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Background There is some evidence for the effectiveness of moxibustion for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH), but it remains unclear what dose is optimal. Objective To compare the effectiveness of a new technique of individualised ‘sensitivity elimination’dose versus a standardised 15 min dose in the treatment of LDH. Methods This study was a multicentre (four centres in China), randomised, controlled trial with two parallel arms (group A, individualised sensitivityelimination dose; group B, standardised dose).The most heat-sensitised acupuncture point from the triangle bound by BL25 and GV2 was selected.Both groups received 18 sessions over 2 weeks.The outcome was evaluated by Modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale (M-JOA) score before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up examination. All main analyses were by intention to treat. Results A total of 96 patients were included.A significant difference of total M-JOA score was noted between the groups at weeks 1 and 2(p<0.05). Significant differences were also evident during the follow-up period (p<0.01). The mean duration of moxibustion was 42.7±5.4 (range, 22–58) minutes in the experimental group.Conclusions The effectiveness of the individualised sensitivity elimination dose appears superior to the standardised dose in the treatment of LDH. Only 15 min moxibustion in the conventional dose group seemed insufficient to elicit the satisfactory clinical effects obtained by heatsensitivemoxibustion therapy. However, in view of some limitations of this study further research is necessary before this can be stated conclusively.Trial Registration Controlled Clinical Trials:ChiCTR-TRC-09000602. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on a brief but comparatively well-documented uprising in 1510 in the important frontier city of Ningxia, this essay explores the composition of the Anhua Prince's inner circle, the place of his court in local society, particularly its intimate connections to the local officer corps, and finally how imperial princes figured in the wider discourse of the Ming polity. This essay begins with a few words on the Qing House, to which the Anhua Prince belonged, moves to the prince's imperial pretensions and the uprising itself, and then examines the lengthy deliberations over defining the crimes and punishing the conspirators. It concludes with some observations about the revolt's relevance for understanding provincial courts during the Ming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new species of genus Plectrocnemia and 4 new species of genus Nyctiophylax are described, namely: Plectrocnemia verticalis sp. n.; Plectrocnemia acuminata sp. n.; Plectrocnemia cryptoparamere sp. n.; Plectrocnemia qianshanensis sp. n.; Nyctiophylax (Nyctiophylax) senticosus sp. n.; Nyctiophylax (Paranyctiophylax) gracilis sp. n.; Nyctiophylax (Paranyctiophylax) pungens sp. n.; and Nyctiophylax (Paranyctiophylax) auriculatus sp. n [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the numerous Buddhist translators, both foreign and Chinese, in ancient China, very few are labeled 'great' by Chinese Buddhist historiographers or scholars of translation studies. Xuan-zang, a Buddhist priest in the early Tang dynasty, is considered not only one of the few great Buddhist translators, but, according to authoritative points of view, the greatest Buddhist translator in ancient China. This paper, by way of an investigation into the acceptance of Xuan-zang's translations as compared with those of other ancient Buddhist translators, tries to demonstrate that Xuan-zang's real influence as a Buddhist translator does not match up to what his actual achievements warrant. A hypothesis is then presented concerning why Xuan-zang has, over centuries, been apotheosized in China as a Buddhist translator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the significant role played by religious groups in the legitimation of the Former Shu founded by Wang Jian in the chaotic early tenth century. Whereas the Daoist priest Du Guangting attempted to legitimate the regime on religious grounds, the Buddhist monk Guanxiu employed his literary talent to depict the military ruler as a savior in a tumultuous age. This article also suggests that the Wang Jian's religious patronage was pragmatic; he used religion to justify his rule but never lessened tight control over religious groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the October 2008 slapping incident of historian Yan Chongnian as a case study, this article attempts to contextualize and critically examine the articulation of Han supremacism on the Chinese internet. It demonstrates how an informal group of non-elite, urban youth are mobilizing the ancient Han ethnonym to challenge the Chinese Communist Party's official policy of multiculturalism, while seeking to promote pride and self-identification with the Han race (han minzu) to the exclusion of the non-Han minorities. In contrast to most of the Anglophone literature on Chinese nationalism, this article seeks to employ "Han" as a "boundary-spanner," a category that turns our analysis of Chinese national identity formation on its head, side-stepping the "usual suspects" (intellectuals, dissidents and the state itself) and the prominent role of the "foreign other" in Chinese ethnogenesis, and instead probing the unstable plurality of the self/othering process in modern China and the role of the internet in opening up new spaces for non-mainstream identity articulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2000, the Chinese Communist Party established the Xinjiang Class (Xinjiang neidi gaozhong ban), a program that funds middle school-aged students from Xinjiang, mostly ethnic Uyghur, to attend school in predominately Han populated cities located throughout eastern China. This paper examines the efficacy of the Xinjiang Class in promoting ethnic unity and Chinese nationalism. By examining the extent to which Uyghur students participating in the Xinjiang Class interact with Han students; speak Chinese outside of the classroom; and by considering if these Uyghur students are returning to Xinjiang, I argue that many Uyghurs are resisting integration, and the Xinjiang Class is largely failing to promote ethnic unity between Han and Uyghurs. Conversely, this program has even strengthened some Uyghur students' sense of ethnic identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how different modes of ethnic inclusion were reflected on the stage and behind the scenes of the 2008 Beijing Olympics held in China. The article also talks about the preparations and staging of the Games and explains how this reflects the Chinese nation itself. The author examines Chinese nationalism and different ways academics seek to classify the types nationalism. The Chinese concept of "minzu" is explored. The author explains that "minzu" refers to both the 56 officially recognized nationalities and the composite unity of the Chinese nation. Chinese nationalism is examined through Leninist-style multiculturalism, Han ethnocentrism, and Confucian ecumenism.

The article examines the conflict between the new teaching Fanhui and the Qing state in Gansu in 1781. Administrative considerations will be placed at the center to investigate how the Qing state envisioned Muslims and Islam during the eighteenth century before and after the occurrence of violence. The author argues that violence between the Salars and the Qing state had its origins not in Islamic teachings but rather in Qing legal inconsistencies and state misconceptions regarding the classification of the people. The identification by the Qing state of the Salars raises questions about the nature of the Qing identification and rectification of the Salar group.

This essay presents information on Mark Twain's interest in China and its literature and his influences in Chinese literature itself. Writers like Hara Hoitsuan made changes to her stories in order to emphasize Mark Twain's condemnation of mankind's capacity for barbarism and to satirize American parliamentary procedure, not minding that his tampering might have weakened the polemical satire. The essay also discusses some of the translations of the works of Twain into Chinese in the first two decades of the 20th century.

Reviews several articles about law which were published in Chinese. "New Trends of Trade-Environmental issues in the Framework of the WTO," by Li Shouping, published in the 2005 issue of "Modern Law Science"; "The Impact of China's Agricultural Trade on Ecological Environment and the Legal Countermeasures after China's Entry into the WTO," by Cui Guangping, published in the "Contemporary Law Review"; "The International Human Rights Conventions and the Progress of Chinese Legislation on Human Rights," by Xiang Jun, published in the 2005 issue of the "Journal of the Institute of International Relations."

Objective: To describe the HIV/AIDS epidemic in mainland China. Methods: We review the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the social characteristics and geographic distribution of at-risk groups in China based on published literature and unpublished official data. Results: Injection drug use has been the dominant route for HIV infection in China, and will continue to be a major risk factor with increasing numbers of new drug users and needle sharing. Commercial plasma donation with unhygienic re-infusion of red blood cells was common in rural communities in the early 1990s. While this is unlikely to constitute a major factor for future HIV spread, those already infected represent a formidable treatment challenge. Huge seasonal work migration facilitates disease spread across regions. Many homosexual men have unprotected sex with men, women, or both, and may contract or spread HIV. Though commercial sex workers have contributed to a small proportion of the reported epidemic thus far, flourishing commercial sex is of growing concern and may have a bridging role in transmitting HIV from core groups to the general population. Conclusion: Increasing numbers of sex workers and drug users, internal migration, high risk behaviours, and low condom use suggest a future upward trend for HIV/AIDS and underscore the urgency of scaling up interventions in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the recent regional trade agreements that China has concluded rapidly following accession to the WTO in 2002. Agreements are in place with Hong Kong, Macao, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand, and are either in negotiation or under discussion with South Africa, Chile, India and the Gulf Cooperation Council. These agreements differ sharply in form and substance, and involve process commitments to ongoing negotiation and cooperation on a wide range of issues. Differences relating to the regional agreements negotiated by the EU and the US are emphasised, as are later potential difficulties these agreements create in moving to an Asian trade bloc centred on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first half of the first millennium Bc, the most notable find of elite artifacts in the Chengdu Plain is a pair of hoards of bronzes found at Zhuwajie in Pengxian (now Pengzhou City) in 1959 and 1980. The present paper is a comprehensive study examining and discussing the circumstances and the date of the burials, the styles and the dates of the bronzes, and their casting technology and likely place of manufacture. It also situates the Zhuwajie bronzes in the context of the bronze cultures in the Chengdu Plain as well as the general historical background of the Western Zhou period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the origins and development of the structural influence of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). Party-army relations and the structural influence of PLA; Military dual-role expansion during the Korean war; Military structural influence in the post-Mao era; Sources of support for the dual-role tradition.

• Spring planting camelina was evaluated for seed yield and quality in northern China. • Two camelina cultivars showed a good environmental adaptability in northern China. • Camelina 'Xiaoguo' displayed a consistently higher mean seed yield and oil yield. • A variety of polyunsaturated fatty acid, i.e. C22:2, C22:6 were detected in camelina oil. • Camelina proved to be an alternative main crop or intercrop in China. Camelina [ Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz], a member of Brassicaceae family, is a relatively new oilseed crop in China. It is a highly adaptable cool season crop species that can be grown in a wide range of environment with low input, making it potentially suitable for growing in northern China. A five-year (2010–2014) field experiment was conducted to evaluate the seed yield and quality of two camelina cultivars across three different locations in China. The study showed camelina can be cultivated successfully in a relatively short growth period of 1308−1920 °C d (base temperature: 4 °C) across a wide range of environmental conditions. Overall, camelina cv. 'Xiaoguo' displayed a satisfactory high seed yield dry matter (d.m.) (mean: 1946 kg ha−1, range: 1274−2650 kg ha−1) and oil yield (mean: 598 kg ha−1, range: 387−778 kg ha−1) across three different locations over the 5-year field trial, indicating the potential commercial production of camelina in northern China. The average contents of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in camelina oil across locations and years varied from 10−21% (mean: 13 %), 24−38% (mean: 33 %), and 47−63% (mean: 56 %), respectively. In the present study, a variety of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly C22:6 (DHA) which is commonly presented in aquatic ecosystem were detected in camelina oil, making camelina an attractive oil crop for its peculiar fatty acid composition. This is the first study evaluating the agronomic performance of camelina in different growing environments in China and the relatively short growing cycle and high seed yield make camelina as a suitable oilseed crop in northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Field exposure tests in Yellow-sea atmosphere are performed to compare the CPF of 0.10Sb Steel and Sb-free Steel. • CPF of Sb-containing steel presents obvious superiority in physical structure, phase composition and distribution. • Sb added accelerates the transformation of γ-FeOOH to Fe 3 O 4 , and produces a dense rust layer to resist Cl. The rust layer formed on the Sb-containing Steel in the atmospheric environment of the Yellow Sea and its benefit for corrosion resistant was studied. The effect of Sb on the corrosion mechanism of rust layer was analysed. The cross section of rust layer was examined by SEM, and the effect of Sb on the evolution of rust layer of low alloy steel was studied using XRD, XPS, Raman, LCM and polarization curves. It found that rust layer formed on the Sb-containing Steel has the better structure and phase composition than that on Sb-free Steel. Sb can consume H+ and alleviate the local acidization on the surface of the steel, and also accelerate the transformation of γ-FeOOH to Fe 3 O 4 in rust layer. The corrosion product of Sb, a stable Sb 2 O 3, together with Fe 3 O 4 , make the rust layer more uniform and compact, thus more effective to resist the corrosive ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that a delegation of botanists under the leadership of Arthur W. Galston of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut went to China. The delegation engendered a great deal of good will among plant scientists, and prompted the 1977 invitation by the Chinese Science and Technology Association to the Botanical Society of America. The delegation was the guest of the Chinese scientific community between May 20-June 18, 1978 to visit eight cities including Canton, Kunming, Shanghai, Soochow, Hangchow, Nanking, Wuhan and Peking. Activities included visits to botanical institutes, arboreta, universities, agricultural academies and other research institutes of special interest.

Aerosol vertical profiling is crucial to understand the formation mechanism and evolution processes of haze, which have not yet been comprehensively clarified. In this study, we investigated a severe, persistent haze event in Wuhan (30.5° N, 114.4° E), China during 5–18 January 2013 by the use of a polarization lidar, a Cimel sun photometer, meteorological datasets, and the hybrid single-particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, focusing on the time–height evolution of aerosols in both the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and elevated layers. During the haze period, the integrated particle depolarization ratio was 0.05 ± 0.02, and the fine mode fraction reached 0.91 ± 0.03, indicating haze particles were rather spherical and predominately submicron, that is, of anthropogenic nature. Compared with the clear period, columnar aerosol optical depth at 500 nm tripled to 1.32 ± 0.31, and the strongest enhancement in aerosol concentration occurred from near the ground to an altitude of 1.2 km during the haze period. The daytime evolution of aerosol vertical distribution in the ABL exhibited a distinct pattern under haze weather. Abundant particles accumulated below 0.5 km in the morning hours due to stable meteorological conditions, including a strong surface-based inversion (4.4–8.1 °C), late development (from 1000–1100 LT) of the convective boundary layer, and weak wind (<4 m∙s−1) in the lowermost troposphere. In the afternoon, improved ventilation delivered an overall reduction in boundary layer aerosols but was insufficient to eliminate haze. Particularly, the morning residual layer had an optical depth of 0.29–0.56. It influenced air quality indirectly by weakening convective activities in the morning and directly through the fumigation process around noon, suggesting it may be an important element in aerosol–ABL interactions during consecutive days with haze. Our lidar also captured the presence of the elevated aerosol layers (EALs) embodying regional/long-range transport. Most of the EALs were observed to subside to <1.2 km and exacerbate the pollution level. Backward trajectory analysis and lidar data revealed the EALs originated from the transport of anthropogenic pollutants from the Sichuan Basin, China, and of dust from the deserts in the northwest. They were estimated to contribute ~19% of columnar aerosol-loading, pointing to a non-negligible role of transport during the intense pollution episode. The results could benefit the complete understanding of aerosol–ABL interactions under haze weather and air quality forecasting and control in Wuhan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geometrical and optical characteristics of cirrus clouds were studied based on one year of polarization lidar measurements (3969 h on 228 different days between March 2019 and February 2020) at Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.4°E), China. The cirrus clouds showed an overall occurrence frequency of ~48% and occurrence mid-cloud altitude of ~8–16 km over the 30°N plain site. The mean values of their mid-cloud height and temperature were 11.5 ± 2.0 km and −46.5 ± 10.7 ℃, respectively. The cirrus geometrical thickness tended to decrease with decreasing mid-cloud temperature, with a mean value of 2.5 ± 1.1 km. With the decrease of mid-cloud temperature, the cirrus optical depth (COD) tended to decrease, but the depolarization ratio tended to increase. On average, the COD, lidar ratio, and particle depolarization ratio were respectively 0.30 ± 0.36, 21.6 ± 7.5 sr, and 0.30 ± 0.09 after multiple scattering correction. Out of a total of the observed cirrus events, sub-visual, thin, and dense cirrus clouds accounted for 18%, 51%, and 31%, respectively. The cirrus clouds showed seasonal variations with cloud altitude maximizing in a slightly-shifted summertime (July to September) where the southwesterly wind prevailed and minimizing in winter months. Seasonally-averaged lidar ratio and depolarization ratio showed maximum values in spring and summer, respectively. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the cirrus occurrence frequency and dust column mass density was found in other seasons except for summer, suggesting a heterogeneous ice formation therein. The cirrus cloud characteristics over the lidar site were compared with those observed at low and mid latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Falling mixed-phase virga from a thin supercooled liquid layer cloud base were observed on 20 occasions at altitudes of 2.3–9.4 km with ground-based lidars at Wuhan (30.5 °N, 114.4 °E), China. Polarization lidar profile (3.75-m) analysis reveals some ubiquitous features of both falling mixed-phase virga and their liquid parent cloud layers. Each liquid parent cloud had a well-defined base height where the backscatter ratio R was ~7.0 and the R profile had a clear inflection point. At an altitude of ~34 m above the base height, the depolarization ratio reached its minimum value (~0.04), indicating a liquid-only level therein. The thin parent cloud layers tended to form on the top of a broad preexisting aerosol/liquid water layer. The falling virga below the base height showed firstly a significant depolarization ratio increase, suggesting that most supercooled liquid drops in the virga were rapidly frozen into ice crystals (via contact freezing). After reaching a local maximum value of the depolarization ratio, both the values of the backscatter ratio and depolarization ratio for the virga exhibited an overall decrease with decreasing height, indicating sublimated ice crystals. The diameters of the ice crystals in the virga were estimated based on an ice particle sublimation model along with the lidar and radiosonde observations. It was found that the ice crystal particles in these virga cases tended to have smaller mean diameters and narrower size distributions with increasing altitude. The mean diameter value is 350 ± 111 µm at altitudes of 4–8.5 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasciolosis, a foodborne zoonotic disease, caused by Fasciola species which is considered an important problem for human health and livestock husbandry development. Snails are intermediate hosts of F. hepatica , the epidemiological surveillance of snails can evaluate the transmission risk of this disease in human and livestock. In this study, we developed a nest-polymerase chain reaction (nest-PCR) to detect the DNA of F. hepatica in Radix cucunorica , a prevalent intermediate host of this parasite in northwestern China. The nest-PCR was used to amplify a 208 bp fragment of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of F. hepatica with two pairs of primers. The method was able to detect up to 0.16 fg genomic DNA in a 25 μL PCR reaction system even effected with high concentrations of snail DNA, and no cross reaction was observed from the genomic DNA of Paramphistomum cervi , Clonorchis sinensis , Orientobilharzia turkestanicum , Metorchis orientalis , Dicrocoelium chinensis. To evaluate the transmission risk of this disease, 409 snail samples collected from different areas of Gansu province were used to detect and analyze the transmission risk of F. hepatica in this area. Of 409 snail samples, the overall prevalence is 43.76%. The prevalence was 92.75% in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, while no snail was positive for F. hepatica in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. The nest-PCR was firstly used to detect the infection of F. hepatica in snail. It is a novel, useful and convenient method with high sensitivity and specificity. This study is the first report about the epidemiological surveillance of snail infection by F. hepatica in northwestern China, which will help to evaluate the transmission risk of F. hepatica in northwestern China. • The nest-PCR was firstly used to detect the infection of F. hepatica in snail. • A novel, useful and convenient method with high sensitivity and specificity. • First report about the epidemiological surveillance of snail infection by F. hepatica in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal body mass index is linked to short- and long-term unfavorable health outcomes both for child and mother. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based cohort studies to evaluate maternal BMI and the risk of harmful neonatal outcomes in China.Methods: Six databases identified 2454 articles; 46 met the inclusion criteria for this study. The dichotomous data on maternal BMI and harmful neonatal outcomes were extracted. Pooled statistics (odds ratios, ORs) were derived from Stata/SE, ver. 12.0. Sensitivity analyses assessed the robustness of the results. Meta-regression and subgroup meta-analyses explored heterogeneity.Results: The meta-analysis revealed that compared with normal BMI, high maternal BMI is associated with fetal overgrowth, defined as macrosomia ≥4000 g (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.75-2.09); birth weight ≥ 90% for gestational age (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.64-2.15); and increased risk of premature birth (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.25-2.52) and neonatal asphyxia (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.39-2.17). Maternal underweight increased the risk of low birth weight (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.33-1.93) and small for gestational age (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.51-2.02).Conclusions: Raised as well as low pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. Management of weight during pregnancy might help reduce their adverse neonatal outcomes in future intervention studies or programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]