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Background: To explore the demographic and clinical features of current depressive episode that discriminate patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) from those with bipolar I (BP-I) and bipolar II (BP-II) disorder who were misdiagnosed as having MDD. Methods: The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) assessment was performed to establish DSM-IV diagnoses of MDD, and BP-I and BP-II, previously being misdiagnosed as MDD. Demographics, depressive symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities were compared between 1463 patients with BP-I, BP-II and MDD from 8 psychiatric settings in mainland China. A multinomial logistic regression model was performed to assess clinical correlates of diagnoses. Results: A total of 14.5% of the enrolled patients initially diagnosed with MDD were eventually diagnosed with BP. Broad illness characteristics including younger age, higher prevalence of recurrence, concurrent dysthymia, suicidal attempts, agitation, psychotic features and psychiatric comorbidities, as well as lower prevalence of insomnia, weight loss and somatic symptoms were featured by patients with BP-I and/or BP-I, compared to those with MDD. Comparisons between BP-I and BP-II versus MDD indicated distinct symptom profiles and comorbidity patterns with more differences being observed between BP-II and MDD, than between BP-I and MDD. Conclusion: The results provide evidence of clinically distinguishing characteristics between misdiagnosed BP-I and BP- II versus MDD. The findings have implications for guiding more accurate diagnoses of bipolar disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plume-derived high-MgO lavas provide important information on the lithological, thermal and chemical variations of Earth's deep mantle. Here we present results from detailed field, mineralogical and geochemical studies of Late Permian–Late Triassic high-MgO lavas near the Chalukou area in the Western Kunlun (WK) orogenic belt, NW China. The major element compositions of the lavas show extremely high MgO contents (26.6–33.8 wt %) in accordance with olivine accumulation. The parental magma is inferred to be picritic in composition with MgO of 17.2 ± 0.9 wt %. Olivine Zn/Fe and Mn/Zn ratios suggest a peridotite-dominated source with a minor fraction of pyroxenite. The temperature and oxygen fugacity estimates based on multi-methods including olivine-melt Mg–Fe equilibria, Al-in-olivine and olivine–spinel thermometry and oxybarometer yield a mantle potential temperature of 1522–1556 °C and high oxygen fugacity of FMQ (fayalite-magnetite-quartz) + 0.93. The H2O contents in the picrite flows are estimated as 3.67 ± 1.0 wt %, indicating the volatile-rich nature of parental magma and its mantle source. The immobile trace element features show that the WK picrites are OIB (oceanic island basalt)-like, with the enrichment in light rare earth elements and positive Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf anomalies. Furthermore, the Nd–O–Os isotopes display typical mantle values without involvement of recycled materials. Our results suggest the high-MgO volcanism in the WK orogenic belt originated from a volatile-rich plume source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice production is sensitive to climate change and significantly affected by warming in recent years. To what extent climate warming shifted rice phenology and varied thermal resource condition were explored across five agro-ecological zones in China, based on up-to-date observations of meteorology and rice cultivation in 1981–2020. It was clearly signaled that there was a general advance of 0.3–3.8 days in observed sowing date and a delay of 0.4–3.5 days in observed maturity date in 2001–2020 relative to 1981–2000 in major zones. A vacant time slice of 2.6–28.8 days between observed sowing date and potential sowing date, and a lag of 15.4–56.7 days in potential maturity date compared to observed maturity date were identified in 2001–2020. Within longer growing season, useful accumulated temperature increased by 76.7–117.6 °C·d in 2001–2020 relative to 1981–2000, while disactive accumulated temperature also increased. In Northeast China, actual rice cultivation was undergoing earlier sowing date than potential sowing date and longer growing duration than potential duration, yet leading to upward disactive accumulated temperature. The decrease in the thermal resource utilization in 2001–2020 relative to 1981–2000 was highlighted at 55.3–78.3% stations in major zones, with a decrement of 0.006–0.018 in average magnitude. The changes in thermal resource utilization unveiled that the shifts in actual rice cultivation still could not compensate for the suitability in thermal resource utilization benefited from climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global warming continues, heat stress events are expected to increase and negatively affect rice production. Spatiotemporal changes in single-season rice exposure to heat stress were explored along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLRYR) in China during 1971–2020 based on created heat thresholds in different phenological stages, derived from comparison of historical heat records for single-season rice and agro-meteorological data. The feature importance (IF) provided by the Random Forest model was used to modulate the relationship between threshold accumulated temperature and yield reduction rate caused by heat stress. In addition, critical temperature thresholds at different phenological stages were determined by combining Overall Accuracy and the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. According to historical disaster records, the heat stress occurred before the reproductive phase (i.e., the tillering–jointing stage) and ended in the filling stage. Critical temperature thresholds of Tmax at tillering–jointing, booting, flowering and filling were quantified as 36, 35, 35 and 38 °C, with higher IF values of 13.14, 10.93, 17.15 and 13.15, respectively. The respective values of Overall Accuracy and the areas under the ROC curve were greater than 0.85 and 0.930, implying that each threshold performed excellently in identifying heat occurrence. Based on the determined critical thresholds, accumulated harmful temperature (Tcum), number of heat days (HD), first heat date (FHD) and last heat date (LHD) were presented to characterize heat exposure. It was clear that Tcum and HD exhibited a north-to-south increasing trend from 1971 to 2020, with the obvious increasing occurrence in most parts of the study region through the period of 2010 to 2020. FHD occurred earlier in most stations except the northeast parts, while LHD ended later in southern MLRYR. Exploring heat critical thresholds at different phenological stages highlighted in this study can help decision-makers monitor and evaluate heat exposure to single-season rice in MLRYR and further develop mitigation strategies to ensure rice production security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the issue of excess carbon emissions, China has outlined peaking the carbon emissions and achieving neutrality of carbon goals. New energy storage devices thus have been popularly developed in the past decade. Lithium‐ion batteries(LIBs) have emerged as the most prevalent devices in our daily routines. In the coming decades a huge amount of LIBs will be retired. Spent LIBs are endowed with valuable metal elements that are potentially recyclable. This paper is intended to review the recent studies on the recovery of lithium(Li) and cobalt(Co) from spent LiCoO2 batteries. This paper pays much attention to the hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical approaches to recycle lithium and cobalt from spent LIBs including leaching, reducing, and extracting by various inorganic or organic agents in hydrometallurgical methods and different kinds of reductants in pyrometallurgical methods. Last but not least, electrochemical methods, mechanochemistry and biometallurgy are focused for reviewing emerging, low‐cost, environmentally friendly methods. Hopefully, this review can inspire to further studies on recycling lithium and cobalt from spent LiCoO2 LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) have garnered significant attention for their potential applications in diagnosis and therapy. However, no bibliometric assessment has been conducted to evaluate the scientific progress in this area. A search of articles in Web of Science (WoS) from January 1, 1991, to May 1, 2023, yielded 359 papers that were analyzed using various online analysis tools. These articles have been cited 10,842 times with 30.2 times per paper. The number of publications experienced explosive growth starting in 2015. China and the United States led this research initiative. Keywords were divided into 3 clusters, including "Pathophysiology of SCI", "Bioactive components of EVs", and "Therapeutic effects of EVs in SCI". By integrating the average appearing year (AAY) of keywords in VoSviewer with the time zone map of the Citation Explosion in CiteSpace, the focal point of research has undergone a transformative shift. The emphasis has moved away from pathophysiological factors such as "axon", "vesicle", and "glial cell" to more mechanistic and applied domains such as "activation", "pathways", "hydrogels" and "therapy". In conclusions, institutions are expected to allocate more resources towards EVs-loaded hydrogel therapy and the utilization of innovative materials for injury mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most dams in China have been operating for a long time and are products of the economic and technical limitations at the time of construction. Due to decades of aging engineering and ancillary problems, these reservoirs pose great threats to the safety of local people and the development of the surrounding economy. In this study, the surface deformation information for the Banqiao Reservoir is monitored with the small baseline subset–synthetic aperture radar interferometry (SBAS-InSAR) method using 80 Sentinel-1A images acquired from 3 January 2020 to 20 August 2022. Additionally, ground measurements from the BeiDou ground-based deformation monitoring stations were collected to validate the InSAR results. Based on the InSAR results, the spatiotemporal deformation features of the dam were analyzed in detail. The results show that the deformation in most areas, including the dam in the study area, is relatively stable, and the regional deformation velocity of the Banqiao Reservoir dam and other hydraulic engineering facilities varies between −1 mm/y and −4 mm/y. The Ru River area has a relatively obvious subsidence trend, and the maximum subsidence velocity reaches 30 mm/y. The InSAR monitoring results are consistent with the change trend in the BeiDou ground-based deformation measurement results. The monitoring results for the reservoir dam area provide a reference for local sustainable development and geological disaster prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li–Be mineralization in the northeastern Pamir is the most westerly portion of the newly defined Western Kunlun–Songpan–Ganze rare metal belt in China. This paper discusses the geochemistry and isotopic U–Pb–Sr–Nd–Hf systems of two Triassic granites and Li–Be pegmatites, trying to identify their genetic relationship. Our study shows that although the biotite monzogranites, the muscovite granites, and the Li–Be pegmatites have similar zircon and coltan U–Pb ages of 210 Ma, continuous crystallization could not completely account for their compositional and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic diversity. In comparison with the biotite monzogranites, the muscovite granites exhibit strongly fractionated characteristics, with higher levels of SiO2, K2O, P2O5, Li, Be, Cs, Rb, and Ta, and are sourced from a partial melt of meta-pelite rocks, showing a genetical relationship with the Li–Be pegmatites. A model of volatile accumulation is an attempt to interpret some characteristics of the strongly fractionated muscovite granites and Li-Be pegmatites, which show dramatically elevated contents of P2O5 of 0.20–0.23% to Li–Be pegmatites of 0.4–2.64%, respectively. P2O5 might be an agency of the accumulation of fluxing compositions also including B, F, and H2O. Succeeding pegmatite-forming fluid exsolution and selective removal of Ca–Na–K to precipitate feldspar minerals far away from the parent granites should be accountable for some strongly fractionated characteristics in the residual melt, e.g. the enrichment of Rb, loss of Sr and Ba, and elevated negative Eu anomaly. Furthermore, this selective extractant of alkalis metal triggered by the accumulation of flux notably enhanced the contents of Li and Be in the remaining melts by three times, which might be also an important mechanism for the rare metal concentration in the Li–Be pegmatites by thousands of times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This survey aims to explore the current medical treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in China and match its degree with Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT). Methods: A total of 3275 patients were recruited from 16 mental health centers and 16 general hospitals in China. Descriptive statistics presented the total number and percentage of drugs, as well as all kinds of treatments. Results: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) accounted for the largest proportion (57.2%), followed by serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) (22.8%) and mirtazapine (7.0%) in the first therapy, while that of SNRIs (53.9%) followed by SSRIs (39.2%) and mirtazapine (9.8%) in the follow-up therapy. An average of 1.85 medications was administered to each MDD patient. Conclusion: SSRIs were the first choice in the first therapy, while the proportion of those drugs decreased during the follow-up therapy and were replaced by SNRIs. Plenty of combined pharmacotherapies were directly selected as the first trial of patients, which was inconsistent with guideline recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth history is punctuated by voluminous magmatism and the formation of large igneous provinces (LIPs). Although anomalous mantle temperatures are known to be involved in many LIPs formation, the potentially critical role of fluids remains elusive. Here we apply machine learning methods (e.g., random forest, deep neural network, and support vector machines) to train models based on global datasets of basalts associated with different settings. The trained models predict that the basalts of Tarim LIP in northwestern China show a spatial decrease in their island arc affinity from northeast to southwest, which can be correlated to fluids released from earlier southward oceanic subduction. Temporally, the fluid activity declined from 290 Ma basalts to 270 Ma mafic dykes, suggesting that the fusible components in the mantle source were waning over time and ultimately a strengthened lithosphere was generated. Our study provides new insights into the crucial role of fluids in the generation of LIPs, particularly those related to ancient subducted slabs. Plain Language Summary: Large igneous provinces (LIPs) represent enormous volume of magmas (>0.1 MKm3) produced within a short duration (∼1–5 Ma). The involvement of fluids in generating LIPs remains equivocal. Some studies suggest that water plays an important role, whereas the others argue against this model, based on the typical anhydrous mineralogy and oceanic island basalt‐like geochemical signatures displayed by the basalts in LIPs. In this study, we apply machine learning methods to investigate how the LIP basalts were influenced by fluids. Training data were extracted from database to establish the predictive models. The trained models are in turn applied to examine the fluid influence on the Tarim LIP basalts in NW China. The results show that the Tarim LIP basalts have variable IAB‐affinity up to 37%, suggesting that the source domains of Tarim LIP were affected by fluids. Spatially, the fluid activity decreases from northeast to southwest, which we correlate to southward subduction events. Temporally, the fluid activity declined over time from 290 to 270 Ma, suggesting that the mantle was dehydrated during the plume‐lithosphere interaction, which may induce a strengthened lithosphere. These observations suggest that the fluids played a crucial role in the generation of Tarim LIP. Key Points: Machine learning methods were employed to evaluate the fluid activity in Tarim large igneous provinceA spatial decrease in the fluid activity from northeast to southwest is observedSubducted slab‐derived fluids play a crucial role in the generation of large igneous provinces [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous advancement of urbanisation, a large amount of construction and demolition waste (CDW) is generated in large-scale construction activities, which has aggravated the problems of environmental pollution, resource waste and ecological damage. The recycling of CDW can effectively solve such problems, and research on this topic has important practical significance. This paper selects 1090 articles on CDW recycling included in the core database of Web of Science from 2000 to 2021 as samples and uses two sorts of bibliometric analysis software, VOSviewer and CiteSpace, to obtain the annual publication volume, country, journal, author, institution, keywords and co-citation visualisation atlas, analysing the hotspots and development trends of CDW recycling research from the two dimensions of time and space. The analysis results show that in China, compared with developed countries, the research on CDW recycling and utilisation started late, and the phenomenon of focusing on construction and ignoring environmental protection is obvious. At present, the relevant research mainly focuses on three aspects: the performance of recycled aggregates, the management of CDW recycling and the strategy for improving CDW recycling. The bibliometric analysis results help scholars in this field to clarify quickly the development trend of CDW recycling, provide research directions for China's CDW recycling and point out research hotspots, aiming to improve China's CDW recycling rate and promote sustainable social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genesis (primary versus secondary) of Mn carbonate-rich sediments, which consist of sub-economic rocks and ore deposits, remains hotly debated. Here, we investigated the petrographic, geochemical, and C–Mo isotopic characteristics of the Zhaosu Mn carbonate deposit in northwestern China, in order to provide constraints on its origin. The Mn ores occur within a Carboniferous marine transgressive siliciclastic-carbonate succession, and are mainly comprised of Mn carbonate minerals with subordinate alabandite. Within the Mn ores, organic matter is commonly replaced by Mn carbonates, coupled with concentric Mn carbonates, suggesting that Mn carbonates formed during diagenesis. This is further supported by their negative δ13CVPDB values (from −2.4 to −10.7‰), negative δ98MoNIST+0.25 values (from −0.1 to −3.7‰), shale-normalized positive Ce anomalies (up to 1.2), and lower Y/Ho ratios (29-35) relative to seawater (~44). These all indicate that the Zhaosu Mn carbonate ores formed due to original Mn oxide reduction coupled with organic matter degradation during diagenesis. The extremely negative Mo isotopic values (as low as −3.7‰) likely resulted from a dual effect of original Mn oxide adsorption and subsequent Mo sequestration within weakly sulfidic pore waters during diagenesis. The ubiquity of alabandite in the Mn ores indicates a significant separation between Mn and Fe, and combined with the country-rock limestones with negative Ce anomalies, we infer that an oxic-suboxic stratified water column might have characterized the Zhaosu basin during Mn deposition. By compiling geochemical and isotopic features of major Mn carbonate-rich sediments in Earth's history, we argue that ancient Mn carbonate-rich sediments, especially economic ore deposits, might result from original Mn oxide reduction during diagenesis and thus are a reliable proxy for oxic oceanic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: β-Thalassemia is one of the most prevalent inherited diseases in China. It is important to develop animal models to accurately simulate human β-thalassemia and there are unique advantages to studying β-thalassemia in pigs. However, there are only few reports on the systematic analysis of the β-thalassemia-related genes and their expression pattern in pigs so far. Therefore, in this study, we firstly predicted 11 porcine hemoglobin-encoding genes and found that there was no HBG gene in pigs, indicating that the globin switches might not exist in pigs. A new hemoglobin-encoding gene, 'HBB-like', was found in pigs, which showed high conservation in its amino sequences between pigs and humans. Then, we studied the evolutionary relationship of hemoglobin-encoding genes in human, pig and mouse. The results showed that the β-chain structure of pig and human was highly similar. In addition, we analyzed the hemoglobin-encoding gene expressions by using the iswine database and qPCR. Our results showed significant differences in the spatiotemporal expression patterns among the four genes (HBA, HBB, HBB-like and HBE) in three developmental stages of six different pig breeds. Our study provides an important theoretical basis for further construction of a gene-edited β-thalassemia miniature pig model to assess β--thalassemia treatments. β-Thalassemia induces hemolytic anemia caused by mutations in the β-chain gene locus. As humans progress from embryo to adulthood, hemoglobin recombines twice. To test whether similar hemoglobin reassembly occurs in pigs, bioinformatics tools were used to predict the pig hemoglobin-encoding gene. We then systematically analyzed the expression patterns of the HBB gene family in three developmental stages (weaning, sexual maturity and physical maturity) of six different pig breeds (Landrace, Yorkshire, Wuzhishan, Songliao black, Meishan and Tibetan). The results showed that the new hemoglobin coding gene 'HBB-like' was found in pigs, while the HBG gene did not exist in pigs, indicating that human-like reassembly might not exist in pigs. The HBB and HBB-like genes shared highly similar amino acid sequences and gene sequences. The genes on the β-chain were highly similar between humans and pigs and the amino acid sequences of human and pig HBB genes at position 26 and positions 41–42 were identical. qPCR results showed that there were significant differences in the spatiotemporal expression patterns of the four genes (HBA, HBB, HBB-like and HBE) across breeds. Our results provide a foundation for follow-up studies assessing the relationship between the gene-encoding hemoglobin and β-thalassemia disease, as well as the construction of a gene-edited β-thalassemia miniature pig model to assess β-thalassemia treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary intake is one of the main pathways for residents to become exposed to chlorinated paraffins (CPs). In China, due to the popularization of nutritional and medicinal edible fungi, consumption has increased on a yearly basis. Edible fungi have a variety of active substances and are consumed daily by residents. However, there is limited information on the concentration and source of chlorinated paraffins in edible fungi. In this study, the concentrations of short‐chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and medium‐chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) in 105 edible fungi samples and 36 culture material samples were detected. The concentration range of SCCPs was 79.8 ng/g dw to 3879.3 ng/g dw, and the MCCPs was ND to 572.3 ng/g dw. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that the sources of SCCPs and MCCPs in edible fungi were similar (r = 0.57, p < 0.01). The preponderant SCCPs and MCCPs congener group profiles were C10Cl7–8 and C14Cl6–8. CPs were detected in culture materials, the concentration range of SCCPs was 320.2 ng/g dw to 4326 ng/g dw, and the MCCPs was 333.4 ng/g dw to 4517.4 ng/g dw. And the preponderant SCCPs and MCCPs homologues in culture materials were C11–12Cl6 and C14Cl6. The linear discriminant analysis results indicated different contamination models of CPs between edible fungi and culture materials. The mean estimated daily intake values of SCCPs and MCCPs were 308.1 ng/kg bw/d and 94.4 ng/kg bw/d, respectively, indicating no potential health risk posed by CP exposure in edible fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goose astrovirus (GAstV), an agent of fatal visceral gout in goslings, has been widely circulating in eastern China since 2017, but little is known about its genetic diversity and systematic evolution. In this study, we isolated and sequenced nine nearly full‐length GAstV genomes and conducted comprehensive genetic diversity and evolutionary analysis and compared them with other reported GAstV sequences. Our results indicated that two genotypic species of GAstV were circulating in China, and GAstV‐2 subgenotype II‐c had arisen as the dominant genotype in Shandong province and across the whole country. Multiple alignments of GAstV amino acid sequences revealed several characteristic mutations in GAstV‐2 II‐c strains, as well as additional residues in the nine new isolates which varied over time. Phylogenetic analysis of three open reading frames demonstrated different evolutionary histories. Evidence of natural recombination was also detected in GAstV, with most of the recombination occurring in the GAstV‐2 II‐c subgenotype. Molecular adaptation analyses revealed that the evolution of GAstV was shaped by strong negative selection, although a number of amino acids, which potentially affect host infection and cell entry, were subjected to positive pressure. Overall, these findings improve our understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of GAstV and may help in the development of vaccines and diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soils has received extensive attention regarding its impacts on environmental, animal, and human systems under One Health. However, the health risks of soil ARGs and microbial determinants of soil resistomes remain poorly understood. Here, a nationwide metagenomic investigation of ARGs in cropland and forest soils in China was conducted. The findings indicated that the abundance and richness of high-risk (i.e., mobilizable, pathogen-carriable and clinically relevant) ARGs in cropland soils were 25.7 times and 8.4 times higher, respectively, compared to those identified in forest soils, suggesting the contribution of agricultural practices to the elevated risk level of soil resistomes. The biosynthetic potential of antibacterials best explained the total ARG abundance (Mantel's r = 0.52, p < 0.001) when compared with environmental variables and anthropogenic disturbance. Both microbial producers' self-resistance and antagonistic interactions contributed to the ARG abundance, of which self-resistance ARGs account for 14.1 %− 35.1 % in abundance. With the increased biosynthetic potential of antibacterials, the antagonistic interactions within the microbial community were greatly enhanced, leading to a significant increase in ARG abundance. Overall, these findings advance our understanding of the emergence and dissemination of soil ARGs and provide critical implications for the risk control of soil resistomes. [Display omitted] • Agricultural activities increase the risk level of soil resistome. • The soil ARGs are influenced by the biosynthetic potential of antibacterials. • Producers' self-resistance and microbial antagonisms contribute to ARG prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted broadband Magnetotelluric survey to obtain 2D lithospheric electrical structures of Alxa block through two NE-SE trending profiles, which revealed the electrical evidence of bidirectional subduction of Paleo-Asian Ocean with spatial difference beneath Enger Us fault belt. [Display omitted] • Lithospheric electrical structures of the Alxa block were imaged through two NW-SE BMT profiles. • There was bidirectional subduction of the Paleo Asian Ocean beneath the Enger Us fault belt. • The low resistivity bodies of the middle and upper crust in the northwest are related to large-scale horizontal nappe tectonics. • The high conductivity bodies that extend deep in the southeast are attributed to the partial melting. The Alxa Block, situated between the Tarim and North China cratons, is essential to understand the tectonics of northwest China. It has undergone several tectonic cycles, including rifting from northern Gondwana in Neoproterozoic, subduction-accretion of the Paleo-Asian Ocean during Paleozoic, and intracontinental deformation in Mesozoic. Broadband magnetotelluric data covering a frequency range of 320 Hz to ∼ 10000 s was collected along two NW-SE trending lines across major tectonic units of the Alxa region to investigate the deep structures of the Alxa Block. By applying the nonlinear conjugate gradient (NLCG) inversion approach, two-dimensional (2D) electrical resistivity models were obtained at a 100 km depth. These findings indicate that the Zhusileng-Hangwula and Zongnaishan-Shalazhashan tectonic zones have high resistivity in their lower crust and upper mantle, with an overall layered high-low–high resistivity pattern. The upper crust of the Nuru-Langshan tectonic zone is primarily characterized by high resistivity values, whereas the lower crust and upper mantle contain a large-scale low-resistivity (or conductive) zone that is likely the result of partial melting. The large-scale Early–Middle Jurassic nappe structures may be connected to sub-horizontal low-resistivity anomalies in the shallow strata, which are located up to 20 km below the Yagan and Zhusileng–Hangwula tectonic zones. Below the Engger Us fault, two low-resistivity bands are interpreted as the product of bidirectional subduction and final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The Alxa Block may have subducted southwards beneath the Ordos Block, as suggested by a clear low-resistivity anomaly between the two blocks. Furthermore, partial melting may have happened for high-conductivity bodies in the upper mantle based on the modified Archie formula's evaluation of their melting degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cold locales, the thermal conductivity of soil porous media varies according to their composition and the phase state of the substance contained within the pore space. During the winter, water and other media in the soil pore space freeze-thaw, resulting in their phase state, composition, distribution, and significant thermal conductivity changes. There are some shortcomings in the current research regarding the thermal conductivity change pattern of unsaturated ice-containing soils. In this paper, the representative elementary volume (REV) selection method is given for unsaturated ice-containing soil with porosity as a representative state variable. Under the condition of freeze-thaw, two thermal conductivity REV analysis models for unsaturated ice-containing soil are established: a simplified volume-weighted average REV model and a fine volume-weighted average REV model; accordingly, a macroscopic thermal conductivity analysis model is given. The computational analysis is carried out with an actual unsaturated ice-containing soil example. The influence of the application of frozen soil in China is examined for its effect on the variation law of the thermal conductivity of porous medium. The variation characteristics of thermal conductivity of permafrost soil with related parameters (porosity, water ratio, moisture percentage, ice content, and tortuosity) are discussed. The model built in this paper provides novel concepts and methods for analyzing the thermal conductivity characteristics of unsaturated soil, as well as enhancing and advancing the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human brucellosis represents a serious public health concern in Hulun Buir and requires a comprehensive epidemiologic analysis to define adapted control measures. The present study describes the case numbers, constituent ratios and incidence rate of human brucellosis. Conventional biotyping, that is abortus, melitensis, ovis and suis (AMOS)-PCR and multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) were used to characterize the Brucella strains. Between 2003 and 2018, a total of 23,897 human brucellosis cases were reported, with an incidence rate of 56.03/100,000, which is 20 times higher than the country's average incidence. This incidence rate increased year after year, culminating in 2005 and decreased between 2011 and 2018. Because Hulun Buir relies on a nomadic livestock rearing system, brucellosis spreads easily among different animal species and humans. In Xin Barag Left Banner and Xin Barag Right Banner, the incidence rates were, respectively, 226.54/100,000 and 199.10/100,000, exceeding those observed in other areas. Most of the cases occurred in the 25-to 45-year-old group, accounting for 65.74% of the cases (15,709/23,897), and among farmers, accounting for 66.71% (15,942/23,897). The male to female incidence ratio was 2.67:1. The higher incidence in younger people and the large gender ratio reflected the unique traditional production and lifestyle of nomads. Most reported cases were observed from April to June, indicating that more than 40% of the cases were related to the delivery of domestic livestock. The biotyping showed that the 44 isolated strains were all B. melitensis, including 12 Brucella melitensis biovar (bv) 1 and 32 B. melitensis bv. 3. The strains displayed a genetic similarity of 80%-100%. Our hypothesis is that human brucellosis outbreak in this region may be originating from a limited source of infection, so further investigation is necessary. The epidemic situation of human brucellosis in Hulun Buir is extremely serious, strengthened surveillance and control in animals' brucellosis should be priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results from globally distributed surface soils and surface lake and peat sediments indicate that brGDGTs (branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers), derived from bacteria, have the potential to reconstruct the history of land temperature changes. Studies of brGDGTs in China have been conducted on a large spatial scale, but the proposed brGDGTs-based land Holocene temperature records show contrasting temporal patterns. In this study, we used modern observations of brGDGTs combined with the analysis of other modern climate data and paleoclimate records to re-evaluate the proposed brGDGTs-based land Holocene paleotemperature records from China. Our findings indicate that: (i) the proposed brGDGTs-based Holocene paleotemperature records from Chinese loess deposits are more possibly indicative of humidity changes. (ii) brGDGTs in lake sediments are significantly influenced not only by air/water temperatures but also by water depth, salinity, seasonal freezing and so on, and therefore the paleoclimatic significance of individual brGDGTs-based Holocene climate records from Chinese lakes needs to be carefully evaluated. The long-term Holocene warming trend indicated by brGDGTs-based records from most shallow, freshwater Chinese lakes without surface freezing are relatively dependable. (iii) Given modern observations of brGDGTs are rarely conducted in peatlands in Northeast China, we therefore suggest the long-term Holocene warming trend indicated by brGDGTs-based records from the 5 peatlands along the transect from Southeast to Northwest China is more reliable than the long-term Holocene cooling trend indicated by brGDGTs-based records from the two peatlands in Northeast China. Therefore, currently, we are roughly incline to believe the long-term Holocene warming trend in some of the Chinese lake and peat brGDGTs-based records. As our knowledge of the environmental significance of brGDGTs continues to increase, we anticipate that they can make a substantial contribution to resolving the "Holocene temperature conundrum". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake level and its inferred East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) evolution in northern boundary of EASM during the Holocene are highly debated. Here, we present a 15-ka record of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in a closed lake in northern China to address this issue. Surface and downcore sediment data demonstrate sedimentary GDGT-0 and branched GDGTs (brGDGTs) are of aquatic production. Contents of GDGT-0 and brGDGTs increase but brGDGT-based paleo-temperature proxy decreases with water depth in surface sediments along a nearshore to offshore transect. This trend is likely due to an increasingly hypoxic condition, favored by anaerobic microbes producing these GDGT-0 and brGDGTs, in bottom water. Accordingly, brGDGT-derived water temperature and pH would reflect bottom water conditions that are largely regulated by water depth of the lake. Downcore GDGT data and their derived temperature and pH consistently reveal a gradually increasing lake level from the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene, a high level during 9.5–5 ka BP and a decreasing trend afterward. The lake-level records from independent and robust proxies in this study largely agree with pollen records in the region, supporting a mid-Holocene maximum EASM precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent occurrences of late spring frost disaster create severe agricultural/forest damage, even given the background of global warming. In the warm temperate zone of China, which is the largest planting area for fresh apricot, late spring frost disaster has become one of the major meteorological hazards during flowering. To prevent cold weather–induced apricot frost disaster and reduce potential losses in related fruit economic value, it is vital to establish a meteorological indicator for timely and accurate identification of cold weather process–based apricot frost disaster, to provide support for timely apricot frost monitoring and warning in late spring. In this study, daily minimax temperature ( T min ) and apricot frost disaster data during flowering were combined to establish meteorological identification indicators of apricot frost based on cold weather processes. A process-based apricot frost model f (D , T cum) was firstly constructed, and characteristics of T cum (accumulated harmful temperature) were explored under different D (duration days) based on the representation of historical apricot frost processes. Thresholds for the T cum for apricot frost in 1, 2, 3, 4, and more than 5 days of apricot frost process were determined as − 1.5, − 2.9, − 4.4, − 5.8, and − 7.3 °C, respectively. Validation results by reserved independent disaster samples were generally consistent with the historical records of apricot frost disasters, with 89.00% accuracy for indicator-based identification results. Typical process tracking of the proposed identification indicator to an apricot frost event that occurred in North Hebei during April 3–9, 2018, revealed that the indicator-based identification result basically coincides with the historical disaster record and can reflect more detailed information about the apricot frost process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining above confined aquifer has become an important task for water inrush prevention in China. To study the failure characteristics of stope floor along the strike, a mechanical model under combined action of mining and confined aquifer was constructed, and the distribution of vertical stress, horizontal stress, and shear stress was obtained. Based on the Mohr–Coulomb criterion, the failure range of the floor is determined and verified by the in situ test. The results indicate the following. (1) Both vertical stress and horizontal stress in the stope floor take the junction of stress increasing area and stress decreasing area as the dividing line, forming two groups of "convex arches" at the solid coal side and the goaf side, respectively. (2) The vertical stress gradient in the solid coal side is significantly higher than that in the goaf side, while the horizontal stress gradient in the solid coal side is similar to that in the goaf side. The shear stress distribution is divided into three regions by the boundary between positive and negative shear stress, which makes the stope floor in this area to show compression shear or tension shear failure. (3) According to the in situ test, the maximum floor failure depth of 41503 working face is 11.38 m, which is quite close to the theoretical calculation result of 9.68 m. (4) Applying the mechanical model to five other coal mines with different mining conditions and stress states, the maximum absolute error between the measured and theoretical values of floor failure depth is 1.1 m, the average absolute error is 0.8 m, the maximum relative error is 8.2%, and the average relative error is 6.5%. The study provides a certain mechanical basis and reference for the floor failure mechanism induced by mining and confined aquifer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data of cores, thin sections, well logs, and test experiments, the characteristics and main controlling factors of lamellation fractures in continental shales of the third and fourth members of the Paleogene Qianjiang Formation in the Qianjiang Depression, Jianghan Basin, are studied. Lamellation fractures mainly develop along laminas in shales. They have various morphological characteristics such as straightness, bending, discontinuity, bifurcation, pinching out, and merging. Lamellation fractures with high density show poor horizontal continuity and connectivity characteristics. The average linear density of the lamellation fractures is mainly between 20 m-1 and 110 m-1, and the aperture is usually less than 160 μm. The density of lamellation fractures is related to their apertures. The smaller the apertures of lamellation fractures are, the higher the density is. The development degree of lamellation fractures is mainly controlled by mineral composition, type, thickness, density of lamination, contents of organic matter and pyrite, lithofacies, structural position, etc. Lamellation fractures develop well, especially under the conditions of medium dolomite content, large lamination density, small lamination thickness, and high total organic carbon (TOC) and pyrite contents. The influences of lithofacies on the lamellation fractures are complex. The lamellation fractures are most developed in carbonaceous layered limestone dolomite and carbonaceous layered dolomite mudstone, followed by stromatolite dolomite filled with carbonaceous pyroxene. The fractures in the massive argillaceous dolomites and carbonaceous massive mudstones are poorly developed. No fractures can be found in the carbonaceous dolomitic, argillaceous glauberites or salt rocks with high glauberite content. Structure is also an important factor controlling lamination fractures. Tectonic uplifts are beneficial to the expansion and extension of lamellation fractures, which increases fracture density. Therefore, when other influence factors are similar, lamellation fractures develop better in the high part of the structure than in the low part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical disputes, which are prevalent in China, are a growing global public health problem. The Chinese government has proposed third-party mediation (TPM) to resolve this issue. However, the characteristics, efficiency, and influencing factors of TPM in resolving medical disputes in public hospitals in China have yet to be determined. Methods: We conducted a systematic study using TPM records from medical disputes in Gansu Province in China from 2014 to 2019. A χ2 test was used to compare differences between groups, and binary logistic analysis was performed to determine the factors influencing the choice of TPM for resolving medical disputes. Results: We analyzed 5,948 TPM records of medical disputes in Gansu Province in China. The number of medical disputes and the amount of compensation awarded in public hospitals in the Gansu Province increased annually from 2014 to 2019, with most of the disputes occurring in secondary and tertiary hospitals. Approximately 89.01% of the medical disputes were handled by TPM; the average compensation amount with TPM was Chinese Yuan (CNY) 48,688.73, significantly less than that awarded via court judgment and judicial mediation. TPM was more likely to succeed in settling medical disputes in the < CNY10,000 compensation group than in the no-compensation group (odds ratio [OR] = 3.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.53–6.45). However, as the compensation amount increased, the likelihood of choosing TPM decreased significantly. Moreover, TPM was less likely to be chosen when medical disputes did not involve death (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.36–0.45) or when no-fault liability was determined (vs. medical accidents; OR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.20–0.67). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that TPM mechanisms play a positive role in efficiently reducing compensation amounts and increasing medical dispute resolution rates which was the main settlement method in resolving medical disputes in public hospitals of Gansu Province in China. TPM could help greatly reduce conflicts between doctors and patients, avoid litigation, and save time and costs for both parties. Moreover, compensation amounts, non-fatal outcomes, and no-fault liability determinations influence the choice of TPM for settling medical disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most mining areas of China, coal seams are characterized by low gas pressure, poor permeability, and high gas adsorption capacity, all of which have brought considerable difficulties to coal seam mining and coalbed methane (CBM) extraction. According to the multiyear scientific research and production practice of China, gas is migrated in quantity only after the coal body is directly mined, and the surrounding rocks deform and fracture under the mining influence. Thus, the key to effective control of gas migration and the coal and CBM comining technology lies in investigating the gas resolution, permeation, migration, and accumulation laws in the coal seams under the unloading confining pressure during mining. The MTS815.02 rock mechanics testing system and its supporting equipment are combined to test the permeability characteristics of coal and rock mass (postpeak fractured coal and sandstone specimens) under the loading and unloading of confining pressure using the steady method, and then, the permeation laws of the fractured coal and rock mass are obtained. Results show that after the postpeak rock crack propagation reaches a stable state, the confining pressure gradually increases, and the gas permeability presents an approximately linear reduction; in the postpeak unloading phase, the opening and coalescence degree of rock cracks gradually increase as the deformation extends. Thus, permeability reaches a peak value. The strain softening phase follows, where the cracks are closed and permeability declines to a certain extent. Moreover, the unloading step size of confining pressure has bearing on gas permeability. Specifically, as the unloading step size of confining pressure decreases, the change of gas permeability increases in stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • First constraining on the age of the BIF in Zhongtiao, North China. • The Tongshan BIF is deposited during the late Archean. • Ferruginous seawater conditions contributed to the deposition of the Tongshan BIF. Banded iron formations (BIFs) occur extensively within the late Neoarchean supracrustal successions of the North China Craton (NCC). The Zhongtiao region is located on the southern margin of the NCC and is a terrane that may host BIFs. The region is well known for exposed early Precambrian rocks, such as the Sushui Complex, which can be divided into three lithological units: Neoarchean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) rocks, Paleoproterozoic multi-phase granitoids, and supracrustal rocks (i.e., the Sushui Group). Despite previous studies focused on the granites within the Sushui Complex, limited information is available on the supracrustal rocks and the potential for associated BIFs that have undergone amphibolite-facies metamorphism. Here, for the first time, we conduct petrological, geochronological, and geochemical studies on a newly discovered BIF layer (i.e., the Tongshan BIF) and the associated metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks in the Sushui Group. This study constrains the formation age of the Tongshan BIF, its source characteristics, and the redox state of the depositional environment. SHRIMP zircon U–Pb analyses on biotite plagioclase gneiss (the footwall rock of the BIF) demonstrate that the Tongshan BIF was formed at ca. 2583.1 ± 9.8 Ma. The Tongshan BIF, occurrs in a volcano-sedimentary succession, and may have been deposited in a continental margin arc along the southern segment of the NCC and may best be considered as an Algoma-type BIF. Given a 2.58 Ga depositional age for the Tongshan BIF and the Sushui Group, and the more restricted depositonal nature of Algoma-type BIFs, this work highlights the potential for the identification of additional BIF layers in the Zhongtiao region. Two distinctive sedimentary facies are recognized in the Tongshan BIF based on mineral composition: an oxide facies BIF, composed of magnetite and quartz, and a silicate facies BIF, composed of magnetite, amphibole, and quartz. The Tongshan BIF displays distinct seawater-like, shale-normalized REY characteristics, including super-chondritic Y/Ho ratios, HREE enrichment relative to LREE, and positive La, Gd, and Y anomalies. Consistently positive Eu anomalies are also observed, indicating the influence of a high-T hydrothermal input. No true negative Ce anomalies occur in the Tongshan BIF, suggesting a dominantly anoxic water column contemporaneous to deposition. Further, the lack of true negative Ce anomalies extensively occurring in the Tongshan BIF is consistent with other BIFs observed globally, and confirms that ferruginous (anoxic and Fe-rich) conditions were maintained in deep seawater before to the GOE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An individual's attitude towards sports is formulated and conditioned by a variety of factors. Previous studies have shown that the attitude towards sports activities is conditioned by the individual as well as the social and psychological factors affecting the formulation of this attitude. Therefore, the present study was constructed to evaluate the impact of the social and psychological mobilizer's influence on the formulation of an individual's attitude towards sports participation. An empirical model based on the theory of planned behavior has been proposed, considering the influence of family support, social influence, self-efficacy and self-regulation on the attitude towards sports and perceived enjoyment has been introduced as a mediator. A sample consisting of 356 Chinese individuals was collected online from educational institutes. The analysis of the data was performed using SEM. The proposed model demonstrates that social factors influence the development of attitude towards sports activities in individuals. Psychological factors also demonstrated a significant association with attitude towards sports. The mediation of perceived enjoyment also showcased significant effects. The study is novel from the standpoint as it evaluates both the psychological and social factors along with the introduction of perceived enjoyment in mediation and produces new findings. The study holds important implications from a policymaking and managerial standpoint as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taohemu deposit is a superlarge silver‐polymetallic deposit discovered in the Great Xing'an Range metallogenic belt of China in recent years. The deposit occurs in the terrestrial volcanic rock sequences of Late Jurassic age. The ore bodies consist mainly of rhyolitic tuffs, brecciated tuffs, and volcanic breccia bearing Ag‐Pb‐Zn mineralization, and are largely conformable with the surrounding layered volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks with a gradual transitional relationship manifesting as strata‐bounded features in general. The mineralization system appears to be generally controlled by a paleo‐volcanic chamber. It is suggested that the late volcanic hydrothermal fluids flowed within the permeable layers of rhyolitic pyroclastics consisting mainly of volcanic breccias and breccia‐bearing tuffs. This resulted in the formation of superlarge Ag‐Pb‐Zn polymetallic ore deposit metasomatism and fracture filling. The majority of the deposit occurs as shallowly dipping concealed ore bodies, as defined by sparsely distributed drill holes. Because of its short discovery history, new mineralization style and low degree of comprehensive research, the boundaries of most ore bodies have not been effectively delineated along vertical and lateral extensions. At present, it is crucial to strengthen the comprehensive studies on the deposit, conduct more detailed geological exploration, and establish the metallogenic and prospecting models. For this reason, we have designed and implemented long sections of magnetotelluric (MT) and controlled‐source audio magnetotelluric (CSAMT) sounding across the Taohemu ore field and obtained a large number of geological structures and valuable underground exploration results that provided reliable geophysical support for promoting deep resource exploration. Plain Language Summary: The geological structures associated with metallogenic system is usually covered by surface vegetation and Quaternary layer. Furthermore, surface mineralization is not relevant to deep ore bodies. To reveal the shape of ore bodies and geoelectrical structures in this study area, we applied geophysical electromagnetic methods to achieve this purpose. The results showed that the ore bodies are largely conformable with the surrounding rocks as strata‐bounded features in general tested by borehole information. The mineralization system appears to be generally controlled by a paleo‐volcanic chamber. Key Points: Underground geoelectric structures are imaged from MT and CSAMT exploration over Taohemu superlarge silver‐polymetallic deposit, Inner MongoliaOre bodies are conformable with surrounding volcanic and volcaniclastic rock with a gradual transitional relationship manifesting as strata‐bounded featuresThe mineralization system appears to be generally controlled by a paleo‐volcanic chamber [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new type of pollutant, microplastics (MPs) are an increasingly prominent threat to terrestrial ecosystems. However, the distribution, sources and influencing factors of MPs need to be further studied, especially in reservoir surrounding soil, a hot zone for MPs accumulation and a source of MPs in the watershed. Here, we detected MPs in 120 soil samples collected around Danjiangkou reservoir, with their amount ranging from 645 to 15,161 items/kg. The topsoil layer at 0–20 cm had lower levels of MPs (mean 3989 items/kg) than subsoils at 20–40 cm (mean 5620 items/kg). The most commonly detected types of MPs were polypropylene (26.4%) and polyamide (20.2%), with sizes ranging from 0.05 to 0.5 mm. With regard to shape, most MPs (67.7%) were fragmented, while fibers make up 25.3% of the MPs. Further analysis revealed that the number of villages had the highest driving force for the abundance of MPs with 51%, followed by pH 25% and land use types 10%. The water and sediment of reservoirs are important sources of agricultural soil microplastics. Paddy lands showed higher microplastics levels than orchards and dry croplands. The polymer risk index indicated that the agricultural soil near Danjiangkou reservoir had the highest MPs risk. This study highlights the importance of assessing MPs contamination in the agroecosystems surrounding reservoirs and provides valuable insight into clarify the ecological risks of MPs in the reservoir area. [Display omitted] • Agricultural soils were investigated for MPs in Danjiangkou Reservoir, China. • Habitats adjacent to the reservoir were widely contaminated by MPs. • Paddy land had higher MPs concentrations compared to orchards and dry croplands. • Microplastic contamination was positively related with number of village settlements. • Assessing fate of MPs in reservoir areas is vital for agroecosystem and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the prevalence of tuberculosis has decreased significantly over the past decades, the certain populations with mental illness are at increased risk for tuberculosis infection and transmission. However, no studies have examined the performance of different laboratory examination methods among people with severe mental illness in China.Methods: In this study, we firstly performed a retrospective study to evaluate the feasibility of three routine laboratory methods, including sputum microscopy, solid culture and GeneXpert, to diagnose tuberculosis patients with mental illness.Results: During August 2010 and March 2013, a total of 251 TB patients based on clinical and radiographic criteria with severe mental illness were enrolled in this study. The majority of patients was homeless (97/251, 38.6%), and the other 62 (24.7%) and 92 (36.7%) were from urban and rural region, respectively. The most frequently diagnosed mental illness was schizophrenia, accounting for 84.1% (211/251) of patients available for analysis. In addition, the laboratory received 753 sputum samples collected from these 251 TB patients, of which 76.0% (572/753) of samples were classified as salivary sputum, which were unqualified for microscopy and culture. When the test results were analyzed by patients, the positive numbers of TB patients detected by sputum microscopy, solid culture and GeneXpert were 3 (1.2%), 5 (2.0%) and 5 (2.0%), respectively.Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings reveal that the current laboratory examinations based on sputum samples seem not to be suitable for the diagnosis of active TB in the persons with severe mental illness. The products using a non-invasive specimen such as urine deserve further evaluation, which may generate benefit for the early diagnosis of TB in this special population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Measurement-based care (MBC) is a popular strategy of clinical management for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The consistency of self-report and clinical measurements is of importance, but whether individual symptom severity is in agreement for both self-report and clinician rating in MDD has not been comprehensively tested. This study aimed to test whether individual symptom severity of MDD was in agreement between self-report and clinician rating, and to explore factors affecting the agreement.Methods: In the National Survey on Symptomatology of Depression (NSSD) of China, 3275 patients with a major depressive episode were evaluated by both self-report and a clinician-rated version of 62 questions.Results: On average, 59% of all patients reached absolute agreement with their research clinicians. Among all questions, 73% returned with moderate positive strength of correlation, followed by 27% with low positive correlation. In 77% of the total questions, there was a tendency to rate higher in the self-report version compared with the clinician-rated version. After classifying the symptoms by six major domains, it was found that patients and clinicians showed more consistent answers in history and somatic questions (81% and 65% reached agreement), and that there were more differences in mood, energy, and anxiety questions (up to 56% in full agreement). "Outpatient", "high financial status", "poor working condition", and "high education level" were found to be significant positive predictors for patients rating higher than clinicians or patients and clinicians reaching agreement as opposed to clinicians rating higher than patients.Limitations: The cross-sectional nature of our study undermines the interpretation of the results across the MDD treatment course.Conclusions: It is sufficient to use the self-report version of a questionnaire to screen, monitor, and detect remission for MDD symptoms. Complete assessment of depression severity should take both clinician-rated scales and self-reported measures into consideration. Factors other than source of admission, financial status, working condition, and education level should be further investigated for the discrepancy between self-report and clinician rating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to explore subtypes of treatment-resistant depression (TRD).Methods: Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed on clinical and demographic data collected from 375 patients with TRD. Clinical variables were compared across subtypes. Treatment outcomes across subtypes of TRD were compared separately for those within each subtype with anxiety (those with a HRSD-17 anxiety/somatization factor score ≥ 7) and those without anxiety. LCA subtypes were compared using Cochran's and Mantel-Haenszel χ2 test, respectively. Unordered multinomial logistic regression was used to assess clinical correlates of TRD subtypes.Results: Three categories were detected: severe depression (66%), moderate depression with anxiety (9%) and mild depression with anxiety/somatization (25%). Gender, age, age at first onset, family monthly income, number of hospitalizations, HRSD-17 and clinical global impression-severity (CGI) scores were significantly different across the three groups. Remission rates were significantly different among anxious cases with severe (43.75%), moderate (22.73%) and mild (26.25%) depression subtypes. Compared to cases in the mild depression group, those in the severe depression group had a greater likelihood of being male, having a later age of first onset, higher numbers of hospitalization, higher HRSD-17 and CGI total scores, and lower family income. Those in the moderate depression group were more likely to be male and have lower family income than those in the mild depression group.Limitations: Representative bias, relatively small sample size, unbalanced group size and incomplete indicator variables might have a negative effect on the validity and generalization of the findings.Conclusions: Depression severity could be a basis for subtype classification of patients with TRD. The classification of latent class of TRD observed in our study was similar to the structure found in MDD. Longitudinal research into the stability of the latent structure of TRD across illness course is merited as is research into treatment outcomes for TRD subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Holocene evolution of moisture conditions in the arid Xinjiang region in inland NW China is increasingly debated. Analysis of climatic reconstructions from lake sediments, loess, sand-dunes and peats reveals a long-term wetting trend ('westerlies model'), whereas other studies, mainly of lake sediments and stalagmites, have indicated a long-term drying trend ('monsoon model'). Two observations can be made about these conflicting interpretations: (i) The 'monsoon model' records are mainly from high-altitude mountain areas with higher precipitation, whereas the 'westerlies model' records are mainly from low-altitude piedmont areas and basins, with lower precipitation. (ii) An increasing number of studies of the Xinjiang region and its surroundings demonstrate a long-term warming trend during the Holocene. Based on these observations, we propose the following simple hypothesis which is a compromise between the 'westerlies' and 'monsoon' models. Against the background of long-term Holocene warming, the increased meltwater supply from snow and ice in high-altitude mountain areas fed the low-altitude lakes, which finally resulted in higher lake levels, expanded oasis areas, and enhanced local moisture recycling. This potentially explains why the 'westerlies model' evidenced in the moisture records from lakes and adjacent loess and peat deposits comprises a long-term wetting trend. This hypothesis is largely consistent with the parts of the region that are currently experiencing climatic warming. More importantly, with the likely acceleration of climatic warming in the near future, the further ablation of ice and snow in the high-altitude mountain regions will present a major and growing threat to the sustainable socioeconomic development of Xinjiang. Consequently, it is important that both the government and the public seriously consider the implications of an ice-free environment in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To investigate halogenated flame retardant (HFR) contents in recycled plastic materials, 23 recycled plastic samples manufactured in five Chinese provinces were randomly purchased online, and the ∑12HFR concentrations of these samples (including 8 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, BDE 28, 47, 99, 100, 154, 153, 183 and 209), decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), and 2 dechlorane plus isomers (DP, syn -DP and anti-DP)) varied from ND to 169,000 ng g−1 (mean ± SD, 46,900 ± 44,700 ng g−1). BDE 209 and DBDPE were the dominant components and their concentration ranges were from ND to 106,000 ng g−1 and ND to 81,900 ng g−1, respectively. Generally, the HFR content and plastic variety closely correlate, and the ∑HFR concentrations in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC, N = 5), polypropylene (PP, N = 9), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS, N = 5), polystyrene (PS, N = 1) and polyethylene (PE, N = 3) samples were 65,300 ± 42,400, 36,700 ± 56,000, 30,000 ± 25,200, 24,300 and 4330 ± 7500 ng g−1, respectively. The HFR abundance in plastic from Guangdong (76,000 ± 56,400 ng g−1, N = 7) and Hebei (37,500 ± 11,500 ng g−1, N = 4) was much higher than that for other provinces/cities. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • HFR occurrence in recycled plastics in China was reported for the first time. • BDE 209 and DBDPE were the dominant components of the HFRs. • PVC and PP were the most contaminated plastics by HFRs. • Amount of flame retardant residual in recycled plastics were estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the twenty-first century, internationalisation of higher education (HE) has multiple dimensions - contents of curriculum, mobility of students and faculty, technology and programmes, which are all more or less related to English-medium instruction (EMI) policies. Like many other non-English-speaking countries, China’s EMI policies are crucial for its internationalisation of HE. What striking features do these policies have? And what challenges do they meet? Within Spolsky’s [(2004). Language Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) tripartite conceptual framework and utilising the data gathered via internet, interview and classroom observation, the paper is intended to examine China’s EMI policies in HE from three perspectives: language ideology, language management and language practice (LP). The study finds that China’s EMI policies are aiming at bidirectional internationalisation - for both outbound Chinese students and inbound international students. It also uncovers that the current main problems in China’s EMI policies do lie in LPs - limited EMI courses or programmes, and asymmetrical number of international degree students. The author argues that EMI policies should be developed together with disciplinary advancement and Chinese-medium instruction policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With fast development of Chinese economy, a large amount of garbage have been produced. Especially, high level radioactive waste (HLRW) bring dangers to the security of human being. Finding a suitable site to dispose HLRW is a key management to government. A potential HLRW disposal site has been chosen in west north of China at first, however, it is necessary to understand whether there exist electrical structures inside the rock mass, whether the rock mass is intact or not. We applied the controlled source audio-frequency magnetotelluric method (CSAMT) to confirm that. Three-dimensional numerical modeling of finite difference method was performed for typical structure in the study area, and response characteristics were analyzed to confirm which actual frequency range can be chosen and what structure dimension can be detected. Then we laid out 14 parallel survey lines to carry out data acquisition. By analyzing typical sounding curves, combined with drilling information and the inversion results, we suggest that the rock is intact and suitable for building a repository, which is a good recommendation for government department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent syntheses of marine paleoclimate records have revealed an overall long-term Holocene warming trend, especially in mean annual temperature (MAT), which is inconsistent with most terrestrial records on continental and global scales. We present a record of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) from the Shiwangutian (SWGT) peatland in central-southern China. Comparative results from surface peat samples from the SWGT peatland and the surrounding surface soils demonstrate that the brGDGTs are primarily of in-situ origin, demonstrating their potential as a record of local environmental changes. Monthly observational results show no seasonal variations in the methylation index of 5-methyl brGDGTs (MBT' 5ME which has been proposed as an indicator of local environmental temperature in peatlands) in the surface peat samples, suggesting that it is an indicator of MAT. Thus, we conclude that the long-term increasing trend in the brGDGTs-based MBT' 5ME records of two parallel independently-dated peat cores from the SWGT peatland clearly demonstrate a long-term warming trend during the Holocene. Additionally, we found that the brGDGTs-based records from five peatlands along an environmental gradient from southeastern (SE) humid to northwestern (NW) arid China also show a long-term Holocene warming trend. However, this trend is the opposite to the long-term Holocene cooling trend indicated by brGDGTs records from two peatlands in northeastern (NE) China, highlighting the complexity of peat brGDGTs as a climatic indicator. We therefore appeal for more peat brGDGTs studies, which are important for understanding the climate history of the Holocene and its potential relationship with human activities. • No seasonal bias in MBT'/MBT' 5ME indices of the brGDGTs in SWGT surface peats. • Long-term Holocene warming trend in two absolutely dated SWGT peat cores. • Seven peat MBT' records from five peatlands at four locations were composited. • The four locations cover a transect from southeastern to northwestern China. • Long-term Holocene warming trend is indicated by the composite MATpeat record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frost stress is a major environmental factor that limits apricot growth in the warm temperate zone (WTZ) of China, and is always triggered by extreme low temperature weather processes. In this study, the characteristics of the apricot frost processes f(D, Tcum), which were identified from historical disaster representation, were analyzed and apricot frost evaluation indicators were developed, thus facilitating the process-based assessment and spatiotemporal analysis of apricot frost processes. Periods of low temperature that persist for 1~2, 3, and ≥4 days (i.e., duration days, D) provide the initial identification indicator for light, moderate, and severe apricot frost. The threshold ranges for Tcum are 0~3.9, 9.2~12.0, and >16.2 for D values of 1~2, 3, and ≥4, respectively. The northwest of the WTZ is dominated by apricot frost, with approximately 80% of apricot frost being light, followed by moderate and severe. Regional apricot frost exhibited a significant decreasing trend over the last four decades. A total of 29.65% of stations, which were mainly located in the northwest and middle parts of the study region, detected an increasing trend in apricot frost. The results provide technical support for targeted apricot frost level detection, and the process-based spatiotemporal characteristics of apricot frost can provide basic information for the prevention and mitigation of apricot frost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China’s universal medical insurance system (UMIS) is designed to promote social fairness through improving access to medical services and reducing out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for all Chinese. However, it is still not known whether UMIS has a significant impact on the accessibility of medical service supply and the affordability, as well as the seeking-care choice, of patients in China. Methods: Segmented time-series regression analysis, as a powerful statistical method of interrupted time series design, was used to estimate the changes in the quantity and quality of medical service supply before and after the implementation of UMIS. The rates of catastrophic payments and seeking-care choices for UMIS beneficiaries were selected to measure the affordability and medical service flow of patients after the implementation of UMIS. Results: China’s UMIS was established in 2008. After that, the trending increase of the expenditure of the UMIS was higher than that of increase in revenue compared to previous years. Up to 2014, the UMIS had covered 97.5% of the entire population in China. After introduction of the UMIS, there were significant increases in licensed physicians, nurses, and hospital beds per 1000 individuals. In addition, hospital outpatient visits and inpatient visits per year increased compared to the pre-UMIS period. The average fatality rate of inpatients in the overall hospital and general hospital and the average fatality rate due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in general hospitals was significantly decreased. In contrast, no significant and prospective changes were observed in rural physicians per 1000 individuals, inpatient visits and inpatient fatality rate in the community centers and township hospitals compared to the pre-UMIS period. After 2008, the rates of catastrophic payments for UMIS inpatients at different income levels were declining at three levels of hospitals. Whichever income level, the rate of catastrophic payments for inpatients of Urban Employee’s Basic Medical Insurance was the lowest. For the low-income patients, a single hospitalization at a tertiary hospital can lead to catastrophic payments. It is needless to say what the economic burden could be if patients required multiple hospitalizations within a year. UMIS beneficiaries showed the intention of growth to seek hospitalization services in tertiary hospitals. Conclusions: Introduction of the UMIS contributed to an increase in available medical services and the use thereof, and a decrease in fatality rate. The affordability of UMIS beneficiaries for medical expenses was successfully ameliorated. The differences in patients’ affordability are mainly manifested in different medical insurance schemes and different seeking-care choices. The ability of the poor patients covered by UMIS to resist catastrophic medical payments is still relatively weak. Therefore, the current UMIS should reform the insurance payment model to promote the integration of medical services and the formation of a tiered treatment system. UMIS also should establish supplementary medical insurance packages for the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: Previous evidence has found that some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cardiomyopathy‐associated 5 gene (CMYA5) were associated with schizophrenia in the Caucasian and Chinese Han populations. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between CMYA5 gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia in Chinese Uygur population and perform a meta‐analysis to synthetically analyse the association of CMYA5 gene polymorphisms with schizophrenia in Asian populations. Method: We retrospectively analysed 985 schizophrenia cases and 1123 healthy controls in Chinese Uygur population. Four SNPs (rs259127, rs3828611, rs4704591 and rs6883197) of CMYA5 were genotyped using TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. Meta‐analysis was conducted across Asian studies by Review Manager 5.2. Results: Results showed no significant difference in either allelic or genotypic frequency in four SNPs of the CMYA5 gene between cases and controls (P > 0.05). However, the age of onset and the PANSS positive‐factor subscale score were significantly lower in schizophrenia patients with the A/A genotype of rs6883197 than those with A/G and G/G genotypes (P < 0.05). In addition, the meta‐analysis showed the significant association of rs3828611 with risk of schizophrenia (P = 0.03, OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.91–0.99). Conclusions: Our results support the association between CMYA5 rs6883197 and schizophrenia in Chinese Uygur population. Meta‐analysis demonstrated that rs3828611 was significantly associated with schizophrenia in Asian population. Genetic heterogeneity among populations may be the main reason of results conflict between studies. In conclusion, association between CMYA5 gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia was confirmed in Asian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-dated sediment core from an alpine lake in north China (Gonghai Lake) was used for analysis of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids (brGDGTs). Based on the cyclization ratio index (CBT) of the brGDGTs, and using different terrestrial and lacustrine CBT-pH empirical relationships, the reconstructed pH records over the past ca. 15 ka exhibited similar trends of variation, although the absolute pH values were different. In order to better understand the reconstructed pH record, samples of surface soils from the dust source area and the catchment of Gonghai Lake, as well as surface sediments from the lake, were collected for instrumental pH measurements and modern brGDGT analysis. The instrumental pH results demonstrated that the surface soils from the dust source area were alkaline, while those from the catchment of Gonghai Lake were acidic. In addition, the instrumental pH results for the surface sediments from the lake were slightly alkaline and the corresponding pH values were intermediate between those of the two surface soil source groups. This may reflect the effect of the input of material from different sources on the sedimentary pH record. However, the results from modern brGDGTs in some of the surface soils and surface sediment samples demonstrate that brGDGTs in the core sediments from Gonghai Lake are predominantly of aquatic origin. Therefore, the CBT-derived pH record over the past ca. 15 ka from the lake can be interpreted as a record of the lake water pH history, which is consistent with the carbonate content record from a parallel core from the same lake. In addition, using the modern lacustrine calibration, the CBT-derived pH values for surface sediments of Gonghai Lake are consistent with instrumental modern lake water pH values for the lake. Further comparison indicates that the lake water pH is controlled mainly by the degree of humidity of the local climate, which is closely related to the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM); therefore, the pH record can be used as an indicator of EASM intensity. Our results demonstrate that, on the basis of careful analysis of its origins, the CBT index of aquatic brGDGTs can be used for lake water pH reconstruction and subsequent paleoclimate reconstruction, and that in north China, the lake water pH is controlled mainly by the degree of humidity of the local climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation facilitates high-quality economic development and ecological environmental protection. Herein, the minimum distance to strong efficient frontier (MinDS) model was used to measure green innovation efficiencies (GIEs) of 30 Chinese provinces over a period of 21 years (2000–2020). Gini coefficient decomposition and kernel density estimation methods were used to analyze the regional differences of GIE. Spatial correlation was estimated to analyze spatial-spillover effects and spatial convergence of the GIE. China's GIE has shown an increasing trend with significant spatial differences in GIE among provinces. Regional differences and transvariation intensity are the primary sources of spatial differences in GIE. Regional differences in GIE have decreased, except for eastern regions. The results of spatial convergence estimation suggest spatial absolute and conditional convergence in all regions. Therefore, for the GIE improvement in China, the effects of economic level, industrial structure, and environmental regulations must be considered. • The MinDS method is used to measure the efficiency of green innovation (GIE). • GIE shows significant spatial dependence in neighboring regions. • Differences in GIE between central and western regions are constricting. • Spatial conditional convergence is faster than spatial absolute convergence. • Policies should encourage regional coordination for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of existing problems in the spatial design of subway station, this paper explored the principles that regional culture involves in the artistic space design of subway station; based on the analysis of three main design sections and site cases-spatial interface, public art and color, the paper also discussed the artistic application and design embodiment of regional culture characteristics reflected in every element of subway station space design, so as to provide a consolidated design example for subway station space design featuring regional characteristics in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to leverage the interactions and peer-influences among online friends to motivate users’ purchase willingness and improve marketing performance has been a hot research issue in human behavior based on social media. In our research, we extracted the dataset of users’ purchasing membership services on QQ, the biggest online instant message system in China, to explore the main factors of user’s peer-influence behavior on promoting purchase in social media. Through a series of elaborate experiments, we obtained some valuable results. First, though the high-degree users who have a lot of online friends will influence more followers to purchase the services, the proportion of friends involved in the purchase is actually comparatively lower than some low-degree users. At the same time, the “neighbor-press effect” induced from a user’s connected friends having purchased will bring obvious positive impact on promoting this user’s purchase willingness. Finally, the length of most purchase chains (about 80%) is within two nodes, which verifies that the purchase diffusion is more confined in the small-scale “circle of friends”. Our results indicate that peer-influence purchase is less likely to be due to the influence of higher degree users but is more related to the number of prior adoptions (predecessors) in the user’s social neighborhood. The achievements of this study will provide deep technical supports for strategic planning and implementation in the social marketing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Branched relative to normal C 15 alkanols (BNA 15) was tested as a temperature proxy. • BNA 15 was evaluated with 129 samples from 18 globally distributed peatlands. • BNA 15 in surface peats correlates with temperature, with a minor influence from pH. • Branched alkan-1-ols are enriched at the acro/catotelm boundary. • BNA 15 in catotelm correlates with MAAT. The BNA 15 biomarker proxy, which reflects the relative abundance of the branched over the normal C 15 alkan-1-ols, was recently proposed as a novel terrestrial paleothermometer and applied to ancient peat deposits to reconstruct past temperature variations across the Holocene. However, to date, a peat-specific calibration for this novel temperature proxy does not exist. Here we analyzed a set of surface and downcore peat samples from Chinese peatlands with a broad range in mean annual air temperature (MAAT) (–3.2 °C to 18.5 °C) and pH (4.7 to 8) to understand the relationship between the BNA 15 proxy and temperature in peat deposits. Downcore samples from three peatlands outside China were also obtained to test its wider applicability. Our results show that the variations in BNA 15 across multiple surface samples from a single peatland are relatively large, suggesting that we must be careful with the application of BNA 15 to reconstruct small amplitude temperature variations. In addition, the BNA 15 changes significantly with depth, with higher values in the anoxic catotelm in mid/low latitude peatlands and slightly higher values in the oxic acrotelm in high latitude/altitude peatlands. Combined with concentrations of alkan-1-ols in a subtropical peat core retrieved from central China, we propose that branched alkan-1-ols are predominantly produced at the acrotelm-catotelm boundary. BNA 15 has a moderate correlation with the growth temperature (including the months that the daily temperature is over 0 °C) in surface peat samples. In contrast, a strong positive correlation exists between BNA 15 and MAAT using catotelm samples from Chinese peatlands (MAAT = 2.03 × BNA 15 – 2.33; R2 = 0.95, p < 0.01, RMSE = 2.3 °C). We find no clear correlation between BNA 15 and pH in the surface peat samples. The application of the BNA 15 index to two forest/woody wetlands from outside of China highlights that care should be taken when applying this index in these environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduced the connotation of rural ecotourism, and analyzed the advantages of tourism resources development of mountainous rural landscapes in southern Shaanxi. On this basis, it expounded the existing problems of mountainous rural landscape development in southern Shaanxi, and concluded that its rural landscape resource tourism development was not enough, ecological awareness needed to be strengthened, and the characteristics of rural landscapes were not fully explored. Furthermore, the suggestions and measures for the protection and sustainable development of the ecological environment pattern and the inheritance and excavation of the characteristic culture of the rural landscape were proposed, with a view to providing a reference for the development and construction of rural landscape tourism in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peat brGDGTs (branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids) have been proposed as an indicator of past temperature changes. However, recent Chinese peat brGDGTs-based Holocene temperature ranges, of >10 °C, are implausible as they are greater than the corresponding ranges obtained using other proxies. This indicates the possible role of additional factor(s) affecting peat brGDGTs, other than temperature. Here, we report the results of a comparative study of surface peat samples, from dry sites (without water cover when sampling) and water sites (with water cover when sampling), from three peatlands with contrasting environmental backgrounds in China. The results clearly demonstrate the influence of water conditions on the molecular distribution of peat brGDGTs. Specifically, the relevant methylation index (MBT′/MBT′ 5ME , which is proposed as a temperature indicator) of brGDGTs from the water sites is generally lower than that from the dry sites, which may be caused by the decoupling of water/air temperatures and/or different brGDGTs-producing bacterial communities controlled by the water conditions. Considering the long-term process of hydroseral succession from a water body (an analogue of a water site) to a peat bog (an analogue of a dry site), we estimate that around half of the range of the peat brGDGTs-based Holocene temperature record could result from long-term changes in hydrological conditions. If this effect is removed from the peat core MBT′ 5ME record, the residual range of the peat brGDGTs-based Holocene temperature record from the Narenxia peatland in the Altai Mountains, in arid inland China, is consistent with that of the quantitative pollen-based Holocene temperature record from the same peatland, highlighting the paleoclimatic significance of our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]