This study investigates the impact of carbon tax policies on carbon emission reductions in G20 countries to support the achievement of the Net Zero Emissions target by 2060.As the G20 collectively accounts for a signi...This study investigates the impact of carbon tax policies on carbon emission reductions in G20 countries to support the achievement of the Net Zero Emissions target by 2060.As the G20 collectively accounts for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions,effective policy interventions in these nations are pivotal to addressing the climate crisis.The research employs the Pearson correlation test to quantify the statistical relationship between carbon tax rates and emission levels,alongside a content analysis of sustainability reports from G20 countries to evaluate policy implementation and outcomes.The results reveal a moderate yet statistically significant negative correlation(r=-0.30,p<0.05),indicating that higher carbon taxes are associated with lower emission levels.Content analysis further demonstrates that countries with high and consistently enforced carbon taxes,such as Japan and South Korea,achieve more substantial emissions reductions compared to nations with lower tax rates or inconsistent policy implementation.The findings emphasize that while carbon taxes serve as an effective instrument to internalize the social costs of carbon pollution,their impact is maximized when integrated with broader strategies,including investments in renewable energy,advancements in energy efficiency,and technological innovation.This research contributes to the understanding of carbon tax effectiveness and offers policy recommendations to strengthen fiscal measures as part of comprehensive climate action strategies toward achieving global sustainability targets.展开更多
Nitrous oxide(N_2 O) is one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; freeze–thaw cycles(FTCs) might strongly influence the emission of soil N_2 O on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau(QTP). However, there ...Nitrous oxide(N_2 O) is one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; freeze–thaw cycles(FTCs) might strongly influence the emission of soil N_2 O on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau(QTP). However, there is a lack of in situ research on the characteristics of soil N_2 O concentration and flux in response to variations in soil properties caused by FTCs.Here, we report the effect of FTC-induced changes in soil properties on the soil N_2 O concentration and flux in the permafrost region of the higher reaches of the Shule River Basin on the northeastern margin of the QTP. We measured chemical properties of the topsoil, activities of soil microorganisms, and air temperature(AT), as well as soil N_2 O concentration and flux, over an annual cycle from July 31, 2011, to July 30, 2012. The results showed that soil N_2 O concentration was significantly affected by soil temperature(ST), soil moisture(SM), soil salinity(SS), soil polyphenol oxidase(SPO), soil alkaline phosphatase(SAP), and soil culturable actinomycetes(SCA), ranked as SM>SS>ST>SPO>SAP>SCA, whereas ST significantly increased soil N_2 O flux, compared with SS. Overall, our study indicated that the soil N_2 O concentration and flux in permafrost zone FTCs were strongly affected by soil properties, especially soil moisture, soil salinity, and soil temperature.展开更多
Although population genetic theory is largely based on the premise that loci under study are selectively neutral, it has been acknowledged that the study of DNA sequence data under the influence of selection can be us...Although population genetic theory is largely based on the premise that loci under study are selectively neutral, it has been acknowledged that the study of DNA sequence data under the influence of selection can be useful. In some circumstances, these loci show increased population differentiation and gene diversity. Highly polymorphic loci may be especially useful when studying populations having low levels of diversity overall, such as is often the case with threatened or newly established inva- sive populations. Using common starlings Sturnus vulgaris sampled from invasive Australian populations, we investigated se- quence data of the dopamine receptor D4 gene （DRD4）, a locus suspected to be under selection for novelty-seeking behaviour in a range of taxa including humans and passerine birds. We hypothesised that such behaviour may be advantageous when species encounter novel environments, such as during invasion. In addition to analyses to detect the presence of selection, we also esti- mated population differentiation and gene diversity using DRD4 data and compared these estimates to those from microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, using the same individuals. We found little evidence for selection on DRD4 in starlings. However, we did find elevated levels of within-population gene diversity when compared to microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence, as well as a greater degree of population differentiation. We suggest that sequence data from putatively non- neutral loci are a useful addition to studies of invasive populations, where low genetic variability is expected展开更多
This article proposes to assess the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis on the exchange rate channel in 6 countries of the Euro-Med zone. To do this, our analysis is based on three evaluation methods that allow us ...This article proposes to assess the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis on the exchange rate channel in 6 countries of the Euro-Med zone. To do this, our analysis is based on three evaluation methods that allow us to conclude that the exchange rate channel is better evaluated by the non-linear approach of the countries studied. Thus, the depreciation of the exchange rate adopted by the countries of the Med zone did worse macroeconomic stability and economic convergence.展开更多
Empirical study on the factors that induce jumps in interest rates in the euro area is still missing. In this paper, maximum likelihood estimates of I-distribution parameters are extracted using as a first step, an or...Empirical study on the factors that induce jumps in interest rates in the euro area is still missing. In this paper, maximum likelihood estimates of I-distribution parameters are extracted using as a first step, an original linear model. According to the contribution of ([1] [2]) in the case of developing a class of Poisson-Gaussian model, we try to enhance the predictive power of this model by distinguishing between a pure Gaussian and Poisson-Gaussian distributions. Such an empirical tool permits to optimizing results through a comparative analysis dealing with the fluctuation of the Euro-interbank offered rate and its statistical descriptive behaviour. The analytical and empirical methods try to evaluate the behavioural success of the ECB intervention in setting interest rates for different maturities. Jumps in euribor interest rate can mainly be linked to surprise decisions of the European Central Bank, and the too frequent meetings of the ECB before November 2001. Despite this special event that leads to a certain lack of predictability, other few day-of-week effects are modelled to prove eventual evidence of bond market overreaction. Empirical results prove that Mondays and Wednesdays are the preponderant days. Regarding monetary policy, negative surprises induce larger jumps than positive ones.展开更多
Researchers and extensionists would pursue their interests to develop new inventions and encourage rubber smallholders to adopt new technology and practices to increase production of their holdings. Three interrelated...Researchers and extensionists would pursue their interests to develop new inventions and encourage rubber smallholders to adopt new technology and practices to increase production of their holdings. Three interrelated systems, research and development （R＆D） system, extension/delivery system and client （smallholders） system, are responsible to make the rubber industry viable and dynamic. The extension system is also encouraged to identify and carry out related research activities besides its own core function to enhance clients＇ understanding and to use the findings as basis to plan effective strategies for implementation. Knowledge acquisition among clients is critical in capacity building process. With knowledge, clients tend to develop favorable attitude and use it to develop specific skill to practice recommended technology and new practices. Necessity is the mother of invention in times of need, especially when rubber price is low. Researchers, extensionists and smallholders are ＂forced＂ to collaborate and become creative to fred alternative ways and uses of natural rubber to increase demand of the commodity. When natural rubber price is low, funding for research needs to be maintained at current level, or in some cases, funding is increased to ensure that the industry is not void of new technology and new products. The main goal of the rubber industry is to ensure that new technology and practices are continuously being generated and developed by researchers to be adopted by rubber smallholders. The adoption of new technology and practices by smallholders ensures that production of natural rubber continues to increase, while income of smallholders is maintained or increased at an appreciative level to offset low rubber prices. There is an inclination in the rubber industry that when the commodity＇s price is low, activities and programs related to research and dissemination of research results would follow to be reduced, resulting in stagnation and opportunities for future growth of the industry. The National Blue Ocean Strategy （NBOS） should be used to harness expertise in research among researchers of local universities, as well as to cooperate among extensionists from agencies at state and national levels to help disseminate research results. The NBOS can reduce cost, and has bigger impacts and wider applications of natural rubber for local and international markets.展开更多
Food legumes comprise all legumes grown for human food in China as either dry grains or vegetables,except for soybean and groundnut.China has a vast territory with complex ecological conditions.Rotation,intercropping,...Food legumes comprise all legumes grown for human food in China as either dry grains or vegetables,except for soybean and groundnut.China has a vast territory with complex ecological conditions.Rotation,intercropping,and mixed cropping involving pulses are normal cropping systems in China.Whether indigenous or introduced crops,pulses have played an important role in Chinese cropping systems and made an important contribution to food resources for humans since ancient times.The six major food legume species(pea,faba bean,common bean,mung bean,adzuki bean,and cowpea) are the most well-known pulses in China,as well as those with more local distributions;runner bean,lima bean,chickpea,lentil,grass pea,lupine,rice bean,black gram,hyacinth bean,pigeon pea,velvet bean,winged bean,guar bean,sword bean,and jack bean.China has remained the world's leading producer of peas,faba beans,mung beans,and adzuki beans in recent decades,as documented by FAO statistics and China Agriculture Statistical Reports.The demand for food legumes as a healthy food will markedly increase with the improvement of living standards in China.Since China officially joined the World Trade Organization(WTO) in2001,imports of pea from Canada and Australia have rapidly increased,resulting in reduced prices for dry pea and other food legumes.With reduced profits for food legume crops,their sowing area and total production has decreased within China.At the same time,the rising consumer demand for vegetable food legumes as a healthy food has led to attractive market prices and sharp production increases in China.Vegetable food legumes have reduced growing duration and enable flexibility in cropping systems.In the future,production of dry food legumes will range from stable to slowly decreasing,while production of vegetable food legumes will continue to increase.展开更多
Health is important to economic development, and economic development has an important impact on health outcomes. Health Expenditure makes up a substantial part of the global economy. In the world, the costs of health...Health is important to economic development, and economic development has an important impact on health outcomes. Health Expenditure makes up a substantial part of the global economy. In the world, the costs of healthcare are increasing;patients are compelled to pay more for treatment, and that makes a lot of people faced to Catastrophic Health Expenditures (CHE) and in long run fall below the poverty line. One of the most urgent and vexing challenges faced by many low- and middle-income countries is how to provide health care for the more than two billion poor people who live in these areas (developing countries). As much as more than 65% (in 2014) of total private health care expenditure in low-income countries comes from out-of-pocket payment by patients. In addition, according to World Bank report (2007), in low and lower middle-income countries was speared nearly 13% of global health spending with 87% the global disease burden. The WHO considers health financing models with high risk pooled, such as health insurance and prepaid schemes, a promising means for achieving universal health-care coverage and promotion health care. A crucial concept in health financing is that of pooling. The WHO defines risk-pooling as the “accumulation and management of revenues in such a way as to ensure that the risk of having to pay for health care is borne by all members of the pool and not by each contributor individually”. The larger degree of pooling, the less people will have to bear the health financial risks. Furthermore, adopting and operating financing policies based on greeter risk pooling/sharing (prepayments) are recommended to all countries (especially in low and lower-middle income countries). It means risk sharing/pooling plays a key role in all financing systems for achieving effectiveness and efficiency health systems.展开更多
Controlled pedigrees and the multi-decade timescale of national crop plant breeding programs offer a unique experimental context for examining how selection affects plant genomes.More than 3000 wheat cultivars have be...Controlled pedigrees and the multi-decade timescale of national crop plant breeding programs offer a unique experimental context for examining how selection affects plant genomes.More than 3000 wheat cultivars have been registered,released,and documented since 1949 in China.In this study,a set of 145 elite cultivars selected from historical points of wheat breeding in China were re-sequenced.A total of 43.75 Tb of sequence data were generated with an average read depth of 17.94x for each cultivar,and more than 60.92 million SNPs and 2.54 million InDels were captured,based on the Chinese Spring RefSeq genome v1.0.Seventy years of breeder-driven selection led to dramatic changes in grain yield and related phenotypes,with distinct genomic regions and phenotypes tar-geted by different breeders across the decades.There are very clear instances illustrating how introduced Italian and otherforeign germplasm was integrated into Chinese wheat programs and reshaped the genomic landscape of local modern cultivars.Importantly,the resequencing data also highlighted significant asymmetric breeding selec-tion among the three sub-genomes:this was evident in both the collinear blocks for homeologous chromosomes and among sets of three homeologous genes.Accumulation of more newly assembled genes in newer cultivars implied the potential value of these genes in breeding.Conserved and extended sharing of linkage disequilibrium(LD)blocks was highlighted among pedigree-related cultivars,in which fewer haplotype differences were detected.Fixation or replacement of haplotypes from founder genotypes after generations of breeding was related to their breeding value.Based on the haplotype frequency changes in LD blocks of pedigree-related cultivars,we propose a strategy for evaluating the breeding value of any given line on the basis of the accumulation(pyramiding)of bene-ficial haplotypes.Collectively,our study demonstrates the influence of "founder genotypes" on the output of breeding efforts over many decades and also suggests that founder genotype perspectives are in fact more dy-namic when applied in the context of modern genomics-informed breeding.展开更多
We compared the ability of two legend designs on a soil-landscape map to efficiently and effectively support map reading tasks with the goal of better understanding how the design choices affect user performance.Devel...We compared the ability of two legend designs on a soil-landscape map to efficiently and effectively support map reading tasks with the goal of better understanding how the design choices affect user performance.Developing such knowledge is essential to design effective interfaces for digital earth systems.One of the two legends contained an alphabetical ordering of categories,while the other used a perceptual grouping based on the Munsell color space.We tested the two legends for 4 tasks with 20 experts(in geography-related domains).We analyzed traditional usability metrics and participants’eye movements to identify the possible reasons behind their success and failure in the experimental tasks.Surprisingly,an overwhelming majority of the participants failed to arrive at the correct responses for two of the four tasks,irrespective of the legend design.Furthermore,participants’prior knowledge of soils and map interpretation abilities led to interesting performance differences between the two legend types.We discuss how participant background might have played a role in performance and why some tasks were particularly hard to solve despite participants’relatively high levels of experience in map reading.Based on our observations,we caution soil cartographers to be aware of the perceptual complexity of soil-landscape maps.展开更多
In the year 2018,the world witnessed the finale of the race to sequence the genome of the world’s most widely grown crop,the common wheat.Wheat has been known to bear a notoriously large and complicated genome of a p...In the year 2018,the world witnessed the finale of the race to sequence the genome of the world’s most widely grown crop,the common wheat.Wheat has been known to bear a notoriously large and complicated genome of a polyploidy nature.A decade competition to sequence the wheat genome initiated with a single consortium of multiple countries,taking a conventional strategy similar to that for sequencing Arabidopsis and rice,became ferocious over time as both sequencing technologies and genome assembling methodologies advanced.At different stages,multiple versions of genome sequences of the same variety(e.g.,Chinese Spring)were produced by several groups with their special strategies.Finally,16 years after the rice genome was finished and 9 years after that of maize,the wheat research community now possesses its own reference genome.Armed with these genomics tools,wheat will reestablish itself as a model for polyploid plants in studying the mechanisms of polyploidy evolution,domestication,genetic and epigenetic regulation of homoeolog expression,as well as defining its genetic diversity and breeding on the genome level.The enhanced resolution of the wheat genome should also help accelerate development of wheat cultivars that are more tolerant to biotic and/or abiotic stresses with better quality and higher yield.展开更多
The publications of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium(IWGSC) released in August 2018 are reviewed and placed into the context of developments arising from the availability of the highquality wheat g...The publications of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium(IWGSC) released in August 2018 are reviewed and placed into the context of developments arising from the availability of the highquality wheat genome assembly.展开更多
The so called witchetty grub is a publicized food source for Australian Aborig- ines. Despite heavy use, the identities and number of species consumed is still not known because of the lack of identified voucher speci...The so called witchetty grub is a publicized food source for Australian Aborig- ines. Despite heavy use, the identities and number of species consumed is still not known because of the lack of identified voucher specimens. Taxonomy based on adults makes identification of larval forms difficult. Dwelling in the root, trunks, and stems of woody plants, grubs are a reliable and highly valued food source that may be in decline. Much information on edible insects may already be lost in parts of Australia heavily settled by Europeans. However, there are many parts of Australia where information on edible insects is still strong and needs to be recorded accurately for long-term use. Recent iden- tification of＂witchetty grubs＂ from the witchetty bush at Barrow Creek has revealed that those there, based on their DNA, are not Endoxyla leucomochla. As grubs are collected and eaten before they mature and scientific taxonomy is based on adults, there are many unanswered questions on the grub identification and biology, host plants, and plant and grub distributions.展开更多
Carbon dioxide （CO2） is the main anthropogenic gas which has drastically increased since the industrial revolution, and current concentrations are projected to double by the end of this century. As a consequence, el...Carbon dioxide （CO2） is the main anthropogenic gas which has drastically increased since the industrial revolution, and current concentrations are projected to double by the end of this century. As a consequence, elevated CO2 is expected to alter the earths＇ climate, increase global temperatures and change weather patterns. This is likely to have both direct and indirect impacts on plants, insect pests, plant pathogens and their distribution, and is therefore problematic for the security of future food production. This review summarizes the latest findings and highlights current knowledge gaps regarding the influence of climate change on insect, plant and pathogen interactions with an emphasis on agriculture and food production. Direct effects of climate change, including increased CO2 concentration, temperature, patterns of rainfall and severe weather events that impact insects （namely vectors of plant pathogens） are discussed. Elevated CO2 and temperature, together with plant pathogen infection, can considerably change plant biochemistry and therefore plant defense responses. This can have substantial consequences on insect fecun- dity, feeding rates, survival, population size, and dispersal. Generally, changes in host plant quality due to elevated CO2 （e.g., carbon to nitrogen ratios in C3 plants） negatively affect insect pests. However, compensatory feeding, increased population size and distribution have also been reported for some agricultural insect pests. This underlines the importance of additional research on more targeted, individual insect-plant scenarios at specific locations to fully understand the impact of a changing climate on insect-plant-pathogen interactions.展开更多
Good culturing methods play an important role in the study of insect behavior and its application to pest management. Here, we describe and validate a new method for rearing the parasitoid wasp, Diachasmirnorpha kraus...Good culturing methods play an important role in the study of insect behavior and its application to pest management. Here, we describe and validate a new method for rearing the parasitoid wasp, Diachasmirnorpha kraussii, which attacks some of the world＇s worst fruit fly pests and is an internationally used biological control agent. Our method differs from standard culturing approaches by presenting adult wasps with host- infested artificial media within a ＂culturing bag,＂ which mimics a natural （fruit） oviposition substrate. In laboratory trials using wild collected D. kraussii, the culturing bag method was compared to the use of host-infested nectarines, and a commonly used laboratory method of presenting host-infested artificial media within Petri dishes. The culturing bag method proved to be a significant improvement on both methods, combining the advantages of high host survival in artificial media with parasitism levels that were the equivalent to those recorded using host-infested fruits. In our field study, culturing bags infested with the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, and hung in a mixed peach and nectarine orchard proved to be effective ＂artificial fruits＂ attracting wild D. kraussii for oviposition. Significantly more adult wasps were reared from the culturing bags compared to field collected fruits. This was shown to be due to higher fruit fly larval density in the bags, as similar percentage parasitism rates were found between the culturing bags and ripe fruits. We discuss how this cheap, time-efficient method could be applied to collecting and monitoring wild D. kraussii populations in orchards, and assist in maintaining genetic variability in parasitoid laboratory cultures.展开更多
The centromere is the region of a chromosome that directs its separation and plays an important role in cell division and reproduction of organisms.Elucidating the dynamics of centromeres is an alternative strategy fo...The centromere is the region of a chromosome that directs its separation and plays an important role in cell division and reproduction of organisms.Elucidating the dynamics of centromeres is an alternative strategy for exploring the evolution of wheat.Here,we comprehensively analyzed centromeres from the de novoassembled common wheat cultivar Aikang58(AK58),Chinese Spring(CS),and all sequenced diploid and tetraploid ancestors by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing,whole-genome bisulfite sequencing,RNA sequencing,assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing,and comparative genomics.We found that centromere-associated sequences were concentrated during tetraploidization and hexaploidization.Centromeric repeats of wheat(CRWs)have undergone expansion during wheat evolution,with strong interweaving between the A and B subgenomes post tetraploidization.We found that CENH3 prefers to bind with younger CRWs,as directly supported by immunocolocalization on two chromosomes(1A and 2A)of wild emmer wheat with dicentromeric regions,only one of which bound with CENH3.In a comparison of AK58 with CS,obvious centromere repositioning was detected on chromosomes 1B,3D,and 4D.The active centromeres showed a unique combination of lower CG but higher CHH and CHG methylation levels.We also found that centromeric chromatin was more open than pericentromeric chromatin,with higher levels of gene expression but lower gene density.Frequent introgression between tetraploid and hexaploid wheat also had a strong influence on centromere position on the same chromosome.This study also showed that active wheat centromeres were genetically and epigenetically determined.展开更多
文摘This study investigates the impact of carbon tax policies on carbon emission reductions in G20 countries to support the achievement of the Net Zero Emissions target by 2060.As the G20 collectively accounts for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions,effective policy interventions in these nations are pivotal to addressing the climate crisis.The research employs the Pearson correlation test to quantify the statistical relationship between carbon tax rates and emission levels,alongside a content analysis of sustainability reports from G20 countries to evaluate policy implementation and outcomes.The results reveal a moderate yet statistically significant negative correlation(r=-0.30,p<0.05),indicating that higher carbon taxes are associated with lower emission levels.Content analysis further demonstrates that countries with high and consistently enforced carbon taxes,such as Japan and South Korea,achieve more substantial emissions reductions compared to nations with lower tax rates or inconsistent policy implementation.The findings emphasize that while carbon taxes serve as an effective instrument to internalize the social costs of carbon pollution,their impact is maximized when integrated with broader strategies,including investments in renewable energy,advancements in energy efficiency,and technological innovation.This research contributes to the understanding of carbon tax effectiveness and offers policy recommendations to strengthen fiscal measures as part of comprehensive climate action strategies toward achieving global sustainability targets.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China(41690142)the Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences(KJZD-EW-G03-04)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41171054)the National Science&Technology Pillar Program(2014BAC05B02)
文摘Nitrous oxide(N_2 O) is one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; freeze–thaw cycles(FTCs) might strongly influence the emission of soil N_2 O on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau(QTP). However, there is a lack of in situ research on the characteristics of soil N_2 O concentration and flux in response to variations in soil properties caused by FTCs.Here, we report the effect of FTC-induced changes in soil properties on the soil N_2 O concentration and flux in the permafrost region of the higher reaches of the Shule River Basin on the northeastern margin of the QTP. We measured chemical properties of the topsoil, activities of soil microorganisms, and air temperature(AT), as well as soil N_2 O concentration and flux, over an annual cycle from July 31, 2011, to July 30, 2012. The results showed that soil N_2 O concentration was significantly affected by soil temperature(ST), soil moisture(SM), soil salinity(SS), soil polyphenol oxidase(SPO), soil alkaline phosphatase(SAP), and soil culturable actinomycetes(SCA), ranked as SM>SS>ST>SPO>SAP>SCA, whereas ST significantly increased soil N_2 O flux, compared with SS. Overall, our study indicated that the soil N_2 O concentration and flux in permafrost zone FTCs were strongly affected by soil properties, especially soil moisture, soil salinity, and soil temperature.
文摘Although population genetic theory is largely based on the premise that loci under study are selectively neutral, it has been acknowledged that the study of DNA sequence data under the influence of selection can be useful. In some circumstances, these loci show increased population differentiation and gene diversity. Highly polymorphic loci may be especially useful when studying populations having low levels of diversity overall, such as is often the case with threatened or newly established inva- sive populations. Using common starlings Sturnus vulgaris sampled from invasive Australian populations, we investigated se- quence data of the dopamine receptor D4 gene （DRD4）, a locus suspected to be under selection for novelty-seeking behaviour in a range of taxa including humans and passerine birds. We hypothesised that such behaviour may be advantageous when species encounter novel environments, such as during invasion. In addition to analyses to detect the presence of selection, we also esti- mated population differentiation and gene diversity using DRD4 data and compared these estimates to those from microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, using the same individuals. We found little evidence for selection on DRD4 in starlings. However, we did find elevated levels of within-population gene diversity when compared to microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence, as well as a greater degree of population differentiation. We suggest that sequence data from putatively non- neutral loci are a useful addition to studies of invasive populations, where low genetic variability is expected
文摘This article proposes to assess the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis on the exchange rate channel in 6 countries of the Euro-Med zone. To do this, our analysis is based on three evaluation methods that allow us to conclude that the exchange rate channel is better evaluated by the non-linear approach of the countries studied. Thus, the depreciation of the exchange rate adopted by the countries of the Med zone did worse macroeconomic stability and economic convergence.
文摘Empirical study on the factors that induce jumps in interest rates in the euro area is still missing. In this paper, maximum likelihood estimates of I-distribution parameters are extracted using as a first step, an original linear model. According to the contribution of ([1] [2]) in the case of developing a class of Poisson-Gaussian model, we try to enhance the predictive power of this model by distinguishing between a pure Gaussian and Poisson-Gaussian distributions. Such an empirical tool permits to optimizing results through a comparative analysis dealing with the fluctuation of the Euro-interbank offered rate and its statistical descriptive behaviour. The analytical and empirical methods try to evaluate the behavioural success of the ECB intervention in setting interest rates for different maturities. Jumps in euribor interest rate can mainly be linked to surprise decisions of the European Central Bank, and the too frequent meetings of the ECB before November 2001. Despite this special event that leads to a certain lack of predictability, other few day-of-week effects are modelled to prove eventual evidence of bond market overreaction. Empirical results prove that Mondays and Wednesdays are the preponderant days. Regarding monetary policy, negative surprises induce larger jumps than positive ones.
文摘Researchers and extensionists would pursue their interests to develop new inventions and encourage rubber smallholders to adopt new technology and practices to increase production of their holdings. Three interrelated systems, research and development （R＆D） system, extension/delivery system and client （smallholders） system, are responsible to make the rubber industry viable and dynamic. The extension system is also encouraged to identify and carry out related research activities besides its own core function to enhance clients＇ understanding and to use the findings as basis to plan effective strategies for implementation. Knowledge acquisition among clients is critical in capacity building process. With knowledge, clients tend to develop favorable attitude and use it to develop specific skill to practice recommended technology and new practices. Necessity is the mother of invention in times of need, especially when rubber price is low. Researchers, extensionists and smallholders are ＂forced＂ to collaborate and become creative to fred alternative ways and uses of natural rubber to increase demand of the commodity. When natural rubber price is low, funding for research needs to be maintained at current level, or in some cases, funding is increased to ensure that the industry is not void of new technology and new products. The main goal of the rubber industry is to ensure that new technology and practices are continuously being generated and developed by researchers to be adopted by rubber smallholders. The adoption of new technology and practices by smallholders ensures that production of natural rubber continues to increase, while income of smallholders is maintained or increased at an appreciative level to offset low rubber prices. There is an inclination in the rubber industry that when the commodity＇s price is low, activities and programs related to research and dissemination of research results would follow to be reduced, resulting in stagnation and opportunities for future growth of the industry. The National Blue Ocean Strategy （NBOS） should be used to harness expertise in research among researchers of local universities, as well as to cooperate among extensionists from agencies at state and national levels to help disseminate research results. The NBOS can reduce cost, and has bigger impacts and wider applications of natural rubber for local and international markets.
基金partially supported by grants from the China Agriculture Research System(No.CARS-09) from the Ministry of Agriculture of Chinathe Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program(ASTIP) in CAAS
文摘Food legumes comprise all legumes grown for human food in China as either dry grains or vegetables,except for soybean and groundnut.China has a vast territory with complex ecological conditions.Rotation,intercropping,and mixed cropping involving pulses are normal cropping systems in China.Whether indigenous or introduced crops,pulses have played an important role in Chinese cropping systems and made an important contribution to food resources for humans since ancient times.The six major food legume species(pea,faba bean,common bean,mung bean,adzuki bean,and cowpea) are the most well-known pulses in China,as well as those with more local distributions;runner bean,lima bean,chickpea,lentil,grass pea,lupine,rice bean,black gram,hyacinth bean,pigeon pea,velvet bean,winged bean,guar bean,sword bean,and jack bean.China has remained the world's leading producer of peas,faba beans,mung beans,and adzuki beans in recent decades,as documented by FAO statistics and China Agriculture Statistical Reports.The demand for food legumes as a healthy food will markedly increase with the improvement of living standards in China.Since China officially joined the World Trade Organization(WTO) in2001,imports of pea from Canada and Australia have rapidly increased,resulting in reduced prices for dry pea and other food legumes.With reduced profits for food legume crops,their sowing area and total production has decreased within China.At the same time,the rising consumer demand for vegetable food legumes as a healthy food has led to attractive market prices and sharp production increases in China.Vegetable food legumes have reduced growing duration and enable flexibility in cropping systems.In the future,production of dry food legumes will range from stable to slowly decreasing,while production of vegetable food legumes will continue to increase.
文摘Health is important to economic development, and economic development has an important impact on health outcomes. Health Expenditure makes up a substantial part of the global economy. In the world, the costs of healthcare are increasing;patients are compelled to pay more for treatment, and that makes a lot of people faced to Catastrophic Health Expenditures (CHE) and in long run fall below the poverty line. One of the most urgent and vexing challenges faced by many low- and middle-income countries is how to provide health care for the more than two billion poor people who live in these areas (developing countries). As much as more than 65% (in 2014) of total private health care expenditure in low-income countries comes from out-of-pocket payment by patients. In addition, according to World Bank report (2007), in low and lower middle-income countries was speared nearly 13% of global health spending with 87% the global disease burden. The WHO considers health financing models with high risk pooled, such as health insurance and prepaid schemes, a promising means for achieving universal health-care coverage and promotion health care. A crucial concept in health financing is that of pooling. The WHO defines risk-pooling as the “accumulation and management of revenues in such a way as to ensure that the risk of having to pay for health care is borne by all members of the pool and not by each contributor individually”. The larger degree of pooling, the less people will have to bear the health financial risks. Furthermore, adopting and operating financing policies based on greeter risk pooling/sharing (prepayments) are recommended to all countries (especially in low and lower-middle income countries). It means risk sharing/pooling plays a key role in all financing systems for achieving effectiveness and efficiency health systems.
基金the Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFD0100302)the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund(Y2017PT39)the CAAS-Innovation Team Program(CAAS-XTCX2018020).
文摘Controlled pedigrees and the multi-decade timescale of national crop plant breeding programs offer a unique experimental context for examining how selection affects plant genomes.More than 3000 wheat cultivars have been registered,released,and documented since 1949 in China.In this study,a set of 145 elite cultivars selected from historical points of wheat breeding in China were re-sequenced.A total of 43.75 Tb of sequence data were generated with an average read depth of 17.94x for each cultivar,and more than 60.92 million SNPs and 2.54 million InDels were captured,based on the Chinese Spring RefSeq genome v1.0.Seventy years of breeder-driven selection led to dramatic changes in grain yield and related phenotypes,with distinct genomic regions and phenotypes tar-geted by different breeders across the decades.There are very clear instances illustrating how introduced Italian and otherforeign germplasm was integrated into Chinese wheat programs and reshaped the genomic landscape of local modern cultivars.Importantly,the resequencing data also highlighted significant asymmetric breeding selec-tion among the three sub-genomes:this was evident in both the collinear blocks for homeologous chromosomes and among sets of three homeologous genes.Accumulation of more newly assembled genes in newer cultivars implied the potential value of these genes in breeding.Conserved and extended sharing of linkage disequilibrium(LD)blocks was highlighted among pedigree-related cultivars,in which fewer haplotype differences were detected.Fixation or replacement of haplotypes from founder genotypes after generations of breeding was related to their breeding value.Based on the haplotype frequency changes in LD blocks of pedigree-related cultivars,we propose a strategy for evaluating the breeding value of any given line on the basis of the accumulation(pyramiding)of bene-ficial haplotypes.Collectively,our study demonstrates the influence of "founder genotypes" on the output of breeding efforts over many decades and also suggests that founder genotype perspectives are in fact more dy-namic when applied in the context of modern genomics-informed breeding.
文摘We compared the ability of two legend designs on a soil-landscape map to efficiently and effectively support map reading tasks with the goal of better understanding how the design choices affect user performance.Developing such knowledge is essential to design effective interfaces for digital earth systems.One of the two legends contained an alphabetical ordering of categories,while the other used a perceptual grouping based on the Munsell color space.We tested the two legends for 4 tasks with 20 experts(in geography-related domains).We analyzed traditional usability metrics and participants’eye movements to identify the possible reasons behind their success and failure in the experimental tasks.Surprisingly,an overwhelming majority of the participants failed to arrive at the correct responses for two of the four tasks,irrespective of the legend design.Furthermore,participants’prior knowledge of soils and map interpretation abilities led to interesting performance differences between the two legend types.We discuss how participant background might have played a role in performance and why some tasks were particularly hard to solve despite participants’relatively high levels of experience in map reading.Based on our observations,we caution soil cartographers to be aware of the perceptual complexity of soil-landscape maps.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.91731305 and 31661143007 to LM)the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,China。
文摘In the year 2018,the world witnessed the finale of the race to sequence the genome of the world’s most widely grown crop,the common wheat.Wheat has been known to bear a notoriously large and complicated genome of a polyploidy nature.A decade competition to sequence the wheat genome initiated with a single consortium of multiple countries,taking a conventional strategy similar to that for sequencing Arabidopsis and rice,became ferocious over time as both sequencing technologies and genome assembling methodologies advanced.At different stages,multiple versions of genome sequences of the same variety(e.g.,Chinese Spring)were produced by several groups with their special strategies.Finally,16 years after the rice genome was finished and 9 years after that of maize,the wheat research community now possesses its own reference genome.Armed with these genomics tools,wheat will reestablish itself as a model for polyploid plants in studying the mechanisms of polyploidy evolution,domestication,genetic and epigenetic regulation of homoeolog expression,as well as defining its genetic diversity and breeding on the genome level.The enhanced resolution of the wheat genome should also help accelerate development of wheat cultivars that are more tolerant to biotic and/or abiotic stresses with better quality and higher yield.
文摘The publications of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium(IWGSC) released in August 2018 are reviewed and placed into the context of developments arising from the availability of the highquality wheat genome assembly.
文摘The so called witchetty grub is a publicized food source for Australian Aborig- ines. Despite heavy use, the identities and number of species consumed is still not known because of the lack of identified voucher specimens. Taxonomy based on adults makes identification of larval forms difficult. Dwelling in the root, trunks, and stems of woody plants, grubs are a reliable and highly valued food source that may be in decline. Much information on edible insects may already be lost in parts of Australia heavily settled by Europeans. However, there are many parts of Australia where information on edible insects is still strong and needs to be recorded accurately for long-term use. Recent iden- tification of＂witchetty grubs＂ from the witchetty bush at Barrow Creek has revealed that those there, based on their DNA, are not Endoxyla leucomochla. As grubs are collected and eaten before they mature and scientific taxonomy is based on adults, there are many unanswered questions on the grub identification and biology, host plants, and plant and grub distributions.
文摘Carbon dioxide （CO2） is the main anthropogenic gas which has drastically increased since the industrial revolution, and current concentrations are projected to double by the end of this century. As a consequence, elevated CO2 is expected to alter the earths＇ climate, increase global temperatures and change weather patterns. This is likely to have both direct and indirect impacts on plants, insect pests, plant pathogens and their distribution, and is therefore problematic for the security of future food production. This review summarizes the latest findings and highlights current knowledge gaps regarding the influence of climate change on insect, plant and pathogen interactions with an emphasis on agriculture and food production. Direct effects of climate change, including increased CO2 concentration, temperature, patterns of rainfall and severe weather events that impact insects （namely vectors of plant pathogens） are discussed. Elevated CO2 and temperature, together with plant pathogen infection, can considerably change plant biochemistry and therefore plant defense responses. This can have substantial consequences on insect fecun- dity, feeding rates, survival, population size, and dispersal. Generally, changes in host plant quality due to elevated CO2 （e.g., carbon to nitrogen ratios in C3 plants） negatively affect insect pests. However, compensatory feeding, increased population size and distribution have also been reported for some agricultural insect pests. This underlines the importance of additional research on more targeted, individual insect-plant scenarios at specific locations to fully understand the impact of a changing climate on insect-plant-pathogen interactions.
文摘Good culturing methods play an important role in the study of insect behavior and its application to pest management. Here, we describe and validate a new method for rearing the parasitoid wasp, Diachasmirnorpha kraussii, which attacks some of the world＇s worst fruit fly pests and is an internationally used biological control agent. Our method differs from standard culturing approaches by presenting adult wasps with host- infested artificial media within a ＂culturing bag,＂ which mimics a natural （fruit） oviposition substrate. In laboratory trials using wild collected D. kraussii, the culturing bag method was compared to the use of host-infested nectarines, and a commonly used laboratory method of presenting host-infested artificial media within Petri dishes. The culturing bag method proved to be a significant improvement on both methods, combining the advantages of high host survival in artificial media with parasitism levels that were the equivalent to those recorded using host-infested fruits. In our field study, culturing bags infested with the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, and hung in a mixed peach and nectarine orchard proved to be effective ＂artificial fruits＂ attracting wild D. kraussii for oviposition. Significantly more adult wasps were reared from the culturing bags compared to field collected fruits. This was shown to be due to higher fruit fly larval density in the bags, as similar percentage parasitism rates were found between the culturing bags and ripe fruits. We discuss how this cheap, time-efficient method could be applied to collecting and monitoring wild D. kraussii populations in orchards, and assist in maintaining genetic variability in parasitoid laboratory cultures.
基金supported by funding from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1003402)the China Natural Science Foundation(31371622)the CAAS Innovation Program.
文摘The centromere is the region of a chromosome that directs its separation and plays an important role in cell division and reproduction of organisms.Elucidating the dynamics of centromeres is an alternative strategy for exploring the evolution of wheat.Here,we comprehensively analyzed centromeres from the de novoassembled common wheat cultivar Aikang58(AK58),Chinese Spring(CS),and all sequenced diploid and tetraploid ancestors by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing,whole-genome bisulfite sequencing,RNA sequencing,assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing,and comparative genomics.We found that centromere-associated sequences were concentrated during tetraploidization and hexaploidization.Centromeric repeats of wheat(CRWs)have undergone expansion during wheat evolution,with strong interweaving between the A and B subgenomes post tetraploidization.We found that CENH3 prefers to bind with younger CRWs,as directly supported by immunocolocalization on two chromosomes(1A and 2A)of wild emmer wheat with dicentromeric regions,only one of which bound with CENH3.In a comparison of AK58 with CS,obvious centromere repositioning was detected on chromosomes 1B,3D,and 4D.The active centromeres showed a unique combination of lower CG but higher CHH and CHG methylation levels.We also found that centromeric chromatin was more open than pericentromeric chromatin,with higher levels of gene expression but lower gene density.Frequent introgression between tetraploid and hexaploid wheat also had a strong influence on centromere position on the same chromosome.This study also showed that active wheat centromeres were genetically and epigenetically determined.
