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The global imaginary contributes to the perpetuation of neo-colonial and neoliberal mentalities, which reinforce the political, cultural, and social dominance over international students. Through an exploration guided by interrelated theories of agency and transnational social fields, this study employs a narrative inquiry methodology with a constructivist research approach to comprehend and investigate the agency of international graduate students of Color amidst transnational mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic within a four-year public research institution in the United States. The research findings demonstrate that specific contexts and spaces shape the agency of international graduate students and (trans)form their present and future. This article reveals four distinct forms of agency: agency as negotiation in uncertainties, agency as resistance to forms of (neo)racism, agency for personal growth and (trans)formation, and agency within transnational futures.

The Next Generation Science Standards regard biological structures at both the micro and macro levels as a core idea of life sciences and expect students to understand animals have external structures that perform diverse functions. Using the common creature of bees as a case, this study aimed to ascertain teenage students' ideas of bees through their visual representations. A total of 73 seventh-grade students aged approximately 13 years from two classes took part in a draw-bee(s) test (DBT), which requests them to create a drawing of a bee or bees. Then their completed drawings were scored against a tentative rubric of bees' basic external structures. The results highlight that many students hold alternative ideas about bees. Notably, a high number of students fail to depict bees' external structures scientifically, with some morphological features being most often missing, inaccurately numbered, inappropriately shaped, or disproportionately sized in their drawings. Based on these results, some implications are elucidated for improving students' understanding of bees in biological teaching.

This study examined teacher behaviours, students' academic engagement, and classroom ecology in mainstream classrooms including children with intellectual disabilities, and examined the differences in academic engagement for students with and without intellectual disabilities. A mixed-method research methodology was employed. The study demonstrated that children with intellectual disabilities exhibited high level of engagement in the following situations: the classroom layout used grouping, the classroom organisation combined groups and independent learning, the learning tasks included reading aloud, copying, watching videos, and doing homework, and teachers paid attention to all students or to children with intellectual disabilities individually and walked around the classroom during lesson time. English was the discipline with most active engagement among children with intellectual disabilities, followed by music, art, science, Chinese, sports, social studies, and mathematics. Finally, academic engagement of children with and without intellectual disabilities was mostly passive. We discuss the factors related to academic engagement of children with intellectual disabilities and provide suggestions for improving their self-management skills and classroom organisation.

P-12 (pre-school -- grade 12) international schools educate increasing numbers of local and expatriate students, who make up a growing proportion of tertiary (university level) international students. Using the transnational social fields framework, this phenomenological study focused on the experiences of 19 students from international schools in China, India, and the United Arab Emirates in order to better understand how these schools contribute to the development of students' identity and how they experience global learning. Findings include rich examples and narratives of how students gained an appreciation of diversity, found a sense of belonging in differing ways, reflected on their privilege, and developed intercultural understanding through global learning. This study provides further motivation for higher education (university level) institutions to gravitate from a deficit or monocultural perspective of international students, toward acknowledgement of the diverse hybrid identities and knowledge that international students bring to tertiary institutions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine Chinese international students' narrative stories, experiences and racial dynamics while studying in the United States to argue that Chinese international students navigate multi-dimensional transitions and experiences in different stages. This study uses an AsianCrit lens to address the gap in existing research focusing on Chinese international students' narratives and experiences. Design/methodology/approach: Narrative inquiry with a social constructivist paradigm was used to provide an in-depth exploration of Chinese international students' navigation and negotiation in multi-dimensional experiences. Three phases of semi-structured interviews and journal entries were utilized to examine participants' experiences and struggles while studying in the United States. Descriptive coding, deductive coding and restorying were used to analyze and feather narrators' voices and stories for interpretation. Findings: The findings in this qualitative study demonstrate that Chinese international students have unique backgrounds, and their backgrounds shape their multi-dimensional transitions and experiences in the present and the future. The findings address students' nuanced experiences in academic transitions and non-academic transitions with an AsianCrit lens. Practical implications: The study calls for higher education institutions to promote intercultural and international training for faculty and staff to better understand and support the unique needs of international students. Originality/value: Using Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions theory with an AsianCrit lens helps make sense of the intersection of international student status, geopolitical tensions, racial dynamics and international student experiences.

The gender gap remains an issue in the biological education community. This study explores the extent to which an egalitarian gender ideology, encapsulated in five biological science textbooks for upper secondary schools in China, manifests through representational, interactive and compositional meanings of social semiotic theory. The findings reveal that females in the textbooks tend to be depicted as passive and inferior to males. More males are represented as playing pioneering and leading roles, as opposed to females, who are cast in assistant and subordinate roles in professional activities. The gendered messages delivered have the potential to disempower female students' career aspirations and adversely regulate their perceptions and projections of gender identities in biological science.

This study explored the effects of visual status and braille reading patterns on the reading accuracy of students with visual impairments in China. The sample consisted of 121 students aged 10-19 years: 48 were students with congenital visual impairments, 25 were students with adventitious visual impairments, and 48 were sighted students. Students with visual impairment read braille and sighted students read printed materials, whilst both reading materials have same content. The participants' reading accuracy was measured by assessing the number and range of errors. The types of error identified included mispronunciation, omission, repetition, substitution, self-correction, and insertion. The study had two main conclusions. (1) Type of vision status had a significant effect on reading accuracy. More specifically, the reading accuracy of the sighted students was significantly higher than that of the students with visual impairments. Furthermore, repetition was the most common type of reading error made by the two groups of students with visual impairments, whereas self-correction was the most common type of reading error made by the sighted students. (2) Braille reading patterns had a marginally significant effect on reading accuracy. The participants who used cooperative and one-handed patterns were more accurate than the students who used the other braille reading patterns. Specifically, the participants using cooperative and one-handed patterns made significantly fewer mistakes in the repetition category than the students using marker and parallel patterns, but this difference did not exist for the other types of reading errors. These results are analysed and discussed in the discussion section of this paper.

This study investigated whether negative stereotypes are responsible for the effect of ASD knowledge on social distance from individuals with ASD among college students. A sample of 869 neurotypical Chinese college students completed a cross-sectional survey to assess social distance, ASD knowledge, and negative stereotypes. Pearson correlation analysis yielded significant correlations between social distance, ASD knowledge, and negative stereotypes. Multiple mediation analysis showed that negative stereotypes mediated the link between social distance and ASD knowledge. Specifically, greater ASD knowledge predicted reduced social distance through decreased stereotyping related to dangerousness, personal responsibility for the disorder, and discontinuity, but also predicted greater social distance through increased stereotyping related to social inappropriateness. The findings deepen our understanding of the association between ASD knowledge and social distance by revealing the mediating role of negative stereotypes, and provide information that can help improve anti-stigma initiatives in college settings.

Effective teaching is an important research topic worldwide. This review aims to analyze effective teaching literature in China with respect to general characteristics and conceptional dimensions. Two types of effective teaching literature, empirical studies written in Chinese and written in English, are selected for this review. Stronge's effective teaching framework is adopted for examining the conceptual dimensions in the selected studies. The results taken from the two types of literature reveal different research orientations regarding effective teaching. The literature written in Chinese demonstrates a number of quantitative research studies that, overall, are ill-written from the standard criteria of empirical study writing, including serious design flaws, missing important information, and weak data interpretations. In contrast, the literature written in English tends to focus more on a qualitative research orientation with sufficient overall quality for methodological design. Regarding the effective teaching dimensions, the dimension of the "Teacher as a Person" is interpreted differently, while the dimension of "Implementing Instruction" is most often commonly adopted in the two types of literature. We suggest that more studies are needed to conceptualize effective teaching frameworks from macro, meso, and micro levels in order to enhance the quality of effective teaching research in China. Additionally, effective teaching studies related to minority students are rare and deserve future investigation.

This study examined teacher behaviours, students' academic engagement, and classroom ecology in mainstream classrooms including children with intellectual disabilities, and examined the differences in academic engagement for students with and without intellectual disabilities. A mixed-method research methodology was employed. The study demonstrated that children with intellectual disabilities exhibited high level of engagement in the following situations: the classroom layout used grouping, the classroom organisation combined groups and independent learning, the learning tasks included reading aloud, copying, watching videos, and doing homework, and teachers paid attention to all students or to children with intellectual disabilities individually and walked around the classroom during lesson time. English was the discipline with most active engagement among children with intellectual disabilities, followed by music, art, science, Chinese, sports, social studies, and mathematics. Finally, academic engagement of children with and without intellectual disabilities was mostly passive. We discuss the factors related to academic engagement of children with intellectual disabilities and provide suggestions for improving their self-management skills and classroom organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is the most important factor affecting the life quality of young breast cancer patients, and it may be affected by the patient's personality, marital relationship and communication, there is a lack of research on the relationship between adult attachment, self-disclosure and FCR in patients. This study investigated the current situation of FCR in young breast cancer patients, its correlation with adult attachment and self-disclosure and its influencing factors, in order to predict the impact of adult attachment and self-disclosure of patients to spouse on FCR. Methods: A survey was conducted on 126 breast cancer patients at our hospital using the General Information Questionnaire (GIQ), Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), Experiences in Close Relationships inventory (ECR), and Distress Disclosure Index (DDI). The study analyzed the status of FCR among young breast cancer patients and its correlation with adult attachment and self-disclosure, along with its influencing factors. Results: Among the 126 young breast cancer patients, 50 had a FoP-Q-SF score <34 (normal group), while 76 had a FoP-Q-SF score ≥34 (FCR positive group), with an FCR incidence rate of 60.32%. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of FoP-Q-SF score, ECR score, attachment anxiety score, attachment avoidance score, DDI score, age, educational level, employment status, per capita monthly income, and treatment method (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that FoP-Q-SF scores were positively correlated with attachment anxiety score, attachment avoidance score, ECR scores and negatively correlated with DDI scores (p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis indicated that age, per capita monthly income, treatment method, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance and self-disclosure level were negative predictors of FoP-Q-SF scores in young breast cancer patients (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The incidence rate of FCR among young breast cancer patients is high. There is a positive correlation between adult attachment and the level of FCR, and a negative correlation between the level of self-disclosure and FCR. Patients with lower per capita monthly income, more complex treatment methods, higher level of attachment anxiety, higher level of attachment avoidance and lower DDI scores had higher FoP-Q-SF scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium, ground-cover Chrysanthemums), one of the important garden flowers, has a high ornamental and economic value. However, its ornamental value is significantly diminished by the low temperature experienced in northeastern China. Here, metabolomics and transcriptomics were performed on three Chrysanthemum cultivars before and after a low temperature to investigate the dynamic metabolite changes and the molecular regulatory mechanisms. The results showed that 1324 annotated metabolites were detected, among which 327 were identified as flavonoids derived from Chrysanthemum. The accumulation of metabolites and gene expression related to the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway significantly increased in the three cultivars under the low temperature, indicating flavonoid metabolism actively participates in the Chrysanthemum cold response. Specifically, the content of cyanidin and pelargonidin derivatives and the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes significantly increases in XHBF, providing a reasonable explanation for the change in petal color from white to purple under the low temperature. Six candidate UDP-glycosyltransferase genes involved in the glycosylation of flavonoids were identified through correlation networks and phylogenetic analysis. CmNAC1, CmbZIP3, and other transcription factors potentially regulating flavonoid metabolism and responding to low temperatures were discovered by correlation analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). In conclusion, this study elucidated the specific response of flavonoids to low temperatures in Chrysanthemums, providing valuable insights and metabolic data for investigating cold tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity (PA) benefits children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Evidence suggests that some barriers impede parents from providing PA support for their children with ASD. Parental perceived stigma is one of these barriers. However, few studies have explored how parental perceived stigma influences parental PA support. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental perceived stigma and parental PA support, the mediating role of parental self-efficacy, and the moderating effect of having other typically developing children or not. A total of 274 participants were recruited to participate in the study. The results showed that parental self-efficacy mediated the association between parental perceived stigma and parental PA support and the moderating effect of having other typically developing children or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agent-led construction system is a construction mode that emphasizes the introduction of professional management teams instead of government departments to develop public projects in China, including social security housing. In reality, the problem in practice is that the government owners' management system of the agent market is not sound enough, and it cannot effectively motivate the agents. Existing research has not paid enough attention to this agent construction market. To reveal the effective incentives of agent developers, using the stimulus-organism-response theory, this study constructed a structural equation model and proposed a research hypothesis about the effect of project governance elements on project performance. The study found that governance elements including internal contractual governance, external contractual governance, and relational governance, had a positive incentivizing effect on the project performance. The psychology and behavior of the construction agent played a partial mediating role. The results provide a policy implication for city government to improve the incentive system for agent construction of security housing projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing agricultural productivity and reducing carbon emissions are two major challenges that China faces. This paper explores how agricultural insurance affects agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) that addresses these two challenges. First, we adopt DDF-GML to measure AGTFP, and the Dagum's Gini decompositions results show the large differences in AGTFP, with transvariation between subregions contributing the most. Second, we find the U-shaped effect of agricultural insurance on AGTFP in a large country context. The result remains robust after adjusting for time, sample and estimation method of AGTFP. We also construct instrumental variables from the minimum distance from the centroid of counties within a province to the 45 ports in China and two-stage lagged agricultural insurance penetration (AIP) for AIP, and their squares as instrumental variables for AIP2. The conclusion remains robust in 2SLS model. Third, the findings confirm three channels for agricultural insurance to influence the AGTFP: environmentally friendly production, labor inputs and operation scale. We further propose policy advice to promote China's agricultural modernization and point out further research directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River serve as principal rice production bases in China, yet the biodiversity and ecological processes of bacterial communities in paddy soils are not well understood. This study explores the diversity, composition, ecological function, and assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterial communities in paddy soils. A total of 129 paddy soil samples from 43 sites along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were collected and analyzed using NovaSeq sequencing. The results showed that the dominant phylum for both abundant and rare taxa was Proteobacteria, with a greater relative abundance of the abundant taxa. The diversity of the abundant community was lower than that of the rare community. Soil properties and geographic variables explained more of the variation in the abundant community than in the rare community. The rare community exhibited a significant distance‐decay relationship. The assembly of the abundant community was more influenced by stochastic processes, although both the abundant and rare communities were governed by stochastic processes. It is concluded that both abundant and rare bacterial communities exhibit differing biogeographic patterns, yet they undergo similar ecological processes in the paddy soils along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. These observations offer a theoretical framework for a deeper comprehension of the function of both abundant and rare bacteria, as well as the development and preservation of soil bacterial diversity within agricultural ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the central Tarim Basin, numerous hydrocarbon deposits were found along ultra-deep strike-slip faults, and its evolving progress and formation mechanism are research hotspots. The Paleozoic small-angle X-type strike-slip fault in the Tabei Uplift is the research subject in this article. Based on high-precision three-dimensional seismic data, three structural deformation layers were revealed: the rift system, weak strike-slip deformation and salt tectonics in the deep structural layer (Sinian-Middle Cambrian), the strong strike-slip deformation and karst-dissolution structure in the middle structural layer (Upper Cambrian-Middle Ordovician), and echelon normal faults in the shallow structural layer (Upper Ordovician-Carboniferous). The formation and evolution of strike-slip faults is jointly controlled by the distribution pattern of basement rift and the activities of surrounding orogenic belts, which can be divided into three stages. In the Middle to Late Cambrian, the initial subduction of the Paleo-Asian and Proto-Tethyan oceans precipitated the emergence of two sets of small-angle X-type strike-slip faults, striking NW and NE above the grooves of Precambrian rifts, influenced by local weak compressive stress. Affected by the closure of peripheral paleo-ocean, strike-slip faults deformed considerably in the Middle-Late Ordovician and were reactivated in the Silurian-Carboniferous, forming en-echelon normal faults in the shallow layer. The layered deformation structure of the strike-slip faults significantly affects the accumulation of hydrocarbons. The differential hydrocarbon enrichment of faults in the Tabei Uplift is collectively influenced by the distribution of source rocks and the migration of oil and gas. The topographical features of the Tabei Uplift, along with the distribution of strike-slip faults across tectonic units, have rendered the NE direction the preferential pathway for hydrocarbon migration. Additionally, impacted by the development of en echelon faults, the NE-trending faults offer superior conditions for hydrocarbon preservation and charging condition, compared to the NW-trending faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Arid and semi-arid regions are climate-sensitive areas, which account for about 40% of the world's land surface area. Future environment change will impact the environment of these area, resulting in a sharp expansion of arid and semi-arid regions. Cotoneaster multiflorus is a multi-functional tree species with extreme cold, drought and barren resistance, as well as ornamental and medicinal functions. It was found to be one of the most important tree species for ecological restoration in arid and semi-arid areas. However, bioclimatic factors play an important role in the growth, development and distribution of plants. Therefore, exploring the response pattern and ecological adaptability of C. multiflorus to future climate change is important for the longterm ecological restoration of C. multiflorus in arid and semi-arid areas. Methods: In this study, we predicted the potential distribution of C. multiflorus in China under different climate scenarios based on the MaxEnt 2.0 model, and discussed its adaptability and the major factors affecting its geographical distribution. Results: The major factors that explained the geographical distribution of C. multiflorus were Annual precipitation (Bio12), Min air temperature of the coldest month (Bio6), and Mean air temperature of the coldest quarter (Bio11). However, C. multiflorus could thrive in environments where Annual precipitation (Bio12) >150 mm, Min air temperature of the coldest month (Bio6) > -42.5°C, and Mean air temperature of the coldest quarter (Bio11) > -20°C, showcasing its characteristics of cold and drought tolerance. Under different future climate scenarios, the total suitable area for C. multiflorus ranged from 411.199x104 km² to 470.191x104 km², which was 0.8~6.14 percentage points higher than the current total suitable area. Additionally, it would further shift towards higher latitude. Discussion: The MaxEnt 2.0 model predicted the potential distribution pattern of C. multiflorus in the context of future climate change, and identified its ecological adaptability and the main climatic factors affecting its distribution. This study provides an important theoretical basis for natural vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To identify the trajectories of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), and assess the associations of BMI trajectory, WC trajectory, or the two combined, with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk in Chinese adults. Materials and Methods: This study was based on a prospective project—the Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China‐PAR). A total of 54 434 participants (39.21% men) who were measured on at least two occasions were included. Three slowly increasing trajectory patterns were identified for BMI, and four for WC, by latent mixed modelling. A nine‐category variable was derived by combining the WC trajectory (low, moderate, moderate‐high/high) and the BMI trajectory (low, moderate, high). Logistic regression models were applied to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The risk of developing T2DM increased with elevated BMI or WC trajectory levels (all ptrend <0.001). The risks were 2.85 (2.59–3.14) for high BMI trajectory and 4.34 (3.78–4.99) for high WC trajectory versus low trajectory groups, respectively. The association was more pronounced among younger individuals (pinteraction <0.001). In the joint analysis, compared to participants with low WC and BMI trajectory, those with moderate‐high/high WC combined with high BMI trajectory had the highest risk of T2DM (OR 3.96, 95% CI 3.48–4.50); even those who maintained moderate‐high/high WC but low BMI trajectory showed a higher T2DM risk (OR 3.00, 95% CI 2.31–3.91). Conclusions: This study suggests that simultaneous dynamic and continuous monitoring of BMI and WC may contribute more than single measurements to predicting T2DM risk and determining preventive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the integration of ecological systems theory and the risk and protective factor model, the current study tested whether individual relative deprivation mediated the association between perceived social support and adolescents' experiential avoidance and whether this mediation model was moderated by subjective social class. A sample of 582 senior high school students in China participated in the current survey. The results indicated that perceived social support was negatively related to the students' experiential avoidance. Mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of perceived social support on experiential avoidance, via individual relative deprivation. Moreover, the mediation effect of individual relative deprivation was moderated by subjective social class. Specifically, the negative relationship between perceived social support and individual relative deprivation, and the direct relationship between perceived social support and experiential avoidance were stronger for adolescents with low subjective social class. In contrast, the positive relationship between individual relative deprivation and experiential avoidance was stronger for adolescents with high subjective social class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SM4 cryptographic algorithm is a block cipher algorithm issued by China's state cryptographic administration and has become an international standard. We implement the quantum circuits of SM4 block cipher by optimizing the number of qubits and the value of depth-times-width. The quantum circuits of the S-box are first studied. According to the algebraic structure of the S-box, four kinds of improved quantum circuits of S-box are presented for different phases in SM4 based on composite field arithmetic. In order to optimize the number of qubits, we implement the quantum circuit of SM4 by connecting the quantum subcircuits in series. The implemented quantum circuit of SM4 only uses 260 qubits, which is the least number of qubits used not only in implementing the SM4 quantum circuit, but also in implementing the block cipher algorithms with 8-bit S-box, 128-bit plaintext and 128-bit secret key. When optimizing the value of depth-times-width, we achieve it through parallel implementation. The trade-off quantum circuit uses a total of 288 quantum bits, and the Toffoli depth is 1716. The depth-times-width is 49,4208, which is less than the existing best value 82,5792. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapeseed blanket seedling transplanters have developed rapidly due to their high efficiency and adaptability to the soil in many areas of China. However, during the transplanter's longitudinal seedling conveying process, seedling blanket compression leads to inaccurate conveying and thus declined seedling picking performance. In this paper, a mechanical compression test was carried out on rapeseed seedling blankets. The longitudinal compression force of the rapeseed seedling blanket on a transplanter was calculated through mechanical analysis. A compression model of the rapeseed seedling blanket was established to determine how the blanket's mechanical characteristics and the device's structural parameters affect blanket compression. In addition, with the index of longitudinal compression Y1, the coefficient of variation in the longitudinal seedling conveying distance Y2, and the qualified-block-cutting rate Y3, the interactive influence between the seedling tray tilt angle A, the seedling blanket moisture content B, and the seedling blanket thickness C were analyzed using response surface analysis. Aiming to reduce blanket compression and enhance the accuracy of longitudinal seedling conveying and block-cutting quality, the optimized results show that the predicted optimal parameters were a 50.14° seedling tray tilt angle, a 71.86% seedling blanket moisture content, and a 22.13 mm seedling blanket thickness. Using these optimized parameters, the transplanter achieved a blanket longitudinal compression of 18.17 mm, a coefficient of variation in the longitudinal seedling conveying distance of 1.142, and a qualified-block-cutting rate of 90%. Subsequently, a validation test was performed, revealing a high degree of conformity between the optimization model and the experimental data. Thus, the predicted optimal parameters can provide significantly reduced compression and a high seedling conveying performance. The results of this study provide theoretical and empirical support for the optimized design and operation of mechanized rapeseed blanket seedling transplanting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China's mountainous coastal terrain, storms can badly damage low-rise buildings. At present, it is not clear how the relative position of buildings and mountains affects the surface of low-rise buildings. The study compared these results with the wind pressure distribution without the surrounding environment. The distribution of wind pressure in different hillside landforms is examined through a wind tunnel experiment, which is also compared with the distribution in an open environment. The study examined the fluctuating coefficient as the distance between the building and the hillside changed, specifically for wind blowing at a 0° angle. The investigation examined the power spectrum and wind pressure probability distribution while considering the proximity of the building to an adjacent hill. The findings indicated that as the distance between the slope and the mountain increases, the fluctuating wind pressure coefficient continues to increase, and the contour lines of the wind pressure distribution are relatively denser compared to where there is a mountain. The maximum value of the fluctuating wind pressure coefficient is 0.22, which appears at the windward roof. The roof's wind pressure coefficient fluctuated and gradually increased until it reached its peak, unaffected by the surroundings. The wind pressure on the leeward side exhibited Gaussian characteristics in its probability distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of neoplastic polyps in gallbladder polyps (GPs) increases sharply with age and is associated with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). This study aims to predict neoplastic polyps and provide appropriate treatment strategies based on preoperative ultrasound features in patients with different age level. Methods: According to the age classification of WHO, 1523 patients with GPs who underwent cholecystectomy from January 2015 to December 2019 at 11 tertiary hospitals in China were divided into young adults group (n=622), middle-aged group (n=665) and elderly group (n=236). Linear scoring models were established based on independent risk variables screened by the Logistic regression model in different age groups. The area under ROC (AUC) to evaluate the predictive ability of linear scoring models, long- and short- diameter of GPs. Results: Independent risk factors for neoplastic polyps included the number of polyps, polyp size (long diameter), and fundus in the young adults and elderly groups, while the number of polyps, polyp size (long diameter), and polyp size (short diameter) in the middle-aged groups. In different age groups, the AUCs of its linear scoring model were higher than the AUCs of the long- and short- diameter of GPs for differentiating neoplastic and non-neoplastic polyps (all P<0.05), and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed that the prediction accuracy of the linear scoring models was higher than the long- and short- diameter of GPs (all P>0.05). Conclusion: The linear scoring models of the young adults, middle-aged and elderly groups can effectively distinguish neoplastic polyps from non-neoplastic polyps based on preoperative ultrasound features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the GEOS‐Chem chemistry transport model to quantify the factors in the diel discrepancy of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) retrieved from Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) satellite observations over eastern China. The GEOS‐Chem simulation reveals that the AOD below 1 km is 58.5% larger at night than during the daytime, which is comparable to the counterpart of 41.3% from CALIOP (v4.2). Model sensitivity simulations show that the diurnal variation in wind barely impacts the AOD difference between daytime and nighttime, and the increase in AOD at nighttime is primarily caused by the lower temperature at nighttime compared to daytime. Further simulations demonstrate that the low temperature at night increases AOD primarily by increasing relative humidity, and hence particle hygroscopic growth, while the effect of temperature on chemical rate barely influences AOD. CALIOP also observes that the absolute difference in AOD above 1 km between nighttime and daytime is 0.105, while the counterpart in GEOS‐Chem simulations is −0.031. This contrast can be partly explained by the factor that the percentage of valid CALIOP retrievals below 5 km is 15%–20% greater at nighttime than in the daytime due to the CALIOP detection limit. Removing the detection limit impact decreases the difference in the CALIOP AOD above 1 km between nighttime and daytime to 0.073. Plain Language Summary: Aerosols are small particulates suspended in the atmosphere, having adverse impacts on human health, and modifying climate forcing. Satellite‐based Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), while often used as an observation‐based indicator of air pollution at global and regional scale, contains not only information on aerosol dry mass concentrations but also information on aerosol optical properties that link mass to optical extinction. We found that satellite‐based AOD at night is larger than that in the daytime over eastern China. The disparities cannot be explained by the difference in aerosol dry mass loading alone, and indeed, is primarily caused by larger relative humidity that in turn makes aerosol particle size larger and changes aerosol extinction efficiency via greater hygroscopic growth at night. As the space‐borne lidar (CLAIOP) that is designed to measure both daytime and nighttime AOD was decommissioned in August 2023, this study not only reveals the diurnal variation in the relationship between AOD and aerosol dry mass concentrations but also underscores the emergent need and critical importance of nighttime AOD measurements from space for studying air quality and aerosol processes at regional to global scale. Key Points: CALIOP observes that Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) is larger in the nighttime than during the daytime over eastern ChinaLarger nighttime AOD is mainly due to greater hygroscopic growth related to larger relative humidity at night in lower troposphereThe CALIOP detection limit difference between daytime and nighttime partly contributes to the larger nighttime AOD below 5 km [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant nutrient stoichiometry is of critical importance to productivity and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The impacts of tree species diversity on productivity have been well studied at the stand level. However, it is unclear how neighbourhood interactions impact the foliar nutrient stoichiometry of trees at the neighbourhood scale and how plant mycorrhizal associations can mediate such effects.We randomly selected eight tree species from a large‐scale biodiversity experiment with mixtures up to 32 tree species in subtropical China to assess the effects of species richness, phylogenetic and trait dissimilarities and competition on the foliar nutrient stoichiometry of focal trees associated with either arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. We further investigated whether neighbourhood diversity can alter focal tree growth by regulating C:N:P stoichiometry.Neighbourhood species richness had no significant impact on the foliar C:N, N:P or C:P for both AM and EM trees. Increased neighbourhood phylogenetic dissimilarity significantly decreased the foliar N:P and C:P of AM trees but did not affect those of EM tree species. Foliar C:N, N:P and C:P of AM trees decreased with increasing neighbour trait (specific leaf area, root diameter, wood density dissimilarity, total trait) dissimilarities, while those of EM trees increased or remained unchanged. The increase of the neighbourhood competition index resulted in an increase in the foliar C:N of AM tree species but not EM tree species. The structural equation model analysis revealed that the increase of neighbourhood phylogenetic dissimilarity and functional trait dissimilarity indirectly enhanced tree growth of AM trees by decreasing foliar C:N. Conversely, the increase of neighbourhood‐specific root length and wood density dissimilarity indirectly reduced the growth of EM trees by increasing foliar N:P.Synthesis. Our results indicate that neighbourhood trait dissimilarity regulated tree foliar stoichiometry and growth performance, but the effects depended on the mycorrhizal type of trees. Our findings highlight the importance of tree mycorrhizal associations for better understanding the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem functions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hills and mountain fields have a high proportion in coastal areas around the world. Especially in China, lots of low-rise buildings are in complex mountain terrain. Compared with the flat topography under typhoons, due to the change caused by complex topography, the damage ratio of low-rise buildings is much larger. This paper investigates the wind pressure distribution in three different configurations of typical mountain terrain on low-rise buildings in coastal areas by wind tunnel tests. At the same time, the results are compared with the wind pressure distribution of low-rise buildings without surrounding structures. The variation of the average pressure coefficient and shape coefficient with the change of hillside height under a wind attack angle of 0° and the trends of average wind pressure coefficients of a low-rise building under wind attack angles of 0° – 90° are studied. The results show that the distribution of pressure in low buildings is significantly affected by the height of the mountain. When the hillside height is half of the scale physical model, the influence coefficient from the mountain to each surface of the whole building is within 50%. When the hillside height is four times that of the model, the influence factor from the mountain to each surface of the whole building is obvious and is most significantly influenced by the leeward roof. The mean design criteria of the low-rise building, such as windward midline, leeward roof, and windward roof in these three typical mountain terrains, should be designed for their higher absolute value of the average pressure coefficient. The mean pressure coefficient under different wind angles and mountain environments has a significant relationship. The most unfavorable wind angle of wind load calculations should be considered when designing low-rise buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization leads to dramatic changes in habitat quality, which significantly affects population health. Research on the coupling coordination relationship between new urbanization and health production efficiency is conducive to improving residents' well-being and urban sustainable development. In this article, we adopted the super-efficient SBM model and entropy value method separately to evaluate the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of health production efficiency and new urbanization in China. Then, we used the coupling coordination degree model to investigate the interactive coercing relationship between new urbanization and health production efficiency. Finally, the panel Tobit model is used to analyze the factors influencing the coupled coordination of the two systems. The results showed that the new urbanization levels of 31 provinces in China have all steadily increased from 2003 to 2018. Health production efficiency exhibited a fluctuating but increasing trend, and its regional differences are gradually narrowing. Health production efficiency and new urbanization have developed in a more coordinated direction, with a spatial pattern of "high in the southeast and low in the northwest." Meanwhile, the relative development characteristics between the two systems have constantly changed, from the new urbanization lagged type to the two systems synchronized type and the health production efficiency lagged type. Population density, economic development level, government financial investment, and government health investment positively impact the coupling coordination degree of the two systems. In comparison, individual health investment harms the harmonization of the two systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to summarize the structure of radiomics-based knowledge and to explore potential trends and priorities by using bibliometric analysis. Methods: Select radiomics-related publications from 2012 to October 2022 from the Science Core Collection Web site. Use VOSviewer (version 1.6.18), CiteSpace (version 6.1.3), Tableau (version 2022), Microsoft Excel and Rstudio's free online platforms (http://bibliometric.com) for co-writing, co-citing, and co-occurrence analysis of countries, institutions, authors, references, and keywords in the field. The visual analysis is also carried out on it. Results: The study included 6428 articles. Since 2012, there has been an increase in research papers based on radiomics. Judging by publications, China has made the largest contribution in this area. We identify the most productive institutions and authors as Fudan University and Tianjie. The top three magazines with the most publications are《FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY》, 《EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY》, and 《CANCERS》. According to the results of reference and keyword analysis, "deep learning, nomogram, ultrasound, f-18-fdg, machine learning, covid-19, radiogenomics" has been determined as the main research direction in the future. Conclusion: Radiomics is in a phase of vigorous development with broad prospects. Cross-border cooperation between countries and institutions should be strengthened in the future. It can be predicted that the development of deep learning-based models and multimodal fusion models will be the focus of future research. Advances in knowledge: This study explores the current state of research and hot spots in the field of radiomics from multiple perspectives, comprehensively, and objectively reflecting the evolving trends in imaging-related research and providing a reference for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately 30% of post-operative breast cancer patients develop shoulder joint movement disorders affecting routine upper limb movement. This study discusses the impact of a neuromuscular joint facilitation (NJF) method on the physical function of breast cancer patients experiencing shoulder dysfunction during chemotherapy after radical surgery. Methods: This study included 162 female patients who have unilateral breast cancer in a cancer hospital in China. They developed shoulder joint mobility disorders during chemotherapy within 1–3 months postoperatively. These patients were divided into three groups: NJF, conventional rehabilitation (conventional group), and control groups. The clinical examination included the maximum passive and active range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and external and internal rotation). Other evaluations included a pain score using a visual analog scale (VAS), grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness. All tests were evaluated pre-and post-intervention. Results: The NJF group showed a significant increase in all shoulder ROM angles post-intervention. In the conventional group, all other ROM values increased significantly, except passive external rotation ROM. In the control group, all other ROM values increased significantly, except passive and active external rotation ROM. All three groups had decreased VAS scores, increased grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness post-intervention during active abduction. In the control group, the supraspinatus contraction rate decreased significantly at 60° and 90° abduction post-intervention compared to that at pre-intervention. Conclusion: This study revealed that NJF during chemotherapy had positive clinical intervention effects, improving shoulder joint mobility disorders, pain, grip strength, and external rotation following radical breast cancer surgery. Clinical trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; https://www.chictr.org.cn/ (ChiCTR2300073170), registered (03/07/2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sinks reduce the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration and global warming. However, uncertainty still exists in the estimation results of carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink fluxes (CCSF), and the contributions of climate change and ecological restoration to the CCSF are not clear. To this end, we compiled published site data on ion concentrations in different watersheds in China and used a classical thermodynamic dissolution model to reassess the potential and spatial and temporal patterns of the CCSF in China from 1991 to 2020. We quantified the contributions of temperature (MAT), precipitation (MAP), evapotranspiration (ET), soil water (SM), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to the CCSF. The results revealed that (1) China's CCSF was 22.76 t CO2 km−2 yr−1, which was higher than the global average (15.771CO2 km−2 yr−1). The total carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink (CCS) was 4772.67×104 t CO2, contributing 14.91% of the global CCS through a carbonate rock area of 252.98×104 km−2. (2) China's CCSF decreased gradually from southeast to northwest, with values of 33.14, 12.93, and 7.27 t CO2 km−2 yr−1 in the southern karst, Qinghai-Tibetan karst, and northern karst regions, respectively. (3) The overall CCSF in China exhibited an increasing trend from 1991 to 2020, with a rate of increase of 0.16 t CO2 km−2 yr−1. (4) The contributions of the MAP, MAT, ET, SM, and NDVI to the CCSF were 63.3%, 3.02%, 27.5%, 3.1%, and 3.05%, respectively. Among them, the increase in precipitation was the main contributor to the increase in the CCSF in China over the last 30 years, while the enhancement of ET offset part of the positive contribution of the increase in precipitation to the CCSF. In conclusion, the results of this study provide a systematic quantification of the magnitude, the patterns, and the influencing factors of CCS over a long time series in China. The results are of great significance and provide a reference for the diagnosis and gap analysis of the national and global carbon neutrality capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock bridges, also known as locking masses in landslides, affect the three-dimensional (3D) stability and deformation patterns of landslides. However, it is always difficult to simulate rock bridges with continuous grid models in 3D landslides due to their discontinuous deformations. Tizicao landslide, located in Maoxian County, southwest China, is a typical landslide with a super-large rock mass volume of about 1388.2 × 10 4 m 3 and a locking segment. To explore a better rock bridge model used to simulate 3D stability and deformations of the Tizicao landslide, this study introduced three rock bridge models into the FLAC3D program, including the intact rock mass model (IRMM), the Jennings model (JM), and the contact surface model with high strength parameters (CSM-HSP). The CSM-HSP model was eventually used in the FLAC3D program to obtain the 3D deformation characteristics of the landslide. In addition, the two-dimensional (2D) stability of the Tizicao landslide was analyzed using the GeoStudio program. The simulation results indicate that the Tizicao landslide is generally stable under current conditions owing to the existence of the locking segment in its southern front. This inference is consistent with the field deformation and monitoring data. It was found that the general stability and local deformations of the landslide are influenced by the locking segment according to the comparison between the 2D and 3D stability. There was a linear relationship between the locking ratio and the factor of safety (Fos), which applied to the 2D stability analysis of the landslides with a locking segment each, while there existed an approximate quadratic parabola suitable for the 3D stability of the landslides. Finally, this study analyzed the laws of the 3D Fos varying with the locking ratio and strength parameters of the locking masses and the sliding surface. Furthermore, it explored the advantages and disadvantages of the three rock bridge models in the simulation of the 3D stability of landslides with a locking segment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of a large number of concrete infrastructures in China are deteriorating year by year, raising the need for repairing and strengthening these infrastructures. By introducing waterborne polymers into a cement concrete system, brittle cracks and easy bonding performance defects of concrete can be compensated for to form a long-life, semi rigid, waterborne polymer-modified cementitious repair material with a promising development prospect. This paper investigates the modification effect of polymer emulsions on ordinary cement mortar. Our research mainly focused on the physical and mechanical properties, durability, microstructure and application status of waterborne polymer-modified cementitious composites. Literature studies show that with the increase in waterborne polymer content (0 wt%~20 wt%), the performance of cement mortar significantly improves, which in turn expands its application range. Compared with ordinary cement mortar, the introduction of waterborne polymers blocks some of the pores in the cement to a certain extent, thus improving its permeability, freeze–thaw resistance and durability. Finally, this paper describes the application of waterborne polymer–cementitious composites in western saline soil environments, as well as discusses the prospects of their development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on optimizing the deployment plan for standby points of professional rescue vessels based on the data of maritime incidents in the Beihai area of China. The primary objective is to achieve multi-level and multiple coverage of the jurisdictional waters of the Beihai Rescue Bureau. Models including the coverage quality of the jurisdictional waters, the coverage quality in high-risk areas, the maximum coverage of jurisdictional areas, and the maximum coverage of high-risk areas are constructed and solved using 0–1 integer programming. The optimal plan for eight standby points and their corresponding deployment plans for rescue vessels are obtained. A comparison with the current site selection plan of the Beihai Rescue Bureau validates the superiority of the proposed deployment plan for rescue vessel standby points in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Forage culture is a common way to restore degraded grasslands and soil functions, in which the reconstruction of the soil microbial community and its relationship with extracellular enzyme activity (EEAs) can characterize the recovery effects of degraded grasslands. However, the impacts of forage culture on the interaction between soil microbes and EEAs and whether the recovery effect of soil functions depends on the varying degradation statuses remain unclear. Methods: We conducted a plantation of a dominant grass, Leymus chinensis, in the soil collected from severe, moderate, light, and non-degradation statuses in the Songnen grassland in northeastern China. We measured soil microbial diversity and soil EEAs, and predicted microbial functional groups using FUNGuild. Results: The results showed that L. chinensis culture promoted soil bacterial alpha diversity and soil EEAs only in the moderate degradation status, indicating a dramatic dependence of the recovery effects of the grass culture on degradation status of the grassland. After planting L. chinensis for 10weeks, a decreasing trend in the chemoheterotrophy and nitrate-reduction microbial functional groups was found. In contrast, the abundance of the nitrogen (N)-fixing microbial functional group tended to increase. The positive correlation between soil EEAs and the nitratereduction and N-fixing microbial functional groups was enhanced by planting L. chinensis, indicating that grass culture could promote soil N cycle functions. Conclusion: We illuminate that grass culture may promote the restoration of soil functions, especially soil N cycling in degraded grasslands, and the recovery effect may depend on the grassland degradation status. We emphasized that selection of the plant species for restoration of grasslands needs to consider the restoration effects of microbial functional groups and soil functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The adaptive mechanisms of agricultural pests are the key to understanding the evolution of the pests and to developing new control strategies. However, there are few studies on the genetic basis of adaptations of agricultural pests. The turnip moth, Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important underground pest that affects a wide range of host plants and has a strong capacity to adapt to new environments. It is thus a good model for studying the adaptive evolution of pest species. Results: We assembled a high-quality reference genome of A. segetum using PacBio reads. Then, we constructed a variation map of A. segetum by resequencing 98 individuals collected from six natural populations in China. The analysis of the population structure showed that all individuals were divided into four well-differentiated populations, corresponding to their geographical distribution. Selective sweep analysis and environmental association studies showed that candidate genes associated with local adaptation were functionally correlated with detoxification metabolism and glucose metabolism. Conclusions: Our study of A. segetum has provided insights into the genetic mechanisms of local adaptation and evolution; it has also produced genetic resources for developing new pest management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the epidemiological trends in acetabular fracture and report the mid-term to long-term clinical outcomes of the elderly treated with operation. Methods: Retrospective study. Patients aged ≥ 14 years with operative treatment of the Acetabular fracture from Jan 2010 to Dec 2019 at a level-1 trauma centre were identified to analyze the epidemiological trends, and the difference in fracture patterns between young and elderly patients (≥ 60 years old) were compared. The elderly patients were followed up to evaluate their clinical outcomes and satisfaction degree (worst to best: 0 to10). The patients were divided into the 2010–2014 group and the 2015–2019 group according to the year of admission, and the clinical outcomes of the two groups were compared to verify the stability from mid-term to long-term after surgery for acetabular fracture. Results: A total of 1024 patients (mean age 43.35 years, range 14–86 years) with acetabular fractures received operative treatment in this decade. The mean age of the acetabular fracture patients increased from 41.1 years to 47.7 years, and the proportion of elderly patients increased from 5.7% to 24.0%, with some volatility. The ratio of male to female decreased year by year, and the proportion of female patients increased with age. And the anterior fracture patterns were more common in the elderly patients compared to the young patients (P < 0.001). 118 elderly patients (82 males, 36 females; mean age 66.91 years, range 60–86 years) were followed-up (mean 77.4 months, range 35–152 months). The overall mortality rate of the elderly patients was 7.69% (9/118). The Harris hip score of those alive patients was 90.41 ± 12.91 points (excellent and good rate 84.4%). 87 patients completed the SF-12 with a normal HRQoL (PCS 50.49 ± 8.88 points; MCS 55.66 ± 8.86 points). 90.8% of the patients achieved a satisfaction score of 9 or higher. And there was no significant difference in clinical outcomes between the 2010–2014 group and the 2015–2019 group (P > 0.05). Conclusions: In conclusion, acetabular fractures presented an obvious ageing trend in China, and the fracture patterns of the elderly patients differed from those in the young patients. Operative treatment for elderly acetabular fractures yielded satisfactory and persistent clinical outcomes from mid-term to long-term clinical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamics of plant communities during forest succession have been received great attention in the past decades, yet information about soil microbial communities that are involved in carbon cycling remains limited. Here we investigated soil microbial community composition and carbohydrate degradation potential using metagenomic analysis and examined their influencing factors in three successional subtropical forests in southern China. Results showed that the abundances of soil bacteria and fungi increased (p ≤ 0.05 for both) with forest succession in relation to both soil and litter characteristics, whereas the bacterial diversity did not change (p > 0.05) and the fungal diversity of Shannon-Wiener index even decreased (p ≤ 0.05). The abundances of microbial carbohydrate degradation functional genes of cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase also increased with forest succession (p ≤ 0.05 for all). However, the chitinase gene abundance did not change with forest succession (p > 0.05) and the amylase gene abundance decreased firstly in middlesuccession forest and then increased in late-succession forest. Further analysis indicated that changes of functional gene abundance in cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase were primarily affected by soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen, and soil moisture, whereas the variation of amylase gene abundance was well explained by soil phosphorus and litterfall. Overall, we created a metagenome profile of soil microbes in subtropical forest succession and fostered our understanding of microbially-mediated soil carbon cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens (Walker), is a significant polyphagous pest historically restricted to regions south of N34° latitude. However, with changes in global climate and farming practices, the distribution of this moth has progressively exceeded its traditional limit of 34° N and encompassed most regions in North China. The genetic adaptations of S. inferens remain incompletely understood due to the lack of high-quality genome resources. Here, we sequenced the genome of S. inferens using PacBio and Hi-C technology, yielding a genome assembly of 865.04 Mb with contig N50 of 1.23 Mb. BUSCO analysis demonstrated this genome assembly has a high-level completeness of 96.1% gene coverage. In total, 459.72 Mb repeat sequences (53.14% of the assembled genome) and 20858 protein-coding genes were identified. We used the Hi-C technique to anchor 1135 contigs to 31 chromosomes, yielding a chromosome-level genome assembly with a scaffold N50 of 29.99 Mb. In conclusion, our high-quality genome assembly provided valuable resource that exploring the genetic characteristics of local adaptation and developing an efficient control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hulan River Basin is located in the black soil region of northeast China. This region is an important food-producing area and the susceptibility of black soil to erosion increases the risk of soil erosion, which is a serious environmental problem that affects agricultural productivity, water supply, and other important aspects of the region. In this paper, the changes in LULC (land use and land cover) in the basin between 2001 and 2020 were thoroughly analysed using GIS (geographic information system) and USLE (universal soil loss equation) models. The soil erosion risk in the Hulan River Basin between 2001 and 2020 was also studied and soil erosion hot spots were identified to target those that remained significant even under the implementation of soil conservation measures. Precipitation data were used to obtain the R factor distribution, LULC classification was adopted to assess the C factor distribution, soil data were employed to estimate the K factor distribution, DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data were used to generate an LS factor map, and slope and LULC data were considered to produce a P factor distribution map. These factors were based on the model parameters of the USLE. The findings of LULC change analysis over the last 20 years indicated that, while there have been nonobvious changes, agricultural land has continued to occupy the bulk of the area in the Hulan River Basin. The increase in areas used for human activities was the most notable trend. In 2001, the model-predicted soil erosion rate varied between 0 and 120 t/ha/yr, with an average of 4.63 t/ha/yr. By 2020, the estimated soil erosion rate varied between 0 and 193 t/ha/yr, with an average of 7.34 t/ha/yr. The Hulan River Basin was classified into five soil erosion risk categories. Most categories encompassed extremely low-risk levels and, over the past 20 years, the northeastern hilly regions of the basin have experienced the highest concentration of risk change areas. The northeastern hilly and mountainous regions comprised the risk change area and the regions that are most susceptible to erosion exhibited a high concentration of human production activities. In fact, the combined use of GIS and USLE modelling yielded erosion risk areas for mapping risk classes; these results could further assist local governments in improving soil conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a substantial severe global public health burden. Noncarbapenemase-producing CRKP (non-CP-CRKP) is increasingly recognized as the source of severe infections. Methodology: We analyzed the genotypic, and phenotypic profiles of non-CP-CRKP strains with the whole-genome sequences isolated between 2017 and 2019 and the clinical characterization of non-CP-CRKP infection. Results: A total of 91 CRKP strains were collected, of which 5 (5.49%) strains were non-CP-CRKP. Four strains were from male patients; three strains were isolated from the bile of patients who underwent biliary interventional surgery and four had a history of antibiotic exposure. Three strains were sequence type (ST)11, one was ST1, and one was ST5523. The non-CP-CRKP strains were insusceptible to ertapenem. Three strains were susceptible to amikacin. All the strains were susceptible to imipenem, meropenem, tigecycline, ceftazidime/avibatam and polymyxin B. The ß-lactamases of non-CP-CRKP predominantly included blaCTX-M, blaSHV, and blaTEM subtypes. Two site mutations in ompK36 (p.A217S and p.N218H) and four in ompK37 (p.I70M, p.I128M, p.N230G, and m233_None234insQ) were detected accounting for carbapenem resistance. Plasmids IncFI and IncFII were found in most strains. Genes encoding aerobactin, yersiniabactin and allantoin utilization were not detected in several isolates, and all non-CP-CRKP strains did not carry rmpA gene. Conclusions: Non-CP-CRKP infected patients had a history of previous antibiotic exposure or invasive procedures. Non-CP-CRKP strains were insusceptible to ertapenem. The mechanism of resistance includes ß-lactamases production and the site mutations in ompK36 and ompK37. Several virulence genes were not detected in non-CP-CRKP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Right hemicolectomy is the standard treatment for right-sided colon cancer. There is variation in the technical aspects of performing right hemicolectomy as well as in short-term outcomes. It is therefore necessary to explore best clinical practice following right hemicolectomy in expert centres. Methods: This snapshot study of right hemicolectomy for colon cancer in China was a prospective, multicentre cohort study in which 52 tertiary hospitals participated. Eligible patients with stage I–III right-sided colon cancer who underwent elective right hemicolectomy were consecutively enrolled in all centres over 10 months. The primary endpoint was the incidence of postoperative 30-day anastomotic leak. Results: Of the 1854 patients, 89.9 per cent underwent laparoscopic surgery and 52.3 per cent underwent D3 lymph node dissection. The overall 30-day morbidity and mortality were 11.7 and 0.2 per cent, respectively. The 30-day anastomotic leak rate was 1.4 per cent. In multivariate analysis, ASA grade > II (P < 0.001), intraoperative blood loss > 50 ml (P = 0.044) and D3 lymph node dissection (P = 0.008) were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative morbidity. Extracorporeal side-to-side anastomosis (P = 0.031), intraoperative blood loss > 50 ml (P = 0.004) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.004) were identified as independent risk factors for anastomotic leak. Conclusion: In high-volume expert centres in China, laparoscopic resection with D3 lymph node dissection was performed in most patients with right-sided colon cancer, and overall postoperative morbidity and mortality was low. Further studies are needed to explore the optimal technique for right hemicolectomy in order to improve outcomes further. This snapshot study was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study to explore the clinical practise and outcome of right hemicolectomy in China. In high-volume expert centres, laparoscopic resection with D3 lymph node dissection was performed in most patients with right-sided colon cancer, and overall postoperative morbidity and mortality were low. The risk factors of morbidity and anastomotic leak were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an emerging contaminant, microplastics (MPs) have caused global environmental pollution and become the focus of current research. This research presents a comprehensive literature review on the occurrence and distribution characteristics of MPs in surface water within China. The findings demonstrate that stainless steel barrels currently serve as the predominant tool for water sampling, whereas Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer and Raman spectrometer are extensively employed for the detection of MPs. The mean abundance of MPs in rivers ranges from 0.57 to 930.00 n/L, while in lakes and reservoirs, it varies between 1.30 and 27.50 n/L. The size of MPs in surface waters is mainly less than 1 mm, with the transparent or white fibrous forms being the most frequently observed morphology, and polypropylene and polyethylene emerge as the primary polymer types. Additionally, the investigation of MPs in lakes and reservoirs in Northeast China and South China remains unexplored. Currently, an increasing number of Chinese cities are opting for surface water as their water source, so more studies should focus on enhancing the accumulation of research data on MPs in surface water to provide substantial support for the development of pollution control measures in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal variation of annual precipitation and extreme precipitation within the Songhua River Basin (SRB). It utilized precipitation data collected from 60 meteorological stations within the SRB during the period 1968–2019. Employing Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis, it decomposed spatiotemporal characteristics of annual precipitation in the SRB. Through Pearson correlation analysis, application of the cross-wavelet transform, and wavelet coherence analysis, the current study explored the correlation between geographical factors, local air temperature, circulation factors, and annual and extreme precipitation. The results indicated an increasing trend for annual precipitation and for most indices of extreme precipitation within the SRB, apart from the consecutive dry days (CDD). Spatially, a general pattern of "more in the east and less in the west" was observed. Annual precipitation types in the basin were resolved into two modes with the first mode showing a general tendency of more (or less) precipitation over the entire basin, while the second mode exhibited less (or more) precipitation in the western areas and more (or less) in the eastern areas. Longitude, latitude, and altitude significantly impacted annual precipitation and extreme precipitation. Local air temperature notably affected the consecutive wet days (CWD). The West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) exerts a strong influence on the annual precipitation and extreme precipitation within the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi‐spectral satellite sensors such as MODIS have a large swath, high spatial resolution, and well onboard calibration, enabling aerosol retrievals with daily global coverage. Despite numerous available bands, MODIS aerosol algorithms over land typically only utilize measurements from 2 to 3 spectral wavelengths to retrieve Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) based on prescribed aerosol models. To make full use of multi‐spectral measurements and prior information, we developed an aerosol algorithm based on physics‐informed deep learning (PDL) approach. With physical constraint from radiative transfer simulation, PDL can construct model functions between the whole spectral measurements and each retrieved aerosol parameter separately. AERONET validations in eastern China show that MODIS PDL algorithm can accurately retrieve AOD and fine AOD (R = 0.936) at 1 km resolution and has reliable performance in coarse AOD as well as notable sensitivity to aerosol absorption. The flexible and efficient PDL method provides a generalized algorithm for common multi‐spectral satellite measurements. Plain Language Summary: Atmospheric aerosols play a crucial role in the Earth's radiative energy balance, hydrological cycle, and air quality as well as biogeochemical cycles. Owing to short lifetime and diverse emission sources, aerosol amount and properties vary largely over space and time, making a great challenge in quantifying its climate and environmental effects. With the recognition of aerosols' important role, dedicated satellite instruments have been launched to obtain global aerosol observations since late 1990s. Despite a lack of angular and polarized information, current widely used satellite aerosol products are mainly derived from multi‐spectral measurement due to their daily global coverage and long‐term well‐calibrated observation. However, common algorithms only utilize 2–3 spectral measurements and retrieve one quantitative Aerosol Optical Depth with prescribed aerosol models. By combining the physical constraints from Radiative Transfer simulation and modeling ability of Deep Learning, we developed a generalized physics‐informed DL method that can make full use of multi‐spectral measurements and prior information for aerosol retrievals. Key Points: A generalized aerosol algorithm is developed based on physics‐informed deep learning (PDL) method for multi‐spectral satellite measurementMODIS PDL retrieval has not only high accuracy in AOD and fine AOD, but also marked sensitivity to coarse AOD and aerosol absorptionPDL method can make full use of the multi‐spectral satellite measurement and prior information with high computational efficiency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The intestinal microbiome structure and diversity of Alpine musk deer in Gansu (origin) and Sichuan (migration) were analyzed in this study using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology. The study revealed that there were no alterations in the dominant intestinal species between musk deer in the origin and migration areas. However, there were significant differences in their relative abundance. Therefore, specific measures should be implemented for the feeding and management of migratory Alpine musk deer. This study provides a theoretical foundation for expanding artificial populations and reintroducing wild populations. In China, the population of wild musk deer, belonging to the family Moschidae, has drastically decreased in recent years owing to human activities and environmental changes. During the 1990s, artificial breeding of Alpine musk deer was conducted in Xinglong Mountain, Gansu Province, China, and their ex situ conservation was explored for over a decade. Ex situ protection is beneficial for expanding the population of animals and maintaining their genetic diversity; however, it can also induce metabolic diseases and parasitic infections and reduce reproductive capacity. The gut microbiota of animals has a considerable impact on host energy metabolism and immune regulation, thereby playing a crucial role in the overall health and reproductive success of the host. In this study, by comparing the differences in the intestinal microbiome of the musk deer according to their place of origin and migration, the changes in their gut microbiota and the influencing factors were explored to provide a theoretical basis for monitoring the health status of the musk deer. We used 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology to analyze the structure and diversity of the gut microbiota of Alpine musk deer in Gansu (G, place of origin) and Sichuan (S, place of migration). The results showed that the dominant bacteria and genera in the intestinal microbiome of captive musk deer were similar in the places of origin and migration, but significant differences were observed in their relative abundance (p < 0.05). Regarding Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, which are related to plant cellulose digestion, the relative abundance in group G was higher than that in group S; regarding Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, which are related to fat and starch intake, the relative abundance in group S was higher than that in group G; the relative abundance of Bacillus and Clostridium sensu stricto, which are related to fiber digestibility, was higher in group G than in group S; the relative abundance of conditional pathogens Acinetobacter and Escherichia–Shigella was higher in group S than in group G. The results of α and β diversity analysis also showed significant differences between the two groups (p < 0.05). The ACE and Shannon indices of musk deer in group G were considerably higher than those in group S, and the Simpson index of musk deer in group S was greater than that in group G, indicating that the abundance and diversity of intestinal microbiome were higher in musk deer of Gansu than those of Sichuan. Comparison of the changes in the intestinal microbiome of the musk deer according to the place of origin and migration showed that the plant cellulose content in the food of the musk deer, the fat content in the concentrated feed, and changes in the feeding environment have an impact on the intestinal microbiome. Effective monitoring of the health and immunity of the musk deer is crucial for ensuring their overall health, which in turn will aid in formulating a scientific and reasonable management plan for their conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most Chinese patients chose to die at home, therefore there is a reliance on the family caregivers to be involved in their palliative care. The needs and coping strategies of family caregivers in home-based palliative care are rooted in culture. Little is known about the needs and coping strategies of family caregivers taking care of dying patients at home. Methods: A field study using semi-structured interview, participant observation, documents and records collection was employed. The study was conducted in two palliative care outpatient departments in tertiary hospitals and four communities in Beijing, China from March 2021 to July 2022. Using purposive sampling, twenty-five family caregivers were recruited. All collected data were analyzed using content analysis approach. Results: Five themes emerged, including three care needs and two coping strategies. Family caregivers need to learn care skills and acquire care resources, including (i) decision-making about home-based palliative care, (ii) improving patient's quality of life, and (iii) signs of final hours and funeral procedures. In facing the care burden, family caregivers coped by (iv) balancing the roles of caregivers and individuals: giving priority to patient care while maintaining their own normal life. In facing the death of a loved one, family caregivers responded by (v) making room for coming death by facing death indirectly and "rescuing" patients for consolation while preparing for the coming death. Conclusion: Family caregivers strive to balance the roles of being caregivers and being themselves. As caregivers, they actively prepare patients for good death with no regrets. As individuals, they preserve themselves from being hurt to maintain normal life. The needs of family caregivers focus on caregiver role and are manifested in care skills and resources. Trial registration: Not registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Journal of Diabetes is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)