Northwestern Provinces Of China Research Articles

Time-Series Transcriptome of Cucumis melo Reveals Extensive Transcriptomic Differences with Different Maturity.

As the most important melon cultivar grown in the north-western provinces of China, Hami melon (Cucumis melo) produces large edible fruits that serve as an important dietary component in the world. In general, as a climacteric plant, melon harvested at 60% maturity results in a product with bad quality, while the highest-quality product can be guaranteed when harvesting at 90% maturity. In order to clarify the genetic basis of their distinct profiles of metabolite accumulation, we performed systematic transcriptome analyses between 60% and 90% maturity melons. A total of 36 samples were sequenced and over 1.7 billion reads were generated. Differentially expressed genes in 60% and 90% maturity melons were detected. Hundreds of these genes were functionally enriched in the sucrose and citric acid accumulation process of C. melo. We also detected a number of distinct splicing events between 60% and 90% maturity melons. Many genes associated with sucrose and citric acid accumulation displayed as differentially expressed or differentially spliced between different degrees of maturity of Hami melons, including CmCIN2, CmSPS2, CmBGAL3, and CmSPS2. These results demonstrate that the phenotype pattern differences between 60% and 90% maturity melons may be largely resulted from the significant transcriptome regulation.

Comprehensive Evaluation and Coupled Coordinated Development Study of Water–Economic–Ecological Systems in the Five Northwestern Provinces of China

The five northwestern provinces face numerous challenges in sustainable development, particularly water scarcity, economic imbalances, and ecological degradation. This study aims to deeply assess the region’s water resource conditions, the current status of economic development, and the health of the ecosystem while exploring the relationships and coupling mechanisms among them. Using the obstacle model, the research analyzes the primary barriers affecting these three significant factors in the region. The study further reveals a continually improving trend of coordinated development within the water–economic–ecological system in the five northwestern provinces of China, indicating that water usage per ten thousand GDP is the primary obstacle. This research enriches our understanding of the development in China’s five northwestern provinces and provides a theoretical foundation for achieving sustainable development.

Trend of hypertension death and its impact on life expectancy in 6 northwestern provinces of China, 2013-2021

Objective: To analyze the mortality trend of hypertension in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (6 provinces) in northwestern China, from 2013 to 2021, and evaluate the influence of hypertension on people's life expectancy. Methods: Based on national death surveillance data and demographic data in the 6 provinces from 2013 to 2021, the mortality rate, standardized mortality rate, life expectancy, cause eliminated life expectancy (CELE), potential gains in life expectancy (PGLEs) and life loss rate of hypertension were calculated. Software Joinpoint was used to analyze the mortality trends and calculate average annual percentage change (AAPC) and annual percentage change (APC) in hypertension deaths. Results: From 2013 to 2021, the overall standardized mortality rate of hypertension in the 6 provinces showed a downward trend (AAPC=-1.82%, P=0.050). The mortality rate in rural area was always higher than that in urban area, and showed an increasing trend after 2016 (APC=4.74%, P=0.003), and the mortality rate in men was always higher than that in women. The incidence trend of deaths of different types of hypertension were different, and the deaths caused by hypertensive heart disease accounted for the highest proportion (72.69%). In 2021, the life expectancy of the population in the 6 provinces increased by 1.01 years, the CELE increased by 0.93 years, the PGLEs decreased by 0.08 years, and the life loss rate decreased by 0.11% compared with 2013. Conclusions: The overall standardized mortality rate of hypertension showed a decreasing trend in the 6 northwestern provinces from 2013 to 2021, but it showed an increasing trend in rural area after 2016. Prevention of hypertension should be further strengthened in rural area, men and elderly population.

Scenario of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission peaking and reduction path implication in five northwestern provinces of China by the low emissions analysis platform (LEAP) model

Achieving global peaking of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as early as possible is a common goal for all countries. However, CO2 emissions in the northwest China still show a rapid growth trend. Thus, we used the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) model to build three scenarios to investigate the peak of CO2 emissions and reduction pathways in five northwestern provinces of China. The results show that: 1) the CO2 emissions of five northwestern provinces under the baseline, the policy, and the green scenarios will peak in 2035 (1663.46 × 106 tonnes), 2031 (1405.00 × 106 tonnes), and 2027 (1273.96 × 106 tonnes), respectively. 2) The CO2 emissions of all provinces, except Qinghai, will not peak before 2030 in the baseline scenario. Under the policy and green scenarios, each province will achieve the peak of CO2 emissions by 2030. 3) The CO2 emissions from agriculture, transportation, and other sectors will peak before 2030 under the baseline scenario. The CO2 emissions from construction will peak before 2030 in policy scenario. The industry and commerce will peak before 2030 in green scenario. 4) The emission reduction effect indicates that CO2 emissions from 2020 to 2040 will be reduced by 4137.70 × 106 tonnes in the policy scenario and 7201.46 × 106 tonnes in the green scenario. The industrial coal and thermal power are the sectors with the greatest potential to reduce CO2 emissions. Accelerating the restructuring of industries and energy structures and improving technologies to reduce energy intensity can promote the achievement of the peak in CO2 emissions by 2030.

Mapping the rapid development of photovoltaic power stations in northwestern China using remote sensing

Many leading countries are boosting renewables, especially solar energy, as a major way to mitigate future energy crises and climate change. Particularly, in China, the number and scale of photovoltaic (PV) power stations have grown unprecedentedly in the last decade. There is an urgent need to monitor the PV power development in order to accurately estimate national renewable potentials and understand the ecological impacts. However, there are few efforts towards providing spatially explicit and time-series datasets of PV development at the regional and national scales. To fill the gap, this study proposes an integrated remote sensing approach for PV power stations mapping by combining image segmentation and object-based classification (ISOC) techniques. We took five northwestern provinces of China as an illustration and produced 30-m medium-resolution PV power station distribution maps from 2007 to 2019. Our analysis shows that the total area of PV power stations in the five provinces increased to 722 km 2 in 2019, with producer, user and overall accuracies of 86%, 100% and 93%. Of the 309 PV station clusters (hereafter, PV parks), the top 7% largest ones account for 61% of the total area of PV power stations, indicating that PV power stations in the Northwest tend to be developed in the form of large-scale centralized PV parks. The land used for PV power stations was mainly converted from four land cover types: Gobi Desert, sandy land, sparse grassland, and moderate grassland. The central government policy on facilitating clean energy played a major role in driving the rapid expansion of PV parks across the country. The methodology and results of this study will help policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to develop corresponding industrial standards and environmental regulations to mitigate the potential environmental impacts, and promote more sustainable development of solar energy in China and beyond.

Distribution of ecological restoration projects associated with land use and land cover change in China and their ecological impacts

China is prone to broad land degradation and thus has been implementing ecological restoration projects (ERPs) since the reform and opening up. The extent of ERPs, as well as the varied planting efforts including tree gain projects (TGPs), grass gain projects (GGPs), and shrub gain projects (SGPs), have remained largely unknown. In addition, the mixed success of ERPs on preventing soil erosion and improving biodiversity is not well known. Based on a land use and land cover (LULC) product and a trajectory-based change detection approach, we successfully generated the first national map of ERPs associated with land use and land cover change (LUCC) and its three associated subcategories. Then, we applied the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model to evaluate the dynamics of sediment retention and habitat quality. In addition, we explored the heterogeneous patterns for the ecological impacts of ERPs. Our results suggested that during the past 40 years, a total ERP area of 9.54 × 106 hm2 was observed nationwide, mainly in the northwestern provinces of China. Of the three ERP subcategories, TGPs accounted for the largest area (48.55%), followed by GGPs (47.50%) and SGPs (3.96%). The national average sediment retention experienced a significant increase, whereas the national average habitat quality experienced a significant decline. ERP-driven increases in habitat quality were offset partly by the LUCCs induced by economic development policies in some regions, especially in northeast China. The simultaneous effect of construction land expansion and ERP implementation on sediment retention made the synchronization between ERP implementation and sediment retention improvement insignificant. We also suggested the optimal direction for ERP implementation.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ЭТНИЧЕСКОЙ СРЕДЫ НА ТРАДИЦИОННУЮ КУЛЬТУРУ КИТАЙСКИХ МУСУЛЬМАН (ДУНГАН) В ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ АЗИИ.

This article is devoted to the economic and socio-cultural adaptation of the Dungans in Central Asia from the end of the 19th century till the end of the Soviet Union. The traditional culture of the Dungan ethnic group, who migrated to the region from the northwestern provinces of China at the end of the XIX century, had all the signs of the culture of the former places of residence and they differed significantly from the surrounding peoples of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan both in language and in material culture, and economic activities. Over time, the Dungans mastered the languages of local peoples, adopted some of their traditions, customs and adapted to the values, norms, lifestyle of the host country and identification with the new environment. Thus, there is a process of integration (acculturation), which consists in the preservation of small ethnic groups of their culture and the parallel internalization of foreign cultural attributes.

HIV-1 CRF07_BC transmission dynamics in China: two decades of national molecular surveillance

ABSTRACT By analyzing an unprecedentedly large, longitudinal HIV-1 CRF07_BC sequence dataset collected from China in the past two decades, we sought to build CRF07_BC lengthwise transmission networks, and understand its transmission dynamics. We divided CRF07_BC into two clusters based on phylogenetic analysis and an estimation of the pairwise genetic distance at 0.7%. Of 6213 sequences, 3607 (58.1%) linked to ≥1 other sequence. CRF07_BC was divided into two clusters: 07BC_O and 07BC_N. The 07BC_O is the original CRF07_BC, circulating in people who inject drugs (PWID) and heterosexuals, predominantly in southwestern and northwestern provinces of China. The 07BC_N is a new cluster, identified mostly in men having sex with men (MSM) in the northern provinces of China. Bayesian analysis indicates that CRF07_BC has experienced two phases of exponential growth, which was first driven by 07BC_O then 07BC_N. Compared to 07BC_O, the proportion of the parameter of population transmission risk (TR) of 07BC_N has risen constantly. The power-law function analyses reveal that 07BC_N has increased over years with higher degree. In 07BC_N, only 13.16% of MSM were linked to other risk groups, but these links represent 41.45%, 54.25%, and 55.07% of links among heterosexual females, heterosexual males, and male PWID respectively. This study indicates that CRF07_BC has evolved into two clusters in China, and their distributions are distinct across risk groups and geographical regions. 07BC_N shows a greater risk of transmission, and has gradually replaced 07BC_O. Furthermore, the results show that strengthening the MSM interventions could lower the rapidity of 07BC_N transmission in all risk groups.

More than the resource curse: Exploring the nexus of natural resource abundance and environmental quality in northwestern China

The recent worldwide shift towards sustainable development has led to substantial focus on environmental issues due to energy consumption. Although the existing literature on energy, development and environment is rich, only a handful of studies have investigated the impact of resource abundance on environmental pollution. Therefore, this study examines the association of natural resources and environmental quality in five northwestern provinces of China using annual data form 1995 to 2017. The structural break test confirms that variables are stationary with a mixed trend for all provinces. The results of fully modified ordinary least squared test vary among provinces stating that resources are associated with environmental pollution in four provinces; this deteriorating impact is more significant in Xinjiang and Shaanxi as compared to Gansu and Ningxia. However, the results for Qinghai province indicate that natural resource availability improves environmental quality and reduces CO2 emissions; nonrenewable energy and economic development deteriorate the environment in this province. Nevertheless, renewable energy sources outweigh the nonrenewable energy in terms of environmental sustainability and promote green development in northwestern China; furthermore, our estimations do not confirm the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in all provinces. The robustness check confirms a long term connection for all variables and the causality analysis show diverse results for the selected provinces. The study provides important policy implications about research and development and the role of China's central government to promote sustainable development.

Looking for asymmetries and nonlinearities: The nexus between renewable energy and environmental degradation in the Northwestern provinces of China

Recent industrial surge in the Northwestern provinces of China resulted in substantial energy consumption and adverse effect on the environment. Despite being less established, the Northwestern region of China has strategic importance and the use of renewable energy can potentially promote sustainable development in this region. Considering this aspect, this study aims to investigate the impact of renewable energy on environmental pollution in five Northwestern provinces of China during 1995–2014. This study uses the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing approach with the structural break unit root and other specifications tests. The results indicate that renewable energy positive shock has an adverse impact on the CO2 emissions of the Northwestern provinces of China. The effect of renewable energy use varies in five provinces, i.e. it is more significant in Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang than in Ningxia and Shaanxi. However, reduction in renewable energy consumption leads to higher level of CO2 emissions and this effect is more significant for Ningxia and Shaanxi in the long run. Furthermore, the positive shockwaves in nonrenewable energy, GDP and transportation are associated with environmental pollution in these provinces both in short run and long run. Nevertheless, the impact of negative shockwaves in nonrenewable energy consumption on environmental pollution is more significant than economic development for all provinces. Our findings suggest that: cutting down fossil fuels use can substantially improve environmental quality in these provinces; depending on the provincial geographies and government strategies, the intensity of positive impact of renewable energy towards CO2 emissions reduction differs among five provinces. Likewise, renewable energy development has abundant potential to increase the economic and ecological sustainability in the Northwestern provinces of China in the long run.

Are industrial carbon emissions allocations in developing regions equitable? A case study of the northwestern provinces in China

The difficulty for developing regions to fulfil their industrial carbon emission control target commitments is to take into account the socio-economic and environmental governance. It is necessary not only to accelerate the process of industrialization, but also to rationally allocate carbon emission reduction tasks. This paper takes the northwestern provinces of China as a case study based on the calculation of the industrial carbon emissions of each province from 2006 to 2017. The Gini coefficients such as the industrial economy contribution coefficient, industrial employment contribution coefficient, and carbon carrying coefficient are constructed to evaluate the equity of regional industrial carbon emissions. The results show that the carbon pressure index in the northwestern provinces is increasing, carbon emissions are growing much faster than the carbon carrying capacity, and the differences among the provinces are obvious. The industrial economy contribution, the industrial employment contribution, and the carbon carrying Gini coefficients fluctuate significantly. Carbon emissions inequity has not been suppressed with the socio-economic development, and the “Matthew effect” is even more prominent. Evaluating the equity of carbon emissions allocation will help to rationally allocate carbon emission reduction tasks among provinces and achieve national emission reduction targets. Accordingly, recommendations are provided for formulating a differentiated carbon management policy, strengthening provincial cooperation, determining the provincial ecological function position, and improving the equity of regional carbon emissions allocation.

Seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii infection in goats in the five northwestern provinces of China

Seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii infection in goats in the five northwestern provinces of China

Has the level of green development in the northwestern provinces of China truly improved? A case study of Shaanxi

Evaluating the actual progress in the green development of China’s northwestern provinces can play a role in encouraging local governments to promote the reform of the ecological civilization system. By improving the “green development indicator system” formulated by the National Development and Reform Commission of China, the green development index (GDI) of Shaanxi Province from 2007 to 2016 was measured and compared with Shaanxi’s ecological footprint (EF) and related indicators. The results showed that (1) the GDI in Shaanxi Province increased from 42.774 in 2007 to 64.971 in 2016, while during the same period, the per capita EF increased from 1.994 ha/cap to 2.719 ha/cap, the ecological deficit increased from 0.782 ha/cap to 1.500 ha/cap, and the ecological pressure index increased from 1.645 to 2.176. These results indicate that the green development of Shaanxi Province is still based on excessive ecological occupation. (2) A comparison between GDI and EF shows that the development of Shaanxi Province has changed from “low GDI, low EF” to “low GDI, high EF” to “high GDI, high EF”. Thus, this study proposes countermeasures to change this trend, such as adjusting the energy structure, reducing carbon emissions, improving environmental capacity, and rigorous managing national land space.

A Comprehensive Map of Genetic Variation in the World's Largest Ethnic Group-Han Chinese.

As are most non-European populations, the Han Chinese are relatively understudied in population and medical genetics studies. From low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of 11,670 Han Chinese women we present a catalog of 25,057,223 variants, including 548,401 novel variants that are seen at least 10 times in our data set. Individuals from this data set came from 24 out of 33 administrative divisions across China (including 19 provinces, 4 municipalities, and 1 autonomous region), thus allowing us to study population structure, genetic ancestry, and local adaptation in Han Chinese. We identified previously unrecognized population structure along the East-West axis of China, demonstrated a general pattern of isolation-by-distance among Han Chinese, and reported unique regional signals of admixture, such as European influences among the Northwestern provinces of China. Furthermore, we identified a number of highly differentiated, putatively adaptive, loci (e.g., MTHFR, ADH7, and FADS, among others) that may be driven by immune response, climate, and diet in the Han Chinese. Finally, we have made available allele frequency estimates stratified by administrative divisions across China in the Geography of Genetic Variant browser for the broader community. By leveraging the largest currently available genetic data set for Han Chinese, we have gained insights into the history and population structure of the world's largest ethnic group.

Clinical epidemiological survey of gallbladder carcinoma in northwestern China, 2009–2013: 2379 cases in 17 centers

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics of patients with gallbladder carcinoma recruited from 17 hospitals in five northwestern provinces of China (Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) from 2009 to 2013, and to summarize the clinical diagnosis and treatment data of gallbladder carcinoma. MethodsClinical information of 2379 patients with gallbladder carcinoma from 17 hospitals in five northwestern provinces of China was retrospectively collected and analyzed using the “Questionnaire for Gallbladder Carcinoma Patients in Northwestern Area of China.” All information was verified with EpiData software and analyzed with SPSS 13.0 software. Results(1) Gallbladder carcinoma accounted for 2.7% (2379/86,609) of all biliary tract diseases during the study period, which was significantly higher than that from 1986 to 1998 (P < 0.001). (2) Gallbladder carcinoma was more prone to occur in elderly women. The male:female incidence ratio was 1.0:2.1, the average age of onset of disease was 63.7 ± 11.3 years, and the incidence was higher in farmers than in other occupational groups. (3) A total of 57.2% (1360/2379) of patients with gallbladder carcinoma also had gallstones. (4) Abdominal pain (1796/2379, 75.5%) and jaundice (727/2379, 30.6%) were the most common clinical manifestations, 81.2% (1527/1881) were positive in those receiving B ultrasound examinations and 90.7% (1567/1727) were positive in those undergoing computed tomography, and 64.5% (1124/1742) of patients with gallbladder carcinoma were positive for carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9. (5) The pathological type of gallbladder carcinoma was mainly moderately and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a high degree of malignancy. At admission, 55.1% (1091/1981) of patients had stage IV cancer among patients with TNM staging information; 55.9% (1331/2379) had lymphatic metastasis, 29.7% (706/2379) had bile duct metastasis, and 53.1% (1263/2379) had liver metastasis. (6) A total of 283 patients (283/2379, 11.9%) had incidentally detected gallbladder carcinoma. (7) The rate of radical surgical resection was 30.4% (723/2379). ConclusionThe proportion of gallbladder carcinoma in biliary tract diseases in the northwestern area of China was significantly higher from 2009 to 2013 than from 1986 to 1998. Gallbladder carcinoma was common in older women and mainly diagnosed at an advanced stage. Compared with other surveys in different regions, the rate of metastasis in this survey was high, leading to a low resection rate. Populations at high risk should undergo B-ultrasound examinations at regular follow-up intervals to increase the rate of early diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma.

Morphological studies and development of Ex-situ protocol for rehabilitation of threatened Rheum species under nursery conditions

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rheum&lt;/em&gt; is a strong vigorous plant and can live long even in tough conditions. The &lt;em&gt;Rheum&lt;/em&gt; species have been domesticated as medicinal plants for human consumption. &lt;em&gt;Rheum&lt;/em&gt; species are perennial stout herbs. Rhubarb is a common English name of the genus &lt;em&gt;Rheum&lt;/em&gt;. Rhubarb is a plant name for the many different species of &lt;em&gt;Rheum&lt;/em&gt;, distributed in the temperate and sub tropical regions of Himalaya from Kashmir to Sikkim and growing wild in the mountains of the Western and North-western provinces of China and adjoining Tibetan territory. It is cultivated much in Europe and the United States. In Kashmir Himalaya, it ranges from an altitude of 1700 - 5500m. It is famous for its medicinal uses. Roots are long and stout. Stem is erect, hollow, sulcate, glabrous or strigose. It is native to Asia-Temperate to Asia – Tropical, from China to India, Nepal and Pakistan. In India, its found in Himachal Pradesh Jammu &amp;amp; Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. In Jammu and Kashmir, it grows on open slopes and shrubberies in Kashmir, Leh and Zanaskar valley between 3000-5000 m, where &lt;em&gt;R.webbianum&lt;/em&gt; is found. The &lt;em&gt;Rheum spiciforme&lt;/em&gt; is also one of most known medicinal plant and is found on high altitudes of Gurez valley(3000m 5000m). &lt;em&gt;Rheum&lt;/em&gt; also prefers a full sunny location and thrives in a moist, fertile soil. Most &lt;em&gt;Rheum&lt;/em&gt; species can handle heavier clay soils better than many other herbs and makes a striking addition to the spring landscape. Rhubarb is propagated from seeds, seedlings, or pieces of rhizome. &lt;/p&gt;

Transcriptome profiling of Cucumis melo fruit development and ripening

Hami melon (Cucumis melo) is the most important melon crop grown in the north-western provinces of China. In order to elucidate the genetic and molecular basis of developmental changes related to size, flesh, sugar and sour content, we performed a transcriptome profiling of its fruit development. Over 155 000 000 clean reads were mapped to MELONOMICS genome, yielding a total of 23 299 expressed genes. Of these, 554 genes were specifically expressed in flowers, and 3260 genes in fruit flesh tissues. The 7892 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were related to fruit development and mediated diverse metabolic processes and pathways; 83 DEGs and 13 DEGs were possibly associated with sucrose and citric acid accumulation, respectively. The quantitative real-time PCR results showed that six out of eight selected candidate genes displayed expression trends similar to our DEGs. This study profiled the gene expression related to different growing stages of flower and fruit at the whole transcriptome level to provide an insight into the regulatory mechanism underlying Hami melon fruit development.

Clinical feature of gallbladder cancer in Northwestern China: a report of 2 379 cases from 17 institutions

To analyze the clinical features of patients with gallbladder cancer from 17 hospitals in 5 Northwestern provinces (autonomous region) of China from 2009 to 2013. A total of 2 379 cases with gallbladder cancer in 17 tertiary hospitals from 5 Northwestern provinces of China from January 2009 to December 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical data was collected by standardized "Questionnaire for Clinical Survey of Gallbladder Cancer in Northwestern Area of China". χ² test was used to analyze the data. (1) Gallbladder cancer from 17 hospitals accounted for 1.6%-6.8% of all bile tract diseases from 2009 to 2013 in Northwestern China, average was 2.7%. Gallbladder cancer accounted for 0.4%-0.9% of abdominal surgery, average was 0.7%. (2) The incidence of gallbladder cancer was higher in the aged females, the ration of female to male was 1.0 to 2.1. The average age of gallbladder cancer was (64 ± 11) years. The occupation of patients was mainly farmers (χ² = 147.10, P < 0.01). (3) 57.2% of the gallbladder cancers were associated with gallstones. (4) The main pathological patterns of gallbladder cancer were moderate and poor differentiated adenocarcinoma, showing an aggressive malignancy. TNM stage IV accounted for 55.1% of all cases, which was associated with the poor prognosis. (5) The curative resection rate was 30.4%. Gallbladder cancer is common in the aged females and mainly at advanced stage. The screening and follow-up of high-risk groups with ultrasound and other methods regularly could increase the early diagnosis rate of gallbladder cancer, aggressive surgical resection combined with other comprehensive treatment could improve the prognosis of patients.

Effects of environmental factors on the longevous people in China

Healthy longevity is associated with environmental conditions, but its significance is still unclear. In China, different age groups of old people may be influenced by different factors. For people aged 65 and above, their distribution may be more influenced by the economical factor, decreasing from east to west. However, for people aged 100 and above, they may be more influenced by the environmental factors. The number of centenarians per 100,000 is opposite to the percentage of people above 65, decreasing from west to east. Longevity index (LI%) and centenarity index (CI%) may be as index to evaluate the longevity level. The biggest LI% is in the south provinces of China, whereas the biggest CI% is in the northwestern provinces of China. The South China and Northwestern China are two longevity regions. The South China has some climatic preferences including near to the sea, having suitable mean year temperature, a large plenty of rainfall, higher relative humidity, which contribute to its relatively high longevity level. While the Northwestern China has the topographic and sunshine advantages, which help the residents there more probable to reach 100 years old. The results indicate that for old people, their distribution will be influenced by the environmental factor to some extent.

Impact of climate warming on crop planting and production in Northwest China

One major challenge in agro-meteorological research is to accurately predict the impacts of global climate warming on future agricultural production. So the effects of climate warming over the past decades need to be assessed. We analyzed the effects of climate warming on crop planting, structure and yield in 5 northwestern provinces of China with a focus on Gansu Province, utilizing accumulated temperature (≥ 10°C, AT), accumulated negative temperature (< 0°C, ANT) and crop data collected from 1981 to 2003. The analysis led to the following conclusions: 1) climate warming is the main driving force for the expansion of winter wheat toward the north and the west in China, for the rapid increase in cotton planting acreage, and for the expansion of annually multi-crop areas toward the north in China and higher altitude; 2) Climate warming is the direct cause for early seeding of spring crops, prolonged growth duration for thermophilic crops and shortened growth duration for overwinter crops; 3) Climate warming is largely attributed to the dramatic increase in cotton yield.