[1] As part of the southeast Asian monsoon system, the South China Sea (SCS) is characterized by monsoon wind transition from northeasterly to southwesterly in the boreal spring. Correspondingly, a spring warm pool (SWP) with mixed layer temperature warmer than 29 C is formed and peaked in May over the central SCS and then decays in June. Calculations of the heat budget showed that the surface ...

The challenge of managing forests for the production of commercial non-timber forest products (NTFPs) lies in promoting economic development by maintaining and even increasing production while simultaneously maintaining or improving ecological conditions. The discussion of forest management therefore encompasses a wide range of social, economic, political, and ecological questions. Empirically,...

Southwest China is a biodiversity hotspot characterized by complex topography, heterogeneous regional climates and rich flora. The processes and driving factors underlying this hotspot remain to be explicitly tested across taxa to gain a general understanding of the evolution of biodiversity and speciation in the region. In this study, we examined the role played by historically neutral process...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter polymorphisms are associated with leprosy or their subtypes in ethnic groups from southwest China. Genotyping using TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Master Mix and ABI 7500 real-time PCR system was performed for IL-10 T3575A, G2849A, C2763A, A1082G, C819T, and C592A in 189 healthy controls (40 ± 18 years) and 193 patients ...

AIM The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between green tea consumption and gastric cancer development. METHODS A population-based case-control study including 200 cases and 200 controls was conducted in the southwest area of China from May 2010 to February 2011. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect data on factors influencing gastric cancer development, incl...

One day in 1991, I took a dusty, bumpy jeep ride between two multi-ethnic townships in the hilly border country between Sichuan and Yunnan. With me in the jeep was an official of the Nationalities Commission, the Chinese government agency of the in charge of minority affairs. Since we had just been visiting an area where four different ethnic groups lived together, he struck up a conversation a...

BACKGROUND Acute diarrhea is one of the most serious problems in global public health that causes considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Human caliciviruses (HuCV) including norovirus (NoV, genogroup GI and GII) and sapovirus (SaV), is a leading cause of acute sporadic diarrhea in individuals across all age groups. However, few studies had been conducted clarifying the characteristics ...

INTRODUCTION Babesiosis is caused by apicomplexa parasites of the genus Babesia. Humans are commonly infected by Babesia through tick bites. There is limited information available about Babesia infection of humans in China. The aim of this study was to isolate the pathogen from a patient with severe parasitemia. CASE PRESENTATION Blood samples were observed by transmission electron microscopy...

OBJECTIVE To identify the pathogens responsible for neonatal sepsis in a high-volume women and children's hospital in Southwest China. METHODS We retrospectively studied 133 neonates who were admitted to the West China Women and Children's Hospital between 2008 and 2012 for sepsis. The clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded, and the antibiotic sensitivities of the isolated bac...

Eutrema giganteum (Brassicaceae), a new species from Hengduan Mountains in Sichuan Province, southwest China, is described, and its relationships to the closely related E. yunnanense is discussed based on morphological, cytological, and molecular data. It is similar morphologically to E. yunnanense but is readily distinguished by having robust (vs. slender), erect (vs. decumbent), and branched ...