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This paper evaluates the influence of different variables on drivers' willingness to accept and use a vehicle-mounted perfume automatic dispersal device (VP-ADD) connected to the vehicle's electronic map. Based on the technical acceptance model, we clarify and condense the explanation of the model used to evaluate the impact of user behavior attitudes and device characteristics on six factors, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude towards use, intention to use, perceived playfulness, and perceived risk, proposing eight hypotheses. Then, we assessed the responses of 562 drivers in China using SPSS for reliability and validity and AMOS for structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. The findings reveal that the perceived usefulness, ease of use, playfulness, and risk significantly affected the willingness to accept and use the VP-ADD. Furthermore, the perceived risk has a negative influence, while the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived playfulness, and attitude towards use have a positive influence. This research is significant for further development and application of the VP-ADD. It is essential to alleviate driver fatigue, ensure traffic safety, and provide theoretical and empirical support for designing more popular driving assistance devices. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights for developing fatigue driving warning policies, in-vehicle device guidelines, and traffic safety regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Group B streptococcus (GBS)-induced invasive disease is a major cause of illness and death among infants aged under 90 days in China; however, invasive GBS infection remains unknown in China. We aimed to describe the serotype and genotype distributions of early-onset disease (EOD) and late-onset disease (LOD), and to show the clinical correlations among various GBS serotypes and genotypes obtained from infants with invasive GBS infections.Methods: Between June 1, 2016 and June 1, 2018, 84 GBS strains were collected from patients younger than 90 days at seven Chinese hospitals. Clinical data were retrospectively reviewed. GBS serotyping was conducted and multi-locus sequence typing was performed.Results: Serotypes Ia, Ib, II, III, and V were detected. Serotype III (60.71%) was the most common, followed by Ia (16.67%) and Ib (14.29%). Intrapartum temperature ≥ 37.5 °C, chorioamnionitis, and mortality were noted in 28.57, 42.86, and 28.57% of patients with serotype Ia, respectively, and these rates were higher than those in patients with serotypes Ib and III (P = 0.041, P = 0.031, and P = 0.023, respectively). The incidence of respiratory distress was lower (P = 0.039) while that of purulent meningitis was higher (P = 0.026) in the serotype III group. Eighteen sequence types were detected among isolates, and ST17 [42.86% (36/84)] was the most prevalent.Conclusions: GBS isolates belonging to serotypes Ia, Ib, and III are common in southern mainland China, and ST17 is highly prevalent. Differences were found in the clinical manifestations of invasive GBS disease induced by serotypes Ia and III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of two types of deceleration markings on freeways in China: fishbone-shaped (FS) markings and edge-rate (ER) markings. An actual 4-lane, 6-km long freeway in Province Hebei was created in a driving simulator and used for the experiments. Three scenarios of deceleration markings were adopted: one without markings, one with FS markings, and the third with ER markings. For each scenario, three traffic flow levels were adopted (low, medium, and heavy). The appropriate dimensions of deceleration markings were first established using relevant design guidelines and then used to develop the simulation scenarios using Multigen Creator software. Sixty drivers carried out the simulation experiments with eye tracker equipment. The adequacy of deceleration markings was analyzed with respect to speed, perceived distance, pupil diameter, and geometric parameters. The results showed that both types of deceleration markings made a certain effect on vehicle speed, drivers’visual behavior, and mental characteristics. However, the effect of the FS markings was more pronounced than that of the ER marking. Specifically, the FS markings showed a speed reduction of 12.3 km/h to 15.2 km/h and a perceived distance of 70 m to 90 m, compared with 6.7 km/h to 9.9 km/h and 40 m to 60 m, respectively, for the ER markings. Application comments of the results are provided in the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel methodology for determining the overall highway safety level by integrating statistical analysis and analytic network process (ANP) with set pair analysis (SPA) which is applied in the evaluation of the overall highway safety for the first time. The methodology accounts for both quantitative and qualitative factors that contribute to traffic safety. The statistical analysis uses crash, alignment, intersection, and other data to determine the significant indices (variables) that affect safety. These indices are then combined with the planning (qualitative) indices to determine the weights of all indices based on expert opinions using ANP. Finally, the overall safety level of the highway is determined using SPA. The methodology is illustrated using data collected from two highways in China. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology is sound and reliable. The methodology is applicable to existing or new highways and can help to effectively evaluate the overall safety of a highway and develop long-term strategies for safety improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protection of the ecological environment is an effective strategy for maintaining ecosystem health, improving provision of ecosystem services, and increasing human well-being. However, traditional calculations of the value of ecosystem services (VES) provide weak guidance because they ignore the costs of these services, leading to economically inefficient strategies. To understand the difference between VES and the net ecosystem services value (NES, after subtracting costs from VES) and to improve evaluations of ecosystem services, we estimated NES for mainland China (including farmland, grassland, forest, and wetland). NES totaled 10.0×103 RMB ha−1 yr−1 in 2014, which is only 35.1% of the corresponding VES. Grassland NES was-0.7×103 RMB ha−1 yr−1, in contrast with a positive grassland VES. NES of farmland, grassland, forest, and wetland in 2014 totaled 7.2×1012 RMB, accounting for 27.0% of China’s GNP. Recent Chinese planning based on VES emphasizes forest conservation and ignores the conservation of other important ecosystems, such as grassland, leading to a continuing loss of China’s natural capital. Due to regional differences in economic conditions, resource endowments, and geographical characteristics, VES and NES differ among regions. To maximize the ecological benefits from conservation, it is necessary to account for these differences by comparing strategies based on NES, thereby choosing projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits. To maintain the ecological balance, ecological restoration and socioeconomic activities should account for the costs of providing ecosystem services. This is essential to minimize the costs and maximize the benefits of projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The relationship between strategic purchasing and enterprise performance based on China textile and garment industry was studied by empirical analysis. Decline Inventory was introduced as intermediate variable. By using statistical methods of factor and regression analysis, study results were concluded as follows: the three dimensions of strategic purchasing (Design Suppliers Group, Non-core Outsourcing Capabilities and Purchase Integration) are significantly associated with enterprise performance; decline inventory plays a partial intermediary role in the relationship between design suppliers group and enterprise performance and the relationship between non-core outsourcing capabilities and enterprise performance; it plays a complete intermediary role in the relationship between purchase integration and enterprise performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A matter-element model was used to study the impact of billboards near signs on drivers. • Try to place a large-sized billboard and make it behind the sign. • The billboard position has a more significant influence than its size. • The conclusions are helpful to guide the selection and setting of billboards. A common distraction that affects drivers on the road is billboards. It can substantially impact how well drivers manage their speed, maintain their lanes, focus their attention, and react to stressful situations. When the billboards are placed next to vital traffic signs, they negatively affect drivers, impairing their ability to recognize these signs visually and, more significantly, altering their driving behavior. In this case, the impact of billboards on drivers is mainly influenced by two critical factors: billboard size and relative position to the traffic signs. In this study, a driving simulator was used to study the influence of these two factors on drivers. For this purpose, the eye movement, EEG and driving behavior data of drivers under different combinations of these two factors were collected. The data were analyzed and comprehensively evaluated using a two-factor repeated measure variance analysis and matter-element model. The results provided three main conclusions. First, the driver's ability to recognize signs and driving behavior are significantly influenced by the size of the billboard, and the impact is higher the smaller the billboard is. Second, the relative anteroposterior position of the billboard and the signboard significantly affects how people recognize signs and behave while driving. The driver was more affected by the billboard's placement in front of the signboard. Third, the drivers were impacted by the billboard size and relative anteroposterior position between signs and billboards. However, the influence of the relative anteroposterior position was more than that of the size. Based on the study's findings, some guidelines for billboards to avoid accidents in the actual world can be developed. First, when positioning billboards around significant signs, every attempt should be made to put the billboard behind the sign so that the driver may first finish identifying the sign. Second, to minimize the impact on drivers, a large billboard (8 m x 24 m), placed as far away from the sign, should be used wherever possible. Finally, it is vital to develop uniform regulations and norms for the size standards of billboards in various settings due to the vast variations in billboard sizes used in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Drivers from three language backgrounds (Chinese, foreigners who passed and did not pass the Chinese proficiency test) participated in the driving simulation experiment. • A driving simulator and an eye tracker were used to obtain eye movement and driving behaviour data for both monolingual and bilingual guide sign scenes. • Bilingual guide signs on highways have a greater impact on the drivers than the monolingual guide signs. • The maximum number of names of places (destinations) on the bilingual guide signs is recommended to be 5. • The English place names on the bilingual guide signs showed limited benefit to foreign drivers. As China has become more attractive for foreigners to travel or work, some Chinese-English bilingual guide signs have been adopted on the highways for the convenience of foreign drivers. This research examined the effectiveness of Chinese-English bilingual guide signs on highways in China for drivers with different language backgrounds. The study involved three different groups of participants: Chinese (Group C), foreigners who passed the Chinese proficiency test HSK (Group FC), and foreigners without Chinese proficiency test (Group F). A driving simulator and an eye tracker were used to obtain eye movement and driving behaviour data for both monolingual and bilingual guide sign scenes. The results showed that, for Groups C and FC, their performance in the two scenes had little difference when the number of Chinese place (destination) names on the sign was 5 or less. However, the performance of Groups C and FC in the bilingual guide sign scene was worse than that in the Chinese guide sign scene when the number of place names exceeded 5. Moreover, the participants' performance worsened as the number of place names increased for all different groups within the same scene. Thus, the threshold of the number of place names for bilingual guide signs on highways appears to be 5. Actually, the English place names on the bilingual guide signs did not have much practical effect on the drivers, since the letters of the place names were too small to be quickly seen and the translation was inaccurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The matter-element extension model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of eight scenarios on driver behavior. • Including distance information can improve driver safety when passing through a work zone. • It is recommended that the number of warning signs in work zones should be less than three, with two being the ideal number. The continuous growth of automobile ownership and road mileage in China has brought a lot of road maintenance work. The work zone shall be set for road maintenance work. Due to the road characteristics near the work zone, more accidents and a higher accident risk exist. Traffic signs are one of the essential means to ensure traffic safety. The location and number of road work signs (sign level) play a crucial role in driver safety near the work zone. The repeated road work signs can form a warning system to regulate driver behavior. This paper evaluates the effect of the number of warning signs with and without distance information on driver behavior (psychological load and physiological characteristics) near the work zone. The matter-element extension model is used for comprehensive evaluation. The study resulted in several findings. First, adding distance information improves the difficulty and time of visual recognition and enhances driver alertness. On the other hand, too many road signs are not conducive to maintaining driver alertness. Second, distance information on the work signs and the repeated setting of road warning signs add extra burden on the driver and increase driver fatigue. Third, driver's response to the repeated road work signs will gradually become stable; The speed transition under the warning signs Levels 2 and 3 are more stable than that under the warning sign Levels 1 and 4. Finally, the warning sign level shall not be more than 3. If the advanced warning area is short, it is recommended to select a warning sign Level 1. If the advanced warning area is relatively long, it is recommended to choose a warning sign Level 2. Finally, adding distance information will improve the overall effect of the warning scheme. These findings can provide a valuable reference for setting the road work signs near the work zone in practice in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine microbial flagellates form an important part of marine ecosystems, and play an essential role in maintaining ecosystem functions. However, the underlying biogeographic processes and ecological effects that shape marine microbial flagellate communities (MFCs) on the geographical scale (∼2000 km) remain unclear, especially how their composition is related to movements of water masses. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of 18S rRNA genes was conducted to survey two size-fractioned groups (0.8–2.0 μm for pico-sized and 2.0–20 μm for nano-sized groups) of MFCs in three subtropic-tropic marginal seas of China. In addition, the impacts of environmental factors, spatial factors, and water masses on MFCs were explored and compared across different spatiotemporal conditions. The results demonstrate non-random biogeographic distributions of MFCs in the studied area. These distributions were affected by several ecological processes, such as environmental selection, dispersal limitation, neutral process, and interactions within communities. These processes were driven by complex water masses that formed on a geographical scale. Notably, environmental heterogeneity was identified as the principal determinant of MFCs in each sea area. However, the importance of spatial factors increased with the spatial scale, which weakened biotic interactions within the community on a geographical scale. This effect was more apparent in nano-sized MFCs, indicating stronger dispersal limitation because of their larger cells and weaker dispersal ability. In summary, this study expands the available knowledge on the dynamic biogeographic patterns of MFCs associated with water masses on a geographical scale where strong spatial and environmental gradients exist. • Multiple ecological processes determine the microflagellate's biogeographic pattern. • Dispersal limitation effect on community assembly enhances with the spatial scale. • Different sizes of microflagellate respond differently to ecological effects. • Seasonal patterns of community assembly relate to the complex water masses movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small pigmented flagellate, Micromonas, is prevalently distributed in coastal and pelagic waters. However, there have been few studies conducted to quantify their abundance in the marginal seas of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. In this study, we used fluorescent in situ hybridization with tyramide signal amplification (TSA-FISH) to reveal the spatial distribution of Micromonas in the northern South China Sea (SCS). On average, the abundance of Micromonas was 317 cells mL -1 , with the average proportions in the nanoflagellates (NF) and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPE) communities being 10.94% and 15.39%, respectively. This indicates a wide distribution and dominance of this genus in the studied area. The relationships between Micromonas abundance and various environmental factors suggested that biotic correlations play more important roles than physicochemical filtering on Micromonas assemblage. This may indicate a broad environmental adaptation spectrum of this genus through its flexibility in terms of resource acquisition strategies. In summary, this study provides insight into the spatial distribution pattern of Micromonas and highlights its crucial contribution to the composition of NFs and PPE communities, which rely on biological interaction to respond to the changing environmental conditions in the northern SCS., (© 2024 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A new species of mealybug (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae), Paraputo nanlingensis Li & Wu, sp. n., is recorded on Fagaceae from Guangdong Province, China. The adult female is described and illustrated, and an identification key is provided to separate the adult females of Paraputo species known from China.

A new genus of Qinococcidae, Abrococcus Zheng & Wu gen. n. is established for a new species Abrococcus cunninghamia Zheng & Wu sp. n., which was collected on Cunninghamia lanceolata (Cupressaceae) from Guizhou Province, P. R. China. Descriptions and illustrations are provided for the adult female and first-, second- and third-instar female nymphs. Keys to the adult females and first-instar nymphs of the genera of Qinococcidae and known developmental stages of A. cunninghamia are provided.

Introduction: In confronting the sudden COVID-19 epidemic, China and other countries have been under great pressure to block virus transmission and reduce fatalities. Converting large-scale public venues into makeshift hospitals is a popular response. This addresses the outbreak and can maintain smooth operation of a country or region's healthcare system during a pandemic. However, large makeshift hospitals, such as the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) makeshift hospital, which was one of the largest makeshift hospitals in the world, face two major problems: Effective and precise transfer of patients and heterogeneity of the medical care teams., Methods: To solve these problems, this study presents the medical practices of the SNIEC makeshift hospital in Shanghai, China. The experiences include constructing two groups, developing a medical management protocol, implementing a multi-dimensional management mode to screen patients, transferring them effectively, and achieving homogeneous quality of medical care. To evaluate the medical practice performance of the SNIEC makeshift hospital, 41,941 infected patients were retrospectively reviewed from March 31 to May 23, 2022. Multivariate logistic regression method and a tree-augmented naive (TAN) Bayesian network mode were used., Results: We identified that the three most important variables were chronic disease, age, and type of cabin, with importance values of 0.63, 0.15, and 0.11, respectively. The constructed TAN Bayesian network model had good predictive values; the overall correct rates of the model-training dataset partition and test dataset partition were 99.19 and 99.05%, respectively, and the respective values for the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.939 and 0.957., Conclusion: The medical practice in the SNIEC makeshift hospital was implemented well, had good medical care performance, and could be copied worldwide as a practical intervention to fight the epidemic in China and other developing countries., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Chen, Fan, Xu, Huang, Zheng, Xiao, Fang, Qin, Zheng and Dong.)

Members of the scale insect family Ortheziidae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) occur all over the world but these small, delicate insects are difficult to find. The largest genus in the Ortheziidae is Newsteadia Green. Previous studies have recorded four species of Newsteadia in China. This study describes and illustrates the adult female, male, prepupal male, and first-, second- and third-instar nymphs of a fifth species, Newsteadia fanjingensis sp. n., from Guizhou Province, China, collected above 2000 m altitude under thick moss on the bark of Acer sp. Identification keys are provided to the adult females of Newsteadia species known in China, and the adult males known worldwide.

A new armoured scale insect (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) species, Nikkoaspis brevispina sp. n., is described and illustrated; it was found on Sinarundiaria sp. (Poaceae; Bambusoideae) in Guizhou Province, China. The type specimens of N. brevispina are deposited at the Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China. An identification key based on adult females is provided to separate all eight species in the genus.

Background: Since pneumonia caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, tremendous infected cases has risen all over the world attributed to its high transmissibility. We aimed to mathematically forecast the inflection point (IFP) of new cases in South Korea, Italy, and Iran, utilizing the transcendental model from China., Methods: Data from reports released by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (Dec 31, 2019 to Mar 5, 2020) and the World Health Organization (Jan 20, 2020 to Mar 5, 2020) were extracted as the training set and the data from Mar 6 to 9 as the validation set. New close contacts, newly confirmed cases, cumulative confirmed cases, non-severe cases, severe cases, critical cases, cured cases, and death were collected and analyzed. We analyzed the data above through the State Transition Matrix model., Results: The optimistic scenario (non-Hubei model, daily increment rate of - 3.87%), the cautiously optimistic scenario (Hubei model, daily increment rate of - 2.20%), and the relatively pessimistic scenario (adjustment, daily increment rate of - 1.50%) were inferred and modeling from data in China. The IFP of time in South Korea would be Mar 6 to 12, Italy Mar 10 to 24, and Iran Mar 10 to 24. The numbers of cumulative confirmed patients will reach approximately 20 k in South Korea, 209 k in Italy, and 226 k in Iran under fitting scenarios, respectively. However, with the adoption of different diagnosis criteria, the variation of new cases could impose various influences in the predictive model. If that happens, the IFP of increment will be earlier than predicted above., Conclusion: The end of the pandemic is still inapproachable, and the number of confirmed cases is still escalating. With the augment of data, the world epidemic trend could be further predicted, and it is imperative to consummate the assignment of global medical resources to curb the development of COVID-19.

The adult female of Nipponorthezia guizhouensis sp. n. (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Ortheziidae) is described and illustrated based on specimens extracted from Chinese forest litter using Berlese funnels. An identification key to all the species in the genus is provided. The type specimens of the new species are deposited in the Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.