Coral records of Mid-Holocene sea-level highstands and climate responses in the northern South China Sea

High-resolution sea-level data and high-precision dating of corals in the northern South China Sea(SCS)during the Holocene provide a reference and historical background for current and future sea-level changes and a basis for scientific assessment of the evolutionary trend of coral reefs in the SCS.Although sporadic studies have been performed around Hainan Island in the northern SCS,the reconstructed sea level presents different values or is controversial because the indicative meaning of the sea-level indicators were neither quantified nor uniform criteria.Here,we determined the quantitative relationship between modern living coral and sea level by measuring the top surfaces of 27 live Porites corals from the inner reef flat along the east coast of Hainan Island and assessed the accuracy of results obtained using coral as sea-level indicators.Additionally,three in situ fossil Porites corals were analyzed based on elevation measurements,digital X-ray radiography,and U-Th dating.The survey results showed that the indicative meanings for the modern live Porites corals is(146.09±8.35)cm below the mean tide level(MTL).It suggested that their upward growth limit is constrained by the sea level,and the lowest low water is the highest level of survival for the modern live Porites corals.Based on the newly defined indicative meanings,6 new sea-level index points(SLIPs)were obtained and 19 published SLIPs were recalculated.Those SLIPs indicated a relative sea level fluctuation between(227.7±9.8)cm to(154.88±9.8)cm MTL between(5393±25)cal a BP and(3390±12)cal a BP,providing evidences of the Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand in the northern SCS.Besides that,our analysis demonstrated that different sea-level histories may be produced based on different indicative meanings or criteria.The dataset of 276 coral U-Th ages indicates that coral reef development in the northern SCS comprised the initial development,boom growth,decline,and flourishing development again.A comparison with regional records indicated that synergistic effects of climatic and environmental factors were involved in the development of coral reefs in the northern SCS.Thus,the cessation of coral reef development during the Holocene in the northern SCS was probably associated with the dry and cold climate in South China,as reflected in the synchronous weakening of the ENSO and East Asian summer monsoon induced by the reduction of the 65°N summer insolation,which forced the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Changes of China’s Status in the Global System and Its Influencing Factors:A Multiple Contact Networks Perspective

Clarifying China’s position in the global system is an important logical basis for developing national diplomacy.Although much research has been done on China’s development status,most studies have been based on country comparisons or institutional en-vironment.In today’s networked era in which the global economy,trade,personnel,and information are closely connected,studies on China’s global position and its status changes and influencing factors in multiple contact networks are still insufficient.In this study,from the perspective of diverse global contact networks,we constructed economic,cultural,and political influence indices to explore the changes and influencing factors on China’s status in the global system from 2005 to 2018.The results show that during the study period,China’s global influence in the fields of economic ties,cultural exchanges,and political contacts increased significantly,but its influ-ence in the fields of cultural exchanges and political contacts lagged far economic ties.The pattern of China’s economic influence on various economies around the world has shown a transformation from an‘upright pyramid’to an‘inverted pyramid’structure.The proportion of these economies in low-influence zones has decreased from more than 60%in 2005 to less than 20%in 2018.China’s cultural and political influence on various economies around the world has increased significantly;however,for the former,the percentage of high-influence areas is still less than 20%,whereas for the latter the percentage of these economies in medium-and high-influence areas is still less than 50%.Analyses such as a scatter plot matrix show that geographical proximity,economic globalization,close cooperation with developing countries,and a proactive and peaceful foreign policy are important factors in improving China’s status in the diverse global network system.

Understanding the Global Identification with China’s Stories: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Cross-cultural storytelling is a primary way for humankind to seek mutual recognition of value orientations between cultures,which facilitates the ability to jointly address the problems of human existence in the context of globalization.In this study,we conducted an interview survey of 6,130 respondents who were college students or graduates from 107 countries.The results show that there were a number of cross-cultural values embodied in China’s stories seen by the respondents as part of a common vision for the future of humankind and widely identified guidance on collaborative responses to global challenges.These cross-cultural values are common prosperity,ecological harmony,individual-collective integration,the urgency of global peace,as well as respect for multicultural and indigenous development paths.

Spatio-temporal Variation Characteristics of Extreme Climate Events and Their Teleconnections to Large-scale Ocean-atmospheric Circulation Patterns in Huaihe River Basin,China During 1959–2019

Huaihe River Basin(HRB) is located in China’s north-south climatic transition zone,which is very sensitive to global climate change.Based on the daily maximum temperature,minimum temperature,and precipitation data of 40 meteorological stations and nine monthly large-scale ocean-atmospheric circulation indices data during 1959–2019,we present an assessment of the spatial and temporal variations of extreme temperature and precipitation events in the HRB using nine extreme climate indices,and analyze the teleconnection relationship between extreme climate indices and large-scale ocean-atmospheric circulation indices.The results show that warm extreme indices show a significant(P < 0.05) increasing trend,while cold extreme indices(except for cold spell duration) and diurnal temperature range(DTR) show a significant decreasing trend.Furthermore,all extreme temperature indices show significant mutations during 1959-2019.Spatially,a stronger warming trend occurs in eastern HRB than western HRB,while maximum 5-d precipitation(Rx5day) and rainstorm days(R25) show an increasing trend in the southern,central,and northwestern regions of HRB.Arctic oscillation(AO),Atlantic multidecadal oscillation(AMO),and East Atlantic/Western Russia(EA/WR) have a stronger correlation with extreme climate indices compared to other circulation indices.AO and AMO(EA/WR) exhibit a significant(P < 0.05) negative(positive)correlation with frost days and diurnal temperature range.Extreme warm events are strongly correlated with the variability of AMO and EA/WR in most parts of HRB,while extreme cold events are closely related to the variability of AO and AMO in eastern HRB.In contrast,AMO,AO,and EA/WR show limited impacts on extreme precipitation events in most parts of HRB.

Thoughts on International Situation and China's Response

As a major event at the turn of the century, NATO’s world-shocking air strikesagainst Yugoslavia represent certain dangerous trends in US global strategyand international strategic configuration. The event has aroused widespread con-cern and heightened vigilance among the international community. Althoughflames of war have died out in the Balkans, yet the dust there has yet to settle. It,therefore, remains a matter of urgency to engage in some comprehensive, in-depth, strategic reflections on the major event itself, its international

Transitivity Analysis of the Energy in China’s New Era

At present,with the steady development of the global economy,more and more countries begin to pay attention to the impact of ecological environment on economic development and human society,so the ecological environment has become a global issue that cannot be ignored in today’s era.Therefore,from the perspective of the ecological philosophy of Diversity&Harmony as well as Interaction&Co-existence,this paper will conduct ecological discourse analysis on the Energy in China’s New Era based on the transitivity system of systemic-functional grammar,and use the Corpus analysis software UAM Corpus Tool 3.3x to label and make statistics on the transitivity system,aiming to explore the distribution characteristics of the transitivity system in this white paper.Through the transitivity analysis of the white paper,this study helps readers to have a deeper understanding of the positive significance contained in the white paper.To a certain extent,it enables readers at home and abroad to understand China’s stance on energy issues and the positive image of China in energy ecology.It also awaken readers’awareness of environmental protection and acquire good habits of resource conservation to be in harmony between human and nature for sustainable development.

Historical review and reflections on the participation of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of epidemics in the People’s Republic of China (from 1950 until now)

Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, both the Communist Party and the government have placed great emphasis on the advancement of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture and moxibustion have been actively involved in combating major epidemics such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and COVID-19. This article conducts a historical review of these three significant cases to elucidate how the acupuncture community has effectively utilized its unique advantages and characteristics through theoretical discussions, clinical practices, experimental research, as well as receiving administrative leadership and political support from the Communist Party of China and government. We provide an objective evaluation of their effectiveness while summarizing historical experiences to serve as a reference for future utilization of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy in epidemic relief efforts. Additionally, propose four suggestions: strengthening Party leadership and enhancing political support;timely summarization of experiences to establish programs and systems;deepening scientific research by integrating experimental findings with clinical practice;focusing on public awareness campaigns and education to solidify grassroots foundations.

Analysis of New Senior English for China Student’s Book 1

This article will firstly discuss the context overview of English teaching and learning in China. Under thiscircumstance, a problematic element will be examined of the New Senior English for China Student’s Book 1 and critical appraisal ofhow this element relates to other elements of curriculum development will be analyzed. The recommended changes and demonstrationmechanisms for evaluating the changes are put forward in the last two parts.

The Northward Shift of Climatic Belts in China During the Last 50 Years and the Corresponding Seasonal Responses

Along the meridian of 105°E, the Chinese region are divided into two parts, east and west. The results show that in the east part of China the temperate extratropical belt, the warm extratropical belt,and the northern subtropical belt shift northward significantly, whereas the middle subtropical belt and the southern subtropical belt have less or no change. As for the northern subtropical belt, the maximal northward shift can reach 3.7 degrees of latitude. As for the warm extratropical belt, along the meridian of 120°-125°E, the maximal northward shift can reach 3-4 degrees. In the west part of China, each climatic belt changes little. Only in the Xinjiang area are the significant northward shifts. Correspondingly, it is found that in the last 50 years the traditional seasons have changed. For Beijing, Hailar, and Lanzhou, in general, summer becomes longer and winter shorter over the last 50 years. Summer begins early and ends late with respect to early 1950s. Contrary to the summer, winter begins la

Temporal and spatial response of vegetation NDVI to temperature and precipitation in eastern China

Temporal and spatial response characteristics of vegetation NDVI to the variation of temperature and precipitation in the whole year, spring, summer and autumn was analyzed from April 1998 to March 2008 based on the SPOT VGT-NDVI data and daily temperature and precipitation data from 205 meteorological stations in eastern China. The results indicate that as a whole, the response of vegetation NDVI to the variation of temperature is more pronounced than that of precipitation in eastern China. Vegetation NDVI maximally responds to the variation of temperature with a lag of about 10 days, and it maximally responds to the variation of precipitation with a lag of about 30 days. The response of vegetation NDVI to temperature and precipitation is most pronounced in autumn, and has the longest lag in summer. Spatially, the maximum response of vegetation NDVI to the variation of temperature is more pronounced in the northern and middle parts than in the southern part of eastern China. The maximum response of vegetation NDVI to the variation of precipitation is more pronounced in the northern part than in the middle and southern parts of eastern China. The response of vegetation NDVI to the variation of temperature has longer lag in the northern and southern parts than in the middle part of eastern China. The response of vegetation NDVl to the variation of precipitation has the longest lag in the southern part, and the shortest lag in the northern part of eastern China. The response of vegetation NDVI to the variation of temperature and precipitation in eastern China is mainly consistent with other results, but the lag time of vegetation NDVI to the variation of temperature and precipitation has some differences with those results of the monsoon region of eastern China.

Quantum Mechanics: Harmonic Wave-Packets, Localized by Resonant Response in Dispersion Dynamics

From a combination of Maxwell’s electromagnetism with Planck’s law and the de Broglie hypothesis, we arrive at quantized photonic wave groups whose constant phase velocity is equal to the speed of light c = ω/k and to their group velocity dω/dk. When we include special relativity expressed in simplest units, we find that, for particulate matter, the square of rest mass , i.e., angular frequency squared minus wave vector squared. This equation separates into a conservative part and a uniform responsive part. A wave function is derived in manifold rank 4, and from it are derived uncertainties and internal motion. The function solves four anomalies in quantum physics: the point particle with prescribed uncertainties;spooky action at a distance;time dependence that is consistent with the uncertainties;and resonant reduction of the wave packet by localization during measurement. A comparison between contradictory mathematical and physical theories leads to similar empirical conclusions because probability amplitudes express hidden variables. The comparison supplies orthodox postulates that are compared to physical principles that formalize the difference. The method is verified by dual harmonics found in quantized quasi-Bloch waves, where the quantum is physical;not axiomatic.

Response of soil fauna to simulated nitrogen deposition: A nursery experiment in subtropical China

We studied the responses of soil fauna to a simulated nitrogen deposition in nursery experimental plots in Subtropical China. Dissolved NH4NO3 was applied to the soil by spraying twice per month for 16 months, starting January 2003 with treatments of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 30 gN/（m^2·a）. Soil fauna was sampled after 6, 9, 13 and 16 months of treatment in three soil depths （0-5 cm, 5-10 cm, 10-15 cm）. Soil available N increased in correspondence with the increasing N treatment, whereas soil pH decreased. Bacterial and fungal densities were elevated by the N treatment. Soil fauna increased in the lower nitrogen treatments but decreased in the higher N treatments, which might indicate that there was a threshold around 10 gN/（m^2·a） for the stimulating effects of N addition. The N effects were dependent on the soil depth and sampling time. The data also suggested that the effects of the different N treatments were related to the level of N saturation, especially the concentration of NO3^- in the soil.

Geographic Variation of Rice Yield Response to Past Climate Change in China

Previous studies demonstrated climate change had reduced rice yield in China, but the magnitude of the reduction and the spatial variations of the impact have remained in controversy to date. Based on a gridded daily weather dataset, we found there were obvious changes in temperatures, diurnal temperature range, and radiation during the rice-growing season from 1961 to 2010 in China. These changes resulted in a signiifcant decline of simulated national rice yield （simulated with CERES-Rice）, with a magnitude of 11.5%. However, changes in growing-season radiation and diurnal temperature range, not growing-season temperatures, contributed most to the simulated yield reduction, which conifrmed previous estimates by empirical studies. Yield responses to changes of the climatic variables varied across different rice production areas. In rice production areas with the mean growing-season temperature at 12-14＆#176;C and above 20＆#176;C, a 1＆#176;C growing-season warming decreased rice yield by roughly 4%. This decrease was partly attributed to increased heat stresses and shorter growth period under the warmer climate. In some rice areas of the southern China and the Yangtze River Basin where the rice growing-season temperature was greater than 20＆#176;C, decrease in the growing-season radiation partly interpreted the widespread yield decline of the simulation, suggesting the signiifcant negative contribution of recent global dimming on rice production in China＇s main rice areas. Whereas in the northern rice production areas with relatively low growing-season temperature, decrease of the diurnal temperature range was identiifed as the main climatic contributor for the decline of simulated rice yield, with larger decreasing magnitude under cooler areas.

A geomorphological response of beaches to Typhoon Meari in the eastern Shandong Peninsula in China

Eight representative beach profiles on the eastern coast of the Shandong Peninsula are observed and measured in 2011 and 2012 to determine the coastal processes under the lower tropical wind speed condition and the beach response to and recovery from the tropical storm Meari in a rare typhoon region. The results show that it is the enhancement and directional change of cross-shore and longshore sediment transports caused by Meari that leads to the beach morphological changes, and most of the sediment transports occur during the pre-Meari landing phase. The erosional scarp formation and the berm or beach face erosion are the main geomorphological responses of the beaches to the storm. The storm characteristics are more important than the beach shapes in the storm response process of the beaches on Shandong Peninsula. The typhoon is a fortuitous strong dynamic event, and the effect on the dissipative beach is more obvious than it is on the reflective beach in the study region. Furthermore, the beach trend is the main factor that controlls the storm effect intensity, and it is also closely related to the recovery of the beach profiles.

Estimating peak response frequencies in a tidal band in the seas adjacent to China with a numerical model

A numerical method is designed to examine the response properties of real sea areas to open ocean forcing. The application of this method to modeling the China＇s adjacent seas shows that the Bohai Sea has a highest peak response frequency （PRF） of 1.52 d^-1; the northern Yellow Sea has a PRF of 1.69 d^-1; the Gyeonggi Bay has a high amplitude gain plateau in the frequency band roughly from 1.7 to 2.7 d^-1; the Yellow Sea （includ- ing the Gyeonggi Bay）, the East China Sea shelf and the Taiwan Strait have a common high amplitude gain band with frequencies around 1.76 to 1.78 d^-1 and are shown to be a system that responds to the open ocean forcing in favor of amplifying the waves with frequencies in this band; the Beibu Gulf, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea deep basin have PRFs of 0.91, 1.01 and 0.98 d^-1 respectively. In addition, the East China Sea has a Poincare mode PRF of 3.91 d^-1. The PRFs of the Bohal Sea, the northern Yellow Sea, the Bei- bu Gulf and the South China Sea can be explained by a classical quarter （half for the Bohai Sea） wavelength resonance theory. The results show that further investigations are needed for the response dynamics of the Yellow Sea-East China Sea-Taiwan Strait system, the East China Sea Poincare mode, the Talwan Strait, and the Gulf of Thailand.

Atmospheric Response to Mesoscale Ocean Eddies over the South China Sea

The South China Sea（SCS） is an eddy-active area. Composite analyses based on 438 mesoscale ocean eddies during 2000–2012 revealed the status of the atmospheric boundary layer is influenced remarkably by such eddies. The results showed cold-core cyclonic（warm-core anticyclonic） eddies tend to cool（warm） the overlying atmosphere and cause surface winds to decelerate（accelerate）. More than 5% of the total variance of turbulent heat fluxes, surface wind speed and evaporation rate are induced by mesoscale eddies. Furthermore, mesoscale eddies locally affect the columnar water vapor, cloud liquid water, and rain rate. Dynamical analyses indicated that both variations of atmospheric boundary layer stability and sea level pressure are responsible for atmospheric anomalies over mesoscale eddies. To reveal further details about the mechanisms of atmospheric responses to mesoscale eddies, atmospheric manifestations over a pair of cold and warm eddies in the southwestern SCS were simulated. Eddy-induced heat flux anomalies lead to changes in atmospheric stability. Thus, anomalous turbulence kinetic energy and friction velocity arise over the eddy dipole, which reduce（enhance） the vertical momentum transport over the cold（warm） eddy, resulting in the decrease（increase） of sea surface wind. Diagnoses of the model＇s momentum balance suggested that wind speed anomalies directly over the eddy dipole are dominated by vertical mixing terms within the atmospheric boundary layer, while wind anomalies on the edges of eddies are produced by atmospheric pressure gradient forces and atmospheric horizontal advection terms.

Factors Influencing the Emergency Medical Service Response Time for Cardiovascular Disease in Guangzhou, China

While emergency medical service (EMS) response time (ERT) is a major factor associated with the survival of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), relatively few studies have explored the factors associated with ERT. This study aimed to assess the current status of ERT and to identify the factors affecting ERT in patients with CVD in China. Between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015, EMS responses to CVD incidents in Guangzhou, China, were examined. The primary outcome was ERT, defined as the time from receipt of an emergency call to the arrival of paramedics on the scene. Factors associated with ERT were evaluated by multivariable logistic regression. A total of 44 383 CVD incidents were analysed. The median ERT was 12.58 min (interquartile range=9.98-15.67). Among the risk factors, distance (OR=13.73, 95% CI=11.76- 16.04), level of hospital (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.40-1.75), and site of the incident (OR=1.53, 95% CI=1.38-1.69) were the top three significant factors affecting the ERT. Our results suggest that greater attention should be given to factors affecting the ERT. It is essential to make continuous efforts to promote the development of effective interventions to reduce the response time.

‘Outbreak Gold Standard’Selection to Provide Optimized Threshold for Infectious Diseases Early-alert Based on China Infectious Disease Automated-alert and Response System

The China Infectious Disease Automated-alert and Response System（CIDARS） was successfully implemented and became operational nationwide in 2008. The CIDARS plays an important role in and has been integrated into the routine outbreak monitoring efforts of the Center for Disease Control（CDC） at all levels in China. In the CIDARS, thresholds are determined using the ？Mean＋2SD？ in the early stage which have limitations. This study compared the performance of optimized thresholds defined using the ？Mean ＋2SD？ method to the performance of 5 novel algorithms to select optimal ？Outbreak Gold Standard（OGS）？ and corresponding thresholds for outbreak detection. Data for infectious disease were organized by calendar week and year. The ？Mean＋2 SD？, C1, C2, moving average（MA）, seasonal model（SM）, and cumulative sum（CUSUM） algorithms were applied. Outbreak signals for the predicted value（Px） were calculated using a percentile-based moving window. When the outbreak signals generated by an algorithm were in line with a Px generated outbreak signal for each week, this Px was then defined as the optimized threshold for that algorithm. In this study, six infectious diseases were selected and classified into TYPE A（chickenpox and mumps）, TYPE B（influenza and rubella） and TYPE C [hand foot and mouth disease（HFMD） and scarlet fever]. Optimized thresholds for chickenpox（P_（55））, mumps（P_（50））, influenza（P_（40）, P_（55）, and P_（75））, rubella（P_（45） and P_（75））, HFMD（P_（65） and P_（70））, and scarlet fever（P_（75） and P_（80）） were identified. The C1, C2, CUSUM, SM, and MA algorithms were appropriate for TYPE A. All 6 algorithms were appropriate for TYPE B. C1 and CUSUM algorithms were appropriate for TYPE C. It is critical to incorporate more flexible algorithms as OGS into the CIDRAS and to identify the proper OGS and corresponding recommended optimized threshold by different infectious disease types.

Characteristics of Extreme Temperature Event and Its Response to Regional Warming in Northwest China in Past 45 Years

Using the daily maximum and minimum temperature dataset from 128 stations from 1960 to 2004 in Northwest China,daily extreme high temperature(EHT)and extreme low temperature(ELT)thresholds were deter-mined by centesimal method for different stations at first,then yearly EHT and ELT events were counted up in differ-ent stations,and the characteristics of their spatio-temporal distribution were diagnosed at last.The study drew follow-ing conclusions:1)The consistent anomaly distribution characteristic was the most important mode of the EHT and ELT events in Northwest China.2)The spatial distribution of the EHT and ELT events can be divided into five sub-regions,namely,the north of Qinghai and west of Gansu,the north of Xinjiang,the south of Xinjiang,the east of Northwest China and the south of Qinghai.3)The EHT events showed remarkable increasing trend in all of five sub-regions,but only in the north of Qinghai and west of Gansu area,sudden change phenomenon occurred;the ELT events showed decreasing trend in all of five sub-regions,and sudden change phenomenon occurred in Northwest China except for south of Qinghai.4)In all of five sub-regions the EHT events showed remarkable 12-14yr period os-cillation,and the ELT event showed significant 13-15yr and 7-8yr period oscillation.5)The EHT and ELT events displayed remarkable positive and negative responses to regional warming of Northwest China respectively.

CHINA'S VEGETATION/ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE TO GLOBAL CHANGE: RESEARCH PROGRESS & PROSPECTS

This paper presents the latest developments in the re search progress on mechanisms by which natural plants and crops respond to the doubled concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, resultant climatic change and the modeling of vegetation and eco-systems in China. In addition, it points out that the future study on global change and terrestrial ecosystems should stress m(?)iti-disciplinary teamwork and inter-discipline penetration. Finally, the paper emphasizes 10 research realms in the field to be enhanced in the future.