Southeast Coastal Region Of China Research Articles

Gut microbiota signature in children with autism spectrum disorder who suffered from chronic gastrointestinal symptoms

BackgroundChildren diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently suffer from persistent gastrointestinal symptoms, such as constipation and diarrhea. Various studies have highlighted differences in gut microbiota composition between individuals with ASD and healthy controls of similar ages. However, it’s essential to recognize that these disparities may be influenced by cultural practices, dietary habits, and environmental factors.MethodsIn this study, we collected fecal samples from both children diagnosed with ASD (n = 42) and healthy individuals (n = 41) residing in the southeastern coastal region of China. Subsequently, 16 S rRNA gene sequencing and advanced bioinformatics analyses were conducted to investigate the distinctive features of gut microbial communities within each group.ResultsThe ASD group consisted of 28 males and 14 females, with a median age of 5.8 years, while the control group included 25 males and 16 females, with a median age of 6.8 years. Among the 83 sequenced fecal samples, a total of 1031 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. These included 122 unique OTUs specific to the control group and 285 unique OTUs specific to the ASD group. Analyses of α-diversity and β-diversity unveiled significant differences in the abundance and composition of gut microbiota between the two groups. It was found that the dominant bacterial taxa in healthy individuals were UBA1819, Flavonifractor, and Bradyrhizobium. In contrast, the ASD group exhibited a prevalence of Streptococcus, Ruminococcus, and Ruminiclostridium. Further analysis using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) showed significant differences in the metabolic functionalities of the gut microbiota between the two groups. Notably, the metabolic pathway related to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the gut microbiota of the ASD group was notably diminished compared to the control group. Conversely, the ASD group demonstrated significantly elevated levels of metabolic pathways involving uncharacterized conserved proteins, aminoglycoside phosphotransferase, and inorganic pyrophosphatase compared to the control group.ConclusionsOverall, these results confirm that there are significant differences in the gut microbiota structure between children with ASD and healthy controls in the southeast coastal region of China. This underscores the critical significance of delving into clinical interventions capable of mitigating the gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms encountered by children with ASD. A particularly encouraging path for such interventions lies in the realm of fecal microbiota transplantation, a prospect that merits deeper inquiry.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Meteorological and Agricultural Droughts in China: Change Patterns and Causes

Drought is complex and is also one of the main disasters affecting China. Exploring the response of agricultural drought and meteorological drought to climatic factors helps us to understand the causes of drought. In this paper, we evaluated the temporal and spatial characteristics of soil drought and meteorological drought (SMD) and explored their responses to climatic factors and latent heat fluxes (LHF), and then explained their variation from the perspective of atmospheric circulation. The following results were obtained. (1) Meteorological drought has gradually increased in the Liaohe River Basin, on the North China Plain, and on the Loess Plateau while average soil moisture has been maintained at only approximately 25%. The impacts of drought are very serious in these regions. (2) LHF response to short time-scale (3-month scale) drought performance is high in the dry season, and the regions with high correlation coefficients are spatially distributed and concentrated in the monsoon climate zone. The regions with high correlation coefficients between drought and LHFs on long time scales (12-month scale) are concentrated in the coastal basin of southeast China. (3) Short- and long-term SMDs showed highly responsive and significant relationships with PDO, showing variations in the southeast coastal basin, the Pearl River basin, the northwest inland basin and the eastern part of the Heilongjiang basin, with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.21 (p < 0.01). The short-term SMD in the northwestern inland region was significantly negatively correlated with AMO (correlation coefficient of −0.19, p < 0.01). the Nino3.4 index is significantly positively correlated with the SMD in the southeast coastal region of China, with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.23 (p < 0.01). The decrease in convective precipitation led to a stronger association between soil and meteorological drought and climatic factors. This study helps to reveal the changing patterns of SMDs and can also be used globally to identify the local development patterns of drought under climate change.

Typhoon-Resistant Performance Assessment of Coastal Rural Residential Keel Brick Walls Reinforced with High Ductility Concrete

The keel brick wall belongs to the rural residential exterior wall unique to the southeast coastal region of China. The wooden keel inside the wall and the external tie members can improve the stability of the whole wall. However, due to the age of construction, the wooden keel inside the existing residential keel brick walls has basically rotted and lost the tie with the external members, which seriously reduces the stability of the whole wall. Moreover, the collapse of keel brick walls caused by typhoons has become more and more frequent in recent years, seriously endangering the lives and properties of residents. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out reinforcement and repair for the existing residential buildings with keel brick walls. In this paper, the keel brick walls of rural houses in Ningbo area were taken as the research object, a framework for evaluating the performance of keel brick walls against typhoons was established, tests on the lateral force resistance of keel brick walls reinforced with high ductility concrete and mortar were carried out. With the help of typhoon full-track simulation and wind field simulation technology, the 600-year near-surface typhoon wind speeds affecting Ningbo area were obtained. A joint probability distribution model of multi-directional extreme wind speed was constructed using t-Copula function to determine the mixed wind climate of Ningbo area. The extreme wind loads that keel brick walls can withstand under four types of reinforcement were finally given. The results show that the high ductility concrete reinforcement has great advantages over mortar reinforcement and avoids brittle damage of the masonry structure. The keel brick walls reinforced with single-sided mortar can withstand wind loads of a 3-year return period, the keel brick walls reinforced with single-sided high ductile concrete can withstand extreme wind loads of a 110-year return period, while the keel brick walls reinforced with double-sided mortar as well as double-sided high ductile concrete can withstand extreme wind loads of well over a 110-year return period.

Etiologic characteristics of avian influenza H11 viruses isolated from the live poultry market in southeast coastal region in China.

Since it was first identified in 1956, the H11 subvariant influenza virus has been reported worldwide. However, due to the low pathogenicity of the H11 subvariant and the absence of its widespread transmission among humans, there are only a few reports on the etiology of the H11 subvariant influenza virus. Therefore, in the present study, we isolated a strain of the H11N3 avian influenza virus (AIV) from poultry feces from the live poultry market in the southeast coastal region of China. Considering that the H11 subvariant is known to cause infections in humans and to enrich the knowledge of the H11 subvariant of the avian influenza virus, the genetics, pathogenicity, and transmissibility of the isolate were studied. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the H11N3 isolate was of Eurasian origin and carried genes closely related to duck H7N2 and H4N6. The receptor binding analysis revealed that the H11N3 isolate only acquired a binding affinity for avian-derived receptors. In the respiratory system of mice, the isolate could directly cause infection without adaptation. In addition, the results from transmission experiments and antibody detection in guinea pigs demonstrated that H11N3 influenza viruses can efficiently transmit through the respiratory tract in mammalian models. Direct infection of the H11N3 influenza virus without adaptation in the mouse models and aerosol transmission between guinea pig models confirms its pandemic potential in mammals, underscoring the importance of monitoring rare influenza virus subtypes in future studies.

Vertical dynamic impedance of a sand-filled nodular pile in saturated soil

A new type of composite pile called a sand-filled nodular (SFN) pile has been increasingly used as a foundation element in the southeast coastal region of China. This paper derives an analytical solution of the vertical dynamic impedance of a SFN pile in saturated soil. The accuracy of the derived solution was verified by degenerating the SFN pile into a general pipe pile. The feasibility of incorporating the thin-layer assumption in Biot theory was then examined and the results suggested that for soft soils with shear modulus less than 5 MPa, the thin-layer solution is sufficiently accurate to estimate the vertical dynamic impedance of a pile in saturated soil. A parametric study was further conducted to provide insight into the influences of pile geometries and sand fill properties on the vertical dynamic impedance of the pile. The results indicated that the pile geometries have considerable influence on the vertical dynamic impedance of SFN piles where pile rib length plays a most significant role.

Analysis of Turbulence Parameters of Typhoon Morakot along the Southeast Coast of China

The southeast coastal region of China is frequently affected by typhoons. The observation station was chosen to be located on the roof of Wenzhou University’s architectural engineering building to collect real-time wind speed data during the landfalling of Typhoon Morakot to investigate the properties of the near-ground wind field of typhoons. The turbulence characteristics of the near-ground wind and its variation with time intervals are analyzed on the basis of real-time measured data. The results show that the turbulence intensity only changes with the mean wind speed under relatively low wind speeds. The gust factors exhibit a scattered distribution under low wind speeds and tend to cluster together when the wind speed exceeds 8 m/s. With increasing time intervals, the turbulence intensity and the gust factor gradually decrease. The relationship between turbulence intensity and gust factor is obtained by the measured data and then compared with the empirical formulas. The peak factor remains constant while the mean wind speed changes, but diminish as the time intervals rise. The turbulence integral scale of typhoons slightly increases with the increasing mean wind speed, and its value falls between 70 and 150.

Projected Changes in Precipitation Extremes Over Jiulongjiang River Basin in Coastal Southeast China

The southeast coastal region of China is susceptible to challenges related to extreme precipitation events; hence, projection of future climate extremes changes is crucial for sustainable development in the region. Using the Regional Climate Model Version 4 (RegCM4), the future changes of summer precipitation extremes have been investigated over the Jiulongjiang River Basin (JRB), a coastal watershed in Southeast China. Comparison between the RegCM4 simulated and observed rainy season precipitation over JRB suggests that the RegCM4 can reasonably reproduce the seasonal precipitation cycle, the frequency distribution of precipitation intensity, and the 50-year return levels of precipitation extremes over JRB. Furthermore, the model projects an increase in daily maximum rainfall (RX1day) mostly over the northern part of the basin and a decrease over other parts of the basin, while projecting a widespread decrease for maximum consecutive 5-day precipitation amount (RX5day) relative to the present day. In terms of the 50-year return level of RX1day (RL50yr_RX1day), a general increase is projected over most parts of the basin in the near and far future of the 21st century, but a decrease can be found in the northeast and southwest parts of the JRB in the mid-21st century. The future change of the 50-year return level of RX5day (RL50yr_RX5day) shows a similar spatial pattern with that of RL50yr_RX1day in the near and mid-21st century, but with a larger magnitude. However, a remarkable decrease in RL50yr_RX5day is found in the south basin in the far future. Meanwhile, the projected changes in the 50-year return level for both RX1day and RX5day differ between the first and second rainy seasons in JRB. Specifically, the future increase in RL50yr_RX5day over the north basin is mainly contributed by the changes during the first-half rainy season, while the decrease of RL50yr_RX5day in the south is mostly ascribed to the future changes during the second-half rainy season. All above results indicate that the future changes of precipitation extremes in JRB are complicated, which might differ from extreme indices, seasons, and future projected periods. These will thus be of practical significance for flood risk management, mitigation, and adaptation measures in Jiulongjiang River Basin.

Comparative study of onshore and offshore wind characteristics and wind energy potentials: A case study for southeast coastal region of China

Wind farms have been developed at both onshore and offshore sites to ease the global energy crisis in recent decades. Nevertheless, the differences between onshore and offshore wind characteristics and their wind energy potentials have rarely been studied. Based on two original sets of wind records respectively obtained from onshore and offshore wind measurement towers in southeast coastal region of China, this paper presents comparative evaluation for the onshore and offshore wind characteristics and their wind energy potentials in this region. The Weibull distribution function is firstly verified to be a reliable model for both onshore and offshore wind speed predictions. Furthermore, the variations of mean wind speed, Weibull parameters and wind power density are studied through monthly and hourly time scales. Finally, the economic feasibility for the wind turbine installations at the onshore and offshore site is examined in terms of the operating probability and the annual energy production (AEP) of a selected wind turbine. The results show that the offshore wind energy is more even and available than the onshore wind energy for the southeast coastal region. For the sake of economic feasibility and annual energy production, it is recommended to choose the hub heights of the selected wind turbine as 70 m and 40 m at the onshore site and offshore site, respectively.

Increased Lateral Transfer of Soil Organic Carbon Induced by Climate and Vegetation Changes Over the Southeast Coastal Region of China

AbstractSoil erosion and the subsequent lateral movement of soil carbon profoundly affect the spatial pattern of carbon sources and sinks in terrestrial ecosystems. The eight river basins of Fujian Province considered in this study are an important part of the southeastern coastal river basin of the ninth largest river system in China. In recent years, the erosion of soil and soil organic carbon in the southeast coastal region of China is not ideal owing to the high and concentrated rainfall, natural vegetation destruction, and other reasons. In this study, the soil organic carbon erosion and deposition rates related to erosion in the eight river basins of Fujian Province are quantified, and their spatial distribution characteristics are extracted. Based on the soil erosion rate from two national soil erosion surveys and topsoil carbon content from the Harmonized World Soil Database, we estimated that the lateral soil organic carbon erosion increased from 7.53 to 26.75 g C m−2 yr−1 in eight river basins of Fujian Province from 1995–1996 to 2010–2012. The soil organic carbon erosion rate in the eight river basins increased by 2.6 times, while the soil organic carbon erosion rate for the whole of China decreased by 44% during the same period. The increase in torrential rain and decrease in vegetation cover in the southeastern coastal areas largely contributed to the erosion of soil and soil organic carbon. The lateral transfer rate of soil organic carbon may be further exacerbated by the increase of torrential rain in the southeastern coastal areas of China.

Improvement of typhoon rainfall prediction based on optimization of the Kain-Fritsch convection parameterization scheme using a micro-genetic algorithm

Inclusion of cloud processes is essential for precipitation prediction with a numerical weather prediction model. However, convective parameterization contains numerous parameters whose values are in large uncertainties. In particular, it is still not clear how the parameters of a sub-grid-scale convection scheme can be modified to improve high-resolution precipitation prediction. To address these issues, a micro-genetic (micro-GA) algorithm is coupled to the Kain-Fritsch (KF) convective parameterization scheme (CPS) in the WRF to improve the quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF). The optimization focuses on two parameters in the KF scheme: the convective time scale and the conversion rate. The optimizing process is controlled by the micro-GA using a QPF skill score as the fitness function. Two heavy rainfall events related to typhoons that made landfall over the south-east coastal region of China are selected, and for each case the parameter values are adjusted to achieve the best QPF skill. Significant improvements in QPF are evident with an increase in the average equitable threat score (ETS) by 5.8% for the first case, and by 18.4% for the second case. The results demonstrate that the micro-GAKF coupling system is effective in optimizing the parameter values, which affect the applicability of CPS in a high-resolution model, and therefore improves the rainfall prediction in both ETS and spatial distribution.

Land use conflict identification and sustainable development scenario simulation on China's southeast coast

The southeast coastal region of China is a typical frontier region between urbanization and industrialization, where land use is facing the pressure and challenge of continuous expansion of construction land, decreasing agricultural land and accelerated degradation of ecological land. Solving the resulting land use conflicts (LUCs) has become an urgent issue in regional sustainable development. In order to explore LUC status and to guide LUC governance, an empirical model of land use conflict identification and intensity diagnosis was constructed, and a method for simulating sustainable land use scenarios based on conflict management was proposed. Nan'an City was selected as an empirical study area. The empirical model divides the conflict intensity into seven levels, and divides the LUC zones into 16 types according to their “dominant land + conflict intensity”. We recommend formulating land use change rules according to the “distribution-land type-performance- intensity” of conflict zones when simulating future sustainable land use scenarios. The empirical results showed that the current land use pattern in Nan'an City has led to fierce competition and conflict. The spatial distribution, land type composition, conflict manifestation and intensity of different LUC zones varied widely; therefore, it is necessary to adopt different governance strategies to achieve a balance between the differential demands of land use and to guide the direction of sustainable development. The constructed empirical model and proposed simulation approach could better reflect the true situation of land use in the economically developed areas of China, and would provide theoretical and methodological support for the prevention and resolution of LUCs.

Food Security and Sustainable Development in Southeast Coastal Region of China

Food Security and Sustainable Development in Southeast Coastal Region of China

Preliminary profiling of microRNA in the normal and regenerating liver of Chiloscyllium plagiosum

Liver is a vital organ present in animals for detoxification, protein synthesis, digestion and other functions and its powerful regenerative capacity is well known. C. plagiosum is an abundant fish that is representative of the cartilaginous class in the southeast coastal region of China and its liver accounts for >70% of the fish's visceral weight and contains many bioactive substances. MicroRNAs (microRNAs) play important roles in a wide range of biological processes in eukaryotes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis. However, microRNAs in response to liver regeneration has not been well studied. This study aimed to identify the microRNAs that participate in liver regeneration and other liver-related diseases and to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of liver regeneration in sharks. To this end, normal and regenerating liver tissues from C. plagiosum were harvested 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24h after partial hepatectomy (pH) and were sequenced using the Illumina/Solexa platform. In total, 309 known microRNAs and 590 novel microRNAs were identified in C. plagiosum. There were many microRNAs differentially expressed in the normal and regenerating livers between time points. Using target prediction and GO analysis, most of the differentially expressed microRNAs were assigned to functional categories that may be involved in regulating liver regeneration, such as cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The microRNA expression profile of liver regeneration will pave the way for the development of effective strategies to fight against liver disease and other related disease.

Non-linear relationship of hydrological drought responding to meteorological drought and impact of a large reservoir

Exploring the relationship between hydrological and meteorological droughts under influence of large reservoirs is crucial for early warning of hydrological drought. This study took Jinjiang River basin in the southeast coastal region of China as an example, where the Shilong hydrometric station is influenced by a large reservoir (Shanmei), and the Anxi hydrological station is not. Based on monthly data of streamflow with precipitation and historical drought records from 1960 to 2010, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI) series (representing meteorological drought and hydrological drought, respectively) were each calculated with a 3-month timescale. Run theory was then used to identify the characteristics of meteorological and hydrological drought, including duration and magnitude. The relationship with which hydrological drought responds to meteorological drought was established by a non-linear function model at the Anxi station and Shilong station which reflected the periods of natural condition without reservoir and reservoir-influence condition, respectively. The results indicate that (1) there was a clear non-linear relationship of hydrological drought and meteorological drought, and the threshold within which hydrological drought started to respond to meteorological drought was obtained according to the non-linear function model; (2) the operational activities of the Shanmei reservoir during 1983–2010 have significantly reduced the duration and magnitude of hydrological drought at the Shilong station compared to the natural-influence period of 1960–1982, which, in turn, altered the relationship between the hydrological drought and meteorological drought. The propagation process from meteorological to hydrological droughts was shortened because of the changed relationship.

Variability of precipitation extremes and dryness/wetness over the southeast coastal region of China, 1960–2014

ABSTRACTThe spatio‐temporal variability of precipitation extremes was investigated over the southeast coastal region of China, based on daily precipitation records from 73 meteorological stations for the period of 1960–2014. The standardized precipitation index (SPI), rotated empirical orthogonal function (REOF), and wavelet analysis methods were used to assess the characteristics of dryness/wetness patterns, as well as their correlations with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Most of the extreme indices exhibited increasing trends at the regional scale over the past 55 years and generally had larger magnitudes than in other regions, with heavy precipitation that was more concentrated in time. The annual total wet day precipitation (PRCPTOT), total precipitation on very wet days (R95p), and total precipitation on extremely wet days (R99p) displayed sharp increases, with magnitudes of 22.60 (P = 0.33), 21.50 (P = 0.02) and 7.80 (P = 0.06) mm decade−1, respectively. In contrast, the regional averaged maximum consecutive wet days (CWD) decreased by −0.10 days decade−1 (P = 0.48). The stations with sharp increases in extreme heavy precipitation were mainly located in the north and coastal areas. In addition, three dominant dryness/wetness patterns (REOFs) corresponding to different climatic partitions were identified. With regard to the time coefficients (PCs) of each REOF, no significant trend in PC1 was detected, while an increasing trend (P < 0.001) in PC2 and decreasing trend (P < 0.001) in PC3 were found. The evolution of dryness/wetness occurred over a 4‐ to 12‐year period in the first three REOFs, and their PCs all had significant positive correlations with ENSO at a 12‐month lag time. This study suggests that the risks of heavy precipitation and flooding are likely to increase in southeast China, particularly in the northern and coastal areas, and extreme events may be strengthened in the southern subtropical zone during certain seasons.

Antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori in Chinese children: A multicenter retrospective study over 7 years

To determine the prevalence of resistance to metronidazole, clarithromycin, levofloxacin, amoxicillin, and furazolidone in Helicobacter pylori isolated from Chinese children. This multicenter retrospective study was conducted from January 2009 to December 2015. A total of 1746 isolates of H. pylori were collected from nine areas of Zhejiang province in the southeast coastal region of China. H. pylori strains were examined for antibiotics susceptibility by agar dilution method. The resistance rates were 75.20% for metronidazole, 16.38% for clarithromycin, 6.70% for levofloxacin, 0.06% for amoxicillin, and 0.06% for furazolidone. The pattern of H. pylori antibiotic resistance demonstrated no significant changes in the rates of resistance to clarithromycin, amoxicillin, furazolidone, and metronidazole over 7 years. A significant trend of increasing resistance to metronidazole was observed as children aged, but a downward trend in clarithromycin resistance was observed as children aged. No difference in the resistance to other antibiotics was observed among different age groups. Also, there was no significant difference between male and female subjects in rates of resistance to these five types of antibiotics. The predominant dual resistance to metronidazole and clarithromycin was presented in 10.65% of the isolates. The resistance rates of H. pylori in children from southeast coastal region of China were very high to metronidazole, moderate to clarithromycin and levofloxacin, and low to amoxicillin and furazolidone. It is important to continue monitoring the resistance profiles of H. pylori isolated in this region.

Rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for the initiation of landslides in Zhejiang Province, China

Zhejiang Province, located in the southeast coastal region of China, is highly prone to rainfall-triggered landslides because of its geologic, geomorphologic, and climatic settings. The rainfall–landslide relationship is critically important for predicting rainfall-induced landslides. This study defines landslide-triggering rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for the entire Zhejiang region; and the 62 individual areas that comprise the region, based on 1569 shallow landslides which occurred from 1990 to 2013 and their corresponding detail rainfall records from 2457 rain gauges in the region. The results indicate that the rainfall thresholds vary spatially over the region. For rainfall durations from 1 to 24h, the threshold tends to increase from the northwestern part of Zhejiang to its southeastern coastal region; and it is lower in the central and coastal hill–basin regions than that in the western and southern mountainous regions. Variability of the threshold in space is mainly affected by the slope-forming materials and terrain slope gradients. Different soil types have different thresholds, and the thresholds for weathered rock slides are generally higher than those for soil slides. For the soil–weathered rock on slopes, the slope gradient has no obvious influence on the thresholds when the slope angle is <30°; the thresholds have an obviously increasing trend with the increase of slope angles in the range of slope angles from 30 to about 40°; and when slope angle is larger than about 40°, the thresholds rapidly decrease with gradient on the whole. These findings will facilitate the improvement of warning systems for regional rainfall-triggered landslides.

Antibiotic Resistance of Helicobacter Pylori Isolated in the Southeast Coastal Region of China

The resistance of Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) to antibiotics is increasing worldwide, lowering its efficacy in current eradication therapies. This study evaluated H.pylori resistance to antibiotics in the southeast coastal region of China and suggests appropriate alternatives. Seventeen thousand seven hundred and thirty one H.pylori strains were collected from eight areas of two provinces in coastal southeast China from 2010 to 2012. The resistance of these strains to six antibiotics was tested using the agar dilution method. The resistance rates to clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, amoxicillin, gentamicin and furazolidone were 21.5, 95.4, 20.6, 0.1, 0.1 and 0.1%, respectively. Double, triple and quadruple antibacterial resistant percentages were 25.5, 7.5 and 0.1%, respectively. A positive association between the resistance to levofloxacin and to clarithromycin was found, but there was a negative correlation in the resistances to levofloxacin and to metronidazole. The prevalence of H.pylori resistance to clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin and multiple antibiotics in coastal southeast China is high. Choice of therapy should be individualized based on a susceptibility test in this region of the country.

AiNet- and GIS-based regional prediction system for the spatial and temporal probability of rainfall-triggered landslides

We developed a real-time forecasting system, aiNet-GISPSRIL, for evaluating the spatiotemporal probability of occurrence of rainfall-triggered landslides. In this system, the aiNet (a kind of artificial neutral network based on a self-organizing system) and GIS are merged for integrating the rainfall conditions into various environmental factors that influence the landslide occurrence and for simulating the complex non-linear relationships between landslide occurrence and its related conditions. Zhejiang Province (101,800 km2 in area), located in the southeast coastal region of China, is highly prone to the occurrence of landslides during intensive rainfall. Since 2003, the aiNet-GISPSRIL has been used to predict landslides during the rainy seasons in the region. The aiNet-GISPSRIL uses the regional 24-h forecast rainfall information and the real-time rainfall monitoring data from the rain-gauge network as its inputs, and then provides 24-h forecast of the landslide probability for every 1 × 1-km grid cell within the region. Verification studies on the performance of the aiNet-GISPSRIL show that the system has successfully predicted the dates and localities of 304 landslides (accounting for 66.2% of reported landslides during the period). During the period from 2003 to 2007, because the system provided the probability levels of landslide occurrences up to 24-h in advance, gave locations of potential landslides, and timely warned those individuals at high-risk areas, more than 1700 persons living in the risk sites had been evacuated to safe ground before the landslides occurred and thus casualty was avoided. This highly computerized, easy-operating system can be used as a prototype for developing forecasting systems in other regions that are prone to rainfall-triggered landslides.

Images d un royaume disparu : Note sur les bronzes historiés de Yue et leur interprétation

Among the famed "pictorial bronzes" of the fifth and early fourth centuries BC, one group of vessels stand out for being hammered, rather than cast, and for featuring decoration that is incised in punctate lines. These unusual bronzes were probably manufactured in the southeast coastal region of China. Their decoration, illustrating drinking feasts, archery contests, and hunting scenes, reflects the distinctive local culture of that area. Among other things, they document the usage of drinking horns, which are not commonly encountered in other parts of China during this period. Such drinking horns can be identified among the funerary ceramics (mingqi) found in the characteristic tumuli of southeast coastal China; a hitherto enigmatic type of footed bowls with many-holed covers may be identified as vessels designed for placing a set of drinking horns; and some equally enigmatic many-holed bronze disks with pictorial décor likely served as inset covers of similar vessels made of bronze.