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Ethnic identity is a highly contested issue in China. Yet, the literature on the social construction of ethnoracial identity is dominated by research on the Americas. In this study, we investigate patterns of ethnic identification among children of interethnic parents in China using census data from 2000 and survey data from 2010–2018. We focus on children who are aged 20 or younger and have one parent identified as an ethnic minority and one parent identified as an ethnic Han. We find that the strongest predictor of a child's minority identification is the father's ethnicity. Minority identification is also associated with gender, birth year, mother's education, household income, migration status, parent's perception of the child's diligence, the geographic concentration of minorities, and eligibility for ethnicity-based bonus points on the college entrance examination. Taken together, the results suggest that children's ethnoracial identity is shaped by family demographic characteristics as well as by education policy.

This paper documents trends in and examines determinants of stay-at-home motherhood in urban China from 1982 to 2015. China once had the world’s leading female labor force participation rate. Since the economic reforms starting from the early 1980s, however, some mothers have been withdrawing from the labor force due to diminished state support, a rise in intensive parenting, and heightened work-family conflicts. Based on data from the 1982, 1990, and 2000 Chinese censuses, the 2005 mini-census, and the 2006–2015 Chinese General Social Survey, we find mothers’ non-employment increased for every educational group and grew at a much faster rate among mothers than it did among fathers, particularly those with small children. Moreover, the negative relationships between mothers’ education and non-employment, and between mothers’ family income and non-employment weakened overtime. This is possibly due to women with more established resources can better “afford” the single-earner arrangement and also more emphasize the importance of intensive parenting, than their less resourced counterparts. These findings signal the resurgence of a gendered division of labor in urban China.

To observe the clinical effect and safety of Shanhaidan Granules (SHDG) combined with tadalafil tablets (TT) in the treatment of ED.In this open multi-center case-control clinical trial, we enrolled 247 ED patients according to the designed criteria, and treated them orally with SHDG at 10 g per time tid (n = 74), TT at 5 mg per time bid (n = 52), or SHDG + TT at the above doses (n = 121), all for 8 weeks. Before and after medication, we recorded the IIEF-6, erection hardness scores (EHS), traditional Chinese medicine syndromes (TCMS) scores, penile cavernous blood flow parameters and adverse reactions, and compared them between the 3 groups of patients.After 8 weeks of treatment, all the patients showed significantly increased IIEF-6, EHS and TCMS scores in comparison with the baseline (P0.05). The total effectiveness rates in the SHDG, TT and SHDG + TT groups were 60.8%, 67.3% and 69.4% respectively based on the IIEF-6 scores, remarkably higher in the TT and SHDG + TT groups than in the SHDG group (P0.05), and 40.5%, 32.7% and 63.6% respectively according to the TCMS scores, markedly higher in the SHDG and SHDG + TT groups than in the TT group (P0.05). Single-center data manifested significantly increased peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the penile artery in the SHDG + TT and TT groups (P0.05). The improvement values of relevant parameters were remarkably higher in the SHDG + TT group than in the TT and SHDG groups, so were IIEF-6 scores in the TT than in the SHDG group, and TCM syndromes in the SHDG than in the TT group. No medication-related adverse events were found in any of patients after treatment, except for some mild side effects including muscle soreness and gastrointestinal reactions in a few cases, all soon relieved, none with abnormalities in blood and urine routine tests or hepatic and renal function indicators.Shanhaidan Granules combined with tadalafil can significantly improve the erectile function and reduce TCM syndromes in ED patients, and therefore can be applied effectively and safely in clinical practice./.

Using data from the 2018 Chinese Family Panel Studies, this study examines the associations between premarital cohabitation, marital satisfaction, and the probability of a subsequent divorce and captures the gradated variations of marital quality by incorporating divorce and self-rated marital satisfaction into a generic measure of marital quality. Findings show positive associations between cohabitation and divorce and negative associations between cohabitation and marital quality. Results further show that the negative association between cohabitation and marital quality is weakened by better education, higher income, and rural origin, and stronger among men. The consistent negative associations between cohabitation and all the marital quality outcomes indicate the persistent strength of the norm of universal marriage, based on which cohabitation is still considered substantively distinct from marriage both in terms of legal status and social recognition. The diverse social gradients of the cohabitation-marital quality links reflect the heterogeneous social meanings of cohabitation in contemporary China.

Dual synthetic jets actuator (DSJA) has great potential application in airfoil separation flow control, jet vector control, heat dissipation and other aspects. However, DSJA can make noise of more than 80 dB under the optimal working frequency, which is very unfavorable for the application of DSJA in practical engineering. For the purpose of improving the performance of DSJA. It is important to study its noise characteristics in order for the noise reduction in the later stage. In this paper, DJSA is compared with synthetic jet actuator (SJA) in a series of acoustic experiments by using the multi-point response test method. For both two actors, the changes of sound pressure level and wind speed under different driving frequencies are studied. What’s more, the distribution laws of sound pressure level are analyzed at different measuring distances and angles. In addition, the spectral characteristics at different measuring distances are also discussed. Experiment results indicate that both the sound pressure level and the wind speed of these two actuators increase first and then decrease with the change of the driving frequency. However, under the same working frequency, DSJA makes a lower noise than SJA and produces a stronger directivity in the export orientation. Finally, there are few changes in the sound pressure level of the noise in the far field.

Previous research has indicated that the time adolescents allocate to different activities may help to shape their educational, social, and psychological development. The “education fever” in East Asia raises concerns about the developmental implications of adolescents’ time use. China shares East Asian cultural preferences for academic excellence and has a competitive education system. Using an ecological and sociocultural perspective of human development, this study investigated the developmental implications of adolescent time use in China. We examined a wide range of time use and developmental outcomes employing a national sample of Chinese middle-school adolescents (n = 19,487). We found that time spent on homework assignments was associated with not only enhanced academic performance and educational aspiration but also increased depressive symptoms. Leisure reading was positively correlated with both educational outcomes and socio-psychological wellbeing, whereas private tutoring time and screen time were negatively associated with both. Sports and housework were correlated with higher socio-psychological wellbeing but not education-related outcomes. Girls spent more time studying, reading, and doing housework, and boys spent more time on sports and screens. Boys were more susceptible than girls to the effects of certain time use, such as screen time. These findings demonstrate the importance of examining child development comprehensively. More importantly, it shows that a balanced time allocation is crucial for the all-round development of children.

The objective of the study was to explore the effects of behavioral and cognitive development in rats after prenatal exposure to 1800 and 2400 MHz radiofrequency fields. Pregnant female rats were exposed to radiofrequency fields beginning on the 21st day of pregnancy. The indicators of physiological and behavioral development were observed and measured in the offspring rats: Y maze measured at 3-weeks postnatal, open field at 7-weeks postnatal, and the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) measured by reverse transcription-PCR in the hippocampus at 9-weeks postnatal. The body weight of the 1800 MHz group and the 1800 MHz + WiFi group showed a downward trend. The eye opening time of newborn rats was much earlier in the WiFi group than in the control group. Compared to the control group, the overall path length of the 1800 MHz + WiFi group was shortened and the stationary time was delayed. The path length of the WiFi group was shortened and the average velocity was increased in the error arm. The 1800 MHz + WiFi group displayed an increased trend in path length, duration, entry times and stationary time in the central area. In both the 1800 MHz + WiFi and WiFi groups, NR2A and NR2B expression was down-regulated, while NR2D, NR3A and NR3B were up-regulated. Moreover, NR1 and NR2C in the WiFi group were also up-regulated. Prenatal exposure to 1800 MHz and WiFi radiofrequency may affect the behavioral and cognitive development of offspring rats, which may be associated with altered mRNA expression of NMDARs in the hippocampus.

OBJECTIVE To summarize and analyze the postoperative complications of box-shift osteotomy performed at our center for Chinese orbital hypertelorism patients from 2008 to 2017. METHOD This retrospective study reviews the records of 78 patients with complete medical records and at least 2 years of postoperative follow-up data. Both radiologic and anthropometric assessments were conducted before, 1 month after and 2 years after surgery to evaluate the bony and soft-tissue alterations. Postoperative complications were recorded during hospitalization and at each follow-up visit and divided into 3 groups: acute complications that occurred within 1 month after surgery; early complications that occurred within 6 months after surgery; and long-term complications that occurred within 2 years after surgery. RESULTS Both bony and soft-tissue alterations were significant at 1 month after surgery. The acute complications that occurred in our center included infection (12.8%), cerebrospinal fluid leakage (29.5%), epilepsy (2.6%), and nasal tip skin necrosis (1.3%). The early complications included strabismus (11.5%) and nasolacrimal duct obstruction (3.8%). The long-term complications included insufficient correction (55.1%), palpable metal implants (92.3%) and a drooping nasal tip (33.9%). Due to the insufficient correction and the continued growth of rib graft, the difference in the hypertelorism index and nasal length, between one month and 2 years postoperatively were statistically significant (P

Chinese ethnic minorities are enjoying an era of resurgence, as their share of the population has risen by 50% from 1964 to 2010. Demographic forces alone cannot account for the rise. In this paper, we describe trends in ethnic minority identification and explore the determinants of identity with emphasis on the One-Child Policy, which raises the incentives to identify as a minority. Using nationally representative census data, we find that the policy significantly increases minority identity. The effects are especially large for persons in households with low socioeconomic status. This paper contributes to research on the history and demography of Chinese ethnic minorities, the impact of fertility policies, and the social construction of ethnoracial identity.

We examine how rural-to-urban migration influences marriage timing and assortative mating by family origins using data from the 2012 Chinese Family Panel Studies and in-depth interviews conducted i...

This article reviews literature on migration and marriage and highlights contributions of the papers in this special issue. The papers show that Asian marriage migrants’ experience of integration a...

Drawing on Lareau's binary conceptualization of parenting as concerted cultivation and accomplishment of natural growth, we examine how parental background determines the degree to which the two parenting practices are realized in China. To do so, we examine how parental education shapes children's weekly time use patterns on planned activities (academic and nonacademic) and unplanned activities. Using multi-level mixed-effects linear models based on the 2014 China Education Panel Survey, we find that parental education is positively associated with concerted cultivation, with children spending more hours on both planned academic and nonacademic activities, and negatively associated with accomplishment of natural growth, with children spending more hours on unplanned activities. The link between parental education and children's time use patterns is partly explained by parents' educational expectations for their children, parental supervision, parental support, and economic investments on education.

This study investigates the effect of coresidence with the husband's or the wife's parents on division of household labor between the couple in China. We further examine how life course, education, hukou, and the gender composition of coresiding parents moderate the relationship between intergenerational coresidence and division of household labor. Previous research on housework division has looked at nuclear families. Little is known about the effect of intergenerational coresidence on housework division. Despite rapid modernization, intergenerational coresidence remains prevalent in China as families try to adapt to the changing social and economic conditions. While patrilocal coresidence dominates in both rural and urban China, matrilocal coresidence is increasingly common in urban China. Based on panel data from the 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018 waves of the China Family Panel Studies, fixed effects models are used to account for both observed and unobserved individual-specific confounders. Both patrilocal and matrilocal coresidence seem to widen the within-couple gender gap in housework time among urban hukou holders. Among rural hukou holders, though patrilocal coresidence is associated with reduced housework time for the wife and the couple as a whole, neither patrilocal nor matrilocal coresidence significantly influences how much time the husband spent on housework. Coresidence with the husband's or the wife's parents may exacerbate gender inequality in housework division.

As a major threat to ecosystem functions and national food security, soil erosion also exerts an influence on the water quality in basins and the operation and maintenance of hydropower plants. Existing discussions about trends of soil erosion focus mainly on its variation and mutation over time. Few studies have addressed the spatial mutation of soil erosion and its influence mechanism. In this research, Sen’s slope estimation was coupled with a Mann–Kendall model to explore the spatiotemporal distribution, spatial mutation characteristics and influence mechanisms of soil erosion, and conduct a case study on the Middle and Lower reaches of the Lancang River Basin (ML-LRB) in China. There are three main conclusions from this study: (1) During 2000–2019, the annual soil erosion in the ML-LRB variation ranged from 0 to 7.00 × 103 t/(km2·a) with a multi-year mean of 1.53 × 103 t/(km2·a), decreasing year by year from north to south, while an increasing trend began to appear in the central above region after 2015. (2) The areas with decreased soil erosion were much larger than those with increased soil erosion during 2000–2019, and there was a concentrated increase in soil erosion in Dali and in Xishuangbanna. (3) The mutation of the soil erosion intensity was spatially consistent with that of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Overall, this paper provides a new perspective for the study of factors affecting the trends and spatial mutation of soil erosion.

The composition and change of runoff are closely related to climate change and human activities. To design effective watershed water resources management measures, there is a need for a clear understanding of the impact of climate change and human activities on baseflow and surface runoff. The purpose of this essay is to quantify their impact on the annual total stream flow, surface runoff, and base flow in the Weihe River Basin (WRB) using a two-stage annual precipitation partitioning method, wherein the surface runoff and base flow are separated from the measured total flow by using a one-parameter digital filter method for which the common filter parameter value is 0.925. The stream flow records were split into two periods: 1960–1970 (pre-change period) and 1971–2005 (post-change period) based on the hydrological breakpoints detected. We found that climate change and human activities have different impacts on base flow and surface runoff. We attributed the decrease in surface runoff due to climate change accounting for 76–78%, while we determined that human activities were responsible to the decrease in base flow accounting for 59–73% of the total observed change. We concluded that both climate change and human beings contributed to the hydrologic change through different hydrological processes: climate change dominated the surface runoff change, while human influences controlled the base flow change. To achieve the expected goals of ecological restoration, appropriate measures must be taken by watershed management in the WRB to mitigate the likely impacts of climate change on water hydrology.

Faced with massive data, one-off processing without distinction is not conducive to reducing data and model complexity, and many potentially valuable local details are ignored. The decision fusion of partition blocks, such as Dempster–Shafer (DS) evidence theory, opens the gate to differentiated analysis of data. However, DS evidence theory has problems that conflict factor K cannot accurately measure conflict and counter-intuitive results can be produced in response to high-conflict evidences. Therefore, a status-relevant blocks fusion approach for operational status monitoring is proposed in this research, with three main contributions: Firstly, a status-relevant modules and blocks selection strategy based on expert knowledge and wrapper model is proposed, which reduces data complexity and improves the ability to capture local effective information. Secondly, a personalized hybrid solution is designed to implement data compression, timing analysis, and models update to cope with the scale inconsistency, temporal correlation, and dynamic characteristics of equipment operating data. Finally, a conflict measurement and management strategy combining supervised and unsupervised (CMMS-SUS) is proposed to identify and revise high-conflict evidences from different blocks to eliminate the concerns of DS evidence theory. Then, Dempster’s combination rule is used to fuse the low-conflict evidences without correction or the high-conflict evidences after correction. Furthermore, a realistic shield tunnel case in China is used to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach.

Small hole leakage of pipes caused by erosion and perforation is the major form leading to the leakage. The leakage rate is an important premise and foundation for consequence computation and risk evaluation. Those published papers fail to systematically study impacts of initial pressures and leakage sizes of a pipe on the leakage rate. More numerical simulation results are not verified by experimental test. This paper applies numerical simulation technology to establish the model of small hole leakage in pipes, designs and processes different leakage modules to simulate different leakage scenes, and then experimentally validates the model correctness. On this basis, this paper studies impacts of initial pressures and leakage sizes on leakage rates and obtains fluid dynamic characteristics around the leakage hole, including velocity distribution and pressure distribution. However, in actual engineering, the position of leakage hole could not be predicted and changed in general. Therefore, this paper further studies impacts of leakage hole positions on the pipe leakage rate. In this way, this research is refined and could provide a theoretical basis for emergency rescue and accident survey of pipe leakage accidents.

This is the first study that empirically examines how migration influences migrants’ time use patterns in China, utilizing a mixed-method approach. We systematically estimate the migration effects on weekly hours on working, leisure, personal care and domestic responsibilities, based on data from the nationally representative 2010 Chinese Family Panel Studies. We then supplement these analyses with in-depth interviews conducted in Beijing to further understand the underlying mechanisms. Compared with urban locals, rural-to-urban migrants have longer work hours and less leisure time. The largest differences are found among men. On average, migrant men work 5 h longer and have 7 fewer hours of leisure per week than urban local men. These differences are moderated by migrants’ and their parents’ socioeconomic status, and their family responsibilities. The in-depth interviews reveal that the busier work schedules are largely motivated by the transient nature of most rural-to-urban migration and the overwhelming economic pressures for household establishment and career development.

Importance: Accumulating evidence suggests that serum levels of S100B may play a role in epilepsy.Objective: We performed a meta-analysis to quantitatively summarize the serum S100B data available for patients with epilepsy.Data source: Two independent researchers conducted a systematic investigation of the Harvard Hollis+, Open Gray, Clinicaltrials, Wanfangdata, and CNKI databases through Dec 6, 2018, for all studies published in English and Chinese. The search terms included S100B and calcium-binding protein B in combination with epilepsy.Study selection: Original studies and reported data from these search terms are included. Studies where data overlapped with other studies were excluded.Data extraction and synthesis: investigators extracted, pooled and analyzed data from the included studies using a fixed-effects model in the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis3.3 and R software.Main outcomes and measures: Peripheral blood levels of S100B in patients with epilepsy compared with controls. Aberrations in peripheral blood levels of S100B were hypothesized to be related to epilepsy.Results: a fixed-effects meta-analysis of all 18 studies, including 1,057 unique participants, indicated that patients with epilepsy had significantly increased peripheral blood levels of S100B compared to controls (Hedges g = 1.568, 95% CI =1.431–1.706, P < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis showed that no single study significantly influenced the overall association of peripheral blood levels of S100B and epilepsy. Most of the subgroup analyses, including those of country, assay type and publication language, demonstrated a statistically significant association between peripheral blood levels of S100B and epilepsy. Meta-regression analyses indicated that gender (regression coefficient [SE], −0.2524 [0.0641]; 95%CI, −0.3781 to −0.1267; P = 0.0001) and mean age (regression coefficient [SE], −0.1224 [0.0426]; 95% CI, −0.2058 to −0.0390; P = 0.0040) might present serum S100B reductions, but sample size, years, assay type, publication language and country did not show moderating effects on the effect sizes. Furthermore, the trim-and-fill method used to adjust for funnel plot asymmetry in our meta-analysis confirmed that a positive outcome is unlikely to be due to publication bias.Conclusion and relevance: the results of this meta-analysis provide evidence for a significant increase in serum S100B levels in patients with epilepsy. Serum S100B is the most worthwhile biomarker of epilepsy, which is helpful for the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of epilepsy.

Background: Many previous empirical findings on 'motherhood penalty' and 'fatherhood premium' remain inconclusive due to potential selection biases. China's regional variation in exemptions to the one-child policy enables us to use the gender of the first child as a powerful instrumental variable (IV) in identifying the gendered fertility effects. Objective: We aim to estimate the causal effects of fertility on fathers' and mothers' various outcomes in China. Methods: Using the IV approach, this paper examines the gender-specific fertility effects on parents' time use, income, and subjective well-being, using data for 2010 from the China Family Panel Studies. Results: Results show that while fathers spend more time at work and less time taking care of family members with more children, mothers report better subjective well-being. Moreover, fathers gain self-confidence in both their careers and the future, and mothers are happier, more satisfied with life and report better social ability. Conclusions: Our findings do not directly support the gendered fertility effects on parents. However, the differential fertility effects on specific domains for mothers versus fathers are consistent with household specialisation. By interpreting this conclusion within the context of China's one-child family planning policy, our research suggests that parents would do better if the one-child policy were abolished - i.e., if parents were allowed to have more children. Contribution: The unique policy setting in China affords us the methodological opportunity to study the true causal effects of fertility on parents, which has crucial implications for China's new two-child policy era since October 2015.

Since its introduction in the late 19th century, developmental thinking has quickly diffused throughout Chinese society. Nowadays, Chinese people extensively employ the concept of development to understand different countries in hierarchical order. Using survey data collected in Gansu, China, we confirmed the nearly universal existence of such developmental worldviews. Overall, our respondents’ perceptions conformed to the United Nations’ developmental hierarchy based on the Human Development Index scores. However, local Muslims tended to deviate slightly more than other Chinese from the UN standard. This does not mean that Chinese Muslims were reluctant to adopt developmental thinking. In fact, in their eyes, developmental ideas have been prominently associated with Islam since the beginning of the 20th century. Our analysis shows that the observed Muslim–Han disparity is entirely due to Muslims’ higher evaluations of development in countries with strongly Islamic populations – in this case, Pakistan. Other than this religion-based disparity, Gansu Muslims and local Han Chinese do not differ in their perceptions of the world developmental hierarchy.

The impact of the development of cascade reservoirs on the biogenic substance cycle is an important scientific issue for the future sustainable development of the Lancang-Mekong River. The vertical distribution of phosphorus (P) fractions of Xiaowan (XW) and Nuozhadu (NZD) Reservoir sediment in Lancang River were studied to better understand the environment influence of cascade deep reservoir for the first time. The results showed that the P concentration in the overlying water and the P content in sediment of the upstream XW Reservoir was higher than that of the downstream NZD Reservoir, but the P bio-availability (BAP) in sediment were lower than that of the NZD Reservoir. The sediment of the XW Reservoir showed low BAP content and high inert P content. In the contrast, the sediment of the NZD Reservoir showed high BAP content and low inert P content. The P in the sediment of the two reservoirs has totally different control factors, which indicates that the biogenic substance cycles mechanisms of two reservoirs are significantly different under the influence of the cascade reservoir. The less sediment source of downstream reservoir highlights the role of regional sediment in turn. The biogenic substance of the regional sediment plays an important role in the downstream reservoir sediment.

This paper proposes a prediction method on short-term generating capacity of small hydropower projects based on fuzzy neural network, taking into consideration of the implications of factors such as season, climate, rainfall, temperature, and dates influencing small hydropower generation in a short-time. The research subject is regional small hydropower project groups as a collective. It screens out sectional flow of large hydropower projects as a correlation factor. We then conduct analysis on the large and small hydropower projects and test for the significant difference. Based on the regression models for these two, we utilize the predicted value of large hydropower for prediction of the small hydropower’s capacity, thus providing an effective solution to resolve the difficulty in capacity prediction of small hydropower in short term. The application results prove that the method produces satisfactory prediction results and it provides valuable reference to the predictability of short-term small hydropower generating capacity.

This chapter reviews the historical origins and contemporary transformations of Singapore families. The three officially designated ethnic groups – Chinese, Malays, and Indians, vary in migration history and socio-demographic origins. We show their respective trajectories of family behaviours and attitudes and examine institutional, historical, and cultural factors that have shaped these changes. We also document how, through the joint process of ethnic interactions, globalization, and modernization, the ethnic differences since the colonial times have been maintained and changed. Embedded in the same social, economic, and political institutions, Chinese, Malays, and Indians exhibit more similarities in family behaviours to each other than to their co-ethnic groups in other countries. Gaps were shown between ideals and behaviours of family structure, which indicates Singaporeans’ ambivalent family attitudes due to competition between entrenched familism and rising individualism.

Chinese Muslims have actively maintained religious endogamy. However, no research has assessed the role of local residential context in individual Muslims’ marital choices, nor have sociologists examined the heterogeneity in individual Muslims’ responses to such contextual influences. Using Chinese census data between 2000 and 2005, this paper offers a first investigation of such micro–macro interactions among the Hui, the largest Muslim ethnic group in China. Specifically, we test the effect of the Hui's residential concentration (at the prefecture level) on individual Hui's marital choices (exogamy/endogamy/singleness) and how this effect varies by gender and age. Several major findings emerge from our multilevel discrete-time competing-risk models, highlighting the impact of contextual factors, but also a level of individual resilience against aggregate-level cultural forces. While at younger ages, Hui can still afford to wait to contract an endogamous marriage; with aging, they started to choo...

This article examines how the marital behaviors of Hui Muslims respond to varying residential concentrations of Hui. Specifically, the marriage patterns indicating responses to local demographic availability of marriageable Hui and adherence to two Islamic norms – universal marriage and endogamy – were explored. Marriage market conditions were measured by local concentrations of Hui and we estimate discrete-time hazard models of marital outcomes using the China 2005 1% inter-census survey. The results show that in places with higher Hui concentrations, Hui tend to have higher marriage rates, to marry earlier, and to marry more endogamously. Conditional on being married, the logged odds of exogamy over endogamy are significantly lower in places with higher Hui concentrations; nevertheless, if exogamy is treated as an alternative to being single, the coefficient of the logged odds of exogamy over being single is significantly negative only for women. This suggests coexistence and competition between the two Islamic norms. Moreover, women have consistently higher marriage rates than men, regardless of Hui concentration. This suggests that women are universally more strictly constrained by the norm of universal marriage than men are. However, men show more variation in marriage rates, suggesting that they are more responsive to changes in Hui concentrations. Men and women are equally restricted by the norm of endogamy.

Mu, Z.; Mu, H.; Zhang, H.G., and Li, Z.-P., 2019. Reliability analysis and numerical simulation of reinforced concrete structure in port engineering. In: Gong, D.; Zhu, H., and Liu, R. (eds.), Selected Topics in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 94, pp. 347–351. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.In addition to the normal loss and damage during the service period, the port engineering facilities are also affected by harsh environments such as water erosion, wave erosion, atmospheric corrosion and freezing and thawing. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the reliability of reinforced concrete structures. The reliability analysis of reinforced concrete members is actually based on the fact that the statistical characteristics of the existing loads and structural resistance are known, and the reliability index value of the members is determined through specific calculations to understand the failure probability. Taking the reinforced concrete frame column as an example, the finite element model is established by the simulation software to simulate and analyze the compression of the port structure under the action of ship impact force, ship system force, doorsill machine load, self-weight load and water flow force, the reliability of shear and bending capacity, the analysis results provide the basis for engineering construction and followup research.

Tributary bays of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) are suffering from environmental problems, e.g., eutrophication and algae bloom, which could be related to the limited water exchange capacity of the tributary bays. To understand and quantify the water exchange capacity of a tributary bay, this study investigated the water residence time (RT) in a typical tributary bay of TGR, i.e., the Zhuyi Bay (ZB), using numerical simulation and the adjoint method to obtain the RT. The results show that RT of ZB with an annual mean of 16.7 days increases from the bay mouth to the bay top where the maximum can reach 50 days. There is a significant seasonal variation in RT, with higher RT (average 20 days) in spring and autumn and lower RT (average &lt, 5 days) in the summer. The sensitivity experiments show that the TGR water level regulation has a strong influence on RT. The increase in the water level could increase RT of ZB to some extent. Density currents induced by the temperature difference between the mainstream and tributaries play an important role in the water exchange of ZB, while the impacts of the river discharges and winds on RT are insignificant.

Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has revolutionized the proteomics analysis of complexes, cells, and tissues. In a typical proteomic analysis, the tandem mass spectra from a LC-MS/MS experiment are assigned to a peptide by a search engine that compares the experimental MS/MS peptide data to theoretical peptide sequences in a protein database. The peptide spectra matches are then used to infer a list of identified proteins in the original sample. However, the search engines often fail to distinguish between correct and incorrect peptides assignments. In this study, we designed and implemented a novel algorithm called De-Noise to reduce the number of incorrect peptide matches and maximize the number of correct peptides at a fixed false discovery rate using a minimal number of scoring outputs from the SEQUEST search engine. The novel algorithm uses a three-step process: data cleaning, data refining through a SVM-based decision function, and a final data refining step based on proteolytic peptide patterns. Using proteomics data generated on different types of mass spectrometers, we optimized the De-Noise algorithm on the basis of the resolution and mass accuracy of the mass spectrometer employed in the LC-MS/MS experiment. Our results demonstrate De-Noise improves peptide identification compared to other methods used to process the peptide sequence matches assigned by SEQUEST. Because De-Noise uses a limited number of scoring attributes, it can be easily implemented with other search engines.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is pathologically characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the accumulation of aggregated α-synuclein in specific central nervous system (CNS) regions. Disease development is attributed to α-synuclein abnormalities, particularly aggregation and phosphorylation. The ginsenoside Rg1, an active component of ginseng, possesses neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate these activities of Rg1 in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)/probenecid (MPTP/p)-induced PD mouse model for the first time and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Oral treatment with Rg1 significantly attenuated the high MPTP-induced mortality, behavior defects, loss of dopamine neurons and abnormal ultrastructure changes in the SNpc. Other assays indicated that the protective effect of Rg1 may be mediated by its anti-neuroinflammatory properties. Rg1 regulated MPTP-induced reactive astrocytes and microglia and decreased the release of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the SNpc. Rg1 also alleviated the unusual MPTP-induced increase in oligomeric, phosphorylated and disease-related α-synuclein in the SNpc. In conclusion, Rg1 protects dopaminergic neurons, most likely by reducing aberrant α-synuclein-mediated neuroinflammation, and holds promise for PD therapeutics.

Purpose: For dealing with the problems in orbital and periorbital deformities. Methods: In orbital deformities such as hypertelorism, orbital dystopia, radiated orbit, and secondary deformities of traumatic orbit, the authors used lamella osteotomies of either orbital rim and wall or complex osteotomies in both adjacent orbital rims and walls with bicoronal incision and galea aponeurotica dissection. In most of the cases, the fragments of complex osteotomies were repositioned with rigid fixation. Results: Best results with nearly normal orbital volumes, better contour of orbit and midface, and improved eyelids and vision were achieved in 44 cases. There were 5 cases of supraorbital osteotomy (intracranial routine), 8 cases of medial orbital osteotomy, 3 cases of inferior orbital osteotomy, and 28 cases of both lateral and inferior orbital osteotomy in the series. No complications occurred. Clinical measurement was achieved in both pre- and postoperative osteotomies. According to comparative recordings, such as cephalometric measurement of the interorbital distance, exophthalmic measurement with Hertel exophthalmometer, the angle between orbital horizontal level and bilateral tragus linkage, and the linear distance between lateral canthus and tragus, the gap difference between pre- and postoperative data were achieved. The orbital and midface appearance has improved significantly. Conclusions: Lamella and complex osteotomies of orbital rim and wall were proved to be save and effective for correction of most deformities of the orbital and periorbital region.

The expression of aromatase (via CYP19 and the CYP19 PII promoter) and the orphan nuclear receptor family members, liver receptor homologue-1 (LRH-1) and steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) in cultured luteinized granulosa cells from women with endometriosis were investigated.Luteinized granulosa cells from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (16 patients with endometriosis and 28 controls) were examined for messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of CYP19, CYP19 PII, LRH-1 and SF-1, determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Student's t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rank correlation were used for statistical analysis.The number of high quality embryos in the endometriosis group was significantly lower than in the control group. The mRNA expression levels of CYP19, CYP19 PII, LRH-1 and SF-1 in granulosa-lutein cells were decreased in women with endometriosis compared to the control group. The simultaneous down-regulation expression of LRH-1, SF-1 and CYP19 PII in endometriotic granulosa cells indicated their positive correlation.Our results demonstrate aberrant expressions of SF-1 and LRH-1 in endometriotic granulosa-lutein cells. This finding may be helpful in understanding infertility associated with endometriosis and reduced P450 aromatase activity in endometriotic granulosa cells.

To observe the effect of Jingui Shenqi Pill (JSP) and its disassembled recipes (supplementing Shen yang, supplementing Shen yin, and supplementing Shen yang and Shen yin) on ovarian functions of female rats of Shen yang deficiency syndrome (SYDS).Totally 55 SD female rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, i.e., the normal control group, the model group, the Shen yang supplementing group, the Shen yin supplementing group, the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group, 11 in each group. Except the normal control group, rats in the rest group were injected with hydrocortisone at the daily dose of 25 mg/kg at the muscle of femoribus internus for 12 successive days. From the 13th day after successful modeling, rats were administered by gastrogavage with different recipes at the dose of 1 mL/100 g (2.75 g/kg Shen yang supplementing recipe; 6.25 g/kg Shen yin supplementing recipe; 6.75 g/kg JSP), once daily for 20 successive days. Equal volume of normal saline was given to those in the normal control group and the model group, once daily for 20 successive days. Blood was withdrawn from the orbit on the 2nd day after intervention. The serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) were detected using ELISA. The weight of uterus and ovarian index (VI) were calculated. The pathological changes were observed by HE staining.The general condition of rats in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group were improved. The body weight (g) was added by 35.0 +/- 12.5 in the normal control group, 16.7 +/- 7.4 in the model group, 20.2 +/- 6.9 in the Shen yang supplementing group, 18.3 +/- 3.6 in the Shen yin supplementing group, and 29.4 +/- 12.2 in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group. The uterus VI (mg/100 g) was 183.4 +/- 11.6 in the normal control group,144.0 +/- 6.5 in the model group,158.7 +/- 6.3 in the Shen yang supplementing group,152.1 +/- 6.9 in the Shen yin supplementing group, and 172.8 +/- 8.1 in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group. The ovarian VI (mg/100 g) were 32.9 +/- 2.4 in the normal control group, 22.6 +/- 1.1 in the model group, 25.0 +/- 1.4 in the Shen yang supplementing group, 23.0 +/- 0.4 in the Shen yin supplementing group, and 31.4 +/- 3.3 in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group. Compared with the model group, the body weight and ovarian VI increased in the Shen yang supplementing group and the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group (P0.05, P0.01). The uterus VI increased in each medicated group (P0.05, P0.01). Compared with the Shen yang supplementing group and the Shen yin supplementing group, all indices increased in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group (P0.05, P0.01). The E2 and P levels increased in the Shen yang supplementing group and the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group (P0.05, P0.01). The content of E2 (pg/mL) was 22.1 +/- 9.4 in the normal control group, 9.8 +/- 3.0 in the model group, 11.3 +/- 2.2 in the Shen yang supplementing group, 10.5 +/- 0.8 in the Shen yin supplementing group, and 16.0 +/- 5.5 in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group. The content of P (ng/mL) was 14.6 +/- 7.5 in the normal control group, 4.3 +/- 1.8 in the model group, 8.3 +/- 2.8 in the Shen yang supplementing group, 5.9 +/- 2.9 in the Shen yin supplementing group, and 9.5 +/- 3.4 in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group. Compared with the Shen yang supplementing group and the Shen yin supplementing group, the E2 level increased in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group (P0.05, P0.01). Compared with the Shen yin supplementing group, the P level increased in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group (P0.05). Compared with the model group, the ovarian follicle at each stage increased and pathological follicular ovarian follicles decreased in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group (P0.01). Less primary follicles, secondary follicles, and mature follicles could be seen in the Shen yang supplementing group and the Shen yin supplementing group. The total numbers of all-level follicles were obviously higher in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group than in the Shen yang supplementing group and the Shen yin supplementing group (P0.05). The number of pathological follicles was obviously less in the Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing group than in the Shen yin supplementing group (P0.05).As for SYDS, JSP and its dissembled recipes could improve damaged ovarian functions to some degree. But better effect could not be obtained by Shen yang supplementing method or Shen yin supplementing method alone. Shen yang and Shen yin supplementing method could elevate the efficacy.

To observe the pregnancy promoting effect of L-carnitine combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in treating male infertility with oligoasthenozoospermia.We assigned 129 patients with oligoasthenozoospermia to receive 2 weeks of oral L-carnitine followed by ICSI (medication group, n = 42) and ICSI alone (control group, n = 87). We compared the sperm concentration and motility, the percentage of grade a + b sperm, and sperm deformity before and after L-carnitine medication, as well as the rates of fertilization, cleavage, available embryo and clinical pregnancy between the two groups.The percentage of grade a + b sperm was significantly increased after L-carnitine medication as compared with the baseline ([13.5 +/- 10.7] % vs [9.6 +/- 7.2] %, P0.05), and so was the rate of available embryo in the medication group after ICSI in comparison with that of the control group (77.50% vs 69.04%, P0.05).Short-term medication of L-carnitine can improve sperm quality and raise the success rate of ICSI.

To discuss the application and therapeutic effect of tunable guide device in correction of prominent mandibular angle.Since 2007, 50 cases with prominent mandible angle underwent mandible angle osteotomy with the tunable guide device. The patients were followed up for 3-6 months.No severe complication happened. Local seroma occurred in one case. Improved esthetic results were achieved at both frontal and oblique view.The mandibular angle osteotomy with the tunable guide device makes the procedure safe and easily performed.

To explore the transcranial surgical method with lateral orbital approach for the treatment of cranio-orbital fibrous dysplasia.Lateral orbital transcranial extradural approach was adopted to correct complicated fibrous dysplasia in which the frontal, orbital, sphenoid, temporal bones were involved. Partial lesion removal and optic nerve decompression were performed through the transcranial extradural route by fronto-temporal cranial bone flap exposure. The fronto-orbital skeleton was shaped after bone flap deactivation.8 cases were treated successfully with no complication. The period of follow-up ranged from 9 months to 3 years. The appearance and the vision improved greatly. Cranial CT showed good bony union with no relapse.Lateral orbital transcranial surgical approach is an optimal technique to correct cranio-orbital fibrous dysplasia.

To evaluate the 3-D position changes of periorbital structures after midface distraction osteogenesis in patients with Crouzon syndrome.The CT data of 8 cases who had accepted the midface distraction osteogenesis following Le Fort III osteotomy were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were averagely 11.9 years old, and the CT was performed before and one year after operation. After 3-D image reconstruction, a right-hand coordinate system based on the preoperational Frankfurt Plane was then established. The pre- and post-operative positions of the superior orbit point (SOr), inferior orbit point (IOr), median orbit point (MOr), lateral orbit point (LOr), anterior ocularis point (AO), ocularis eyeball point (PO) and the four insertion ocularis rectus were documented and compared. The positions of these marked points in normal controls were also documented and compared with those in patients.After midface distraction osteogenesis, the position of AO was not changed significantly on the y-axis and z-axis, but the distance between two AO points on x-axis was reduced by 3.40 mm; IOr moved averagely 12.24 mm on y-axis and 4.25 mm on z-axis, MOr moved averagely 10.11 mm on y-axis and 2.80 mm on z-axis, LOr moved averagely 9.86 mm on y-axis and 2.31 mm on z-axis. The Inferior Rectus attachment moved averagely 3.63 mm on y-axis and 2.98 mm on z-axis. No other significant change was observed on other marked points.Midface distraction osteogenesis following Le Fort III osteotomy can significantly move the medial, lateral and inferior peri-orbital bone structure anteriorly and inferiorly. The eyeballs have no markedly sagittal position changes after distraction except slight medial, downwards movements and anterior-upwards rotations.

To explore the feasibility of creating a 3D-CAD model of craniofacial prostheses through mirror technique to repair the unilateral craniofacial defects and restore craniofacial symmetry.Patients with unilateral craniofacial defects underwent spiral CT scanning. CAD3-D image was reconstructed ad 3-D CAD model of craniofacial prosthesis was created with mirror technique, Boolean operation and rapid prototyping technique. Then the prosthesis made of bioactive artificial bone was made through plaster cavity block.15 cases were treated with no complications. Good symmetry was achieved after operation.Designing the craniofacial prosthesis with mirror technique guarantees excellent functional and cosmetic results for repairing the unilateral craniofacial defects.

Several kinds of information generated during the operation process of the engine, generally speaking, there is no one-to-one correspondence between the characteristic parameters and status, whereas, there are often existing many types of faults. After analyze the problem of uncertainty and other issues which the fault diagnosis of engine is faced, in this paper, a new approach for fault diagnosis of engine based on supervision of data-driven is proposed. This algorithm begin with the given classification data, using the representative points on behalf of class mean values, using the weighted distances in place of Euclidean distances. Then employing the method to identify 8 kinds of common fault states for engine, the experiment results shows that the method based on optimal representative points clustering is an effective way to diagnosis the fault for engine.

To investigate the therapeutic effects of upper airway stenosis after Le Fort III osteotomy and midfacial distraction osteogenesis (DO).Eleven cases (age, 5-16 yrs) with severe midface dysostosis complicated with exophthalmos, anterior crossbite and upper airway stenosis were treated by using Le Fort III osteotomy and midfacial DO from August 2000 to February 2007. The 3D reconstruction of the upper-airway from CT data was used to evaluate the upper airway volume before and after the operation. And meanwhile polysomnography was carried out to demonstrate the upper airway functional changes.There was a 64.3% mean increase [mean, (9.13 +/- 6.94) ml, P0.05] in upper airway volume in the 11 cases after the operations. It showed that there was significant improvements in the indexes of polysomnography after the operations, such as apnea and hypopnea index, average SaO2, minimum oxygen saturation and snore index.The Le Fort III osteotomy and midfacial distraction osteogenesis can efficiently relieve the symptoms of upper-airway stenosis in severe midfacial dysostosis.

To observe the therapeutic effects of Le Fort III osteotomy and midface distraction osteogenesis (DO) on the upper-airway narrow.Since 2000, 11 cases (10 cases of Crouzon syndrome and 1 case of Apert syndrome) with severe midface deficiency were treated with Le Fort III osteotomy and midface DO. The section area of different parts of upper-airway were tested by computer assistants image measurement preoperatively and postoperatively. Some patients received sleep function monitoring.The face appearance and the function of upper-airway improved significantly after Le Fort III osteotomy and Midface DO. The section area at the level of posterior nasal spine and uvula increased obviously after treatment (P0.05), however the section area at the level of epiglottis and separation between airway and esophagus were not obviously enlarged (P0.05).Midface DO after Le Fort III osteotomy can effectively improve the upper-airway narrow, especially the upper part from uvula.