Mitochondrial diversity and phylogeographic structure of Chinese domestic goats

China has numerous native domestic goat breeds, but so far there has been no extensive study on genetic diversity, population demographic history, and origin of Chinese goats. Here, we examined the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of Chinese domestic goats by determining a 481-bp fragment of the first hypervariable region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region from 368 individuals representing 18 indigenous breeds. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that there were four mtDNA lineages (A-D) identified in Chinese goats, in which lineage A was predominant, lineage B was moderate, and lineages C and D were at low frequency. These results further support the multiple maternal origins of domestic goats. The pattern of genetic variation in goat mtDNA sequences indicated that the two larger lineages A and B had undergone population expansion events. In a combined analysis of previously reported sequences and our sequences belonging to lineage B, we detected two subclades, in which one was unique to eastern Asia and another was shared between eastern and southern Asia. A larger genetic variation in eastern Asia than southern Asia and the pattern of phylogeographic variation in lineage B suggest that at least one subclade of lineage B originated from eastern Asia. There was no significant geographical structuring in Chinese goat populations, which suggested that there existed strong gene flow among goat populations caused by extensive transportation of goats in history. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PCBs and OCPs in human milk and selected foods from Luqiao and Pingqiao in Zhejiang, China

This study was conducted to measure the levels of 23 PCB congeners and 6 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in human milk and three food types collected from Luqiao and Pingqiao in Zhejiang Province, China. An effort was also made to explore the potential health risk for the mothers and breast-fed infants living in these two localities. Luqiao was selected as the sampling site because it is the largest place for the disassembly of obsolete transformers and electrical waste in China. Pingqiao, located 100 kin NW of Luqiao, is not known to be a place for any electronic or electrical waste and hence was chosen as the control site. Both localities are important agricultural places in the province. The organochlorines were measured in the samples using the GC-PECD technique. Micro-EROD bioassay method was also used as a complement of the chemical analysis to estimate the TEQ levels of dioxin-like PCBs in human milk. The data showed that the human milk, rice, hen egg, and fish samples from Luqiao were more heavily contaminated with PCBs than those from Pingqiao, suggesting that the mothers and their breast-fed infants in Luqiao tended to receive greater exposure to PCBs than those living in Pingqiao. The OCP levels in the two localities were found comparable, suggesting that the major source of contamination with these pesticides was from their agricultural uses. Significant correlation (R-2 = 0.87, P < 0.001) of PCB TEQs was found between the bioassay and chemical analysis method, suggesting that micro-EROD is an effective method for comprehensive determination of TEQ levels in human milk. Comparison with literature data showed that the PCB levels in milk samples from Luqiao were significantly higher than those from localities in other Chinese provinces and comparable to those in developed or industrialized countries. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Dioxin-like components in human breast milk collected from Hong Kong and Guangzhou

The H4IIE rat hepatoma cell line was employed as a cell model to screen 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD)-TCDD equivalents (EROD-TEQ) of human breast milk samples collected from Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. The screening methods employed a 96-well plate spectrofluorometer-EROD assay. For cell-line validation, our results demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in the Ah receptor-mediated response (i.e., CYP1A1 mRNA and EROD) of the cells upon exposure to a number of known Ah receptor agonists, including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzothiophene, benzo[a]pyrene, and beta-naphthaflavone. TCDD induced CYP1A1 mRNA and EROD was in a close positive correlation (r = 0.98). For the screening of dioxin-like compounds, breast milk samples collected during lactation weeks 3-5 were used. One hundred (from Hong Kong) and 48 (from Guangzhou) breast milk samples were assayed, of which 65% and 68% of the samples, respectively, showed detectable dioxin-like activities using the H4IIE cell EROD screening method. For sixty-five samples from Hong Kong the mean EROD-TEQ values ranged from 58.1 to 96.5 pg/g of milk fat for those aged 21-36 years while 32 samples from Guangzhou had mean values of 98.8-202.1 pg/g of milk fat. In comparisons of the EROD-TEQ values for different age groups from both cities, there were no significant differences (P < 0.05). However, the mean and median EROD-TEQ values of the Guangzhou population were in general higher than those of the Hong Kong population. The results of the present study indicate that it is feasible to use the H4IIE cell-line as a model for screening dioxin-like compounds in human breast milk. In addition, the method is rapid and cost-effective, particularly for a routine and high-throughput sample screening analysis, compared to the costly and time-intensive chemical analytical techniques. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

土地利用总体规划环境影响评价指标体系研究——以邛崃市土地利用总体规划为例

土地利用是人类根据土地质量特性来开发利用土地，创造财富，满足人类生产和生活的需要，同时改善环境，满足人类生存需要的过程。土地利用总体规划是对未来各类用地在空间上、时间上作出总体的协调的预先安排，不仅受到一定历史背景的制约，同时也受影响于当前的社会经济发展情况。但是，国内传统的土地利用总体规划往往从狭窄的技术经济观点出发，对远期的生态环境问题、社会问题缺少考虑，将新的用地尽量安排在最便捷、最经济的地方。 由于土地利用总体规划对环境影响具有长期性、复杂性、综合性、有时还有不可逆转性等特点，迫切需要在编制土地利用总体规划时对规划区与土地利用有关的环境影响进行科学研究，把环境保护纳入土地利用活动的计划、决策和规划实施中，促进土地资源持续、协调的利用。为更好地进行土地利用总体规划环境影响评价必须首先建立相应的评价指标体系，而目前国内关于该项研究的理论和实践的相关报道都较少。 本论文在综述国内外土地利用总体规划环境影响评价的理论与实践的基础上，在国内第一批开展了相关领域的案例研究，采用理论研究和案例分析相结合的研究方法对土地利用总体规划环境影响评价方法和指标体系进行了研究，对邛崃市土地利用总体规划进行了环境影响评价，其研究的主要内容和论点如下: (1)第一次根据FAO 确定的五大原则，引入了生态用地的概念并按照价值模型构建了以土地资源可持续利用为目标的县级土地利用总体规划环境影响评价的指标体系。以生产性、稳定性、保护性、经济活力、社会可接受性五个方面作为指标层来度量土地利用总体规划的环境影响，并选取了土地利用率、土地整理率、水面指数、生态用地面积比例、耕地转化率、建设用地产值指数、公众满意度等21 个元指标作为具体的评价指标。该指标体系强调了规划方案的公众参与，便于充分吸收公众的意见和建议；并且评价指标获取容易，实用性较强。 (2)在土地利用总体规划环境影响评价方法上进行了有益的探索和尝试，由于土地利用总体规划环境影响评价的主要对象是几个拟定的规划方案，所以采用综合评分法（包括特尔斐法和层次分析法）和公众参与相结合的评价方法。应用上述指标体系和评价方法对邛崃市土地利用总体规划的三个方案进行了评价筛选，高方案最终得分为92.049；中方案最终得分为91.028；而低方案最终得分为95.541，为最优方案。 （3）开展了对土地利用总体规划替代方案和公众参与机制的研究，对公众参与的方式、程序及主要内容从理论和实践两方面进行了有益的尝试，收到了良好的效果。 （4）对邛崃市土地利用总体规划进行了环境影响评价，根据邛崃市的具体情况，对规划实施后可能造成的环境正、负面影响进行了分析和预测，提出了预防或者减轻不良环境影响的对策和措施。 Land use is a process, which is to develop land according to its mass property. Bycreating the wealth and improving the environment, it can meet the need of production,life and human survival. Land use planning, as a planning form to guide land use, issubject to the historical background, and influenced by development of economic andsociety. The land use planning in the past, from narrow economic technology view,lacking of concerning ecologic environmentand social problem, arranged new land in the most convenient and economic place. Because of complexity, comprehensive and sometimes irreversible characteristicsof environmental impact caused by land use planning which has been implemented, it isneed to carry on scientific research on environmental impact related to land use as theland use planning is forming, to bring environmental protection within the plan, policymaking and implementing of land use activity, promoting the sustainment, harmonious use of land resource. This paper, taking the readjustment of land use planning in Qionglai as an example,assessed its environmental impact of land use planning. The main contents and results arepresented as follows: (1) On the basis of the five criterions of AFO, for the first time propose county classoverall planning of land uses SEA index by inducting ecological land use andestablishing the Value factor system, according to Productivity criterion，Stabilitycriterion，Sheltered criterion，Economic livingness criterion，Social acceptabilitycriterion，the environmental impact of land use system was assessed by using Valuemodel. Through identifying the factors of environmental impact of land use planning, thepaper established the factor system of SEA of land use planning. From the land usefactors, 21 factors was chosen to assess the environmental impact degree of land useplanning, such as, index of land use degree, the rate of land collating, index of watersurface, the rate of ecological use land, cultivated land conversion ratio, forest landconversion ratio, public satisfaction degree and so on. These indexes make a point thatpublic participation of plan project fully absorb public idea and propose and the index easily get, better utility. (2) Attempt useful assessment method system of SEA of land use planning. In viewof there are no or almost no inevitable contact among the factors of SEA of land useplanning，we use AHP （Analytic Hierarchy Process） as the main assess method . Thereare three plans are compared in this paper apply the foregoing index and assessmentmethod. The high plan finally score is 92.049，while the middle plan is 91.028. The lowplan score is 95.541，is the best one，as the selected plan. (3) Carry on the research of the alternative scheme of overall planing of land useand public participation，to the fashion ，procedure and object matter carry out helpfulattempt from theory to practice，the results is good. （4）Took place SEA of Qionglai County overall planing of land use，according to thecircumstance of Qionglai，we analyze and forecast the positive and negative affect afterthe plan implement，and put forward the countermeasure and means to prevent or abatebad environmental impact.

Energy-Momentum of a Cosmological Brane Model and the Gauge Hierarchy

We analyze in this paper the general covariant energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational system in general five-dimensional cosmological brane-world models. Then through calculating this energy-momentum for the cosmological generalization of the Randall-Sundrum model, which includes the original RS model as the static limit, we are able to show that the weakness of the gravitation on the "visible" brane is a general feature of this model. This is the origin of the gauge hierarchy from a gravitational point of view. Our results are also consistent with the fact that a gravitational system has vanishing total energy.

黄土高原沟坡地土地生产力评价的指标体系与评价方法

通过对渭北黄土高原地区沟坡地土壤理化性质的分析和对当地社会经济状况的调查研究,应用层次分析法对沟坡地上地自然生产力和现实生产力进行了分析和评价。在分析过程中,把当地主要造林树种根系垂直分布特征及其根系抗旱性特性纳入了分析评价体系。结果表明,嘴头村和西坡村不同树种沟坡地上刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)的自然生产力属于中等稍微偏上水平,而山杏(Prunus armeniacia var.ansu)、油松(Pinus tabulaeformis)和侧柏(Platycladus orientalis)的自然生产力水平则较低。两地沟坡地上的现实生产力计算结果则证明刺槐和山杏两个树种表现出了较高的水平,具有较好的发展前途;而油松和侧柏的现实生产力水平则较低,其发展推广受到了限制。群众对沟坡开发治理的态度和对开发方案的认可对沟坡开发的成功起到了重要作用。

A data-model fusion approach for upscaling gross ecosystem productivity to the landscape scale based on remote sensing and flux footprint modelling

Chinese Academy of Sciences ; National Science Foundation of China [41071059]; National Key Technology R&D Program of China [2008BAK50B06-02]; National Basic Research Program of China [2010CB950900, 2010CB950704]; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Assessing the consequence of land use change on agricultural productivity in China

China's cultivated land has been undergoing dramatic changes along with its rapidly growing economy and population. The impacts of land use transformation on food production at the national scale, however, have been poorly understood due to the lack of detailed spatially explicit agricultural productivity information on cropland change and crop productivity. This study evaluates the effect of the cropland transformation on agricultural productivity by combining the land use data of China for the period of 1990-2000 from TM images and a satellite-based NPP (net primary production) model driven with NOAH/AVHRR data. The cropland area of China has a net increase of 2.79 Mha in the study period, which causes a slightly increased agricultural productivity (6.96 Mt C) at the national level. Although the newly cultivated lands compensated for the loss from urban expansion, but the contribution to production is insignificant because of the low productivity. The decrease in crop production resulting from urban expansion is about twice of that from abandonment of arable lands to forests and grasslands. The productivity of arable lands occupied by urban expansion was 80% higher than that of the newly cultivated lands in the regions with unfavorable natural conditions. Significance of cropland transformation impacts is spatially diverse with the differences in land use change intensity and land productivity across China. The increase in arable land area and yet decline in land quality may reduce the production potential and sustainability of China's agro-ecosystems. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impacts of LUCC processes on potential land productivity in China in the 1990s

Using meteorological data and RS dynamic land-use observation data set, the potential land productivity that is limited by solar radiation and temperature is estimated and the impacts of recent LUCC processes on it are analyzed in this paper. The results show that the influence of LUCC processes on potential land productivity change has extensive and unbalanced characteristics. It generally reduces the productivity in South China and increases it in North China, and the overall effect is increasing the total productivity by 26.22 million tons. The farmland reclamation and original farmlands losses are the primary causes that led potential land productivity to change. The reclamation mostly distributed in arable-pasture and arable-forest transitional zones and oasises in northwestern China has made total productivity increase by 83.35 million tons, accounting for 3.50% of the overall output. The losses of original farmlands driven by built-up areas invading and occupying arable land are mostly distributed in the regions which have rapid economic development, e.g. Huang-Huai-Hai plain, Yangtze River delta, Zhujiang delta, central part of Gansu, southeast coastal region, southeast of Sichuan Basin and Urumqi-Shihezi. It has led the total productivity to decrease 57.13 million tons, which is 2.40% of the overall output.