Mainland China has 2538 nature reserves, covering approximately 15% of its total land area. However, little is known of their effectiveness in capturing the country's ecological diversity. We calculated the degree of representation of terrestrial ecoregions, biodiversity priority areas, and vegetation types within 2217 of these reserves for which spatial data were available. Of the total area set aside as nature reserves, almost 56% was concentrated in the three western provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, and Xinjiang. Of the 53 ecoregions found in China, 29 had over 10% of their land protected through the reserve system; in addition, most (81%) of China's natural vegetation communities were represented in at least one nature reserve. On the basis of these findings, we recommend that China should (1) conduct a nationwide ecoregional biodiversity assessment; (2) establish a georeferenced (spatially referenced) database of nature reserves and other types of protected areas; (3) increase efforts to improve international cooperation regarding management of cross-border ecoregions; and (4) create or expand reserves in eastern and southern China, with a focus on protecting ecosystem services to help sustain local communities' economies

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In the high-speed translocal social setting, intergenerational solidarity is arguably weakening in Chinese society. The proposed study adopts an interactionist perspective, using semistructured interviews as well as communicative behavior records provided by interviewees to analyze the interactions between young adults and their geographically distant parents through a mobile instant messaging (MIM) service application. Taking WeChat as a case, this study focuses specifically on the use of MIM to manage and maintain parent–child relationships in a translocal context. Findings confirm the interaction patterns of “connected presence” and further suggest an emerging “panoptic-presence” consciousness among the young adults, leading to a performative mode of interaction with their parents. Meanwhile, though individualism prevails among the younger generation, family values and norms rooted in traditional Chinese culture are found to be both explicitly and implicitly practiced. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.

Subaqueous dunes are often observed to be superimposed on larger dunes, sand bars and tidal ridges, while smaller dunes may also be found superimposed on larger dunes. In this study an automated method has been developed by which the geometry of superimposed rhythmic bedforms can be analysed. The method combines two-dimensional (2D) Fourier analysis, wavelet transform, zero-crossing analysis and a variety of filters. Instead of applying conventional manual procedures, the wavelength of interest can be automatically determined by a series of 2D Fourier analyses, which is a critical first step for automated analysis of dune geometries. Based on such efficient data preprocessing, the method can accurately determine dune orientation, separate target bedform profiles, and identify crests and troughs. With the input of bathymetry, the dominant regional dune orientation can be determined together with the geometric parameters of individual dunes (wavelength, height, leeside angles) and their spatial distribution. The method was applied to both synthetic and observed bathymetries of a tidal ridge off the Jiangsu coast, China, and a sand bank in the Dover Strait, UK. The results show that almost all dunes in the domain were detected and their geometric parameters accurately calculated, especially in areas of bedform superimposition.

BackgroundThe World Health Organization highlights that patient safety interventions are not lacking but that the local context affects their successful implementation. Increasing attention is being paid to patient safety in Mainland China, yet few studies focus on patient safety in organizations with mixed cultures. This paper evaluates the current patient safety culture in an experimental Chinese hospital with a Hong Kong hospital management culture, and it aims to explore the application of Hong Kong’s patient safety strategies in the context of Mainland China.MethodsA quantitative survey of 307 hospital staff members was conducted using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire. The findings were compared with a similar study on general Chinese hospitals and were appraised with reference to the Manchester Patient Safety Framework.ResultsLower scores were observed among participants with the following characteristics: males, doctors, those with more work experience, those with higher education, and those from the general practice and otolaryngology departments. However, the case study hospital achieved better scores in management expectations, actions and support for patient safety, incident reporting and communication, and teamwork within units. Its weaknesses were related to non-punitive responses to errors, teamwork across units, and staffing.ConclusionsThe case study hospital contributes to a changing patient safety culture in Mainland China, yet its patient safety culture remains mostly bureaucratic. Further efforts could be made to deepen the staff’s patient safety culture mind-set, to realize a “bottom-up” approach to cultural change, to build up a comprehensive and integrated incident management system, and to improve team building and staffing for patient safety.

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