Water shortages within the western USA are resulting in the adoption of water-saving agricultural practices within this region. Among the many possible methods for saving water in agriculture, the adoption of subsurfa...Water shortages within the western USA are resulting in the adoption of water-saving agricultural practices within this region. Among the many possible methods for saving water in agriculture, the adoption of subsurface drip irrigation （SDI） provides a potential solution to the problem of low water use efficiency. Other advantages of SDI include reduced NO3 leaching compared to surface irrigation, higher yields, a dry soil surface for improved weed control, better crop health, and harvest flexibility for many specialty crops. The use of SDI also allows the virtual elimination of crop water stress, the ability to apply water and nutrients to the most active part of the root zone, protection of drip lines from damage due to cultivation and tillage, and the ability to irrigate with wastewater while preventing human contact. Yet, SDI is used only on a minority of cropland in the arid western USA. Reasons for the limited adoption of SDI include the high initial capital investment required, the need for intensive management, and the urbanization that is rapidly consuming farmland in parts of the western USA. The contributions of SDI to increasing yield, quality, and water use efficiency have been demonstrated. The two major barriers to SDI sustainability in arid regions are economics （i.e., paying for the SDI system）, including the high cost of installation; and salt accumulation, which requires periodic leaching, specialized tillage methods, or transplanting of seedlings rather than direct-seeding. We will review advances in irrigation management with SDI.展开更多
A scanning t-test algorithm for detecting multiple time-scale abrupt changes in the level of a time-series was used to analyze an 8000 year time series of annual precipitation which was reconstructed from tree rings f...A scanning t-test algorithm for detecting multiple time-scale abrupt changes in the level of a time-series was used to analyze an 8000 year time series of annual precipitation which was reconstructed from tree rings for the Nevada Climate Division 3 in the western USA. The tree ring samples were gathered from eight states in the southwestern USA. Twenty-two change-points were identified by the algorithm and these were used to partition the tree-ring series into twenty-three relatively Wet/Normal/Dry episodes. These twenty-three episodes were collaborated by a coherency analysis of abrupt changes between the precipitation reconstruction series and the TIC/δ^18O records from cored sediments of Pyramid Lake in Nevada, and by comparison with published results from related studies. These episodes were also compared with studies of the global climate change and with records of climate change in China during the same periods. The results suggest that the precipitation reconstruction series is quite valuable for climate-change research on multi-centurial time-scales in the western USA, and that the scanning t-test and coherency detection algorithms may have a wide use for detecting multiple time-scale abrupt changes in a long time series. As the TIC and δ^18O record series are high resolution with unequal sampling intervals ranging between 3 and 14 years, a new algorithm was developed to deal with the unequal time intervals in the series.展开更多
A method is proposed to estimate average tectonic ambient shear stress value for a region. Thus the average stress values of 19 regions in western USA, and 43 regions (each region is 1010) in Chinese mainland and its ...A method is proposed to estimate average tectonic ambient shear stress value for a region. Thus the average stress values of 19 regions in western USA, and 43 regions (each region is 1010) in Chinese mainland and its surroundings have been obtained. The data of 15 993 earthquakes are from the Internet Centroid Moment Tensor solution made by Harvard University from 1997 to 1999. The results demonstrate that there are highest average stress values in the regions of south California of USA and its off coast sea, reach to 12.0 MPa and 13.7 MPa respectively, then gradually decrease toward north, south, and east. The lowest value is 8.7 MPa and 63% of highest value. The average stress values in northern Xinjiang and in the Chayu region of Tibet are 17.2 and 12.9 MPa respectively. They are highest values in China and higher than USAs. The average stress value in North China, Yunnan, Sichuan, Taiwan is similar to south California of USA. The average stress value in South-North seismic zone is about 13 MPa, a little higher than south California. The distribution of average stress value for two important regions provides basic data for geology. These results are useful to research earthquake activity background and attenuation relation of strong ground motion parameters (e.g. peak acceleration and response spectra).展开更多
The Chinese Camp mining district in the western Sierra Nevada of California,USA,contains a serpentinized,ultramafic dunite intrusion with podiform chromite deposits.Serpentine soils have developed over this intrusion,...The Chinese Camp mining district in the western Sierra Nevada of California,USA,contains a serpentinized,ultramafic dunite intrusion with podiform chromite deposits.Serpentine soils have developed over this intrusion,creating a unique ecosystem of endemic vegetation and soils characterized by low Ca/Mg ratios and high Ni and Cr contents.The vegetation and red coloration make it easy to visually distinguish between soils developed over intruded,serpentinized bedrock and unmineralized,adjacent andesite bedrock(Fig.1).The purpose of our study was to compare soil chemistry and vegetative parameters among 3 study-design levels:1)undisturbed serpentine soil,2)undisturbed background soil(non-serpentine,developed over andesite),and 3)serpentine soil disturbed by mining activities.Within each of these l e v*e ls,3 random locations were chosen where weestablished 3,30-m transects(spaced 120-degrees apart).One soil sample was collected at a random location along each transect(0-15 cm depth after removing litter/O horizon).This scheme resulted in the collection of 9replicate soil samples per study-design level.Samples were analyzed for total metal content by ICP-AES/MS(inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy/mass spectroscopy),p H,electrical conductivity,and total C/N/S.The vegetative parameter of%canopy cover was measured with a line-point intercept survey along each transect,using 0.6m intervals.Above-ground net primary productivity(ANPP)was estimated by harvesting all aboveground living plant material within a 0.5 m quadrant at 3 random locations along each transect,drying,and weighting the material.Significant differences among design levels were observed for ANPP,canopy cover,total P,total N,and Ca/Mg,where the median values for these parameters decreased in the order undisturbed background>undisturbed serpentine>mining-disturbed serpentine.The highest concentrations of Cr and Ni were found in undisturbed serpentine(medians of 1960 ppm and 2529ppm,respectively)followed by mining-disturbed serpentine(medians of 420 and 2120,respectively)then undisturbed non-serpentine(medians 47.0 and 32.2 ppm,respectively).Soil p H varied significantly among the design levels with a median 5.74 in undisturbed background,median 6.25 in undisturbed serpentine,and median of 7.17 in mining-disturbed serpentine.These data document the distinct differences in soil chemistry and vegetation parameters between undisturbed serpentine soil and adjacent,undisturbed background soil.Efforts toward mining reclamation must recognize these differences and include the correct baseline conditions in the reclamation plan.展开更多
An innate sensitivity to and phobia of China’s rise seem to have gripped someWestern observers for years.Early back in the 19th century,Napoleon warned the West to“let Chinasleep”.“There lies a sleeping giant,”be...An innate sensitivity to and phobia of China’s rise seem to have gripped someWestern observers for years.Early back in the 19th century,Napoleon warned the West to“let Chinasleep”.“There lies a sleeping giant,”begins his well-known remark.“Let hersleep.For when she wakes,she will shake the world.”In the 1990s,these展开更多
Cancer is the leading cause of death in China and depicting the cancer pattern of China would provide basic knowhows on how to tackle it more effectively.In this study we have reviewed several reports of cancer burden...Cancer is the leading cause of death in China and depicting the cancer pattern of China would provide basic knowhows on how to tackle it more effectively.In this study we have reviewed several reports of cancer burden,including the Global cancer statistics 2018 and Cancer statistics in China,2015,along with the GLOBCAN 2018 online database,to investigate the differences of cancer patterns between China,the United States(USA)and the United Kingdom(UK).An estimated 4.3 million new cancer cases and 2.9 million new cancer deaths occurred in China in 2018.Compared to the USA and UK,China has lower cancer incidence but a 30%and 40%higher cancer mortality than the UK and USA,among which 36.4%of the cancer-related deaths were from the digestive tract cancers(stomach,liver,and esophagus cancer)and have relatively poorer prognoses.In comparison,the digestive cancer deaths only took up≤5%of the total cancer deaths in either USA or UK.Other reasons for the higher mortality in China may be the low rate of early-stage cancers at diagnosis and non-uniformed clinical cancer treatment strategies performed by different regions.China is undergoing the cancer transition stage where the cancer spectrum is changing from developing country to developed country,with a rapidly increase cancer burden of colorectal,prostate,female breast cancers in addition to a high occurrence of infection-related and digestive cancers.The incidence of westernized lifestyle-related cancers in China(i.e.colorectal cancer,prostate,bladder cancer)has risen but the incidence of the digestive cancers has decreased from 2000 to 2011.An estimated 40%of the risk factors can be attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors either in China or other developed countries.Tobacco smoking is the single most important carcinogenic risk factor in China,contributing to~24.5%of cancers in males.Chronic infection is another important preventable cancer contributor which is responsible for~17%of cancers.Comprehensive prevention and control strategies in China should include effective tobacco-control policy,recommendations for healthier lifestyles,along with enlarg-ing the coverage of effective screening,educating,and vaccination programs to better sensitize greater awareness control to the general public.展开更多
The prevailing narrative instructs us that humane treatment of captured enemy fighters is down to white knights from the western parts of the European continent with their codes of chivalry, or alternatively, the Swis...The prevailing narrative instructs us that humane treatment of captured enemy fighters is down to white knights from the western parts of the European continent with their codes of chivalry, or alternatively, the Swiss businessman Henri Dunant. This contribution challenges that narrative for overlooking, or being ignorant of, the way that societies around the world have approached the matter of the captured enemy fighter. Traces of some of the critical principles about humane treatment that we see in our present law can actually be found in much older societies from outside of Europe. A more accurate and representative way of understanding humanitarianism in the treatment of captured enemy fighters can and must be crafted, with the prevailing Euro-centric account balanced with practices, cultures and faiths from elsewhere. The quest to achieve more humane treatment in armed conflict is first and foremost a battle of the intellect. Narratives and conceptualisations that are more inclusive, recognising and appreciating of the ways of the rest of the world are likely to be more effective in communicating humanitarian ideals. This work adopts a new method of approaching the richness and diversity of the treatment of captured enemy fighters over time and space. This new framework of analysis uses six cross-cutting themes to facilitate a broader international and comparative perspective, and develop a more sophisticated level of understanding. The first theme is how older and indigenous societies approached the matter of captured enemy fighters. The second focuses on religions of the world, and what they teach or require. The third section examines the matter of martial practices and codes of ethics for combatants in certain societies. The fourth category engages with colonisation and decolonisation, and regulation （or non-regulation） of the treatment of captives of war. Fifth is the issue of modernisation and the impact it has had on armed forces and fighters, including on the treatment of captives. The final issue is the shift towards formalised agreements, beginning with the first bilateral agreements and then the multilateral codification exercise that began in the mid-19th century and continues to this day. This framework for analysis leads into a final chapter, presenting a fresh and holistic view on the evolution of prisoner of war protections in the international order. It provides a different way of looking at International Humanitarian Law, starting with this effort at a global understanding of the treatment of captured enemy fighters.展开更多
基金funded by 948 Program of Ministry of Agriculture, China (2006-G52)
文摘Water shortages within the western USA are resulting in the adoption of water-saving agricultural practices within this region. Among the many possible methods for saving water in agriculture, the adoption of subsurface drip irrigation （SDI） provides a potential solution to the problem of low water use efficiency. Other advantages of SDI include reduced NO3 leaching compared to surface irrigation, higher yields, a dry soil surface for improved weed control, better crop health, and harvest flexibility for many specialty crops. The use of SDI also allows the virtual elimination of crop water stress, the ability to apply water and nutrients to the most active part of the root zone, protection of drip lines from damage due to cultivation and tillage, and the ability to irrigate with wastewater while preventing human contact. Yet, SDI is used only on a minority of cropland in the arid western USA. Reasons for the limited adoption of SDI include the high initial capital investment required, the need for intensive management, and the urbanization that is rapidly consuming farmland in parts of the western USA. The contributions of SDI to increasing yield, quality, and water use efficiency have been demonstrated. The two major barriers to SDI sustainability in arid regions are economics （i.e., paying for the SDI system）, including the high cost of installation; and salt accumulation, which requires periodic leaching, specialized tillage methods, or transplanting of seedlings rather than direct-seeding. We will review advances in irrigation management with SDI.
基金N ational N atural Science Foundation of China, N o.40175027 the U niversity of H aw aii pursuant to N ationalO ceanic and A tm ospheric A dm inistration A w ard,N o.N A 67RJ0154
文摘A scanning t-test algorithm for detecting multiple time-scale abrupt changes in the level of a time-series was used to analyze an 8000 year time series of annual precipitation which was reconstructed from tree rings for the Nevada Climate Division 3 in the western USA. The tree ring samples were gathered from eight states in the southwestern USA. Twenty-two change-points were identified by the algorithm and these were used to partition the tree-ring series into twenty-three relatively Wet/Normal/Dry episodes. These twenty-three episodes were collaborated by a coherency analysis of abrupt changes between the precipitation reconstruction series and the TIC/δ^18O records from cored sediments of Pyramid Lake in Nevada, and by comparison with published results from related studies. These episodes were also compared with studies of the global climate change and with records of climate change in China during the same periods. The results suggest that the precipitation reconstruction series is quite valuable for climate-change research on multi-centurial time-scales in the western USA, and that the scanning t-test and coherency detection algorithms may have a wide use for detecting multiple time-scale abrupt changes in a long time series. As the TIC and δ^18O record series are high resolution with unequal sampling intervals ranging between 3 and 14 years, a new algorithm was developed to deal with the unequal time intervals in the series.
基金National Science Foundation of China (No.49874010) Chinese Joint Seismological Science Foundation (95-07-441).
文摘A method is proposed to estimate average tectonic ambient shear stress value for a region. Thus the average stress values of 19 regions in western USA, and 43 regions (each region is 1010) in Chinese mainland and its surroundings have been obtained. The data of 15 993 earthquakes are from the Internet Centroid Moment Tensor solution made by Harvard University from 1997 to 1999. The results demonstrate that there are highest average stress values in the regions of south California of USA and its off coast sea, reach to 12.0 MPa and 13.7 MPa respectively, then gradually decrease toward north, south, and east. The lowest value is 8.7 MPa and 63% of highest value. The average stress values in northern Xinjiang and in the Chayu region of Tibet are 17.2 and 12.9 MPa respectively. They are highest values in China and higher than USAs. The average stress value in North China, Yunnan, Sichuan, Taiwan is similar to south California of USA. The average stress value in South-North seismic zone is about 13 MPa, a little higher than south California. The distribution of average stress value for two important regions provides basic data for geology. These results are useful to research earthquake activity background and attenuation relation of strong ground motion parameters (e.g. peak acceleration and response spectra).
文摘The Chinese Camp mining district in the western Sierra Nevada of California,USA,contains a serpentinized,ultramafic dunite intrusion with podiform chromite deposits.Serpentine soils have developed over this intrusion,creating a unique ecosystem of endemic vegetation and soils characterized by low Ca/Mg ratios and high Ni and Cr contents.The vegetation and red coloration make it easy to visually distinguish between soils developed over intruded,serpentinized bedrock and unmineralized,adjacent andesite bedrock(Fig.1).The purpose of our study was to compare soil chemistry and vegetative parameters among 3 study-design levels:1)undisturbed serpentine soil,2)undisturbed background soil(non-serpentine,developed over andesite),and 3)serpentine soil disturbed by mining activities.Within each of these l e v*e ls,3 random locations were chosen where weestablished 3,30-m transects(spaced 120-degrees apart).One soil sample was collected at a random location along each transect(0-15 cm depth after removing litter/O horizon).This scheme resulted in the collection of 9replicate soil samples per study-design level.Samples were analyzed for total metal content by ICP-AES/MS(inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy/mass spectroscopy),p H,electrical conductivity,and total C/N/S.The vegetative parameter of%canopy cover was measured with a line-point intercept survey along each transect,using 0.6m intervals.Above-ground net primary productivity(ANPP)was estimated by harvesting all aboveground living plant material within a 0.5 m quadrant at 3 random locations along each transect,drying,and weighting the material.Significant differences among design levels were observed for ANPP,canopy cover,total P,total N,and Ca/Mg,where the median values for these parameters decreased in the order undisturbed background>undisturbed serpentine>mining-disturbed serpentine.The highest concentrations of Cr and Ni were found in undisturbed serpentine(medians of 1960 ppm and 2529ppm,respectively)followed by mining-disturbed serpentine(medians of 420 and 2120,respectively)then undisturbed non-serpentine(medians 47.0 and 32.2 ppm,respectively).Soil p H varied significantly among the design levels with a median 5.74 in undisturbed background,median 6.25 in undisturbed serpentine,and median of 7.17 in mining-disturbed serpentine.These data document the distinct differences in soil chemistry and vegetation parameters between undisturbed serpentine soil and adjacent,undisturbed background soil.Efforts toward mining reclamation must recognize these differences and include the correct baseline conditions in the reclamation plan.
文摘An innate sensitivity to and phobia of China’s rise seem to have gripped someWestern observers for years.Early back in the 19th century,Napoleon warned the West to“let Chinasleep”.“There lies a sleeping giant,”begins his well-known remark.“Let hersleep.For when she wakes,she will shake the world.”In the 1990s,these
文摘Cancer is the leading cause of death in China and depicting the cancer pattern of China would provide basic knowhows on how to tackle it more effectively.In this study we have reviewed several reports of cancer burden,including the Global cancer statistics 2018 and Cancer statistics in China,2015,along with the GLOBCAN 2018 online database,to investigate the differences of cancer patterns between China,the United States(USA)and the United Kingdom(UK).An estimated 4.3 million new cancer cases and 2.9 million new cancer deaths occurred in China in 2018.Compared to the USA and UK,China has lower cancer incidence but a 30%and 40%higher cancer mortality than the UK and USA,among which 36.4%of the cancer-related deaths were from the digestive tract cancers(stomach,liver,and esophagus cancer)and have relatively poorer prognoses.In comparison,the digestive cancer deaths only took up≤5%of the total cancer deaths in either USA or UK.Other reasons for the higher mortality in China may be the low rate of early-stage cancers at diagnosis and non-uniformed clinical cancer treatment strategies performed by different regions.China is undergoing the cancer transition stage where the cancer spectrum is changing from developing country to developed country,with a rapidly increase cancer burden of colorectal,prostate,female breast cancers in addition to a high occurrence of infection-related and digestive cancers.The incidence of westernized lifestyle-related cancers in China(i.e.colorectal cancer,prostate,bladder cancer)has risen but the incidence of the digestive cancers has decreased from 2000 to 2011.An estimated 40%of the risk factors can be attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors either in China or other developed countries.Tobacco smoking is the single most important carcinogenic risk factor in China,contributing to~24.5%of cancers in males.Chronic infection is another important preventable cancer contributor which is responsible for~17%of cancers.Comprehensive prevention and control strategies in China should include effective tobacco-control policy,recommendations for healthier lifestyles,along with enlarg-ing the coverage of effective screening,educating,and vaccination programs to better sensitize greater awareness control to the general public.
文摘The prevailing narrative instructs us that humane treatment of captured enemy fighters is down to white knights from the western parts of the European continent with their codes of chivalry, or alternatively, the Swiss businessman Henri Dunant. This contribution challenges that narrative for overlooking, or being ignorant of, the way that societies around the world have approached the matter of the captured enemy fighter. Traces of some of the critical principles about humane treatment that we see in our present law can actually be found in much older societies from outside of Europe. A more accurate and representative way of understanding humanitarianism in the treatment of captured enemy fighters can and must be crafted, with the prevailing Euro-centric account balanced with practices, cultures and faiths from elsewhere. The quest to achieve more humane treatment in armed conflict is first and foremost a battle of the intellect. Narratives and conceptualisations that are more inclusive, recognising and appreciating of the ways of the rest of the world are likely to be more effective in communicating humanitarian ideals. This work adopts a new method of approaching the richness and diversity of the treatment of captured enemy fighters over time and space. This new framework of analysis uses six cross-cutting themes to facilitate a broader international and comparative perspective, and develop a more sophisticated level of understanding. The first theme is how older and indigenous societies approached the matter of captured enemy fighters. The second focuses on religions of the world, and what they teach or require. The third section examines the matter of martial practices and codes of ethics for combatants in certain societies. The fourth category engages with colonisation and decolonisation, and regulation （or non-regulation） of the treatment of captives of war. Fifth is the issue of modernisation and the impact it has had on armed forces and fighters, including on the treatment of captives. The final issue is the shift towards formalised agreements, beginning with the first bilateral agreements and then the multilateral codification exercise that began in the mid-19th century and continues to this day. This framework for analysis leads into a final chapter, presenting a fresh and holistic view on the evolution of prisoner of war protections in the international order. It provides a different way of looking at International Humanitarian Law, starting with this effort at a global understanding of the treatment of captured enemy fighters.
