商丘市faifai自助美甲加盟电话多少钱(大同市优田美甲加盟电话多少钱) (今日更新中)

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have identified a gene that appears to play a role in regulating how much alcohol people drink, in a study of over 47,000 people published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The researchers say that finding a common genetic variation influencing levels of alcohol consumption may lead to a better understanding of mechanisms underlying alcohol drinking behavior in the general population.The gene, called "autism susceptibility candidate 2", or AUTS2, has previously been linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but its function is not known.The new study, by an international consortium led by scientists at Imperial College London and King's College London, found that there are two versions of the AUTS2 gene, one three times more common than the other. People with the less common version drink on average five percent less alcohol than people with the more common version.The gene is most active in parts of the brain associated with neuropsychological reward mechanisms, suggesting that it might play a part in regulating the positive reinforcement that people feel when they drink alcohol.Alcohol consumption is known to be partly determined by genes but until now the only gene known to make a notable contribution was the gene encoding alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the liver.Professor Paul Elliott, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said: "Of course there are a lot of factors that affect how much alcohol a person drinks, but we know from twin studies that genes play an important role. The difference that this particular gene makes is only small, but by finding it we've opened up a new area of research into the biological mechanisms that control drinking."

BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has invited a group of ordinary people from all walks of life to seek their opinions on drafts of a government work report and the country's economic and social development blueprint for the next five years.The representatives, including a farmer, a migrant worker, a rural doctor and a community worker, were invited to Zhongnanhai, the central leadership compound in downtown Beijing, on Jan. 25. Some details of the meeting were made public on Sunday.At the meeting, Wen said, "Ordinary people are in the best place to evaluate government's work, and listening to public opinion will allow us to know how government policies are carried out at grass-roots level, and what difficulties people are facing."Liu Hongwei, a farmer from northeastern Heilongjiang Province, suggested that government increases investment in agricultural water conservancy projects in case of natural disasters such as severe drought this winter in north China.Wen said this year the government would invest more in water conservancy while starting retrofitting the grid in rural areas to guarantee electricity supply for both residential consumption and irrigation of crops.Wen also assured Liu that the government would raise purchasing price of grains so as to protect the interests of grain farmers.Xie Yuanli, an electric welder from northeastern Jilin Province, expressed his wish that governments give greater support and care to industrial workers.Dong Zhiping, a migrant worker working on construction site in central Hunan Province, complained that some enterprise owners refuse to pay migrant workers insurance against work-related injuries, and many migrant workers are not aware of their rights."Once a worker gets injured, his family would suffer grave financial difficulties without the insurance cover," Dong said.Wen said the government was working on the issue, such as promoting better implementation of government regulations on workplace injury-related insurance, which became effective in 2003.The meeting also touched upon issues of favorable policies to small and medium-sized enterprises, fair treatment of village doctors, stronger support to facilities for senior citizens, boosting space science and technology and improving vocational training, among others.The drafts of the 12th five-year program, or the national development plan for 2011 to 2015, and the government work report will be delivered for review early next month at a plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.

COPENHAGEN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- As traditional Chinese medicine (known as TCM in Europe) becomes increasingly popular worldwide and has gradually been regarded as a useful component to Western medical treatments, Denmark is no stranger to such trends.According to a study published by the University of Copenhagen in mid-Feb., up to one-third of Danish hospitals choose complementary or alternative therapies, including TCM methods, to treat pain, cancer, mental disease, tumors and infertility. Acupuncture remains the most widely-practiced form of these treatments, used in some 97 percent of the cases.The nationwide acceptance of acupuncture and massage therapists, the growing ranks of herbal practitioners, and the hosting of an annual pan-Scandinavian TCM conference since 2007, all underline the popularity of alternative medicine, including the TCM, in the country.However, the overall market presence of TCM, and herbal medicines in particular, is relatively small in Denmark and Europe at large. As many European policymakers insist that traditional herbal medicines "are neither scientifically documented nor tested according to Western requirements," these treatments face difficulties in obtaining licenses and boosting sales in Europe.In fact, despite their historical pedigree and widely-accepted efficacy, TCM products are often classified as "healthcare products" or "food," rather than "drugs" in European markets.A big challenge for TCM products to gain more access to the continent is the EU's Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, which stipulates that all such products must obtain authorization if they are to be sold within the EU, starting May 1, 2011.The directive says producers must prove the product in question has been used for 30 years, 15 of which within the EU, so as to ensure its safety.While licensing is expected to be onerous and expensive, Denmark has tried to bring TCM products into the Western medical mainstream from as early as 2005. The country's well-developed biochemical and medical industry, modernized agriculture and horticulture sectors and a strong track record of cooperative research in these fields, has helped TCM's cause.For instance, Traditional Complementary Medicine Denmark, a company helping herbal product makers market their goods in Western countries, uses modern biotechnology processes and clinical trials to scientifically verify and document the efficacy of existing herbal medicines.It also advises herbal product makers on how to align their standards with European requirements so as to acquire the necessary sales licenses. Sometimes, simple solutions like clearer and more detailed labeling of a TCM product's ingredients can help improve its marketability. Patent applications and drug approvals procedures must follow, before the product can access the EU pharmaceutical market, usually in pill form.Investing in herbal medicine also makes financial sense for Denmark, as it is encourages development of low-bulk, high-value agricultural products, which can be easily transported all over the globe.Development Centre Aarslev, a Danish agro-research body and partner of TCM Denmark, studies the active ingredients contained in medicinal plants and their impact on human health conditions such as cardiovascular problems, diabetes and allergies. One of the earliest collaborations it undertook with a producer of herbal medicine showed the effectiveness of extracts from the hips of the dog rose plant in treating rheumatoid arthritis.A spokesperson for the institution said, "We have documented analytical evidence which shows that arthritis patients can reduce their consumption of conventional anti-arthritis drugs by up to 50 percent, if they combine them with the herbal drug based on dog rose hips."Given Denmark's population of 5.5 million people, this could translate into savings of 200 million U.S. dollars a year on anti-arthritis medication, the spokesperson added.Other plant-based interventions could hold wider public health benefits. TCM practitioners say herbal medicines can improve blood circulation in humans, and contain naturally-occurring antioxidants which can reduce the risks of heart attacks and better regulate cardiovascular functions. This has potentially wide-ranging benefit for Western societies, where heart disease is a major threat.Heart disease was the most common cause of death in Denmark until 2000, and cardiovascular disease the commonest until 2008, with cancer now ranking the biggest killer.In fact, TCM herbal remedies are also considered a good choice for cancer treatment, as certain plants contain hormone-like substance which can influence hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer.TCM supporters say the obvious benefit of such an intervention is the avoidance of more commonly-used chemotherapy and radiation treatments which often produce severe side-effects in patients. Relevant herbal therapies can help strengthen cancer patient's immune system, reduce side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and alleviate other symptoms of the disease.Given the many potential benefits of TCM, the EU's tightening of rules may appear harsh. Still, TCM is considered a relatively novel approach to medicine in Europe. Moreover, the dominant market share and general clout of the chemical-based, Western pharmaceutical industry also makes it difficult for traditional remedies to stake their claim.

LOS ANGELES, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Sugarcane has the effect of cooling temperatures, thus playing role in stemming global warming, a new study has found.Sugarcane does so by reflecting sunlight back into space and by lowering the temperature of the surrounding air as the plants " exhale" cooler water, according to the study conducted by researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology.The researchers used data from hundreds of satellite images over 733,000 square miles (about 1,173 square kilometers) in Brazil, where sugarcane is widely grown. They measured temperature, reflectivity (also called albedo), and evapotranspiration -- the water loss from the soil and from plants as they exhale water vapor.The findings showed that expansion of sugarcane in areas previously occupied by other Brazilian crops cools the local climate.Converting from natural vegetation to crop/pasture on average warmed the cerrado by 2.79 Fahrenheit (1.55 Centigrade, but that subsequent conversion to sugarcane, on average, cooled the surrounding air by 1.67 Fahrenheit (0.93 Centigrade), the researchers said in the study published in the April issue of Nature Climate Change."We found that shifting from natural vegetation to crops or pasture results in local warming because the plants give off less beneficial water. But the bamboo-like sugarcane is more reflective and gives off more water -- much like the natural vegetation," said lead researcher Scott Loarie. "It's a potential win-win for the climate -- using sugarcane to power vehicles reduces carbon emissions, while growing it lowers the local air temperature."Brazilians are world leaders in using biofuels for gasoline. About a quarter of their automobile fuel consumption comes from sugarcane, which significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions that otherwise would be emitted from using gasoline.The researchers emphasized that the beneficial effects are contingent on the fact sugarcane is grown on areas previously occupied by crops or pastureland, and not in areas converted from natural vegetation. It is also important that other crops and pastureland do not move to natural vegetation areas, which would contribute to deforestation.So far most of the thinking about ecosystem effects on climate considers only impacts from greenhouse gas emissions. But according to co-researcher Greg Asner, "It's becoming increasingly clear that direct climate effects on local climate from land-use decisions constitute significant impacts that need to be considered core elements of human-caused climate change."

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- China has introduced new stimulus policies to boost the development of the software and integrated circuit (IC) industries.Software firms will continue to enjoy preferential value-added tax policies, according to a circular posted on the central government's website, www.gov.cn on Wednesday. The circular was dated Jan. 28.The new policies also granted tax cuts to manufacturers of integrated circuit. Enterprises of IC products whose product line is less than 0.8 micron (including 0.8 micron) wide will be exempted from corporate income taxes on the first and the second year after reaching profitability, according to the statement.Taxes will also be halved for such companies from the third to fifth year after reaching profitability.Makers of IC products that have a product line that is less than 0.25 micron wide or have invested more than 8 billion yuan (1.21 billion U.S. dollars) in production will pay reduced income taxes.For companies that have operated for more than 15 years, corporate income taxes will be exempted from the first year to the fifth after reaching profitability.Between the sixth and the tenth year, the firms will pay half of the taxes, the statement said.The government also encouraged consolidation in the software and IC industries and will provide financial support to technological research and development.

来源：资阳报