PurposeThe purpose of this paper evaluates the effects of the Great Western Development (GWD) policy on agricultural intensification, land use, agricultural production and rural poverty in western China.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collect county-level data on land use, input application, grain crop production, income, poverty and geophysical characteristics for 1996–2005 and use a quasi-natural experimental design of difference-in-differences (DD) in the empirical analysis.FindingsResults suggest that the GWD policy significantly increased the grain crop production in western China. This increase resulted from higher yield, with increased fertilizer use and agricultural electricity consumption per hectare, and more land allocated to grow grain crops. The policy also increased land-use concentration, reduced crop diversity and alleviated rural poverty in western China.Originality/valueThis paper makes three contributions. First, the authors add to the growing literature on the GWD policy by evaluating its effects on farm household decisions and exploring the mechanisms and broad socioeconomic impacts in western China. Second, the authors take advantage of a quasi-natural experimental design to improve the identification strategy where input use, land allocation, production and off-farm labor participation are all endogenous in a farm household. Third, the authors explore a long list of variables within one integrated dataset to present a comprehensive picture of the impact of the GWD policy.
The phase relations of equilibrium compounds in the pseudoternary system Bi2O3–(Ca,Sr)O–CuO at 850 and 900°C were studied. The ratio of Ca : Sr was fixed at 1:2. Starting materials of Bi2O3, CaCO3, SrCO3, and CuO with various ratios were mixed, pressed into pellets, and heated at or above and then brought back to 850 or 900°C for different durations to ensure that equilibrium had been reached. The products were cooled in air or quenched in liquid nitrogen and then identified by x-ray powder diffraction. At 850°C, only the superconducting phase, Bi2CaSr2Cu2Ox (2122), was observed inside the triangle. The other stable phases were all positioned on the boundary lines, and included CuO·⅗MO, CuO·MO, CuO·2MO, 1.½Bi2O3·0.9MO, Bi2O3·4MO, Bi2O3·9MO, and a solid solution, Bi2O3·xMO, where 0.16 x 0.82 and MO represents ⅓(CaO·2SrO). At 900°C, the above boundary line phases remained stable but the 2122 phase was not observed. The tie lines among the stable phases in the two isotherms were established.
Congenital diverticulum of the left ventricle, a rare malformation, is usually associated with midline thoracoabdominal defect. We describe a case with congenital left ventricular diverticulum presenting as an isolated lesion. The lesion was suspected on two-dimensional echocardiography and was confirmed by cardiac catheterization and magnetic resonance imaging.
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