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Based on the panel data of 30 provinces from 2011-2021, the tenacity of Chinese pig feed industry chain was measured by the entropy method, and the current development situation and regional characteristics of the tenacity of pig feed industry chain were analyzed. A bidirectional fixed effect model was used to explore the influencing factors of the resilience of Chinese pig feed industry chain. The restults showed that during the research period, the toughness of Chinese pig feed industry chain rose slowly, and showed a cyclical rising trend with the appearance of pig cycle. Based on a dimensional perspective, the improvement of the resilience of Chinese pig feed industry chain mainly benefits from the effective improvement of basic strength and resistance. From a regional perspective, the most resilient pig feed industry chain in China is in sustainable production areas, followed by restricted production areas, core production areas, and finally suitable production areas. From the perspective of influencing factors, the economic development level, technological innovation level, financial development level, and transportation convenience all had a significant role in improving the toughness of Chinese pig feed industry chain. The study indicates that exploring the practical path to enhance the resilience of Chinese pig feed industry chain can provide useful reference for accelerating the construction of a new pattern of Chinese pig feed industry chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper probes into the market efficiency and relevant issues of copper options, the first industrial options product launched in China and currently the only non-ferrous metals option. Since its listing on 21 September 2018, the copper options market, developing on the fast track, has become the largest copper options market in the world, and thus it is of important meaning to study its market efficiency. Taking the data of China's copper options market from its debut to 30 April 2022 as a sample, this paper studies the efficiency of this market using three typical risk-free arbitrages such as put-call-future parity arbitrage, box spread arbitrage, and boundary arbitrage strategies. To better reflect the actual situation, this paper, when establishing options arbitrage strategy models, not only took into account various actual trading factors such as transaction costs, market impact costs, liquidity costs, margin, and capital opportunity costs but also combined daily and high-frequency data to present highly practical arbitrage strategies. According to empirical results, there are few arbitrage opportunities with a very low proportion when actual trading factors were considered. Overall, no evidence was found to prove that China's copper options market significantly violates the market efficiency rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eutrophication of lakes is a global environmental problem. Regulating nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) on phytoplankton is considered to be the most important basis of lake eutrophication management. Therefore, the effects of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) on phytoplankton and its role in mitigating lake eutrophication have often been overlooked. In this study, the relationships between phytoplankton and DIC concentrations, carbon isotopic composition, nutrients (N and P), and hydrochemistry in the Erhai Lake (a karst lake) were investigated. The results showed that when the dissolved carbon dioxide (CO 2(aq)) concentrations in the water were higher than 15 µmol/L, the productivity of phytoplankton was controlled by the concentrations of TP and TN, especially by that of TP. When the N and P were sufficient and the CO 2(aq) concentrations were lower than 15 µmol/L, the phytoplankton productivity was controlled by the concentrations of TP and DIC, especially by that of DIC. Additionally, DIC significantly affected the composition of the phytoplankton community in the lake (p <0.05). When the CO 2(aq) concentrations were higher than 15 µmol/L, the relative abundance of Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta was much higher than those of harmful Cyanophyta. Thus, high concentrations of CO 2(aq) can inhibit harmful Cyanophyta blooms. During lake eutrophication, when controlling N and P, an appropriate increase in CO 2(aq) concentrations by land-use changes or pumping of industrial CO 2 into water may reduce the proportion of harmful Cyanophyta and promote the growth of Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta , which may provide effectively assist in mitigating water quality deterioration in surface waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehensive reform in graduate education of Zhejiang University for a professional degree in clinical medicine accommodates the demand of both the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health of China for educational reform by putting forward a "5+3" pattern, an innovative training pattern for this degree. The pattern focuses on innovation in training talent as well as reform of the administrative mechanism. It advances the organic link between student cultivation and standardized training for residents, and it facilitates the tight connection between professional training and occupational qualifications.

Background: As populations age, cancer burden becomes increasingly conspicuous. This study quantified the cancer burden of the elderly (≥ 60 years) in China, based on the China Cancer Registry Annual Report to provide epidemiological evidence for cancer prevention and control. Methods: Data on cancer cases and deaths among the elderly aged ≥ 60 years were collected from the China Cancer Registry Annual Report, 2008–2019. Potential years of life lost (PYLL) and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) were calculated to analyze fatalities and the non-fatal burden. The time trend was analyzed using the Joinpoint model. Results: From 2005 to 2016, the PYLL rate of cancer in the elderly was stable between 45.34‰ and 47.62‰, but the DALY rate for cancer decreased at an average annual rate of 1.18% (95% CI: 0.84–1.52%). The non-fatal cancer burden in the rural elderly was higher than that of the urban elderly. Lung, gastric, liver, esophageal, and colorectal cancers were the main cancers causing the cancer burden in the elderly, and accounted for 74.3% of DALYs. The DALY rate of lung cancer in females in the 60–64 age group increased (annual percentage change [APC] = 1.14%, 95% CI: 0.10–1.82%). Female breast cancer was one of the top five cancers in the 60–64 age group, with DALY rates that also increased (APC = 2.17%, 95% CI: 1.35–3.01%). With increasing age, the burden of liver cancer decreased, while that of colorectal cancer rose. Conclusions: From 2005 to 2016, the cancer burden in the elderly in China decreased, mainly reflected in the non-fatal burden. Female breast and liver cancer were a more serious burden in the younger elderly, while colorectal cancer burden was mainly observed in the older elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High myopia (HM) is a leading cause of visual impairment in the world. To expand the genotypic and phenotypic spectra of HM in the Chinese population, we investigated genetic variations in a cohort of 113 families with nonsyndromic early-onset high myopia from northwestern China by whole-exome sequencing, with focus on 17 known genes. Sixteen potentially pathogenic variants predicted to affect protein function in eight of seventeen causative genes for HM in fifteen (13.3%) families were revealed, including seven novel variants, c.767 + 1G > A in ARR3, c.3214C > A/p.H1072N, and c.2195C > T/p.A732V in ZNF644, c.1270G > T/p.V424L in CPSF1, c.1918G > C/p.G640R and c.2786T > G/p.V929G in XYLT1, c.601G > C/p.E201Q in P4HA2; six rare variants, c.799G > A/p.E267K in NDUFAF7, c.1144C > T/p.R382W in TNFRSF21, c.1100C > T/p.P367L in ZNF644, c.3980C > T/p.S1327L in CPSF1, c.145G > A/p.E49K and c.325G > T/p.G109W in SLC39A5; and three known variants, c.2014A > G/p.S672G and c.3261A > C/p.E1087D in ZNF644, c.605C > T/p.P202L in TNFRSF21. Ten of them were co-segregated with HM. The mean (± SD) examination age of these 15 probands was 14.7 (± 11.61) years. The median spherical equivalent was − 9.50 D (IQ − 8.75 ~ − 12.00) for the right eye and − 11.25 D (IQ − 9.25 ~ − 14.13) for the left eye. The median axial length was 26.67 mm (IQ 25.83 ~ 27.13) for the right eye and 26.25 mm (IQ 25.97 ~ 27.32) for the left eye. These newly identified genetic variations not only broaden the genetic and clinical spectra, but also offer convincing evidence that the genes ARR3, NDUFAF7, TNFRSF21, and ZNF644 contribute to hereditable HM. This work improves further understanding of molecular mechanism of HM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses how Han buyers' perception of and desire for the qualia—sensuous qualities—of Pu'er tea affects how ethnic minority producers perceive and make the tea. As a defining aspect of the consumers' experiences with ancient Pu'er tea, these qualia were invented and emphasised as part of the elite Chinese tea culture by Han traders and consumers. While the Bulang people's traditional way of making and using Pu'er tea related more to its economic and symbolic values than to its perceived effects on the body, in response to China's rapid marketisation they had to learn to sense the qualia rooted in a Han lexicon and philosophy and then acquire new skills to produce them. The paper argues that sensorial experience as a cultural dimension of tea has created new layers within Bulang people's encounters with the modern market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gejiu ore district (~ 3.2 Mt Sn) is located in eastern Yunnan Province, southwest China, and is one of the largest Sn polymetallic ore districts in the world. Athough it has been widely studied, the petrogenesis of ore-related granites is still unclear. In this paper, we present petrological, geochemical, and geochronological data on the granites associated with the Kafang Cu–Sn deposit in the Gejiu ore district (65 Mt Cu ore at a grade of 1.2% and 32 Mt Sn ore at a grade of 0.6%). We use these data to constrain the source, evolution, oxygen fugacity, and tectonic setting of the granitic magmatism. Zircon U–Pb dating yielded an age of 82.8 ± 0.6 Ma for the Kafang granite. The high zircon δ18O values (7.45–9.74‰; mean = 8.80‰) and narrow range of εNd(t) values (–9.0 to –7.7) of the Kafang granite indicate a highly evolved S-type granite derived by partial melting of metamorphic basement rocks of the Jiangnan orogenic belt. Rayleigh fractional crystallization modeling, along with the increase in Hf and Sn contents and decrease in Eu/Eu* values of zircons, record extensive fractional crystallization, and Sn enrichment during magmatic evolution. The Kafang granite was relatively reduced, as evidenced by low zircon Ce/Ce* (10.0–366; mean = 171), (Ce/Nd)N (0.76–8.32; mean = 4.41), △FMQ (–2.5 to 1.2) values, and Fe3+-depleted biotite compositions (Fe3+/(Fe3+ + Fe2+) = 0–0.10), which were favorable for Sn mineralization but not for Cu mineralization. Copper in the Kafang deposit may not have been derived from the granite. Our results suggest that biotite and zircon geochemical compositions, particularly biotite Mg# and A/CNK values and zircon Hf contents, Eu anomalies, and Ce/Ce* and (Ce/Nd)N ratios, are robust tracers of different types of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits (i.e., Cu, Mo, W, and Sn). Late Cretaceous magmatism in the Gejiu region and other areas along the southern margin of South China formed an E–W-trending igneous belt that was likely related to northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan plate rather than northwestward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiong'an New Area, located in the middle of the North China Plain, will have been built as a "city of the future." Urban planning and construction need to comprehensively consider the constraints of hydrogeological conditions such as aquifer structure and parameters. As the main aquifer in this area, the paleo-channel is heterogeneous and anisotropic, and the two-dimensional hydraulic conductivity in each horizontal direction cannot be obtained from aquifer tests. Therefore, this study adopts a chemical kinetics method to calculate the ionic activity and mineral saturation indices of shallow groundwater, determine the groundwater chemical potential field, and construct a horizontal two-dimensional groundwater chemical kinetics model. This model is used to calculate the hydraulic conductivity, flow rate and retention time of groundwater in areas of different chemical kinetics, as well as evaluate horizontal heterogeneity of the Quaternary paleo-channel aquifer. The results indicate that the groundwater chemical potential field can reflect the characteristics of the groundwater seepage field in each horizontal direction. The paleo-channel is the main channel of groundwater circulation, which shows the statistical difference of its permeability. Alluvial and lacustrine strata affect groundwater circulation due to their different hydrogeological structures and permeability. The groundwater chemical kinetics results of hydraulic conductivity along the paleo-channel are approximately consistent with traditional hydrogeological calculation results derived from aquifer test data. Hydraulic conductivity is higher in the extension direction of the paleo-channel, and lower if the path crosscuts multiple paleo-channels. This feature can be used to build a hydrogeological structure model combined with drilling data. Furthermore, excessive groundwater exploitation will change the actual flow rate and retention time of groundwater, thereby affecting the groundwater circulation conditions. This study of groundwater circulation in Xiong'an New Area by means of chemical kinetics makes up for the deficiency in the study of the unconsolidated sedimentary aquifer anisotropy within the paleo-channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to intuitively analyze and clearly understand the effect of industrial structure adjustment of the marine economy in recent years in China, modeling and empirical research on industrial structure adjustment of the marine economy are carried out. Three comparisons of marine economic industrial structure and per capita output value coefficient of the marine industry are selected as scientific measurement indexes, the ratio of regional entropy to the output value of marine scientific research management service industry is selected as the height analysis index, and the econometric model is constructed according to the influence of the scientificity and advancement of marine economic industrial structure on marine economic GDP. Based on the empirical analysis of the relevant economic data of China's marine industry from 2008 to 2018, the model variable stationarity test and least squares regression analysis showed that the fitting degree of the model was good and significant; with every 1% increase in the scientificity and height of marine economic industrial structure adjustment, the marine economy increased by 1.88% and 2.80%, respectively. The development of marine science and technology can promote the rise of the marine economy. According to the model, the adjustment strategy of the marine economy industrial structure is made to further promote the development of the marine economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of central nervous system (CNS) tumors in children, based on the neurosurgery department of Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Methods: From January 2015 to December 2019, 3180 children were histopathologically diagnosed with CNS tumors based on the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors. Patients were 0 to 15 years old. We analyzed age-related gender preferences, tumor locations, and the histological grades of the tumors. In addition, the epidemiological characteristics of the five most common intracranial tumors were compared to the previous studies. Results: In this study, intracranial and spinal tumors account for 96.4% (3066) and 3.6% (114) of all tumors, with a preponderance of supratentorial tumors (57.9%). Among all pediatric patients, low-grade tumors comprise 67.1% (2 135). The integral gender ratio of males to females is 1.47: 1 and the average age of patients is 7.59 years old. The five most common intracranial tumors are craniopharyngioma (15.4%), medulloblastoma (14.3%), pilocytic astrocytoma (11.8%), diffuse astrocytoma (9.8%), and anaplastic ependymoma (4.8%). Conclusions: Due to the lack of national data on childhood brain tumors, we used a large nationally representative population sample based on the largest pediatric neurosurgery center in China. We analyzed the data of the past 5 years, reflecting the incidence of CNS tumors in Chinese children to a certain extent, and laying a data foundation for subsequent clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of China's "double carbon" goal, it is essential to better understand the carbon accounting and control factors in complex terrain areas. Guizhou Province, as one of the provinces with the most typical karst landform development in Southwest China, has been regarded as an important carbon pool. Nevertheless, it is not clear how the change in soil organic carbon density (SOCD) is influenced by the combined effects of natural factors and human activities at the provincial scale. This study used geostatistical methods to explore the spatial pattern of SOCD, and the factors affecting SOCD were analyzed using classical statistics, correlation analysis, random forest model, and structural equation model methods. Additionally, soil organic carbon (SOC) storage under typical land use types in Guizhou Province was also estimated. The results showed that the SOCD of two soil layers (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) in Guizhou Province had medium-intensity variation. Spatially, SOCD displayed a distribution pattern of high values in the west and low values in the north and south. The SOC storage (0–20 cm) of woodland, arable land, garden land and grassland in Guizhou Province was 476.47 Tg C, 139.8 Tg C, 22.53 Tg C, and 7.66 Tg C, respectively. Altitude had the greatest indirect effect on SOCD at the two soil depths. Human disturbance and light intensity directly impacted SOCD at only 0–10 cm soil depth. Slope position, slope and mean annual precipitation indirectly affected SOCD through human disturbance. Our research provides a reliable reference value for the in-depth understanding of the regional carbon cycle and the formulation and implementation of regional carbon sink strategies. • Spatial pattern of SOCD in Guizhou Province was studied. • The total SOC storage of topsoil in Guizhou Province was estimated. • The relationship between SOCD and influencing factors was analyzed. • Controlling factors affecting the SOCD level were determined. • The influence paths of various factors on SOCD were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of significance to elucidate the groundwater quality and hydrogeochemical processes for sustainable utilization of groundwater resources in water shortage regions. A total of 256 groundwater samples were collected in typical watersheds in Zhangjiakou, northern China. The hydrochemical parameters, conventional ions, and trace elements were measured, and δD and δ18O data were collected to delineate the groundwater quality and hydrogeochemical processes. The results showed that 32.91% of the groundwater could be directly used for drinking water sources in the Bashang Plateau, north of the study area. The F− and NO3−-N were the main parameters above the standard threshold for drinking water. In contrast, the groundwater quality in the Baxia River Basins, south of the study area, was of a better scenario. Nonetheless, high concentrations of F−, total hardness, and SO42− were still observed. Most samples in the Bashang Plateau had relatively higher salinity than the Baxia River Basins. Both surface water and groundwater in the study area originated from local meteoric water with considerable hydraulic connections. The high-fluoride groundwater was primarily formed by dissolution of fluoride-rich minerals under conditions of high pH and Na+, low Ca2+, and rich in HCO3−. The dissolution of carbonate and silicate minerals accompanied by strong cation exchange and weak evaporation was the dominant water-rock interaction affecting the hydrochemical composition of groundwater, and anthropogenic NO3− input had an extra influence on hydrochemical process. This study provides a scientific guideline for the protection and allocation of local groundwater resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Late-life suicide is a severe public health problem in rural China; however, knowledge regarding the specific characteristics and risk factors for completed suicide via violent and non-violent methods among elderly individuals in rural China is limited. Methods: Subjects aged 60 years or older were selected from rural areas in Shandong, Hunan, and Guangxi provinces in China. This study was a 1:1 matched case-control design conducted by using the psychological autopsy method. Results: According to the univariate analyses, the presence of mental disorder, higher degree of depression, loneliness, lack of social support, hopelessness, impulsivity, and increased quantity of life events were associated with suicide in both violent and non-violent methods. For violent suicide, another risk factor was the lack of pesticides at home. For non-violent suicide, other risk factors were not currently married, family suicide history, and alcohol use disorder (P < 0.05). Variables that remained in the logistic regression model were the severity of depressive symptoms for both violent and non-violent suicide. For non-violent suicide, the degree of hopelessness was another independent risk factor. In addition, violent suicides were more likely to lack pesticides at home, choose the spring season and have an increased quantity of life events than those who died by suicide via non-violent methods. Conclusion: The major risk factor for both violent and non-violent suicide was the severity of depressive symptoms. Suicide prevention measures that focus on depression among this vulnerable population are urgently needed. Moreover, the characteristics of suicides via violent methods differed from those via non-violent methods among elderly individuals. Suicide prevention efforts should be tailored to the specific characteristics of the different suicide methods utilized by older adults in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Epeorus Eaton, 1881 is diverse in China but has never been specifically studied before. In this revision, eight species in Epeorus (Proepeorus) from China are recognised, including two new species, Epeorus (Proepeorus) gibbussp. nov., Epeorus (Proepeorus) falcatussp. nov. and additional five new records for this country. Both new species have unique shape of imaginal penis and tubercles on nymphal terga. The variation of Epeorus (Proepeorus) in China shows this subgenus may not be a monophyletic taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recruited 242 elderly suicides and 242 controls above 60 years to conduct face-to-face interviews by psychological autopsy to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Duke Social Support Index (DSSI) in rural China. DSSI had high internal consistency, with Cronbach's αs of.89 and.90 in suicides and controls, respectively. DSSI was significantly and negatively correlated to loneliness in both samples. Confirmatory factor analysis basically supported the original structure of DSSI, but Item 4 had low factor loading in controls. In conclusion, DSSI has satisfactory reliability and acceptable validity in evaluating social support in the elderly suicide study in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of an aquitard above a leaky aquifer on retarding characteristic pollutants is very important for evaluating groundwater vulnerability. A case study is presented of the leaky aquifer in the Tongzhou Plain of China. On the basis of analyses of the environmental and hydrogeological characteristics of the study area, an indicator system to evaluate the leaky aquifer's vulnerability was constructed, comprising eight indicators: the depth to groundwater (D), the net recharge (R), the impact of the vadose zone (I), the hydraulic conductivity of the phreatic aquifer (C), the pollution load (P), the phreatic water quality (Q), the ability of the aquitard to retard NH4+ (A), and the ability of the aquitard to retard NO3− (N). The retardation capacity of the aquitard for the characteristic pollutants in the study area (ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen) was obtained by numerical modelling with a HYDRUS simulator. The results show that the retarding effect of the aquitard on nitrogen pollutants and the hydraulic conductivity of the phreatic aquifer have significant effects on the vulnerability of leaky aquifers, and that other factors such as groundwater depth and pollutant load, have relatively limited effects. The research can provide a reference methodology for evaluating the vulnerability of porous leaky aquifers in alluvial plain areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Networked-guarantee loans may cause systemic risk related concern for the government and banks in China. The prediction of the default of enterprise loans is a typical machine learning based classification problem, and the networked guarantee makes this problem very difficult to solve. As we know, a complex network is usually stored and represented by an adjacency matrix. It is a high-dimensional and sparse matrix, whereas machine-learning methods usually need lowdimensional dense feature representations. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a binary higher-order network embedding method to learn the low-dimensional representations of a guarantee network. We first set vertices of this heterogeneous economic network by binary roles (guarantor and guarantee), and then define high-order adjacent measures based on their roles and economic domain knowledge. Afterwards, we design a penalty parameter in the objective function to balance the importance of network structure and adjacency. We optimize it by negative sampling based gradient descent algorithms, which solve the limitation of stochastic gradient descent on weighted edges without compromising efficiency. Finally, we test our proposed method on three real-world network datasets. The result shows that this method outperforms other start-of-the-art algorithms for both classification accuracy and robustness, especially in a guarantee network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines sensorial place-making through analysing the taste and other sensory experiences of forest Puer tea in its consumption among the urban middle class in mainland China. In the process of creating the ‘terroir’ of forest Puer tea, sensorial experience has been frequently linked to its place of origin. I argue that ethnic minorities who cultivate the tea play a vital part in the imagination of the tea's terroir. Trips by consumers to the mountains where the tea is cultivated, which aim at facilitating a ‘full experience’ of the tea and its culture, have generated a special pattern of interactions between the urban middle class who consume the tea and the ethnic minorities who cultivate it. The consumption of Puer tea, which brings about social imaginary and transcendent economic value, has become a driving force for producing the locality of ethnic minority areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated carrots can be divided into eastern and western types. Much evidence supports the idea that eastern carrots originated in Central Asia, while varying opinions exist on the origin of western carrots, especially orange varieties, and the origin of Chinese orange carrots remains unclear. In this study, we used 119 carrot accessions to investigate the relationship between Chinese carrots and western orange varieties (Western orange) using morphology and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The results demonstrate that Chinese carrots are eastern-type and maintain the primitive traits of strong and pubescent leaves, and early flowering. Despite being morphologically similar, the STRUCTURE and phylogenetic analysis based on SSR markers indicated that Western orange were clearly separated from Chinese carrots. These findings, in conjunction with historical documents suggesting that the first Chinese carrots seem to be yellow, suggest that Chinese orange were derived from Chinese red according to the mixed distribution of red and orange accessions. These results suggest that Chinese orange carrots may have undergone a specific, independent process different from that of Western orange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SOC has strong spatial variability due to complex topography and landscape. • Effects of environmental factors on SOC variations were explored. • Altitude, rocky desertification and land use are the key factors affecting SOC level. • Rocky desertification control is a major means to increase soil carbon sequestration. Global karst landforms account for about 15 % of the land area. The development of karst landforms in southwest China accounts for>1/3 of the country's land area, and is considered to be an important carbon storage with considerable carbon sequestration potential to alleviate global warming. Clarifying the response mechanism of soil organic carbon (SOC) to different controlling factors is of great significance to formulate and implement regional carbon sink strategies. Based on 517 soil samples in Guizhou Province, this study used geostatistical methods to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of SOC in Guizhou Province. The effects of altitude, land use, soil type, slope direction, slope position, slope gradient and rock exposure rate on the spatial variability of SOC in karst areas were quantitatively compared by statistical analysis methods. The results showed that the mean value of SOC content in Guizhou Province was 19.59 g/kg, and the coefficient of variation was 69.11 %, showing moderate-intensity variation. Spatially, the SOC content in Guizhou Province showed a declining trend from west to east, with the low-value areas predominantly distributed in the south and north areas. The semi-variogram model showed that the nugget coefficient C 0 /(C 0 + C) was < 25 %, and the SOC in the study area had a strong spatial autocorrelation. The artificial neural network analysis showed that the important coefficients of each independent variable on SOC level were as follows: altitude (0.355) > slope gradient (0.255) > rock exposure rate (0.166) > land use (0.08) > slope position (0.059) > slope direction (0.043) > soil type (0.041). This research suggests that the provincial government should pay attention to the control of rocky desertification and the development of modern low-carbon agriculture in the work of increasing soil carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses urban flooding in China. It mentions reasons for the flooding which include loss of natural water bodies, urban land use and imperviousness and fragmentation of natural water systems. It offers suggestions to overcome the problem including protection of natural water bodies, strengthening of efforts made by Chinese government to improve urban ecological environment; and optimization of urban drainage network.

Background: Physicians in China face heavy demands from patients and the government for services but deal with the threat of unpredictable legal and physical conflicts with patients, some ending with the death of doctors. More than 40 doctors and nurses have been killed by patients since 2001. Questions/purposes: We sought to evaluate (1) the demographics of orthopaedic practice, (2) duty periods, (3) practice support, and (4) job satisfaction among orthopaedic surgeons in China. Methods: Questionnaires were posted online at for download by orthopaedic surgeons in 2006 to 2007, and sent to those attending meetings in 2013. In 2013, a total of 1350 surgeons were invited and 456 participated in the survey at meetings. In 2007, during the period of the survey, 9759 individuals were qualified orthopaedic surgeons, and 334 participated in the survey at . Results: Ninety-one percent of orthopaedic surgeons work in public and 9% in private hospitals. Ninety-four percent work more than 8 hours per day 6 to 7 days a week. Twenty-five percent work more than 12 hours per day 6 to 7 days a week without extra compensation. The majority of orthopaedic surgeons must work on national statutory holidays. Almost none received contractually mandated income for weekends and national holidays. Approximately 80% of participants reported an attack of some kind, including physical or psychologic harm. With respect to job satisfaction, 73% stated they would not choose to be a physician again and 86% reported that they do not want their children to become a physician. Conclusions: China's rapid economic growth and resulting demands for modern health care have resulted in heavy pressure on orthopaedic surgeons, financially and personally. Chinese orthopaedic surgeons are overworked, suffer lack of respect, and face the possibility of serious personal harm. As a consequence, they are demoralized and unsatisfied. Significant reforms are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Information about the hygroscopic growth factors and mixing state is important for understanding the haze formation mechanism in the highly polluted Yangtze River Delta. Herein, the size-resolved hygroscopicity of ambient aerosols in Shanghai was studied during wintertime. The hygroscopic growth factors were measured using a Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (HTDMA) for dry particles with diameters of 30–250nm on the campus of Fudan University. A modal external mixture containing two hygroscopic groups was observed. The mean hygroscopic growth factors of the less-hygroscopic group at 85% relative humidity were lower than 1.10, and the average number fraction of the less-hygroscopic group varied in the range of 0.33–0.17, decreasing slightly with the increase of dry particle size. The mean hygroscopic growth factors of the more-hygroscopic group showed there was a significant difference between Aitken and accumulation mode particles, nearly 1.3 for Aitken mode particles and above 1.4 for accumulation mode particles. On the basis of the ammonium sulfate model, the average hygroscopic volume fraction of the more-hygroscopic particles was estimated to be in the range of 0.47–0.70, and there was a large gap between the hygroscopic volume fractions of Aitken and accumulation mode particles. The hygroscopic growth against relative humidity test not only showed that deliquescence relative humidity depended on particle size, but also revealed that the addition of nitrate on the particles was initially promoted by sulfate condensation. The results also suggested that most accumulation mode particles were deliquesced under haze conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine potentially harmful heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Zn) were measured in 477 topsoil samples collected from urban–rural areas in the city of Wuhan in order to identify their concentrations and possible sources, and characterize their spatial variability for risk assessment. Results showed that in most rural areas heavy-metal concentrations in soil were similar to their natural background values, but Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn concentrations were relatively higher in densely populated districts and around industrial facilities. Multivariate analyses (correlation matrix, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis) indicated that Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn were mainly derived from anthropogenic inputs, and Co, Cr, and Mn were controlled by natural source, whereas Ni appeared to be affected by both anthropogenic and natural sources. The result of risk assessment indicated that nearly 48% of the study area suffered from moderate to severe contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study included 17 401 normal Han urban children aged 1-20 years from five cities in China in 2005. The skeletal maturity scores were assessed by the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) method, and the smoothed centiles curves of scores (TW3-Chinese RUS and TW3-Chinese Carpal) were calculated using the LMS method. The skeletal maturity of the Chinese is approximately the same as Europeans in childhood, but the extent of TW3-RUS skeletal maturity advance in puberty and the ages of complete maturity of TW-Carpals are evidently more advanced in the Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater irrigation can elevate metal concentrations in soils and crops and increase the metal-associated health risks via vegetable ingestion in arid and semiarid northwestern China. Here, we investigated the As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in four vegetable species from Dongdagou and Xidagou farmlands in Baiyin, Gansu, China. We evaluated the effects of irrigation type (Dongdagou: industrial wastewater; Xidagou: domestic wastewater) and cultivation mode (open field and greenhouse) on the vegetable metal concentration, metal partitioning, soil-to-plant bioconcentration factor (BCF), and the health risk index. All stream waters, soils, and vegetables were found most severely polluted by As and Cd, with higher severity in the industrial-wastewater-irrigated Dongdagou than the domestic-wastewater-irrigated Xidagou. All vegetables had higher or, at least, comparable metal mass allocated in the shoot than in the root. Greenhouse cultivation could reduce metal-ingestion-associated health risks from edible vegetable biomass by decreasing the soil to plant bioaccumulation (BCF) and the metal concentration. This effect was always significant for all vegetables within Xidagou, and for carrot within Dongdagou. This mitigation effect of greenhouse cultivation could be attributed to the metal sorption by a higher level of soil organic matter and faster growth rate over metal uptake rate in greenhouses compared to open fields. Such mitigation effect was, however, insignificant for leafy vegetables within Dongdagou, when much more severely polluted water for irrigation was applied in greenhouses compared to open fields within Dongdagou. The present study highlights greenhouse cultivation as a potential mitigating approach to providing less-polluted vegetables for residents in the severely polluted area in addition to the source pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The contribution of Autochthonous OC (AOC) in sediments of Erhai Lake is about 49%. • The ratio of AOC after microbial mineralization in the lake increases vertically. • Recalcitrant AOC would be adsorbed by minerals and then deposits in lake sediments. • Preservation of OC in sediments may be related to concentration rather than source. Recalcitrant dissolved organic matter (RDOM) is a key component of ocean carbon sinks and it can be preserved in seawater for thousands of years. However, the fate of RDOM derived from the primary production in inland lake is unclear. In this study of Erhai lake in China, used the combination of δ13C, carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, and optical spectroscopy analyses to constrain the variation of organic matter in the vertical direction (i.e., lake water → trap sediments → surface sediments → core sediments), to trace the burial process of RDOM. Two autochthonous components (C1, C2) and two allochthonous components (C3, C4) were identified in the water. High concentrations of C2 in winter and spring indicate that these two seasons provide favourable burial conditions for autochthonous dissolved organic matter. Three autochthonous components (C1, C2, C5) and three allochthonous components (C3, C4, C6) were identified in the sediments. The contributions of autochthonous organic matter were ∼49.9 ± 5.84 % (based on PARAFAC analysis) and ∼56.7 ± 5.62 % (based on the C/N ratio) in the sediment trap samples; 43.4 ± 8.84 % (based on PARAFAC analysis) and 40.8 ± 14.26 % (based on the C/N ratio) in the surface sediments; and 44.5 ± 14.4 % (based on PARAFAC analysis) and 48.4 ± 6.04 % (based on the C/N ratio) in the core sediments. Additionally, C2, which is the autochthonous component after microbial mineralisation, was preserved as a significant part of the RDOM in the water. Our results suggest that the mineralisation of autochthonous organic matter (OM) in the core sediments did not promote bacterial mineralization, and that the burial of OM on long timescales dependents primarily on its concentration rather than on its origin. Our results provide a new perspective for studying the stability of autochthonous OM and highlight a new direction for the study of the carbon sink of inland lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of large-scale coastal structures on tidal dynamics have been studied extensively over the past decades, but the relevant mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, a two-dimensional Delft3D barotropic tidal model is applied to investigate the tidal dynamic changes induced by the large-scale sequential constructions of Huanghua-Binzhou Harbor in the northeastern China during year 2003–2016. It was found that the predominant M 2 tide is increased on the stoss side and decreased on the lee side of the harbor by 2–6 cm due to the harbor constructions. This feature is due to 1) the increased and decreased potential tidal energy on the stoss and lee side, respectively, by the harbor structures; 2) the structure-induced changes in momentum flux is balanced by pressure gradient, and thus leads to a larger tidal range on the stoss side and a smaller tidal range on the lee side. The sensitivity studies on nonlinear M 4 tide demonstrate that it is generated locally by M 2 self-self interaction, which is not only related to M 2 tidal energy but also nonlinearity. Consequently, M 4 tide increases towards the shore on the tidal flat with natural slope due to enhanced nonlinearity by decreasing water depth, but is proportional to M 2 tide on the tidal flat with a constant water depth, where local nonlinearity is nearly the same in space. In addition, the energy transfer from M 2 to M 4 is affected by the structure-induced changes in nonlinearity, resulting in different responses of M 2 and M 4 tide to the coastal structure. • Numerically investigate the tidal dynamics changes induced by the large-scale sequential constructions. • Predominant M 2 tide increased on the stoss side and decreased on the lee side of the harbor jetties. • Structure-induced changes in current acceleration is balanced by the changes in pressure gradient. • M 4 tide is generated locally by M 2 self-self interaction, which is relative to M 2 tidal energy and local nonlinearity. • Three prominent separated bands of tidal energy density appear in the third harbor construction phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological carbon pump (BCP) effect of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC)-enriched karst surface waters is an important carbon sink mechanism that has substantial implications for the study of global missing carbon sinks and carbon cycling. However, the operation of the BCP is not established well in wider inland waters, particularly not in the surface waters of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) that are also DIC-enriched but have high turbidity. In this study, we combined analyses of stable isotopes (δ2H, δ18O, and δ13C) and C/N ratios, ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, and excitation-emission matrix fluorescence approaches to investigate the sources and compositions of particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in two river–reservoir ecosystems [the Wulihe (WLH)-river to WLH-reservoir and Honghe (HH)-river to HH-reservoir] on the CLP. Both DOC and POC signals from autochthonous production gradually increased from the river inflow to the reservoir areas along the river flow, particularly during the wet season with the same duration of rain and heat. The WLH-reservoir had higher δ2H, δ18O, and δ13C values, more protein-like fluorescence components, higher chlorophyll-a and DOC concentrations, and lower CO 2 efflux than the HH-reservoir. Our results showed that the BCP intensity of the WLH-reservoir was higher than that of the HH-reservoir, probably because of the longer water residence time of the WLH-reservoir. Although the amount of autochthonous dissolved organic matter (Auto-DOM) produced by the BCP in the surface water on the CLP was lower than that in the karst regions of southwest China (CKR), the proportion of Auto-DOM in the CLP was close to that in the CKR, indicating the significance of Auto-DOM in the surface water on the CLP. Furthermore, the BCP-derived Auto-DOM correlated negatively with the partial pressure of CO 2 , and the WLH-reservoir with a higher BCP effect exhibited CO 2 influx in the wet season (−1.47 ± 0.02 g m−2 d−1), indicating that the enhanced BCP process contributed to the water–air interface carbon sink. This study highlighted that enhanced BCP could generate carbon sinks in DIC-enriched but high-turbidity surface waters, providing the underlying theory for extending the BCP carbon sink model to a wider range of surface waters flowing through areas of soil carbonate. [Display omitted] • The operational mechanisms of the BCP in DIC-enriched loess basins were explored. • Multi-tracer confirmed the presence of autochthonous organic carbon. • High-turbidity water could have high biological carbon pumping (BCP) potential. • Enhanced BCP processes contribute to the water–air interface C sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seawater intrusion and brine water/freshwater interaction have significantly affected agriculture, industry and public water supply at Laizhou Bay, Shandong Province, China. In this study, a two-dimensional SEAWAT model is developed to simulate the seawater intrusion to coastal aquifers and brine water/fresh water interaction in the south of Laizhou Bay. This model is applied to predict the seawater intrusion and brine water/freshwater interface development in the coming years. The model profile is perpendicular to the coastal line with two interfaces, freshwater-saline water interface near the shore and inland brine water-saline water-seawater interface. The hydrogeological parameters in the SEAWAT-2000 model are calibrated by the head and salinity measurements. The precipitation infiltration coefficient, boundary conditions and thicknesses of aquifers are studied in a sensitivity analysis. The predicted results indicate that equivalent freshwater head in shallow freshwater-saline water area will decline 2.0 m by the end of the forecasting period, caused by groundwater over-pumping for farmland irrigation. The groundwater head in the brine-saline water area will also decrease about 1.8 m by the end of forecasting period, caused by excessive brine mining. Salinity finally decreases below 105 g/L in the brine area, but increases in other areas and contaminates fresh groundwater resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Autochthonous DOM (Auto-DOM) in karst aquatic ecosystems shows high stability. • Auto-DOM mineralized by planktonic bacteria (C2) may become an important carbon sink. • The bioavailability of C2 may be lower than other Auto-DOM in the systems. • Community compositions of planktonic bacteria can be influenced by Ca2+ and DIC. Biological carbon pump (BCP) in karst areas has received intensive attention for years due to their significant contribution to the global missing carbon sink. The stability of autochthonous dissolved organic matter (Auto-DOM) produced by BCP in karst aquatic ecosystems may play a critical role in the missing carbon sink. However, the source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in inland waters and its consumption by planktonic bacteria have not been thoroughly examined. Recalcitrant dissolved organic matter (RDOM) may exist in karst aquatic ecosystem as in the ocean. Through the study of the chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and the interaction between CDOM and the planktonic bacterial community under different land uses at the Shawan Karst Water-carbon Cycle Test Site, SW China, we found that C2, as the fluorescence component of Auto-DOM mineralised by planktonic bacteria, may have some of the characteristics of RDOM and is an important DOM source in karst aquatic ecosystems. The stability ratio (Fmax (C2/(C1+C2))) of Auto-DOM reached 89.6 ± 6.71% in winter and 64.1 ± 7.19% in spring. Moreover, correlation-based network analysis determined that the planktonic bacterial communities were controlled by different fluorescence types of CDOM, of which C1 (fresh Auto-DOM), C3 (conventional allochthonous DOM (Allo-DOM)) and C4 (the Allo-DOM mineralised by bacteria) were clustered in one module together with prevalent organic-degrading planktonic bacteria; C2 was clustered in another tightly combined module, suggesting specific microbial utilization strategies for the C2 component. In addition, some important planktonic bacterium and functional genes (including chemotrophic heterotrophs and photosynthetic bacteria) were found to be affected by high Ca2+ and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations in karst aquatic ecosystems. Our research showed that Auto-DOM may be as an important carbon sink as the Allo-DOM in karst ecosystems, the former generally being neglected based on a posit that it is easily and first mineralized by planktonic bacteria. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two late Mesozoic granitoids in the Luanchuan area of the East Qinling orogen are considered; ore-bearing rocks are granite porphyries and granodiorite, with K2O>Na2O, appearing in the form of stocks. The Laojunshan rocks contains dominantly monzonitic granite, with K2O≈Na2O, in the form of a batholith. Both the ore-bearing rocks and the Laojunshan rocks are highly siliceous and shoshonitic, high-K calc-alkaline, similar to some I-type granites. Light rare earth elements (LREEs) are enriched in both rock suites, although the Luanchuan ore-bearing granitoids have higher concentrations, with (La/Yb) N ratios twice that of the barren Laojunshan granite suite. Ore-bearing rocks have, therefore, undergone greater fractionation of heavy rare earth elements. All Laojunshan rocks have negative Eu anomalies, indicating plagioclase fractionation. δEu values are different in both rock suites, the values in the ore-bearing granites, ranging from 0.52 to 1.04, which are much higher than that of Laojunshan batholith, ranging from 0.4 to 0.65. (La/Sm) N values of ore-bearing granites are 5.32–8.28, while that of Laojunshan batholith are 3.75–5.77, confirming the observation that the ore-bearing granites have undergone a higher degree of strong differentiation than that of Lanjunshan batholith. Major and trace element data, and REE data, combined with isotope data from previous work and the close relationships between the tectonic settings of the barren and ore-bearing rocks indicate that both groups of rocks were derived from the lower crust. At ∼157Ma, with the tectonic regime in transition from a syn-collisional to a post-collisional setting, highly fractionated granites ascended from their storage area via faults; at ∼145Ma, ore-bearing plutons, which are triggered by slab melts, formed at the junctions of fault planes trending WNW-ESE and NE-SW. At ∼115Ma, the tectonic regime changed from compression to extension; in this environment, the barren Laojunshan batholith was emplaced, representing the end of the collisional event. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Previous studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia show abnormalities in brain activation when processing emotional faces. However, very few studies have examined if such abnormalities are also found in non-western patient samples and in at-risk individuals. The current study explored whether patients with schizophrenia and siblings of patients in China would show abnormal brain activation during processing of emotional faces. Methods: Thirty-six participants (three groups of twelve each of patients with schizophrenia, nonpsychotic siblings, and healthy controls) took part in the study. They were administered a task to judge emotional valence of three types of faces (viz., happy, fearful, and neutral), during fMRI scanning. Results: Results of this study demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia showed abnormalities in the social brain neural circuit during facial emotion processing, in comparison with nonpsychotic siblings and healthy controls. Patients with schizophrenia demonstrated lower activation right superior and middle frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus and left insula in comparison with healthy controls; and showed abnormal activation in bilateral inferior and middle frontal gyri, right orbital frontal gyrus, left superior and middle temporal gyrus, bilateral insula, and right superior parietal gyrus/postcentral gyrus when compared with their nonpyschotic siblings. Meanwhile, patients with schizophrenia showed greater activation in left middle frontal gyrus than healthy controls, and overactivation in bilateral middle frontal gyri, right orbital frontal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus than their nonpsychotic siblings during processing of fearful faces. Moreover, nonpsychotic siblings seemed to share some similar dysfunctions in processing facial expressions as their psychotic probands, the two groups both showed abnormal activation in precentral and superior frontal gyri, and such abnormal activation lied between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Conclusions: The current findings support the universality of emotion perception impairments in schizophrenia, and also suggest that facial emotion perception might be a potential endophenotype of schizophrenia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wave-current interactions widely occur in shallow waters. However, the dominant factors for the modulation differ over different coastal regions and the relevant generation mechanisms have not been fully addressed. In this study, a Delft3D wave-current coupled model is applied to the southwestern Bohai Bay, China, which is a shallow-water coast with a mild slope, to estimate the local wave-current interactions during extreme weathers. The results indicate that the wave set-up is strongly influenced by local bottom slope, water depth and radiation stress gradient. The mean current velocity is decreased by wave by up to 15% due to enhanced bottom roughness, and the impact of momentum transfer from wave to current is non-negligible. Both tidally-varying depth and current are able to modulate significant wave height (SWH), and their modulating abilities are increased and decreased onshore respectively. Furthermore, the sensitivity studies suggest that the depth-induced SWH modulation is primarily due to the shoaling effect which is related to bottom slope. The wind speed plays an important role on the depth- and current-induced SWH modulation, as it could affect the state of wind-wave and wind input energy. Whereas, wind direction change from onshore to offshore only results in remarkable changes of current-induced modulation. • Wave set-up is modulated by water depth and wave momentum flux linked with tide. • Current responds differently to wave over tidal cycles due to their relative angle. • Varying depth/current dominates tidal modulation of wind-wave in nearshore/offshore. • Shoaling associated with slope is the key mechanism for depth-induced modulation. • Wind speed strongly impacts wave state and wind input energy then wave modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southwestern part of Bohai Bay in northeastern China is a shallow-water coast with a long fetch for water to pile up to produce large storm surge under strong wind action during the extreme weather condition. In addition, the coastline along the bay has experienced significant environmental impacts from large scale harbor constructions in the past two decades. Consequently, there is a pressing need to better understand the effects of two local large scale sequential harbor constructions on storm surge and coastal vulnerability in the bay area. The extreme cold front weather on 10-13th October 2003 caused a 1.31 billion Yuan damage. A two-way coupled tide-surge-wave Delft3D model is used to investigate the impact of the harbor constructions from 2003 to 2016 on the interaction of tide, storm surge and wave during a storm like that. The wind field by the newly-released global reanalysis wind product ERA5 of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has been improved by assimilation with field observations at a higher resolution than previous version and is used to drive the tide, surge and wave modelling framework. The model results indicate that the storm surge in the study area is dominated by the wind-induced surge before and after the constructions whereas the maximum contribution from wave-induced surge (wave setup) is increased from 5%-15% to 8%–20% by the harbor constructions between 2003 and 2016. It is found that semi-diurnal modulation of storm surge is generated by nonlinear tide-surge interaction, which is mainly attributed to local tidal acceleration in the offshore zone and bottom stress in the nearshore zone respectively. The harbor constructions affect the coastal storm surge mainly through nonlinear tide-surge-wave interaction. In addition, the quarter-diurnal variation of storm surge induced by the harbor constructions is due to the influences of the harbor constructions on the local quarter-diurnal tidal constituents and their modulation of wave momentum transfer to coastal circulation. • Newly-released ERA5 wind is modified by observation using linear regression. • Semidiurnal surge is evident in mildly-sloping SW Bohai Bay in a cold front event. • Tide-surge interaction in offshore (nearshore) is due to acceleration (bottom friction). • Wave-induced surge contributes 5%–15% (8%–20%) to storm surge in layout 2003 (2016). • Surge change due to harbor relates with nonlinear tide-surge and wave interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the global carbon cycle has garnered significant research attention. However, details of the intricate relationship between planktonic bacteria, hydrochemistry, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in inland waters remain unclear, especially their effects on lake carbon sequestration. In this study, we analyzed 16S rRNA, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and inorganic nutrients in Erhai Lake, Yunnan Province, China. The results revealed that allochthonous DOM (C3) significantly regulated the microbial community, and that autochthonous DOM, generated via microbial mineralization (C2), was not preferred as a food source by lake bacteria, and neither was allochthonous DOM after microbial mineralization (C4). Specifically, the correlation between the fluorescence index and functional genes (FAPRPTAX) showed that the degree of utilization of DOM was a critical factor in regulating planktonic bacteria associated with the carbon cycle. Further examination of the correlation between environmental factors and planktonic bacteria revealed that Ca 2+ had a regulatory influence on the community structure of planktonic bacteria, particularly those linked to the carbon cycle. Consequently, the utilization strategy of DOM by planktonic bacteria was also determined by elevated Ca 2+ levels. This in turn influenced the development of specific recalcitrant autochthonous DOM within the high Ca 2+ environment of Erhai Lake. These findings are significant for the exploration of the stability of DOM within karst aquatic ecosystems, offering a new perspective for the investigation of terrestrial carbon sinks., 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 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: It is important to assess the relationship between specific HPV genotype or multiple infection and cervical cytology. The protection provided by the HPV vaccine is type-specific, and the epidemiology feature of coinfections needs to be investigated. The aim is to provide baseline information for developing HPV vaccination and management of HPV-positive populations in the region., Methods: A total of 3649 HPV-positive women were collected from 25,572 women who underwent 15 HR-HPV genotypes and ThinPrep cytologic test (TCT) results. Logistic regression was used to determine the correlation between the risk of cytology abnormalities and specific HPV infection. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) to assess coinfection patterns for the common two-type HPV infections. chi-squared test was used to estimate the relationship between single or multiple HPV (divided into species groups) infection and cytology results., Results: The results showed there was a positive correlation between HPV16 (OR = 4.742; 95% CI 3.063-7.342) and HPV33 (OR = 4.361; 95% CI 2.307-8.243) infection and HSIL positive. There was a positive correlation between HPV66 (OR = 2.445; 95% CI 1.579-3.787), HPV51 (OR = 1.651; 95% CI 1.086-2.510) and HPV58(OR = 1.661; 95% CI 1.166-2.366) infection and LSIL. Multiple HPV infections with α9 species (OR = 1.995; 95% CI 1.101-3.616) were associated with a higher risk of high-grade intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) compared with single HPV infection. There were positive correlations between HPV66 and HPV56 (α6) (OR = 3.321; 95% CI 2.329-4.735) and HPV39 and HPV68 (α7). (OR = 1.677; 95% CI 1.127-2.495). There were negative correlations between HPV52, 58, 16 and the other HPV gene subtypes., Conclusion: HPV33 may be equally managed with HPV16. The management of multiple infections with α9 may be strengthened. The 9-valent vaccine may provide better protection for the population in Chongqing currently. The development of future vaccines against HPV51 and HPV66 may be considered in this region., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The efficacy of dapagliflozin in patients with acute heart failure remains unclear., Objective: To investigate the impact of dapagliflozin (DAPA) on loop diuretics use and 90-day readmission in patients with acute heart failure., Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, patients diagnosed with acute heart failure or chronic heart failure with acute exacerbation admitted to Fuyang People's Hospital from January 2021 to April 2023, this study used DAPA (at a dose of 10 mg once daily) in combination with standard treatment. The patients were divided into DAPA group and DAPA-Free group based on whether they used DAPA in acute heart failure. To minimize the influence of confounding factors and ensure comparability between groups, we used propensity score matching (PSM)., Results: A total of 399 patients were included, with 206 patients (51.63%) in the DAPA group and 193 patients (48.37%) in the DAPA-Free group. PSM produced 160 pairs. After PSM, there were no statistically significant differences between the DAPA and DAPA-Free groups in terms of readmission of all causes (16.88% vs. 18.12%, OR 0.9141, 95% CI 0.5385-1.552, log rank P = 0.739) or readmission for heart failure (11.88% vs. 15.0%, OR 0.9077, 95% CI 0.4441-1.469, log rank P = 0.484) after 90-day follow-up. Patients in the DAPA group had a lower mean daily dose of intravenous loop diuretics compared to the DAPA-Free group (20 mg/d vs. 30.00 mg/d, P<0.001), lower total loop diuretic dose during hospitalization (106.06 ± 31.23 mg vs. 144.50 ± 45.39 mg, P = 0.038) and a decreased number of diuretic types used (11.88% vs. 23.12%, P = 0.008)., Conclusions: DAPA reduced the dose of intravenous loop diuretics. However, it did not improve all-cause readmission for 90 days or readmission for heart failure after discharge., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective To investigate the food preferences and explore the potential association between dietary knowledge and food preferences in residents aged 18 and over in China,so as to provide a basis for promoting healthy diets.Methods The latent class analysis was carried out with the 2015 cross-sectional data of China health and nutrition survey to categorize the food preferences among 8 783 residents aged 18 and over.Multinomial Logistic regression was adopted to assess the association between and dietary knowledge and food preferences.Results The food preferences of the residents aged 18 and over in China were classified into preference for less vegetable(3.28%),lack of preference(11.20%),diverse preferences(4.19%),and preference for healthy diets(81.33%).The proportion of the adults with dietary knowledge was 36.87%(3 238/8 783).The dietary knowledge varied in the adults with different food preferences(all P <0.001).After adjusting for gender,age,urban and rural distribution,education background,and annual household income,for each point increase in the dietary knowledge score,there was an estimated reduction of 22% in the probability of preferring less vegetables( OR =0.78,95% CI =0.76-0.80, P <0.001),13% in the probability of lacking preference( OR =0.87,95% CI =0.86-0.89, P <0.001),and 3% in the probability of having diverse preferences( OR =0.97,95% CI =0.94-1.00, P =0.030).Compared with those lacking dietary knowledge,the individuals with dietary knowledge had a 77% less probability of preferring less vegetables( OR =0.23,95% CI =0.16-0.32, P <0.001),a 55% less probability of lacking preference( OR =0.45,95% CI =0.39-0.53, P <0.001),and a 23% less probability of having diverse preferences( OR =0.77,95% CI =0.61-0.96, P =0.023).Conclusions The residents aged 18 and over in China presented four food preferences,including preference for less vegetables,lack of preference,diverse preferences,and preference for healthy diets,the last of which had the highest proportion.The individuals with lower levels of dietary knowledge have higher probability of preferring unhealthy food.

With continuous endeavors to control air pollutant emissions, the average concentration of PM 2.5 in Shanghai in 2019-2020 satisfied the national secondary standard (35 μg m -3 ) for the first time. In this study, the two-year dataset of hourly resolution PM 2.5 compositions observed in downtown Shanghai was used to investigate the relative contribution of sulfate and nitrate as well as particulate acidity. The average concentration of SO 2 was reduced to 7.7 μg m -3 , while the concentration of NO x remained above 40 μg m -3 , indicating that the control of SO 2 was more effective than that of NO x during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Thus, the sulfate pollution was significantly reduced whereas the nitrate loading remained almost constant. The monthly N/S ratio varied from below 0.6 to above 2.0, indicating that the contribution of automobile exhaust to PM 2.5 is seasonally dependent. Contrary to sulfate, the nitrate fraction increased rapidly with the increase of PM 2.5 mass, suggesting that the explosive growth of nitrate has become a major driver of haze formation. ISORROPIA simulations show that PM 2.5 was moderately acidic with pH values following the trend of winter > spring > autumn > summer. The diurnal variation of nitrate was related to the changes in aerosol water content, indicating the effect of heterogeneous aqueous reactions on secondary aerosol formation. The effectiveness of emission control for reducing inorganic PM 2.5 varied with different gas precursors and seasons. The abatement of NH 3 emissions will increase particle acidity and acid rain pollution, although it is more effective than that of NO x when the emission reduction is larger than 60%. This study suggests that the control of vehicle exhaust should be given priority in the Yangtze River Delta for coordinately mitigating PM 2.5 and acid rain pollution., 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 © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are secondary plant metabolites that occur mainly in the Brassicaceae plants, which are desirable compounds in human foods due to their diverse biological activities. In this study, we developed an integrated data filtering and identification strategy to characterize the GSLs. An in-depth GSLs profiling was performed on 25 commonly Brassicaceae tissues in Jinan, China. By comparison with the reference standards and previous researches, we tentatively identified 47 GSLs including 8 unknown ones. The GSLs profiles of 25 Brassicaceae tissues were established, and 11 markers of GSLs could be used to distinguish the Brassica and Raphanus. This approach enables accurately characterization the GSLs of Brassicaceae tissues, and demonstrates the potential of GSLs profiles for Brassicaceae species discrimination., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Functional and structural brain alterations have been noted in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the most common entrapment peripheral neuropathy. Previous studies were mainly focused on somatosensory cortices. However, the changes of white matter diffusion properties in nonsensorimotor cortices remain uninvestigated. We utilized a modified tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) pipeline to explore CTS-related white matter plasticity, omitting the skeletonization step and registering diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data to a study-specific, high resolution T1 template by an optimized registration method. The modified TBSS was demonstrated to be more sensitive to detect changes in white matter integrity than the standard TBSS approach. In this study, 25 moderate/severe CTS patients and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) were evaluated with DTI. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) were calculated for group comparison. And the relationship between diffusion parameters and clinical assessments was also analyzed. Comparing with the healthy controls, CTS patients showed significantly increased FA and decreased RD in areas of multisensory integration and motor control involving the central opercular cortex and supplementary motor area (SMA) of the dominant hemisphere. Moreover, altered diffusion parameters in the central opercular cortex of the dominant hemisphere were significantly correlated with Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) scores. It is considered to be a form of maladaptive neuroplastic response to CTS-associated afference and motor control deficits. Such insight may be helpful in developing new strategies for the treatment of CTS., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: In the context of the pandemic, exploration on the association between insecurity and stress among university students is limited. The current study aims to investigate the parallel mediation role of hope and self-efficacy in the relationship between insecurity and stress among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: We employed a cross-sectional research design in a university by distributing questionnaires online. 5286 participants were recruited (mean age = 19.65; SD = 1.13). Items were from the Security Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, and the Positive Psychology Capital (Psycap) Questionnaire (PPQ). Parallel mediation analysis was performed using PROCESS macro in SPSS., Results: The results indicate that insecurity predicted students' stress positively and that students with high-level perceived insecurity are more likely to perceive stress. Moreover, hope and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between insecurity and stress, indicating that hope and self-efficacy could buffer the negative effects of insecurity on stress., Limitations: This study examines the mediating model between insecurity and stress among Chinese university students. The generalizability of the findings in other regions remains to be explored. Additionally, the roles of other positive self-beliefs including optimism and resilience in relieving stress can be further explored in future research., Conclusions: This research provides direct evidence of insecurity effects on stress among university students, enriching relevant theories in the field of stress. Moreover, this research suggests that enhancing positive self-beliefs such as hope, and self-efficacy helps to relieve students' stress during COVID-19., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) was developed to estimate the intensity of human activities in natural ecosystems, which is still unclear in the Xinjiang grasslands. Using the Biome-Biogeochemical Cycle (Biome-BGC) grazing model in combination with field data, we assessed the HANPP and explored its spatiotemporal patterns in the Xinjiang grasslands. Our results showed that (1) the HANPP increased from 38 g C/m2/yr in 1979 to 88 g C/m2/yr in 2012, with an average annual increase of 1.47%. The HANPP was 80 g C/m2/yr, which represented 51% of the potential net primary production (NPPpot), and the HANPP efficiency was 70% in this region. (2) The areas with high HANPP values mainly occurred in northern Xinjiang and northwest of the Tianshan Mountains, while areas with low HANPP values mainly occurred in southern Xinjiang and southwest of the Tianshan Mountains. (3) Interannual variations in HANPP and NPPpot were significantly positively correlated (P<0.01). Interannual variations in HANPP efficiency and grazing intensity were negatively correlated (P<0.01). These results can help identify the complex impacts of human activities on grassland ecosystems and provide basic data for grassland management., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

In the present study, a modified water quality index (WQI) was used to evaluate the water quality in south coastal aquaculture area of Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. Four main culture areas with 40 sampling stations were covered. Ten variables were selected for principal component analysis/factor analysis (PCA/FA), and the major factors affecting water quality were identified. The PCA results showed that these factors were mainly associated with nutrients, natural conditions and organic matter. The modified WQI was calculated to identify the classes of water quality and to evaluate the spatial and temporal changes among the sampling areas. The results revealed that the water quality generally performed the worst in June, and the best in October. The modified WQI proved to be a useful method for water quality classification and characterizing spatial and temporal changes in Dalian aquaculture areas., 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 © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a critical role in cancer development and growth. The aim of this study was to identify and isolate CSCs from populations of primary oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells, which were obtained from OSCC specimens and identified by cell morphology and immunohistochemical staining for keratin. CD133 + cells detected by flow cytometry comprised 0.41 ± 0.06% of primary OSCC cells and were isolated from primary OSCC cell populations using magnetic-activated cell sorting, revealing that 93.39% of high-purity CD133 + cells were in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Additionally, the growth rate of CD133 + cells was higher than that of CD133 - cells, and in vivo tumourigenesis experiments showed that the tumourigenic ability of CD133 + cells was markedly stronger than that of CD133 - cells. Moreover, CD133 + cells showed increased chemotherapeutic resistance to cisplatin and higher self-renewal ability according to sphere-formation assay, as well as higher mRNA levels of stemness-associated genes, including NANOG, SOX2, ALDH1A1, and OCT4. These results indicated that OSCC cells, which share certain characteristics of CSCs, harbour CD133 + cells potentially responsible for OSCC aggressiveness, suggesting CD133 as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target.

This study aimed to examine the association between family functioning and suicide among the elderly in rural China. This 1:1 paired case-control psychological autopsy study included 242 suicides at age 60 or more and an equal number of controls matched on age (±3 years), gender, and residency. Family functioning was assessed by the Family Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection Resolve Index. Family dysfunction was reported more frequently in suicides than in paired controls. Severe family dysfunction denoted a significant risk factor for suicide only in women after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Suicides with family dysfunction were prone to have unstable marital status, physical illness, mental disorders, family suicide history, and more stressful life events than those with good family functioning. The findings suggest that the intervention enhancing family functioning may be effective in decreasing suicide among the elderly in rural China.