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Despite the general consensus that fertilizer is the most important driver of the evolution of soil microbial communities, the specific effects of long-term fertilizer use on microbial communities remain unclear. Here, we collected soil samples from fertilized (NPK) and unfertilized (NF) plots in a subtropical farmland in southwestern China. NPK plots were consistently treated with chemical fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium) for the 20 years; NF plots were left unfertilized for the same period. To explore the effects of long-term fertilizer use on soil microbial community structure, microbial community composition in the topsoil was assessed using the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the full-length fungal ITS1 gene. In conjunction, we measured various soil chemical properties. We found that metrics associated with soil fertility (i.e., total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) were significantly greater in the NPK samples as compared to the NF samples, but that soil pH was significantly lower. We also found that long-term fertilizer use reshaped soil microbial community composition but did not alter community α-diversity. Notably, the bacterial phyla Nitrospirae and Planctomycetes and the fungal phylum Ascomycota were closely associated with the NPK plot, influenced by soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available potassium, and available phosphorus, while the bacterial phyla Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi and the fungal phyla Glomeromycota and Basidiomycota were closely associated with the NF plot, influenced by soil pH. Our results provide long-term data clarifying the microbial regulation mechanisms underlying the response of farmland soil to long-term fertilizer use in subtropical China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore wind power construction will rapidly develop in the vast coastline area of eastern China as the main force of wind energy development in the next five years. The marine suction bucket foundation is the basic part of an offshore wind power structure and it has attracted extensive attention from scholars worldwide. The suction bucket foundation must not only bear the vertical load of the superstructure, but also withstand the long-term effects of dynamic loads from waves, wind, and earthquakes due to the harsh marine environment. To this end, the influence of the marine barrel foundation before and after seismic wave application on the antiliquefaction effect of sand is examined with the help of finite difference software FLAC 3D. The variation law of soil pore pressure, vertical settlement, and total stress under the magnitude 7 earthquake intensity is summarized. This variation law is explained through theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objective There are numerous studies on population pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in adult patients. However, there is no such research for Chinese adult patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the predictive performance of reported population pharmacokinetic models of vancomycin in Chinese adult patients and to identify some models appropriate for our population. Methods A literature search was conducted in PubMed to obtain the population pharmacokinetic models of vancomycin published between December 2010 and September 2012. The models were assessed using concentration data collected from Chinese patients for external validation. Models with relatively poor predictability were excluded from further analysis. The performance of the remaining models was evaluated in patients with different levels of creatinine clearance, age, body weight and sex by Bayesian method. This method was also used to compare the predictive performance based on peak concentration and trough concentration and the predictability based on different number of observed concentrations. Results One hundred and sixty-five blood concentrations from 72 Chinese adult patients were collected retrospectively to serve as the test data set. The evaluated models included all those reported in the seven publications reviewed by Marsot et al. and three other studies published after December 2010. Three models with poor performance on external validation were excluded from the next Bayesian analysis. The distribution of covariates in the model building data set had an important effect on prediction. The predictability based on peak/trough concentration was similar among the evaluated models, and no significant difference was found using our data set except for Roberts' model. As expected, an increased number of samples improved the performance of the Bayesian prediction. What is new and conclusion With our data set, the performance of the evaluated models varied. The characteristics of the patient population and distribution of covariates should be given more consideration when choosing a model to predict blood concentrations. The model developed by Purwonugroho et al. using a data set from patients similar to ours is appropriate for Bayesian dose predictions for vancomycin concentrations in our population of Chinese adult patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge on the changes in yield potential and associated physiological traits is essential for understanding the main yield-limiting factors and guiding future breeding strategies. Our objective was to identify physiological traits associated with genetic gains in grain yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Shandong province, China. Thirteen milestone cultivars and two advanced lines released from 1969 to 2006 were examined over 3 yr at Tai'an during 2006 to 2009. The genetic gain in grain yield was 62 kg ha-1 yr-1, largely associated with increased kernels per square meter, biomass, and harvest index (HI) and reduced plant height. Significant genetic changes were also observed especially for apparent leaf area index (LAI) at heading and anthesis, chlorophyll content (Chl) at anthesis, photosynthesis rate during grain filling, and stem water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content at anthesis. Comparing genotypes having Rht-D1b and others with both Rht-D1b and Rht8c (Rht-D1b+Rht8c) showed increased grain yield, thousand kernel weight, kernels per spike, kernel weight per spike, HI, canopy temperature depression, and Chl at anthesis and LAI at heading with the latter but no difference in height. The results suggested that genetic gains in grain yield in Shandong province were mainly contributed by increases in kernels per square meter and biomass, which were achieved through improving crop photosynthesis at and after heading, and the source for grain filling may have benefited from increased WSC in stems at anthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand for water continuously increases with population growth and economic development, the gap between water supply and demand in China has become increasingly wide. In recent years worsening water pollution has caused this gap to become much more serious. Conventional allocation pattern, which mainly considers water quantity as the key factor, is no longer satisfying the water allocation need. A coupled water quantity-quality model in a river basin is presented in this paper to provide a tool for water allocation schemes analysis. The pollutants transport and hydrological cycling processes in a river basin are involved in the model. A river network is divided into different reaches. According to the division of river network, the areas out of the river are divided into a series of tanks. In each tank, hydrologic processes, pollutant loading production, water demand of users and water supply are calculated. In river network, hydrodynamics processes and water quality are simulated. Water quantity and quality exchanges between each tank and river are also considered. The time step of water quality calculation is 24 h, the same with that of water quantity calculation. In each time step period, the connections of river reaches and tanks are realized through the exchange of water quantity and quality between rivers and tanks: pollutants discharge from tanks to rivers and water intake from rivers to satisfy water demand in tanks. The water use in each tank includes three types: domestic, industrial and agricultural water use. Water allocation schemes are one of the input conditions of the model. Using the proposed model, in each tank, water demand and deficit of different uses, in both water quantity and quality, can be obtained under different water allocation schemes. According to the water deficit, water allocation schemes are analyzed to make proper allocation schemes. In this aspect, the proposed model can also be thought as a water allocation model. The model is tested and applied to the Jiaojiang River basin, Zhejiang Province,China, to analyze the different water resource allocation schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive adoption of Bt cotton throughout China has been accompanied by outbreaks of secondary pests such as Adelphocoris spp. (Heteroptera: Miridae). The Adelphocoris group primarily consists of three species: A. suturalis, A. fasciaticollis and A. lineolatus, which greatly differ in geographical distribution and seasonal dynamics. However, the underlying drivers of these differences remain to be understood. The study of flight behaviour of these three species can yield important insight into their spatial and temporal dynamics and help explain their distribution. We examined flight propensity of the three Adelphocoris spp. under a range of biological and environmental conditions using a computer-monitored flight-mill. Gender and mating status only had minor effects on flight performance in these species, while age exerted great effects on it. Flight capacity was low for one-day-old adults and increased with age until day 10-13, then gradually decreased afterwards. Temperature and relative humidity affected flight propensity, with 20-23°C and 64-68% RH considered optimal for flight of all three species. Between-species comparisons indicated that A. suturalis and A. fasciaticollis had similar flight distance and duration, which were significantly greater than for A. lineolatus. Our findings provide crucial information for understanding geographical distribution and seasonal occurrence and for developing regional forecasting and pest management protocols for Adelphocoris species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Participants and Methods: Sixty one children (aged 8 to 17 years) who attended the hospital accident and emergency service after road traffic accidents participated in the study. The Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Children's Depression Inventory, and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale completed by the children 1 month after the road traffic accidents were studied. Results: A 3-factor structure accounting for 72% of the variance was identified for the 11-item Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised. The test-retest reliability was satisfactory; the moderate correlations between the Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised scores (i.e. intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal), Children's Depression Inventory, and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale supported the validity of the Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised as a measure of post-traumatic stress in children. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis support generalisation of the post-traumatic stress disorder framework for the present sample of Chinese children. Conclusions: The 11-item Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised has satisfactory psychometric properties as a screening instrument for stress responses after traumatic incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, with worldwide distribution, evolves into different geotypes for adapting to the changes of geographical climates. Comparisons of calling behaviour of the insect collected from the temperate region in northern China (Beijing), the temperate region in north-western China (Kashi) and the tropical region in southern China (Haikou) were investigated in the laboratory as a first step to understanding the influence of reproductive behaviour on its population differentiation. There were more than 80% of virgin females of each population that showed calling behaviour. The age at which the moths of all three populations initiated calling varied significantly. The durations of calling in scotophase and the percentages of females calling also differed between populations. Only a few females of the Beijing and Haikou populations called in the first 2 h after the onset of scotophase, whereas many Kashi females called at this time. However, the main calling peak occurred during the second half of scotophase for all three populations. Females of the Beijing and Haikou populations exhibited similar calling onset times at the same age, whereas the Kashi females initiated calling significantly earlier than those of Beijing and Haikou from nights 3 to 7. The durations of each calling bout and the time spent by both Beijing and Haikou populations were similar to each other at the same age, but were significantly shorter than that of the Kashi population from nights 3 to 7. These results suggest that there are genetic variations not only in pre-period calling but also in the calling behaviour of H. armigera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Victoria lineage represented by B/Victoria/2/87 is one of the two major distinctive haemagglutinin (HA) lineages of influenza B virus, and its recent re-emergence has aroused great concerns. However, it remains unknown when, where, and how this HA lineage emerged in the world. In this study, the HA1 domain of the HA gene of fourteen influenza B viruses isolated in China in 1972–1984 was sequenced. The sequences were phylogenetically analyzed with the HA1 sequences of 41 other important influenza B isolates. The results unveiled some earlier footprints of the Victoria lineage in China, and the epidemic history of the Victoria lineage could be traced back from the year 1985 to 1975. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis, the history of China, and the epidemiology of influenza B virus indicated that the Victoria lineage possibly emerged in China in the 1970s through gradual evolution from a minor lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of cotton pest management practices in China has followed a pattern seen for many crops that rely heavily on insecticides. Helicoverpa armigera resistance to chemical pesticides resulted in the unprecedented pest densities of the early 1990s. Transgenic cotton that expresses a gene derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been deployed for combating H. armigera since 1997. The pest management tactics associated with Bt cotton have resulted in a drastic reduction in insecticide use, which usually results in a significant increase in populations of beneficial insects and thus contributes to the improvement of the natural control of some pests. Risk assessment analyses show that the natural refuges derived from the mixed-planting system of cotton, corn, soybean, and peanut on small-scale, single-family-owned farms play an important function in delaying evolution of cotton bollworm resistance, and that no trend toward Bt cotton resistance has been apparent despite intensive planting of Bt cotton over the past several years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bt cotton has been planted to the exclusion of non-Bt cotton in the Yellow River cotton-farming region of China since 2000. Alternative non-Bt hosts, such as maize, soybean, peanut, wheat, and other host plants of Helicoverpa armigera (Hu¨bner) may be acting as refuges for Bt-susceptible larvae of this pest, thereby delaying evolution of resistance to Bt cotton. Egg, larval, and adult densities of H. armigera were measured on Bt cotton, and on maize that was planted on dates that reflected local farming practices, in order to assess the role of maize as a refuge during 2001–2002 in Xinxiang County, Henan Province and Anci County, Hebei Province. The results indicated that the average egg densities for the second–fourth generation of the pest on Bt cotton in Xinxiang and the second generation in Anci County were significantly higher than those in maize fields. However, maize typically had much higher larval densities in the third and fourth generation of H. armigera than on Bt cotton. These data indicate that maize is probably serving as an effective refuge for third and fourth generation H. armigera, but is of less value for the second generation. The densities of moths produced by Bt cotton and by maize in a cage experiment confirmed the importance of maize as a refuge in the third and fourth generation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two transgenic cotton lines (BG1560 and GK19) carrying a Cry1A gene from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Berliner), developed, respectively, by Monsanto Co. and Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, were evaluated for resistance to pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) in field plots in Tianmen County of Hubei Province, located in the Yangtze River valley of China during 2001 and 2002. The results showed that there were no significant differences in egg density among the two Bt cotton lines and a conventional cotton line, but larval densities on both Bt lines were significantly lower than on the conventional line in both years. In comparison with the larval density on a conventional line without chemical control, the control efficacy in different growth stages of cotton in several treatments were 89–100% for BG1560, 73–100% for GK19, and 54–88% for chemically treated conventional cotton, where insecticides were sprayed 9 times in 2001 and 11 times in 2002 for control of pink bollworm. We conclude that Bt cotton planting in the Yangtze River region possesses a high potential for control of pink bollworm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The flotation of coal fines in the form of hydrophobic flocs, which is termed floc-flotation, for rejecting fine mineral matters from coal slimes has been studied in this work. This process consists of dispersion, selective hydrophobic flocculation of fine organic matters, and flotation of the fines as flocs. This study was performed on two coal slimes from China, namely Taixi anthracite and Tongshan coking coal. The experimental results have shown that floc-flotation not only strongly increased the combustible recovery, but also greatly lowered the ash remaining in cleaned coals, compared with conventional flotation in the same reagent additions. This effect closely correlated with the size of flocculated organic matter. The larger were the flocs, the stronger the effect was. Also, it was found that flocculated coal fines had a much higher flotation rate than dispersed fines. In addition, the main parameters of the floc-flotation process, namely nonpolar oil addition and slurry conditioning in the hydrophobic flocculation step were experimentally studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This is an exploratory study on the psychometric properties and normative data of the Chinese translation of the Impact of Event Scale — Revised (CIES-R). Methods The original Impact of Event Scale — Revised was translated into Chinese and the comparability of content was verified through backtranslation procedures. The study consisted of a sample of 116 patients from the Accident and Emergency Department. Results The reliability of the Chinese version was verified. The validity of the Chinese version as a measure of psychological distress was supported by the positive correlations between the various subscale scores of CIES-R (i. e., Intrusion, Avoidance, and Hyperarousal) and General Health Questionnaire-20. However, the independence of the three subscales was not supported. Conclusions The present result suggests that normative information for different age groups and clinical samples might be different. Further study with clinical sample and investigation of the relationship between CIES-R and other diagnostic measures of PTSD are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgenic crops that produce toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) to control insects are grown widely, but rapid evolution of resistance by pests could nullify the benefits of Bt. Cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera Hübner, is an economically important lepidopteran pest that has experienced intense selection for resistance to Bt-Cry1Ac cotton in China since 1997. Since 2002, changes in the frequency of alleles for resistance and the quantitative shifts in tolerance to Cry1Ac were monitored for 7 years using bioassays of F1 and F2 offspring of isofemale lines of larvae of H. armigera from the field in Xiajin County of Shandong Province (an intensive Bt cotton planting area) and Anci County of Hebei Province (a multiple-crop system including maize, Zea mays L.; soybean, Glycine max L.; peanut, Arachis hypogaea L.; and Bt cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.) in Northern China. Here, we summarized the monitoring data from Xiajin and Anci regions during 2002-2008. The monitoring results during this period indicated that the frequency of alleles for resistance has remained low in both regions of China. The results suggested that natural refugia may be part of an effective management strategy for delaying the evolution of resistance in H. armigera to Bt cotton in Northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To explore the characteristics of Helicobacter pylori resistance in China and the association between antibiotic resistance and several clinical factors. Methods H. pylori strains were collected from patients in 13 provinces or cities in China between 2010 and 2016. Demographic data including type of disease, geographic area, age, gender and isolation year were collected to analyse their association with antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance was detected using the Etest test and the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Results H. pylori were successfully cultured from 1117 patients. The prevalence of metronidazole, clarithromycin (CLA), azithromycin, levofloxacin (LEV), moxifloxacin, amoxicillin (AMO), tetracycline and rifampicin resistance was 78.2, 22.1, 23.3, 19.2, 17.2, 3.4, 1.9 and 1.5%, respectively. No resistance to furazolidone was observed. The resistance rates to LEV and moxifloxacin were higher in strains isolated from patients with gastritis compared to those with duodenal ulcer and among women. Compared to patients ≥40 years old, younger patients exhibited lower resistance rates to CLA, azithromycin, LEV and moxifloxacin. The resistance rates to CLA and AMO were higher in strains isolated more recently, and we also found that the prevalence of resistance to metronidazole, CLA, azithromycin and AMO were significantly different among different regions of China. Conclusions The resistance rates to metronidazole, CLA and LEV were high in China. Patient age, gender, disease and location were associated with the resistance of H. pylori to some antibiotics. Furazolidone, AMO and tetracycline are better choices for H. pylori treatment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses biotic ligand models (BLMs) for metals as a practical application in the revision of water quality standards (WQS) in China. The authors note that China's WQS were issued in 2002 and have played an important role in water quality management, but that an update is needed that better reflects both the advances in research and regional water quality characteristics of Chinese water bodies. Topics include Chinese regulators' plans to revise China's WQS by the end of 2012, the need to develop water quality criteria (WQC) that can inform WQS, the influence of water chemistry on bioavailability, and a BLM-based WQC research.