Search Results (16)

On 21 May 2021, an Mw 6.1 earthquake occurred in Yangbi County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, with the epicenter located in an unmapped blind fault approximately 7 km west of the Weixi-Qiaohou fault (WQF) on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. While numerous studies have been conducted to map the coseismic slip distribution by using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and seismic data as well as their combinations, the understanding of deformation characteristics during the postseismic stage remains limited, mostly due to the long revisiting time interval and large uncertainty of most SAR satellites. In this study, we refined coseismic slip and afterslip distributions with nonlinear inversions for both fault geometry and relaxation time. First, we determined the fault geometry and coseismic slip distribution of this earthquake by joint inversion for coseismic offsets in the line-of-sight (LOS) direction of both Sentinel-1A/B ascending and descending track images and GNSS data. Then, the descending track time series of Sentinel-1 were further fitted using nonlinear least squares to extract the coseismic and postseismic deformations. Finally, we obtained the refined coseismic slip and afterslip distributions and investigated the spatiotemporal evolution of fault slip by comparing the afterslip with aftershocks. The refined coseismic moment magnitude, which was of Mw 6.05, was smaller than Mw 6.1 or larger, which was inferred from our joint inversion and previous studies, indicating a significant reduction in early postseismic deformation. In contrast, the afterslip following the mainshock lasted for about six months and was equivalent to a moment release of an Mw 5.8 earthquake. These findings not only offer a novel approach to extracting postseismic deformation from noisy InSAR time series but also provide valuable insights into fault slip mechanisms associated with the Yangbi earthquake, enhancing our understanding of seismic processes. Full article

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a zoonotic disease transmitted by several rodent species. We obtained clinical data of HFRS patients from the medical records of the People’s Hospital of Xiangyun County in Dali Prefecture from July 2019 to August 2021. We collected epidemiological data of HFRS patients through interviews and investigated host animals using the night clip or night cage method. We systematically performed epidemiological analyses of patients and host animals. The differences in the presence of rodent activity at home (χ² = 8.75, p = 0.031 < 0.05), of rodent-proof equipment in the food (χ² = 9.19, p = 0.025 < 0.05), and of rodents or rodent excrement in the workplace (χ² = 10.35, p = 0.014 < 0.05) were statistically different in the four clinical types, including mild, medium, severe, and critical HFRS-associated diseases. Furthermore, we conducted molecular detection of orthohantavirus in host animals. The total orthohantavirus infection rate of rodents was 2.72% (9/331); the specific infection rate of specific animal species was 6.10% (5/82) for the Apodemus chevrieri, 100% (1/1) for the Rattus nitidus, 3.77% (2/53) for the Rattus norvegicus, and 12.50% (1/8) for the Crocidura dracula. In this study, a total of 21 strains of orthohantavirus were detected in patients and rodents. The 12 orthohantavirus strains from patients showed a closer relationship with Seoul orthohantavirus (SEOOV) L0199, DLR2, and GZRn60 strains; the six orthohantavirus strains from Rattus norvegicus and Apodemus chevrieri were closely related to SEOOV GZRn60 strain. One strain (XYRn163) from Rattus norvegicus and one strain (XYR.nitidus97) from Rattus nitidus were closely related to SEOOV DLR2 strain; the orthohantavirus strain from Crocidura dracula was closely related to the Luxi orthohantavirus (LUXV) LX309 strain. In conclusion, patients with HFRS in Xuangyun County of Dali Prefecture are predominantly affected by SEOOV, with multiple genotypes of orthohantavirus in host animals, and, most importantly, these orthohantavirus strains constantly demonstrated zoonotic risk in humans. Full article

Analyzing the impact of industry development on farmers’ livelihoods is of great significance for promoting rural revitalization and the sustainable development of farmers’ livelihoods in China. In this paper, taking Dali County of the Guanzhong Plain as an example, in accordance with the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA), we adopted the comprehensive index method, statistical analysis method and relevant analysis method to explore the impact of rural industry development on farmers’ livelihoods by analyzing the evolution of farmers’ livelihood strategies in different times (2000, 2010 and 2019) and the differentiation of forms of livelihood capital and livelihood outcomes among different types of farmers in 2019 under the background of industrial development. The main conclusions were as follows: The degree of commercialization of the agricultural industry has improved, and the overall development of the rural industry presents an obvious trend away from agriculture. With the upgrading of the rural industrial structure, the leading livelihood strategies of farmers have gradually changed from the crop-planting type to the work-oriented type, and forms of livelihood capital and livelihood outcomes differ significantly among farmer households. Compared to traditional agriculture, the development of the fruit industry and service industry and the degree of participation in these industries are conducive to the accumulation of farmers’ livelihood capital, while migrant work alone has a negative impact on the improvement in farmers’ livelihood capital. The development of the fruit industry and nonagricultural industries and the degree of participation in these industries are more conducive to the improvement in farmers’ livelihood outcomes than is participation in traditional agriculture. Full article

With the advantage of being eco-friendly, plant dyes have been noticed by textile practitioners and the public. However, as a result of the rapid advancements in industrial manufacturing, the traditional knowledge of plant dyes is dying, which demands heightened attention and protection. To document this traditional knowledge in the Baiyi community, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 288 informants from four villages (Five stars village, Hedong village, Nanpo village, and Shang’ eping village) of the Liuhe Yi Nationality Township, Heqing County, Dali Prefecture. Based on the ethnobotanical investigation of plant dyes, there were 11 plant species from 11 genera in 10 families that have been used as dyes. The Baiyi Indigenous peoples mainly extract the dye from the roots, leaves, fruits, etc., of the herbaceous plants. Through quantitative analysis, the frequency of use (f value) and cultural importance indices (CI value) of Viburnum cylindricum are the highest. The optimal conditions for dyeing cotton fabric with V. cylindricum were found to be a pH of 5, dyeing for 30 min at 60 °C by an orthogonal array design. As for the dyeing properties, biomordants provided better properties when used in dyeing cotton fabric with V. cylindricum compared with metallic mordants. This study reveals the great potential of the application of plant dyes in the Baiyi Indigenous peoples community; it will be beneficial to the economic development of ethnic areas, the inheritance of ethnic culture and the protection of biodiversity. Full article

This paper uses a questionnaire and interviews from households in ethnic minority areas of the Jianchuan County (Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture) and Pingbian County (Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture) in Yunnan Province to explore the willingness of foresters to manage forests. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Analysis framework, we select three indicators including the variables of individual social economic attributes, the cognition and experience of forest landowners, and policy guidance. We use a binary logistic regression model to analyze the factors affecting the willingness of foresters to participate in forest management. Through the above analysis, we found the following: (1) Forest landowners’ willingness to engage in forest management in ethnic minority regions is relatively high, at 71.98%. (2) Variables of individual social economic attributes have the most significant degree of influence on the willingness to engage in forest management. (3) Standard of living and the woodland area have a significant positive effect on forest land management intentions, while education level, whether they are compensated by public welfare forests, and whether they have participated in the project of returning farmland to forest and grassland have a significant negative effect on management intentions. (4) There are significant differences between forest landowners’ willingness to engage in forest management and the influencing factors between minority regions and non-minority regions. Full article

Residents living in areas with high fluorine environmental background will ingest excessive fluorine from the atmosphere, drinking water, food and other ways. Long-term effects of fluorine on the human body could cause people suffering from dental fluorosis and influence the sustainable development of the severe fluorosis areas. Previous studies have independently discussed the high fluoride environment in Dali County from the aspects of natural environment, drinking water quality and endemic fluorosis. This study carried out a detail investigation on dental fluorosis population in seven selected villages of Dali County, Shaanxi province, northwest China. The highest dental fluorosis index of 1.9 was found in Lianjia village located near the Anren depression, while the lowest dental fluorosis index of 0.0 was found in Jiaxi village near the Yellow River alluvium. Groundwater fluorine contents the range was 0.01 mg/L to 11.80 mg/L, with the highest value (2.6 mg/L) being observed in the 2nd terrace of Weihe River. The lowest groundwater fluorine content (0.8 mg/L) was observed in the Yellow River alluvium. Soil fluorine contents ranged from 1.18 mg/kg to 13.70 mg/kg, with its highest value (13.70 mg/kg) observed in Xinfeng village near the Anren depression. The lowest value of fluorine (1.18 mg/kg) was found in soil from the 1st terrace of Weihe River. As for the fluorine contents of corn, they ranged from 4.04 mg/kg to 7.72 mg/kg. The highest value (7.72 mg/kg) appeared in the 3rd terrace of Weihe River and the lowest value (4.04 mg/kg) in the 2nd terrace of Weihe River. The soil leaching was the dominant fluorine source of groundwater environment. Areas with severe dental fluorosis are located at the edge of the depression and the conjunction between steep slope and gentle slope. A poor correlation was found between the dental fluorosis index from the seven investigated villages and the corn fluorine content contrarily to the groundwater fluorine content, which positively correlated to the dental fluorosis index. Based on the obtained results, two recommendations were done to prevent and control dental fluorosis and accelerate the sustainable development in Dali County: to strengthen the use of low fluorine groundwater for drinking water supply, and to widely install the public water purifiers in the rural communities for purifying high-fluorine water to reduce the incidence of dental fluorosis in the population. Full article

Midu pork roll (MPR), produced in Midu County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China, is a traditional fermented meat product with a long history. This study aims to enhance the physical and flavor profile of MPR by improving its process, fermentation conditions and formulations. There were three different formulations, including traditional craft (control group: C), optimization process of Sichuan spicy flavor formula (Test group 1: T1) and optimization process of halogen flavor formula (Test group 2: T2). Higher moisture content, L*, a* and b* values and lower hardness, chewiness and shear force were observed in T1 and T2 compared to C (p < 0.05). A total of 15 free amino acids were detected throughout the fermentation process, during which the content of umami amino acids, sweet amino acids and bitter amino acids underwent significant changes. A total of 88, 85 and 75 volatile compounds were detected in C, T1 and T2, respectively, in which the relative content of alkanes and ketones in T1 and T2 were higher than those in C (p < 0.05). The process and formulas have improved the color, texture characteristics and tenderness of MPR to a certain extent, meanwhile, they have enhanced the flavor of MPR. Full article

In order to realize the optimization of urban spatial patterns in the Yellow River Basin, a study on the inefficient use of urban land in the Yellow River Basin was carried out. In this study, Dali County and Hancheng County in Weinan City are selected as the research areas. Firstly, the analytic hierarchy process is used to build a comprehensive evaluation system for the identification of inefficient land in stock; secondly, the standard deviation ellipse method and spatial kernel density estimation method are used to quantitatively analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of inefficient land. Thirdly, the contribution model is used to analyze the influencing factors of inefficient land use. Finally, corresponding redevelopment suggestions are given for each type of inefficient land. The results show that Dali had the smallest area of inefficient land; second is Xincheng Street in Hancheng City; and Longmen Town, Hancheng City has the largest area. The distribution of inefficient land in Dali and Longmen Town in Hancheng City is relatively balanced, while the distribution of all kinds of inefficient land in Xincheng Street in Hancheng City is not concentrated. The density of the road network is the most important contributing factor to inefficient land use in the study area. This paper comprehensively uses the methods of economics and geography to study inefficient land use, quantifies the spatial-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of land use units, explores the spatial patterns of land use and enriches the research into relevant theories. Full article

On 21 May 2021, an Ms 6.4 earthquake struck Yangbi County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, which is the largest earthquake to hit this area since 1976. In this paper, we obtained the coseismic deformation of the Yangbi earthquake in Yunnan Province based on the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observation. After that, we obtained the fault geometry and slip distribution model of this earthquake via the two-step inversion method. The maximum deformation in the ascending orbit along the line of sight (LOS) direction was 7.3 cm, and the maximum deformation in the descending orbit along the LOS direction was 8.9 cm; the slip distribution model showed that the slip distribution of this earthquake was concentrated at a depth of 1–14 km, and the maximum slip was 0.6 m at a depth of 5 km. Based on the modeling result, it was inferred that the seismogenic fault of this earthquake was a dextral strike-slip fault on the west side of the Weixi-Qiaohou–Weishan fault. Combining the existing geological data and the changes in Coulomb stress caused by this earthquake, the seismic hazard and seismogenic structure in the area near the epicenter were analyzed and discussed, and the results showed that, in the northwest of the Weixi-Qiaohou fault zone, there will be an increased hazard of a future earthquake in the NW trend; thus, we should pay attention to this area. Full article

Prunus mume has been cultivated for more than three millennia with important edible, ornamental, and medicinal value. Due to its sour taste, the Prunus mume fruit (called Meizi in Chinese and Ume in Japanese) is not very popular compared to other fruits. It is, however, a very favorite food for the Bai people living in Eryuan County, Dali of Yunnan, China. The local people are masters of making various local products with plum in different ways. In this research, we conducted field investigations in Eryuan County using ethnobotanical methods from August 2019 to July 2021, focusing on the Prunus mume (for its edible fruits). A total of 76 key informants participated in our semi-structured interviews. The survey recorded 37 species (and varieties) belonging to 11 families related to the Bai people’s Meizi-consuming culture. Among them, there are 14 taxa of plum resources, including one original species and 13 varieties. These 37 species are either used as substitutes for plum due to their similar taste or as seasonings to improve the sour taste of plum. The higher Cultural Food Significance Index value implies that Prunus mume, Chaenomeles speciosa, Phyllanthus emblica, Prunus salicina, and Chaenomeles cathayensis have high acceptance and use value in the Bai communities. Among the various local products traditionally made by the Bai people, carved plums, preserved plums, perilla-wrapped plums, and stewed plums are the most famous and popular categories in the traditional markets. Currently, the plum business based on the traditional Meizi-consuming culture of the Bai people is already one of Eryuan’s economic pillars. This study showed that plums play an important role in expressing the local cultural diversity, and they also help the local people by improving their livelihood through their edible value. In turn, for the sustainable use of plum resources, the Bai people positively manage local forests through a series of measures to protect the diversity of plum resources and related plant communities. Full article

An earthquake of moderate magnitude (M_W 6.1) occurred in Yangbi County, Dali, Yunnan Province, China, on 21 May 2021. Compared to strong earthquakes, the measurement of the deformation fields of moderate earthquakes is more susceptible to errors associated with atmospheric, orbital, and topographic features. We adopted a new time-series InSAR method to process preseismic and postseismic Sentinel-1A SAR time-series images and separated the coseismic deformation signals from various error signals. This method uses preseismic time-series interferograms to estimate the spatially correlated look angle error induced by the digital elevation model and the atmospheric and orbital errors in the master image. The preseismic and postseismic time-series interferograms were then segmented for spatio-temporal filtering to provide a precise estimate of the atmospheric and orbital errors in slave images. Such time-series processing accurately separates various errors from the coseismic deformation signal and prevents the coseismic deformation signal from being included as noise in the error estimation during filtering. Based on this approach, we effectively eliminated the masking of the deformation signal by the errors and extracted coseismic deformation field of the Yangbi M_W 6.1 earthquake with high precision. The maximum LOS displacement in the ascending and descending tracks were determined to be −74 and −62 mm, respectively. Subsequently, we used the Geodetic Bayesian Inversion Software to invert the fault geometric parameters of this earthquake, and based on this inverted the rupture slip distribution using the least-squares method. The results showed that the fault orientation is 133.43°, dip angle is 76.98°, source depth is 5.5 km, fault sliding mode is right-lateral strike-slip. The moment magnitude (M_W) was calculated to be 6.07. Full article

At 21:48 on 21 May 2021, an Ms 6.4 earthquake occurred in Yangbi County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province. At present, uncertainty remains regarding the source parameters and deformation mechanism of the Yangbi earthquake. In this study, we determine fault geometry and slip distribution of the earthquake by InSAR analysis. Then, the Coulomb stress loading caused by the Yangbi earthquake is further analyzed. The results show that the moment magnitude of the Yangbi earthquake was Mw 6.14. The slip mainly occurred at depths of 3–13 km, with a maximum slip of approximately 61 cm at a depth of 6.98 km. The Yangbi earthquake was triggered by a blind fault in the NW-SE in the west parallel to the Weixi-Weishan Fault and its seismogenic fault exhibits strike-slip displacement. A large number of aftershocks were distributed along the fault rupture surface where the Coulomb stress increases. As the depth of the crust increases, the area where the Coulomb stress increases in the Yangbi earthquake, decreases. The occurrence of this earthquake also caused a significant increase in the Coulomb stress in the southeastern section of the Weixi-Weishan Faul. We should pay more attention to its seismic hazards. Full article

In 2015, stricter regulations to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and particulate air pollution from shipping were implemented in the Baltic Sea. We investigated the effects on population exposure to particles <2.5 µm (PM_2.5) from shipping and estimated related morbidity and mortality in Sweden’s 21 counties at different spatial resolutions. We used a regional model to estimate exposure in Sweden and a city-scale model for Gothenburg. Effects of PM_2.5 exposure on total mortality, ischemic heart disease, and stroke were estimated using exposure–response functions from the literature and combining them into disability-adjusted life years (DALYS). PM_2.5 exposure from shipping in Gothenburg decreased by 7% (1.6 to 1.5 µg/m³) using the city-scale model, and 35% (0.5 to 0.3 µg/m³) using the regional model. Different population resolutions had no effects on population exposures. In the city-scale model, annual premature deaths due to shipping PM_2.5 dropped from 97 with the high-sulfur scenario to 90 in the low-sulfur scenario, and in the regional model from 32 to 21. In Sweden, DALYs lost due to PM_2.5 from Baltic Sea shipping decreased from approximately 5700 to 4200. In conclusion, sulfur emission restrictions for shipping had positive effects on health, but the model resolution affects estimations. Full article

The development pattern of agriculture and energy exploitation in the southern marginal area of the Loess Plateau is widespread in the northern part of China. As a typical example, the fragile ecological area in the Weibei region is greatly affected by human factors, which makes the local ecological environment and social sustainability disturbed to varying degrees. Taking the Weibei region as the study area, through the comprehensive analysis of social, economic, and climate data, an index system suitable for the ecological security assessment of the Weibei region was constructed. The ecological security of this region was quantitatively evaluated by spatial principal component analysis (SPCA), and its ecological security partition was divided and analyzed. There were five zones at different levels, and I to V represented the development of ecological security from a low level to a high level. The results showed that from 1997 to 2017, the ecological security of different districts and counties in the Weibei region showed different trends. For example, the ecological security index of Tongguan County, Chengcheng County, and Pucheng County continued to decrease, but the overall index value was still high, and the ecological security index of Dali County, Fuping County, and Hancheng County increased. During this period, the ecological security of regions I and II continued to increase, while regions IV and V first decreased and then increased. At the same time, the area of the ecological security buffer region increased year by year. This study can provide a feasible method for assessing ecological security of the current regional model of mixed agriculture and energy extraction industry. Full article

Romania has the highest incidence of cervical cancer morbidity and mortality in Europe. This study identifies the major clusters for genital cancers, observes the features of genital and cervical cancer, and determines the extent to which cancer is a contributor to total Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY). Spatial analysis used Besag and Newell’s method for genital cancer distribution, prevalence considered Arad County patients records (2008–2017), and DALY was determined according to WHO methodology and GLOBOCAN 2013 data. Diagnosis was established by histopathological examination of diagnostic biopsies or tissues obtained by surgical procedures, followed by clinical staging. 1695 women were recorded with genital cancer. Of these, 14.9% of lesions were in situ (n = 252) and 74.20% of cases were recorded in stage III or IV (n = 1258) (p < 0.0001). Over 90% of cervical cancers were squamous cell carcinomas (n = 728), 33.76% of endometrial cancers were adenocarcinomas in situ (n = 131), 32.42% of ovarian cancers were serous adenocarcinomas (n = 131), and 70.58% of vulvar cancers were squamous cell carcinomas (n = 48) (p < 0.0001). DALY/1000 was 67.2 for genital cancers and 33 for cervical cancers. From the point of view of Romanian women, cervical cancer remains one of the major problems that need to be dealt with and access to optimal treatment proves to be extremely limited. Full article