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Concern for the offsite impact of eroded sediment and the need to develop effective catchment sediment management strategies has directed attention to the need for an improved understanding of the primary sediment sources within catchments and the potential of sediment source fingerprinting techniques to provide such information. The study reported here was undertaken in the black soil region of Northeast China, where soil erosion is seen as a serious threat to the sustainable use of soil resources and offsite impacts of eroded soil are also concerned. The study applies source fingerprinting techniques to the evaluation of sediment sources in a small (3.46 km2) agricultural catchment. Sediment sources from five snowmelt and five rainfall events of varying magnitude were contrasted. Three key potential sediment sources were identified within the study catchment: gullies, cultivated topsoil and uncultivated topsoil. Geochemical properties of the source materials (Ti, Ga, Br and Ba) were used as composite fingerprints capable of discriminating between the three potential sources. A mixing model, optimized using a genetic algorithm and coupled with a Monte Carlo procedure to quantify the uncertainty associated with the resulting estimates, was used for source apportionment. The results indicated mean source contributions for the set of 10 events for cultivated topsoil, uncultivated topsoil and the gullies of ~30%, ~10% and ~60%, respectively. In general, snowmelt and rainfall events were characterized by increased contributions from gully sources and cultivated topsoil, respectively. The study is seen as demonstrating the potential for using source tracing techniques to investigate sediment sources in environments where strong seasonal contrasts between snowmelt and rainfall events exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the mismatch between the preferred and actual roles in the medical decision-making of intensive care unit (ICU) patients' family members and the relationship between the role mismatch of family members' decisions and anxiety and depression syndromes. A total of 223 family members of ICU patients in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University in China were enrolled. The simple Chinese version of the Control Preference Scale was used to complete the surveys to assess the preferred and actual roles, and anxiety and depression syndromes were measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively. For the preferred and actual roles, the active role rates were 16.1% and 8.1%, the cooperative role rates were 49.3% and 31.4%, and the passive role rates were 34.5% and 60.5%, respectively. The incidence of mismatch was 43.0% between the preferred and actual roles, and the consistency between their preferred and actual decision-making roles was poor (kappa = 0.309, P < 0.001). Family members with mismatched decision-making roles had significantly higher incidence rates of anxiety (90.6% vs. 57.5%, P < 0.001) and depression (86.5% vs. 63.0%, P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that mismatches in decision-making roles remained independently associated with these outcomes after adjustment for family members' sociodemographic features. The results of the present study demonstrate that the preferred role of ICU patients' family members is mainly cooperative, and the actual role is mainly passive. The mismatch between the preferred and actual roles is associated with anxiety and depression among the ICU patients' family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zoujiashan uranium deposit in the Xiangshan ore field is the largest volcanic-related uranium deposit in China. Hematite- and fluorite-type ores are the predominant mineralization styles. Hematitization in the Xiangshan ore field is closely associated with uranium mineralization, mainly occurring as hematitized rocks enclosing fluorite-type vein ores developed in pre-ore illitized porphyritic lava. Detailed petrographic and mass balance calculation studies were conducted to evaluate the mechanisms for uranium precipitation and mass transfer during hematitization. Petrographic observations suggest that in the hematitized rocks, orthoclase is more altered than plagioclase, and quartz dissolution is common, whereas in the illitized rocks, pyrite commonly occurs within the altered biotite grains, and chlorite grains are locally found. Mass balance calculations indicate that Na2O and U were gained, K2O, CaO and SiO2 were lost, whereas Fe2O3-t remained more or less constant during hematitization. These observations suggest that the hydrothermal fluids were Na- and U-rich and Ca-K-poor, and the Fe2+ used for hematitization was locally derived, most likely from biotite, pyrite and chlorite in the host rocks. The Fe2+ is inferred to have played the role of reductant to precipitate uranium, and calculation indicates that oxidation of Fe2+ provided by host rocks is sufficient to form ores of economic significance. Consequently, the hematite-type ore is interpreted to be generated by the reaction between oxidized ore fluids and reduced components in host rocks. The development of calcite and pyrite in the fluorite ores suggests that perhaps mixing between the U-rich fluid and another fluid carrying reduced sulfur and carbon may have also contributed to uranium mineralization, in addition to temperature and pressure drop associated with the veining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecules encoded by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes play an essential role in the adaptive immune response among vertebrates. We investigated the molecular evolution of MHC class I genes in the sable Martes zibellina. We isolated 26 MHC class I sequences, including 12 putatively functional sequences and 14 pseudogene sequences, from 24 individuals from two geographic areas of northeast China. The number of putatively functional sequences found in a single individual ranged from one to five, which might be at least 1–3 loci. We found that both balancing selection and recombination contribute to evolution of MHC class I genes in M. zibellina. In addition, we identified a candidate nonclassical MHC class I lineage in Carnivora, which may have preceded the divergence (about 52–57 Mya) of Caniformia and Feliformia. This may contribute to further understanding of the origin and evolution of nonclassical MHC class I genes. Our study provides important immune information of MHC for M. zibellina, as well as other carnivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address stormwater management, China initiated the construction of sponge cities (SPCs) in 2014. Sponge city construction in China has previously been evaluated using subjective expert methods. Based on China's SPC evaluation regulations, the evaluation criteria system was divided into 6 categories and 22 indicators. This study presents a multicriteria approach to evaluating SPC construction through multicriteria attributes value theory (MAVT). Coupled with the entropy method, this approach can reduce errors caused by individual methods. This work improved the evaluation method from a subjective to an objective method. Additionally, the sensitivity of an alternative to these criteria was conducted. The analysis reveals the inner relationship between the SPC alternative and the criteria. The city of Hebi, an actual SPC project, was selected as a case study. The findings indicate that the proposed approach is efficient and simple. It can help decision makers better understand SPC performance, and it is a pilot SPC evaluation method using relatively objective means. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:703–713. © 2019 SETAC. Key Points: Sponge city (SPC) construction in China has previously been evaluated using subjective expert methods divided into 6 categories and 22 indicators.Multicriteria attributes value theory (MAVT) coupled with the entropy method is a workable and simple approach to evaluate SPC construction in China.This integrated approach can reduce errors caused by individual methods, and it can help decision makers better understand SPC performance.Sponge city evaluation should be based on SPC‐specific conditions; the order will be influenced by the sensitivity of criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sediment deposits in lakes and reservoirs can provide a basis for reconstructing the erosional response of the upstream catchment. Recent studies undertaken in the Loess Region of China have successfully used the flood couplets contained in the sediment deposits behind check dams to reconstruct records of annual sediment yield and document the impact of changes in land management. However, flood couplets are rarely found in other areas of the world and there is a need to develop alternative approaches to establish the chronology for sediment deposits. Lead-210 dating techniques offer such potential, by making it possible to establish the age of the individual sections of a core. This contribution reports a study of the sediment deposits accumulated in a reservoir at the outlet of a small 3.46 km2 catchment in the Black Soil region of Northeast China. This region suffered serious soil erosion during the last century and this resulted in changes in land management aimed at reducing erosion rates. The sediment deposits in the reservoir covered the period 1974–2004, when such changes occurred. The study was designed to explore the potential for using excess lead-210 to establish the chronology for the reconstruction and for extending the scope of such studies by using sediment source fingerprinting techniques to include complementary information on changes in sediment source. The study successfully reconstructed the record of annual sedimentation depth, a surrogate for sediment yield. This showed that the annual sediment yield from the catchment decreased by about 60% as a result of improved land management introduced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Sediment source fingerprinting techniques were also successfully used to identify three primary sources, namely topsoil (interrill and rill) erosion from cultivated and uncultivated areas and gully erosion and apportion their contributions to the annual sediment yields. The findings indicated that interrill and rill erosion and gully erosion were both important sediment sources throughout the period covered, contributing 47.9% and 42.0% of the sediment, respectively, that gully erosion increased in importance during years with high magnitude events, and that there was a general trend for rill and interrill erosion to decrease and for gully erosion to increase over the period 1974–2004. The study is seen as demonstrating the potential for using lead-210 measurements in combination with sediment source fingerprinting techniques to reconstruct the impact of changes in land use and land management on erosion processes and sediment yields. Highlights • Lack of contemporary records limits understanding of past changes in catchment sediment response. • Sediment deposits in reservoirs offer opportunities to reconstruct such changes. • A novel approach involving lead-210 measurements and sediment source fingerprinting is proposed. • The approach has been successfully applied to a small catchment in the Black Soil region of China. • Changes in the sediment response of the catchment over the past 30 years have been documented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monitoring of drainage pipes is an important task in urban stormwater management. The selection of suitable monitoring points can guarantee the reliability of the data. Based on a scenario simulation, a time series of each node was obtained and a method using fuzzy clustering to automatically set drainage pipe monitoring points was established. This automatic method will reduce the workload of staff who need to develop and adjust the monitoring plan. It also avoids the problem of workers not being fully aware of all the operational laws of the drainage system, especially under certain extreme conditions. Moreover, the methodology is useful for the quantitative assessment of the monitoring project. The automatic setting method was applied in Qian’an, a city in the north of China. Consideration was given to monitoring indexes, different levels of rainfall, and the number of monitoring points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the relationship between exposure to air pollutants and respiratory emergency room visits, a generalized additive model (GAM) was used to analyze the exposure-effect relationship between air pollutants and respiratory emergency room visits. The results showed that NO, SO, and PM have positive relationships with respiratory disease. Concentration increases of 10 μg/m in NO, SO, and PM corresponded to 3.90% (95%CI 3.56-4.25), 0.81% (95%CI −0.09-1.72), and 0.64% (95%CI 0.55-0.74) increases in respiratory emergency room visits. In addition, there is a strong synergic effect of PM and NO on respiratory diseases. The threshold values of the national standard grade II limits used in Beijing should be adjusted. An appropriate standard could effectively promote a significant decline in respiratory room visits and would eventually be beneficial to air quality management in residential areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The top 10 megacities account for more than 60% of the carbon footprint in the Yangtze River Delta city cluster. • Although the whole carbon intensity in YRD declined on the production side, it increased carbon footprint due to an increase in the carbon intensity of part sectors. • The production structure change has promoted emission reduction in the Yangtze River Delta city cluster but promoted emission increases in service-based cities and light industry cities. • Industrial transfer from the Yangtze River Delta city cluster highlights the challenge of carbon leakage. • The economic recession raises the carbon intensity of value-added due to declined industrial profitability. China has been undergoing an industrial transformation, shifting from an energy-intensive growth pattern. As the most developed region in China, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) city cluster is leading the industrial transformation. However, the impact of the industrial transformation on carbon footprints in the YRD cities is unclear. By a city-level environmentally extended input-output model, we quantify the carbon footprint of 41 cities in the YRD city cluster for 2012 and 2015 and capture the socioeconomic driving forces of the change by structural decomposition analysis (SDA). The results show that the carbon footprint in 41 YRD cities increased from 1179.4 Mt (14.8% of China's total) to 1329.6 Mt (16.6%) over the period. More than 60% of the footprint concentrated on the 10 largest cities, and the construction sector made the largest contribution, especially in service-based megacities. The change of production structure drove down carbon footprints in YRD cities, except light industry cities and service-based cities. The industrial transfers from the coastal to inland regions result in carbon leakage, where one-third of the carbon footprint is embodied in the trade. We also find the economic recession during the transition period decreased carbon emissions by 154.2 Mt in the YRD city cluster, where the value-added rate in the YRD cities declined over the transition period, especially in service-based cities. The study highlights the positive effects of industrial transformation on low carbon transition, despite being highly heterogenous for cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Earthquakes can be devastating to built infrastructure and the natural environment, as evidenced by the March 2011, M=9.0 earthquake, and subsequent tsunami, in Japan. As seen in the Japanese event, environmental damage caused by secondary disasters (tsunami, leakage from a nuclear reactor) can equal or exceed the impacts of the primary event. In order to develop an environmental assessment system to examine secondary disasters, a comprehensive environmental impact evaluation was conducted after the Wenchuan earthquake that occurred on 12 May 2008 in the Sichuan Province, China. This evaluation focused on several key environmental elements such as wastewater, drinking water, soil, solid waste, radiation, and ecosystem-level effects. As part of this assessment, an analysis of root causes and potential solutions was conducted for key issues such as population relocation and resettlement in temporary dwellings, recovery of environmental protection functions, industrial development strategies and production recovery. Methods for post-quake environmental assessment were developed, utilizing GIS-based techniques for spatial evaluation of primary and secondary disaster patterns. The goal of this exercise was the development of effective assessment methods that can be rapidly applied in a post-disaster situation to reduce and mitigate damage caused by secondary disasters, and facilitate the recovery of impaired environmental management structure and function. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH region) is a major crop-producing region of China suffering from environment deterioration. Land fallowing policy is widely used as the solution of agriculture-related environment pollution, while it is difficult to derive a quantitative basis for policy-making. An indicator system was established to quantitatively analyse economic and environmental benefits of land fallow policies in the BTH region. The system consisted of 8 indicators to describe the water, air and economic influences caused by land fallowing policy such as the amount of nutrient discharged, the emission of PM 2.5 -related and greenhouse gas, and the input and output of agriculture production. SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and IAP-N (Improving Anthropogenic Practices of managing reactive Nitrogen) models were used to quantify environmental indicators. Five scenarios with different planting patterns and fallow intensities were simulated for five years with different hydrological conditions. It is found that the influence of policy on water environment is highly sensitive to hydrological conditions, while the influence on air environment and economy are more affected by different policy settings in scenarios. The marginal utilities of the fallowed area are indicator-dependent. Planting alternative crops can decrease production costs and keep crop yields, while may also cause atmospheric environmental pollution if the crops have nitrogen fixing ability. Indicators also have spatial and temporal heterogeneity under different planting patterns and fallow intensities. A policy evaluation and associated uncertainty analysis is essential for effective implementation. The analysis framework established could support decision-making in regions facing agri-environmental problems. • A quantitative analysis framework was designed for evaluating land fallowing policy. • 8 indicators were used to determine policy impacts on environment and economy. • Environmental benefits of policy vary with fallow intensity and planting pattern. • Hydrological conditions significantly affect the value of water-related indicators. • Less fallowing area may contribute higher benefits due to regional heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China launched the sponge city (SPC) initiative in 2013 to reduce municipal stormwater runoff. The design criteria are mainly the annual comprehensive runoff coefficient (ACRC) regulated in a design guideline. Numerous SPC alternatives with varied low-impact development (LID) measures can be designed to meet the ACRC. Obviously, the optimization of SPC design is significant. This study provides an approach to SPC design optimization that applies an optimized module of SUSTAIN to simulate SPC performance over a 10-year period. The targeted volume reduction was derived from the SWMM model and corresponded to the ACRC criteria. Based on the reduction, the minimal cost and cost-effectiveness analyses were conducted. The proposed approach was applied to the Lincang Technology Innovation Park (LCTIP) as a test case. Three scenarios were analyzed: The original design implemented on the site, the landscape improved design, and the most economical design. The results indicated that the optimized alternative may save up to 12.3% of the cost while meeting that ACRC value. The approach improves upon SPC design, particularly with regards to flood control. The present research will help decision makers to develop and select the most appropriate SPC design that is most cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bovine babesiosis is a tick-transmitted hemoprotozoan disease that is mainly caused by Babesia bovis and/or Babesia bigemina and is characterized by significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. This disease is widespread in most parts of China. However, it is difficult to rapidly discriminate between the B. bovis and B. bigemina species. To detect and distinguish these species, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) platform that targets specific sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes was developed. Specificity testing revealed that there was no cross-reaction with the other tick-borne parasites B. ovate, B. major, unnamed bovine Babesia, Theileria annulata, Theileria sinensis, Theileria sergenti, and Anaplasma marginale, or with bovine white blood cells. The sensitivity of the LAMP method was 0.1pg DNA for both B. bovis and B. bigemina, which was superior to that of the classical PCR methods. This assay was evaluated for its diagnostic utility using blood samples collected from experimentally and naturally infected cattle in China. These findings indicate that the Babesia species-specific LAMP assay may have potential clinical application in the detection and differentiation of Babesia species, particularly in countries in which babesiosis is endemic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have developed two loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays for the detection of Theileria annulata, an economically important cattle disease in China that occurs in subtropical and tropical areas. These assays target the ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and ITS LAMP sequences. The primer set for each gene target consists of four primers, and each set recognizes six distinct regions on the target gene to allow for the highly specific detection of T. annulata. The specific ladder bands were amplified from the autologous genomic DNA of four Chinese-laboratory-preserved standard T. annulata stocks, and there were no cross-reactions with the genomic DNA of normal bovine blood and other protozoan species. The LAMP assays were sufficiently sensitive to detect 0.1pg/μl of genomic DNA. Furthermore, DNA extracted from blood collected from cattle experimentally infected with T. annulata (18–105days post-infection) was amplified, demonstrating the high sensitivity of these primers. Of the 351 field samples collected from China, 24.5% were positively detected by two LAMP primers, and 18.2% were found to be positive for T. annulata infection by PCR. These results indicate that the LAMP assay could be a potential diagnostic tool for epidemiological studies of T. annulata infection in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Annual sediment load decreased in 77% river basins, but increased insignificant in western China. • Large reservoirs led to abrupt changes in mainstem stations, and large-scale conservation measures were responsible for shifts in tributaries. • Dominant climate variables affecting sediment load were P wet , R12 and FSPTOT. • Sediment load changes were related to extreme rainfall in most rivers, and sensitive to temperature in the Northwest River Basin. Global warming has led to increase in climate extremes, which altered both hydrological cycles and soil erosion processes. However, the responses of river sediment load to climate change, especially climate extremes have not been well understood due to a lack of comprehensive assessment. This study investigated the temporal trends and spatial patterns of sediment load at 70 hydrological stations during the period of 1956–2019 in ten major river basins in China. Both the partial linear square regression model and the double mass curve method were used to quantify the contribution of key climatic indices and anthropogenic driving forces. Overall, the annual total sediment load exhibited a significant negative trend (P < 0.01), decreasing from 1842.18 Mt/yr in 1960 s to 322.72 Mt/yr in 2010 s (82.48 %). The significant decline of sediment load was particularly obvious in the Yangtze River basin and the Yellow River basin. The abrupt changes of sediment load mostly occurred in 1985–2000. Human activities were primarily response for sediment load changes in most basins. The sediment load in mainstream was mainly regulated by reservoirs, while the tributaries were largely affected by soil and water conservation measures. Intensive human activities have led to substantial changes in land surface and resulted in weakened correlation between sediment load and climate extremes. Generally, precipitation, erosive rainfall and precipitation amount in flood period were closely related to sediment load. In the Southwest River basin and Northwest River basin, the sediment load had a relatively good relationship with extreme temperature, which was related to alpine snowmelt and permafrost degradation due to climate warming. This study provides good insights for a better understanding of the interaction between river sediment load and climate extremes variables, which will be valuable for decision-making in river basin management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Babesia sp. in Xinjiang, transmitted by Hyalomma, is a large Babesia that is infective for small ruminants, but it has almost no pathogenicity in healthy sheep. On the basis of the sequences of the 18S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes, morphological characteristics, vector tick species and pathogenicity it was identified recently as a novel Babesia species. In the present study, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using soluble merozoite antigens of Babesia sp. in Xinjiang (BXJMA) derived from in vitro culture. When the positive threshold was chosen as 24.65% of the specific mean antibody rate, the specificity and sensitivity were both 97.3%. There was no cross-reaction between BXJMA and positive sera from sheep infected with other Chinese ovine piroplasms or Anaplasma ovis in the ELISA and western blotting. Specific antibodies against Babesia sp. in Xinjiang could be detected 2weeks post infection and a high level of antibodies persisted for more than 12weeks in experimentally infected sheep. The ELISA was tested on 3857 sera collected from small ruminants in 50 prefectures of 22 provinces to evaluate the sero-epidemiology of Babesia sp. in Xinjiang infection, and the average positive rate was 31.66%. These data provide that the developed ELISA is a powerful tool for the sero-diagnosis of Babesia sp. in Xinjiang and confirm that it is a novel species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Babesia sp. Xinjiang was isolated from a splenectomised sheep infested by Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hylomma anatolicum anatolicum, collected from sheep and cattle in Xinjiang province. It was considered to be a novel ovine Babesia species on the basis of its morphology, pathogenicity, vector tick species and alignments of 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) gene sequences. Continuous in vitro cultures of the ovine parasite were established using infected sheep blood. In RPMI 1640 medium with 7.5% sheep red blood cells (RBCs) maintained in an incubator at 37°C and 5% CO2, the percentage of parasitized erythrocytes (PPE) peaked at 10% in 24- and 6-well plates. It increased to 20–50% with the same culture medium but with 2.5% RBC in 75cm2 flasks. Two clonal lines of Babesia sp. Xinjiang were screened using the limiting dilution method. Growth characteristics of these lines in vitro were measured by a microtiter-based spectrophotometric method and from the PPE. The generation time in sheep erythrocytes was between 15.20h and 16.27h. Furthermore, the host range of parasite was identified with in vitro culture and in vivo infection. Erythrocytes of sheep, cattle, sika deer and humans could be invaded into by lines in vitro, but the parasites could not propagate in human erythrocytes. The parasites could not enter erythrocytes from goats in vitro. However, in vivo, only sheep could be infected by lines. Finally, a Babesia sp. Xinjiang-like parasite (which shared 99.5% identity with the original strain of Babesia sp. Xinjiang) was isolated using this in vitro culture system from 1 of 19 sheep blood samples collected from western Gansu province, China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Monitoring and modeling are combined to evaluate hydrologic effects of LID. • LID can reduce runoff volume, peak flow and extend lag time under large storm events. • Hydrologic restoration degrees change under different runoff volume capture goals. For urban stormwater management, the low impact development (LID) concept has been widely applied due to its perceived beneficial effects on restoring to the original hydrological cycle. Through both field monitoring and mathematical modeling, this research evaluated the combined effects of several LID measures, especially under heavy rainfall events that could otherwise have caused flooding problems. A pilot sponge-city project in China was evaluated as a case study. Comparison of hydrologic quantities among different scenarios under large storm events was made through modeling. The results demonstrated that the runoff volume capture ratio of the existing LID plan for the monitoring period is 97% and it can reduce the volume of runoff by 50.8–74.6%, reduce peak flow rate by 72.3–87.5% and extend the lag time by 12–30 min. If the volume capture ratio of annual rainfall goal of 80% is solely met, the resulting LID plan can't restore to the natural hydrology. In order to restore close to the original hydrological cycle, especially under the larger storm events, the volume capture ratio of annual rainfall should be set to 82% for the pilot project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of antibiotics has resulted in pollution associated with antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in urban water systems, threatening the public health and the ecological security. In this study, the patterns of the diversity and abundance of the antibiotics and ARGs in a typical city (Kunming, China) were analyzed by monitoring their presence in the tap water, the land block sewage discharge units, the sewage pipes, the influent of WWTP, the effluent of WWTP, and the urban river channel. The results showed that although the average concentration of total antibiotics in tap water was 10 ng/L, the concentrations reached hundreds or even thousands of ng/L in all the other sections, indicating antibiotics entering water system through human or pets discharge. The relative abundances of ARG copies to 16S rRNA gene copies in the effluent of WWTP, the urban river channel which was the downstream of WWTP were higher than those of the sewage pipes, increasing risk of ARG transfer after treatment by WWTP. In general, the relative abundance of ARGs in spring was higher than that in winter. There was no significant correlation between antibiotics concentrations and their corresponding ARGs, except for a correlation between tetracyclines and tet-resistance genes. Due to the existence of transposases, the urban water system is exposed to a widespread risk of horizontal transfer of ARGs., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

A highly sensitive chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) method was developed in this study for efficient screening of triazophos residues in a large number of samples. Based on the maximum residue limits (MRLs) set by China and CAC for triazophos in different agro-products, the representative apple, orange, cabbage, zucchini, and rice samples were selected as spiked samples, and the triazophos at the concentrations of the MRL values were spiked to blank samples. Subsequently, the five samples with the spiked triazophos standard were measured by CLEIA 100 times, and the detection results indicated that the correction factors of the apple, orange, cabbage, zucchini, and rice were determined as 0.79, 0.66, 0.85, 0.76, and 0.91, respectively. In this experiment, 1500 real samples were detected by both the CLEIA and the GC-MS methods. With the GC-MS method, 1462 samples were identified as negative samples and 38 samples as positive samples. Based on the correction factors, the false positive rate of the CLEIA method was 0.13%, and false negative rate was 0. The results showed that the established CLEIA method could be used to screen a large number of real samples.

In China, brucellosis is an endemic disease typically caused by Brucella melitensis infection (biovars 1 and 3). Brucella canis infection in dogs has not traditionally recognized as a major problem. In recent years however, brucellosis resulting from Brucella canis infection has also been reported, suggesting that infections from this species may be increasing. Data concerning the epidemiology of brucellosis resulting from Brucella canis infection is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the diversity among Chinese Brucella canis strains for epidemiological purposes. First, we employed a 16-marker VNTR assay (Brucella MLVA-16) to assess the diversity and epidemiological relationship of 29 Brucella canis isolates from diverse locations throughout China with 38 isolates from other countries. MLVA-16 analysis separated the 67 Brucella canis isolates into 57 genotypes that grouped into five clusters with genetic similarity coefficients ranging from 67.73 to 100%. Moreover, this analysis revealed a new genotype (2-3-9-11-3-1-5-1:118), which was present in two isolates recovered from Guangxi in 1986 and 1987. Second, multiplex PCR and sequencing analysis were used to determine whether the 29 Chinese Brucella canis isolates had the characteristic BMEI1435 gene deletion. Only two isolates had this deletion. Third, amplification of the omp25 gene revealed that 26 isolates from China had a T545C mutation. Collectively, this study reveals that considerable diversity exists among Brucella canis isolates in China and provides resources for studying the genetic variation and microevolution of Brucella.

Monitoring data are often used to identify stormwater runoff characteristics and in stormwater runoff modelling without consideration of their inherent uncertainties. Integrated with discrete sample analysis and error propagation analysis, this study attempted to quantify the uncertainties of discrete chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) concentration, stormwater flowrate, stormwater event volumes, COD event mean concentration (EMC), and COD event loads in terms of flow measurement, sample collection, storage and laboratory analysis. The results showed that the uncertainties due to sample collection, storage and laboratory analysis of COD from stormwater runoff are 13.99%, 19.48% and 12.28%. Meanwhile, flow measurement uncertainty was 12.82%, and the sample collection uncertainty of TSS from stormwater runoff was 31.63%. Based on the law of propagation of uncertainties, the uncertainties regarding event flow volume, COD EMC and COD event loads were quantified as 7.03%, 10.26% and 18.47%.

The 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) behaves as a fuel sensor in glucose and lipid metabolism. We sequenced exon 1 and flanking regions of the gene encoding for the gamma2 subunit of AMPK (AMPKgamma2) and identified two novel common polymorphisms at position -26 and IVS1+43. We then studied these two polymorphisms in relation to plasma glucose, insulin resistance, beta-cell function, and serum lipids in 290 Han Chinese undergoing an oral glucose tolerance test and a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. The -26C/T and IVS1+43C/T polymorphisms were in tight linkage disequilibrium (P=0.0002). In adjusted categorical analyses, the -26TT genotype tended to be associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 4.52, P=0.07). The adjusted continuous analyses were confirmatory. -26TT subjects, compared with -26C allele carriers, had higher concentrations of plasma glucose, both fasting (7.3 vs. 6.1 mmol/L, P=0.02) and after oral glucose loading (area under the curve for glucose, 1984 vs. 1596 minmmol/L, P=0.002), and had lower acute insulin response to glucose (143 vs. 404, P=0.0005) and disposition index (151 vs. 459, P=0.008). In further adjusted analyses, we observed that IVS1+43TT subjects, compared with IVS1+43C allele carriers, had significantly higher serum concentrations of triglycerides (4.20 vs. 2.00 mmol/L, P<0.0001) and total cholesterol (5.88 vs. 4.99 mmol/L, P=0.01). In conclusion, in Chinese, the AMPKgamma2 polymorphisms might be associated with glucose and lipid metabolism.