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Studies have found that pornography consumption is associated with a higher likelihood of having condomless sex. Past research was primarily conducted with Western populations from developed countries. Consequently, less is known about sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and regions. A national sample of 11,957 university-level students was used to investigate the association between pornography consumption, sexual attitudes, and condomless sex. Our findings suggest that a higher frequency of pornography consumption is associated with an increased likelihood of having condomless sex and more positive attitudes toward premarital sex and one-night stand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In responding to global ecosystem conservation and sustainable social development, numerous ecological restoration projects have been performed in ecologically vulnerable areas around the world, especially in semi-arid areas. Affected by local hydrothermal conditions, whether ecological restoration projects can achieve goals of balanced water-carbon enhancement as well as sustainable development in semi-arid areas is controversial. It is uncertain that to what extent the land use change caused by ecological restoration projects will affect the water-carbon imbalance. This research takes the Bashang Plateau Protection Zone (BPZ), a typical semi-arid area in Hebei Province of China, as a porotype to discover the spatial water-carbon changes and their contributing factors under ecological projects during 2000 to 2020 through root mean square deviation and random forest analysis. Results show: (1) In the past two decades, carbon sequestration in BPZ continued to improve while water conservation decreased significantly. The water-carbon imbalance regions in BPZ increased nearly 6.80 folds, from 338.60 km2 to 2642.38 km2. (2) Precipitation and temperature exerted the most significant impact on the formation of water-carbon imbalance regions, whereas the contribution of land use change could reach 40%, demonstrating that human activities were also strongly responsible for water-carbon imbalance. (3) Ecological restoration pattern of limiting afforestation and agricultural land expansion with priority restoration of grassland is beneficial to achieving water-carbon balance and sustainable goals of ecological restoration in semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global epidemiological evidence indicates high rates of mental illness but low rates of diagnosis among older people. In China, service providers identify older adults with mental disorders in varied ways. Taking Shanghai as an example, this study revealed how the identification methods of geriatric mental health disorders in nonspecialized institutions diverge, providing a reference for the integration of services. A purposive sampling method was adopted to conduct semi-structured interviews with 24 service providers from various nonspecialized geriatric mental health care institutions. Interview audio was recorded with consent and converted into verbatim transcripts. The interview data were analysed thematically. Although service providers from the health care system tended to apply a biomedical-oriented assessment, those from the social care system typically identified mental disorders among older people based on selective attention and interpersonal relationships. Although there are stark differences, the various identification mechanisms implicitly converge—the relationship with clients has become an important consideration. Geriatric mental health issues urgently require the integration of formal and informal care resources. Referring to the idea of task transfer, social identification mechanisms are expected to be a useful supplement to traditional biomedical-oriented identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the year 2021, China's economy continues to recover and moves towards policy normalisation. This report identifies features indicating the beginning of China's macroeconomic normalisation, the internal and external pressure it faces, and the supporting policies. Due to the economic recovery and the base effect, China's real GDP growth rate is projected to reach above 8.0% in 2021, and the quarterly growth rate will drop from 18.3% in Q1 to 5.0% in Q4, showing a declining trend. Based on qualitative assessments and statistical forecasts, this report puts forward some policy suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the influence of sexuality-related factors on recent two-week morbidity and annual hospitalization in female migrant workers, 880 Chinese rural-to-urban female migrant workers aged 16–57 years were studied. Clustered logistic regression analyses revealed that women who never or seldom experienced lubrication difficulties had a lower risk of recent two-week morbidity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17–0.60, P< 0.001; adjusted OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.18–0.69, P= 0.003) than those who always experienced lubrication difficulties; women who never felt a lack of sexual interest had a significantly lower risk of annual hospitalization (adjusted OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.20–0.79, P= 0.009) than those who always or seldom lacked sexual interest, and women who never felt sexual satisfaction had a higher risk of annual hospitalization (adjusted OR = 3.08, 95% CI = 1.75–5.42, P< 0.001) than those who always or seldom experienced sexual satisfaction. The independent contributions of sexuality-related factors to the risk of recent two-week morbidity and annual hospitalization were 5.8% and 29.5%, respectively. This study suggests that sexuality may have a modest influence on recent two-week morbidity and a dominant impact on annual hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2020 is bound to be a very special year in the history of China's and the world's economy. The sudden onslaught of COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on China's macroeconomy and its market participants. Also, the global economic and trade system has tipped into the most severe downturn since World War II. The macro stimulus policy packages launched by various countries are of an epic scale, in a way rarely seen before. China was the first to be hit by the epidemic, to contain the epidemic, and to resume work and production. China's economic recovery and reconstruction are of landmark and leading significance for the global economy. The content of this report mainly includes the following two aspects: one is to forecast the basic trend and recovery potential of China's economy under the impact of the epidemic; the other is to provide applicable policy recommendations for post-epidemic economic rehabilitation and its mid- to long-term development. We focus on four issues: the progress and nature of China's economic recovery at the current stage; major challenges and risks facing China's economic recovery in the next stage; how to design policies of a sizable scale and policy mechanisms to achieve desired effects; and whether the existing policy is sufficient to cope with various risks and challenges, to enhance resilience and re-consolidate economic foundations. In view of this, the report presents the forecast and prospect of China's core macroeconomic indicators in 2020 and puts forward policy recommendations accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rhizomes of the medicinal plant Hemsleya amabilis (Cucurbitaceae) yielded three new cucurbitane-type triterpene saponins xuedanosides K-M (1–3) by silica gel column, ODS column, and pre-HPLC techniques. The structure was determined by spectroscopic analysis and examined alongside existing data from prior studies. Compounds 1–3 were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against HeLa and HCT-8 human cancer cell lines and showed significant cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 2.01–14.56 and 8.94–27.48 μM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new Lycopodium alkaloids (1–3), together with 15 known alkaloids, were isolated from club moss Lycopodium japonicum. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR spectra. Compound 1 has an unusual β-oriented methyl group substituted at C-15 and an α-hydroxy cyclopentenone moiety. All new alkaloids were evaluated for the inhibition of T-type calcium channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To develop and validate a refined traumatic brain injury (TBI) classification system to supplement the existing systems which have limited accuracy for predicting long-term consciousness recovery. Methods: The refined classification system was developed using medical records of 527 patients according to clinical presentations within 12-24 hrs after injury. Multiple linear regression was applied to identify protective and risk factors for Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at 12-month follow-up. The TBI severity was moved to a less or more severe level when more than half of the protective or risk factors were present. The capability and reliability of each system for predicting 12 month GCS and GOS scores, and mortality were assessed using ROC curve analysis and Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient. Results: One protective factor and four risk factors were identified for predicting long-term outcomes. The refined system had higher sensitivity and specificity in predicting 12-month GCS and GOS scores, and mortality than the other two systems. The refined system had lower reliability than the GCS system and higher reliability than the Chinese system. Conclusions: The refined system incorporates the advantages of both GCS and Chinese systems and provides a better prediction of long-term consciousness outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allele frequency data and forensic statistical parameters were determined for 20 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci of the PowerPlex 21 System in 214 unrelated healthy individuals of a Uyghur ethnic minority group living in Xinjiang province, northwest China. A total of 232 alleles were observed with the corresponding allele frequencies ranging from 0.0023 to 0.5304. All loci were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) after the Bonferroni correction (p > 0.0025). The combined probability of exclusion, power of discrimination, probability of matching value were 0.999999999, 0.9999999999999999999999995, and 4.78246 × 10−25, respectively. Our results revealed that the 20 STRs were highly polymorphic and informative, and could be suitable for forensic application, especially parentage test and personal identification. The further population comparison between the Uyghur and other 26 reference populations revealed that the loci of D13S317, TH01 and D6S1043 showed high ethnical specificity. Phylogenetic analysis based on 19 shared loci demonstrated that the Uyghur had a close genetic relationship with the Kazakh, but a distinct genetic distance with other Chinese populations from different ethnicity and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese housing prices have increased rapidly in recent years. Concerned about the potential for a burst bubble, the Chinese government has been intervening in the market to rein in the rising price trend since 2010. In March 2017, a new housing policy, called house-sale restriction, was developed to curtail speculation in the Chinese housing market. This study uses a difference-in-difference model to examine the policy effect of this new restriction. By using house-sale and price data of 43 cities across 30 provinces in China, we find that house-sale restrictions could effectively reduce speculation in the market as well as decrease housing prices in the short term. This study analyses only the short-term effect of this new housing policy; the long-term effect requires further examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological security of urban surface water is subject to significant risk due to rapid urbanization. Pollutant discharge and accumulation are among the most critical stressors endangering urban surface water and affecting the normal operation of urban aquatic ecosystem services. In this study, we assessed how pollutant accumulation stresses water purification systems, which perform important urban ecosystem services. First, we applied a water environmental capacity model to calculate thresholds of urban surface water environmental capacity under a given water quality target. Second, based on a stepwise regression method, an equation was used to describe the relationship between stressor factors (pollutant accumulation) and measurable socioeconomic indicators. Third, an ecological risk index was used as an assessment endpoint indicator to assess the negative ecological effect of pollutant accumulation. Finally, risk level was classified according to the risk quotient method. Taking Xiamen City as an example, we analyzed the contribution of different sources of pollutants and evaluated the urban ecological risk posed by two major contaminants present in the environment by measuring chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N). The results show that the ecological risk indexes of both COD and NH4+-N are expected to decrease from 2020 to 2030; that of COD is expected to fall from medium to low, whereas that of NH4+-N is expected to fall from high to medium. These findings demonstrate that the ecological risk posed to the surface water in Xiamen City can be reduced by controlling population growth, optimizing industrial structure, and promoting economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study establishes an evidence base regarding the experiences of older adults living in poverty in Beijing. Given the factors that shape the lives of low-income older adults, the findings are relevant for many middle- and low-income countries. Based on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with government officials and low-income older adults in Beijing, the study finds that poverty manifests as cumulative stress arising from four sources: financial strain, poor health, care burden and poverty-related shame. This stress is attributable to the co-existence of individual and structural factors that reflect the framing of anti-poverty policies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power generation determines coal resource utilization in China. However, the development and construction of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) are bringing new challenges to coal resource utilization efficiency, coal exploiting and utilizing technology, and ecosystem and environmental protection. To better resolve these challenges, various governmental agencies and industrial organizations have sponsored a series of research projects for top research institutions in China. In this special issue, based on a series of research in Xilingol, Inner Mongolia, we focus on the impacts of CFPP construction on ecosystems from the aspects of ecological carrying capacity, ecological sensitivity, and ecological compensation. The articles published in this special issue support a general conclusion that CFPP construction is a double-edge sword to eco-environmental protection. Therefore, it is especially important to take the countermeasures of ecosystem and environmental protection while developing CFPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Water quality is one of the most serious problems of environment and national sustainable development strategy now facing China. After hard work over the last several decades, urban-sewage treatment in China is now relatively well developed. It now affords mainly higher levels of sewage collection and treatment, as well as pollution-load control. The characteristic rapid urbanization now occurring in China is still increasing and developing dramatically, and involves large numbers of people. However, in towns, sewage treatment infrastructure is inadequate, and a high percentage of the sewage generated there is not effectively collected and treated. The sewage and pollution load of such towns have become the most important reason for environmental water problems in China. To understand the priorities of sewage treatment in such towns, and their spatial distribution in China, we conducted two nationwide investigations of water use and sewage discharge in towns. Based on the integrated analytic hierarchy process (AHP), assessment indices and a framework of town-sewage treatment priorities in China were constructed. Then, we assessed and analyzed the priorities of towns regarding three aspects of sewage treatment: environmental stress, economic capability, and infrastructure. The results showed that the southeast coastal areas and north China had higher demand for sewage treatment than other areas. The demand in eastern and western areas had obvious differences in spatial distribution, but had nearly no differences within those areas. The towns having the greatest demand for high-priority sewage treatment were concentrated in regions with high economic capability and intense water resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abies yuanbaoshanensis is critically endangered and restricted in the Yuanbao Mountain of China, with no more than 900 surviving individuals. Here, we reported the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of A. yuanbaoshanensis. The complete chloroplast genome is 121,795 bp in size. In total, 114 genes were identified, including 68 peptide-encoding genes, 35 tRNA genes, 4 rRNA genes, 6 open reading frames, and 1 pseudogene. Thirteen genes contain introns. In phylogenetic analysis, both the ML and BI analyses supported the monophyly of the genus Abies. Our study will provide potential genetic resources for further conservation and evolutionary studies of this highly endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]