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The PIESAT-01 constellation is the world's first multi-baseline distributed synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation with a "Cartwheel" formation. The "Cartwheel" formation is a unique formation in which four satellites fly in companion orbits, ensuring that at any given moment, the main satellite remains at the center, with three auxiliary satellites orbiting around it. Due to this unique configuration of the PIESAT-01 constellation, four images of the same region and six pairs of baselines can be obtained with each shot. So far, there has been no imaging and interference research based on four-satellite constellation measured data, and there is an urgent need to explore algorithms for the "Cartwheel" configuration imaging and digital surface model (DSM) production. This paper introduces an improved bistatic SAR imaging algorithm under the four-satellites interferometric mode, which solves the problem of multi-orbit nonparallelism in imaging while ensuring imaging coherence and focusing ability. Subsequently, it presents an interferometric processing method for the six pairs of baselines, weighted fusion based on elevation ambiguity from different baselines, to obtain a high-precision DSM. Finally, this paper selects the Dingxi region of China and other regions with diverse terrains for imaging and DSM production and compares the DSM results with ICESat-2 global geolocated photon data and TanDEM DSM data. The results indicate that the accuracy of PIESAT-01 DSM meets the standards of China's 1:50,000 scale and HRTI-3, demonstrating a high level of precision. Moreover, PIESAT-01 data alleviate the reliance on simulated data for research on multi-baseline imaging and multi-baseline phase unwrapping algorithms and can provide more effective and realistic measured data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing data that encompass municipalities and regions within China at the prefectural level and beyond, spanning the period from 2012 to 2021, this study employed the spatial Durbin model to assess the spatial spillover impact of the digital economy in propelling low-carbon advancement within regional physical industries. This investigation elucidates the spatial spillover mechanism that underlies the low-carbon evolution of regional industries catalyzed by the digital economy and offers nuanced insights. The findings delineate the following observations: (1) The digital economy propels the low-carbon progression of indigenous physical industries and stimulates the low-carbon development of proximate regions' physical industries through discernible spatial spillover effects. (2) The spatial spillover ramifications of the digital economy manifest a substantive correlation with urban attributes, including geographical positioning, population size, and market integration levels. Notably, municipalities situated in the southeast coastal region, those characterized by larger population sizes, and those exhibiting heightened market integration levels show greater spatial spillover effects attributable to the digital economy. (3) The safeguarding of intangible asset equity property, a pivotal institutional underpinning for fostering digital economic development, amplifies the spatial spillover effect of the digital economy in propelling low-carbon development within regional industries. (4) As geographical and spatial distances expand, the spatial spillover effect of the digital economy attenuates, indicating a diminishing influence with increasing spatial separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining accurate and real-time spatial distribution information regarding crops is critical for enabling effective smart agricultural management. In this study, innovative decision fusion strategies, including Enhanced Overall Accuracy Index (E-OAI) voting and the Overall Accuracy Index-based Majority Voting (OAI-MV), were introduced to optimize the use of diverse remote sensing data and various classifiers, thereby improving the accuracy of crop/vegetation identification. These strategies were utilized to integrate crop/vegetation classification outcomes from distinct feature sets (including Gaofen-6 reflectance, Sentinel-2 time series of vegetation indices, Sentinel-2 time series of biophysical variables, Sentinel-1 time series of backscatter coefficients, and their combinations) using distinct classifiers (Random Forests (RFs), Support Vector Machines (SVMs), Maximum Likelihood (ML), and U-Net), taking two grain-producing areas (Site #1 and Site #2) in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China, as the research area. The results indicate that employing U-Net on feature-combined sets yielded the highest overall accuracy (OA) of 81.23% and 91.49% for Site #1 and Site #2, respectively, in the single classifier experiments. The E-OAI strategy, compared to the original OAI strategy, boosted the OA by 0.17% to 6.28%. Furthermore, the OAI-MV strategy achieved the highest OA of 86.02% and 95.67% for the respective study sites. This study highlights the distinct strengths of various remote sensing features and classifiers in discerning different crop and vegetation types. Additionally, the proposed OAI-MV and E-OAI strategies effectively harness the benefits of diverse classifiers and multisource remote sensing features, significantly enhancing the accuracy of crop/vegetation classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have been conducted to explore medication non-adherence in persons with schizophrenia (PWS) and its influencing factors in rural China. This study aimed to investigate the medication non-adherence and its influencing factors among PWS in rural China. A total of 269 PWS and their family caregivers in Xinjin district, Chengdu, China were investigated on medication adherence and related factors. Logistic regression was employed to identify the influencing factors. The results showed that 37.6% of PWS had medication non-adherence. PWS living with family caregivers had significantly lower rate of medication non-adherence (34.7%) than those not living with family caregivers (60.0%) (p < 0.01). Family caregivers' affiliate stigma of mental illness, knowledge of mental illness and self-esteem were significantly related to patients' medication non-adherence (p < 0.05). PWS' employment status, living with family caregiver, present mental status and social support were significantly related to medication adherence. This study shows medication non-adherence is severe among PWS in rural China. Both patient- and family-related factors affect patients' medication adherence seriously. Except improving patients' treatment and mental status, development of family caregiving, social support network and intervention on reducing stigma of mental illness should be crucial for enhancing PWS' medication adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus plants are prone to phosphorus (P) deficiency, especially in acidic soil, making them more dependent on root-associated endophytic fungi for growth and development. Beni-Madonna, a hybrid of Citrus nanko × C. amakusa, is a citrus known as "tangor" that is highly popular in China and other parts of the world due to its deep red color and jelly-like flesh. In this study, the inoculation response to two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Diversispora versiformis, Dv; Funneliformis mosseae, Fm) and an endophytic fungus (Serendipita indica, Si) with regard to the growth, leaf gas exchange, light energy efficiency, P levels, acid phosphatase activity, and expression of the purple acid phosphatase (PAP) and phosphate transporter (PT) genes through a potted experiment using Beni-Madonna (tangor) citrus plants grafted on trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) was studied. Two years following inoculation, the root fungal colonization rates of inoculated plants were significantly increased, accompanied by an increase in plant height and stem diameter, with Si presenting the best effect. Fungal inoculations also significantly increased the leaf chlorophyll index, nitrogen-balance index, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, photosynthetic efficiency, and quantum yield of PSII, while it reduced photoinhibition and heat dissipation, with Si having the best effect on light energy efficiency. Si significantly increased leaf and root P levels, as well as root CsPAP1‒3, CsPT2, CsPT3, and CsPT7 expression and soil acid phosphatase activity; Fm in mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased leaf and root P levels, as well as root CsPT1 and CsPT7 expression and root/soil acid phosphatase activity. These observations suggested an advantage of Si over the other two AMF in terms of improved plant growth and P acquisition, while Fm displayed prominent effects on increased photosynthetic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies were performed on the impact of exposure to gaseous pollutants on the risk of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). We conducted this study to analyze the association between short-term exposure to gaseous pollutants and the risk of hospitalizations for KOA. A total of 2952 KOA hospitalizations derived from two hospitals in Hefei, and the relationship between gaseous pollutants and KOA hospitalizations was analyzed by a distributed lag non-linear model combined with a generalized linear model. We found that the decreased risk of hospitalizations for KOA were both related to exposure to NO2 (RR = 0.993, lag19 day) and O3 (RR = 0.984, lag0 day), while exposure to CO could increase the risk of hospitalizations for KOA (RR = 1.076, lag2 day). Stratified analyses suggested that the KOA patients < 65 years were more susceptible to O3 exposure, and the female, male, patients ≥ 65 years, and patients < 65 years were both more sensitive to CO exposure. Our findings demonstrated that exposure to NO2, O3 resulted in a decreased risk for KOA hospitalizations, and CO exposure might increase the risk of KOA hospitalizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Giardia duodenalis is a common zoonotic intestinal protozoan and causes significant economic losses and potential risks to public health. China is among the several major producers of donkeys worldwide, with approximately 2.6 million donkeys being reared in 2019, but studies on G. duodenalis infection in donkeys were limited. Thus, in order to better understand the molecular epidemiology of G. duodenalis in donkeys in China, 815 fecal samples were collected from donkeys in three representative geographical locations in Shanxi Province, North China, to determine the presence and genotypes of G. duodenalis based on three established loci (tpi, bg, and gdh). A total of 137 out of 815 fecal samples were detected as G. duodenalis-positive with an overall prevalence of 16.81%. Among the detected assemblages A, B, and E, the most predominant assemblage was B in the three study areas. Three MLGs (MLG-novel-1 to 3) were identified with multilocus genotypes (MLGs) analysis and validated by a phylogenetic tree. This is the first report of G. duodenalis infection in donkeys in Shanxi Province, which not only enhances our understanding of the genetic diversity of G. duodenalis in donkeys in China but also provides essential baseline data for the prevention and control of G. duodenalis infection donkeys in the study areas. Giardia duodenalis is a ubiquitous flagellated protozoan, causing significant economic losses to animal husbandry and posing threats to public health. China ranks the world's sixth largest major producer of donkeys, rearing approximately 2.6 million donkeys in 2019, but limited investigation of G. duodenalis prevalence has been conducted in the past, and it is yet to be known whether donkeys in Shanxi Province are infected with G. duodenalis. In the present study, a total of 815 fecal samples collected from donkeys in representative regions of Shanxi Province, North China, were examined for G. duodenalis using nested PCR. Then, the assemblages and multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were examined based on three established loci: namely, β-giardin (bg), triosephosphate isomerase (tpi), and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh). The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis in donkeys in Shanxi Province was 16.81% (137/815). The region was identified as the main risk factor for the observed difference in G. duodenalis prevalence in donkeys among the three study areas (χ2 = 21.611, p < 0.001). Assemblages A, E, and B were identified, with the latter as the predominant assemblage. Three MLGs (MLG-novel-1 to 3) were formed based on sequence variation among the three loci. The present study reveals the presence of G. duodenalis in donkeys in Shanxi Province, North China, for the first time, which not only enriches the data on the distribution of G. duodenalis in donkeys in China but also provides useful baseline data for planning control strategies against G. duodenalis infection in the sampled areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are one of the most critical components of an ecosystem, supporting many ecological niches and a rich diversity of flora and fauna. The ecological significance of these sites makes it imperative to study the changes in their inundation extent and propose necessary measures for their conservation. This study analyzes all 64 Ramsar sites in China based on their inundation patterns using Landsat imagery from 1991 to 2020. Annual composites were generated using the short-wave infrared thresholding technique from June to September to create inundation maps. The analysis was carried out on each Ramsar site individually to account for its typical behavior due to regional geographical and climatic conditions. The results of the inundation analysis for each site were subjected to the Mann–Kendall test to determine their trends. The analysis showed that 8 sites exhibited a significantly decreasing trend, while 14 sites displayed a significantly increasing trend. The accuracy of the analysis ranged from a minimum of 72.0% for Hubei Wang Lake to a maximum of 98.0% for Zhangye Heihe Wetland National Nature Reserve. The average overall accuracy of the sites was found to be 90.0%. The findings emphasize the necessity for conservation strategies and policies for Ramsar sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is unclear whether the enhancing contact model (ECM) intervention is effective in reducing family caregiving burden and improving hope and quality of life (QOL) among family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia (FCPWS). Methods: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in FCPWS in eight rural townships in Xinjin, Chengdu, China. In total, 253 FCPWS were randomly allocated to the ECM, psychoeducational family intervention (PFI), or treatment as usual (TAU) group. FCPWS in three groups were assessed caregiving burden, QOL and state of hope at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), 3-month (T2), and 9-month (T3) follow-up, respectively. Results: Compared with participants in the TAU group, participants in the ECM group had statistically significantly lower caregiving burden scores both at T1 and T2 (p = 0.0059 and 0.0257, respectively). Compared with participants in the TAU group, participants in the PFI group had statistically significantly higher QOL scores in T1 (p = 0.0406), while participants in the ECM group had statistically significantly higher QOL scores in T3 (p = 0.0240). Participants in both ECM and PFI groups had statistically significantly higher hope scores than those in the TAU group at T1 (p = 0.0160 and 0.0486, respectively). Conclusions: This is the first study to explore the effectiveness of ECM on reducing family caregiving burden and improving hope and QOL in rural China. The results indicate the ECM intervention, a comprehensive and multifaceted intervention, is more effective than the PFI in various aspects of mental wellbeing among FCPWS. Future research needs to confirm ECM's effectiveness in various population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although stigma and caregiving burden are important in relation to mental health recovery, few studies have been conducted on affiliate stigma and caregiving burden among family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia (FCPWS) in rural China. Aims: This study aimed to examine the severity level of affiliate stigma and caregiving burden, and identify the correlates among FCPWS in rural China. Methods: A mental health survey was conducted (N = 253 FCPWS) in Xinjin county, Sichuan province, China. Affiliate Self-Stigma Scale and Zarit Burden Interview Short Form were used. The regression analysis was performed to explore the correlates of stigma and burden. Results: Most FCPWS reported experiencing high and severe level of affiliate stigma (78.66%) and caregiving burden (95.26%). Family caregivers who were middle aged, unemployed, with high caregiving burden and low quality of life (QoL), showed more severe affiliate stigma. Family caregivers who were female, older, with low income, high affiliate stigma and low QoL, experienced greater caregiving burden. Conclusions: The large majority of FCPWS in rural China experienced severe affiliate stigma, caregiving burden and poor QoL. It is crucial to develop culture-specific anti-stigma interventions to reduce caregivers' stigma and caregiving burden, and improve QoL. Specific risk factors of family caregivers' affiliate stigma and caregiving burden should be considered for development of health policy and community-based mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes: To investigate quality of life (QoL) of family caregivers of people with schizophrenia and examine the influencing factors of the QoL in a Chinese rural area. Methods: This study included people with schizophrenia (n = 269) and their family caregivers (n = 269) from Xinjin district, Chengdu, China. Family caregivers' QoL was measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Form and its influencing factors was analyzed by the multivariate regression. Results: Family caregivers of people with schizophrenia had very poor QoL across four domains. The regression analysis showed that physical domain of QoL was significantly associated with age, psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, and caregiving burden of family caregivers (p < 0.05). Psychological domain of QoL was significantly related to family caregivers' affiliate stigma, caregiving burden, and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia (p < 0.05). Social domain of QoL was significantly associated with age and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, and affiliate stigma of family caregivers (p < 0.05). Environmental domain of QoL was significantly related to age and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, and family caregivers' caregiving burden (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Family caregivers of people with schizophrenia had poor QoL in rural China. Family caregivers' QoL is significantly impacted by age and psychiatric symptoms of people with schizophrenia, caregivers' affiliate stigma and caregiving burden. Providing social support and psychosocial interventions for family caregivers of people with schizophrenia might be crucial to improve their QoL and caregiving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing human activities have greatly influenced the ecosystem and the use of ecological resources, and the unbalanced urban–rural development in China (urban and rural areas being two major bases of human activities) has always been accompanied by heterogeneous ecological effects. Human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) is an integrated indicator quantifying the human domination of productivity and harvest in the biosphere. Identifying the unbalanced constraints of urban and rural development on HANPP has become necessary for improving human–land relationships. This study analyzed the spatial distribution and regional differentiations of the HANPP in China in 2015 and investigated how HANPP and its components responded to unbalanced regional urban–rural development. The results show that the total amount of HANPP was 2.68 PgC and gradually decreased from the southeast to the northwest of China in 2015, representing 60.33% of the NPPpot. In addition, HANPPluc, harvest through cropland, livestock grazing, and forestry contributed 60.70%, 29.86%, 8.53%, and 0.91%, respectively, to the total HANPP, with HANPPluc playing the dominant role in 21 provinces. There was a significant differentiation (p < 0.05) in the spatial distribution of HANPP (gC/m2), HANPPharv (gC/m2), and HANPPluc (gC/m2), especially between the Huanyong Hu Line and the western–eastern part of China, fundamentally resulting from uneven regional development. In addition, biomass production–consumption decoupling existed in most regions in China, 17 provinces were identified as consumption type, and a universal positive correlation (p < 0.05) was identified between the production–consumption ratio of occupied biomass and HANPPharv (%HANPP). Different drive mechanisms were found between urban–rural development and HANPP, and each HANPP index was more likely to be affected by urban economy (UE), rural population (RP), and rural agricultural technology (RA) in China. The higher regional average nighttime light intensity, the proportion of the built-up area, and the urban road area corresponded with a large HANPPluc value. Conversely, HANPP would decrease as the proportion of urban green spaces increased. Furthermore, HANPP (%NPPpot) and HANPP (gC/m2) mostly depended on the rural development index, while HANPPluc and HANPPharv were mainly controlled by urban and rural development, respectively. Our findings help understand, first, how unbalanced regional development influences human-induced biomass occupation, the comprehensive urban ecological construction, and rural ecological restoration and, second, that the overall planning of urban–rural integration development must be strengthened to face greater ecological pressures in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the periodic rise and fall of the water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir in China, the rock mass in the ebb and flow zone of the slope is always in a state of a dry-wet cycle. In order to explore the influence of dry-wet cycle on mechanical properties of jointed sandstone, the triaxial and uniaxial compression tests of dry-wet cycle of jointed sandstone were carried out. For the experiment, four groups of samples with different numbers of joints were set up, and the jointed rock samples were subjected to 20 dry-wet cycles. Using both the triaxial compression test and the Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) rock fracture criterion, the strength envelope of the sandstone samples was fitted, and their strength degradation was further analyzed and studied. The results show that: ① The peak intensity and elastic modulus of the sandstone samples decrease with increased number of dry-wet cycles. ② The total deterioration of mechanical properties of intact rock samples is bigger than that of jointed sandstone samples as the number of dry-wet cycles increases. ③ With the increase of confining pressure, the peak intensity of intact sandstone samples increases muchmore than that of jointed sandstone samples, which indicates that joints and their numbers have obvious influence. ④ Joints and their numbers play an important role in guiding the damage effects of sandstone samples, which weaken the damage caused by dry-wet cycles. Therefore, the envelope of the M-C strength criterion of intact sandstone samples moves more than that of jointed sandstone samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-span cable-stayed bridge is a typical wind-sensitive structure because of its light weight and great flexibility. The reliability evaluation of the cable-stayed bridge under wind action becomes a key issue during bridge design and operation. In this paper, taking Xiangshan Harbor highway cable-stayed bridge in Ningbo City in China as the engineering background, ANSYS 15.0 is used to build a finite element model of this bridge to explore its aerostatic stability and influencing parameters, then the static wind reliability of this bridge is analyzed. Firstly, considering the structural nonlinearity and the nonlinearity of static wind load comprehensively, the critical wind speed of aerostatic instability of the Xiangshan Harbor cable-stayed bridge is calculated by the internal and external double iteration method. Then the influence of the initial wind attack angle, steel wire breakage rate of the stay cables, static three-component force coefficients, and cable broken position on the static wind stability of this bridge are discussed. Thus, the variation rule of the critical aerostatic instability wind speed is obtained, and the parameter that has the greatest impact on the static wind stability of the cable-stayed bridge in service is determined. Finally, considering the randomness of these key parameters, they are treated as random variables, Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method is used to obtain samples of random variables to calculate aerostatic instability wind speed for a given sample by self-written calculation program, and on this basis, static wind reliability analysis is conducted by the checking point method, which provides strong support for the static wind risk evaluation of the existing long-span cable-stayed bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown carbon (BrC) constitutes a large fraction of organic carbon and exhibits strong light absorption properties, thus affecting the global radiation budget. In this study, we investigated the light absorption properties, chemical functional bonds, and sources of BrC in six megacities in China, namely Beijing, Harbin, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Wuhan. The average values of the BrC light absorption coefficient and the mass absorption efficiency at 365 nm in northern cities were higher than those in southern cities by 2.5 and 1.8 times, respectively, demonstrating the occurrence of abundance of BrC in northern China's megacities. Fourier transform–infrared (FT-IR) spectra revealed sharp and intense peaks at 1640, 1458–1385, and 1090–1030 cm−1, which were ascribed to aromatic phenols, confirming the contribution of primary emission sources (e.g., biomass burning and coal combustion) to BrC. In addition, we noted peaks at 860, 1280–1260, and 1640 cm−1, which were attributed to organonitrate and oxygenated phenolic groups, indicating that secondary BrC also existed in six megacities. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) coupled with multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network analysis were used to apportion the sources of BrC light absorption. The results showed that primary emissions (e.g., biomass burning, tailpipe emissions, and coal combustion) made a major contribution to BrC in six megacities. However, secondary formation processes made a greater contribution to light absorption in the southern cities (17.9 %–21.2 %) than in the northern cities (2.1 %–10.2 %). These results can provide a basis for the more effective control of BrC to reduce its impacts on regional climates and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of bridge structures towards being light weight and having a large span , the overall flexibility, and, hence, wind sensitivity, of the bridge increases. Flutter is one of the pivotal factors considered in the design and operation stage for long-span cable-stayed bridges due to its devastating impact, often intrigued by relatively low instability caused by wind speed. This paper presents a reliability theory-based numerical analysis on bridge flutter stability and its influence law of key parameters using a real bridge, the Xiangshan Harbor highway cable-stayed bridge in China. The analysis starts with creating a full scale of finite element model for the bridge in service to calculate the flutter derivative and time-dominated combining rational function in order to obtain the critical-flutter wind speed, and then the aerodynamic self-excited forces on the bridge and flutter time-history response are calculated to identify the flutter critical wind speed. Further, the influence of key parameters for flutter reliability, including the stiffness of the main girder, wire breaking rate, damping ratio and cable breakage location are analyzed comprehensively to achieve the change law of critical flutter wind speed with these parameters. Considering the uncertainty of the actual parameters, these parameters are taken as random variables, and the reliability index and failure probability of bridge flutter are calculated according to their probability distribution and the Latin hypercube sampling method. On this basis, a few suggestions are put forward for flutter risk-control during the service of this cable-stayed bridge, which can further enhance the design theory for long-span flexible bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimizing the construction and update strategies for reference and candidate populations is the basis of the application of genomic selection (GS). In this study, we first simulated1200-purebred-pigs population that have been popular in China for 20 generations to study the effects of different population sizes and the relationship between individuals of the reference and candidate populations. The results showed that the accuracy was positively correlated with the size of the reference population within the same generation (r = 0.9366, p < 0.05), while was negatively correlated with the number of generation intervals between the reference and candidate populations (r = −0.9267, p < 0.01). When the reference population accumulated more than seven generations, the accuracy began to decline. We then simulated the population structure of 1200 purebred pigs for five generations and studied the effects of different heritabilities (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5), genotyping proportions (20, 30, and 50%), and sex ratios on the accuracy of the genomic estimate breeding value (GEBV) and genetic progress. The results showed that if the proportion of genotyping individuals accounts for 20% of the candidate population, the traits with different heritabilities can be genotyped according to the sex ratio of 1:1male to female. If the proportion is 30% and the traits are of low heritability (0.1), the sex ratio of 1:1 male to female is the best. If the traits are of medium or high heritability, the male-to-female ratio is 1:1, 1:2, or 2:1, which may achieve higher genetic progress. If the genotyping proportion is up to 50%, for low heritability traits (0.1), the proportion of sows from all genotyping individuals should not be less than 25%, and for the medium and high heritability traits, the optimal choice for the male-to-female ratio is 1:1, which may obtain the greatest genetic progress. This study provides a reference for determining a construction and update plan for the reference population of breeding pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By selecting typical seismic sections to carry out detailed structural interpretation, the structural style features of the Wunansha Uplift in the South Yellow Sea basin were systematically combined, and the compressional structures (imbricate, opposite/back thrust, and Y-shaped structures), strike-slip faults (positive flower-shaped faults), and extensional normal faults (listric-shaped normal faults) were identified. On this basis, combined with the characteristics of the regional stress field and the background of deep geodynamics, the genetic mechanism and structural evolution of the structural style in the Wunansha Uplift were defined. The stress mechanism of the compressional structures originated from the initial high-speed and low-angle NW subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate during the early Yanshanian movement in the Early Jurassic. The regional strike-slip fault was mainly a positive flower structure with compression and torsion characteristics, and its stress mechanism originated from sinistral shear caused by the Early Cretaceous low-angle NNW subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate. The Tan-Lu fault in eastern China also had sinistral shear characteristics in this period. The extensional normal fault was characterized by a listric shape, which developed along the northern boundary of the Wunansha Uplift, that is, the connection between the Wunansha Uplift and the Southern Depression of the South Yellow Sea basin. The stress mechanism was derived from the transition of the paleo-Pacific plate from low-angle to high-angle subduction during the late Yanshanian movement in the Late Cretaceous. Simultaneously, the tectonic stress system in eastern China also changed from compressional to tensional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The increasing prevalence of mental illness and low treatment rate presents a pressing public health issue in China. Pervasive stigma is a significant barrier to mental health recovery and community inclusion. In particular, stigmatizing or supportive attitudes held by healthcare providers could either perpetuate or mitigate self-stigma of people with mental illness. Moreover, mental health resources are unevenly distributed in China, with most of them concentrated in urban centers and provincial capitals. This study explores healthcare providers' attitudes toward mental illness and the challenges they faced at work in a rural Chinese county. Method: Four focus groups were conducted with 36 healthcare providers from a three-tier mental healthcare system in a rural county in southwestern China. Focus group discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The team employed a conventional content analysis approach for data analysis. All transcripts were double-coded by three bilingual team members who are native Chinese speakers. Coding discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Results: Healthcare providers recruited from the county, township, and village levels varied in educational background, professional qualification, and experience of working with people with mental illness. Five thematic categories identified across four groups include (1) barriers to mental healthcare delivery, (2) keys to mental health recovery, (3) providers' attitudes toward providing care, (4) providers' perception toward patients and family members, and (5) providers' perception of training needs. Conclusions: This is a unique study that included healthcare providers from a three-tier healthcare system. Findings signal the importance of understanding healthcare practitioners' experiences and views to inform the design of training initiatives in rural or low-resource communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has become a leading cause of global blindness as a microvascular complication of diabetes. Regular screening of diabetic retinopathy is strongly recommended for people with diabetes so that timely treatment can be provided to reduce the incidence of visual impairment. However, DR screening is not well carried out due to lack of eye care facilities, especially in the rural areas of China. Artificial intelligence (AI) based DR screening has emerged as a novel strategy and show promising diagnostic performance in sensitivity and specificity, relieving the pressure of the shortage of facilities and ophthalmologists because of its quick and accurate diagnosis. In this study, we estimated the cost-effectiveness of AI screening for DR in rural China based on Markov model, providing evidence for extending use of AI screening for DR.Methods: We estimated the cost-effectiveness of AI screening and compared it with ophthalmologist screening in which fundus images are evaluated by ophthalmologists. We developed a Markov model-based hybrid decision tree to analyze the costs, effectiveness and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of AI screening strategies relative to no screening strategies and ophthalmologist screening strategies (dominated) over 35 years (mean life expectancy of diabetes patients in rural China). The analysis was conducted from the health system perspective (included direct medical costs) and societal perspective (included medical and nonmedical costs). Effectiveness was analyzed with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The robustness of results was estimated by performing one-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic analysis.Results: From the health system perspective, AI screening and ophthalmologist screening had incremental costs of $180.19 and $215.05 but more quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) compared with no screening. AI screening had an ICER of $1,107.63. From the societal perspective which considers all direct and indirect costs, AI screening had an ICER of $10,347.12 compared with no screening, below the cost-effective threshold (1-3 times per capita GDP of Chinese in 2019).Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrates that AI-based screening is more cost-effective compared with conventional ophthalmologist screening and holds great promise to be an alternative approach for DR screening in the rural area of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the acceleration of industrialization, haze pollution has become a severe environmental pollution problem, and green technology innovation is one feasible way to alleviate it. Based on the PM2.5 concentration data of 30 provinces in mainland China from 2011 to 2017, we use a spatial panel model to investigate the spatial characteristics of haze pollution and examine the impact of green technology innovation on it. Results show that haze pollution has spatial correlation and a time lag. Its spatial correlation is associated with geographical distance as well as the compound influence of distance and economic development. Green technology innovation and foreign investment have inhibitory and negative spillover effects on haze pollution. Industrial structure and energy consumption structure play a partial intermediary role between green technology innovation and haze pollution, and the former has a significant negative spillover, while the latter has a positive effect. To reduce haze pollution, China should improve the level of green technology innovation, use foreign investment wisely, and enhance policy support and guidance. It should also promote the rationalization of industrial structure, optimize energy structure, and implement energy substitution. Finally, it is crucial that it should strengthen regional collaborative governance and build a multi-agent governance system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous expansion scale of carbon market and the development of carbon trading mechanism, carbon emission right, as a new financial asset, is being brought into the category of asset allocation by more and more investors. As the burning of coal is the major source of carbon dioxide, China is facing serious ecological and environmental problems, which restrict the development of low-carbon economy. In order to reach the carbon dioxide emission reduction targets and promote the development of green investment market, the carbon market should be a good emission reduction measure. The correlation and dynamic volatility spillover among coal, carbon, and green investing markets are becoming a hot topic for current research. The paper applies both VAR-GARCH-DCC and VAR-GARCH-BEKK models to draw some significant conclusions. (1) The green investment market, coal market, and Shenzhen carbon market show obvious time-varying correlation, and the volatility of the green investment market is higher. (2) There is a bidirectional Granger causality between green investing and coal markets. (3) The investment portfolio and hedging mechanism of the market are established to reduce the risk and help investors obtain higher returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nothotsuga is a monotypic genus of Pinaceae endemic to southern China today. Molecular data indicate that Nothotsuga split from Tsuga during the Palaeogene with the earliest fossils from the upper Eocene of North Europe. However, Nothotsuga fossil has not been reported from China. Here, we describe several well-preserved seed cones from the upper Miocene of Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province, China. The fossil cones are characterised by ovate to elliptic shapes, rhombic to suborbicular and auriculate scales, and exserted subspathulate bracts with dentate margin and acute or acuminate apical cusp. These cones are ascribed to a new species Nothotsuga sinogaia sp. nov. based on detailed comparisons with all extant genera of Pinaceae. The present discovery indicate that Nothotsuga had a more northern distribution during the late Miocene and the increased annual range of monthly-mean temperature might have restricted its modern distribution to several scattered and fragmental areas in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Chinese government decisively imposed nationwide confinement in response to the COVID‐19 outbreak. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the progression of obesity in children and adolescents in Changshu, China. Methods: Based on the Health Promotion Program for Children and Adolescents (HPPCA), which is a prospective cross‐sectional and school‐based study, BMI assessed in seven consecutive years (2014 to 2020) among children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years in Changshu city was extracted. The standardized BMI z scores (zBMI) and prevalence of obesity between 2020 (after COVID‐19 home confinement) and the previous 6 years were compared among age‐specific subgroups and between sexes. Results: The mean number of participants per year was 29,648. The overall mean zBMI drastically increased from 0.29 in 2019 to 0.45 in 2020, resulting in a rise of 0.16 (95% CI: 0.14‐0.18); the prevalence of obesity substantially elevated to 12.77% in 2020 (versus 10.38% in 2017), with an acceleration of 2.39% (95% CI: 1.88%‐2.90%). Of note, these increases were more likely to be observed in boys and those 6 to 11 years old. Conclusions: The COVID‐19 pandemic seemed to exacerbate the obesity epidemic among pediatric populations in Changshu, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coleus forskohlii (Lamiaceae) cultivates imperishably over the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia; extracts from the roots and aerial parts of C. forskohlii are widely employed for the therapy of respiratory disorders, gastro-intestinal disturbance, heart diseases, and central nervous system disorders. The morphologies and structures of trichomes from C. forskohlii, as well as phytochemicals they secrete in China-origin plants are poorly unstated. Objectives: This study was intended to characterize the morphology and structure of trichomes and the profile of their secretory materials. Materials and Methods: To characterize the morphology and structure of trichomes, which happen on the vegetative and reproductive organs of C. forskohlii, it was employed light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The chemical qualities of volatile compounds from Glandular trichomes (GTs) of C. forskohlii were also studied using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and histochemical reactions. Results: Four morphologically distinct trichomes, i.e., non GTs, peltate GTs, Type 1 and 2 capitate GTs, were categorized. Histochemical study naked the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, lipids, and terpenes in the GTs. Essential oils, isolated from mature leaves by hydro-distillation, were investigated by GC-MS and 41 compounds were acknowledged with oxygen-containing sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes as the major compounds. Conclusion: Secretory materials of GTs attained by surface extraction also indicated the precise features in the China-origin samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper develops a 'light' total productive maintenance (TPM) model suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By design, the system is rudimentary, using a relatively small sum of capital investment and resources. The model recommends TPM implementation in three stages, namely plan, improve and sustain. Design/methodology/approach: Literature review provides the inputs to the model development. Action research is used to demonstrate and verify the effectiveness and practicability of the framework, in a SME manufacturing hydraulic parts in China. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and awareness of employees were studied before and after the implementation. Findings: The case study shows a significantly improved production efficiency of equipment. The framework structuralizes TPM deployment and binding different levels of organization into the program, from planning, implementation to sustaining the practices. To break the barrier of shop floor resistance, leader must drive many activities unassisted, it therefore necessitates an open endorsement of authority by the steering committee composed of top management. Prudent pilot run of TPM helped to accelerate the implementation at critical equipment, in addition to cultivating experience and hence confidence among staff. Research limitations/implications: This study provides a pragmatic reference to other researches and practitioners to promote a light TPM model in SMEs, without losing the essences of TPM. Being an action research with the case study in a specific manufacturing industry, the resultant evidence therefore is anecdotal. Originality/value: The model adopts a phased method to implement TPM, without aggravating the financial and human resource burden of the enterprise. It promotes the cultivation of employees' TPM awareness and active involvement, which can lay a solid foundation for the wide implementation of TPM in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six new triterpenes, uncarinic acids KP (1–6), along with 24 known analogues, were isolated as minor constituents of an aqueous decoction of the hook-bearing stems of Uncaria rhynchophylla (Gou-teng). By comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis, their structures were elucidated as derivatives of olean-12-en-28-oic acid and urs-12-en-28-oic acid with different oxidized forms at C-3, C-6, and/or C-23, respectively. Cell-based preliminary bioassay showed that the (E)-/(Z)-coumaroyloxy and (E)-/(Z)-feruloyloxy units at C-27 of olean-12-en-28-oic acid and urs-12-en-28-oic acid played roles in their bioactivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russula griseocarnosa is one of the uncultivable important mycorrhizal edible fungi. Currently, there is a limited insight into the dynamic composition of the microbial communities associated with Russula. Here, the microbiota in the root and mycorrhizosphere from Russula -Fagaceae nature areas of Fujian province were identified by Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing. First, we compared three types of fungal communities associated with Russula -Fagaceae root mycelia-running stage (stage-1), Russula sporocarping stage-2 (stage-2) and Russula -free Fagaceae root (stage-3). Fungal diversity negatively correlated with Russula. Russula , Tomentella and Lactarius were core EcM in Fagaceae roots. A total of eight genera, including Boletus , are likely a positive indicator of Russula sporocarp production in Russula -Fagaceae roots, while Tomentella and Elaphomyces for Russula symbiosis. Secondly, analysis of fungal and bacterial communities within rhizosphere soils from the three stages revealed six genera, including Dacryobolus and Acidocella , as possible indicator species associated with sporocarping in Russula. Elaphomyces , Tomentella, Sorangium , Acidicaldus , Acidobacterium and Haliangium occurred more frequently in the Russula rhizosphere. Furthermore, operational taxonomic unit (OTU) network analysis showed a positive correlation between Russula , Tomentella , Elaphomyces and Sorangium. Overall, our results revealed a relationship between micro-community and Russula , which may provide a new strategy for improving Russula symbiosis and sporocarp production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solenopsis invicta is a main issue in southern China and is causing significant damage to the local ecological environment. The extensive use of insecticides has resulted in the development of tolerance in S. invicta. In our study, ten S. invicta colonies from Sichuan Province exhibited varying degrees of tolerance against flonicamid, with LC 50 values from 0.49 mg/L to 8.54 mg/L. The sensitivity of S. invicta to flonicamid significantly increased after treatment with the P450 enzyme inhibitor piperonyl butoxide (PBO). Additionally, the activity of P450 in S. invicta was significantly enhanced after being treated with flonicamid. Flonicamid induced the expression levels of CYP4aa1 , CYP9e2 , CYP4C1 , and CYP6A14. The expression levels of these P450 genes were significantly higher in the tolerant colonies compared to the sensitive colonies, and the relative copy numbers of CYP6A14 in the tolerant colonies were 2.01–2.15 fold. RNAi feeding treatment effectively inhibited the expression of P450 genes, thereby reducing the tolerance of S. invicta against flonicamid. In addition, the overexpression of CYP6A14 in D. melanogaster resulted in reduced sensitivity to flonicamid. Our investigations revealed hydrophobic interactions between flonicamid and seven amino acid residues of CYP6A14, along with the formation of a hydrogen bond between Glu306 and flonicamid. Our findings suggest that flonicamid can effectively control S. invicta and P450 plays a pivotal role in the tolerance of S. invicta against flonicamid. The overexpression of CYP6A14 also increased tolerance to flonicamid. [Display omitted] • Differences in tolerance among S.invicta colonies to flonicamid was demonstrated. • Higher expression levels of P450 genes were shown in the flonicamid tolerant colony. • RNAi treatment of P450 genes reduces the tolerance of S. invicta to flonicamid. • Overexpression of CYP6A14 in D. melanogaster boosts its tolerance to flonicamid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine how feedback seeking impact safety performance through feedback environment and the moderating role of consideration of future consequence. Correlation data were collected from 202 participants in three industries of China. Results indicate that feedback seeking is positively associated with feedback environment and safety performance, the feedback environment mediated the relationship between feedback seeking and safety performance. However, the positive effect of feedback environment on safety performance is more significant when consideration of future consequence is high. Overall, the findings highlight the critical importance of individual features in the research on safety performance. The conclusion is conducive to a more detailed understanding of the antecedents that affect safety performance and provides a new perspective for the improvement of safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Vitamins and trace elements are essential nutrients for growth and intestinal adaptation in children with short bowel syndrome (SBS). This study aimed to assess micronutrients' status during and after weaning off PN in pediatric SBS. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the follow-up of 31 children with SBS between Jan 2010 and Sep 2019. Clinical data were reviewed from the patients' electric medical record. Serum electrolytes, trace elements, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and folate concentrations were collected before and after enteral autonomy. Results: Thirty-one SBS cases were reviewed (median onset age 11 days after birth, 51.6% boys, mean PN duration 4 months, and mean residual small intestine length 58.2 cm). Median duration of follow-up was 10 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 4, 19). The common micronutrient deficiencies were zinc (51.6%), copper (38.7%), vitamin D (32.3%), and phosphorus (25.8%) after the transition to EN. The proportion of patients deficient in vitamin D decreased dramatically from 93.5% to 32.3% (P < 0.001), and serum concentrations of vitamin D increased significantly (27.4 ± 12.3 vs. 60.3 ± 32.9 nmol/l, P = 0.03) after achieving full enteral feeding more than 1 month. Additionally, serum magnesium levels significantly increased (0.76 ± 0.17 vs. 0.88 ± 0.14 mmol/l, P = 0.03). Hemoglobin levels elevated significantly after weaning off PN (104.3 ± 10.7 vs. 117.8 ± 13.7 g/l, P = 0.03). Conclusions: Micronutrient deficiencies remain a common problem in pediatric SBS through intestinal rehabilitation. Therefore, we strongly recommend supplementation of more vitamin D and trace elements (zinc, copper, and phosphorus) under regular monitoring during long-term intestinal rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The petroleum industry plays an essential role in driving China's economic development. In the past few decades, several reforms in the petroleum industry have been implemented; however, there are still some issues that have not been resolved. Moreover, with the new-normal economy, the transition to green energy and international trade disputes, the petroleum market is also facing emerging challenges. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to review the historical development of China's petroleum market, identify the current challenges and propose corresponding countermeasures for future prospects. As a conclusion, five main challenges are highlighted totally, namely lack of marketization, excess oil refining capacity, high external dependency, environment pollution and unstable international trading relationship. To address these challenges, it is encouraged to deepen petroleum market reform, accelerate the elimination of inefficient refining capacity, diversify oil supply sources, as well as improve domestic petroleum enterprises' ability to resist price risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the situation of global low-carbon development, the contradiction among energy consumption, economic growth, and CO2 emissions is increasingly prominent. Considering the possible two-way feedback among the three, based on the panel data of 30 regions in China from 2000 to 2017, this paper establishes a spatial Durbin model including economic growth, energy consumption equation, and CO2 emissions and studies the dynamic relationship and spatial spillover among economic growth, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions effects. The results show that the economic growth can significantly improve carbon dioxide emissions, and China's economic growth level has become a positive driving force for carbon dioxide emissions. However, economic growth will not be significantly affected by the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. There is a two-way relationship between energy consumption (ENC) and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2). Energy consumption and carbon emissions are interrelated, which has a negative spatial spillover effect on the carbon dioxide emissions of the surrounding provinces and cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Recently, increasing studies have revealed that leptin is involved in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study is aimed at exploring the association of leptin gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with susceptibility to RA in a Chinese population. Methods. We recruited 600 RA patients and 600 healthy controls from a Chinese population and analyzed their three leptin SNPs (rs10244329, rs2071045, and rs2167270) using the improved Multiplex Ligase Detection Reaction (iMLDR) assays. The associations of these SNPs with clinical manifestations of RA were also analyzed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed for plasma leptin determination. Results. No significant difference in either allele or genotype frequencies of these three SNPs between RA patients and healthy controls was observed (all P > 0.05). Association between the genotype effects of dominant, recessive models was also not found (all P > 0.05). No significant difference in plasma leptin levels was detected between RA patients and controls (P > 0.05). Conclusion. Leptin gene (rs10244329, rs2071045, and rs2167270) polymorphisms are not associated with RA genetic susceptibility and its clinical features in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change has become the greatest threat to mankind, endangering the ecological security of the earth and the long-term development of human society. Therefore, how to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb the trend of global warming has become a common challenge facing all countries in the world. Fossil energy combustion is the fundamental cause of climate change. In this paper, the price return series of domestic energy and carbon markets are taken as the research objects. Firstly, the cross-correlation test is used to verify that there is an obvious cross-correlation between the return series of the energy and carbon markets. Based on this, the multifractal characteristics of energy market and carbon market cross-series are empirically studied. The empirical results show that there is an interactive correlation between energy and carbon markets and this relationship has multifractal characteristics; the interactive correlation between return series has multifractal characteristics. The long-range correlation between small fluctuations and large fluctuations and the fat tail distribution of return series are all reasons for the formation of multifractality. These conclusions will help to understand the non-linear dependence and potential dynamic mechanism between energy and carbon markets in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, the missed diagnosis rate of pulmonary hypertension (PH) was high, and there has been limited development of a rapid, simple, and effective way to screen the disease. The purpose of this study is to develop a deep learning approach to achieve rapid detection of possible abnormalities in chest radiographs suggesting PH for screening patients suspected of PH. Methods: We retrospectively collected frontal chest radiographs and the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) value measured by Doppler transthoracic echocardiography from 762 patients (357 healthy controls and 405 with PH) from three institutes in China from January 2013 to May 2019. The wohle sample comprised 762 images (641 for training, 80 for internal test, and 41 for external test). We firstly performed a 8-fold cross-validation on the 641 images selected for training (561 for pre-training, 80 for validation), then decided to tune learning rate to 0.0008 according to the best score on validation data. Finally, we used all the pre-training and validation data (561+80 = 641) to train our models (Resnet50, Xception, and Inception V3), evaluated them on internal and external test dataset to classify the images as having manifestations of PH or healthy according to the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC/ROC). After that, the three deep learning models were further used for prediction of PASP using regression algorithm. Moreover, we invited an experienced chest radiologist to classify the images in the test dataset as having PH or not, and compared the prediction accuracy performed by deep learing models with that of manual classification. Results: The AUC performed by the best model (Inception V3) achieved 0.970 in the internal test, and slightly declined in the external test (0.967) when using deep learning algorithms to classify PH from normal based on chest X-rays. The mean absolute error (MAE) of the best model for prediction of PASP value was smaller in the internal test (7.45) compared to 9.95 in the external test. Manual classification of PH based on chest X-rays showed much lower AUCs compared to that performed by deep learning models both in the internal and external test. Conclusions: The present study used deep learning algorithms to classify abnormalities suggesting PH in chest radiographs with high accuracy and good generalizability. Once tested prospectively in clinical settings, the technology could provide a non-invasive and easy-to-use method to screen patients suspected of having PH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. To identify and analyze factors that influence administration, recognition, and compliance of medicine among community residents in Jilin Province, China. Methods. A survey was carried out among 2417 community residents in Jilin Province, China, to study their administration (CRA), recognition (CRR), and compliance (CRC) of medicine. Multivariate logistic regression analyses and chi-squared tests were performed to assess factors influencing CRA, CRR, and CRC. Results. Logistic analyses showed that gender, educational level, and occupation were influencing factors on CRA; age, educational level, smoking status, and health condition were influencing factors on CRR; and gender, age, occupation, and health condition were influencing factors on CRC. Conclusions. CRA, CRR, and CRC are associated with specific lifestyles and social economic statuses of community residents. Attention should be paid to influencing factors in order to facilitate community pharmaceutical care, promote the rational use of drugs, and ensure the safe use of medications. This study explores the type and extent of professional services provided through community pharmacies in Jilin Province, China, and provides evidence for optimizing the quality of community pharmacy services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice-crab culture is the characteristic rice ecological breeding model used in the Panjin area of Liaohe River Basin, China, and it can improve the ecological environment and create increased economic benefits. From a food perspective, both rice yield and quality, which are closely related to the fertilization mode, should be considered. However, the effect of different fertilization modes on rice quality has not been comprehensively investigated in this co-culture system. This study investigated the effects of three fertilization modes(FP1, FP2, and OPT) divided according to different fertilization types and methods on rice yield and quality, and set up a non-fertilized control group. In the rice-crab culture system, FP2 used fewer fertilizers and had a lower economic cost, and the yield was only slightly less than that of OPT(highest yield) but there was no statistical difference. FP2 elicited the best appearance quality and better cooking and eating quality among all treatment modes. Compared with CK, three fertilization modes significantly increased the protein content in rice and decreased the amylose content, which would lead to the deterioration of rice eating quality. However FP2 had the least protein increase and the least amylose reduction. There was no significant change in crude fat and starch content. Therefore, the FP2 fertilization mode was the best choice for the rice-crab culture system, as it significantly improved rice yield and increased rice quality at a relatively low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pembrolizumab (Pembro) in combination with chemotherapy has been approved for the treatment of pretreated advanced NSCLC in the United States and China for its significant efficacy. However, the cost‐effectiveness is unknown considering Pembro's high price. The impact of programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) test on the cost‐effectiveness is also unknown. The current study assessed the cost‐effectiveness of combination therapy for nonsquamous NSCLC from the United States and China public payers' perspective. Materials and Methods: A literature‐based Markov model was conducted using KEYNOTE‐189 trial data to compare cost and quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) of three treatment strategies for nonsquamous NSCLC: Pembro‐chemotherapy combination and chemotherapy strategy without PD‐L1 test, and treatment strategy according to their PD‐L1 status. Results: In base case analysis, the combination strategy generated an additional 0.78 QALYs and 0.59 QALYs over chemotherapy in the United States and China respectively, resulting in an ICER of $132 392/QALY in the United States and $92 533/QALY in China. In the PD‐L1 ≥1% base case, the ICERs were $77 754/QALY and $56 768/QALY respectively in the United States and China for PD‐L1 test strategy. In the PD‐L1 ≥50% base case, the ICERs were $44 731/QALY and $34 388/QALY respectively in the United States and China for PD‐L1 test strategy. Lowering Pembro price can also partly decrease the ICERs. Conclusion: Compared with chemotherapy, the combination strategy is not cost‐effective for the treatment of NSCLC in the American and Chinese health care system at WTP threshold of $100 000/QALY for the United States and $27 351/QALY for China. Using PD‐L1 test for patient selection and price reduction could improve the cost‐effective probabilities of immunotherapy for nonsquamous NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the association of adiponectin (AD) and adiponectin receptor (ADR) gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with genetic susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Chinese population.Study Design: Five AD SNPs (rs266729, rs2241766, rs1063537, rs2082940 and rs1063539) and two ADR SNPs (rs7539542 and rs12342) were genotyped in a cohort of 617 patients with RA and 639 healthy controls. Seven SNPs were genotyped using TaqMan genotyping assays on the Fluidigm 192.24 system. The concentration of AD in plasma was examined by ELISA.Results: Patients with RA showed a considerably lower plasma level of AD than healthy controls (p=0.002). No significant differences were observed for the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies of rs266729, rs2241766, rs2082940, rs1063539, rs7539542 and rs12342 SNPs between patients with RA and controls. The genotype effects of recessive and dominant models were also analysed, but no marked evidence for association was found. However, further analysis in female patients with RA showed that the frequency of the AD gene rs1063539 GG genotype was nominally significantly higher in patients who were anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody-positive (p=0.040). No significant differences in serum AD level were observed in patients with RA with different genotypes.Conclusions: rs266729, rs2241766, rs2082940 and rs1063539 in the AD gene and rs7539542 and rs12342 in the ADR gene are possibly not associated with genetic susceptibility to RA, but the AD gene rs1063539 locus was possibly associated with anti-CCP in RA female patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourist volume forecasting is an ongoing theme in tourism research. Current methods rely too much on the previous tourist arrivals data. Based on tourism system perspective, we propose a visiting probability model composed of five independent variables: the attractiveness of a destination, the travel time from a origin to the destination, the traffic expense to and from the destination, the physical fatigue travel time and the per capita disposable monthly income of the origin. The model provides a new method for forecasting the number of tourists from a specific origin without historical tourist arrivals data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improving patients' perception of social support is significant not only for their re-adaptation to life but also for alleviating caregivers' burden. Aim: This study aims to examine an integrated model regarding social support, psychotic symptoms and caregiver burden. Methods: Persons with schizophrenia (N 1 = 300) and their family caregivers (N 2 = 300) in Xinjin County, Chengdu, China, completed the survey to report their demographics, patients' perception of social support (Duke Social Support Index), psychotic symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and caregiver burden (Burden Scale for Family Caregivers, Short Version). Structural equation modelling was utilised to test the proposed model. Results: The degree of caregiver burden differed significantly within subgroups of patients' gender and education, as well as caregivers' gender, education and employment. Caregiver burden was negatively related to patients' age and household income. Social interaction partially mediated the relationship between instrumental and subjective social support (total effect = 0.451, p <.01). Subjective social support fully mediated the impact of social interaction on psychotic symptoms (total effect = −0.099, p <.05). In the final model, instrumental social support was positively associated with social interaction (p <.001) and increased subjective social support (p <.05). Increased subjective social support showed correlation with a lower degree of psychotic symptoms (p <.01), which was related to a lower level of caregiver burden (p <.001). Conclusion: This study shows the associations of patients' social support with psychotic symptoms and caregiver burden. Culture-specific psychosocial interventions should be provided for both patients and caregivers to enrich external support and reduce psychotic symptoms and caregivers' burden within the health care environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed to compare the treatment status between older (≥65 years) and younger adults (18-64 years) with severe mental illness (SMI) and explore factors associated with treatment status in rural China. Persons with SMI were identified in one mental health survey in 2015 in 6 townships of Xinjin County, Chengdu, China. Logistic regressions were conducted to explore factors associated with treatment status. Older adults with SMI, especially major depressive disorder, reported significantly lower rates of treatment than younger group. Older age, longer duration of illness, and poor mental status were risk factors for never-treated status in these patients. Never-treated status (46.3%) and poor treatment status in these older patients are serious issues. Different treatment statuses in these patients had various influencing factors. It is crucial to develop culture-specific, community-based mental health services to improve early identification, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery of older adults with SMI in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia nitrogen (AN) is evaluated with fixed water quality standards (WQSs) in aquatic environment management in China. Since the toxicity of AN can be influenced by water parameters, the current evaluation is not rigorous and may result in problematic conclusions. The present study collected the ecotoxicity and exposure data of AN in Chinese surface freshwaters in 2017. The species sensitivity distribution of AN was established, and the ecological risk posed by AN in Chinese surface waters was assessed with Chinese AN water quality criteria. The results showed that mollusk species are the most sensitive taxa to AN. Ecological risk assessments on AN suggested that, in summer and autumn, when the water temperature and pH are high, the risk of AN may occur at some sites with good water quality (Class II or III). This poses a threat to aquatic organisms at these sites, especially highly sensitive freshwater shellfish. It suggested that neglect of water parameters impact may lead to underestimation of ecological risk of AN in Chinese basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Internalized stigma, an adverse psychological process, severely impedes the lives of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and restricts them from social integration and recovery. The aim of this study was to empirically evaluate an integrative model of relationship between internalized stigma and patients' recovery-related outcomes among people diagnosed with schizophrenia in a rural Chinese community.Method: A total of 232 people diagnosed with schizophrenia in Xinjin, Chengdu, participated in this study and completed measures of internalized stigma, social interaction, perceived social support, social functioning, and symptoms. The internalized stigma of mental illness scale (ISMI) was used to measure the internalized stigma. Path analysis was used to test the association between internalized stigma and recovery-related outcomes.Results: There were no significant differences in mean scores of ISMI by gender, age (18-64 years and ≥ 65 years), education, marital status, or economic capacity. Internalized stigma was negatively associated with perceived social support and social interaction. Furthermore, higher level of internalized stigma was associated with impaired social functioning, and a lower level of social functioning was significantly associated with more severe symptoms.Conclusion: Internalized stigma is associated with poor social interaction and weakened perceived social support in people diagnosed with schizophrenia, and is linked negatively to outcomes in their recovery. It is essential to tailor interventions related to reducing internalized stigma within a Chinese context and evaluate the effectiveness of anti-stigma intervention on recovery for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of carbon market, the complex dynamic relationship between electricity and carbon market has become the focus of energy research area. In this paper, we applied a new developed multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis method to investigate the cross-correlation and multifractality between electricity and carbon markets. We analyze the daily return of electricity and carbon prices over a period of 6 years to do the research. The results show that, firstly, we find that there is a strong negative correlation between domestic carbon price and electricity price and a significant cross-correlation between the return series of electricity and carbon markets. Secondly, through multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis, it is proven that there are obvious multifractal characteristics in the return series of electricity and carbon markets, and the results of traditional linear analysis are unreliable. We also find that, based on multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis, the law cross-correlation between electricity and carbon markets exists significantly. The long-range correlation of small fluctuations and large fluctuations and the fat tail distribution of return series are the reasons for the formation of multifractality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effect of temporary emission control measures on air quality during the 2016 G20 summit held in Hangzhou, China, an intensive field campaign was conducted with a focus on aerosol chemistry and gaseous precursors from 15 August to 12 September 2016. The concentrations of fine particles were reduced during the intense emission control stages, with the reduction of carbonaceous matter being mostly responsible for this observed decrease. This, in turn, was mainly ascribed to the decrease of secondary organic aerosols via the suppression of daytime peak secondary organic carbon (SOC)formation. Although the regional joint control was enacted extending to the Yangtze River Delta region, the effect of long-range transport on the air quality of Hangzhou was ubiquitous. Unexpectedly high NOx concentrations were observed during the control stage, when the strictest restriction on vehicles was implemented, owing to contributions from upstream populous regions such as Jiangsu and Shandong provinces. In addition, the continental outflow traveling over the ocean triggered a short pollution episode on the first day of the G20 summit, resulting in a significant enhancement of the nitrogen/sulfur oxidation rates. In the wake of the summit, all air pollutants evidently rebounded after the various control measures were lifted. Overall, the fraction of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA; in this case sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium aerosols -- SNA) in PM2:5 increased as relative humidity increased; however, the overall concentration of PM2:5 did not increase. To evaluate the effect of temporary emission control measures on air quality during the 2016 G20 summit held in Hangzhou, China, an intensive field campaign was conducted with a focus on aerosol chemistry and gaseous precursors from 15 August to 12 September 2016. The concentrations of fine particles were reduced during the intense emission control stages, with the reduction of carbonaceous matter being mostly responsible for this observed decrease. This, in turn, was mainly ascribed to the decrease of secondary organic aerosols via the suppression of daytime peak secondary organic carbon (SOC)formation. Although the regional joint control was enacted extending to the Yangtze River Delta region, the effect of long-range transport on the air quality of Hangzhou was ubiquitous. Unexpectedly high NOx concentrations were observed during the control stage, when the strictest restriction on vehicles was implemented, owing to contributions from upstream populous regions such as Jiangsu and Shandong provinces. In addition, the continental outflow traveling over the ocean triggered a short pollution episode on the first day of the G20 summit, resulting in a significant enhancement of the nitrogen/sulfur oxidation rates. In the wake of the summit, all air pollutants evidently rebounded after the various control measures were lifted. Overall, the fraction of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA; in this case sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium aerosols -- SNA) in PM2:5 increased as relative humidity increased; however, the overall concentration of PM2:5 did not increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Of the Study: Increasing numbers of studies show that interleukin (IL)-10 plays a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and acts as an immunomodulatory cytokine. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the relationship between gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL-10 gene and RA susceptibility.Study Design: We genotyped three SNPs (rs1800890, rs3024495, rs3024505) of the IL-10 gene in a Chinese population of 354 RA patients and 367 controls. Genotyping was conducted using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. Plasma IL-10 levels were measured by ELISA.Results: The A allele of the rs1800890 variant was significantly related to decreased risk for RA compared with the T allele (A vs T: OR 0.580, 95% CI 0.345 to 0.975, P=0.038). No significant association between the genotype distribution of these SNPs and RA susceptibility was detected. The genotype effect of the dominant model was also evaluated, but no statistical difference was found. Further analysis in RA patients demonstrated that none of these SNPs were associated with rheumatoid factor (RF) or anti-citrullinated protein antibody (anti-CCP). In addition, no significant differences in plasma IL-10 levels were observed among RA patients with different genotypes.Conclusions: The IL-10 rs1800890 variant might contribute to RA susceptibility in the Chinese population. Replication studies in different ethnic groups are required to further examine the critical role of IL-10 gene variation in the pathogenesis of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zircon U-Pb dating of two samples of metagabbro from the Riwanchaka ophiolite yielded early Carboniferous ages of 354.4 ± 2.3 Ma and 356.7 ± 1.9 Ma. Their positive zircon εHf(t) values (+7.9 to +9.9) indicate that these rocks were derived from a relatively depleted mantle. The metagabbros can be considered as two types: R1 and R2. Both types are tholeiitic, with depletion of highfield- strength elements (HFSE) and enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) similar to those of typical back-arc basin basalts (BABB), such as Mariana BABB and East Scotia Ridge BABB. Geochemical and isotopic characteristics indicate that the R1 metagabbro originated from a backarc basin spreading ridge with addition of slab-derived fluids, whereas the R2 metagabbro was derived from a back-arc basin mantle source, with involvement of melts and fluids from subducted ocean crust. The Riwanchaka ophiolite exhibits both mid-ocean ridge basalts- and arc-like geochemical affinities, consistent with coeval ophiolites from central Qiangtang. Observations indicate that the Qiangtang ophiolites developed during the Late Devonian-early Carboniferous (D3-C1) in a back-arc spreading ridge above an intra-oceanic subduction zone. Based on our data and previous studies, we propose that an oceanic back-arc basin system existed in the Longmuco-Shuanghu-Lancang Palaeo-Tethys Ocean during the D3-C1 period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is unknown whether there are differences in self-stigma among persons with different types of severe mental illness (SMI) in rural communities. Aim: This study was to examine the differences of self-stigma and its correlates in persons with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder in a rural community in China. Methods: A total of 453 persons with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder in a rural community participated in the study. The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) was used to measure self-stigma. The t-test and analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the differences in mean scores of ISMI and subscales among the three diagnoses. Logistic regression was used to explore the contributing factors to the level of self-stigma among the three groups. Results: Self-stigma was moderate and severe with 94.7% of the total sample. Persons with schizophrenia had significantly higher mean scores of total ISMI, alienation and discrimination experience than those with bipolar disorders. Lower family income was significantly associated with higher levels of self-stigma in persons with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. Factors predicting the level of self-stigma among the three groups were various. Conclusion: Self-stigma is common and severe in persons with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, especially those with lower income status in rural community in China. Persons with schizophrenia may have higher levels of self-stigma than those with bipolar disorder. Individual-level interventions should be developed to reduce self-stigma among persons with SMI in Chinese rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]