China's Infrastructure Development and Supply-Side Structural Reforms

Despite significant improvements in transport, energy and information communication technology （ICT） infrastructures, inadequacies still exist in China＇s infrastructure development in light of emerging demand and industrial transition and upgrade. China lags far behind advanced economies such as the United States, Germany and Japan in terms of the quality of transport infrastructures except railroad,＂ electricity infrastructure is insufficient and service efficiency needs improvement; ICT infrastructure requires all-round upgrade and gaps in Internet bandwidth are striking. This paper suggests that, based on the needs of supply-side structural reform, China must reform its investment and financing systems to enhance the efficiency of infrastructure investment. Efforts must be made to enhance air transport and port infrastructure to support industrial upgrade; to develop the energy Internet to address emerging demands; and to forge a new generation of ICT infrastructure with industrial Internet as the priority to prepare China for the new round of industrial competition.

Health Impact Assessment of Air Pollution in Some Regions in Albania

Air is the ocean we breathe. Air supplies us with oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live. 99.9% air is nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert gases. Human activities can release substances into the air, some of which can cause problems for humans, plants and animals. There are several main types of pollution and well-known effects of pollution which are commonly discussed. These include smog, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and ＂holes＂ in the ozone layer. Each of these problems has serious implications for our health and well-being as well as for the whole environment. The age and health condition are more important also at the response opposite the pollution of air. During the last decade in our country such as result of freely population movement, development and growth of their industrial activities, growth of vehicle number, collapse of roadway infrastructure etc., an increase of air quality pollution is evident. In this study, we exhibited the causers, such as increasing of number of the old cars, which is an important factor of the air pollution and, at the same time, we exhibited the pollution indicators of the air quality, such as PM I 0, total dust, dust levels outdoors and indoors, which are in the high levels. These factors indicated on human health. We have observed the health indicators, especially lung diseases such as bronchial asthma with higher percentage, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer. There was consistency in the finding that relates the acute increases in urban air pollution and the short-term health effects or patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.

A TCP Performance Enhancement Scheme in Infrastructure based Vehicular Networks

Transmission Control Protocol （TCP） in infrastructure based vehicular net- works is dedicated to support reliable Intemet services for mobile users. However, an end-to- end TCP flow not only experiences some com- mon challenges in wireless mobile networks, such as high packet loss rate, medium access competition, unstable wireless bandwidth, and dynamic topology, etc., but also suffers from performance degradation due to traffic congestion at the Road-Side Units （RSUs） that connect the wireline and wireless networks. In order to address the challenging issues related to reliable TCP transmissions in infrastruc- ture based vehicular networks, we propose an RSU based TCP （R-TCP） scheme. For wireline source nodes, R-TCP adopts a novel flow control mechanism to adjust transmission rates according to the status of bottleneck link. Specifically, during the short wireless connec- tion time in Infrastructure based vehicular net- works, R-TCP quickly chooses an ideal trans- mission rate for data transmissions instead of activating the slow start algorithm after the connection is established, and successfully avoids the oscillation of the transmission rate. Simulation results show that R-TCP achieves great advantages than some relate proposals in terms of throughput, end-to-end delay, and packet loss rate.

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma:A meta-analysis

AIM： To perform a systematic meta-analysis to in- vestigate the association between X-ray repair crosscomplementing group 1 （XRCC1） polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） risk. METHODS： Relevant studies extracted from PubMed, Embase, Wanfang, VIP and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases up to March 2012 were included in the study. Stata software, version 11.0, was used for the statistical analysis. The odds ratios （ORs） and 95% confidence interval （CI） of the XRCC1 polymorphisms in HCC patients were analyzed and compared with healthy controls. The meta-analysis was performed using fixed-effect or random-effect methods, depending on the absence or presence of significant heterogeneity. RESULTS： Eleven studies with 2075 HCC cases and 2604 controls met our eligibility criteria （four studies, 888 cases and 938 controls for Arg194Trp, four studies, 858 cases and 880 controls for Arg280His, and nine studies, 1845 cases and 2401 controls for Arg399Gln）. The meta-analysis revealed no associations between the Arg194Trp and Arg399GIn polymorphisms of the XRCC1 gene and HCC risk under all contrast models （codominant, dominant and recessive models） in the overall analysis and sensitivity analysis （the studies with controls not in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were excluded）. For XRCC1 Arg280His polymorphism, the overall analysis revealed the significant associa- tion between the His/His genotype and the increased risk of HCC （His/His vs Arg/Arg model, OR： 1.96, 95% CI： 1.03-3.75, P = 0.04）. However, sensitivity analysis showed an altered pattern of result and non-significant association （OR： 2.06, 95% CI： 0.67-6.25, P = 0.20）. The heterogeneity hypothesis test did not reveal any heterogeneity, and Begg＇s and Egger＇s tests did not find any obvious publication bias. CONCLUSION： The XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399GIn polymorphisms are not associated with HCC risk. More rigorous association studies are needed to verify the involvement ofXRCC1 Arg280His polymorphism in HCC susceptibility.

Cascade control based on minimum sensitivity in outer loop for processes with time delay

A new cascade control program was proposed based on modified internal model control to handle stable,unstable and integrating processes with time delay.The program had totally four controllers of which the secondary loop had two controllers and the primary loop had two controllers.The two secondary loop controllers were designed using IMC technique.They were decoupled completely and could be adjusted independently,which avoided the undesirable influence on performance of the primary controllers.The main controller in the primary loop was devised as a PID using the method of minimum sensitivity,which could guarantee not only the nominal performance but also the robust stability of the system.A setpoint filter was added in the primary loop to improve the tracking performance.All the controllers of the two closed-loops were designed analytically,and could be adjusted and optimized by single parameter respectively.Simulations were carried out on three various processes with time delay,and the results show that the proposed method can provide a better performance of both set-point tracking and disturbance rejection and robustness against parameters perturbation.

A New Rational-based Optimal Design Strategy of Ship Structure Based on Multi-level Analysis and Super-element Modeling Method

A new multi-level analysis method of introducing the super-element modeling method, derived from the multi-level analysis method first proposed by O. F. Hughes, has been proposed in this paper to solve the problem of high time cost in adopting a rational-based optimal design method for ship structural design. Furthermore,the method was verified by its effective application in optimization of the mid-ship section of a container ship. A full 3-D FEM model of a ship,suffering static and quasi-static loads, was used as the analyzing object for evaluating the structural performance of the mid-ship module, including static strength and buckling performance. Research results reveal that this new method could substantially reduce the computational cost of the rational-based optimization problem without decreasing its accuracy, which increases the feasibility and economic efficiency of using a rational-based optimal design method in ship structural design.

DIV： Dynamic Integrity Validation Framework for Detecting Compromises on Virtual Machine Based Cloud Services in Real Time

with the increasing popularity of cloud services,attacks on the cloud infrastructure also increase dramatically.Especially,how to monitor the integrity of cloud execution environments is still a difficult task.In this paper,a real-time dynamic integrity validation(DIV) framework is proposed to monitor the integrity of virtual machine based execution environments in the cloud.DIV can detect the integrity of the whole architecture stack from the cloud servers up to the VM OS by extending the current trusted chain into virtual machine's architecture stack.DIV introduces a trusted third party(TTP) to collect the integrity information and detect remotely the integrity violations on VMs periodically to avoid the heavy involvement of cloud tenants and unnecessary information leakage of the cloud providers.To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of DIV framework,a prototype on KVM/QEMU is implemented,and extensive analysis and experimental evaluation are performed.Experimental results show that the DIV can efficiently validate the integrity of files and loaded programs in real-time,with minor performance overhead.

Application of probability integral method in ground deformation prediction

In order to study the law of mining subsidence and ground movement, to provide the basis of coal mining under building, railway and water, we used the probability integration method to make comprehensive evaluation of ground stability. Take Yingcheng Coal Mine of Jiutai as an example. Mining-induced movement and horizontal movement are analyzed on the basis of the measurement data. The resuhs of prediction can pro- vide reference and basis for prevention of coal mining subsidence and future restoration and treatment.

Design parameter optimization of beam foundation on soft soil layer with nonlinear finite element

Finite element method was performed to investigate the influences of beam stiffness, foundation width and cushion thickness on the beating capacity of beam foundation on underlying weak laminated clay. The comparison between numerical results and results from field test including plate-bearing test and foundation settlement observation shows reasonable agreement. According to the numerical results, the beam width, length, cross section and cushion thickness were optimized. The results show that the stresses in subgrade soil decrease greatly with increasing the cushion thickness and width of foundation. However, the foundation settlement and influencing depth of displacement also increase correspondingly under conditions of relatively thinner cushion thickness. For the foundations on underlying weak layer, increasing foundation width merely might be inadequate for improving the bearing capacity, and the appropriate width and cushion thickness depend on the response of subgrade. A comparison between rigid and flexible beams was also discussed. The influence of a flexible beam foundation on subgrade is relatively smaller under the same loading conditions, and the flexible beam foundation appears more adaptable to various subgrades. The proposed flexible beam foundation was adopted in engineering. According to the calculation results, beam width of 2.4 m and cushion thickness of 0.8 m are proposed, and a flexible beam foundation is applied in the optimized design, which is confirmed reasonable by the actual engineering.

Updating of the hierarchical rock mass rating(HRMR) system and a new subsystem developed for weathered granite formations

The RMR system is still very much applied in rock mechanics engineering context. It is based on the evaluation of six weights to obtain a final rating. To obtain the final rating a considerable amount of information is needed concerning the rock mass which can be difficult to obtain in some projects or project stages at least with accuracy. In 2007 an alternative classification scheme based on the RMR, the Hierarchical Rock Mass Rating(HRMR) was presented. The main feature of this system was the adaptation to the level of knowledge existent about the rock mass to obtain the classification of the rock mass since it followed a decision tree approach. However, the HRMR was only valid for hard rock granites with low fracturing degrees. In this work, the database was enlarged with approximately 40% more cases considering other types of granite rock masses including weathered granites and based on this increased database the system was updated. Granite formations existent in the north of Portugal including Porto city are predominantly granites. Some years ago a light rail infrastructure was built in the city of Porto and surrounding municipalities which involved considerable challenges due to the high heterogeneity levels of the granite formations and the difficulties involved in their geomechanical characterization. In this work it is intended to provide also a contribution to improve the characterization of these formations with special emphasis to the weathered horizons. A specific subsystem applicable to the weathered formations was developed. The results of the validation of these systems are presented and show acceptable performances in identifying the correct class using less information than with the RMR system.

Effects of telbivudine and entecavir for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B: A meta-analysis

AIM:To compare the effects of telbivudine (LDT) and entecavir (ETV) in treatment of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B by meta-analysis. METHODS:We conducted a literature search using PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the VIP database, the Wanfang database and the Cochrane Controlled Trial Register for all relevant articles published before April 1, 2012. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LDT with ETV for treatment of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B were included. The data was analyzed with Review Manager Software 5.0. We used relative risk (RR) as an effect measure, and reported its 95% CI. Meta-analysis was performed using either a fixedeffect or random-effect model, based on the absence or presence of significant heterogeneity. Two reviewers assessed the risk of bias and extracted data indepen- dently and in duplicate. The analysis was executed using the main outcome parameters including hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA undetectability, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization, HBeAg loss, HBeAg seroconversion, drug-resistance, and adverse reactions. Meta-analysis of the included trials and subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the association between pre-specified characteristics with the therapeutic effects of the two agents. RESULTS:Thirteen eligible trials (3925 patients in total) were included and evaluated for methodological quality and heterogeneity. In various treatment durations of 4 wk, 8 wk, 12 wk, 24 wk, 36 wk, 48 wk, 52 wk, 60 wk and 72 wk, the rates of HBV DNA undetectability and ALT normalization in the two groups were similar, without statistical significance. At 4 wk and 8 wk of the treatment, no statistical differences were found in the rate of HBeAg loss between the two groups, while the rate in the LDT group was higher than in the ETV group at 12 wk, 24 wk, 48 wk and 52 wk, respectively (RR 2.28, 95% CI 1.16, 7.03, P = 0.02; RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.16, 1.82, P = 0.001; RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.11, 1.89, P = 0.006; and RR 1.86, 95% CI 1.04, 3.32, P = 0.04). At 4 wk, 8 wk, 60 wk and 72 wk of the treatment, there were no significant differences in the rate of HBeAg seroconversion between the two groups, while at 12 wk, 24 wk, 48 wk and 52 wk, the rate in the LDT group was higher than in the ETV group (RR 2.10, 95% CI 1.36, 3.24, P = 0.0008; RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.29, 2.28, P = 0.0002; RR 1.86, 95% CI 1.36, 2.54, P < 0.0001; and RR 1.87, 95% CI 1.21, 2.90, P = 0.005). The rate of drug-resistance was higher in the LDT group than in the ETV group (RR 3.76, 95% CI 1.28, 11.01, P = 0.02). In addition, no severe adverse drug reactions were observed in the two groups. And the rate of increased creatine kinase in the LDT group was higher than in the ETV group (RR 5.58, 95% CI 2.22, 13.98, P = 0.0002). CONCLUSION:LDT and ETV have similar virological and biomedical responses, and both are safe and well tolerated. However, LDT has better serological response and higher drug-resistance.

Scalable and Identifier/Locator-Splitting Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

In the traditional Intemet Protocol （IP） architecture, there is an overload of IP sermntic problems. Existing solutions focused mainly on the infrastructure for the fixed network, and there is a lack of support for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks （MANETs）. To improve scalability, a routing protocol for MANETs is presented based on a locator named Tree-structure Locator Distance Vector （TLDV）. The hard core of this routing method is the identifier/locator split by the Distributed Hash Table （DHT） method, which provides a scalable routing service. The node locator indicates its relative location in the network and should be updated whenever topology changes, kocator space ks organized as a tree-structure, and the basic routing operation of the TLDV protocol is presented. TLDV protocol is compared to some classical routing protocols for MANETs on the NS2 platform Results show that TLDV has better scalability. Key words：

Urban Disaster Prevention Shelter VulnerabilityEvaluation Considering Road Network Characteristics

Large-scale national disasters have recently occurred worldwide, causing tremendous damage to life and property. Therefore, urban safety has become a critical issue, and disaster prevention and mitigation are also considered in urban development and infrastructure construction. When earthquake disasters occur, road networks play major roles in rescue activity for responding to urban damage. The urban-disaster prevention spatial system attempts to mitigate hazards by considering shelters, routes for evacuation and rescue and necessary logistics. A literature review shows numerous studies related to a disaster-prevention shelter survey before or after hazards, however, they are less concerned with the reliability of shelter evaluation. This study assesses shelter evaluation by considering road networks. The authors construct 10 selected indices individually related to road networks. Three integrated composite indices are established to explain planned-shelter risks using the Arc GIS diagram of a spatial concept of an urban-planning review process. The relationship between shelters and evacuation/rescue routes is important for disaster-prevention planning. This survey investigates the factors of road networks, fire engine rescue routes, fire station location and road/population density for vulnerability evaluations.

Risk Evaluation of New Technology Implementation via Future Oriented POC Analysis

In recent years the evolution of highly developed and complicated computerization has boosted the importance to business of IT infrastructure. Enhancement of business agility is not possible unless greater flexibility is built into IT infrastructure. More often than not, MIS＇s today are not flexible enough in this sense to agilely accommodate demands for system change incessantly confronting them. We have been focusing our research on MIS flexibility, its evaluation and the development of methodology for its enhancement. This paper aims to present a comparative evaluation via future oriented POC （penalty of change） analysis of system alternatives involving a case of new technology implementation. To start with, we will define the concept of MIS flexibility. We will then describe an actual case of technology implementation and define the problem it involved and go on to illustrate the evaluation procedure of MIS flexibility via future oriented POC analysis.

Spring constitutive model of rigid pile composite foundation and application in design of raft foundation

The simplified analysis method based on the static equilibrium is generally adopted for raft design. The secondary stress of superstructure due to the differential settlement of the foundation is neglected, which leads to larger support moments and longitudinal bending of raft compared with real values. The spring constitutive relation of composite foundation is obtained by the flat plate loading tests in Karst region. The interaction between the spring and the raft is equivalent to the interaction between the composite foundation and the raft. The model for superstructure-raft-composite foundation interaction analysis is thus established and the raft is designed. This method not only considers the nonlinear properties of composite foundation but also analyzes the influence of superstructure on bending moment and deformation of raft. Compared with the inverted floor method, the calculated values of moment become more reasonable and uneven settlements are considered. This can be references to the design of raft foundation in similar regions.

Association between Two Polymorphisms of Follicle Stimulating Hormone Receptor Gene and Susceptibility to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Meta-analysis

Objective To investigate the association between two polymorphisms of follicle stimulating hormone receptor （FSHR） gene and polycystic ovary syndrome （PCOS） susceptibility. Methods Case-control studies on relationship of Thr307Ala and Asn680Ser polymorphisms in FSHR gene and PCOS susceptibility were searched from PubMed, ISI web of knowledge, EBSCO, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI） databases up to March 21, 2013. The pooled odds ratio （OR） and 95% confidence interval （CO were calculated using fixed- or random-effect model based on heterogeneity test in 5 genotype models analyses. Results A total of 11 studies were included in the Meta-analysis. The random-effect analysis showed Asn680Ser was significantly associated with the reduced susceptibility to PCOS with dominant model （Asn/Asn＋Asn/Ser vs. Ser/Ser, OR=0.83, 95% CI： 0.69-1.00）, recessive model （Asn/Asn vs. Asn/Ser＋ Ser/Ser, OR=0.84, 95% CI： 0.72-0.98）, homozygote comparison （Ash/Ash vs. Ser/Ser, 0R=0.79, 95% CI： 0.63-0.98）, and the allele contrast （Asn vs. Ser, OR=0.87, 95% CI： 0.79-0.97） respectively（P=0.02, I2=56.0%）, being protective factors for PCOS. However, no significant associations were found between Thr307Ala and PCOS. Conclusion There might be a significant association between Asn680Ser polymorphism and PCOS.

Construction management through bot: Taiwan high speed rall case

One of the key elements in real estate management is streamlining the construction process. Thus, the facilities can be built on a faster, cheaper, and higher quality base. Consequently, it will enhance the owner’s competitiveness. Due to the high cost and lengthy duration of mega-construction projects in recent years, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts are getting popular in delivering constructed projects in the public sector. With BOT, the public owners are able to focus on the effectiveness of fair resource allocation as well as bring the efficiency of private enterprise into governmental operations. This paper uses Taiwan High Speed Rail project to exemplify the BOT method in executing the constructed projects in the chain of real estate management processes. The paper explains the reasons for building HSR and adopting BOT approach. The detail of the HSR project and the feasibility analysis of the project will be presented in this paper. The feasibility analysis comprises the comparisons of different transportation means, the financial analysis, and other benefits from HSR. Finally, conclusions will be drawn.

Proposed Simplified Procedure for Safety Factor Scaling for Various Life Cycles

It is common to assume that structures are designed in view of 50 year life cycle as per Euro-Code 2 and other codes. In special cases, structures are designed in view of longer life cycle, such as bridges, important infrastructure facilities, important religious structures or in case of extended returning period of seismic event or floods. Beside issues of durability and maintenance aspects, this involves also the need to cover the probability of exceeding characteristic design live loads during the extended period, while keeping the same levels of the accepted risk that were assumed by the various codes, as good enough for the standard 50 year life cycle. Bearing in mind that design procedures, formulations, materials characteristic strengths and partial safety factors are used for these structures as per the existing codes, scaling of partial safety factors, or alternatively an additional ＂compensating＂ factor is required. A simplified approach and procedure to arrive at a reasonable calibration of the code safety factors based on 50 years to compensate for an extended life cycle, based upon structural reliability considerations, is proposed.

Influence of The Belt and Road Initiative on Oil and Gas Infrastructure

China has proposed the ＂Belt and Road Initiative （B＆R）＂ in 2013. One its core strategies is international oil/gas cooperation. This paper addresses the status quo of cooperation on oil/gas infrastructure with countries along the line of ＂B＆R＇, anticipahs the cooperatiorl prospect. On this basis, the author analyzes China＇s advantages and cooperation basis in this domain, conceives the practical way of cooperation on oil/gas infrastructure with countries along the line of ＂B＆R＇. This paper also elaborates on tlre potential risks, risk evaluation criteria and risk corr trol in oil/gas infrastructu re cooperation with countries tries along tire line of ＂B＆R＂.

Is a Human Right to Democracy Justifiable？

In this article, I examine the view that there is a human right to democracy, and consider why we should regard this issue as decisive in solving the problems of foreign interference in the protection of human rights. I also note that there has been almost no discussion about the holder of the human right to democracy, that is, who is to hold this right. After comparing John Rawls＇ argument against the human right to democracy and Thomas Christiano＇s argument for it and showing similarities and critical differences among their arguments, I insist that we ought to be sensitive when proclaiming that democracy--be it a minimally egalitarian democracy or a more exacting one--is a universal value. We have sufficient cause to consider carefully not only the political circumstances but also the political infrastructure of the country before we proceed to an even limited intervention in the name of the protection of a human right to democracy. If the human right to democracy is not just a right to vote, but a right to the whole process of establishment and enjoyment of democracy, it should be understood as a group right that pertains to a human population that legitimately claims political self-determination. Any human population that insists on the democratic self-determination of their political will is both able and entitled to establish and administer democratic institutions, regardless of the diversity of its ascribed or cultural characteristics. The establishment of such a group with a firm political identity should be considered as the political infrastructure to claim and exercise the human right to democracy.