Farmer’s adaptive strategies on land competition between societal outcomes and agroecosystem conservation in the purple-soiled hilly region, southwestern China

The worldwide extension and intensification of farming during the last century has led to ecosystem degradation and caused a series of environmental problems.Conservation of ecosystem services in agricultural regions has been implemented by top-down government actions or initiated by resilience scientists in the developed countries,but little attention was paid in the developing countries,especially in some remote mountainous regions.The present paper presents a case study showing how local farmers obtained both maximal societal outcomes and agroecosystem conservation interests in the absence of distinct boundaries between agricultural and protected ecological areas in the densely populated purple-soiled hilly region of southwestern China.The local community(Yanting County) has developed a mosaic agricultural-forestry-fishery-stock breeding system with spatially targeted land uses,diverse agricultural productions and multiple ecological partnerships.It indicates that the local farmers have hereditarily perceived sound strategies on maximizing sustainable societal outcomes and optimizing tradeoffs among macro-market,state policy,new technological facility and ecological reinforcement.     

Effects of normalized difference vegetation index and related wavebands’ characteristics on detecting spatial heterogeneity using variogram-based analysis

Spatial heterogeneity is widely used in diverse applications, such as recognizing ecological process, guiding ecological restoration, managing land use, etc. Many researches have focused on the inherent scale multiplicity of spatial heterogeneity by using various environmental variables. How these variables affect their corresponding spatial heterogeneities, however, have received little attention. In this paper, we examined the effects of characteristics of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and its related bands variable images, namely red and near infrared (NIR), on their corresponding spatial heterogeneity detection based on variogram models. In a coastal wetland region, two groups of study sites with distinct fractal vegetation cover were tested and analyzed. The results show that: 1) in high fractal vegetation cover (H-FVC) area, NDVI and NIR variables display a similar ability in detecting the spatial heterogeneity caused by vegetation growing status structure; 2) in low fractal vegetation cover (L-FVC) area, the NIR and red variables outperform NDVI in the survey of soil spatial heterogeneity; and 3) generally, NIR variable is ubiquitously applicable for vegetation spatial heterogeneity investigation in different fractal vegetation covers. Moreover, as variable selection for remote sensing applications should fully take the characteristics of variables and the study object into account, the proposed variogram analysis method can make the variable selection objectively and scientifically, especially in studies related to spatial heterogeneity using remotely sensed data.     

Evaluation of role of Home Market Effects in China’s manufacturing industries

Under the theoretical framework of the New Trade Theory and the New Economic Geography, Home Market Effects (HMEs) is considered to be important sources of comparative advantage and significant reasons for industry agglomeration. Through the analysis on the input-output tables in China, the paper confirms the existence of HMEs for the manufacturing industries and their export trades on the national and provincial level in China. Several conclusions have been drawn in this study. Firstly, there exist prominent HMEs for manufacturing industries related with nondurable goods and materials in China. Secondly, 10 of the 15 kinds of manufacturing industries considered in this study display the existence of HMEs. Thirdly, the comparative advantage of factor endowment for the export trade of manufacturing industries is declining, while HMEs for them are increasing. Fourthly, among the 30 provincial regions studied in this paper, 11 regions show the existence of HMEs, most of which are located in the eastern coast region. This paper illustrates the simultaneous existence of the comparative advantage of factor endowment and scale economies of HMEs for China’s manufacturing industries. HMEs will not only be the new dynamic for the increase of manufacturing industries and their export trade, but also be the primary power for urban economic growth, industry improvement, and urban space expansion for China.     

The effects of natural capital protection on pastoralist’s livelihood and management implication in the source region of the Yellow River, China

The interaction among different livelihood capitals is a key to generate a deeper understanding of the livelihood sustainability.In this paper,we use net income per capita(economic capital),meat and milk production per capita(physical capital),and areas of fenced pasture,livestock shelter,grassland rodent control and planted grassland(physical capital) as proxy indicators of livelihood promotion,livelihood provision,and livelihood protection respectively.By developing a correlation model between pastoralists’ livelihood protection and improvement,we found that(1) there is a statistically significant correlation between the pastoralists’ livelihood protection and promotion;(2) based on the maximum effect of pastoralists’ livelihood promotion and provision,there is a benchmark in the effect of the intervention intensity of livelihood capital(grassland resource protection) on livelihood improvement;(3) on basis of two indicators,i.e.net income per capita and meat production per capita,the reasonable scales of fenced pasture,livestock shelter and planted grassland are less than 843,860 and 46 thousand hectares(hm2) per year respectively.With the marginal effect of livelihood protection,moderately decreased areas of fenced pasture and planted grassland,and increased area of livestock shelter is a critical to ensure pastoralist’s livelihood sustainability.     

China’s potential of grain production due to changes in agricultural land utilization in recent years

The changes in utilization of agricultural land have gradually grown into one of the major factors impacting grain output in China. This study explores the various components of agricultural production in China from the land utilization perspective, involving changes in grain production per unit area, multi-cropping index, and adjustment of agricultural structure. Compared with the record values, different research methodologies are used to analyze the potential of above three components. The results indicate that grain production potential of 65.68×109kg was unexploited in 2006, in which 45.8×109kg came from the restructuring in agriculture. So we can infer that the reduction of grain production in China could be primarily attributed to agricultural restructuring in recent years. So the productive potential can be fully restored by increasing agricultural investment, or recovering agricultural structure in favorable conditions. So we can say that China's current condition of food security is good.     

Local Responses to Macro Development Policies and Their Effects on Rural System in China’s Mountainous Regions:The Case of Shuanghe Village in Sichuan Province

China has promulgated a series of policies including the Western Development Program, the Grain for Green Project, agricultural support policies and building a new countryside strategy to eliminate east-west differences and urban-rural disparities since the late 1990s. This paper gives a holistic examination on local responses to the four typical macro socio-economic development policies and their effects on rural system based on a case study of a mountainous village in southern Sichuan Province. The results showed that the policies have not moved the case study village from its historically marginal status. To some extent, its socio-economic situation might have been worsened by accelerated out- migration of the youth, loss of agricultural land due to afforestation and industrial plants, increased fire hazard due to afforestation and reforestation, increased environmental pollution due to industrial enterprises attracted to the village and a steep decline in agricultural production due to loss of and inefficient use of cultivated land. Factors causing local villages’ dilemmas include the nonuniformity of actors’ objectives, finiteness of villagers’ abilities, and the imperfect incentive and restraint mechanism for local government’s activities under existing policy framework composed of uncoordinated one-size-fits- all policies. We suggest that China’s rural policy in the new period should gradually shift from a sectoral to a place-based one, from top-down incentives to the development of bottom-up projects, and fully recognize the diversity of rural space, so as to lift localcapacities and make good use of the knowledge shared by different actors. Moreover, it is also necessary to integrate the various sectoral policies, and improve the interministerial and interdepartmental coordination of rural policies at regional and local levels.     

Applicability and prospect of China’s development zone model in Africa

Development zones have been an important spatial approach to promoting economic development since China's reform and opening-up. They have also been major contributors to the processes of China's industrialization and urbanization. Along with improvements in the worldwide industrial division of labor and the gradual implementation of China's development zones' Go Global strategy, it is necessary for Africa, a hot spot of global industrialization in recent years, to learn from China's development zone model. By attracting China's capital, technology and enterprises to Africa via Sino-African co-built development zones, a pattern of high complementarity and mutual development between China and Africa can be formed which does favor further improvement of the global industrial division of labor. In order to study the applicability and prospect of China's development zone model in Africa as per the above-mentioned international situation, this paper first sorts out the development course of China's development zones and discusses their roles in China's industrialization and urbanization. Subsequently, this paper analyzes the status quo of industrial development in Africa as a whole and the differences in industrial development between China and Africa, aiming to justify the timing of industrial transfer from China to Africa by constructing Sino-African co-built development zones. Lastly, this paper analyzes the current situation of six Sino-African co-built development zones by focusing on their operation modes, industry types and investment promotion models. In the authors' view, Sino-African co-built development zones can function as a new window of China-African cooperation, a new carrier of African industrialization, and a new engine of global industrial restructuring. China should adhere to the general principles of ‘Sino-African Integration, Multi-Cooperation, Mutual Benefit, Scientific Location, Systematic Planning, Cluster Growth and Open Development' in the planning and construction of development zones in Africa, effectively promoting Africa as the very important part of the global industry system.     

Effects of Sediment-induced Stratification on Floc Breakup in an Idealized Tidal Estuary： A Numerical Modelling Study

Floc breakup dynamics are studied by a sediment transport numerical model in an idealized tidal estuary that has a constant water depth and rapid flocculation of cohesive sediments. The focus is placed on the effects of boundary layer stratification induced by a bottom nepheloid layer on floc breakup and size distribution in the water column. In a neutrally stratified estuary, the floc size distribution follows a parabolic function with maximum values at the surface and bottom. The sediment-induced stratification in the bottom boundary layer increases the median floc sizes. Furthermore, sediment-voided convection caused by the settling lutocline generates significant turbulent kinetic energy dissipation and reduces floc size at the depth where the convective mixing happens. Below that depth, a weak local maxima in the floc size is predicted due to presence of the lutocline. The effect of sediment-stratified bottom boundary layer on the floc breakup can be consistently approximated by a linear regression between the maximal floc size and flux Richardson number.     

Butterfly-plant interactions and body size patterns along an elevational gradient in the Manang region of central Nepal

Butterflies are widely studied due to their key ecosystem functions.For this reason,they are used in ecosystem assessment,formulating conservation plans and in raising the environmental awareness.Quantification of different factors affecting diversity of butterflies is important for their effective conservation.In this study,we investigated abiotic and biotic factors affecting species richness and community composition of butterflies along an elevational gradient in Manang region,central Nepal.We also tested if butterfly species follow the Bergmann’s rule.A total of 57 butterfly species belonging to 39 genera and 8 families were recorded in the study area.Out of a total of 127 plant species identified in the study region,only 67 plant species were visited by butterflies as nectar sources.Species richness of butterflies increased with increasing elevation.Species richness was significantly higher in places with shrubs compared to other places and also in autumn than in summer.Species richness of butterflies also depended on composition of plant species occurring at the localities.Butterfly species composition varied among sampling localities.It was also determined by habitat type,elevation,sampling time,plant species and interactions of elevation×time.The relationship between butterfly size and elevation was in the opposite direction than expected according to the Bergmann’s rule.In conclusion,protection of butterfly diversity can only be achieved by protecting different habitats across the diverse physiography of the region and different plant species,in particular herbs and shrubs.Our results do not support the Bergmann’s rule for butterflies along an elevational gradient in our region.     

Effects of UV-B irradiation on isoforms of antioxidant enzymes and their activities in red alga Grateloupiafilicina （Rhodophyta）

Macroalgae in a littoral zone are inevitably exposed to UV-B irradiance.We analyzed the effects of UV-B on isoenzyme patterns and activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD),peroxidase(POX),catalase(CAT),and ascorbate peroxidase(APX) of red algae Grateloupia filicina(Lamour.) C.Agardh.The activities of SOD,CAT,and APX changed in response to UV-B in a time- and dose-dependent manner.POX activity increased significantly under all three UV-B treatments.The enzymatic assay showed three distinct bands of SODⅠ(Mn-SOD),SODⅡ(Fe-SOD),and SODⅢ(CuZn-SOD) under a low(Luv) and medium(Muv) dose of UV-B irradiation,while SODⅠ and SODⅢ activities decreased significantly when exposed to a high dose of UV-B irradiation(Huv).The activity of POX isoenzymes increased significantly after exposure to UV-B,which is consistent with the total activity.In addition,a clear decrease in activity of CATIV was detected in response to all the three doses of UV treatments.Some bands of APX isoenzyme were also clearly influenced by UV-B irradiation.Correspondingly,the daily growth rate declined under all the three exposure doses,and was especially significant under Muv and Huv treatments.These data suggest that,although the protection mechanisms of antioxidant defense system are partly inducible by UV-B to prevent the damage,G.filicina has incomplete tolerance to higher UV-B irradiation stress.     

Effects of temperature, pH and NaCl on protease activity in digestive tract of young turbot, Scophthalmus maximus

1 INTRODUCTION Digestive enzyme activity is one of important issues for learning digestive physiology of fish, and widely applied in commercial fish culture. So far, the data obtained in fish showed that the diges- tive enzymes were qualitatively similar …     

Spatial interaction and network structure evolvement of cities in terms of China’s rail passenger flows

Cities separated in space are connected together by spatial interaction （SI） between them. But the studies focusing on the SI are relatively few in China mainly because of the scarcity of data. This paper deals with the SI in terms of rail passenger flows, which is an important aspect of the network structure of urban agglomeration. By using a data set consisting of rail O-D （origin-destination） passenger flows among nearly 200 cities, inter-city rail distance O-D matrixes, and some other indices, it is found that the attenuating tendency of rail passenger is obvious. And by the analysis on dominant flows and spatial structure of flows, we find that passenger flows have a trend of polarizing to hubs while the linkages between hubs upgrade. However, the gravity model reveals an overall picture of convergence process over time which is not in our expectation of integration process in the framework of globalization and eco- nomic integration. Some driven factors for the re-organization process of the structure of urban agglomeration, such as technique advance, globalization, etc. are discussed further based on the results we obtained.     

Examination and Interpretation of the Quantitative Validity in China’s Corporate-based Urban Network Analysis

As a matter of expediency, most existing corporate-based urban networks can only be quantitatively measured by either counting the number of linkages or calculating the product of estimated service values. However, the impreciseness arising due to the limits of quantitative analysis may prove fatal to studies about non-market economies like China. Employing the capital investment dataset as an example, we build a capital-weighted intervention network as well as an unweighted control network to carry out an examination of the quantitative validity in China’s corporate-based urban network analysis. Both the overall spatial pattern and top city-dyads within the capital-weighted network witness Beijing, as the most dominant city, overshadow the performance of the others, and the unweighted network shows multilateral interactions between China’s top cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. To further interpret the noticeable differences, we divide the overall network into two subnetworks, inferred by focusing on state-owned enterprises(SOEs) and private enterprises. The results show that the public and private sectors have separately created vastly different subnetworks in China and that SOEs play a much more significant role in terms of capital. Besides fresh insights into China’s urban network, this study provides a cautionary tale reminding researchers of the essentiality and complexity when making a quantitative distinction between different linkages.     

Effects of tributyltin （TBT） on enzyme activity and oxidative stress in hepatopancreas and hemolymph of small abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta

We investigated the effect of tributyltin (TBT) exposure on the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity levels of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and acid and alkaline phosphatase (ACP and AKP) enzymes in the small abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta. We collected samples of the hepatopancreas and hemolymph 2, 6, 24, 48, 96, and 192 h after exposure to 0.35 μg (Sn)/L TBT. In the hepatopancreas, ACP activity was significantly higher in animals exposed to TBT 2, 24, and 96 h post-exposure compared with the control animals. AKP activity was also higher after 2 h, but SOD and CAT activity was unchanged. The concentration of MDA in the hemolymph was significantly higher than the control animals 2 and 6 h post-exposure. In the hemolymph of animals exposed to TBT, ACP activity was significantly lower than in the control animals 192 h post-exposure, whereas AKP activity was significantly lower 2 and 192 h post-exposure. Hemolymph SOD activity and levels of MDA were significantly lower than in the control animals 24 h after exposure but significantly higher after 96 h. Our results demonstrate that exposure to TBT cause rapid changes in ACP and AKP activity as well as altering the concentration of MDA in the hepatopancreas and hemolymph. SOD and CAT do not appear to be involved in the detoxification of TBT in the hepatopancreas of small abalone.     

Effects of temperature, pH and NaC1 on protease activity in digestive tract of young turbot, Scophthalmus maximus

The protease activity in digestive tract of young turbot Scophthalmus maximum was studied, and the optimal pH, temperature and NaCl concentration were determined for different portions of the fish＇s internal organs. The optimal activity in the fish＇s stomach was at pH of 2.2, while that in the intestinal extracts was within the alkaline range from 9.5 to 10.0. In hepatopancreas, the optimal pH was in low alkalinity at 8.5. The optimal reaction temperature was above 40℃ in stomach, intestine and hepatopancreas. With increasing temperature, the pH value increased in stomach, while in the intestine, an opposite tendency was observed due to combined effect of pH and temperature. NaCl concentration showed inhibitory impact on protein digestion in hepatopancreas. The main protease for protein digestion in turbot seemed to be pepsin. Moreover, the maximum protease activity in different segments of intestine existed in the hindgut.     

Influence of rangeland protection and seasonal grazing on aboveground vegetation,forage quality and weight gain of small ruminants – a study in Thar Desert,Pakistan

The Thar Desert, Sindh, Pakistan is characterized by low productivity. Besides, economy is based on agriculture, livestock and mining,nevertheless, livestock graze freely on public and private land. The aim of this research was to determine biomass production and to evaluate the effects of continuous and seasonal grazing on protected and unprotected plots. A 45 ha protected rangeland area of Hurrabad in the Umerkot Thar desert was selected and divided into three blocks of 15 ha each. Blocks of t...     

Effects of Freeze–thaw Cycles on Soil Mechanical and Physical Properties in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Extreme freeze-thaw action occurs on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau due to its unique climate resulting from high elevation and cold temperature.This action causes damage to the surface soil structure, as soil erosion in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is dominated by freeze-thaw erosion.In this research,freezing–thawing process of the soil samples collected from the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau was carried out by laboratory experiments to determinate the volume variation of soil as well as physical and mechanical properties, such as porosity, granularity and uniaxial compressive strength, after the soil experiences various freeze–thaw cycles.Results show that cohesion and uniaxial compressive strength decreased as the volume and porosity of the soil increased after experiencing various freeze–thaw cycles, especially in the first six freeze–thaw cycles.Consequently, the physical and mechanical properties of the soil were altered.However, granularity and internal friction angle did not vary significantly with an increase in the freeze–thaw cycle.The structural damage among soil particles due to frozen water expansion was the major cause of changes in soil mechanical behavior in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.     

Henry’s law constant for phosphine in seawater: determination and assessment of influencing factors

The Henry’s Law constant (k) for phosphine in seawater was determined by multiple phase equilibration combined with headspace gas chromatography. The effects of pH, temperature, and salinity on k were studied. The k value for phosphine in natural seawater was 6.415 at room temperature (approximately 23°C). This value increases with increases in temperature and salinity, but no obvious change was observed at different pH levels. At the same temperature, there was no significant difference between the k for phosphine in natural seawater and that in artificial seawater. This implies that temperature and salinity are major determining factors for k in marine environment. Double linear regression with Henry’s Law constants for phosphine as a function of temperature and salinity confirmed our observations. These results provide a basis for the measurement of trace phosphine concentrations in seawater, and will be helpful for future research on the status of phosphine in the oceanic biogeochemical cycle of phosphorus.