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Using panel data from 2012 to 2018, this article investigates the long‐term impact of household debt on household consumption, which is very important to the sustainable development of economy. The result shows that total household debt has a significant crowding‐out impact on long‐term household consumption, whereas nonhousing debt has no significant effect on it. In addition, we also find that the debt of high‐asset families has a weaker impact on long‐term household consumption; the debt of rural families, however, has a greater crowding‐out effect, which means that increasing rural families' leverage will have a greater negative impact on household consumption. Finally, household debt's negative effect on long‐term consumption was not found in older families, whereas it is found at significant level in middle‐aged families. The above results have important implications for China's policy to stimulate consumption and promote sustainable economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion is the primary factor inducing soil deterioration in large river basins. Management and conservation of the soil erosion of the red bed desert, a unique gully landform shaped by intensive weathering and hydraulic erosion under the humid climate in south-eastern China, is crucial for its long-term sustainable development. This study, focusing on the Nanxiong Basin, a representative area with red beds, applied Gaofen(Gf)-2 satellite images to the RUSLE Model to analyze soil erosion modulus before and after implementing treatment for soil erosion control. We qualified the volume of soil erosion and mapped the spatial erosion variability in the basin. The results exhibited a decrease in the average erosion modulus from 3943.56 t·km−2·yr−1 to 2023.1 t·km−2·yr−1, which caused a reduction in total soil loss from 4.64 million tons to 2.38 million tons after treatment, with a reduction of about 48.7%. The mitigation reduced soil erosion from a moderate level to a light level. The areas that integrated soil and water conservation practices (SWCP) with management measures showed evident improvement in soil erosion, with a dramatic reduction in areas with annual erosion of a strong level (5000~8000 t·km−2·yr−1), extremely strong level (8000~15,000 t·km−2·yr−1), and severe level (>15,000 t·km−2·yr−1). Despite spatial heterogeneity in soil erosion intensity in the basin, this study demonstrates the great performance of SWCP in mitigating red bed degradation. The study provides a solid scientific basis for soil erosion control using ecological engineering in the Nanxiong Basin. It can also serve as an illustrative case study for further applications on soil erosion assessment in similar small basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, disputes regarding the benefits and drawbacks of land finance have been heated, but the role of land in urban economic growth has received insufficient attention, particularly on a macro scale. This research used the Cobb–Douglas production function model to investigate the role of land in urban economic growth. Then, we conducted an empirical test using panel data from 30 provinces from 2000 to 2019, with the goal of revealing the role of land in urban growth and spatio-temporal inequalities in China. Furthermore, to find the spatial steady-state level of land contributions, σ convergence, absolute β convergence, and condition β convergence tests were applied. The results show that: (1) China's urban economic development was influenced by the combined element of land, capital, and labor; (2) the contribution of land to China's urban economy experienced a turning point during the "12th Five-Year Plan"; (3) the spatio-temporal convergence of the contribution of land showed convergence in the east but nonconvergence in the central and western regions; and (4) β convergence demonstrated convergence in eastern, central, and western China. Given the complex and turbulent international political and economic context, the Chinese government should think about how to foster continuous energy by supporting land-supply policies that are adapted to local needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the exploitation of the lower coal seams of the Taiyuan Formation, the Ordovician limestone water inrush in the floor became more serious. This paper considers the 162 and 163 mining areas of the Jiangzhuang Coal Mine, in Shandong Province, China. A comprehensive analysis of the geological and hydrogeological conditions of the mining area revealed the following: water pressure and water richness provide the water source and power for the floor water inrush; the thickness of the effective aquifer and the ratio of brittle rock can restrain floor water inrush; fault structures provide water inrush channels; and mining damage is an artificial interference and increases the probability of water inrush. Therefore, six factors: the water pressure of the Ordovician limestone aquifer, water abundance of the Ordovician limestone aquifer, equivalent thickness of effective aquifuge, brittle rock ratio, fracture structure, and mining destruction were selected as the influencing factors on water penetration of the bottom plate, and drawing software was used to establish a mining area map of related factors. The improved fuzzy hierarchical analysis method is more suitable for analyzing multi-objective decisions than the traditional hierarchical analysis method, but the weighting of results is influenced by expert experience. The entropy weight method is data-driven, and the empowerment results are objective. The improved fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method were coupled together, to determine the weight of each factor. The new method is not only data driven, but also takes empirical experience into consideration, making the empowerment results more reasonable. An evaluation of coal floor water inrush was established using MapGIS10.6, which is a general tool-type geographic information system software developed by the China University of Geosciences; and the risk of Ordovician limestone water inrush in the floor of the study area was classified into four levels: dangerous, relatively dangerous, relatively safe, and safe. The whole evaluation process is simple, but the evaluation results have practical importance and are very efficient, providing theoretical support for coal mine water prevention and control engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization causes the accumulation of large amounts of pollutants, including heavy metals, organic pollutants, and black carbon (BC). BC is the carbonaceous residue generated from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It plays an important role on the migration of heavy metals and organic pollutants, as well as soil carbon sequestration. BC accumulation due to human activities greatly affects the global carbon budget, helps to drive climate change, and damages human health. To date, few studies have examined how the intensity of urbanization affects the distribution of BC in soils in urban areas. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the effects of urbanization intensity on the spatial distribution and content of BC in urban surface soil. We collected samples from 55 sites in South China and used a multi-scale geographical regression model to evaluate the impact of the interference intensity of urbanization on the amount and distribution of BC. Our results showed that the BC content was significantly higher in urban areas (9.74 ± 1.18 g kg−1) than in rural areas (2.94 ± 0.89 g kg−1) and that several urban parks with a higher interference intensity were hotspots of BC accumulation, suggesting that urbanization promoted BC accumulation. Our model revealed that road density was significantly and positively correlated with BC accumulation. Because there are more cars driving in areas with high road density, vehicle emissions may be one of the causes of BC accumulation. Our results also indicated that the impact of urbanization intensity on the BC distribution was sensitive to sampling density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical to keep a low level of tungsten impurity concentration in the core plasma of the fusion reactor. Using the OEDGE code, the influence on the tungsten concentration due to the cross-field transport in the scrape-off layer is studied. Based on the design parameters of the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor, the background plasma with the peak target electron temperature of 15 eV is generated using the onion-skin model. The neon impurity with the assumed concentration of 0.2% inside the separatrix is included for estimating the tungsten sputtering source. In a series of simulations of tungsten transport, the diffusion coefficient D⊥ is varied from 0.1 to 10 m2 s−1, and the hypothetical inward pinch velocity VIMP is in the range of 0–5 m s−1. The tungsten concentration inside the separatrix increases with decreasing diffusion coefficient and exceeds 10−5 for the diffusion coefficient lower than about 0.2 m2 s−1. When the hypothetical inward pinch is included, the tungsten concentration increases. The relation between the relative increase in tungsten concentration and VIMP/D⊥ is fitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capabilities of mining equipment and technology in China have been improving rapidly in recent years. Correspondingly, in the western part of the country, the mining heights of longwall faces in shallow-buried coal seams have shown an increasing trend, resulting in enhanced mining efficiency. However, the problems associated with the possible failure of the coal wall then increase and remain a serious difficulty, restricting safe and efficient mining operations. In the present study, the 12401 longwall face of the Shangwan Coal Mine, Inner Mongolia, China, with a mining height of 8.8 m, is taken as an example to study the mechanisms underlying failure phenomena of coal walls and their control methods. Our results show that the failure region inward of the longwall face is small in shallow-buried coal seams, and the damage degree of the exposed coal wall is low. The medium and higher sections of the coal wall display a dynamic failure mode, while the broken coal blocks, given their initial speed, threaten the safety of coal miners. A mechanical model was developed, from which the conditions for tensile failure and structural instability are deduced. Horizontal displacement in the lower part of the coal wall is small, where no tensile stress emerges. On the other hand, in the intermediate and higher parts of the coal wall, horizontal displacement is relatively large. In addition, tensile stress increases first with increasing distance from the floor and then decreases to zero. Experiments using physical models representing different mining heights have been carried out and showed that the horizontal displacement increases from 6 to 12 mm and load-bearing capacity decreases from 20 to 7.9 kN when the coal wall increases in height from 3 to 9 m. Furthermore, failure depth and failure height show an increasing trend. It is therefore proposed that a large initial support force, large maximum support force, large support stiffness, and large support height of a coal wall-protecting guard are required for the improved stability of high coal walls, which operate well in the Shangwan coal mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huang-Lian Jie-Du decoction (HLJDD) has been used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease for many years in China. Currently, the determination of effect components in HLJDD is focusing either on the formula or on the extract, while quantification of that in biological samples is scarce, especially simultaneous determination of multicomponent. In this paper, a rapid, specific, and sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and fully validated for the simultaneous determination of seven main active constituents, i.e., baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside, wogonin, berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine in rat plasma. The method was also successfully applied to a quantitative study after oral administration of HLJDD at different doses of 1.5, 3, and 6 g/kg body weight to high fat-induced atherosclerosis rats. The analytes were detected by ESI source and multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) using positive scanning mode. The blood was collected from the abdominal aorta of rats at predetermined time and preprepared with icariin and tetrahydropalmatine as internal standards (IS). Sample preparation was achieved by protein precipitation (PPT). The validation parameters (linearity, sensitivity, intra-/interday precision and accuracy, extraction recovery, and matrix effect) were within acceptable ranges, and biological extracts were stable during the entire storing and preparing process. And the result of determination of HLJDD-containing plasma, baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside, and wogonin could be highly detected in a dose-dependent manner while berberine, jatrorrhizine, and palmatine were determined in a very low level and in a dose-independent mode. Thus, the established method was sensitive enough and successfully applied to the determination of seven effective components in plasma taken from 24 high fat-induced atherosclerosis rats after oral administration of three dosages of HLJDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment on the effect of land use policy implementation research is of great significance for improving the implementation of policy. The majority of studies are insufficient in evaluating the implementation effect on cities in China. Based on the fact that increasing use of arable land for construction purposes is the primary cause of arable land loss, this assessment uses the arable land changed for construction purposes as a dependent variable, then brings factors like social-economic conditions, the implementation of Planning, arable land changed for transportation purposes, year dummy variable as independent variables, and fixed panel data model as the basis for building regression equation. The conclusion obtained a result of “General Effect”, which reveals that China's National General Land Use Plan (2006–2020) fails to control arable land loss during its midterm phrase. More specifically, 1657868.82 ha of arable land are additionally lost due to the ineffectiveness of China's National General Land Use Plan (2006–2020). Through computing “Absolute Effect”, the difference on the implementation effects of China's National General Land Use Plan (2006–2020) is shown between cities. Furthermore, the study finds that there exist two phases throughout the midterm implementation of the Planning, that is, the years 2006–2009 VS the years 2010–2012; and during the latter time, the control effect is worse than that of the former. Finally, in view of the above analysis, the study makes a recommendation on the implementation of recent policies concerned, with an emphasis on coordination of administrative departments as well as application of data technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plantations of non-native, fast-growing trees are increasing in the tropics and subtropics, perhaps with negative consequences for the native avifauna. We studied bird diversity in 4 types of plantations in South China to determine which plantation types are especially detrimental, and compared our findings with studies in nearby natural forests to assess the magnitude of the negative impact. A total of 57 species was recorded. The mean capture rate of understory birds was 1.7 individuals 100-net-h-1. Bird richness and capture rate were lower in plantations than in nearby natural forests. Babblers (Timaliidae), primarily forest-dependent species in South China, were particularly under-represented in plantations. Species richness, composition and bird density, particularly of understory birds, differed between plantation types. Plantations of Schima, which is native to South China, had the highest species richness according to point count data. Plantations of Acacia (non-native) supported the highest understory species richness and produced the highest capture rate of understory birds, probably because of their complex structure and high arthropod abundance. If bird diversity is to be considered, we strongly recommend that future re-afforestation projects in South China should, as far as possible, use mixed native tree species, and especially Schima, ahead of the other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resettlement policy has broken the emotional link between farmers and rural communities. However, most research in this area has focused on the perspective of economic compensation rather than emotional cognition. This study considered the emotional cognition of resettled farmers using the theory of "place attachment," based on a statistical analysis of questionnaire results following 32 in-depth interviews. A theoretical hypothesis was constructed to explain the influence of resettlement policy on place attachment using the results of 315 questionnaires, with the structural equation model (SEM) method applied to test the hypothesis. The results showed that the classical two-dimensional classification of place attachment (place dependence and place identity) had good statistical applicability for expressing the emotional link between resettled farmers and their former rural community. It was found that six factors generated by the resettlement policy affect farmers' place attachment: policy evaluation, space shortage, space improvement, rural attributes, land rootedness, and community inclusion. Our findings indicate that in the context of Chinese social culture, resettlement policy has not only materially changed the spatial environment but also the fundamental meaning of place for farmers. Our results provide new insight into how resettlement policy has influenced resettled farmers in the urbanization of China. • Focused on the influence of resettlement policy on farmers from the perspective of "post-implementation effects". • Applied the theory of place attachment to explain the emotional link between resettled farmer and their rural space. • Constructed a theoretical hypothesis to explain the influence of resettlement policy on place attachment, and verified it with SEM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effectiveness of annual land use plan on controlling construction land growth is examined. • Construction land growth is closely related to the implementation intensity of the annual land use plan. • The implementation of the annual land use plan is described as effective though not completely successful. Annual land use plan (ALUP) stands for the quota allocation of land converted to non-agricultural use, which has been in place since 1987 in China. Although the ALUP has been implemented for more than 30 years and has played an important role in China's non-agricultural land growth management, little has been done to assess the effect of its implementation. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effect of the ALUP on controlling the growth of construction land in China. The province-level data on land use in China during the period of 2006–2013 were collected and then analyzed using panel data model. The results show that (1) the ALUP can effectively curb construction land growth, and the construction land decreased about 1721 ha with a 1% increment of the intensity of growth management. Construction land growth is closely related to the implementation intensity of the ALUP, which decreases 30,892 ha under strict implementation but increases an extra 181,451 ha with relaxed implementation; (2) the implementation effect of the ALUP shows significant differences between provinces, and the provinces of northwestern and eastern China show better performance than provinces from the southwest and central regions. National development strategy and region's differentiation land policy may have contributed to this phenomenon; (3) taking both the goal achievement and effectiveness into account, the implementation of the ALUP is described as effective though not completely successful; and (4) for more efficiency and success, the study proposes some suggestions on improving policy implementation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Revealed the characteristics of MCL values in China between 2010 and 2020. • Identified the trade-off/synergy relationship characteristics of MCL values in China. • Utilized Geographical detector to identify dominant and interaction factors for trade-off/synergy in MCL values. In China, the fast growth of the economy and society is causing a change in the multifunction of cultivated land (MCL), but there is still a lack of proper understanding of the structural connections between these internal functions. Based on exploring the theoretical concept of MCL and quantitative measurement, this paper applied the trade-off/synergy model and the bivariate spatial autocorrelation model to investigate the relationships between the various dimensions of MCL, and the influential factors was revealed by Geographical Detectors. Our research demonstrated that the function of China's cultivated land has obviously changed from a single grain production to a complex including social security, ecological and cultural functions during 2010–2020. Through quantitative measurement of MCL, the results show that, on the one hand, the total amount of MCL increases significantly over time; on the other hand, MCL shows a typical spatial differentiation characteristic of "high in the southern and low in the northern". According to the analysis of trade-off/synergy, overall, the MCL presents a positive synergy situation, and this situation has been enhanced over time. As to the influencing factors, the socio-economic development, especially the rural development, significantly affected the trade-off/synergy. Moreover, multi-factor interaction considerably improves the explanatory power of the trade-off/synergy relationship for MCL. These results provide evidence for establishing a more efficient use of cultivated land and can also provide food security management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid expansion of built-up land has been the major feature of land use changes in China and has led to built-up land vacancy and inefficient land use. This paper used a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to analyze the changes in built-up land efficiency in 336 cities in China from 2005 to 2012 during the implementation of National General Land Use Plan (2006–2020) (NGLUP). The results showed that the built-up land input–output efficiency of most cities declined, and more than half of the cities had excessive inputs of built-up land. Even in the most developed region of China, the built-up land efficiency was relatively low. The paper argues that the NGLUP failed to control the expansion of built-up land and to promote intensive land use. The allocation of built-up land designated by the Plan was not reasonable, and economic development has greatly relied on land inputs, which need to be improved. The paper finally suggests that the built-up land indices should be appropriately directed toward economically underdeveloped regions in central and western China, and the establishment of a withdrawal mechanism for inefficient land would better promote the efficient allocation of built-up land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use planning is a comprehensive instrument for managing non-agricultural land growth in China, and the evaluation of its implementation effect on growth control is of great significance for policy improvement. However, little empirical research has been done to estimate its implementation effect at the city level of the whole country. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of land use planning on construction land growth control at the city level in China. Taking 288 cities as the research object, an econometrics model was built to estimate the effect based on socioeconomic and land use data from 2006 to 2012. The results show that the implementation of land use planning has a certain effect in curbing the expansion of construction land, and that the incremental amount of construction land decreases by 107,449 ha due to the planning implementation. In addition, the implementation effect of land use planning presented significant differences among cities, which shows that there is a weaker effect in megacities and large cities than in medium-small cities. Besides, the implementation effect of land use planning also shows temporal differences: its effect is better in 2007–2009 than in 2010–2012. Furthermore, considering both planned goals and effectiveness, planning implementation is judged to be able to slow but not fully prevent the rapid expansion of construction land. Finally, to further improve efficiency and success, this research puts forward some suggestions such as improving the existing quota system, delineation of the urban development boundary and integrating the special plan system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Three types of benzofuranone derivatives were designed and synthesised as analogues of neuroprotective agent 3- n -butylphthalide. • Compound 5 (without an NO donor) and compound 16 (with nitrate as an NO donor) displayed more potent neuroprotective effects than the positive controls Edaravone and 3- n -butylphthalide in an OGD model of primary rat neuronal cells. • Compound 5 appeared to significantly reduce the infarct area in a rat MCAO model, and it improved the morphology of neuronal cells and capillaries in injured cerebral tissue. • Compound 5 decreased the expression of Iba-1 and GFAP in inflammatory cells, and increased the expression of NGF, which proved that 5 might also exhibit anti-inflammatory effects and thereby protect against cerebral injury. There are no highly effective and safe medicines for clinical treatment of ischemic stroke, although the natural product 3- n -butylphthalide (NBP) has been approved in China for mild and moderate ischemic stroke. To discover more potent anti-cerebral ischemic agents and overcome the low stability by phthalide derivatives, benzofuran-3-one was selected as a core moiety and two types of nitric oxide (NO)-donating groups were incorporated into the structure. In this work, a series of 2,6-disubstituted benzofuran-3-one derivatives were designed and synthesised as NBP analogues, and tested as neuroprotective and antioxidative agents. Compounds 5 (without an NO donor) and 16 (with an NO donor) displayed more potent neuroprotective effects than the established clinical drugs Edaravone and NBP. More importantly, 5 and 16 also exhibited good antioxidative activity without cytotoxicity in rat primary neuronal and PC12 cells. Most active compounds showed good blood–brain barrier permeability in a parallel artificial membrane permeability assay. Furthermore, compound 5 reduced the ischemic infarct area significantly in rats subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury, downregulated ionised calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein in inflammatory cells, and upregulated nerve growth factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater plays a critical role in the mining areas, providing water for human activities and the growth of animals and plants, but also the main object of mine water disaster prevention. A study on hydrochemical characteristics and evolution in the process of mine water inrush has important practical significance for accurately identifying mine water inrush sources. In this study, the water samples of Ordovician limestone water, the 14th limestone water, and inrush water in Binhu and Wangchao Coal Mines of Tengxian Coalfield were collected. The water samples were compared and analyzed to reveal the variation characteristics of major ion concentration and hydrochemical evolution mechanism during floor cracking-Ordovician limestone water inrush. The results indicated that the type of Ordovician limestone water is Cl-Ca type, the 14th limestone water is Mixed type, and all inrush water is Cl-Na type. Na+(K+) is negative with Ca2+ and Mg2+, while Ca2+ is positive with Mg2+. Hydrochemical analysis showed that the degrees of cation exchange in groundwater are inrush water > the 14th limestone water > Ordovician limestone water, and the average cation exchange contents △ C (K + + Na +) c are 30.85 meq/L, 9.90 meq/L, and 8.10 meq/L, respectively. Cation exchange significantly changed the Ca2+(Mg2+) and Na+(K+) levels in an aqueous solution during water inrush from Ordovician limestone. The concentration of Ca2+(Mg2+) decreased, while the concentration of Na+(K+) increased significantly and finally formed inrush water with high Na+(K+) and low Ca2+(Mg2+) levels. The saturation index (SI) indicated that the minerals CaCO 3 , CaMg(CO 3) 2 , and CaSO 4 .H 2 O are in oversaturation, the cation exchange results in the decreasing Ca2+(Mg2+), and the SI value is limestone water > the 14th limestone water > inrush water. The cluster analysis (CA) results also showed that considering the effect of cation exchange on the ions concentration of groundwater, the Ordovician limestone, the 14th limestone water, and inrush water samples have the same source in the study area. Overall, The cation exchange significantly affects groundwater ion concentration in the process of Ordovician limestone water inrush. These findings provide a new insight into the hydrochemical evolution mechanism of groundwater and reveal the evolution pattern of Ordovician limestone water inrush in the North China Coalfield. • The degree of water-rock interaction affecting the accurate identification of mine water inrush source. • The cation exchange controls the formation of low Ca2+(Mg2+), and high Na+(K+) mine water. • Eliminating the influence of cation exchange, Ordovician limestone, 14th limestone, and water inrush samples have the same source. • Ordovician limestone water inrush mode of North China Coalfield: "progressive supply-crack propagation-permeability increase-channel formation." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ideal treatment of localized cancer should directly cause an irreversible and complete death of tumor cells without damage to surrounding normal tissue. High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is such a potential treatment, which induces a complete coagulative necrosis of a tumor at depth through the intact skin. The idea that using an extracorporeal source of therapeutic ultrasound was introduced more than 50 years ago [J. Gen. Physiol. 26 (1942) 179]. However, up to now, most of the studies on HIFU have been dealing with animal experiments because this extracorporeal technique is very complicated in clinical applications. The purpose of this study is to introduce Chinese clinical experience of using extracorporeal HIFU for the treatment of patients with various kinds of solid tumor. From December 1997 to October 2001, a total of 1038 patients with solid tumors underwent HIFU ablation in China. Among them, 313 patients were treated at the Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, China. Pathological examination showed that the target region presented clear evidence of cellular destruction. Small blood vessels less than 2 mm in diameter were severely damaged. Follow-up diagnostic imaging revealed that there was no, or reduced, blood supply, and no uptake of radioisotope in the treated tumor after HIFU, both indicating a positive therapeutic response and an absence of viable tumor. Imaging at 6–12 months showed obvious regression of the lesion. Four-year follow-up data were significantly observed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, osteosarcoma, and breast cancer. An extremely low major complication rate was noted. It is concluded that HIFU ablation is a safe, effective, and feasible modality for the ablation of carcinomas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since the 1970s, although the Chinese central government has constructed farmland rights confirmation policy to stimulate the vitality of rural land elements, it is rare to discuss the effectiveness of the policy from the perspective of farmers. This paper applies the deep interview and questionnaire to present an analysis framework consisting of "policy implementation-input behavior in agricultural production-farmland transfer" and testifies the framework with the mediation model. The findings show that, in general, the farmland rights confirmation policy (FRCP) has a significant negative impact on leasing out farmland and a significant positive impact on leasing in farmland. In particular, for farmland leasing out, the mediating effects of agricultural capital input and agricultural time input account for 15.504% and 14.536% of the total effect, respectively. In addition, for leasing farmland in, these two mediating effects accordingly account for 13.798% and 12.155% of the total effect. It is worth noting that in the future, we should understand FRCP based on the consideration of farmers' behavior in a given local context, while also focusing on policy implementation as well as policy design.

Thallium (Tl) is a trace metal of severe toxicity. Its health concerns via consumption of contaminated vegetables have often been overlooked or underestimated. This study was designed to gain insight into the actual level and distribution characteristics of Tl and metal (loid)s (Pb, Cd, Cr, Sb, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Co) in agricultural soils and common vegetables cultivated in different zones (upstream, midstream, and downstream) of a densely populated residential area in a typical mine city, which has been open-pit exploiting Tl-bearing pyrite minerals since 1960s. The results show that most of the agricultural soils exhibit contaminated levels of Tl, with Tl contents (upstream: 1.35-4.31 mg/kg, midstream: 2.43-5.19 mg/kg, and downstream: 0.65-2.33 mg/kg) mostly exceeding the maximum permissible level (MPL) for agricultural land use (1 mg/kg). Sequential extraction procedure indicates that even Tl is predominantly retained in the residual fraction, significant levels of Tl are still present in the geochemically mobile fractions. Besides, metals like Cu, Cd, Mn, and Co are mostly distributed in the labile fractions. Almost all metal (loid)s in edible parts of the vegetables exceed their corresponding MPL for consumption. The chronic daily intake (CDI) and hazard quotient (HQ) values calculated for inhabitants at different ages indicate non-negligible Tl risks via consumption of local vegetables, especially for children. Therefore, it is critical to establish effective measures for hazardous waste management and enforceable regulations in Tl-polluted area to mitigate potential severe impacts of Tl on human health through food chain., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needles with side fenestrations are used to collect aspirates for cytology analysis and biopsy samples for histologic analysis. We conducted a large, multicenter study to compare the accuracy of diagnosis via specimens collected with fine-needle biopsy (FNB) versus fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for patients with pancreatic and nonpancreatic masses., Methods: We performed a prospective single-blind study at 5 tertiary care centers in China. The study comprised 408 patients undergoing EUS for a solid mass (>1 cm) in the pancreas, abdomen, mediastinum, or pelvic cavity, from December 2014 through January 2016. Patients were randomly assigned to groups (1:1) for assessment by FNA (n = 190) or FNB (n = 187). After lesions were identified by EUS, samples were collected in a total of 4 passes by each needle. All procedures were performed by experienced endosonographers; cytologists and pathologists were blinded to the sample collection method. Patients were followed for at least 48 weeks, and final diagnoses were obtained after surgery, imaging analysis, or resolution of lesion. The primary aim was to compare diagnostic yields of EUS-FNA with EUS-FNB for all solid masses, then separately as pancreatic and nonpancreatic masses. The secondary endpoint was the quality of histologic specimen., Results: Findings from FNB analysis were accurate for 91.44% of all cases, compared with 80.00% for all FNA cases, based on final patient diagnoses (P = .0015). In patients with pancreatic masses (n = 249), findings from histologic analysis of FNBs were accurate for 92.68% of the cases, compared with 81.75% for FNAs (P = .0099). In cytology analysis of pancreatic masses, samples collected by FNB accurately identified 88.62% of all pancreatic lesions, whereas samples collected by FNA accurately identified 79.37% (P = .00468). Analyses of samples of nonpancreatic masses collected by FNA versus FNB produced similar diagnostic yields., Conclusions: In a prospective study of patients with pancreatic masses, we found EUS-guided FNB samples to produce more accurate diagnoses than samples collected by EUS-guided FNA samples. No difference in diagnostic yield was seen between EUS-FNA and EUS-FNB for nonpancreatic masses. Clinical Trials.gov no: NCT02327065., (Copyright © 2018 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nonsurgical therapies have become treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was to evaluate the efficacy and complications of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment for patients with HCC. Between May 2001 and May 2005, 145 patients with HCC were enrolled for treatments using a HIFU tumor therapeutic system. Clinical symptoms, hepatic functions and values of serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) were tested before and after HIFU treatment. The changes in computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), complications and survival time after HIFU were also obtained for further analysis. Symptoms improved or pain was relieved in 84.8% of the 145 patients and the rate of serum AFP decrease was 71.7%. The size of the target tumor shrank by various degrees. The 2-year survival rate was 80% in patients with stage Ib HCC, 51.4% in stage IIa and 46.5% in stage IIIa. During HIFU treatment, complications included body temperature increase and abnormal cardiac rhythm. After HIFU procedures, there were skin burns of different grades. In conclusion, HIFU is safe and effective for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma; HIFU can improve the survival quality of patients with HCC., (Copyright © 2011 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)