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In China, the innovative development of education for older people is an important response to the aging population, and an important way to meet the spiritual, cultural, and social needs of older people. Current academic research mainly focuses on the social factors that affect the participation of older people in education and there are few empirical studies on the individual psychological characteristics of older adult learning behavior. This study takes a positive psychology approach to the exploration of the factors influencing the participation of older adults in education in a number of universities of the Third Age in Fujian Province, China. The study is based on curriculum preferences and frequency of participation in extracurricular activities. The results show that the personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism, as well as gender, age, level of educational attainment, and family economic status significantly affect frequency of participation in extracurricular activities and the curriculum preferences of older learners. The results of this study suggest that we can strengthen personality matching to promote the learning enthusiasm of older people in education, and adhere to the demand-oriented to promote the Third age education curriculum personalized. Furthermore, we should increase the scope for popularizing Third age education, improve the accessibility of education for the older people, accelerate the integration of older adult education with the Internet, innovate the form of older adult education, and then promote the development of customized curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient manganese (Mn) deposits are primarily characterized by the presence of Mn(II) carbonates that likely formed by the diagenetic reduction of precursor Mn(IV) oxides. As such, Precambrian sedimentary Mn deposits have been used as a line of evidence for the evolution of oxygen in Earth's surface environments. However, recent studies have shown that these Mn(II)-carbonates have the ability to directly accumulate within anoxic water columns, where free oxygen does not play a role in their formation. This alternative pathway casts uncertainty on the robustness of using ancient Mn deposits to constrain the redox fabric of the past marine water columns. Here, we investigate the Wafangzi Mn and Fe ore deposit from the 1.45 billion-year-old Tieling Formation, North China. The deposit contains Mn(II,III) mineral phases (hausmannite, braunite) as inclusions, or unreacted residues, trapped within Mn(II) carbonate (Ca-rhodochrosite). Some nodules and oolites of Mn(II) and Fe(II)-carbonate phases are also present and display a banded structure with concentric rings. Mn(III) oxide (manganite) is present in a paragenetic assemblage along with hematite and replacement textures with braunite. The negative carbon isotope composition (δ13C, –7‰ to –4‰) from Mn(II) carbonate samples in the Wafangzi Mn deposit which are distinct from that of contemporaneous seawater (~0‰), along with petrographic and speciation analyses, collectively suggest that the Mn(II,III)- and Fe(II)-bearing mineral phases formed through the diagenetic reduction of primary Mn(IV)/Fe(III) minerals coupled to the oxidation of organic matter. Therefore, the Wafangzi Mn deposit suggests the presence of sufficiently oxygenated marine waters, overlying anoxic ferruginous deeper waters with a transitional manganous water layer that could have driven the redox cycling of Mn, Fe, and C. Given the contemporaneous economic Mn deposits in the 1.45 Ga Ullawarra Formation in Western Australia, our findings imply the existence of a transient, and perhaps widespread, pulsed oxygenation event in the mid-Proterozoic oceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contaminant status, spatial distribution, partitioning behavior, and ecological risks of 26 legacy and emerging perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in Laizhou Bay, China were investigated. The concentrations of ∑PFASs in surface and bottom seawater ranged from 37.2 to 222 ng/L and from 34.2 to 305 ng/L with an average of 116 ± 62.7 and 138 ± 93.8 ng/L, respectively. There were no significant differences in the average concentrations between the surface and bottom seawater (P > 0.05). Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and short-chain PFASs dominated the composition of PFASs in seawater. The concentrations of ∑PFASs in sediments ranged from 0.997 to 7.21 ng/g dry weight (dw), dominated by perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), and long-chain PFASs. The emerging alternatives of perfluoro-1-butane-sulfonamide (FBSA) and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA) were detected for the first time in Laizhou Bay. The ∑PFASs in seawater in the southwest of the bay were higher than those in the northeast of the bay. The ∑PFASs in sediments in the northeast sea area were higher than those in the inner area of the bay. Log K d and log K oc values increased with increasing carbon chain length for PFASs compounds. Ecological risk assessments indicated a low ecological risk associated with HFPO-DA but a moderate risk associated with PFOA contamination in Laizhou Bay. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis revealed that fluoropolymer manufacturing, metal plating plants, and textile treatments were identified as major sources contributing to PFASs contamination. [Display omitted] • Widespread contamination of PFASs occurred in Laizhou Bay. • PFOA was the major contaminant in the environmental samples of Laizhou Bay. • HFPO-DA and FBSA as emerging alternatives were detected in all water samples. • FBSA and 6:2 FTSA were detected for the first time in Laizhou Bay. • The carbon chain length affected the distribution of PFASs in water and sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of regorafenib monotherapy or in combination with immune-checkpoint inhibitor while treating Chinese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): a real-world study. Methods: The data of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received regorafenib-containing regimen as the third or later line treatment at ten Chinese hospitals from Aug 2017 to Jun 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including dosing details, survival data as well as adverse events. Survival analysis was further performed for patients administrated with regorafenib monotherapy and combined with an immune-checkpoint inhibitor based on Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Results: A total of 537 patients were included with a median age of 61, among whom 376 received regorafenib monotherapy and 245 received regorafenib combined with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. The clinicopathological characteristics of the two groups at baseline were mainly balanced. No significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) was observed in patients receiving regorafenib monotherapy or combination therapy (3.8 vs. 5.5 months, p = 0.170). In contrast, patients receiving combination therapy had a more prolonged overall survival (OS) than those receiving regorafenib monotherapy (13.5 vs. 10.0 months, p = 0.001). The treatment regimen and regorafenib dosage were significant prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis. Significant benefits in PFS and OS were achieved in KRAS mutant and anti-angiogenesis treatment-naïve subgroups receiving combination therapy compared to monotherapy. No apparent increase was recorded in treatment-related adverse events in patients receiving combination therapy. Conclusion: Regorafenib plus an immune-checkpoint inhibitor has already been a widely adopted strategy in the later-line treatment for mCRC in the real world. The combination therapy yielded a significantly prolonged overall survival than regorafenib alone, with a manageable safety profile in Chinese patients, and warrants further investigation. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04835324. Registered 6th April 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedimentary provenance in multiphase rift basins exhibits rapid variations during distinct tectonic sub-stages, and a close association exists between alterations in sediment source, geomorphology, and tectono-depositional records. This study comprehensively integrates sandstone petrology, heavy mineral assemblages, detrital zircon characters, drill cores, well logs, and seismic reflections to investigate the evolution of provenance and sedimentary records within a complete rifting episode in a lacustrine basin. Three tectono-depositional models for different tectonic sub-stages have been established. During the early strengthened stage of Rifting Episode IV (Sqd3), sediments were primarily sourced from the Liaoxi Uplift, serving as an intrabasinal provenance. These sediments mainly consist of medium-to coarse-grained sandstones with short-distance transportation, forming a transversely-sourced fan-delta and gravity-flow depositional system. Additionally, wedge-shaped seismic configurations were observed along the flow direction. In the middle stage of Rifting Episode IV (Sqd2), the Liaoxi Uplift was submerged, and sediments originated from the Qinhuangdao, Suizhong, and Liaodong Uplift regions. Lake basin expanded during this period, resulting in axially and transversely-sourced river deltaic deposits in a multi-stage superimposed manner, associated with gravity-flow deposits. The sediments are predominantly composed of medium-to fine-grained sandstones that underwent long-distance transportation, accompanied by a significant increase in mudstone content. Simultaneously, sigmoid-oblique and sigmoidal geometries extensively developed. During the late weakened stage of Rifting Episode IV (Sqd1), sediments originated from the Qinhuangdao and Suizhong regions, forming a transversely-sourced shoal-water deltaic system enriched in medium-to fine-grained sandstone with limited mudstone. In comparison to Sqd3 and Sqd2, sediments within Sqd1 underwent intermediate-distance transport. Typically, a shingled seismic configuration developed, presenting a sharp contrast with the sigmoid-oblique and sigmoidal reflections within Sqd2. The detailed models of source-to-sink systems developed in this study are expected to enhance the comprehensive understanding of sedimentological responses to provenance evolution across various tectonic sub-stages in lacustrine rift basins. • Geomorphology, provenance, and depositional architecture are closely linked to tectonic stage in lacustrine rift basins. • Modern topography and drainage systems aid in reconstructing ancient drainage systems and sediment supply capabilities. • Sandstone petrology, seismic data, zircon morphology and geochronology play pivotal roles in provenance assessment. • Detailed models of source-to-sink systems are built during various tectonic sub-stages in lacustrine rift basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]