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Recurrence posed an important challenge to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) control in China. The prospective study aimed to identify potential risk factors and to explore the value of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) in identifying at-risk individuals with treated prior PTB history. All eligible individuals aged ≥18 years who had been diagnosed with PTB before 2016 in Zhongmu County, where with an average level of TB prevalence in China, were included and received baseline survey including chest radiography, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and QFT-Plus, then PTB recurrence was tracked through a 2-year follow-up. Half of 1068 (52.34%, 559/1068) included eligible participants were QFT-Plus positive at baseline and 21 of them recurred active TB in 2-year follow-up. Individuals aged ≥ 60 years, who had a recent history of TB and smokers were associated with increased risk of TB recurrence with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 3.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29–12.24), 7.71 (95% CI: 1.74–34.25) and 4.56 (95% CI: 1.62–12.83), respectively. Compared to QFT-Plus negatives, those who were TB2+/TB1- (aOR = 15.34) exhibited stronger association with the risk of TB recurrence than those who were TB1+/TB2+ (aOR = 6.06). A dose response relationship was also found between the risk of TB recurrence with the baseline level of TB2-TB1 (p for trend < 0.001). High burden of TB infection and high risk of PTB recurrence were observed in the study population. Those with recent onset of prior TB, elderly smokers and QFT-Plus positives especially with TB2 single positive deserved further attention in active TB surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) nematodes prefer to live in the intestines of wild animals, causing damage and even death, and posing a zoonotic risk. The polyparasitism of GIT nematodes results in the complex dynamics of the nematode communities that occur naturally in wild animals. However, the nematode community in captive wild animals is poorly understood. Methods: We combined microscopic examination and amplicon sequencing for community diversity. Results: We characterized GIT nematode assemblages to one order, one family, four genera, and ten species, in 512 fecal samples of 121 species from captive wild animals in southern China. The positive rate of GIT nematodes was 20.7% (106/512), including 42.3% (11/26) in reptiles, 26.5% (39/147) in herbivores, 25.0% (25/100) in non-human primates, 20.0% (5/25) in omnivores, 12.2% (9/74) in carnivores, and 12.1% (17/140) in avians. The dominant nematodes were Haemonchus contortus in herbivores and Trichuris species in primates. The nematode communities of arboreal primates differed from their terrestrial counterparts, reflecting both host phylogeny and ecological constraints. Soil-transmitted Strongyloides species were widespread throughout the herbivore, primate, avian, and carnivore communities, and tended to infect omnivorous primates and terrestrial herbivores. In addition, new Trichuris and Heterakis species were found in the nematode communities of captive porcupines and peafowls. Conclusion: This study highlights the variation in the composition of the GIT nematode community and strengthens the attention to the harms induced by zoonotic nematodes and co-infective nematodes with low species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The full design of a liquid neutron reflectometer for China spallation neutron source is reported. The horizontal sample geometry enables studies on both solid and liquid samples. A neutron beam with a wavelength range from 1 to 10 Å and neutron flux intensity of 4 × 107 n/cm2/s was optimized for the classical specular reflection. A multi-blade detector with high detection efficiency and a high neutron counting rate was used to ensure the performance of neutron detection. Data acquisition and reduction routines were demonstrated to confirm the reliability of the measurements. The design and algorithms developed in this study pave the way for the future construction of liquid reflectometry for high-performance neutron scattering measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite limited biomonitoring studies suggesting extensive antibiotic exposure in general population, the body burden of antibiotics in young children and their potential health risks remain unclear. To assess the antibiotic exposure levels in young children, 508 preschoolers aged 3–6 years were recruited from eastern China in 2022, and a total of 50 representative antibiotics from 8 categories, including 17 human antibiotics (HAs), 4 antibiotics preferred as HAs (PHAs), 16 veterinary antibiotics (VAs), and 13 antibiotics preferred as VAs (PVAs), were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. Hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were calculated to evaluate the health risks, and multivariate logistic regression was applied to examine diet with antibiotic exposure. Our results showed that there were 41 antibiotics detected in children's urine, and the overall detection frequency was as high as 100%. Sulfonamides, macrolides, β-lactams, quinolones, and azoles were the predominant categories of antibiotic detected. Among the studied children, 6.5% had a sum of estimated daily intake (EDI) of all VAs and PVAs larger than 1 μg/kg/day. Notably, 10.0% of the children had a microbiological HI value exceeding 1, primarily contributed by ciprofloxacin. Children with higher consumption of seafood had a relatively increased exposure to multiple categories of antibiotics, including HAs, VAs, quinolones, azoles, and others. Principal component analysis suggested that "Aquatic products and viscera preferred dietary pattern" scores were positively correlated with the exposure levels of ciprofloxacin (OR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.02–1.47) and carbadox (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.10–1.59), and a relatively increased exposure of PHAs was realized in children with higher "Meat-egg preferred dietary pattern" scores (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.03–1.50). In conclusion, there was a widespread exposure to antibiotics among preschool children from eastern China, and children who consumed more animal-derived foods may had an increased exposure to antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Among all ischemic stroke patients, more than half are mild and rapidly improving acute ischemic stroke (MaRAIS) patients. However, many MaRAIS patients do not recognize the disease early on, and thus they delay access to the treatment that would be most effective if provided earlier. This is especially true in rural areas. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a late hospital arrival risk nomogram in a rural Chinese population of patients with MaRAIS. Methods: We developed a prediction model based on a training dataset of 173 MaRAIS patients collected from September 9, 2019 to May 13, 2020. Data analyzed included demographics and disease characteristics. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was used to optimize feature selection for the late hospital arrival risk model. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to build a prediction model incorporating the features selected in the LASSO regression models. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the prediction model were assessed using the C-index, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis, respectively. Internal validation was then assessed using bootstrapping validation. Results: Variables contained in the prediction nomogram included transportation mode, history of diabetes, knowledge of stroke symptoms, and thrombolytic therapy. The model had moderate predictive power with a C-index of 0.709 (95% confidence interval: 0.636– 0.783) and good calibration. In the internal validation, the C-index reached 0.692. The risk threshold was 30– 97% according to the analysis of the decision curve, and the nomogram could be applied in clinical practice. Conclusion: This novel nomogram, which incorporates transportation mode, history of diabetes, knowledge of stroke symptoms, and thrombolytic therapy, was conveniently applied to facilitate individual late hospital arrival risk prediction among MaRAIS patients in a rural area of Shanghai, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The types of underground paleocarbonate reservoirs in Ordos Basin, China are complex and show a high filling degree as a whole. In the process of acid fracturing, there are many problems, such as unclear understanding of the fracture propagation and extension law of volume acid fracturing, no relevant experimental data on the conductivity of acid corrosion fracture formed after large displacement and large liquid injection, and lack of theoretical basis for volume acid fracturing design. In order to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of acid fracturing design of such reservoirs, taking MW-X well in Ordos Basin as an example, this paper analyzes the influence law of different factors on the formation of complex fracture network by establishing fracture extension model and judgment model of the encounter between hydraulic fractures and natural fractures. Finally, by establishing the acid flow reaction model and productivity prediction model in the fracture, the influence of different factors on the acid fracturing effect is analyzed, and then the volumetric acid fracturing process parameters are optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions caused by the massive consumption of energy have brought enormous pressure on the Chinese government. Accurately and rapidly characterizing the spatiotemporal characteristics of Chinese city-level carbon emissions is crucial for policy decision making. Based on multi-dimensional data, including nighttime light (NTL) data, land use (LU) data, land surface temperature (LST) data, and added-value secondary industry (AVSI) data, a deep neural network ensemble (DNNE) model was built to analyze the nonlinear relationship between multi-dimensional data and province-level carbon emission statistics (CES) data. The city-level carbon emissions data were estimated, and the spatiotemporal characteristics were analyzed. As compared to the energy statistics released by partial cities, the results showed that the DNNE model based on multi-dimensional data could well estimate city-level carbon emissions data. In addition, according to a linear trend analysis and standard deviational ellipse (SDE) analysis of China from 2001 to 2019, we concluded that the spatiotemporal changes in carbon emissions at the city level were in accordance with the development of China's economy. Furthermore, the results can provide a useful reference for the scientific formulation, implementation, and evaluation of carbon emissions reduction policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stray neutrons might cause several negative impacts. However, it is usually difficult to conduct precise stray neutron simulations using the Monte Carlo method. Therefore, in this study, a measurement technique was proposed to study the stray neutrons experimentally inside the neutron scattering instruments at China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). The adopted measurement instruments comprise an extended-range Bonner sphere spectrometer and a commercial neutron ambient-dose-equivalent dosimeter, which enables us to directly measure the neutron spectra and ambient-dose equivalent H*(10) values. Verification experiments were performed inside the BL06 beam line experimental area at CSNS at two exposed locations with different sample conditions. Comparison of the experimentally measured neutron spectra, integral neutron fluence, and H*(10) value with the simulations demonstrated the feasibility of using the proposed method for studying stray neutrons for the neutron instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of traditional media, social media, and media trust on people's compliance with health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A total of 3000 Chinese adults filled online questionnaire using quota sampling method. Results show that use of central government media and use of WeChat are positively related to compliance with health behaviors, while use of local media and use of Weibo are negatively related to the levels of compliance. In addition, trust in the media amplified the effects of media use on levels of compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Venous thrombosis (VTE) is a high-incidence disease that affects different systems of the body, but no comparative studies have been conducted to explore its incidence in different systems in patients with the coexistence of multiple diseases. Primary care is a medical institution that has the first contact with patients' conditions. The majority of outpatients suffer from multiple diseases, and they are more prone to VTE, which is of significance and requires investigation. At the same time, we observed that the primary care patients' cognition level of VTE is insufficiency at present, and the prevention and management of VTE in China is still in its infancy. Most studies focus on whether doctors and nurses are clear about the diagnosis and manifestations of VTE, however, few studies on patients' cognitive level and influencing factors of symptoms and prevention of VTE. Therefore, it is necessary to study the causes of cognitive deficiency of VTE from the perspective of patients, conduct targeted cognitive and behavioral interventions, and finally achieve the purpose of improving the effect of VTE prevention and management. Aim: This study aimed to explore the risk factors, cognitive level and cognitive potential influence factors of VTE in outpatients of primary care in Shanghai, as well as which diseases, are more likely to promote occurrence of VTE among patients with multiple diseases. Methods: A total of 710 patients were included in the analysis. Shanghai in China is divided into urban and suburban areas by their geographical location, and a random sample of 10 primary care areas was investigated, including 5 urban areas and 5 suburban areas. The Padua scale and the VTE cognitive level-related knowledge test scale were used for the investigation. Statistical software was used to conduct univariate Pearson correlation analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis for VTE high-risk factors among outpatients of primary care. Furthermore, the high-risk factors for VTE and the types of chronic disease in patients with multiple diseases were subjected to subgroup analyses. t-test was used to statistically analyze cognitive level of VTE and the potential influence factors related to the patients' VTE cognitive level. Results: Univariate analysis of risk factors for VTE in 710 outpatients showed that age (χ2=83.895, P< 0.001), education (χ2=8.324, P=0.004), region (χ2=63.936, P< 0.001), chronic disease (χ2=18.198, P< 0.001) and the coexistence of multiple diseases (χ2=61.347, P< 0.001) were the main risk factors for VTE risk in patients. Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that age, region, chronic diseases and the coexistence of multiple diseases were independent risk factors for VTE risk in patients. The correlation between high risk of VTE in patients with multiple diseases and various types of chronic diseases was further analyzed by logistic multivariate regression. The results showed that diabetes mellitus (OR=1.636 [95% CI, 1.030– 2.599], P=0.037), cerebral infarction (OR=8.484 [95% CI, 4.615– 15.597], P< 0.001), coronary heart disease (OR=2.987 [95% CI, 1.699– 5.252], P< 0.001), intracerebral hemorrhage (OR=15.130 [95% CI, 4.707– 48.630], P< 0.001), respiratory diseases (OR=3.470, [95% CI, 1.428– 8.43], P=0.006) and malignant tumors (OR=4.576, [95% CI, 1.85– 11.315], P=0.001) were independent risk factors for VTE among patients with co-existing diseases, and the risks from high to low were cerebral hemorrhage>cerebral infarction>malignant tumor>respiratory system disease>coronary heart disease> diabetes. In addition, patients' age (t=6.869, P< 0.001), region (t=3.420, P< 0.001), education level (t=− 7.341, P< 0.001), chronic disease (t=5.875, P< 0.001), BMI (t=6.404, P=0.012), smoking (t=4.152, P=0.042) were related to the VTE cognitive level. Conclusion: General practitioners should pay close attention to independent risk factors for VTE among patients in routine outpatient care, especially patients with co-existing diseases with independent risk for VTE, placing them high risk of VTE. At the same time, health education and other measures should be strengthened to improve the patients' awareness and cognitive level of VTE to prevent the occurrence of VTE and its related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Prunella vulgaris (PV), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat patients with thyroid disease for centuries in China. The purpose of the present study was to investigate its bioactive ingredients and mechanisms against Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology to provide some basis for experimental research. Methods: Ingredients of the PV formula were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Additionally, HT-related genes were retrieved from the UniProt and GeneCards databases. Cytoscape constructed networks for visualization. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was constructed, and a PPI network was built using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. These key targets of PV were enriched and analyzed by molecular docking verification, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment. Results: The compound–target network included 11 compounds and 66 target genes. Key targets contained Jun proto-oncogene (JUN) , hsp90aa1.1 (AKI) , mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) , and tumor protein p53 (TP53). The main pathways included the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, the TNF signaling pathway, the PI3K–Akt signaling pathway, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. The molecular docking results revealed that the main compound identified in the Prunella vulgaris was luteolin, followed by kaempferol, which had a strong affinity for HT. Conclusion: Molecular docking studies indicated that luteolin and kaempferol were bioactive compounds of PV and might play an essential role in treating HT by regulating multiple signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese plum (Prunus salicina L.), also known as Japanese plum, is gaining importance because of its extensive genetic diversity and nutritional attributes that are beneficial for human health. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most abundant form of genomic polymorphisms and are widely used in population genetics research. In this study, we constructed high-quality SNPs through whole-genome resequencing of 67 Prunus accessions with a depth of ~20× to evaluate the genome-level diversity and population structure. Phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis, and population structure profiling indicated that the 67 plum accessions could be classified into four groups corresponding to their origin location, the southern cultivar group (SCG), the northern cultivar group (NCG), the foreign cultivar group (FG), and the mixed cultivar group (MG). Some cultivars from South China clustered with the other three groups. The genetic diversity indices including private allele number, observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, and the nucleotide diversity of the SCG were higher than those of the NCG. Gene flow from the SCG to FG was also detected. Based on the distribution of wild resources, we concluded that the domestication center of origin of the Chinese plum was southwestern China. This study also provided genetic variation features and the population structure of Chinese plum cultivars, laying a foundation for breeders to use diverse germplasm and allelic variants to improve Chinese plum varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global outbreak of COVID-19 has become an international public health crisis. Specific antiviral treatments for COVID-19 are not yet available, and prevention is of particular importance to fight the virus. This study tends to explore and compare the roles of cognitive and affective factors in predicting preventive behavior adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.Methods: An online survey using a quota sampling method to collect responses from 3000 Chinese adults was conducted from March 2, 2020 to March 23, 2020. Questions included sociodemographic features, coronavirus knowledge, negative emotion, risk perception, and behavioral responses. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictors of behavioral responses toward COVID-19.Results: On average, respondents had low levels of knowledge about COVID-19 (the overall correct response rate was 7.5%). Most respondents reported moderate to strong negative emotions towards the virus (3.47 out of 5). The average reported perceived chance of infection was 23.89%. For behavioral responses, respondents reported low frequencies of going out for activities (1.98 out of 4) and high frequencies of taking preventive measures (3.22 out of 4). Behavioral responses toward COVID-19 were found to be determined by cognitive and affective variables. Knowledge was negatively related to frequency of going out for activities (β = - 0.11, p < .001). Negative emotion (β = 0.34, p < .001), and risk perception (β = 0.05, p = .007) were positively associated with going out for activities. The explanatory power of affective variables (ΔR2 = 12.1%) was greater than cognitive variables (ΔR2 = 1.0%). For preventive behaviors, knowledge was positively associated with preventive behaviors (β = 0.22, p < .001). Negative emotion (β = - 0.28, p < .001) and risk perception (β = - 0.05, p = .002) were all negatively associated with preventive measures. Affective variables still showed stronger explanatory power (ΔR2 = 8%) than cognitive variables (ΔR2 = 4.4%) in predicting preventive behaviors.Conclusions: After the rising period of the COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China, cognitive and affective variables still played important roles in predicting behavioral responses. Compared with cognitive factors, affective factors demonstrated stronger explanatory power in predicting behavioral responses toward COVID-19. The findings may have implications for enhancing individual compliance with guidelines of adopting preventive behaviors in response to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the flavor changes of industrial stir‐frying mutton sao zi, a mutton product popular in the northwest of China, at different stir‐frying stages. Electronic nose (E‐nose) was used to recognize mutton sao zi odors at different processing time points, and the individual volatile compounds were further identified by the solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). A total of 105 volatile compounds were detected by GC‐MS, of which 51 were major volatile compounds. Additionally, GC‐MS and E‐nose data of the samples were also correlated with the fatty acids, crude composition (moisture, fat, protein), and amino acids. The stir‐frying time and temperature may be the critical contributors to different flavors of industrial stir‐frying mutton sao zi. The signal intensities of W1S, W1W, W2S, W2W, and W3S sensors positively correlate with protein, fat, and 18 amino acids, but negatively with SFA and moisture. Hence, this study explored the flavor changes of industrial stir‐frying mutton sao zi by E‐nose and SPME‐GC‐MS for the first time, providing an insight into the industrial production and flavor control stir‐frying machine of stir‐frying mutton products with household flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide application of phosphine fumigation has caused the development of resistance especially in Tribolium castaneum during the past 30 years. The understanding of how phosphine is metabolized by insects will benefit the management of phosphine resistance in stored-grain pests. In this study, ten field populations of T. castaneum were collected from different cities in China. Bioassays showed that XD, CD, ZB and GD populations were strongly resistant to phosphine with resistant ratios (RRs) higher than 160, followed by resistant populations QH and HK and four susceptible populations FX, CD, NX and TL. Enzyme activity assays showed that cytochrome P450 activities in resistant populations were higher than susceptible populations and P450 activities were up-regulated in phosphine-resistant T. castaneum after exposure to phosphine. Moreover, CYP345A subfamily members, CYP345A1 and CYP345A2, were significantly overexpressed in resistant populations. After phosphine treatment, the expression levels of CYP345A1 and CYP345A2 were up-regulated. Moreover, RNAi via dsRNA injection was effective to knock down the expression levels of CYP345A1 and CYP345A2 and resulted in an increase of the susceptibility to phosphine in T. castaneum, respectively. Overall, higher P450 enzyme activity and overexpression of CYP345A subfamily genes likely contribute to phosphine resistance in T. castaneum. The results will provide a foundation for developing better strategies to control stored-grain pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land subsidence in Changzhou City in the central Yangtze River Delta of China poses a serious threat to the safety of the environment and infrastructures. Excessive groundwater withdrawal, rapid urbanisation and industrial activities contribute to land subsidence in this area. In this study, we used the multi-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) technique to describe the spatiotemporal characteristics of land subsidence in Changzhou. Twenty-five ENVISAT ASAR and 29 TerraSAR-X images acquired from 2004 to 2013 were used to determine the rate and temporal evolution of land subsidence. We used the ERA-Interim model instead of spatiotemporal filtering in traditional MT-InSAR to mitigate the atmospheric phase screen. The InSAR-derived results were evaluated by comparing data from three time series methods and different bands (C and X bands), and accuracy was validated through levelling surveys and GPS measurements. For three regions, a distinct subsidence pattern was observed in major industrial areas with a maximum subsidence rate of up to − 39.9 mm/year. We also characterised the spatiotemporal variations of land subsidence in major industrial areas in Changzhou. The deformation of large-scale man-made linear features, namely high-speed railways, highway networks and a bridge, was analysed. The spatiotemporal characteristics and possible reasons for the observed subsidence were discussed to provide a reference for future urban development planning in Changzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• After being exposed to uncivil content, the less-educated people are more likely to express whereas the well-educated tend to remain silent in China. • Incivility and argument quality have a combined effect on public expression. Even equipped with strong argument, incivility can decrease people's expression willingness. • Mixed evidence regarding the impact of online incivility on public expression can be explained by comment's argument quality, topic, and receiver's education level. Uncivil comments are prevalent in Chinese cyberspace. Many studies have explored the impacts of online incivility and argument quality on public expression, but very few studies have been conducted in authoritarian societies. We conducted two online experiments with different topics in China. The results showed that after being exposed to uncivil content, people's intentions to make comments online changed depending on their education level and opinion congruency. The less-educated people are more likely to express whereas the well-educated tend to remain silent. Besides, incivility and argument quality can work together to influence public expression. A strong argument with a civil tone can promote people's enthusiasm for expression. But a strong argument with an uncivil tone can decrease people's expression willingness. However, uncivil comments with weak arguments increase less-educated people's willingness to express themselves publicly. Besides, opinion congruency moderates the relationship between argument strength and online expression. But the pattern was contingent upon the nature of the discussion topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is one of the world’s most sophisticated Internet censoring countries. Chinese Internet users who wish to visit blocked Web sites will have to use circumvention tools to get around the Great Firewall, a censoring system inspecting, filtering, and blocking foreign Web sites outside China. Using a nationally representative survey dataset, this study compares circumvention tool users and nonusers in terms of demographic features, Internet-use motivation, levels of media trust, and, most importantly, political attitude and behavior differences. We found that more than 11% of Chinese Internet users had ever used circumvention tools and they were most likely to be young and well-educated. Compared to nonusers, circumvention tool users were more likely to oppose censorship, to place less trust in news media, and to participate more actively in civic activities. However, circumvention tool users tend to hold more politically conservative attitudes than nonusers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the annual data from 1980 to 2014, the path analysis model was employed to investigate the influence of gross domestic product (GDP), total population (TP), and net export value (NEV) on total energy consumption (TEC) in China. The results showed that (1)GDP, influenced 59.73% ofTEC, played the most important role to affectTEC. Meanwhile, 37.69% ofTECwas directly determined byGDP, and 22.04% ofTECwas indirectly influenced byGDPthroughTPandNEV. (2)TPwas the secondary factor to affectTEC; 6.02% ofTECwas directly determined byTP, and 15.20% ofTECwas indirectly affected byTP. Moreover, 21.22% ofTECwas associated withTP. (3)NEVhad the least total effect and the least direct effect onTEC; 17.24%TECwas influenced byNEV. Among them, 3.58% ofTECwas directly determined byNEV, and 13.66% ofTECwas indirectly influenced byNEV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends the spiral silence theory and investigates the influence of perceived incongruence in opinion climate on individuals' intentions to express their true thoughts. Three intervening variables were examined to explain the process by which perceived incongruence in opinion climate leads to self-censorship: ambivalence, perceived opinion support, and internet political efficacy. Using data collected in telephone interviews with a random sample of 1020 Chinese residents in Shanghai and Guangzhou, we found that individual perceptions of the opinion climate varied considerably, and they were based on different media outlets. The Chinese audience is able to tell the difference between traditional media and the internet in terms of the features of their content. Moreover, among the Guangzhou residents, we found that the perceived incongruence in opinion climate was negatively related to the individual's willingness to express his or her true thoughts. Perceived opinion support was found the most robust intervening variable among the three proposed mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three main ways of how renewable energy is currently used in rural China are described in detail: biomass energy, solar energy and small hydro-power. The difficulties faced in their promotion are analyzed, such as lack of policy, lack of technical personnel, single financing channels and inadequate research efforts. Some constructive suggestions are provided, which have important theoretical significance and practical value for developing renewable energy in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The excellent initial conditions: The neutron irradiation facility is based on a 1.6 GeV proton accelerator and the neutrons are extracted in the forward direction at an orientation of 41° to the proton beam. These ensure the atmospheric neutron spectrum with the full energy spectrum from meV to GeV, which is the highest neutron energy that matches the JEDEC spectrum so far. • The unique facility design: The most challenging design of ANIS is the beam adjustments of the high energy neutrons. It is necessary not only to collimate the beam spot, but also to expand the beam spot, to modulate the neutron flux, to adjust the energy spectrum, and also to maintain the uniformity of the beam spot, while keeping the atmospheric neutron spectrum as far as possible. • Currently, the possibility of extensive neutron radiation test for electronics is seriously hindered by the scarce availability of neutron facilities, particularly that with atmospheric-like neutron spectrum which need large and expensive accelerators. ANIS is a new powerful complement facility, which will promote neutron irradiation test and related scientific research vigorously throughout the worldwide. An Atmospheric Neutron Irradiation Spectrometer (ANIS) with a neutron spectrum resembling that of atmospheric neutrons was physically designed at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). The general layout and the main components of ANIS are presented and discussed. The beam specifications including the atmospheric neutron spectrum, neutron flux, beam spot and beam uniformity are obtained via Monte Carlo simulations. Charged particles and photons were also analyzed. Simulation results indicate that ANIS is a world-class neutron irradiation facility based on proton accelerator, with very distinctive neutron beam quality and wide range adjustment capability. The first neutron beam will be supplied in the end of 2021. It will supply a powerful platform for the accelerated Single Event Effect (SEE) test that is used in aviation and terrestrial electronics, in compliance with the requirements of the associated international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study contributes to scholarly understanding of misinformation correction effect in an authoritarian regime, China. • The experiment manipulated message source and tone in corrective messages of science misinformation, and compared the effects of different manipulations on correction believability. • Government source was perceived more believable compared to mass media, scientist, popular science media, celebrity, and layperson for science misinformation correction. • A formal tone was perceived more believable than an informal tone in delivering science correction, and such effect was more salient when audiences hold an inconsistent attitude with the correction. People rely on heuristic cues to evaluate messages. An increasing number of studies found corrective messages useful in correcting misinformation, and the correction effect varies on heuristic cues. Existing studies, however, mostly focus on correction effects in the Western context. This study aims to compare the effects of corrective messages with different heuristic cues in an authoritarian society. We focused on the cues that suggest government authoritativeness. Using an online experiment, we compared the impacts of correction sources (official vs. professional vs. layperson) and tones (formal vs. conversational) on the believability of the correction. The results indicated corrections from a government source and delivered in a formal tone were more believable in China. In addition, we examined the moderating role of attitude congruence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines theoretical connections among three variables, each in its own way engendering profound political implications for the Chinese society today: news use, national pride, and political trust. We focused on the impact of ‘positivity bias in news’ and advanced a theoretical model on the basis of framing theory to address the dynamics of propaganda and its persuasive effects. Using data from the World Value Survey, we found: (1) news use in general, television news viewing in particular, was positively associated with political trust and national pride; (2) impact of news use on political trust disappeared once national pride was statistically controlled; and (3) intensity of national pride moderated the bivariate relationship between news use and political trust. The effect of party propaganda intended to consolidate political trust in China was contingent upon both one's affective ties to the state and the form of news media regularly consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Wine ageing status identification is of great commercial and scientific interest, as wine quality and value are closely related to the organoleptic characteristics developed during the ageing process. In this study, Chinese rice wines from three well-known wineries (“Guyuelongshan”, “Kuaijishan” and “Pagoda”) were analyzed for 21 chemical parameters, including six conventional parameters, five sugars, lactic acid and nine macro-elements. Then the experimental data were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis to predict and classify samples of different ageing status (3, 9, 15, 21, and 33 months). Systematic differences between samples were revealed by a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Discrimination model built by forward stepwise linear discriminant analysis (LDA) based on the 16 selected parameters achieved 88.5% accuracy in leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation. The most five discriminant variables were Zn, Mn, alcohol, Cu and Al, respectively. When the discrimination was performed on the samples from each winery, the classification accuracy in LOO cross-validation was 97.7%, 91.1% and 78.0%, respectively. The results demonstrated that these chemical parameters have the potential to enable the authentication of ageing status of rice wine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study aims to identify the principal components in ten prevailing factors, which would account for the influence of major economic variables on electricity consumption. Principal component analysis on these variables suggests two principal components, which respectively have Eigen-values of 8.28 and 1.04 and a cumulative variance of 82.77% and 93.19%. The regression results between electricity consumption and two principal components indicate close match between the calculated and the actual electricity consumption. The first principal component positively impact on electricity consumption, while the second one has negative influence. According to the coefficient of each variable in the combination, we found that gross domestic product, income, industrial output value, commodity exports, added services industry value, household numbers, percentage of rural population and price index impact positively on electricity consumption, while increase in commodity imports and efficiency of electricity reduces electricity consumption. These imply the possibility to control the fast growth of electricity consumption by imposing policies to revise the concerned factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study1 investigates the relationship between news media use and media participation intention in China by adopting an audience-oriented perspective in light of the changing patterns of media content concomitant with widespread commercialization in reformed China. Data from a total of 2,409 valid face-to-face interviews were collected in four cities during November 2006 and May 2007. Our results suggest that television news had a positive association with media participation intention, whereas newspaper and Internet news use produced mixed results. In addition, significant regional differences regarding media influences were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Discrimination of Chinese rice wines according to ageing time and brand using amino acid profiles was presented in this study. Free amino acids (16) in 98 rice wines were simultaneously determined using high-performance liquid chromatograph-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Then the experimental data was subjected to multivariate analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to differentiate samples from various ageing times (3, 9, 11 and 15months) and brands (“pagoda”, “kuaijishan”, and “guyuelongshan”). Partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and full (leave-one-out) cross-validation were used to develop classification models. The overall correct classification rate for different ageing times and brands was 99.7% and 94.9%, respectively. The proposed method shows an effective strategy for the detection of mislabelling of rice wines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The use of Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR) for the rapid determination of sugars and acids in Chinese rice wine was presented in this study. Calibration models were developed by partial least squares regression (PLSR) for eleven parameters related to sugar content and acidity—namely, total sugar, non-sugar solid, glucose, maltose, isomaltotriose, isomaltose, panose, total acid, amino acid nitrogen, pH and lactic acid. In the calibration step, most of the parameters were accurately determined, obtaining regression coefficients of calibration (r cal ) ranging from 0.821 to 0.991. In validation, regression coefficients of validation (r val ) obtained for most parameters were higher than 0.85. Unsatisfactory predictions were obtained for isomaltotriose and isomaltose with r val being 0.488 and 0.716, respectively. The residual predictive deviation (RPD) values were also higher than or close to 2.0 for all the parameters except for isomaltose and isomaltotriose. Overall, the results indicate that MIR spectroscopy can be applied to the quality determination of Chinese rice wine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Soil moisture is an important geophysical parameter for studying terrestrial water and energy cycles. It has been proven that Global Navigation Satellite System Interferometry Reflectometry (GNSS-IR) can be applied to monitor soil moisture. Unlike the Global Positioning System (GPS) that has only medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) also has geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellites and inclined geosynchronous satellite orbit (IGSO) satellites. Benefiting from the distribution of three different orbits, the BDS has better coverage in Asia than other satellite systems. Previous retrieval methods that have been confirmed on GPS cannot be directly applied to BDS MEO satellites due to different satellite orbits. The contribution of this study is a proposed multi-satellite soil moisture retrieval method for BDS MEO and IGSO satellites based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) observations. The method weakened the influence of environmental differences in different directions by considering satellite repeat period. A 30-day observation experiment was conducted in Fengqiu County, China and was used for verification. The satellite data collected were divided according to the satellite repeat period, and ensured the response data moved in the same direction. The experimental results showed that the BDS IGSO and MEO soil moisture estimation results had good correlations with the in situ soil moisture fluctuations. The BDS MEO B1I estimation results had the best performance; the estimation accuracy in terms of correlation coefficient was 0.9824, root mean square error (RMSE) was 0.0056 cm3cm−3, and mean absolute error (MAE) was 0.0040 cm3cm−3. The estimations of the BDS MEO B1I, MEO B2I, and IGSO B2I performed better than the GPS L1 and L2 estimations. For the BDS IGSO satellites, the B1I signal was more suitable for soil moisture retrieval than the B2I signal; the correlation coefficient was increased by 19.84%, RMSE was decreased by 42.64%, and MAE was decreased by 43.93%. In addition, the BDS MEO satellites could effectively capture sudden rainfall events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to data from the working reports of China's 244 prefecture-level city governments from 2004 to 2016, we used the instrumental variable method to identify the effects of governments' behavior of setting economic growth targets on regional green technology innovation. The results show that the setting and top-down amplification of economic growth targets have significant inhibitory effects on green technology innovation. The inhibitory effect is more prominent in cities with rapid economic growth and over fulfilment of economic growth targets. In addition, the higher the degree of over fulfilment of the economic target becomes, the more prominent the inhibiting effect is. An impact mechanism analysis reveals that economic growth target constraints affect regional green technology innovation through an industrial structure effect and foreign investment introduction effect. • Economic growth targets on green technology innovation are identified in China. • Setting and top-down amplification are inhibitory on green technology innovation. • Instrumental variable method considers endogenous factors in setting the targets. • Top-down amplification effects on green technology innovation are heterogeneous. • Industrial structure and foreign investment affect the effects of economic growth targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Polluted clouds were detected by a novel method based on Gaofen -5 DPC data. • The composition of polluted clouds in different regions was deduced from the regional aerosol composition. • A new idea was provided for detecting pollution sources and types. Large amounts of fine polluted particles due to anthropogenic activities can enter into the lower atmosphere and may pollute the lower water clouds, especially continental cumulus. Continental polluted cumulus (CPCU) plays an important role in the process of atmospheric radiative transfer and the Earth's environmental change. Based on the sensitivity of polarization to small particles, GF-5 DPC data were used to identify polluted clouds. In addition, dynamic transport and composition of polluted clouds were further analyzed. Firstly, a novel method based on two tests was used to identify polluted clouds in China. The source and transport characteristics of the polluted clouds were analyzed by using wind field and backward trajectory pattern. Secondly, based on the monitoring data from the Sun‐sky radiometer Observation NETwork (SONET), the types of atmospheric aerosol composition in China were classified into ten types by considering influences of the climate types, Digital Elevation Model and social economy, etc. Finally, the composition of polluted clouds in different regions was further identified according to regional aerosol composition, and the results were verified by the Optical Properties of Aerosols and Clouds (OPAC) software. The identifying results of polluted clouds showed that there were four polluted clouds over China on May 27, 2018 and high concentration of small dust particles. The changes in the component ratios of different polluted clouds respond well to the results of airflow sources and transport. Compared with the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) Vertical Feature Mask (VFM) data, the proposed method is effective and robust. The proposed method of identification and composition analysis based on GF-5 DPC data for polluted clouds can enrich the application of DPC data in the field of atmospheric and environmental detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fernbach et al. (2019) found that extreme opposition to genetically modified (GM) food was associated with low levels of objective knowledge and high levels of self-assessed knowledge in the US. They also found that the pattern that extreme opponents knew the least but felt they knew the most applied to opponents of a medical application of genetic engineering technology (gene therapy). In the past few years, genetic engineering technology become one of the most polarized scientific and social issues in China. Following Fernbach et al. (2019), we conducted a conceptual replication study using a nationally representative sample of Chinese internet users. In addition to studying extreme opponents of GM food and other applications of genetic engineering technology, we examined the extreme supporters in terms of their knowledge as well. Our findings show that Chinese people in general hold negative attitudes toward GM food and positive attitudes toward other applications of genetic engineering technology. Consistent with the original study, we found a similar pattern for extreme opponents of GM food in China. In addition, our data show the same pattern for extreme proponents of other applications of genetic engineering technology. • Prior work shows that extreme opponents of GM food know the least but think they know the most. • This research conceptually replicates that pattern in China. • A similar pattern is found for extreme opponents of GM food in China. • This pattern also applies to extreme supporters of other applications of genetic engineering (GE) technology in China. • Chinese people have a negative attitude toward GM food and a positive attitude toward other applications of GE technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study analyzed people's online government contact behavior in China. • Resources, problems and values are found to be predictors of citizen contacts. • Among the three clusters of predictors, resource plays the most important role. The development of information technology not only allows people to contact government more easily, but also provides researchers with new opportunities to investigate the pattern of interaction between citizens and government. Using data spanning eight years from a Chinese nationwide political forum, we examined how citizens' government contacting behavior relates to a series of theoretically relevant factors such as resources, social problems, and value systems. The data show a substantial increase in online citizen-initiated contacts in China from 2011 to 2018, with vast regional variation. In addition, we find that resources, social problems, and political value play important roles in explaining citizen contact frequency. More specifically, resource is positively associated with the number of citizen contact; high levels of social problem urge people to contact government; and people from provinces with more intense traditional political value are more likely to contact the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government trust is known to be associated with preventive practices during pandemics, but few studies have explored the roles of knowledge and negative emotion in conditioning the relationship between trust and preventive behaviors. The aim of this study was to explore the roles of knowledge and negative emotion in conditioning the relationship between trust and preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Data from a cross-sectional survey of 3000 Chinese adults [mean (SD) age 36.93 (12.11) years; 52.4% male], conducted using quota-sampling method (March 2-2020 to March 23-2020), were analyzed. Overall, respondents performed recommended preventive measures more frequently (3.21 out of 4) than excessive preventive measures (2.11 out of 4). Government trust was positively associated with both officially recommended (b = 0.12; 95%CI = 0.18, 0.25) and excessive preventive behaviors (b = 0.07; 95%CI = 0.03, 0.10). The positive relationship between trust and excessive preventive behaviors was found to be statistically significant only among those with low levels of COVID-19 knowledge. Officially recommended preventive behavior is most likely to happen when there is a combination of high levels of government trust and low levels of negative emotion. Therefore, government trust increases both official and excessive (sometimes unscientific) preventive behaviors. Interventions shall aim to enhance people's COVID-19 knowledge and to reduce negative emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sufu is the traditional fermented soybean products in China. The aim of this study was to establish a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of 3 monascus pigments and citrinin in sufu, assess the content of them in sufu samples obtained from market. The extracted sufu samples were purified by optimized SPE methods: discard the first 1 mL of effluent and collect the rest for HPLC-MS/MS determination. Good linearities were obtained (r > 0.999) in the range of 0.05–10 μg L−1 for citrinin, monascin and monascorubramin, and 0.05–10 mg L−1 for monascorubrin. The method has been successfully applied to the identification of monascus pigments and citrinin in sufu samples, and the Spearman correlation analysis of the concentration was also performed, therefore fulfilling the requirements for mycotoxins analysis. Besides, according to the health risk assessment of citrinin, the health risk caused by intake of sufu was not significant, and the recommended safe sufu consumption rate was 211.0 g person−1 day−1. The established method was fast, sensitive and accurate, was suitable for the analysis of 3 monascus pigments and citrinin in sufu. [Display omitted] • Novel SPE method for the analysis 3 monascus pigments and citrinin was established. • QuEChERS and modified passing-through SPE method were compared. • Spearman correlation analysis of monascus pigments and citrinin was performed. • Consumption of sufu less than 211.0 g person−1 day−1 was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of wheat grains is a serious problem in China, and it is necessary to remove contaminated wheat before it enters the consumer market. In this study, visible-near infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy and computer vision techniques were combined to simulate online discrimination between normal and DON-contaminated wheat grains. Naturally growing wheat samples were collected from several of the main wheat-producing areas in China, the reference DON contents were measured by using liquid chromatography serial triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-MS), and then wheat samples were divided into two categories according to the national standard of 1 mg kg−1. The characteristic spectral variables, colour and texture features were extracted and integrated for chemometric analysis. Principal component analysis based on fusion features indicated better clustering than with just spectral features. Subsequently, linear discriminant analysis modelling based on spectra and texture features achieved the best discrimination with an accuracy of 95.06% and 91.36% for calibration and validation sets respectively, which was 5% higher than with just spectral features, and the false positive rates (FPR) were the lowest: 3.41% and 10.42% for calibration and validation sets respectively. The internal scanning results of whole wheat flour indicated that the higher the content of DON, the looser the binding of starch granules, which could cause the textural change of wheat grains. The research showed that Vis-NIR spectroscopy combined with computer vision has the potential to be used in the non-destructive and online detection of DON-contaminated wheat grains; further study on the interference from complex environments is still need for actual online detection. • Vis-NIR spectroscopy and computer vision techniques were combined. • Spectral, texture, colour features were extracted and integrated for chemometric analysis. • Dynamically discrimination of the DON contaminated and normal wheat grains. • Naturally growing wheat grains were collected as samples. • Models based on integrated features provided more accurate discrimination results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper investigated the empirical relationship between economy development and energy consumption by material production, nonmaterial production and household. Empirical models accounting for the key influential factors were constructed. Ordinary Least Square Regression (OLS) analysis of the official data of China for the year 1985–2007 permitted the relationship between individual energy consumption components and the corresponding coefficients to be investigated. The results showed that (1) the Unit Energy Consumption by Primary Industry (UECPI), Secondary Industry (UECSI), and Tertiary Industry (UECTI) demonstrated an inverse relationship with Gross Domestic Product (GDP); (2) a linear relationship exists between the Energy Consumption by Nonmaterial Production (ECNP) and GDP; (3) the hypotheses that there is an inverse S-shaped relationship between Unit Energy Consumption by Household (UECH) and Personal Income (PI) is valid. Based on the above findings and an analysis of China’s energy policies, suggestions on China’s energy policy were given in the end. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Swine manure (SM) is one of the dominant livestock wastes in China. Pyrolysis is increasingly needed in valorizing SM into diverse products. However, little is known about the pyrolysis characteristics for SM. The results showed that the common-used solid-liquid separation in the SM management chain changed its physicochemical properties and pyrolysis characteristics. Specifically, the average activation energies (Ea) calculated by Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, Kissenger-Akahira-Sunose and Starink models for SM collected in pigsty (SM-A) were 184.70, 181.34 and 181.73 kJ/mol (R2 > 0.9) at conversion rate (a) = 0.2–0.7, respectively, which were increased by > 30 kJ/mol for solid-liquid separated SM (SM-B). Top pre-exponential values (A) for SM-A were also lower than these for SM-B. The ΔG and ΔS were decreased with the progressing of SM-A pyrolysis, while these for SM-B pyrolysis showed increases. Furthermore, SM-A pyrolysis produced more gas species than SM-B, which was more reactive during pyrolysis. Finally, this study suggested that although SM could be a potential energy source through the conversion by pyrolysis, attention should be paid on the impacts of manure management chain on SM pyrolysis. [Display omitted] • Swine manure (SM) from pigsty and after solid-liquid separation are compared. • Solid-liquid separated SM has distinct properties to SM excreted in pigsty. • SM from pigsty has a lower E a for pyrolysis than the solid-liquid separated SM. • More gaseous species are observed for the pyrolysis of SM from pigsty. • Manure management chain have impacts on pyrolysis characteristics of manure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms responsible for atmospheric neutron induced single event burnout (SEB) in commercial silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs were investigated and analyzed. Firstly, based on the atmospheric neutron irradiation spectrometer (ANIS) at the China spallation neutron source (CSNS), accelerated neutron irradiation experiments were carried out to evaluate the dependence of the sensitivity of atmospheric neutrons induced SEB on the drain bias voltage (V DS) in SiC MOSFET. Secondly, microscopic detection and analysis of the burned-out devices were performed at the wafer level by combining microscopy, focused ion beam (FIB) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to reveal SEB mechanisms inside the semiconductor device. Locally melted morphologies were observed both in the source contact and in the deeper SiC device. Since the melting point of the contact metal is much lower than that of SiC, it is the region where the burnout occurs initially, followed by the vicinity of the n−-drift/n+-drain interface. In addition, combined with the Geant4 calculation and TCAD simulation, the spatiotemporal evolution of the internal electric field and the maximum lattice temperature inside the device after ion incidence were simulated and analyzed. Results show that the strong impact ionization of the carriers induced by the local electric field causes a large amount of energy dissipation in a short time, which eventually leads to thermal damage to the device. • Single event burnout (SEB) of SiC power MOSFET • Broad spectrum-like atmospheric neutron irradiation experiment • Transient device simulations based on TCAD • Secondary ions, radiation effects and SEB mechanism [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amounts of microplastics can accumulate in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and sludge disposal is suspected to be a major source of microplastics pollution in the environment. It is therefore important to investigate the distribution of microplastics in the sludge of each processing unit of WWTPs. However, little information is available on this topic in China. Accordingly, in this study, the abundance and characteristics of microplastics in the sludge of two WWTPs in Chengdu were investigated. The abundance of microplastics in the sludge samples ranged from 44.4 n·kg−1 to 750.0 n·kg−1. Microplastics were mainly divided into particles (32.16%), debris (28.14%) and fibers (17.08%) according to their shape, and the colors of the microplastics were mainly green (35.19%) and translucent (18.06%). The particle sizes were mainly larger than 1 mm in dimension. Polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene were the prevalent types of microplastics analyzed. Our results provide basic information for better understanding the characteristics of microplastics in sludge and for improving sludge treatment. [Display omitted] • MPs in sludges of two typical CASS process WWTPs in Chengdu has been investigated. • Polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene were the most common compositions of MPs. • The abundances of MPs in the sludge samples ranged from 44.4 to 750.0 n·kg−1. • About 68.35% of MPs have a particle size greater than 1 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The sustainability of Chinese economy has attracted attentions from all over the world since China''s reform & opening up policy. This paper attempted to evaluate the relationships among Chinese economy, energy and its impact of emissions during 1991–2009 using several novel indicators based on emergy, energy and monetary units. The results show that NH3-N in wastewater has taken main responsibility for impact of emissions, the hidden environmental cost per unit economic output has been continuously reduced, education and R & D investment has cut pollutants generating intensity since 1997, and environmental protection investment has cut emission intensity since 1996. Generally speaking, the coordination degree of structure and scale of China''s economy has been improved to different degree from 1991 to 2009. However, the growth of education and R & D investment and environmental protection investment has not prevented impact of emissions from increase caused by economic aggregate growth, and the turning point has not appeared in this period. Finally, this paper discusses some related issues and puts forward the corresponding suggestions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The interplays among economy and energy and environment have been widely concerned. This paper put forward several indicators to quantify the relationships among economic growth and energy consumption and CO2 emission. As an example, these indicators were applied to evaluate the comprehensive performances of China during 1990–2007. The results show that Chinese people has been living a better life with Chinese rapid economic growth but not synchronously in urban and rural areas. Non-carbon energy resources share has increased; however, fossil energy resources have still acted as the main driver for Chinese economic growth during this period. Technical progress has improved the fossil energy efficiency of Chinese economic activity, which leads to CO2 emission per unit GDP and CO2 emission per capita unit GDP dropping simultaneously; however, the two indicators’ annual decline rates become smaller and smaller, which reflects that technical progress’ role is dropping and economic scale''s effect is climbing. People''s survival has a rising contribution to CO2 emission. CO2 emission per capita has increased, which shows that economic scale has greater impact on CO2 emission than technical progress does. Relatively speaking, Chinese development patterns have become more and more sustainable during this period. Finally, based on the related issues being discussed, some corresponding suggestions are put forward for Chinese government to further coordinate the relationship among economic development and energy consumption and CO2 emission. The proposed indicators can form a set of useful tool for policy-makers to promote the harmonious development of economy and energy and environment in different regions and countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Emergy evaluation provided global performance indicators that were used to assess the impact of waste exchanges on the sustainability of a sulfuric acid production system (SAPS) and a titanium dioxide production system (TDPS) in Pan-zhi-hua City, China. Impact of emissions was quantified in terms of emergy and integrated into the classic emergy-based indicators. Results show that waste exchanges improve the sustainability of the two systems, although the SAPS benefits more from the waste exchanges than the TDPS from an economic perspective however, the impact of emissions reduces their sustainability to some degree. This study creates awareness and brings new insight to the gains achieved with resource recovery from waste in the interrelated industrial systems, which is derived from the mutualism relationship existing in natural ecosystems. Finally, this paper puts forward some corresponding suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the flavor changes of household stir-frying China mutton sao zi, and to evaluate the feasibility of electronic nose (E-nose) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in discriminating mutton sao zi at different stir-frying stages. The optimal processing parameters were obtained by sensory evaluation and tenderness analysis of the three stages, stir-frying to remove water (SFRW), stir-frying fat (SFF) and mixed stir-frying (MSF). E-nose was used to recognize mutton sao zi odors at different processing stages, solid phase microextraction (SPME) combined with GC-MS to identify the individual volatile compounds, and data from the samples of both methods further correlated with the fatty acids and crude composition (moisture, fat, protein). A total of 174 volatile compounds were detected by GC-MS, of which 59 key were screened by t -test (P < 0.01). The W1W, W1S, W2W and W2S sensors of E-nose gave higher responses to all samples, and effectively discriminate the samples. The analysis of E-nose and GC-MS confirmed that W1S, W1W, W2S, W2W and W3S sensors were in positive correlations with the abundances of volatile components. Fat exhibited strong positive correlation with octanal, heptanal, 2,3-butanediol, 1-octen-3-ol, 1-pentanol, 2-methyl-3-octanone and 2-nonanone. Hence, this study, for the first time, explored the flavor changes of household stir-frying mutton sao zi with the methods of E-nose and SPME-GC-MS, providing some profound insights for the industrial production and flavor control stir-frying machine of stir-frying mutton products with household flavor. • GC-MS and E-nose could discriminate different stir-frying stages of mutton sao zi. • W5S, W1S, W1W, W2S, and W2W sensors are sensitive to volatile compounds. • SFF is the main stage of forming characteristic aroma of mutton sao zi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rapid discrimination of DON contamination in whole wheat flout by HSI. • HSI spectral and color features were combined for chemometric analysis. • Models based on data fusion provided more accurate results. • Quantification of DON in samples were not successsful by HSI. This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of combining spectral with image information for prediction of deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in whole wheat flour by Vis/NIR hyperspectral imaging. A total of 195 samples were collected from 13 cities in China with DON contents ranged from 0.0 mg kg−1 to 6.233 mg kg−1. Characteristic spectral variables and color parameters of samples were extracted from hyperspectral images and were integrated to chemometric analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated a certain clustering tendency between acceptable samples and infected samples when setting 1.0 mg kg−1 as the cutoff value. Subsequently, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) modeling based on spectral and color fusion features obtained correct classified rate of 96.92% for discrimination of acceptable and infected samples, which was much higher than single spectral or image feature. Microscopic analysis indicated that the higher the DON content, the looser the binding of wheat starch granules. However, quantification of DON was not satisfied by partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling (R p = 0.691, RMSEP = 0.707 mg kg−1). Overall, these findings verify the potential of hyperspectral imaging for rapid discrimination of DON contamination in whole wheat flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]