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In order to study the technology of emergency disposal and provide insights into the landslide dam breach and rescue processes, a hyperbolic erosion dam breach model was used to predict the peak discharges of 10.11 and 11.03 Baige barrier lakes in the upper reach of the Jinsha River in northwest of China on October and November 2018. The results showed peak discharge values of 10,000 and 44,370 m3/s in the 10.11 and 11.03 Baige barrier lakes, respectively. Therefore, it is proposed to conduct a series of emergency disposals of the 11.03 barrier lake, including manual excavation of a drainage channel, demolition of the cofferdam at the Suwalong Hydropower Station under construction, and discharge of the Liyuan Hydropower Station Reservoir in operation. For the 11.03 barrier lake, the obtained results showed that: (1) the excavation of a 13.5 m deep drainage channel reduced the peak discharge by 24%, which is consistent with the predicted peak discharge of 34,400 m3/s. (2) The demolition of the cofferdam of the Suwalong Station under construction avoids superimposing and magnification of the flood peak. Indeed, in the absence of this measure, the peak discharge might be 1.6 times its original size. The demolition of the cofferdam reduced the impact of peak discharge on downstream areas. (3) The Liyuan Reservoir effectively decreased the peak discharge by 37%, thereby reducing the flood control pressure of the downstream cascade stations and minimizing the flood disaster-related losses through the joint dispatch of the cascade reservoirs. (4) The joint emergency response mechanisms, such as joint interministerial consultation, central-local government coordination, emergency response social mobilization, and joint dispatch of cascade reservoirs, were important and effective in the Baige landslide dams disposal. The present paper provides a systematic back analysis and further insights into the rescue process, key technologies, and emergency measures for the successive barrier lakes. It also provides a reference for emergency rescue of similar landslide dams and risk control of cascade hydropower stations in river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As logistics carbon emission efficiency is an essential industry linking regions, investigating this issue from a spatial correlation perspective is practically significant. Utilizing data from 282 prefecture-level cities spanning 2006 to 2019, we used a super slacks-based measure model, a modified gravity model, motif analysis, the Infomap algorithm, and an exponential random graph model to analyze the spatial correlation patterns and influencing factors of logistics carbon emission efficiency. The following conclusions were drawn. (1) The spatial correlation of logistics carbon emission efficiency during the study period exhibited a core–edge pattern, with the central region emerging as a high-correlation hub. (2) The scale of the spatial association network community of carbon emission efficiency in the logistics industry changed constantly, and the stability of the network community structure gradually increased. From a microstructural perspective, the dispersed-mode structure was a pivotal element in the formation of the spatial correlation network of logistics carbon emission efficiency. (3) Node interaction tendencies were a critical force driving network formation. Financial investment, government concern, international openness, population density, and innovation ability were conducive to the formation of spatial correlations of logistics carbon emission efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Tritrophic interactions have achieved much attention in research on ecology. The tea plant Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze is a major economic crop in Asian countries, especially in China. Tea plants suffer infestations from herbivory attack during their lifetime. The tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii Matsuda) is a major pest for tea plants. The parasitic or predatory natural enemies of tea green leafhoppers (TGLs) can feed on their eggs, nymphs, or adults. However, a detailed mathematical model for tea plants–TGLs–natural enemies is still lacking. In the current work, we established a novel model based on laboratory measurements or field observations with temperature-dependent effects on tritrophic interactions for tea ecosystems. As expected, cyclic behaviors are identified. Stochastic simulations further showed two TGL outbreaks, the timing of which is consistent with field observations. Effective accumulated temperature (EAT) is possibly an important predictor of TGL outbreak. Applying slow-releasing semiochemicals as either repellents or attractants may be highly efficacious for pest biocontrol. An optimal treatment time of semiochemicals can also be determined. Our detailed model identifies key features of tritrophic interactions involving tea plants and can be extended to other ecosystems. The tea green leaf hopper, Empoasca onukii Matsuda, is a severe pest of tea plants. Volatile emissions from tea shoots infested by the tea green leafhopper may directly repel insect feeding or attract natural enemies. Many studies have been conducted on various aspects of the tritrophic relationship involving tea plants, tea green leafhoppers and natural enemies. However, mathematic models which could explain the dynamic mechanisms of this tritrophic interaction are still lacking. In the current work, we constructed a realistic and stochastic model with temperature-dependent features to characterize the tritrophic interactions in the tea agroecosystem. Model outputs showed that two leafhopper outbreaks occur in a year, with their features being consistent with field observations. Simulations showed that daily average effective accumulated temperature (EAT) might be an important metric for outbreak prediction. We also showed that application of slow-releasing semiochemicals, as either repellents or attractants, may be highly efficacious for pest biocontrol and can significantly increase tea yields. Furthermore, the start date of applying semiochemicals can be optimized to effectively increase tea yields. The current model qualitatively characterizes key features of the tritrophic interactions and provides critical insight into pest control in tea ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karst caves are a natural oligotrophic subsurface biosphere widely distributed in southern China. Despite the progress in bacterial and fungal diversity, the knowledge about interactions between bacteria, fungi, and minerals is still limited in caves. Hence, for the first time, we investigated the interaction between bacteria and fungi living on weathered rocks in the Heshang Cave via high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and ITS1 genes, and co-occurrence analysis. The mineral compositions of weathered rocks were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Bacterial communities were dominated by Actinobacteria (33.68%), followed by Alphaproteobacteria (8.78%), and Planctomycetia (8.73%). In contrast, fungal communities were dominated by Sordariomycetes (21.08%) and Dothideomycetes (14.06%). Mineral substrata, particularly phosphorus-bearing minerals, significantly impacted bacterial (hydroxyapatite) and fungal (fluorapatite) communities as indicated by the redundancy analysis. In comparison with fungi, the development of bacterial communities was more controlled by the environmental selection indicated by the overwhelming contribution of deterministic processes. Co-occurrence network analysis showed that all nodes were positively linked, indicating ubiquitous cooperation within bacterial groups and fungal groups, as well as between bacteria and fungi under oligotrophic conditions in the subsurface biosphere. In total, 19 bacterial ASVs and 34 fungal OTUs were identified as keystone taxa, suggesting the fundamental role of fungi in maintaining the microbial ecosystem on weathered rocks. Ascomycota was most dominant in keystone taxa, accounting for 26.42%, followed by Actinobacteria in bacteria (24.53%). Collectively, our results confirmed the highly diverse bacterial and fungal communities on weathered rocks, and their close cooperation to sustain the subsurface ecosystem. Phosphorus-bearing minerals were of significance in shaping epipetreous bacterial and fungal communities. These observations provide new knowledge about microbial interactions between bacteria, fungi, and minerals in the subterranean biosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate changes in facial morphology during the first six months of orthodontic treatment among adult females receiving orthodontic treatment. Methods: 43 adult females receiving orthodontic treatment were randomly recruited. 3D facial images were taken at baseline (T0), three months (T1), and six months (T2) after treatment initiation. Spatially dense facial landmarks were digitized to allow for sufficient details in characterization of facial features. 3D geometric morphometrics and multivariate statistics were used to investigate changes in mean and variance of facial shape and facial form associated with treatment. Results: We observed statistically significant changes in facial shape across the three treatment stages (p = 0.0022). Pairwise comparisons suggested significant changes from T0 to T1 (p = 0.0045) and from T0 to T2 (p = 0.0072). Heatmap visualization indicated that the buccal and temporal region were invaginated while the labial region became protruded with treatment. The magnitude of shape change was 0.009, 0.004, and 0.010 from T0 to T1, T1 to T2, and T0 to T2, respectively, in unit of Procrustes distance. The average magnitude of change per-landmark was 1.32 mm, 0.21 mm, and 1.34 mm, respectively. Changes in mean facial form were not statistically significant (p = 0.1143). No changes in variance of facial shape were observed across treatment stages (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Rate of facial changes was twice as fast during the first three months as that during fourth to sixth month. Buccal and temporal region became invaginated while labial region became protruded with treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mafic lavas of Cenozoic age are widely distributed in northeast China and received much attention as an important part of the Circum‐Pacific volcanic belt. The age constraints for the volcanic activity were determined mostly by K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar methods. We present zircon (U–Th)/He ages obtained on the thermally overprinted sands directly underlying a basaltic lava. This thermochronometer is insensitive to weathering and not biased by excess argon, thus it can express accurately the age of thermal effect of the lava flow. As a regional cooling age reference, three granite samples were dated from basement units that have not been thermally influenced by the basalt eruptions. The reference granite samples revealed well‐defined Cretaceous (U–Th)/He‐ages, while 20 zircon crystals from the sand below the basalt lava revealed a prominent Miocene (U–Th)/He age component of 9.33 ± 0.24 Ma. Raman spectroscopy of these zircon crystals supports their thermally overprinted character. We infer that the sand sample has experienced significant thermal overprint by the overlying basalt lava leading to thermal reset of the majority of the detrital zircon crystals. The obtained age is thus interpreted as the eruption age of the basalt lava. The Huanan basalt flow thus belongs to volcanics of the Laoyeling episode in NE China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative and effective flood control operation of cascade reservoirs under emergency conditions can guarantee the safety of dams, reduce the social loss caused by flood disaster. A quantitative and practical risk analysis model of cascade dams overtopping breach (DAMSBREACH) has been developed based on the improvements to the analytical method of single dam breach. A single dam breach module, a flood routing module, a cascade dam overtopping and warning module have been assembled in the DAMSBREACH for predicting cascade dams overtopping flood and risk warning. The main improvements include a hyperbolic soil erosion model, the circular slip surface used in lateral enlargement modeling, and a numerical algorithm that uses velocity increment and allows straight forward calculation for the breach flood hydrograph. The DAMSBREACH is applied to Xiaerxia–Dawei–Shuangjiangkou of three cascade dams, which located in the upper reaches of Dadu river in southwest of China. The results show that only under the condition to open all release structures of Shuangjiangkou reservoir while Dawei dam starts to break, Shuangjiangkou reservoir will not be overtopped and the highest water level reaches 2507.56 m that is lower than the elevation of dam crest 2510.00 m. The integrated risk of cascade reservoirs has a direct relationship with the initial water level, uncertainty flood from the upstream, the discharge capacity and warning time of the reservoir. The risk analysis model of cascade dams overtopping break can help the decision-makers choose the best operation mode according to the characteristic of the reservoir under different emergency operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Data regarding the parameters of the coracoid process and glenoid width are insufficient, and information on gender, age, and ethnic differences in the parameters appear lacking in the Chinese population. This study aimed to investigate the morphometric parameters in the coracoid process and glenoid width. Methods: Using our institution's electronic database, we selected 84 patients (55 males and 29 females) who underwent a shoulder computed tomography (CT) scan from January 2017 to May 2018 in this study. Mimics19.0 software was used for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of CT and to measure the morphometric parameters of the coracoid process and glenoid width. Subgroup analyses stratified by gender and age were conducted and the parameters were compared with previously published reports. All data were statistically analysed by SPSS23.0 Statistical Package. Results: A positive and significant relationship between the coracoid process and the glenoid width (R > 0.758, P < 0.01) was found. The midpoint width represents 52% (41–62%) of the glenoid width; the midpoint height, 40% (31–53%) of the glenoid width. Significant differences in all parameters between males and females were noted (P < 0.05). No significant differences among the age groups were observed (P > 0.05), whereas significant differences in almost all parameters between the ethnic groups were observed (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results could supplement the information in the shoulder joint database with morphometric parameters and provide a reference for theoretical research on coracoid osteotomy, which may in turn help surgeons in the evaluation of coracoid process transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile profiles of oat‐based foods are mainly analyzed on the oat flakes and porridge as snack or breakfast, whereas the volatile characteristics of the traditional Chinese oat meal (TCOM), a popular main food in some regions of northern China, with special strong aroma, are not known. Here, we compared the volatile profiles from headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of oat porridge (OP) and TCOM, which were of different processing and cooking methods, from those of different cultivars, and analyzed the effect of cultivation locations on oat volatile features. Apart from the 35 volatiles shared by OP and TCOM, there were 23 and 24 volatiles specific to OP and TCOM, respectively, with the later showing more toasting and frying‐related volatiles due to the dry frying process of the grains before milling. Principle component analysis of the volatiles of OP and TCOM from 16 cultivars showed that they were clustered into two groups, and four cultivars were clustered together, independent of processing and cooking methods. The oat volatile profiles of cultivars grown in three regions of north China were dependent on the cultivation locations rather than cultivars, regardless of OP or TCOM, with those from Datong of Shanxi Province and Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province clustered together. The location effect could be due to significant less precipitation in the two regions above than the other region Ulanqab of Inner Mongolia. Practical Application: The volatile compounds in oat are closely related to cultivation regions, which could be applied as a key factor by oat producers for marketing. The four cultivars showed similar and stable volatile profiles, which could be used as reference cultivars for breeding of high‐quality oat with better flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Palaeozoic Solonker‐Xar Moron‐Changchun‐Yanji Suture (SXCYS) is considered to mark the location of the final closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean, which separated the North China Craton to the south and the amalgamated blocks to the north in Northeast China. There has always been controversy about its eastern extension in Northeast China and the final closure time of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean. To explore this issue, we collected gabbro and quartz‐diorite samples in the Hunchun area for the genesis of mafic magma and age dating, and five groups of Permian to Triassic sandstones belonging to both sides of the potential suture locations in the middle and east Jilin Province for the provenance analysis to discuss the final closure time of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean and the possible positions of the eastward termination of the SXCYS. The gabbro reveals a Middle Permian concordia average age of 266.9 ± 5.2 Ma, and the quartz diorite reveals a Late Permian Concordia average age of 258.8 ± 4.8 Ma. Lithological and geochemical analysis reveal the two rock samples belong to low‐K arc tholeiites from the oceanic island and calk‐alkaline volcanics from the active continental margin, respectively, which implies that during the middle to late Permian, the SW margin of the Jiamusi–Khanka Block (JB) continuously experienced the subduction process from the Paleo‐Asian Ocean Plate. The final closure time of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean should be later than the Late Permian. Meanwhile, four groups of sandstone from the east Jilin reveal typically Jiamusi–Mongolia Block (JMB) provenance features, with age components of ~500 Ma, ~0.9–1.5 Ga implying that the Wangqing, Hunchun, Kaishantun area belongs to the northern part of the SXCYS from late Early Permian to Middle Triassic, with youngest age components of 288.2 ± 2.8, 275.5 ± 1.8, 250 ± 1.7, and 244.9 ± 1.7 Ma, respectively. The late Early Permian sandstone from the middle Jilin reveals the youngest age component of 273.8 ± 3.4 Ma and the age component of 487 ± 3 Ma also revealing JMB feature. Comparing to previous studies, we propose that the Paleo‐Asian Ocean finally closed during Middle to Late Triassic. A possible ENE fault separates the eastern extension of SXCYS into two parts, which means the possible position of the eastward extension of the SXCYS should go along the Wangqing‐Kaishantun with NNW direction in the west, Hunchun‐Laoheishan with NW direction in the east. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xinlin–Xiguitu suture zone, located in the Great Xing’an Range, NE China, in the eastern segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), represents the boundary between the Erguna and Xing’an micro-continental blocks. The exact location of the Xinlin-Xiguitu suture zone has been debated, especially, the location of the northern extension of the suture zone. In this study, based on a detailed field, geochemical, geochronological and Sr–Nd–Hf isotope study, we focus our work on the Cambrian igneous rocks in the Erguna-Xing’an block. The Xinglong granitoids, mainly include ∼520 Ma diorite, ∼470 Ma monzogranite and ∼480 Ma pyroxene diorite. The granitoids show medium to high-K calc-alkaline series characteristics with post-collision granite affinity. The circa 500 Ma granitoids have low ε Hf ( t ) values (−16.6 to +2.2) and ancient two-stage model ( T DM2 ) ages between 1317 Ma and 2528 Ma. These results indicate the primary magmas of the Xinglong granitoids were probably derived from the partial melting of a dominantly Paleo-Mesoproterozoic “old” crustal source with possible different degrees of addition of juvenile materials, and formed in a post-collision tectonic setting after the amalgamation of the Erguna and Xing’an blocks. Compared with the Xinglong granitoids, the Duobaoshan igneous rocks are consisted of the approximately coeval rhyolitic tuffs (491 ± 5 Ma) and ultramafic intrusions (497 ± 5 Ma) within the Duobaoshan Formation. They are generally enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti), consistent with the geochemistry of igneous rocks from island arcs or active continental margins. The ultramafic rocks have high positive ε Hf ( t ) values (+1.3 to +15) and ε Nd ( t ) (+1.86 to +2.28), and relatively young two-stage model ( T DM2 ) ages and low initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.70628–0.70853), indicating the partial melting of a depleted mantle source from a subducted slab in the ocean basin between the Erguna-Xing’an and Songliao blocks. The rhyolitic tuffs contain a group of Phanerozoic zircons with ε Hf ( t ) values (−4.6 to +15.0), suggesting that the rhyolitic tuffs were derived from juvenile lower crustal material with some ancient crustal material. Coupled with our previous geochemical and isotopic studies on Early Paleozoic igneous rocks, we proposed that the collision of the Erguna and Xing’an blocks at least took place ca. 500 Ma ago, and that there exist in a westward subduction of an oceanic plate between the Eruguna-Xing’an and Songliao blocks, took place during the Early Ordovician. Up to now, there are more evidences and constraints that the northern extension location of the Xinlin-Xiguitu suture zone is located in the Jifeng–Xinglong areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

East Asia is one of the primary sources of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) among the world. In this study, GEM concentrations were measured during two cruises in late autumn and winter of 2012 and 2013 which passed through the marginal seas of China. The results show that the mean GEM concentration was 1.65 ng/m 3 from the South China Sea to the Yellow Sea during the 2012 cruise. While the mean GEM concentration was 2.38 ng/m 3 in the South Yellow Sea, and 1.75 ng/m 3 in the North Yellow and Bohai Seas during the 2013 cruise. High GEM contents were detected when the steering wind was offshore. There is a significant positive relationship between GEM and air temperature for these two cruises. Low GEM content was presented when the cold northerly monsoon prevailed while air masses mainly came from the clean northern oceanic region. Dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) concentration in the surface water of the south Yellow and Bohai seas were 74.4 ± 28 pg/L. DGM concentrations were correlated with water temperature (r = 0.244, p < 0.05). Sea-air flux of mercury in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea were 11.3 ng/(m 2 ·h), ranging between − 9.4 and 59.3 ng/(m 2 ·h) which was different from other seasons. The deposition of mercury appeared in the Bohai Sea affected by land polluted air and low wind speed. High flux values were caused by the northerly monsoon which carried remote clean air to the sea, with large wind speeds. The northerly monsoon is an important factor affecting the GEM transport offshore to marginal sea and the cycle of mercury in the sea in late autumn and winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Erguna Block contains a crystalline basement at least in Paleoproterozoic ages. • The Neoproterozoic intrusive rocks define two stages magmatism. • Two stages magmatism corresponds to the assembly and break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent. • The Central Mongolia-Erguna Block has a tectonic affinity to the Tarim Craton. The Central Asian Orogenic Belt is sandwiched between the Siberian, East European (Baltica), Tarim, and North China cratons, which contain several Precambrian micro-continental blocks, such as the Kazakhstan-Yili-Central Tianshan blocks, the Junggar Block and the Amuria Block. The tectonic nature and positions of these micro-continental blocks are unclear and disputed in many supercontinent reconstructions. In particular, the position of the Amuria Block in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt, which is important for the reconstructions of the Precambrian Rodinia supercontinent, remains unknown because of the lack of late Palaeoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic geological and geochronological data. The Erguna Block, a part of the Amuria Block in NE China, has been considered as a constituent block of the Rodinia supercontinent. However, the late Palaeoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the Erguna Block with respect to the assembly and break-up of Rodinia remains poorly understood. Here we present zircon U–Pb–Hf–O isotopic data and whole-rock elemental data of the newly discovered late Palaeoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic records in the northern Erguna Block. The gneissic granites have protolith and metamorphic ages of 1839 ± 24 and 497 ± 6 Ma, respectively, and relatively uniform two-stage Hf model ages (T DM1) of 2.67–1.26 Ga, indicating that the Erguna Block has a Palaeoproterozoic crystalline basement. The zircon U–Pb ages for the Neoproterozoic intrusive rocks define two stages of magmatism in early Neoproterozoic (Stage 1; i.e., ca. 946 Ma) and middle Neoproterozoic (Stage 2; i.e., 833–737 Ma), respectively, implying that the Erguna Block had switched to an intra-continental extensional setting (833–737 Ma) after the early Neoproterozoic (ca. 946 Ma) convergence–accretion. A comparison of data from the Erguna Block and its adjacent units reveals that the Erguna and Central Mongolia blocks were likely in a single crustal entity with the Tarim Craton associated with the Rodinia assembly at ca. 900 Ma. This composite block then detached from the Tarim Craton at ca. 800 Ma following the break-up of Rodinia, and drifted southwards to the vicinity of the Siberia Craton during the Cambrian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of metagenomic sequencing technology based on Illumina and Nanopore sequencing platforms for patients with suspected lower respiratory tract infection whose pathogen could not be identified by conventional microbiological tests., Methods: Patients admitted to the Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital were retrospectively studied from August 2021 to March 2022. Alveolar lavage or sputum was retained in patients with clinically suspected lower respiratory tract infection who were negative in conventional tests. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were obtained using bronchoscopy. Sputum samples were collected, while BALF samples were not available due to bronchoscopy contraindications. Samples collected from enrolled patients were simultaneously sent for metagenomic sequencing on both platforms., Results: Thirty-eight patients with suspected LRTI were enrolled in this study, consisting of 36 parts of alveolar lavage and 2 parts of sputum. According to the infection diagnosis, 31 patients were confirmed to be infected with pathogens, while 7 patients were diagnosed with non-infectious disease. With regard to the diagnosis of infectious diseases, the sensitivity and specificity of Illumina and Nanopore to diagnose infection in patients were 80.6% vs . 93.5% and 42.9 vs . 28.6%, respectively. In patients diagnosed with bacterial, Mycobacterium , and fungal infections, the positive rates of Illumina and Nanopore sequencer were 71.4% vs . 78.6%, 36.4% vs . 90.9%, and 50% vs . 62.5%, respectively. In terms of pathogen diagnosis, the sensitivity and specificity of pathogens detected by Illumina and Nanopore were 55.6% vs . 77.8% and 42.9% vs . 28.6%, respectively. Among the patients treated with antibiotics in the last 2 weeks, 61.1% (11/18) and 77.8% (14/18) cases of pathogens were accurately detected by Illumina and Nanopore, respectively, among which 8 cases were detected jointly. The consistency between Illumina and diagnosis was 63.9% (23/36), while the consistency between Nanopore and diagnosis was 83.3% (30/36). Between Illumina and Nanopore sequencing methods, the consistency ratio was 55% (22/42) based on pathogen diagnosis., Conclusion: Both platforms play a certain value in infection diagnosis and pathogen diagnosis of CMT-negative suspected LRTI patients, providing a theoretical basis for clinical accurate diagnosis and symptomatic treatment. The Nanopore platform demonstrated potential advantages in the identification of Mycobacterium and could further provide another powerful approach for patients with suspected Mycobacterium infection., Competing Interests: Authors CZ, and FD were employed by Jiangsu Simcere Diagnostics Co., Ltd. The remaining 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 © 2024 Ma, Zhu, Yan, Hu, Zhou, Li, Du and Zhou.)

Background: Serum biomarkers have been widely adopted in clinical practice for assisting lung cancer diagnoses, therapeutic monitoring, and prognostication. The function of a well-performing tumor biomarker depends on a reliable reference interval (RI) with consideration of the study subjects' age, gender, and geographical location. This study aimed to establish a RI for each of 6 lung cancer biomarkers for use in the whole country of China on Mindray platform., Methods: The levels of serum 6 lung cancer biomarkers-namely progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin-19 fragment (CYFRA21-1), and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4)-were measured utilizing the chemiluminescence immunoassay on the Mindray CL-6000i platform following the laboratory standard operating procedures in apparently healthy Chinese individuals on large cohort, multicenter, and geographical consideration bases. The CLSI EP28-A3C guideline was followed for the enrollment of study subjects., Results: The age-stratified, gender-specific RIs for ProGRP, NSE, SCC, CEA, CYFRA21-1, and HE4 lung cancer biomarkers in the Chinese population have been established as described in the results and discussion in this work. In addition, various levels of the six lung cancer biomarkers among nine geographical locations in China have been observed., Conclusions: The sample volume of study cohort, age, and geographical location should be considered upon establishing a reliable biomarker RI. A RI for each of six lung cancer biomarkers has been established. The results from this study would be helpful for clinical laboratories in interpreting the analytical results and for clinicians in patient management., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Spikelet rot disease (SRD) is an emerging disease of the grain surface of naked oat in China that affects both grain yield and quality. The typical symptom is discoloration from the black structures of the causal fungi. Here, we investigated the fungal communities on the grain surfaces of cultivar Bayou 13 grown in ten ecological oat-producing regions of China, to identify the main pathogens of naked oat SRD. Our results showed that the growth of Alternaria spp. and Davidiella spp. exhibited a competitive relationship and was mainly affected by the elevations of all 10 ecological regions. The dominant pathogens were Davidiella spp. in Shannan Prefecture in Tibet and Haidong Prefecture in Qinghai Province and Alternaria spp. in the other eight regions. The ratios of black pathogens of interest to all pathogens in Shannan Prefecture and Haidong Prefecture were significantly lower than those of the other eight regions, thus indicating that SRD mainly occurred in regions below 2000 m (elevation). We isolated black fungal pathogens from grain surfaces and deduced that they were Alternaria spp. by sequence comparison. The blackened appearance of the grain surfaces was more evident under spray inoculation with a spore suspension of Alternaria than under the control in greenhouse experiments. The recovered pathogen was the same as the pathogen used for inoculation. We thus concluded that Alternaria alone causes naked oat SRD and mainly infects naked oat in regions below 2000 m, which provides a basis for the recognition and management of SRD of naked oat.

Background: Previous studies have focused on the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Limited data are available for convalescent patients. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of discharged COVID-19 patients., Methods: In this retrospective study, we extracted data for 134 convalescent patients with COVID-19 in Guizhou Provincial Staff Hospital from February 15 to March 31, 2020. Cases were analyzed on the basis of demographic, clinical, and laboratory data as well as radiological features., Results: Of 134 convalescent patients with COVID-19, 19 (14.2%) were severe cases, while 115 (85.8%) were non-severe cases. The median patient age was 33 years (IQR, 21.8 to 46.3), and the cohort included 69 men and 65 women. Compared with non-severe cases, severe patients were older and had more chronic comorbidities, especially hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid disease (P < 0.05). Leukopenia was present in 32.1% of the convalescent patients and lymphocytopenia was present in 6.7%, both of which were more common in severe patients. 48 (35.8%) of discharged patients had elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase, which was more common in adults than in children (40.2% vs 13.6%, P = 0.018). A normal chest CT was found in 61 (45.5%) patients during rehabilitation. Severe patients had more ground-glass opacity, bilateral patchy shadowing, and fibrosis. No significant differences were observed in the positive rate of IgG and/or IgM antibodies between severe and non-severe patients., Conclusion: Leukopenia, lymphopenia, ground-glass opacity, and fibrosis are common in discharged severe COVID-19 patients, and liver injury is common in discharged adult patients. We suggest physicians develop follow-up treatment plans based on the different clinical characteristics of convalescent patients.

A Gram-stain-positive, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain LZ2T, was isolated from a sample of orchard soil from Laizhou city, Shandong province, PR China. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain LZ2T was closely related to members of the genus Sporosarcina, sharing highest levels of sequence similarity with Sporosarcina pasteurii NCIMB 8841T (98.8 %), Sporosarcina soli I80T (95.9 %). The value for the DNA-DNA relatedness between strain LZ2T and Sporosarcina pasteurii NCIMB 8841T was 39.8±1.7 %. Growth occurred at 10-44 °C (optimum, 30-35 °C), pH 5.0-11.0 (optimum pH 9.0-10.0); NaCl concentrations of up to 7.0 % (w/v) were tolerated. The dominant respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the G+C content was 39.2 mol%. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. The major polar lipids of strain LZ2T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified phospholipid. Based on phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, and phylogenetic data strain LZ2T represents a novel species of the genus Sporosarcina, for which the name Sporosarcina terrae sp. nov. (type strain LZ2T=KACC 18822T=MCCC 1K03174T) is proposed.

Non-syndromic intellectual disability (NSID) is mental retardation in persons of normal physical appearance who have no recognisable features apart from obvious deficits in intellectual functioning and adaptive ability; however, its genetic etiology of most patients has remained unknown. The main purpose of this study was to fine map and identify specific causal gene(s) by genotyping a NSID family cohort using a panel of markers encompassing a target region reported in a previous work. A total of 139 families including probands, parents and relatives were included in the household survey, clinical examinations and intelligence tests, recruited from the Qinba mountain region of Shannxi province, western China. A collection of 34 tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) spanning five microsatellite marker (STR) loci were genotyped using an iPLEX Gold assay. The association between tSNPs and patients was analyzed by family-based association testing (FBAT) and haplotype analysis (HBAT). Four markers (rs5974392, rs12164331, rs5929554 and rs3116911) in a block that showed strong linkage disequilibrium within the first three introns of the LOC101928437 locus were found to be significantly associated with NSID (all P<0.01) by the FBAT method for a single marker in additive, dominant and recessive models. The results of haplotype tests of this block also revealed a significant association with NSID (all P<0.05) using 2-window and larger HBAT analyses. These results suggest that LOC101928437 is a novel candidate gene for NSID in Han Chinese individuals of the Qinba region of China. Although the biological function of the gene has not been well studied, knowledge about this gene will provide insights that will increase our understanding of NSID development.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) administered in clinical trial settings virtually eliminates the sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in serodiscordant couples, but effectiveness of treatment as prevention in the community is debated. Conflicting results from previous analyses in a Chinese cohort underscore the importance of determining effectiveness of ART delivered in resource limited settings., Methods: All available years of data (2006-2012) from local disease control records of HIV patients and their seronegative spouses in Henan Province, China, were analyzed using marginal structural Cox models to estimate the effect of ART in the initially infected partner his or her partner's HIV seroconversion risk., Results: We observed 157 seroconversion events in 4916 serosdiscordant couples, for an incidence rate of 0.59 cases per 100 person-years (PY) (95% confidence interval [CI], .51-.70). Of these, 84 occurred after the index partner had initiated ART (0.43/100PY; 95% CI, .35-.53) and 73, whereas index partners were untreated (5.87/100 PY; 95% CI, 4.65-7.42). In a marginal structural Cox model weighted for confounding and censoring, the hazard ratio (HR) for HIV transmission was 0.52 (95% CI, .34-.82). ART efficacy varied significantly by time period; least effective in the early phase from 2006 to 2008 (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, .34-1.36) but far more protective from 2009 onward (HR, 0.33; 95% CI, .20-.55)., Conclusions: ART can provide HIV-infected persons in resource-limited setting substantial protection against sexual transmission. Effectiveness in the Henan cohort appears to have increased over time, suggesting that quality of care and service infrastructure may be integral to successful use of treatment for prevention., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: To describe the quality of life and related factors in HIV-positive spouses undergoing ART from discordant couples., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,009 HIV-positive spouses from serodiscordant couples in Zhumadian, Henan Province, between October 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. HIV-positive spouses were interviewed by local health professionals. Quality of life was evaluated by WHOQOL (Chinese Version). A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the related factors., Results: The majority of subjects were female (56.39%), had received a high school education (44%), were of Han ethnicity (98.41%), and were farmers (90.09%); the median time period of receiving ART was 3.92 years. The physical, psychological, social, and environmental QOL scores of the subjects were 12.91±1.95, 12.35±1.80, 13.96±2.43, and 12.45±1.91 respectively. The multiple linear regression model identified the physical domain related factors to be CD4 count, educational level, and occupation; psychological domain related factors include age, educational level, and reported STD symptom; social domain related factors included education level; and environmental domain related factors included education level, reported STD symptoms, and occupation., Conclusion: Being younger, a farmer, having a lower level of education, a reported STD symptom, or lower CD4 count, could decrease one's quality of life, suggesting that the use of blanket ART programs alone may not necessarily improve quality of life. Subjects received lower scores in the psychological domain, suggesting that psychological intervention may also need to be strengthened.

To investigate the possible genetic association of nonsyndromic X-linked mental retardation (NS-XLMR) with FTSJ1 gene polymorphisms, a case-control association study was performed focusing on the Chinese Han population in the Qinba mountain region. Three common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2268954, rs2070991, rs5905692) in the gene were selected and genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction single-strand confirmation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) method. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed that the three SNPs were in strong LD (all D' > 0.8). There were significant differences between cases and controls in allele frequency distribution of rs2268954 (P = 0.036), rs2070991 (P = 0.043), and rs5905692 (P = 0.014) and in the distributions of common haplotypes combined by these SNPs (global P = 0.01236) in male subjects. In female subjects, however, no positive results were found. Our results suggest a positive association between the genetic variants of the FTSJ1 gene and NS-XLMR in young male subjects in the Chinese Han population in the Qinba region.