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Several studies and assumptions support the advantages of presenting pictures before texts, such as the Sequencing Effects of Integrated Model of Text and Picture Comprehension (the Sequencing Effects of ITPC Model) and the Scaffolding Assumption. However, few studies have examined the efficacy of text-first or picture-first multimodal input on second language (L2) learners' vocabulary meaning acquisition. To examine whether the assumptions can be applied to the L2 vocabulary context, this study compares the effect of text-first and picture-first multimodal input on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' word meaning learning and retention. The multimodal materials in this study included written forms of English words, audio, first language (L1) translations and pictures. For text-first input, Chinese translations preceded pictures while it was the reverse for picture-first input. Pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests were conducted to examine learners' gains and retention of word meaning. The results showed that though both groups achieved significant gains, participants learning with picture-first input performed significantly better and reported positive attitudes. This study reveals the advantageous effects of presenting pictures before L1 translations on L2 vocabulary meaning learning, thus indicating that the Sequencing Effects of IPTC Model and the Scaffolding Assumption can be applied to the L2 multimodal vocabulary learning context, and providing pedagogical implications for EFL teachers and material developers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to study the primary risk factors for the long-term trends of mortality rates in ischemic stroke (IS) in China. Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) database, research was conducted on the 11 primary risk factors for the mortality rates of IS in China from 1990 to 2019. This study employed joinpoint regression software and the age-period-cohort method to evaluate the trends of mortality rates divided by age, period, and cohort over time. Results: From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) caused by a diet high in red meat and high body mass index in China showed an upward trend. ASMR increased first and then decreased due to smoking, diet high in sodium, particulate matter pollution, high fasting plasma glucose, and high systolic blood pressure. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), kidney dysfunction, low temperature, and lead exposure remained relatively stable during this period. In the 35–45 age group, the mortality rate of IS due to high LDL-C was up to about 60%, and smoking affected men more than women. Overall, high LDL-C, high systolic blood pressure, and particulate matter pollution were the most common risk factors in patients with IS. The risk of death rose with age. The period and cohort relative risks showed that metabolic risk factors had the greatest impact on the mortality of IS. Conclusion: Metabolic risk factors have become the primary risk factors for the ASMR of IS in China. Relevant authorities should pay attention to their long-term effects on IS. Effective public health policies and interventions should be implemented to reduce the burden of IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curtain grouting construction is crucial to the stability and seepage safety of the dam foundation. The traditional way of designing a grouting construction scheme is to rely on the limited number of test boreholes and engineering experience, failing to take into account the economic and safety factors quantitatively. We propose a multi-objective optimization scheme with an ensemble residual surrogate model for the curtain grouting construction design. Based on the dataset obtained from 3D stochastic fracture network grouting simulation, the ensemble residual surrogate model based on the Gaussian regression process is established to reduce the computational time and resource consumption significantly. The weights of residuals in the surrogate model are optimized with the jellyfish search algorithm to obtain the best prediction performance. The construction scheme is optimized afterwards considering the objectives of economic and safe construction, with construction parameters as design variables. The dynamic constraint non-dominated sorting genetic (DCNSGA-III) algorithm is used for the multi-objective optimization. The proposed method is applied to the Baihetan dam in southwestern China to optimize the curtain grouting construction of a riverbed section. Compared with the existing construction scheme designed with engineering experience, the permeability of the optimized curtain is increased by 71.50 % , and the cost is reduced by 11.51 % , which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed model. Highlights: A multi-objective optimization scheme integrated with a surrogate model is proposed for curtain grouting construction. An ensemble residual surrogate model optimized with the jellyfish search algorithm is established for 3D grouting simulation. Water permeability and grouting cost are considered simultaneously in multi-objective optimization. The optimization scheme is applied in the curtain grouting construction of a riverbed section of a dam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact on child development of paternal involvement in childrearing has received growing attention recently. Based on data from the 2010, 2014 and 2018 waves of the China Family Panel Studies, this study applies the propensity score matching (PSM) method to investigate the causal effects of being primarily raised by one's father on children's cognitive skills and psychological well-being in different family types. In migrant families, primarily fathered children are not disadvantaged compared to those primarily mothered, and boys even have better word test scores. For children living with both parents, our results indicate no significant differences in most respects between the cognitive skills and mental health of children primarily cared for by fathers and by mothers, except that children perform slightly worse in word-test scores when their fathers are their primary caregivers. However, coresidence with grandparents substantially mitigates the negative effect of primary paternal involvement in childcare on children's language development. Our findings suggest that the role of father involvement in child development should be understood in more nuanced family contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Drawing on the social cognitive model of career self-management (CSM model) and deep learning theory, the authors' study aims to investigate the effect of knowledge sharing on career adaptability and explore how and when this effect occurs. The authors proposed a moderated sequential-mediation model linking knowledge sharing, knowledge depth, self-efficacy and career adaptability, moderated by reflective thinking. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a field survey involving 611 employees working in different enterprises in China to test the authors' predictions. For supplementary validation, the authors conducted a scenario-based experiment with a distinct sample of 148 employees from Chinese enterprises. The authors used hierarchical regression analysis, ANOVA analysis and moderated sequential-mediation analysis to test the hypotheses. Findings: The results indicated a positive effect of knowledge sharing on career adaptability, sequentially mediated through knowledge depth and self-efficacy. Additionally, reflective thinking strengthened the positive effect of knowledge sharing on knowledge depth and further moderated the sequential mediating effect. Originality/value: Previous research has predominantly focused on the perspective that individuals act as "recipients" from the environment in developing career adaptability. Instead, the authors adopt a "giving" perspective by investigating the influence of knowledge sharing on career adaptability, which advances the existing knowledge on the predictors of career adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a country with a high incidence of esophageal cancer. The pathological type is mainly squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous intraepithelial neoplasia is the most recognized precancerous lesion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and its monitoring and intervention is an effective method to reduce the incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and improve the quality of life of patients. Understanding the etiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma plays a crucial role in the prevention and early diagnosis and treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. At present, the clinical research related to esophageal squamous intraepithelial neoplasia is still insufficient, and there are some differences in clinical treatment. This review summarizes the risk factors, clinical features, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of esophageal squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, hoping to provide ideas for the clinical management of esophageal squamous intraepithelial neoplasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow duration curve (FDC) is the cumulative distribution function, which represents the relationship between the frequency and magnitude of streamflow, and the precipitation duration curves (PDC) follows the same principle. Nowadays, the correlation between the shape of PDC and FDCs, their respective physical control factors including human activities, and their fitting conditions in unmeasured catchments across China have not been fully understood. In this paper, daily precipitation and streamflow data with 30 years records from 224 hydrological stations in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin were chosen to fit PDC and FDCs through gamma distribution. Framework was proposed for modelling FDCs to analyse the relationship, similarity, regional patterns and response mechanism of fitting parameters between PDC and FDCs, dividing the streamflow time series into fast and base flow and stations into three categories in consideration of human activities to attribute the shapes of PDC and FDCs to catchment meteorological and geographical characteristics and physical processes under natural conditions. Results indicate that the parameters of PDC and certain FDCs (TFDC, FFDC, SFDC) share similar spatial patterns but vary for the different duration and interactions of the processes. The climate and catchment characteristics such as extreme properties of precipitation, base flow index (BFI), Pmax*αp and concentration ratio index (CIM) will influence the shape of PDC and FDCs. The relationship between BFI and SFDC/TFDC can be better reflected in "Regulated watersheds", while CIM/Pmax*αp and PDC/FFDC in "watersheds in the mainstream" are more related. This paper provides a deeper understanding and more accurate way of the application of these parameters in describing and predicting hydrological processes and estimation of PDC and FDCs in unmeasured catchments, and can be applied to more future research about processes based on catchment rainfall‐runoff responses and physical controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, there remains insufficient focus on non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients who are at risk of clinical deterioration, and there is also a dearth of research on the related risk factors. Early recognition of hospitalized patients at risk of clinical deterioration will be beneficial for their clinical management. Method: A retrospective study was conducted in The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, China, spanning from January 1, 2018 to April 30, 2022, and involving a total of 1,632 non-severe CAP patients. Based on whether their condition worsened within 72 h of admission, patients were divided into a clinical deterioration group and a non-clinical deterioration group. Additionally, all patients were randomly assigned to a training set containing 75% of patients and a validation set containing 25% of patients. In the training set, risk factors for clinical deterioration in patients with non-severe CAP were identified by using LASSO regression analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. A nomogram was developed based on identified risk factors. The effectiveness of the nomogram in both the training and validation sets was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: Age, body mass index (BMI), body temperature, cardiovascular comorbidity, respiratory rate, LDH level, lymphocyte count and D-dimer level were identified as risk factors associated with the clinical deterioration of non-severe CAP within 72 h of admission. The area under curve (AUC) value of the nomogram was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74–0.82) in the training set and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.67–0.83) in the validation set. Furthermore, the calibration curves for both the training and validation sets indicated that the predicted probability of clinical deterioration aligned with the actual probability. Additionally, DCA revealed clinical utility for the nomogram at a specific threshold probability. Conclusion: The study successfully identified the risk factors linked to the clinical deterioration of non-severe CAP and constructed a nomogram for predicting the probability of deterioration. The nomogram demonstrated favorable predictive performance and has the potential to aid in the early identification and management of non-severe CAP patients at elevated risk of deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the world, lung cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers and has become the leading cause of death of cancers in China, among which non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for a relatively high proportion, but there is a lack of effective treatment at present. An animal model of NSCLC was established, and BEAS‐2b, H1299, Lewis, and T cells were used for subsequent experimental verification. The level of miR‐196b‐5p was detected by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Growth inhibitor 5 (ING5), CD9, CD63, HSP70, Caspase‐1, NLRP3, and GSDMD‐NT were detected by western blot. The level of ING5 was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, the location of miR‐196b‐5p was analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), cell viability was investigated by Cell Counting Kit‐8 kit, and interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐18 were confirmed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. In addition, the binding site was verified by dual‐luciferase reporter gene experiments. Tumor volume was measured. TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis. Flow cytometry was used to measure the levels of CD8 T, CD4 T, and Treg cells in tumors. miR‐196‐5p was highly expressed in exosomes secreted by tumor cells. miR‐196‐5p negatively targeted ING5 to promote the growth of tumor cells. Cancer‐derived exosomes promote pyroptosis of T cells to further aggravate the development of cancer. Exosome‐derived miR‐196b‐5p promoted pyroptosis of T cells. Exosome‐derived miR‐196b‐5p inhibited the level of ING5 to promote tumor growth and accelerate the process of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We draw on deonance theory and social learning theory to propose a framework that explains how individual team members with varying levels of leader–member exchange (LMX) with their team leader have different emotional and behavioral responses upon observing teammate‐directed abusive supervision. After employing a social relations paradigm with two‐wave round‐robin data collected from a sample of 378 engineers on 89 work teams, we did not find that witnessing teammate‐targeted abusive supervision increased sympathy for the targeted teammates, but we did find that observers with a higher level of LMX were more likely to legitimize such abuse and less likely to sympathize with its victims. Furthermore, we found that for individuals with a higher level of LMX, perceiving leaders' abusive supervision of teammates was negatively related to providing help to those teammates through the mediating role of sympathy for the teammates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, more and more technical tools have been introduced into various museums, bringing new opportunities and challenges for the research of museum learning. Whether the application of these technologies can effectively improve the effects of museum learning has become a major problem perplexing museum learning researchers. In this paper, a meta-analysis method is used to analyze and evaluate the 42 experimental or quasi-experimental studies on the technology application in the field of museum learning in the past decade. The results show that the technology application has a moderate or higher effect on museum learning, moreover, the age of learners, the type of technology, the type of museum and the visiting pattern of museum will significantly affect the effectiveness of technology on the museum learning. Therefore, the museum institutions can learn from excellent cases to accelerate the application of museum technology, give priority to the construction of digital resources, continue to promote the specialisation of museum technology application, and better play the role of technology in museum education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unloading activities directly impact the progress of earthmoving and filling projects, and a reliable multistep-ahead unloading duration prediction could help optimize equipment scheduling and improve operational efficiency. However, unloading prediction is greatly challenging owing to the complex uncertainties and nonlinearities implied in the unloading process, as well as the difficulty of modeling long-term temporal dependencies. Thus, this study devises a new fuzzy sequence-to-sequence network for unloading time forecasting. First, a quantization error-improved information granulation method is exploited to establish the fuzzy partition function. The global and localized distribution characteristics of unloading time are utilized to adaptively optimize the number and distribution of nonuniform fuzzy intervals. Then, periodic and recent branches were developed to model the variation of unloading time in multiple temporal granularities. In each branch, based on the encoder–decoder structure, the underlying gated recurrent units learn the sequence features collaborating with the attention mechanism to capture implicit long-term dependencies, mitigating the effects of error accumulation in multistep forecasting. Finally, the temporal information of different granularities is fused to form the final prediction. We evaluate the proposed model using an unloading dataset from a heavy infrastructure project in southwest China. We conducted geo-fencing and unloading operation analysis to extract the unloading information of different construction areas. The experimental results show that our method can generate high-quality multistep predictions for unloading duration, and exhibits superior performance compared with baseline models. The novel approach has great potential to support earthwork management in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the project of National Highway No. 310 located in Sanmenxia City, China, field tests on the thermal responses of the 2 × 2 pile groups under embankment load in winter condition are carried out. The temperatures and stresses of piles along pile depth under the combined action of embankment load and temperature are measured. The thermal characteristics of the pile body, such as thermal-induced stress, cumulative deformation of the pile top, and heat exchange efficiency per unit area, are analyzed. The feasibility of a new piping method compatible with the segmented reinforcement cage is discussed. A calculation method for heat exchange in a large-diameter energy pile is proposed. The layout of the heat exchange pipe used in this study is feasible, and there is no large stress mutation in the dense and nondense areas. The maximum tensile stress in the middle of the pile body is about 0.4 MPa, which is nearly 22% of the concrete tensile strength value. The settlement of the pile top is about 0.33 mm after seven days of cooling condition, which is about 0.27‰ of the pile diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Drawing on the work design growth model (WDGM), this paper aims to explore the relationship between job complexity and employee creativity through feedback-seeking and the moderating effect of team leaders with a growth creative mindset. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used an online survey to test the hypotheses. Data was collected in three waves from 74 supervisors and 349 paired employees in China. Findings: Job complexity had a positive association with employees' feedback-seeking, which further linked to employee creativity. This indirect effect was stronger in work teams with leaders endorsing a growth creative mindset. Practical implications: Job complexity has become prevalent in organizations today. Taking daily complexity as a resource for nurturing employee creativity may balance organizations' costs on formal training and give them more initiatives in long-term development. In addition, as the growth creative mindset is relatively easy to assess and change, it may bring insights in terms of creativity development. Originality/value: By empirically testing the behavioural mechanism of WDGM, the learning and development perspective of work design offers a new explanation of the relationship between job complexity and employee creativity. The authors further extend WDGM by identifying leaders' growth creative mindset to be a boundary condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare and enigmatic immune‐mediated inflammatory disease. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors of AIP‐inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in China. Methods: A retrospective bidirectional case–control study was performed. The diagnoses of IBD and AIP were made based on the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization guidelines and the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria. IBD controls were matched by age, sex, and IBD type at a ratio of 1:4, while AIP controls were matched by AIP types. Results: The age‐standardized prevalence of AIP‐IBD patients in the IBD and AIP population were 292.0 and 8151.93 per 100 000 population, respectively. IBD patients had a higher risk of AIP compared to non‐IBD patients (odds ratio 8.4, 95% confidence interval 4.7–14.9, P < 0.0001), and AIP patients had a higher risk of developing IBD compared to the general population in China. The mean age at diagnosis of IBD and AIP was 34.83 years and 40.42 years. IBD was diagnosed before AIP in seven cases. The median total IBD and AIP duration was 43.5 months and 13.5 months. Use of mesalamine and tuberculosis were associated with AIP in IBD patients (P = 0.031). And fecal occult blood test was associated with IBD in AIP patients (P = 0.008). Conclusions: Most AIP‐IBD patients had ulcerative colitis and type 2 AIP. IBD patients are more likely to develop AIP compared to the general population, and vice versa. Use of mesalamine and tuberculosis infection were associated with AIP, and fecal occult blood test was associated with IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we report results from a survey of bibliometrics courses offered by LIS programs in mainland China. We found that more than 27% of Chinese LIS programs offer bibliometrics courses. The majority of these programs teach bibliometrics as 2- or 3-credit, required courses to both undergraduate and graduate students, indicating the great importance given to bibliometrics education. These courses cover both theoretical knowledge of bibliometrics and practical applications of bibliometric theories and methods. They are taught mostly by associate and full professors who are active researchers in bibliometrics, indicating a healthy situation of mutual benefit of teaching and research.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of the rhGM-CSF gel on third-degree frostbite wounds. Sixty-two patients who had suffered third-degree frostbite on their hand or foot (91 wounds in total) were selected using a convenience sampling method and randomly allocated to two groups: the rhGM-CSF group(31patients,45 frostbite wounds) received the rhGM-CSF gel when wound dressing change daily; however, the control group (31patients, 46 frostbite wounds) received aloe glue. The wound healing time, the score of inflammation about the wound and the positive bacterial culture of wound secretions were used to measure outcomes, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS (25.0), Student's t test or Mann–Whitney U test and chi-square test or Fisher exact test were selected, as appropriate. The healing time of the rhGM-CSF group was (12.2 ± 5.0) days, which was significantly shorter than that of the control group (15.5 ± 4.7) days (P <.0001). The rhGM-CSF group's wound inflammation scores on the 7th and 14th day of treatment were (0.96 ± 0.21) and (1.88 ± 0.29), respectively, which were better than those of the control group (1.12 ± 0.24) and (1.38 ± 0.15) (both P <.0001). The positive bacterial culture of wound secretions in the rhGM-CSF group was also better than that in the control group on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th day after treatment (P =.027,.004,.030, respectively). According to the results, using rhGM-CSF gel considerably increases the speed of frostbite wounds healing, and have an effect on protecting third-degree frostbite wounds regarding the positive effects. Trial Registration: This trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Register, ChiCTR1900021299. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the prevalence of work teams in organizations, how newcomers become integrated into teams remains an understudied area. Drawing on research related to indirect social resources, in this paper we employ a social network perspective to examine how close teammates' friendship centrality can facilitate newcomers' adjustment by fostering the newcomers' own social capital in teams and promoting their subsequent task performance. Furthermore, our model incorporates institutionalized socialization tactics and political skill as two contingencies that can further strengthen the positive effects of indirect social resources on newcomers' adjustment. In a time‐lagged study using multiple sources of data, we found good support for our hypotheses. Specifically, close teammates' friendship centrality was positively related to newcomers' task performance through the mediating effect of newcomers' own friendship centrality in teams. The two moderators further strengthened this indirect effect. Overall, this study highlights the importance of "making the right friends" to facilitate newcomer adjustment into teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many syphilis infected pregnant women do not receive treatment, representing a major missed opportunity to reduce the risk of syphilis-related adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study explored correlates of treatment among pregnant women with syphilis in Guangzhou, China. Methods: Pregnant women with a diagnosis of syphilis in Guangzhou between January 2014 and December 2016 were included. Information of syphilis treatment and correlates were extracted from a comprehensive national case-reporting system. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the correlations between information on the demographic characteristics, previous history, clinical characteristics about current syphilis, information of diagnosing hospital, and receiving no treatment or inadequate treatment among syphilis-seropositive pregnant women. A causal mediation analysis was used to explore the potential mediating role of the timing of syphilis diagnosis in the correlates. Results: Among 1248 syphilis-seropositive pregnant women, 379 (30.4%) women received no treatment or inadequate treatment. Migrant pregnant women (adjusted OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.25–2.73), multiparous participants (adjusted OR = 3.68, 95% CI: 2.51–5.50), unmarried participants (adjusted OR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.97–5.28) and unemployed participants (adjusted OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.41–4.39) were more likely to receive no treatment or inadequate treatment. Participants who with history of syphilis infection (adjusted OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.42–0.82) and with high school and higher education participants (adjusted OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.49–0.97) were less likely to receive untreated or inadequately treatment. And that the impact of all these factors (except for the migrants) on treatment status are fully mediated through the syphilis diagnosis time, with the direct effect of migrants that would have resulted in a higher rate of no or inadequate treatment (OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.08–5.32) was partially cancelled out by the syphilis diagnosis time. Conclusions: Pregnant women who were migrant without local residence and women with syphilis diagnosed at a later gestational age were more likely to slip through the cracks of the existing antenatal care system. More programs should focus on eliminating these gaps of residence-related health inequalities. This research highlights actionable elements for health services interventions that could increase syphilis treatment rates among pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammation and thrombosis are involved in the development of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP). Our aim was to evaluate the predictive value of a novel, simplified, thrombo-inflammatory prognostic score (TIPS) that combines both inflammatory and thrombus biomarkers in the early phase of ischemic stroke (IS). Methods: The study population consisted of 897 patients with a first diagnosis of IS admitted to the emergency department of five tertiary hospitals in China. Of these, the data from 70% of patients was randomly selected to derive the model and the other 30% for model validation. A TIPS of "2" was indicative of high inflammation and thrombosis biomarkers and "1" of one biomarker, with "0" indicative of absence of biomarkers. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the association between TIPS and SAP. Results: The TIPS was an independent predictor of SAP and 90-day mortality, with the incidence of SAP being significantly higher for patients with a high TIPS. The TIPS provided superior predictive value for SAP than clinical scores (A2DS2) and biomarkers currently used in practice, for both the derivation and validation sets. Mediation analysis revealed that TIPS provided a predictive value than either thrombotic (NLR) and inflammatory (D-dimer) biomarkers alone. Conclusion: The TIPS score may be a useful tool for early identification of patients at high-risk for SAP after IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We proposed and tested a conditional trickle-down model underpinned by social exchange theory and social information processing theory. Using a sample in China, we found that LLX and service-oriented HPWS were positively related to service leadership and competition climate, respectively. Additionally, we found that service leadership and competition climate enhanced the positive influences of each other on employee service performance. We then demonstrated the conditional trickle-down effects on employee service performance transmitted through the interaction between service leadership and collective competition climate. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study develops and tests an overreaching theoretical framework based on social exchange theory to examine the situations under which individuals with high levels of psychological entitlement are more or less likely to exhibit positive work attitudes and behaviors. In particular, we integrate perspectives from the team climate literature to analyze the moderating effects of employee involvement climate at the workgroup level on the relationship between psychological entitlement and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) through the mediating mechanism of affective commitment (a first-stage moderated mediation model). To test our hypotheses, we collected data from 231 supervisor-subordinate dyads across 41 work teams at a large Chinese automobile manufacturer. We find that when the employee involvement climate level is high, the effects of psychological entitlement on OCBs through affective commitment are positive and significant. In contrast, when the employee involvement climate level is low, the relationship is negative and significant. The present study makes a theoretical contribution to the literature by examining the frequently neglected positive side of psychological entitlement. It demonstrates that a high employee involvement climate helps to engage psychologically entitled employees by circumventing previously unbalanced social exchange relationships. We also discuss the practical implications of our findings and provide suggestions for human resource managers to maximize the contributions of entitled employees and foster their organizational commitment and OCBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the relationship between erythrocyte folate levels and cervical lesions. Methods: Using a case–control method, patients with cervical lesions from September 2021 to February 2022 in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jiangnan University Hospital were selected as study subjects. After cervical biopsy, 40 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) CIN3 and 65 cases of cervical cancer as case group. The normal population of 120 cases attending the same period served as the control group. A competitive model was used to establish a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) for human erythrocyte folate. Erythrocyte folate levels of 225 subjects were determined. Results: Serum folate levels were 7.82 ± 3.13, 8.04 ± 3.58, and 7.58 ± 4.30 ng/ml in the control, CIN3, and cervical cancer groups, with no statistically significant differences (p = 0.959). Erythrocyte folate levels were 307.27 ± 122.95, 306.52 ± 189.77, and 285.42 ± 125.74 ng/ml, respectively, with statistically significant differences (p = 0.03). Conclusions: In a population of middle‐aged Chinese women, the lower the erythrocyte folate value, the greater the risk of cervical cancer. In addition, serum folate levels were not associated with cervical lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence and health risk of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a brominated flame retardant with its three diastereoisomers, in drinking water sources in the lower Yangtze River in China was investigated. Its concentration ranged from 0.58 to 3.71 ng/L and averaged at 1.18 ng/L. Among the three diastereoisomers of α-, β- and γ-HBCD, γ-HBCD was the dominant one accounting for 44% (ranging 27–82%) to the total concentration. Source of HBCD in the contaminated site was discussed according to its spatial distribution and diastereoisomer profile. The margin of exposure (MOE) approach was applied to evaluate the health risk of HBCD through drinking water by estimated exposure and derived reference dose. The MOE was 17 for adults and 12 for children in the worst-case scenario, suggesting a trivial health concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recently, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was identified as responsible for a novel wave of COVID-19 worldwide. We perform a retrospective study to identify potential risk factors contributing to radiological progression in the COVID-19 patients due to the Omicron variant infection. These findings would provide guiding information for making clinical decisions that could improve the Omicron infection prognosis and reduce disease-related death. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study from a single center in China. According to the radiological change within admissive one week, enrolled cases were divided into two groups: the progressive (1w-PD) and the stable or improved disease (1w-non-PD). Separate analyses were performed on patients stratified into subgroups using the Mann–Whitney U-test, the Fisher exact test, or the Chi-squared test and a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Both the 1w-non-PD and 1w-PD cohorts displayed comparable asymptomatic infection, have similar underlying disease, impairment in respiratory function, coagulation dysfunction, tissue injury, SARS-CoV-2 viral load, and disease severity. However, the 1w-PD cohort was more inclined to cluster in populations presented with age between 41 and 65, higher CURB-65 scores, undetectable SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and lung affection. Based on the multiple logistic regression analysis, complicated bilateral and ground-glass opacities (GGOs) like pneumonia at admission were independent risk factors to radiological progression within admissive one week. Conclusion: This study provided preliminary data regarding disease progression in Omicron-infected patients that indicated the development of pneumonia in the context of Omicron infection was worthy of potential risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research typically examined homeownership inequality across individuals or households, overlooking the intrahousehold allocation of homeownership. Using couple-level data of the 2016 China Family Panel Studies, our study addresses the gap by examining the bargaining over homeownership between husbands and wives in China. Descriptive results reveal a large gender gap in homeownership: only about one-quarter of couples listed the wife as an owner on the Housing Ownership Certificate, whereas about 92% listed the husband. The gender gap in ownership, however, has narrowed among couples married after 2000. Multivariate analyses show that economic autonomy, relative resources, housing purchase conditions, and modernization significantly increase wives' homeownership, but with varying degrees among rural and urban wives. Women's own socioeconomic status is more important for acquiring homeownership for urban wives, yet rural wives' homeownership depends more on the resource exchange with their husbands. Given the stratifying effects of homeownership, our findings of the unequal distribution of homeownership between husbands and wives underscore how family dynamics reproduce gender inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression and anxiety are common among pregnant women. Internet-delivered psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) have been developed to increase accessibility and address common help-seeking barriers, especially during pandemic period. The objective of this trial is to evaluate the short-term and long-term effects of iCBT on reducing depressive symptoms among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic with the overall goal of preventing depression recurrence in the first 12 months postpartum.Methods: A multi-site randomized controlled trial will be conducted where 300 pregnant women early in their third trimester will be screened for depression symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during a routine obstetrical visit. Eligible and consenting women with a score greater than 9 will be randomly allocated (1:1) to either intervention group or control group. ICBT involving the completion of 7 weekly online modules will be delivered via a well-designed perinatal mental healthcare app. The primary objective is to evaluate the effect of iCBT on reducing depression symptoms among pregnant Chinese women starting from their third trimester. The secondary objectives are to examine the effect of iCBT on anxiety, sleep quality, social support, parenting stress, co-parenting relationship, and infant development.Discussion: This multi-center randomized controlled trial has been planned in accordance with best practices in behavioral trial design. The internet-based intervention addressed the needs of pregnant women during a major pandemic where face-to-face therapy is not preferable. The trial has a relatively large sample size with sufficient power to evaluate the efficacy of iCBT intervention for the primary and secondary outcomes. One year follow-up evaluation in the study is designed to determine the longer-term effect of the intervention on both maternal and infant outcomes. Although a limitation is the assessment of depression and anxiety using self-report measures, these easily incorporated and maternal-preferred assessments allow for real-life scalability if the intervention is proven to be effective.Ethics and Dissemination: Ethics was approved by the institutional review board of International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital (GKLW2020-25). Dissemination of results will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals and presented at scientific conferences.Trial Status: The first patient was enrolled on 19 August 2020. To date, 203 participants have met eligibility requirements and been randomized to either the intervention group or control group. Data collection aims to be complete in September 2022. Date and version identifier: 2020715-version1.0.Trial Registration: ChiCTR2000033433. Registered 31 May 2020, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=54482 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet addiction among older adults is a new problem in many countries. However, previous studies on excessive Internet use have focused more on young people, and only few studies have focused on Internet addiction in older adults. There is a need to continue to expand research on Internet addiction in older adults. This paper aimed to fill the gap in exiting literature. We adopted a self-reported questionnaire to assess the elderly's interaction with children, loneliness, life satisfaction and Internet addiction among old adults. A total of 241 old people were obtained from data collection in China via online survey with the help of a professional research company. We used OLS regression analysis and bootstrap method to test the hypothesis. The results of the empirical analysis indicated that (1) interaction with children was significantly negatively associated with the Internet addiction of old people; (2) loneliness mediated the relationship between interaction with children and old adults' Internet addiction; and (3) life satisfaction moderated the effect of interaction with children, and the indirect effect between interaction with children and old adults' addiction via loneliness was stronger for those with low life satisfaction. Finally, we discussed the theoretical significance, practical implications, limitation of this research. Interventions to improve family function systems especially for older people with low life satisfaction can help prevent the development of Internet addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Uninterrupted use of oral anticoagulants before atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation can reduce the incidence of perioperative thromboembolic events. However, the effect of new oral anticoagulants on activated clotting time (ACT) in response to heparin during AF ablation in Chinese populations remains unknown. The aim of the present retrospective study was to investigate the value of ACTs in response to intraoperative heparin administration in patients using dabigatran or rivaroxaban. METHODS From January 2018 to December 2021, a total of 173 patients undergoing AF ablation were included in the study, in which 101 patients were treated with dabigatran, 72 patients were treated with rivaroxaban. The intraoperative ACT values were examined in both groups. The incidence of periprocedural complications was evaluated. RESULTS Initial heparin dosage (88 ± 19 U/kg vs. 78 ± 27 U/kg, P < 0.05), total heparin dosage (137 ± 41 U/kg vs. 106 ± 52 U/kg, P < 0.05) during the ablation procedure were higher in the dabigatran group than those in the rivaroxaban group. Mean ACT (280 ± 36 s vs. 265 ± 30 s, P < 0.05), and the percentage of ACTs within the therapeutic range (250-350 s) (74% ± 26% vs. 60% ± 29%, P < 0.05) were significantly lower in the dabigatran group than those in the rivaroxaban group, particularly in male patients. Furthermore, the average time of achieving the target ACT (250-350 s) was also found longer in the dabigatran group (P < 0.05) as compared with the rivaroxaban group. No significant difference was found in the incidence of periprocedural complications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS The anticoagulant effect of uninterrupted rivaroxaban therapy appears to be more stable and efficient than dabigatran administration during catheter ablation in patients with AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question/issue: This study examines whether geographic proximity produces a proximity preference as interlocking firms observe each other and learn innovative behaviors through information transmission among interlocking directors. Research findings/insights: We study the performance of A-share-listed companies in China from 2007 to 2017 on the basis of resource dependence theory, agglomeration effect theory, and Porter's competitive theory. When target firms learn about research and development–related innovation behaviors from interlocking firms closer to them, they experience more efficient learning effects and have improved convergent traits. Moreover, this proximity advantage increases the willingness of the target firm to communicate with and learn from interlocking firms closer to them. Highly developed areas and research and development–intensive industries positively affect the learning efficiency of interlocking firms. Theoretical/academic implications: Our conclusion is consistent with resource dependence theory; target firms in highly developed areas are more willing to imitate and study nearby interlocking firms to maintain their peer relations, innovation potential, and competitiveness. Our conclusion is also consistent with competition theory, which states that the exchange of information between target firms in highly research and development–intensive industries and distant interlocking firms increases innovation differentiation, innovation potential, and competitiveness, even when such exchange has a high cost. Practitioner/policy implications: The results support resource dependence theory and peers' effects. The information obtained by interlocking directorates through external social relations guides firm decision-making, and closer distances reveal more obvious effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Basan syndrome is a rare autosomal-dominant ectodermal dysplasia with certain clinic-pathological features caused by mutations in the SMARCAD1 gene. Currently, no skin malignancy related to Basan syndrome has been reported. This study was aimed at identifying related gene mutations in a new Chinese pedigree with Basan syndrome and discovering the possible association between Basan syndrome and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Methods. We report a case of Basan syndrome from China with family history of cSCC. The pedigree contains 28 individuals. Among them, 12 members had Basan syndrome, while 4 affected members were diagnosed with cSCC in the 1st and 2nd generations. Whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing were performed for 7 available individuals. The specific gene mutation on pre-mRNA splicing was also analyzed using in vitro Minigene assay. In addition, sequencing data was analyzed with bioinformatics workflow, aiming to discover the gene associated with cSCC. Results. Gene sequencing results showed a heterozygous mutation, c.378+5G>A, in the SMARCAD1 gene in all tested individuals with Basan syndrome. Minigene result implicated the specific mutation may cause splicing variations by exon skipping occurring in the targeted exons. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reported Basan syndrome with family history of cSCC. Despite in this study we cannot draw any conclusion about the association between Basan syndrome and cSCC at the genetic level, this study encourages future works to substantiate this potential but important issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To determine the risk factors for intracranial hematoma (ICH) development following ruptured anterior communicating artery (AcomA) aneurysms and to determine prognostic factors associated with unfavorable outcomes after coiling first. Methods From March 2014 to February 2020, 235 patients with ruptured AcomA aneurysms underwent endovascular treatment in our department. The clinical and radiographic conditions were collected retrospectively. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of ≤ 2 were accepted as favorable outcomes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify significant factors contributing to the incidence of ICHs and to unfavorable outcomes. Results Of these 235 patients, 68 had additional ICHs. A posterior orientation of ruptured AcomA aneurysms was the independent variable associated with the incidence of ICHs (OR 3.675; p<0.001). Furthermore, having preoperative Hunt--Hess grades IV--V was an independent variable associated with unfavorable outcomes for ICH patients (OR 80.000; p<0.001). Among the 68 patients with ICHs, 40% (27/68) had Hunt--Hess grades IV--V. Four percent of patients (3/68) underwent surgical hematoma evacuation after the coiling procedure and 15% of the patients (10/68) underwent external ventricular drainage. A favorable outcome was achieved in 72% (49/68) of patients with ruptured AcomA aneurysms. The mortality rate was 21% (14/68) at 6 months. Conclusion A posterior orientation of ruptured AcomA aneurysms was associated with the incidence of ICHs. Coiling first with surgical management if necessary seems to be an acceptable treatment for ruptured AcomA aneurysms with ICHs. The clinical outcome was associated with the clinical neurological status on admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The status exchange hypothesis of union formation has been extensively examined in different societies. In this study, we explore beauty–status exchange in mate selection in China. Based on the 2010–2018 waves of the China Family Panel Studies, we apply a new method that directly estimates the magnitude of exchange by considering beauty – status intermarriage as a treatment. Our results show that in China women exchange attractive appearance for men's higher socioeconomic status, but men's physical attractiveness does not exchange for women's higher socioeconomic status. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the traditional marriage exchange pattern of "wife's beauty matching with husband's talent" mainly persists among women with lower levels of education and from families of lower socioeconomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Appropriate allocation of nursing staff is key to ensuring efficient nursing in hospitals, and is significantly correlated with patient safety, nursing quality, and nurse job satisfaction. However, there are few studies on nursing workforce allocation in the isolation wards of COVID-19 designated hospitals globally. This study aims to better understand the nursing workforce allocation in the isolation wards of COVID-19 designated hospitals in China, and provide a theoretical basis for efficiently deploying first-line nurses in China and across the world in the future. Methods: An online survey was conducted among the head nurses (n = 229) and nurses (n = 1378) in the isolation wards of 117 hospitals (selected by stratified sampling), using a self-reported human resource allocation questionnaire. Results: The average bed-to-nurse ratios of different isolation wards were different (Z = 36.742, P = 0.000). The bed-to-nurse ratios of the ICU, suspected COVID-19 cases ward, and confirmed COVID-19 cases ward, were 1:1.88, 1:0.56, and 1:0.45, respectively. The nurse work hours per shift in different isolation wards were also different (Z = 8.468, P = 0.014), with the specific values of the ICU, suspected COVID-19 cases ward, and confirmed COVID-19 cases ward, being 5, 6, and 6 h, respectively. A correlation analysis showed that the average work hours per shift was proportional to the overtime work of nurses (rs = 0.146), the proportion of nurse practitioners was proportional to the overall utilization rate of nursing human resources in the wards (rs = 0.136), and the proportion of nurses with college degrees was proportional to teamwork (rs = 0.142). The proportion of nurses above grade 10 was inversely proportional to teamwork and psychological problems (rs = 0.135, rs = 0.203). The results of multiple stepwise regression analyses showed that the work hours of nurses per shift was the main factor affecting nurse satisfaction and that the proportion of nurses and the work hours of nurses per shift were both independent factors affecting the length of stay (LOS) of patients. Conclusion: Hospitals in China have made good nursing workforce allocations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are certain shortcomings. Therefore, scientific and efficient nursing workforce allocation practice plans should be established to improve the ability of hospitals to deal with public health emergencies and are urgent problems that need to be addressed soon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia have not been established in Chinese. This study established criteria based on the L3‐skeletal muscle index (L3‐SMI) and assessed its value for outcomes predicting in cirrhotic Chinese patients. Methods: Totally 911 subjects who underwent a CT scan at two centres were enrolled in Cohort 1 (394 male and 417 female subjects, aged 20–80 years). The data of those subjects younger than 60 years (365 male and 296 female subjects) were used to determine the reference intervals of the L3‐SMI and its influencing factors. Cohort 2 consisted of 480 patients (286 male and 184 female patients) from three centres, and their data were used to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia and evaluate the value of L3‐SMI for predicting the prognosis and complications of cirrhosis. Results: Age and sex had the greatest effects on the L3‐SMI (P < 0.001). The L3‐SMI scores were clearly higher in male patients than in female patients (52.94 ± 8.41 vs. 38.91 ± 5.65 cm2/m2, P < 0.001) and sharply declined in subjects aged ≥ 60 years. Based on the mean −1.28 × SD among adults aged < 60 years, the L3‐SMI cut‐off value for sarcopenia was 44.77 cm2/m2 in male patients and 32.50 cm2/m2 in female patients. Using these values, 22.5% of the cirrhotic patients (28.7% of male patients and 11.9% of female patients) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Compared with non‐sarcopenia individuals, sarcopenia patients had lower body mass index (21.28 ± 3.01 vs. 24.09 ± 3.39 kg/m2, P < 0.001) and serum albumin levels (31.54 ± 5.93 vs. 32.93 ± 5.95 g/L, P = 0.032), longer prothrombin times (16.39 ± 3.05 vs. 15.71 ± 3.20 s, P = 0.049), higher total bilirubin concentrations (41.33 ± 57.38 vs. 32.52 ± 31.48 μmol/L, P = 0.039), worse liver function (Child–Pugh score, 8.05 ± 2.11 vs. 7.32 ± 2.05, P = 0.001), higher prevalence of cirrhosis‐related complications (81.82% vs. 62.24%, P < 0.001) and mortality (30.68% vs. 11.22%, P < 0.001). Overall survival was significantly lower in the sarcopenia group [risk ratio (RR) = 2.643, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.646–4.244, P < 0.001], accompanied with an increased cumulative incidence of ascites (RR = 1.827, 95% CI 1.259–2.651, P = 0.002), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (RR = 3.331, 95% CI 1.404–7.903, P = 0.006), hepatic encephalopathy (RR = 1.962, 95% CI 1.070–3.600, P = 0.029), and upper gastrointestinal varices (RR = 2.138, 95% CI 1.319–3.466, P = 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed sarcopenia shortened the survival of the patients with Model For End‐Stage Liver Disease score > 14 (RR = 4.310, 95% CI 2.091–8.882, P < 0.001) or Child–Pugh C (RR = 3.081, 95% CI 1.516–6.260, P = 0.002). Conclusions: Sarcopenia is a common comorbidity of cirrhosis and can be used to predict cirrhosis‐related complications and the prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Rosa roxburghii Tratt., a deciduous shrub of the family Rosaceae, is usually used as food and medicinal materials and also cultivated as an ornamental. Plant endophytic fungi are a large class of microbial resources not fully researched, with great potential applications. Two strains of Ascodesmis and Talaromyces were isolated during a survey of biodiversity on endophytic fungi of R. roxburghii in China. Multigene phylogenetic analyses showed that each of the two fungi formed a distinct lineage and separated from known congeneric species and they are proposed as two novel taxa. New information Ascodesmis rosicola sp. nov. usually has one or two conspicuous simple or branched ridges extending to the majority of the ascospore surface and remarkably small asci, distinguishing it from the previously-described species in the genus Ascodesmis. Talaromyces rosarhiza sp. nov., of the section Talaromyces, is closely related to T. francoae. It differs from the latter by having both monoverticillate and biverticillate conidiophores, while those of T. francoae are biverticillate. Both novel endophytes are illustrated and described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As information and communication technologies (ICT) continue to impact and shape modern society, and e-justice has gained momentum in recent years. China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) set up a trial management information system that connects all courts in China. Designed to be online, transparent, and intelligent, China's Smart Court development began in 2016. In practice, SPC promoted modernization of the trial systems to improve the flow of information between courts throughout China. However, significant investments in ICT e-justice services have caused some to question whether these investments have achieved the expected ends. Thus, how to evaluate e-justice services becomes an urgent theoretical and policy issue in the process of e-justice construction in China. E-justice value is not clearly defined in theory in China, nor is easy to measure in practice. Because of the sensitive and complex nature of such evaluation, little research has been conducted in this regard. The objective of this paper is to fill this gap. Relevant literature is reviewed before the article moves on to describe various approaches withe regard to e-government and e-justice evaluation, as well as the characteristics of China's Smart Court. Evaluation factors and constructs are found based on the Chinese circumstances. This study contributes to the development of a holistic evaluation framework for e-justice system. It also adds the Chinese case to the existing literature. Evaluation factors found in this article can also serve as a foundation for future development and study of e-justice services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PQ index is an integrated grouting process parameter that represents the relationship between grouting pressure and grout flow. By tracking the variation in the PQ index, operators can understand and control the grouting process. Therefore, accurate and reliable PQ index prediction is important for grouting process guidance. However, because the original grouting process parameter time series has chaotic characteristics and noise interference, traditional point prediction suffers from inevitable prediction errors and cannot quantify the uncertainties associated with the prediction. In this study, to cope with these deficiencies, a hybrid interval prediction model for the PQ index based on an improved extreme learning machine with a lower upper bound estimation method is proposed. In this model, the lower upper bound estimation method is used to construct an advanced extreme learning machine with interval prediction ability to perceive the uncertainties of the prediction. The improved grey wolf optimizer algorithm is applied to optimize the parameters of the extreme learning machine. Moreover, to enhance the prediction ability, cooperating with the hybrid data preprocessing method based on a noise reduction and decomposition strategy, a feature selection method is developed to identify the chaotic characteristics of the PQ index time series and determine the optimal input form of the interval prediction model. The proposed model is applied to predict the PQ value in the grouting process at a hydropower project in China. The results reveal that the proposed model can construct high-quality prediction intervals, which is superior to the performance of other benchmark models and has high potential for practical applications in grouting projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hemodialysis patients not only suffer from somatic disorders but are also at high risks of psychiatric problems. Early this year, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused great panic and anxiety worldwide. The impact of this acute public health event on the psychological status of hemodialysis patients and its relationship with their quality of life have not been fully investigated. Methods: This study comprised two parts. The initial study enrolled maintenance hemodialysis patients treated in Ruijin Hospital for more than 3 months from March to May 2020 during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Patients completed three questionnaires including the Impact of Events Scale–Revised (IES-R), General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) Short Form (SF). Follow-up study was performed from December 2020 to January 2021, when the pandemic of COVID-19 has been effectively contained in China. Only patients enrolled in the initial study were approached to participate in the follow-up study. Results: There were 273 maintenance dialysis patients enrolled in the initial study and 247 finished the follow-up study. For the initial study, the estimated prevalence of nonspecific psychiatric morbidity was 45.8% (125/273) by GHQ-28. By IES-R, 53/273 (19.4%) patients presented with total scores above 24 that reflected clinical concerns. We found a significant difference regarding KDQOL scores between patients with different stress response (IES-R) groups (p = 0.026). Our follow-up study showed that KDQOL and SF-36 scores were significantly improved in comparison with those in the initial study (p = 0.006 and p = 0.031, respectively). Though total scores of GHQ-28 and IES-R did not change significantly, some subscales improved with statistical significance. Furthermore, gender, education background, and duration of hemodialysis were three factors that may affect patients' mental health, quality of life, or health status while dialysis duration was the only variable that correlated with those parameters. However, these correlations were combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the dialysis itself. Conclusions: We found a correlation between changes in the mental health status of dialysis patients and changes in their quality of life. These responses were also mediated by patients' psychosocial parameters. Our results urge the necessity of psychotherapeutic interventions for some patients during this event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human capital plays an important role in preventing the intergenerational transmission of poverty. The study aims to examine in detail how human capital impacts the intergenerational poverty transmission in China based on nationwide rural household survey. The research results are: (1) the improvement of individual human capital significantly reduces the risk of intergenerational poverty transmission in rural China; (2) in comparison to individual educational level, parents' educational level may not effectively decrease the risk of intergenerational poverty transmission; (3) the impact from human capital on the risk of intergenerational poverty transmission has relatively lower effectiveness on female than male in rural China; (4) human capital of Western China area generates more impact on reducing the risk of intergenerational poverty transmission than that of the central and eastern regions. In approach to improve the role of human capital in preventing intergenerational poverty transmission, the following policy implications should be considered, such as improving the rural education conditions and mechanism, encouraging self-improvement rather than parents dependency, and supporting rural female education. • Education may alter the status quo of the rural relative poverty in China. • To crawl out relative poverty, improving education is significantly effective. • Education benefits males more than females in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Although the incidence and mortality of complicated skin and soft tissue infections have decreased, this infection is still relatively frequent and can be associated with lethal complications. In this study, the authors present our clinical experience of patients with complicated posterior cervical skin and soft tissue infections (CPCSSTIs) diagnosed and treated in a reconstructive unit in northeastern China. Methods. A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with CPCSSTIs from January 2009 to December 2018 was performed. To make the results objective and convincing, a data analysis was performed relating to demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, predisposing factor, bacterial culture, laboratory and radiographic evaluations, diagnostic clues, management, and complications as well as the clinical course and outcome. Results. During the ten-year period, there were 174 consecutive patients admitted to our reconstructive center with final diagnosis of CPCSSTIs included. All the patients were adults, and the majority were male (67.2%). The patient's mean age was 51.3 years (range, 15-88 years). There were 114 patients (65.5%) that had associated systemic diseases, with diabetes mellitus (40.2%) as the most common predisposing factor. Common presented clinical symptoms were pain (90.8%), swelling (85.1%), and erythema (77%) of the neck. Surgical treatment was performed in all the patients, and most of them (83.9%) received the first surgery within 24 h. The most commonly isolated pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus (30%). Vancomycin (21.3%) was the most commonly used antibiotics, followed by cefepime (18.4%). All the patients survived and were discharged with a mean duration of hospitalization of 28.7 days. Those patients with predisposing factors (31.4 ± 12.35 days) or complications (41.0 ± 12.5 days) tended to have a longer hospital stay. The mean total costs of admission per patient were 47 644 RMB. Conclusion. This study highlights the high cost burden of CPCSSTI patients. Those patients with predisposing factors or complications tended to have a longer hospital stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heroin and methamphetamine are both popular illicit drugs in China. Previous clinical data showed that habitual users of either heroin or methamphetamine abuse the other drug for substitution in case of unavailability of their preferred drug. The present study aimed to observe whether heroin can substitute the methamphetamine reinforcement effect in rats, and vice versa. Rats were trained to self-administer heroin or methamphetamine (both 50 μg/kg/infusion) under an FR1 reinforcing schedule for 10 days. After having extracted the dose–effect curve of the two drugs, we administered methamphetamine at different doses (12.5–200 μg/kg/infusion) to replace heroin during the period of self-administration, and vice versa. The heroin dose–effect curve showed an inverted U-shaped trend, and the total intake dose of heroin significantly increased when the training dose increased from 50 to 100 or 200 μg/kg/infusion. Following replacement with methamphetamine, the total dose–effect curve shifted leftwards and upwards. By contrast, although the dose–effect curve of methamphetamine also showed an inverted U-shaped trend, the total dose of methamphetamine significantly decreased when the training dose decreased from 50 to 25 μg/kg/infusion; conversely, when the methamphetamine training dose increased, the total dose did not change significantly. The total dose–effect curve shifted rightwards after heroin was substituted with methamphetamine. Although heroin and methamphetamine had their own independent reward effects, low doses of methamphetamine can replace the heroin reward effect, while high doses of heroin can replace the methamphetamine reward effect. These results demonstrated that heroin and methamphetamine can substitute each other in terms of reinforcement effects in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To evaluate foveal outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and the difference thereof between bilateral eyes and their possible associations with clinical characteristics in a healthy Chinese population. Materials and Methods. Normal subjects were enrolled. Generalized linear models were used to assess the associations of foveal ONL thickness with sex, age, and spherical equivalents (SEs) and the associations of the difference in foveal ONL thickness between bilateral eyes with sex, age, and difference in SEs between bilateral eyes. Results. Totally, 304 subjects were included. The average foveal ONL thickness was 103.19 ± 14.25 (range 70–151) μm in the right eye and 103.90 ± 14.63 (range 69–155) μm in the left eye. The mean difference in foveal ONL thickness between right and left eyes was −0.71 ± 4.36 (range −13 to +12) μm. Men had slightly greater foveal ONL thickness values in both right and left eyes compared with women (both P < 0.05); however, some women had a thicker foveal ONL than that of men (85/198 vs. 46/106 in the right eye; 79/198 vs. 52/106in the left eye). Age and SEs were not associated with foveal ONL thickness in either eye (all P > 0.05). Sex, age, and difference in SEs between bilateral eyes were not associated with the difference in foveal ONL thickness between bilateral eyes (all P > 0.05). Conclusions. Foveal ONL thickness showed wide variation in a normal Chinese population but little difference between bilateral eyes. Both these parameters could not be adjusted by sex, age, SEs, or the SEs difference between bilateral eyes. Thus, in those diseases involving only one eye, the difference or ratio of foveal ONL thickness between the affected eye and normal fellow eye may reflect the actual degree of the disease, rather than the foveal ONL thickness in the affected eye alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. To eliminate mother-to-child transmission of syphilis, the Chinese government recommends a treatment regimen that slightly differs from the World Health Organization- (WHO-) recommended treatment. However, little is known about their difference in efficacy. This study is aimed at comparing the effect of China-recommended and WHO-recommend treatment regimens on adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) and at examining associated risk factors of APOs among syphilis-seropositive women. Methods. Using the syphilis registry data, we retrospectively collected data from 4488 syphilis-infected pregnant women in Guangzhou during 2011-2018. Multivariate analyses were used to investigate the association between treatment regimens and APOs (ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, preterm birth or low birth weight, newborn smaller than gestational age, congenital syphilis, and infant death) and the association between risk factors and APOs. Results. Of 3474 participants, 27.3% had at least one APO. Compared to those receiving WHO-recommended treatment, women who received China-recommended treatment were less likely to have APOs (odds ratio (OR) 0.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38-0.57), whereas those who received no treatment had 1.6 times higher odds of experiencing APOs. One common risk factor across different APOs was high levels of log2-transformed toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST) titers before treatment (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.10-1.19). China-recommended treatment was effective in reducing APOs for those with TRUST ≥ 1 : 8 (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.14-0.29) and those with TRUST < 1 : 8 (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.50-0.77). Conclusions. Syphilis-seropositive women receiving China-recommended treatment had lower odds of APOs, especially when TRUST titers before treatment were high. Findings can be used to guide health professionals to reduce APOs among syphilis-infected mothers and promote nationwide use of China-recommended treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous improvement of China's overall national strength and the constant improvement of infrastructure, the national charm continues to increase. More and more foreign friends have been attracted to travel to China. The translations of public signs in scenic spots are of great importance for foreign visitors because of the language barrier and cultural difference existing between China and foreign countries. These translations should convey information accurately, providing the function of bringing convenience to visitors and spreading Chinese culture. However, in reality, there exist various problems among the translations of public signs in scenic spots, which will definitely make foreign visitors feel puzzled. So it is of great urgency to make the translation more standard. This study takes public signs of various scenic spots as the research material to explore the translation of the public signs of tourist attractions from the perspective of Skopos theory. This essay summarizes the errors and mistakes in the examples. By comparing and analyzing the unqualified translations in the examples and their polished versions, some specific translation strategies are proposed and explained in detail to provide useful guidance for the translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The proposed criterion and methods can measure the construction schedule robustness with consideration of bounded rationality of subjective weights and the inherent importance and nonlinear intercriteria correlations of objective weights. It is applicable to the fields of robust scheduling, decision-making, evaluation, and so on. Further research can be conducted to combine with machine-learning technology to achieve the dynamic robustness measure of the construction schedule. A robustness measure is an effective tool to evaluate the anti-interference capacity of the construction schedule. However, most research focuses on solution robustness or quality robustness, and few consider a composite robustness criterion, neglecting the bounded rationality of subjective weights and inherent importance and nonlinear intercriteria correlations of objective weights. Therefore, a construction schedule robustness measure based on improved prospect theory and the Copula-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) method is proposed. Firstly, a composite robustness criterion is established, including start time deviation rs and structural deviation rp for measuring solution robustness from project execution and completion probability rc for measuring quality robustness from the project result. Secondly, bounded rationality is considered, using prospect theory to calculate subjective weights, which is improved by the interval distance formula. Thirdly, the Copula-CRITIC method is proposed to determine objective weights incorporating both inherent importance and nonlinear intercriteria correlations. Finally, an information-entropy-based evidence reasoning method is applied to combine subjective and objective weights together while identifying their validity. An underground power station in China is used for a case study, whose robustness is measured using the proposed methods, single robustness criterion, and composite robustness criterion using traditional weighting methods. The comparison results verify the consistency, representativeness, and advantage of the proposed criterion and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Platelet consumption followed by homocysteine-induced endothelial injury suggests a crosstalk between platelet activation and homocysteine on hypertension. Platelet count has been found to modify the effect of folic acid on vascular health. However, whether platelet count could modify the contribution of homocysteine to blood pressure (BP) remains unclear. Methods. Leveraging a community-based cross-sectional survey in 30,369 Chinese hypertensive patients (mean age 62 years, 52% female), we examined the moderation of platelet count on the association between serum homocysteine and BP by constructing hierarchical multiple regression models, adjusting for conventional risk factors. If adding the interaction term of homocysteine and platelet count could explain more variance in BP and the interaction is significant, then we believe that moderation is occurring. Results. The association between serum homocysteine and diastolic BP was significantly stronger (β = 0.092 vs. 0.035, P = 0.004) in participants with low platelet count (<210 × 109/L) than in those with high platelet count (≥210 × 109/L). Adding the interaction term of homocysteine and platelet count additionally explained 0.05% of the variance in diastolic BP (P = 0.0001), and the interaction was significant (β = −0.021, P < 0.001). Excluding participants receiving antihypertensive medications did not change our results. Conclusions. The association between homocysteine and BP was significantly stronger in participants with low vs. high platelet count and was partially moderated by platelet count. These results indicate that platelet count may be useful in the identification of individuals who are most beneficial to reducing-homocysteine treatments but this usefullness still needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver cancer is a common malignant disease in China, while the primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor (PHNET) is extremely rare presented with various manifestations. We herein describe an interesting PHNET case, which was clinically diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on strong clinical evidence and the national guideline, but confirmed to be PHNET by pathology. A 42-year-old Chinese male was admitted for persistent upper abdominal pain, and CT scan revealed a huge liver tumor in the left lobe. The tumor presented attributes of tumor rupture, portal vein tumor thrombus, elevated serum AFP level, background hepatitis B virus infection history, and radiological features mimicking typical HCC. After left semi-hepatectomy was performed for curative treatment of the primary "HCC", the pathology demonstrated the correct diagnosis be poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). The immunohistochemistry assays showed positive neuroendocrine markers of CgA and Syn and negative HCC markers of Hep Par 1 and GPC3, ruling out concurrent HCC. This case and literature review suggest that in spite of rare incidence, PHNET should be considered as a possible diagnosis when lacking a confirmative pathology result, even when sufficient evidence of typical presentation exist to establish the clinical diagnosis of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution events frequently occur in China during the winter. Most investigations of pollution studies have focused on the physical and chemical properties of PM2.5. Many of these studies have indicated that PM2.5 exacerbates asthma or eosinophil inflammation. However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between bacterial loads in PM2.5, and especially pathogenic bacteria and childhood asthma. Airborne PM2.5 samples from heavily polluted air were collected in Hangzhou, China between December 2014 and January 2015. PM2.5 and ovalbumin (OVA) were intratracheally administered twice in 4-week intervals to induce the allergic pulmonary inflammation in adolescent C57/BL6 mice. PM2.5 exposure caused neutrophilic alveolitis and bronchitis. In the presence of OVA, the levels of the Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-12, and IL-17 were significantly increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) after PM2.5 exposure, while eosinophil infiltration and mucin secretion were also induced. In addition to adjuvant effects on OVA-induced allergic inflammation, PM2.5 exposure also led to the maturation of dendritic cells. These results suggest that PM2.5 exposure may aggravate lung eosinophilia and that PM2.5-bound microbial can exacerbate allergic and inflammatory lung diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives: The assessment of nutritional status and the quality of life in patients with gastric cancer has become one of the important goals of current clinical treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional status in hospitalized gastric cancer patients by using patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) and to analyze the influence of nutritional status on the patients' quality of life (QOL).Methods: We reviewed the pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer for 2322 hospitalized patients using PG-SGA to assess their nutritional status and collected data on clinical symptoms, the anthropometric parameters (height, weight, body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), triceps skin-fold thickness (TSF), and hand-grip strength (HGS). We also collected laboratory data (prealbumin, albumin, hemoglobin) within 48 h after the patient was admitted to the hospital. The 30-item European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used for QOL assessment in all patients.Results: By using PG-SGA, we found 80.4% of the patients were malnourished (score ≥ 4) and 45.1% of the patients required urgent nutritional support (score ≥ 9). In univariate analysis, old age (> 65 years, p < 0.001), female (p = 0.007), residence in a village (p = 0.004), a lower level of education (p < 0.001), and self-paying (p < 0.001) were indicated as risk factors of patients with gastric cancer to be suffering from severe malnutrition. There was a negative correlation between PG-SGA and various nutritional parameters (p < 0.05). The quality of life was significantly different in gastric cancer patients with different nutritional status (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Malnutrition of hospitalized patients with gastric cancer in China is common and seriously affects the patients' quality of life. The nutritional status should be evaluated in a timely manner and reasonable nutritional intervention should be provided as soon as possible. The PG-SGA was fit for using as a clinical nutrition assessment method, being worthy of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]