Search

Postnatal colonization and development of the gut microbiota is linked to health and growth. A comprehensive understanding of the postnatal compositional changes and development of the microbial community is helpful to understand the gut health and improve the survival rate of South China tiger cubs (Panthera tigris amoyensis). Fecal samples from three tiger cubs were collected on the day of birth in 2018 (June 17–21 [G0], July 18 [G1], July 31 [G2], and August 7 [G3]). The 16S rRNA genes of the fecal microflora were sequenced. Results showed that 38 phyla, 58 classes, 134 orders, 272 families, and 636 genera of bacteria from 3,059 operational taxonomic units were identified from 12 fecal samples. The diversity and abundance of species of group G0 were significantly higher (p < 0.05 or 0.01) than those of groups G2 and G3. The predominant phylum was Proteobacteria in groups G0 and G1 (38.85% and 48%, respectively) and Firmicutes in groups G2 and G3 (71.42% and 75.29%, respectively). At the phylum level, the abundance of Deinococcus-Thermus was significantly decreased in groups G1, G2, and G3 as compared to group G0 (p < 0.05), while that of Firmicutes was significantly increased in groups G2 and G3 (p < 0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Faecalibacterium, Ralstonia, and unidentified Rickettsiales was significantly decreased in groups G1, G2, and G3 as compared with group G0 (p < 0.05), while that of Pseudomonas was significantly decreased in groups G2 and G3 (p < 0.05). The composition and structure of fecal microbiota of South China tiger cubs changed after birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the statistical analysis, the incidence of stroke disease has gradually increased, particularly in recent years, which poses a huge threat to the safety of human life. Due to the advancement in science and technology specifically big data and sensors, a new research dome known as data mining technology has been introduced, which has the potential value from the perspective of large amount of data analysis. Information has become a new trend of science and technology, and data mining has been used in various application areas to analyze and predict strokes at home and abroad. In this study, big data technology is utilized to collect potential information and explores clinical pathways of level-3 rehabilitation in certain regions of China. Moreover, application effects of data mining in the rehabilitation of patients with the first ischemic stroke have been evaluated and reported. For this purpose, fifty (50) first-time ischemic stroke patients have been screened through big data and were nonartificially assigned to level-3 clinical pathway and conventional rehabilitation groups, respectively, specifically through software. The first group of patients enters the clinical path of the corresponding level according to the way of three-level referral. These patients were analyzed based on the collected results of completing the unified rehabilitation treatment plan of the three-level rehabilitation medical institution in the patient record form. The second group was selected according to the routine rehabilitation model and method of the medical institution where the patients visited were divided into four stages: before treatment, three weeks after treatment, nine weeks after treatment, and seventeen weeks after treatment. For this purpose, a simplified Fugl-Meyer analysis (FMA), recording of various functions of limb movement, and modified Barthel index (MBI) scale were used to analyze and evaluate the ability of daily activities and compare their effects. The final results showed that FMA and MBI scores of the two groups were improved in the three stages after treatment. The FMA and MBI scores of the clinical pathway group on 3rd and 9th weekends were significantly different from those of the conventional rehabilitation group (which is p < 0.05). Moreover, difference in FMA and MBI scores between the two at the 17th weekend was not significant. The total cost of the clinical pathway group, particularly at the ninth weekend, was higher than that of the conventional rehabilitation group, but the cost-benefit ratio was better and the incidence of complications was lower than that of the other group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The karst landform is a typical ecologically vulnerable region, and the problem of karst rocky desertification in southtern and western China has led to impoverishment and a degraded local ecological environment, which severely limits local socioeconomic development. An effective and appropriate control of karst rocky desertification in southtern and western China requires knowledge about its characteristics of variation and driving mechanisms. In this study, we chose eight regions in the southtern and western China as research areas and analysed the characteristics of the changes in karst ecosystem patterns and rocky desertification from 2000 to 2015. Based on these characteristics, we present the mechanisms that drive karst rocky desertification in the southtern and western China by utilizing the redundancy analysis (RDA) ordination method. The results show that the total area of rocky desertification in southtern and western China had been continuously decreasing from 2000 to 2015, revealing a positive development trend in rocky desertification. Rocky desertification variations were mainly affected by human activities. The reduction in farmland area improved farmland management and increased regional gross industrial product, which together with continuously rising gross domestic product of the tertiary industry caused a positive rocky desertification development. However, the local karst tourism has a certain effect on inducing slight rocky desertification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective provision of ecosystem services (ES) and improvements in well-being of residents can be realized through policy interventions of stakeholder behavior. Of the several policies, market-based instruments (MBIs) have become the focus of global attention. Outcomes/others: To couple the theory with practice and solve the key problem of unclear definition of property rights, the framework of MBIs is designed. First, property rights of market creation must be clearly defined, verifiable, transferable, enforceable, and have policy continuity. Then, four key characteristics of MBIs need to be considered in the case design, namely those involving ES, stakeholders, trading mechanisms, and guarantee mechanisms. The Pledge Financing of the Right of the Ecological Public Welfare Forest (PFREPWF) in Lishui City is a typical case of China's current marketization, which is a supplement and improvement to the ecological compensation policy. Based on clearly defined contract rights, Lishui City has realized the integration of ecological compensation and credit creation. Discussion: The case design still has the problems of lack of quantification and lack of correlations with ES. Conclusion: The theoretical and practical analysis around the market mechanism has reference value for solving market failures and providing environmental services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are the first-line option against chronic hepatitis B (CHB). NAs produce potent suppression of viral replication with a small chance of HBsAg seroclearance and a high risk of virological relapse after discontinuation. The combined therapy of NAs plus traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely accepted and has been recognized as a prospective alternative approach in China. Based on preliminary works, this study was designed to observe the therapeutic effect of TCM plus entecavir (ETV) against HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B with respect to reducing the recurrence risk after NA withdrawal.Methods/design: The study is a nationwide, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a duration of 120 weeks. A total of 18 hospitals and 490 eligible Chinese HBeAg-positive CHB patients will be enrolled and randomly allocated into the experimental group and control group in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the experimental group will be prescribed TCM formulae (Tiaogan-BuXu-Jiedu granules) plus ETV 0.5 mg per day for consolidation therapy for 96 weeks. Patients in the control group will be prescribed TCM granule placebo plus ETV 0.5 mg per day for the same course. After consolidation therapy, all patients will discontinue their trial drugs and be closely monitored over the next 24 weeks. Once clinical recurrence (CR) occurs, ETV treatment will be restarted. The primary outcome is the cumulative rate of CR at the end of this trial.Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind to observe therapeutic effects with respect to reducing recurrence after NA withdrawals after unified integrative consolidation therapy in the CHB population.Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry No. ChiCTR1900021232 . Registered on February 2, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss institutional reforms to China's protected area management. Currently (as elsewhere), protected areas suffer fragmented management, lack of a comprehensive classification, inadequate coverage of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and divided, inconsistent legislation. We recommend establishing a new system of protected area management that can address past difficulties by using ongoing institutional reforms as unprecedented opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is one of the important economical freshwater aquaculture species in China. However, the outbreak of viral diseases always caused great economic losses in the largemouth bass aquaculture industry. Largemouth bass virus (LMBV), a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus belonging to genus Ranavirus , family Iridoviridae causes high mortality in cultivated largemouth bass. However, host responses, especially the molecular events involved in LMBV infection still remained largely uncertain. Here, we established an in vivo model of LMBV infection, and systematically investigated the mRNA expression profiles of host genes in liver and spleen from infected largemouth bass using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Histopathological analysis indicated that necrotic cells and the formed necrotic focus were present in spleen, while numerous basophilic cells, hepatocytes volume shrinkage, nucleus pyknosis, and the disappeared boundary of hepatocytes were observed in the liver of infected largemouth bass. Transcriptomic analysis showed that transcription levels of 5128 genes (2804 up-regulated genes and 2324 down-regulated) in liver and 7008 genes (2603 up-regulated and 4405 down-regulated) in spleen were altered significantly. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that numerous co-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in liver and spleen were enriched in the pathways related to cell death and immune signaling, such as apoptosis, necroptosis, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and JAK-STAT signaling. Moreover, the DEGs specially regulated by LMBV infection in liver were significantly enriched in the KEGG pathways related to metabolism and cell death, while those in spleen were enriched in the immune related pathways. In addition, the expression changes of several randomly selected genes, such as SOCS1, IL-6, CXCL2, CASP8, CYC and TNF from qPCR were consistent with the transcriptomic data. Taken together, our findings will provide new insights into the fundamental patterns of molecular responses induced by LMBV in vivo , but also contribute greatly to understanding the host defense mechanisms against iridoviral pathogens. • LMBV replicated well in spleen and liver with typical pathological changes. • Transcriptomic profiles of largemouth bass after LMBV infection were investigated. • A total of 5128 DEGs in liver and 7008 DEGs in spleen were identified during LMBV infection. • LMBV infection induced the enrichment of DEGs in pathways related to metabolism, cell death and immune. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the impossibility to cover the entire population of an endangered species in protected areas, a new approach (species conservation redlines) was recently been proposed in China. It constitutes the baseline space for species conservation but mapping and managing a species redline is not clear. In this study, a procedure on how to map habitat conservation redlines for the endangered giant panda was proposed. Panda habitat was first modeled based on field survey and remotely sensed data. Redline area was proposed after comparing three different scenarios, covering different proportions of panda habitat and populations. Results showed that the proposed redline area covered 9358 km 2 . This area can protect more than 80% of the populations in all mountain regions in the study area, while keeping the connectivity of the habitat. The current nature reserves cover 60% of the redline area. Suggestions on how to manage redline areas inside and outside reserves are proposed, to limit human development activities in panda habitat. Our study provided a new approach for managing panda habitat, and would have implications for conservation of other endangered species in China and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing exploitation of karst resources is causing severe environmental degradation because of the fragility and vulnerability of karst areas. By integrating principal component analysis (PCA) with annual seasonal trend analysis (ASTA), this study assessed karst rocky desertification (KRD) within a spatial context. We first produced fractional vegetation cover (FVC) data from a moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer normalized difference vegetation index using a dimidiate pixel model. Then, we generated three main components of the annual FVC data using PCA. Subsequently, we generated the slope image of the annual seasonal trends of FVC using median trend analysis. Finally, we combined the three PCA components and annual seasonal trends of FVC with the incidence of KRD for each type of carbonate rock to classify KRD into one of four categories based on K-means cluster analysis: high, moderate, low, and none. The results of accuracy assessments indicated that this combination approach produced greater accuracy and more reasonable KRD mapping than the average FVC based on the vegetation coverage standard. The KRD map for 2010 indicated that the total area of KRD was 78.76 × 10 km, which constitutes about 4.06% of the eight southwest provinces of China. The largest KRD areas were found in Yunnan province. The combined PCA and ASTA approach was demonstrated to be an easily implemented, robust, and flexible method for the mapping and assessment of KRD, which can be used to enhance regional KRD management schemes or to address assessment of other environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to establish an environmental management zoning for coal mining industry which is served as a basis for making environmental management policies. Based on the specific impacts of coal mining and regional characteristics of environment and resources, the ecological impact, water resources impact, and arable land impact are chose as the zoning indexes to construct the index system. The ecological sensitivity is graded into three levels of low, medium, and high according to analytical hierarchy processes and gray fixed weight clustering analysis, and the water resources sensitivity is divided into five levels of lower, low, medium, high, and higher according to the weighted sum of sub-indexes, while only the arable land sensitive zone was extracted on the basis of the ratio of arable land to the county or city. By combining the ecological sensitivity zoning and the water resources sensitive zoning and then overlapping the arable-sensitive areas, the mainland China is classified into six types of environmental management zones for coal mining except to the forbidden exploitation areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a matter of public consensus that China's high growth rate has been achieved at the expense of natural resources and the environment, leading to serious risks to sustainability. This research, which proposes a theoretical model to forewarn of risks to regional developmental sustainability in China, constitutes the first empirical evaluation of this to be undertaken there. The results show that: (a) the areas at risk cover almost 43% of the land and 44% of the population of mainland China. In those areas, 83.56% of people at risk are threatened by the low carrying capacity of the environment and limited water resources. (b) With 70% of the total population living in 'at risk' areas, urbanization zones remain as the primary category suffering from overload across China. Extensive industrialization has resulted in environmental pollution, which contributes the most to the forewarning status, while the secondary cause is found to be the special coupling of the scarcity of natural water resources and their inefficient use. In addition, most urban conglomerations suffer from pollution by industrial production and household consumption, which tends to extend to their surrounding agricultural areas. Extensive mineral exploitation in ecologically fragile areas has made them increasingly more vulnerable to disturbances from their neighboring resource-driven urban areas. The paper uses these findings to suggest how to intensify the special regulatory administration of resources and the environment, and to transform approaches to industrialization, in order to address sustainable development issues in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing human numbers and aspirations threaten protected areas worldwide. China faces especially strong pressure since many people live inside protected areas. It has sought to balance human needs and conservation goals within them by creating mixed zoning schemes loosely based on UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme. These include strictly-protected core zones, buffer zones allowing limited human use, and experimental zones that examine different land-use options. To test the efficacy of this zoning, we employed field surveys and remote sensing to assess the penetration of agricultural and urban land into 109 national nature reserves in China for 2000 and 2010. Human disturbance was lowest in core zones and highest in experimental zones in both 2000 and 2010. Over this period, 82% of the reserves were unchanged or had decreased human disturbance. Nonetheless, overall human disturbance increased by 7%, 4%, and 5% in the core, buffer and experimental zones respectively. Almost all the increase in the core zone was in four wetland reserves, where human actions converted large areas to agriculture. Some 58% of reserves experienced some human disturbance in core zones in 2010, demonstrating a need for more effective zoning. The findings have broader implications for protected area management globally because they highlight the strengths and weaknesses of zoning for balancing human needs and species conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many publications have reported the growing application of complementary and alternative medicine, particularly the use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in combination with routine pharmacotherapy (RP) for senile vascular dementia (SVD), but its efficacy remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of CHM adjunctive therapy (CHMAT), which is CHM combined with RP, in the treatment of SVD. Publications in seven electronic databases were searched extensively, and 27 trials with a total of 1961 patients were included for analysis. Compared with RP alone, CHMAT significantly increased the effective rate [odds ratio (OR) 2.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.30, 3.86]. In addition, CHMAT showed benefits in detailed subgroups of the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score from time of onset to 4 weeks (WMD 3.01, 95% CI 2.15, 3.87), 8 weeks (weighted mean difference (WMD) 2.30, 95% CI 1.28, 3.32), 12 weeks (WMD 2.93, 95% CI 2.17, 3.69), and 24 weeks (WMD 3.25, 95% CI 2.61, 3.88), and in the activity of daily living scale score from time of onset to 4 weeks (WMD -4.64, 95% CI -6.12, -3.17), 8 weeks (WMD -4.30, 95% CI -6.04, -2.56), 12 weeks (WMD -3.89, 95% CI -4.68, -3.09), and 24 weeks (WMD -4.04, 95% CI -6.51, -1.57). Moreover, CHMAT had positive effects on changes in the Hasegawa dementia scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Clinical Dementia Rating, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores, as well as blood fat levels (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein E), platelet aggregation rate (1-min platelet aggregation rate, 5-min platelet aggregation rate, and maximal platelet aggregation rate), and blood rheology (whole-blood viscosity and hematocrit). No serious or frequently occurring adverse effects were reported. Weaknesses of methodological quality in most trials were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, while the quality level of Grades of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) evidence classification indicated 'very low'. This systematic review suggests that CHM as an adjunctive therapy can improve cognitive impairment and enhance immediate response and quality of life in SVD patients. However, because of limitations of methodological quality in the included studies, further research of rigorous design is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer has been the most prolific cancer in China - as in the rest of the world - with a high death rate and low 5-year survival rate. Previous evidence showed that JMJD2A is over-expressed in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues, and that high level of JMJD2A predicts poor overall and disease-free survival. However, the mechanism by which JMJD2A is regulated in human NSCLC is not fully understood. In the present study, we identified that the SIRT2 as an anti-oncogenic protein in NSCLC was down-regulated. JMJD2A as a target of SIRT2 was negatively correlated with SIRT2 level in NSCLC. SIRT2 bound to the promoter region of JMJD2A and negatively regulated JMJD2A expression. In addition, we found that SIRT2 inhibited NSCLC cells proliferation, colony formation and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo in a JMJD2A-dependent manner. In summary, our findings implicate that SIRT2 suppresses non-small cell lung cancer growth through targeting JMJD2A and SIRT2 activator may serve as candidate drug for NSCLC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study collected and evaluated data on the costs of outpatient medical care and family burden associated with osteoporosis-related fracture rehabilitation following hospital discharge in China. Materials and Methods. Data were collected using a patient questionnaire from osteoporosis-related fracture patients (N = 123) who aged 50 years and older who were discharged between January 2011 and January 2013 from 3 large hospitals in China. The survey captured posthospital discharge direct medical costs, indirect medical costs, lost work time for caregivers, and patient ambulatory status. Results. Hip fracture was the most frequent fracture site (62.6%), followed by vertebral fracture (34.2%). The mean direct medical care costs per patient totaled 3,910¥, while mean indirect medical costs totaled 743¥. Lost work time for unpaid family caregivers was 16.4 days, resulting in an average lost income of 3,233¥. The average posthospital direct medical cost, indirect medical cost, and caregiver lost income associated with a fracture patient totaled 7,886¥. Patients’ ambulatory status was negatively impacted following fracture. Conclusions. Significant time and cost of care are placed on patients and caregivers during rehabilitation after discharge for osteoporotic fracture. It is important to evaluate the role and responsibility for creating the growing and inequitable burden placed on patients and caregivers following osteoporotic fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-economic factors have significant influences on air quality and are commonly used to guide environmental planning and management. Based on data from 85 long-term daily monitoring cities in China, air quality as evaluated by AOFDAQ-A (Annual Occurrence Frequency of Daily Air Quality above Level III), was correlated to socio-economic variable groups of urbanization, pollution and environmental treatment by variation partitioning and hierarchical partitioning methods. We found: (1) the three groups explained 43.5% of the variance in AOFDAQ-A; (2) the contribution of “environmental investment” to AOFDAQ-A shown a time lag effect; (3) “population in mining sector” and “coverage of green space in built-up area” were respectively the most significant negative and positive explanatory socio-economic variables; (4) using eight largest contributing individual factors, a linear model to predict variance in AOFDAQ-A was constructed. Results from our study provide a valuable reference for the management and control of air quality in Chinese cities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The urban heat island describes the phenomenon that air/surface temperatures are higher in urban areas compared to their surrounding rural areas. Numerous studies have shown that increased percent cover of greenspace (PLAND) can significantly decrease land surface temperatures (LST). Fewer studies, however, have investigated the effects of configuration of greenspace on LST. This paper aims to fill this gap using Beijing, China as a case study. PLAND along with six configuration metrics were used to measure the composition and configuration of greenspace. The metrics were calculated based on a greenspace map derived from SPOT imagery, and LST data were retrieved from Landsat TM thermal band. Ordinary least squares regression and spatial autoregression were employed to investigate the relationship between LST and spatial pattern of greenspace using the census tract as the analytical unit. The results showed that PLAND was the most important predictor of LST. A 10 % increase in PLAND resulted in approximately a 0.86 °C decrease in LST. Configuration of greenspace also significantly affected LST. Given a fixed amount of greenspace, LST increased significantly with increased patch density. In addition, the variance of LST was largely explained by both composition and configuration of greenspace. The unique variation explained by the composition was relatively small, and was close to that of the configuration. Results from this study can expand our understanding of the relationship between LST and vegetation, and provide insights for improving urban greenspace planning and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Protected areas worldwide are facing increasing pressures to co-manage human development and biodiversity conservation. One strategy for managing multiple uses within and around protected areas is zoning, an approach in which spatial boundaries are drawn to distinguish areas with varying degrees of allowable human impacts. However, zoning designations are rarely evaluated for their efficacy using empirical data related to both human and biodiversity characteristics. To evaluate the effectiveness of zoning designations, we developed an integrated approach. The approach was calibrated empirically using data from Wolong Nature Reserve, a flagship protected area for the conservation of endangered giant pandas in China. We analyzed the spatial distribution of pandas, as well as human impacts (roads, houses, tourism infrastructure, livestock, and forest cover change) with respect to zoning designations in Wolong. Results show that the design of the zoning scheme could be improved to account for pandas and their habitat, considering the amount of suitable habitat outside of the core zone (area designated for biodiversity conservation). Zoning was largely successful in containing houses and roads to their designated experimental zone, but was less effective in containing livestock and was susceptible to boundary adjustments to allow for tourism development. We identified focus areas for potential zoning revision that could better protect the panda population without significantly compromising existing human settlements. Our findings highlight the need for evaluating the efficacy of zoning in other protected areas facing similar challenges with balancing human needs and conservation goals, not only in China but also around the world. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Formation of nature reserve groups (NRGs) is an important approach for optimising spatial patterns in nature reserves and for improving the efficiency of nature reserve networks. In this study, based on habitat evaluation and connectivity analysis, the approach and method for optimising spatial patterns and functional zoning of reserves were analysed using the case study of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) reserves in North Minshan. Results indicated that five panda nature reserves had been established, which formed a reserve group and covered 48.4% of panda habitat and three of five population components. Although the nature reserves were connected to each other, core zones were divided into seven isolated areas. These divisions can reduce the efficiency of protecting giant pandas in reserve systems. To optimise spatial patterns in nature reserves, one new reserve is proposed and it is recommended that core zones be expanded and merged into two areas, in accordance with the spatial distribution of the panda population. Three linkage areas are also proposed—for facilitating panda exchange and movement among different populations. The study is expected to provide a scientific basis for planning the development of nature reserves in this mountain range, to promote the establishment of nature reserve groups in other areas, and to optimise entire nature reserve systems in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Natural disasters such as earthquakes have profound effects on the earth's biodiversity. However, studies on immediate earthquake impacts are rarely conducted at fine scales due to logistical constraints. We conducted the first post-earthquake field survey in Wolong Nature Reserve, Wenchuan, China, less than 1 year after it was hit by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in 2008. Since Wolong harbors approximately 10% of the endangered wild giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) population, the impact of the earthquake on the giant panda and its habitat is of particular concern. We established 15 transects in three focus areas within the Reserve where we classified occurrences of earthquake damage according to vegetation and geophysical characteristics. In the 11.2 km area sampled, we recorded 156 occurrences of earthquake damage consisting of landslides and mudflows, which comprised a total area of 0.88 km. Of all earthquake damage occurrences sampled, only 36% of occurences (73% of surface area) corresponded to damaged areas previously detected through broad-scale remote sensing. The remaining damaged areas mainly consisted of occurrences too small to be detected without field observation. Although there were significant losses to tree and shrub species diversity and richness in earthquake-damaged areas, remnant vegetation was found in the majority (80%) of damaged areas, suggesting the potential for forest recovery. Most earthquake-damaged areas were too steep to be classified as suitable giant panda habitat (79%). In addition, a sizable number of signs of giant panda (67) and other wildlife (148) were observed near the earthquake-damaged areas, and there appeared to be avoidance of earthquake damage only at short-range distances. This study has implications for understanding the impact of natural disasters on biodiversity and highlights the importance of fine scale on-the-ground assessments of disaster impacts on wildlife and their habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To counter their widespread loss, global aspirations are for no net loss of remaining wetlands [ 1 ]. We examine whether this goal alone is sufficient for managing China's wetlands, for they constitute 10% of the world's total. Analyzing wetland changes between 2000 and 2015 using 30-m-resolution satellite images, we show that China's wetlands expanded by 27,614 km2 but lost 26,066 km2—a net increase of 1,548 km2 (or 0.4%). This net change hides considerable complexities in the types of wetlands created and destroyed. The area of open water surface increased by 9,110 km2, but natural wetlands—henceforth "marshes"—decreased by 7,562 km2. Of the expanded wetlands, restoration policies contributed 24.5% and dam construction contributed 20.8%. Climate change accounted for 23.6% but is likely to involve a transient increase due to melting glaciers. Of the lost wetlands, agricultural and urban expansion contributed 47.7% and 13.8%, respectively. The increase in wetlands from conservation efforts (6,765 km2) did not offset human-caused wetland losses (16,032 km2). The wetland changes may harm wildlife. The wetland loss in east China threatens bird migration across eastern Asia [ 2 ]. Open water from dam construction flooded the original habitats of threatened terrestrial species and affected aquatic species by fragmenting wetland habitats [ 3 ]. Thus, the "no net loss" target measures total changes without considering changes in composition and the corresponding ecological functions. It may result in "paper offsets" and should be used carefully as a target for wetland conservation. • We examine the sufficiency of the "no net loss" goal for managing China's wetlands • China's wetlands showed a net increase of 1,548 km2 between 2000 and 2015 • Conservation efforts to restore wetlands did not offset human-caused wetland losses • The "no net loss" goal should be used carefully as a target for wetland conservation Xu et al. examine the sufficiency of the "no net loss" goal for managing wetlands. China's wetlands had a net increase of 1,548 km2 between 2000 and 2015. This number hides considerable complexities of wetland changes such as those in composition and ecological functions. The "no net loss" goal should not be used alone for wetland conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a global concern. The goal of carbon neutrality and emission peak is a challenge for China and other developing countries. The carbon reduction policy for carbon neutrality and industrial transfer policy will be a research hotspot on carbon emissions. This study analyzed the spatial impact mechanism of industrial transfer on carbon emissions, especially the role of firm location decision and carbon reduction policy. Based on the dynamic deviation-share model, the industrial transfer products of 30 provinces in China during the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" and "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" periods were measured. The spatially weighted interaction model based on improved parameters was then utilized to explore the spatial effect of industrial transfer and carbon reduction policy on regional carbon emissions. The results show that the restrictive carbon reduction policy through centrifugal effect lead to the location shift of manufacturing firms. Industrial transfer and carbon emissions are significantly related. The restrictive carbon reduction policy has significant spatial emission reduction effect. The carbon reduction policy and industrial transfer level of different region comprehensively were the key factors affecting China's carbon neutral goal. The findings have implications for optimizing the scheme of carbon emission reduction tasks allocation between regions. [Display omitted] • Industrial transfer and carbon reduction policy affect carbon emission. • The influence of carbon reduction policy is manifested as centrifugal effect. • Carbon emission depends on the choice for firms' location. • Dynamic deviation-share model measures the industrial transfer products in China. • Industrial transfer and carbon emissions are significantly related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shadow of “the tragedy of the commons” with its popularized assumption of selfish individual behavior concerns policy-makers, and consequently the cooperative capability of local communities in common resource management is usually underrated. Nevertheless, here we propose a hypothesis, based on a game theory model, that the social norm of fairness rather than self-interest might motivate cooperation in natural resource conservation by discounting the utility gain from illegal logging at the cost of another household''s subsidy loss. In Wolong Nature Reserve of China, a recent household-based natural forest conservation program has led to remarkable progress in protecting the habitat of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) with low monitoring pressure. We undertook experiments based on a one-shot Ultimatum Game to test the prevalence of the norm of fairness in the local communities. Most proposers in the experiments showed strong preferences for fair offers in spite of the responders'' reluctance to reject low offers, and the result contradicted the expectation of pure self-interest. Taking into account the norm of fairness, the prediction of the model is consistent with the local performance of the household-based conservation policy. It highlights the potential of local social norms to facilitate participation and cooperation by the local community in common natural resource conservation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Indirect approaches such as Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDP) aspire to combat biodiversity loss. Unfortunately, with increasing cases of failure, the link between poverty alleviation and conservation is now controversial. We revisited the earliest ICDP project in China after 12 years. The project area experienced increasing free-ranging livestock after 2004, which degraded the panda habitat. We collected livestock and socio-economic data using constructed household surveys and applied logit and zero-truncated Poisson models to understand the effect of ICDP. About 76% of livestock activities were in the panda habitat. Receipt of ICDP funds increased the chance of a household to become a livestock owner. The participation in ICDP also increased the numbers of both the traditional livestock — cattle by 83% — as well as the emerging type horses by 203%. Horses were encouraged for tourism and later raised for meat production. The income from alternative livelihoods such as tourism and off-farm jobs reduced the reliance on cattle but encouraged having more horses. Our results show that with the ban on logging and reduced cropland, assistance from ICDP facilitated the participants to accumulate wealth much quicker than others and to increase their livestock holdings. The immediate success in reducing reliance on certain natural resources and the community development of the short-duration projects could fail the long-term goals of conserving the endangered species habitat. Future conservation projects should either establish long-term mechanisms such as conditionality for incentives or create self-interests in conservation among the communities to cope with unexpected threats in the future. • Immediate success of ICDP could fail the long-term goals of conserving the panda habitat. • ICDP encouraged the ownership of both hybrid yaks and horses. • The participation in ICDP increases the livestock holding size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to manage multiple ecosystem services (ES) in complex social-ecological systems during rapid urbanization is a key challenge for sustainable development. We used the ES bundles method to identify counties with similar dominant ES and then determine low- and high-value ES areas in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Area (BTH), China. Seven vital ES, including provision of grains, vegetables, fruits, carbon storage, and water, soil, and sand retention were analyzed in 202 BTH counties to determine their spatial patterns, pairwise relationships, and relationships with nine social-ecological factors. There were synergies within provisioning and regulating services and trade-offs between groups. Five distinct ES bundles were identified, which were consistent with land use in the BTH, and the proportions of forestland and cropland were the major factors determining ES patterns. The 45 counties within the "urban-water bundle" and the 64 counties within the "suburban bundle" provided only 4% carbon storage, were suggested to increase the green space thereby increasing the capacity of ES providing. The "high regulating ES bundle" comprised 33 counties and provided 74% carbon storage, 75% soil retention, and 54% water retention for the BTH. The "sand retention bundle", including 17 counties, provided 78% sand retention. These two ES bundles were suggested to be protected from land development for urbanization and reclamation. The "suburban bundle" and the "agriculture bundle", which provided 78% of the grains, were the main source of food and responsible for avoiding the conversion of cropland to construction land. Overall, these results suggest that ES bundle analyses can not only identify the dominant services, but also demonstrate the multiple functions of landscape. The characteristics of each ES bundle can provide information to find potential win-win solutions for the land management. • Five ecosystem service bundles were identified for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Area. • Two ecosystem service bundles provided 90% of carbon storage and sand and soil retention. • Forestland and cropland were major factors driving patterns of ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial distribution and transport characteristics of heavy metals in an antimony mine area (Xikuangshan, China) were systematically studied using a field survey and geostatistical analytical methods. In the study area, 52 soil and sediment samples were collected from bare land, grassland, woodland and river sediments covering a surface area of 20 km 2 . The soil properties and heavy metal concentrations were measured by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, respectively. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis suggest that Cu, Zn, Cd, As, Pb and Sb can be attributed to anthropogenic inputs, whereas Cr, Mn and Ni are of natural origin. Distribution maps of heavy metals were generated using the Kriging interpolation method to identify their distribution trends. The results show the influence of wind, river, distance and vegetation on the spatial distribution. The results also revealed that windborne transport may play a significant role in the spreading of contaminants. In addition, the environmental risk of heavy metal pollution was evaluated using their geoaccumulation indexes in the whole region. All of the results indicate that the heavy metal distributions in the soils were consistent with the local prevailing wind direction. In addition, the environmental quality could be seriously threatened by heavy metal contaminants from the smelter and tailings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groupers are important mariculture fish in South China and Southeast Asian countries. However, the increasing frequency of infectious disease outbreaks has caused great economic losses in the grouper industry. Among these pathogens, Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) infection causes high mortality in larval and juvenile stages of grouper. However, the mechanism underlying the action of viral manipulation on cellular immune response still remained largely uncertain. Here, using RNA-seq technology, we investigated the regulatory roles of SGIV infection on synthetic RNA duplex poly I:C induced immune response in vitro. Using reporter gene assays, we found that SGIV infection decreased poly I:C induced interferon promoter activation. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the mRNA expression levels of 2238 genes were up-regulated, while 1247 genes were down-regulated in poly I:C transfected grouper spleen (GS) cells. Interestingly, SGIV infection decreased the expression of 1479 up-regulated genes and increased the expression of 297 down-regulated genes in poly I:C transfected cells. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) down-regulated by SGIV were directly related to immune, inflammation and viral infection, and JUN, STAT1, NFKB1, MAPK14A, TGFB1 and MX were the 6 top hub genes in the down-regulated DEGs' protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis confirmed that the interferon signaling and inflammatory-related genes, including cGAS, STING, TBK1, MAVS, TNF, IRAK4 and NOD2 were up-regulated by poly I:C stimulation, but all significantly down-regulated after SGIV infection. Thus, we speculated that SGIV infection counteracted poly I:C induced antiviral immune response and this ability helped itself to escape host immune surveillance. Together, our data will contribute greatly to understanding the potential immune evasion mechanism of iridovirus infection in vitro. • SGIV infection decreased poly I:C induced interferon promoter activities. • SGIV infection reduced the expression of 1479 DEGs up-regulated by poly I:C. • TLR, NLR, and RLR signaling pathways induced by poly I:C were all destroyed by SGIV infection. • qPCR analysis confirmed that SGIV inhibited the expression of critical genes in interferon and inflammation signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Representativeness and management effectiveness of China's pilot national parks was assessed. • Representativeness increased by >50 % on average than the existing protected areas. • Ten pilot national parks integrated 142 existing protected areas of seven categories. • The protected areas and the area under strict protection increased by 19.4% and 42.1%. • Relocation and enhanced land management in the pilot NPs reduced human disturbance. The continuous decline of global biodiversity highlights the need for the expansion and improved performance of protected areas (PAs) to achieve the Post-2020 Biodiversity Targets and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. China proposed the establishment of a national park (NP) system and carried out transformative explorations in 10 pilot NPs, however, it is unclear to what extent the pilot NPs represent China's biodiversity and resolve management issues. To answer this question, we assessed the performance of the pilot NPs by analyzing the representativeness across typical ecosystems, biodiversity priority areas, and ecosystem services, and by analyzing the management effectiveness of reorganizing the existing PAs and improving the management intensity and man-land relationships. We found that China's pilot NPs achieved improved representativeness and management effectiveness through range expansion and optimization, institution streamlining, and cohesive management. Compared with the existing PAs, the area of protected typical ecosystems, biodiversity priority areas, and key areas of ecosystem services in the 10 pilot NPs increased by 59.6%, 59.6%, and 54.1% on average, respectively, with a similar land cost overall. The 10 pilot NPs integrated 142 existing PAs of seven categories. The protected areas expanded by 19.4%, and the area under strict protection increased by 42.1%. Additionally, the pilot NPs effectively reduced human disturbance and improved management effectiveness through necessary relocation and enhanced land management. Moving forward, the boundaries and zoning of the NPs should be further optimized, and efforts should be directed to strengthen the governing capacity building, improve the legislation system, increase the financing investment, and promote the value realization of ecological products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the semi-arid Horqin sandy grassland, continuous grazing has led to decreased ground cover. The bare land surface is then directly exposed to strong wind erosion, leading to desertification. Different restoration approaches have been used to recover these desertified sandy grasslands. This study compared soil properties subjected to different grassland restoration approaches, i.e., three restoration treatments and an unrestored control: FG, grassland enclosed by sheltering forest (Populus × beijingensis); MG, artificially sparse Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica grassland; UG, artificially sparse Ulmus pumila grassland; CK, desertified grassland. Soil samples were taken from depths of 0–20cm, and physical (i.e., bulk density, particle size distribution, waterholding capacity, total porosity), chemical (i.e., pH, soil organic matter, total N, total P, total K, available N, available P, available K, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable Ca2+, exchangeable Mg2+, exchangeable Na+, exchangeable K+), and biological (i.e., microbial biomass carbon, substrate richness index, Shannon''s diversity index) properties were selected as soil indicators. The three different approaches to grassland restoration were confirmed to alleviate wind erosion and enhance sand surface stabilization, as well as improve soil physicochemical and biological properties, in comparison with unrestored control. Soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in two types of artificial sparsely forested grassland were significantly better than those in grassland enclosed by shelter forest; however, there was no significant difference between the two types of artificial sparsely forested grassland. These results suggest that an artificial sparsely forested grassland restoration approach may be more effective at restoring the poor and arid soils of desertified sandy grasslands, such as the Horqin sandy land. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• An improved framework for large-scale forest quality assessment was constructed. • The framework integrated forest site classification and quality baseline estimation. • The framework was tested in the Yangtze River Basin, the largest basin of China. • A case study showed high accuracy and practicality of the improved framework. Dynamic monitoring of forest ecosystem quality is necessary for restoration program evaluation but remains challenging for very large-scale programs. Current evaluation methods employ regional forest quality indicators that compare the quality status of targeted forests with benchmarks from remnant old-growth forest communities, however data availability usually limits the application of available methods to small scales. We constructed an improved framework, integrating forest site classification selection and local remnant old-growth forest community delimitation, to quantify and map forest quality using environmental data and remote sensing (RS) based approaches. A classification strength model was introduced to improve the accuracy of forest site classification. The remote-sensing-based method integrates species composition and forest biological productivity characteristics recognition to develop a practical tool for large-scale remnant old-growth forest community delimitation. The new assessment framework was tested across the entire spatially heterogeneous Yangtze River Basin, the largest watershed in China and showed high accuracy in forest quality assessment based on observed field data validation. The forest site classification was selected by considering spatial heterogeneities in climate, topography and soil type, with 37 forest sites classified. The native forest community groups with less human disturbance in each forest site used for forest quality baseline estimation were also selected as forests with top 10% of biomass in protected areas. The case study demonstrated that forest areas of low and poor quality accounted for 34.46% of the total forest area in 2015. Between 2000 and 2015, 55.72% of forest areas experienced increases in quality level, and 7.07% experienced decreases. The improved forest quality assessment framework enhances the scope and accuracy of forest restoration information and can be applied as an evaluation tool for forest restoration management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change can pose a significant threat to terrestrial ecosystems by disrupting the circulation of soil nitrogen. However, experimental analyses on the effect of climate change on soil nitrogen cycles and the implications for the conservation of key wildlife species (i.e., the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca) remain understudied. We investigated the effects of a 1.5 °C, 3 °C, and 4.5 °C temperature increase on nitrogen distribution in different soil layers of bamboo forest via an in-situ experiment and assessed the implications for the growth and survival of arrow bamboo (Bashania faberi), a critical food resource for giant pandas. Our results showed that warming treatments generally increased soil N content, while effects differed between surface soil and subsurface soil and at different warming treatments. Particularly an increase of 1.5 °C raised the subsurface soil NO 3 -N content, as well as the content of N in bamboo leaves. We found a significant positive correlation between the subsurface soil NO 3 -N content and the N content of arrow bamboo. An increase of 3-4.5 °C raised the content of total N and NO 3 -N in the surface soil and led to a reduction in the total aboveground biomass and survival rate of arrow bamboo. Limited warming (e.g., the increase of 0-1.5 °C) may promote the soil N cycle, raise the N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) enzyme activity, increase NO 3 -N in subsurface soil, increase the N content of bamboo, and boost the biomass of bamboo - all of which could be beneficial to giant panda survival. However, higher warming (e.g., an increase of 3-4.5 °C) resulted in mass death of bamboo and a large reduction in aboveground biomass. Our findings provide a cautiously optimistic scenario for bamboo forest ecosystems under low levels of warming over a short period of time, but risks from higher levels of warming may be serious, especially considering the unpredictability of global climatic change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Identifying and protecting hotspots of endemism and species richness is crucial for mitigating the global biodiversity crisis. However, our understanding of spatial diversity patterns is far from complete, which severely limits our ability to conserve biodiversity hotspots. Here, we report a comprehensive analysis of amphibian species diversity in China, one of the most species-rich countries on Earth. Our study combines 20 y of field surveys with new molecular analyses of 521 described species and also identifies 100 potential cryptic species. We identify 10 hotspots of amphibian diversity in China, each with exceptional species richness and endemism and with exceptional phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic endemism (based on a new time-calibrated, species-level phylogeny for Chinese amphibians). These 10 hotspots encompass 59.6% of China's described amphibian species, 49.0% of cryptic species, and 55.6% of species endemic to China. Only four of these 10 hotspots correspond to previously recognized biodiversity hotspots. The six new hotspots include the Nanling Mountains and other mountain ranges in South China. Among the 186 species in the six new hotspots, only 9.7% are well covered by protected areas and most (88.2%) are exposed to high human impacts. Five of the six new hotspots are under very high human pressure and are in urgent need of protection. We also find that patterns of richness in cryptic species are significantly related to those in described species but are not identical., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Globally, rising food demand has caused widespread biodiversity and ecosystem services loss, prompting growing efforts in ecological protection and restoration. However, these efforts have been significantly undercut by further reclamation for cropland. Focusing on China, the world's largest grain producer, we found that at the national level from 2000 to 2015, reclamation for cropland undermined gains in wildlife habitat and the ecosystem services of water retention, sandstorm prevention, carbon sequestration and soil retention by 113.8%, 63.4%, 52.5%, 29.0% and 10.2%, respectively. To achieve global sustainability goals, conflicts between inefficient reclamation for cropland and natural capital investment need to be alleviated., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Breast cancer has become the number one cancer in the world, and intestinal flora may be closely linked to it. Geographic location also has an important impact on human intestinal flora. We conducted the first study on the intestinal flora of breast cancer patients and non-breast cancer patients in a tropical region - Hainan Province in China. At the same time, Pacbio platform based on third-generation sequencing was used for the first time to conduct 16S full-length sequencing of fecal microorganism DNA. We completed the species diversity analysis and differential species analysis of the intestinal flora between the two groups, inferred their functional genetic composition and performed functional difference analysis. There were statistically significant differences in alpha diversity between the two groups in Hainan Province. By species composition difference analysis, at the phylum level, Bacteroidales (P = 0.006) and Firmicutes (P = 0.002) was differed between the two groups, and at the genus level, 17 breast cancer-related differential species such as Bacteroides were screened. According to the five grouping methods including ER level, PR level, HER2 status, Ki67 index and histological grade of breast cancer patients, 4, 1, 9, 6, 5 differential microbiota were screened out respectively, which were in total 25 (P < 0.05 for all subgroups) . The functional prediction and difference analysis revealed two functional metabolisms with significant differences between the two groups of microbes (P < 0.05). These results suggest that breast cancer is associated with changes in the composition and function of intestinal flora. These microflora and functional differences may become biomarkers or new targets for diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the value of high-throughput sequencing for the detection of thalassemia-associated variants in ethnic Li minority areas of Hainan, China., Methods: In Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County of Hainan Province, 1842 middle school students were randomly selected as the subjects, which included 1249 ethnic Lis, 454 ethnic Hans, and 139 individuals from other ethnic minorities. With DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples, gap-PCR combined with high-throughput sequencing were carried out to detect potential variants of the globin genes., Results: In total 22 α-thalassemia genotypes, 5β-thalassemia genotypes, and 21 α-composite β-thalassemia genotypes were detected. The carrier rates for ethnic Li, ethnic Han and other ethnic minorities were 78.14%, 24.01%, and 28.06%, respectively. In addition, 22 fusion genes, 8 variants leading to abnormal hemoglobin, and 10 rare mutations were identified., Conclusion: High-throughput sequencing can detect a wide range of genetic variants associated with thalassemia in the ethnic Li minority areas and has played an important role for the identification of fusion genes, variants underlying hemoglobin anomalies and rare mutations.

Wildlife is essential to the biodiversity of the Meihua mountain, southwestern Fujian province, China. However, there have been few surveys of the distribution of ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and tick-borne pathogens affecting wild animals at these locations. In this study, 1197 adult ixodid ticks infesting wild boars were collected from 10 sampling sites during 2019. Ticks were identified to species based on morphology, and the identification was confirmed based on mitochondrial 16S, ITS1 and ITS2 rRNA sequences. Eight tick species belonging to 2 genera were identified, including H. longicornis (n = 373, 31.1%), H. flava (n = 265, 22.1%), D. auratus (n = 153, 12.8%), H. hystricis (n = 119, 9.9%), D. silvarum (n = 116, 9.7%), H. bispinosa (n = 114, 9.5%), D. atrosignatus (n = 33, 2.8%), and D. taiwanensis (n = 24, 2.0%). DNA sequences of Rickettsia spp. (spotted fever group) and Babesia spp. were detected in these ticks. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the possible existence of Candidatus Rickettsia laoensis and Rickettsia raoultii. This study illustrates the potential threat to wild animals and humans from tick-borne pathogens., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gross domestic product (GDP) summarizes a vast amount of economic information in a single monetary metric that is widely used by decision makers around the world. However, GDP fails to capture fully the contributions of nature to economic activity and human well-being. To address this critical omission, we develop a measure of gross ecosystem product (GEP) that summarizes the value of ecosystem services in a single monetary metric. We illustrate the measurement of GEP through an application to the Chinese province of Qinghai, showing that the approach is tractable using available data. Known as the "water tower of Asia," Qinghai is the source of the Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow Rivers, and indeed, we find that water-related ecosystem services make up nearly two-thirds of the value of GEP for Qinghai. Importantly most of these benefits accrue downstream. In Qinghai, GEP was greater than GDP in 2000 and three-fourths as large as GDP in 2015 as its market economy grew. Large-scale investment in restoration resulted in improvements in the flows of ecosystem services measured in GEP (127.5%) over this period. Going forward, China is using GEP in decision making in multiple ways, as part of a transformation to inclusive, green growth. This includes investing in conservation of ecosystem assets to secure provision of ecosystem services through transregional compensation payments., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

Ecological compensation is a crucial policy instrument that realigns the benefits of stakeholders to the ecosystem service provision. However, the spatial disconnections between locations where ecosystem services produced and used are common. The supply and demand for ecosystem services are calculated to reflect the status of the districts or counties based on ecosystem service flows. The replacement cost methods provide necessary technical supports for the calculation of compensation funds. The realigning of compensation funds between service-benefiting areas and service-providing areas not only identifies the beneficiaries and suppliers but also realizes the connection between them, which may be a feasible methodology. Fuzhou City is the study area, and two ecosystem services of water conservation and soil retention were taken into consideration. The prioritized development zone, Linchuan, and the key agricultural production zones paid ecological compensation funds. Linchuan paid the highest, 5.76 billion yuan. The key ecological function zones and the key agricultural production zones received the ecological compensation funds, of which Yihuang obtained the highest, 1.66 billion yuan. The realigning of compensation funds between the service benefiting and providing areas addresses the trade-offs between ecosystem services, social development, and ecosystem protection. Embedding the ecosystem service flows into the ecological compensation mechanism can most truly realize the value of ecosystem services, achieve the "beneficiary pays" principle, and be conducive to regional sustainable development., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Background: Losing an only child is a particularly traumatic and heartbreaking event for parents, which can trigger a lot of emotional responses, including PTSD and suicidal ideation (SI). The objectives of this study were mainly to identify predictors of SI and examine the interactions of PTSD with stigma and social support on SI among shidu parents., Methods: A total of 507 shidu parents from Shenyang, China were included in this cross-sectional study. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore risk or protective factors associated with SI. Interactions of PTSD with stigma and social support on SI were also examined by bivariate logistic regression analyses., Results: The prevalence of SI among shidu parents was 11.24%. PTSD (OR = 2.23, p < 0.05) and stigma (OR = 4.66, p < 0.01) were positively associated with SI. Social support was negatively associated with SI (OR = 0.90, p < 0.01). For individuals with PTSD, the presence of stigma was more likely to lead to SI. For individuals with PTSD, an increased level of social support was less likely to lead to SI., Conclusions: SI is a serious issue among shidu parents. Stigma aggravated the effect of PTSD on SI, while social support buffered the effect of PTSD on SI among shidu parents.

Background: Parents who lost their only child and can not conceive another child, are known as shidu parents in China. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and examine the mediating role of perceived stress between hope and PTSD symptoms in Chinese shidu parents., Methods: 295 shidu mothers and 197 shidu fathers were recruited in Shenyang city. Shidu parents were asked to complete a questionnaire including the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Herth hope index (HHI) and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). Hierarchical linear regression was performed to assess the associations among hope, perceived stress and PTSD symptoms. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to explore the mediating role of perceived stress., Results: The prevalence of PTSD in Chinese shidu parents was 23.78%. Mothers were more likely to develop PTSD than fathers. For shidu fathers, the proportion of mediation of perceived stress was 39.48%. For shidu mothers, the proportion of mediation of perceived stress was 40.00%., Limitations: Due to the cross-sectional design, the findings of the present study can not be used to establish formal causal relationships or to determine the direction of causality. Longitudinal studies are need to validate our findings., Conclusions: Perceived stress partly mediated the relationship between hope and PTSD symptoms in Chinese shidu parents. The interventions of hope and perceived stress should be included in PTSD prevention. More assistance should be directed to improve the mental health of shidu mothers., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A major challenge in transforming development to inclusive, sustainable pathways is the pervasive and persistent trade-off between provisioning services (e.g., agricultural production) on the one hand and regulating services (e.g., water purification, flood control) and biodiversity conservation on the other. We report on an application of China's new Ecological Development Strategy, now being formally tested and refined for subsequent scaling nationwide, which aims to mitigate and even eliminate these trade-offs. Our focus is the Ecosystem Function Conservation Area of Hainan Island, a rural, tropical region where expansion of rubber plantations has driven extensive loss of natural forest and its vital benefits to people. We explored both the biophysical and the socioeconomic options for achieving simultaneous improvements in product provision, regulating services, biodiversity, and livelihoods. We quantified historic trade-offs between rubber production and vital regulating services, finding that, over the past 20 y (1998-2017), there was a 72.2% increase in rubber plantation area, leading to decreases in soil retention (17.8%), water purification [reduced retention of nitrogen (56.3%) and phosphorus (27.4%)], flood mitigation (21.9%), carbon sequestration (1.7%), and habitat for biodiversity (6.9%). Using scenario analyses, we identified a two-pronged strategy that would significantly reduce these trade-offs, enhancing regulating services and biodiversity, while simultaneously diversifying and increasing product provision and improving livelihoods. This general approach to analyzing product provision, regulating services, biodiversity, and livelihoods has applicability in rural landscapes across China, South and Southeast Asia, and beyond., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

The nitrogen balance can serve as an indicator of the risk to the environment of nitrogen loss from agricultural land. To investigate the temporal and spatial changes in agricultural nitrogen application and its potential threat to the environment of the Haihe Basin in China, we used a database of county-level agricultural statistics to calculate agricultural nitrogen input, output, surplus intensity, and use efficiency. Chemical fertilizer nitrogen input increased by 51.7% from 1990 to 2000 and by 37.2% from 2000 to 2010, concomitant with increasing crop yields. Simultaneously, the nitrogen surplus intensity increased by 53.5% from 1990 to 2000 and by 16.5% from 2000 to 2010, presenting a continuously increased environmental risk. Nitrogen use efficiency decreased from 0.46 in 1990 to 0.42 in 2000 and remained constant at 0.42 in 2010, partly due to fertilizer composition and type improvement. This level indicates that more than half of nitrogen inputs are lost in agroecosystems. Our results suggest that although the improvement in fertilizer composition and types has partially offset the decrease in nitrogen use efficiency, the environmental risk has still increased gradually over the past 20 years, along with the increase in crop yields and nitrogen application. It is important to achieve a better nitrogen balance through more effective management to significantly reduce the environmental risk, decrease nitrogen surplus intensity, and increase nitrogen use efficiency without sacrificing crop yields., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Conservation policies are increasing in response to human-induced ecosystem degradation, but little is known about their interplay with natural disasters. Through an analysis of satellite imagery and field data we evaluated the impacts of a devastating earthquake on forest recovery and avoided forest loss estimated to have been obtained by two of the largest conservation programs in the world. Results show that more than 10% of the forests in Wenchuan County, Sichuan province, China were immediately affected by the 2008 earthquake, offsetting some gains in forest cover observed since the enactment of the conservation programs. But without the enactment of these conservation programs, the combined effects of human disturbance and earthquake-induced landslides could have severely reduced the region's forest cover. The continuation--and enhancement--of incentives for participation in conservation programs will be important for reducing the environmental impacts of the combined effects of human disturbance and natural hazards not only in the study area but also in many disaster-prone regions around the world.

Study Design: Our clinical study design was prospective, concurrently enrolled and single-center trial of the new functional intervertebral cervical disc prosthesis (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN) in the treatment of patients with single-level and multiple-level degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine., Objective: The study was designed to investigate the surgical technology skills and clinical effects of Bryan cervical disc prosthesis in Chinese, and to observe the stability and range of movement in the early and immediate postoperative period., Summary of Background Data: Recently, motion preservation has come to the forefront of emerging technologies in spine surgery. This is the important background information of the emergence of cervical arthroplasty as an alternative to arthrodesis that offers the promise of restoring normal spinal movement and reduces a kinematic strain on adjacent segments., Methods: Nineteen patients (23 discs) had spinal arthroplasty with placement of the Bryan cervical artificial disc prosthesis in our hospital. Clinical and radiologic follow-up was performed. The radiographic parameters evaluated included the treated segments and the overall curvature of the cervical spine., Results: All the patients were observed up from 8 months to 42 months (average 24 months). According to Odom's scale, all of 19 patients (23 levels) had excellent to good outcome. The range of movement recovered to the preoperative value during the follow up. The treated segment ultimately showed preservation of movement when compared with preoperative levels. No prosthesis subsidence or excursion was identified., Conclusion: Arthroplasty using the Bryan disc seemed to be safe and provided encouraging clinical and radiologic outcome in our study. Although early and intermediate results are promising, this is also a relatively new approach, long-term follow up studies are required to prove its efficacy and its ability to prevent adjacent segment disease.