. nobilis strain JL1(KX016113.1) based on BT sequences (MH621350 or MH621351), and 99% to D. nobilis strain 3JW-01S3 (KJ623308.1) based on TEF-1α sequences (MH621354 and MH621355). A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the method of maximum parsimony (MEGA7) with a combined dataset of ITS, BT, and TEF-1α sequences. Molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed that DJY16A1-4 and DJY16A1-5 were D. passiflorae, and DJY16A5-1 and DJY16A5-2 were D. nobilis. The pathogenicity of the isolates was tested on the fruits of cultivars Xuxiang (A. deliciosa) and Zespri SunGold kiwifruit (A. chinensis). Ripe, healthy fruit were surface disinfected with 1% NaClO solution, rinsed in sterile distilled water, and dried. The middle of the fruit was stabbed with a sterile needle. Five wounded or unwounded fruits were inoculated with a 5-mm-diameter PDA plug with actively growing mycelium for individual isolates. Five wounded and five unwounded fruits were treated with sterile PDA plugs to serve as controls. Inoculated fruit were kept in sterilized transparent plastic boxes for 7 days at 25°C with 12-h light and 12-h dark. The wound-inoculated fruits produced the same symptoms as the rotted fruits collected initially from cold storage. Fruit rot was not observed on control fruit. The test was performed twice, and the fungi were reisolated and identified as either D. passiflorae or D. nobilis morphologically. D. lithocarpus was recently reported to cause kiwifruit rot (Li et al. 2016). But, to our knowledge, this is the first report of D. passiflorae and D. nobilis causing the postharvest rot in China.

Environmental impacts of domestic resource extraction in China

ABSTRACT Introduction: The rapid development of economy has led to extensive raw material consumption and relevant environmental damage in China. To analyze environmental impacts and identify materials resulting in these environmental effects via raw material extraction, we combine economy-wide material flow accounting and life-cycle analysis methods to estimate environmental impacts of Chinese domestic extraction (DE) during the period of 1992–2015. The relationship between these increasing environmental impacts and Chinese GDP was also explored by decoupling analysis. Outcomes: Results show that Chinese DE increased by 372% during 1992–2015. The global warming potential, abiotic depletion potential, and respiratory inorganics of Chinese DE increased by 195%, 46%, and 408%, respectively. In terms of specific materials, extraction of iron ores, gravel and sand, and coal induced the most environmental impacts. The relationship between environmental impacts and Chinese GDP/DE was characterized by relative decoupling. Conclusion: To minimize the environmental impacts of extraction, we recommend that the Chinese government improve its extraction techniques and reduce excess demand for materials with large extraction such as iron ores, gravel and sand, and coal. We also recommend researching alternative materials for scarce resources like molybdenum, gold, and fluorite.

Confrontation and integration: The present and future of forensic examinations on medical damage in China

In China, two administrative regulations and judicial interpretations related to forensic examinations of medical damage were issued from March 2017 to June 2018. In chronological order, they were interpretation of the supreme people's court on several questions concerning the application of law in the trial of disputes over liability for medical damage and regulations on the prevention and handling of medical disputes. Those two laws, especially the regulation, have had a fundamental impact on the pattern of forensic examinations on medical damage. This paper systematically reviews the current status and existing problems with forensic examinations on medical damage following implementation of the law of tort liability; it discusses new concepts of procedures, institutional arrangements, and the selection of examiners for forensic examinations on medical damage. We believe that through the regulation, the dualistic confrontation status of forensic examinations on medical damage will gradually change toward integration. We consider that forensic examinations of medical damage will face three challenges in the future: (1) enhancing the establishment of standards; (2) undertaking theoretical research into forensic examinations on medical damage; and (3) promoting the development of interdisciplinary identification specialists majoring in both medicine and law. Only in this way will it be possible to rectify the current dilemma with forensic examinations on medical damage in China.

Rainfall occurrence and its relation to flood damage in China from 2000 to 2015

China is highly susceptible to flood disasters and subjected to great damage every year. Furthermore, the flood frequency has exhibited an increasing trend in recent years. Most flood events, including flash floods and river flood, are induced by rainfall. This study investigates annual variations of rainfall occurrence over China during the period from 2000 to 2015 at the national and regional scale using daily rainfall data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. The Mann-Kendall test is performed for trend detection, and statistical data of flood damage published by China’s government, including destroyed crop area, damaged buildings, direct economic loss, percentage of GDP (gross domestic product), and death toll are correlatively analysed with rainfall occurrences. The results show that storm rain events show the greatest variation among three rainfall types (moderate rain, heavy rain and storm rain). The variation coefficients of rainfall over Northeast China, North China, and Northwest China are the highest, whereas that for Southwest China is the smallest. Moderate rain, heavy rain over Central China, and moderate rain over Southwest China exhibits decreasing trends, whereas the remaining exhibit increasing trends. The correlation between the rainfall occurrences and these flood damage indices at the national scale shows that only direct economic loss has a strong positive correlation with rainfall occurrences, and the other indices have weaker correlations. The correlation is strong in three north regions, except for death toll in Northwest China. In contrast, the correlation between flood damage and rainfall is weak in East China, Central China, Southwest China, and South China. Overall, death toll is strongly correlated with the number of damaged buildings, implying that flood fatalities in China are likely associated with building collapse, and are dominated by specific extreme events. This study can provide a scientific reference for flood management in China.

Gene Profiling in Late Blight Resistance in Potato Genotype SD20.

Late blight caused by the oomycete fungus Phytophthora infestans (Pi) is the most serious obstacle to potato (Solanum tuberosum) production in the world. A super race isolate, CN152, which was identified from Sichuan Province, China, could overcome nearly all known late blight resistance genes and caused serious damage in China. The potato genotype SD20 was verified to be highly resistant to CN152; however, the molecular regulation network underlying late blight resistance pathway remains unclear in SD20. Here, we performed a time-course experiment to systematically profile the late blight resistance response genes using RNA-sequencing in SD20. We identified 3354 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which mainly encoded transcription factors and protein kinases, and also included four NBS-LRR genes. The late blight responsive genes showed time-point-specific induction/repression. Multi-signaling pathways of salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene signaling pathways involved in resistance and defense against Pi in SD20. Gene Ontology and KEGG analyses indicated that the DEGs were significantly enriched in metabolic process, protein serine/threonine kinase activity, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Forty-three DEGs were involved in immune response, of which 19 were enriched in hypersensitive response reaction, which could play an important role in broad-spectrum resistance to Pi infection. Experimental verification confirmed the induced expression of the responsive genes in the late blight resistance signaling pathway, such as WRKY, ERF, MAPK, and NBS-LRR family genes. Our results provided valuable information for understanding late blight resistance mechanism of potato.

RNA interference of tubulin genes has lethal effects in Mythimna separate

RNAi (RNA interference) is a technology for silencing expression of target genes via sequence-specific double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Recently, dietary introduction of bacterially expressed dsRNA has shown great potential in the field of pest management. Identification of potential candidate genes for RNAi is the first step in this application. The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous, migratory pest, and outbreaks have led to severe crop damage in China. In the present study, two tubulin genes were chosen as target genes because of their crucial role in insect development. Both Msα-tubulin and Msβ-tubulin genes are expressed across all life stages and are highly expressed in the head and epidermis. Feeding of bacterially expressed dsRNA of Msα-tubulin and Msβ-tubulin to third-instar larvae knocked down target mRNAs. A lethal phenotype was observed with knockdown of Msα-tubulin and Msβ-tubulin concurrent with reduction in body weight. Bacterially expressed dsRNA can be used to control M. separata, and tubulin genes could be effective candidate genes for an RNAi-based control strategy of this pest.

Evaluation of environmental health benefits of China’s building energy conservation policies: an integrated assessment on national and provincial levels

This article evaluates the effect of energy conservation policies and carbon mitigation efforts on reducing health damage in China’s building sector, which has been long ignored. The study bases on both national and provincial levels. To evaluate the health damage effect, we use domestic data by region to ensure the reliability of the evaluation. Results show that in the co-control scenario, the GDP loss saved from health benefit in 2020, 2030, and 2050 is 0.13 %, 0.16 %, and 0.23 %, respectively, compared to reference scenario. At a provincial level, extra health benefit of 16, 16, 33, 25, and 23 RMB/person can be observed for Beijing, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Henan, and Qinghai owing to energy conservation, even with the strictest end-of-pipe control measures. The results confirm the significant effect of energy conservation efforts on reducing the health damage in China’s building sector at both national and provincial levels.

Environmental Degradation and Economic Development in China: An Interrelated Governance Challenge

AbstractThe author argues that the deterioration of the natural environment in China provides a persuasive reason to reorient China’s economic growth towards a more sustainable path. Reconciling the development and environment imperatives needs to become an urgent priority for the Chinese government in order to avert the cascading implications that will arise in terms of social unrest, loss of further development opportunities as well as deepening income inequality. This paper thus examines the inter-relationship between the current ecological challenge in China and the need for economic sustainability. It evaluates the extent of environmental damage in China and focuses on the environmental impact on development and social inequality. The paper then examines the recent legislative measures that have been taken by the Chinese government to address the problem of inefficient environmental monitoring. The author suggests that further reform is needed to achieve an economically and ecologically just pathway for China’s future. The paper therefore demonstrates that the environment–development challenge in China is mainly a challenge of governance. Resolving it will contribute to better environmental justice and development.