title: The Recent Amendment to China’s Consumer Law: An Imperfect Improvement and Proposal for Future Changes

authors: Liao, Zhixiong (Leo)

subjects: consumer

abstract: Recently, an Amendment Act (“the Amendment”) was made to China’s core legislation on consumer protection—the Consumers’ Rights and Interests Protection Law (“Consumer Protection Act 1993”). The Amendment comes into force on China’s “Consumers’ Day” of 2014. The Amendment brings some great and significant changes to the principal Act in response to the need of China’s changed and changing market and society. This paper analyses the most significant changes and argues that the Amendment is far from being satisfactory, in that some important issues/problems including, inter alia, the want of a clear legal definition of “consumer”, are left unaddressed. It also articulates the rationale for special protection to consumer and proposes further amendments including a “good” definition of “consumer” that shall be adopted in the future as soon as practical.

text: The Recent Amendment to China’s Consumer Law: An Imperfect Improvement and Proposal for Future Changes Recently, an Amendment Act (“the Amendment”) was made to China’s core legislation on consumer protection—the Consumers’ Rights and Interests Protection Law (“Consumer Protection Act 1993”). The Amendment comes into force on China’s “Consumers’ Day” of 2014. The Amendment brings some great and significant changes to the principal Act in response to the need of China’s changed and changing market and society. This paper analyses the most significant changes and argues that the Amendment is far from being satisfactory, in that some important issues/problems including, inter alia, the want of a clear legal definition of “consumer”, are left unaddressed. It also articulates the rationale for special protection to consumer and proposes further amendments including a “good” definition of “consumer” that shall be adopted in the future as soon as practical.

year: 2014

title: Light interception efficiency explained by two simple variables: a test using a diversity of small- to medium-sized woody plants

authors: Duursma, R.A.

subjects: leaf area index

abstract: •Plant light interception efficiency is a crucial determinant of carbon uptake by individual plants and by vegetation. Our aim was to identify whole-plant variables that summarize complex crown architecture, which can be used to predict light interception efficiency.
•We gathered the largest database of digitized plants to date (1831 plants of 124 species), and estimated a measure of light interception efficiency with a detailed three-dimensional model. Light interception efficiency was defined as the ratio of the hemispherically averaged displayed to total leaf area. A simple model was developed that uses only two variables, crown density (the ratio of leaf area to total crown surface area) and leaf dispersion (a measure of the degree of aggregation of leaves).
•The model explained 85% of variation in the observed light interception efficiency across the digitized plants. Both whole-plant variables varied across species, with differences in leaf dispersion related to leaf size. Within species, light interception efficiency decreased with total leaf number. This was a result of changes in leaf dispersion, while crown density remained constant.
•These results provide the basis for a more general understanding of the role of plant architecture in determining the efficiency of light harvesting.

text: Light interception efficiency explained by two simple variables: a test using a diversity of small- to medium-sized woody plants •Plant light interception efficiency is a crucial determinant of carbon uptake by individual plants and by vegetation. Our aim was to identify whole-plant variables that summarize complex crown architecture, which can be used to predict light interception efficiency.
•We gathered the largest database of digitized plants to date (1831 plants of 124 species), and estimated a measure of light interception efficiency with a detailed three-dimensional model. Light interception efficiency was defined as the ratio of the hemispherically averaged displayed to total leaf area. A simple model was developed that uses only two variables, crown density (the ratio of leaf area to total crown surface area) and leaf dispersion (a measure of the degree of aggregation of leaves).
•The model explained 85% of variation in the observed light interception efficiency across the digitized plants. Both whole-plant variables varied across species, with differences in leaf dispersion related to leaf size. Within species, light interception efficiency decreased with total leaf number. This was a result of changes in leaf dispersion, while crown density remained constant.
•These results provide the basis for a more general understanding of the role of plant architecture in determining the efficiency of light harvesting.

year: 2012-01

title: He maimoa i ngā whakatupuranga anamata: Ko te mātauranga taketake o ngā tūpuna me te whakarea tamariki

authors: Greensill, Hineitimoana

subjects: Poipoi tamariki

abstract: Kua āraua ki roto i te reo me ngā pūnaha mātauranga o ngā iwi taketake, ko ngā uara, ko ngā whakapono me ngā rapunga whakaaro e toko ake nei i tērā iwi. Kia whakahoropakitia tēnei ki roto o Aotearoa me Hawai‘i, i te whakaekenga o ō tātou kāinga tupu e ngā taua a te Pākehā me ngā tāmi o ngā tikanga whakawhenumi a te Kāwanantanga o muri, i tauwhatia ai te tuku o te reo Māori me te ‘ōlelo (reo) o Hawai‘i i waenga i ngā whakatupuranga, waihoki ko ngā māramatanga pūmau o roto i ngā reo i tauwhatia ai (Walker, 2004; Blaisdell & Mokuau, 1991). Ahakoa ēnei tauwhatinga, ka pupuri tonu tātou ki ngā karere i mau rā i te reo i roto i ngā ngā pātaka mātauranga a te Māori me nā kānaka (ngā tāngata) o Hawai‘i. Ko te mātauranga taketake, ngā kōrero o nehe me ngā ariā e āraua nei ki ngā tuhituhinga-ā-waha huhua, tae atu ki ngā whakataukī, ngā ‘ōlelo no‘eau, me ngā kīanga rongonui i tāngia hoki ki te pepa (Pukui, 1983). Ko te ia o ēnei momo kōrero tuku-iho taketake nei kei te kōrerotia i roto i ngā whakataukī me ngā ‘ōlelo no‘eau, he mea whakaara anō tēnei mātauranga ki ngā kaupapa whakaora reo ki Aotearoa me Hawai‘i. He momo mātauranga ēnei hei whakaara i a tātou kia mārama rawa ki ngā kano tirohanga o ō tātou tūpuna ki tō rātou ao, waihoki ko ngā hononga maha e paihere nei i a tātou ki ō tātou whanaunga.

Hei whāinga matua e āta arohaehae ana tēnei pepa i ngā momo tuhituhinga-ā-waha nei, arā ko te ‘ōlelo no‘eau me te whakataukī, kia tīroua ake ngā karere e hāngai ana ki ngā tamariki a te Māori rātou ko ngā kānaka o Hawai‘i me ngā pānga ki ngā mahi whakatupu tamariki o mua. Ka toro tēnei tuhinga ki te whakataukī me te ‘ōlelo no‘eau ki te whakapuaki i te mātauranga i mahue mai i ngā tūpuna hei rei arataki mā tātou ngā iwi taketake me ō tātou wheako tonu o nāianei.

text: He maimoa i ngā whakatupuranga anamata: Ko te mātauranga taketake o ngā tūpuna me te whakarea tamariki Kua āraua ki roto i te reo me ngā pūnaha mātauranga o ngā iwi taketake, ko ngā uara, ko ngā whakapono me ngā rapunga whakaaro e toko ake nei i tērā iwi. Kia whakahoropakitia tēnei ki roto o Aotearoa me Hawai‘i, i te whakaekenga o ō tātou kāinga tupu e ngā taua a te Pākehā me ngā tāmi o ngā tikanga whakawhenumi a te Kāwanantanga o muri, i tauwhatia ai te tuku o te reo Māori me te ‘ōlelo (reo) o Hawai‘i i waenga i ngā whakatupuranga, waihoki ko ngā māramatanga pūmau o roto i ngā reo i tauwhatia ai (Walker, 2004; Blaisdell & Mokuau, 1991). Ahakoa ēnei tauwhatinga, ka pupuri tonu tātou ki ngā karere i mau rā i te reo i roto i ngā ngā pātaka mātauranga a te Māori me nā kānaka (ngā tāngata) o Hawai‘i. Ko te mātauranga taketake, ngā kōrero o nehe me ngā ariā e āraua nei ki ngā tuhituhinga-ā-waha huhua, tae atu ki ngā whakataukī, ngā ‘ōlelo no‘eau, me ngā kīanga rongonui i tāngia hoki ki te pepa (Pukui, 1983). Ko te ia o ēnei momo kōrero tuku-iho taketake nei kei te kōrerotia i roto i ngā whakataukī me ngā ‘ōlelo no‘eau, he mea whakaara anō tēnei mātauranga ki ngā kaupapa whakaora reo ki Aotearoa me Hawai‘i. He momo mātauranga ēnei hei whakaara i a tātou kia mārama rawa ki ngā kano tirohanga o ō tātou tūpuna ki tō rātou ao, waihoki ko ngā hononga maha e paihere nei i a tātou ki ō tātou whanaunga.

Hei whāinga matua e āta arohaehae ana tēnei pepa i ngā momo tuhituhinga-ā-waha nei, arā ko te ‘ōlelo no‘eau me te whakataukī, kia tīroua ake ngā karere e hāngai ana ki ngā tamariki a te Māori rātou ko ngā kānaka o Hawai‘i me ngā pānga ki ngā mahi whakatupu tamariki o mua. Ka toro tēnei tuhinga ki te whakataukī me te ‘ōlelo no‘eau ki te whakapuaki i te mātauranga i mahue mai i ngā tūpuna hei rei arataki mā tātou ngā iwi taketake me ō tātou wheako tonu o nāianei.

year: 2017