China and the Changing Global Economic Order

A better understanding of China’s modernization presents an insight into a changing world.AS China has developed,so too has the global economy.For the past 200 years or so,the structure of the global economy was dominated first by the British empire,and more recently by the U.S.as the global economic hegemon.This system of center-and-peripheries is now decentering,with a diversification of networks and connections creating a multinodal system of value growth and circulation.

Direct-Seeded Rice: Genetic Improvement of Game-Changing Traits for Better Adaption

The sustainability of rice production continues to be a subject of uncertainty and inquiry attributed to shifts in climatic conditions. In light of the impending climate change crisis and the high labor and water costs accompanying it, direct-seeded rice(DSR) is unquestionably one of the most practical solutions. Despite its resource and climate-friendly advantages, early maturing rice faces weed competitiveness and seedling establishment challenges. Resolving these issues is crucial for promoting its wider adoption among farmers, presenting it as a more effective sustainable rice cultivation method globally. Diverse traditional and contemporary breeding methods are employed to mitigate the limitations of the DSR approach, leveraging advanced techniques such as speed breeding and genome editing. Focusing on key traits like mesocotyl length elongation, early seedling vigor, root system architecture, and weed competitiveness holds promise for transformative improvements in DSR adaptation at a broader scale within farming communities. This review aims to summarize how these features contribute to increased crop production in DSR conditions and explore the research efforts focusing on enhancing DSR adaptation through these traits. Emphasizing the pivotal role of these game-changing traits in DSR adaptation, our analysis sheds light on their potential transformative impact and offers valuable insights for advancing DSR practices.

Changing Characteristics of Comfort Index of Human Body in Bengbu City in the Past 40 Years under the Background of Climate Change

Based on the daily meteorological data of Bengbu City during 1981-2020,the changing characteristics of three elements needed for the calculation of the comfort index of human body(CIHB)were discussed,and daily CIHB was classified and discussed.The results show that from 1981 to 2020,annual average temperature tended to increase significantly.Annual average wind speed and relative humidity showed a decreasing trend before 2011 but an increasing trend after 2011.The duration of the four seasons in Bengbu City mainly rose in spring,reduced in winter,declined first and then increased in summer,and rose first and then decreased in autumn.As CIHB was at grades 1 and 9(the most uncomfortable),the three factors had different effects on them.For cold weather,the influence of relative humidity and wind speed on CIHB can not be ignored besides temperature.In hot weather,the influence of temperature was dominant,and the change of annual average temperature could well correspond to the change in the number of very hot days.In the context of climate warming,the number of cold days tended to decline generally,but it was larger in the years with fewer very cold days.Under the background of climate warming,there was no obvious change in the number of days of the overall comfort of human body.The number of hot days was closely related to the duration of summer,and the number of days of grade 8 rose significantly in the years with an increase in the duration of summer.

Assessment of first-order-moment-based sample reconstruction method for design flood estimation in changing environment

Estimating the design flood under nonstationary conditions is challenging. In this study, a sample reconstruction approach was developed to transform a nonstationary series into a stationary one in a future time window (FTW). In this approach, the first-order moment (EFTW) of an extreme flood series in the FTW was used, and two possible methods of estimating EFTW values in terms of point values and confidence intervals were developed. Three schemes were proposed to analyze the uncertainty of design flood estimation in terms of sample representativeness, uncertainty from EFTW estimation, and both factors, respectively. To investigate the performance of the sample reconstruction approach, synthesis experiments were designed based on the annual peak series of the Little Sugar Creek in the United States. The results showed that the sample reconstruction approach performed well when the high-order moment of the series did not change significantly in the specified FTW. Otherwise, its performance deteriorated. In addition, the uncertainty of design flood estimation caused by sample representativeness was greater than that caused by EFTW estimation.

Characteristics and utility of combined duplex color-coded ultrasonography in the cervical rotational position with head MRI and MRA in the differential diagnosis of apogeotropic direction-changing positional nystagmus

Objective:To determine whether cervical ultrasonography,magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),and magnetic resonance angiography(MRA)are useful in the differential diagnosis of etiology and understanding the pathophysiology in cases of apogeotropic direction-changing positional nystagmus(DCPN).Methods:Thirty patients with apogeotropic DCPN were classified into 11 cases of central disease,seven cases of mixed central and peripheral disease,and 12 cases of peripheral disease by differential diagnosis based on various balance function,neuro-otological,and imaging tests.Cervical ultrasonography using the cervical rotation method and MRI and MRA of the head and neck were performed in most patients with apogeotropic DCPN.We reviewed the presence of abnormal imaging findings according to the disease etiology.Results:Of the 30 patients with apogeotropic DCPN,23 showed vascular abnormalities or central lesions on imaging.Vascular lesions were found in six of the 12 patients with peripheral disease.Cervical ultrasonography with cervical rotation detected blood flow disturbance in the vertebral artery in eight patients in whom the disturbance could not be detected by MRI or MRA of the head and neck.Discussion:We hypothesize that the causative disease of apogeotropic DCPN may be strongly associated with circulatory insufficiency of the vertebrobasilar and carotid arteries,and that impaired blood flow in these vessels may affect peripheral vestibular and central function.In patients with apogeotropic DCPN,examinations of vestibular function,central nervous system symptoms,and brain hemodynamics are valuable for differential diagnosis.

Changing Lives

Implementation of the BRI projects has heralded positive changes in the lives of Tanzanian people Tanzania is an important Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)hub in Africa.It signed a BRI cooperation memorandum with China in 2018.Bilateral exchanges have been on the rise since then.On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the launch of the initiative,ChinAfrica sat down with Mbelwa Kairuki,Tanzanian ambassador to China,to hear his insights on the BRI,especially the changes brought by the BRI to the local people’s lives.

How Himalayan communities are changing cultivation practices in the context of climate change

Climate change can have significant impacts on crop yields and food security.This study assessed the linkages between climate change and crop yields to obtain a better understanding on the drivers of food security.The study was conducted in Pasagaun village of Lamjung District in Nepal,where household surveys and focus group discussions(FGDs)were used to collect data including crop cultivation,irrigation facilities,and adaptation strategies.Moreover,climate data(temperature and precipitation)from 1992 to 2020 were collected from the Khudi Bazar meteorological station and crop yield data were obtained from the Agri-Business Promotion and Statistics Division.Trend analysis of temperature and precipitation was conducted using MannKendall trend test and Sen’s slope method,and the results showed an increase in the average temperature of approximately 0.02℃/a and a decrease in the annual precipitation of 9.84 mm/a.The cultivation of traditional varieties of rice and foxtail millet(Kaguno)has vanished.Although,there was no significant impact of the maximum temperature on the yield of rice and maize,the regression analysis revealed that there are negative relationships between rice yield and annual minimum temperature(r=-0.44),between millet yield and annual precipitation(r=-0.30),and between maize yield and annual minimum temperature(r=-0.31),as well as positive relationship between rice yield and annual precipitation(r=0.16).Moreover,average rice yield and millet yield have decreased by 27.0% and 57.0% in 2000-2020,respectively.Despite other reasons for the decrease in crop yield such as the lack of irrigation facilities,out-migration of farmer,and increased pest infestation,respondents have adopted adaptation strategies(for example,shifts in cultivation time and changes in crop types)to minimize the impacts of climate change.More investigation and community-based farming education are needed to understand and alleviate the harmful impacts of climate change on crop yield,as effective adaptation coping strategies are still insufficient.This study provides insights into the adaptation strategies that are necessary to keep food security in the face of climate change.

Water quality changing trends of the Miyun Reservoir

In order to simulate changes in the water quality of the Miyun Reservoir dueto continuous descent of surface water level, a 3-D ecological hydrodynamic model was developedthrough coupling the water quality analysis simulation program (WASP) with the environmental fluiddynamics code (EFDC). The model was then calibrated and verified. Four scenarios (S1, S21, S22 andS23) were simulated using the model. Results show that the water quality of the Miyun Reservoirunder conditions of low surface water level is apparently affected by different amounts of inflowand different total phosphorus (TP) loadings. The chlorophyll-a concentration might exceed 10 μg/Lin many areas of the Miyun Reservoir (This limitative value is seen as a critical value ofeutrophication) when large loadings of TP enter due to the amount of inflow increasing. Results ofscenario S23 indicate that control of TP loadings can decrease chlorophyll-a concentrationeffectively, and the water quality of the Miyun Reservoir will improve or retain its status quo.

The Risk of Flooding to Architecture and Infrastructure amidst a Changing Climate in Lake Baringo, Kenya

Climate change has grown more apparent in recent years with people becoming more aware of its potentially disastrous consequences. Flooding is one of the many consequences of a changing climate in Kenya known to cause immense devastation resulting in the loss of lives and property. This paper discusses the risk of flooding in Kenya as one of the many outcomes of climate change in the face of urgency to adapt Kenya’s built environment to flooding which is likely to continue to prevail in the decades as a result of the looming climate change. It also sought to evaluate the physical, traumatic, and psychological effects on communities affected by flood events. This cross-sectional survey, both qualitative and quantitative in nature, executed between 13th January 2021 and 14th July 2021 with 132 respondents along the western shoreline of Lake Baringo, near Marigat Town focused on the flood levels, structures, their materials, and quantities. Results show that the area covered by Lake Baringo increased by 18% from 236 km2 to 278 km2. The depth of floods ranged from 0.3 m to 1.2 m and exceeded 1.6 m during heavy rainfall up to 3.2 m with homes completely submerged by the lake. Flooding was experienced more by residents living in low areas nearer to the shoreline of the lake as compared to those living on higher grounds. 100% of the structures didn’t have the architectural technology to withstand the impacts of flooding with 59% of housing made of corrugated iron sheets both on wall and roofing, 22% of mud houses roofed with either corrugated iron sheets, 10% being timber with thatch and only 8% stoned walled houses. This predisposed all the residents to the harmful impacts of flooding. Piled sandbags by locals as a mitigating measure proved inadequate to withstand the forces of the rising waters. Flood walls were built around local lodges near the lake but the rising water level quickly breached these defences. The study recommends that county and national governing authorities develop flood adaptation strategies for resilience. These include long-term land-use planning, the establishment of early warning systems, evacuation plans, identification of vulnerable or high-risk populations, measures to ensure water quality, sanitation, and hygiene. Flood-resilient architecture including stilt and floating houses that mechanically rise and fall with respect to the highest water mark are recommended during flood events. Bridges on swollen rivers and resilient construction materials like reinforced concrete are to be used for sustainable development for flood risk adaptation.

Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Natural and Anthropomorphic Effects, and Earth’s Changing Climate

This study will both compare and contrast the characteristics and roles of two pollutants: nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. It will begin by tracing each gas’ negative contributions to the Earth’s spheres, as well as relate any negative links that each plays concerning human activity, health, and interaction with the environment. It will include an in-depth analysis of what the proliferation of such toxic gases indicates about human production and causality, plus reflect on any current attempts being made to improve the effects of these pollutants on the environment. This examination will also inspect three NASA missions, i.e., MOPITT/Terra, AIRS/Aqua, and OMI/Aura, the aim of which, among many other tasks, is to detect pollutants within the Earth’s various spheres, as well as analyze weather anomalies, improve prediction methodology, and chronicle meteorological patterns for future study. It will also cover some of the goals, engineering breakthroughs, and in one case, the limitations, of these three satellite missions. Finally, it should be noted that in all stages of this discussion, the author’s main aim will be to focus on the positives that need to be implemented in order to improve the current situations that both anthropogenic and natural disasters have created for the planet.

Changing Process and Impact Factors of Ecosystem in Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland of China

By introducing geological and natural conditions of Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland,a national nature reserve,and borrowing Landsat5 TM wetland data of the year 1987 and 2005,the core area of Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland is studied,areas of its natural water,mudflat,seepweed beach,culture zone,reservoir and swag,reed field,rice field and non-wetland landscape are respectively analyzed,as well as the changes of wetland community,water quality,waterfowl quantity and species.It is found that the study area is suffering from serious fragmentation of wetland,reducing reed yield,degrading water quality,decreasing bird species and amount,which implies that the degraded wetland environment has imposed threats on the survival of some wetland species.Root causes of such a result are analyzed from the perspectives of regional climate changes and human interventions;while regional climate changes include obvious temperature increase and precipitation decrease,human interventions include oil exploration,reclamation of land from the lake,overuse of biotic resources,environment pollution.Due to the interactive influence of these two factors,ecosystem of Shuangtaizi Estuary Wetland has experienced drastic changes,which should be attached sufficient importance by relevant departments so as to enhance its protection and management.

Simulation Research on Structure Changing Control over the Follow Up System of the Smart Mine

By analyzing the target's motion pattern, in terms of the requirement for the performance indexes of the follow up system, the structure changing control and time optimal theory is proposed. The system's control scheme from three different aspects(the dynamic response simulation, compound control simulation and dynamic tracking simulation) is also studied. And all the results proved the feasibility of the synthetical utilization of the open loop control, speed decreased control and position closed loop control.

Changing Rule of Physical and Chemical Indicators of Sediment in Tilapia Aquaculture Ponds

To provide basic information for studying balancing mechanism of nutrition environment in aquaculture ponds, sediment samples were collected periodically during the breeding process of tilapia in ponds. Then various types of nutrient content of the samples were detected and the changing rule was summarized. The results showed that dry weight of the sediment and content of TP, TN and TOC generally presented a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. The main production period of each nutrient was from July to September and the production percentage was close to 80% of the total production. The content of NH4^＋-N increased gradually and reached a peak in early August, then maintained at the peak level. NO2^--N content of the sediment in each pond was basically the same in the earlier aquaculture stage and decreased in middle stage with a big difference, then rose again in the later stage.

From physical mobility to psychological mobilization: The benefits of changing location and caregiver in a mobile team for adolescent psychiatry

We have developed a mobile team for adolescents with psychological difficulties that can intervene within 48 hours, if necessary. Practically, caregivers working in pairs go wherever the adolescents are (home, General Practioner’s office, etc.), travelling in a motorhome designed as a mobile office. This method allows us to approach more closely the adolescents and their families in the here and now that corresponds to our societal evolution. Most of the adolescents seen by the mobile team do not express any explicit demand but the demand is expressed by the professionals in direct contact with these adolescents in difficulty (school professionals, General Practitioners, etc.), who alert the mobile team and solicit the adolescents’ parents to call the mobile team. One characteristic of this mobile team is the mobility of setting (by changing locations, including the use of a mobile office, and caregivers, so that multiple representations are mobilized). Statistical analyses conducted on 520 adolescents followed by the mobile team showed that the first meetings tend to take place in the family’s home, subsequently transferring to the mobile office and finally in the community mental health centres. There is therefore a transition from the living space (a place that is part of the here and now) to the caregiving space (a space of thought and for thinking), with the mobile office serving as an intermediate step in this movement towards accessing care. Furthermore, there was a significant association between changes of locations and continuity of care. Thus, there were significantly more breakdowns in continuity when the consultations all take place in a single location (family home, mobile office, community centre). The results and their therapeutic implications will be discussed in this article, especially with regard to the key role played by physical movement in psychological mobilization, and by plurality of representations associated with different locations and caregivers.

Recent Progress in Studies of the Variabilities and Mechanisms of the East Asian Monsoon in a Changing Climate

Located in a monsoon domain,East Asia suffers devastating natural hazards induced by anomalous monsoon behaviors.East Asian monsoon(EAM)research has traditionally been a high priority for the Chinese climate community and is particularly challenging in a changing climate where the global mean temperature has been rising.Recent advances in studies of the variabilities and mechanisms of the EAM are reviewed in this paper,focusing on the interannual to interdecadal time scales.Some new results have been achieved in understanding the behaviors of the EAM,such as the evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM),including both its onset and withdrawal over the South China Sea,the changes in the northern boundary activity of the EASM,or the transitional climate zone in East Asia,and the cycle of the EASM and the East Asian winter monsoon and their linkages.In addition,understanding of the mechanism of the EAM variability has improved in several aspects,including the impacts of different types of ENSO on the EAM,the impacts from the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean,and the roles of mid-to high-latitude processes.Finally,some scientific issues regarding our understanding of the EAM are proposed for future investigation.

Changing Connectivities of Chinese Cities in the World City Network,2010–2016

Against the backdrop of the sizable economic growth of China in recent years, this paper uses the most recent data gathering of the Globalization and World Cities(Ga WC) research network to update and supplement earlier research on the shifting global connectivity of Chinese cities. The update consists of an evaluation of the connectivity of Chinese cities in 2016, the supplement of an analysis of the changing position of Chinese cities in the world city network between 2010 and 2016. To this end, we build on a specification of the world city network as an ‘interlocking network' in which producer services firms play the crucial role in city network formation. Information about the presence of leading producer services firms in cities in 2010 and 2016 is used as the input to a bipartite network projection algorithm in order to measure cities' network connectivity. The first set of results discusses the geographies of urban connectivity in the world city network in 2016. The second set of results discusses standardized measures of change to reveal the major dimensions of the transformations between 2010 and 2016. We find that, with the exception of Hong Kong, Macao and Kaohsiung of Taiwan, all Chinese cities record connectivity gains. This wholesale rise in connectivity is nonetheless geographically uneven, with above all Beijing, Chengdu/Chongqing and Changsha/Wuhan becoming more connected. We conclude that the wholesale rise of Chinese cities in the world city network and their changing trajectories in the post-crisis era are embedded in shifting external and internal political economies.

Entropy of Dirac Field in Non-stationary and Slowly Changing Reissner-Nordstrom Black Hole

Using the thin film brick-wall model and WKB approximation, the entropy of the Dirac field in the non-stationary and slowly changing Reissner-Nordstrom (R-N) black hole is calculated. The result shows that the entropy of the R-N black hole is still proportional to its surface area if we choose proper cut-off.

Changing Grains for the Prevention and Treatment of Kashin-Beck Disease in Children: a Meta-analysis

To evaluate the efficacy of changing grains on the prevention and treatment of Kashin-Beck Disease （KBD） in children, community-based trials were acquired from seven electronic databases （up to July 2014）. As a result, the methodological quality of the six trials that have been included into our analysis was low. The pooled ORs favoring the prevention and treatment effects of changing grains were 0.15 （95% CI： 0.03-0.70） and 2.13 （95% CI： 1.44-3.16） respectively by meta-analysis. Subgroup analysis demonstrated the pooled OR favoring treatment effect of exchanging grains rather than drying grains both compared with endemic grains. The results showed that changing grains had obvious effects on the prevention and treatment of KBD in children. However, the evidences were limited by the potential biases and confounders. Large and well-designed trials are still needed.

Space-time analysis of the changing patterns of population pressure on the ecological environment in China

This paper examines the temporal change and spatial variation of population pressure on the ecological environment in China.We have collected sufficient data from the statistical yearbooks of 31 provincial administrative areas in 1990,1995,2000,2005,and 2010.Using a geographic information system(GIS) and relevant models,we analyzed the trend of the population pressure on ecological environment and the change of the gravity center of ecological environment quality.We conclude that:(1) generally,population pressure on the ecological environment in China was becoming higher during1990-2010,especially in some areas where the population and environment were in serious imbalance and the ecological environment experienced severe pollution;(2) during a certain period,population pressure on the ecological environment was becoming lower in some areas,but the ecological environment was getting worse;(3) the areas with super-high population pressure on the ecological environment were Beijing,Tianjin,and Shanghai;(4) the gravity center of population pressure on the ecological environment and the center of ecological environment quality move differently during the study time period,but the general trend was similar- both of them were moving from west to east.Based on the analysis,this paper also provides some policy suggestions on the control of ecological environment quality.

The breakfast imperative： The changing context of global food security

The debate on global food security has regained vigor since the food crisis of 2008, when a sudden spike in the prices of staple food commodities dramatically demonstrated that securing the supply and accessibility of food for a world of nine billion people in 2050 cannot be taken for grant- ed （Godfray etal. 2010; Swinnen and Squicciarini 2012;