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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies. There are few recurrence risk signatures for CRC patients. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides a high-resolution platform for prognostic signature detection. However, scRNA-seq is not practical in large cohorts due to its high cost and most single-cell experiments lack clinical phenotype information. Few studies have been reported to use external bulk transcriptome with survival time to guide the detection of key cell subtypes in scRNA-seq data. We proposed scRankXMBD, a computational framework to prioritize prognostic-associated cell subpopulations based on within-cell relative expression orderings of gene pairs from single-cell transcriptomes. scRankXMBD achieves higher precision and concordance compared with five existing methods. Moreover, we developed single-cell gene pair signatures to predict recurrence risk for patients individually. Our work facilitates the application of the rank-based method in scRNA-seq data for prognostic biomarker discovery and precision oncology. scRankXMBD is available at https://github.com/xmuyulab/scRank-XMBD. (XMBD:Xiamen Big Data, a biomedical open software initiative in the National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, China.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recently, both practitioners and researchers are beginning to recognize the great potential of social gamification in green information technology (IT) services. This study focuses on the roles of three social gamification affordances (interactivity, cooperation and competition) in gamified green IT services use, from the perspectives of recognition and social overload. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey is conducted to examine the research model using structural equation modeling with users of Ant Forest, which is an example of green IT services in China. Findings: Results indicate that interactivity, cooperation and competition can positively affect recognition, which further positively affects green IT services use; however, interactivity and cooperation can increase social overload, which negatively affects green IT services use. Originality/value: This study provides new insights into the effects of social gamification affordances in green IT services by investigating the effects of interactivity, cooperation and competition on recognition and social overload. In addition, this study highlights the positive effect of recognition and negative effect of social overload on gamified green IT services use, extending the literature reviews surrounding gamified services use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon trading policy seeks to control carbon emissions by putting a price on carbon emissions and establishing a corresponding carbon market for trading. It is a significant move by China to address climate issues and achieve its Carbon Neutrality target. Therefore, assessing the policy effects of carbon trading is fundamental to its implementation nationwide. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2008 to 2018, this paper uses the Synthetic Control Method and Differences-in-Differences method to assess the effects of carbon trading policy on achieving Carbon Neutrality. By measuring the net carbon emissions, this research explores the level of Carbon Neutrality in each region. Based on the Five-sphere Integrated Plan (which covers the economy, politics, culture, social and ecological civilization), this research further verifies the impact paths of carbon trading policy on Carbon Neutrality. The results show that: First, carbon trading policy has a significant and sustainable effect on Carbon Neutrality. Second, from the perspective of the Five-sphere Integrated Plan, the carbon trading policy can help to reduce carbon sources and increase carbon sinks by adjusting the industrial structure, coordinating low-carbon policies, promoting cultural dissemination, increasing green space construction, and reducing energy intensity to achieve Carbon Neutrality. Third, cultural construction plays the most significant role in mediating carbon trading and Carbon Neutrality, followed by political construction. • This paper examines the effectiveness of carbon trading policy for Carbon Neutrality. • We use the Synthetic Control Method and Difference-in-Differences method. • The impact paths of carbon trading policy are examined from the Five-sphere Integrated Plan perspective. • Carbon Neutrality should be incorporated into the Five-sphere Integrated Plan. • A cross-perspective study of the Five-sphere Integrated Plan, carbon trading with Chinese characteristics has been formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban inland river ecosystems are now facing comprehensive pollution and governance pressures. Up to now, few works related to the multiple pollution assessment of trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for the urban inland river sediments have been reported in China. Our study investigated the spatial distribution, ecological risk and potential sources of trace metals, PAHs and PCBs in surface sediment collected from 20 sampling sites of Sanya River, Hainan Province, China. The pollution status and potential ecological risk of trace metals were evaluated using the contamination indexes including geoaccumulation index (I geo), individual potential ecological risk (E r i), potential ecological risk index (RI) and pollution load index (PLI). Considering the carcinogenicity and toxicity of PAHs and PCBs to human health and the ecological environment, we also analyzed the distributions, sources and adverse biological effects of PAHs and PCBs according to the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), principal component analysis (PCA) and other source analysis. This study revealed that the surface sediments in Sanya River were extremely slight pollution and showed a very low ecological risk according to I geo , E r i , PLI and RI results for trace metals. Besides, PAHs and PCBs pollution detected may not pose considerable adverse biological effect to ecological environment in a foreseeable period on the basis of comprehensive research results. The overall surface sediments quality of the Sanya River not seem to pose a serious pollution and ecological risk based on the evaluation results of multiple pollution factors. The study provided detailed information on the multiple pollution status and location of surface sediments, one of the key environmental indicators of international tourism cities, in the Sanya River, which would be useful for the water quality improvement of Sanya River and the environmental remediation of the other coastal ecosystems from different regions. [Display omitted] • Multiple assessment of comprehensive pollution of sediments in Sanya River, China. • Distribution and sources of trace metals, PAHs and PCBs were studied. • Trace metals, PAHs and PCBs posed a low pollution level and ecological risk. • Study gave the vital references for environmental remediation of coastal ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a sociological analysis on the practice of law based on a judicial case in China. There have been reportedly two opposing views concerning the status and role of the law in the country in which law has been regarded as an instrument from an extrinsic perspective. As a conclusion, it is stated that a law has been deeply embedded in a challenging system of social relationships while it is the embedding which defines the peculiar features of law in Chinese society. The author stresses that its practice is more of a struggle between a variety of powers, interests and local factors.

Objective: To identify genotype of eight strains of Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) isolated from Nan Peng Lie Islands in China and establish tsutsugamushi disease nature foci for this region., Methods: The nested polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) were used. Three primers were selected from the DNA sequence of the gene encoding type-specific 56-kDa protein of the Karp strain. The positive products were digested by Hine II and Pst I, meanwhile profiles specific to each strain were analyzed., Results: Three genotypes of O. tsutsugamushi including Karp, Kato and a new strain existed on Nan Peng Lie Islands., Conclusion: Nan Peng Lie Islands is tsutsugamushi disease nature foci.

Objective: To investigate natural foci of tsutsugamushi disease whose incidence has increased in the Nan Peng Lie Islands in China, an area where this disease has not been previously recorded., Methods: We recorded the natural foci and isolated Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) organism. We also studied prevention measures., Results: These islands had the natural foci of a south subtropical zone. The main host and vector were Rattus norvegicus and Leptotrombidium deliens (L. deliens), respectively. The seasonal quantity trends of Rattus norvegicus and Leptotrombidium deliens were consistent with the incidence of human infection. Thirty-five strains of O. tsutsugamushi were isolated from Rattus norvegicus and L. deliense. The identification of 7 strains showed that most strains were Karp. Seroepidemiology showed a high prevalence of antibody against O. tsatsugamushi among local people. After prevention measures were used, the incidence was decreased., Conclusion: This was the first successful confirmation that the Nan Peng Lie Islands were natural foci of tsutsugamushi disease.