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Achieving green, healthy, and cyclical development in China’s pig industry not only enables the adjustment of the rural industrial structure but also helps meet community demand for safe meat, thus playing a critical role in promoting sustainable agricultural development. This research utilizes panel data from 21 provinces (districts) in China from 2004 to 2021 to construct an evaluation system for green total factor productivity in pig breeding (PGTFP). The super-efficient slacks-based measure (SBM) model is employed to measure PGTFP. Conversely, regional disparities in PGTFP are determined using the Dagum Gini coefficient method. Furthermore, we analyzed the convergence of pig breeding in different regions. The findings indicate that PGTFP in China exhibits fluctuations, with the highest PGTFP, observed in areas of constrained development. Development differences in PGTFP across China have gradually diminished, with the greatest development differences observed within potential growth areas. Furthermore, disparities between focused development areas and potential growth areas are the most pronounced and are primarily attributable to the super-variable density. Both α- and β-convergence are observed for PGTFP at the national level and within each breeding area. However, the α-convergence pattern during COVID-19 is not obvious. Consequently, the formulation of differentiated farming development strategies and fostering the coordinated development of pig breeding in all regions have become imperative. Meanwhile, preparing contingency prevention measures to promote stable and high-quality pig breeding is necessary.

The research aimed to understand farmers’ willingness to adopt (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP) for precision pesticide technologies and analyzed the determinants of farmers’ decision-making. We used a two-stage approach to consider farmers’ WTA and WTP for precision pesticide technologies. A survey of 545 apple farmers was administered in Bohai Bay and the Loess Plateau in China. The data were analyzed using the double-hurdle model. The results indicated that 78.72% of respondents were willing to apply precision pesticide technologies provided by service organizations such as cooperatives and dedicated enterprises, and 69.72% were willing to buy the equipment for using precision pesticide technologies. The results of the determinant analysis indicated that farmers’ perceived perceptions, farm scale, cooperative membership, access to digital information, and availability of financial services had significant and positive impacts on farmers’ WTA precision pesticide technologies. Cooperative membership, technical training, and adherence to environmental regulations increased farmers’ WTP for precision pesticide technologies. Moreover, nonlinear relationships between age, agricultural experience, and farmers’ WTA and WTP for precision pesticide technology services were found.

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to assess whether functional mandibular advancement (FMA) will cause temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) or have side effects on temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in adolescent patients. Methods All searched databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trails and Scopus were searched. Gray literature and unpublished literature was also searched. Randomized controlled trails (RCT) and non-randomized studies of the effects of interventions (NRSI) directly observe the condition of adolescent patients’ TMJ after finishing treatment will be considered to include in our study. According to Cochrane Handbook, Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of included RCTs, and Risk of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool was used to assess the quality of included NRSIs. Result Finally 18 researches were evaluated as eligible to include in this study. 5 of the studies were RCTs, 8 were NRSIs and 5 were systematic reviews. The data of RCTs and NRSIs were statistically pooled in meta-analysis. The number of samples under investigated among primary studies was 579 individuals,there were 80 patients who developed temporomandibular symptoms during or after treatment. But all the subjective symptoms disappeared during follow-up time. The statistical outcomes proved that patients received FMA didn’t show more tendency to develop temporomandibular symptoms [I2 = 27%, OR = 0.54, 95%CI (0.33,0.87), p = 0.01]. Conclusion (1) TMJ symptoms may occur during the functional oral appliance wearing, but the symptoms will release or disappear after treatment or during the follow-up period. (2) Less convincing evidence indicates that slightly previous TMD and condyle-glenoid fossa relationship will be improved after treatment. (3) There is TMJ disc anterior displacement observed during treatment, but most of them will return to the normal position later. (4) Moderate evidence support that FMA will not have side effects on TMJ of adolescent patients.

Several countries are currently evaluating the potential health impacts of climate change (CC), particularly in relation to the complex connections between CC-induced weather fluctuations. China, heavily affected by CC, provides clear evidence of its effects. Previous research in animal sciences indicates that factors like temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind speed can affect animal epidemics. In China, a major global hub for animal husbandry, these factors pose significant challenges, warranting further investigation into their quantitative relationship with disease outbreaks. This study investigates the influence of these climatic conditions on epizootic diseases in China. In the current study, using data from 278 village-level surveys and daily meteorological data spanning 2012 to 2018, we used a fixed-effect model for analysis. The findings reveal that increasing temperatures and wind speeds exacerbate disease development, while the precipitation anomaly index negatively impacts animal epidemics, with humidity showing minimal influence. Addressing CC’s potential impact on animal disease, governments, organizations, and farmers need to pay more attention to the impacts of climate change on animal diseases and work together to better cope with the impacts through policies, measures, and research.

Aims: We describe a new aortic arch dissection (AcD) classification, which we have called the Fuwai classification. We then compare the clinical characteristics and long-term prognoses of different classifications.Methods: All AcD patients who underwent surgical procedures at Fuwai Hospital from 2010 to 2015 were included in the study. AcD procedures are divided into three types: Fuwai type Cp, Ct, and Cd. Type Cp is defined as the innominate artery or combined with the left carotid artery involved. Type Cd is defined as the left subclavian artery or combined with the left carotid artery involved. All other AcD surgeries are defined as type Ct. The Chi-square test was adopted for the pairwise comparison among the three types. Kaplan-Meier was used for the analysis of long-term survival and survival free of reoperation.Results: In total, 1,063 AcD patients were enrolled from 2010 to 2015: 54 patients were type Cp, 832 were type Ct, and 177 were type Cd. The highest operation proportion of Cp, Ct and Cd were partial arch replacement, total arch replacement, and TEVAR. The surgical mortality in type Ct was higher compared to type Cd (Ct vs. Cd = 9.38 vs. 1.69%, p < 0.01) and type Cp (Ct vs. Cp = 9.38 vs. 1.85%, p = 0.06). There was no difference in surgical mortality of type Cp and Cd (p = 0.93). There were no significant differences in the long-term survival rates (p = 0.38) and free of aorta-related re-operations (p = 0.19).Conclusion: The Fuwai classification is used to distinguish different AcDs. Different AcDs have different surgical mortality and use different operation methods, but they have similar long-term results.

C1q nephropathy is a glomerulopathy that is characterized by large amount of C1q deposits in the glomerular mesangium. It is a diagnosis of exclusion after ruling out systemic lupus erythematosus and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis by systemic and serological examination. The pathogenesis of C1q nephropathy is unclear. In addition, there is very little generalizability in the treatment and prognosis for pediatric C1q nephropathy due to diversities in clinical manifestations and pathological types. Rituximab is a human/mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody against CD20, which is primarily used for treating lymphomas and, most recently, has been used to treat certain kidney diseases including C1q nephropathy. In this report, we used one quarter of the typical dose of rituximab for lymphoma treatment to achieve complete remission in a C1q nephropathy patient, significantly reducing deposition of immune complexes and glomerular damage. This case indicates that dosage reconsiderations may be necessary for rituximab in treatment of pediatric C1q nephropathy.

The health effects associated with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have attracted considerable public attention in recent decades. It has been verified that PM2.5 can damage the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and cause various diseases. While the association between diseases and PM2.5 has been widely studied, this work aims to analyze the association between PM2.5 and hospital visit rates for respiratory diseases in Taiwan. To this end, a disease mapping model that considers spatial effects is applied to estimate the association. The results show that there is a positive association between hospital visit rates and the PM2.5 concentrations in the Taiwanese population in 2012 after controlling for other variables, such as smoking rates and the number of hospitals in each region. This finding indicates that control of PM2.5 could decrease hospital visit rates for respiratory diseases in Taiwan.

Background. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a severe threat to the health of both mother and child. The pathogenesis of GDM remains unclear, although much research has found that the levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) play an important role in complications of pregnancy. Methods. We collected venous blood samples from parturient women and umbilical vein blood (UVB) and peripheral venous blood (PVB) samples one hour after childbirth in the control, GDM-, and GDM+ groups in order to determine the concentration of glucose and H2S in plasma; to measure levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-β1, and ADP in parturient women and the UVB of newborns; and to find the correlation of H2S with regression. Results. We found that, with the elevation of glucose, the level of H2S was decreased in GDM pregnant women and newborns and the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were upregulated. With regression, IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were positively correlated with the level of blood glucose and negatively correlated with H2S concentration. Conclusion. This study shows that downregulation of H2S participates in the pathogenesis of GDM and is of great significance in understanding the difference of H2S between normal and GDM pregnant women and newborns. This study suggests that IL-6 and TNF-α are correlated with gestational diabetes mellitus. The current study expands the knowledge base regarding H2S and provides new avenues for exploring further the pathogenesis of GDM.

This study focused on hydraulic characteristics around a gear-shaped weir in a straight channel. Systematic experiments were carried out for weirs with two different gear heights and eight groups of geometrical parameters. The impacts of various geometrical parameters of gear-shaped weirs on the discharge capacity were investigated. The following conclusions are drawn from the experimental study: (1) The discharge coefficient (mc) was influenced by the size of the gear: at a constant discharge, the weir with larger values of a/b (a is the width of the gear, and b is the width between the two neighboring gears) and a/c (c is the height of the gear) had a smaller value of mc. The discharge capacity of the gear-shaped weir was influenced by the water depth in the weir. (2) For type C1 with a gear height of 0.01 m, when the discharge was less than 60 m3/h and H1/P 1.0, mc slowly decreased with the increases of the discharge and H1/P for a/b ≤ 1.0 and a/c ≤ 1.0, and slowly increased with the discharge and H1/P for a/b > 1.0 and a/c > 1.0. (3) A formula of mc for gear-shaped weirs was established based on the principle of weir flow, with consideration of the water depth in the weir, the weir height and width, and the height of the gear. Keywords: Experimental study, Discharge coefficient, Discharge capacity, Gear-shaped weir, Geometrical parameter

Objectives: The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have been studied widely in cancer diseases. However, their correlation with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of PLR and NLR with disease severity in patients with HCV-related liver disease and the virological response in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Methods: The clinical data of 120 HCV-infected patients and 40 healthy controls were analyzed. The clinical data of 24 CHC patients who had been followed up regularly were collected for the following time points: before treatment (week 0) and weeks 4, 48, and 72 during treatment. These data were also analyzed. All data were collected from the database of the hospital patient electronic medical record system. Results: The HCV-related cirrhosis group and HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma group were found to have lower PLRs (61 ± 31 and 51 ± 23) than the healthy controls (115 ± 23). The PLR of the HCV cleared group (154 ± 85) was significantly higher than that of the HCV untreated group and HCV uncleared group (90 ± 28 and 88 ± 40, respectively). Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis for the PLR showed an area under the curve of 0.772 (95% confidence interval 0.674–0.869, p

In the Shaanxi province, small and scattered plots impede an increase in the efficiency of apple production. Developing a moderate operation scale is a proper tool to solve inefficiencies in apple production, as it enables improving the factor allocation efficiency, resulting in higher yields, higher profit, or lower production costs. However, the moderate operation scales, based on output, profit, and production costs, may be different. This paper aimed to evaluate the moderate operation scale of apples from three perspectives of increasing yields and profits and reducing unit production cost. The study was based on survey data collected from 661 randomly selected apple farmers in eight counties of the Shaanxi province, China. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively by the input-output model, the net profit model, and unit production cost model. The findings show that: (1) The moderate operation scale oriented to increasing apple yields in the Shaanxi province should be 0.87−1.53 ha. (2) The moderate operation scale oriented to increasing the net profit of farmers in the Shaanxi province should be over 1.53 ha. (3) The moderate operation scale oriented to reducing the unit cost of apple production in the Shaanxi province should be 0.20−0.53 ha. The study provides evidence that policymakers should grasp the balance point and find the intersection of the operation scale based on output, profit, and unit production cost when guiding apple growers to carry out the moderate scale. We propose that 0.87−1.53 ha may be a suitable operation scale for apple production in the Shaanxi province at the current stage.

Dynamic resource supply is a complex issue to resolve in a cyber-physical system (CPS). In our previous work, a resource model called the dynamic resource supply model (DRSM) has been proposed to handle resources specification, management and allocation in CPS. In this paper, we are integrating the DRSM with service-oriented architecture and applying it to a smart grid (SG), one of the most complex CPS examples. We give the detailed design of the SG for electricity charging request and electricity allocation between plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and DRSM through the Android system. In the design, we explain a mechanism for electricity consumption with data collection and re-allocation through ZigBee network. In this design, we verify the correctness of this resource model for expected electricity allocation.

BackgroundPost-stroke depression (PSD) is a frequent complication following a stroke, characterized by prolonged feelings of sadness and loss of interest, which can significantly impede stroke rehabilitation, increase disability, and raise mortality rates. Traditional antidepressants often have significant side effects and poor patient adherence, necessitating the exploration of more suitable treatments for PSD. Previous researchers and our research team have discovered that Botulinum Toxin A (BoNT-A) exhibits antidepressant effects. Therefore, our objective was to assess the efficacy and side effects of BoNT-A treatment in patients with PSD.MethodsA total of 71 stroke patients meeting the inclusion criteria were allocated to the two group. 2 cases were excluded due to severe neurological dysfunction that prevented cooperation and 4 cases were lost follow-up. Ultimately, number of participants in the BoNT-A group (n = 32) and Sertraline group (n = 33). Treatment efficacy was evaluated 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks post-treatment.ResultsThere were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). Both groups exhibited comparable treatment efficacy, with fewer side effects observed in the BoNT-A group compared to the Sertraline group. BoNT-A therapy demonstrated significant effects as early as the first week (p

Rice false smut, caused by Ustilaginoidea virens, threatens rice production by reducing yields and contaminating grains with harmful ustiloxins. However, studies on resistance genes are scarce. In this study, the resistance level of IR28 (resistant cultivar) to U. virens was validated through artificial inoculation. Notably, a reactivation of resistance genes after transient down-regulation during the first 3 to 5 dpi was observed in IR28 compared to WX98 (susceptible cultivar). Cluster results of a principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the transcriptome exhibited longer expression patterns in the early infection phase of IR28, consistent with its sustained resistance response. Results of GO and KEGG enrichment analyses highlighted the suppression of immune pathways when the hyphae first invade stamen filaments at 5 dpi, but sustained up-regulated DEGs were linked to the ‘Plant–pathogen interaction’ (osa04626) pathway, notably disease-resistant protein RPM1 (K13457, CNLs, coil-coiled NLR). An analysis of CNLs identified 245 proteins containing Rx-CC and NB-ARC domains in the Oryza sativa Indica genome. Partial candidate CNLs were shown to exhibit up-regulation at both 1 and 5 dpi in IR28. This study provides insights into CNLs’ responses to U. virens in IR28, potentially informing resistance mechanisms and genetic breeding targets.

Most of the lightning appears below the cloud or inside the cloud. Unlike conventional lightning, blue jets and gigantic jets (GJ) produce upward discharge since electric discharge occurs as a form of cloud-to-air leader. We analyzed a gigantic jet recorded in the 2022 Taiwan campaign. For our color photograph recorded in the observation, high spatial resolution (150 m) at a close distance (140 km) resolves the important spatial features of the GJ phenomena. First, the GJ propagated upwardly as the fully developed jet with a maximum height of ~80 km above the cloud top ~17 km. After the fully developed stage, the subsequent leader reached its top height of ~30 km with a width of 0.5–1.0 km. The subsequent leader attempted but failed to develop from leader to fully developed jet. The subsequent leader may be interpreted as a negative stepped leader associated with cloud rebrightening, similar to the subsequent stroke in the multi-stroke lightning. Besides, the relatively higher IC flash rates associated with the rise of cloud tops benefit the required meteorological conditions for developing gigantic jets.

Morphological and magnetic anisotropy can be combined in colloidal assembly to create unconventional secondary structures. We show here that magnetite nanorods interact along a critical angle, depending on their aspect ratios and assemble into body-centered tetragonal colloidal crystals. Under a magnetic field, size-dependent attractive and repulsive domains develop on the ends and center of the nanorods, respectively. Our joint experiment-computational multiscale study demonstrates the presence of a critical angle in the attractive domain, which defines the equilibrium bonding states of interacting rods and leads to the formation of non–close-packed yet hard-contact tetragonal crystals. Small-angle x-ray scattering measurement attributes the perfect tetragonal phase to the slow assembly kinetics. The crystals exhibit brilliant structural colors, which can be actively tuned by changing the magnetic field direction. These highly ordered frameworks and well-defined three-dimensional nanochannels may offer new opportunities for manipulating nanoscale chemical transformation, mass transportation, and wave propagation.

A concept of solar energy convertible zinc-air battery (SZAB) is demonstrated through rational design of an electrode coupled with multifunction. The multifunctional electrode is fabricated using nitrogen-substituted graphdiyne (N-GDY) with large π-conjugated carbonous network, which can work as photoresponsive bifunctional electrocatalyst, enabling a sunlight-promoted process through efficient injection of photoelectrons into the conduction band of N-GDY. SZAB enables direct conversion and storage of solar energy during the charging process. Such a battery exhibits a lowered charge voltage under illumination, corresponding to a high energy efficiency of 90.4% and electric energy saving of 30.3%. The battery can display a power conversion efficiency as high as 1.02%. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the photopromoted oxygen evolution reaction kinetics originates from the transition from the alkyne bonds to double bonds caused by the transfer of excited electrons, which changes the position of highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, thus greatly promoting the formation of intermediates to the conversion process. Our findings provide conceptual and experimental confirmation that batteries are charged directly from solar energy without the external solar cells, providing a way to manufacture future energy devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]