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Because of human-induced habitat deterioration and climate change, a large number of species are threatened and even endangered. Batrachium pekinense Liang Liu, a perennial aquatic plant endemic to Beijing, was synonymized as a widely distributed species in Northern China, B. bungei Steudel, but it was later listed in the national key protected wild plants in China. Taxonomic uncertainty should be clarified especially when related species may be allocated with a limited conservation budget. In this study, we reappraised the identity of B. pekinense based on results from molecular phylogenetic analysis and 15-year field observations. Our result shows that 77% of the 65 individuals collected from various sites share identical sequences in both the nuclear ribosomal ITS and the plastid psbA-trnH markers, all samples of the two species consist of one monophyletic clade with strong support, and continuous morphological variations on the key distinguishing character, the leaf shape, are observed in the field. Integrative evidence from both our and the others' studies supports the same identity for B. pekinense and B. bungei. Hence, we suggest excluding B. pekinense from the list of national key protected wild plants of China in its next update and advocate the integrative evidence-based taxonomy and systematics for biodiversity conservation and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In China, individuals diagnosed with esophageal cancer are confronted with an elevated risk of nutritional inadequacy or malnutrition throughout the course of their disease, a condition that contributes to various adverse clinical outcomes. A vast corpus of data are burgeoning at an unprecedented rate, primarily due to the revolutionary growth of digitalization technologies and artificial intelligence, notably within the domains of health care and medicine. The purpose of this investigation is to initiate the development of a nutritional screening and assessment indicator framework for patients with esophageal cancer within the Chinese context. We seek to furnish an instrumental reference to facilitate preparations for the forthcoming era of advanced, "deep," evidence‐based medicine. Methods: An integrative methodology was employed to forge the preliminary draft of the nutritional screening and assessment indicator system for preoperative patients with esophageal cancer. This encompassed a rigorous literature survey, in‐depth clinical practice investigation, and the facilitation of expert panel discussions. Thereafter, two iterative consultation phases were conducted using the Delphi method in China. The analytic hierarchy process was deployed to ascertain the weighting of each index within the definitive evaluation indicator system. Results: The effective response rates for the dual rounds of expert consultation were 91.7% and 86.4%, with commensurate authority coefficients of 0.97 and 0.91. The Kendall harmony coefficients were ascertained to be 0.19 and 0.14 (p < 0.01), respectively. The culminating nutritional screening and assessment indicator system for patients with esophageal cancer comprised 5 primary‐level indicators and 38 secondary‐level indicators. Conclusions: The nutritional screening and assessment indicator system contrived for patients with esophageal cancer is underpinned by cogent theoretical principles, leverages an astute research methodology, and manifests dependable outcomes. This system may be appositely utilized as a meaningful reference for the nutritional screening and assessment process in patients afflicted with esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2022, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a clinical guideline for point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The guideline outlined the development and current status of POCUS in the NICU, and summarized the key elements and implementation guidelines for successful implementation of POCUS in the NICU. This article provides an overview of the key points of the clinical guideline and analyzes the current status of POCUS in China, providing a reference for the implementation of POCUS in neonatal care in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the field investigation in five provincial regions of Southwest China between 2001 and 2019, the present paper reports the infestation and distribution of chigger mites on the Confucian white-bellied rat Niviventer confucianus in China for the first time. A total of 11,017 chigger mites were collected from the body surface of 911 N. confucianus rat hosts, and 10,161 of them were identified as 166 species and 16 genera in three subfamilies under two families with high species diversity (S = 166, H' = 3.19, E = 0.62). Of 911 N. confucianus rats, 341 individuals were infested with chiggers with high overall prevalence (PM = 37.43%), mean abundance (MA = 12.09 mites/rat) and mean intensity (MI = 32.31 mites/rat). On the body surface of N. confucianus, Ascoschoengastia sifanga was the most dominant chigger species followed by Walchia ewingi and Leptotrombidium rupestre. All the three dominant chigger species showed an aggregated distribution pattern among different individuals of N. confucianus. Chigger infestations on the same rat host (N. confucianus) showed some heterogeneity under different environmental conditions such as latitudes, longitudes, altitudes and landscapes. Based on Preston's lognormal model, the species abundance distribution of chiggers on N. confucianus conformed to a lognormal distribution pattern, and the predicted total species of chiggers on N. confucianus in Southwest China was estimated to be 228 species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the characteristics of the traditional village distribution contributes to the formulation of relevant protection and development strategies. We adopted a series of spatial analysis methods to investigate the characteristics of the traditional village distribution in China by using the watershed as the research unit. Moreover, we conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of the relevant influencing factors affecting the distribution pattern using Geodetector and mathematical statistics. The findings indicate that traditional villages are distributed unevenly across watershed units. High–High clusters tend to occur at the boundaries of first-level watersheds. Traditional villages have a clear agglomeration trend in space, with a concentrated and contiguous distribution pattern based on the "core density area–ring-core expansion group–belt area". The key factors affecting the traditional village distribution are annual precipitation, annual average temperature, and river density. The traditional village number has a clear inverted U-shaped relationship with the annual average temperature, river density, and road density. The study reveals the complex and various characteristics of the traditional village distribution and its influence mechanism and offers scientific advice for traditional villages' future protection and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo shoots and their products are an important part of the human diet. However, the accumulation and accurate human health risk of heavy metal(loid)s in bamboo shoots are largely unknown. In this study, we determined the total and bioaccessible concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, and Cr in natural and processed bamboo shoot products from markets in southwest China. The health risk assessment and enterotoxicity after consumption of heavy metal(loid)s contaminated samples were further studied using a human colonic epithelial cell (Caco-2 cell) model. The results showed that the average concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, and Cr in the collected samples were 0.036, 0.056, 0.008, and 0.049 mg/kg, while Pb contents in 21 collected fresh bamboo shoot samples exceeded the allowable limit value of 0.1 mg/kg by 1.00–4.60 folds. Besides, As in 2 % fresh bamboo shoots exceeded the limit value of 0.50 mg/kg. The average bioaccessibility of heavy metal(loid)s in fresh bamboo shoots was as follows: Cr (47.20 %) > Pb (39.56 %) > Cd (15.64 %)> As (13.29 %). Estimated daily intake (EDI) of heavy metal(loid)s after intake of fresh bamboo shoots was higher in children than that in adults, the THQ of As is > 1 based on the total heavy metal(loid)s, indicating a potential non-carcinogenic risk for children. However, health risks assessment based on bioaccessibility were significantly decreased. Furthermore, intestinal digesta of high-risk samples did not trigger detrimental effects on Caco-2 cells, suggesting existing health risk assessment model may overestimate their health risks and should be adjusted by bioaccessibility and cellular toxicity validation to accurately reflect their health risk. Our data may provide a novel and scientific insight into the health risk assessment of bamboo shoots as well as their products and propose a more scientific approach to accurate health risk assessment for heavy metals polluted foods. [Display omitted] • The As, Cd, Pb, and Cr in bamboo shoots and their products were analyzed. • The As, Pb, Cd, and Cr in most bamboo shoot products did not exceed the limit. • The bioaccessibility of As, Pb, Cd, and Cr in bamboo shoot was 13.29–47.20 %. • The intestinal digesta of risk samples did not trigger cytotoxicity in Caco-2 cells. • Both bioaccessibility and toxicity should be involved in accurate risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Body water measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) predicts the outcomes of many diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between body water and the prognosis of cancer patients with sarcopenia. Methods: This study employed 287 cancer patients with sarcopenia underwent BIA from a prospective multicenter study of patients with cancer in China from 2013 to 2020. The primary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality presented as the longest time to follow-up available. Eight indicators of body water [total body water, extracellular water, intracellular water, free fat mass, active cell mass, extracellular water/intracellular water, extracellular water/total body water (ECW/TBW), and intracellular water/total body water] were included in the research. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) = neutrophil (× 109)/lymphocyte (× 109). The discriminatory ability and prediction accuracy of each factor were assessed using the C-index. The hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: The median age was 65 years old, and 138 (48%) patients were men. During a mean follow-up of 46 months, 140 deaths were recorded, resulting in a rate of 204.6 events per 1000 patient-years. ECW/TBW showed the best predictive accuracy (C-index = 0.619) compared to the other indicators [p = 0.004, adjusted HR (95% CI) 1.70 (1.18,2.44)]. In the middle tertile (0.385–0.405), ECW/TBW had a strong independent negative association with patient survival [adjusted HR (95% CI) 2.88 (1.39–5.97), p = 0.004]. Patients who had a high ECW/TBW (ECW/TBW ≥ 0.395) combined with a high NLR had 3.84-fold risk of mortality (p < 0.001, 95% CI 1.99,7.38). Conclusions: ECW/TBW was better than other indicators in predicting survival of cancer patients with sarcopenia. High ECW/TBW combined with high NLR would further increase the risk of mortality. Trial registration: The Investigation on Nutrition Status and Clinical Outcome of Common Cancers (INSCOC) (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1800020329, URL of registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=31813). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and reliable farmland crop mapping is an important foundation for relevant departments to carry out agricultural management, crop planting structure adjustment and ecological assessment. The current crop identification work mainly focuses on conventional crops, and there are few studies on parcel-level mapping of horticultural crops in complex mountainous areas. Using Miaohou Town, China, as the research area, we developed a parcel-level method for the precise mapping of horticultural crops in complex mountainous areas using very-high-resolution (VHR) optical images and Sentinel-2 optical time-series images. First, based on the VHR images with a spatial resolution of 0.55 m, the complex mountainous areas were divided into subregions with their own independent characteristics according to a zoning and hierarchical strategy. The parcels in the different study areas were then divided into plain, greenhouse, slope and terrace parcels according to their corresponding parcel characteristics. The edge-based model RCF and texture-based model DABNet were subsequently used to extract the parcels according to the characteristics of different regions. Then, Sentinel-2 images were used to construct the time-series characteristics of different crops, and an LSTM algorithm was used to classify crop types. We then designed a parcel filling strategy to determine the categories of parcels based on the classification results of the time-series data, and accurate parcel-level mapping of a horticultural crop orchard in a complex mountainous area was finally achieved. Based on visual inspection, this method appears to effectively extract farmland parcels from VHR images of complex mountainous areas. The classification accuracy reached 93.01%, and the Kappa coefficient was 0.9015. This method thus serves as a methodological reference for parcel-level horticultural crop mapping and can be applied to the development of local precision agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While the existing knowledge base on the impact of prostate cancer (PC) and its treatment on sexuality and intimacy has been generated from Western populations, there is a lack of such evidence in the Asian context. This study aimed to explore men's experiences of sex and intimacy after PC treatment in China.Methods: This study adopted an interpretive descriptive design. Using purposive sampling, 13 PC patients were selected from a urology outpatient unit of a hospital in South China and proceeded with individual semi-structured telephone interviews. Each interview was transcribed verbatim and analyzed using constant comparison analysis.Results: Four themes emerged from the interview data, including (a) encountering altered sexuality, (b) communication and sexual adjustments, (c) maintenance of quality intimate relationship, and (d) lack of sexual health support.Conclusions: The findings revealed that PC treatment significantly impaired patients' sexual functions, and their sexual health needs were mainly unmet by healthcare providers. There is a great need to design culturally relevant interventions to improve sexual health among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crataegus bretschneideri has been considered a variety of Crataegus pinnatifida, but has also been proposed as a separate species. We used ITS and three cpDNA sequence fragments (psbA‐trnH, trnG‐trnS, trnH‐trnK) to perform maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference and neighbor‐joining molecular phylogenetic analysis on 108 individuals of 19 hawthorn (Crataegus) species and 4 outgroups (Malus). The ITS, cpDNA and cpDNA‐ITS molecular phylogenetic trees constructed using 4 methods had similar consistency. In the cpDNA‐ITS tree, C. bretschneideri was resolved as an independent clade separated from Crataegus maximowiczii and C. pinnatifida. In the ITS (biparental inheritance) tree, C. bretschneideri and C. pinnatifida were resolved as closely related and only distantly related to C. maximowiczii. In contrast, the cpDNA (maternal inheritance) tree indicated that C. bretschneideri is closely related to C. maximowiczii but distantly related to C. pinnatifida. In total, 15 chloroplast haplotypes were revealed in the 108 Crataegus individuals, as determined by DNASP analysis. Of these, C. bretschneideri and C. maximowiczii share the same chloroplast haplotype, H1, while C. pinnatifida contains three haplotypes, H13–H15. Taken together with previous results, we confirm that C. bretschneideri is not a variety of C. pinnatifida, but a separate species that gradually developed from natural hybrid offspring in mixed forest areas with C. maximowiczii as the female parent and C. pinnatifida as the male parent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential health risk caused by long-term exposure to heavy metals in household dust is not only depended on their total content, but also bioaccessibility. In this study, twenty-one dust samples were collected from residential buildings, schools, and laboratories in 14 provincial-capital/industrial cities of China, aiming to evaluate the total contents, fractionation, bioaccessibility and health risks of nine heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Mn, Zn, Fe, and Cu). Results showed that the highest levels of Cd, Cr, Ni and Zn were found in laboratory dust, As, Pb and Mn in school dust, and Fe and Cu in residential dust, indicating different source profiles of the heavy metals. The mean bioaccessibility of the heavy metals across all samples as evaluated using SBRC (Solubility Bioavailability Research Consortium), IVG (In Vitro Gastrointestinal), and PBET (Physiologically Based Extraction Test) assays was 58.4%, 32.4% and 17.2% in gastric phase (GP), and 24.9%, 21.9% and 9.39% in intestinal phase (IP), respectively. Cadmium had the highest content in the fractions of E1+C2 (43.7%), as determined by sequential extraction, and Pb, Mn, and Zn had a higher content in E1+C2+F3 (64.2%, 67.2%, 78.8%), resulting in a higher bioaccessibility of these heavy metals than others. Moreover, the bioaccessibility of most heavy metals was inversely related to dust pH (R = −0.18 in GP; −0.18 in IP; P < 0.01) and particle size, while a positive correlation was observed with total organic carbon (R = 0.40 in GP; 0.38 in IP; P < 0.01). The exposure risk calculated by the highest bioaccessibility was generally lower than that calculated by the total content. However, Pb in one school dust sample had an unacceptable carcinogenic risk (adult risk = 1.19 × 10−4; child risk = 1.08 × 10−4). This study suggests that bioaccessibility of heavy metals in household dust is likely related to geochemical fractions and physical/chemical properties. Further research is needed to explore the sources of bioaccessible heavy metals in household dust. [Display omitted] • Bioaccessibility of nine metals in 21 household dusts from 14 cities were studied. • Bioaccessibility showed a trend of SBRC > IVG > PBET. • Metal bioaccessibility was positively correlated with dust TOC and E1+C2 fractions. • Metal bioaccessibility was inversely related to dust pH and particle size. • Bioaccessibility-based health risks of heavy metal were assessed and more accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qinbaiqingfei concentrated pills (QB) are a commonly used medicine for the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in China, and the mechanism of action of QB needs to be studied further. Therefore, we use a combination of metabolomics and network pharmacology to clarify the mechanism of QB. Nontarget metabolomics studies were performed on rat serum, urine, and lung tissues, and 56 therapeutic biomarkers were found. Subsequently, the components of QB absorbed into the blood and lung tissues were clarified, and based on this finding, the core target of network pharmacology was predicted. The enrichment analysis of biomarkers–genes finally confirmed their close relationship with the NF-κB signaling pathway. By western blotting expression of the proteins in the lung tissue–related signaling pathways, it is finally confirmed that QB inhibits the NF-κB signaling pathway through SIRT1, IL-10 and MMP9, CTNNB1, EGFR, and other targets. It plays a role in regulating immunity, regulating metabolism, and treating diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mushrooms are consumed worldwide as they constitute a part of traditional cuisine culture in many countries. However, chromium (Cr) accumulation in mushrooms may constitute a potential pathway for its chronical exposure to humans. In this work, the Cr contents, distribution and bioaccessibility in 140 cultivated mushrooms from 14 species in 10 top-producing provinces in China were examined. Total Cr contents were 0.09–4.71 mg·kg−1 dw (mean 0.74 mg kg−1), with 59% exceeding the 0.5 mg kg−1standard. Additionally, less Cr was accumulated in the caps than stipes, with Cr ratio in caps/stipes being 0.28–2.6, averaging 0.91. Based on the Solubility Bioaccessibility Research Consortium (SBRC) assay, the mean Cr bioaccessibility in the mushrooms was 24.8% and 50.1% in the gastric phase (GP) and intestinal phase (IP). However, samples from Guizhou show the lowest Cr bioaccessibility at 12.5% in GP and 24.8% in IP. Further, a negative correlation between total Cr contents and Cr bioaccessibility suggests that Cr bioaccessibility is critical for accurate assessment of Cr exposure. In addition, drying mushrooms increased their bioaccessibility in the gastric phase. This study shows a high Cr exceeding rate of cultivated mushrooms, which may indicate a potential exposure risk, with Cr contents and bioaccessibility showing species and regional variation. [Display omitted] • 140 mushrooms were from 14 species in 10 top-producing provinces in China. • Total Cr contents were 0.09–4.71 mg·kg−1, with 59% exceeding 0.5 mg kg−1 standard. • More Cr was concentrated in the stipes than caps (1.11 vs. 0.92 mg·kg−1). • Cr bioaccessibility negatively correlated with Cr contents via SBRC assay. • Greater Cr bioaccessibility in the gastric phase in dried mushrooms than in fresh samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are diverse, with their formation and expansion having various driving forces. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) cities represent an emerging category in China's urban system. They have evolved into a special organisation integrating 'party, government, military, and enterprises' and are located in Xinjiang, the frontier region of north-western China. Investigation of such urban characteristics is helpful to enrich our diverse cognitions on cities. The purpose of this paper is to trace the growth history of XPCC cities and explore their evolution-related characteristics, modes, and driving mechanisms in terms of spatial morphology and landscapes in the process of urban expansion by utilising remote sensing interpretation data. This study led to four main conclusions. (1) The role of the XPCC in maintaining the long-term stability and prosperity of the frontier is increasingly valued across the nation, thus leading to a major increase in the quantity and quality of XPCC cities. (2) These cities have a unique spatial layout around two deserts and the border characterised by 'two rings and one line'; however, their distribution is relatively scattered. (3) The expansion of XPCC cities has become prominent along with the restructuring of land use, with wasteland reclaiming being a salient attribute of their built-up land expansion, while also protecting cultivated land. Most cities reveal a more complex and less compact morphology. (4) The external government's promotion and regulation, the basic shaping of the natural geographical environment, the internal boosting of economic increase and industrial restructuring, and the special reshaping of the XPCC-local relationship are key driving factors behind the urban temporal-spatial evolution. Overall, this study supplements current knowledge on frontier cities within the Chinese context and thus helps to improve understanding of the urban theoretical research of government behaviours and the multi-dynamics of urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid that targets sucking pests, such as aphids and the green leaf bug and has been widely applied in wheat fields to control wheat aphids in China. To investigate the involvement of miRNAs in imidacloprid resistance, we sequenced small RNA libraries of Sitobion miscanthi Fabricius, across two different treatments using Illumina short-read sequencing technology. As a result, 265 microRNAs (miRNAs), of which 242 were known and 23 were novel, were identified. Quantitative analysis of miRNA levels showed that 23 miRNAs were significantly up-regulated, and 54 miRNAs were significantly down-regulated in the nymphs of S. miscanthi treated with imidacloprid in comparison with those of the control. Modulation of the abundances of differentially expressed miRNAs, smi-miR-316, smi-miR-1000, and smi-miR-iab-4 by the addition of the corresponding antagomir/inhibitor to the artificial diet significantly changed the susceptibility of S. miscanthi to imidacloprid. Subsequently, the post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism was conducted, smi-miR-278 and smi-miR-316 were confirmed to be participated in the post-transcriptional regulation of nAChRα1A and CYP4CJ6, respectively. The results suggested that miRNAs differentially expressed in response to imidacloprid could play a critical regulatory role in the metabolism of S. miscanthi to imidacloprid. [Display omitted] • 77 differentially expressed miRNAs identified under imidacloprid exposure using Illumina short-read sequencing technology. • Modulation abundances of smi-miR-316, smi-miR-1000 and smi-miR-iab-4 significantly changed the susceptibility to imidacloprid. • CYP4CJ6 and nAChRα1A could be regulated by smi-miR-316 and smi-miR-278, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As one of the leading causes of child mortality, deaths due to congenital anomalies (CAs) have been a prominent obstacle to meet Sustainable Development Goal 3.2., Objective: We conducted this study to understand the death burden and trend of under-5 CA mortality (CAMR) in Zhejiang, one of the provinces with the best medical services and public health foundations in Eastern China., Methods: We used data retrieved from the under-5 mortality surveillance system in Zhejiang from 2012 to 2021. CAMR by sex, residence, and age group for each year was calculated and standardized according to 2020 National Population Census sex- and residence-specific live birth data in China. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the annual average change rate (AACR) of CAMR and to obtain the rate ratio between subgroups after adjusting for sex, residence, and age group when appropriate., Results: From 2012 to 2021, a total of 1753 children died from CAs, and the standardized CAMR declined from 121.2 to 62.6 per 100,000 live births with an AACR of -9% (95% CI -10.7% to -7.2%; P<.001). The declining trend was also observed in female and male children, urban and rural children, and neonates and older infants, and the AACRs were -9.7%, -8.5%, -8.5%, -9.2%, -12%, and -6.3%, respectively (all P<.001). However, no significant reduction was observed in children aged 1-4 years (P=.22). Generally, the CAMR rate ratios for male versus female children, rural versus urban children, older infants versus neonates, and older children versus neonates were 1.18 (95% CI 1.08-1.30; P<.001), 1.20 (95% CI 1.08-1.32; P=.001), 0.66 (95% CI 0.59-0.73; P<.001), and 0.20 (95% CI 0.17-0.24; P<.001), respectively. Among all broad CA groups, circulatory system malformations, mainly deaths caused by congenital heart diseases, accounted for 49.4% (866/1753) of deaths and ranked first across all years, although it declined yearly with an AACR of -9.8% (P<.001). Deaths due to chromosomal abnormalities tended to grow in recent years, although the AACR was not significant (P=.90)., Conclusions: CAMR reduced annually, with cardiovascular malformations ranking first across all years in Zhejiang, China. Future research and practices should focus more on the prevention, early detection, long-term management of CAs and comprehensive support for families with children with CAs to improve their survival chances., (©Wen-Hong Dong, Jun-Xia Guo, Lei Wang, Shuang-Shuang Zheng, Bing-Quan Zhu, Jie Shao. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (https://publichealth.jmir.org), 03.06.2024.)

To investigate the effects of different irrigation and nitrogen application modes on nitrogen gaseous loss in winter wheat farmland, we conducted a field experiment at Changqing Irrigation Experiment Station in Shandong Province, with two irrigation levels (80%-90% θ f (I 1 ) and 70%-80% θ f (I 2 )) and three nitrogen application levels (conventional nitrogen application of 240 kg·hm -2 (N 1 ), nitrogen reduction of 12.5% (N 2 ), and nitrogen reduction of 25% (N 3 )). The results showed that ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide emission rate peak appeared within 2-4 days after fertilization or irrigation. The ammonia volatilization rate during the chasing fertilizer period was significantly higher than that during the basal fertilizer period. Compared with other treatments, the ave-rage ammonia volatilization rate of I 2 N 2 treatment during the chasing fertilizer period was reduced by 10.1%-51.6%, and the average nitrous oxide emission rate over the whole growth period was reduced by 15.4%-52.2%. The ammonia volatilization rate was significantly positively associated with surface soil pH value and ammonium nitrogen content, while the nitrous oxide emission rate was significantly positively associated with nitrate content in topsoil. The accumulation amount of soil ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide emission ranged from 0.83-1.42 and 0.11-0.33 kg·hm -2 , respectively. Moderate reduction of irrigation water and nitrogen input could effectively reduce cumulative amounts of ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide emission from winter wheat farmland. The cumulative amounts of ammonia volatilization and nitrous oxide emission under I 1 N 3 and I 2 N 2 treatments were signi-ficantly lower than those under other treatments. The highest winter wheat yield (5615.6 kg·hm -2 ) appeared in I 2 N 2 treatment. The irrigation water utilization efficiency of I 2 was significantly higher than that of I 1 , with the maximum increase rate of 45.2%. Compared with N 1 and N 3 treatments, the maximum increase rate of nitrogen fertilizer productivity and agricultural utilization efficiency in N 2 reached 15.2% and 31.8%, respectively. In conclusion, the treatment with 70%-80% θ f irrigation level and 210 kg·hm -2 nitrogen input could effectively improve the utilization efficiency of irrigation water and nitrogen fertilization and reduce gaseous loss from winter wheat farmland.

Background: Severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia could lead to kernicterus and neonatal death. This study aimed to analyze the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes involved in bilirubin metabolism and the incidence of severe hyperbilirubinemia., Methods: A total of 144 neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia and 50 neonates without or mild hyperbilirubinemia were enrolled in 3 institutions between 2019 and 2020. Twelve polymorphisms of 5 genes (UGT1A1, SLCO1B1, SLCO1B3, BLVRA, and HMOX1) were analyzed by PCR amplification of genomic DNA. Genotyping was performed using an improved multiplex ligation detection reaction technique based on ligase detection reaction., Results: The frequencies of the A allele in UGT1A1-rs4148323 and the C allele in SLCO1B3-rs2417940 in the severe hyperbilirubinemia group (30.2% and 90.6%, respectively) were significantly higher than those in the controls (30.2% vs.13.0%, 90.6% vs. 78.0%, respectively, both p < 0.05). Haplotype analysis showed the ACG haplotype of UGT1A1 were associated with an increased hyperbilirubinemia risk (OR 3.122, p = 0.001), whereas the GCG haplotype was related to a reduced risk (OR 0.523, p = 0.018)., Conclusion: The frequencies of the A allele in rs4148323 and the C allele in rs2417940 are highly associated with the incidence of severe hyperbilirubinemia in Chinese Han neonates., Trial Registration: Trial registration number:ChiCTR1800020424; Date of registration:2018-12-29., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Chigger mites are the vector of scrub typhus. This study estimates the infestation status and ecological characteristics of chiggers on the chestnut white-bellied rat Niviventer fulvescens in Southwest China between 2001 and 2019. Chiggers were identified under the microscope, and infestation indices were calculated. The Preston's log-normal model was used to fit the curve of species abundance distribution. A total of 6,557 chiggers were collected in 136 of 342 N. fulvescens rats, showing high overall infestation indices (prevalence=39.8%, mean abundance=19.2, mean intensity=48.2) and high species diversity (S=100, H'=3.0). Leptotrombidium cangjiangense, Neotrombicula japonica, and Ascoschoengastia sifanga were the three dominant chigger species (constituent ratio=42.9%; 2,736/6,384) and exhibited an aggregated distribution among different rat individuals. We identified 100 chigger species, with 3 of them (Leptotrombidium scutellare, Leptotrombidium wenense, and Leptotrombidium deliense) as the main vectors of scrub typhus in China and nine species as potential vectors of this disease. Disease vector occurrence on N. fulvescens may increase the risk of spreading scrub typhus from rats to humans. Chigger infestation on N. fulvescens varied significantly in different environments. The species abundance distribution showed a log-normal distribution pattern. The estimated number of chigger species on N. fulvescens was 126 species.

Much of the research on climate change has focused on carbon reduction in cities or countries. However, more attention needs to be paid to how to achieve carbon neutrality in the urban design and planning stage, and the lack of quantitative analysis of carbon related to urban space makes it difficult to locate urban space and provide direct guidance for urban planning and design. This study proposed three optimization paths to achieve carbon neutrality in multi-scale urban building clusters. Firstly, we reconstructed the quantitative calculation system of urban building communities with the goal of carbon neutrality; secondly, we screened the carbon source reduction and carbon sink interventions that are suitable for multi-scale urban building communities; finally, we constructed a carbon emission and carbon sink calculation system of planning and design schemes based on the layout of relevant elements of planning and design schemes with a grid cell of 100 × 100 m. In practice, there was a gap of about 115,000 tons of CO 2 from the carbon-neutral target and 26% of carbon emission was distributed in the Xiajiabian Station TOD. In this study, nine types of carbon reduction measures were adopted to achieve carbon neutrality in the region, among which the highest carbon reduction was achieved by biomass energy measures, accounting for 29% of the total carbon reduction of 33,745.27 T. The objective of this study is to accurately and quantitatively assess the carbon targets of urban spaces at different scales and adopt effective measures to achieve carbon neutrality.

The main purposes of this study were to explore the spatial distribution characteristics of H7N9 human infections during 2013-2017, and to construct a neural network risk simulation model of H7N9 outbreaks in China and evaluate their effects. First, ArcGIS 10.6 was used for spatial autocorrelation analysis, and cluster patterns ofH7N9 outbreaks were analyzed in China during 2013-2017 to detect outbreaks' hotspots. During the study period, the incidence of H7N9 outbreaks in China was high in the eastern and southeastern coastal areas of China, with a tendency to spread to the central region. Moran's I values of global spatial autocorrelation of H7N9 outbreaks in China from 2013 to 2017 were 0.080128, 0.073792, 0.138015, 0.139221 and 0.050739, respectively ( p < 0.05) indicating a statistically significant positive correlation of the epidemic. Then, SPSS 20.0 was used to analyze the correlation between H7N9 outbreaks in China and population, livestock production, the distance between the case and rivers, poultry farming, poultry market, vegetation index, etc. Statistically significant influencing factors screened out by correlation analysis were population of the city, average vegetation of the city, and the distance between the case and rivers ( p < 0.05), which were included in the neural network risk simulation model of H7N9 outbreaks in China. The simulation accuracy of the neural network risk simulation model of H7N9 outbreaks in China from 2013 to 2017 were 85.71%, 91.25%, 91.54%, 90.49% and 92.74%, and the AUC were 0.903, 0.976, 0.967, 0.963 and 0.970, respectively, showing a good simulation effect of H7N9 epidemics in China. The innovation of this study lies in the epidemiological study of H7N9 outbreaks by using a variety of technical means, and the construction of a neural network risk simulation model of H7N9 outbreaks in China. This study could provide valuable references for the prevention and control of H7N9 outbreaks in China.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak was detected and reported at the end of 2019, the pandemic continues worldwide, with public health authorities and the general public in each country struggling to balance safety and normal travel activities. However, the complex public health environment and the complexity of human behaviors, as well as the constant mutation of the COVID-19 virus, requires the development of theoretical and simulation tools to accurately model all segments of society. In this paper, an agent-based model is proposed, the model constructs the real geographical environment of Shanghai Huangpu District based on the building statistics data of Shanghai Huangpu District, and the real population data of Shanghai Huangpu District based on the data of China's seventh Population census in 2020. After incorporating the detailed elements of COVID-19 transmission and the real data of WHO, the model forms various impact parameters. Finally, the model was validated according to the COVID-19 data reported by the official, and the model is applied to a hypothetical scenario. Shanghai is one of the places hardest hit by the current outbreak, Huangpu District is the "heart, window and name card" of Shanghai, and its importance to Shanghai is self-evident. so we used one-to-one population modeling to simulate the spread of COVID-19 in Huangpu District of Shanghai, In addition to the conventional functions of crowd movement, detection and treatment, the model also takes into account the burden of nucleic acid detection on the model caused by diseases similar to COVID-19, such as seasonal cold. The model validation results show that we have constructed a COVID-19 epidemic agent risk assessment system suitable for the individual epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in China, which can adjust and reflect on the existing COVID-19 epidemic intervention strategies and individual health behaviors. To provide scientific theoretical basis and information decision-making tools for effective prevention and control of COVID-19 and public health intervention in China.

Diabetes, which is a chronic disease with a high prevalence in people over 45 years old in China, is a public health issue of global concern. In order to explore the spatiotemporal patterns of diabetes among people over 45 years old in China, to find out diabetes risk factors, and to assess its risk, we used spatial autocorrelation, spatiotemporal cluster analysis, binary logistic regression, and a random forest model in this study. The results of the spatial autocorrelation analysis and the spatiotemporal clustering analysis showed that diabetes patients are mainly clustered near the Beijing−Tianjin−Hebei region, and that the prevalence of diabetes clusters is waning. Age, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking history were all diabetes risk factors (p < 0.05), but the spatial heterogeneity of these factors was weak. Compared with the binary logistic regression model, the random forest model showed better accuracy in assessing diabetes risk. According to the assessment risk map generated by the random forest model, the northeast region and the Beijing−Tianjin−Hebei region are high-risk areas for diabetes.

The development of a refined fugitive dust emission inventory is vital for prevention and control of air pollution. In this study, a fugitive dust emission inventory of soil dust (SD), road dust (RD), and construction dust (CD) in Xiong'an New Area (XANA) for 2020 was developed by collecting activity data and combining remote sensing and field investigation data based on a popular compilation technology in China. The CALPUFF model was used to elucidate the contribution characteristics of dust sources to ambient particulate matter (PM), and the accuracy of the dust emission inventory compilation method was verified. The results show that the total emissions of PM 10 and PM 2.5 were 43,081.14 tons and 9701.69 tons, respectively. Meanwhile, RD and CD were the main emission sources, accounting for over 98.49% of the total emissions. The total contribution from the different types of dust sources to the ambient PM 10 was 42.59 μg/m 3 (29.38%), with the contribution of RD (32.63 μg/m 3 , 22.51%) being approximately three times that of CD (9.78 μg/m 3 , 6.74%). Roads were the main source of fugitive dust, but large-scale infrastructure construction was the main cause of the high emission and high contribution of RD. The results show that the emission inventory compilation method can be used to estimate the emissions of dust sources, while the method used to calculate the emission of SD may be more suitable for dry and semi-dry areas with less rainfall. It was also found that when the dust emissions stay stable, the contribution of dust sources to the ambient PM 10 in different seasons can vary by 3-4 times. Therefore, under adverse meteorological conditions, it is necessary to strengthen the control of various dust sources and reduce the influence of human factors on them., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)