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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the world, creating significant impact on people's lives and subjective wellbeing. While previous studies have shown that students' wellbeing and how they manage their emotions are critical to students' learning, less research has considered their specific impacts on student engagement in online learning. Aims: The aim of this study is to examine how students' subjective wellbeing and emotion regulation strategies (viz cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) are associated with student engagement in online learning during the pandemic. Sample: A total of 965 students from a university in China participated in the study. Methods: The data were collected online during the COVID-19 from March to July 2020, which included measures of wellbeing, emotion regulation strategies, and online learning engagement. Results: Structural equation modelling results showed that wellbeing was positively associated with both the use of reappraisal and suppression. Moreover, mediation analysis showed that reappraisal partially mediated the relationship between wellbeing and all types of online learning engagement (including cognitive, emotional and behavioural engagements). Conversely, suppression was found to have a small mediating effect between wellbeing and behavioural engagement of online learning only. No such effect was found on cognitive and emotional engagements. Conclusions: The findings provide evidence on the positive relationship between wellbeing and both the strategies of suppression and reappraisal during the pandemic. However, only reappraisal has positive impact on learning, suggesting the importance of effective regulation strategies on students' online engagement. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Although previous research showed that discrete social-emotional skills such as empathy, motivation, and social relationships in school significantly predict achievement, students tend to use various social-emotional skills in combination. As such previous investigations cannot comment on how different combinations or profiles of students' social-emotional skills predict achievement relative to discrete skills. Likewise, little is known about cross-national comparisons of social-emotional skill profiles (SESP), and the extent to which SESP differ on their academic achievement. The purposes of this study were three-folded: 1) to determine whether a four-factor social-emotional skills model could be used for cross-national comparisons; 2) to identify social-emotional profiles in 15-year-old students from four different countries -- Canada, the United States, China, and Singapore; and 3) to evaluate how different profiles predict students' reading, maths, and collaborative problem-solving (CPS) test scores. Our results showed multigroup measurement invariant in the structure, loadings, and thresholds of the four-factor social-emotional skills model. We identified three profiles labelled Sociable, Reserved and Withdrawn in Canada, Singapore, and the United States; whereas, we found three profiles labelled Solitary, Team-oriented, and Reserved in students in China. Finally, the way each profile associated with reading, maths and CPS in each country appeared to align with the cultural expectations of learning.

Background: The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is well documented in developed countries, and yet public discussion of gender disparities in STEM in China is still in its nascent stage. Endorsement of traditional gender role beliefs and conformity to social norms are pertinent to Chinese culture, which may even exacerbate the gender disparities in STEM engagement. Grounded in social cognitive career theory, the present study drew on a national sample of secondary school students (N = 3020) in China to estimate gender disparities in self-efficacy, interest, and aspirations in STEM and examine how cultural and gender norms influence STEM engagement. Results: The proposed sequential mediation model was supported, in which girls were more likely to show lower levels of self-efficacy than boys; this was associated with lower interest in STEM and lower motivation to pursue STEM careers. The results also supported the moderating effect of traditional gender role beliefs and found that gender differences in self-efficacy, interest, and aspirations in STEM were more apparent among students who strongly endorsed stereotypical views of male and female roles. Conclusions: The findings provide important implications for efforts to improve girls' access to STEM education through curriculum enrichment and out-of-school time programs to bridge the gender gap in STEM. Access to female role models and gender-responsive pedagogy is also essential to boost girls' self-efficacy in STEM and eradicate traditional gender role beliefs among all students.

Emerging research has demonstrated that transgender and non‐binary (TNB) individuals face an elevated risk of experiencing family rejection and violence. However, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding how TNB individuals manage stressors and their gender identity within the family context, particularly in regions where TNB individuals are highly stigmatized and where legal protections against family violence are lacking. The present study represents one of the first pioneering efforts to provide large‐scale quantitative data examining the experiences of family stressors, the management of gender identity and expression, and family violence among TNB individuals in China. A national sample of 1063 TNB individuals in China was involved in the study. They completed questionnaires about their experiences of family stressors and violence. The results indicated that 76.0% of TNB individuals reported having encountered at least one form of violence perpetrated by their family members. Transfeminine individuals were more likely to report experiencing emotional and physical abuse, whereas transmasculine individuals were more likely to be subjected to gender identity and/or expression change efforts. Family stressors, including family non‐acceptance and the pressure to marry and reproduce, were positively associated with non‐disclosure of gender identity, the suppression of gender expression, and family violence. The findings underscore the substantial burden of family violence borne by TNB individuals in China, which warrants immediate legal, institutional, and social responses. Trans‐inclusive family violence prevention and intervention are urgently needed, with a focus on Chinese cultural factors and gender identity differences in violence screening and risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are expected to produce more intense precipitation under global warming. However, substantial uncertainties exist in the projection of coarse-resolution global climate models. Here, we use deep learning to aid targeted cloud-resolving simulations of extreme TCs. Contrary to the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) scaling, which indicates a 7% moisture increase per K warming, our simulations reveal more complex responses of TC rainfall. TCs will not intensify via strengthened updrafts but through the expansion of deep convective cores with suppression of shallow cumulus and congestus. Consequently, while localized hourly rainfall may adhere to the CC scaling, precipitation accumulation over city-sized areas could surge by 18%K-1. This super-CC intensification due to changing TC structure has profound implications for floods and landslides. Estimations using Hong Kong's slope data confirm this concern and suggest an up to 215% increase in landslide risks with 4-K warming, highlighting amplified threats from compound disasters under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite extensive studies on how environmental factors influence plant and soil nutrient distribution and stoichiometry, how the intertidal zone affects plant and soil distribution, and stoichiometry remains unclear. Therefore, this study analyzed the leaf and soil organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations and stoichiometry in mangrove forest wetlands in South China. The results demonstrated that leaf and soil phosphorus concentrations were significantly different in different plants and intertidal zones. The average leaf N:P ratio was 12.85 and was mainly nitrogen-limited. Soil organic carbon at 0-10 cm was higher in the mid- and low intertidal zones, while the opposite was true for the high intertidal zone. The nitrogen concentration at 0-10 cm was less than that at <30-40 cm in both the high and mid-intertidal zones, while the opposite was true for the low intertidal zone. The phosphorus concentration varied similarly to that of carbon. The C:N ratios at both 0-10 cm and 30-40 cm were the highest in the high intertidal zone and decreased with decreasing elevation. Contrastingly, the C:P and N:P ratios did not differ much among the three intertidal zones and between the 0-10-cm and 30-40-cm profiles. The soil C:N ratios significantly correlated with the leaf carbon, phosphorus, and C:P ratio. Overall, the results demonstrated that the soil stoichiometry responded differently to different plant communities and intertidal zones. These differences might be attributed to variations in the environmental conditions of plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the relative strength of isolating barriers is a major focus of research on plant speciation. Contrasting life histories and mating systems have the potential to limit gene exchange between closely related populations growing in sympatry. However, few studies have quantified reproductive isolating barriers between conspecific annual and perennial populations and their contributions to total reproductive isolation (RI). Incarvillea sinensis Lam. (Bignoniaceae) is an insect‐pollinated herb with largely allopatric annual and perennial populations that differ in mating systems. The perennial populations are primarily outcrossing whereas annual populations are predominantly selfing. At a rare sympatric site in northern China we estimated prezygotic and postzygotic barriers to gene exchange between annual and perennial plants and found complete RI between the two life histories. Annuals exhibited significantly higher ecogeographic isolation than perennials whereas perennials experienced more isolation through pollen–pistil interactions than annuals. Crosses between annuals and perennials demonstrated that postzygotic barriers influencing fruit and seed formation, F1 germination and survival were negligible for annuals but played a small role for perennials. However, F1 hybrids of crosses between annuals and perennials produced no pollen and their ovules were largely sterile. Our study provides insight into the relative importance of prezygotic and postzygotic isolating barriers between closely related annual and perennial populations of I. sinensis and some of these barriers could have been involved with speciation. Annuals and perennials of I. sinensis represent two biological species and thus deserve to be recognized as distinct taxonomic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major bridge linking satellite-derived vertical column densities (VCDs) of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with ground-level concentration is theoretically the NO2 mixing height (NMH). Various meteorological parameters have been used as a proxy of NMH in existing studies. This study developed a nested machine learning model to convert VCDs of NO2 into ground-level NO2 concentrations across China using Geostationary Environmental Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) measurements. This nested model was designed to directly incorporate NMH into the methodological framework and explore its impact on performance. The inner machine learning model predicted the NMH from the meteorological parameters, which were then input into the main machine learning model to predict the ground-level NO2 concentrations from its VCDs. The inclusion of NMH significantly enhanced the accuracy of estimating ground-level NO2 concentration, reducing bias and improving R² values to 0.93 in 10-fold cross-validation and 0.99 in the fully-trained model. Furthermore, NMH was identified as the second most important predictor variable, following the VCDs of NO2. Subsequently, satellite-derived ground-level NO2 data were analyzed across subregions with varying geolocations and urbanization levels. Highly populated areas typically experienced peak NO2 concentrations during early morning rush hours, whereas areas categorized as lightly populated observed a slight increase in NO2 levels one or two hours later, likely due to regional pollutant dispersion from urban sources. This study underscores the importance of incorporating NMH in estimating ground-level NO2 from satellite column measurements and highlights the significant advantages of geostationary satellites in providing detailed air pollution information at an hourly resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been found that ozone (O3) pollution episodic case is prone to appear when the Greater Bay Area (GBA) is under the control of typhoons and sub-tropical high-pressure systems in summer. To prevent these pollutions effectively and efficiently, it's essential to understand the contribution of O3 precursors emitted from different periods and areas under these unfavorable weather conditions. In this study, we further extended the Ozone Source Apportionment Technology (OSAT) from the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) model to include the function to track the emission periods of O3 precursors. Then the updated OSAT module was applied to investigate the spatial-temporal contribution of precursors emissions to the O3 concentration over the GBA in July and August 2016, when several O3 episodic cases appeared in this period. Overall, the emissions within GBA, from other regions of Guangdong province (GDo), and the neighbouring provinces are the three major contributors, which account for 23 %, 15 %, and 17 % of monthly average O3 concentration, respectively. More than 70 % of O3 in the current day is mainly formed from the pollutants emitted within 3 days and the same day's emission contributed approximately 30 %. During the O3 episodes, when typhoon approached, more pollutants emitted 2–3 days ago from the GDo and adjacent provinces were transported to the GBA, leading to the increase of O3 in this region. Under the persistent influence of northerly wind, the pollutants originating from eastern China earlier than 2 days ago can also show an obvious impact on the O3 over the GBA in the present day, accounting for approximately 12 %. On the other hand, the O3 pollution is primarily attributed to the local emission within 2 days when the GBA is mainly under the influence of the sub-tropical high-pressure systems. These results indicated the necessity to consider the influence of meteorological conditions in implementing the control measures. Meanwhile, analogous relationships between source area/time and receptor were derived by the zero-out method, supporting the validity of the updated OSAT module. Our approach and findings could offer more spatial-temporal information about the sources of O3 pollutions, which could aid in the development of effective and timely control policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid emergence of the global greening phenomenon under remote sensing monitoring, the prevailing trend of phenomenon analysis and traceability research is self-evident. However, identifying characteristics is basic research of the greening phenomenon, which sometimes subverts research results. The choice of method may directly affect the difference in the greening-browning range, which is easily overlooked. At the same time, influenced by the regional vegetation state's basic value, the greening contribution's spatialization still needs to be further verified. Based on the enhanced vegetation index results at the global kilometer-grid scale, this research chose to use the maximum value composite and the simple average method to explore the differences in China's characteristic identification process initially. While paying attention to results and phenomena, scholars' attention to basic research needs further improvement. The results show that the widely used two groups of basic methods have shown noticeable differences in greening and browning, and are affected by human activities, climate, geographical environment, etc. And this directional error and the phenomenon of hasty generalization are the most easily ignored in much basic research. The vegetation information considering the inherent stock and changing flux has quantified the greening contribution between regions. China, Brazil, and India dominate global greening, and Canada significantly contributes to browning. Some regions must promote the greening trend of changing flux while maintaining the inherent stock advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the pollution status of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments, seawater, and Suaeda heteroptera in the Red Beach Wetland of Panjin City, China, in September and November of 2020, as well as May and July of 2021, sediment, seawater, and Suaeda heteroptera samples were collected from both Site A and Site B. The concentrations and risk levels of 16 priority PAHs regulated by the US (Environmental Protection Agency EPA) were analyzed. The results showed that the concentrations of PAHs in the sediments ranged from 0.7 to 98.5 ng·g-1, in seawater ranged from 0 to 41.5 ng·kg-1, and in Suaeda heteroptera ranged from 0 to 108 ng·g-1. Temporally, the total PAH concentrations in sediments at Site A showed a decreasing trend from 2020 to 2021, while the total PAH concentrations in seawater exhibited an increasing trend. At Site B, the total PAH concentrations in sediments increased, while the total PAH concentrations in seawater and Suaeda heteroptera decreased. Furthermore, ecological risk assessments of sediment PAHs were conducted using the sediment quality guidelines and sediment quality standard methods, while the ecological risk of seawater PAHs was assessed using the quotient approach. The toxic equivalent concentration method was employed to evaluate the ecological risk of PAHs in Suaeda heteroptera. The results indicated relatively low ecological risks of PAHs in the sediments and seawater of the Red Beach Wetland in Panjin. China. However, (Bap benzo[a]pyrene) exhibited the highest toxic equivalent concentration in Suaeda heteroptera, suggesting a significant potential carcinogenic risk that requires attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonmotile gram-negative, short, rod-shaped strain, BGMRC 2024T, was isolated from the sediment of Rhizophora stylosa collected in the Beibu Gulf, China. The strain BGMRC 2024T exhibited optimal growth at 25 to 28°C, pH 7.0, and in the presence of 1–4% (wt/v) NaCl. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that BGMRC 2024T was closely related to Pseudooceanicola antarcticus CGMCC 1.12662T (96.23% sequence similarity), P. algae Lw-13eT (96.17%), P. lipolyticus 157T (96.16%), and P. pacificus 216_PA32_1T (96.09%). The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values and the average nucleotide identity (ANI) of the strain Pseudooceanicola antarcticus CGMCC 1.12662T were 24.7 and 77.52%, respectively. The DNA G+C content was 67.4 mol %. The main respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The polar lipids of strain BGMRC 2024T included four unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified ninhydrin-positive lipids, one unidentified ninhydrin-positive phospholipid, and three unidentified lipids. The major fatty acids were C19:0 cyclo ω8c, summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c and/or C18:1ω6c), and C16:0. Based on these results, BGMRC 2024T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudooceanicola, for which the name Pseudooceanicola albus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BGMRC 2024T (=KCTC52117T = DSM102086T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Everyday forms of political engagement, such as civic participation and collective action, have been recognized as a crucial factor for positive youth development, but less is known about their resilience effects on youth from marginalized populations, especially in less democratic societies. The present study investigated experiences of everyday political engagement among sexual minority youth in China and examined their compensatory and protective effects against heterosexist victimization. A sample of 793 Chinese sexual minority youth was included in the study. The results showed that collective action operated as a protective factor in buffering the effect of heterosexist victimization, such that its association with academic engagement was not significant among those with higher levels of collective action. In contrast, civic participation served the compensatory function and was associated with greater academic engagement, a stronger sense of school belonging, and fewer depression symptoms, but it did not protect against the negative effects of heterosexist victimization. The findings highlight the importance of identity‐based action among sexual minority youth and provide insight into the differential resilience effects of everyday political engagement. The study has implications for fostering resilience among sexual minority youth with victimization experiences in school and counseling settings. Highlights: The study examines the resilience effects of everyday political engagement among sexual minority youthCollective action serves a protective function and civic engagement acts as a compensatory factorCollective action buffers the effect of heterosexist victimization on academic engagementThe adverse effects of victimization are not found among those with higher collective actionCivic engagement is associated with positive outcomes but does not protect against victimization [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetland plant communities are important in maintaining wetland ecosystem functions and conserving biodiversity. However, current studies on the diversity of wetland plant communities are mainly focused on non-karst regions, while there are fewer studies on the diversity of karst wetland plant communities. To address this research gap, this study analyzes the composition and diversity of the flora of the Huixian karst wetland in south China. The results show that there are 133 species of wetland plants in 39 families and 78 genera in the Huixian Karst wetland, including 128 species of angiosperms in 34 families and 73 genera, and 4 genera and 4 species of ferns in 4 families. The dominant families are Gramineae and Cyperaceae, containing 15 and 7 genera respectively; the dominant genera are Polygonum, Heleocharis and Cyperus, each containing 6 species. By life type and ecological characteristics, emergent plants are the most dominant in the Huixian Karst wetland, with 77 species, accounting for 57.46% of the total. The flora of the Huixian Karst Wetland is divided into 10 types and shows obvious tropical subtropical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical consciousness has received growing attention in developmental science, but most of the work has been conducted in Western liberal democracies. A critical examination is needed to determine whether critical consciousness can be appropriately measured in less democratic societies, where opportunity structures are different from those in Western liberal democracies. To establish the psychopolitical validity of a measure of critical reflection in less democratic societies, this study developed the Critical Reflection Scale (CRS) based on a sample of 3,015 youths in China. The results support a two-factor model of critical reflection, including (1) recognition of social inequity and (2) awareness of everyday oppression. The findings reveal varying levels of critical reflection across age, gender, and sexual orientation. Two items of the CRS function differently between young women and men. The CRS demonstrates good internal consistency and convergent validity, indicating that it is a psychometrically sound measure of critical reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the ecological stoichiometry in the growth of different stand ages of Eucalyptus plantations is essential to evaluate the effects of management practices on biogeochemical cycling in plantation forest ecosystems. The study examined the relationship between leaf, litter, and soil stoichiometry on 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-year-old Eucalyptus grandis x urophylla plantations in subtropical China. Results showed that (1) With increased stand age, the concentrations of TN (total nitrogen) and TP (total phosphorus) in leaf and litter increased gradually. Leaf TC (total carbon) concentration decreased gradually, litter TC concentration initially increased and then decreased, and the concentrations of TC and TN in soil were opposite. Soil TC and TN concentrations decreased with increasing soil depth. (2) The ratios of C:N, C:P, N:P were litter > leaf > soil. With increasing stand age, C:N and C:P of leaf and litter decreased gradually, while the ratios of C:N, C:P, N:P of soil fluctuated greatly. (3) There were significant negative correlations between the C, N of soil and litter P and significant positive correlation was between the leaf C:N and litter C:P. The main limiting element was P. The results of this study can provide a scientific basis for the management of Eucalyptus grandis x urophylla plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian and gay adults' self-reported experiences of violence from family of origin in adulthood have been less examined in previous research on interpersonal violence from intimate others. In China, while it has been understood that lesbians and gay men face mounting pressure to marry and have children, there is little empirical evidence on their experiences of violence from family of origin. This paper analyzes self-reported experiences of negative treatment and violence from a larger-scale study in China of 11,048 Chinese lesbian and gay cisgender adults. The majority of Chinese lesbians and gay men felt pressure to get married and have children (70.4%), and experienced different forms of negative treatment and violence from their family members based on sexual orientation (54.2%). A significant gender difference was observed. This paper provides novel empirical evidence for the lived experiences of lesbians and gay men in China and bears implications for China's Anti-domestic Violence Law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace metals in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are of significant concern in environmental chemistry due to their toxicity and catalytic capability. An observation-constrained hybrid model is developed to resolve regional source contributions to trace metals and other primary species in PM2.5. In this method, source contributions to primary PM2.5 (PPM2.5) from the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model at each monitoring location are improved to align better with the observation data by applying source-specific scaling factors estimated from a unique regression model. The adjusted PPM2.5 predictions and chemical speciation data are then used to generate observation-constrained source profiles of primary species. Finally, spatial distributions of their source contributions are produced by multiplying the improved CMAQ PPM2.5 contributions with the deduced source profiles. The model is applied to the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, China using daily observation data collected at multiple stations in 2015 to resolve source contributions to 8 trace metals, elemental carbon, primary organic carbon, and 10 other primary species. Compared to three previous methods, the new model predicts 13 species with smaller model errors and 16 species with less model biases in 10-fold cross validation analysis. The source profiles determined in this study also show good agreement with those collected from the literature. The new model shows that during 2015 in the PRD region, Cu is mainly from the area sources (31%), industry sector (27%), and power generation (20%), with an annual average concentration as high as 50 ng m−3 in some districts. Meanwhile, major contributors to Mn are area sources (40%), emission from outside PRD (23%) and power generation (17%), leading to a mean level of around 10 ng m−3. Such information is essential in assessing the epidemiological impacts of trace metals as well as formulating effective control measures to protect public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) is to become a major innovation and technology hub of global impact. Such a transformation is to take place in the midst of a policy-driven economy in GBA's Mainland region and a market-driven economy in Hong Kong and Macau. In this paper, we examine the uniqueness and complexities of logistics and trade facilitation in GBA. This study establishes a discourse in GBA's logistics and trade facilitation between government and non-government stakeholders. Based on the discourse, we provide a conceptual context on the unique aspects of GBA, pinpointing critical issues such as the coexistence of differing institutional systems and interplay between state planning and market economy. A major objective of the paper is to identify and conceptualize unique logistics and trade features of GBA development, and to highlight opportunities for academic and policy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive traits that function in pollinator attraction may be reduced or lost during evolutionary transitions from outcrossing to selfing. Although floral scent plays an important role in attracting pollinators in outcrossing species, few studies have investigated associations between floral scent variation and intraspecific mating system transitions. The breakdown of distyly to homostyly represents a classic example of a shift from outcrossing to selfing and provides an opportunity to test whether floral fragrances have become reduced and/or changed in composition with increased selfing. Here, we evaluate this hypothesis by quantifying floral volatiles using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry in two distylous and four homostylous populations of Primula oreodoxa Franchet, a perennial herb from SW China. Our analysis revealed significant variation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among populations of P. oreodoxa. Although there was no difference in VOCs between floral morphs in distylous populations as predicted, we detected a substantial reduction in VOC emissions and the average number of scent compounds in homostylous compared with distylous populations. A total of 12 compounds, mainly monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids, distinguished homostylous and distylous morphs; of these, (E)‐β‐ocimene was the most important in contributing to the difference in volatiles, with significantly lower emissions in homostyles. Our findings support the hypothesis that the transition from outcrossing to selfing is accompanied by the loss of floral volatiles. The modification to floral fragrances in P. oreodoxa associated with mating system change might occur because high selfing rates in homostylous populations result in relaxed selection for floral attractiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Learning-Related Boredom Scale (LRBS) from the Academic Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ; Pekrun, Goetz, & Perry, 2005; Pekrun, Goetz, Titz, & Perry, 2002) in a sample of 405 university students from Canada and China. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the factor structure and measurement invariance of the LRBS across cultural settings, after which the relationships between the LRBS, boredom frequency in class, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning (SESRL) were examined. Results showed evidence of reliability and measurement invariance of the LRBS, and the relationships between the LRBS, boredom frequency, and SESRL were similar across settings. The study thus provided evidence that learning-related boredom is a valid construct across culturally diverse school settings and supported the use of the LRBS in both Canadian and Chinese student populations. (Contains 4 tables and 1 note.)

Although past research has shown the benefits of using approach coping in dealing with negative emotions, little is known about how students cope with a common negative achievement emotion, boredom, across cultures. Therefore, the goals of this study were to validate the Boredom Coping Scale (BCS) in Canada (n = 151, mean age = 23.29) and China (n = 254, mean age = 21.03), to identify boredom coping profiles within individual settings, and to examine the effectiveness of the profiles in decreasing boredom, and increasing self-efficacy for self-regulated learning, motivation, and achievement. The factor structure of the BCS was comparable across the two samples; however, the two groups responded to five items differently, contributing to the overall variation. We identified two coping profiles among Canadian students and three profiles among Chinese students. Our results indicated that Canadian students predominantly endorsed cognitive-approach coping, whereas the majority of Chinese students endorsed avoidance coping. Additionally, our results found significant differences in coping effectiveness among different profiles. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

Peanut early leaf spot caused by Passalora arachidicola is serious fungal disease, which occurs in all production areas in China. Chemical control is the main method to prevent this disease. Nevertheless, it is easy to cause resistance, resurgence, residue problem (3R). Therefore, biological control is becoming the research hotspot for peanut early leaf spot control. 60 healthy peanut leaves were collected from major peanut production areas and were got for potential bacterial isolates. A total of 465 isolates were obtained. 22 strains showed differing levels of resistance against P. arachidicola. Among the antagonistic isolates, strain TL6 showed strongest inhibitory activity. It was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens based on morphological characteristics, physiological and biochemical reactions as well as comparative analysis of its 16S rDNA sequence. The field control effect was above 69.17% after spraying the fermentation liquid of strain TL6. The field control effect of the strain TL6 fermentation liquid diluted 200 times and including the addition of 500 g/L carbendazim diluted 1000 times inhibited P. arachidicola by 81.33%. The combination of strain TL6 and carbendazim had a significant synergistic effect. Overall, strain TL6 showed promising potential commercial development and application in controlling peanut early leaf spot disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most species of the family Cupressaceae are widely distributed throughout China, but Sabina przewalskii f. pendula and Juniperus przewalskii are endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. Therefore, they are of great significance to the plateau ecosystem. Sabina przewalskii and J. przewalskii have similar characteristics, but they be distinguished by the presence or absence of drooping branchlets. However, this feature can be difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. In this study, the complete chloroplast (CP) genomes of S. przewalskii and J. przewalskii were determined by highthroughput sequencing, aiming to unveil their differences at the molecular level. The sizes of the CP genomes of J. przewalskii and S. przewalskii are 128,748 bp and 127,315 bp, respectively, sharing the typical structure of conifer species. The GC content of the S. przewalskii plastome is 35.08%, encoding 84 proteins, 32 tRNAs and 4 rRNAs. The GC content of the J. przewalskii CP genome is 34.98%, and one additional rpl32 gene was detected. Phylogenetic analysis proved that J. przewalskii showed a close relationship to Juniperus tibetica and S. przewalskii, both of which belong to the family Cupressaceae. Our results of the plastome of J. przewalskii and S. przewalskii further clarify the evolution of Cupressaceae species. The divergent regions and the repetitive sequences identified could be developed as molecular markers that would benefit breeding and species discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term trends in the occurrence frequency of pre-summer daytime and nocturnal extreme hourly rainfall (EXHR) during 1988-2018 in Hong Kong and their spatial distributions are examined and analyzed. Despite a significant increasing trend observed in the occurrence frequency of pre-summer EXHRs during the investigated period, the increase in daytime and nocturnal EXHRs show distinct spatial patterns. Nocturnal EXHRs show uniform increasing trends over the entire Hong Kong. However, the increase in daytime EXHRs is concentrated over the northern or eastern areas of Hong Kong, indicating a downstream shift of pre-summer EXHRs in Hong Kong with regard to the prevailing southwesterly monsoonal flows in south China. The clustering of weather types associated with daytime and nocturnal EXHRs further reveals that the increase in EXHRs over Hong Kong are mainly contributed by the increase of the events associated with southwesterly monsoonal flows with relatively high speeds. During the past few decades, the southwesterly monsoonal flows at coastal south China have undergone a substantial weakening due to the increased surface roughness induced by the urbanization over the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area since 1990s, leading to enhanced low-level convergence and thus significant increase in EXHRs at coastal south China. Meanwhile, daytime sea-wind circulation at coastal south China is markedly enhanced during the investigated period, which is the main reason for the northward shift of daytime EXHRs in Hong Kong. In addition, the blocked southwesterly monsoonal flows at coastal south China are detoured eastward, leading to stronger convergence and increase in EXHRs at eastern coast of Hong Kong, especially during daytime, when the easterly sea winds prevail at the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A record‐breaking rainfall event occurred on the west coast of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) during the onset of the South China Sea Summer Monsoon in 2021. The present study quantitatively investigated the effects of local factors including land‐sea contrast, coastal terrain, and nearby convection‐induced cold pool on the convection initiation (CI) of the event. The two major local contributors to the CI of the event were the land‐sea frictional contrast on the west coast and the low‐level outflow of the cold pool produced by the rainfall system on the east coast of the PRD, which result in low‐level moisture convergence and lifting on the west coast. The two factors contributed comparably to the moisture convergence. The terrain effect on the west coast of the PRD plays a minor role in modulating the location, time, and intensity of the generated convection cells. Furthermore, the Ʌ‐shaped coastline of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) acts to suppress convection at coastal PRD. On the west coast of the PRE, the north‐south‐oriented coastline causes a divergence of the low‐level southwesterlies, which is not conducive to moisture convergence in the area. In addition, the southwesterlies weakened by the west coast of the PRD are also unfavorable to convection on the east coast. This is distinct from previous studies focused on other areas of coastal south China with relatively straight west‐east‐oriented coastlines, where the CI can be triggered by the moisture convergence induced by the joint effects of land‐sea contrast and coastal terrain. Plain Language Summary: Coastal south China has long and extremely complicated coastlines and terrain. The high heterogeneity in rainfall distribution over coastal south China is likely related to the specific characteristics of the coastline and terrain in different regions. Thus, investigating and comparing the local contributions to the convection initiation (CI) of heavy rainfall in different areas in coastal south China are the way to summarize the similarities and differences among the CI mechanisms in these areas, and improve our understanding on the applicability of the coastal CI mechanism over coastal south China. We quantitatively investigated the effects of local factors including land‐sea contrast, coastal terrain, and nearby convection‐induced cold pool on the CI of a record‐breaking rainfall event in coastal Pearl River Delta (PRD). The results reveal that the land‐sea contrast on the west coast and the cold pool produced by the rainfall system on the east coast of the PRD are the two major local contributors to the CI of the investigated event. In addition, the Ʌ‐shaped coastline of coastal PRD acts to suppress convection in this region, which is distinct from the CI mechanism in other areas in coastal south China. Key Points: The major local contributors to the convection initiation (CI) were land‐sea contrast and low‐level outflow of a cold pool produced by a near‐by rainfall systemThe CI mechanism at coastal Pearl River Delta (PRD) is distinct from that over other areas of coastal south ChinaCompared to areas with straight coastlines, the Ʌ‐shaped coastline of the Pearl River Estuary acted to suppress convection at coastal PRD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine uncertainty orientation and its relations with school and psychological adjustment in Chinese children. A sample of elementary school children in P.R. China, aged 10 to 12 years, participated in the study. Data concerning uncertainty orientation, academic performance and socio-emotional adjustment were obtained from multiple sources including projective assessments, teacher ratings and self-reports. It was found that children in grade 6 had higher scores on uncertainty orientation than those in grades 4 and 5. Uncertainty orientation was positively associated with school-related competence, academic achievement and self-perceptions of competence, and negatively associated with learning problems and loneliness. The results suggest that uncertainty orientation is an adaptive characteristic in Chinese children. (Contains 2 tables.)

Water level and submergence time are important factors influencing plant growth and plant C:N:P characteristics in freshwater wetlands. Here, we performed a controlled experiment using water levels and submergence times with the aim of investigating the changes in plant growth and stoichiometric characteristics, as well as the strength of N, P, and N:P homeostasis in Carex brevicuspis, China. Results showed that biomass, density, height, and total carbon (TC) decreased significantly with increasing water level; however, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) increased significantly. The highest TN and TP were at 40 cm water level, while the highest C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios were at 0 cm water level. Furthermore, significant stoichiometric homeostasis of C. brevicuspis was found for N (HN) and P (HP) except for N:P (HN:P). HN and HP decreased with increasing submergence time, and HN was consistently greater than HP, indicating that C. brevicuspis had a weak ability to maintain its internal P balance under long-term submergence. Therefore, the impact of water level and submergence time on plant growth and stoichiometric characteristics in this study are applicable to the conservation and management of the wetlands dominated with C. brevicuspis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Meteorology Administration chemistry model Chinese Unified Atmospheric Chemistry Environment (CUACE) is online integrated into the mesoscale operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) model (GRAPES_Meso5.1) and aerosol‐cloud‐radiation interaction is achieved to establish the first version (V1) of chemistry‐weather (CW) interacted model GRAPES‐Meso5.1/CUACE CW V1. The most polluted winter 2016–2017 is selected to study the meteorology impacts on haze/fog prediction, the impact of aerosol‐radiation, aerosol‐cloud and CW interaction (ARI, ACI, CWI) on haze/fog prediction and NWP. Single way model without CWI displays reasonable PM2.5 and visibility prediction in general. However, modeled PM2.5 peaks are underestimated and visibility valleys are overestimated during haze/fog pollution, the underestimation of relative humidity (RH) contributes major to this misestimation; CWI model cut the negative bias of PM2.5 peaks and the positive bias of visibility valleys. The improvement of 5 and 3 km low visibility by CWI during severe haze/fog period is more obvious than that of 10 km, which just compensates for the largest deficiency in low visibility prediction related with severe haze/fog by single way model; The NWP including sea level pressures, RH, temperature, wind speed are also improved by CWI from surface to upper troposphere; ARI contributes larger to the predicted PM2.5,visibility and NWP improvement than that of ACI, their relative contributions varies with model vertical height and the overlapping condition of cloud and aerosols. Due to the joint contribution of RH and PM2.5, CWI's improving on visibility is larger than PM2.5. This study illustrates the importance of including CWI in air quality prediction model. Plain Language Summary: Double way atmospheric chemistry model considering complete aerosol‐radiation‐cloud interaction is the hot and difficult issue in climate, weather and air quality (AQ) modeling. Focusing on better prediction of haze/fog pollution in China, the first version (V1) of chemistry‐weather (CW) interacted model GRAPES‐Meso5.1/CUACE CW V1 is established by online coupling the Chinese Meteorology Administration CUACE chemistry model with the updated operational mesoscale weather model GRAPES_Meso5.1 and the further completion of aerosol‐cloud‐radiation interaction in it. The meteorology impacts on haze/fog prediction including PM2.5 and visibility is discussed. The impacts of aerosol‐cloud interaction (ACI), aerosol radiation interaction (ARI) and the both (CWI) on haze/fog prediction and mesoscale NWP is further studied. The study results shows that the important impacts of relative humidity on high PM2.5 and low visibility and the improving of PM2.5, low visibility prediction and NWP by ARI, ACI and CWI during haze/fog episode, indicating the importance of CW model in better AQ prediction and NWP in polluted region. Key Points: An online chemistry‐weather (CW) interacted GRAPES_Meso5.1/Chinese Unified Atmospheric Chemistry Environment CW V1.0 model with aerosol‐radiation‐cloud interaction is establishedSingle way model shows basic reasonable haze/fog prediction including visibility and PM2.5 in most polluted subregions in ChinaCW Interaction improves PM2.5, visibility and numerical weather prediction from surface to upper troposphere to varying degree [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime shipping is under increasing pressure to alleviate its environmental impact. To this end, life‐cycle footprint accounting provides a foundation for taking targeted measures in the green transition of shipping. This study used the process‐based hybrid life‐cycle inventory (LCI) modeling approach to estimate the "cradle‐to‐propeller" footprint of ships, including primary energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and sulfur dioxide emissions. We used the input–output LCI model to calculate the embodied energy and emissions associated with the material and fuel use of ship manufacturing. We used a bottom‐up emission model and global marine traffic data to estimate the operational footprint of different types of ships. Based on 382 cargo ships (including bulk carriers, container ships, and general cargo ships) constructed in mainland China between 2011 and 2015, we estimated that the embodied footprint accounted for <10% of the cradle‐to‐propeller footprint under the pre‐2019 policy scenario. In terms of life‐cycle energy intensity (MJ/nm/1000 deadweight tonnage [DWT]), the large bulk carrier (>100,000 DWT) establishes the lowest value (46), followed by the small (0–100,000 DWT) bulk carrier (96), the large container ship (133), the small container ship (196), and the small general cargo (238). The bulk carrier was identified as the most energy efficient among the three ship types, and ships with larger capacities (i.e., DWT) had higher energy efficiencies than ships with lower capacities. Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the life‐cycle footprints of cargo ships, thus enabling better evidence‐based policymaking to transition the global marine‐shipping industry to a future of greener energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the regional transport of particulate matter (PM2.5) leading to air pollution in Fuzhou, in the west bank of the Taiwan Strait (WBTS), which has a relatively good air quality with a lower aerosol optical depth than that of East China. The continental polluted aerosol zone over the coast of East China was identified as an aerosol transport belt, and the daily aerosol dynamics observed by MODIS remote sensing indicated the southward transport of fine particulate matter to the WBTS along the coast. The external air pollutants from regional transport contributed 84% of the PM2.5 detected in Fuzhou, while only 16% due to local emissions of air pollutants. The northerly winds of the cold front drove the southward transport of polluted air masses along the coast of the northwest Pacific from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) to the WBTS. The vertical mixing of air pollutants from the upper boundary layer to the surface layer could be conducive to regional‐transport‐induced haze pollution in this coastal area of the WBTS. Fuzhou is considered a receptor region of PM2.5 transport in Eastern China, and the source region is mainly from the YRD. The results of this study have significant implications on determining the source of pollution and controlling local air quality for good air quality regions. This study also shed some light on using multi‐satellites to fill the surface observation gaps in coast or nearshore areas, and to confirm the characteristics and passways of aerosol transport. Key Points: The southward transport of air pollutants built up a source‐receptor relationship in East Aisa Monsoon regionThe transport of exogenous PM2.5 accounts for more than 80% during a severe haze pollution in FuzhouThe unstable atmospheric boundary layer leads to the downward mixing of PM2.5 to the surface in clean areas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study aimed to explore and compare stress, coping, professional identity and work locus of control of new graduate nurses among Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. Background: The transition from a student to a staff nurse role is recognized as a stressful experience and can be a rough journey. Many newly graduated nurses find it challenging to cope with their new roles in their first few months. Methods: A cross‐sectional research was used in the study. This study was completed in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei with newly graduated nurses working in hospitals. A total of 591 graduate nurses who had worked within 1 year in hospitals were recruited using convenient sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, including demographics, the occupational stress scale, the Chinese trait coping style questionnaire, the nurse professional identity scale and the work locus of control scale (Chinese version). Results: The newly graduated nurses in Shanghai had significantly lower (p < 0.05) work stress score (2.65 ± 0.67) compared with their counterparts in Hong Kong (2.99 ± 0.69) and Taipei (2.94 ± 0.60). Newly graduated nurses in Shanghai tended to choose positive coping to deal with stressful situations, whereas those in Hong Kong would be more likely to adopt negative attitudes (p < 0.05). The newly graduated nurses in Taipei had the lowest level of professional identity (3.25 ± 0.55, p < 0.05), and their work control tended to be external (46.13 ± 6.20). In contrast, those in Shanghai (52.75 ± 6.04) and Hong Kong (59.41 ± 7.29) tended to be controlled internally. Conclusions: The study findings revealed the differences among newly graduated nurses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei with their level of stress, coping, professional identity and work locus of control. Proper leadership, mentoring for newly graduated nurses, and emphasis on first aid nursing training, emotional management and management of stress in newly graduated nurse transition programmes were suggested. Implications for Nursing Management: By comparing the results in the three regions, we recommend that nursing managers promote the right leadership style. In addition to coaching, nursing managers can assign additional mentors to newly graduated nurses to help them supplement their clinical knowledge and skills with psychological support. These mentors can come from senior nurses or nursing managers working on less demanding tasks. In addition to the existing post transfer training programmes, new graduate nurses should also focus on emergency nursing training, emotional management training and stress management training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangrove wetland ecosystem is a coastal ecological key area that combines ecological characteristics of land and marine environments. This study examined soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and their stoichiometry in three dominant mangrove species (Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia obovata, and Avicennia marina) distributed in the Guangxi Beilun Estuary Nature Reserve, China. Results showed that soil organic carbon (SOC) was highest in K. obovata, whereas soil total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) were highest in A. corniculatum. The C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios in K. obovata were greater than those in the others. The microbial biomass C (MBC), N (MBN), and P (MBP) concentrations varied in ranges of 33.45-249.44 mg kg-1, 5.17-9.17 mg kg-1, and 0.17-0.43 mg kg-1, respectively. Similar to soil C, N, and P stoichiometry, K. obovata had the highest MBC, MBC:MBN, and MBC:MBP values, whereas the highest MBN and MBN:MBP were found in A. marina, and the highest MBP was found in mudflats. Overall, this study demonstrated that the soil stoichiometry and soil microbial biomass responded differently to different plant communities and these differences might be accounted for by variations in the environmental conditions of the three communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment strategies are guided by pattern differentiation, as documented in the eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). However, no standards for pattern differentiation are proposed to ensure inter-rater agreement. Without standardisation, research on associations between TCM diagnostic patterns, clinical features, and geographical characteristics is also not feasible. This diagnostic cross-sectional study aimed to (i) establish the pattern differentiation rules of functional dyspepsia (FD) using latent tree analysis (LTA); (ii) compare the prevalence of diagnostic patterns in Hong Kong and Hunan; (iii) discover the co-existence of diagnostic patterns; and (iv) reveal the associations between diagnostic patterns and FD common comorbidities. Methods: A total of 250 and 150 participants with FD consecutively sampled in Hong Kong and Hunan, respectively, completed a questionnaire on TCM clinical features. LTA was performed to reveal TCM diagnostic patterns of FD and derive relevant pattern differentiation rules. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to quantify correlations between different diagnostic patterns and between diagnostic patterns and clinical and geographical variables. Results: At least one TCM diagnostic pattern was differentiated in 70.7%, 73.6%, and 64.0% of the participants in the overall (n = 400), Hong Kong (n = 250), and Hunan (n = 150) samples, respectively, using the eight pattern differentiation rules derived. 52.7% to 59.6% of the participants were diagnosed with two or more diagnostic patterns. Cold-heat complex (59.8%) and spleen-stomach dampness-heat (77.1%) were the most prevalent diagnostic patterns in Hong Kong and Hunan, respectively. Spleen-stomach deficiency cold was highly likely to co-exist with spleen-stomach qi deficiency (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 53.23; 95% confidence interval (CI): 21.77 to 130.16). Participants with severe anxiety tended to have liver qi invading the stomach (AOR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.33). Conclusions: Future updates of the ICD, textbooks, and guidelines should emphasise the importance of clinical and geographical variations in TCM diagnosis. Location-specific pattern differentiation rules should be derived from local data using LTA. In future, patients' pattern differentiation results, local prevalence of TCM diagnostic patterns, and corresponding TCM treatment choices should be accessible to practitioners on online clinical decision support systems to streamline service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key problems in addressing air pollution include determining the source of the pollutants and developing a means to control them. In addition to the source area and source category of pollutants, the contributions of pollutants emitted during various periods is an important factor that must be better understood for effective and efficient policymaking. A temporal source apportionment module in the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions was developed and applied to analyze the temporal contributions of emissions to the concentration of atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. The results showed that in addition to cross‐boundary transport, the PM2.5 concentration in the PRD region was generally influenced by emissions on the current day and previous day. Local emissions from 06:00–17:59 on the current day accounted for approximately 30% of the PM2.5 concentration, whereas regional sources (cross‐city transport) had greater contributions during earlier emission periods. During the periods of episodic pollution, a weak wind situation hindered the transportation and diffusion of pollutants; thus, pollutants from 2 days earlier were trapped within the PRD region. When only the emissions from the PRD region were considered, particulate nitrate was more affected by regional emissions from the previous day, whereas the main contributors of other major components of PM2.5 were emissions from the current day. Our results suggest that emission control measures should be implemented 2 days in advance when adverse meteorological conditions are predicted. Plain Language Summary: In addition to the source area and source category of air pollutants, the contributions of pollutants emitted during various periods is an important factor that must be better understood for effective and efficient policymaking. The air quality model was further developed and applied to analyze the temporal contribution of emissions to the concentration of atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. The PM2.5 concentration in the PRD region was generally influenced by emissions on the current day and previous day. The emissions from 06:00–17:59 on the current day in the local city accounted for approximately 30% of the PM2.5 concentration. During the pollution period, pollutants from 2 days earlier were trapped within the PRD region because of the lower wind speed. These findings suggest that emission control measures should be implemented 2 days in advance when adverse meteorological conditions are predicted. Key Points: The contributions of emissions released at different periods to the particulate matter with a diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) concentration in the Pearl River Delta region were quantifiedThe PM2.5 concentration in the Pearl River Delta region was largely affected by emissions on the current and previous dayThe emissions in different periods contributed to major components of PM2.5 at varying degrees [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainbands that migrate northward from spring to summer are persistent features of the East Asian summer monsoon. This study employs a machine learning algorithm to identify individual East Asian rainbands from May to August in the 6-hourly ERA-Interim reanalysis product and captures rainband events during these months for the period 1979–2018. The median duration of rainband events at any location in East Asia is 12 h, and the centroids of these rainbands move northward continuously from approximately 28°N in late May to approximately 33°N in July, instead of making jumps between quasi-stationary periods. Whereas the length and overall area of the rainbands grow monotonically from May to June, the intensity of the rainfall within the rainband dips slightly in early June before it peaks in late June. We find that extratropical northerly winds on all pressure levels over East China are the most important anomalous flow accompanying the rainband events. The anomalous northerlies augment climatological background northerlies in bringing low moist static energy air and thus generate the front associated with the rainband. Persistent lower-tropospheric southerly winds bring in moisture that feeds the rainband and are enhanced a few days prior to rainband events, but they are not directly tied to the actual rainband formation. The background northerlies could originate as part of the Rossby waves resulting from the jet stream interaction with the Tibetan Plateau. The ageostrophic circulation in the jet entrance region peaks in May and weakens in June and July and does not prove to be critical to the formation of the rainbands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is well documented in developed countries, and yet public discussion of gender disparities in STEM in China is still in its nascent stage. Endorsement of traditional gender role beliefs and conformity to social norms are pertinent to Chinese culture, which may even exacerbate the gender disparities in STEM engagement. Grounded in social cognitive career theory, the present study drew on a national sample of secondary school students (N = 3020) in China to estimate gender disparities in self-efficacy, interest, and aspirations in STEM and examine how cultural and gender norms influence STEM engagement. Results: The proposed sequential mediation model was supported, in which girls were more likely to show lower levels of self-efficacy than boys; this was associated with lower interest in STEM and lower motivation to pursue STEM careers. The results also supported the moderating effect of traditional gender role beliefs and found that gender differences in self-efficacy, interest, and aspirations in STEM were more apparent among students who strongly endorsed stereotypical views of male and female roles. Conclusions: The findings provide important implications for efforts to improve girls' access to STEM education through curriculum enrichment and out-of-school time programs to bridge the gender gap in STEM. Access to female role models and gender-responsive pedagogy is also essential to boost girls' self-efficacy in STEM and eradicate traditional gender role beliefs among all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a socialist nation with laws promoted as “pro-labor,” the official representation is that China’s legal system (in particular its courts) gives special protection to employees. China’s labor statutes (in particular, the Labor Contract Law) favor employees. The debate on whether Chinese courts are “pro-labor” or “pro-employer” has been going on for many years. The established perception is that Chinese courts are “pro-labor.” By examining 2,054 sampled dismissal cases for serious breaches of employers’ internal regulations, this article shows that Chinese courts are in no way “pro-labor.” The employers have won by a substantial margin. Courts in most cases only conducted a simple factual review to see if the employer’s internal regulations have been violated by the employee. Courts in most cases did not conduct a substantive assessment of whether the dismissal was fair or unfair (“fairness review”). The data reveals that the fairness review is pivotal in the determination of litigation outcome. Had the court conducted a fairness review in every case, the employees would have prevailed. The failure of the court to conduct a fairness review is solid proof that courts favor employers. This ground-breaking finding contradicts the established perception that courts are “prolabor” and past empirical literature that suggests employees are winning in labor disputes lawsuits. This study shows that despite the “prolabor” perception, the Chinese courts are, in fact, “pro-employer.” This revelation has profound implication for the study of judicial protection of labor rights in socialist authoritarian regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The East Asian summer monsoon is unique among summer monsoon systems in its complex seasonality, exhibiting distinct intraseasonal stages. Previous studies have alluded to the downstream influence of the westerlies flowing around the Tibetan Plateau as key to its existence. We explore this hypothesis using an atmospheric general circulation model that simulates the intraseasonal stages with fidelity. Without a Tibetan Plateau, East Asia exhibits only one primary convective stage typical of other monsoons. As the plateau is introduced, the distinct rainfall stages—spring, pre-mei-yu, mei-yu, and midsummer—emerge, and rainfall becomes more intense overall. This emergence coincides with a pronounced modulation of the westerlies around the plateau and extratropical northerlies penetrating northeastern China. The northerlies meridionally constrain the moist southerly flow originating from the tropics, leading to a band of lower-tropospheric convergence and humidity front that produces the rainband. The northward migration of the westerlies away from the northern edge of the plateau leads to a weakening of the extratropical northerlies, which, coupled with stronger monsoonal southerlies, leads to the northward migration of the rainband. When the peak westerlies migrate north of the plateau during the midsummer stage, the extratropical northerlies disappear, leaving only the monsoon low-level circulation that penetrates northeastern China; the rainband disappears, leaving isolated convective rainfall over northeastern China. In short, East Asian rainfall seasonality results from the interaction of two seasonally evolving circulations—the monsoonal southerlies that strengthen and extend northward, and the midlatitude northerlies that weaken and eventually disappear—as summer progresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meat consumption elasticity coefficient can reflect the processing traces of living standard. This paper analyzes these coefficients of urban and rural residents in China with the AIDS (Almost Ideal Demand System Model). Meat consumption structure of residents has begun to show signs of adjustment following their respective trajectories, which has been discussing in academic but lacks theoretical proof for decade years. Based on elastic theory, we have provided favorable evidence for this fact, and we found: (1) Elasticity coefficients show both urban and rural residents have been all sensitive to price, especially the city dwellers. The Urban residents is more sensitive to poultry than others. Rural residents have long been more interested in pork, though the mutton has been the trustiest. (2) Income and meat price are two main causes affect meat consumption, but there is no significant positive correlation between meat consumption and disposable income in Urban, different from Rural. With the income increasing, the kinds and quality of meat in basket of different residents are changing. (3) Furthermore, meat consumptions between urban and rural residents are not synchronized, and even sometimes the trends show the opposite directions because of income, habits, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress has become more common in recent years, limiting wheat production in Huang-Huai-Hai plain in China. To identify the effect of long-term heat stress on wheat production, two heat-resistant (JM44, JM23) and two heatsensitive (XM26, GC8901) wheat varieties were sown in heat tents and normal conditions, and heat stress (9 to 12°C higher than control) was imposed for seven days at post-anthesis. All varieties under heat stress exhibited early senescence and reduced grain-filling rate, while the grain-filling period of heat-tolerant varieties was longer than that of the heat-sensitive. Furthermore, long-term heat stress significantly reduced kernel mass, grain number, harvest index, chlorophyll content, maximum quantum yield of PSⅡ photochemistry, effective quantum yield of PSⅡ photochemistry, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration efficiency. In addition, the distribution of dry matter to vegetative organs, catalase activity, and malondialdehyde content increased. These results indicated that the lesser yield reduction of heat-resistant varieties (11-26%) than that of heat-sensitive (16-37%) is due to relatively higher antioxidative and photosynthetic performance and higher assimilation in the grain from vegetative organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organomineral associations in micro-aggregate architecture are important in soil functions. The effect of greenhouse management on micro-aggregation should be investigated to rationally maximize the benefits of solar greenhouses. The relationships between combined organic matter and inorganic minerals were studied during a long-term greenhouse experiment for 15 years in Shenyang, China. Stepwise settlement method was used to isolate micro-aggregate fractions. Combined organic matter, sesquioxides and combined inorganic phosphorus were also determined. The mass proportions of 50–250 and <1 μm size fractions decreased under long-term greenhouse management. The opposite trends were observed in 10–50 and 1–5 μm size fractions. Significant correlations were also determined between the combined organic matter and amorphous Al oxide, complex Fe and Al oxides, and phosphorus combined with Ca and occluded phosphorus. These results indicated that greenhouse management significantly affected the turnover of organomineral associations in micro-aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the China's five element philosophy (CFEP), we construct a permuted Volterra quadratic stochastic operator acting on the four-dimensional simplex. This operator (depending on 10 parameters) is considered as an evolution operator for CFEP. We study the discrete-time dynamical system generated by this operator. Mainly our results related to a symmetric operator (depending on one parameter). We show that this operator has a unique fixed point, which is repeller. Moreover, in the case of non-zero parameter, it has two 5-periodic orbits. We divide the simplex to four subsets: the first set consists a single point (the fixed point); the second (resp. third) set is the set of initial point trajectories of which converge to the first (resp. second) 5-periodic orbit; the fourth subset is the set of initial point trajectories of which do not converge and their sets of limit points are infinite and lie on the boundary of the simplex. We give interpretations of our results to CFEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimation of the difference between the new competitive advantages of China's export and the world's trading powers have been the key measurement problems in China-related studies. In this work, a comprehensive evaluation index system for new export competitive advantages is developed, a soft-sensing model for China's new export competitive advantages based on the fuzzy entropy weight analytic hierarchy process is established, and the soft-sensing values of key indexes are derived. The obtained evaluation values of the main measurement index are used as the input variable of the fuzzy least squares support vector machine, and a soft-sensing model of the key index parameters of the new export competitive advantages of China based on the combined soft-sensing model of the fuzzy least squares support vector machine is established. The soft-sensing results of the new export competitive advantage index of China show that the soft measurement model developed herein is of high precision compared with other models, and the technical and brand competitiveness indicators of export products have more significant contributions to the new competitive advantages of China's export, while the service competitiveness indicator of export products has the least contribution to new competitive advantages of China's export. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Theory predicts that outcrossing should be more prevalent among perennials than annuals, a pattern confirmed by comparative evidence from diverse angiosperm families. However, intraspecific comparisons between annual and perennial populations are few because such variation is uncommon among flowering plants. Here, we test the hypothesis that perennial populations outcross more than annual populations by investigating Incarvillea sinensis , a wide-ranging insect-pollinated herb native to China. The occurrence of both allopatric and sympatric populations allows us to examine the stability of mating system differences between life histories under varying ecological conditions. Methods We estimated outcrossing rates and biparental inbreeding in 16 allopatric and five sympatric populations in which both life histories coexisted using 20 microsatellite loci. In each population we measured height, branch number, corolla size, tube length and herkogamy for ~30 individuals. In a sympatric population, we recorded daily flower number, pollinator visitation and the fruit and seed set of annual and perennial plants. Key Results As predicted, outcrossing rates (t) were considerably higher in perennial (mean = 0.76) than annual (mean = 0.09) populations. This difference in mating system was also maintained at sympatric sites where plants grew intermixed. In both allopatric and sympatric populations the degree of herkogamy was consistently larger in outcrossing than selfing plants. Perennials were more branched, with more and larger flowers than in annuals. In a sympatric population, annuals had a significantly higher fruit and seed set than perennials. Conclusions Genetically based differences in herkogamy between annuals and perennials appear to play a key role in governing outcrossing rates in populations, regardless of variation in local ecological conditions. The maintenance of mating system and life history trait differentiation between perennial and annual populations of I. sinensis probably results from correlated evolution in response to local environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the ambitious Case Quality Assessment System (CQAS) that the Supreme People's Court of China (SPC) promoted during the first half of the 2010s. It offers a case-study of Court J, a grassroots court located in an affluent urban metropolis of China that struggled to come out ahead in the CQAS competition. The article discusses how the SPC quantified judging and the problems created by the metricization process. The CQAS project is analyzed as a case of metric fixation. By identifying the problems that doomed the CQAS, the article points out the challenges facing the authoritarian regime in subjecting good judging to quantitative output standards. The CQAS is a metric that judges judging. It reveals how judging is viewed by the party-state. The article concludes by discussing the legacy of the CQAS. Though it nominally ended in 2014, key indicators that it introduced for supervising judges are still used by the Chinese courts today. The CQAS presaged the growing centralization that the Chinese judicial system is undergoing today. Though the SPC has terminated the tournament-style competition that defined the CQAS, the metric remains the template used to evaluate judging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While China's Constitution says everyone is treated equally before the law, employment discrimination continues to exist. This paper breaks new ground by analysing a quantitative survey of more than 10,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, the largest dataset of its kind to date in China. Only 5.1 per cent of respondents were completely open about their gender and sexuality at work. More than one-fifth reported experiencing negative treatment in the workplace. Transgender and intersex people reported higher rates of negative treatment, as did respondents with lower educational levels and lower incomes and those residing in towns. Employer policies against discrimination were rare, but when in place, they were significantly associated with less negative treatment. These findings highlight an almost completely neglected segment of the workforce and document discriminatory experiences that could be addressed by changes in discrimination law and by employer policies and practices related to diversity and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]