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Introduction: Power industry is one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions in China. The Yellow River Basin plays a supportive role in guaranteeing the effective supply of electricity nationwide, with numerous power generation bases. Understanding the drivers and peak of CO2 emissions of power industry in the Yellow River Basin is vital for China to fulfill its commitment to reach carbon emissions peak by 2030. Methods: The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model was employed to explore the drivers to the change of CO2 emissions in power industries of three study areas, including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regions, Shanxi Province, and Shandong Province in the Yellow River Basin. And Back Propagation (BP) neural network was combined with scenario analysis to empirically predict the trend of the amount of CO2 emitted by power industry (CEPI) from provincial perspective. Results: CEPI in Inner Mongolia under the scenarios of a low degree of CO2 emissions promotion with a medium degree of CO2 emissions inhibition (LM) and a low degree of CO2 emissions promotion with a high degree of CO2 emissions inhibition (LH) scenario can reach a peak as early as 2030, with the peak value of 628.32 and 638.12 million tonnes, respectively. Moreover, in Shanxi, only CEPI under a low degree of CO2 emissions promotion scenarios (LL, LM, LH) can achieve the peak in 2025 ahead of schedule, with amounts of 319.32, 308.07, and 292.45 million tonnes. Regarding Shandong, CEPI under scenarios of a low degree of CO2 emissions promotion with a high degree of CO2 emissions inhibition (LH) and a medium degree of CO2 emissions promotion with a high degree of CO2 emissions inhibition (MH) could achieve the earliest peak time in 2025, with a peak of 434.6 and 439.36 million tonnes, respectively. Discussion: The earliest peak time of CEPI in Shandong Province and Shanxi Province is 2025, but the peak of CEPI in Shanxi is smaller than that of Shandong. The peak time of CEPI in Inner Mongolia is relatively late, in 2030, and the peak is larger than that of the other two provinces. The per capita GDP is the most positive driving factor that contributes to the CEPI. Shandong has a strong economy, and its per capita GDP is much higher than Shanxi's. Therefore, even under the same peak time, the CEPI in Shandong is much higher than that of Shanxi. Inner Mongolia is extensive and sparsely populated, which makes its per capita GDP rank among the top in China. In addition, Inner Mongolia's coal-based power generation structure and high power generation also contribute to its late CO2 peak time and large CO2 peak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a major cause of harm in healthcare systems around the world. This study aimed to explore the factors that influence the risk of medication and provide medication risk evaluation model for adults in Shanxi province, China. Methods: The data was obtained from the provincial questionnaire from May to December 2022, relying on the random distribution of questionnaires and online questionnaires by four hospitals in Shanxi Province. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the factors affecting the KAP score of residents. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent risk factors, and the nomogram was verified by receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration and decision curve analysis. Results: A total of 3,388 questionnaires were collected, including 3,272 valid questionnaires. The average scores of drugs KAP were 63.2 ± 23.04, 33.05 ± 9.60, 23.67 ± 6.75 and 33.16 ± 10.87, respectively. On the evaluation criteria of the questionnaire, knowledge was scored "fair", attitude and practice were scored "good". Sex, monthly income, place of residence, insurance status, education level, and employment were regarded as independent risk factors for medication and a nomogram was established by them. Conclusion: Males, low-income, and low-educated people are important factors affecting the risk of medication. The application of the model can help residents understand the risk of their own medication behavior and reduce the harm of medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The etiology and clinical presentation of vulvar carcinomas, especially vulvar lesions, are not fully understood. Because the vulva and cervix are anatomically connected, human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical lesions. Thus, this study explored the potential characteristics and effects of specific HPV infection types across vulvar lesions and concurrent cervical lesions. Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed patients with cervical HPV or cytological results and concurrent vulvar biopsy who were seen in our hospital colposcopy clinic in Shanxi Province, China, between 2013 and 2023. Data on age, menopause status, vulvar manifestations, and cytology and HPV infection testing results were collected. Attributable fractions and multinominal logistic models were used to evaluate HPV genotyping and clinical characteristics across vulvar lesions. Results: Among the 1,027 participants, 83 (8.1%) had vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) of high grade or worse (VIN2+), and 127 (12.4%) had nonneoplastic epithelial disorders of the vulva (NNEDV). A total of 175 patients had either VIN2+ or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) lesions of grade 2 or worse (CIN2+). The most common HPV genotypes for VIN2+ or concurrent VIN2+/CIN2+ were HPV16, HPV52, and HPV58, although attributable fractions differed among lesions. Patients with normal cytological or histopathological result were more likely to have NNEDV detected, while abnormal cervical diagnosis was associated with higher detection of VIN2+. Multinominal logistic modeling showed that age and HPV16 infection were risk factors for VIN2+ or concurrent VIN2+/CIN2+; however, only vulvar presentation with depigmentation was a risk factor for NNEDV. Among patients with low-grade CIN1/VIN1, compared with those who were HPV16 negative, those who were HPV16 positive were at 6.63-fold higher risk of VIN2+/CIN2+ [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.32, 13.21]. Vulvar depigmentation was also associated with increased risk of NNEDV (odds ratio: 9.98; 95% CI: 3.02, 33.04). Conclusions: Chinese women may be at specific, high risk for HPV infection types associated with VIN or CIN. The use of cervical cell HPV detection along with vulvar presentation during cervical cancer screening may also contribute to vulvar lesion detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Armillaria members play important roles in the nutrient supply and growth modulation of Gastrodia elata Bl., and they will undergo severe competition with native soil organisms before colonization and become symbiotic with G. elata. Unraveling the response of soil microbial organisms to symbiotic fungi will open up new avenues to illustrate the biological mechanisms driving G. elata's benefit from Armillaria. For this purpose, Armillaria strains from four main G. elata production areas in China were collected, identified, and co-planted with G. elata in Guizhou Province. The result of the phylogenetic tree indicated that the four Armillaria strains shared the shortest clade with Armillaria gallica. The yields of G. elata were compared to uncover the potential role of these A. gallica strains. Soil microbial DNA was extracted and sequenced using Illumina sequencing of 16S and ITS rRNA gene amplicons to decipher the changes of soil bacterial and fungal communities arising from A. gallica strains. The yield of G. elata symbiosis with the YN strain (A. gallica collected from Yunnan) was four times higher than that of the GZ strain (A. gallica collected from Guizhou) and nearly two times higher than that of the AH and SX strains (A. gallica collected from Shanxi and Anhui). We found that the GZ strain induced changes in the bacterial community, while the YN strain mainly caused changes in the fungal community. Similar patterns were identified in non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis, in which the GZ strain greatly separated from others in bacterial structure, while the YN strain caused significant separation from other strains in fungal structure. This current study revealed the assembly and response of the soil microbial community to A. gallica strains and suggested that exotic strains of A. gallica might be helpful in improving the yield of G. elata by inducing changes in the soil fungal community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although interleukin-2 (IL-2) has long been associated with cancer development, its roles in the development of cervical cancer remains unclear. Few studies examined the associations between IL-2 and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) with risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Objective: We aimed to assess the association of IL-2 and high-risk HPV infection with risk of CIN as well as their interactions on the risk of CIN. Design: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of screening data in 2285 women aged 19-65 years who participated in an ongoing community-based cohort of 40,000 women in Shanxi, China in 2014-2015. Both categorical and spline analyses were used to evaluation the association between IL-2 in the local vaginal fluids and prevalence of CIN. In addition, 1503 controls were followed up until January 31, 2019), the nested case-control study design was adopted to evaluate the association of vaginal lavage IL-2 levels and the risk of CIN progression. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, IL-2 levels were statistically inversely associated with prevalence of CIN (the 1st versus 4th quartile IL-2 levels: the respective odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence intervals [CI] was: = 1.75 [1.37, 2.23] for CIN, 1.32 [1.01, 1.73] for CIN I, and 3.53 [2.26, 5.52] for CIN II/III). Increased IL-2 levels were inversely associated with prevalence of CIN (P-overall<0.01, P-nonlinearity<0.01 for CIN; P-overall<0.01, P-nonlinearity = 0.01 for CIN I; P-overall <0.01, P-nonlinearity = 0.62 for CIN II/III). The highest prevalence of CIN was observed in women with high-risk HPV, who also had the lowest IL-2 levels (P-interaction < 0.01). Nested case-control study observed an inverse association between IL-2 levels and risk of CIN progression (OR=3.43, [1.17, 10.03]). Conclusions: IL-2 levels in the local vaginal fluids were inversely associated with the risk of CIN in Chinese women either with or without high-risk HPV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore whether humanistic care practiced by clinical pharmacists and socioeconomic status moderate the associations among pain intensity, psychological factors (catastrophizing and resilience), and psychological function (depression and anxiety) in cancer patients with low levels of education and income in the Shanxi province in the Northwest of China. Methods: Our sample comprised 123 adult inpatients with cancer pain. Demographic variables were obtained from the Hospital Information System of The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University. Pain intensity, psychological factors, and psychological functions were evaluated with four scales, and humanistic care was practiced with a part of the patients by clinical pharmacists. First, univariate analyses were conducted, followed by moderating effect models. Results: The incidence of depression and anxiety in patients with cancer pain in our sample were 48.78 and 41.46%, respectively. Low levels of psychological resilience (63.37, SD 21.74) were in this study. Pain intensity was significantly associated with humanistic care and anxiety. Humanistic care practiced by clinical pharmacists moderated not only the association between resilience and pain intensity but also the association between pain intensity and anxiety. Education levels moderated the relationship between pain intensity and the psychological factors of catastrophizing and resilience. Income levels moderated the association between resilience and anxiety. Conclusion: Humanistic care is essential in moderating the association among pain intensity, psychological factors, and psychological functions in Chinese cancer patients, especially those from lower-level counties and rural areas. Furthermore, socioeconomic statuses, such as education level and income, cannot easily change quickly. Still, proper humanistic care can relieve pain more effectively, reminding us that medical staff should implement effective personalized interventions to reduce patients’ pain intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ground glass nodules (GGN) of the lung may be a precursor of lung cancer and have received increasing attention in recent years with the popularity of low-dose high-resolution computed tomography (CT). Many studies have discussed imaging features that suggest the benignity or malignancy of GGN, but the extent of its postoperative pathological infiltration is poorly understood. In this study, we identified CT imaging features that indicate the extent of GGN pathological infiltration. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 189 patients with pulmonary GGN from January 2020 to December 2021 at Shanxi Cancer Hospital was performed. Patients were classified according to their pathological type into non-invasive adenocarcinoma [atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) in a total of 34 cases], micro-invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) in 80 cases, and invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) in a total of 75 cases. The general demographic data, nodule size, nodule area, solid component, CT indications and pathological findings of the three groups of patients were analyzed to predict the correlation between GGN and the degree of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration. Results: No statistically significant differences were found among the three groups in general information, vascular signs, and vacuolar signs (P > 0.05). Statistically significant differences among the three groups were found in nodule size, nodule area, lobar signs, pleural traction, burr signs, bronchial signs, and solid components (P < 0.05). Logistic regression equation tests based on the statistically significant indicators showed that nodal area, lobar sign, pleural pull, burr sign, bronchial sign, and solid component were independent predictors of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration. The subject operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that nodal area is valuable in predicting GGN infiltration. Conclusion: CT-based imaging indications are useful predictors of infiltrative adenocarcinoma manifested as pulmonary ground glass nodules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr (larch) is one of the main afforestation and timber production species used in North China. Climate change has led to a change in its suitable distribution and growth. However, the impact of climate change on its growth suitability is not clear. In this study, using forest resource inventory data and spatially continuous environmental factor data (temperature, precipitation, topography, and soil) in Hebei and Shanxi Provinces, China, the random forest model (RF) was used to simulate the larch site index (SI) and growth suitability under three shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs: SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5) for the current and future (2021-2040, 2041-2060 and 2080-2100). The results revealed that (1) RF had excellent performance in predicting the regional SI (R2 = 0.73, MAE = 0.93 m, RMSE = 1.35 m); (2) the main factors affecting the productivity of larch were the mean temperature of the warmest quarter (BIO10), elevation (ELEV), mean diurnal range (BIO2), and annual precipitation (BIO12); and (3) larch currently had a higher SI in the Bashang areas and in the high-altitude mountains. The areas characterized as unsuitable, poorly suitable, moderately suitable, and highly suitable accounted for 15.45%, 42.12%, 31.94%, and 10.49% of the total area, respectively. (4) Future climate warming had an obvious inhibitory effect on the SI, and the effect strengthened with increasing radiation intensity and year. (5) The moderately suitable and highly suitable areas of larch growth showed a downward trend under future climate scenarios. By the end of this century, the suitable growth areas would decrease by 14.14% under SSP1-2.6, 15.17% under SSP2-4.5, and 19.35% under SSP5-8.5. The results revealed the impact of climate change on larch growth suitability, which can provide a scientific basis for larch forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The educational reform of the twenty-first century was a successful attempt in which high technology, media, and multimedia computer information work together. The use of instructional media doubled the effect with half the effort in promoting learners' motivation to learn. This was achieved by providing specific and authentic information, changing attitudes, and even being independent of instruction. The rapid development of technology also brings innovations in teaching media. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of multimedia integrated fine arts education on students. A quasi-experimental design was adopted in this study. College students from Shanxi Province were selected as the participants of a one-semester experimental study. The research results show significantly positive effects of (1) multimedia integrated fine arts education on learning attitude, (2) multimedia integrated fine arts education on learning satisfaction, and (3). mobile learning on learning satisfaction. The experimental observation revealed that, when fine arts works are exhibited through multimedia, students have closer contact with them. Students gradually feel more involved in art and show interest in art, as well as a desire to explore. Such a process of change will enable students to change their learning attitude into active absorption of professional knowledge of fine arts. As a result, their competence in fine arts can be improved significantly. It is expected that the results will contribute to the fine arts and humanities with practically tested theories as a reference for teachers and future studies in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil in Yuncheng Salt Lake has serious salinization and the biogeographic environment affects the composition and distribution of special halophilic and salt-tolerant microbial communities in this area. Therefore, this study collected soils at distances of 15, 30, and 45 m from the Salt Lake and used non-saline soil (60 m) as a control to explore the microbial composition and salt tolerance mechanisms using metagenomics technology. The results showed that the dominant species and abundance of salt-tolerant microorganisms changed gradually with distance from Salt Lake. The salt-tolerant microorganisms can increase the expression of the Na+/H+ antiporter by upregulating the Na+/H+ antiporter subunit mnhA-G to respond to salt stress, simultaneously upregulating the genes in the betaine/proline transport system to promote the conversion of choline into betaine, while also upregulating the trehalose/maltose transport system encode genes to promote the synthesis of trehalose to resist a high salt environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid and semi-arid regions, coleoptile length is a vital agronomic trait for wheat breeding. The coleoptile length determines the maximum depth that seeds can be sown, and it is critical for establishment of the crop. Therefore, identifying loci associated with coleoptile length in wheat is essential. In the present study, 282 accessions from Shanxi Province representing wheat breeding for the Loess Plateau were grown under three experimental conditions to study coleoptile length. The results of phenotypic variation indicated that drought stress and light stress could lead to shortening of coleoptile length. Under drought stress the growth rate of environmentally sensitive cultivars decreased more than insensitive cultivars. The broadsense heritability (H2) of BLUP (best linear unbiased prediction) under various conditions showed G x E interaction for coleoptile length but was mainly influenced by heredity. Correlation analysis showed that correlation between plant height-related traits and coleoptile length was significant in modern cultivars whereas it was not significant in landraces. A total of 45 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) for coleoptile length in the three conditions were identified using the 3VmrMLM (3 Variance-component multi-locus random-SNP-effect Mixed Linear Model) and MLM (mixed linear model). In total, nine stable genetic loci were identified via 3VmrMLM under the three conditions, explaining 2.94-7.79% of phenotypic variation. Five loci on chromosome 2B, 3A, 3B, and 5B have not been reported previously. Six loci had additive effects toward increasing coleoptile length, three of which are novel. Molecular markers for the loci with additive effects on coleoptile length can be used to breed cultivars with long coleoptiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted on radiotherapy (RT) strategy for breast cancer patients, which might lead to increased distressing psychological symptoms. We performed a multi-center cross-section survey to investigate prevalence of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and predictors for FCR in patients referred to RT during pandemic. Methods: 542 patients were consecutively enrolled from three regions in China including Yangtze Delta River Region, Guangdong and Shanxi province. Patients' characteristics were collected using an information sheet, Fear of progression questionnaire-short form, Hospital Anxiety/Depression Scale and EORTC QLQ-C30. The hierarchical multiple regression models were performed. Results: 488 patients with complete data were eligible. The RT strategy was affected in 265 (54.3%) patients, including 143 with delayed RT initiation, 66 believing to have delayed RT initiation but actually not, 24 with RT interruptions, 19 shifting to local hospitals for RT and the remaining 13 influenced on both RT schedule and hospital level. The model explained 59.7% of observed variances in FCR (p<0.001) and showed that influence of RT strategy had significantly impacted on FCR (△R2 = 0.01, △F=2.966, p=0.019). Hospitals in Shanxi province (β=-0.117, p=0.001), emotional function (β=-0.19, p<0.001), social function (β=-0.111, p=0.006), anxiety (β=0.434, p<0.001) and RT interruption (β=0.071, p=0.035) were independent predictors. Conclusions: RT strategy for breast cancer patients was greatly influenced during pandemic. RT interruption is an independent predictor for high FCR. Our findings emphasize the necessity to ensure continuum of RT, and efforts should be taken to alleviate FCR through psychological interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can convert insoluble forms of phosphorus (P) to accessible forms. Five highly efficient PSB strains, H22, Y11, Y14, Y34, and S32, were screened and isolated from an alfalfa rhizosphere in heavy metal-contaminated reclamation area in Shanxi Province, China. Based on morphological observations, 16S rRNA sequencing, cellular fatty acid composition analysis, and the BIOLOG test, H22, Y11, and Y34 were identified as Pseudomonas sp., while Y14 and S32 were identified as Pantoea sp. Among them, S32 showed the highest P-solubilizing efficiency in culture medium containing Ca3(PO4)2, lecithin, and powered phosphate rock. The culture medium conditions to obtain the highest P-solubilization efficiency were optimized as follows: the culture temperature was 30°C; the incubation time was 5 days; the initial pH was 7.0; and glucose served as the carbon source. Furthermore, the P-solubilization efficiency of S32 in media containing CaHPO4, lecithin, phosphate rock (PR), FePO4, or AlPO4 was determined to be 18.38, 3.07, 0.16, 0.51, or 2.62%, respectively. In addition, the acid and alkali phosphatase activities of S32 were tested as 6.94 U/100 mL and 4.12 U/100 mL, respectively. The soil inoculation experiment indicated that inoculation with S32 resulted in an obvious improvement in the available P of both the experimental and reclaimed soil. The rice seedling growth experiment also suggested that the application of S32 significantly increased the plant height, biomass, root growth, and P uptake of rice in both experimental and reclaimed soil. Taken together, the isolated S32 strain showed high P-solubilization capacity for both Pi and Po, and its ameliorative effect on reclaimed soil recovery provides the theoretical basis for crop development in the reclaimed soil of mine field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]