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This study investigated bilingualism effects on the production of focus in 5- to 9-year-old Cantonese–English bilingual autistic children's L1 Cantonese, compared to their monolingual autistic peers as well as monolingual and bilingual typically developing children matched in nonverbal IQ, working memory, receptive vocabulary and maternal education. The results from an elicitation task showed that monolingual autistic children had significantly lower accuracy than typically developing children in producing focus in subject and object positions. Bilingual autistic children in general performed similarly to monolingual autistic children but outperformed their monolingual autistic peers in the production of object focus with a significantly higher accuracy. The total amount of English exposure did not relate to the accuracy of focus production in autistic and typically developing children. Our results also revealed autistic children's tendency to make use of less prosodic means to produce focus. The overall findings indicate that bilingual exposure has no detrimental effect on the language skills of autistic children but might enhance the production of focus in bilingual autistic children's L1 Cantonese. It is commonly believed among professionals and parents that exposure to two languages imposes an additional burden on children with autism spectrum disorder. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support or reject this belief. With the prevalence of autism and an increasing number of children growing up bilingual, it is urgent to understand how bilingual exposure interacts with autism. Bilingual autistic children from Hong Kong, with Cantonese as their first language and English as their second language, took part in the study. We used a production game to test how bilingual autistic children use different levels of linguistic knowledge to produce contrastive information in real conversations, compared to their monolingual autistic peers and typically developing children matched in language abilities, nonverbal IQ, working memory and maternal education. We found that bilingual autistic children performed as good as typically developing children in general, and they even performed better than monolingual autistic children. Our findings suggest a bilingual advantage in autistic children in conveying constative information in sentences. We thus encourage parents to engage their children in rich bilingual environments. Clinicians, educators and other professionals may also consider adding bilingual aspects in training programmes to support families raising bilingual autistic children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research in security studies contends that information warfare (IW) is becoming a critical element in states' overall security strategies. Additionally, many researchers posit that artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly emerging as an important component of digital communications and states' military applications worldwide. However, less is known regarding how states are incorporating AI in their information warfare and influence operations (IWIO). Thus, given the growing importance of AI and IW in global security, this paper examines how the United States, China, and Russia are incorporating AI in their IWIO strategies and tactics. We find that the US, China, and Russia are utilizing AI in their IWIO approaches in significant ways depending on each state's overall IW strategy, with important implications for international security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate the exposure–response (E‐R) relationship, including exposure–efficacy and exposure–safety, of ropeginterferon alfa‐2b treatment in patients with polycythaemia vera (PV). Methods: Based on the results of the phase II trial A20‐202 regarding ropeginterferon alfa‐2b in patients with PV, E‐R analyses were performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the given dosing regimen. The E‐R analyses were based on logistic and linear regression and the relationship between exposure to ropeginterferon alfa‐2b and key efficacy and safety variables. The key efficacy variables included complete haematologic response (CHR) and reduction of the driver mutation JAK2V617F. The safety variable was treatment‐related adverse events (TRAEs). Results: A clear relationship between the exposure to ropeginterferon alfa‐2b and CHR was observed, with an increase in drug exposure resulting in an increased probability of achieving CHR. Similar CHR probabilities were observed in the third and fourth quantiles of the average concentration at Week 24. The results from the exposure–JAK2V617F model indicated that the JAK2V617F allele burden decreased with increasing exposure to ropeginterferon alfa‐2b and baseline body surface area. Exposure–safety analysis revealed a risk of AEs associated with transaminase abnormalities, which were not associated with clinical significance. Conclusions: Our analyses have shown that patients with PV treated with ropeginterferon alfa‐2b had an increased probability of achieving CHR and a molecular response with acceptable safety risks at the 250–350–500 μg titration dosing regimen. This study has provided the relevant data for the application of a biologics licence of ropeginterferon alfa‐2b for PV treatment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the mechanisms underlying diversity–productivity relationships (DPRs) is crucial to mitigating the effects of forest biodiversity loss. Tree–tree interactions in diverse communities are fundamental in driving growth rates, potentially shaping the emergent DPRs, yet remain poorly explored. Here, using data from a large‐scale forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China, we demonstrated that changes in individual tree productivity were driven by species‐specific pairwise interactions, with higher positive net pairwise interaction effects on trees in more diverse neighbourhoods. By perturbing the interactions strength from empirical data in simulations, we revealed that the positive differences between inter‐ and intra‐specific interactions were the critical determinant for the emergence of positive DPRs. Surprisingly, the condition for positive DPRs corresponded to the condition for coexistence. Our results thus provide a novel insight into how pairwise tree interactions regulate DPRs, with implications for identifying the tree mixtures with maximized productivity to guide forest restoration and reforestation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report optical observations of the millisecond pulsar binary system PSR J1622–0315 with the Lulin 1 m telescope in Taiwan and the Lijiang 2.4 m telescope in China between 2019 and 2021. The companion of the pulsar, which is of V ∼ 19 mag, showed ellipsoidal-distorted orbital variations in its light curves. The best-fit model to the light curves, with the binary code PHOEBE, gives a companion mass of 0.122 ± 0.006 M ⊙. This places PSR J1622–0315 in the spider-system subclass. We compared the properties of PSR J1622–0315 with other spider pulsar binaries for the scalings between the spin-down luminosity derived for the pulsar, irradiation luminosity of the companion, and X-ray luminosity of the binary. We find that pulsar irradiation in PSR J1622–0315 is insignificant and the irradiation luminosity of the transitional millisecond pulsars PSR J1023+0038 and PSR J1227–4853 are the highest among the redback systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have considered the theoretical role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) may play in shaping the global balance of power in the future. While these studies are informative, we currently lack an understanding regarding the precise manner AI technologies are being applied and incorporated in militaries in major power states. Thus, in this study, we examine how AI technology is being applied in the militaries in the US, China, and Russia and analyse the implications for the future of AI, global military competition, and international security. We examine current research on the military application of AI technology in the US, China, and Russia and conduct expert interviews with leading AI experts in academia, think tanks, multinational technology companies, and the military to better understand how AI technology is being applied in the three major powers states and the implications for global security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring learner agency and potential for creativity in task design are likely to elicit different flow experiences among learners, either facilitating or impeding their task engagement and oral or written performance in foreign language learning contexts. However, so far little attention has been paid to the role of these factors in learners’ flow experiences in task-based second language (L2) writing. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between different task conditions operationalized as a teacher-generated content task (TGT), a learner-generated content task (LGT), and a creative task (CT), and learners’ flow experiences by utilizing Czimmermann and Piniel’s adaptation of Egbert’s flow questionnaire. Moreover, the study also examined the possible role that study contexts might play in students’ flow experiences in English writing. Our investigation involved two groups of Chinese learners studying in Hungary and China, 40 students in total, who produced 120 narratives and filled in a flow questionnaire after each completed task. MANOVA results showed a significant main effect for the study context, suggesting that Chinese learners in Hungary experienced more flow in all of the writing tasks while their peers in China experienced more anti-flow on them. Despite the fact that multivariate analyses did not reveal a main effect for task conditions for either flow or anti-flow experiences or an interaction between study contexts and task conditions, findings from univariate follow-up analyses warrant a closer examination of possible task and interaction effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of children's migration on the well-being of left-behind parents using panel data on experienced utility measured by the Day Reconstruction Method. Exploiting exogenous variation in exposure to employment shocks at migration destinations for identification, we find that left-behind parents experience lower utility when their adult children migrate. This is partly due to increased working time and less time spent in social activities, and partly due to reduced utility within activity type. The latter effect is consistent with the finding of less physical care and psychological support from children who have migrated. These negative effects dominate the possible benefits of greater income associated with children's migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China's rapid development has gradually expanded beyond urban areas, vernacular landscape as a significant expression of local conditions receives more and more attention. This paper aims to formulate a comprehensive zoning scheme for vernacular landscapes of China. The zoning applies zoning methods and technical means of the Geographic Information System. Based on the understanding of the vernacular landscape concept, the main factors that determine the feature of the vernacular landscape are identified, including landforms, climate, hydrology, vegetation, land use, settlements, housing, population, economy, and customs. Then, the indicators that can significantly reflect the characteristics of each factor are selected to construct an indicator system for comprehensive zoning. We combine quantitative and qualitative analysis to examine the spatial differentiation patterns of Chinese vernacular landscapes comprehensively. The prior zoning principle is a combination of the principles of relative consistency of natural constituents of vernacular landscape and relative consistency of human constituents of vernacular landscape. Simultaneously, it considers the combination of the principles of synthesis and dominant factors, the combination of the principles of top-down and bottom-up, the combination of the principles of spatial integrity and continuity, and the principle of hierarchical zoning. Based on indicator evaluation and essential zoning basis, using overlay analysis and comparative analysis methods, the country is divided into two-grade spatial units of vernacular landscapes by two steps: 8 vernacular landscape regions and 56 vernacular landscape sub-regions. It provides theoretical support for protecting and developing vernacular landscape characteristics, and exerting regional advantages to achieve comprehensive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing RhD-negative red cell transfusions is a challenge in East Asia, represented by China, Korea, and Japan, where the frequency of RhD-negative is the lowest in the world.Findings: Among 56 ethnic groups in China, the RhD-negative frequency in Han, the prevalent ethnicity, is 0.5% or less, similar to most other ethnic groups. The Uyghur ethnic group has the highest reported RhD-negative frequency of up to 4.7%, as compared to 13.9% in the US. However, an estimated 7.15 million RhD-negative people live in China. The RhD-negative phenotype typically results from a loss of the entire RHD gene, causing the lack of the RhD protein and D antigen. The DEL phenotype carries a low amount of the D antigen and types as RhD-negative in routine serology. The DEL prevalence in RhD-negative individuals averages 23.3% in the Han, 17% in the Hui and 2.4% in the Uyghur ethnicities. The Asian type DEL, also known as RHD*DEL1 and RHD:c.1227G > A allele, is by far the most prevalent among the 13 DEL alleles observed in China.Conclusion: The purpose of this review is to summarize the data on DEL and to provide a basis for practical strategy decisions in managing patients and donors with DEL alleles in East Asia using molecular assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moss‐inhabiting flea beetles form a very diverse and understudied ecological group of leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) characterized by cryptic lifestyle, loss of flight ability and feeding on mosses as both adults and larvae. We present the first DNA‐based study of the phylogenetic position of moss‐inhabiting flea beetle genera Ivalia Jacoby and Cangshanaltica Konstantinov et al., based on sequences of two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes. We confirm that both genera are members of the monophyletic Chabria group, along with Chabria Jacoby, Parathrylea Duvivier, Chabriosoma Chen and Sutrea Baly. Moss‐inhabiting species form at least three independent lineages within the Chabria group, indicating multiple parallel origin of the association with mosses within the clade. We reveal the monophyly of Cangshanaltica and confirm its separate generic status from Ivalia. Ivalia is revealed as polyphyletic, consisting of at least two unrelated moss‐inhabiting lineages. In contrast, the externally similar moss‐ and leaf‐litter inhabiting genera Mniophila Stephens, Adamastoraltica Biondi et al. and Clavicornaltica Scherer are not closely related to the Chabria group. Our study specifically focused on the moss‐inhabiting flea beetles of Taiwan. We reveal that the Taiwanese fauna is a result of four independent colonizations of the island: one from China (Cangshanaltica) and three from the Philippines (three lineages morphologically assigned to Ivalia). Two of these lineages (Cangshanaltica and the core Ivalia) radiated in Taiwan and gave rise to the majority of modern Taiwanese species. The evolutionary history of Cangshanaltica and its diversification in China are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oligocene-Miocene boundary Asian climatic reorganization linked to the northward migration of the East Asian monsoon into subtropical China is a potentially important but poorly constrained atmospheric CO2 consumption process. Here, we performed a first-order estimate of the CO2 consumption induced by silicate chemical weathering and organic carbon burial in subtropical China related to this climatic reorganization. Our results show that an increase in long-term CO2 consumption by silicate weathering varies from 0.06×1012 to 0.87×1012 mol yr−1 depending on erosion flux reconstructions, with an ~50% contribution of Mg-silicate weathering since the late Oligocene. The organic carbon burial flux is approximately 25% of the contemporary CO2 consumption by silicate weathering. The results highlight the significant role of weathering of the Mg-rich upper continental crust in East China, which would contribute to the rapid decline in atmospheric CO2 during the late Oligocene and the Neogene rise in the seawater Mg content. If this climatic reorganization was mainly induced by the Tibetan Plateau uplift, our study suggests that the growth of the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau can lead to indirect modification of the global carbon and magnesium cycles by changing the regional hydrological cycle in areas of East Asia that are tectonically less active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the vexed relationship of doctrine, or teaching (C. jiao /K. kyo /J. kyō 教) in the three kindred traditions subsumed under the rubric of the Sino-East Asian graph 禪 , known through their distinctive pronunciations in modern languages as Chan, Sŏn, and Zen. While the stipulation of these traditions as 'a special/separate transmission outside the teachings'; (jiaowai biechuan 教外別傳) presumes independence from Mahayana doctrinal teachings, the reality, as we know, was much more complicated. In this paper, I use Yongming Yanshou 永明延壽 (904–975/6), one of the most prominent Chan figures to promote doctrinal engagement, as a barometer to look at how doctrinal engagements and disengagements are regarded throughout each tradition. Perspectives on Yanshou, a figure at once revered and marginalized, unlock key features of each of these three interconnected traditions, what they share and how they disagree. Fundamentally, perspectives on doctrinal engagements and disengagements are rooted in seminal Chan disputes over the nature and value of Buddhist teaching, and Yanshou is a conduit for these disputes. Given the theme of the conference, 'How Zen Became Chan'; I also look at the discrepancies these disputes reveal between modern Rinzai Zen orthodoxy's defining of Zen in the modern world and the practice of Chan in China and Sŏn in Korea. The options that these discrepancies reveal are indicative of the relevance of doctrinal entanglements and disentanglements to the contemporary Chan, Sŏn, and Zen worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) is impacting the research community worldwide with unforeseen long‐term consequences for research, doctoral training, and international collaboration. It is already clear that the immediate effects of the crisis resulting from disrupted research stays and reduced career development opportunities are being most detrimental to early‐career researchers. Based on a Sino‐German international research training group dedicated to doctoral training and biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning research, we show how resilience of large collaborative research programs can be promoted in times of global crisis. We outline possible adaptations in the areas of funding, research, teaching and learning, supervision and mentoring, and international collaboration helping to reduce detrimental impact for early‐career researchers and to permanently strengthen the performance of large collaborative research groups in the postpandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garnet is a prominent mineral in skarn deposits and its rare earth elements (REE) geochemistry is pivotal for understanding skarn mineralization and fluid evolution. In contrast to magmatic and metamorphic garnets, skarn garnets are mainly grossular-andradite in composition. They exhibit variable REE patterns, spanning from notable heavy (H)-REE enrichment to significant light (L)-REE enrichment, accompanied by negative to positive europium (Eu) anomalies. However, the key factors governing REE fractionation in skarn garnets remain uncertain. This study applies the lattice-strain theory (LST) to investigate the influence of crystal chemistry and structure on REE fractionation in garnets from the Lazhushan Fe skarn deposit in eastern China. Our results demonstrate that the garnet-liquid partition coefficient ratios of DLa/DYb significantly increase (up to 5–7 orders of magnitude) with rising andradite content in garnet. This variation underscores the pivotal role of garnet structure in controlling LREE/HREE fractionation. The results further show that partition coefficient ratios of DLa/DSm are strongly dependent on andradite content in garnets, whereas the DGd/DYb ratios only show a weak correlation to the garnet composition. This contrast suggests that fractionation of LREE in garnet is more sensitive to variations of andradite content than HREE. Data compilation of major elements and REE for garnet from the Lazhushan Fe skarn deposit and other skarn deposits worldwide shows that the garnet REE patterns vary from positive through concave to negative shapes with the garnet ranging from grossularitic to andraditic compositions. Such variations in garnet REE patterns are consistent with the results of geochemical modeling based on the LST. This study demonstrates that, through LST equations, the shape of fluid REE patterns can be predicted from garnet REE patterns, and vice versa. Furthermore, the Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*Grt) in skarn garnet depends mainly on fluid Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*fluid) and garnet-fluid partition coefficient ratio of D(Eu2+)/D(Eu3+) with the latter being influenced by garnet composition. These findings highlight the critical role of crystal chemistry and structure in garnet REE fractionation, enhancing our ability to utilize garnet REE in tracing the origin and evolution of skarn-forming fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on health and socio-economic determinants of later-life labour force participation have mainly come from high-income European countries and the United States of America (USA). Findings vary between studies due to different measures of socio-economic status and labour force outcomes. This study investigated longitudinal associations of physical incapacity and wealth with remaining in paid employment after age 60 in middle- and high-income countries. Using harmonised cohort data in the USA, England, Japan, Mexico and China (N = 32,132), multilevel logistic regression was applied for main associations. The age-related probabilities of remaining in paid employment by physical incapacity and wealth were estimated using marginal effects. This study found that physical incapacity predicted lower odds of remaining in paid employment in each country. Wealth was associated with higher odds of remaining in paid employment in the USA, England and Japan, but not in Mexico. Probabilities of remaining in paid employment were high in Mexico but low in China. The absolute difference in the probability of remaining in paid employment between the richest and the poorest groups was greater in the USA than that in any other country. In the USA, England and Japan, the inverse association between physical incapacity and remaining in paid employment could be partially compensated by wealth only when physical incapacity was not severe. National policies, including considering older adults' changing capacities for job placement and prioritising the provision of supportive services for socio-economically disadvantaged older adults, developing pathways for informal workers to access social security and pension coverage, and encouraging employers to hire socio-economically disadvantaged older workers and enhancing their employability, could be facilitated. Future studies, such as exploring health and socio-economic determinants of remaining in part-time and full-time paid employment separately in more countries, and the moderating effects of relevant policies on these associations, are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Conflict is inevitable in public-private partnership (PPP) due to the long-term agreement and multiplicity of stakeholders with varying beliefs and interests. However, a thorough understanding of the root causes of conflict beforehand helps to minimize conflict occurrence, thereby ensuring a smooth PPP process. This paper aims to explore and evaluate the root causes of conflicts in PPPs through a comparative study between Ghana and China. Further, the most suitable conflict resolution mechanisms are explored from the Ghanaian and Chinese perspectives. Results show that causes of conflict ranked higher in Ghana directly relate to poor governance and contract arrangement, whereas causes related to poor risk management and communication are ranked higher in China. Further, arbitration and negotiation are the most suitable conflict resolution mechanisms for PPPs in Ghana and China respectively. The outputs of this study inform international private investors interested in PPPs in Africa and China of the possible sources of disputes and resolution mechanisms in PPPs. This will enable international investors to develop strategic measures before entering into the PPP markets of both regions. Highlights • Conflict is inevitable in public-private partnership arrangements • This paper explores the root causes of conflicts and conflict resolution mechanisms in PPPs • Causes of conflicts related to poor governance and contractual arrangements emerged as critical in Ghana, whereas causes related poor risk management and communication emerged as critical in China • Arbitration and Negotiations are the most suitable resolution mechanisms for conflicts in PPPs in Ghana and China respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phanerozoic internal and peripheral orogens in Northeast Asia converge toward the Korean Peninsula situated between cratonic Asia and the outboard magmatic arc. Widespread Mesozoic plutons in the peninsula provide first-hand information about the magmatic response to the continental and oceanic plate subduction. The present study addresses this issue using comprehensive (n >1100) whole-rock geochemical, zircon U-Pb geochronological, and O-Hf isotopic data obtained from Triassic gabbro-pyroxenitemangerite- monzonite-syenite-granodioritegranite plutons in the central and southern parts of the peninsula. The intrusion of ca. 265-250 Ma calc-alkaline granitoids, including the high-silica adakite, along the outboard (in present coordinates) Yeongnam Massif is coeval with or slightly younger than the Barrovian metamorphism recognized in fold-and-thrust belts surrounding the inboard (northward, present coordinates) Gyeonggi Massif, suggesting a close link between the collisional orogenesis and subduction initiation as commonly documented in Phanerozoic supercontinents. Subsequent Late Triassic plutons emplaced in the Yeongnam Massif are subdivided into the older (232-224 Ma) magnesian and alkalicalcic to calc-alkalic group and the younger (220-217 Ma) ferroan and alkalic to alkalicalcic group temporally intervened by the geochemically arc-like Andong ultramafic complex (222 Ma). Zircon O-Hf isotopic compositions of the older plutons reflect the mixing of metasomatized lithospheric mantle, young (probably Paleozoic) arc crust, and Precambrian basement crust, whereas those of the younger plutons reflect input of the asthenospheric/lithospheric mantle and mafic lower crust. Meanwhile, the Late Triassic (233-224 Ma) potassic plutons in and around the Gyeonggi Massif represent postcollisional magmatism most likely induced by slab breakoff, which may also have been responsible for the shoshonitic magmatism in the Yeongnam Massif. Spatial differences in the age pattern and O-Hf isotopic signature of inherited and synmagmatic zircons from the potassic plutons indicate a selective contribution from an ancient metasomatized lithospheric mantle beneath the North China-like craton and an allochthonous South China-like lithosphere. The formation of the Triassic plutons could be explained by a series of tectonomagmatic events consisting sequentially of the ridge subduction, low-angle subduction, slab breakoff beneath the collisional orogen, tectonic switch to an extension-dominated arc system, and delamination of an overthickened arc lithosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) inhabiting leaf litter and moss in Hong Kong are reviewed and summarized for the first time. Five species are listed from Hong Kong, four of which are newly described: Benedictus sagittalis sp. nov., Cangshanaltica sprynari sp. nov., Clavicornaltica doeberli sp. nov. and C. longipenis sp. nov. Ivalia excavata (Wang, 1993) is recorded from Hong Kong for the first time. All species are photographed and their species identity is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization facilitated the development of international construction. Construction safety issues have become a global problem. International construction projects lead to complexities and difficulties in safety management given the involvement of participants from different countries and regions. This study takes case of Chinese international contractors to explore and evaluate the difficulties of implementing safety practices in international construction projects. Mixed methods include qualitative (i.e., document analysis and structured interview) and quantitative methods (i.e., Delphi survey) were adopted. The most important difficulties of implementing safety practices in international construction projects identified in this study were labor-only subcontracting and complex labor structure, low safety awareness of local workers, high turnover rates of frontline workers, and the failure of Chinese workers who work far from home to adapt to a boring lifestyle in overseas projects. Eliminating these major difficulties can facilitate the implementation of safety practices in international construction projects and further improve safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on mistakes made by reviewers while reviewing his book "From Christ to Confucius". It mentions the debates over indigenization to elucidate the political, cultural, and social pressures that European missionaries and Chinese Christians faced; and also mentions the key forces exerting an influence on the missionary approach to indigenization came from the Vatican; comparative work with missionaries on the ground who were arguing for more rapid indigenization.

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are prevalent in the older adult and are often accompanied by cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia. However, the roles of WMHs in the periventricular white matter and deep white matter regions in the aging process remain controversial. This study aimed to investigate the WMH burden across the adult lifespan and determine the interrelationships among age, WMH, and cognition. The present study included 312 healthy individuals aged 21–89 years who received structural magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive assessments. Periventricular WMH (PVWMH) and deep WMH (DWMH) volumes were computed and fitted using different regression models to evaluate the trajectory of WMH changes across the lifespan. Our findings support that the changes in WMH volume in the healthy population follow a nonlinear pattern with age, especially in PVWMH. With 2-mediator mediation analysis, we further suggest that the effect of age on the cognitive performance is mediated only by PVWMH. Conclusively, the increased PVWMH, but not DWMH, plays a major role in predicting cognitive aging in healthy adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background and objective Population-specific pulmonary function reference data are essential to identify the nature and severity of respiratory diseases. However, there is a lack of reference data for Chinese neonates and infants. The objective of this study was to develop reference data for tidal breathing and plethysmographic measurements for Chinese subjects during the first 2 years of life. Methods Data of tidal breathing and plethysmography from healthy Chinese neonates (≤28 days) and infants (1-24 months) using the Jaeger MasterScreen BabyBody were collated. All subjects were sedated for the tests. Multivariable analyses were performed to determine predictive variables for the pulmonary function parameters. Reference equations for outcomes were constructed using multilevel modelling and the LMS (lambda-mu-sigma) method was used for establishing smoothed reference percentiles. Results Four hundred and ten healthy subjects were tested. Acceptable measurements of tidal breathing analysis and plethysmography outcomes were obtained in 396 (96.6%) and 370 (90.4%) subjects, respectively. Normal reference percentiles and equations for the main parameters of tidal breathing and plethysmography were derived from test occasions of 211 neonates and 185 infants. Body weight, crown-heel length and age were significantly associated with lung function, of which length was the strongest predictor. Conclusion This study provides reference data of BabyBody-plethysmographic measurements for healthy Chinese subjects in their first 2 years of life. Weight and length are the strongest predictors for neonatal and infant lung function, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity and biology of the moss and leaf litter-inhabiting flea beetles are still poorly known. In this study, three new species of Benedictus are described from China: Benedictus fuanensis Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov., Benedictus quadrimaculatus Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov., and Benedictus wangi Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov. Comments on their biology are given. Benedictus quadrimaculatus has a highly unusual morphological feature not reported before in flea beetles: black spots on the abdominal tergites that are visible through the elytra. Traditional and modified ethanol traps were tested and proven useful for collecting leaf litter- and moss-inhabiting flea beetles. Based on our tests, eight traps could collect one specimen each day in the testing sites in Fujian Province; three traps could collect one specimen each day in the testing sites in Guangdong Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collusion is of critical concern to the construction sector as it undermines free competition in the construction market. Given that previous research on collusive practices concentrates mainly on the bidding phase, this study extended the research focus to the entire construction period and aimed to investigate specific collusive practices in Chinese construction projects. A total of 22 specific collusive practices in Chinese construction projects were first identified based on a comprehensive literature review and a Delphi survey with 15 industry experts. Then, a questionnaire survey was conducted to prioritize the identified collusive practices in terms of their probability and severity. The survey results indicate that the primary collusive practices in Chinese construction projects are misrepresentation of qualification certificates, loose site supervision, misusing prequalification requirements, fake tendering, approval of the unnecessary change orders, collective collusive tendering by helping one another, the nomination of a particular supplier, issuing certified works falsely, and inflating tender price. The findings of the study not only provide a clearer picture of collusive practices in construction projects in China but also provide a better understanding of collusive practices in other emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary We provide the first household survey-based evidence on the impact of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake on the welfare of rural households. Asset and income losses were substantial, especially in seriously affected areas. Our main finding is that there was an overwhelming government response to the disaster. Subsidies provided to households in 2008 were so large that mean income per capita was 17.5% higher in 2008 than in 2007 and the poverty rate actually declined from 34% to 19%. Using distance from the epicenter as an instrument for earthquake damage, we find a strong positive statistical relationship between lost value of housing and other assets due to the earthquake and increases in income per capita and government transfers received, and much weaker responsiveness of private transfers, wage labor supply, and borrowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the questions related to the Hong Kong basic law and the limits of democratization. Topics discussed include evolution of Hong Kong's political system before and after the basic law; prospects of democratization in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); and providing safeguards for the election of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR by the electoral model designed by Beijing.

This article examines the global ramifications of the "decline" of American liberal Protestant theology. Focusing on the case of liberal Protestantism in China, it tells the story of the Chinese theologian Xie Fuya, who was a staunch defender of American liberal Protestantism in the 1920s and 1930s. By the 1970s, he had become a critic of liberal Protestantism. Instead, he called for the creation of a solely Chinese Christianity, independent of any influence from the West. The article uses Xie's life to demonstrate American liberal theology's global reach, as well as its eventual rejection. It also draws upon Xie's career to reflect on the religious revival that has emerged in China today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At least twice, Georges Bataille commented briefly but memorably on photographs he owned of a Chinese prisoner being executed by dismemberment. The history of this punishment in China, known as lingchi, or “the death by a thousand cuts,” ended around the same time the photographs were taken, but Bataille’s comments evinced a modern sensibility of punishment that is aesthetic rather than pedagogical, and which Bataille often theorized with reference to the Marquis de Sade. In the contemporary US, this regime is intimately connected with the visual stigmatics of racism, and has resulted in two contrasting phenomena: capital executions giving way to solitary confinement, and the extrajudicial public killings of unarmed black people by police. In this paper, the purposes of hidden and visible torture by the state are compared through examples taken from premodern China, early modern Europe, and the contemporary United States, and interpreted with reference to psychoanalytic and post-psychoanalytic philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[Display omitted] • Te-rich epithermal systems are associated with calc-alkaline magmatism in NE China. • Au, Ag, and Te were likely derived from deep intermediate-basic intrusions. • Productive high-grade Au-Ag-telluride ores formed under the influence of magmatic fluids. • The north Heilongjiang Belt has exploration potential for additional Te-bearing Au-Ag deposits. Tellurium-bearing low-sulfidation epithermal Au-Ag deposits are significant producers of gold, silver, and potentially strategic elements if mineral processing methods are optimized for recovery. Although these deposits are generally related to alkaline magmatism, our study documents an unusual occurrence of Te-rich low-sulfidation epithermal systems in the North Heilongjiang Belt in northeast China that is spatially and temporally associated with calc-alkaline magmatism and tectonic extension in a continental arc‐setting. In the North Heilongjiang Belt, Te-bearing Au-Ag deposits are usually sited in dilatant zones, mostly along extensional NW structures or at their intersections with deep‐seated NE-striking faults such as the Nenjiang-Heihe and Jiayin-Mudanjiang lineaments. Of these deposits, Sandaowanzi is well‐known for its bonanza gold grades. These faults localized andesitic to rhyolitic volcano-plutonic centers that evolved from mantle‐derived mafic melts to intermediate compositions due to differentiation and crustal assimilation as documented by their mineralogy and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope compositions. During assimilation of country rocks, fluids containing 3He and other volatiles derived from mantle magmas displaced or mixed with external groundwater containing radiogenic 4He derived from country rocks. In this belt, the bulk metal content of Au, Ag and Te was probably introduced by deep mantle‐derived mafic‐intermediate calc‐alkaline intrusions. However, our study does not exclude input of metals leached from underlying metasedimentary rocks and older Te‐bearing Au mineralization. The noble gas, hydrogen, oxygen and lead isotope compositions of fluid inclusions and ore minerals suggest that the deposits formed by mixing between magmatic fluids and convecting meteoric ground waters containing lead leached from surrounding country rocks. At deeper levels, isotopic evidence suggests that Au-Ag-Te (Bi) precipitated with pyrite, quartz, sericite, and carbonate minerals due to mixing with Te-rich fluids. At shallower levels, Au and Ag precipitated contemporaneously with base‐metal sulfides, hydrothermal quartz and sericite during episodic boiling as evidenced by silica morphology and mineral textures. The relatively uniform spacing of epithermal systems along NW- and NE-trending structures in the North Heilongjiang Belt was used to identify unexplored spaces within this mineral belt that are prospective for concealed low-sulfidation epithermal gold deposits. Although some of the Au-Ag deposits in this belt are enriched in Te, there is a lack of coeval alkaline igneous rocks that are commonly associated with Te-bearing gold deposits elsewhere in the world (e.g., Cripple Creek, Emperor, and Lihir Island). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereotyping towards the second language accent of second language learners is extensively seen even when the content of learner speech can be understood. Previous studies reported conflicting results on accent perception by speakers of second languages, especially among homogenous learners. In this paper, we conducted a survey and two experiments to test whether Mandarin-speaking advanced learners of English may give harsher accent ratings to their fellow learners than to Standard American English speakers. The survey was designed to understand the L2 listeners' beliefs about accented speech. In Experiment 1, participants rated short audio recordings of L2 learner' and Standard American English speech; in Experiment 2, they did the same in a more detailed word-in-sentence accent rating task. Results showed a markedly high level of perceived L2 accentedness for several learner speech stimuli despite good intelligibility, especially for the strongly-accented Cantonese passage and for specific vowel and consonant types. The findings reveal the existence of native-speakerism in China and highlight existing accent stereotypes. Implications for policymaking and language teaching are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green building, a significant sustainable practice to enhance the relationship between buildings and the environment, has received much attention worldwide. Although green buildings spread fast around the world, the efficiency of resources for green building construction has great potential to improve. Meanwhile, the spatial correlations of green building construction need to strengthen to benefit from the spillover effects. However, only few previous studies focused on efficiency problems in the green building promotion process and their spatial correlations. This study aims to propose a framework to examine green building promotion efficiency and investigate its spatial relationships between regions in different time slices. As a case study, data from 28 regions in China were collected. Data envelopment analysis and social network analysis were used to analyze the data. Results show that the overall green building promotion efficiency in China increased gradually, but significant efficiency gaps existed among regions. Regional collaborations made great contributions to efficiency enhancement, especially in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta areas. Furthermore, only a small proportion of regions performed well in the efficiency and spatial correlations, mainly in southeast China. Most regions had low efficiency and weak correlations with the developed regions. This study contributes to the knowledge body of green buildings by presenting the first investigation into the green building promotion efficiency and the spatial correlations in green building development. The findings would enable researchers, policymakers and practitioners to develop efficient policies and strategies to promote the widespread implementation of green buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of pH, ionic strength, cadmium concentration, and chelating agents on the zeta potential of a natural clay of high acid/base buffer capacity from Shanghai, China were investigated in this study, with a view to enhancing the efficiency of electrokinetic remediation of the cadmium-contaminated clay. An increase in the ionic strength of the background solution or cadmium concentration increases the zeta potential on soil particle surfaces, i.e., less negative. CAIW increases the zeta potential slightly but the effects are not pronounced. EDTA and phosphonates decrease the zeta potentials of soil particle surfaces, thus enhancing forward electroosmotic flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of construction megaprojects has become a global phenomenon over the last two decades as a result of rapid urbanization. Program management has been increasingly promoted as a vital approach for ensuring megaproject success through the coordinated management of the dispensed execution of a program at the organizational level. Nevertheless, practicing this method in construction megaprojects is a continual improvement process that requires relevant guidelines and tools. This study proposes an innovative tool to evaluate a structured program organization in conjunction with the fuzzy synthetic evaluation method. Based on determinants of program organization identified from a Delphi survey previously conducted by authors regarding the Shanghai Expo construction, combined with results of further Delphi surveys for the same project, the use of this new evaluation approach in the case project is illustrated step by-step. With this tool, clients can better utilize the program management approach in their organizational design and improvement, and the organizational effectiveness for delivering megaprojects can be improved constantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2003, Mainland China has been promoting the public–private partnership (PPP) procurement model in the waste-to-energy incineration sector to reduce the waste burying rate and improve environmental quality. Five critical risk factors (CRFs) that affect the construction and operation of waste-to-energy incineration projects have been identified from real-life risk events of 14 PPP waste-to-energy incineration plants through content analysis. These risk factors are insufficient waste supply , disposal of non - licensed waste , environmental risk , payment risk , and lack of supporting infrastructure . A recently completed PPP waste-to-energy incineration plant, the Shanghai Tianma project, was investigated to learn from the effective management of CRFs. First-hand data about the Shanghai Tianma project was collected, with a focus on project negotiation and concession agreement. Lessons learned about risk management were acquired. This paper presents a detailed study of the contractual structure, risk sharing scheme, risk response measures to CRFs, and project transfer of a PPP project. The study results will provide governments with management implications to prepare equitable concession agreements and benefit private investors by effectively mitigating and managing risks in future PPP waste-to-energy incineration projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption has been identified as the greatest obstacle to economic and social development. Public construction projects, in particular, face high corruption risk as public construction sector has been consecutively deemed as the most corrupt one. Despite considerable efforts have been undertaken to measure corruption at a nation level, few researchers focus on the measurement of corruption in construction projects. This paper develops a fuzzy measurement model for the potential corruption in public construction projects in China. Through semistructured interviews with 14 experts, and then a questionnaire survey with 188 respondents, 24 measurement items of corruption were identified and further categorized into five constructs. The fuzzy set theory was then adopted to quantify each measurement item, construct, and the overall corruption level. This model can facilitate in evaluating, revealing, and monitoring corruption in public construction projects. Although this paper focuses on measuring corruption in public construction projects in China, similar research methods can be applied in other countries around the world and thus contribute to the global body of knowledge of corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the isolation of bacterial strain PYX-6 that utilizes anthracene, phenanthrene or pyrene for carbon and energy sources for growth from Tianchi Lake in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Morphology, physiological and biochemical properties; Cell wall pattern; rRNA gene of strain PYX-6; Disappearance of pyrene in medium.

Although interest in assessing the impacts of hot temperature and mortality in Hong Kong has increased, less evidence on the effect of cold temperature on mortality is available. We examined both the effects of heat and cold temperatures on daily mortality in Hong Kong for the last decade (2002-2011). A quasi-Poisson model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to assess the non-linear and delayed effects of temperatures on cause-specific and age-specific mortality. Non-linear effects of temperature on mortality were identified. The relative risk of non-accidental mortality associated with cold temperature (11.1 °C, 1st percentile of temperature) relative to 19.4 °C (25th percentile of temperature) was 1.17 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.04, 1.29) for lags 0-13. The relative risk of non-accidental mortality associated with high temperature (31.5 °C, 99th percentile of temperature) relative to 27.8 °C (75th percentile of temperature) was 1.09 (95 % CI: 1.03, 1.17) for lags 0-3. In Hong Kong, extreme cold and hot temperatures increased the risk of mortality. The effect of cold lasted longer and greater than that of heat. People older than 75 years were the most vulnerable group to cold temperature, while people aged 65-74 were the most vulnerable group to hot temperature. Our findings may have implications for developing intervention strategies for extreme cold and hot temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response strategy is a key for preventing widespread corruption vulnerabilities in the public construction sector. Although several studies have been devoted to this area, the effectiveness of response strategies has seldom been evaluated in China. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the effectiveness of response strategies for corruption vulnerabilities through a survey in the Chinese public construction sector. Survey data obtained from selected experts involved in the Chinese public construction sector were analyzed by factor analysis and partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Analysis results showed that four response strategies of leadership, rules and regulations, training, and sanctions, only achieved an acceptable level in preventing corruption vulnerabilities in the Chinese public construction sector. This study contributes to knowledge by improving the understanding of the effectiveness of response strategies for corruption vulnerabilities in the public construction sector of developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the EU-China relations grow rapidly and comprehensively, their partnership in S&T has grown fast, too, both in terms of people mobility, collaboration in research projects, or active involvement in grand projects. Meanwhile, S&T has increasingly become one of the priority issues on the agenda of EU-China summits. In line with Sandholtz's theory on S&T cooperation, EU and China regarded S&T cooperation as a means of market and technology access, and an illustration of their strategic partnership against the backdrop of international geopolitical and economic mutual interests. However, with China's political and economic power rising, the Galileo case reveals the limitations of their partnership, and the hidden difference of their perception of S&T governance and cooperation. National security interests often prevail over other foreign policy objectives. If their S&T cooperation remains in linear innovation approach with the focus on R&D, their collaboration will be marginal, as relative gains would end their partnership once their complementarity faded away. We suggest that the employment of EU's non-linear innovation approach in EU-China S&T cooperation offers the two sides an opportunity to deepen their partnership in S&T. First, China, with its exponentially rising science budget and declining marginal production profits, needs to improve S&T governance, respond to societal challenges, and find alternative driving force of economic growth to sustain the social and political stability in China. By the same token, EU intends to place more emphasis on the S&T cooperation with China to regain economic momentum through heterogeneous and interaction-oriented innovation. Second, the EU's non-linear innovation approach can help China resolve its domestic problems through science development led by socio-economic breakthrough, and the EU can make contribution to governance in China and raise its profile there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1898, the year before his death, the German missionary Ernst Faber reflected on his forty-year career in China. The account of his early missions work was suffused with a tone of failure and disappointment. He wrote openly about his difficulties in adjusting to the climate and environment of southern China, the diminutive numbers of converts to Christianity, his frustrations with learning Mandarin and the local dialects used in Guangdong, and the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that he encountered working in rural parishes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the housing policies in China in the last 14 years in the context of the international debate on the World Bank's housing market enabling strategy to improve low-income housing provision in developing countries. A review of China's urban housing outcomes reveals housing price inflation and shortage of affordable housing in the fast expanding housing market. The paper analyzes policies to increase both demand for and supply of housing and argues that these policies have contributed to worsening affordability. This situation has been exacerbated by problems in the institutional framework managing the housing sector. The paper concludes that market enabling alone is not sufficient to achieve a satisfactory housing outcome for low- and middle-income groups in Chinese cities. It advocates more effective and direct public intervention for enhancing social housing provision and tightening market regulation to address both market and government failures to improve housing conditions for lower income groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to incorporate both leading and lagging KPIs and apply the reliability interval method (RIM) to formulate a benchmarking model to assess project success in Hong Kong. A list of leading and lagging KPIs was complied based on a comprehensive literature review. This list of KPIs was used to develop a survey questionnaire and RIM was subsequently used to analyze the survey results and determine the relative importance and rankings of various leading and lagging KPIs. The results reveal that the top 10 KPIs to evaluate the success of construction projects in Hong Kong (in descending order) were (1) safety performance, (2) cost performance, (3) time performance, (4) quality performance, (5) client's satisfaction, (6) effectiveness of communication, (7) end user's satisfaction, (8) effectiveness of planning, (9) functionality, and (10) environmental performance. Finally, a composite performance index (CPI) was derived by means of RIM to provide a comprehensive assessment of construction project success in Hong Kong. Different construction projects can now be assessed on the same basis for benchmarking and project monitoring purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accident record of the repair, maintenance, minor alteration, and addition (RMAA) sector has been alarmingly high; however, research in the RMAA sector remains limited. Unsafe behavior is considered one of the key causes of accidents. Thus, the organizational factors that influence individual safety behavior at work continue to be the focus of many studies. The safety climate, which reflects the true priority of safety in an organization, has drawn much attention. Safety climate measurement helps to identify areas for safety improvement. The current study aims to identify safety climate factors in the RMAA sector. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the RMAA sector in Hong Kong. Data were randomly split into the calibration and the validation samples. The RMAA safety climate factors were determined by exploratory factor analysis on the calibration sample. Three safety climate factors of the RMAA works were identified: (1) management commitment to occupational health and safety (OHS) and employee involvement, (2) application of safety rules and work practices, and (3) responsibility for health and safety. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then conducted on the validation sample. The CFA model showed satisfactory goodness of fit, reliability, and validity. The suggested RMAA safety climate factors can be utilized by construction industry practitioners in developed economies to measure the safety climate of their RMAA projects, thereby enhancing the safety of RMAA works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examines fatalities of repair, maintenance, minor alteration, and addition (RMAA) works which occurred in Hong Kong between January 2000 and October 2011. A total of 119 RMAA fatalities were recorded. Particular emphasis was placed on fall from height accidents as they accounted for the vast majority of RMAA fatal accidents for the period. A cluster analysis was conducted on fall from height fatal cases. The cluster analysis clearly identified three groups of fall from height fatalities: (1) bamboo scaffolders aged between 25 and 34 who fell from external wall/facade in the beginning of weekdays; (2) miscellaneous workers aged between 45 and 54 who fell from other/unknown places in the end of weekdays; and (3) manual labour aged between 35 and 44 who fell at floor level/from floor openings in weekends. Unsafe process and improper procedures were the main unsafe condition leading to fatalities whereas safety belt not properly used was the main unsafe action leading to fatalities. Specific safety interventions were recommended for each of these groups to help avoid these fatalities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]