The Chinese western development initiative: new opportunities for mineral investment

The Western Development Initiative (WDI), launched in 2000 by the Chinese Government, will greatly change the modes and improve the quality of life of the 355 million people living in the western region of China. This paper presents a panoramic picture of the mineral industries under the framework of the WDI. First, it gives an overview of the WDI, including a summary of the favorable and unfavorable conditions for the WDI, the objectives, priorities and key geographical areas for the WDI and the national policies and measures for implementing the WDI. Second, it describes the roles of the mineral industries in the WDI. Finally, it details the policies and actions of the Chinese Government on the exploration and development of mineral resources in the western region in support of the WDI.     

A comparison of chemical mechanisms based on TRAMP-2006 field data

A comparison of a model using five widely known mechanisms (RACM, CB05, LaRC, SAPRC-99, SAPRC-07, and MCMv3.1) has been conducted based on the TexAQS II Radical and Aerosol Measurement Project (TRAMP-2006) field data in 2006. The concentrations of hydroxyl (OH) and hydroperoxy (HO₂) radicals were calculated by a zero-dimensional box model with each mechanism and then compared with the OH and HO₂ measurements. The OH and HO₂ calculated by the model with different mechanisms show similarities and differences with each other and with the measurements. First, measured OH and HO₂ are generally greater than modeled for all mechanisms, with the median modeled-to-measured ratios ranging from about 0.8 (CB05) to about 0.6 (SAPRC-99). These differences indicate that either measurement errors, the effects of unmeasured species or chemistry errors in the model or the mechanisms, with some errors being independent of the mechanism used. Second, the modeled and measured ratios of HO₂/OH agree when NO is about 1 ppbv, but the modeled ratio is too high when NO was less and too low when NO is more, as seen in previous studies. Third, mechanism–mechanism HO_x differences are sensitive to the environmental conditions – in more polluted conditions, the mechanism–mechanism differences are less. This result suggests that, in polluted conditions, the mechanistic details are less important than in cleaner conditions, probably because of the dominance of reactive nitrogen chemistry under polluted conditions.     

Building Institutions for Markets: Experiences and Lessons from China's Rural Forest Sector

Through the lens of institutional economics, this paper reviews the reform and development experience in China's rural forest sector and discusses lessons that can be learned by China and other countries. We find that the impacts of the reforms, characterized by changes in forest tenures and market settings, hinge on how they are implemented. If farmers are granted not only land use rights but also liberalized market access, as shown in the northern farm region and the production of non-timber forest products, the incentive structure will be improved, and thus forest production will grow and producers and consumers will benefit. If the reforms are implemented in such a way as to cause market control and distortions, as witnessed in the southern traditional timber production region, the incentive structure will improve little. The chances for production increase will thus be diminished, making it difficult for producers and consumers to enhance their welfare. While tenure arrangements have evolved across the country in the 1990s, timber production in the south remains subject to allowable quota, cutting permit, government procurement, and heavy taxation. We wonder what the land use and tree ownership rights mean without the right to access market freely and fairly, and how practical it is to substitute government efforts for private initiatives in a successful forestry program. The time has come for Chinese policymakers to address these problems.     

长江中上游护堤林发展土地潜力研究

护岸堤林建设是建设是长江中上游防护林体系建设林种空间布局与配置不可缺少的有机组成部分，具沿江而布及成连续林带的特点。其发展的土地潜力取决于岸堤线长度、林带建设宽度和建设地带内的土地利用现状结构等三个因素。研究结果表明：长江中上游研究江段护岸堤林发展土地数量潜力规模为２５１２３．４～４１９３８．９ｈｍ２，其中需造林绿化的宜林荒地地（第一类潜力）为８２１４．５～１３７５７．３ｈｍ２，需改造更新的疏灌林地和需加强抚育的未成林造林地（第二潜力）为５４０９．３～９０１５．５ｈｍ２，需退耕还林的耕地（第三类潜力）为１１４９９．６～１９１６６．１ｈｍ２。     

1975年海城地震成功预报的回顾与思考

当我们满怀激情翻开2005年的日历时，不经意地发现已进入海城地震成功预报30周年的门槛，令人们不能忘怀的是，当1975年2月4日7．3级地震强烈震撼着辽南大地时，面对灾区到处房倒屋塌的悲凉景象，震区人民并没有气馁，而是满怀豪情地抗震救灾、重建家园，描绘更为美好的建设蓝图。这种生动场面的出现是因为震前有了较为准确的地震预报。     

新形势下改革和加强中国环境保护管理体制的思考

中国现行的环境保护管理体制已无法适应日益复杂化的环境问题,改革和强化环境保护管理体制已迫在眉睫.分析了中国进行环境保护管理体制改革的必要性,提出了改革和强化体制的总体目标和基本思路,进而从管理体系、法律体系、运行机制和能力建设等方面论述了改革和强化环境保护管理体制的建议对策.     

First-trimester assessment of placenta function and the prediction of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction

Preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are major contributors to perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Both are characterized by impaired trophoblastic invasion of the maternal spiral arteries and their conversion from narrow muscular vessels to wide non-muscular channels. Despite improvement in the understanding of the pathophysiology of these conditions, ability to accurately identify pregnant woman who will develop them is limited. This greatly impairs the development and testing of preventive interventions. While different measures of placental dysfunction have been associated with increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, the ability of any single one to accurately predict these outcomes is poor. Developing predictive tests is further challenged by difficulty in the timing of the measurements, as both the structural and biochemical characteristics of the placenta change with increasing gestational age. The ideal screening test would accurately predict the development of adverse pregnancy outcomes early enough to provide a window for preventive interventions. Improvement in ultrasound technology provides potentially useful novel tools for evaluating placental structure, but measuresments need to be standardized in order to be useful. Maternal serum analyte screening is a noninvasive test of placental biochemical function, but present serum marker alone is not sufficiently accurate to suggest its routine use in clinical practice. The use of first trimester biochemical markers in combination with uterine artery Doppler screening is promising as a potential screening tool. Prospective longitudinal studies using standardized methodology are necessary to further evaluate the choice of parameters and strategies of combination to achieve the best predictive models. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

焦化废水生物出水溶解性有机物特性光谱表征

利用非离子型DAX-8树脂和离子型交换树脂对某焦化废水二级生物出水溶解性有机物(DOM)进行组分分离,从溶解性有机碳(DOC)、紫外-可见光谱、三维荧光光谱、傅立叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)等4个方面对组分进行光谱学分析与特征识别.结果显示,疏水性酸性物质(Ho A)、亲水性酸性物质(Hi A)和亲水性中性物质(Hi N)为DOM的主要组分,其DOC含量占总DOC的39.88%、20.85%、25.38%;DOM主要含有单环芳香族化合物或共轭双键类化合物成分,类腐殖质物质和类富里酸物质是DOM的特征有机物;低分子量有机物在亲水性物质组分(HIS)中含量最高,E2 54/E3 65=3.89,E445/E665=1.91,SR=0.926均证明了这一点;亲水性碱性组分(Hi B)组分UV254占比为32%,SUVA值为49.94 L·mg-1·cm-1,不饱和物质和芳香性物质含量最高,芳香化程度最高;Ho A的E300/E400值为2.58,腐化程度最高,组分中含有类富里酸物质.DOM光谱分析能够提供组分中亲疏水性物质的比例、芳香性高低、分子量、发色团及有机基团等信息,可以作为判断废水特征的参考依据.     

废酸再生装置尾气H2O2氧化法脱硝中试研究

为有效降低废酸再生装置尾气污染物NOx浓度,中海炼化惠州炼化分公司在l万吨/年的废酸再生装置尾气进行了H2 O2脱硝中试试验,以H2 O2为氧化剂,以钠碱为吸收剂,采用部分烟气加温激活H2 O2,产生大量的活性基团,从而氧化尾气中的NOx,生成高价态的NOx,然后用碱液吸收.结果表明:NOx脱除效率受停留时间影响,当采用填料塔时,停留时间达到4 s,脱除效率达到18％ ～21％;当采用填料-鼓泡工艺时,停留时间达到10 s～12 s,脱除效率可达到60％～70％,出口NOx浓度满足广东省地方排放标准要求.     

中国水资源利用效率评估及区域差异研究

水资源危机、水环境恶化已成为我国所面临的严峻挑战,对我国的水资源利用效率进行科学合理的评价,并且讨论造成区域差异的影响因素显得尤为迫切。在全要素生产框架下,将环境要素纳入到效率分析中,利用数据包络分析模型,采用省级层面统计数据,以资本、劳动力和水资源使用量为投入,以国内生产总值与废水排放量为产出,计算我国2000~2011年区域水资源利用效率。研究发现,在时间序列上,我国各省份之间的用水效率差距逐年增大;在空间上,我国的水资源利用效率存在明显的东、中、西部区域差异。进一步研究发现,产业结构、经济发展水平、水资源禀赋、水的基础设施投入对区域水资源利用效率均有显著影响,而水价并没有对水资源利用效率产生显著影响。