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Suicide has been recognized as a major global public health issue. Depressed adolescents are more prone to experiencing it. We explore risk factors and their differences on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts to further enhance our understanding of suicidal behavior. 2343 depressed adolescents aged 12–18 from 9 provinces/cities in China participated in this cross-sectional study. We utilized decision tree model, incorporating 32 factors encompassing participants' suicidal behavior. The feature importance of each factor was measured using Gini coefficients. The decision tree model demonstrated a good fit with high accuracy (SI = 0.86, SA = 0.85 and F-Score (SI = 0.85, SA = 0.83). The predictive importance of each factor varied between groups with suicidal ideation and with suicide attempts. The most significant risk factor in both groups was depression (SI = 16.7 %, SA = 19.8 %). However, factors such as academic stress (SI = 7.2 %, SA = 1.6 %), hopelessness (SI = 9.1 %, SA = 5.0 %), and age (SI = 7.1 %, SA = 3.2 %) were more closely associated with suicidal ideation than suicide attempts. Factors related to the schooling status (SI = 3.5 %, SA = 10.1 %), total years of education (SI = 2.6 %, SA = 8.6 %), and loneliness (SI = 2.3 %, SA = 7.4 %) were relatively more important in the suicide attempt stage compared to suicidal ideation. The cross-sectional design limited the ability to capture changes in suicidal behavior among depressed adolescents over time. Possible bias may exist in the measurement of suicidal ideation. The relative importance of each risk factor for suicidal ideation and attempted suicide varies. These findings provide further empirical evidence for understanding suicide behavior. Targeted treatment measures should be taken for different stages of suicide in clinical interventions. • Factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts share both similarities and differences. • Severity of depression is the most important risk factor for both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. • Academic stress, level of hopelessness, and age, have a more pronounced relation with the occurrence of suicidal ideation. • Schooling status, total years of education, and level of loneliness exert a stronger association with suicide attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies focused on the incidence of brain metastasis in patients with acral and mucosal melanoma, and a better understanding of the incidences and predictors of brain metastasis is needed in these patients. A prospectively accrued cohort of 799 patients with acral and mucosal melanoma in stages I–III from July 2011 to December 2015 at Peking University Cancer Hospital were included in this study. Competing risk models (Fine and Gray) were used to estimate the cumulative incidence of brain metastasis and compare the differences in cumulative incidence curves between different primary lesions, stages, and molecular types. At a median follow-up time of 68.0 months, 60 of the 779 patients (7.7%) developed brain metastasis, and 261 (33.5%) patients developed extracranial metastasis. Considering the risk of competition, the cumulative incidence of brain metastasis at one year, two years, and five years after diagnosis were 5.1%, 10.2%, and 19.5%, respectively. Stage III, BRAF mutations, and NRAS mutations were associated with a high risk of brain metastasis in univariable analysis. Multivariate analysis showed BRAF mutations, and NRAS mutations had statistically correlated with an increased cumulative incidence of brain metastasis at diagnosis and all-time point of one year and two years after diagnosis. This study is the first to report the cumulative incidence and risk factors of brain metastasis for patients with acral and mucosal melanoma in stages I–III. Patients with BRAF and NRAS mutations had a higher incidence at diagnosis and all-time point, providing the basis for surveillance guidelines and further mechanic exploration. • Of 779 patients, 7.7% had brain metastasis with a median follow-up of 68.0 months. • Patients with BRAF and NRAS mutations an increased incidence of brain metastasis. • Patients with stage III and NRAS mutation had a high risk of extracranial metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dust events show volatile characteristics in the Northwest warming and wetting trend under global warming. Previous studies yet pay little attention to the specific characteristic of the duration of dust events. We present herein our findings on the changes of dust event duration (DED) and its influencing factors over Northwest China based on hourly resolution air quality observations. We find that the DED over Northwest China increased by ∼25% from 2015 to 2022. This increase is mainly attributed to moderate and heavy dust events, especially for regions close to dust sources, where moderate dust event frequency even decreases significantly. Correlation analyses with meteorological factors reveal that increased lower tropospheric stability is significantly associated with increased DED, implying that greater stability hinders dust dry deposition and transport processes, thereby promoting a longer residence time. Additionally, the DED in dust source regions negatively correlates with precipitation frequency (less wet deposition), while in non-dust source regions, it positively correlates with dust transport. It suggests that the factors enhancing DED vary with distance from dust sources. These findings will help elucidate dust event characteristics (especially the duration) and their changes over Northwest China, and will inform local dust management. • DED increased by ∼ 25% over Northwest China from 2015 to 2022. • This increase is primarily due to the enhanced duration of moderate and heavy dust events. • Increased duration was significantly correlated with consistently higher LTS (unfavorable dry deposition). • The reduced precipitation frequency (reduced wet deposition) also favors the increasing DED over dust source area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the key influencing factors (KIFs) of Urban Low-Carbon Innovation (ULCI) from urban characteristics is essential for devising customized promotion strategies. However, existing studies are hampered by methodological limitations that lead to an inability to effectively discern KIFs among urban characteristics or unravel complex, non-linear relationships, and interaction effects. To address these gaps, this paper adopts a synthetic approach based on interpretable Machine Learning (ML). Firstly, the influencing factors are identified through the Delphi method and a systematic literature review. Subsequently, three single AI models (KNN, SVR, and CART) and three ensemble models (RF, XGBoost, and LBGM) are employed to fit the data. Finally, the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) algorithm is integrated to identify the KIFs and disentangle their impact effects. The findings indicate that (1) 41 influencing factors are identified, from which 10 KIFs, such as Expenditure on Research, Carbon Emissions, Local General Budgetary Revenue, and Education Expenditure, are determined, (2) the developed interpretable ML model tailored for ULCI's KIFs analysis demonstrates high precision and effectively capturing non-linear relationships (R2 = 0.841, RMSE = 0.591, MAE = 0.463), and (3) the global impact, interactive effects, and individual sample impact of the KIFs are explained, and two categories of KIFs dominated by positive and negative influences are revealed respectively. Results of the KIFs identification can provide policy-makers with insight for designing ULCI enhancement paths and consequently promote emission mitigation in China. • 41 influencing factors of ULCI is identified from urban characteristics. • An interpretable ML model is developed to quantitatively explore KIFs. • 10 KIFs are determined and the comprehensive impact, interactive effects, and individual sample impact of the them are explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is crucial to establish a robust chronology for understanding late Quaternary sedimentation processes and environment changes in response to sea-level fluctuation on shelves. The shelf of the East China Sea (ECS) is featured by huge terrigenous sediment input and striking land -sea interaction during the late Quaternary. However, there remains controversy in chronostratigraphic rebuilding of transgression and regression deposits during eustatic-glacial cycles, mainly due to a lack of reliable dating data. In this study, an extensive comparison of 17 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and 15 AMS 14C ages from core TBF-1 (upper 40 m) provides a constraint in chronostratigraphic reconstruction since Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. OSL ages range from 9.5 ± 0.7 to 67.3 ± 4.8 ka at depths from 2.00 to 28.00 m, while 14C ages range from 6645 to 41435 cal a BP at depths from 0.02 to 17.52 m. Regression analysis demonstrates a high level of agreement between OSL and 14C ages, with r2 values of 0.91 and 0.90, respectively. For Holocene sediments (U1), both OSL and 14C methods are applicable in tidal sand ridges, however, it should be noted that 14C ages may exhibit a young bias of up to 3 ka. For pre-Holocene sediments (U6-U2), OSL ages are robust within saturation limitation of OSL signal (D e up to ca. 166 Gy), cross-checked by feldspar post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) dating protocol. Nevertheless, the shell 14C ages (11620 and 10390 cal a BP at depths of 13.95–14.56 m) in Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) fluvial sediments of U2 are significantly underestimated, because of their susceptibility to recrystallization and overgrowth, resulting in carbon exchange with environment. While the peaty layer's14C age in deltaic deposition (17.50 m, U5) was determined to be 36420 cal a BP, coincided with OSL age of 39.6 ± 3.9 ka. The chronostratigraphy since MIS 5 for core TBF-1 exhibits a significant correlation with previously published cores SFK-1, DZQ4, and DH02, on the ECS outer shelf. Through the evaluation of those underestimated 14C ages and saturated OSL ages, we re-elucidated the primary sedimentary facies and their respective formation periods. This sedimentary stratigraphic illustration exhibits significant consistency with eustatic-glacial cycles. The renewed chronological framework for ECS shelf allows better correlation between the late Quaternary sedimentary evolution and the land-sea interaction on open shelves dominated by siliciclastic sedimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevailing paradigm of traditional top-down urban renewal has been criticized for failing to consider diverse public requests and preferences. This critique has prompted a "human-centric" approach, emphasizing effective two-way communication within urban renewal. Despite this shift, there remains a significant gap in research on real-time public opinions generated from bottom-up participation in urban renewal, particularly with regard to governmental response to such micro-level feedback. Therefore, based on provincial-level panel data and micro-level opinions on the Leaders' Message Board, this research adopted a text mining method and regression model to evaluate unstructured user-generated data and explore the determinants of government responsiveness in urban renewal. The results reveal that there are more public opinions on urban renewal in economically developed regions than in less developed regions. This study also found that local governments can respond to most public opinions. Meanwhile, "project progress inquiry", "quality problem", and economic level have significant positive impacts on response timeliness, while "information disclosure" and "livelihood issues" have adverse effects. The findings are of great strategic and policy importance and can offer new insights into citizen engagement and collaborative governance in urban planning. • Citizen-government interactions in urban renewal were investigated. • There are more public opinions on urban renewal in economically developed regions than in less developed regions. • Planning inquiry and project progress inquiry are popular topics, and people in different regions have different focuses. • Project progress inquiry and quality problem related topics have significant positive impacts on response timeliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the national objective of "carbon peak and carbon neutrality," it is imperative to significantly enhance the utilization of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, in the transformation of China's energy infrastructure. However, the intermittent, volatile, and unstable nature of wind and solar power generation systems is often subject to the influence of local weather conditions. Furthermore, recent years have witnessed a growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, posing considerable constraints on the effective exploitation of wind and solar resources. Consequently, conducting a comprehensive climate risk analysis pertaining to wind and solar resources is of paramount importance in expediting their adoption while mitigating potential energy security risks. In this study, we conducted an extensive examination of inefficient wind and solar resources across China, encompassing the intensity, spatial distribution, and duration of such events. Leveraging high-resolution wind and solar resource datasets spanning from 2000 to 2021, we employed intensity-area-duration analysis to elucidate the spatial and temporal characteristics of these inefficiencies nationwide. Moreover, we conducted a diagnostic assessment of key factors, including scope, duration, and frequency. Additionally, we proposed a comprehensive index system to evaluate the viability of wind and solar resource development. Our findings revealed that climate risks associated with wind and solar resources were predominantly concentrated in autumn and winter. Regions such as Xinjiang, Sichuan, and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River exhibited a higher frequency of inefficient wind and solar events. Notably, the North China Plain and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were primarily affected by haze and plum rain weather, respectively, leading to these inefficiencies. Conversely, the northwest and northeast regions demonstrated a superior suitability for wind and solar resource development. This study provides valuable scientific insights for guiding the selection of optimal locations for wind and solar power plants, as well as the development of regional renewable energy infrastructure in China. • Wind and solar resource fluctuations were assessed using high-resolution datasets across China. • The intensity-area-duration (IAD) method was employed. • An index system was proposed to evaluate the suitability of wind and solar resource. • The insufficient resource events have seasonal variations and spatial disparities. • Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang have great potential for renewable energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Significantly changes of LAI and GPP mostly occurred in eastern and southern China. • Divergence between LAI and GPP were found in regions with dense vegetation coverage. • The importance of VPD, SM, and PT to vegetation indices increased as latitude decreases. Climate change notably boosts terrestrial hydraulic redistribution pattern, which could directly affect the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of vegetation productivity. However, the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of long-term hydrometeorological controls of vegetation productivity is still not fully understood. This paper comprehensively explored the impacts of hydrometeorological controls on leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) in China during 1982–2015 using both satellite observations and reanalysis. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD), evapotranspiration (ET), precipitation (PT), and soil moisture (SM) were used as representative indicators during investigation. The dynamics of LAI and GPP displayed increasing trends on the whole. And significantly changes mostly occurred in eastern and southern China, accompanied by moderate to dense vegetation coverage. An accelerated increasing trend for LAI could be observed since September 2003 (+0.175 per decade), while the growth rate of GPP (+16.76 g C/m2 per decade) basically maintained stable. In terms of hydrometeorological controls, VPD and ET showed consistently increasing trend and SM presented falling trend in the context of warming climate. Through analysis of feature importance index established by Random Forest, the importance of VPD, SM, and PT obviously increased as latitude decreases, which implied the high sensitivity of vegetation in semi-humid\humid regions to water availability. Additionally, divergence between LAI and GPP can be found in southern Tibet Plateau region and coastal regions, which provides compelling evidence that in the case of high LAI, increasing LAI could weaken the improvement effect on GPP. Findings of this study is expected to promote the understanding of long-term vegetation responses to hydrometeorological variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant Andrographis paniculata has a long history of cultivation in Southeast Asia, especially its extensive anti-inflammatory activity, and the famous natural antibiotic andrographolide comes from this plant. In China, A. paniculata, as the main crop, has become a major source of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the clinical treatment of inflammation. To further explore the diverse diterpene lactones with better anti-inflammatory activity from A. paniculata , twenty-one ent -labdanes, including six undescribed compounds (andropanilides D-I), were isolated. Their structures with absolute configurations were thoroughly determined by comprehensive NMR spectroscopic data, HRESIMS analysis and quantum chemical calculations. All isolated compounds were evaluated for anti-inflammatory activities based on the Griess method. Meanwhile, after structure-activity relationships analysis, the anti-inflammatory activity of andropanilide D (1) (IC 50 = 2.31 μM) was found to be better than that of the positive control drug (dexamethasone, IC 50 = 6.52 μM) and andrographolide (IC 50 = 5.89 μM). Further mechanisms of activity indicated that andropanilide D significantly reduced the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β and downregulated the protein expression of COX-2 and iNOS in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner based on Western blot and ELISA experiments. In conclusion, andropanilide D possesses potential medicinal value for the treatment of inflammation and further expands the material basis of the anti-inflammatory effect of A. paniculata. Structurally diverse ent -labdane diterpenoids from Andrographis paniculata and andropanilide D (1) possessed significant anti-inflammatory that was found to be better than that of the positive control drug and andrographolide. [Display omitted] • Twenty-one diterpene derivatives were isolated from Andrographis paniculata. • Six undescribed ent -labdanes were identified for the first time. • The structure-activity relationships of all compounds were summarized. • Andropanilide D (1) significantly reduced the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β. • Andropanilide D (1) downregulated the expression iNOS and COX-2 proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with low Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values benefit from PD-1 inhibitors. NLR is a new biomarker to predict the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for HCC. • The differential expression analysis of NLR-related genes showed 74 up-regulated genes and 445 down-regulated genes in the high-NLR group. Downregulated genes were primarily enriched in pathways related to cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, cell adhesion molecules, hematopoietic cell lineages, helper T cell (Th) differentiation, and T cell receptor signaling. • NLR-related differential methylation analysis revealed a total of 68 hypermethylated probes and 65 hypomethylated probes in the high-NLR group. • This predictive model of the immunotherapy for HCC by using 27 genes related to differentially expressed genes and the methylation associated with NLR might be of great help to clinical researches. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibits high incidence and mortality rates in China. Most cases are often diagnosed at late stages and require multi-strategy therapies. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), particularly programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibodies, have demonstrated effectiveness in comprehensive HCC treatment. However, the efficacy and prognosis vary greatly among patients. Screening suitable patients and predicting outcomes are crucial for improving the efficacy of ICIs. Although PD-L1 expression levels in tumor cells have been used as predictors of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapy, they may not consistently correlate with clinical response in some studies; thus, exploring new biomarkers is necessary. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) emerged as a new predictor of ICI immunotherapy efficacy, and its application in HCC is worth exploring. This study utilizes the Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma Collection (TCGA-LIHC) project in the Genomic Data Commons (GDC) database for methylation and transcriptome data analysis. The correlation between NLR and ICI immunotherapy efficacy for HCC was evaluated, identifying differentially expressed genes. Analysis revealed 74 up-regulated and 445 down-regulated genes in the high-NLR group compared to the low-NLR group. NLR-related differential methylation analysis identified 68 hypermethylated and 65 hypomethylated probes in the NLR high group. Furthermore, a machine learning model using 27 intersecting genes predicted PD-1 antibody therapy efficacy, achieving an AUC value of 0.813. In summary, we established a predictive model for HCC immunotherapy based on 27 genes related to differential expressions and NLR-associated methylation, showing significant potential for clinical research potential in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grouper has been highlighted as current hot species for marine aquaculture in China, so it is vital to master its growth performance in early development stage and understand growth trend of it. However, there are few detailed reports on the growth model and biological parameters in the early growth of grouper. The aim of this study is to discuss and compare the applicability of growth indexes and 10 biological growth models in larval and juvenile stage of hybrid and natural groupers, then to evaluate the optimum model. Pearl gentian grouper (PG) and kelp grouper (KG) were selected. The growth data of grouper larvae and juvenile were chosen. Absolute growth (AG), relative growth rate (RGR) and specific growth rate (SGR), and the thermal-unit growth coefficient (TGC) were calculated. Ten nonlinear models, such as Logistic, Gompertz,Von Bertalanffy, Generalized Weibull, Janoschek, Schnute and et al., were used to fit growth. Models were evaluated and selected by Akaike information criterion (AIC) method, the values of RMSE , MAE and R 2 , parameter significance level and iterations. Fitting results showed that compared with AG , RGR and SGR , TGC has higher fitting degree, especially for fitting weight (R 2 > 0.99). In larval stage, Schnute model had the highest best fit ratio (75%), and minimum number of iterations (< 71), with more than two significant parameters (P < 0.001). In juvenile stage, the beat fitting ratio of Janoschek model evaluated by AIC was 25%, and that by RMSE , MAE and R 2 was 50%, which was higher than other models. It also had low iteration times and high significant level (P < 0.05). For model evaluation, best fitting result evaluated by AIC method was different from that evaluated by RMSE , MAE and R 2 . It is more reliable to combine the two methods for model evaluation. The growth curves generated by optimum models showed that the growth characteristics of larvae is exponential, and in juvenile stage, PG maintained accelerated growth but the growth rate of KG gradually decreased. In summary, the optimum model of larval stage was Schnute model and that of juvenile stage was Janoschek model; 4-parameter models have high robustness and accuracy for fitting growth; Compared with KG, PG grows faster and is more suitable for aquaculture. Nonlinear biological models were applied to fit the growth of hybrid and natural grouper in early development stage, which was contribute to investigate the early growth law of grouper, adjust aquaculture management and improve the efficiency of grouper culture. [Display omitted] • Hybrid and natural groupers'early growth investigated • 10 nonlinear models summarized • 4-parameter models having high robustness [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Following the discovery and emergence of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene, mcr-1, the Chinese government formally banned colistin as an animal growth promoter on April 30, 2017. Herein, we report patterns in colistin resistance and mcr-1 abundance in Escherichia coli from animals and humans between 2015 and 2019, to evaluate the effects of the colistin withdrawal.Methods: We did an epidemiology comparative study to investigate: annual production and sales of colistin in agriculture across mainland China according to data from the China Veterinary Drug Association from 2015 to 2018; the prevalence of colistin-resistant E coli (CREC) in pigs and chickens in 23 Chinese provinces and municipalities as reported in the China Surveillance on Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Origin database from Jan 1, 2015, to Dec 31, 2016, and Jan 1, 2017, to Dec 31, 2018; the presence of residual colistin and mcr-1 in faeces from 118 animal farms (60 pig, 29 chicken, and 29 cattle) across four provinces over July 1, 2017, to August 31, 2017, and July 1, 2018 to August 31, 2018; the prevalence of mcr-1-positive E coli (MCRPEC) carriage in healthy individuals attending routine hospital examinations across 24 provinces and municipalities from June 1 to July 30, 2019, comparing with equivalent 2016 data (June 1 to September 30) from our previous study in the same hospitals; and the patterns in CREC prevalence among hospital E coli infections across 26 provinces and municipalities from Jan 1, 2015, to Dec 31, 2016, and Jan 1, 2018, to Dec 31, 2019, reported on the China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network.Findings: After the ban on colistin as a growth promoter, marked reductions were observed in the production (27 170 tonnes in 2015 vs 2497 tonnes in 2018) and sale (US$71·5 million in 2015 vs US$8·0 million in 2018) of colistin sulfate premix. Across 118 farms in four provinces, mean colistin residue concentration was 191·1 μg/kg (SD 934·1) in 2017 versus 7·5 μg/kg (50·0) in 2018 (p<0·0001), and the median relative abundance of mcr-1 per 16S RNA was 0·0009 [IQR 0·0001-0·0059] in 2017 versus 0·0002 [0·0000-0·0020] in 2018 (p=0·0001). Across 23 provinces and municipalities, CREC was identified in pig faeces in 1153 (34·0%) of 3396 samples in 2015-16 versus 142 (5·1%) of 2781 in 2017-18 (p<0·0001); and in chickens in 474 (18·1%) of 2614 samples in 2015-16 versus 143 (5·0%) of 2887 in 2017-18 (p<0·0001). In hospitals across 24 provincial capital cities and municipalities, human carriage of MCRPEC was identified in 644 (14·3%) of 4498 samples in 2016 versus 357 (6·3%) of 5657 in 2019 (p<0·0001). Clinical CREC infections in 26 provinces and municipalities comprised 1059 (1·7%) of 62 737 E coli infections in 2015-16 versus 794 (1·3%) of 59 385 in 2018-19 (p<0·0001).Interpretation: The colistin withdrawal policy and the decreasing use of colistin in agriculture have had a significant effect on reducing colistin resistance in both animals and humans in China. However, continuous colistin monitoring is essential, in particular to act as an early warning system for colistin stewardship in Chinese hospitals.Funding: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and UK Medical Research Council. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-level concerns about climate change can not only affect individual low-carbon behaviors but also exert intense pressure on carbon emission reduction strategies and policy design. However, whether public concern about climate change can affect per capita carbon emission is still unclear. Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China and 188,943 climate change-related blogs from 2012 to 2019, this research investigates the impact of public concern on per capita carbon emissions. Results show that, in general, public concern about climate change has a significant negative impact on per capita carbon emissions in China, indicating that climate crisis awareness has a supervisory effect on greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, the effects of different public concerns on per capita carbon emissions are different, with the topics of "low-carbon appeal" and "concern for future" have significant positive impacts on per capita carbon emissions, while the topics of "carbon governance performance" and "climate change mitigation strategies" have significant negative impacts on per capita carbon emissions. The findings yield new opportunities to delve into the relationship between the externality of people's will and governmental behaviors and provide in-depth insights for decision-makers to develop tailor-made solutions towards carbon reduction and sustainable development. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present comprehensive Li-C-Sr isotopic studies on two classic marine carbonate sections (Yangdi and Dongcun) transecting the Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (F F) boundary from South China to constrain the causes of the F F mass extinction. Both sections show positive Li and C isotopic excursions in carbonate and unchanged conodont 87Sr/86Sr ratios across the F F boundary. Low Li/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios, but heavy Li isotope composition (δ7Li) of the Dongcun section indicate possible diagenetic alteration on carbonate Li isotopic records. By contrast, the Yangdi section records more primary seawater δ7Li signal, showing a ∼ 2 ‰ positive excursion before the F F boundary, although reconstructed paleo-seawater δ7Li values (from 11.8 ± 1.4‰ to 13.8 ± 1.4‰) are lower than modern times. Combined box model with Monte Carlo simulation demonstrates that low seawater δ7Li requires low riverine δ7Li and small effective Li isotopic fractionation by marine sinks (Δ7Li sw-ms). The latter is likely due to high silicon concentration in the paleo-seawater and rapid formation of clay minerals. Positive δ7Li excursion but invariant 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the seawater are related to attenuated continental weathering (reduced riverine fluxes but increased riverine δ7Li), and enlarged effective Δ7Li sw-ms. Based on the present data we suggest that rapid climate cooling is responsible for the weathering transition and must have exerted significant influence on the marine environment. Global climate cooling weakens seawater stratification while intensifying oceanic circulation and upwelling, resulting in enhanced primary productivity, precipitation of the Kellwasser black shales and a remarkable positive C isotopic excursion in carbonate. Additionally, rapid climate cooling around the F F boundary has significantly threatened the ecological system and finally triggered mass extinction especially for the faunas adapted to warm temperatures. • Positive carbonate Li C isotopic excursions are observed around the F F boundary. • Conodont 87Sr/86Sr ratios are unchanged. • Modeling results indicate attenuated continental weathering. • Rapid climate cooling triggered the F F mass extinction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present high-precision Ca isotopic data for 21 Cenozoic basaltic lavas from eastern China to evaluate the potential of Ca isotopes as a tool to trace the recycling of surface carbonates. These samples were derived from a variety of peridotite to pyroxenite mantle sources hybridized by different slab-derived agents. The δ44/42Ca of eastern China Cenozoic basaltic lavas ranges from 0.24 ± 0.03‰ (2SE, if not specified) to 0.39 ± 0.03‰, with an average of 0.31 ± 0.09‰ (2SD, N = 21), systematically lower than mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB, 0.39 ± 0.07‰, 2SD, N = 30). No convincing correlation has been observed with δ26Mg and δ66Zn, indicating that metasomatism by recycled carbonates may not always yield Ca isotopically distinct mantle sources. δ44/42Ca shows correlations with parameters reflecting degree of partial melting (e.g., K 2 O, Nb, LREE, U, Th, Rb, and Sr) and residual garnet signature (i.e., (Dy/Yb) N). Nevertheless, modeling results suggest that Ca isotope fractionation during mantle and/or slab melting with the presence of garnet can partially account for the observed variable δ44/42Ca. Recycled carbonates with low δ44/42Ca were likely involved in the origins of the lightest lavas. Particularly, the nephelinitic lightest lavas also have the lowest δ26Mg, Ti/Ti⁎ and Hf/Hf⁎ among all the studied samples, reflecting a role of carbonatitic metasomatism in their sources. This study illustrates that a strongly light Ca isotope anomaly (e.g., δ44/42Ca ∼ 0.24‰) observed in basaltic lavas is likely associated with the recycling of carbonates into the mantle. • Cenozoic basaltic lavas from eastern China have δ44/42Ca variable from a MORB-like value (∼0.39‰) to ∼0.24‰. • The observed δ44/42Ca variation can be partially attributed to isotope fractionation during melting processes. • Involvement of light carbonates in the sources appears to be rather likely for the lightest lavas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DC breakdown characteristic of electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device, which is an important indicator of its transparency and circuit compatibility, has received widespread attention. Currently, methods such as Verilog-A hardware description language, circuit-level SPICE simulation, and process-level device modeling cannot simultaneously achieve high accuracy, good convergence, and fast simulation speed. Therefore, in this paper, a hybrid ESD model based on Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) device-level simulation, Monte Carlo numerical modeling and Verilog-A behavioral modeling is proposed to characterize the ESD characteristics of gate-controlled silicon-controlled rectifier (GCSCR). A device-level model of GCSCR was established using TCAD, and the working mechanism was simulated. By extracting the electric field from TCAD and using the Monte Carlo modeling method, the DC characteristic of GCSCR was accurately characterized. In addition, the snapback characteristic of the device was successfully simulated by Verilog-A. The effectiveness of the above approaches was further verified based on the 0.18 μm standard BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process. Comparison results indicate that the hybrid model exhibits high simulation accuracy, good convergence and good universality and scalability, providing a simple and effective modeling solution for ESD devices of different structures and sizes. 1 This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62174052, 61827812), Hunan Science and Technology Department Huxiang High-level Talent Gathering Project (Grant No. 2019RS1037) and Innovation Project of Science and Technology Department of Hunan Province (Grant No. 2020GK2018). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of medical isotopes has recently been developed at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) in China and many aqueous samples containing produced radioisotopes at wide range of volume were generated. Evaluation of radionuclidic purity and quantification of radioactivity for these samples are of significant importance, especially for medical purpose. High purity germanium (HPGe) detectors and gamma spectrometry are widely used in radionuclidic purity evaluation due to the high energy resolution. However, radionuclidic purity assessment and determination of radioactivity cannot be accurately conducted by using the HPGe detector installed at Laboratory of Nuclear Chemistry in IMP due to the lack of competent calibration standard sources. Therefore, an efficient method based on Geant4 simulation was proposed to calculate the detection efficiency curve for samples with different geometry, composition and source-to-detector distance. A set of efficiency data measured with a point-like standard source containing multi-radionuclides was used to determine the dimension of germanium crystal and thickness of dead layers. Afterwards, a point-like and 3 volumetric standard sources (5 ml, 10 ml and 20 ml, respectively) containing 152Eu were measured at 5–50 cm source-to-detector distances. The EFFTRAN code was applied to calculate the correction factor of coincidence summing for all measurements. The full energy peak (FEP) efficiencies with energy range of 121–1408 keV were calculated and compared with the values obtained from simulations. The simulated FEP efficiency values were in good agreement with experimental results, which illustrated a satisfactory precision of the Geant4 simulations. The feasibility of obtaining detection efficiency for point-like and volumetric samples by means of Geant4 simulations was confirmed. This method can be applied to address the efficiency problem caused by sample geometry and composition. • An accurate model of HPGe detector was built in a Geant4 simulation. • The simulated efficiencies are in good agreement with experimental values for all samples at large detection distances. • Precise results are obtained from simulation with most of the deviation (between simulation and experiments) < 10%. • This method can be used to address efficiency calibration problem caused by the geometry and composition of samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There is growing evidence showing that water injection may induce formation fracturing, and the injection well may experience multiple fracture closures during fracture falloff period. Such dynamic behavior of waterflood-induced fractures (WIFs) needs to be carefully assessed and controlled through a waterflooding program. The objective of this study is to develop a pressure transient analysis procedure to analyze the bottom-hole pressure (BHP) responses of water injection wells with the consideration of the dynamic behavior of WIFs. We propose a rigorous physical process that integrates mini-fractures initiation, communication, propagation and closure throughout waterflooding. The piecewise function is used to characterize the consecutive closure of fractures during the shut-in period. Based on the proposed model, the pressure-transient solutions are obtained and the type curves are plotted. Results indicate that the consecutive fractures closure lowers the rate of pressure drop and results in the fluctuations of the pressure derivative curve. During the field-testing period, the water that stored in the WIFs would be squeezed into the matrix since there are no proppants inside, which behaves similar with wellbore storage effect. Meanwhile, due to the different stress conditions in the fracture walls, they close successively after shutting in the well, which results in the multiple storage effect that characterized by several unit slopes in the pressure derivative curve. Finally, several cases studies from Changqing Oilfield have validated the practicability of the models to evaluate the BHP performances of water injectors. Highlights • The physical process of the mini-fractures' initiation, communication, propagation, and multiple closure is presented. • Results demonstrate that successive closure of fractures can lower the pressure drop and result in multiple fluctuations in pressure derivative curve. • "Multiple storage effect" is presented as the process of successive closure of fractures and multiple straight lines with unit slope can be picked in the fracture falloff period. • Cases in Changqing Oilfield indicate the applicability of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well acknowledged that water injection may induce formation fracturing in tight reservoir, and the injection well may experience shrinking fracture length (SFL) and variable fracture conductivity (VFC) during fracture-falloff period, which shows the bi-storage behavior. However, available pressure-transient analysis (PTA) models hardly consider these effects (SFL, VFC and bi-storage behavior) on pressure-transient response, which can lead to erroneous results. This paper aims at presenting an innovative approach to model the water injection wells considering the dynamic characteristics of waterflood-induced fracture (WIF). We first modeled fluid flow between reservoir and the fracture which characterized by fracture-storage coefficient and fracture-face skin factor, and flow between wellbore and the fracture which represented by wellbore-storage coefficient and choked-fracture skin factor. In addition, the effects of SFL and VFC were included by finite difference method. A semi-analytical solution was then derived to model injection well with waterflood-induced fracture (IWWIF). Finally, this methodology has been successfully applied in Changqing oilfield, China. There are six flow regimes for the IWWIF model in the tight reservoir, including wellbore-storage regime, transitional-flow regime, fracture-storage regime, the second transitional regime, linear flow regime and bilinear flow regime. Compared to current models, the bi-storage phenomenon is discovered and validated as two straight lines with unit slope in the pressure derivate curve of type plot. The WIF that closely links with the wellbore can be regarded as an “expanding wellbore”, which illustrates the reason that the “wellbore-storage coefficients” are increased by up to several orders of magnitude in a great many of water injection wells. The VFC behavior could cause the upward of pressure-derivative curve, which is generally recognized as the characteristic of closed boundary condition while the variable fracture-storage effect may occur because of SFL. In addition, the relation between matched fracture-storage coefficient and fracture length is given, which provides us another way to obtain the probable length of WIF. Finally, this new model has been successfully used to evaluate well performance and reservoir characteristics based on bottom-hole pressure (BHP) history of five field cases in Changqing oilfield, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public opinions have become increasingly salient in water environmental governance, especially in implementing nature-based solutions (NBS) projects. However, current studies stay short of focusing on user-generated data on online participation platforms and the real public opinions and concerns on NBS revealed through spontaneous and interactive participation. In response to insufficient explorations on micro-level government-citizen interactions, this study adopts text mining analysis to evaluate different NBS-related topics and investigates targeted government responses from Jan 1st, 2020 to Apr 1st, 2022 in China. The results indicate that public participation on online government-citizen interaction platforms is no longer an instrumental level of "pseudo participation". Based on dialogic communication theory (DCT), the silent majority affected by NBS started to express diverse opinions, i.e., seeking help, complaint, and suggestion. Moreover, instead of top-down or one-way communication, authorities are beginning to shift towards an open and responsive government. Hence, most public opinions can receive online feedback from authorities with targeted strategies (i.e., explaining, coordinating, and guiding), forming a " dialogic loop ". Nevertheless, there is still a lack of timely government response in NBS communication. Findings can contribute to developing a systematic understanding of micro-level demands associated with NBS and supplement relevant policies and decision-making for urban water governance. • The Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm was developed to extract latent topics related to nature-based solutions. • Geographical distribution of public opinions on nature-based solutions was identified. • The interaction between micro-level opinions and government responses in urban water governance was explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Computer supported project-based learning (CSPBL) was useful to improve student' robotics learning. • CSPBL improved students' robotics learning engagement. • CSPBL was effective in improving students' computational thinking. Computational thinking (CT) is a necessary skill for students. It is as important as the other essential skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, how to improve students' CT in robotics is still to be explored. Hence, this study examined the effects of computer supported project-based learning (CSPBL) on students' CT and learning engagement through comparing students' CT and engagement in two courses instructed by the same instructor (one instructed with a traditional method, the other instructed with CSPBL). Participants were seventy-nine students from a university in China. Questionnaires, interviews, and project analysis were used to measure students' CT and learning engagement. The comparative results of self-reports and final projects indicated that the CSPBL enhanced students' CT. The simulation project training based on the SenseStudy learning platform in CSPBL helped students debug the programming code, optimize the algorithm design, and improve their algorithmic thinking, cooperation, and problem solving during the program error correction. The CSPBL also improved students' engagement in learning, especially for those with more than one year of programming experience. It was found that the CSPBL was effective in terms of improving students' CT and engagement in robotics learning. This study provides teachers with practical suggestions to conduct effective robotics instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol model are generally adopted to describe the physical and optical characteristics of aerosols in different regions, and this is important for climate and environmental studies as well as satellite aerosol retrieval. However, current mainstream aerosol retrieval algorithms still lack differentiated and dynamic descriptions of aerosol models, and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieval accuracy is hence largely compromised. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the difference between global and regional aerosol model classifications and the impact of these differences on satellite AOD retrieval. We developed global and regional (for China) aerosol models through the K-means cluster analysis method, and used the 6SV radiative transfer model based on these global and regional aerosol models to simulate air pollution events. The cluster analysis revealed that both global and regional aerosols can be clustered into five main aerosol types with different optical and physical parameters. The aerosol types include strongly absorbing, moderately absorbing, weakly absorbing, dust and coarse-fine mixed aerosols. These two aerosol models exhibited distinct seasonal variations. Comparing the clustering results obtained with the two models at five Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites, we found that the proportion of strongly absorbing aerosols in the global results is low. According to the China clustering results, a higher proportion of strongly absorbing aerosols occurred in autumn, winter, and early spring, and dust aerosols attained an increasing proportion in spring. Comparing the aerosol parameters with observational data, the regional aerosol model performed better than the global aerosol model. Simulations of AOD during a pollution episode and in different seasons at the Beijing-CAMS site with the 6SV radiative transfer model further confirmed that the regional aerosol model achieved a better simulation accuracy than the global model. The findings suggest that regional aerosol models can provide a useful reference for satellite remote sensing algorithm, climate change and air pollution assessment, and that the dynamic description of the aerosol model is a key parameter in satellite AOD retrieval algorithms. • Five aerosol models (global and for China) were derived from a cluster study based on Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) ground-based remote sensing measurements. The biases of the aerosol types classified via regional clustering, namely, strongly absorbing, moderately absorbing, weakly absorbing, and coarse-fine mixed aerosols, were lower than those of the aerosol types classified via global clustering, while the biases of dust type aerosols were higher based on regional clustering. • In simulating AOD of an air pollution events and different seasons, the China clustering model performed better than the global clustering model and MODIS DT algorithm aerosol model parameters, indicating that aerosol models developed for different regions could improve the accuracy of satellite aerosol products. • The regional aerosol model and the dynamic description of the aerosol model offer key parameters for satellite AOD retrieval algorithms and can achieve a better retrieval accuracy for most parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Assess the contribution of ecological land structure in reducing PM 2.5 pollution. • The dust suppression efficiency of the ecological land composite structure is higher than that of the single structure. • There are significant differences in the role of different types of ecological land. • Compares the suitability of different models and the accuracy of the results. In the context of serious urban air pollution and limited land resources, it is important to understand the environmental value of ecological land. Previous studies focused mostly on the effectiveness of a particular type of green space or the total amount of ecological land on PM 2.5 and have rarely analyzed the association between ecological land structure and PM 2.5 systematically and quantitatively. Therefore, we took 277 cities in China as an example, comprehensively compared the results of different models, and selected a spatial Durbin model using time-fixed effects to dissect the degree of influence of ecological land and different land types within it on PM 2.5. The urban ecological land use structure was closely related to PM 2.5 , and the higher the proportion of ecological land use was, the lower the PM 2.5. The degree and direction of influence of different types of land functions within ecological land on PM 2.5 differed, with forests, shrubs, and grasslands causing a weakening impact on PM 2.5 , while wetlands and waters did not have a weakening role. The degree of reduction of PM 2.5 by a single type of ecological land was significantly smaller than that by a composite type of ecological land. Green space should be comprehensively considered, designed and adjusted in urban planning to continuously optimize the ecological spatial structure, increase landscape diversity and maximize ecological benefits. The findings of this study help with exploring the effects of land use structure under the goal-oriented control of air pollution and provide theoretical reference and decision-making support for formulating precise air pollution control policies and optimizing the spatial development of national land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing the signal of recycled carbonate in the deep mantle and associated basalts is crucial for depicting deep carbon cycling. It has long been recognized that marine sedimentary carbonates have much heavier lithium isotope compositions (δ7Li) than the depleted mantle. However, Li isotope systematics are rarely employed to trace recycled carbonate. To investigate basalt Li isotopic response to recycled carbonate, we carried out whole-rock geochemical and Li isotopic studies on a series of the Cenozoic continental intraplate basalts from eastern China that sample a typical carbonated mantle. The basalts have been reported to have light magnesium (Mg) isotope compositions, but their δ7Li values vary in a limited range (0.9–5.7‰) around the depleted mantle (∼3.8 ± 1.4‰). The decoupled Li Mg isotopic records are closely related to recycled Mg-rich carbonates (dolomite) that have lighter Mg isotope compositions than the depleted mantle but show mantle-like δ7Li values. After modeling the Li isotopic effects of carbonate sediment, silicate sediment and altered oceanic crust (AOC) recycling, we find that even calcium-rich carbonate recycling is inadequate to shift basalt Li isotope composition. Collectively, Li isotopic responses of intraplate basalts to all types of recycled sedimentary carbonates are more sluggish than expected. Our modeling also suggests that recycling of AOC and silicate sediments is likely responsible for the basalts with δ7Li values higher and lower than the depleted mantle, respectively. In addition, seawater δ7Li values probably exert a first-order role in the Li isotopic response. Low δ7Li values of paleo-seawater (< 20‰) for most of the Earth's history have generated AOC with δ7Li values indistinguishable from the depleted mantle, which goes against the emergence of high δ7Li values for intraplate basalts. Although some limitations exist in Li isotopic applications, we propose that a combination of Li isotopic data and whole-rock element ratios is effective in tracing recycled crustal materials hidden in the intraplate basalts. • The Cenozoic intraplate basalts in eastern China show mantle-like δ7Li values. • Different recycled carbonate species result in decoupled Li Mg isotopic records. • Li isotopic response of intraplate basalt to all sedimentary carbonate is sluggish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is the main source of energy for China's economic development, but coal gangue dumps are a major source of heavy metal pollution. Bacterial communities have a major effect on the bioremediation of heavy metals in coal gangue dumps. The effects of different concentrations of heavy metals on the composition of bacterial communities in coal gangue sites remain unclear. Soil bacterial communities from four gangue sites that vary in natural heavy metal concentrations were investigated using high-throughput sequencing in this study. Correlations among bacterial communities, heavy metal concentrations, physicochemical properties of the soil, and the composition of dissolved organic matter of soil in coal gangue dumps were also analyzed. Our results indicated that Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteriota, and Gemmatimonadota were the bacterial taxa most resistant to heavy metal stress at gangue sites. Heavy metal contamination may be the main cause of changes in bacterial communities. Heavy metal pollution can foster mutually beneficial symbioses between microbial species. Microbial-derived organic matter was the main source of soil organic matter in unvegetated mining areas, and this could affect the toxicity and transport of heavy metals in soil. Polar functional groups such as hydroxyl and ester groups (A 226-400) play an important role in the reaction of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), and organic matter with low molecular weight (S R) tends to bind more to mercury (Hg). In addition to heavy metals, the content of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and total organic carbon (TOC) also affected the composition of the bacterial communities; TOC had the strongest effect, followed by N, SOM, and P. Our findings have implications for the microbial remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils in coal gangue sites and sustainable development. [Display omitted] • Natural differences of heavy metal concentration gradients at mine gangue sites. • Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria were the main bacteria observed under heavy metal contamination. • KD4-96, Vicinamibacteraceae, Vicinamibacterales, Streptomyces may be resistant to Hg. • Actinomarinales, Pedomicrobium, and Alphaproteobacteria may be resistant to Cd and Pb. • Heavy metal pollution may promote mutually symbiosis between bacterial species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, northwest China, comprise the typical tight oil reservoirs, which have porosity less than 10% and permeability less than 1 mD. The western Jiyuan area (WJA), at the western margin of the Ordos Basin, has made significant progress in the tight oil exploration of the Yanchang Formation recently. Whereas the lack of recognition of tightening mechanism and process of reservoirs resulting in the misunderstanding of tight oil reservoirs prediction. This study focuses on the petrology, diagenetic processes, as well as forming mechanism and process of the Chang 8 (Ch-8) tight oil reservoirs located in the WJA. Four conclusions were reached. First, Ch-8 tight reservoirs, which are mainly composed of lithic arkose and feldspathic litharenite, experienced diagenesis, such as mechanical and chemical compaction, cementation, and dissolution. The reservoirs are at the late period of the mesogenetic A stage. Second, the tightness of the Ch-8 reservoirs is due to both sedimentary and diagenetic factors. The sedimentary environment where sand bodies are close to the provenance that has a rapidly increasing lacustrine level provides conditions for reservoir tightness. The initial porosity rapidly decreases due to compaction and cementation which produce porosity loss rates of 49.42% and 40.87%, respectively. By contrast, the effect of dissolution is limited, as it only increases porosity by 4.48%. Third, the tightening process of the Ch-8 reservoirs comprise four stages: compaction causes pores to reduce rapidly; followed by early cementation, which causes pores to reduce; dissolution, which causes pores to increase slightly; and late cementation, which causes tightness. Finally, it is likely that the Ch-8 reservoirs were already tight prior to hydrocarbon accumulation, thus demonstrating that they represent typical tight oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the usage of secondary prevention drugs and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products in individuals with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) at the community level in China. Among 2,407 participants with self-reported coronary heart disease (CHD) and 872 with stroke, nearly 80% of individuals with CHD and 73% of individuals with stroke were not taking any proven secondary prevention drug. However, 32.9% of them took TCM products. Patients with CVDs in rural areas used less secondary prevention treatment, but more TCM products than their counterparts in the urban regions. After adjusting for confounding factors, lower rates of secondary prevention treatment were evident in Western China compared with Eastern China, which was more developed. Systematic change is needed to promote the development of evidence-based medicine at the community level in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mcr-1 gene confers transferable colistin resistance. mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae (MCRPE) have attracted substantial medical, media, and political attention; however, so far studies have not addressed their clinical impact. Herein, we report the prevalence of MCRPE in human infections and carriage, clinical associations of mcr-1-positive Escherichia coli (MCRPEC) infection, and risk factors for MCRPEC carriage.Methods: We undertook this study at two hospitals in Zhejiang and Guangdong, China. We did a retrospective cross-sectional assessment of prevalence of MCRPE infection from isolates of Gram-negative bacteria collected at the hospitals from 2007 to 2015 (prevalence study). We did a retrospective case-control study of risk factors for infection and mortality after infection, using all MCRPEC from infection isolates and a random sample of mcr-1-negative E coli infections from the retrospective collection between 2012 and 2015 (infection study). We also did a prospective case-control study to assess risk factors for carriage of MCRPEC in rectal swabs from inpatients with MCRPEC and mcr-1 negative at the hospitals and collected between May and December, 2015, compared with mcr-1-negative isolates from rectal swabs of inpatients (colonisation study). Strains were analysed for antibiotic resistance, plasmid typing, and transfer analysis, and strain relatedness.Findings: We identified 21 621 non-duplicate isolates of Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter spp, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 18 698 inpatients and 2923 healthy volunteers. Of 17 498 isolates associated with infection, mcr-1 was detected in 76 (1%) of 5332 E coli isolates, 13 (<1%) of 348 Klebsiella pneumoniae, one (<1%) of 890 Enterobacter cloacae, and one (1%) of 162 Enterobacter aerogenes. For the infection study, we included 76 mcr-1-positive clinical E coli isolates and 508 mcr-1-negative isolates. Overall, MCRPEC infection was associated with male sex (209 [41%] vs 47 [63%], adjusted p=0·011), immunosuppression (30 [6%] vs 11 [15%], adjusted p=0·011), and antibiotic use, particularly carbapenems (45 [9%] vs 18 [24%], adjusted p=0·002) and fluoroquinolones (95 [19%] vs 23 [30%], adjusted p=0·017), before hospital admission. For the colonisation study, we screened 2923 rectal swabs from healthy volunteers, of which 19 were MCRPEC, and 1200 rectal swabs from patients, of which 35 were MCRPEC. Antibiotic use before hospital admission (p<0·0001) was associated with MCRPEC carriage in 35 patients compared with 378 patients with mcr-1-negative E coli colonisation, whereas living next to a farm was associated with mcr-1-negative E coli colonisation (p=0·03, univariate test). mcr-1 could be transferred between bacteria at high frequencies (10-1 to 10-3), and plasmid types and MCRPEC multi-locus sequence types (MLSTs) were more variable in Guangdong than in Zhejiang and included the human pathogen ST131. MCRPEC also included 17 unreported ST clades.Interpretation: In 2017, colistin will be formally banned from animal feeds in China and switched to human therapy. Infection with MRCPEC is associated with sex, immunosuppression, and previous antibiotic exposure, while colonisation is also associated with antibiotic exposure. MLST and plasmid analysis shows that MCRPEC are diversely spread throughout China and pervasive in Chinese communities.Funding: National Key Basic Research Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China/Zhejiang, National Key Research and Development Program, and MRC, UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the direction and strength of the association between housing prices and their potential determinants in China, from a tripartite perspective that takes into account housing demand, housing supply, and the housing market. A data set made up of county-level housing prices and selected factors was constructed for the year 2014, and spatial regression and geographical detector technique were estimated. The results of the study indicate that the housing prices of Chinese counties are heavily influenced by the administrative level of the county in question. On the basis of results obtained using Moran's I , the study revealed the presence of significant spatial autocorrelation (or spatial agglomeration) in the data. Using spatial regression techniques, the study identifies the positive effect exerted by the proportion of renters, floating population, wage level, the cost of land, the housing market and city service level on housing prices, and the negative influence exerted by living space. The geographical detector technique revealed marked differences in the relative influence, as well as the strength of association, of the seven factors in relation to housing prices. The cost of land had a greater influence on housing prices than other factors. We argue that a better understanding of the determinants of housing prices in China at the county level will help Chinese policymakers to formulate more detailed and geographically specific housing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microphysical properties of supercooled liquid droplets (SLDs) and ice particles of stratiform mixed-phase clouds over Eastern China are characterized using carefully post-processed airborne data. The majority of sampled clouds were precipitating with ice particles and were frequently mixed with SLDs at cold temperature. While the concentration of large ice crystal (> 600 μm in diameter, the same below) was low (up to 3 L−1), the concentration of smaller ice particle (> 50 μm) was high (up to 300 L−1). Such particles with high concentration cannot be a result of the recirculation of pre-existing aged ice and thus secondary ice production (SIP) was likely occurring over the stratiform clouds at temperatures between −16.9 °C and −6.4 °C. The statistical analyses show that concentrations of tiny, hexagonal and irregular ice crystals were significantly greater in updraft than those in downdraft regions, suggesting that updrafts not only provide a favorable environment for the growth of cloud particles, but also promote the multiplication of the above young-age small ice (50–100 μm) where SIP is commonly occurring. Since the criteria for the other SIP mechanisms are difficult to meet for this light-riming stratiform without deep convections, this analysis indicates that shattering during droplet freezing might thus be an important SIP source at temperatures between −15 °C and −9 °C. This study should provide a precise opportunity for parameterizations of mixed-phase stratiform clouds associated with the SIP processes and effects of updraft and temperature. • The SIP is likely occurring over the stratiform at T between −16.9 °C and −6.4 °C. • The splintering during riming process is not an important SIP in this study. • Concentrations of tiny, hexagonal and irregular ice crystals are significantly greater in updraft regions. • The shattering during droplet freezing process is an important SIP source for the studied stratiform (−15 °C < T < −9 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in China not only facilitate economic progress, but also aggravate environmental pollution and disparity. Particulate matter (especially PM 2.5) pollution has attracted considerable attention in recent years owing to its serious adverse health impact. However, the spatial disparity and socioeconomic inequality between urban and rural population owing to PM 2.5 pollution have rarely been quantified. In this study, PM 2.5 exposures to urban and rural population in China during 2010–2019 were estimated respectively using satellite data and the convolutional neural network. The association between socioeconomic indexes and PM 2.5 exposure was then examined with the geographic detectors, considering the tremendous disparity in socioeconomic development between rural and urban communities. The regional difference and urban-rural disparity in PM 2.5 exposure was finally quantified based on Theil index. The results show PM 2.5 exposure and its spatial difference have decreased significantly during the decade, with the concentration decreasing by 26% (from 48 to 35 μg/m3) and the Theil index decreasing from 0.13 to 0.05. The inter-provincial difference dominates the overall spatial variation in 2010, changing to intra-provincial difference in 2019. We also find that China has faced environmental inequality in PM 2.5 exposure between urban and rural community in the past decade, manifesting that the urban population suffered from higher PM 2.5 levels than the rural population, while the inequality had decreased significantly by 2019. This is consistent with the pattern that PM 2.5 exposures increase with socioeconomic development in the early stage, and stabilize or decrease in the late stage. The results suggest that China should abandon the old path of "pollute first and control later" on rural revitalization strategy, otherwise rural population may experience higher exposure than urban population, plunging rural communities into the "environment-health-poverty" trap. • The spatial disparity and urban-rural inequality related to PM 2.5 pollution are quantified during 2010–2019. • The spatial disparity among provinces and within provinces are contributed the most in 2010 and 2019, respectively. • Urban population in China suffered from higher PM 2.5 levels than the rural population. • PM 2.5 exposure became more equitably distributed in space and across urban-rural population over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts caused by NIMBY facilities pose significant threats to urban harmony and sustainability. Ubiquitous online access undoubtedly exacerbates social tensions, and discerning "who is doing what?" is critical for urban managers during crisis communication. However, communication patterns among online stakeholders in NIMBY conflicts have not been comprehensively investigated. Based on Social-Mediated Crisis Communication theory, this research crawls 66,831 Sina blogs to reveal the evolution of online messages and the interaction patterns of diverse stakeholders. Findings show that stakeholders release messages with different emphases and play different roles. Specifically, government functions as the "leader", who plays a dominant role in online communication; news organizations function as the "bridge", receiving and spreading information released by governments to other stakeholders with an efficient transmission function; media practitioners function as the "regulator", mainly posting rumor management messages to clarify misinformation and alleviate social tensions; and citizen agents function as both "receiver" and "promulgator", who receive information from other stakeholders and also disseminate opinions to other netizens. These findings can advance the existing knowledge body of NIMBY crisis communication and yield valuable inputs for evidence-based policymaking in conflict management in China and beyond. • Social-Mediated Crisis Communication was applied to investigate online NIMBY crisis communication patterns. • The dynamic communication networks among stakeholders were investigated. • The influential actors in different stages of online crisis communication in NIMBY conflict were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of female analysts' coverage on firm's philanthropic activities amidst the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Using a hand-collected dataset of corporate philanthropy, the paper provides robust evidence that firms covered by female analysts are more likely to contribute actively to the well-being of societies by increasing corporate donation. This positive relationship is more pronounced if the company is privately controlled or covered by female analysts with more working experience, or located in more infectious provinces. Overall, our findings call for more female analyst recruitment, yielding benefits of pressuring firms to engage in philanthropy. • Firms covered by more female analysts provide more donation during the pandemic. • This positive impact is more pronounced if analysts have more working experience. • The positive relationship is more pronounced if a firm is privately controlled. • The positive impact is more pronounced if a firm is in more infectious province. • Firm site visit is the channel that female analysts affect corporate donation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the environmental pollution of microplastics has attracted much attention. To date, there have been a lot of researches on microplastics and a series of studies published. In this study, by bibliometric analysis method to evaluated the development and evolution on microplastics research trends and hot spots. A total of 2872 literature information was collected from the Web of Science (2004–2020), which was used for bibliometric visual analysis by CiteSpace. It was possible to see the contributing countries, institutions, authors, keywords, and future study directions in the microplastics sectors by looking at the visual representation of the results. (1) Since 2004, scientific advancements in this sector have advanced significantly, with a significant increase in speed since 2012. (2) China and the United States are the world's leading researchers in microplastics. (3) The study of microplastics was multidisciplinary, comprising researchers from the fields of ecology, chemistry, molecular biology, environmental science, and oceanography. (4) In recent years, researchers have concentrated their attention on the distribution and toxicity of microplastics in the environment, as well as their coupled pollution with heavy metal contaminants. In conclusion microplastics study in environmental science has become increasingly popular in recent years. Topics include dispersion, toxicity, and coupled pollution with heavy metal pollutants. Researchers in a wide range of fields are involved in microplastics research. Furthermore, policies and regulations about microplastics in global were summarized, and membrane technology has potential to remove microplastics from water. The above findings help to clearly grasp the content and development trend of microplastics research, point out the future research direction for scholars, and promote microplastics research and pollution prevention and control. [Display omitted] • 2872 articles on microplastics from 2004 to 2020 were analyzed. • Spatial and temporal distribution of research was described and the most cited articles and authors were pointed out. • Knowledge bases, developments, and hotspots of microplastics were identified. • Suggestions for the potential studies on microplastics were given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Until now, polymyxin resistance has involved chromosomal mutations but has never been reported via horizontal gene transfer. During a routine surveillance project on antimicrobial resistance in commensal Escherichia coli from food animals in China, a major increase of colistin resistance was observed. When an E coli strain, SHP45, possessing colistin resistance that could be transferred to another strain, was isolated from a pig, we conducted further analysis of possible plasmid-mediated polymyxin resistance. Herein, we report the emergence of the first plasmid-mediated polymyxin resistance mechanism, MCR-1, in Enterobacteriaceae.Methods: The mcr-1 gene in E coli strain SHP45 was identified by whole plasmid sequencing and subcloning. MCR-1 mechanistic studies were done with sequence comparisons, homology modelling, and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. The prevalence of mcr-1 was investigated in E coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains collected from five provinces between April, 2011, and November, 2014. The ability of MCR-1 to confer polymyxin resistance in vivo was examined in a murine thigh model.Findings: Polymyxin resistance was shown to be singularly due to the plasmid-mediated mcr-1 gene. The plasmid carrying mcr-1 was mobilised to an E coli recipient at a frequency of 10(-1) to 10(-3) cells per recipient cell by conjugation, and maintained in K pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In an in-vivo model, production of MCR-1 negated the efficacy of colistin. MCR-1 is a member of the phosphoethanolamine transferase enzyme family, with expression in E coli resulting in the addition of phosphoethanolamine to lipid A. We observed mcr-1 carriage in E coli isolates collected from 78 (15%) of 523 samples of raw meat and 166 (21%) of 804 animals during 2011-14, and 16 (1%) of 1322 samples from inpatients with infection.Interpretation: The emergence of MCR-1 heralds the breach of the last group of antibiotics, polymyxins, by plasmid-mediated resistance. Although currently confined to China, MCR-1 is likely to emulate other global resistance mechanisms such as NDM-1. Our findings emphasise the urgent need for coordinated global action in the fight against pan-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.Funding: Ministry of Science and Technology of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of 311 enamel samples from a diverse group of herbivorous mammals including Equidae, Rhinocerotidae, Bovidae, Rodentia and Ochotonidaewere were analyzed in order to reconstruct the Late Cenozoic history of vegetation and environmental change in the Yushe Basin in North China. The δ 13 C values of bulk and serial enamel samples from large mammals show a wide range of variation from − 13.3‰ to 1.4‰, with a mean of − 7.4‰ ± 3.5‰ (n = 294). This indicates that large herbivorous mammals in the area had a variety of diets since 6.5 Ma, ranging from pure C 3 to mixed C 3 –C 4 and pure C 4 diets. In contrast, the δ 13 C values of small mammals vary from − 11.9‰ to − 7.6‰, with a mean of − 9.7 ± 1.1‰ (n = 17), indicating that rodents and ochotonids were feeding mostly on C 3 plants. Variations in δ 13 C values within and between species reflect the variations in the habitat and the vegetation consumed by the animals. In general, horses had higher amounts of C 4 grasses in their diets than other contemporary taxa such as bovids, rhinos, rodents and deer, suggesting that horses exploited more open habitats such as grasslands while deer, rhinos and rodents may have preferred more C 3 vegetation, which is more indicative of forested environments. The carbon isotope data show that C 4 grasses have been an important component of horses' diets and of local ecosystems since ~ 6.5 Ma, confirming that the “late Miocene C 4 expansion” occurred in North China as it did in Africa, Indian subcontinent and the Americas. This supports a global factor as a main driver of the late Miocene C 4 expansion. The combined carbon and oxygen isotope data reveal major shifts in climate to drier and/or warmer conditions after ~ 5.8, ~ 4.1, ~ 3.3, and ~ 2.5 Ma, and significant shifts to relatively wetter and/or cooler conditions after ~ 6.4, ~ 5, ~ 3.5 Ma. The shifts to drier and/or warmer climate after ~ 5.8 Ma and ~ 2.5 Ma coincide with two major fauna turnover events. Intra-tooth δ 13 C and δ 18 O values are negatively correlated within individual modern teeth and some fossil teeth, displaying the characteristic pattern of the summer monsoon regime and confirming a strong monsoon influence in the area since at least the early Pliocene. The data also suggest that the C 4 abundance in the area has fluctuated over the past 6.5 Ma in response to changes in climate, with more C 4 grasses during warmer and/or drier periods and a reduced C 4 component at cooler and/or wetter times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy performance for GB and PH districts next to each other are compared. • GB and PH technologies and criteria of assessment are investigated. • Advantages of pH district are comprehensively analyzed. • PH district provides a solution towards zero carbon. Currently, there are various kinds of energy-saving buildings, which mainly include Green Buildings (GB) that are under construction in China, to reduce energy consumption & CO 2 emission, and to also improve the living comfort level of people. Ten years ago, Passive House (PH) standards were introduced in China, which could operate better than GBs, in terms of energy savings and providing a more comfortable indoor living environment at the same time. This study investigates the development of large-scale PH buildings and illustrates an energy efficiency pathway to carbon neutrality based on the detailed comparison of two typical buildings including PH and GB in Qingdao, China. The main findings are that the PH district consumes only 11% of space heating required by the GB district and its technological strategies are feasible with affordable additional costs. According to the simulated results, these costs can be compensated conversely in 17 years by the saved costs during the operation cycle. This article aims to explore and propose the energy performance (mainly considering heating demand) of large-scale PHs in Northern China. Therefore, the recommended large-scale PH development contributes significantly to reaching the target of "Carbon emissions peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060" in the building sector. As an important part, the use of renewable energy is emphasized, which in integration with PHs will raise a new solution of district energy supply in the Qingdao region. This research transfers the building policy-makers and developers the information that the method of development of large-scale PH buildings is feasible, even if there will be a somewhat incremental cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The relative motion between India and South China is accommodated by regional right-lateral shearing. • The newly formed Shan Plateau Shear Zone at depth drives the sinistral slip of ENE-trending faults and the upper crust clockwise rotation. • The pattern of Indo-South China Region results from wide dextral shear, clockwise rotation around the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis. Indo-South China lying between the Indian Plate and the rigid South China Block is characterized by intense crustal deformation with severe seismic hazards. How deformation is partitioned through slip on various structural features provides key insights into understanding the regional geodynamic processes. Based on the up-to-date GPS velocity data together with the existing active tectonic, seismological, and geophysical data, we find that the relative motion between India and South China is mainly accommodated by two parts: ∼47 mm/yr dextral slip and 15–18 mm/yr contraction to the west of the Shan Plateau, and ∼ 10 mm/yr sinistral slip and ∼ 10 mm/yr extension to the east of it. The Burmese Range takes up ∼ 22 mm/yr dextral slip and 10–13 mm/yr contraction, while the Sagaing Fault accommodates ∼ 18 mm/yr dextral slip and 5–6 mm/yr contraction. The Shan Plateau Shear Zone absorbs ∼ 8 mm/yr dextral slip and 5–6 mm/yr extension. The Chuandian Terrane from east of the Red River Fault to the Xiaojiang Fault manifests 8–10 mm/yr sinistral slip and 5–6 mm/yr extension. The block motion inversion reveals that the clockwise rotation and deformation are caused by the northeastward motion of the India Plate and the clockwise lithospheric flow around the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis. The Shan Plateau Shear Zone may be a newly formed dextral shear zone at depth of the middle and lower crust, driving the sinistral slip and extension along the ENE-trending faults in upper crustal level. The Shan Plateau Shear Zone might have replaced the Red River Fault as the western boundary to cause the southeastward coherent movement of the Chuandian Terrane. The complex pattern of active tectonic deformation in the region results from interactions among hyper-oblique subduction beneath the Burmese Range, clockwise rotation of lithospheric material around the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis, and the apparently rigid Sundaland Block separating the two systems in between. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it's well known that the carbon intensity from passenger transport of cities varies widely, few studies assessed the disparities of that in city-level and its underlying factors due to the limited availability of data, and thus developed effective strategies for different types of cities. This study is the first to present a comprehensive inventory of emissions from passenger transport on road for 360 cities in mainland China for 2018, based on the data from 5 transport modes and evaluated by combining distance-based and top-down fuel-based methods. In 2018, passenger transport on road in China emitted 1076 MtC. A large portion of CO 2 emissions was identified in the southern and eastern coastal areas and capital cities. GDP, population, and policy were the major factors determining the total CO 2 emissions, but not carbon intensity. Clustering analysis of carbon intensity and 9 socio-economic predictors, using a tree-based regression model, clustered the 360 cities into 6 groups and showed that higher carbon intensities occurred in both affluent city groups with a high active population share and less affluent city groups with a low population density but high density of trip destinations. Forward-and-backward stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that constructing a compact city is more effective for city groups with a high income and high active population share. Enhancing land-use mixed degree is more critical for city groups with a high income and low active population share, while shortening travel distance by intensifying infrastructure construction is more important for the less affluent city groups. • A new comprehensive inventory of China's city-level emissions from passenger transport on road is presented. • GDP, population, and policy were the major factors determining the total CO 2 emissions, but not carbon intensity. • The active population share and density of trip destinations have significant effect in carbon intensities. • The compactness, land-use mixed and travel distance contribute variously in different city groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past 50 years, the Kaidu–Kongqi River Basin (KKRB) in the arid region of northwest China (ARNC) has experienced drastic climate variability. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2013, the growths of population and socioeconomic development in the area were drastic, along with much more intensive water management activities. These factors may have caused considerable land use/cover change (LUCC) in the area. Based on the land use/cover classification data derived from the Landsat TM imageries in 1990, 2000, and 2010, as well as the governmental socioeconomic statistics and field observation data, this study investigated the LUCC in the KKRB during 1990–2010. The findings include: (1) The LUCC in the Kaidu–Kongqi River Basin was considerable during the study period, and this change was largely limited to the grassland and cultivated land. The natural grassland in the area decreased with a rate of 118.1 km 2 /y, whereas the cultivated land increased with a rate of 79.2 km 2 /y. The rapid expansion of cultivated land was mainly sourced from reclamations of wasteland and natural grassland. (2) The LUCC has been resulted from the interaction of natural environmental changes and human activities. The changing runoff affected by climate change has played a fundamental role in land use conversion. The human activity intensity index value rose from 0.75 for 1990–2000 to 0.88 for 2000–2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The technical potential of wind and solar to power China was quantified accurately. • Wind and solar alone are able to meeting 67% of China's electricity demand by 2050. • Flexible grid connection substantially improves renewable energy penetration rate. • Recommend policymakers accelerate exploiting complementary wind and solar power. China's goal of being carbon-neutral by 2060 requires a green electric power system dominated by renewable energy. However, the potential of wind and solar alone to power China remains unclear, hindering the holistic layout of the energy development plan. Here, after taking temporal matching of supply and demand (60 min), land use, and government policy into account and assuming lossless transmission, we demonstrate that deploying wind and solar capacity of 2495 and 2674 GW, respectively, within flexible and optimized grids can meet ∼67% of electricity demands by all society sectors for 2050 (∼6.3% curtailment rate), even without other costly power sources or storage. Spatially explicit configurations of the grids are provided simultaneously to support this achievement. The resulting green electricity supply of 10.4 PWh per year help secure China's carbon-neutral goal and reduces 2.08 Mt SO 2 and 1.97 Mt NOx emissions annually. Our findings recommend policymakers accelerate exploiting complementary wind and solar power as the dominant source of energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study focussed on the analysis of the genetic environment of the multi-resistance gene cfr detected among 21, mostly methicillin-resistant, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) isolates obtained from chickens, ducks and pigs in China. It included sequencing of the regions up- and downstream of the cfr gene on various plasmid types in 13 isolates, such as pSS-02 and pSS-02-like (n =7), pSS-03-like (n =1), pJP1-like (n =3), pSS-04 (n =1) and pJP2 (n =1). This analysis revealed that insertion sequences (IS21-558, IS256, IS257, or IS1216E) and other resistance genes (aacA-aphD and aadD for aminoglycoside resistance, ble for bleomycin resistance, fosD for fosfomycin resistance, erm(B) and erm(C) for macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin B resistance, or fexA for phenicol resistance) coexisted on the respective plasmids. In the chromosomal copies of cfr identified in eight S. lentus isolates, the cfr gene was found to be bracketed by insertion sequences, such as IS256 or ISEnfa5. Stability tests confirmed that all chromosomal cfr-containing regions could be looped out via IS-mediated recombination. The observations made in this study extend the rather rudimentary knowledge about the genetic environment of cfr in staphylococci from chickens and ducks and confirmed that insertion sequences play an important role in the dissemination of cfr, not only among different types of plasmids, but also for the integration in the chromosomal DNA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• We assessed bacterial community responses to precipitation in biological soil crusts. • Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the predominant phyla. • Community composition, but not diversity, responded to precipitation changes. • Microbial biomass carbon altered bacterial community composition. • Composition and soil properties affect soil respiration responses to precipitation. Soil water availability is the critical limitation for soil respiration (R s) and subsequent ecosystem functions in biological soil crusts (BSCs) of arid ecosystems. Thus, uncovering the response mechanism of R s to different precipitation regimes will improve our knowledge of the potential impacts of global climate change on this fragile ecosystem. To investigate the possible effects of altered precipitation regimes on bacterial community composition, soil properties and soil carbon effluxes, we implemented a 3-year field experiment in a desert shrub in northwestern China with manipulative precipitation treatments consisting of natural precipitation, that increased along a precipitation gradient of 5–40 mm during the growing season. Results showed that microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen (MBC and MBN) were significantly increased with increasing rainfall amount but soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, pH and biological thickness were relatively stable. Water addition significantly altered the bacterial community composition but not its diversity (including richness and evenness) by increasing the relative abundances of Actinobacteria and decreasing those of Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria. In addition, MBC was the primary driver that altered bacterial community composition. Soil physiochemical properties resulted in approximately 70% variations in R s , whereas soil physicochemical properties and bacterial community composition impacted 10% variations in R s. Our results indicated that bacterial community composition and soil physiochemical properties might be responsible for the responses of R s to rainfall addition in BSCs of desert regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viperin is increasingly thought as a key protein in antiviral response. However, the in vivo antiviral effects of fish viperin remains unresolved. Hexaploid gibel carp (Carassius gibelio) is an important aquaculture species in China and its culture industry has suffered enormous economic losses due to an epizootic disease caused by C. auratus herpesvirus (Ca HV) since 2012. In our previous studies, two duplicated viperin homeologs (Cgviperin-A and Cgviperin-B) were identified and their divergent antiviral mechanisms were revealed through in vitro overexpression in CAB (C. auratus blastulae embryonic) cell. Here, we tried to explore their function difference in vivo by using CRISPR/Cas9 editing. Firstly, we uncovered their biased expression patterns and differential promoter activities. Then we mutated them singly or simultaneously in resistant clone H of gibel carp by using CRISPR/Cas9 and finally confirmed that they cooperatively participated in the antiviral battle between gibel carp and Ca HV through virus challenge and comparative transcriptome analysis. Cg Viperin-A depletion mainly affected immune-related pathways and Cgviperin-B deficiency influenced autophagy-associated pathways. Simultaneous disruption of them resulted in complete loss of resistance ability of gibel carp against Ca HV. Significantly, the deficiency of Cgviperin-A influenced the expression of Cgviperin-B in Cgviperin-A −/−/− mutant, but Cgviperin-A transcripts kept a high level of expression in the Cgviperin-B −/−/− mutant, same as in the WT. Therefore, the current findings are not only the first time to clarify the antiviral activities of Viperin in the battle between teleost and virus in vivo, but also explain the detailed evolutionary divergence of a duplicated gene in a recurrent polyploid fish. • Two duplicated viperin homeologs were edited singly or simultaneously in hexaploid gibel carp by using CRISPR/Cas9. • It is the first time to clarify the antiviral activities of Viperin in the battle between teleost and virus in vivo. • Cg Viperin-A and Cg Viperin-B have sub-functionalized, Cg viperin-B has evolved a novel function related to autophagy. • Cg Viperin-A and Cg Viperin-B cooperatively participate in the antiviral response of gibel carp against CaHV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tree-ring width and litterfall were compared for two temperate tree species. • Tree-ring width and foliar litter are positively coupled for oak and larch trees. • Tree-ring width shows a 1-year lag after needle litter production for larch. • Fruit litter is positively coupled with tree-ring width for oak. Tree growth is delineated into multiple processes, such as foliar growth, stem growth, and reproductive growth; however, only stem growth can store carbon in forests at a relatively long time scale. Understanding how these processes interact in response to climate change is of utmost importance for predicting the future carbon fixation ability of forests. However, it largely remains an unresolved question. To bridge this knowledge gap, we collected litter and tree-ring samples of two deciduous tree species, i.e. Larix principis-rupprechtii and Quercus liaotungensis , in a temperate mixed forest on Dongling Mountain in northern China. The influence of climate and the coupling characteristics between leaf/needle litter, fruit/cone litter, and tree-ring width (TRW) were analysed. The results highlighted that leaf/needle production was significantly and positively coupled with TRW for both species, but with one-year time lag for larch. Path analysis revealed that climate changes directly and significantly affected fruit production, which in turn indirectly affected TRW for oak trees, but such effect of cone production on TRW was not significant for larch trees. Additionally, we found that the radial growth of oak trees is more sensitive to drought stress than larch, possibly due to the close coupling between leaf biomass and TRW. Our results demonstrated that the coupling characteristics between different components of tree growth are species-specific, and understanding these relationships is of great significance for improving the tree growth model of forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lacustrine rift basins in Eastern China possess large amounts of petroleum, especially the shale gas and tight sand gas in deep formations, where "sweet spots" are closely related to organic-rich shale intervals. However, the OM enrichment of deep formation shale in lacustrine rift basins and the main controlling factors have not been well-researched in previous studies. The organic matter (OM) enrichment is mainly controlled by the OM input, preservation, and/or dilution. The shales deposited in deep formations of Songliao Basin, including the Jurassic Huoshiling (J 3 h), Cretaceous Shahezi (K 1 sh), and Yingcheng (K 1 yc) formations, are evaluated as fair to excellent source rocks. Taking the shales as an example, the characters and impact of input, preservation, and dilution on OM enrichment in shales are discussed by utilizing the parameters of element concentrations and biomarkers. Results show that the OM sources are mixed sources of aquatic microorganisms and higher plant materials, and the higher plant materials are dominant. The bio-productivity were moderate to high. The paleoclimate was mainly the cold and semi-humid to semi-arid. The lake salinity was fresh-to brackish-water. The redox conditions were sub-reducing to sub-oxidizing. The dilution degree in Yingcheng was the strongest, followed by the Shahezi and Huoshiling. Consequently, the OM enrichment in the J 3 h shale was called moderate bio-productivity and preservation model; the OM enrichment in the K 1 sh shale was called high bio-productivity and preservation model; the OM enrichment in the K 1 yc shale was named high dilution model. This study not only improves the model of OM enrichment but also provide some information for the research of "Deep time" in the Cretaceous of Songliao Basin, guiding the prediction of organic-rich shale distribution in lacustrine rift basin. • Fair to excellent hydrocarbon generation potential. • Organic matter origins are mainly a mixture of aquatic microorganisms and terrestrial higher plants. • Arid and cold paleoclimate and fresh- and brackish-water. • Reducing to sub-reducing, sub-reducing to oxidizing, and sub-reducing to sub-oxidizing conditions. • Moderate bio-productivity and preservation model, high bio-productivity and preservation model, high dilution model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The multidrug-resistance gene cfr was detected in coagulase-negative staphylococci from 3/401 pigs, 15/305 chickens, and 3/78 ducks from 31 different farms and one slaughterhouse in 2 provinces of China. Twenty of the 21 cfr-positive isolates were methicillin-resistant. Various SmaI-PFGE patterns were observed among the isolates of the same staphylococcal species and suggested horizontal transfer of cfr rather than clonal expansion. The detection of cfr on plasmids in the majority of the isolates supported this assumption. Analysis of the drug usage records of the farms strongly correlated with the resistance patterns of the cfr-positive isolates and suggested that antimicrobial use on farms supports the spread of the cfr gene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Legacy halogenated compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and emerging organo-halogen pollutants such as Dechlorane Plus (DP), were detected in fish from an old industrial region in Northeast China. PCBs and PBDEs were detected in all of the samples, with concentrations ranging from 38.15 to 170.51 ng/g lipid weight, and 9.40–39.69 ng/g lipid weight, respectively. DP was detected in more than 90% of the samples with concentrations ranging from not detected (ND) to 470 pg g/g lipid weight. Compared with similar data in other areas of the world, PCBs, PBDEs and DP in fish from Liaohe River were at medium or low level. An unusually high percentage of PCB-209 was first reported in the fish samples collected from China. Other halogenated pollutions, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, octachlorostyrene, chlorinated anisole, chlorinated thioanisole, triclosan-methyl, and other pesticides, have also been identified in the fish samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this study is to characterize the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in Escherichia coli from captive non-human primates. A total of 206 E. coli isolates were collected from primates in six zoos in China in 2009 and their susceptibility to 10 antimicrobials were tested by broth microdilution. The susceptibility patterns of E. coli strains varied greatly among different zoos reflecting different backgrounds of antimicrobial usage. Both the ESBL-encoding genes and the PMQR genes were detected by PCR. Of the 206 strains, 65 (32%) were confirmed as phenotypic ESBL producers with bla CTX-M (27%, bla CTX-M-15, n =31, bla CTX-M-3, n =23 and bla CTX-M-14, n =2) mainly mediating the ESBL phenotype. qnrS1 (18%, n =36) and oqxAB (15%, n =31) were the predominant PMQR genes and the prevalence of PMQR genes was much higher among phenotypic ESBL producers than that among phenotypic non-ESBL producers from any zoo. Notably, the PMQR genes qnrS1 and oqxAB and β-lactamase genes bla TEM-1 and bla CTX-M-3 were found together in 23 E. coli isolates in two zoos in Shanghai. PFGE analysis of these 23 isolates demonstrated nearly identical PFGE profiles (similarity matrix >97%) indicating this specific E. coli genotype was prevalent in these two zoos. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of these four genes coexisting in an E. coli genotype and the first report of antimicrobial resistance profiles in E. coli isolated from primates in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The timing history and driving mechanisms of C4 expansion and Tibetan uplift are hotly debated issues. Paleoenvironmental evidence from within the Tibetan Plateau is essential to help resolve these issues. Here we report results of stable C and O isotope analyses of tooth enamel samples from a variety of late Cenozoic mammals, including deer, giraffe, horse, rhino, and elephant, from the Qaidam Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The enamel-δ13C values are <−8‰ for modern samples and ≤–7‰ for fossils, except for one late Miocene rhino (CD0722, with δ13C values up to −4.1‰). If the Qaidam Basin was as arid as today in the Mio-Pliocene, these data would indicate that the majority of the animals had C3 diets and only a few individuals (besides the exceptional rhino CD0722) may have consumed some C4 plants. Based on geological evidence, however, the Qaidam Basin was probably warmer and more humid during the late Miocene and early Pliocene than today. Thus, these δ13C values likely indicate that many individuals had significant dietary intakes of C4 plants, and the Qaidam Basin had more C4 plants in the late Miocene and early Pliocene than today. Moreover, the Qaidam Basin likely had much denser vegetation at those times in order to support such large mammals as rhinos and elephants. While the δ18O values did not increase monotonously with time, the range of variation seems to have increased considerably since the early Pliocene, indicating increased aridification in the basin. The mean δ18O values of large mammals and those reconstructed for local meteoric waters display a significant negative shift in the late Miocene, consistent with the marine δ18O record which shows a cooling trend in the same period. Taken together, the isotope data suggest a warmer, wetter, and perhaps lower Qaidam Basin during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Increased aridification after the early Pliocene is likely due to a combined effect of regional tectonism, which resulted in a more effective barrier preventing moisture from the Indian Ocean or Bay of Bengal from reaching the basin, and global cooling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]