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In China, a large amount of soil lack available silicon, which leads to a decrease in crop yield. Furthermore, the solid waste coal tailings contain abundant minerals that are rich in silicon, which have not been fully utilized. In this work, we used Bacillus mucilaginosus as the leaching agent to convert insoluble silicon in coal tailings into available silicon for crop. After single-factor experiments, the optimal leaching conditions with bacterial dosage, coal tailings weight, initial pH, leaching temperature, and shaking speed were obtained. Kinetic analysis showed that the controlling process of the leaching was a chemical reaction. The leaching process was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that bioleaching is a feasible and efficient method to extract silicon from coal tailings, with a maximum leaching amount of 260 mg L−1 after 16 days, which occupied 93% of the total effective silicon. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that bioleaching technology can effectively solve the problem of the environmental utilization of coal tailings by converting them into a soil improver that can provide beneficial nutrients for crop growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Intermediate coronary lesions (ICLs) are highly prevalent but ported mixed prognosis. Radial strain has been associated with plaque vulnerability, yet its role in predicting lesion progression is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive value of angiography-derived radial wall strain (RWS) for progression of untreated non-culprit ICLs. METHODS: Post-hoc analysis was conducted in a study cohort including 603 consecutive patients with 808 ICLs identified at index procedure with angiographic follow-up of up to two years. RWS analysis was performed on selected angiographic frames with minimal foreshortening and vessel overlap. Lesion progression was defined as = 20% increase in percent diameter stenosis. RESULTS: Lesion progression occurred in 49 ICLs (6.1%) with a median follow-up period of 16.8 months. Maximal RWS (RWSmax), frequently located at the proximal and throat plaque regions, distinguished progressive ICLs from silent ones. The largest area under the curve value of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67-0.82, P < 0.001) was reached at the optimal RWSmax cutoff value of > 12.6%. According to this threshold, 178 ICLs were classified as having a high strain pattern. Exposure to a high strain amplitude with RWSmax > 12.6% was independently associated with an increased risk of lesion progression (adjusted HR = 6.82, 95% CI: 3.67 -12.66, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of RWS from coronary angiography is feasible and provides independent prognostic value in patients with untreated ICLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development puts pressure on environment through air, water and land degradation, which in turn brings real costs to the economy. Actual economy growth should therefore consider the environmental degradation cost resulted from economic activities. Pearl River Delta (PRD) region as a typical delta area with rapid development in China, is with great significance to understand the loses resulted from environmental pollution. This study conducts an environmental economic accounting within the PRD region from 2011 to 2015 using the environmental degradation cost accounting approach. We identified and calculated the economic, agricultural, industrial and social losses resulting from air, water and waste pollution with different valuation methods, which includes shadow price, replacement costs, market value method, etc. The results showed the total environmental degradation cost ranged from 18.1 to 19.8 billion US$ and the environmental degradation index declined slightly over the years, with significant differences among cities. It implied that the environmental condition of PRD region has been continuously improved over the years, but the capacity of environment control between cities had large differences. Cities in PRD region should therefore take measures tailored to their current situation to optimize their resource endowment and industrial structure, to overcome the conflicts between economic development and environmental protection. For cities with relatively high degradation cost, it is urgent to accelerate the efforts in improving the quality of the environment and ecosystem. For cities with lower degradation cost, it is important to take actions to keep on a sustainable and ecological efficient developing path. The total environmental degradation cost of the PRD region is firstly calculated with insights on environmental management. Environmental degradation cost (including per unit land area and per capita costs) and its structural analysis (atmospheric and water environmental degradations), as well as environmental degradation index within PRD area from 2011 to 2015. Image 1 • An accounting method of environmental degradation cost was creatively constructed. • This method was first applied to account cost within Pearl River Delta (PRD). • PRD has tentatively realized rapid economic growth with small environmental cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Peri-urban regions provide ecological, social and economic functions. • Six crops grown in Beijing's peri-urban region were evaluated. • The multiple functions of peri-urban agriculture are not always complementary. • A multi-dimensional index showed the benefits of cash and organic crops over cereals. Abstract Urbanization has proceeded rapidly in China, bringing large-scale social, economic and environmental change to the strategically important peri-urban regions that surround expanding cities. In the Beijing Metropolitan Region, with an area of 16,411 km2, government policies have sought the development of multi-functional peri-urban agriculture, favoring the production of cash crops, and the area of vegetable, fruit and organically grown cereal production has increased, whereas the area under conventional cereal production has declined. In this study, six characteristic agricultural practices in the peri-urban zone were compared in terms of energy use efficiency, economic and environmental performance. A multi-dimensional index was also constructed to compare overall performance. Conventional cereal cropping of spring maize (AP1) and winter wheat-summer maize (AP2) had the lowest energy inputs, highest energy use efficiency, and a positive net energy balance. However, cash crops (greenhouse watermelon-tomato, open-field peach; AP3 and AP4) and organically produced crops (Chinese chestnut, millet; AP5 and AP6) achieved substantially higher economic returns per ha cultivated. Fruit and vegetable crops also achieved much higher yields than conventionally grown cereals. Organically produced crops, although higher in value, achieved lower yields. Product carbon footprints ranged from 0.53 to 6.1 kg CO 2 eq kg−1 and were lowest for fruit and vegetables. Water consumption ranged from <0.1 L kg−1 for Chinese chestnut to 435 L kg−1 for the outputs of the winter wheat-summer maize rotation. When the various indicator results were combined using a multi-dimensional index, the ranking of the different peri-urban agricultural practices was AP6 > AP5 > AP3 > AP1 > AP4 > AP2. These results demonstrate that the multiple functions of per-urban agriculture are not always complementary. However, the adjustment of peri-urban agricultural practices in the Beijing Metropolitan Region appears to be increasing overall benefits. Nevertheless, benchmarking against practices in other parts of China and the world, suggests that there is substantial scope for improvement of peri-urban agriculture in the Beijing Metropolitan Region, with excessive N fertilization identified as a major contributing factor for the performance gap. The development of peri-urban agriculture in Beijing, as elsewhere, has emphasized multi-functionality, providing local food supply, economic returns for local farmers, ecological functioning, along with amenity. Different agricultural practices provide these benefits in different ways. Assessments that address only a single aspect risk informing decisions that have adverse unintended consequences. Studies employing a variety of indicators across the social, economic and environmental dimensions are required if the potential benefits of peri-urban agriculture are to be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The greenhouse vegetable industry represents 20% of the total vegetable production area in China, yet produces 35% of output and 60% of economic value. However, the nitrogen (N) fertilizer input is estimated to exceed crop requirements by a factor of 5 to 6, leading to concern about environmental harm. This study compares greenhouse tomato production under conventional and recommended farming practices in the important production district of Shouguang in Shandong Province. Nitrogen footprint (NF) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) were used as measures of farming performance over the period 1998 to 2016. Conventional farming practices were found to have changed greatly. Tomato yields almost doubled, total fertilizer inputs increased by 117% and there was a major shift from inorganic to organic N inputs. Greenhouse buildings were also progressively modernized, as earlier wood, bamboo and cob constructions were replaced by brick and later steel-frame constructions. The total NF of tomato produced under conventional practice ranged from 5.1 to 7.7 g kg−1 between 1998 and 2016. Although the NF from farming operations had decreased over time, the NF associated with greenhouse construction had increased steeply. The NF associated with the production of farming inputs made a relatively minor contribution. In comparison, the NF of tomato grown under recommended practice was around 75% lower. The nutrient use efficiency (NUE), including apparent recovery efficiency (ARE) and partial factor productivity (PFP) under conventional practices ranged from 2.6% to 5.7% and 48.3–84.7 kg kg−1, whereas the corresponding values were as high as 33% and 221–240.7 kg kg−1 with recommended practice. Taken together, these results indicate enormous potential for improved fertilizer management in greenhouse tomato production. However, compared to other regions or countries, there exist great space to improving the NUE, and then reducing the NF. Additionally, they also point to a need for greater consideration of the environmental impacts associated with greenhouse construction. A priority is to understand the barriers associated with adoption of recommended practices. There may be a role for policies to incentivize improved environmental performance. Further education and training of vegetable industry workers may also be helpful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity is a major limiting factor for crop production in arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China. Flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) is valuable waste resource which can be used to improve saline soil. Monolith lysimeter leaching experiment was conducted with FGDG in heavily saline-sodic soil of northwest China. The four FGDG treatments with nine replicates for each treatment were applied when the FGDG rate was 0, 15, 30, and 60 t ha−1, respectively. Undisturbed sodic-saline soil was carefully collected in the 40-cm deep soil column. The results indicated that improvement effect on the depth of 0-10 cm soil layer was the best when the rate of FGDG was 60 t ha−1. It can reduce pH by 1.85, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) by 44%, and exchangeable Na+ by 7.37 cmol/kg in top soil layer. The values of the above soil parameters fell in the normal range due to FGDG treatment. At the same time, FGDG application reduced soil bulk density and increased saturated hydraulic conductivity. But from the maize growth, the emergence rate, plant height, shoot, and root weight were the best when the FGDG rate was 30 t ha−1. The results also showed that the FGDG application increased soil electrical conductivity value. Therefore, it is quite necessary to move saline ions into the deep soil layer through leaching process. Although effect of FGDG treatment of 60 t ha−1 on top soil was the best, considering the improvement effects of entire soil profile, we recommend that the optimum rate of FGDG was 30 t ha−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Payment for watershed ecosystem services (PWES), a policy instrument for compensating for the externality of watershed ecosystem/environmental services, has gained in policy importance in China over the past two decades. Many scholars and researchers have contributed to the conceptualization of this policy framework by developing operational mechanisms as well as compensation standards for PWES. Outcomes: This article reviews 27 PWES schemes piloted in China and in 10 other countries, with a particular emphasis on successful cases of land-use conversion programs, such as the Paddy Land to Dry Land Program and Sloping Land Conversion Program that have been implemented in China. Discussion: By comparing different cases, the authors attempt to answer the following questions: what were the ecological and institutional contexts in which these schemes were established and how did they work? What were the actual efficiencies and impacts of these piloted schemes? Which scheme worked better in certain ecological, socio- economic, and institutional contexts?. Conclusion: Based on case studies, the authors draw the following conclusions about Chinese PWES: (1) to establish an acceptable standard for a PWES program, it is necessary to estimate the economic and social costs regarding the livelihoods of households; (2) multistakeholder negotiation mechanism for PWES, including intermediaries, such as the local government, NGO/NPOs, village committees, and user associations, should be used; (3) ES, non-market services, should acquire positive externalities to accomplish an optimal win-win pattern concerning both environmental goals and the livelihoods of local resource users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the expected utility under risk hypothesis to develop a new approach to GIS modeling for land use suitability analysis with competitive learning algorithms (CLG-LUSA). It uses Kohonen's Self Organized Maps (SOM) and Linear Vector Quantization (LVQ) among other tools to create comprehensive ordering of high number of options. The model uses decision makers preferred locations and environmental data to construct a manifold of the decision's attribute space. Then, decision and uncertainty maps are derived from this manifold. An application example is provided using the selection of suitable environments for coconut development in a municipality of Cuba. CLG-LUSA model was able to provide accurate visual feedback of key aspects of the decision process, making the methodology suitable for personal or group decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Huantai, a typical high-yielding agricultural county in the northern developed region of China and as a microcosm of China's rural area, is chosen as a case study to analyze the structural change and carbon (C) emission of rural household energy consumption. During the last 30 years, the per capita consumption and emission increased from 329kg standard coal equivalent (kg ce) and 783.6 kg CO2 to 638.4kg ce and 1582.5kg CO2, with the average annual growth rates of 3.2% and 3.5%, respectively. Among four activities (lighting, cooking, heating, and recreation), cooking and heating account for >70–95% at different times, and recreation is the fastest-growing activity. The current annual growth rates for recreational consumption and emission are 133.3% and 115.5%, respectively. In the context of energy structure, the proportion of nonrenewable energy increased from 15.7% in 1980 to 87.7% in 2009. Increase in income and changes in lifestyle are the two key factors affecting energy consumption and C emission. And this trend is endangering the sustainable development of rural areas and further China's development. Thus, it is necessary to develop new renewable energy strategy and explore new low-C developing mode both for local and central governments. At the level of Huantai county, appropriate strategies include improving use-efficiency of straw, developing large and medium-sized biogas digester, and harvesting solar energy. At the level of central government, developing biomass, rural biogas industry and solar energy have large potentials. It is necessary to continue to promote energy-saving stoves and small energy facilities, such as small wind power and hydropower stations in rural areas. But how to realize high-speed development and low-C emission in the process of urbanization is a major challenge in China at present and in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tea is an important cash crop and a beverage that is widely consumed across the world. In China (the largest producer of tea), the industry is growing, and there is a need to understand current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequestrations and the potential for mitigation so that climate action can be strategically undertaken. Life cycle assessment and carbon footprint methods were used to quantify emissions in tea cultivation and processing in the 16 major producing regions for the year 2017. The system boundary was from cradle to factory gate, which was divided into three subsystems, namely agricultural materials production, tea production and tea processing. Several units of analysis were chosen: the production region (province), the production area (ha) and the product (kg loose tea), etc. Total GHG emissions were 28.75 Mt CO2eq, which were mainly attributable to energy use in tea processing (41%), fertilizer production (31.6%) and soil emissions (26.7%). This equated to 12.0 t CO2eq per ha and 10.8 kg CO2eq per kg processed tea. Production in Hubei, Yunan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Fujian provinces contributed almost two thirds of industry emissions, representing priority areas for strategic action to reduce GHG emissions. At the same time, the total carbon sink amounted to 21.37 MtCO2, representing 74.3% of total GHG emissions. The proportions stored in soil, biomass, and tea production were 49.3%, 30.0%, and 20.7%, respectively. If best recommended management practices for fertilizer application were adopted and biomass was used as a source of energy for tea processing, the GHG emissions reduction potential was 16.66 Mt CO2eq, or 58% of total emissions. The GHG emissions associated with tea production and processing in China appeared high by comparison to other regions of the world. However, considering the carbon sink and emissions reduction potential, the tea industry should be viewed as an important sector for climate action. Moreover, the potential for substantial GHG emissions reduction through the adoption of improved practices seems very realistic. There may also be additional opportunities for GHG emissions reduction through the development of organic tea cultivation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic farming is considered as a promising solution for reducing the environmental burden related to agricultural practices. China is one of the top-five countries with the largest organic area in the world and produces a major part of the world's organic rice. Rice cultivation causes a considerable environmental impact and changing from conventional to organic rice cultivation might therefore have a potentially great impact. Meanwhile, it takes time for the organic farming systems to reach a new steady state after conversion to organic. Thus, the environmental profile of the organic products will change over time and it is therefore important to examine whether the difference to conventional will be reduced (and disappear) or be increased over time. The aim of the present study was therefore to assess the environmental impact of organic rice production 5 (OR5), 10 (OR10) and 15 (OR15) years since conversion and compare it to conventional rice (CR) in subtropical China. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to assess environmental impact of rice production systems with regard to nine environmental impact categories: Non-renewable Energy Depletion (NED), Water Depletion (WD), Land Occupation (LO), Global Warming Potential (GWP), Acidification Potential (AP), Eutrophication Potential (EP), Aquatic Toxicity Potential (ATP), Human Toxicity Potential (HTP) and Soil Toxicity Potential (STP). Overall, the results show that the conventional rice production system had the highest comprehensive environmental impact indices (9.65), more than 10 times that of the organic ones. Interestingly, the results showed that the environmental impact indices in the organic rice systems decreased over time from 0.80 (OR5), 0.72 (OR10) to 0.68 (OR15), and thus increased the difference to conventional over the years. The conventional rice had higher impacts from NED, WD, AP, EP, ATP, and HTP, while organic rice had higher LO, GWP and STP indices. The largest environmental index was ATP for conventional and WD for organic rice. Based on this study, organic rice systems have the potential of being recommended as sustainable agricultural practices in comparison with conventional practices. Furthermore, the present study indicated that the difference in the environmental profile of organic versus conventional agricultural products might be underestimated when analyzing organic system that has not yet reached their steady state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmland ecosystems can provide both economic products and ecosystem services that are important in maintaining food security and ecological safety. However, the ecological functions of farmland ecosystems have not been adequately evaluated in China, especially from the perspective of ecological efficiency for three staple food crops (wheat, maize and rice). Moreover, the contribution of ecosystem services value (ESV) to agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE), and the factors that influence AEE for the three staple food crops in different regions are still unclear. In this study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied to calculate the AEE using group-frontier and meta-frontier methods based on regional heterogeneity. We measured AEE for wheat, maize and rice production with and without ESV and compared the gap between ecological inefficiency resulting from management inefficiency and technology gap inefficiency. The research results showed that, first, the involvement of ESV could effectively promote AEE. In particular, water conservation, soil conservation and the nutrient cycle contributed to the promotion of eco-efficiency. The mean ΔAEE (the difference in AEE with or without ESV) of wheat, maize and rice increased by 15 %, 10 % and 13 % with group-frontier and by 20 %, 10 % and 11 % with meta-frontier, respectively. Second, the improvement of AEE was higher in ecologically sensitive areas than that in other areas, especially for wheat and rice. Third, although the involvement of ESV reduced ecological inefficiency, specifically for management inefficiency, its contribution differed significantly across regions. We provide suggestions on improving AEE and reducing inter-regional differences in China. In brief, these findings suggest that, except for grain yields, ecosystem services need to be recognized in the production of three staple food crops, especially in ecologically sensitive areas. This is helpful for crop planning and planting division in terms of sustainable development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as an alternative treatment for patients with pure severe aortic regurgitation (PSAR) who are contraindicated for surgery or have a high surgical risk. However, the therapeutic efficacy and safety of TAVR in low Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score risk patients remain to be clarified. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of TAVR treatment in different STS-risk patients and to compare the adverse events between the groups. In this study, patients with PSAR who underwent TAVR at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, China, during the inclusion period were included and categorized into 3 groups based on STS scores. The baseline data, imaging results, and follow-up data of the patients were documented. Therefore, of 75 TAVR patients, 38 (50.7%) were categorized as low risk (STS <4), and 37 (49.3%) patients were categorized as intermediate and high risk (STS ≥4). Compared with patients at intermediate and high risk, those in the low-risk group were younger, had a lower body mass index, had a lower prevalence of hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and previous percutaneous coronary intervention, and had better cardiac function (p all <0.05). In the hospital and at the 1-month follow-up, the degree of aortic regurgitation and cardiac function were significantly improved. No significant difference was found between the 2 groups in the hospital or during the 30-day follow-up. In conclusion, TAVR for PSAR in low-STS-risk patients is safe and efficient during 30 days of follow-up compared with intermediate- and high-STS-risk groups. TAVR for PSAR should not be limited to inoperable or STS-defined high-risk patients. Long-term follow-up is needed for further investigation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the echocardiographic parameter ratio E/E' on the late recurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients after receiving radiofrequency catheter ablation.We retrospectively examined total of 288 paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) patients that underwent a preliminary radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) in our hospital. During the first phase in this study, the patients were divided into 2 groups upon AF recurrence after RFCA: Recurrent group, n = 67 patients with rapid trial arrhythmia that lasted for more than 30 seconds at 3 months after RFCA and the Nonrecurrent group, n = 221. The clinical conditions were compared between the 2 groups. During the second phase of this study, based on the results in the first phase, the patients were divided into another 2 groups according to whether the ratio of E/E' ≥13 .45: Higher ratio of E/E' group, n = 55 and Lower ratio of E/E' group n = 233. The late AF recurrent rates were also compared between the 2 groups.During the first phase, the univariate analysis indicated that the risk factors(P < .05)for PAF late recurrence included early recurrence, E', and the ratio E/E'. The Cox multivariate analysis showed that the ratio of E/E' and early recurrence were the independent predictors for late PAF recurrence. The ratio of E/E' that was cut off at 13.45 also predicted atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence with 40.3% sensitivity and 87.3% specificity. In the second phase, after completing the 1:1 matching, the Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the ratio of E/E' ≥ 13.45 was associated with further recurrences after RFCA (log-rank P = .009), compared to the patients with a ratio of E/E' < 13.45. The univariate Cox analysis indicated that an elevated ratio of E/E'(≥13.45) was the independent predictor for late PAF recurrence (HR = 3.322, 95%CI: 1.560-7.075, P = .002). However, the ratio of E/E' cut off at 13.25 predicted atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence with 75% sensitivity and 62.2% specificity.The ratio of E/E' ≥ 13.25 is an important predictor of the late recurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA).

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, in order to provide evidence for its clinical application. PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM and Clinical Trials.gov databases were sysmatically retrieved. Two researchers independently searched, screened and extracted data. Randomized controlled trials in line with the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The article quality was assessed with the bias risk tool in the Cochrane Handbook. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. A total of 604 articles were obtained from the retrieval, and 824 patients in 9 studies were finally selected through screening. The course of treatment was about 1 month, and all of the studies were completed in China. Meta-analysis showed that the efficacy of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation was better than that of the control group(RR=1.19, 95%CI[1.12, 1.26], P&lt;0.000 01), including the comparison with Yaotongning Capsules(RR=1.10, 95%CI[1.02, 1.19], P=0.01) and diclofenac sodium tablets(RR=1.26, 95%CI[1.11, 1.44], P=0.000 4). In VAS pain score, Shentong Zhuyu Decoction had also obvious advantages(MD=-3.70, 95%CI[-6.31,-1.09], P=0.005). In addition, the number of adverse events in the Shentong Zhuyu Decoction group was lower than that in the control group. Shentong Zhuyu Decoction can effectively alleviate discomfort symptoms of patients with LDH. It has an obvious clinical efficacy and less adverse reactions. However, restricted by the quality of the included literatures, prospective, multi-center, large-sample-size randomized controlled trials are still needed to further improve the clinical evidence of the effect of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of LDH.

Ozone has become a major atmospheric pollutant in China as the pattern of urban energy usage has changed and the number of motor vehicles has grown rapidly. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration, also known as the Jing-Jin-Ji Urban Agglomeration (hereafter, JJJUA), with a precarious balance between protecting the ecological environment and sustaining economic development, is challenged by high levels of ozone pollution. Based on ozone observation data from 13 cities in the JJJUA from 2014 to 2017, the spatio-temporal trends in the evolution of ozone pollution and its associated influencing factors were analyzed using Moran's I Index, hot-spot analysis, and Geodetector using ArcGIS and SPSS software. Five key results were obtained. 1) There was an increase in the annual average ozone concentration, for the period 2014-2017. Comparing the 13 prefecture-level cities, ozone pollution in Chengde and Hengshui decreased, while it worsened in the remaining 11 cities. 2) Ozone pollution was worse in spring and summer than in autumn and winter; the peak ozone pollution season was from May to September; the average ozone concentration on workdays was higher than that on non-workdays, showing a counter-weekend effect. 3) Annual average concentrations were high in the central and southern parts of the study region but low in the north. 4) Prominent positive spatial correlations were observed in ozone concentration, with the best correlations shown in summer and autumn; concentrations were high in Baoding and Xingtai but low in Beijing and Chengde. 5) Concentrations of PM 10 , NO 2 , CO, SO 2 , and PM 2.5 , as well as average wind speed, sunshine duration, evaporation, precipitation, and temperature, all had significant effects on ozone pollution, and interactions between these influencing factors increased it., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To identify MRI-based radiomics as prognostic factors in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Experimental Design: One-hundred and eighteen patients (training cohort: n = 88; validation cohort: n = 30) with advanced NPC were enrolled. A total of 970 radiomics features were extracted from T2-weighted (T2-w) and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CET1-w) MRI. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied to select features for progression-free survival (PFS) nomograms. Nomogram discrimination and calibration were evaluated. Associations between radiomics features and clinical data were investigated using heatmaps. Results: The radiomics signatures were significantly associated with PFS. A radiomics signature derived from joint CET1-w and T2-w images showed better prognostic performance than signatures derived from CET1-w or T2-w images alone. One radiomics nomogram combined a radiomics signature from joint CET1-w and T2-w images with the TNM staging system. This nomogram showed a significant improvement over the TNM staging system in terms of evaluating PFS in the training cohort (C-index, 0.761 vs. 0.514; P < 2.68 × 10 -9 ). Another radiomics nomogram integrated the radiomics signature with all clinical data, and thereby outperformed a nomogram based on clinical data alone (C-index, 0.776 vs. 0.649; P < 1.60 × 10 -7 ). Calibration curves showed good agreement. Findings were confirmed in the validation cohort. Heatmaps revealed associations between radiomics features and tumor stages. Conclusions: Multiparametric MRI-based radiomics nomograms provided improved prognostic ability in advanced NPC. These results provide an illustrative example of precision medicine and may affect treatment strategies. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4259-69. ©2017 AACR ., (©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the association between periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI), defined by creatine kinase (CK)-MB or troponin I (TNI) level elevations >5 times the 99 th percentile of the upper reference limit (URL) within 48 hr after implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES), and one-year mortality in patients with coronary bifurcation., Background: PMI is reported to be associated with increased one-year mortality after DES implantation. However, the prevalence and association of PMI with mortality after stenting bifurcation lesions remains unclear., Methods: We prospectively followed 1,971 patients with true coronary bifurcations who underwent DES implantation as part of the multicenter DEFINITION study. These patients were grouped into categories based on PMI outcome: Non-PMI, CKMB-PMI, TNI-PMI, and CKMB/TNI-PMI. The primary endpoint was the rate of all-cause mortality at one year., Results: PMI occurred in 11.4% of patients by CKMB criteria and 41.3% of patients by TNI criteria. At one-year follow-up, the mortality rate was 2.3% in the entire patient population. However, mortality was significantly higher in the CKMB-PMI (6.4%) and CKMB/TNI-PMI (6.1%) groups compared to the Non-PMI (1.7%) and TNI-PMI (2.1%) groups (all P < 0.05). A 10-fold increase in TNI levels resulted in similar PMI rate (5.2%) and mortality risk (adjusted HR 2.7, 95% CI 3.0-5.2) as a fivefold increase in CKMB levels., Conclusions: PMI, as defined by CKMB elevations following coronary bifurcation lesion stenting, was associated with increased one-year mortality. Additionally, to attain an equal frequency of PMI, the elevation in TNI levels needed to be twice as high as the elevation in CKMB levels., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: During the past two decades, avian influenza A H9N2 viruses have spread geographically and ecologically in China. Other than its current role in causing outbreaks in poultry and sporadic human infections by direct transmission, H9N2 virus could also serve as an progenitor for novel human avian influenza viruses including H5N1, H7N9 and H10N8. Hence, H9N2 virus is becoming a notable threat to public health. However, despite multiple lineages and genotypes that were detected by previous studies, the migration dynamics of the H9N2 virus in China is unclear. Increasing such knowledge would help us better prevent and control H9N2 as well as other future potentially threatening viruses from spreading across China. The objectives of this study were to determine the source, migration patterns, and the demography history of avian influenza A H9N2 virus that circulated in China., Results: Using Bayesian phylogeography framework, we showed that the H9N2 virus in mainland China may have originated from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). Southern China, most likely the Guangdong province acts as the primary epicentre for multiple H9N2 strains spreading across the whole country, and eastern China, most likely the Jiangsu province, acts as an important secondary source to seed outbreaks. Our demography inference suggests that during the long-term migration process, H9N2 evolved into multiple diverse lineages and then experienced a selective sweep, which reduced its genetic diversity. Importantly, such a selective sweep may pose a greater threat to public health because novel strains confer higher fitness advantages than strains being replaced and could generate new viruses through reassortment., Conclusion: Our analyses indicate that migratory birds, poultry trade and transportation have all contributed to the spreading of the H9N2 virus in China. The ongoing migration and evolution of H9N2, which poses a constant threat to the human population, highlights the need for a more comprehensive surveillance of wild birds and for the enhancement of biosafety for China's poultry industry.

For the point of view that recycling economy system is one of ways to achieve the low-carbon economy, we have made an evaluation on a typical circular agriculture duck industry in Hunan Province, China, through improving the framework of life cycle assessment (LCA). The analysis indicated that the consumption of non-renewable resources, land and water were 48.629 MJ, 2.36 m2 and 1 321.41 kg, while the potential greenhouse gas (GHGs), acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity and terrestrial ecotoxicity were 11 543.26 g (CO2 eq), 52.36g (SO2eq), 25.83g (PO4eq), 1.26, 60.74 and 24.65 g (1,4-DCBeq), respectively. The potential damage of aquatic eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity and terrestrial ecotoxicity was more serious than that of GHGs. Main results were following: i. the circular agricultural chain promoted the principle of "moderate circulation", which based on the traditional production methods; ii. circular agriculture could not blindly pursue low carbon development. Instead, soil and biological carbon sequestration should be considered, in addition to reducing carbon emissions; iii. circular economy and circular agriculture should take other potential environmental impacts into account such as acidification, eutrophication and ecotoxicity,with the exception to carbon emissions,to developed integrated system assessment; iv. LCA could provide a comprehensive assessment of circular agriculture, and it was worth of further study.