Search

Thermodynamic and liquid water profiles can be retrieved by a ground-based microwave radiometer (MWR) in nearly all weather conditions, which is useful for detecting mesoscale phenomena. This paper reviews the advances in remote sensing of atmospheric profiles and cloud properties by MWR in central China. Comparative studies indicate that MWR retrieval accuracy is different under various skies, especially those that decay under precipitation. The off-zenith method is proven to be capable of reducing the impact of precipitation and snow on MWR retrieval accuracy. Application studies demonstrate that MWR retrievals are helpful for early warning of rainstorms, hailstorms, and thunderstorms. Moreover, MWR retrievals provide a way to study cloud properties. The temporal variations of cloud occurrence frequency (COF) and liquid water path (LWP) are different for low, middle, and high clouds, and the vertical distribution of COF is also different in autumn and other seasons. Note that MWR can infer valid retrievals over the eastern Tibetan Plateau due to the weak precipitation over there. Also, cloud properties over the eastern Tibetan Plateau present differences from those over central China, and this is related to the different characteristics of atmospheric water vapor between these two regions. To bring more benefits for mechanism study and early warning of severe weather and numerical weather prediction, the decayed accuracy of MWR zenith retrievals under precipitation should be resolved. And combining MWR with other instruments is necessary for MWR application in detecting multi-layer clouds and ice clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an integrated study of petrology, zircon U–Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon Lu–Hf isotopes for the basic–intermediate dykes in the western Gonghe basin, northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. LA–MC–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating indicates that these dykes were emplaced in the Middle Triassic (240 ± 1.6 Ma). Geochemically, these basic–intermediate dykes are characterized by enrichments in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs; e.g. K, Rb, and Pb), coupled with depletions in high-field-strength elements (HFSEs; e.g. Nb, Ta, and Ti). These geochemical features, along with the relatively low zircon εHf values (−7.2 to 1.6), suggest that these mafic dykes were originated from enriched mantle metasomatized by subduction-related fluids in a back-arc extensional environment. Literature investigations indicate that Middle Triassic mafic dykes are widespread in central China and are geochemically of arc affinities. Therefore, a regional back-arc extensional event occurred in central China during Middle Triassic time, which was likely caused by rollback of the subducting Kunlun–Animaqin Paleo-Tethyan slab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is very important for a country's sustainable economic and social development to reduce the income gap between urban residents. Through investigating the impact of urban education level and its different levels on the income gap of urban residents in Central China, this paper provides the basis for formulating scientific and rational urban education development policies in Central China. Based on Central China's urban dynamic panel data, this paper examines the impact by using the system GMM (Generalized Method of Moments). The results show that overall, the improvement of urban education level helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents in Central China cities. Specifically, improvement of primary education level and secondary education level helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents, and improvement of higher education level enlarges the income gap of urban residents. Nonetheless, with further development of higher education in the cities, the income structure of lower-middle-income and low-income groups will be optimized, and subsequently higher education in cities will probably narrow the income gap between urban residents. In terms of the type of cities, improvement of education level in provincial capitals widens the income gap of urban residents, and improvement of education level in prefecture-level cities and county-level cities helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents. For all three types of cities, improvement of primary education level helps to narrow the income gap of urban residents, and the improvement of higher education level widens the income gap of urban residents. The improvement of secondary education level widens the income gap of urban residents in provincial capital cities but reduces the income gap of residents in prefecture-level cities and county-level cities. The policy implication from this study is that, to effectively and expeditiously narrow the income gap of urban residents in Central China, prefecture-level and county-level cities need to vigorously develop urban education, especially urban primary education and secondary education. At the same time, cities in Central China also need to actively develop higher education. Although the income gap of urban residents might be widened temporarily in the short term, the development of urban higher education will increase property income and net operating income of the local middle-low-income and low-income groups in the long term. Ultimately this policy would optimize the income structure of local urban residents and narrow the income gap of urban residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This paper describes the aquatic plants of Trapa L. and Hemitrapa Miki from the upper Eocene of Bailuyuan Formation in the Weihe Basin, central China. The discoveries represent the earliest known Trapa records in the world and the earliest Hemitrapa record in Asia. Furthermore, the new species identified in this study is the most reliable leaf fossil record of Trapa so far. These occurrences provide a new clue to investigate the origin of Trapa and its evolutionary relationships with Hemitrapa. The unexpected aquatic plant assemblage indicates that central China was warm and humid, with freshwater ponds or lakes, in the late Eocene. Both Trapa L. and the extinct Hemitrapa Miki are aquatic plants in the family Lythraceae, with abundant fossil records in Eurasia and North America in the Cenozoic. However, documented materials are mainly based on fruit and pollen grains without reliable leaf fossils. Here, we report fossil leaves, fruit, and roots of Trapa and fruit of Hemitrapa from the late Eocene of Weinan, the Weihe Basin of central China. The fossil leaves are identified as a new species, Trapa natanifolia Z. C. Han et H. Jia sp. nov., which represents the earliest known record of a Trapa leaf fossil. It is remarkably similar to extant species of Trapa, mostly due to the unique inflated petiole structures found in both of them. While displaying prominent intergeneric differences, the incomplete fossil fruits are assigned to Trapa sp. indet. and Hemitrapa sp. indet. The former is the earliest fossil fruit record of Trapa, and the latter represents the earliest fossil record of Hemitrapa found in Asia. These new fossil discoveries suggest that the divergence of Trapa and Hemitrapa occurred at least by the late Eocene. It is believed that modern Trapa most likely originated in China. Furthermore, this unexpected aquatic plant fossil assemblage indicates that central China was warm and humid, with freshwater ponds or lakes, in the late Eocene and not as arid as previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Tree rings are widely used in global change research based on the accurate dating capabilities, climate sensitivity and wide distribution of samples. In the context of global warming, the response of tree growths in north–south transition zones to climate change is one of the hot issues in Dendroecology. The research results found that trees' growth had different responses to May–June temperature and precipitation on the north and south of the mountain. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between tree ring and a regional hydrothermal composite factor and reconstructed its variation. The variations agree with other drought series and represent the drought variation in central and eastern monsoon regions, and may provide better understanding of drought variation and service for agricultural production. Tree ring data from the southern boundary of Chinese Pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) distribution where is the southern warm temperate margin, the paper analyzes the response of climate factors along north–south direction to tree growth. The results show that temperature and precipitation in May–June and relative moisture from March to June are main limiting factors on trees growth; however, the temperature in the south of the mountains and the moisture in the north of the mountains have relatively greater influence on trees' growth. Additionally, we also found that the regional scPDSIMJ (that is scPDSI in May–June) was the most significant and stable factor limiting tree growth to be used for reconstruction. The reconstructed scPDSIMJ revealed that there were 29 extremely dry years and 30 extremely wet years during 1801–2016, and it could represent the drought variation in central and eastern monsoon region. The variation exists in good agreement with the reconstructed PDSI for Mt. Shennong and the drought/wetness series in Zhengzhou. Further research found that the droughts of May–June in central China were mainly impacted by local temperature and moisture (including precipitation, soil moisture, potential evaporation and water pressure), and then by the northern Pacific Ocean and the northern Atlantic Ocean. These results may provide better understanding of May–June drought variation and service for agricultural production in central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to unique advantages in clearly understanding the interrelationship between city and its hinterland, as well as city and city, the study of urban spheres of influence is becoming highlight in regional research. This paper improves traditional field model from two aspects: the composite indicator and regional accessibility, in order to delineate urban spheres of influence more reasonably. Taking three years of central China as a case study, this paper investigates dynamic evolution of urban spheres of influence. Focusing on the evolution of spatial pattern, we abstract five types and its corresponding three stages theoretically. Finally, recommendation of development has been made for each stage. This study undertakes certain exploration in the study of urban spheres of influence from the perspective of theory and practice, hoping to provide some references for the study in this field and other regional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of the well irrigation in Guanzhong Plain during the Qing dynasty. The paper analyses the scales and results of well irrigation campaigns sponsored by the government in the mid-eighteen century and the late nineteenth century. Limited by the natural environment and technical conditions, the efficiency of well irrigation is poor. Farmers' choices also affect the development of well irrigation. Moreover, a lack of management led to the unsustainable use of groundwater. Historical groundwater policies were mainly aimed at increasing agricultural production. Policies should be made according to local conditions. It is important to ensure the sustainable development of groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In order to improve the operating condition in construction site of project personnel in central China and make qualitative and quantitative evaluations for the indoor thermal environment in the prefabricated house, this paper made periodical measurement for the indoor thermal environment in a double-deck prefabricated house in a construction site in Zhengzhou area in summer and winter, tested the thermal environment condition and analyzed the achievement scale of the thermal comfort level. And then this paper compared the test data and analyzed some influence factors of the indoor thermal environment in the prefabricated house, and found the reasons why the indoor thermal environment in the prefabricated house deteriorated, thereby established theoretic basic for the target optimization and energy-saving design of the prefabricated house in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of National Palace Museum Research Quarterly is the property of National Palace Museum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As a developing country with insufficient water resources, China's water environment management and performance evaluation have important research value. The three provinces (Henan, Hubei, and Hunan) in central China with typical significance in geographical location and water resources governance were selected as research objects in this paper. Based on the principal component analysis (PCA) method and the pressure-state-response (PSR) model, a comprehensive evaluation system for the water environment in those three provinces during 2011–2017 was established in this paper. The evaluation results show that: (1) The water environment management and performance evaluation of the three provinces in central China were generally poor in 2011–2012, but the overall trend was rising; (2) in 2013–2014, the situation was improved compared to the previous two years, but needed further enhancement; (3) in 2015–2017, the water environment management and performance of the three provinces showed significant improvement. Among them, the Hubei Province had the highest water environment evaluation value (1.692), and the Henan Province had the most significant progress (from 0.043 to 1.671). The contributions of this paper are: (1) The comprehensive evaluation model based on PCA and the PSR model was constructed to analyze the sustainable development of water environment in central China; (2) the performance evaluation system for water environment management, which could comprehensively evaluate the performance of water environment treatment and effectively reveal the correlation between various indicators, was established. The principal factors in water environment management can be obtained by this evaluation system. Based on the analysis of the reasons underlying the above changes, the corresponding policy recommendations for improving water environment management and performance in central China were suggested in order to provide a reference for further improvement of water environment management in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contents of seven toxic metals (Cu, Cr, Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg and As) in soils from Central China, including Henan Province, Hubei Province and Hunan Province, were collected from published papers from 2007 to 2017. The geoaccumulation index, health risk assessment model and statistics were adopted to study the spatial contamination pattern, to assess the human health risks and to identify the priority control pollutants. The concentrations of soil metals in Central China, especially Cd (1.31 mg/kg), Pb (44.43 mg/kg) and Hg (0.19 mg/kg), surpassed their corresponding background values, and the Igeo values of Cd and Hg varied the most, ranging from the unpolluted level to the extremely polluted level. The concentrations of toxic metals were higher in the southern and northern parts of Central China, contrasting to the lowest contents in the middle parts. For non-carcinogenic risk, the hazard index (HI) values for the children in Hubei Province (1.10) and Hunan Province (1.41) exceeded the safe level of one, with higher health risks to children than adults, and the hazard quotient (HQ) values of the three exposure pathways for both children and adults in Central China decreased in the following order: ingestion > dermal contact > inhalation. For carcinogenic risk (CR), the CR values for children in Hubei Province (2.55 x 10-4), Hunan Province (3.44 x 10-4) and Henan Province (1.69 x 10-4), and the CR for adults in Hubei Province (3.67 x 10-5), Hunan Province (4.92 x 10-5) and Henan Province (2.45 x 10-5) exceeded the unacceptable level (10-4) and acceptable level (10-6), respectively. Arsenic (As) appeared to be the main metalloid for both children and adults causing the high carcinogenic risk. For sustainable development in Central China, special attention should be paid to Cd, Hg, Cr, Pb and As, identified as the priority control soil metals. Importance should also be attached to public education, source control, and the remediation of the highly contaminated soils, especially in the areas where it can endanger the groundwater. Furthermore, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the industrial structure and cooperate more to form a complete economic zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To analyze the clinicopathological features of schistosomal and non-schistosomal colorectal cancer in Central China and compare them with other areas of the Yangtze River Basin. Method: The 501 cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) were retrospectively analyzed from 2020 to 2022. They were divided into two groups: 406 cases of colorectal cancer without schistosomiasis (CRC-NS) and 95 cases of colorectal cancer with schistosomiasis (CRC-S).The clinicopathological characteristics included the distribution of schistosomiasis eggs, patient age, sex, tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage. By retrieving the database, this study compared the clinicopathological differences of colorectal cancer with schistosomiasis in other areas of the Yangtze River basin. Results: The cases of colorectal cancer with schistosomiasis accounted for 18.9%(95/501) in the study. The patients of CRC-S were older than the patients of CRC-NS (P = 0.002, P < 0.05). There was a statistical difference in the location of occurrence (P = 0.000, P < 0.05) between the two groups. There were no significant differences between CRC-S and CRC-NS in other clinicopathological features, such as sex (P = 0.054), Type(P = 0.242), histological type(P = 0.654), infiltrative depth(P = 0.811), differentiation(P = 0.837), lymph node metastasis(P = 0.574), intravascular tumor thrombus(P = 0.698), T stage(P = 0.354). In other areas of the Yangtze River Basin, there were statistical differences in the age of occurrence and T stage (P < 0.05) between colorectal cancer with schistosomiasis and non-schistosomal colorectal cancer. Conclusion: In Central China, colorectal cancer with chronic schistosomiasis infection occurs more in the rectum and sigmoid colon. It is more common in individuals over 60 years old, consistent with the findings in the Yangtze River Basin. Additionally, schistosomal colorectal cancer had a higher T stage in the Yangtze River Basin. This may be related to the malignant biological behavior of colorectal cancer and could result in a relatively poor prognosis. Therefore, the elderly population in schistosomiasis endemic areas should pay more attention to early screening and tumor prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ke S. and Feser E. Count on the growth-pole strategy for regional economic growth? Spread-backwash effects in Greater Central China. Regional Studies. This paper investigates spread-backwash effects associated with non-agricultural gross domestic product and employment growth across 922 cities and counties in Central China between 2000 and 2005. Simultaneous equation estimates find mixed spread-backwash effects from prefecture and higher-level cities to comparable or lower-level cities and counties. Spread effects of gross domestic product and employment growths are also indicated between county-level cities. However, county-level cities exerted backwash effects on rural counties. The paper discusses the implications of these findings in relation to the construction of urban economic growth zones in Central China as an important strategy of Central Rise. [image omitted] Ke S. et Feser E. Devrait-on compter sur la strategie de poles de croissance afin d'assurer la croissance economique regionale? Les effets de repartition et de redisribution en Chine centrale. Regional Studies. Cet article cherche a examiner les effets de repartition et de redistribution lies au PIB et a la croissance de l'emploi non-agricole a travers 922 grandes villes et comtes en Chine centrale de l'an 2000 jusqu'a 2005. Il resulte des estimations provenant des equations simultanees des effets de repartition et de redistribution mitiges dans les prefectures et plus grandes les villes jusqu'aux villes comparables ou aux villes et comtes plus petits. Les effets de repartition de la hausse du PIB et de l'emploi sont aussi indiques pour ce qui est des villes situees aux comtes. Cependant, les villes situees aux comtes ont eu des effets de redistribution sur les comtes ruraux. Cet article discute des implications de ces resultats par rapport a la construction des zones urbaines, economiques de croissance en Chine centrale comme une importante strategie de la Vague centrale. Chine centrale Pole de croissance Repartition-redistribution Econometrie geographique Ke S. und Feser E. Kann man sich fur regionales Wirtschaftswachstum auf die Wachstumspol-Strategie verlassen? Ausbreitungs- und Entzugseffekte in Zentralchina. Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag untersuchen wir die Ausbreitungs- und Entzugseffekte durch nicht landwirtschaftliches BIP- und Beschaftigungswachstum in 922 Stadten und Bezirken von Zentralchina zwischen 2000 und 2005. Durch simultane Gleichungsschatzungen stellen wir gemischte Ausbreitungs- und Entzugseffekte von Stadten auf Prafektur- und hoherer Ebene hin zu Stadten und Bezirken auf vergleichbarer oder niedrigerer Ebene fest. Die Ausbreitungseffekte des BIP- und Beschaftigungswachstums waren auch innerhalb der Stadte auf Bezirksebene zu verzeichnen. Allerdings ubten die Stadte auf Bezirksebene einen Entzugseffekt auf die landlichen Bezirke aus. In diesem Beitrag werden die Auswirkungen dieser Ergebnisse im Hinblick auf die Einrichtung urbaner Wirtschaftswachstumszonen in Zentralchina als wichtige Strategie fur den Aufstieg Zentralchinas erortert. Zentralchina Wachstumspol Ausbreitungs- und Entzugseffekte Raumliche Okonometrie Ke S. y Feser E. ¿Podemos contar con la estrategia de los polos de crecimiento para el crecimiento economico regional? Efectos de dispersion y regresion en China central. Regional Studies. En este articulo investigamos los efectos de dispersion y regresion asociados al PIB no agricola y el crecimiento de empleo en 922 ciudades y distritos de China central entre 2000 y 2005. En los calculos de ecuacion simultanea observamos efectos combinados de dispersion y regresion desde ciudades a un nivel de prefectura o mas alto hacia ciudades y distritos a un nivel comparable o mas bajo. Los efectos de dispersion del PIB y crecimientos de empleo tambien se observan entre las ciudades a nivel de distrito. Sin embargo, las ciudades a nivel de distrito ejercieron efectos de regresion frente a los distritos rurales. En este articulo presentamos las implicaciones de estos resultados con relacion a la construccion de las zonas urbanas con crecimiento economico en China central como una importante estrategia para el auge de China central. China central Polo de crecimiento Dispersion-regresion Factores econometricos espaciales [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid development of urbanization and regional interaction and interdependence, regional urban agglomeration planning becomes more and more important in China, in order to promote integrated development of various cities with close interrelationship. However, it is still arguable academically on how to define the boundary or which cities to be included for the urban agglomeration of a region. This paper aims to shed lights on how to identify urban spheres of influence scientifically by introducing field modeling method and by practicing a case study on 168 cities in Central China. In our field modeling method, the influence intensities of cities were measured by a comprehensive index and urban spheres of influence were represented spatially by field intensity. Then, their classification and spatial distribution characteristics of study area in 2007 were identified and explored by using GIS and statistical methods. The result showed that: 1) Wuhan is the absolute dominant city in Central China; 2) the provincial capital cities dominate their own provinces and there are no other lower grade agglomeration centers; and 3) the basic types of organization form of urban sphere of influence are single-polar type, agglomeration type, close-related group type and loose-related group type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the carrying capacity of resources and environment of city clusters in the central China has important practical guidance significance for promoting the healthy, sustainable and stable development of this region. According to their influencing factors and reciprocity mechanism, using system dynamics approaches, this paper built a SD model for measuring the carrying capacity of resources and environment of the city clusters in the central China, and through setting different development models, the comprehensive measurement analysis on the carrying capacity was carried out. The results show that the model of promoting socio-economic development under the protection of resources and environment is the optimal model for promoting the harmony development of resources, environment, society and economy in the city clusters. According to this model, the optimum population scale of the city clusters in 2020 is 42.80×106 persons, and the moderate economic development scale is 22.055×1012 yuan (RMB). In 1996–2020 the carrying capacity of resources and environment in the city clusters took on obvious phase-change characteristics. During the studied period, it is basically at the initial development stage, and will come through the development process from slow development to speedup development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gao, K. and Shao, X., 2019. A comparative study on the construction of transportation and logistics system in central China. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 665–667. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The index system of comparative analysis on the construction of transportation and logistics system in central China constructed in this paper is composed of five indexes, respectively as regional economic development level, logistics system planning, logistics demand scale, logistics supply scale and informatization level, which are endowed with weights through literature review and expert scoring. Then, the index system of logistics system is used to respectively conduct scoring and comparative analysis on each index of six provinces in central China, whose results show that the logistics system of Henan Province has the highest score, ranking first in central China, and its economic development level, logistics system planning, logistics demand scale and informatization level are all higher than the other five provinces. The next is Hunan Province, whose index of logistics supply scale has the highest score in central China. Hubei ranks third, and its logistics system planning is more scientific and reasonable, ranking first side by side with Henan Province. Then Anhui and Shanxi, while the construction of logistics system in Jiangxi is relatively backward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The index system of comparative analysis on the construction of transportation and logistics system in central China constructed in this paper is composed of five indexes, respectively as regional economic development level, logistics system planning, logistics demand scale, logistics supply scale and informatization level, which are endowed with weights through literature review and expert scoring. Then, the index system of logistics system is used to respectively conduct scoring and comparative analysis on each index of six provinces in central China, whose results show that the logistics system of Henan Province has the highest score, ranking first in central China, and its economic development level, logistics system planning, logistics demand scale and informatization level are all higher than the other five provinces. The next is Hunan Province, whose index of logistics supply scale has the highest score in central China. Hubei ranks third, and its logistics system planning is more scientific and reasonable, ranking first side by side with Henan Province. Then Anhui and Shanxi, while the construction of logistics system in Jiangxi is relatively backward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), a significant global health concern, imposes a substantial disease burden. In China, there is inadequate data concerning the monitoring of respiratory pathogens, particularly bacteria, among patients with SARI. Therefore, this study aims to delineate the demographic, epidemiological, and aetiological characteristics of hospitalised SARI patients in Central China between 2018 and 2020. Methods: Eligible patients with SARI admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Within the first 24 h of admission, respiratory (including sputum, nasal/throat swabs, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, thoracocentesis fluid, etc.), urine, and peripheral blood specimens were collected for viral and bacterial testing. A multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic approach was used to identify human influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, human bocavirus, human coronavirus, human metapneumovirus, and rhinovirus. Bacterial cultures of respiratory specimens were performed with a particular focus on pathogenic microorganisms, including S. pneumoniae, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, Strep A, H. influenzae, A. baumannii, and E. coli. In cases where bacterial culture results were negative, nucleic acid extraction was performed for PCR to assay for the above-mentioned eight bacteria, as well as L. pneumophila and M. pneumoniae. Additionally, urine specimens were exclusively used to detect Legionella antigens. Furthermore, epidemiological, demographic, and clinical data were obtained from electronic medical records. Results: The study encompassed 1266 patients, with a mean age of 54 years, among whom 61.6% (780/1266) were males, 61.4% (778/1266) were farmers, and 88.8% (1124/1266) sought medical treatment in 2020. Moreover, 80.3% (1017/1266) were housed in general wards. The most common respiratory symptoms included fever (86.8%, 1122/1266) and cough (77.8%, 986/1266). Chest imaging anomalies were detected in 62.6% (792/1266) of cases, and 58.1% (736/1266) exhibited at least one respiratory pathogen, with 28.5% (361/1266) having multiple infections. Additionally, 95.7% (1212/1266) of the patients were from Henan Province, with the highest proportion (38.3%, 486/1266) falling in the 61–80 years age bracket, predominantly (79.8%, 1010/1266) seeking medical aid in summer and autumn. Bacterial detection rate (39.0%, 495/1266) was higher than viral detection rate (36.9%, 468/1266), with the primary pathogens being influenza virus (13.8%, 175/1266), K. pneumoniae (10.0%, 127/1266), S. pneumoniae (10.0%, 127/1266), adenovirus (8.2%, 105/1266), P. aeruginosa (8.2%, 105/1266), M. pneumoniae (7.8%, 100/1266), and respiratory syncytial virus (7.7%, 98/1266). During spring and winter, there was a significant prevalence of influenza virus and human coronavirus, contrasting with the dominance of parainfluenza viruses in summer and autumn. Respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus exhibited higher prevalence across spring, summer, and winter. P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and M. pneumoniae were identified at similar rates throughout all seasons without distinct spikes in prevalence. However, S. pneumoniae showed a distinctive pattern with a prevalence that doubled during summer and winter. Moreover, the positive detection rates of various other viruses and bacteria were lower, displaying a comparatively erratic prevalence trend. Among patients admitted to the intensive care unit, the predominant nosocomial bacteria were K. pneumoniae (17.2%, 43/249), A. baumannii (13.6%, 34/249), and P. aeruginosa (12.4%, 31/249). Conversely, in patients from general wards, predominant pathogens included influenza virus (14.8%, 151/1017), S. pneumoniae (10.4%, 106/1017), and adenovirus (9.3%, 95/1017). Additionally, paediatric patients exhibited significantly higher positive detection rates for influenza virus (23.9%, 11/46) and M. pneumoniae (32.6%, 15/46) compared to adults and the elderly. Furthermore, adenovirus (10.0%, 67/669) and rhinovirus (6.4%, 43/669) were the primary pathogens in adults, while K. pneumoniae (11.8%, 65/551) and A. baumannii (7.1%, 39/551) prevailed among the elderly, indicating significant differences among the three age groups. Discussion: In Central China, among patients with SARI, the prevailing viruses included influenza virus, adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. Among bacteria, K. pneumoniae, S. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and M. pneumoniae were frequently identified, with multiple infections being very common. Additionally, there were substantial variations in the pathogen spectrum compositions concerning wards and age groups among patients. Consequently, this study holds promise in offering insights to the government for developing strategies aimed at preventing and managing respiratory infectious diseases effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central China is one of the key regions of the world that sees the transition from early Neolithic urbanization into the social complexity of Bronze Age civilizations. Previous evidence had indicated that the diets of humans and the feeding strategies of livestock in Central China during the Longshan Period (4.5–3.8 kaBP) became more complex and diverse, including the widespread introduction of cattle and sheep, and the coexistence of different human dietary groups within several settlements. Within this paper new and pre-existing stable isotope analyses from human (n = 31) and animal bones (n = 76) recovered from Wadian and Haojiatai, two important Longshan sites in the southeast of Central China, are integrated with multiproxy data from archaeological, environmental, and cultural contexts to interpret the social conditions behind dietary complexity from an interdisciplinary perspective. We suggest that the feeding strategies of cattle and sheep from Western Asia were successfully adapted to the pre-existing local millet farming subsistence regimes, and that the different human dietary groups seen corresponded to continuing diversified subsistence strategies that included millet farming, rice farming, and hunter-gathering. This dietary complexity is considered as a reflection of different patterns within the cultural interactions in Central China during the Longshan Period that saw the mixing of populations with diversified cultural backgrounds. This is represented by the introduction of extraneous livestock and the coexistence of millet and rice farmers at Wadian, and the continued expansion of millet agriculture within Central China indicated by the coexistence of millet farmers and hunter-gatherers at Haojiatai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-source correlation studies have demonstrated that the crude oils in the Ordos Basin were mainly derived from organic-rich lacustrine mudstones of the Yanchang Formation. The sedimentology, petrology and organic geochemistry of these mudstones have been studied intensively, but their trace and rare earth element (REE) characteristics have received little attention. In this paper, we present trace and rare earth element data of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation mudstones in the southern Ordos Basin to constrain the palaeoenvironment, provenance and depositional setting. Our results show that the REE and trace element concentrations of the Yanchang Formation mudstones are higher than those of the upper continental crust (UCC). The Sr contents and Sr/Ba and Y/Ho ratios of these mudstones indicate the absence of a marine transgression during the sedimentation of the Upper Triassic mudstones. The depositional environment of the Upper Triassic mudstones was slightly oxic as evidenced by the values of Eu/Eu*, Ce/Ce*, Ceanom, δU, U/Th, V/Cr and Ni/Co. The UCC-normalized distribution pattern of REEs, spider diagrams, the ratios of related elements, the bivariate diagrams of Th/Sc-Zr/Sc and La/Th-Hf and the ternary plots of La-Th-Sc and Th-Sc-Zr/10 signify that the provenances of the Chang9-7 mudstones were mainly derived from a continental island arc, whereas the provenances of the Chang6-3 mudstones were mainly derived from a mixture of continental island arc and active continental margin, and the latter contain less recycled materials. Combined with the previous studies of detrital zircon dating and petrography of the Yanchang Formation sandstones in the southern Ordos basin, we propose that the Qinling orogenic belt served as one of the primary source regions occurring between the Chang7 and Chang6 periods, corresponding to the initial uplift of the west Qinling Mountains due to the collision between the Yangtze and North China blocks. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palaeoecology of Ginkgo through deep time, including its ecophysiology and heterophylly, remains poorly understood due to the limitation of quantitative methods. In this paper, we report well-preserved leaves of Ginkgo henanensis sp. nov. from the Paleocene Dazhang Formation of Luanchuan, Henan Province, China. Our understanding of the ecophysiology and heterophylly of the genus has been improved by the discovery. These fossils are distinguished by heterophyllous leaves that can range in morphology from bilobed to multi-lobed forms. Thus, unlike other Cenozoic Ginkgo with entire-margined leaves, this is the first well-established Cenozoic taxon that has exclusively lobed leaves similar to Mesozoic-type ginkgos. A useful leaf ecophysiological functional trait that offers quantitative insights into morphological heterophylly and the mechanism of leaf shape selection is the dry leaf mass per area (LMA) of Ginkgo. Leaf shape changes, including the evolution of heterophylly, are linked to functional adaptation. There are two groups of LMAs for four fossil G. henanensis specimens: 120.9 g/m2 to 131.3 g/m2, and 184.5 g/m2 to 187.4 g/m2. The results of the reconstructed fossil LMAs, which serve as quantitative evidence of G. henanensis ' heterophylly, also point to the existence of various leaf survival strategies within G. henanensis. Additionally, both groups of G. henanensis have LMAs that are higher than those of extant Ginkgo biloba , indicating that this species has a slower return ecological strategy than its current equivalent. This strategy may have helped to decrease the rate of nutrient cycling, which supported Ginkgo to thrive in a wider variety of ecological niches in the Paleocene than it does today. These findings close a knowledge gap in the evolution of Ginkgo. • Species similar to the Mesozoic multilobed Ginkgo still present in the Paleocene. • The feasibility of existing methods to reconstruct the leaf mass per area of fossil Ginkgo is tested. • Heterophylly of fossil Ginkgo are quantitatively proved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gao, K. and Shao, X., 2019. A comparative study on the construction of transportation and logistics system in central China. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 665–667. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The index system of comparative analysis on the construction of transportation and logistics system in central China constructed in this paper is composed of five indexes, respectively as regional economic development level, logistics system planning, logistics demand scale, logistics supply scale and informatization level, which are endowed with weights through literature review and expert scoring. Then, the index system of logistics system is used to respectively conduct scoring and comparative analysis on each index of six provinces in central China, whose results show that the logistics system of Henan Province has the highest score, ranking first in central China, and its economic development level, logistics system planning, logistics demand scale and informatization level are all higher than the other five provinces. The next is Hunan Province, whose index of logistics supply scale has the highest score in central China. Hubei ranks third, and its logistics system planning is more scientific and reasonable, ranking first side by side with Henan Province. Then Anhui and Shanxi, while the construction of logistics system in Jiangxi is relatively backward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present in situ LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of xenotime and monazite in assemblages with native gold and Au (Ag) tellurides from the Xiaoqinling lode gold district in central China. Composite xenotime and monazite grains formed through coupled dissolution-reprecipitation reactions reveal two discrete gold mineralization events. The first gold mineralization event, recorded by monazite (158.6 ± 3.3 Ma, Tera-Wasserburg lower intercept age) and xenotime cores (157.11 ± 0.83 Ma, weighted mean 206Pb/238U age), is characterized by the mineral assemblage of lingbaoite (AgTe3)-sylvanite ([Au,Ag]2Te4)-stützite (Ag5–xTe3)/native tellurium-sylvanite-stützite. The second gold mineralization event, recorded in the rims of xenotime (135.46 ± 0.93 Ma, weighted mean 206Pb/238U age), is characterized by the mineral assemblage of native gold-calaverite (AuTe2)-petzite (AuAg3Te2)-tellurobismuthite (Bi2Te3). Our study implies that the large-scale Jurassic mineralization event in eastern China, related to flat subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate beneath the eastern China continent, also caused widespread gold mineralization in the Qinling-Dabie Orogen, in addition to production of its world-class porphyry Mo deposits. The fact that only a few Jurassic gold mineralization ages have been reported before, may be due to the lack of suitable geochronometers to record the earlier Jurassic hydrothermal processes, which have been overprinted by the better-recognized Early Cretaceous gold mineralization event. This study also presents a rare example of xenotime compositional alterations and resetting of U-Pb ages induced by low to moderate salinity carbono-aqueous fluids at low temperatures. The textural relationships between gold minerals in contact with such composite xenotime crystals demonstrate that they could have precipitated before, coeval with, or after the dated domains. Since low to moderate salinity carbonoaqueous fluids are commonly involved in the formation of lode gold deposits, it is crucial to examine xenotime textures and recognize potential alteration textures before carrying out isotopic dating of xenotime collected from these deposits. Without prior compositional and textural characterization, attempts to date such composite crystals could yield mixed dates and meaningless ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gram-negative bacilli are one of the most common causes of various infections in clinical. The emergence and global spread of multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacilli has become a major challenge in the global public health field. Methods: A total of 51,189 non-repetitive strains of gram-negative bacilli were isolated in clinical settings. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted by using the automated VITEK 2 compact system and the matched AST susceptibility test card, complemented by the disk diffusion method. The antimicrobial susceptibility results were interpreted by CLSI. Rates of MDR and XDR in Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated. Used the chi-square test to determine whether the antimicrobial resistance rates of four major gram-negative bacilli isolated from ICU and non-ICU department have statistical differences. Results: Escherichia coli (31.4%), Klebsiella spp. (21.2%), Acinetobacter spp. (13.8%), and P. aeruginosa (11.0%) were the most frequently isolated gramnegative bacilli. Escherichia coli was the top one organism isolated from urinary tract (68.4%), bloodstream (39.9%), body fluid (33.2%), wound and pus (37%), except for respiratory tract (8.8%). Whereas Acinetobacter baumannii and K. pneumoniae were the major isolated organisms from respiratory tract. Acinetobacter baumannii showed high resistance to fluoroquinolones, β-lactam/ β-lactamase inhibitor combinations class, ceftazidime, cefepime, imipenem, and meropenem, the resistance rates reached more than 70%. Ceftazidime showed a lower resistance rate to E. coli than ceftriaxone. For E. coli, fluoroquinolones showed a high resistance rate (ciprofloxacin 61.36% and levofloxacin 53.97%), whereas amikacin, carbapenems exhibited a lower resistance rate fluctuating at 2%. Acinetobacter baumannii and K. pneumoniae showed rapid increases in carbapenem resistance whereas E. coli had the lowest resistance rate and remain stable at 2%. Acinetobacter baumannii exhibited the highest rate of MDR and XDR, reaching 60–80 and 45–55%, respectively. Compared to non-ICU departments, the resistance rates of four major gram-negative bacilli in the ICU department were much higher and the differences were statistically significant (p <  0.05). Conclusion: Amikacin, carbapenems, and piperacillin/tazobactam exhibited relatively high sensitivity, whereas fluoroquinolones showed high resistance rate whether they can be the first-line antimicrobials for empirical treatment of UTI should take more consideration. The gram-negative bacilli in ICU were more resistance than that in non-ICU. These findings are helpful for clinicians using antimicrobials reasonably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, regional cooperation is a new phenomenon and it is currently receiving increasing attention and recognition from government and scholars. This paper attempts a comprehensive exploration of how power has been transferred from the central to the various local governments within this mechanism of regional cooperation in the Chang-Zhu-Tan urban cluster (CZT) during the past two decades. Regional institutions have been established as a multi-tiered arrangement to deal with regional cooperation issues. However, state-centric skewed governance, political competition among local governments and inter-ministry rivalries has caused complex power interplay for the regional institution and regional cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, the optimal distribution model of hydropower load is proposed and the operation constraints of wind power and hydropower are taken into consideration. In the process of sending power to the provincial network, the harmonic search algorithm is introduced to optimize the maximum power generation target, and the validity of the model is verified in the case of central China regional power grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tree ring is an ideal indicator of annual total grain production parameters. • Tree growth synchronized with grain production, and concurrent response to climate. • Reconstruction of total grain productivity based on dendrochronology. • To explore the relationship between total grain sown area and climate change. Climate change affects the growth of regional vegetation; both trees and grain crops often change concurrently, such that the annual radial growth of trees shows consistent inter-annual variations with the total grain crop productivity. However, it remains unclear whether they exhibit concurrent responses to climate factors, and that there lacks of the study on long-term high-resolution variations of grain crops productivity. This paper employs a Pinus massoniana tree-ring series from the Tongbai Mountains to analyze the correlations between tree-ring chronology, local climate data and grain productivity indicators (i.e., total sown grain areas (TSA), total grain outputs (TGO), and average grain yield per hectare (YPH)) of Henan Province in central China. The results indicate that temperature in March and August was the main limiting factor on tree growth, and the best concurrent relationship with tree growth was TSA, which has a correlation of 0.747 (p < 0.001) during 1959–2020. Therefore, a 124-year TSA series in Henan Province was reconstructed using tree-ring data from the Tongbai Mountains, which reveals there were two distinct low periods of total grain sown area in the 1920 s-1930 s and 1980 s-2000 s. There are significant cycles of about 2.57a (p < 0.01), 2.89a (p < 0.05), and 10.95a (p < 0.1), indicating that vegetation growth might be affected by large-scale climate forcing, such as ENSO (2-7a cycle) and sunspot activity (11a cycle). Overall, this study outlines a new approach to understand long-term changes in grain production, which is conducive to grain management and socioeconomic sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting ratoon rice is a critical measure for ensuring food security in China. Understanding the mechanism underlying farmers' decision-making involving ratoon rice production may contribute to the design and implementation of extension policies. This study examined the impact of off-farm employment and outsourced machinery services on farmers' ratoon rice production behavior. We used a representative household survey of 1752 rice farmers in Hubei province in central China and a multinomial endogenous treatment effect model to address potential self-selection biases from both observable and unobservable factors. Our estimates suggest that the probability of ratoon rice production decreases by 17.2% for farmers with off-farm employment, while the probability of ratoon rice production increases by 78.9% and 57% for farmers with outsourced machinery services and those with simultaneous off-farm employment and outsourced machinery services, respectively. Moreover, we found that outsourced machinery services can mitigate the negative impact of agricultural labor aging and feminization on ratoon rice production to some extent. Outsourced machinery services have regional heterogeneity effects as farmers in non-plain areas are more likely to engage in ratoon rice production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution has been suggested as a trigger of hypertension (HTN), but it has not yet been fully analyzed how it impacts short-term HTN mortality. This study aimed to assess the association between short-term air pollution exposure and HTN mortality among Wuhan residents. This study used site-based HTN data from 2013 to 2019, in addition to data on meteorology and air pollution. Associations between short-term air pollution exposure and HTN mortality were assessed using generalized additive models (GAM). Positive links were found between PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 and HTN diseases mortality. In the single-pollutant model, for every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2, the percent changes (PCs) for HTN mortality were 0.991% (95% CI: 0.205, 1.778), 0.835% (95% CI: 0.336, 1.334), 4.344% (95% CI: 2.021, 6.668), and 1.740% (95% CI: 0.785, 2.694), respectively. O3 was found negatively associated with HTN mortality, and the PC with every 10 μg/m3 increase after a accumulated lag of 7 days in O3 exposure was −1.000% (95% CI: −1.760, −0.240). All pollutants risk estimates were robust to adjustment for co-pollutants. Stratified analysis showed that females and people aged over 65 were more likely to be harmed by air pollution. In conclusion, short-term exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of HTN mortality. The negative association reported in O3 provides further insight into the health effects of air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor air quality episodes are common in central China. Here, based on 10 years of ground-based sun-photometric observations, aerosol optical and radiative forcing characteristics were analyzed in Wuhan, the biggest metropolis in central China. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the last decade declined significantly, while the Ångström exponent (AE) showed slight growth. Single scattering albedo (SSA) at 440 nm reached the lowest value (0.87) in winter and highest value (0.93) in summer. Aerosol parameters derived from sun-photometric observations were used as input in a radiative transfer model to calculate aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) on the surface in ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave (SW) spectra. ARF SW sustained decreases (the absolute values) over the last 10 years. In terms of seasonal variability, due to the increases in multiple scattering effects and attenuation of the transmitted radiation as AOD increased, ARF in summer displayed the largest value (−73.94 W/m 2 ). After eliminating the influence of aerosol loading, the maximum aerosol radiative forcing efficiency in SW range (ARFE SW ) achieved a value of −64.5 W/m 2 /AOD in April. The ARFE change in each sub-interval spectrum was related to the change in SSA and effective radius of fine mode particles (Refff), that is, ARFE increased with the decreases in SSA and Refff. The smallest contribution of ARFE NIR to ARFE SW was 34.11% under strong absorbing and fine particle conditions, and opposite results were found for the VIS range, whose values were always over 51.82%. Finally, due to the serious air pollution and frequency of haze day, aerosol characteristics in haze and clear days were analyzed. The percentage of ARFE NIR increased from 35.71% on clear-air days to 37.63% during haze periods, while both the percentage of ARFE UV and ARFE NIR in ARFE SW kept decreasing. The results of this paper should help us to better understand the effect of aerosols on solar spectral radiation and to develop improved the aerosol models over central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little has been known regarding ~200-Myr-long geologic history of Central China during the Late Paleozoic between two major continental collisional events marked by ~480–440-Ma North Qinling–North Qaidam and ~230-Ma Dabie–Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) belts, respectively. The Gonghe basin is juxtaposed with major Chinese continental blocks across several outstanding Tethyan sutures in Central China and may hold answers to many critical questions about the tectonic amalgamation of China. In this paper, geochronological (laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry, LA–ICP–MS), mineral chemistry, major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data are presented for newly discovered Mid-Permian magmatic rocks in the Gonghe basin on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. The data indicate that magmatism was active at ~270 Ma and shows a bimodal composition including gabbro, diabase and granite. Major oxides and trace elements are obviously correlated with SiO 2 between the mafic and felsic rocks. They are both characterized by enrichments in light-rare-earth elements (LREEs) and large-ion-lithophile elements (LILEs), negative Eu anomalies and depletion in high-field-strength elements (HFSEs), together with similar Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic signature, suggesting that they likely shared the same magma chamber, and that the felsic rocks were produced by fractional crystallization of the mafic rocks. The high initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.7061 to 0.7094) and low ε Nd (t) values (−6.4 to −3.7), as well as Nb–Ta deletions indicate that they were likely derived from enriched mantle metasomatized by subduction-related fluids during the Early Paleozoic. In view of absence of coeval arc-related magmatism in contrast to broad seamount mafic magmatism in the Gonghe basin, the bimodal magmatism is ascribed to an intracontinental rifting event that could have been caused by transtension in Central China since the Mid-Permian, which could have been responsible for the initiation of the Gonghe and Songpan–Ganzi basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]