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This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the literature on hydrogel therapy for spinal cord injury to visualize the research status, identify hotspots, and explore the development trends in this field. Web of science Core Collection database was searched for relevant studies published between January 1991 and December 2023. Data such as journal title, author information, institutional affiliation, country, citation, and keywords were extracted. Bibliometrix, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer were used to perform bibliometric analysis of the retrieved data. A total of 1099 articles pertaining to hydrogel therapy for spinal cord injury were retrieved, revealing an upward trajectory in both annual publication volume and cumulative publication volume. Biomaterials emerged as the journal with the highest number of publications and the most rapid cumulative publication growth, contributing 84 articles. Among authors, Shoichet MS stood out with the highest number of publications and citations, totaling 66 articles. The University of Toronto led in institutional contributions with 65 publications, while China dominated in country-specific publications, accounting for 374 articles. However, to foster significant academic achievements, it is imperative for diverse authors, institutions, and countries to enhance collaboration. Current research in this field concentrates on scaffold architecture, nerve growth factor, the fibrotic microenvironment, and guidance channels. Simultaneously, upcoming research directions prioritize 3D bioprinting, injectable hydrogel, inflammation, and nanoparticles within the realm of hydrogel therapy for spinal cord injuries. In summary, this study provided a comprehensive analysis of the current research status and frontiers of hydrogel therapy for spinal cord injury. The findings provide a foundation for future research and clinical translation efforts of hydrogel therapy in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between Christianity and Confucianism has been marked by both conflict and accommodation. In the 19th century, the discovery of the works of Mozi, a pre-Qin Chinese philosopher who was critical of Confucianism, led to a change in the approach of some missionaries. This commentary examines how 19th century missionaries strategically utilized Mohist philosophy to undermine Confucianism and promote Christianity. The implications of this commentary for religious research are significant in terms of providing context and guiding future investigations as this commentary offers new insights into the complex relationship between Christianity and Confucianism in China by highlighting the strategic use of Mohist philosophy as a tool for evangelism and the implications it had for the larger discourse on Christianity and Confucianism in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heatwaves are projected to increase in the global context of climate change. However, evidence of how anthropogenic emissions respond to heatwaves and further impact air quality remains elusive. Here, we use satellite remote sensing measurements alongside chemical transport model simulations to reveal abrupt variations in primary and secondary air pollutants introduced by extreme heatwaves. We highlight evidence from China and India, where satellite sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) columns over thermal power plants enhance consistently responding to heatwaves. We attribute such spiked emissions to soaring electricity use and demonstrate that bottom‐up inventories underestimate the emissions from the power sector by 34.9% for the selected case. Elevated emissions facilitate fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) formation over thermal power plants in an inhomogeneous manner, due to the combined effect of atmospheric oxidizing capacity, thermal decomposition of peroxyacetyl nitrate, planetary boundary layer rise, and air stagnation. Our results underscore the emerging challenge of pollution control attributable to the increasing climate penalty and the necessity of targeted control strategies and alternative energy sources during heatwaves. Plain Language Summary: Heatwaves are associated with high ambient temperatures and adverse health outcomes, but how anthropogenic emissions of atmospheric pollutants respond to heatwaves remains less explored. Here, we provide evidence from space for the first time that sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over thermal power plants enhance consistently responding to heatwaves. We attribute such spiked emissions to soaring electricity use, a feedback previously overlooked by state‐of‐the‐art emission inventories. The enhanced emissions increase levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and surface ozone (O3) in an inhomogeneous manner during heatwaves due to the combined effect of chemistry and meteorology. Key Points: We detect enhanced SO2 and NO2 columns over power plants during heatwavesWe provide evidence of increasing electricity use and emissions in the power sectorElevated precursor emissions facilitate PM2.5 and O3 formation in an inhomogeneous manner under the combined effect of chemistry and meteorology [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A scientific and comprehensive analysis of the current status and trends in the field of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) research is worth investigating. This study aims to investigate and visualize the development, research frontiers, and future trends in CAFs both quantitatively and qualitatively based on a bibliometric approach. Methods: A total of 5518 publications were downloaded from the Science Citation Index Expanded of Web of Science Core Collection from 1999 to 2021 and identified for bibliometric analysis. Visualized approaches, OriginPro (version 9.8.0.200) and R (version 4.2.0) software tools were used to perform bibliometric and knowledge-map analysis. Results: The number of publications on CAFs increased each year, and the same tendency was observed in the RRI. Apart from China, the countries with the largest number of publications and the most cited frequency were mainly Western developed countries, especially the USA. Cancers was the journal with the largest number of articles published in CAFs, and Oncology was the most popular research orientation. The most productive author was Lisanti MP, and the University of Texas System was ranked first in the institutions. In addition, the topics of CAFs could be divided into five categories, including tumor classification, prognostic study, oncologic therapies, tumor metabolism and tumor microenvironment. Conclusions: This is the first thoroughly scientific bibliometric analysis and visualized study of the global research field on CAFs over the past 20 years. The study may provide benefits for researchers to master CAFs' dynamic evolution and research trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron‐rich porcelains generally embrace relatively high iron concentration in the glaze and body, which have an important position in the history of ancient Chinese high‐temperature ceramics. The colour and lustre of glaze patterns are closely related to the orientation and order of crystallisation. In this work, three representative types of iron‐rich porcelains (persimmon red‐glazed sample, oil spot‐glazed sample and mirror black‐glazed sample) were analysed by portable energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (PXRF), optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and laser Raman spectroscopy (RS) to determine the morphology, chemical composition and microstructure. Results showed that layered structure was observed in both persimmon red and oil spot glazes, however with respective thickness. Besides, iron‐enriched crystals mostly precipitated on glaze surface. For the persimmon red sample, multilayer microstructure consisting of three sublayers beneath glaze surface was identified. Crystals and dark red substrates were all made of ε‐Fe2O3, implying that it was fired at a strong reducing atmosphere. But for the oil spot sample, large‐scale leaf‐shaped crystals were well characteristic of ε‐Fe2O3, while small snowflake‐shaped crystals were assigned to α‐Fe2O3, indicating that the firing environment was partially reduced. In addition, there was no crystalline layer existing on surface of mirror black‐glazed porcelain, and plain black glaze layer was featured by a glassy matrix. The Jian kiln is a famous ancient folk kiln in the southern China that is currently located in Jianyang county of Fujian province. Its production of black‐glazed porcelain began in the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD), became prosperous in the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279 AD), and declined and ended in the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 AD). Black‐glazed Jian tea bowls were perfect for highlighting the rich white tea decoction. The thick and lustrous black glaze of Jian bowls sometimes were featured by streaked or mottled patterns, usually recognised by 'hare's fur (HF)', 'oil spot (OS)', 'partridge spot (PS)' and so on, which were the crystalline markings of iron oxide precipitated during firing in the dragon kiln. Iron oxide acted as a colorant for black‐glazed porcelain and, thus, was called as iron‐rich porcelain. The unique patterns originated from local iron‐enrichment raw materials and firing process, and the locally iron‐enriched areas generated due to the supersaturated crystallisation of different iron oxide in the cooling period. It was generally believed that research studies on the crystallographic nature and growth mechanism of surface crystals would provide help for the manufacturing of ancient Chinese glazes. With this aim, three types of iron‐rich porcelain excavated from the Jian kiln were selected to further study the forming cause and growth process of glaze patterns using a series of characterisation methods, like portable energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (PXRF), optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and laser Raman spectroscopy (RS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several guidelines have recommended the use of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) as replacement for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in the management of heart failure. Till date, there are no reviews done that comprehensively cover different aspects of efficacy and safety parameters. Hence, we have performed a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis on role of ARNIs for the management of heart failure patients. Searches were done in Embase, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed Central, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Clinicaltrials.gov until June 2022. Risk of bias assessment was done with Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was carried out using random-effects model. Pooled standardized mean difference (SMD)/mean difference (MD) and/or risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was reported. In total, we analysed 34 studies, with almost all of them had a high risk of bias. Pooled RR was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82–0.95) for all-cause mortality, 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77–0.92) for cardiovascular mortality and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70–0.87) for hospitalization. Pooled MD was 3.74 (95% CI: 1.93–5.55) for left ventricular ejection fraction, −2.16 (95% CI: −3.58 to −0.74) for left atrial volume index, −3.80 (95% CI: −6.60 to −1.00) for left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and −1.16 (95% CI: −1.98 to −0.35) for E/E′ ratio. Regarding adverse events, pooled RR was 1.55 (95% CI: 1.31–1.85) for symptomatic hypotension, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.78–1.11) for worsening renal function, 1.09 (95% CI: 0.94–1.26) for hyperkalaemia and 1.29 (95% CI: 0.67–2.50) for angioedema. ARNIs had beneficial efficacy and safety profile on the management of heart failure especially patients with reduced ejection fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S Zorb process is one of the main technologies for deep desulfurization of gasoline from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process, which by the process will also cause some research octane number (RON) loss of gasoline. Establishing a data-driven model with data mining technologies to optimize production is one of the development directions in petrochemical field. Based on the industrial data from a 1.20 Mt/a S Zorb unit in China in recent three years, 422 modeling samples and 22 modeling variables were screened out and then three data-driven models were established by back propagation neural network (BPNN), radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) and generalized regression neural network (GRNN) to predict RON of refined gasoline (r-RON). The results show that the BPNN model has the best prediction effect and generalization ability. Genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) and simulated annealing algorithm (SA) in combination with the BPNN model respectively were used to optimize the operation variables to reduce the r-RON loss. The results indicate that the optimized performance of PSO-BPNN model is best because of its largest reduction in r-RON loss at 48.55%. The validity of the PSO-BPNN model was verified in the S Zorb unit and the research methods to establish a data-driven model for reducing r-RON loss are also worthy of reference for other S Zorb units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) provides a powerful tool for signature-domain calibration of hydrological models where hydrological signatures are incorporated into calibration objectives. However, the efficiency of ABC relies strongly on the use of a vector of sufficient signatures that can fully represent relevant information in raw data. The application of ABC with randomly chosen signatures can result in inaccurate calibration results. To fill this gap, a hybrid time- and signature-domain Bayesian inference framework for calibration of hydrological models is proposed. In this framework, a set of approximately sufficient signatures is pursued through simultaneous consideration of the information redundancy analysis (IRA) and discriminatory power analysis (DPA) procedures. While the IRA deals with the information redundancy inherent in the pool of available signatures, DPA quantifies the discriminatory power of a given signature as the reliability and sharpness of the associated probabilistic predictions generated by ABC. The verified residual error scheme in time-domain inference is approximated as the probabilistic model in the acceptance test of ABC. The proposed framework is then tested on the Xin'anjiang rainfall-runoff model applied to the Ren River basin (RRB) of China. The use of IRA and DPA provides a probabilistic model prediction statistically equivalent to that of classical time-domain inference in terms of the reliability and sharpness. The comparison to signature-domain inference using the complete set of hydrological signatures further demonstrates the importance of IRA and DPA in improving the quality of Bayesian model calibration in the signature domain and reducing the total predictive uncertainty. The framework makes it practically possible to maintain adequate accuracy of model predictions produced by signature-domain inference, improving the efficiency of ABC in solving the model calibration problems and consequently promotes the use of ABC in signature-domain model calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant cuticle is the outermost layer of the aerial organs and an important barrier against biotic and abiotic stresses. The climate varies greatly between the north and south of China, with large differences in temperature and humidity, but Chinese chestnut is found in both regions. This study investigated the relationship between the wax layer of chestnut leaves and environmental adaptation. Firstly, semi-thin sections were used to verify that there is a significant difference in the thickness of the epicuticular wax layer between wild chestnut leaves in northwest and southeast China. Secondly, a whole-genome selective sweep was used to resequence wild chestnut samples from two typical regional populations, and significant genetic divergence was identified between the two populations in the CmCER1-1, CmCER1-5 and CmCER3 genes. Thirty-four CER genes were identified in the whole chestnut genome, and a series of predictive analyses were performed on the identified CmCER genes. The expression patterns of CmCER genes were classified into three trends—upregulation, upregulation followed by downregulation and continuous downregulation—when chestnut seedlings were treated with drought stress. Analysis of cultivars from two resource beds in Beijing and Liyang showed that the wax layer of the northern variety was thicker than that of the southern variety. For the Y-2 (Castanea mollissima genome sequencing material) cultivar, there were significant differences in the expression of CmCER1-1, CmCER1-5 and CmCER3 between the southern variety and the northern one-year-grafted variety. Therefore, this study suggests that the CER family genes play a role in environmental adaptations in chestnut, laying the foundation for further exploration of CmCER genes. It also demonstrates the importance of studying the adaptation of Chinese chestnut wax biosynthesis to the southern and northern environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Giant pandas are considered a national treasure in China. Understanding the changes in immunity and energy metabolism of giant pandas with age might help develop more scientific guidelines for managing the health of giant pandas. Here, 48 giant pandas were collected, and their transcriptome was analyzed. The results showed that the immune system and energy metabolism of giant pandas changed significantly with age. A low reproductive rate coupled with human activities has endangered the giant panda, a species endemic to southwest China. Although giant pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo, they retain carnivorous traits and suffer from carnivorous diseases. Additionally, their immune system is susceptible to aging, resulting in a reduced ability to respond to diseases. This study aimed to determine the genes and pathways expressed differentially with age in blood tissues. The differentially expressed genes in different age groups of giant pandas were identified by RNA-seq. The elderly giant pandas had many differentially expressed genes compared with the young group (3 years old), including 548 upregulated genes and 401 downregulated genes. Further, functional enrichment revealed that innate immune upregulation and adaptive immune downregulation were observed in the elderly giant pandas compared with the young giant pandas. Meanwhile, the immune genes in the elderly giant pandas changed considerably, including genes involved in innate immunity and adaptive immunity such as PLSCR1, CLEC7A, CCL5, CCR9, and EPAS1. Time series analysis found that giant pandas store glycogen by prioritizing fat metabolism at age 11, verifying changes in the immune system. The results reported in this study will provide a foundation for further research on disease prevention and the energy metabolism of giant pandas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Backward Limb Spectrometer (BLS) onboard the Tiangong-2 (TG-2) space laboratory, the first spaceborne limb sounding instrument of China, was successfully launched on 15 September 2016, and its measurements of scattered photons of sunlight along the limb line-of-sight (LOS) in the 290–1000 nm range could be used to derive the vertical distribution of stratospheric ozone with high vertical resolution. Ozone profiles with a vertical resolution of one km in 10–40 km and 30–50 km were retrieved by the triplet and pair methods, respectively, and the ozone profiles retrieved by the BLS were compared with the ozone sounding data over four sounding stations. Meanwhile, the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb Profiler (OMPS/LP) version 2.5 (v2.5) stratospheric ozone profile product was also introduced for comparison. The retrieval results showed a good agreement with the ozone profiles of ozone sounding and the OMPS/LP v2.5 product, and the differences were basically within 25% above 20 km, while relatively larger differences occasionally occurred below 20 km. The case studies over four sites worldwide demonstrate that the BLS is capable of measuring stratospheric ozone profiles with high vertical resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The categories of Ginkgophyta fossil plants are varied and distributed all over the world. Due to wide variations in leaf division along with the relatively similar epidermal structure between genera and species, it is difficult to identify Ginkgophyta fossils accurately. At this point, the current study sheds light on the quantitative numerical taxonomy of these plant fossils, depending on characterisation of fossil morphology and epidermal microstructures. Through principal component analysis and correlation analysis of specific characters, 15 traits are determined as the key characters in the identification of Ginkgophyta fossils. Cluster analysis was also used to divide the operational taxonomic units into 3 categories and 16 representative groups, which mostly correspond to the traditional classification, with some inconsistencies. Consequently, 8 genera of Ginkgophyta fossils are established as two new taxa: Ginkgophyllum, Rhipidopsis, Sinophyllum,Psygmophyllum and Pseudotorellia, Vittifoliolum, Eretmophyllum, Glossophyllum. In addition, Dicranophyllum should be assigned to Coniferophytina, and Saportaea nervosa can be temporarily attributed to Ginkgo.Finally, the Bayes discriminant model was established for the 38 species of Ginkgophyta fossil plants in 7 genera with relatively certain classification positions, and the discriminant model was tested using literature data. It is believed that the discriminant model has certain accuracy and can be applied to the classification and identification of Ginkgophyta fossil plants in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study predicted three future land-use type scenarios in 2050 (including the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP126, SSP585, and carbon scenario) based on the Land-Use Harmonization (LUH2) project and the future evolution of land-use types considering China's carbon neutrality background. The contribution of land-use changes to terrestrial natural source biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), as well as O3 and PM concentrations, were determined. Under the SSP126 pathway, meteorological changes would increase BVOC emissions in China by 1.0 TgC in 2050, compared with 2015, while land-use changes would increase them by 1.5–7.1 TgC. The impact of land-use changes on O3 and PM concentrations would be less than 3.6% in 2050 and greater in summer. Regional differences must be considered when calculating future environmental background concentrations of pollutants. Due to more afforestation measures under the SSP126 scenario, the impact of land-use change on pollutants was more obvious under the SSP126 pathway than under the SSP585 pathway. Under the carbon scenario, the increase in PM concentration caused by land-use changes would pose a risk to air quality compliance; thus, it is necessary to consider reducing or offsetting this potential risk through anthropogenic emission control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) is the mainstay therapy of locally advanced gastric (G) and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers with a poor prognosis. Programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor has been approved and recommended to treat ≥ 3 line G/GEJ patients. A significant clinical benefit of PD-1 inhibitors in addition to cCRT has been observed in locally advanced lung cancer. Sintilimab, a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody with high affinity and specificity for PD-1, has shown promising efficacy with an overall response rate of 85% in combination with chemotherapy in gastric cancer in a phase Ib study (NCT02937116). Patients and Methods: SHARED is a prospective, multicentre, single-arm Phase II trial in China, exploring the efficacy of sintilimab in combination with cCRT in locally advanced G/GEJ adenocarcinoma. According to a Simon optimal two-stage clinical design, 34 patients will be enrolled. All the eligible patients will receive one cycle of induction chemotherapy (S-1 plus nab-PTX) combined with sintilimab, followed by cCRT (radiotherapy plus nab-PTX) combined with sintilimab. Prior to the surgery, patients will receive another cycle of chemotherapy (S-1 plus nab-PTX) combined with sintilimab. In the adjuvant setting, all participants will be treated with 3 cycles of chemotherapy (S-1 plus nab-PTX) combined with sintilimab. The primary endpoint is the rate of pathological complete response (pCR). The secondary endpoints include disease-free survival (DFS), major pathological response (MPR), R0 resection rate, surgical AEs, overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), and safety profile. Moreover, the prognostic value of tumor biomarkers and immune biomarkers will be explored. Conclusion: SHARED is designed to primally evaluate the efficacy and safety of sintilimab in combination with cCRT in locally advanced G/GEJ cancers and to prospectively validate the prognostic value of tumor biomarkers and immune biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban light rail transit systems have a significant potential to alter future urban development. We developed a new cellular automata model (CACG) based on conjugate gradients, and applied it to 1) simulate historical urban development at Jinhua of China, and 2) project future development scenarios incorporating the effect of future light rail transit stations (LRTS). The model produced a realistic urban pattern for 2018 with overall accuracy exceeding 95%, Kappa coefficient exceeding 70% and figure-of-merit exceeding 32%, indicating the model's ability to accurately capture urban dynamics. We predicted three different scenarios: a benchmark scenario of business as usual (BAU), a scenario focusing on LRTS, and an individual-factor-based scenario (ILRTS). The results show that the annual urban development intensity has the strongest correlation with LRT stations for LRTS-scenario, followed by ILRTS-scenario and BAU-scenario. The model can be readily applied elsewhere to assess the impact of urban infrastructure on future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut bacteria of insects play an important role in their nutrition, maintenance, and ecological adaption. Ectropis grisescens is the most important leaf-feeding pest in tea gardens in China. In order to explore whether E. grisescens adaptation under starvation stress is related to its gut bacteria, we used a culture-independent method to compare the composition and diversity of their gut bacteria under starvation treatment. The results revealed no significant changes in core gut bacteria composition and diversity within 24 h of starvation. However, non-core gut bacterial Bacillus increased significantly under starvation conditions. B. cereus strain EG-Q3 isolated from the gut of E. grisescens in carbon source-selected medium showed the ability to degrade fat bodies from E. grisescens in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the fat-lowering ratio of E. grisescens fed with B. cereus strain EG-Q3 (6.76 ± 1.281%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (3.96 ± 0.801%, t = 4.15, df = 8, p < 0.01) after starvation for 4 h. These findings suggest that non-core gut bacterial B. cereus strain EG-Q3 contributes to host adaptation to starvation. Together, this research provides evidence that E. grisescens may benefit from non-core gut bacteria under starvation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Ectropis obliqua is a destructive leaf-eating pest that is widely distributed in China's tea gardens. This pest shows remarkable resistance against multiple insecticides. As an environmentally friendly entomopathogen, Beauveria bassiana has been widely used to prevent agricultural pest infestations. However, the molecular mechanism of B. bassiana against E. obliqua remains unclear. We firstly isolated and identified a highly virulent B. bassiana strain. Using a transcriptome, we analyzed the differences of immune gene expression levels in fat bodies and hemocytes of E. obliqua that were infected by the B. bassiana, which provide molecular insights into the insect–pathogen interaction. Ectropis obliqua is a destructive masticatory pest in China's tea gardens. Beauveria bassiana as microbial insecticides can effectively control E. obliqua larvae; however, the immune response of this insect infected by B. bassiana are largely unknown. Here, after isolating a highly virulent strain of B. bassiana from E. obliqua, the changes in gene expression among different tissues, including hemocytes and fat bodies, of E. obliqua larvae infected by the entomopathogen were investigated using transcriptome sequencing. A total of 5877 co-expressed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in hemocytes and fat bodies, of which 5826 were up-regulated in hemocytes and 5784 were up-regulated in fat bodies. We identified 249 immunity-related genes, including pattern recognition receptors, immune effectors, signal modulators, and members of immune pathways. A quantitative real-time PCR analysis confirmed that several pattern recognition receptors were upregulated in hemocytes and fat bodies; however, others were downregulated. The investigated immune effectors (ATT and PPO-1) were suppressed. The results showed that there were tissue differences in the expression of immune genes. This study provides a large number of immunity-related gene sequences from E. obliqua after being infected by B. bassiana, furthering the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of E. obliqua defenses against B. bassiana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaf morphology and epidermal anatomy of a species of Pterophyllum, a morphological genus of Bennettitales, were studied in detail based on leaf fossil collected from the Middle Jurassic Yaojie Formation in the Baojishan Basin, Gansu Province, northwestern China. The fossil lamia is large; the segments are broadly linear to rectangular, opposite, each segment containing ca. 20 thin veins. The leaf cuticle is thin, hypostomatic, possessing of syndetocheilic stomatal complex. According to a detailed comparison on the basis of leaf morphology and cuticle features to other similar fossil plants, the fossil material was attributed to Pterophyllum propinquum Goeppert, which add to the details of the rachis, leaf cuticles of the species. Combined with the characteristics of paleoclimate change during the Mesozoic in China, the responses of the palaeogeographical distribution of Pterophyllum to paleoclimate change in different periods of Mesozoic in China are discussed. Moreover, based on the fossil floral assemblage and the cuticle features of P. propinquum, we presumed that it is a warm and humid climate in the Middle Jurassic in Baojishan basin, where the P. propinquum is a typical plant member. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the Wolbachia genus manipulate insect–host reproduction and are the most abundant bacterial endosymbionts of insects. The tea Geometrid moth Ectropis grisescens (Warren) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is the most devastating insect pest of tea plants [ Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] in China. However, limited data on the diversity, typing, or phenotypes of Wolbachia in E. grisescens are available. Here, we used a culture-independent method to compare the gut bacteria of E. grisescens and other tea Geometridae moths. The results showed that the composition of core gut bacteria in larvae of the three Geometridae moth species was similar, except for the presence of Wolbachia. Moreover, Wolbachia was also present in adult female E. grisescens samples. A Wolbachia strain was isolated from E. grisescens and designated as w Gri. Comparative analyses showed that this strain shared multilocus sequence types and Wolbachia surface protein hypervariable region profiles with cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI)-inducing strains in supergroup B; however, the w Gri-associated phenotypes were undetermined. A reciprocal cross analysis showed that Wolbachia -uninfected females mated with infected males resulted in 100% embryo mortality (0% eggs hatched per female). Eggs produced by mating between uninfected males and infected females hatched normally. These findings indicated that w Gri induces strong unidirectional CI in E. grisescens. Additionally, compared with uninfected females, Wolbachia -infected females produced approximately 30–40% more eggs. Together, these results show that this Wolbachia strain induces reproductive CI in E. grisescens and enhances the fecundity of its female host. We also demonstrated that w Gri potential influences reproductive communication between E. grisescens and Ectropis obliqua through CI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inaccuracy of anthropogenic emission inventories on a high-resolution scale due to insufficient basic data is one of the major reasons for the deviation between air quality model and observation results. A bottom-up approach, which is a typical emission inventory estimation method, requires a lot of human labor and material resources, whereas a top-down approach focuses on individual pollutants that can be measured directly as well as relying heavily on traditional numerical modeling. Lately, the deep neural network approach has achieved rapid development due to its high efficiency and nonlinear expression ability. In this study, we proposed a novel method to model the dual relationship between an emission inventory and pollution concentrations for emission inventory estimation. Specifically, we utilized a neural-network-based comprehensive chemical transport model (NN-CTM) to explore the complex correlation between emission and air pollution. We further updated the emission inventory based on back-propagating the gradient of the loss function measuring the deviation between NN-CTM and observations from surface monitors. We first mimicked the CTM model with neural networks (NNs) and achieved a relatively good representation of the CTM, with similarity reaching 95 %. To reduce the gap between the CTM and observations, the NN model suggests updated emissions of NO x , NH 3 , SO 2 , volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and primary PM 2.5 changing, on average, by - 1.34 %, - 2.65 %, - 11.66 %, - 19.19 % and 3.51 %, respectively, in China for 2015. Such ratios of NO x and PM 2.5 are even higher (∼ 10 %) in regions that suffer from large uncertainties in original emissions, such as Northwest China. The updated emission inventory can improve model performance and make it closer to observations. The mean absolute error for NO 2 , SO 2 , O 3 and PM 2.5 concentrations are reduced significantly (by about 10 %–20 %), indicating the high feasibility of NN-CTM in terms of significantly improving both the accuracy of the emission inventory and the performance of the air quality model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of financial market development on the allocation of agricultural factors in China, using national household-level survey data from 2010 to 2014. Our empirical results show the following: (1) the prices of capital and labor are negatively distorted, whereas the price of land is positively distorted; (2) the east region of China has the lowest efficiency of agricultural factor allocation; (3) the breadth of financial market development improves the agricultural factor allocation in all three regions in China, whereas the depth of financial market development only enhances the agricultural factor allocation in the west region of China. Our study presents the very first microlevel evidence on the extent of agricultural factor misallocation in China. Moreover, our results inform policymakers' choice of prioritizing whether the breadth or the depth of the financial market alleviates agricultural factor misallocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: α-thalassemia is relatively endemic in Guizhou province of southwestern China. To predict the clinical manifestations of α-globin gene aberration for genetic counseling, we examined the prevalence of the α-globin triplication and the genotype–phenotype correlation in this subpopulation Methods: A cohort of 7644 subjects was selected from nine ethnicities covering four regions in Guizhou province of China. Peripheral blood was collected from each participant for routine blood testing and hemoglobin electrophoresis. PCR-DNA sequencing and Gap-PCR were used to identify the thalassemia gene mutations. Chi-square tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to statistically analyze the data. Results: We found that the frequency of α-globin triplication in Guizhou province was 0.772% (59/7644). Genotypically, the αααanti4.2/αα accounted for 0.523% (40/7644), the αααanti3.7/αα for 0.235% (18/7644), and the αααanti3.7/–SEA for 0.013% (1/7644). The αααanti4.2/αα is more prevalent than the αααanti3.7/αα in Guizhou. In addition, the frequency of the HKαα/αα (that by GAP-PCR is like αααanti4.2/-α3.7) was 0.235% (18/7644). Ethnically, the Tujia group presented the highest prevalence (2.47%) of α-globin triplication. Geographically, the highest frequency of the α-globin triplication was identified in Qiannan region (2.23%). Of the triplicated α-globin cases, 5 coinherited with heterozygote β-thalassemia and presented various clinical manifestations of anemia. Conclusions: These data will be used to update the Chinese triplicated α-globin thalassemia database and provide insights into the pathogenesis of thalassemia. These findings will be helpful for the diagnosis of thalassemia and future genetic counseling in those regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Detailed descriptions of the patterns of disease progression of deceased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients have not been well explored. Objectives: This study sought to explore disease progression patterns and risk factors associated with mortality of deceased patients with COVID‐19. Materials and Methods: Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and imaging data (from 15 January to 26 March 2020) of laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 patients were collected retrospectively from two hospitals, Hubei province, China. Disease progression patterns of patients were analyzed based on laboratory data, radiological findings, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Risk factors associated with death were analyzed. Results: A total of 792 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 68 died and 724 survived. Complications during hospitalization, such as sepsis, severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute cardiac injury, and acute kidney injury, were markedly more frequent in deceased patients than in surviving patients. Deceased patients presented progressive deterioration pattern in laboratory variables, chest computed tomography evaluation, and SOFA score, while surviving patients presented initial deterioration to peak level involvement followed by improvement pattern over time. Days 10 to 14 after illness onset was a critical stage of disease course. Older age, number of preexisting comorbidities ≥2, and SOFA score were independently associated with death for COVID‐19. Conclusions: Multiorgan dysfunction was common in deceased COVID‐19 patients. Deceased patients presented progressive deterioration pattern, while surviving patients presented a relatively stable pattern during disease progression. Older age, number of preexisting comorbidities ≥2, and SOFA score were independent risk factors for death for COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cymbidium faberi Rolfe (Orchidaceae) is an herbaceous plant native to China, where it has a long history of cultivation owing to its beautiful flower pattern and floral fragrance. Previously, we conducted a transcriptome analysis of the flower and vegetative buds to elucidate the mechanisms of flower development in C. faberi. In the present study, we found nine secondary metabolic pathways through the KEGG pathway database that were related to the biosynthesis of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and other volatile organic compounds. qRT-PCR was performed to analyze the expression levels of four key genes in the MeJA pathway. Among these, CfJMT (jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase) had higher transcript levels in sepals, petals and labella than in other tissues. CfJMT was cloned from the petals of full-bloom flowers of C. faberi. The predicted CfJMT protein sequence contains conserved jasmonic acid methyl transferase-7 domains, indicating that it belongs to the SABATH protein family. The CfJMT coding sequence driven by the CaMV35S promoter was successfully transformed into Petunia hybrida through an Agrobacterium -mediated method. Although MeJA could not be detected in either wild-type or transgenic petunia plants, the leaves of the transgenic plants were smaller than those of wild-type plants and pollen development was abnormal. These results indicate that heterologous expression of CfJMT may change the levels of endogenous jasmonic acid and other hormones, but that the content of MeJA is not increased significantly by transformation with CfJMT alone. Thus, other related genes and regulation factors may play important roles in this process. • CfJMT , a methyl jasmonate synthesis gene, is differentially expressed in floral and vegetative buds of Cymbidium faberi Rolfe. • CfJMT contains conserved jasmonic acid methyl transferase-7 domains, indicating that it belongs to the SABATH protein family. • The content of MeJA is not increased significantly by transformation with CfJMT alone in petunia. • Heterologous expression of the CfJMT affects leaf development and causes significant pollen abortion in petunia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to do a national survey on the population-based incidence of calcaneal fracture in China. Methods: All the data on calcaneal fractures were available from the China National Fracture Survey (CNFS) between January and May in 2015. And in the CNFS, all eligible household members were sampled from 8 provinces, 24 urban cities and 24 rural counties in China, using stratified random sampling and the probability proportional to size method. Questionnaires were sent to every participant for data collection and quality control was accomplished by our research team members. Results: A total of 512187 valid questionnaires were collected and relevant data were abstracted and analyzed. There were 59 patients with 62 calcaneal fractures occurring in 2014, indicating that the incidence was 11.5/100,000 person-years, 17.3/100,000 in males, and 5.5/100,000 in females. BMI ≥ 28.0 kg/m2, scarce meat consumption, smoking, alcohol consumption, average sleep time < 7 h/day, and previous history of fracture were identified as independent risk factors for calcaneal fracture. Conclusions: Specific public health policies focusing on quitting smoking, decreasing alcohol consumption, and encouraging individuals to obtain sufficient sleep should be implemented. Reasonable meat consumption and maintaining a normal body weight should be emphasized in individuals, especially in those with previous fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synergies and trade-offs are found between several ES pairs based on their PPFs. • Relationships between landscape patterns and multiple ESs are revealed. • Patch shape complexity has a positive contribution to multiple ESs supply. • Landscape contagion does not necessarily promote multiple ESs provision. • Priority should be given to contrast between category diversity & adjacency diversity. Landscape patterns have a global impact on ecosystem services (ESs). Managing land to enhance the provision of multiple ESs is vital for ecological resilience and sustainable development. Identifying critical landscape patterns that simultaneously influence multiple ESs provision based on understanding ES trade-offs is needed. Our study aims to develop an approach to find the relationship between multiple ESs provision and landscape patterns, identify the critical landscape patterns that simultaneously promote multiple ESs provision, and give suggestions on land management based on an understanding of the relationships of ESs. Taking the central district of Wuhu City as an example, production possibility frontier (PPF) and Pareto ranks are used to identify relationships between ESs and extract the landscape pattern characteristics of samples that effectively enhance multiple ESs. Our analysis of trade-offs between ESs highlights the complexity of ES relationships and emphasizes the necessity for multi-dimensional investigative approaches. Landscape metrics of Mean Perimeter Area Ratio (PARA_MN), Coefficient of Variation of Perimeter (PERI_CV), Area-weighted Mean Fractal Dimension (FRAC_AM), and Relative Mutual Information (RELMUTINF) emerged as critical determinants of multiple ESs supply. Our findings suggest enhancing patch shape complexity when conducting land use planning to avoid homogenization and keeping differences between the diversity of land use categories and the diversity of adjacencies small. Also, we recommend caution in using high contagion as the only criterion for land use planning, as its effects may vary on different ES targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variation of groundwater properties caused by seawater intrusion, such as OH–, TDS, can potentially affect the groundwater Se levels. But there are no researches detailing the mechanism of groundwater selenium characteristics in seawater intrusion areas along coastal zones. Buzhuang town has been selected for study and groundwater is sampled to discuss the behavior of groundwater selenium with the intrusion of seawater. The groundwater Se levels range from 1.43 to 15.60 µg/L, with an average of 6.23 µg/L. All are within the limit of 10 µg/L except Wanglu village, but the local groundwater Se levels in 8 villages exceed the chronic criterion of 5 µg/L, and the Se levels in local groundwater are higher than those in the supplied water which has a non-seawater source. The groundwater Se levels have been shown to be elevated by seawater intrusion. The groundwater Se levels are positively correlated with Cl–, TDS, Br–, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Fe and negatively correlated with pH. Ion competition effects and the Na-Mg-sulfate minerals play an important role in the adsorption and desorption for and , which are the important dynamic species for groundwater selenium enrichment. However, Ca and Fe ions have less contribution to groundwater Se variation because of the lower affinity for and and lesser content in groundwater of seawater intrusion areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the incidence of low‐energy upper extremity fractures and identify the associated risk factors in Chinese people aged 50 years or older. Methods: This study was a part of the Chinese National Fracture Survey, which was performed between January and May 2015 and aimed to investigate the epidemiology of traumatic fractures in China in 2014. The China National Fracture Study (CNFS) was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (number ChiCTR‐EPR‐15005878). A stratified multistage cluster randomized sampling method was used to recruit subjects and the survey was conducted through a questionnaire. The relevant results have been published elsewhere. In the current study, 154 099 Chinese men and women aged 50 years or older were included for data collection and analysis. Low‐energy fractures were defined as fractures that were caused by simple falls from standing height. Individuals who had low‐energy upper extremity fractures were included in the case group and the remainder were included in the control group. Univariate and multivariate logistics regression analysis models were constructed to investigate the independent risk factors, after adjustment for confounding variables. Results: In total, 184 patients sustained low‐energy upper extremity fractures in 2014, indicating that the overall incidence was 119.4/100 000 persons, with 57.4 and 180.9/100 000 person‐years in men and women. Approximately 80% of fractures occurred at home and on the common road (other than high way). In men, alcohol consumption (OR, 2.12; 95%CI, 1.11–4.06), residence at ≥2nd floor without an elevator (OR, 2.86; 95%CI, 1.16–7.06), sleep duration<7 h/day (OR, 2.77; 95%CI, 1.42–5.37), and history of past fractures (OR, 3.10; 95%CI, 1.21–7.93) were identified as significant risk factors. In women, obesity (BMI ≥ 28.0) (OR, 1.86; 95%CI, 1.31–2.66), living in the central region in China (OR, 1.53; 95%CI, 1.01–2.31), living at a higher latitude (40°–49.9°N) (OR, 1.79; 95%CI, 1.02–3.14), alcohol consumption (OR, 2.40; 95%CI, 1.58–3.63), more births (OR, 1.45; 95%CI, 1.15–1.83), sleep duration <7 h/day (OR, 2.21; 95%CI, 1.53–3.20), and history of past fracture (OR, 2.70; 95%CI, 1.52–4.80) were identified as significant risk factors. Conclusion: Based on these results, health policies that focus on decreasing alcohol consumption and encouraging individuals to improve their quality and duration of sleep should be implemented in China. The significance of moving to a ground floor or to a building equipped with an elevator for men, and maintaining a healthy body weight for women should be emphasized to prevent upper extremity fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to do a national survey on the population-based incidence of patella fractures and related risk factors fracture in China.Methods: All the data on patella fractures were available from the China National Fracture Survey (CNFS) between January and May in 2015. And in the CNFS, all eligible household members were selected from 24 urban cities and 24 rural counties of eight provinces of China, with stratified random sampling and the probability proportional to size method used. Questionnaire was sent to every participant for data collection and quality control was accomplished by our research team members.Results: A total of 512,187 valid questionnaires were collected, and relevant data were abstracted. There were a total of 69 patients with 69 patella fractures that occurred in 2014, indicating that the incidence was 13.5 (95% CI, 10.3-16.7))/100,000 person-years. Slip, trip, or fall from standing height was the most common cause, leading to 69.6% (48/69) of patella factures, followed by traffic accidents (18.8%, 13/69). Home and road were the first two most common places, where 86.9% of the overall injuries occurred. Age of 45-64 and 65-74 years, alcohol consumption and previous history of fractures were identified as independent risk factors for patella fracture.Conclusions: Specific public health policies focusing on decreasing alcohol consumption should be implemented. Individuals aged 45-64 and 65-74 should pay more attention to bone mass density and prevention of falls, especially those with previous history of fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. More importantly, the mortality rates for cancer are increasing. In China, lung cancer, liver cancer and gastric cancer are the top three leading causes of mortality in males, whereas lung cancer, gastric cancer and liver cancer are ranked the top three causes of mortality in females. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that are produced and released by many different cells; these vesicles have a size range between 30 and 100 nm in diameter, and contain a lipid bilayer. Exosomes exist in various bodily fluids, contain plentiful amounts of nucleic acids and proteins, and shuttle these materials between cells to mediate the development of cancers. The present review summarizes the composition of exosomes and methods for their isolation and then intensively highlights the latest findings on the contributions of exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) and proteins to lung cancer, liver cancer and gastric cancer. Taken together, exosomal miRNAs and proteins may be used as noninvasive, novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, prognosis or precision treatment owing to their ability to promote tumor progression and metastasis, and their ability to regulate the immune response and tumor cell sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The literature lacks population-based epidemiologic studies on the incidence and risk factors for traumatic foot fractures. The purpose of this study was to update information concerning the incidence of foot fractures in China and to identify associated risk factors. Methods: All the data on foot fractures were available from the China National Fracture Survey (CNFS), which was conducted between January and May in 2015. A total of 8 provinces, 24 urban cities and 24 rural counties in China were selected, using stratified random sampling and the probability proportional to size method. Individuals who had lived in their current residence for 6 months or longer were personally interviewed about any foot fracture that had occurred in 2014. Questionnaires were completed by every participant for data collection and quality control was accomplished by our research team members. The information included age, gender, height, weight, ethnic group, education, occupation, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleeping time per day, dietary habits and others. Fracture was initially identified by patients' self report and further confirmed by their providing medical records. Results: A total of 512187 individuals participated in the CNFS. There were 201 patients with foot fractures in 2014. Mean age at the time of fracture was 45.4 years. The incidence rate of foot fractures was 39.2 (95%CI: 33.8–44.7)/100000/year. Fall and traffic accident were the most common causes for foot fractures and over 60% of these occurred at home or on the road. Alcohol consumption, history of previous fracture and average sleep time <7h/d were identified as independent risk factors for foot fractures both in males and females. Cigarette smoking was identified as a significant risk factor for foot fracture in males. For females, BMI >24 kg/m2 was a risk factor whilst living in the west region was associated with a lower incidence rate of foot fracture. Conclusions: The present study shows an incidence of 39.2/100000/year of foot fractures in China. Specific public health policies focusing on decreasing alcohol consumption and encouraging individuals to obtain sufficient sleep should be implemented. Females with a higher BMI should focus more on foot health care, especially in those with history of previous fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, preschool curriculum has undergone reform and profound changes. Much remains unknown, however, regarding preschool teachers’ teaching beliefs after 30 years of curriculum reform and adaptation. This study aimed to address the issue and investigate teachers’ beliefs concerning teaching mathematics. Twelve preschool teachers in China participated in the study: they watched videos of mathematics lessons conducted in the US and were interviewed with questions regarding the lessons. Qualitative analysis was then applied; themes were searched from the participants’ responses. The study revealed that Chinese preschool teachers acknowledged the features of (a) active learning, (b) involving every child, and (c) connecting lessons with everyday activities. However, they believed that their own teaching would be more purposeful: they would choose a specific content focus, use a series of steps, and make explicit summary at the end. The study also revealed Chinese preschool teachers’ solid specialized content knowledge in mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: This study aims to investigate the population-based incidence of clavicle fracture and the related risk factors in China.Methods: All the data on clavicle fractures were available from the China National Fracture Survey (CNFS) database performed in 2015. In the CNFS, all eligible household members were sampled from eight provinces, 24 urban cities, and 24 rural counties in China, using stratified random sampling and the probability proportional to size method. Questionnaires were sent to every participant for data collection. Information on age, gender, height, weight, ethnic group, education, professional, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleeping time per day, dietary habits, and others was collected. Fracture case was identified by patients' self report and further confirmation by medical data.Results: A total of 512,187 valid questionnaires were collected, and relevant data were extracted and analyzed. There were 89 patients with 89 clavicle fractures in 2014, indicating that the incidence was 17.4 (95%CI, 13.8-21.0) per 100,000 person-years. Traffic accidents and falls were the most predominant cause for clavicle factures, leading to 91.0% of all the injuries. Over 85% of them occurred on the road and at home. Age of 45-64, average sleep time < seven hours/day, smoking, alcohol consumption and history of previous fracture were identified as independent risk factors for clavicle fracture. Overweight (BMI, 24.0-27.9) was a significant protective factor, which was estimated to reduce 72% of the clavicle fractures, compared to normal BMI (18.5-23.9).Conclusions: Public health policies focusing on decreasing alcohol consumption, smoking cessation, and encouraging individuals to obtain sufficient sleep should be implemented. Middle-aged individuals with previous history of fracture should strengthen the awareness of prevention and health care and decrease risky activities to reduce the clavicle fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to verify the age-, gender- and Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) type-specific clinical characters of adult tibial plateau fractures in 83 hospitals in China and to investigate whether altitude has potential relationships with adult tibial plateau fractures.Methods: A retrospective investigation was performed on consecutive patients with tibial plateau fractures treated in 83 hospitals in China between January 2010 and December 2011, data including age, gender and imaging were collected retrospectively through the PACS system and case reports checking system, imaging were classified into six types under fully qualified estimation based on AO classification. To further investigate imparities among different altitudes in China, all data were classified into four groups according to the centre altitudes of each city, G1 = plains group (<500 m), G2 = hills group (500-1000 m), G3 = mountain areas group (1000-2000 m), and G4 = plateau group (>2000 m). Comparison of gender distribution, age distribution and AO type were done.Results: A total of 6,227 adult tibial plateau fractures were included. Men in the age range of 40-44 years were the most affected patients, and the overall high-risk injury type was 44-B. In four groups, the same peak age showed, namely, 40-44 years in males and 55-59 years in females. Age distribution showed no statistically significant difference in four groups (P > 0.05), while sex distribution and AO type indicated statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Note an inversion of sex ratio among people over 60 years.Conclusion: Our study showed that men in the 40-44 year age range are the most affected patients, and different sex distribution as well as injury type of adult tibial plateau fractures differed with various altitudes in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent years, air pollution has become a serious environmental problem with frequent occurrence of hazy days in many Chinese cities. In this study, a satellite-based method was developed to detect haze and its intensity for the Chinese city of Nanjing. This detection was based on the joint consideration of two indices, visibility, and relative humidity. They were determined from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-derived aerosol optical thickness, surface temperature, and precipitable water vapour data. Evaluated against the in situ measured results, haze and its intensity were found to be detected at a maximum accuracy of 81.7% and 60%, respectively. Of the two indices, visibility plays a more important role than relative humidity in affecting the detection accuracy. It is concluded that it is feasible to detect haze and its intensity from satellite data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nosocomial infections are the main adverse events during health care delivery. Hand hygiene is the fundamental strategy for the prevention of nosocomial infections. Microbial characteristics of nosocomial infections in the Asia-Pacific region have not been investigated fully. Correlation between the use of hand hygiene products and the incidence of nosocomial infections is still unknown. This study investigates the microbial characteristics of nosocomial infections in the Asia-Pacific region and analyzes the association between the utilization of hand hygiene products and the incidence of nosocomial infections.Patients and Methods: A total of 78,344 patients were recruited from a major tertiary hospital in China. Microbial characteristics of major types of nosocomial infections were described. The association between the utilization of hand hygiene products and the incidence of nosocomial infections was analyzed using correlation and regression models.Results: The overall incidence of nosocomial infections was 3.04%, in which the incidence of surgical site infection was 1%. Multi-drug resistance was found in 22.8% of all pathogens, in which multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were 56.6% and 54.9%, respectively. The utilization of hand hygiene products (including hand sanitizer, soap and paper towel) was associated negatively with the incidence of surgical site infection in surgical departments and the incidence of nosocomial infections in non-intensive care unit (ICU) departments (especially in surgical departments). Regression analysis further identified that higher utilization of hand hygiene products correlated with decreased incidence of major types of nosocomial infections.Conclusions: Multi-drug-resistant organisms are emerging in Asia-Pacific health care facilities. Utilization of hand hygiene products is associated with the incidence of nosocomial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded small RNAs (EBER1 and EBER2) are highly expressed in all forms of EBV latency in EBV-associated malignancies. EBER gene variations and their association with EBV-associated disease still remain poorly characterized. To investigate the patterns of EBER gene variations and their roles in tumorigenesis, EBER gene sequences were analyzed by nested-PCR and DNA sequencing in 101 lymphomas from Northern China, a non-nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) endemic area. In addition, EBV type 1 and type 2 classifications were made by using nested-PCR assays across type-specific regions in the EBNA2 gene. EB-6m was the dominant subtype (95.0%, 96/101) in lymphoma. The distribution of the EBER subtypes in the four lymphoma groups was not significantly different ( p > 0.05), neither was that of the EBNA2 type ( p > 0.05). Compared with previous data in the same area, the distribution of EBER subtypes in lymphoma was similar to that in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) and throat washing (TW) from healthy donors ( p > 0.05), but was significantly different from that of NPC. The EBNA2 type distribution between lymphoma and the other three groups was significantly different ( p < 0.05). The proportion of type 1 and type 2 dual infections was higher in lymphoma than that in GC, NPC and TW. The mutation 7123nt A → T was identified in 11 of 101 (10.9%, 11/101) lymphomas, significantly more than that in EBV-associated gastric carcinomas (EBVaGC) (0%, 0/50) and throat washings (TWs) from healthy donors (3.3%, 3/92) ( p < 0.05). These findings indicate that EBER subtypes may not be associated with pathogenesis of lymphoma, but that a point mutation at position 7123nt (A → T) provides a new area for further exploration. Furthermore it is necessary to investigate the role of EBNA2-subtype mixed infections in the establishment of lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking a power reactor in China as the object, the simulated actinides basaltic glasses were prepared by the solid-state melt method using Nd, Ce and La to simulate the actinides Am, Np and U. The XRD, SEM-EDX, XPS, Raman and DSC results show that the loading of the simulated actinides in basaltic glass can be up to 36 wt.%, and excess simulated actinides lead to oxyapatite crystals precipitation in the glasses; about half of Ce4+ in basaltic glasses is reduced to Ce3+; the simulated actinides may break Si-O bonds in glass networks, but overall there were no serious effects; the thermal stability of the basaltic glasses with the simulated actinides content increased first, and reduce when the content of more than 25 wt.%. All the samples have good leaching resistance and the leaching rates of Nd, Ce and La are 4 orders of magnitude lower than Si and Na. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the specific Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) polymorphisms from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and healthy donors in Southern China, and to explore the relationship between EBV genotypes and NPC. Methods: The EBNA-2 gene of 32 EBV-positive NPCs and 39 EBV-positive throat washing (TW) samples from healthy individuals from Southern China was analyzed using PCR and sequencing. Results: We found E2-A to be the predominant subtype in Southern China. The distribution of EBNA-2 subtypes between NPCs and TWs was significantly different (p < 0.01) and the E2-A subtype was overly represented in NPCs. Conclusions: E2-A is the predominant subtype in Southern China, and the distribution of EBNA-2 subtypes between NPCs and TWs is significantly different. In Southern China, the E2-A subtype is significantly more frequent in NPCs than TWs, and is also more common than in Northern China. This suggests that the E2-A subtype may play an important role in the pathogenesis of NPC and that EBNA-2 gene variations are tumor-specific polymorphisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A comprehensive measure of model predictability signature is developed. • A list of satellite, reanalysis and ground-based precipitation products is assessed. • BATEA excels MCMC for indirect measurements of precipitation in general. • Model predictability signature has potential on merging precipitation estimates. Quantifying and reducing the errors and uncertainties in high-resolution gridded precipitation products are essential for hydrological modelling to generate realistic parameter estimates and accurate model predictions. Formal Bayesian inference provides a powerful tool to quantify rainfall uncertainty and other uncertainty factors in hydrological modelling. An efficient way to reduce rainfall uncertainty in hydrological modelling is to merge precipitation estimates from multiple sources prior to their real-world applications. However, it remains a challenging task to optimally determine the weightings of different precipitation estimates based on the predictive ability of a hydrological model, especially from a probabilistic perspective. This study addresses this issue by evaluating and merging six gridded precipitation products using formal Bayesian inference schemes, including the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach and Bayesian total error analysis (BATEA). MCMC describes the total predictive uncertainty using residual error models. In contrast, BATEA utilizes the storm depth multiplier approach to separately account for rainfall uncertainty in probabilistic uncertainty quantification. A novel signature of model predictability that combines the reliability and precision of probabilistic model predictions is developed to quantify the predictive ability of a hydrological model from precipitation estimates. Using the proposed predictability signature, we examined the benefit of optimally merging multi-source precipitation estimates in improving the accuracy of hydrologic simulations by applying the method to the Danjiangkou Reservoir region (DRR) between 1998 and 2007. The analysis demonstrates that (1) BATEA, compared to MCMC, can provide more realistic estimates of model parameters and tighter predictive intervals of daily streamflow when using rain gauge observations as well as gridded precipitation products; and (2) the proposed predictability signature is efficient for optimally merging precipitation measurements as it can produce tighter uncertainty bands and better streamflow simulations than individual precipitation estimates. This study provides insights into improved quantification and reduction of uncertainty in multi-source precipitation products for hydrological modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonaceous aerosols pose significant climatic impact, however, their sources and respective contribution to light absorption vary and remain poorly understood. In this work, filter-based PM 2.5 samples were collected in winter of 2021 at three urban sites in Yibin, a fast-growing city in the south of Sichuan Basin, China. The composition characteristics of PM 2.5 , light absorption and source of carbonaceous aerosol were analyzed. The city-wide average concentration of PM 2.5 was 87.4 ± 31.0 μg/m3 in winter. Carbonaceous aerosol was the most abundant species, accounting for 42.5% of the total PM 2.5. Source apportionment results showed that vehicular emission was the main source of PM 2.5 during winter, contributing 34.6% to PM 2.5. The light absorption of black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) were derived from a simplified two-component model. We apportioned the light absorption of carbonaceous aerosols to BC and BrC using the Least Squares Linear Regression with optimal angstrom absorption exponent of BC (AAE BC). The average absorption of BC and BrC at 405 nm were 51.6 ± 21.5 Mm−1 and 17.7 ± 8.0 Mm−1, respectively, with mean AAE BC = 0.82 ± 0.02. The contribution of BrC to the absorption of carbonaceous reached 26.1% at 405 nm. Based on the PM 2.5 source apportionment and the mass absorption cross-section (MAC) value of BrC at 405 nm, vehicle emission was found to be the dominant source of BrC in winter, contributing up to 56.4%. Therefore, vehicle emissions mitigation should be the primary and an effective way to improve atmospheric visibility in this fast-developing city. [Display omitted] • Carbonaceous aerosol was the dominate species of PM 2.5 during winter in Yibin city. • An improved AAE-based method was applied to evaluate aerosol light absorption. • The contribution of BrC to carbonaceous aerosol absorption at 405 nm was 26%. • Vehicle emission became the dominant source of BrC in this fast-growing city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) is the only viral protein expressed in all EBV-positive tumors as it is essential for the maintenance, replication and transcription of the virus genome. According to the polymorphism of residue 487 in EBNA1 gene, EBV isolates can be classified into five subtypes: P-ala, P-thr, V-val, V-leu and V-pro. Whether these EBNA1 subtypes contribute to different tissue tropism of EBV and are consequently associated with certain malignancies remain to be determined. To elucidate the relationship, one hundred and ten EBV-positive lymphoma tissues of different types from Northern China, a non-NPC endemic area, were tested for the five subtypes by nested-PCR and DNA sequencing. In addition, EBV type 1 and type 2 classification was typed by using standard PCR assays across type-specific regions of the EBNA3C genes. Four EBNA1 subtypes were identified: V-val (68.2%, 75/110), P-thrV (15.5%, 17/110), V-leuV (3.6%, 4/110) and P-ala (10.9%, 12/110). The distribution of the EBNA1 subtypes in the four lymphoma groups was not significantly different (p = 0.075), neither was that of the EBV type 1/type 2 (p = 0.089). Compared with the previous data of gastric carcinoma (GC), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and throat washing (TW) from healthy donors, the distribution of EBNA1 subtypes in lymphoma differed significantly (p = 0.016), with a little higher frequency of P-ala subtype. The EBV type distribution between lymphoma and the other three groups was significantly different (p = 0.000, p = 0.000, p = 0.001, respectively). The proportion of type 1 and type 2 mixed infections was higher in lymphoma than that in GC, NPC and TW. In lymphomas, the distribution of EBNA1 subtypes in the three EBV types was not significantly different (p = 0.546). These data suggested that the variation patterns of EBNA1 gene may be geographic-associated rather than tumor-specific and the role of EBNA1 gene variations in tumorigenesis needs more extensive and deep explorations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfated polysaccharides (GSP) were isolated from the cloned Grateloupia filicina which was cultured in Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China. The yield of GSP was 15.75%. The total sugar and sulfate were 40.90 and 19.89%, respectively. And the average molecular weight was 11.7 KDa. The results of neutral sugar analysis showed that GSP was mainly sulfated polysaccharides of galactose. The experiments for activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT) anticoagulant assays in vitro indicated that GSP was a good potential anticoagulant. Therefore, this study supplied new thought for the cloned Grateloupia filicina exploitation of high-value products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potash–lime silicate (K2O–CaO–SiO2) glass dated to the Warring States Periods is one of the earliest glass types that have been found in China, but scientific research about this type of glass is scarce at home and abroad. In the present study, a total of 23 potash–lime silicate glass samples of the Warring States Period, excavated from different areas of China, were analyzed noninvasively using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF). The chemical composition of these K2O–CaO–SiO2glasses was analyzed and compared with that of the potash silicate (K2O-SiO2) glasses of the Han Dynasties. The possible raw materials used to make the ancient K2O–CaO–SiO2glasses were discussed. It appears that the ancient K2O–CaO–SiO2glasses were produced in China and the potash glasses were of versatile origins. This research provides useful clues to trace the technical development of ancient Chinese glass. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A portable Raman spectrometer was used for the in situ nondestructive analysis of precious gemstone beads collected in the Han-Cultural Museum of Hepu county. These beads dated to the Han Dynasties (206 bc to 220 ad) were unearthed from the Hepu county, which was one of the important ancient ports along the Maritime Silk Road, Guangxi Province. Gemstone beads made of beryl group minerals (e.g. aquamarine, goshenite and heliodor) and almandine, which had formerly been mistakenly regarded as coloured quartz beads, were successfully identified. These beryl beads were the earliest known ones ever found in China. In addition, some beads made of amethyst, chalcedony and citrine were also determined. Referred to the research results reported for other artefacts from Hepu county and other places, the possible provenances of these gemstone beads are discussed briefly. The present research provides valuable information for the early trade between south China and South Asia through the Maritime Silk Road. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern China was hit by a severe dust storm on 15 March 2021, covering a large area and bring devastating impact to a degree that was unprecedented in more than a decade. In the study, we carried out a day-and-night continuous monitoring to the path of the moving dust, using multi-spectral data from the Chinese FY-4A satellite combined with the Japanese Himawary-8 from visible to near-infrared, mid-infrared and far-infrared bands. We monitored the whole process of the dust weather from the occurrence, development, transportation and extinction. The HYSPLIT(Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) backward tracking results showed the following two main sources of dust affecting Beijing during the north China dust storm: one is from western Mongolia; the other is from arid and semi-arid regions of northwest of China. Along with the dust storm, the upper air mass, mainly from Siberia, brought a significant decrease in temperature. The transport path of the dust shown by the HYSPLIT backward tracking is consistent with that revealed by the satellite monitoring. The dust weather, which originated in western Mongolia, developed into the "3.15 dust storm" in north China, lasting more than 40 h, with a transport distance of 3900 km, and caused severe decline in air quality in northern China, the Korean peninsula and other regions. It is the most severe dust weather in the past 20 years in east Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A decision-making model assessing carbon capture, utilization, and storage risks. • Economic, social, environmental, governance, and technical indicators are assessed. • Fuzzy and linguistic rationales are integrated into the risk assessment model. • Experts' preferences are distinguishable and interconvertible in the assessment. • The model's effectiveness is validated by technology and site selection scenarios. Climate change exacerbated by carbon emissions is a major challenge faced by countries worldwide. China has envisioned achieving a carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), an emerging technology, is capable of reducing carbon emissions. Existing theoretical research has paid little attention to comprehensive risk assessments for CCUS projects from a sustainability viewpoint. Therefore, this study formalizes an integrated decision-making model for the risk assessment of CCUS projects. An indicator system consisting of environmental, social, economic, governance and technological sustainability dimensions was developed to assess the risk of CCUS projects. Furthermore, a multiattribute group decision-making process was modeled in intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) and linguistic (LIN) environments, both of which are interconvertible. To automate the risk assessment process for different CCUS project contexts, an integrated decision prototype programmed in Microsoft Excel 2016 was designed. Then, two case studies from the Shengli Power Plant CCUS project were conducted to validate the integrated decision-making model. A risk assessment table and risk assessment chart were leveraged to analyze, visualize, and rank the decision alternatives according to their risk performance. The results show that the post-combustion capture technology is selected as the optimal alternative option in three capture technologies; Of the four storage sites, site A is selected as the optimal alternative option. The result of carbon capture technology is in line with the real decision made by Shengli Power Plant, which proves the validity of the model. The optimal option is the same in both IF and LIN environments, which shows the consistency of the model. Theoretically, an integrated decision-making model not only contributes to assessing the risk of CCUS projects through the lens of sustainable development but advances group decision-making modeling by identifying experts' preferences for obtaining effective evaluation results. Practically, this study could help stakeholders comprehensively and promptly evaluate the risk performance of CCUS projects before making development decisions regarding sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castanea species have enormous potential for broad applications in the biomedical sciences and chemical wood industries. Due to the occurrence of fungal diseases, especially chestnut blight, the survival status of Castanea plants is seriously threatened. Castanea plants in China have natural tolerance to chestnut blight. This study investigated the genetic diversity and chestnut blight resistance of Castanea plants in China and searched for germplasm with high tolerance resistance. Cluster and population structure analysis revealed that wild Castanea plants in China could be divided into three groups with significant interspecific boundary, C. henryi var. omeiensis is located between C. mollissima and C. henryi var. henryi. The ABBA-BBAA test showed that significant gene introgression occurred between C. mollissima and C. henryi in Mount Emei, supporting the conclusion that C. henryi var. omeiensis as a natural hybrid resource. The results of disease resistance evaluation showed that the tolerance of wild C. mollissima to chestnut blight was the highest and significantly higher than that of wild C. henryi and C. seguinii. In particular, there is a strong association between disease tolerance in C. henryi var. omeiensis and the level of genetic introgression from C. mollissima. Then, the rIBD fragments of C. henryi var. omeiensis derived from C. mollissima were analyzed to reveal the source of disease resistance using whole genome resequencing data. A total of 203 rIBD segments containing 435 genes were identified. Finally, 41 candidate genes for chestnut blight resistance were selected through multiple omics. In conclusion, this study investigated a type of interspecific disease-resistant hybrid resources, identified a set of candidate genes for chestnut blight resistance, and provided new strategies for disease-resistant breeding of chestnut resources in the future. • The tolerance of wild Castanea including three species to chestnut blight in China was evaluated. • It was confirmed that C. henryi var. omeiensis was an interspecific hybrid with high tolerance to chestnut blight. • A total of 203 rIBD segments and 41 candidate disease resistance genes were identified to enable next-generation precision breeding of chestnuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Field monitoring system to recorded temperature features of practical railway lines. • FE model for thermal analysis of slab track system validated by in-situ measurement. • Temperature features of asphalt supporting layer over a year. • Parametric study to analysis effects of meteorological parameters. Recently, asphalt supporting layer (ASL) has been adopted as a novel technology to waterproof subgrade and increase stability of slab track in China. Asphalt concrete is a typical thermal sensitive material and its mechanical properties are very susceptible to temperature conditions, which makes it very brittle at low temperature and easy to suffer from deformation at high temperature. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the temperature features of ASL in slab track during its service life. In this paper, the temperature distribution within ASL was studied by combining field recorded data and numerical simulation, and the effects of meteorological factors including air temperature, solar radiation, and wind speed were numerically studied with emphasis. The results show that the temperature within ASL distributed non-uniformly along the cross section of ASL, and the temperature of the area directly underneath the track slab was much more stable than other areas exposed to the air. The variation of meteorological factors including air temperatures, solar radiation and wind speed has significant effects on the temperature of ASL, but it takes hours for the change of meteorological factors to be seen within ASL. There is a linear relation between the change of ASL temperature and the variation of air temperature and solar radiation incident, but the influence of wind speed decreases with the increasing of wind speed. Meanwhile, the temperature of ASL is more susceptible to solar radiation and wind speed in summer, and it is more easily affected by air temperature in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a precursor of ozone (O 3) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) largely derive from natural sources, which may vary with future climate change patterns. In this study, the emissions and impacts of biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) were projected into summertime of the 2050s (average for 2048–2052) for China using the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) and the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) driven by future meteorological fields simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) for two future climate scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Surface temperatures were projected to increase by 0.18 K yr−1 and 0.34 K yr−1 under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Such increases in future surface temperatures will increase BVOC emissions, as emissions of isoprene and monoterpene (accounting for 77.73% of all BVOCs in China at the current time) are projected to increase by 11.13% and 25.20% under the two RCP scenarios in the 2050s, respectively. Consequently, such increases in BVOCs will also have considerable impacts on concentrations of O 3 and SOA. BVOCs contribute 10.11% of O 3 and 62.59% of SOA concentrations in eastern China at current time. Under the RCP8.5 scenario, climate-driven BVOC changes will enhance O 3 and SOA concentrations by 0.90% and 7.33% in eastern China from current to the 2050s and account for 31.83% and 52.80% of total O 3 and SOA changes, respectively, on average across five typical regions. Such increases in O 3 and SOA concentrations resulting from climate-driven BVOC changes decline considerably under the RCP4.5 scenario to less than 0.80% and 6.50%, respectively, implying that climate mitigation can facilitate air pollution control by alleviating an increase in BVOCs. • BVOCs contribute 10.11% of O 3 and 62.59% of SOA concentrations in eastern China. • Considerable BVOC impacts are observed in regions with high anthropogenic emissions. • BVOC emissions in China are projected to increase by 24.17% in the 2050s. • Climate-driven BVOCs is a non-negligible pathway which impacts air quality. • Mitigating climate change can reduce the increase in BVOC-contributed O 3 and SOA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]