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Objective: To establish the dynamic treatment strategy of Chinese medicine (CM) for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) by machine learning algorithm, in order to provide a reference for the selection of CM treatment strategies for mCRC. Methods: From the outpatient cases of mCRC in the Department of Oncology at Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 197 cases that met the inclusion criteria were screened. According to different CM intervention strategies, the patients were divided into 3 groups: CM treatment alone, equal emphasis on Chinese and Western medicine treatment (CM combined with local treatment of tumors, oral chemotherapy, or targeted drugs), and CM assisted Western medicine treatment (CM combined with intravenous regimen of Western medicine). The survival time of patients undergoing CM intervention was taken as the final evaluation index. Factors affecting the choice of CM intervention scheme were screened as decision variables. The dynamic CM intervention and treatment strategy for mCRC was explored based on the cost-sensitive classification learning algorithm for survival (CSCLSurv). Patients' survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the survival time of patients who received the model-recommended treatment plan were compared with those who received actual treatment plan. Results: Using the survival time of patients undergoing CM intervention as the evaluation index, a dynamic CM intervention therapy strategy for mCRC was established based on CSCLSurv. Different CM intervention strategies for mCRC can be selected according to dynamic decision variables, such as gender, age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score, tumor site, metastatic site, genotyping, and the stage of Western medicine treatment at the patient's first visit. The median survival time of patients who received the model-recommended treatment plan was 35 months, while those who receive the actual treatment plan was 26.0 months (P=0.06). Conclusions: The dynamic treatment strategy of CM, based on CSCLSurv for mCRC, plays a certain role in providing clinical hints in CM. It can be further improved in future prospective studies with larger sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice and research on online chemistry education have received great attention in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. This paper describes the teaching practice of online learning based on three online courses for pre-service chemistry teachers. To adapt online teaching requirements, we reshaped the structure of the physical chemistry course, for example, adjusting the assessment approaches, and reinforcing long-distance instruction. Besides, we also shared the course of training chemistry teaching skills online publicly, and provided multiple learning approaches after class. Moreover, we introduced chemistry education research based on website data in an educational research methods course and shared ideas through the technology platform.

The term 'experiment' is used in different ways to mean different things in school science. This study examines the meanings of 'experiment' and how they have changed in the intended chemistry curriculum (ICC) in China since the early 1950s. A mixed methodology was adopted to analyse the 11 ICC documents from a socio-historical perspective. The qualitative analysis identifies four meanings of 'experiment' in these various documents: (1) subject content, (2) pedagogy, (3) scientific processes, and (4) inquiry. The quantitative analysis shows that the frequency of two meanings of 'experiment', subject content and pedagogy, has decreased while two other ones, scientific processes and inquiry, has experienced an upward trend during the period under study. While analysing five typical ICCs in different decades, it was found that the distribution of the four meanings of 'experiment' in these ICC documents has become more balanced from the past to the present. Moreover, explanations are provided for the changing tendencies and the distributions of the four meanings of 'experiment' in the social contexts of China. The implications for science curriculum development, science teacher development, and future research are discussed in the last part of this paper.

Physical activity (PA) is critical to health, but PA level declines dramatically in young adulthood. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of different social gamification designs (i.e. cooperation and competition) in mobile fitness applications among occasional exercisers among young adults. A mobile fitness application featuring competitive, cooperative, or individualistic gamification was designed and their effectiveness in promoting PA behaviours and socio-cognitive factors among occasional exercisers was compared through a four-week (i.e. one week for baseline and three weeks for use) field experiment involving 49 participants. The participants used one of the gamified applications with one or more friends in daily life during the experimental period. The results showed that cooperation and competition stimulate different types of social support: cooperation improves companion support, whereas competition improves appraisal support. Both gamification significantly increased daily steps in the first week, but after three-week usage, the increase of the cooperation groups reclined, whereas that of the competition groups was maintained. The application usage in cooperation also declined significantly after three weeks, while that of the other two conditions did not change significantly. The current study provided insights into gamification design for occasional exercisers among Chinese young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the relationship between female age and pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing their first elective single embryo transfer (eSET) of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. The retrospective cohort study encompassed 7089 IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) patients of the Reproductive Medicine Center, Henan Provincial Peoples' Hospital of China, from September 1, 2016, to May 31, 2022. Patients all received the first eSET in their IVF/ICSI cycles. A generalized additive model (GAM) was employed to examine the the dose–response correlation between age and pregnancy outcomes, namely the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR). Logistic regression model was employed to ascertain the correlation between the CPR/OPR and age. The study cohort has an average age of 30.74; 3843 patients got clinical pregnancy rate of 61.40% and ongoing pregnancy rate of 54.21%. The multiple pregnancy rate of is 1.24%. For patients aged 34 and above, the CPR decreased by 10% for every 1-year increase in age (adjusted OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84–0.96, p < 0.0001). Similarly, the OPR decreased by 16% for every 1-year increase in age (adjusted OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.81–0.88, p < 0.0001). Patients aged 35–37 years had an acceptable OPR of 52.4% after eSET, with a low multiple pregnancy rate (1.1%). Pregnancy outcomes were significantly better in blastocyst cycles compared to cleavage embryo cycles, and this trend was more pronounced in older patients. There was a non-linear relationship between female age and pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing their first eSET cycles. The clinical pregnancy rate and ongoing pregnancy rate decreased significantly with age, especially in women older than 34 years. For patients under 37 years old, single embryo transfer should be prioritized. For patients over 38 years old with available blastocysts, eSET is also recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a genus within the Clavicipitaceae, Metarhizium exhibits rich morphological and ecological diversity, with a wide distribution and a variety of hosts. Currently, sixty-eight species of Metarhizium have been described. New information: A new species of Metarhizium, M. puerense (Hong Yu bis), was described in Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, south-western China. Based on morphological characteristics and multilocus phylogenetic analyses, Metarhizium puerense was confirmed to be phylogenetically related to M. album, but was clearly separated and formed a distinct branch. In contrast, the host of Metarhizium album was plants and leafhoppers and that lepidopteran larvae were the host of M. puerense. The diagnostic features of M. puerense were solitary to multiple stromata and smooth-walled, cylindrical with rounded apices conidia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Ecological uniqueness is an essential component of biodiversity. However, the mechanisms underlying patterns of ecological uniqueness remain unresolved. This study aims to assess the relative importance as well as interactive roles of four hypothesized processes (regional climate filtering, local environmental filtering, biotic heterogeneity and disturbance intensity [DI]) in shaping ecological uniqueness across three forest plant life‐forms (trees, shrubs and herbs) in a large temperate forest region. Location: Northeast China. Methods: We quantified ecological uniqueness as abundance and incidence‐based local relative contributions to beta diversity (i.e. LCBD indices) in the study region. Multiple beta regression analyses and piecewise structural equation models were used to determine the relative direct and interactive effects of four processes in shaping ecological uniqueness across forest plant life‐forms. Results: The southern area of the region exhibited consistently greater LCBD values across plant life‐forms, highlighting its importance for conservation. All four processes jointly affected ecological uniqueness but their relative importance varied across plant life‐forms. Generally, regional climate had the dominant effect on tree LCBD while biotic heterogeneity was the most important process driving shrub and herb LCBDs. Local environmental filtering was less important in driving LCBD of all life‐forms. The significant direct effect of DI was only found in the herb group. Despite its weak direct effect, DI could indirectly shape tree and shrub LCBDs via biotic heterogeneity. Main Conclusions: Our study suggests that current patterns of ecological uniqueness (i.e. LCBD) across forest plant life‐forms result from multiple processes, with regional climate filtering and biotic heterogeneity having the strongest effects on uniqueness patterns across all life‐forms. Meanwhile, DI is more critical for shaping ecological uniqueness of herbs than trees or shrubs. We highlight the interactive roles of biotic and abiotic filtering in shaping biologically distinct communities important for biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape stability is a paramount concern within the field of landscape ecology. Indices of landscape patterns not only facilitate an effective analysis of land use transformations but also delve into the mechanisms of landscape disturbances across various spatial and temporal dimensions. Utilizing land use data spanning from 2014 to 2022 for the Shibing and Libo-Huanjiang South China Karst (SCK) World Heritage Sites (WHSs), this study delves into the landscape dynamics of these areas over the past 8 years. This investigation employs landscape pattern indices and a moving window technique to construct a landscape stability evaluation model, incorporating indices such as the Contagion Index, Patch Density, and Total Edge Contrast. Moreover, the study employs Moran's I, a spatial autocorrelation index, to scrutinize the shifts in geographical heterogeneity of landscape stability within the said period. The findings reveal: (1) Between 2014 and 2022, the landscape patterns of the Shibing and Libo-Huanjiang WHSs have undergone significant transformations, with Woodland emerging as the predominant landscape type and its area exhibiting an upward trend in recent years. (2) The level of fragmentation within the research area has decreased, landscape diversity has diminished, and the aggregation index has risen, according to the landscape pattern indices from 2014 to 2022, indicating that conservation measures have significantly influenced the evolution of landscape patterns. (3) Throughout most of the study period, landscape stability predominantly remained at a relatively stable level, albeit with noticeable fluctuations in years heavily impacted by human activities. (4) The areas of high-high agglomeration and the hotspots of the heritage sites were primarily concentrated within the core zones of these sites, suggesting focused areas of conservation and landscape integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate fatigue, mental workload, and burnout among health care workers (HCWs) and explore the possible underlying factors. Materials and methods: An online cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from HCWs in Chongqing, China. The online survey included the Fatigue Severity Scale, NASA Task Load Index, and Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey to assess fatigue, mental workload, and burnout, respectively, and was conducted from February 1 to March 1, 2023. Results: In this study, the incidence of fatigue and burnout among HCWs was 76.40% and 89.14%, respectively, and the incidence of moderate to intolerable mental workloads was 90.26%. Work–family conflict, current symptoms, number of days of COVID-19 positivity, mental workload, burnout and reduced personal accomplishment were significantly associated with fatigue. Mental workload was affected by fatigue and reduced personal accomplishment. Furthermore, burnout was influenced by marital status and fatigue. Moreover, there was a correlation among mental workload, fatigue, and burnout. Conclusions: Fatigue, mental workload and burnout had a high incidence and were influenced by multiple factors during COVID-19 public emergencies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of the global tourism market has accelerated the development of small tourist islands. The rapid growth of tourist scale and activity intensity poses a potential threat to the fragile ecosystems of small islands. This article focuses on the ecological stresses small tourism islands face in their development. Compared with similar studies, we found a more flexible way to measure ecological stress of current activities. We show a framework for ecological stress assessment on small rural islands and illustrate it with Weizhou Island, China. It reveals a new approach to combining ecological footprint, geographic data, and visitor activity data. This combination enables a spatial linkage between biophysical and social surveys. To verify the validity of the assessment framework, we assessed the spatial distribution of ecosystem loss on the island using habitat quality. A multi‐scale geographically weighted model describes the spatial correlation between ecological stress and habitat quality. Real‐world application cases were used to test the usability and practical use of the policy assessment framework. We provide methodological and application‐based contributions to support the sustainable development of small tourist islands. Overall, the assessment framework offers a reliable solution for systematically collecting, analyzing, and reporting ecological stresses faced by small tourist islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits provided by ecological assets play a crucial role in enhancing human well-being. However, there is a scarcity of viable methods for assessing their status. This study is grounded in Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) and integrates both the quantity and quality aspects of these assets. Utilizing the ecological asset index (EQ and EQi), this study conducts a quantitative assessment of the assets in the Shibing karst and the Libo-Huanjiang karst heritage sites, while also qualitatively analyzing their influencing factors. The findings reveal that: (1) In the Shibing heritage site, forest and impervious surface assets exhibited an upward trend, whereas cropland and grassland experienced a decline; meanwhile, shrub and water body assets remained relatively stable. The total area of assets rated as excellent or good increased by 95.371 km2, resulting in an EQ enhancement of 45.427. (2) Likewise, in the Libo-Huanjiang heritage site, forest and impervious surface assets demonstrated an upward trajectory, while shrub assets declined. Cropland, grassland, and water body assets experienced minimal variation. The total area of assets rated as excellent or good expanded by 168.227 km2, resulting in an EQ enhancement of 80.806. (3) The execution of a series of ecological protection projects and management plans for heritage site conservation primarily accounts for the enhancement of regional assets. Notably, ecological resources, socio-economic conditions, human resources, and conservation management policies serve as pivotal drivers influencing the alterations in heritage site assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how doctoral graduates weigh considerations of employment sectors and cities in their career decision‐making processes. Guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory and a Four‐quadrant Model, researchers analysed interviews from 40 STEM doctoral graduates in China. Findings demonstrate that self‐efficacy, outcome expectations and goal‐setting were factors in participants' interests and selections of academic careers. Three types of doctoral graduates were identified: (1) highfliers, (2) academic loyalists and (3) city pickers. While participants prioritize employment sectors and cities differently, cities played a significant role in their career choices which intersected with gender and class factors. Female doctoral graduates were more inclined to follow their partners, while those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds tended to prioritize cost of living factors at the expense of pursuing opportunities in top‐tier cities. Implications suggest that factors undergirding doctoral graduates' career choices rely on the interaction between geographical locations and employment sector opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Human neural stem cells' jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research, is the first guideline for human neural stem cells (hNSCs) in China. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, test regulations, instructions for use, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements, transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for hNSCs, which is applicable to the quality control for hNSCs. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 30 August 2022. We hope that publication of the guideline will facilitate institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of hNSCs for clinical development and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human midbrain dopaminergic progenitors (mDAPs) are one of the most representative cell types in both basic research and clinical applications. However, there are still many challenges for the preparation and quality control of mDAPs, such as the lack of standards. Therefore, the establishment of critical quality attributes and technical specifications for mDAPs is largely needed. "Human midbrain dopaminergic progenitor" jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research, is the first guideline for human mDAPs in China. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, inspection rules, instructions for usage, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements, transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for human mDAPs, which is applicable to the quality control for human mDAPs. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 30 August 2022. We hope that the publication of this guideline will facilitate the institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of human mDAPs for clinical development and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although socioeconomic factors are important determinants of population mortality, the effect of educational level on the survival of patients with cancer in China is unclear. This study aimed to assess whether educational level is associated with the prognosis of patients with cancer and to explore the mediators of this association. Methods: This multicentre cohort study included 18,251 patients diagnosed with cancer between May 2013 and December 2018. The main parameters measured were overall survival (OS) and all‐cause mortality. The relationship between educational level and all‐cause mortality was assessed using multifactor‐corrected Cox survival analysis. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between educational level and patient‐generated subjective global assessment (PG‐SGA). Results: The mean age of the 18,251 participants (men, 9939 [54.4%]) was 57.37 ± 11.66 years. Multifactorial survival analysis showed that patients survived longer with increasing education (university and above vs. elementary school and below; p = p = <0.001, HR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.77–0.92), and the differences were statistically significant in different subgroups. The potential impact factors included sex, age, TNM stage, and PG‐SGA score. Logistic regression showed a significant negative association between educational level and the modifiable factor PG‐SGA (secondary vs. primary and below; p = 0.004, HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.83–0.97; university and above vs. primary and below; p < 0.001, HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.71–0.88). Conclusions: Educational level was a significant prognostic factor for patients with cancer, independent of other known prognostic factors. This association was further improved by modifying the nutritional status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Calocybe species possess notable economic and medicinal value, demonstrating substantial potential for resource utilization. The taxonomic studies of Calocybe are lacking in quality and depth. Based on the specimens collected from northeast China, this study provides a detailed description of two newly discovered species, namely Calocybe betulicola and Calocybe cystidiosa, as well as two commonly found species, Calocybe decolorata and Calocybe ionides. Additionally, a previously unrecorded species, C. decolorata, has recently been discovered in Jilin Province, China. The two newly discovered species can be accurately distinguished from other species within the genus Calocybe based on their distinct morphological characteristics. The primary distinguishing features of C. betulicola include its grayish-purple pileus, grayish-brown to dark purple stipe, smaller basidiomata, absence of cellular pileipellis, and its habitat on leaf litter within birch forests. Calocybe cystidiosa is distinguished by its growth on the leaf litter of coniferous forests, a flesh-pink pileus, a fibrous stipe with a white tomentose covering at the base, non-cellular pileipellis, larger basidiospores, and the presence of cheilocystidia. The reconstruction of phylogenetic trees using combined ITS , nLSU , and tef1-α sequences, employing maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses, showed that C. betulicola formed a cluster with C. decurrens, while C. cystidiosa clustered with C. vinacea. However, these two clusters formed separate branches themselves, which also supported the results obtained from our morphological studies. A key to the Calocybe species reported from northeast China is provided to facilitate future studies of the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing underground reservoirs has emerged as a crucial strategy to address the shortage of fresh water in Rizhao, Shandong Province, China. However, the water quality, microbial community composition, and biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in underground reservoirs compared to raw water remain unknown. To unveil the characteristics of microbial community structures and their nitrogen cycling metabolic potential in coastal underground reservoirs, we utilized a functional gene array (GeoChip 5.0) in conjunction with high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. Our findings indicate that the water quality in the underground reservoir exhibits a certain degree of eutrophication compared to raw water, with higher concentrations of TN, TP, NO3−N, NO2−-N, and Chl a, but lower concentrations of DO and NH4+-N. The alpha diversity of bacterial and microeukaryotic communities was significantly lower in the underground reservoir. The bacterial community presented a stronger correlation with environmental factors than the microeukaryotic community. Regarding the relative abundance of bacterial communities, Gammaproteobacteria dominated the bacterial community in raw water, while Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria dominated the bacterial community in underground reservoir water. Additionally, the relative abundance of Nitrospirae was noticeably higher in the underground reservoir water. Moreover, we found significantly higher sequence abundance of the archaea Thaumarchaeota in the underground reservoir. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that, except for the amoA functional gene, which significantly increased the metabolic potential of nitrification, the metabolic potential of other microbial nitrogen functional genes was significantly reduced. This reduction may contribute to the lower concentration of NH4+-N in the underground reservoir. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the microbial community characteristics and their nitrogen cycling metabolic potential in underground reservoirs. It serves as a valuable reference for water source selection, the formulation of water quality assurance measures, and the construction and management of underground reservoirs for subsequent impounding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malnutrition is associated with poor overall survival (OS) in breast cancer patients; however, the most predictive nutritional indicators for the prognosis of patients with breast cancer are not well-established. This study aimed to compare the predictive effects of common nutritional indicators on OS and to refine existing nutritional indicators, thereby identifying a more effective nutritional evaluation indicator for predicting the prognosis in breast cancer patients. Methods: This prospective study analyzed data from 776 breast cancer patients enrolled in the "Investigation on Nutritional Status and its Clinical Outcome of Common Cancers" (INSCOC) project, which was conducted in 40 hospitals in China. We used the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), Kaplan–Meier survival curve, and Cox regression analysis to evaluate the predictive effects of several nutritional assessments. These assessments included the patient-generated subjective nutrition assessment (PGSGA), the global leadership initiative on malnutrition (GLIM), the controlling nutritional status (CONUT), the nutritional risk index (NRI), and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI). Utilizing machine learning, these nutritional indicators were screened through single-factor analysis, and relatively important variables were selected to modify the PNI. The modified PNI, termed the cholesterol-modified prognostic nutritional index (CPNI), was evaluated for its predictive effect on the prognosis of patients. Results: Among the nutritional assessments (including PGSGA, GLIM, CONUT, NRI, and PNI), PNI showed the highest predictive ability for patient prognosis (time-dependent ROC = 0.58). CPNI, which evolved from PNI, emerged as the superior nutritional index for OS in breast cancer patients, with the time-dependent ROC of 0.65. It also acted as an independent risk factor for mortality (p < 0.05). Moreover, the risk of malnutrition and mortality was observed to increase gradually among both premenopausal and postmenopausal age women, as well as among women categorized as non-overweight, overweight, and obese. Conclusions: The CPNI proves to be an effective nutritional assessment tool for predicting the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the political dominance of urbanization, the policy of increasing versus decreasing balance (IVDB) between urban and rural construction land has had a profound influence on urban land expansion in China. The purpose of this study is to reveal the impact of the IVDB policy on the process of urban land expansion. Considering the transition process among different land use types under the IVDB policy, this study proposes two situations of urban land expansion. A future land use simulation (FLUS) model is applied to simulate the expansion process over three steps. A case study of Fenghua District in Ningbo City, China, shows the following: (1) In the first situation of village land directly transformed into urban land, the transformation is concentrated in the northern and western parts of Fenghua District. The expansion trends are particularly pronounced along existing urban land and main traffic lines. (2) In the second situation of village land reclamation for agricultural land and urban land occupation for agricultural land, the spatial differences in village land conversion to arable land or other agricultural land are relatively small, and the degree of concentration of arable land is significantly increased after reclamation. Urban land expansion mainly occurs close to Ningbo City. With the help of transfer quotas "produced" by other areas, expansion land can be balanced within Fenghua District. This research helps to shed light on the urban land use growth process and provides beneficial insights for stock spatial planning in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis E can potentially progress to HEV-related acute liver failure (HEV-ALF). East and South Asia bear a substantial burden of HEV infection, with Bangladesh, China, and India facing the most severe threat in this region. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the burden of HEV-ALF in these three high-risk countries. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed utilizing PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Studies in English or Chinese that reported data on the burden of HEV-ALF in Bangladesh, China and India were included. Outcomes were pooled with meta-analysis utilizing R software. Estimates were calculated with random-effects models, and subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were conducted to address heterogeneity. Egger's test and Begg's test were performed to assess publication bias. Results: A total of 20 eligible studies were included in this study. The pooled HEV-attributable proportion of viral-related acute liver failure was estimated to be 40.0% (95% CI: 0.28–0.52), 30.0% (95% CI: 0.18–0.44), and 61.0% (95% CI: 0.49–0.72) among non-pregnant individuals in India, China and Bangladesh, while in Indian pregnant females, it was 71.0% (95% CI: 0.62–0.79). The combined prevalence among non-pregnant HEV-infected participants was 28.0% (95% CI: 0.20–0.37) and 10.0% (95% CI: 0.01–0.28) in India and China, and it was 34.0% (95% CI: 0.27–0.42) in Indian pregnant females with HEV infection. The overall mortality of HEV-ALF was estimated to be 32.0% (95% CI: 0.23–0.42) and 64.0% (95% CI: 0.50–0.77) among the non-pregnant and the pregnant participants in India, and it was 23.0% (95% CI: 0.14–0.34) in Chinese non-pregnant participants. Conclusions: The burden of HEV-ALF in Bangladesh, China, and India is non-negligible despite geographic and population heterogeneity. The prevention of HEV infection and early recognition of HEV-ALF are of great significance, especially in high-risk countries and populations. Registration: PROSPERO registration ID is CRD42022382101. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Periodontal diseases is considered the most important global oral health burden according to the world health organization (WHO) (Oral health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/oral-health#Overviewth (who.int). Accessed 21 Sep 2023). It is a common local inflammatory disease associated with hypertension, this study aims to explore the relationship between periodontitis and uncontrolled hypertension and whether inflammation indication such as white blood cell (WBC) count or neutrophil count is a mediator of this relationship. Methods: One thousand four hundred eighty-eight elders attending annual physical and oral examinations in Zhejiang province were included in this study. The staging of Periodontitis was classified as none, mild-moderate and severe. Participants are categorized into two groups based on blood pressure: hypertensive(positive high blood pressure(HBP) history or underwent HBP medication or blood pressure(BP) ≥ 140/90 mmHg) and uncontrolled hypertensive (systolic blood pressure(SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg or distolic blood pressure(DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg). Peripheral blood samples were collected, information on hypertension history and potential confounders (age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise frequency, diabetes) was collected in questionnaires. The correlation between periodontitis and hypertension was investigated using logistics regression analyses, mediation analysis was assessed for the effect of inflammation on hypertension. Results: The study population includes 1,488 participants aged 55–90 years. Odds of uncontrolled hypertension increased significantly along with periodontitis in the regression models both in unadjusted model (odds ratio(OR): 1.407, 95% confidence intervals(CI): 1.037 ~ 1.910) and fully adjusted model (OR: 1.950, 95% CI: 1.127 ~ 3.373). Mediation analysis confirmed that WBC and neutrophic count function as a full mediator of the association between periodontitis and uncontrolled hypertension either in the unadjusted or the adjusted model. Conclusions: In a study of urban elderly population in southeast China, periodontitis is found to be significantly associated with uncontrolled hypertension, such relation is mediated by WBC and neutrophil count. Periodontitis can increase the difficulty of controlling hypertension. Promotion of periodontal health strategies in the dental setting could help reduce the burden of hypertension and its complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oncomelania hupensis is the sole intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum. Its emergence and recurrence pose a constant challenge to the elimination of schistosomiasis in China. It is important to accurately predict the snail distribution for schistosomiasis prevention and control. Methods: Data describing the distribution of O. hupensis in 2016 was obtained from the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention. Eight machine learning algorithms, including eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), generalized boosting model (GBM), neural network (NN), classification and regression trees (CART), k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and generalized additive model (GAM), were employed to explore the impacts of climatic, geographical, and socioeconomic variables on the distribution of suitable areas for O. hupensis. Predictions of the distribution of suitable areas for O. hupensis were made for various periods (2030s, 2050s, and 2070s) under different climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585). Results: The RF model exhibited the best performance (AUC: 0.991, sensitivity: 0.982, specificity: 0.995, kappa: 0.942) and the CART model performed the worst (AUC: 0.884, sensitivity: 0.922, specificity: 0.943, kappa: 0.829). Based on the RF model, the top six important variables were as follows: Bio15 (precipitation seasonality) (33.6%), average annual precipitation (25.2%), Bio2 (mean diurnal temperature range) (21.7%), Bio19 (precipitation of the coldest quarter) (14.5%), population density (13.5%), and night light index (11.1%). The results demonstrated that the overall suitable habitats for O. hupensis were predominantly distributed in the schistosomiasis-endemic areas located in northwestern Yunnan Province under the current climate situation and were predicted to expand north- and westward due to climate change. Conclusions: This study showed that the prediction of the current distribution of O. hupensis corresponded well with the actual records. Furthermore, our study provided compelling evidence that the geographical distribution of snails was projected to expand toward the north and west of Yunnan Province in the coming decades, indicating that the distribution of snails is driven by climate factors. Our findings will be of great significance for formulating effective strategies for snail control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been widespread concern about the provenance of proto-porcelain in previous studies, which is fundamental in determining the origin of porcelain. However, there are still different opinions on the provenance of proto-porcelain. To discuss this question, this study analyzed 21 proto-porcelain shards, excavated from the Yejiashan Cemetery, on the basis of typology, petrography, and LA-ICP-AES methodologies. Three shards from the Panlongcheng site were also collected for comparative analysis. The typological analysis showed that the majority of proto-porcelain samples from the Yejiashan Cemetery were similar to those from Northern China in type, shape, decoration,and glaze color, while 2 shards showed typical Southern characteristics. The petrographic analysis indicated that there were two different patterns of distribution for quartz particles in the collected samples, which suggested the potential existence of at least two different origins. The LA-ICP-AES analysis results also supported two different origins for Yejiashan proto-porcelain and suggested that one may originate from Zhejiang Province in Southern China. In summary, our study has demonstrated the existence of at least two distinct provenance areas for the proto-porcelain sourced from the Yejiashan cemetery. This distinction is founded upon disparities in typological characteristics, distribution patterns of quartz particles, and chemical compositions. This conclusion contributes to a better understanding of cultural exchange between the Zeng state and neighboring regions and can shed light on the manufacturing industry of the early Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blastocystis hominis (Bh) is zoonotic parasitic pathogen with a high prevalent globally, causing opportunistic infections and diarrhea disease. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection disrupts the immune system by depleting CD4+ T lymphocyte (CD4+ T) cell counts, thereby increasing Bh infection risk among persons living with HIV (PLWH). However, the precise association between Bh infection risk and HIV-related biological markers and treatment processes remains poorly understood. Hence, the purpose of the study was to explore the association between Bh infection risk and CD4+ T cell counts, HIV viral load (VL), and duration of interruption in antiviral therapy among PLWH. Methods: A large-scale multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted in China from June 2020 to December 2022. The genetic presence of Bh in fecal samples was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the CD4+ T cell counts in venous blood was measured using flowcytometry, and the HIV VL in serum was quantified using fluorescence-based instruments. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was applied to assess the non-linear association between Bh infection risk and CD4+ T cell counts, HIV VL, and duration of interruption in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HARRT). Results: A total of 1245 PLWH were enrolled in the study, the average age of PLWH was 43 years [interquartile range (IQR): 33, 52], with 452 (36.3%) being female, 50.4% (n = 628) had no immunosuppression (CD4+ T cell counts > 500 cells/μl), and 78.1% (n = 972) achieved full virological suppression (HIV VL < 50 copies/ml). Approximately 10.5% (n = 131) of PLWH had interruption. The prevalence of Bh was found to be 4.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.8–6.4%] among PLWH. Significant nonlinear associations were observed between the Bh infection risk and CD4+ T cell counts (Pfor nonlinearity < 0.001, L-shaped), HIV VL (Pfor nonlinearity < 0.001, inverted U-shaped), and duration of interruption in HARRT (Pfor nonlinearity < 0.001, inverted U-shaped). Conclusions: The study revealed that VL was a better predictor of Bh infection than CD4+ T cell counts. It is crucial to consider the simultaneous surveillance of HIV VL and CD4+ T cell counts in PLWH in the regions with high level of socioeconomic development. The integrated approach can offer more comprehensive and accurate understanding in the aspects of Bh infection and other opportunistic infections, the efficacy of therapeutic drugs, and the assessment of preventive and control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) is an economical marine fish consumed in China. Theaflavins have antibacterial and antioxidant properties. However, there is a lack of research into their application in large yellow croakers during refrigerated storage. This study investigated the effect of theaflavins on the quality of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) during 12 days of storage at 4 °C. RESULTS: The results showed that theaflavin treatment was able to inhibit microbial growth and reduce the production of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N). Meanwhile, theaflavins were beneficial in reducing the unfolding of myofibrillar proteins, decreasing the degree of protein aggregation, and improving the stability of protein structure. The degree of protein oxidation was lower in a theaflavin‐treated group compared with an untreated group. Theaflavin treatment effectively inhibited increases in acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV), and malonaldehyde (MDA) content. The effect of theaflavin was positively correlated with an increase in concentration under refrigeration conditions. This study therefore suggests that the use of theaflavins is a viable method for extending the period for which refrigerated large yellow croaker can be preserved. CONCLUSIONS: Adding theaflavins to large yellow croaker can be an effective method for preserving quality during refrigerated storage. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the associations between workplace violence and patient safety behaviour between male and female nursing interns. Design: A cross‐sectional survey. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was carried out at three general hospitals in Shandong Province in China to collect data from 466 nursing interns. We evaluated the associations between workplace violence and patient safety behaviours in men and women using multiple linear regressions. Results: Sex moderated the association between workplace violence and patient safety behaviour (B = 1.046, [SE = 0.477]; p = 0.029). Among male nursing interns, there was a significant association between workplace violence and patient safety (B = −1.353, 95% CI [−2.556, −0.151]; p = 0.028). In male nursing interns, verbal violence and sexual violence were significantly negatively associated with patient safety (B = −1.569, SE = 0.492, p = 0.002; B = −45.663, SE = 5.554, p < 0.001). No significant association was found in female nursing interns. Patient or Public Contribution: This study did not have a patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal spontaneous combustion disasters are one of the most serious types of mine disasters in China at present, posing a huge threat to underground personal safety and coal production operations. In order to prevent and control coal spontaneous combustion hazards and construct an efficient early warning system, this paper presents a review of coal spontaneous combustion early warning based on the Web of Science database search of 583 papers related to coal spontaneous combustion early warning collected from 2002 to 2021, using VOSviewer visualization software. The number of publications and partnerships at the author, institution and country levels are obtained, and the research hotspots in the field of coal spontaneous combustion warning are obtained based on keyword co-occurrence and clustering. The results show that the research results of scholars with a high publication volume have significant influence in the field of coal spontaneous combustion warning and prevention and control, and a more mature camp has been formed among the research authors; a more stable core group of institutions has been formed in the field of coal spontaneous combustion warning; most of the national publications are concentrated in mineral resource-mining countries; the analysis of hot keywords shows that "sign gas warning" and "warning models and technologies" are the key contents of this field. The analysis of hot keywords shows that "sign gas early warning" and "early warning model and technology" are the key contents of this field. The research content of this paper is helpful for researchers to find the latest information on the current research and trends in the field of spontaneous combustion prevention and coal seam monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schistosomiasis is of great public health concern with a wide distribution and multiple determinants. Due to the advances in schistosomiasis elimination and the need for precision prevention and control, identifying determinants at a fine scale is urgent and necessary, especially for resource deployment in practice. Our study aimed to identify the determinants for the seropositive rate of schistosomiasis at the village level and to explore their spatial variations in local space. Methodology: The seropositive rates of schistosomiasis were collected from 1714 villages or communities in Human Province, and six spatial regression models including ordinary least squares (OLS), spatial lag model (SLM), spatial error model (SEM), geographically weighted regression (GWR), robust GWR (RGWR) and multiscale GWR (MGWR) were used to fit the data. Principal/Findings: MGWR was the best-fitting model (R2: 0.821, AICc:2727.092). Overall, the nearest distance from the river had the highest mean negative correlation, followed by proportion of households using well water and the annual average daytime surface temperature. The proportions of unmodified toilets showed the highest mean positive correlation, followed by the snail infested area, and the number of cattle. In spatial variability, the regression coefficients for the nearest distance from the river, annual average daytime surface temperature and the proportion of unmodified toilets were significant in all villages or communities and varied little in local space. The other significant determinants differed substantially in local space and had significance ratios ranging from 41% to 70%, including the number of cattle, the snail infested area and the proportion of households using well water. Conclusions/Significance: Our study shows that MGWR was well performed for the spatial variability of schistosomiasis in Hunan province. The spatial variability was different for different determinants. The findings for the determinants for the seropositive rate and mapped variability for some key determinants at the village level can be used for developing precision intervention measure for schistosomiasis control. Author summary: The elimination of schistosomiasis depends critically on the identification of a set of determinants. A site-specific analysis of the determinants allows organizers to adjust and clarify the focus areas for the next round. This analysis, based on anecdotal evidence and investigations specific to a narrow geographic area at a fine scale, would enhance our understanding of the determinants. Especially for areas where elimination goals are to be achieved, local spatial variation in determinants is worth exploring in depth. In this analysis we included the seropositive rates of schistosomiasis from 1714 villages or communities and established six spatial regression models. Benefiting from determinants with different bandwidths, MGWR was good at simulating schistosomiasis. We also explored the spatial variability of multiple determinants and mapped variability for some key determinants at the village level. We hope the findings will be used for developing precision intervention measure for schistosomiasis control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition of unconformities is important for stratigraphic subdivision and correlation and for determining the timing of tectonic activity and the ocean‐continent transition process. Here, we have identified a Late Palaeozoic disconformity in the Moqinwula area of the northern Junggar Block, NW China. Integrated field relationship observations and sedimentological, biostratigraphical, geochemical and detrital zircon geochronological data, suggest that the underlying Hongliugou Formation is of Devonian age and was deposited in a passive continental margin setting. The overlying Tamugang Formation formed in the Early Carboniferous and was deposited in a foreland basin setting. Integrating the published data and our new work, we suggest a new tectonic evolution model related to the Karamaili ocean‐continent transition process. During the Early Devonian, northward subduction of the Karamaili Ocean plate beneath the East Junggar Belt formed the Yemaquan arc. At this time, a passive margin sequence was deposited on the northern Junggar Block. During the Early Carboniferous, the closure of the Karamaili Ocean resulted from the collision between the Junggar Block and the East Junggar Belt. Foreland basins subsequently developed, forming an extensive unconformity in the accretionary wedge to the north and a disconformity in the relatively rigid and stable Junggar Block to the south. This significant difference in stratigraphic contact relationships confirms that regional convergence‐induced shortening deformation had no significant influence on the northern margin of the Junggar Block, suggesting the existence of a relatively rigid basement, probably an oceanic plateau, under the cover sediments of the Junggar Block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) improves mental health by augmenting psychological flexibility. Studies showed that psychological flexibility affects mental health; however, although studies have examined individual aspects of psychological flexibility, few have comprehensively examined an entire psychological flexibility model, especially in China. The Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes (CompACT) is a comprehensive evaluation method that reflects psychological flexibility. The objectives of this study were to develop a Chinese version of CompACT that fits with Chinese culture and examine its reliability and validity. We studied 4999 non-clinical Chinese civil servants and explored the characteristics of the Chinese version of CompACT. Exploratory factor analysis was used to measure Openness to Experience, Behavioral Awareness, and Valued Action that explained 54.3% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the three-factor model. The Cronbach's α-coefficient of the scale was 0.87, suggesting that the Chinese version of the CompACT is reliable. The Chinese CompACT total score represents the overall level of psychological flexibility; it is significantly negatively correlated with negative emotions and positively associated with well-being. Our findings suggest that the Chinese version of the CompACT accurately assesses psychological flexibility in Chinese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain a heuristic understanding of the temporal dimension of privacy, we propose the concept of retrospective privacy concerns and explore its antecedents, through the lens of contextual integrity framework. We collected 276 respondents and then conducted partial least squares to test our hypotheses. The results show life change experiences and information relevance impact retrospective impression management concerns, which, in turn, exert an effect on retrospective privacy concerns. Information dissemination regarding sharing information to only selected friends perceived higher level of control than sharing information to all friends, while perceived control could enhance retrospective privacy concerns. Also, users who feel under surveillance would be concerned about their retrospective privacy. Moreover, we verify the effect of time on retrospective privacy concerns and information relevance. This work provides new insight into the temporal dimension of privacy and offers practical implications for designing temporal privacy tools to mitigate users' concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most nursing interns have suffered some form of workplace violence in clinical settings, which has been linked to the jeopardizing of patient safety. Although previous research studies have examined the effect of workplace violence on patient safety, few studies have examined whether workplace violence is associated with patient safety through professional identity and professional burnout among nursing interns. Aims: To test whether professional identity and professional burnout play mediating roles in the relationship of workplace violence and patient safety among nursing interns. Design: Cross‐sectional study. Methods: The study included 466 nursing interns from three tertiary grade A hospitals. The Workplace Violence Scale, the Professional Identity Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory‐General Survey, and the Patient Safety Behaviour Scale were used to gather data. Associations among workplace violence, professional identity, professional burnout, and patient safety were assessed by correlation and the serial‐multiple mediation analysis. Results: Workplace violence, professional identity, professional burnout and patient safety were significantly correlated. Workplace violence can have a direct positive impact on patient safety of nursing interns, but also an indirect impact on patient safety through three paths: the independent mediating role of professional identity, the independent mediating role of professional burnout, and the chain mediating role of professional identity and professional burnout. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that workplace violence can affect patient safety through decreasing professional identity and increasing professional burnout among nursing interns. Interventions aimed at decreasing workplace violence among nursing interns would be beneficial for professional attitude and patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the contributions of large-scale atmospheric circulation and local land surface processes to precipitation is essentially important for the climate prediction. This study adopts a dynamic adjustment (DA) approach based on constructed circulation analogs to quantitatively isolate the contribution of atmospheric circulation to summer land precipitation (Pr) over Asian mid-low latitudes during 1980–2019. The atmospheric circulation factor is represented by the 500 hPa geopotential height (Z500), and the residual component after DA is regarded as the contribution from land surface processes via evaporation mainly resulting from soil moisture (SM). The results indicate that the key SM-Pr feedback areas are mainly located in northeast China and the northern Indian Peninsula. The key influencing area of Z500 on the land Pr anomaly shows a "- + -" tripole pattern in the mid-latitude region. Atmospheric circulation determines the magnitude of summer land Pr, while the residual components reflect the land–atmosphere coupling effect and dominate Pr trend. This conclusion is helpful for better understanding the evolution mechanism of summer climate over Asia mid-low latitudes and may also have application value for climate prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The production of Russian sturgeon is expanding rapidly in China but it is necessary to adopt measures to extend the shelf life of sturgeon meat. Previous studies found that sous vide cooking (SVC) at 60 °C increased the protein and lipid oxidation. The addition of antioxidant substances reduced the acceptance of the product. The effect of combination SVC and ultrasound pretreatment was therefore investigated. RESULTS: Results showed that SVC at 50 °C combined with ultrasound effectively restrained the growth of total viable counts (TVC) in samples. Meanwhile, the main dominant genera changed from Pseudomonas to Carnobacterium and the number of microbial species decreased. The odor profile of Russian sturgeon meat was more stable and the lipoxygenase (LOX) activity decreased more rapidly after treating with SVC and ultrasound. Importantly, more stable protein aggregates were formed in samples treated by SVC 50 °C together with ultrasound pretreatment, so the protein and lipid oxidation were slowed during storage. Higher springiness values were obtained and the color of sturgeon meat was lighter under these conditions. CONCLUSION: The combination of SVC 50 °C and ultrasound pretreatment effectively inhibited the microbial growth of Russian sturgeon meat at lower oxidation levels. These findings theoretically support the preservation and development of sturgeon meat, and the application of SVC technology. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between muscle and prognosis, especially that between muscle distribution across different body parts, and the related prognosis is not well established. Objective: To investigate the relationship between muscle distribution and all-cause and cause-specific mortality and their potential modifiers. Design: Longitudinal cohort study. C-index, IDI, and NRI were used to determine the best indicator of prognosis. COX regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between variables and outcomes. Interaction and subgroup analyses were applied to identify the potential modifiers. Participants: A total of 5052 participants (weighted: 124,841,420) extracted from the NHANES 2003–2006 of median age 45 years and constituting 50.3% men were assessed. For validation, we included 3040 patients from the INSCOC cohort in China. Main measures: Muscle mass and distribution. Key Results: COX regression analysis revealed that upper limbs (HR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.33–0.51), lower limbs (HR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.47–0.64), trunk (HR = 0.71, 95% CI, 0.59–0.85), gynoid (HR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.38–0.58), and total lean mass (HR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.45–0.66) were all associated with the better survival of participants (P trend < 0.001). The changes in the lean mass ratio of the upper and lower limbs and the lean mass ratio of the android and gynoid attenuated the protective effect of lean mass. Age and sex acted as potential modifiers, and the relationship between lean mass and the prognosis was more significant in men and middle-aged participants when compared to that in other age groups. Sensitive analyses depicted that despite lean mass having a long-term impact on prognosis (15 years), it has a more substantial effect on near-term survival (5 years). Conclusion: Muscle mass and its distribution affect the prognosis with a more significant impact on the near-term than that on the long-term prognosis. Age and sex acted as vital modifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the most widely used hemodialysis vascular access in China. However, stenosis of the AVF limits its use. The mechanism of AVF stenosis is currently unknown. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to explore the mechanisms of AVF stenosis. In this study, we identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset (GSE39488) between venous segments of AVF and normal veins. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify hub genes of AVF stenosis. Finally, six hub genes (FOS, NR4A2, EGR2, CXCR4, ATF3, and SERPINE1) were found. Combined with the results of the PPI network analysis and literature search, FOS and NR4A2 were selected as the target genes for further investigation. We validated the bioinformatic results via reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot analyses on human and rat samples. The expression levels of the mRNA and protein of FOS and NR4A2 were upregulated in both human and rat samples. In summary, we found that FOS may play an important role in AVF stenosis, which could be a potential therapeutic target of AVF stenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hongniu-Hongshan porphyry-skarn deposit is located in the southern Yidun terrane in the Sanjiang Tethyan Metallogenic Domain (STMD). Although its metallogenesis has been well constrained in the past decade, the magmatic processes for granitoids in the Hongniu-Hongshan deposit are still poorly understood. Herein, we provide new geochemical data on magmatic minerals (plagioclase, amphibole, and clinopyroxene) in the Hongniu-Hongshan granitoids to get a better insight into these processes. The complex zoning patterns of plagioclase phenocrysts indicate magma recharge and mixing. Physiochemical estimations indicate that clinopyroxenes were crystallized in hotter (919 ± 11 °C) and more mafic (FeO: 2.8–4.6 wt.%, MgO: 0.8–1.8 wt.%) magmas in a deep chamber (18.6 ± 0.9 km) compared with the colder (819 ± 29 °C), more felsic (FeO: 0.9–2.2 wt.%, MgO: 0.3–0.6 wt.%) and shallow magma chamber (13.4 ± 1.6 km) in which amphiboles crystallized. Therefore, we suggest that magmatic minerals in the Hongniu-Hongshan granitoids were produced by multistage magmatic processes within the upper–middle crust range. In this model, the deep-seated magmas recharged into the shallow reservoir and mixed with the shallow magmas therein. The recharged hot magmas may provide heat sources and rejuvenate the shallow magma reservoirs. On this basis, we further infer that ore-forming materials could be pre-concentrated in the crustal range and mobilized by the Late Cretaceous magmatism in the southern Yidun terrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant is highly transmissible with potential immune escape. Hence, control measures are continuously being optimized to guard against large-scale coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the intensity of control measures in response to different SARS-CoV-2 variants and the degree of outbreak control at city level. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 49 cities with COVID-19 outbreaks between January 2020 and June 2022. Epidemiological data on COVID-19 were extracted from the National Health Commission, People's Republic of China, and the population flow data were sourced from the Baidu migration data provided by the Baidu platform. Outbreak control was quantified by calculating the degree of infection growth and the time-varying reproduction number ( R t ). The intensity of the outbreak response was quantified by calculating the reduction in population mobility during the outbreak period. Correlation and regression analyses of the intensity of the control measures and the degree of outbreak control for the Omicron variant and non-Omicron mutants were conducted, respectively. Results: Overall, 65 outbreaks occurred in 49 cities in China from January 2020 to June 2022. Of them, 66.2% were Omicron outbreaks and 33.8% were non-Omicron outbreaks. The intensity of the control measures was positively correlated with the degree of outbreak control (r = 0.351, P = 0.03). The degree of reduction in population mobility was negatively correlated with the Rt value (r = − 0.612, P < 0.01). Therefore, under the same control measure intensity, the number of new daily Omicron infections was 6.04 times higher than those attributed to non-Omicron variants, and the Rt value of Omicron outbreaks was 2.6 times higher than that of non-Omicron variants. In addition, the duration of non-Omicron variant outbreaks was shorter than that of the outbreaks caused by the Omicron variant (23.0 ± 10.7, 32.9 ± 16.3, t = 2.243, P = 0.031). Conclusions: Greater intensity of control measures was associated with more effective outbreak control. Thus, in response to the Omicron variant, the management to restrict population movement should be used to control its spread quickly, especially in the case of community transmission occurs widely. Faster than is needed for non-Omicron variants, and decisive control measures should be imposed and dynamically adjusted in accordance with the evolving epidemic situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 5th Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee clearly states that developing science and technology through self-reliance and self-strengthening provides the strategic underpinning for China's development. Based on this background, this paper explores a metric model for assessing national scientific research strength through collaboration on research papers. We propose a novel metric model for assessing national scientific research strength, which sets two indicators, national scientific self-reliance (SR) and national academic contribution (CT), to reflect "self-reliance" and "self-strengthening" respectively. Taking the research papers in quantum technology as an example, this study analyzes the scientific research strength of various countries around the world, especially China in quantum technology. The results show that the research of quantum technology in China has always been relatively independent with fewer international collaboration papers and located in a more marginal position in cooperation networks. China's academic contribution (CT) to global quantum technology research is increasing and has been greater than that of the United States in 2020. Combining the two indicators, CT and SR, China's research strength in the quantum field closely follows the United States, and the United States is the most powerful with high research autonomy. This paper only reflects China's scientific research strength in quantum technology from collaboration on research papers and doesn't consider the segmentation of quantum technology and the industrial upstream and downstream aspects, which need further study. The model is helpful to better understand the national scientific research strength in a certain field from "self-reliance" and "self-strengthening". We propose a novel metric model to measure the national scientific research strength from the perspective of "self-reliance" and "self-strengthening", which provides a solid basis for the assessment of the strength level of scientific research in countries/regions and institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sixth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) provides the long‐term soil moisture (SM) products and this study conducts a comprehensive assessment of SM products of multiple CMIP6 model simulations over conterminous China. Both near‐surface (0–10 cm) SM simulations from 40 models and root‐zone (0–100 cm) SM from 25 models are compared with a set of in situ and a satellite‐based data set in the growing season for 1992–2013. The long‐term trend and interannual variability of near‐surface SM for 1961–2014 are further evaluated with an offline land surface modeling data set. Simulations from most models broadly capture the spatial characteristics of observation, and the multimodel mean (MME) well reproduces seasonal variations over the majority of regions, regardless of the large spread across models. SM from CMIP6 models from the same institution likely manifests similar performances, which indicates that the land‐surface scheme plays a dominant role in the CMIP6 SM reproduction. The majority of CMIP6 models well simulate the overall drying trend in China as a whole and the signs of a SM trend are highly consistent across different models, but the areas with significant wetting/drying trends vary with models. The spatial patterns of SM interannual variability are model‐dependent. MME is overall superior to the simulation of individual model and may have potential applications in future research. The heterogeneity of SM performances across CMIP6 models reveals the complexity and uncertainty in modeling land surface variables, suggesting the need for improving representations of land surface processes in the coupled models. Plain Language Summary: Soil moisture influences the exchange of energy, water, and carbon within the soil‐vegetation‐atmosphere system. Climate models are extensively applied to simulate soil moisture (SM) that is required to be assessed before applications. In this study, we comprehensively evaluate the SM simulations in the Sixth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) historical experiments with a set of station observations, a satellite‐based data set, and a high‐quality pre‐derived SM product in China as the reference data sets. The results show that the spatial and temporal characteristics of SM simulated by the majority of models are consistent with reference data sets and the multimodel mean (MME) well reproduces SM seasonal variations in most regions. Resemble performances are found for models from the same institution. For China as a whole during 1961–2014, the drying trend is reproduced by most models. There are high consistencies of trend patterns across the country among models, although the magnitudes of the trend are model‐dependent. The interannual variability of SM varies with models in terms of spatial patterns, for which MME overall shows better performance than the simulation of the individual model. This study provides a basic reference for selecting SM products in CMIP6 for future applications. Key Points: Station‐based, satellite‐based, and pre‐derived soil moisture (SM) data sets in China are used to assess the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project multimodel simulationsThe SM simulations are similar to models in the same institutions and most models reproduce the recent drying trend in ChinaThe multimodel mean performs overall superior to the individual model, which is suggested for future applications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As cities continue to grow, the functions of urban areas change and problems arise from previously constructed urban planning schemes. Hence, the actual distribution of urban functional areas needs to be confirmed. POI data, as a representation of urban facilities, can be used to mine the spatial correlation within the city. Therefore it has been widely used for urban functional area extraction. Previous studies are mostly devoted to mining POI linear location relationships and do not comprehensively mine POI spatial information, such as spatial interaction information. This results in less accurate modeling of the relationship between POI-based and urban function types. In addition, they all use Euclidean distance for proximity assessment, which is not realistic. This paper proposes an urban functional area identification method that considers the nonlinear spatial relationship between POIs. First, POI adjacency is determined according to road network constraints, which forms the basis of a co-occurrence matrix. Then, a Global Vectors (GloVe) model is used to train POI category vectors and the feature vectors for each basic research unit are obtained using weighted averages. This is followed by clustering analysis, which is realized by a K-Means++ algorithm. Lastly, the functional areas are labeled according to the POI category ratio, enrichment factors, and mobile phone signal heat data. The model was tested experimentally, using core areas of Zhengzhou City in China as an example. When the results were compared with a Baidu map, we confirmed that making full use of nonlinear spatial relationships between POIs delivers high levels of identification accuracy for urban functional areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of anthropogenic forcing on Indian summer monsoon (ISM) rainfall are obscure, partly due to limited availability of highly resolved hydroclimate proxy records as well as the highly regionalized nature of precipitation. Here, we report an annually‐resolved speleothem oxygen isotope record from Xianren Cave, southwestern China, which represents rainfall change over the broad ISM region. We find that the region has endured at least six decadal‐scale weak monsoon events in the past three hundred years. One of them, lasting from the early to mid 19th century, shares the similar gradual, persistent trend as the most recent decline in ISM rainfall and both have a magnitude substantially larger than the others dominated by natural variability. This early weak monsoon event occurred during a historical time of intensive deforestation in the region. We conclude that the ISM trend could have been altered by the changes in land‐use and land‐cover since the early 19th century. Plain Language Summary: It is difficult to determine when human activities started to have visible effects on precipitation change. Here, we present a well‐resolved Indian summer monsoon (ISM) rainfall record, based on stable isotope studies on speleothems collected from a cave in southwestern China. The oxygen isotope record shows that ISM rainfall has six multi‐decadal decreases in the past three hundred years. One of the corresponding monsoon weakening, lasting from the early to mid 19th century, cannot be simply explained by natural variations in the climate system. This prolonged weak monsoon event was likely caused by regional‐scale changes in land‐use and land‐cover, which can be supported by carbon isotope data in speleothems as well as increased deforestation in the region. We hereby propose that observable changes in the trend of ISM rainfall caused by human activities could have occurred as early as in the early 19th century. Key Points: A speleothem oxygen isotope record shows that the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) has endured six multi‐decadal weakening in the past 300 yearsThe monsoon weakening, from the early to mid 19th century, has a similar gradual, persistent trend as the most recent decline in monsoon rainfallRegional changes in land‐use and land‐cover may have altered the trend of the ISM since the early 19th century [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realizing "carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality" is a major strategic decision made by China to coordinate domestic and international situations. In order to achieve the "double carbon" goal, it is also necessary for relevant practitioners to actively put into practice to improve the participation of residents and advocate low carbon life while formulating the policy action plan. Community is an important place for human activities and one of the main spatial types of carbon emissions in cities. Doing a good job in planning energy conservation and emission reduction in the community plays an important role in achieving the "double carbon" goal. Through the analysis of classic low carbon community practice cases at home and abroad, 6 planning and design methods for low carbon community are concluded, and the development status of low carbon community in China is reflected and summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Weathering of TTG in an island arc environment formed the protolith of Sidaolazihe Formation. • The emplacement age of Sidaolazihe Formation was constrained as 2565 ± 5.9 Ma and metamorphosed at 2475.6 ± 9 Ma. • A nearly isobaric cooling (IBC) anticlockwise P-T paths with three stages were determined. The Archean supracrustal rock series in the Laojinchang area of Jilin Province, China provide valuable insights into the Precambrian geological evolution of the North China Craton. This study presents new results on petrography, geochemistry, mineralogy, isotope geochronology and phase equilibrium modeling of the Laojinchang granulite facies metamorphic rocks. The protolith ages of garnet two-pyroxene granulite and amphibolite from Sidaolazihe Formation, and two-pyroxene granulite from Laoniugou Formation are 2565 ± 5.9 Ma, 2512 ± 17 Ma, and 2509.2 ± 8.6 Ma, respectively, with the metamorphic age recorded by amphibolite being 2475.6 ± 9 Ma. New geochemical data indicates that TTGs (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite) weathering in an island arc environment formed the protolith of argillaceous gneiss of Sidaolazihe Formation. Basaltic andesite, formed under an island arc environment, was the protolith of garnet two-pyroxene granulite of Sidaolazihe Formation; while calc-alkaline basalt was the protolith of amphibolite from the same formation and two-pyroxene granulite from Laoniugou Formation. All these Archean supracrustal rocks exposed in the Laojinchang area have recorded nearly isobaric cooling (IBC) anticlockwise P-T paths with distinct prograde, peak and post-peak stages. The peak P-T conditions reached granulite facies, suggesting a heat source from underplated magmas. A tectonic model involving an island-arc setting is proposed for the evolution of these Neoarchean supracrustal rocks in Laojinchang area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water content and water–coal interface wettability are always the difficult issues of coalbed methane adsorption/desorption. In order to study the effects of the pore structure and wettability of different macro coal components on methane adsorption and desorption, we compared and analyzed the wettability difference between vitrain and durain, and revealed the influence of wettability on methane adsorption and desorption through a pore structure analysis, wettability measurements, an adsorption–desorption experiment and adsorption heat calculations under different conditions, taking the No. 4 coal in Dafosi Coal Mine of the Huanglong coalfield as the research object. The results show that both vitrain and durain are relatively hydrophilic substances. However, vitrain has a low ash content, high volatility, and less oxygen, and the pores are mainly semi-closed pores compared with dark coal. Vitrain also has poor connectivity, poor sorting, a small pore diameter, and a coarser surface, resulting in poor surface wettability. The large specific surface area (SSA) and relatively poor wettability of vitrain leads to more adsorption sites in methane, which makes the adsorption capacity of vitrain greater than that of durain, but the good pore connectivity of durain causes the strong desorption capacity of durain. The isosteric adsorption heat of the adsorption process is greater than that of the desorption process, indicating that there is a desorption hysteresis phenomenon which is essentially due to the lack of energy in desorption. Surfactants change the wettability of the coal surface, and different surfactants have different effects on methane adsorption and desorption. Relatively speaking, the methane desorption of coal samples treated with G502 and 6501 are better. The research results provide scientific reference for the study of gas–water transport in the desorption process of low-rank CBM, and provide evidence for the methane desorption model of vitrain and durain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable traffic conditions cause travel time uncertainty and further lead to time-varying accessibility. Most current studies do not fully consider fluctuations in accessibility and use complicated methods that likely overestimate the level of accessibility and hinder the application of accessibility measures. To address this issue, we utilized large-scale open-source data and proposed an interpretation of the reliability of accessibility concept that incorporates reliability, travel time uncertainty, and a cumulative opportunity measure. We examined the reliability of accessibility to Shenzhen, a major city in China, focusing on transit accessibility and job opportunities. The results demonstrate that the reliability of accessibility displays a bimodal distribution along urban railway lines and can be used to calculate the impact of urban railways in terms of punctuality. The new approach illustrates time-varying characteristics in the form of probabilities and provides further guidance on accessibility for governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potential complication among lymphoma patients. We evaluated the incidence rate and predictors of VTE in lymphoma patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: The present study retrospectively studied 1,069 patients with lymphoma who were treated with chemotherapy from 2018 to 2020. We investigated clinical predictors of VTE among all patients. The follow-up results were obtained via telephone communication and from inpatient and outpatient records. Results: A total of 1,069 patients underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma. During a mean follow-up of 23.1 months, 52 (4.9%) patients developed VTE. According to a multivariate analysis, the five variables found to be independently associated with VTE were male sex (HR 2.273, 95% CI 1.197–4.316, p = 0.012), age >64-years-old (HR 2.256, 95% CI 1.017–5.005, p = 0.045), the number of cycles of chemotherapy (HR 4.579, 95% CI 1.173–17.883, p = 0.029), platelet count ≥350 × 109/L (HR 2.533, 95% CI 1.187–5.406, p = 0.016), and D-dimer >0.5 mg/L (HR 4.367, 95% CI 2.124–8.981, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This population-based study confirms the risk factors for VTE among patients with lymphoma who underwent chemotherapy and confirms that targeted thromboprophylaxis may reduce the burden of VTE in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hangzhou Bay is facing severe anthropogenic perturbation because of its geographic position. We studied species-specific bioaccumulation of metals in commercially important fishes and shellfishes, and calculated the potential human health hazards through their consumption, which has not been reported earlier from this area. The hierarchy of metal concentration in organisms was in the decreasing order of Zn (10.32 ± 7.13) > Cu (2.40 ± 2.66) > As (0.42 ± 0.26) > Cr (0.11 ± 0.08) > Cd (0.07 ± 0.07) > Pb (0.05 ± 0.02) > Hg (0.012 ± 0.009). Except for Cd and As concentrations in fishes, metal concentrations have not exceeded the national and international guideline values. P. laevis and P. trituberculatus were the most bioaccumulative of the species studied. According to the non-carcinogenic risk assessment, children were more susceptible to metal contamination than adults. The carcinogenic risk (CR) values indicated that children were likely to experience carcinogenic threats for taking cancer-causing agents As and Cd through fish consumption. In terms of organisms, intake of two crab species, P. trituberculatus and E. sinensis, as well as the oyster species P. laevis, could be detrimental to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]