Impacts of land use and climate change on runoff were investigated by studying the runoff in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, China. Trends in precipitation, mean air temperature, and runoff were analysed by non‐parametric Mann‐Kendall tests. Land‐use changes were examined with land‐use transition matrix and geographic information system tools. Land‐use and climate changes showed several characteristics, including increased reforestation, decreased grassland, retreat of glaciers and increased desertification. Human activity caused great impact, especially within densely populated regions and cities. Reforestation and degradation of grasslands were more frequent than deforestation and cultivation of grasslands. Annual mean air temperature, precipitation and runoff showed increasing trends between 1974 and 2000. The impacts of land use and climate change on runoff had different effects depending on region and season. In the season of freezing, climate change clearly affected runoff within regions that experienced precipitation. Altered evapotranspiration accounted for about 80 per cent of runoff changes, whereas land‐use changes appear to have had greatest impact on runoff changes within regions that have inconsistent relationships between runoff and climate change. It was demonstrated that afforestation leads to increased runoff in dry seasons. It was estimated that glacier snow melt has caused annual runoff to increase at least 6·0 mm/10yr, 2·1 mm/10yr and 1·7 mm/10yr in Regions 1, 3 and 4, respectively, whereas evapotranspiration caused annual runoff to decrease at least 7·4 mm/10yr in Region 2. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Ge-on-insulator film stacks were formed on Si (100) substrates by a rapid melt growth process at different soaking temperatures and cooling rates to investigate the orientation twist. The cooling rate was found to be the crucial parameter affecting the twist. With decreased cooling rate to 57.8 • C/s or lower, the twist along the strip was inhibited. The lattice rotation speed near the end of the Ge strip was slower than that of the forward part because of the less latent heat released toward the end of the strip.

There are arguments in support of and against use of tiger farming as a tool for the conservation of wild tigers Panthera tigris. Public attitude toward tiger farming can be a useful reference for tiger conservation. To fill this knowledge gap, we surveyed 677 citizens and 381 college students in Beijing to understand their knowledge of tiger conservation and attitude toward tiger farming. The results of ranking questions showed that with regard to the value of tigers, ecological, cultural and aesthetic, and scientific and educational value were ranked as the top three; legislation on wildlife protection and establishment of nature reserves were ranked as the top conservation methods; and poaching and illegal trade, human disturbance and loss of habitat were ranked as the top threatening factors. Apparently, medicinal and healthcare use as well as value as status symbols can be considered the main consumption motivations that trigger poaching and illegal trade. With regard to farming of tigers and the aspects of whether tigers should be farmed, the number of farmed tigers, how to dispose of farmed tigers and so on, we found that most of respondents considered farming of tigers to be a social undertaking and found it difficult to relate to commercial purposes. The results showed that people hold clear positions on arguments for and against the ban on tiger trade and were inclined to support the ban on trading tiger products, especially college students. We also found that the respondents were more balanced toward arguments in support of the use of farmed tigers than arguments against it. bs_bs_banner Animal Conservation. Print

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