Assessing economic, social and environmental impacts on housing prices in Hong Kong: a time-series study of 2006, 2011 and 2016.

Given Hong Kong's unique high-density urban environment and limited land resources, more and more general public has been concerned about the living quality. Based on three waves of census data (2006, 2011 and 2016), combined with our spatial-temporal urban environmental database consisting of three local datasets of urban climate and air quality, this paper assesses the impacts of social, economic and environmental factors on the logarithm of housing prices in Hong Kong through linear regression analysis. Specifically, both supply- and demand-side economic factors have significant impacts on housing prices. Demographic factors are not as significant as expected in affecting housing prices. Transportation factors have more significant effects in the short run than in the long run. Environmental factors, including the number of hot night hours, Annual Air Quality Index (AAQI) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulates with particle sizes less than 10 microns (PM10), significantly affect housing prices over time. The results have important implications: current policy instruments to prevent housing price escalation are focused on increasing property tax or land supply (economic factors), while little attention is paid to social or environmental factors, which are geographically heterogeneous. Our findings suggest that housing provision in the New Territories may be a feasible solution to alleviate the housing crisis as its demographic pattern, transportation connectivity and air quality are significantly different from Hong Kong Island or Kowloon Peninsula. In regard to urban environmental problems brought by the high-density development in Hong Kong despite land-use saving, intensified urban infrastructure and promotion of public transportation, our study contributes to the understanding of its housing price dynamics from a more holistic perspective by comparing the impacts of economic, social and environmental factors.

[Cuffless blood pressure acquisition system based on a novel calibration method].

Based on Moens-Korteweg model & hydrostatic principle, a simple calibration method by changing vertical distance between heart and radial artery is proposed in this paper. Using hydrostatic pressure to change arterial pressure and pulse wave transmit time, consequently obtain several sets of cardiovascular parameters and finally build up relationship between blood pressure and pulse wave transmit time. Clinical tests have been carried with different age and gender for long and short time monitoring. The comparison results with Sphygmomanometer OMRON EW3152 show its promising accuracy and coincidence feature in blood pressure measurement.

Micro-Nanoscale Characteristics of Pyrite and Its Implications for Gold Mineralization: Two Cases of Gold Deposits in the Youjiang Basin and Southwestern Tianshan Mountains.

The mineralogical and compositional characteristics of gold-bearing minerals and the occurrence of gold are not only of great significance to exploring the sources of ore-forming materials and their formation mechanisms but also helpful for designing reasonable beneficiations and smelting schemes and achieving remarkable economic benefits. This paper presents an integrated study on the crystal characteristics, elemental composition and distribution of pyrite (the main gold-bearing minerals), on the basis of electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and nano-secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). The occurrence of gold in the Shuiyindong gold deposit and Ashawayi gold deposit has been studied by means of microscopy, SEM, and EPMA images, elemental correlations, S-Fe-As ternary diagrams, logAs-logAu diagrams and Au/As ratios. The gold in pyrite of the Shuiyindong deposit is in the form of nano gold inclusions and lattice gold. The gold in pyrite of the Ashawayi deposit dominantly exists in the form of nano gold inclusions or is present as micro-nano gold particles in the cracks or edges of pyrite, some of which can exist as lattice gold. The ore-forming hydrothermal solution of the Shuiyindong gold deposit is mainly underground hot brine, but it may be reformed by a deep magmatic hydrothermal solution or volcanic-subvolcanic hydrothermal solution. The ore-forming hydrothermal solution of the Ashawayi gold deposit is mainly derived from the metamorphic hydrothermal solution formed during the orogenic process, and the ore-forming process or post-mineralization process may be reformed by the leaching of underground hot brine. Finally, the characteristics of ore-forming fluids and evolution of the two types of deposits are determined via pyrite element surface scanning. This paper shows that micro-nanoscale study of gold-bearing pyrite is of great significance to understanding the gold mineralization process and is worth further study.

Environmental Se-Mo-B deficiency and its possible effects on crops and Keshan-Beck disease (KBD) in the Chousang area, Yao County, Shaanxi Province, China.

Causes of Keshan-Beck disease (KBD) are still being probed and monitored in China. Relationships between trace elements from eco-environmental systems and KBD are poorly understood although relationships between environmental Se and human health have received extensive attention. In order to investigate relationships between eco-environmental geochemistry and KBD, we selected the Chousang KBD area in Yao County, Shaanxi Province, China, as an example of a prevailing KBD area applying I-Se-rich salts instead of utilizing Se-rich fertilisers on food crops to prevent local residents from developing KBD before 1995. Environmentally geochemical samples (rocks, soils, plants and children's hair) were collected from the Chousang KBD area. Soils in the study area contain 0.11 +/- 0.02 microgram Se g-1, 0.75 +/- 0.11 microgram Mo g-1, and 34.5 +/- 1.5 micrograms B g-1 on average, indicating that the study area is a deficient-Se-Mo-B area. Se (0.07 +/- 0.007 microgram g-1), Mo (0.35 +/- 0.09 microgram g-1) and B (3 +/- 0 micrograms g-1) contents are low in wheat and corn used as a daily main food staple of local inhabitants. It is indicated that the study area is deficient in environmental Se-Mo-B for the local residents. Se contents of children's hair from the Yangyuan Elementary School in the study area range from 0.09 to 0.26 microgram Se g-1 with an average of 0.165 +/- 0.05 microgram Se g-1 (n = 10) in this KBD endemic area. Due to the low levels of Se, Mo and B available in soils and rocks, crops including wheat and corn are deficient in these elements, accordingly, the deficiency of Se, Mo and B in this area may be linked to the daily consumption of wheat and corn deficient in Se, Mo and B. Therefore, local inhabitants should be encouraged to fertilise mixtures of Se, Mo and B on crop plants in order to avoid development of KBD and guarantee a good harvest of crops.