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Background Whether considering the cumulative effect of sustained C-reactive protein (CRP) and distinguishing different aspects of depressive symptoms may be the reasons for the inconsistent conclusions of previous studies on the association between CRP and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults. The relationship between cumulative effects of CRP elevations and different aspects of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults in China is not well understood. Objective This study aims to examine the relationship between cumulative episodes of CRP elevations over two successive determinations and depressive symptoms, as well as somatic and non-somatic retardation, among Chinese middle-aged and older adults. Methods This study used public data from the 2011-2018 Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and included 3 868 subjects. They were categorized based on the frequency of CRP elevations over two consecutive measurements: "elevated on zero occasion" (n=2 918), "elevated on one occasion" (n=763), and "elevated on two occasions" (n=187). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) in 2011, 2015, and 2018, capturing both somatic and non-somatic dimensions. Multiple linear was used to explore the associations between cumulative episodes of CRP elevations over two successive determinations with depressive symptom scores in 2018, as well as the scores of somatic and non-somatic components separately. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to investigate the effects of cumulative episodes of CRP elevations on the risk of depressive symptoms in 2018. Results The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting for all covariates, elevated on two occasions compared with elevated on zero occasion, which was an influential factor for the total score of depressive symptoms (β=1.22, P

[Objective] Thylakoids are the important sites where photosynthesis takes place. The thylakoid membrane envelops form a central aqueous region known as the thylakoid lumen. There are various types of proteins residing in thylakoid lumen, including high chlorophyll fluorescence (HCF) proteins, immunophilins, oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) proteins, and PsbP-like proteins, etc. These proteins are considered to play important roles during various physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, and redox regulation. [Reviews] This review summarized the function of the thylakoid lumen proteins involved in photosynthesis regulation, such as photosystem assembly, growth regulation, and excess light stress response. [Prospect] The review provided the theoretical reference for future study on the physiological function of the thylakoid lumen proteins.

The influence of pressure and environment on urban polyethylene (PE) gas pipeline makes structural deterioration and leaking to the pipeline and pipeline easy. This paper proposes an analysis method for optimizing Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) algorithm. Firstly, the optimal bandwidth is obtained by using the adaptive weighted frequency band entropy (AFBE), and the optimal quadratic penalty factor is obtained by curve fitting. Then, the AFBE is used as the fitness function, and the optimal decomposition level is obtained by the optimized beetle whisker search algorithm. Experimental results show that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is improved by 12.74% on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study addresses the scarcity of research on nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) in China. It aims to explore the current NVP status in the country using validated questionnaires, analyze associated factors, and provide a useful reference for future research. The study also compares results from different assessment tools. Methods: Online questionnaires were utilized to gather data from 535 pregnant women across 24 provinces. Demographic, pregnancy, and NVP-related information were collected. NVP severity was assessed using Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) and the Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (RINVR) scales. Ordinal logistic regression identified factors linked to NVP severity. Differences between PUQE and RINVR assessments were compared. Results: NVP prevalence exceeded 90%, with 96.1% assessed by PUQE and 90.8% by RINVR. Incidence decreased from nausea to retching and vomiting. Severe NVP correlated with reduced gestational weight gain, younger age, fewer gestational weeks, and living in North (all P values < 0.05). There was moderate consistency between PUQE and RINVR assessments. The NVP prevalence assessed by the PUQE is higher than that assessed by the RINVR in the same population. However, the proportion of NVP levels above moderate assessed by RINVR is greater than that assessed by PUQE. Conclusions: NVP is highly prevalent among Chinese pregnant women, with nausea being predominant. RINVR assessments may be better able to identify severe NVP, thereby improving the low treatment rates for severe NVP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-adaptive energy storage coordination control strategy based on virtual synchronous machine technology was studied and designed to address the oscillation problem caused by new energy units. By simulating the characteristics of synchronous generators, the inertia level of the new energy power system was enhanced, and frequency stability optimization was achieved. This strategy is integrated with the frequency response model of the new energy power system to improve the system's frequency regulation capability and achieve more stable and efficient operation. From the results, the damping of the system increased, the oscillation frequency decreased after a duration of about 15 s, and the system stability improved by 76.09%. The proposed strategy based on virtual synchronous generator adaptive energy storage coordination control strategy was improved by 83.25%. In addition, the proposed strategy has improved stability indicators and system completion efficiency by 40.57% and 22.21% respectively, both of which are better than the comparative strategies. As a result, this strategy significantly enhances the frequency regulation capability of the system, which has a positive effect on achieving efficient operation of the new energy power system and maintaining the stability of the power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain town ecosystems are fragile and highly susceptible to the impacts of human activities and ecological imbalances. This study aimed to improve the traditional ecological footprint (EF) model by incorporating expanded land functions, localised factors, and temporal continuity. Using Lushan County in Sichuan Province as a case study, we calculated spatial and temporal changes from 2009 to 2022 and evaluated sustainable development through four indicators: ecological pressure, ecological sustainability, ecological occupation, and ecological–economic coordination. The results show that from 2009 to 2022, the per capita ecological carbon footprint in Lushan County decreased by 48%, and the ecological carrying capacity declined by 9%. Despite a more than 73% reduction in the ecological surplus, indicating gradual ecological recovery, Lushan County remains in an ecological deficit state with increasing ecological unsustainability. Only forest land is in an ecological surplus state among the six land use categories, while all other categories are in ecological deficit states. Regarding ecological sustainability assessment, Lushan County's overall land use is in a strong sustainability state, with the sustainable development index gradually improving. However, ecological–economic coordination remains poor, with a high ecological occupation index and significant ecological pressure, indicating an imbalance between economic development and ecosystem protection. For future sustainable development in mountainous areas, Lushan County should focus on reducing the ecological carbon footprint and enhancing the ecological carrying capacity. These research findings provide valuable insights and methodological references for the sustainable development of mountain towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-fertility rate has been a common problem in many industrialized countries. To reverse the declining trend of new births, Chinese government gradually lifted its restrictions on the number of births per family, allowing for a household to have no more than two children. Little is known about the additional births or population increase contributed by the gradual relaxation of birth restrictions. To fill this gap, this quasi-experimental design study including data from 124 regions used the synthetic control method and controlled interrupted time series analysis to evaluate the differences in birth rates and rates of natural population increase between China and its synthetic control following implementation of the two-child policy from 2011 to 2020. A total of 123 regions were included in the control pool. Data collected during 1990–2010 were used to identify the synthetic China for each study outcome. The mean rate differences of birth rates and rates of natural increase between China and synthetic China after two-child policy implementation were 1.16 per 1000 population and 1.02 per 1000, respectively. These rate differences were distinguished from variation due to chance (one-sided pseudo- P -values: P for birth rates = 0.047, P for rates of natural increase = 0.020). However, there were statistically significant annual reductions in the pre–post trend of birth rates and rates of natural increase compared with those of controls of <0.340 per 1000 population per year [ P  = 0.007, 95% CI = (−0.584, −0.096)] and <0.274 per 1000 per year [ P  = 0.028, 95% CI = (−0.518, −0.031)]. The results suggested that lifting birth restrictions had a short-term effect on the increase in birth rates and rates of natural population increase. However, birth policy with lifting birth restrictions alone may not have sustained impact on population growth in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The importance of the gut microbiota in maintaining bone homeostasis has been increasingly emphasized by recent research. This study aimed to identify whether and how the gut microbiome of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and osteopenia may differ from that of healthy individuals. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 27 individuals with osteoporosis (OP), 44 individuals with osteopenia (ON), and 23 normal controls (NC). The composition of the gut microbial community was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: No significant difference was found in the microbial composition between the three groups according to alpha and beta diversity. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Fusobacteriota were significantly higher and Synergistota was significantly lower in the ON group than in the NC group. At the genus level, Roseburia, Clostridia_UCG.014, Agathobacter, Dialister and Lactobacillus differed between the OP and NC groups as well as between the ON and NC groups (p < 0.05). Linear discriminant effect size (LEfSe) analysis results showed that one phylum community and eighteen genus communities were enriched in the NC, ON and OP groups, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the abundance of the Dialister genus was positively correlated with BMD and T score at the lumbar spine (p < 0.05). Functional predictions revealed that pathways relevant to amino acid biosynthesis, vitamin biosynthesis, and nucleotide metabolism were enriched in the NC group. On the other hand, pathways relevant to metabolites degradation and carbohydrate metabolism were mainly enriched in the ON and OP groups respectively. Conclusions: Our findings provide new epidemiologic evidence regarding the relationship between the gut microbiota and postmenopausal bone loss, laying a foundation for further exploration of therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]