如何看待非遗保护中的马街书会——与刘永涛先生商榷

在非物质文化遗产保护的背景下,马街书会的传承面临诸多挑战:马街村民美气的好客待艺习俗几近消逝;多数艺人的书艺传承青黄不接;草根艺术的受众急剧萎缩,并未成为民众普遍的价值追求。马街书会的传承面临的问题还很多,其开发保护尚处于探索之中,还称不上是非物质文化遗产开发保护的民间文化自觉,自然也不能急着将其作为实践的样本。

Climatic Factors for Limiting Northward Distribution of Eight Temperate Tree Species in Eastern North America

Eight temperate deciduous tree species, Acer rubrum L., A. saccharinum L., A. saccharum Marsh., Belluta alleghaniensis Britton., Fraxinus nigra Marsh., Quercus rubra L., Titia americana L., and Ulmus americana L. in eastern North America, were selected to explore relationship between the northward distribution of temperate tree species and climatic factors. For each species, more than 30 sites at their north limits of distribution were obtained from their distribution maps, and 11 climatic indices at the north limits were computed. The standardized standard deviation (SD) method, which compares the magnitude of variance of climatic indices, was used to detect which climatic parameter was the most important for explaining northward distribution of these species. We presume that the climatic parameter that has the smallest variance at the north limit would be assigned as the dominant climatic factor for limiting the distribution of this species. The results derived from the standardized SD method indicated that the SD value of warmth index (WI) and/or annual biotemperature (ABT) were the smallest among the 11 climatic indices. Since both WI and ABT represent growing season temperature, it suggested that growing season temperature was the most important climatic factor for explaining the northward distribution of these temperate tree species. The relationships between several climatic indices, WI, coldness index (CI), annual precipitation (AP), annual range of temperature (ART) and humid/arid index were also analyzed. As a result, at the north limits of all these species, both WI and CI decreased with an increase of AP, and CI increased with an increase of ART. Besides growing season temperature, precipitation and climatic continentality also have influence on the northward distribution of the temperate trees in eastern North America.

Enantioselective Determination of R-(-)-and S-(+)-Mexiletine in Microsomal Incubates by Capillary gas Chromatography

A method for the assay of R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine in rat liver microsomal incubates was developed. The method involved extraction of mexiletine from the microsomal incubates, and formation of mexiletine diastereomeric derivatives with a chiral reagent S ( ) N trifluoroacetyl prolyl chloride. Separation and quantitation of the diastereomeric mexiletine derivatives were carried out by a capillary gas chromatographic system with flame ionization detection. The assay was linear from 5 to 500 μg/ml for each enantiomer. The average recoveries of analytical method were 93 31±5 59% and 93 10±5 11% for R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine, respectively. The limits of detection and quantitation for the method were 1 0 μg/ml and 5 0 μg/ml for the R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine isomers, respectively. The reproducibility in the assay was better than 16.5% (RSD). The method has been applied to the metabolism study of R ( ) and S (+) mexiletine in rat liver microsomal incubates.

Persistent and advanced reddening of sweetgum leaves after major veins severing

The effects of major veins severing on morphological and physiological features of sweetgum （Liquidambar styraciflua L.） leaves were investigated by observing leaf color change and measuring leaf temperature, green/luminance （G/L） value of half-lobes, leaf stomata conductance, and water content in Yamaguchi University, Japan. The palmately veined leaves of sweetgum （Liquidambar styraciflua L.） were found more sensitive to the major vein severing than that of other species Major veins severing resulted in serious water stresses, as indicated by the persistent reddening and/or advanced reddening of local leaf, lower leaf stomatal conductance, and higher leaf temperature, etc. Severed leaf can be clearly divided into non-severed area, transitional area, and stressed area, which the three areas have different colours and temperature. The major vein barrier can also be seen clearly. The persistent reddening and advanced reddening seem consistent with the phenomenon of red crown top of some sweetgum trees and may have similar mechanism.

Analysis of the extremely cold and heavy snowfall in North America in January 2015

With global warming and declining Arctic sea ice area in autumn observed by satellites since 1979, anomalous cold snaps in recent winters have affected large parts of North America, Europe, and East Asia. In January 2015, North America suffered extremely cold and heavy snowfall events. As revealed in this paper, the NCEP reanalysis data show that the temperature decreased significantly in January 2015 in North America, including the air temperature in the troposphere and the surface air temperature. Moreover, snow cover increased obviously in January 2015 in North America, while there was a significant negative anomaly of geopotential height. The wind formed the anomalous pattern, which favored cold currents blowing to the North American continent from the polar region, and bringing plenty of water vapor. Our results suggest that the anomalous north wind and decreasing westerly jet stream, which allowed cold and moist air to easily penetrate the North American continent from the Arctic, was one of the main reasons for the extremely cold and heavysnow winter of 2015 in North America.

The gap report of global climate change mitigation, finance, and governance after the United States declared its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

On 1 June 2017, the US President Donald Trump officially announced the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, thus the study on the reasons of withdrawal, the potential impacts, and coping strategies has become a focus among policy circles and of the international community. Based on the self-developed US Policy Assessment Model, this paper systematically evaluates the three potential ＂major deficits＂ in terms of mitigation, climate finance, and global climate governance, as a result of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and puts forward policy suggestions for coping with such transformations accordingly. The study shows that the United States ＇withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will affect the existence and implementation of successive climate policies and result in an additional 8.8-13.4% increase in the global emissions reduction deficit. The United States＇ withdrawal will also deteriorate the existing climate finance mechanism. The Green Climate Fund （GCF）＇s funding gap will increase by USS2 billion, while the gap of long-term climate finance will increase by about USS5 billion a year. Either the China-EU or the ＂BASIC plus＂ mechanism could fill the governance deficit caused by the United States and the lack of political momentum may continue for a while in the future.

Developments of coalbed methane development in the U.S.

After decades of development and technology advancement, coalbed methane has become an important source for U S. energy consumption. Especial in recent year, U S. coalbed methane production continues its healthy growth rate of about 10% per year. The paper takes emphasis on the technology developments and the engineering approaches of coalbed methane in the U S.

The Shandong Shidao Bay 200 MW_e High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Pebble-Bed Module(HTR-PM) Demonstration Power Plant: An Engineering and Technological Innovation

In 2005, the US passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandating the construction and operation of a high-temperature gas reactor （HTGR） by 2021. This law was passed after a multiyear study by national experts on what future nuclear technologies should be developed. As a result of the Act, the US Congress chose to develop the so-called Next-Generation Nuclear Plant, which was to be an HTGR designed to produce process heat for hydrogen production. Despite high hopes and expectations, the current status is that high temperature reactors have been relegated to completing research programs on advanced fuels, graphite and materials with no plans to build a demonstration plant as required by the US Con- gress in 2005. There are many reasons behind this diminution of HTGR development, including but not limited to insufficient government funding requirements for research, unrealistically high temperature requirements for the reactor, the delay in the need for a ＂hydrogen＂ economy, competition from light water small modular light water reactors, little utility interest in new technologies, very low natural gas prices in the US, and a challenging licensing process in the US for non-water reactors.

Influence of the North American Dipole on ENSO onset as simulated by a coupled ocean-Atmosphere model

The North American Dipole(NAD)is a north-south seesaw pattern of sea level pressure anomalies over the western tropical North Atlantic and northeastern North America.Previous observational studies have demonstrated that the NAD can affect the outbreak of El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)events.The present study analyzed the NAD-ENSO relationship as simulated by a coupled ocean-atmosphere model-namely,the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model,gridpoint version 2(FGOALS-g2).Results indicated that the model can replicate a distinct dipole comprised of a low over northeastern North America and a high over the western tropical North Atlantic,which is the signature feature of the NAD.Further analysis verified that the winter NAD can initiate the central equatorial Pacific warming in the subsequent winter by effectively forcing an anticyclonic flow and sea surface temperature(SST)warming over the northeastern subtropical Pacific(NESP)during late winter or early spring.In addition,the probability of an El Niño event was increased by a factor of 1.8 in the assimilation experiment with the NAD.By comparison,the winter Northern Atlantic Oscillation had no significant impact on the occurrence of ENSO a year later owing to its failure to induce the SST and surface wind anomalies over the NESP.

Effects of Reducing River Flow on Pulse Residence Time in Little Manatee River,USA

Residence time is an important indicator for river environmental management.In this paper,a 3D hydrodynamic model has been successfully applied to Little Manatee River to characterize the mixing and transport process and residence time.The model employs horizontal curvilinear orthogonal grids to represent the complex river system that consists of branches and bayous.The model has been satisfactorily calibrated and verified by using two continuous data sets.The data sets consist of hourly observations of all forcing boundaries,including freshwater inputs,tides,winds,salinity and temperatures at bay boundary,and air temperatures for model simulations.The data sets also consist of hourly observations of water levels,salinity,and temperature at several river stations.The calibrated and verified hydrodynamic model was used to predict residence time in the Little Manatee River.Under the minimum flow of 0.312 m3/s,the pulse residence time(PRT) is 108 days.Model simulations were also conducted for 17 flow scenarios.Empirical regression equations have been satisfactorily derived to correlate PRT to freshwater inflow.Correlation coefficient R2 is 0.982 for PRT.

Associations between the Autumn Arctic Sea Ice and North American Winter Precipitation

Associations between the autumn Arctic sea ice concentrations (SICs) and North American winter precipitation were examined using singular value decomposition. The results show that a reduced SIC in the majority of the Arctic is accompanied by dry conditions over the Great Plains, the southern United States, Mexico, eastern Alaska, and southeastern Greenland, and by wet conditions over the majority of Canada, the northeastern United States, and the majority of Greenland. Atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with the SIC variability show a wave train structure that is persistent from autumn to winter and is responsible for the covariability between the autumn Arctic SICs and North American winter precipitation. This relationship suggests a potential long-term outlook for the North American winter precipitation.

Biogas Perspectives in Livestock Sector in Brazil and the United States： Electric, Thermal and Vehicular Energy Use

The demand for energy, water and food will continuously increase, as the prediction states that 2.5 billion people will be added to the world population by 2050, representing not only an increase in the consumption but also more waste production, greenhouse gas （GHG） emissions and depletion of natural resources. Taking into account that renewable sources of energy can help to overcome these challenges and diversify the energy matrix in the countries, this paper aims at analyzing the biogas potential in Brazil and the United States, especially in the livestock sector, and its benefits in the environmental, social and economic aspects. Both countries are among the top five countries globally in terms of water availability, energy consumption and food production. Until 2050, the world consumption of meat will have a significant increase： 206% of poultry meat, 56% of pork meat and 47% of beef meat, augmenting the need for sustainable management of waste and manure. This scenario can become a sustainable opportunity for biogas implementation, which provides multiple economic, environmental and social benefits for farmers, businesses and communities, including production of electrical, thermal and vehicular energy, production of high-quality biofertilizer, reduction of ground and surface water pollution and reduction of GHG emissions, and foments new income for the farmers, among others. A new concept is presented in this article to make biogas systems feasible, i.e., biogas condominiums, as small and medium-scale farms by themselves usually would not be able to afford the investments. This arrangement can bring benefits for the whole biogas supply chain that includes farmers, agroindustry, providers and local community.

Weakening of the biennial relationship between Central American and equatorial South American rainfall in recent decades

There is a rainfall variability biennial relationship between Central America （CA） and equatorial South America （ESA） over the tropical western hemisphere, which is known to have arisen due to the combined effects of ENSO and tropical North Atlantic （TNA） SST. Here, the authors report that this biennial rainfall relationship between CA and ESA has weakened remarkably since 2000, with weakening in both in-phase and out-of-phase rainfall transitions. The observed decadal changes in the biennial relationship between CA and ESA rainfall can be attributed to changes in the effects of ENSO and TNA SST since 2000, which may be associated with more frequent occurrences of the central Pacific or＇Modoki＇ type El Ni^o. The weakening of the association with ENSO for CA rainfall since 2000 might have given rise to the weakening of the in-phase rain transition from CA rainfall to the following ESA rainfall. The weakened linkage between boreal-winter ESA rainfall and the subsequent boreal-summer TNA SST since 2000 may have resulted in the weakening of the out- of-phase rainfall transition from boreal-winter ESA rainfall to the subsequent boreal-summer CA rainfall.

Vehicular emissions and concentrations in school zones: A case study

Recent research has revealed that human exposure to air pollutants such as CO, NO_x, and particulates can lead to respiratory diseases, especially among school-age children. Towards understanding such health impacts, this work estimates local-scale vehicular emissions and concentrations near a highway traffic network, where a school zone is located in. In the case study, VISSIM traffic micro-simulation is used to estimate the source of vehicular emissions at each roadway segment. The local-scale emission sources are then used as inputs to the California line source dispersion model(CALINE4) to estimate concentrations across the study area. To justify the local-scale emissions modeling approach, the simulation experiment is conducted under various traffic conditions. Different meteorological conditions are considered for emission dispersion. The work reveals that emission concentrations are usually higher at locations closer to the congested segments, freeway ramps and major arterial intersections. Compared to the macroscopic estimation(i.e. using network-average emission factors), the results show significantly different emission patterns when the local-scale emission modeling approach is used. In particular, it is found that the macroscopic approach over-estimates emission concentrations at freeways and under-estimations are observed at arterials and local streets. The results of the study can be used to compare to the US environmental protection agency(EPA) standards or any other air quality standard to further identify health risk in a fine-grained manner.

Water-Energy-Food Nexus： Comparative Scenarios and Public Policy Perspectives from Some Latin American Countries Regarding Biogas from Agriculture and Livestock

Latin American and the Caribbean countries have one of the world＇s largest sources of renewable energy. Nonetheless, it estimated that nearly three-quarters of their energy consumption relies on the use of fossil fuels, with most of the countries being net importers, ultimately imposing a marked economic and political dependence on those energy commodities. Therefore, the opportunity lies in a higher utilization of various renewable energy resources, which contribute to the country＇s energy security while promoting significant environmental benefits. This manuscript aimed to provide a comparative analysis of current energy scenarios of six Latin American countries （Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, Chile and Ecuador） to evaluate their policies, programs and strategies implemented in the search for greater participation of renewable energy, with a special attention to biogas. Given the importance of the water-energy-food nexus that could foment the use of renewable energies under conditions of water scarcity, a qualitative data comparison was accomplished, considering biogas production potential, biogas projects and CO2 emissions.

Application of Phytoindication Method for Controlling Air Pollution in Yerevan, Armenia

The research aimed to apply phytoindication for controlling air pollution with chlorine and lead in Yerevan. The research was performed between 2005 and 2008.5 arboreous species were studied： Robinia pseudoacacia L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Populus alba L., Morus alba L. and Uitis vinifera L.. The research showed that arboreous plants growing in the city accumulate chlorine and lead. Chlorine concentrations in all 5 species varied from 0.50% to 1.77%, and the maximum value was found in Robiniapseudoacacia L., exceeding the control by 3.6 times. As for the level of lead in plants, the concentration varied between 1.64-7.65 mg/kg, and the maximum rate exceeds the background （2.0 mg/kg） by 3.8 times. The authors produced a schematic map of chlorine distribution all over the city, territory, and detected the most polluted zones. According to the data the autbtors collected, only 3 of 5 studied species displayed high intake rate and tolerance to lead and chlorine pollution： Robinia pseudoacacia L.. Fraxinus excelsior L. and Populus alba L. Thus, the authors advise these species for planting in Yerevan. The results of this research were used by the Municipality of Yerevan for functional tree planting in the city.

Effect of Operational Changes in Reducing Fish Impingement at a Power Plant in Ohio, USA

Both intake volumetric flow and through-screen velocity （the velocity of water as it passes through the screen） are important variables affecting fish impingement at industrial water intake structures including those at power plants. However, there are limited data available on quantitative assessments of impingement following changes in power plant operation such as reduced volumetric flow and intake velocity. Impingement studies were conducted at Bay Shore Power Plant in 2005-2006 （baseline） and again in 2013-2014 following fish protection mitigation which included reduced intake volumetric flows （from 33.5 m^3·s^-1 to 9.1 cm·s^-1）, a reduced through-screen velocity （from approximately 79.2 cm·s^-1 to 11.6 cm·s^-1）, modified traveling screens and installation of a fish-return system to gently and quickly remove any fish that were impinged back into the waterbody. A comparison of baseline and post-mitigation results suggested that with this mitigation in place, impingement reductions can exceed 90% for robust dominant fish species in the area.

Development Status and Prospects of CCS-EOR Technology in China

China surpassed the United States （US） in 2006 to become the largest greenhouse gas emitter. CCS- EOR technology, which meets the dual needs of reducing carbon emissions and enhancing oil recovery, has had much importance attached to it. For the latest decade, the Chinese government has provided support for CCS- EOR technology through policy, funding and research projects. Under the vigorous guidance of the government, oil companies represented by China National Petroleum Corporation （CNPC） competed to carry out research, demonstration, popularization and operation in major oil fields centering on the CCS-EOR technology and achieved remarkable results. Its scientific and technological achievements are reflected in various sub-projects under the 863 Program, 973 Program and National Science and Technology Major Project. However, while shifting from trial promotion of the current stage to large-scale commercialization, CCS-EOR technology will not only face many opportunities but also quite a few challenges.

Low Oil Prices Gas up Chinese Buyers

As the downward trend levels out,companies from China are finding big bargains around the globe.A new wave of Chinese outbound oil acquisitions is expected in the second half of 2015 as well-financed Chinese firms take advantage of struggling companies while oil prices remain low globally,industry insiders say.The huge drop in oil prices over the past year,from US$110 per barrel in early July of last year to below US$50 by the beginning of 2015, has fundamentally shocked the industry. But the prevailing forecast in the business is for price stabilization.

The link between the Victoria mode in the preceding boreal winter and spring precipitation over the southeastern USA and Gulf of Mexico

The sea surface temperature anomalies （SSTAs） associated with the Victoria mode （VM） can persist into the following season and then influence climate variability in the tropical Pacific. This paper demonstrates the connection between the preceding boreal winter VM and precipitation in the following spring over the southeastern United States （SE USA） and the Gulf of Mexico （GM）. The results indicate that a positive （negative） preceding winter VM is usually followed by increased （reduced） precipitation over the SE USA and GM during the following spring. The corresponding mechanism is similar, but slightly different to, the seasonal footprinting mechanism. For positive VM cases, the preceding-winter VM-related SSTAs appear to persist into the following spring via air- sea interactions, which then induce low-level convergence and vigorous ascending motion, leading to an adjustment of the zonal and meridional circulation. This adjustment can then influence the local Hadley cell by weakening the downward branch. These anomalous patterns of vertical airflow enhance spring precipitation over the SE USA and GM under suitable moisture conditions. Hence, this work demonstrates that the preceding-winter VM has the potential to regulate precipitation over the SE USA and GM in the following spring.