Sediment metal bioavailability in Lake Taihu, China: evaluation of sequential extraction, DGT, and PBET techniques

The European “Community Bureau of Reference” (BCR) sequential extraction procedure, diffusive gradient in thin-films technique (DGT), and physiologically based extraction test were applied to assess metal bioavailability in sediments of Lake Taihu (n = 13). Findings from the three methods showed that Cd was a significant problem in the western lake whereas Cu, Zn, and Ni pollution was most severe in the northern lake. Results from the sequential extraction revealed that more than 50 % of the Cu and Zn were highly mobile and defined within the extractable fraction (AS1 + FM2 + OS3) in the majority of the sediments, in contrast extractable fractions of Ni and Cd were lower than 50 % in most of the sampling sites. Average Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cd bioaccessibilities were <50 % in the gastric phase. Zn and Cd bioaccessibility in the intestinal phase was ∼50 % lower than the gastric phase while bioaccessibilities of Cu and Ni were 47–57 % greater than the gastric phase. Linear regression analysis between DGT and BCR measurements indicated that the extractable fractions (AS1 + FM2 + OS3) in the reducing environment were the main source of DGT uptake, suggesting that DGT is a good in situ evaluation tool for metal bioavailability in sediments.

Environmental Implications of Hotel Growth in China: Integrating Sustainability with Hotel Development

China has embarked on the largest program of new hotel construction the world has ever seen. Even though the nation’s growth rate has eased somewhat in the past year, China’s hotel development continues at a pace that would see at least three new 150+ room hotels open every day for the next 25 years.1 Even if the industry does not continue to expand at this rate, China’s hotel growth carries substantial consequences in terms of increases in energy and water consumption, and an expanding carbon footprint. In this paper, we outline the dimensions of this issue, and we urge hotel developers to heed the national government’s push for greater sustainability.

The Cold Tongue in the South China Sea during Boreal Winter and Its Interaction with the Atmosphere

A distinct cold tongue has recently been noticed in the South China Sea during the winter monsoon, with the cold tongue temperature minimum occurring in the January or February. This cold tongue shows signi¯cant links with the Maritime Continent's rainfall during the winter period. The cold tongue and its interaction with the Maritime Continent's weather were studied using Reynolds SST data, wind ¯elds from the NCEP{NCAR reanalysis dataset and the quikSCAT dataset. In addition, rainfall from the GOES Precipitation Index (GPI) for the periods 2000 to 2008 was also used. The propagation of the cold tongue towards the south is explained using wind dynamics and the western boundary current. During the period of strong cold tongue, the surface wind is strong and the western boundary current advects the cold tongue to the south. During the period of strong winds the zonal gradient of SST is high [0.5±C (25 km)¡1]. The cold tongue plays an important role in regulating the climate over the Maritime Continent. It creates a zonal/meridional SST gradient and this gradient ultimately leads in the formation of convection. Hence, two maximum precipitation zones are found in the Maritime Continent, with a zone of relatively lower precipitation between, which coincides with the cold tongue's regions. It was found that the precipitation zones have strong links with the intensity of the cold tongue. During stronger cold tongue periods the precipitation on either side of the cold tongue is considerably greater than during weaker cold tongue periods. The features of convection on the eastern and western sides of the cold tongue behave di®erently. On the eastern side convection is preceded by one day with SST gradient, while on the western side it is four days.

Análisis de los temas de salubridad y logística que Colombia debe abordar para exportar carne de bovino a la República Popular China

Ante el fenómeno de la globalización, el gigante asiático se presenta como un actor fundamental para establecer relaciones económicas, por su reciente ascenso en la jerarquía de poder, su creciente industria demandante de materias primas y su densa población, cuya capacidad de consumo aumenta día a día. Lo anterior le permite a Colombia abrir nuevos mercados que generen un mejoramiento económico y un mayor reconocimiento internacional La presente investigación se desarrolló mediante una metodología cualitativa que abarca la revisión de material bibliográfico, investigaciones realizadas y consulta de documentos oficiales. También se recogen datos estadísticos, fundamentales para soportar los objetivos de este documento y se citan casos de países como Brasil, Argentina y Chile, que constituyen un referente para conocer los procesos que llevan a cabo estas naciones con el gigante asiático relacionados a las importaciones de carne Bovina. La inclusión actual del sector ganadero en los nuevos contextos nacionales e internacionales de competencia por mercados, resulta indispensable para asegurar no sólo la estabilidad sino fundamentalmente la sostenibilidad de la actividad a mediano y largo plazo. Lo anterior debe convertirse en un propósito nacional de los sectores públicos y privados para comenzar a desarrollar, conjuntamente con los gremios; acciones que permitan remover los obstáculos que hoy en día se presentan y promover la modernización de esta actividad. Es pertinente elevar la condición de la producción, comercialización y mercadeo de la ganadería bovina colombiana, además de garantizar niveles de rentabilidad que permitan consolidar la confianza y el impulso necesario para el desarrollo de las inversiones básicas, que la normatividad a nivel de logística y salubridad exige para llegar a nuevos países.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus associated with mass mortality of postlarval abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta (L.), in Sanya, China

Outbreaks of mass mortality in postlarval abalone, Haliotis diversicolor supertexta (L.), have swept across south China since 2002 and in turn have resulted in many abalone farms closing. Twenty-five representative bacterial isolates were isolated from a sample of five diseased postlarval abalone, taken 15 d postfertilization during an outbreak of postlarval disease in Sanya, Hainan Province, China in October 2004. A dominant isolate, referred to as Strain 6, was found to be highly virulent to postlarvae in an experimental challenge test, with a 50% lethal dose (LD50) value of 3.2 x 10(4) colony forming units (CFU)/mL, while six of the other isolates were weakly virulent with LD50 values ranging from 1 x 10(6) to 1 x 10(7) CFU/mL, and the remaining 18 isolates were classified as avirulent with LD50 values greater than 1 x 10(8) CFU/mL. Using both an API 20E kit and 16S recombinant DNA sequence analysis, Strain 6 was shown to be Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It was sensitive to 4 and intermediately sensitive to 5 of the 16 antibiotics used when screening the antibiotic sensitivities of the bacterium. Extracellular products (ECPs) prepared from the bacterium were lethal to postlarvae when used in a toxicity test at a concentration of 3.77 mg protein/mL, and complete liquefaction of postlarvae tissues occurred within 24 h postexposure. Results from this study implicate V. parahaemolyticus as the pathogen involved in the disease outbreaks in postlarval abalone in Sanya and show that the ECPs may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Look up, look around: is there anything different about team-level OCB in China?

Ethical leadership has been widely identified as the key variable in enhancing team-level organizational citizenship behavior (team-level OCB) in western economic and business contexts. This is challenged by empirical evidence in China and findings of this study. Our study examined the relationship between ethical leadership, organizational ethical context (ethical culture and corporate ethical values) and team-level OCB. Team-level data has been collected from 57 functional teams in 57 firms operating in China. The findings suggest that although ethical leadership is positively associated with team-level OCB, ethical context positively moderates the relationship between ethical leadership and team-level OCB. The higher ethical context is found to be, the greater is the (positive) effects of ethical leadership on team-level OCB and the opposite holds true when ethical context is low. Key implications are discussed on the role of contextual ethics for team level OCB, while managerial implications include how non-Chinese firms could improve team-level OCB in the Chinese business context.

Palaeovegetation in China during the late Quaternary: Biome reconstructions based on a global scheme of plant functional types

Two previous reconstructions of palaeovegetation across the whole of China were performed using a simple classification of plant functional types (PFTs). Now a more explicit, global PFT classification scheme has been developed, and a substantial number of additional pollen records have become available. Here we apply the global scheme of PFTs to a comprehensive set of pollen records available from China to test the applicability of the global scheme of PFTs in China, and to obtain a well-founded reconstruction of changing palaeovegetation patterns. A total of 806 pollen surface samples, 188 mid-Holocene (MH, 6000 14C yr BP) and 50 last glacial maximum (LGM, 18,000 14C yr BP) pollen records were used to reconstruct vegetation patterns in China, based on a new global classification system of PFTs and a standard numerical technique for biome assignment (biomization). The biome reconstruction based on pollen surface samples showed convincing agreement with present potential natural vegetation. Coherent patterns of change in biome distribution between MH, LGM and present are observed. In the MH, cold and cool-temperate evergreen needleleaf forests and mixed forests, temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, and warm-temperate evergreen broadleaf and mixed forest in eastern China were shifted northward by 200–500 km. Cold-deciduous forest in northeastern China was replaced by cold evergreen needleleaf forest while in central northern China, cold-deciduous forest was present at some sites now occupied by temperate grassland and desert. The forest–grassland boundary was 200–300 km west of its present position. Temperate xerophytic shrubland, temperate grassland and desert covered a large area on the Tibetan Plateau, but the area of tundra was reduced. Treeline was 300–500 m higher than present in Tibet. These changes imply generally warmer winters, longer growing seasons and more precipitation during the MH. Westward shifts of the forest–shrubland–grassland and grassland–desert boundaries imply greater moisture availability in the MH, consistent with a stronger summer monsoon. During the LGM, in contrast, cold-deciduous forest, cool-temperate evergreen needleleaf forest, cool mixed forests, warm-temperate evergreen broadleaf and mixed forest in eastern China were displaced to the south by 300–1000 km, while temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, pure warm-temperate evergreen forest, tropical semi-evergreen and evergreen broadleaf forests were restricted or absent from the mainland of southern China, implying colder winters than present. Strong shifts of temperate xerophytic shrubland, temperate grassland and desert to the south and east in northern and western China and on the Tibetan Plateau imply drier conditions than present.

Customer engagement planning emerging from the “individualist-collectivist”-framework: an empirical examination in China and UK

Purpose – Today marketers operate in globalised markets, planning new ways to engage with domestic and foreign customers alike. While there is a greater need to understand these two customer groups, few studies examine the impact of customer engagement tactics on the two customer groups, focusing on their perceptual differences. Even less attention is given to customer engagement tactics in a cross-cultural framework. In this research, the authors investigate customers in China and UK, aiming to compare their perceptual differences on the impact of multiple customer engagement tactics. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative approach with 286 usable responses from China and the UK obtained through a combination of person-administered survey and computer-based survey screening process, the authors test a series of hypotheses to distinguish across-cultural differences. Findings – Findings show that the collectivists (Chinese customers) perceive customer engagement tactics differently than the individualists (UK customers). The Chinese customers are more sensitive to price and reputation, whereas the UK customers respond more strongly to service, communication and customisation. Chinese customers’ concerns with extensive price and reputation comparisons may be explained by their awareness towards face (status), increased self-expression and equality. Practical implications – The findings challenge the conventional practice of using similar customer engagement tactics for a specific market place with little concern for multiple cultural backgrounds. The paper proposes strategies for marketers facing challenges in this globalised context. Originality/value – Several contributions have been made to the literatures. First, the study showed the effects of culture on the customers’ perceptual differences. Second, the study provided more information to clarify customers’ different reactions towards customer engagement tactics, highlighted by concerns towards face and status. Third, the study provided empirical evidence to support the use of multiple customer engagement tactics to the across cultural studies.

The post-financial crisis challenges for corporate governance and banking reform in China

The purpose of this paper is to review the impact of the global financial crisis on banking reform in China. The significant doubt concerning the efficiencies of Anglo-American model of corporate governance has raised a critical political question amongst scholars and practitioners as to whether China should continue to follow the U.K.-U.S. path in relation to financial reform. This conceptual paper provides an insightful review of the corporate governance literature and regulatory reports. After examining the fundamental limitations of the laissez-faire philosophy that underpins the neo-liberal model of capitalism, which promotes greater liberalization and less control, the paper considers the risks in opening China’s financial markets and relaxing monetary and fiscal policies. A critique of shareholder-capitalism is outlined in relation to the German’s “social market economy” styled capitalism. Through such analysis the paper explores a number of implications for China to consider in terms of developing a new and sustainable corporate governance model applicable to the Chinese context.

A Preliminary Habitat Suitability Analysis for the Restoration of South China Tigers in the Hupingshan Reserve, China

The South China tiger, Panthera tigris amoyensis, once roamed the greater part of southern China. However, expanding human populations and other anthropogenic effects have resulted in the extinction of the wild population. The Chinese government has expressed interest in a reintroduction program for this species of tigers. Recent studies suggest that the Hupingshan preserve is potentially a good candidate for a tiger reintroduction program. Hupingshan is located on the border of the Hunan and Hubei provinces in Southern China. This study was a preliminary habitat suitability analysis, for the restoration of South China tigers in the Hupingshan reserve, China. ArcGIS 9.0 was used to develop a model that combined roads, railroads, slope, land cover, park classification, and population density. The tiger habitat suitability analysis was performed by weighting and combining the various layers. Preliminary results suggest that the Hupingshan reserve is suitable habitat for the reintroduction of South China tigers.

Labor supply, risk aversion and economic refrom in China

Economic reform in China has created a small, but fast-growing private sector that has spurred rapid productivity growth. Growth of the private sector is predicated upon continued labor movements away from state-run industries and into private firms. This paper presents a theory of labor market sectoral choice demonstrating that three factors determine private sector labor supply-the difference in wages between the state and private sectors, private sector wage risk and risk aversion. Estimation of the model using survey data provides strong support for the theory. We find that the riskiness of private sector earnings has a greater effect in discouraging workers from taking jobs in private firms than the wage premi um has in attracting workers.

China and Latin America and the Caribbean: building a strategic economic and trade relationship

Includes bibliography

The People's Republic of China and Latin America and the Caribbean: towards a strategic relationship

Includes bibliography

Determinants of world manufacturing exports to China, 1990-2006

Includes bibliography

A Census of Eddy Activities in the South China Sea During 1993-2007

Numerous mesoscale eddies occur each year in the South China Sea (SCS), but their statistical characteristics are still not well documented. A Pacific basin-wide three dimensional physical-biogeochemical model has been developed and the result in the SCS subdomain is used to quantify the eddy activities during the period of 1993-2007. The modeled results are compared with a merged and gridded satellite product of sea level anomaly by using the same eddy identification and tracking method. On average, there are about 32.9 +/- 2.4 eddies predicted by the model and 32.8 +/- 3.4 eddies observed by satellite each year, and about 52% of them are cyclonic eddies. The radius of these eddies ranges from about 46.5 to 223.5 km, with a mean value of 87.4 km. More than 70% of the eddies have a radius smaller than 100 km. The mean area covered by these eddies each year is around 160,170 km(2), equivalent to 9.8% of the SCS area with water depths greater than 1000 m. Linear relationships are found between eddy lifetime and eddy magnitude and between eddy vertical extent and eddy magnitude, showing that strong eddies usually last longer and penetrate deeper than weak ones. Interannual variations in eddy numbers and the total eddy-occupied area indicate that eddy activities in the SCS do not directly correspond to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation events. The wind stress curls are thought to be an important but not the only mechanism of eddy genesis in the SCS.