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Left-behind children (LBC; being left behind by one parent or both parents who migrated to a different location over six months) suffered higher peer victimization than did non-left-behind children. However, it is unclear whether intrapersonal (i.e. self-esteem) and environmental factors (i.e. perceived social support) would moderate the effect of LBC status on peer victimization. A total of 1,064 primary school students from rural China participated in this study. They provided demographic information and completed self-report measures on self-esteem, perceived social support, and peer victimization. After controlling for age and gender, multiple regression analysis revealed that LBC experienced higher peer victimization than their non-left-behind counterparts. Self-esteem and perceived social support were negatively associated with peer victimization. Self-esteem moderated the negative impact of being left behind on peer victimization, but perceived social support did not. Furthermore, the moderated moderation model revealed that the buffering role of self-esteem in the relation between being left behind and peer victimization only emerged among children with low perceived social support. These findings suggested that being left behind would increase the risk of peer victimization, but self-esteem could be a protective factor, especially for children with low social support. Intervention programs should pay more attention to LBC in rural China, improve their self-esteem and social support, thus reducing the likelihood of suffering peer victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent suicide has become an increasingly serious social problem in China. Bullying victimization was found to be an influential factor of suicidal tendency, but less attention has been paid to the internal mechanisms of the relationship. This paper examined the relationship between adolescents' bullying victimization and suicidal tendency, and the mediating effects of internalizing problems and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Generalized Structural Equation Model was employed to a sample of 3,575 Chinese secondary school students. Bullying victimization has a direct positive impact on adolescents' suicidal tendency, but also has an indirect impact on suicidal tendency through three paths: the independent mediating role of internalizing problems and NSSI, and the chain mediating role of internalizing problems and NSSI. The results suggested that students who are bullied tend to have a higher risk of suicidal tendency, and internalizing problems and NSSI are usually the prelude to suicidal behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of low detection accuracy in detection of damage location, This article proposes a method to reduce the local jitter in passive infrared thermal imaging by using wavelet hierarchic hard threshold denoising based on template convolution, and thresholds are defined using an unsupervised Kmeans classification algorithm, the traditional SAD template convolution matching algorithm and the Sobel operator edge detection are improved. The denoizing algorithm achieves improved the denoising strength, the smoothness, and effectively extracts the crack defect features. To increase the effectiveness of nondestructive examination, the rapid detection method of temperature data matching is utilized before the infrared detection experiment, and the damage position was marked on the normal sample to allow for intuitive assessment of the damage location. The results show that by matching temperature data, the damage degree of the specimen can be quickly determined, and that the damage features can be accurately extracted using improved image processing algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As unavoidable by-products of the combustion of organic matter, the sources of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an area of great research interest in environmental monitoring, environmental forensics, and organic geochemistry. Molecular diagnostic ratios, receptor models, and stable isotope analysis are the most widely used methods to identify the sources of PAHs. However, some studies have demonstrated that these conventional methods have several disadvantages including overlapping end-members (or "non-uniqueness"), unexpected "blending," secondary reaction and degradation, which lead to ambiguous PAH source results. At the end of the last century, compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) focusing on the molecular level radiocarbon signatures was introduced for PAH source identification, because of its effectiveness in avoiding uncertainties of the conventional methods. CSRA has an excellent ability to distinguish the fractional contributions of fossil fuels and biomass burning. Here, by reviewing the merits and limitations of conventional methods, we point out that their unquestioning application needs to be criticized in PAH source identification, and further highlight the particular advantages of CSRA. Specifically, we summarize the application and prospects of CSRA in PAH source identification. We conclude that CSRA provides a powerful tool to accurately quantify the sources of aromatic pollutants, to reveal their sedimentary radiocarbon records, and to elucidate regional energy structure and fuel consumption. In doing so, we provide a critical resource to expand the application of CSRA in environmental science. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review of the application of CSRA for PAH source identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patrinia monandra C. B. Clarke is traditionally used for the treatment of inflammation, typhoid fever, injuries due to falls, abdominal pain, malaria, and acute appendicitis ulcers in China and Korea. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of P. monandra was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq X-Ten platform. It had a circular shape and a length of 158,940 bp, with 38.51% GC content. It contained a large single-copy region of 87,641 bp, a small single-copy region of 12,807 bp, and two inverted repeat regions of 29,246 bp. In total, 128 different genes, including 83 protein-coding genes, 37 distinct tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes, were identified. Maximum-likelihood phylogenomic analysis showed that P. monandra is closely related to Patrinia scabiosifolia and Patrinia villosa in the Valerianaceae family. There were 4535 variable sites, 157,354 conserved sites, and 3085 singleton sites in the six Patrinia chloroplast genomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work evaluates solid lipid nanoparticles of thiopental sodium against obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction and hypertrophy and explores the possible mechanism of action. TS loaded SLNs were formulated by hot-homogenization and solvent diffusion method. TS-SLNs were scrutinized for entrapment efficiency, drug loading capacity, gastric stability, particle size, in vitro drug release. Mice were feed with the normal chow or high-fat diet for 08 weeks to induce obesity and primary cardiomyocytes. The therapeutic effects of thiopental sodium in the high fat diet (HFD) induced cardiac hypertrophy. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was estimated at a regular time interval. At the end of the experimental study, systolic pressure left ventricular, LV end-diastolic pressure and rate of increase of LV pressure and antioxidant, apoptosis, cytokines and inflammatory scrutinized. HFD induced group mice exhibited a reduction in the body weight and enhancement of cardiac hypertrophy marker and dose-dependent treatment of thiopental sodium up-regulation the body weight and down-regulated the cardiac hypertrophy. Thiopental sodium significantly (p <.001) dose-dependently altered the antioxidant, biochemical, cardiac parameters and remodeling. Thiopental sodium significantly (p <.001) dose-dependently reduced the SBP. Thiopental sodium altered the apoptosis marker, pro-inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory parameters along with reduced the p38-MAPK level. The cardiac protective effect of thiopental sodium shed light on future therapeutic interventions in obesity and related cardiovascular complications via inflammatory pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines perceptions of living and working with toxic pollution in two periurban petrochemical areas in Nanjing, China, a heavily polluted megacity on the Yangtze River. Despite the concentrated geography of the petrochemical industry in Nanjing, protests over pollution have been small scale and highly localized, paralleling dynamics in many "cancer villages" of rural China. This contrasts with high-profile anti-PX (paraxylene) protests that have happened in Xiamen, Dalian, and other cities in China over the past decade. This article draws on twenty-five semistructured interviews and participant observation with workers and residents in both petrochemical areas. We extend the idea of the "hidden injuries of class" (Sennett and Cobb 1972) to analyze the cumulative effects of social and environmental inequalities in China, contributing to interdisciplinary debates about environmental justice and health, environmental pollution in China, and the lived experiences of toxic geographies. We argue that people living and working with petrochemical pollution in Nanjing, China, experienced accumulated injuries of environmental injustice: multilayered and intersecting effects on health and well-being, which reflect social inequalities between different populations. Accumulated injuries of environmental injustice emerged in interrelated ways: epistemic injustices about toxic exposures; unequal and inadequate compensations for environment harm; and collective frustrations over political powerlessness. The research has wider implications for analyzing the complex social effects of living and working with environmental injustice in different places around the world. Key Words: China, environmental health, environmental justice, petrochemical industry, toxic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study (ARS-TPGS-Lipo) was to enhance the stability, encapsulation efficiency (EE), improve AUC, circulation time and liver targeting of ARS-TPGS-Lipo. Methods: ARS-TPGS-Lipo was prepared by thin-film dispersion method and characterized by TEM. The EE, in vitro release and stability of ARS-TPGS-Lipo were detected by HPLC and UV. In addition to the safety evaluation, the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution studies were also carried out after i.v. administration. Results: The size, PDI, zeta potential, and EE of ARS-TPGS-Lipo were 126.7 ± 9.9 nm, 0.182 ± 0.016, −10.1 ± 1.43 mV, and 78.8 ± 1.89%, respectively. ARS-TPGS-Lipo showed the slow-release effect in vitro release experiments. The AUC of ARS in the ARS-TPGS-Lipo group was 7.51 times higher than in the ARS group after i.v. administration and the circulation time was significantly prolonged. The tissue distribution results showed the components of artesunate and its metabolism DHA of the ARS-TPGS-Lipo group were much higher in liver than the ARS-Lipo group. Conclusion: ARS-TPGS-Lipo was prepared successfully, which had the smaller vesicles size with a better PDI, better stability, higher EE, and slow-release. The results of safety evaluation indicated that ARS-TPGS-Lipo had no hematotoxicity and hepatorenal toxicity. The pharmacokinetic studies indicated ARS-TPGS-Lipo had higher AUC, longer circulation time and better liver targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, the relationship between gender role conflict, professional role confidence, and intentional persistence was examined using data from a survey of male and female Chinese engineering students. Intentional persistence was significantly associated with gender role conflict and professional role confidence; however, the pattern of associations differed for males and females. For male students, gender role conflict and professional role confidence were associated with intentional persistence; however, for female students, the association between professional role confidence and intentional persistence was moderated by gender role conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the cases of Liu Xiaobo and Xu Zhiyong, this article reviews the Court judgments and discussions about the criminal charges of "inciting subversion of state power" and "disrupting public order" used against Liu Xiaobo and Xu Zhiyong respectively. Through a review of the discourses of Chinese legal scholars surrounding the two cases, we focus on the conflicting arguments regarding the Chinese Constitution and the Constitutional right to freedom of expression. This article concludes with an analysis of the political meaning of the two cases by revisiting the debate about the implementation of a Constitutional review and by reflecting upon the political contention between the government's recent re-ideologisation of the Constitution and the growing calls of Chinese citizens who advocate Constitutionalism as a proxy for political reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the fairly recent phenomenon of citizens and organizations requesting disclosure of environmental information in China. Chinese citizens and organizations are invoking the new open government information regulations to push government agencies, particularly environmental protection agencies, to fulfill their legal obligation of information disclosure. By requesting that government agencies disclose environmental information, citizens and organizations have turned themselves into active agents pushing forward the implementation of the new regulations. The findings of this article suggest that a bottom-up legal mobilization in the field of environmental information disclosure, though still with a limited scope, has been happening and endeavoring to make social and political changes in China. Furthermore, this legal mobilization can be seen as an important part of emerging civil society activities in contemporary China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease characterized by an autoimmune-mediated loss of insulin secreting β-cells. Each B lymphocyte clone that escapes immune tolerance produces a specific antibody. No specific treatment against autoantibodies is available for autoimmune diseases. We have developed a strategy to produce an antiserum against autoantibodies for the treatment of T1DM. Non-obese diabetic (NOD) but not Balb/c mouse serum contains autoantibodies. Antisera were produced by immunizing Balb/c mice with affinity-purified IgG from NOD or BALB/c mice along with the immune adjuvant (hereafter, NIgG or BIgG, respectively). A bolus administration of NIgG significantly reduced serum autoantibodies, autoantibody-positive B lymphocytes in the spleens of NOD mice, mortality and morbidity of diabetes, blood glucose and islet immune infiltration, whereas it increased islet mass in NOD mice for at least 26 weeks. NIgG antiserum treatment has no significant effect on CD3+, CD4+or CD8+T cells and B220+or CD19+B cells. BIgG also imparted a moderate therapeutic effect, although it was considerably lower than that of NIgG. NIgG did not cross-react with allogeneic serum. NIgG showed no effect on Balb/c mice. The results show the feasibility of producing antiserum against autoantibodies to prevent and treat autoimmune-induced T1DM with a single bolus administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of sixteen Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) with GC and GC-MSD, the concentrate distribution and transportation characteristics of PAHs in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediments (SS) from the Pearl River Estuary were studied. Whether in SPM or in SS, the concentration distribution of PAHs were characterized by acenaphthene (mean 55.5 µg/g in SPM, 226 ng/g in SS) with subordinate amounts of the tri- and tetra-cycle PAHs such as fluorene, fluoranthene, phenaphene and pyrene. However, PAHs had different composition and concentration in SPM and SS. Pentacyclic PAHs appeared in SS and seldom in SPM because of their low solubility and high molecular weight. The concentrations of the tri-, tetracyclic PAHs in SPM were 100–300 times higher than those in SS. The total PAHs varied from 12–281 µg/g (mean 77 µg/g) in SPM and 208–1849 ng/g (mean 537 ng/g) in SS respectively. There were similar correlations between the concentrations of PAHs in SPM and salinity, and between the distance of the stations from the river outlet moving seawards and the concentrations of PAHs. These indicated that PAHs were degraded or transported along with the salinity gradient in SPM and the distance from the river outlet in SS. It was also suggested that the sources of these PAHs are from sewage and shipping discharge-pollutants. Pearl River Estuary had been lightly contaminated by PAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace organic pollutants (PAHs, DDTs, HCHs, PCBs) in sediments, suspended particulate matter and bivalves were studied during 1994 and 1997 in three estuaries of China: the Jiulong River, the Minjiang River and the Pearl River estuaries. Results indicated that there were some differences between the composition characteristics of the trace organic pollutants in the suspended particulate matter and the sediments. Concentrations of trace organic pollutants in the bivalves were 2–300 times higher than those in the sediments. In the three estuaries, the concentrations of PAHs and PCBs were relatively higher in Pearl River estuary, but the concentrations of DDTs were higher in Jiulong River and Minjiang River estuaries. Relatively high values of PAHs appeared at the outlet of river, waterway and harbor. It is suspected that these PAHs mainly came from sewage, shipping discharge and local pollutant sources. Relatively high concentrations of PCBs appeared at the Pearl River estuary that may be related to industrial development. The ratios of DDT to DDTs indicated that DDT may not be newly released into these estuaries. Compared with other estuaries in the world, the sediments of the southeastern estuaries of China had not been polluted. However, the concentrations of trace organic pollutants in organisms were close to the lower limits of food criteria. Thus, the control of trace organic pollutants in these marine environments is very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace organic pollutants (PAHs, DDTs, HCHs PCBs) in sediments, suspended particulate matter and bivalves were studied during 1994 and 1997 in three estuaries of China: the Jiulong River, the Minjiang River and the Pearl River estuaries. Results indicated that there were somedifferences between the composition characteristics of the trace organic pollutants in the suspended particulate matter and the sediments. Concentrations of trace organic pollutants in the bivalves were 2-300 times higher than those in the sediments. In the three estuaries, the concentrations of PAHs and PCBs were relatively higher in Pearl River estuary, but the concentrations of DDTs were higher in Jiulong River and Minjiang River estuaries. Relatively high values of PAHs appeared at the outlet of river, waterway and harbor. It is suspected that these PAHs mainly came from sewage, shipping discharge and local pollutant sources. Relatively high concentrations of PCBs appeared at the Pearl River estuary that may be related to industrial development. The ratios of DDT to DDTs indicated that DDT may not be newly released into these estuaries. Compared with other estuaries in the world,the sediments of the southeastern estuaries of China had not been polluted. However, the concentrations of trace organic pollutants in organisms were close to the lower limits of food criteria. Thus, the control of trace organic pollutants in these marine environments is very important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]