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Objectives: Teaching has been reported to be one of the most stressful occupations in the world. Few studies have been conducted to explore the effects of occupational stress on burnout among teachers in developing countries. This study aimed to explore the relationship between occupational stress and burnout among teachers in primary and secondary schools in the Liaoning Province of China. Methods: A questionnaire that assessed occupational stress comprised of Karasek's job content questionnaire (JCQ), Siegrist's effort-reward imbalance questionnaire (ERI), and burnout assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey was distributed to 681 teachers in primary and secondary schools. A total of 559 effective respondents became our final study subjects. Hierarchical linear regression and logistic regression analyses were performed through the use of SPSS 17.0 to explore the association between occupational stress and burnout. Results: A high level of emotional exhaustion was significantly associated with high extrinsic effort, high overcommitment, low skill discretion, and high job demand. A high level of cynicism was associated with low reward, low skill discretion, high overcommitment, and low supervisor support. The low level of professional efficacy was associated with low coworker support, low reward, low skill discretion, and high job demand. Compared to the JCQ, the ERI was more likely to explain the burnout of teachers in our study. Conclusions: Occupational stress proved to be associated with dimensions of burnout among Chinese teachers. It is important for administrators of primary and middle schools to note that strategies to decrease teachers' occupational stress seem to be crucial to enhance physical and mental health of teachers in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an important environmental factor that affects human health. The understanding of diurnal variations of UV radiation at anatomical sites may be helpful in developing ways to protect humans from the harmful effects of UV radiation. Methods: In order to characterize the diurnal variations, the UV exposure values were measured at 30 min intervals by using Solar-UV Sensors and a rotating manikin in Shenyang city of China (41°51′N, 123°27′E). Measurement data for four representative days (in each of the four seasons respectively) were analyzed. Results: The diurnal variations in solar UV radiation at the shoulder, the forehead and the chest were similar to those associated with a horizontal control measurement. However, the diurnal variations at the eye and the cheek exhibited bimodal distributions with two peaks in spring, summer and autumn, and a unimodal distribution in winter. The UV exposure peaks at the eye and the cheek were measured at solar elevation angles (SEA) of about 30° and 40°, respectively. Conclusion: The protection of some anatomical sites such as the eye from high UV exposure should not be focused solely on the periods before and after noon, especially in the places and seasons with high SEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new genus of Jeholornithiformes from the Jehol Biota in China. • The earliest occurrence of fused pelvis during the evolution from non-avian dinosaurs to birds. • The skeletal reinforcement occurred during the juvenile ontogeny in some Jeholornithiformes. A new jeholornithiform – Kompsornis longicaudus gen. et sp. nov. – is reported based on a nearly complete specimen from the Jehol Biota in western Liaoning, China. Comprehensive comparisons and phylogenetic analysis, including all published species of Jeholornithiformes, are provided and indicate that Shenzhouraptor sinensis , Jeholornis prima , Jixiangornis orientalis , Jeholornis palmapenis and Jeholornis curvipes are all valid species of this clade, but that Dalianraptor cuhe is regarded as a nomen dubium. In particular, K. longicaudus possesses completely fused sternum and pelvis, a combination of advanced features that is for the first time recognized among jeholornithiforms and non-pygostylian avialans. The osteohistological investigation suggests that the skeletal reinforcement occurred during the juvenile ontogeny in some Jeholornithiformes. Therefore, the new discovery further enriches the diversity of Jeholornithiformes and suggests an unexpected developmental disparity in ossification patterns along the lineage from non-avian dinosaurs to birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]