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Subtropical China has a large area of Acacia mangium plantations; however, some key aspects of the structural and functional changes and the associated mechanisms after planting are still not well understood. We established a permanent plot in an A. mangium plantation and monitored the plant diversity (i.e., the number of species), biomass, soil physical and chemical properties and light transmittance from 1984 to 2018. Protocols for standard observation and measurement of Chinese Ecological Research Network were adopted. The total number of species in the plantation increased gradually from 3 to 38 during the 34-year period. The biomass in the tree layer initially increased rapidly from 1.60 to 185.01 t/ha within 7 years and then slowly increased to 188.69 t/ha during the following 27 years. The soil fertility of the A. mangium plantation improved continuously over the 34-year period. Vegetation restoration had positive effects on soil properties, such as soil moisture, soil bulk density, soil organic matter and soil total nitrogen and available phosphorus contents. The structure (i.e., plant diversity and light transmittance) and function (i.e., biomass and soil fertility) of the A. mangium plantation were not restored synchronously after 34 years of development. However, considering that the tree species richness in the natural forests in this region was 134, this plantation has slowly transformed from plantation to a natural forest. Artificial intercropping with native tree species can facilitate succession to a natural forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiological and visual outcomes and to identify the main prognostic factors of intralenticular foreign body (ILFB) injuries. Methods. We performed a retrospective review of 21 patients (21 eyes) referred to Hebei Eye Hospital in North China from January 2012 to December 2017, who underwent surgical removal of ILFBs and associated ocular trauma repairs. Data regarding the patient demographics, cause of the injury, nature of the ILFB, clinical features, time interval between the injury and the ILFB removal, time interval between the presentation and the surgery, and the initial and final best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) were analyzed, and the main prognostic factors were identified. Results. Male adults were most affected by ILFBs (90.5%). The mean age of the patients was 41.5 years (median: 46 years, range: 21 to 60 years). None of the patients were wearing goggles at the time of the injury. The most common ILFB cause was hammering the metal (57.1%), and most of the ILFBs were metallic (71.4%). After medical treatment, the final BCVA was improved significantly (Z = 2.49, P=0.015). There was a significant association between the ILFBs with posterior segment injuries and the final BCVA (χ2 = 10.03, P=0.01). Those factors showing no statistical association with the final BCVA included the age (χ2 = 0.36, P=1.0), gender (χ2 = 0.52, P=1.0), nature of the ILFB (χ2 = 1.11, P=0.54), entrance wound location (χ2 = 2.85, P=0.25), and time interval between the injury and the ILFB removal (χ2 = 1.87, P=0.23). Conclusion. This is the first local study to explore the epidemiology of ILFB injuries and to identify the main prognostic factors. There was a significant association between the ILFBs with posterior segment injuries and the final BCVA. Improved public awareness and strengthened education regarding safety are the key approaches to reduce the incidence of eye injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differentiation of housing assets is an important embodiment of wealth inequality and is also an important dimension of social stratification. The housing distribution in China has experienced a transition from welfare allocation to market distribution over the decades. This process has led to a change in the housing stratification mechanism and widened housing wealth inequality, which has evoked theoretical disputes about "market transition," "power persistence," and "power derivation." Based on the 2017 Chinese Social Survey (CSS), this article examines the housing wealth inequality in urban China and probes the major drivers of housing stratification. The results suggest that with the progress of housing marketization, market mechanisms have replaced the original socialist redistribution mechanisms and have become the major drivers of housing wealth inequality. However, some of the original socialist institutional arrangements continue to have strong effects on housing wealth inequality. The persisting institutional effect may provide a new perspective for exploring housing wealth inequality in contemporary urban China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, a new approach has been suggested for providing an optimization bidding strategy in the day-ahead market for case research in China. This research uses a newly developed version of Emperor Penguin Optimizer (CEPO) to govern the fitness function of all individuals based on the Market Clearing Price (MCP) probability function. The resemblance amounts between each day and the next day are used for clustering. The clustering is performed based on the well-known subtractive clustering methodology. A simulation model using the probability function in MCP estimates the fitness function of the generated strategies. The results indicate that this method proposed is a statistically effective bidding design in China's day-ahead market related to two other plans from the literature. • An optimized method for bidding strategy in the day-ahead market in China. • Converged Emperor Penguin Optimizer (CEPO) for problem optimization. • The problem is to minimize the Market Clearing Price (MCP) probability function. • Subtractive clustering for data clustering between each day and the next day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients treated for electric bicycle-related open-globe injuries (OGIs)., Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients who presented with electric bicycle-related OGIs was performed at the Hebei Eye Hospital in North China between January 2012 and December 2018. Demographic data, injury type, presenting clinical examination findings, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), secondary ocular complications, necessary surgical procedures and long-term outcome data were recorded., Results: Twenty-six patients with electric bicycle-related OGIs met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. Eighteen of the 26 patients (69.2%) were males. the average age of these patients was 44.0 years old. The injuries peaked in winter in the hour between 15:00 and 20:00. Among the patients, 23 (88.5%) were farm workers, 2 (7.7%) were industrial workers, 1 (3.8%) was student. The types of OGIs were 23 ruptures (88.5%), 3 penetrating injuries (11.5%). Data on zone of injuries included 1 zone I injuries (3.8%), 12 zone II injuries (46.2%), 13 zone III injuries (50.0%). Nine eyes (34.6%) had traumatic cataract, 24 eyes (92.3%) had vitreous hemorrhage, 20 eyes (79.9%) had retinal detachment, 19 eyes (73.1%) had choroidal detachment. Ten eyes (38.4%) had hand motion or worse vision at final follow-up. four eyes (15.4%) which had injuries involving all 3 zones resulted in enucleation or evisceration. With respect to BCVA, the initial BCVA was 2.7±0.3 and the final BCVA was 2.0±0.7, indicating that the patients' BCVA was significantly improved by surgery ( t =4.3, P <0.001)., Conclusions: Electric bicycle-related OGIs may have severe consequences. Modern surgical techniques can increase the rate of globe salvage although final vision remains poor. Therefore, increased awareness, proposed policies and suggestions should focus on regulating the use of electric bicycles and reinforcing laws and regulations to improve safety and prevent injuries., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)

Cataract is the first cause of blindness and the major cause of visual impairment worldwide. Under conditions of global warming, researchers have begun to give attention to the influence of increasing temperature on cataract patients. Our paper aimed to investigate the association between extreme heat and hospital admissions for cataract in Hefei, China. Based on data from the New Rural Cooperative Medical System and National Meteorological Information Center, we used a generalized additive model and a distributed lag nonlinear model to examine the relationship between extreme heat and hospitalizations for cataract, with consideration of cumulative and lagged effects. When current mean temperature was above 28 °C, each 1 °C rise was associated with a 4% decrease in the number of cataract admissions (RR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.94-0.98). The cumulative relative risk over 11 days of lag was the lowest, which indicated that every 1 °C increase in mean temperature above 28 °C was associated with a 19% decrease in the number of hospital admissions for cataract (RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.75-0.88). In subgroup analyses, the negative association between extreme heat and hospital admissions for cataract was stronger among patients who were not admitted to provincial-level hospitals. In conclusion, this paper found that extreme heat was negatively associated with cataract hospitalizations in Hefei, providing useful information for hospitals and policymakers.

It has been reported that local weather is associated with the symptoms of joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and many people believe their pain becomes worse when facing rainy days. However, limited studies explored the effects of weather on RA patients' healthcare-seeking behavior. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between rainfall and readmission behavior of patients with RA in Hefei, China, based on hospitalization data from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from May 2012 to June 2016 and weather data from National Meteorological Information Center during the same study period. Using a time-stratified case-crossover study design and conditional logistic regression, we found a negative association between current day rainfall and readmission (unadjusted: OR = 0.82, p < 0.05; adjusted: OR = 0.83, p < 0.1), which is contrary to our common belief. In lagged models, we observed that rainfall was significantly and positively associated with readmissions at lag 6 days (unadjusted: OR = 1.12, p < 0.1; adjusted: OR = 1.17, p < 0.05) and lag 7 days (unadjusted: OR = 1.13, p < 0.05; adjusted: OR = 1.21, p < 0.01). Additionally, stratified analyses showed the unanticipated finding was only statistically significant for younger patients (< 65 years) and females. Our study adds new evidence that the association between the healthcare-seeking behavior of patients with RA and local rainfall may be different, compared with the positive relationship between symptoms of joint pain and rainfall.

Previous studies have shown that ambient air pollution is associated with respiratory morbidity. However, the effects of air pollutants on health have rarely been studied in China. Our study aimed to estimate the short-term effects of particulate air pollutants on hospitalizations for three types of respiratory disease: pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma. We collected data on daily admissions for patients with each disease from the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) in Hefei, China. Daily records of air pollutants and meteorological data from January 2014 to March 2016 were also obtained. Distributed lag nonlinear models were employed in the analysis to evaluate the association between daily air pollutants and admissions. The highest effect of each pollutant on COPD hospital admission was observed with PM 2.5 at lag 12 (RR = 1.068, 95% CI 1.017 to 1.121) and PM 10 at lag 10 (RR = 1.031, 95% CI 1.002 to 1.060), for an increase of 10 μg/m 3 in concentrations of the pollutants. The short-term effects of PM 10 on asthma hospital admissions peaked at lag 12 (RR = 1.057, 95% CI 1.010 to 1.107). According to our stratified analysis, we found that the effects on COPD admission were more pronounced in the warm season than in the cold season, and the elderly (≥ 65 years) and females were more vulnerable to air pollution.

Background: Recent mutation analysis identified several missense mutations in CARD14 in psoriasis., Objectives: We performed the genomic sequence analysis on CARD14 in southern Chinese Han Cantonese with Psoriasis Vulgaris (PsV) to reveal more causative missense mutations., Methods: A total of 131 patients with PsV and 207 matched controls were included. We conducted sequence analysis of all the exon and exon-intron boundaries of CARD14 in the group of PsV patients and subsequent case control analysis of potential sequence variants of significance., Results: We found five rare mutations and four of them are annotated or reported. Only the variant (c.1291C>G) has not been reported and annotated, but the variant was also found in controls. No significant difference was detected among all rare variant allele frequencies of patients and controls., Conclusion: None of the new definite variants were pathogenic. The other pathogenic mutations for PsV are still elusive in our cohort.