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Introduction: Currently, there exists considerable debate surrounding the optimal treatment approaches for different subtypes of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the benefits associated with conservative treatment and treatments with different surgical periods for patients diagnosed with acute traumatic central cord syndrome (ATCCS) and multilevel cervical canal stenosis (CCS). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, and 93 patients who met inclusion and exclusion criteria in our hospital between 2015 and 2020 were followed for a minimum duration of 2 years. Among them, 30 patients (Group A) received conservative treatment, 18 patients (Group B) received early surgery (≤7 days), and 45 patients (Group C) received late surgery (>7 days). The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, and recovery rate (RR) were evaluated. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze prognostic determinants. Cost‐utility analysis was performed based on the EQ‐5D scale. Results: The ASIA grade, JOA score, and RR of all three groups improved compared with the previous evaluation (P < 0.05). During follow‐up, the ASIA grade, JOA score, and RR of Group B were all better than for Group A and Group C (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between Group A and C (P > 0.05). The EQ‐5D scale in Group B was optimal at the last follow‐up. The incremental cost‐utility ratio (ICUR) of Group A was the lowest, while that of Group B compared to Group A was less than the threshold of patients' willingness to pay. Age, initial ASIA grade, and treatment types significantly affected the outcomes. Conclusions: Both conservative and surgical treatments yield good results. Compared with patients who received conservative treatment and late surgery, patients who received early surgery had better clinical function and living quality. Despite the higher cost, early surgery is cost‐effective when compared to conservative treatment. Younger age, initial better ASIA grade, and earlier surgery were associated with better prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), has become a global agricultural pest. Reducing the rearing cost of FAWs will be helpful for developing new environmentally friendly management strategies for this pest. As such, we researched an artificial wheat-bran-based diet for FAWs. The biological indicators (developmental duration, pupal weight, reproductive parameters, and flight ability) of the FAWs fed this diet were consistent with those of FAWs fed a traditional artificial diet in a laboratory setting. The rearing cost of using this new diet was lower by nearly 24%. These findings indicate that this artificial diet, based on wheat bran, is suitable for rearing FAW larvae, which will effectively reduce the rearing cost of FAWs. Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (fall armyworm (FAW)) has invaded many countries in Africa and Asia in recent years, considerably restricting global agricultural production. In this study, we assessed the rearing performance of four artificial diets (D1: an artificial FAW diet based on wheat bran and soybean, maize, and yeast powders; D2: an artificial diet developed for Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), based on wheat bran and soybean and yeast powders; D3: an artificial diet based on soybean powder; D4: an artificial diet based on wheat bran) for FAWs. We designed D4 based on a traditional diet (D2) but substituted the wheat bran for soybean and yeast powders. At 25 ± 1 °C, 75% ± 5% RH, and a 16:8 h L:D photoperiod, the larval stage of FAWs fed on D4 lasted 15.88 d, the pupal stage lasted 9.48 d, the pupal mass was 270.45 mg, the number of eggs deposited was 1364.78, and the mating rate was 89.53%. Most biological indicators of the larvae that were fed D4 were basically consistent with those of the larvae fed on the traditional diet (D2), but the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and net reproduction rate (R0) of the D4 FAWs were lower than those of the D2 FAWs. The flight capacity (flight distance, duration, and velocity were 19.73 km, 6.91 h, and 2.90 km/h, respectively) of the D4 FAWs was comparable to that of the FAWs fed a traditional diet and maize leaves. Compared with the three other formulas, the cost of using D4 was lower by 26.42% on average. These results show that using cheap wheat bran instead of soybean flour and yeast powder as the basic material for an artificial diet for FAWs is feasible, which will substantially reduce rearing costs and promote the development of new controlling measures for FAWs. In addition, this study also has a reference value for reducing the cost of artificial diets for other insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite retrievals of the column-averaged dry air mole fractions of CO 2 (XCO 2) could help to improve carbon flux estimation due to their good spatial coverage. In this study, in order to assimilate the GOSAT (Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite) XCO 2 retrievals, the Global Carbon Assimilation System (GCAS) is upgraded with new assimilation algorithms, procedures, a localization scheme, and a higher assimilation parameter resolution. This upgraded system is referred to as GCASv2. Based on this new system, the global terrestrial ecosystem (BIO) and ocean (OCN) carbon fluxes from 1 May 2009 to 31 December 2015 are constrained using the GOSAT ACOS (Atmospheric CO 2 Observations from Space) XCO 2 retrievals (Version 7.3). The posterior carbon fluxes from 2010 to 2015 are independently evaluated using CO 2 observations from 52 surface flask sites. The results show that the posterior carbon fluxes could significantly improve the modeling of atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, with global mean bias decreases from a prior value of 1.6 ± 1.8 ppm to - 0.5 ± 1.8 ppm. The uncertainty reduction (UR) of the global BIO flux is 17 %, and the highest monthly regional UR could reach 51 %. Globally, the mean annual BIO and OCN carbon sinks and their interannual variations inferred in this study are very close to the estimates of CarbonTracker 2017 (CT2017) during the study period, and the inferred mean atmospheric CO 2 growth rate and its interannual changes are also very close to the observations. Regionally, over the northern lands, the strongest carbon sinks are seen in temperate North America, followed by Europe, boreal Asia, and temperate Asia; in the tropics, there are strong sinks in tropical South America and tropical Asia, but a very weak sink in Africa. This pattern is significantly different from the estimates of CT2017, but the estimated carbon sinks for each continent and some key regions like boreal Asia and the Amazon are comparable or within the range of previous bottom-up estimates. The inversion also changes the interannual variations in carbon fluxes in most TransCom land regions, which have a better relationship with the changes in severe drought area (SDA) or leaf area index (LAI), or are more consistent with previous estimates for the impact of drought. These results suggest that the GCASv2 system works well with the GOSAT XCO 2 retrievals and shows good performance with respect to estimating the surface carbon fluxes; meanwhile, our results also indicate that the GOSAT XCO 2 retrievals could help to better understand the interannual variations in regional carbon fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been few high‐resolution investigations covering the last glacial and Holocene from Sichuan, Yunnan, or south Asia area in the south‐west monsoon domain region. High‐resolution analyses of lake sediments retrieved from Qionghai Lake, Sichuan Province, were conducted using a combination of variables including total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentration, low frequency magnetic susceptibility (χLF), particle size, carbonate content, and δ13C value of organic matter (δ13Corg), to provide a new perspective on the detailed paleoclimate history of south‐west China spanning the past 30 cal ka BP. Our findings suggest that organic matter in the Qionghai Lake was mainly derived from microorganisms, aquatic macrophytes, and terrestrial C3 plants. From 29.1 to 23.2 cal ka BP, low carbonate contents, high median grain size (Md values), and χLF values indicated a warm and wet climate. During the period 23.2 to 15.4 cal ka BP, low χLF, Md values, and high carbonate contents suggested a decrease in temperature and humidity. The cold and dry Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Heinrich 1 event (H1) were captured between 21.6 and 19.4 cal ka BP and 17.6 and 15.8 cal ka BP, respectively. During the interval 15.4 to 9.7 cal ka BP, low level of χLF values and Md values, together with relatively high carbonates, demonstrated that a dry climate prevailed in this period. Since 9.7 cal ka BP, the climate was warm and humid in the early to mid‐Holocene and shifted towards cold and dry condition in the late Holocene. A cold and dry period at 8.5 to 8.1 cal ka BP and warm and wet interval at 6.6 to 4.6 cal ka BP were identified, corresponding to the 8.2‐ka cold event and Holocene climatic optimum (HCO), respectively. These climate changes may reflect variations of the intensity of the south‐west summer monsoon, primarily in response to the Northern Hemisphere solar insolation on a millennial scale induced by orbital forcing. The position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) may add a complementary effect on the evolution of the monsoon strength in the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of MEDLINE and EMBASE database, through bibliometrics, the quantitative research was conducted on the published literatures on the acupuncture-moxibustion clinical trial abroad. The situation of published articles in each continent, country and institution was analyzed statistically. It was found that the number of published articles was higher in Germany, America, England, Sweden, Austria, Japan, South Korea, etc. In Europe, the clinical trial of acupuncture and moxibustion was in the tendency of more country participants, wider distribution and larger amount of research. In North America, America was the main country for the study. In Asia, Japan and South Korea played the leading role. Of those countries, some institutions in Germany America, and South Korea were on the top of the list. In future, the above-mentioned countries and institutions should be monitored specifically so as to launch the active cooperation and strategic project.