Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Erikss., is a severe foliar disease of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Use of adult-plant resistance (APR) is an efficient approach to provide long-term protection of crops from the disease. The German spring wheat cultivar Naxos showed a high level of APR to stripe rust in the field. To identify the APR genes in this cultivar, a mapping population of 166 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed from a cross between Naxos and Shanghai 3/Catbird (SHA3/CBRD), a moderately susceptible line developed by CIMMYT. The RILs were evaluated for maximum disease severity (MDS) in Sichuan and Gansu in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 cropping seasons. Composite interval mapping (CIM) identified four QTL, QYr.caas-1BL.1RS, QYr.caas-1DS, QYr.caas-5BL.3 and QYr.caas-7BL.1, conferring stable resistance to stripe rust across all environments, each explaining 1.9-27.6, 2.1-5.8, 2.5-7.8 and 3.7-9.1 % of the phenotypic variance, respectively. QYr.caas-1DS flanked by molecular markers XUgwm353-Xgdm33b was likely a new QTL for APR to stripe rust. Because the interval between flanking markers for each QTL was less than 6.5 cM, these QTL and their closely linked markers are potentially useful for improving resistance to stripe rust in wheat breeding.

To understand the genetic gains of grain yield in the Southern China Winter Wheat Region (SCWWR), two yield potential trials, i.e., YPT 1 including 11 leading cultivars from the Middle and Low Yangtze Valley (Zone III) and YPT 2 including 15 leading cultivars from the Southwestern China Region (Zone IV) from 1949 to 2000, were conduced during the 2001-2003 cropping seasons. A completely randomized block design of three replicates was employed with controlled field environments. Molecular markers were used to detect the presence of dwarfing genes and the 1B/1R translocation. Results showed that average annual genetic gain was 0.31% (P < 0.05) or 13.96 kg/ha/year and 0.74% (P < 0.01) or 40.80 kg/ha/year in Zones III and IV, respectively. In YPT 1, changes of all other traits were not significant, but plant height was significantly reduced. In YPT 2, the genetic improvement of grain yield was primarily attributed to the increased thousand kernel weight (TKW) (0.65%, P < 0.01) and kernel weight/ spike (0.87%, P < 0.01), reduced plant height and increased harvest index (HI). The dwarfing gene Rht 8 was most frequently present (46.1%), Rht-B1b was observed in three genotypes in Zone III, and Rht-D1b was present in only one genotype in Zone IV. The 1B/1R translocation was present in four genotypes. Utilization of Italian germplasm and development of landmark cultivar Fan 7 were the key factors for grain yield improvement in SCWWR. The future challenge of wheat breeding in this region is to continue improving grain yield and disease resistance, and to develop cultivars suitable for the reduced tillage of wheat/rice double cropping. Utilization of Mexican germplasm could provide opportunities for future yield improvement.

Healthcare disparity is, to a large extent, ascribable to the uneven distribution of high-quality healthcare resources, which remains insufficiently examined, largely due to data unavailability. To overcome this barrier, we synthesized multiple sources of data, employed integrated methods and made a comprehensive analysis of government administrative structures and the socio-economic environment to build probably the most inclusive dataset of Chinese 3-A hospitals thus far. Calibrated on a sample of 379 hospitals rated by a reputable organization, we developed a realistic and viable evaluation framework for assessing hospital quality in China. We then calculated performance scores for 1246 3-A hospitals, which were aggregated and further analyzed at multiple scales (cities, provinces, regions, and economic zones) using general entropy indexes. This research shows that the fragmented governance and incoordination of “kuai” and “tiao” is rooted deeply in China’s legacy of centrally-planned systems, and has had a far-reaching yet partially contradictory influence over the contemporary distribution and performance of healthcare resources. Additionally, the unevenness in the distribution of healthcare resources is related closely to a city’s administrative rank and power. This study thus suggests that the policy design of healthcare systems should be coordinated with external socio-economic transformation in a sustainable manner.

No abstract

Through an analysis of China's healthcare system and the regulatory model of pharmaceutical pricing, the paper concludes that the prime cause of pharmaceutical pricing inflation is the twodirectional monopoly of public healthcare institutions on pharmaceutical retailing. The low cost of medical services means that public hospitals can legitimately use the sale of pharmaceuticals to subsidize the provision of services. Moreover, the policy of controlling the rate of return gives public hospitals a further incentive to buy and sell high-cost pharmaceuticals. In addition, the policy of independent pricing together with the laxity of the system for approving new drugs allows the makers of pharmaceutical products to charge higher prices and facilitates public hospitals' sale of high-priced drugs. All of these problems result from inappropriate government controls. Therefore, the basic strategy for solving the problem of inflated pharmaceutical prices should be to lessen government controls on healthcare, open up retail sales of prescription medicines, and reform the public healthcare system and medical insurance reimbursement, breaking the monopoly of public hospitals.