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This study aims to investigate the impact of integrating Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Organ System-Based Curriculum (OSBC) on medical students' academic achievement and career maturity within the context of medical education. An experimental design was employed, involving students from a medical school in China. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control group with a traditional curriculum or an experimental group receiving an integrated PBL and OSBC curriculum focused on cardiovascular system diseases. The intervention spanned four weeks. The results indicate that the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher academic achievement immediately after the intervention compared to the control group. This improvement persisted in a follow-up test conducted one month later. Career maturity also improved in the experimental group, albeit with a less sustained effect. The study underscores the potential of integrated teaching strategies in medical education for enhancing critical thinking and practical skills. However, long-term improvements in career maturity may necessitate further refinement of teaching methods. These findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on effective medical education strategies and emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach to prepare students for academic excellence and clinical competence. Future research with larger sample sizes and consideration of additional influencing factors is recommended to gain deeper insights into the dynamics of medical education.

Blended learning, which combines face-to-face lectures with online learning, has emerged as a suitable teaching approach during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used a national survey of anatomy educators in Mainland China to evaluate the changes in the implementation of blended learning in anatomical pedagogy. A total of 297 responses were collected from medical schools across all provinces. Respondents included 167 males and 130 females, with an average age of 44.94 (±8.28) and average of 17.72 (±9.62) years of professional experience. The survey showed adoption of online teaching and assessment by Chinese anatomy educators increased by 32.7% and 46.8%, respectively, compared to pre-pandemic levels. Perceptions of blended learning outcomes varied, with 32.3% and 37% educators considering it superior and inferior to traditional teaching, respectively. Faculty training programs related to blended learning increased significantly, fostering a collaborative learning environment; however, challenges remained in achieving satisfactory online assessment outcomes. Anatomy educators' attitudes reflected a strong preference for classroom learning (4.941 ± 0.856) and recognition of the importance of relevant technology (4.483 ± 0.954), whereas online learning received lower acceptance (4.078 ± 0.734). Female anatomy teachers demonstrated effective time management in online teaching. Meanwhile, educators with over 15 years of experience encountered difficulties with relevant technology, consistent with negative attitudes toward blended learning. Overall, this survey highlights the persistent challenges in implementing blended learning in anatomy education and provides insights for enhancing the pedagogical model in the post-COVID-19 era.

Veterinary anatomy plays a crucial role in the curriculum for veterinary medicine and surgery. The integration of modern information technology in veterinary education can greatly benefit from innovative tools such as augmented reality (AR) applications. The aim of this study was to develop an accurate and interactive three-dimensional (3D) digital model of an animal skull using AR technology, aiming to enhance the learning of skull anatomy in veterinary anatomy education. In this study, a canine skull specimen was isolated, and the skull bones were scanned using a structured light scanner to create a 3D digital model of the canine skull, which was found to be indistinguishable from the original specimen by measurement of skull proportions. Furthermore, the interactive AR model of the canine skull, displayed using Unity3D, was subjected to testing and evaluation by 60 first-year veterinary medical students attending the gross anatomy of the animal. The students were divided into two groups: the traditional group and AR group. Both groups completed an objective test and a questionnaire. The evaluation of learning effectiveness in the test revealed no significant difference between the traditional group (which learned using textbooks and a canine skull specimen) and AR group (which learned using AR tools). However, in the questionnaire, students displayed high enthusiasm and interest in using the AR tool. Therefore, the application of AR tools can improve students' motivation for learning and enhance the comprehension of anatomical structures in three dimensions. Furthermore, this study exemplifies the use of AR as an auxiliary tool for teaching and learning in veterinary anatomy education.

As a fundamental subject of medical education, human anatomy plays a critical role in the development of medical science. However, because of multiple factors including cultural conservativism and limited social understanding, China is facing a particularly severe shortage of bodies donated for anatomy education. Zhengzhou University (ZZU) has continued to uphold whole-body dissection as the preferred method for medical students to learn anatomy. For this study, records of registered individuals (who have signed a body donation agreement) and donors (whose bodies have been received) from 2001 to 2020 were collected and analyzed. The aim of this study was to explore the factors influencing the body donation program (BDP) at ZZU, and then reinforce the social understanding for the BDP. The results showed a significant increase in the numbers of both registered individuals and donors since 2015, which is the year the publicity and commemoration in honor of donors were increased. There were no significant differences between the biological male and female sexes in the registered individuals, but the number of male donors (12.85 ± 10.86, per year) was significantly higher than that of female donors (4.75 ± 4.53, per year). The current donor profile at ZZU is male in his 60/70s, while the profile of registered individuals is male or female in their 60s. Strengthening the publicity and commemoration in honor of donors may contribute to the implementation of BDPs.

The present study evaluated the students' psychological well-being, experiences, performance, and perception of learning regional anatomy remotely. A regional anatomy remote learning curriculum was designed and learning materials were delivered virtually to 120 undergraduate medical students at Jinan University, China. All the students consented and voluntarily participated in this study by completing self-administered online questionnaires including the Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety and Depression Scales at the beginning and end of the learning session. A subset participated in focus group discussions. Most of the students (90.0%) positively evaluated the current distance learning model. More than 80% were satisfied with the content arrangement and coverage. Many students preferred virtual lectures (68.2%) and videos showing dissections (70.6%) during the distance learning sessions. However, writing laboratory reports and case-based learning were the least preferred modes of learning as they were only preferred by 23.2% and 14.1% of the students, respectively. There was no significant lockdown-related anxiety or depression reported by students using depression and anxiety scales as well as feedback from focus group discussions. The surveyed students' confidence scores in distance learning were significantly higher after 5 weeks than at the beginning of the session (3.05 ± 0.83 vs. 3.70 ± 0.71, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the present results showed no significant differences between the current group's academic performance in the unit tests as well as the final overall evaluation for different parts of the course compared to that of the previous year's cohort. The findings above were congruent with focus group discussion data that the use of the online teaching platform for regional anatomy significantly improved the students' confidence in virtual and self-directed learning and did not negatively affect their academic performance.

The curricular integration of the basic sciences and clinical medicine has been conducted for over 40 years and proved to increase medical students' study interests and clinical reasoning. However, there is still no solid data suggesting what time, freshmen or year 3, is optimal to begin with the integrated curriculum. In this study, the integrated courses on cardiovascular and respiratory systems were performed to part of year 1 and year 3 medical students while non-participant students acted as control. We tried to explore the optimal time through comparison of the exam results and questionnaire of participated students. It was demonstrated that year 3 participant students got better exam score than year 1 students did, and the questionnaire showed that it might be due to the year 1 participants difficultly caught up with the contents of integrated courses without appropriate background knowledge. Three years later, the participant students got higher ability to analytical thinking of clinical diseases in comparison to non-participant students, while it did not improve the acquirement of their clinical practical skills. Taken together, our study in Jinan University School of Medicine indicated that the integrated courses would be approximately effective if combined to conventional medical teaching at year 3 after the students obtain relevant basic sciences knowledge.

The COVID-19 pandemic launched the use of online courses in Chinese medical schools during February 2020. To evaluate the state of gross anatomy education in China during the pandemic, a nationwide survey was conducted through convenience sampling by email or respondent invitations on social media. A total of 359 questionnaires were received from the respondents. The first response from a given school was included in the study to represent that school, thus, 77 questionnaires were used for analyses. Schools represented were from all provinces in mainland China as well as Hong Kong and Macao. The survey found that before the pandemic, 74.0% and 33.8% of the 77 schools conducted online theoretical and practical sessions, respectively, on gross anatomy, and 36 (46.8% of 77) had temporarily suspended practical sessions at the time the survey was conducted. Body donation programs were also affected with 26.0% and 27.3% of the 77 schools having suspended donation programs or saw a decreased number of donations. During the pandemic, 40.3% of the 77 schools kept or initiated the implementation of active learning, and online assessment was continued in 49.4% of the 77 medical schools. Another 26 (33.8%) schools initiated online assessment during the pandemic. A total of 359 answers were included for the analysis of the "teachers' perception of the online teaching experience." Over half (51.0%) of the 359 responded teachers were very satisfied or satisfied with the effectiveness of online teaching during the pandemic. A total of 36.2% of these respondents preferred to implement online teaching of theoretical sessions after the pandemic, and 89 (24.8%) teachers were keen to return to traditional face-to-face anatomy education.

Objectives: Human histology is a discipline concerning the study of microscopic structures of human tissues and organs--with the aid of light or electron microscopes. Traditional teaching of histology is composed of two separated components, theory and practice. The main disadvantage with traditional histology teaching is the detachment of theory and practice, so that students could not completely and systematically comprehend histology. Methods: To supplement the deficiencies of traditional histology teaching, we implemented the integrated curriculum of the theory and practice on histology at Jinan University School of Medicine. The aim of the integrated curriculum is to enhance students' learning efficiency. During the course, teaching patterns as "lecture-practice-lecture-practice" and "practice-lecture-practice" were alternatively employed according to the content. We attempted to guide students to verify the theory using practice, and to conduct practice simultaneously using theoretical knowledge. Results: We assessed the tests scores of students participating and non-participating in the new integrated curriculum at the end of semester. We found that the average test score, pass rate and excellent rate were significantly higher in participating than non-participating students. The follow-up questionnaire survey revealed that the better exam results was derived from maximizing the use of time in class, encouragement of students' learning initiatives, mastering of key points and arrangement of theory and practical teaching more appropriately in the integrated course. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that integrated teaching indeed improved the students' histology learning outcomes.

Postmortem human brain donation is crucial to both anatomy education and research. The China Human Brain Banking Consortium was established recently to foster brain donation in China. The purpose of this study was to gain information about the public perception of and attitudes toward brain donation and to identify factors that may impact the willingness to participate in brain donation among the Chinese people. A specifically designed questionnaire was delivered to community residents in Changsha (the capital city of Hunan province) with a total of 1,249 completed forms returned and statistically analyzed. The majority of the participants considered that brain donation would help medical research and education, and 32.0% of respondents agreed that the brain donation would help change the traditional Chinese funeral belief in keeping the body intact after death. However, participants aged over 60 years old were less supportive of this concept. Among all participants, 63.7% stated that they were not knowledgeable about brain donation, while 26.4% explicitly expressed a willingness to participate in brain donation. Age, gender, monthly household income, and knowledge about brain donation significantly affected the willingness. Compared with other age groups, a higher proportion of participants aged over 60 years old preferred to be informed by a medical college. To promote brain donation in China, especially among the elderly, better communication of its medical benefits and a reinterpretation of the Confucius view of the human body should be provided. Efforts are also needed to provide appropriate forums and sources of brain donation information to targeted communities and society in general.

Medical education in mainland China has undergone massive expansion and reforms in the past decades. A nation-wide survey of the five-year clinical medicine programs aimed to examine the course hours, pedagogies, learning resources and teaching staff of anatomy both at present and over the past three decades (1990-1999, 2000-2009, and 2010-2018). The directors or senior teachers from 90 out of the 130 five-year clinical medicine programs were invited to fill out a factual questionnaire by email. Ultimately, sixty-five completed questionnaires were received from 65 different schools. It was found that the total number of gross anatomy course hours has decreased by 11% in the past 30 years and that systematic and regional anatomy have been increasingly taught separately among the surveyed medical schools. Problem-based learning has been adopted in thirty-five (54%) of the surveyed schools, and team-based learning is used in ten (15%) of the surveyed schools. The surveyed schools reported receiving more donated cadavers in recent years, with the average number increasing from 20.67 ± 20.29 in 2000-2009 to 36.10 ± 47.26 in 2010-2018. However, this has not resulted in a decrease in the number of students who needed to share one cadaver (11.85 ± 5.03 in 1990--1999 to 14.22 ± 5.0 in 2010-2018). A decreasing trend regarding the teacher-student ratio (1:25.5 in 2000-2009 to 1:33.2 in 2010-2018) was also reported. The survey demonstrated the historical changes in gross anatomy education in China over the past thirty years.

Sex education refers to people's comprehension about sex, which involves not only sexual structure (anatomy, physiology, birth control, pregnancy, etc.), but also sexual relationships concerning human and moral problems. It includes at least sexual physiology, sexual psychology, sexual ethic, sexual law, etc., which aims to help people form the attitude and behavior that both society and morality can accept. So, it is a kind of long-term education for a person. For limited length, this paper only studies adolescents' (mainly students in primary and middle schools) sex education in China and the US (the United States). Due to the restriction of traditional thoughts, sex education on adolescents has been developing so slowly that it turns into the weak point of basic education and results in the growth of adolescents' sexual ignorance, sexual faults and sexual crimes. America is one of the earliest countries that launch sex education in the world and it has plenty of academic as well as practical experience we can study and learn from.

Despite the importance of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in practical teaching and the inconsistency of teacher quality in different regions in China, there is little empirical evidence for specific differences in teachers' PCK in different districts in China. This study attempted to address this gap through analysis of practical teaching demonstrations by three pairs of biology teachers; each pair comprised one teacher from Beijing and one from Hebei province. The teaching content was the same for each pair, including a discussion of blood, blood type, and the heart. The practical teaching demonstration was videotaped for each teacher. Analysis of the PCK focused on one aspect: content structure. Analysis of the six lessons suggested that the Beijing biology teacher presented more structured biology terms than did the Handan biology teacher in each pair. The Beijing biology teachers also performed better in connecting the new knowledge with previously learned knowledge than Handan biology teachers. The current study contributes to the methods for capturing teachers' PCK in classroom discourse, and it indicates specific differences between Handan and Beijing teachers in the ability to make connections in students' knowledge.

Confucianism has been widely perceived as a major moral and cultural obstacle to the donation of bodies for anatomical purposes. The rationale for this is the Confucian stress on "xiao" (filial piety), whereby individuals' bodies are to be intact at death. In the view of many, the result is a prohibition on the donation of bodies to anatomy departments for the purpose of dissection. The role of dissection throughout the development of anatomy within a Confucian context is traced, and in contemporary China the establishment of donation programs and the appearance of memorial monuments is noted. In reassessing Confucian attitudes, the stress laid on a particular interpretation of filial piety is questioned, and an attempt is made to balance this with the Confucian emphasis on a moral duty to those outside one's immediate family. The authors argue that the fundamental Confucian norm "ren" (humaneness or benevolence) allows for body donation as people have a moral duty to help others. Moreover, the other central Confucian value, "li" (rites), offers important insights on how body donation should be performed as a communal activity, particularly the necessity of developing ethically and culturally appropriate rituals for body donation. In seeking to learn from this from a Western perspective, it is contended that in all societies the voluntary donation of bodies is a deeply human activity that is to reflect the characteristics of the community within which it takes place. This is in large part because it has educational and personal repercussions for students.

Both in mainland China and around the world, regional anatomy stands as one of the most important basic science courses in medical school curricula. As such, dissection of human cadavers and use of prosected specimens remains the most essential teaching method in anatomy education. However, medical educators have raised increasing concerns about an ongoing shortage of cadavers for medical use in mainland China, a problem which may seriously limit the future development of human anatomy education. Based on a survey on cadaver usage in anatomy education in mainland China, this study found that the cadaver resources of most given medical schools in mainland China are associated with their geographic location, academic ranking, and local support for body donation policies. Effective measures to alleviate this shortage of cadavers may include future efforts to promote national-level body donation legislation, broader acceptance of body donation among Chinese citizens, and an efficient and humane protocol for body donation.

A biochemistry course is a fundamental but important subject in medical education in China. In recent years, the number of international medical students has increased. Curriculum reform in biochemistry teaching is needed because of the knowledge limitations of students, a close linkage of biochemical content with clinics, the shortcomings of lecture-centered teaching, and the requirements for early clinical practice training and competence. In this study, we analyzed a novel curriculum reform, "Hybrid-PBL," which combined problem-based learning (PBL) with biochemistry lectures and was implemented for biochemical teaching at Dalian Medical University (DMU) in China. The change in curriculum affected 189 international medical students. This study selected two PBL cases concerning the basic biochemical issues of carbohydrate metabolism and liver biochemistry for the analysis, and ten examples of learning issues for each case were reported by the international students. A questionnaire was utilized to evaluate students' perceptions of the Hybrid-PBL, and examination scores were analyzed to assess the curriculum reform in biochemistry teaching. A statistical analysis revealed that the Hybrid-PBL curriculum was well accepted by the international students as an effective supplement to lecture-centered teaching programs. The students obtained more abilities, higher examination scores, and an improved understanding of biomedical information from the Hybrid-PBL program than from conventional teaching methods. Our study was an innovative trial that applied a PBL curriculum to the specific discipline of biochemistry and may provide a potential and promising new teaching method that can be widely utilized.

Traditional medical education methodologies have been dramatically impacted by the introduction of new teaching approaches over the past few decades. In particular, the "flipped classroom" format has drawn a great deal of attention. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of the flipped model remains limited due to a lack of outcome-based studies. In the present study, a pilot histology curriculum of the organ systems was implemented among 24 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) students in a flipped classroom format at Jinan University. As a control, another 87 TCM students followed a conventional histology curriculum. The academic performance of the two groups was compared. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to the flipped classroom group. The test scores for the flipped classroom participants were found to be significantly higher compared to non-participants in the control group. These results suggest that students may benefit from using the flipped classroom format. Follow-up questionnaires also revealed that most of the flipped classroom participants undertook relatively more earnest preparations before class and were actively involved in classroom learning activities. The teachers were also found to have more class time for leading discussions and delivering quizzes rather than repeating rote didactics. Consequently, the increased teaching and learning activities contributed to a better performance among the flipped classroom group. This pilot study suggests that a flipped classroom approach can be used to improve histology education among medical students. However, future studies employing randomization, larger numbers of students, and more precise tracking methods are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

The use of human tissue is critical for gross anatomy education in the health professions. Chinese medical colleges have faced a shortage of anatomical specimens over the past decade. While body donation plays an important role in overcoming this gap, this practice has only recently been introduced in China, and the donation rate is relatively low and fraught with a number of difficulties. In the past, traditional Chinese culture focused on preserving the human body intact, which often limited body donation. In recent years, the public has become more open toward body donation. At Nanjing Medical University, only 20 bodies were donated in 2001. After the university became involved in an organized body donation program, this number increased to 70 donated bodies per year (2007 to 2012). This article describes and reviews Chinese medical colleges as a special case study among body donation programs, particularly in terms of the multiple responsibilities and roles that such institutions must assume in the course of adopting these programs. Medical colleges in China must serve as advocates, coordinators, builders, managers, educators, and beneficiaries in undertaking body donation programs. It is important for medical colleges to recognize these pluripotent roles and educate the public in order to promote body donation programs. This case study may also effectively guide and encourage Chinese medical colleges in refining their own body donation programs in the future.

Postgraduate fellowship training programs are expanding at Chinese universities. This growing cadre of advanced trainees calls for the development of new learning and training models wherein postgraduate fellows have an ample opportunity to teach more junior learners, thereby expanding their own knowledge base and competitiveness for future employment. Educational reform at Sun Yat-Sen University has recently allowed postgraduate fellows to act as teaching assistants for undergraduate anatomy courses. This model is common in western countries but is novel in China.

Cultural influences on anatomy teaching and learning have been investigated by application of a questionnaire to medical students in British and Chinese Medical Schools. Results from the responses from students of the two countries were analyzed. Both groups found it easier to understand anatomy in a clinical context, and in both countries, student learning was driven by assessment. Curriculum design differences may have contributed to the British view wherein students were less likely to feel time pressure and enjoyed studying anatomy more than their Chinese counterparts. Different teaching approaches resulted in British students being more likely to recite definitions to learn, and the Chinese students found learning from cross-sectional images easy. Cultural differences may account for the observation that British students were more inclined to ask questions in class, and the preference of Chinese students to study in small groups. The findings give evidence to show how "cultures of learning" influence students' approaches and indicate the importance of cultural influences as factors amongst international and home learner groups. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Universities and medical schools in China are faced with an ongoing shortage of cadavers for education and research because of insufficient numbers of cadaver donations. This article will examine the main obstacles to cadaver donation in the Chinese culture. These include superstitious traditional views about the body, a lack of legislation regulating donations, and a deficiency of effective channels for cadaver donations. Cadaver dissection has always been the most important method of teaching anatomy to medical students. Today, ethics courses have also become essential to a complete medical education. Contemporary physicians need to be equipped to navigate the myriad of moral and ethical issues inherent to modern medicine. In China, cadaver donations lag behind those in other countries, threatening to create valid disadvantages in medical education. New legislation and public education are necessary to remove cultural barriers and change Chinese views on cadaver donation. For this reason, the Department of Human Anatomy at Nanjing Medical University has established the "Educational Center for Medical Ethics." The goal of the Center is to promote proper respect for cadavers used for medical research and education, cherish the human lives the cadavers represent, and gain the trust of potential donors.

Objective: Many acupuncture acupoints are located on the posterior midline of the neck region. The needling depth for acupuncture is important for practitioners, and an unsafe needling depth increases the possibility of damage to the spinal cord and brainstem. Can the safety of acupuncture be assessed by examining bone structures? We focused on this aim to carry out this study. Methods: The shortest distance from the posterior border of the foramen magnum to the line joining both upper ends of the posterior border of the mastoid process was measured on 29 skulls. Distances from the posterior border of the vertebral foramen to the tip of the spinous process and posterior tubercle of the atlas were measured and evaluated from 197 dry cervical vertebrae and 31 lateral cervical radiographs of patient subjects. The anatomic relationships of the vertebral canal with the external occipital protuberance, tip of the spinous process of the axis, tip of the posterior tubercle of the atlas, and upper end of the posterior border of the mastoid process were observed and evaluated via lateral cervical radiography. Results: The shortest distance from the foramen magnum to the line between the mastoid processes was 4.65±1.75 mm, and the distance from the superior border of the vertebral foramen of the atlas to the posterior tubercle was less than the distance from the inferior border. The distance from the superior border of the vertebral canal to the tip of the spinous process in C2-C7 was greater than the distance from the inferior border. The mean lengths of the superior border of the C2 spinous process and the inferior border of the C7 spinous process were greater than 21 mm and 31 mm, respectively. The line from the upper end of the posterior border of the mastoid process to the tip of the C2 spinous process or 10 mm deep to the tip of the C2 spinous process was posterior to the vertebral canal. Conclusions: On the posterior midline of the neck region between the tip of spinous process of axis and external occipital protuberance, if the needle reaches the depth of the line between the upper end of posterior border of mastoid process and the tip of the spinous process of the axis, approximately 10 mm along the spinous process of the axis, the needle is in the safe region. The mean length of the C2-C7 spinous process is suitable to accommodate the needling depth of the adjacent acupoint. Bone structures can be used to effectively assess the safety of acupuncture on the posterior midline of the neck region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present study, a previously unidentified but frequently encountered species of deep-sea protobranch, Yoldiella haimaensis sp. nov., is described new to science from the Haima Cold Seep on the northwestern slope of the South China Sea. A morphological analysis confirmed that this species belongs to a previously undescribed species of the genus Yoldiella A.E. Verrill & K.J. Bush, 1897. It differs morphologically from other known species within the genus in its shell shape, degree of inflation, beaks, and number of hinge teeth. Furthermore, we sequenced three gene segments of Y. haimaensis sp. nov., comprising a nuclear ribosomal gene (18S rRNA), a nuclear protein-coding gene (histone H3), and a mitochondrial gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, COI). Our phylogenetic analysis performed on the superfamily Nuculanoidea and family Yoldiidae indicates that the genus Yoldiella is non-monophyletic, and the widely recognized families within the superfamily Nuculanoidea are also not monophyletic. Our results provide molecular insights into the Protobranchia and highlight the necessity for further samples and data to revise the classification of families and genera within the superfamily using an integrative approach that combines morphological analysis and molecular data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new land snail species representing a new genus from the mountainous area of Zhejiang, China. The snail has a depressed shell with granules all over the surface. The soft part of the new taxon is characterized by the presence of a mantle lobe whose form is reviewed herein across a wide range of helicoid snails, the presence of a developed epiphallic papilla, and the absence of a penial sheath, a dart sac apparatus and a flagellum. As indicated by a molecular-based phylogeny (16S + ITS2), the new taxon is deeply nested in the eastern Asian camaenid genera and shows a close relationship with the camaenids distributed in Central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeocyaths are a group of extinct filter feeders that flourished in the early Cambrian period and occupied an important position in the evolution of basal fauna and the early marine ecosystem. However, the detailed morphological and anatomical information of this group are still unclear due to insufficient fossil material and limited experimental analyses. Here, we report exquisitely preserved phosphatized archaeocyathan fossil cups, ca. 515 million years old, from the top of the Shuijingtuo Formation (Series 2, Stage 3) and the Xiannüdong Formation (Series 2, Stage 3) of the Yangtze Platform, South China. Detailed observation of their external morphology via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) analysis revealed detailed information of their internal structure. They have a typical double-walled cup, with the perforated inner and outer walls concentrically distributed, but the structure between the two walls differs. The inverted cone-shaped cups have radially distributed septa between the walls. Perforated septa connect the two walls. The low and columnar cups have canals between the two walls, forming the network. These pores and cavities constitute an important component of the water current system (pumping and filtering water with a network of canals and chambers) and influence the process of filtration in the cup. In comparison to traditional thin-section analysis, the combination of SEM and Micro-CT analysis on phosphatized archaeocyaths presented in this study further explored the detailed internal structure and finely reconstructed the microscopic overall morphology and anatomy, which provide important information to help us understand the systematic taxonomy, anatomy, and morphology of archaeocyaths during the Cambrian period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cambrian vetulicolians have mosaic characteristics of both deuterostomes and protostomes, which has important implications for the origin and early evolution of the Deuterostomia. They are intriguing in their bizarre body plan with a series of pharyngeal gill slits. The anterior section is characterized by five pairs of gill pouches, while the paddle‐like posterior part is composed of seven or more segments. Although the overall external morphology and some internal anatomies of vetulicolians, such as pharyngeal cavity, gill system and alimentary canal, have largely been clarified, mysteries remain regarding some other internal structures, and their functional interpretations are highly controversial. In this study we identify an important but hitherto unrecognized feature: a sub‐rounded, wrinkled structure located ventrally at the posterior section (or 'tail') of weakly sclerotized members of vetulicolians, including Xidazoon stephanus and Didazoon haoae, from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota. The enigmatic structure consistently appears at or between the third and fourth segments of the posterior section. We show that the new structure is an internal organ in the body cavity of vetulicolians and infer that it might have functioned for reproduction, excretion or digestion. The finding of this enigmatic structure from X. stephanus and D. haoae enriches our understanding of vetulicolians and might facilitate further exploration of the anatomy and physiology of early deuterostomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English language translation teaching plays a crucial role in today's globalized world, particularly in countries like China, which has seen an increased emphasis on English language proficiency. However, effective teaching and assessment of students' translation abilities remain significant challenges for educators. To address the challenges of English language translation and teaching, this paper proposes a novel approach that integrates Internet of Things (IoT), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Neural Network algorithms to assist teachers in evaluating and assessing students' English translation abilities by enabling them to better fulfill their teaching responsibilities. This paper first describes the computational mechanism of Neural Network algorithm using PSO, which includes the particle coding approach. An application model is designed to assess students' capacity for learning using English translational instruction. The PSO algorithm gathers information on their learning progress, and fully utilize the analyzed results to develop learning strategies and create teaching materials for various learning types, which is helpful for the quick advancement of English translation teaching. Secondly, this paper develops a translational application model for English language as a practical framework. The proposed method utilizes the upgraded PSO-enabled Neural Network to process English language translation and teaching data by achieving network training in a global optimal state of PSO by reducing training errors. Thirdly, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of the model by comparing the average errors of the training and test samples with different numbers of particles such as 5, 10, and 20. Finally, the results demonstrate high accuracy in measuring students' translation abilities. Furthermore, the study collects and examines three data sets, specifically English-Foreign Language Translation Corpus (EFLT), English Language Learners' Corpus (ELLC), and English-Multilingual Parallel Corpus (EMPC), with a detection accuracy of 0.84, 0.97, and 0.65, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil nitrogen (N) availability is critical to root function and morphological traits, which reflect strategies for nutrient uptake and survival of plants. However, these factors have rarely been studied in temperate old-growth forests, especially understory shrubs. Therefore, we conducted an 8-year continuous N addition field experiment in Lesser Khingan Mountains northeastern China, including four N treatments. The results showed that under low and medium N treatments, the root diameter of all shrubs generally increased, which was caused by the increase in root stele diameter and cortical thickness, which were mainly regulated by soil NH4+-N. Low N treatment significantly increased the ratio of stele to root diameter, promoted the development of stele and tracheid characteristics, and thus improved the transport capacity of fine roots. High N treatment decreased the cortical thickness of all shrubs, but increased the total area and number of tracheid, which might have a significant positive impact on the growth of fine roots. These results suggest that N deposition may affect the physiological function and activity of fine roots by affecting their diameter, cortical thickness, and stele diameter. Collectively, plants can adjust their root nutrient absorption strategies to adapt to changes in the nutrient environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jade artifacts produced in prehistoric China continue to generate extensive scholarly interest. In the absence of textual data, inferring how works functioned in Jade Age communities remains challenging. This paper focuses on Hongshan 红山 culture (4500–3000 BCE) jades, a distinctively styled corpus primarily recovered from late fourth millennium BCE graves in northeastern China. Recent finds within and beyond the Hongshan core zone have enriched the jade inventory and expanded the known scope of its stylistic variations. The analysis sheds light on enigmatic types, reveals the complex representational nature of this corpus, and clarifies the mimetic intentions that resulted in the soft rounded forms characteristic of the style. Most objects examined were unearthed at Hongshan ceremonial centers and have sound excavation pedigrees. Their study relies on contextual archaeological data and comparative visual analysis and draws on the broader Hongshan material world. Further considerations include environment, funerary practices, materiality, cognition, and human anatomy. Ultimately, the paper uncovers new paradigms of figural representation that should open fresh investigative avenues for specialists of early China. Preliminary evaluation of jades unearthed further south at Lingjiatan 凌家滩 and Liangzhu 良渚 sites suggests that some late Neolithic societies adopted Hongshan practices. Current evidence hints at members of prehistoric communities attempting, through jade works, to rationalize their physical circumstances and assert their social power by symbolically fusing with elements of their environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The contralateral seventh cervical (cC7) nerve root transfer represents a cornerstone technique in treating total brachial plexus avulsion injury. Traditional cC7 procedures employ the entire ulnar nerve as a graft, which inevitably compromises its restorative capacity. Objective: Our cadaveric study seeks to assess this innovative approach aimed at preserving the motor branch of the ulnar nerve (MBUN). This new method aims to enable future repair stages, using the superficial radial nerve (SRN) as a bridge connecting cC7 and MBUN. Methods: We undertook a comprehensive dissection of ten adult cadavers, generously provided by the Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology at Fudan University, China. It allowed us to evaluate the feasibility of our proposed technique. For this study, we harvested only the dorsal and superficial branches of the ulnar nerve, as well as the SRN, to establish connections between the cC7 nerve and recipient nerves (both the median nerve and MBUN). We meticulously dissected the SRN and the motor and sensory branches of the ulnar nerve. Measurements were made from the reverse point of the SRN to the wrist flexion crease and the coaptation point of the SRN and MBUN. Additionally, we traced the MBUN from distal to proximal ends, recording its maximum length. We also measured the diameters of the nerve branches and tallied the number of axons. Results: Our modified approach proved technically viable in all examined limbs. The distances from the reverse point of the SRN to the wrist flexion crease were 8.24 ± 1.80 cm and to the coaptation point were 6.60 ± 1.75 cm. The maximum length of the MBUN was 7.62 ± 1.03 cm. The average axon diameters in the MBUN and the anterior and posterior branches of the SRN were 1.88 ± 0.42 mm、1.56 ± 0.38 mm、2.02 ± 0.41 mm,respectively. The corresponding mean numbers of axons were 1426.60 ± 331.39 and 721.50 ± 138.22, and 741.90 ± 171.34, respectively. Conclusion: The SRN demonstrated the potential to be transferred to the MBUN without necessitating a nerve graft. A potential advantage of this modification is preserving the MBUN's recovery potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of mobile devices in education is a growing trend in various subjects. We developed the Dental and Maxillofacial Development Teaching Atlas App, and applied it to the learning process of oral histopathology. The aim of the current study was to investigate the educational effects of atlas-based mobile-assisted teaching in the field of dental medicine, and to suggest relevant improvements. The Dental and Maxillofacial Development Teaching Atlas App encompasses a wide range of atlases. It harbors various features, such as terminology definitions, student communications, and teacher–student interactions. By conducting questionnaires (70 students) and a quiz (68 students), we obtained students' feedback, to evaluate the effects and application prospects of the WeChat applet. The questionnaire results indicate that students experienced a high level of satisfaction and support. Additionally, students participated in the quiz, with the experimental group exhibiting significantly higher average scores than the control group. The fill-in-the-blank questions, image recognition questions, and the total score all demonstrated statistically significant differences, while the terminology definition questions did not. The Dental and Maxillofacial Development Teaching Atlas App facilitates students' utilization of fragmented time for learning, and demonstrates positive effects in enhancing students' learning interests and proactiveness. It also holds promising potential for applications in other disciplines in the field of dental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo belongs to the grass family and is an important non-timber forest product in tropic and sub-tropic countries. The global trade of bamboo products is worth billions of dollars and is mainly dominant with monopodial bamboo grown in sub-tropic countries such as China and Japan. Many researchers globally discuss that in addition to species and region, bamboo quality can differ based on its rhizome types because the physiology is different for both monopodial and sympodial bamboo. However, there is a massive competition within the yearly forest products due to the challenges posed by underground root system in agroforestry. This review studied the properties of bamboo with regards to their differences in terms of monopodial and sympodial types of rhizomes. It was found that most of the structural, chemical organic, and mechanical properties are higher in monopodial bamboo, but there is a greater fibre morphology and decay resistance in the sympodial bamboo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galeaspids are extinct jawless relatives of living jawed vertebrates whose contribution to understanding the evolutionary assembly of the gnathostome bodyplan has been limited by absence of postcranial remains. Here, we describe Foxaspis novemura gen. et sp. nov., based on complete articulated remains from a newly discovered Konservat-Lagerstätte in the Early Devonian (Pragian, ∼410 Ma) of Guangxi, South China. F. novemura had a broad, circular dorso-ventrally compressed headshield, slender trunk and strongly asymmetrical hypochordal tail fin comprised of nine ray-like scale-covered digitations. This tail morphology contrasts with the symmetrical hypochordal tail fin of Tujiaaspis vividus , evidencing disparity in galeaspid postcranial anatomy. Analysis of swimming speed reveals galeaspids as moderately fast swimmers, capable of achieving greater cruising swimming speeds than their more derived jawless and jawed relatives. Our analyses reject the hypothesis of a driven trend towards increasingly active food acquisition which has been invoked to characterize early vertebrate evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘, Pig-Butchering scam) is a new online romance scam targeting mainly Chinese-speaking individuals. While a few studies in Chinese have paid attention to Sha Zhu Pan, no study in English considers the role of scammers' persuasive techniques in shaping the progress of fraudulent discourse. This study attempts to address this gap by analyzing the rhetorical moves of the Sha Zhu Pan scammers through using data from both victims and offenders. Victims' testimonial data were collected from Zhihu, a prominent Chinese online platform for posting questions and answers and users' personal experiences. This study also uses four complete police reports from law enforcement in China to provide objective evidences from offenders' perspective in a natural setting. This study advances the model of criminal persuasion for Sha Zhu Pan developed from Gardner's original persuasive framework. Such a model points out the type of persuasive techniques that the Sha Zhu Pan scammers frequently use during different stages of the scam. The results reflect a preliminary understanding of scammers' behaviors, showing that the language of this financially and emotionally devastated crime indeed follows a premeditated arrangement. Moreover, such evidences can also support the proposal of related theoretical and policy implications for researchers, the government in China and other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A. C. Smith and Schisandra sphenantha rehd. et wils. are different genus plants of Schisandraceae, distributed in the north and south of China, respectively. These species are non-wood forest trees with important medicinal value. Grafting is one of the technical means by which plants migrate to other regions to adapt to different habitats. However, the current research on the grafting of Schisandraceae only focuses on the effect of the rootstock on the scion, and lacks investigations on the effect of the scion on the rootstock, leading to the mechanism of the rootstock–scion interaction being still unclear. In this study, Kadsura coccinea (K) and Schisandra sphenanthera (S) were used as scion and rootstock for reciprocal grafting, and four grafted combinations, K/S (scion/rootstock), S/S, S/K, and K/K, were obtained, with S/S and K/K being the controls. Comparative analyses of the morphological, anatomical, and physiological characteristics of rootstocks were conducted at 10 d, 30 d, 50 d, and 70 d after grafting. The results showed that compared with the control, the total root length, root volume, root tips, and root biomass of K/S and S/K decreased. However, the root average diameter and root surface area of K/S increased, while those of S/K decreased. All the differences between the above indices and the control were about 10%, and almost all of them changed most significantly at 70 d after grafting. Anatomically, the root cross section, stele diameter, and xylem area of K/S increased, while those of S/K decreased. In addition, the cortex thicknesses of K/S and S/K increased. These anatomical changes were mainly reflected in the second-order and third-order roots. Meanwhile, the changes in root endogenous hormone (IAA, ZR, GA3, ABA) contents in K/S and S/K in relation to days after grafting could explain the differences in root morphology. Moreover, both K/S and S/K had lower root activity and soluble sugar content than the control, and S/K had lower soluble protein and higher malondialdehyde content. This study indicated that the intergeneric grafting of Schisandraceae inhibited the growth of rootstocks, and the degree of inhibition was potentially related to the relative strength of the rootstock and scion, which provides a theoretical basis for further research on the rootstock–scion interaction mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The systematic position of Noeggerathiales was long uncertain until the whole plant species Paratingia wuhaia was restored and proved to belong to progymnosperms due to its spore-producing fertile organ and secondary wood producing a large stem. However, whether Tingia Halle as the most diversified genus in Noeggerathiales belongs to progymnosperms has yet remained uncertain as the anatomy of the main stem of this plant is unknown, that is, whether the anatomy of the main stem with the anatomical characteristics of gymnosperms woods remains uncertain. Here, the stem anatomy of Tingia unita is presented based on fossil materials from the early Permian Wuda Tuff Flora in Wuda Coalfield, Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia, China. The well-developed secondary wood, plus previously accumulated evidence of the spore-bearing nature of this plant, confirms that this genus belongs to progymnosperms. As such, the genera Tingia and Paratingia are all certainly progymnosperms in affinity. Tingia Halle, a representative genus of the Cathaysia Flora, has been studied for nearly 100 years, being a small heterosporous tree based on the gross morphology of Tingia unita. However, the systematic affinity of Tingia is uncertain. Now, a number of well-preserved fossils of T. unita from the Taiyuan Formation of Lower Permian in Wuda Coalfield, Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia facilitates an examination of wood anatomy. The stem anatomy of T. unita shows parenchymatous pith, endarch primary xylem, pycnoxylic secondary xylem, and cortex, typically a type of gymnosperm wood, which taken together with pteridophytic reproduction, certainly evidences that Tingia Halle is a progymnosperm. In addition, Tingia together with Paratingia provide strong evidence to link the Noeggerathiales with progymnosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central China harbors the native dart-sac-bearing camaenids Laeocathaica. The genus is revised and seven new species are proposed based on museum material and newly collected specimens. This work confirmed that most Laeocathaica species have restricted habitats. The comparison of the dart sac apparatus among the dart-sac-bearing camaenid genera indicated the importance of the presence of the proximal accessory sac that might be analogous to the membranous/muscular sac surrounding the proximal dart sac and/ or the distal region of the vagina near the atrium, which also plays a significant role in the diagnosis of Laeocathaica species based on its number, symmetry and position on the dart sac. Species with similar shell morphology were studied using geometric morphometric methods to detect variations in shell shape. A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on 16S and ITS2 sequence data of partial Laeocathaica species and many other dart-sac-bearing taxa suggested that Laeocathaica might be monophyletic. Furthermore, the present phylogeny indicated that Stilpnodiscus, Cathaica, Bradybaena, and Pseudobuliminus might be polyphyletic and therefore the taxonomy of dart-sac-bearing camaenids in this region requires a thorough revision. This work reconfirms that the Southern Gansu Plateau is important as a hotspot for malacodiversity conservation on the Chinese mainland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students are unable to attend face-to-face courses, Therefore, in this case, distance education should be promoted to replace face-to-face education. However, because of the imbalance of education in different regions, such as the imbalance of education resources between rural and urban areas, the quality of distance education may not be guaranteed. Therefore, in China and some regions, there have been efforts made to carry out blended synchronous classroom attempts. In hybrid synchronous classroom situations, teachers' workloads have increased, and it is difficult to fully understand students' learning efficiency and class participation. We use deep learning to identify the behaviors of teachers and students in a blended synchronous classroom-based situation, aiming to automate the analysis of classroom videos, which can help teachers in classroom reflection and summary in a blended synchronous classroom or face-to-face classroom. In the behavior recognition of students and teachers, we combine the head, hand, and body posture information of teachers and students and add the feature pyramid (FPN) and convolutional block attention module (CBAM) for comparative experiments. Finally, S–T (student–teacher) analysis and engagement analysis were carried out on the identification results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine ecosystem recovery after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction (PTME) has been extensively studied in the shallow sea, but little is known about the nature of this process in pelagic ecosystems. Omphalosauridae, an enigmatic clade of open-water durophagous marine reptiles, potentially played an important role in the recovery, but their fragmentary fossils and uncertain phylogenetic position have hindered our understanding of their role in the process. Here we report the large basal ichthyosauriform Sclerocormus from the Early Triassic of China that clearly demonstrates an omphalosaurid affinity, allowing for the synonymy of the recently erected Nasorostra with Omphalosauridae. The skull also reveals the anatomy of the unique feeding apparatus of omphalosaurids, likely an adaptation for feeding on hard-shelled pelagic invertebrates, especially ammonoids. Morphofunctional analysis of jaws shows that omphalosaurids occupy the morphospace of marine turtles. Our discovery adds another piece of evidence for an explosive radiation of marine reptiles into the ocean in the Early Triassic and the rapid recovery of pelagic ecosystems after the PTME. Further evidence for an explosive marine reptile diversification event in the Early Triassic is presented via morphological analysis of a new Sclerocormus specimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of well‐preserved fossil taxa from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota of South China have played important roles in the construction and analysis of the early evolutionary tree of metazoans. Certain other Chengjiang taxa, erected based on limited characters, have yielded little or no information concerning key aspects of their palaeobiology, and consequently their phylogenetic significance has been difficult to assess. One such taxon is the large conical animal Glossolites magnus. Exceptionally preserved new material of this soft‐bodied species herein, bearing oral tentacles and internal structures, indicates that G. magnus is not, as previously proposed, a hyolith. This work provides further information about possible biological affinities and palaeoautecology, which still remain open questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well‐preserved Cretaceous trunk fragments of Cycadeoidea (Cycadeoidaceae) were recently found in Keshan County, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. These fossils represent important evidence of the distribution of this group of plants in East Asia. In these trunk fragments, the stem cortices and leaf bases with cones are preserved. The leaf bases are rhombic with cones infrequently distributed among leaf bases. The cortex is broad and consists of fundamental parenchyma cells, numerous secretory ducts and C‐shaped leaf traces with adaxial secondary xylem and abaxial secondary phloem. The genus Cycadeoidea, which is widely distributed in the Cretaceous deposits of East Asia, North America and Western Europe, was an important component of Cretaceous floras. Bennettitalean trunk fossils with well‐preserved anatomical structures are rarely known from China. These fossils are important for studies of the evolution of genus Cycadeoidea and for stratigraphic correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new tree fern of the family Tempskyaceae, Tempskya hailunensis sp. nov., is described herein based on a silicified trunk from the Cretaceous of Hailun City, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. The new species is composed of dichotomizing large stems surrounded by a mesh of adventitious roots, petioles, and leaf-like structures, constituting a solid and compact false trunk. The dorsiventral stems contain solenosteles that have long internodes with mostly two leaf traces. The stem cortex consists of a sclerenchymatous outer zone and a parenchymatous inner zone, and the stem pith is divided into a parenchymatous outer zone and a sclerenchymatous inner zone. Wide multicellular scales are attached to the stem epidermis. Leaf-like structures embedded among adventitious roots in the trunk are isobilateral, thick, and without distinct intercellular spaces. Also present are dispersed annuli of sporangia, which are only few cells long and apparently uniseriate. Though it cannot be fully ruled out that these vegetative and fertile remains belong to epiphytes that colonized the Tempskya trunk, the consistent and exclusive occurrence of these particular types of remains makes it likely that they belonged to the Tempskya plant itself. This new species represents only the second fossil record of Tempskya from China, increasing the known diversity of this genus during the Cretaceous both in Asia and globally. Moreover, it provided evidence for recognizing probable leaf structure and growth habit of Tempskya. • A new Cretaceous fern of Tempskya with leaves described from China. • Isobilateral leaf fragments and annuli are present among adventitious roots. • Leaves grew under environment with adequate illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused sporadic suspensions of offline instruction in schools across China. The "School is Out, But Class is On" initiative, started by the Education Ministry of China, is an efficient substitute for regular classroom instruction in this situation. The widespread use of online learning has increased teachers' digital literacy and experimented with student autonomy, but it has also highlighted a number of issues, including inadequate online learning environments, an uneven distribution of digital teaching resources, and students' inability to adjust to self-directed learning. With the aim of offering guidelines for effective deployment of online teaching in China as a crisis response plan and offering insight into the further integration of traditional classroom instruction and digital education, we attempt to systematically examine the outcomes of its implementation as well as the challenges it faces in practice. This is done on the basis of a review of existing studies on this online teaching program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the world entered the era of network information, the influence of the Internet has been expanding day by day, and today's college students are deeply affected by the network environment, which has also brought unprecedented challenges to the moral education work of colleges and universities. The rule of law education for college students is a key point for the comprehensive implementation of the strategy of governing the country by law. How to enhance the effectiveness and recognition of the rule of law education for college students has become an important task of higher education. Therefore, strengthening the legal education of college students is not only an inevitable choice to fully implement the rule of law but also a realistic requirement to improve the level of higher education and realize the all-round development of college students. College students' mental health education is an important part of the talent training system of colleges and universities, and in-depth exploration of the ideological and political laws of college students' mental health education courses is an inevitable requirement for implementing the fundamental task of Lide Shuren. College students' mental health education courses must be integrated into the ideological and political concepts of the curriculum, reflect the political orientation of ideological and political work, embody the law of educating people with morality as the first, and embody the practical purpose of psychology to pay attention to personality improvement. It is necessary to optimize the content of education and teaching, excavate the elements of ideological politics in the curriculum, enrich the resources of ideological politics in the curriculum, and explore a new way of reforming the ideological and political education curriculum for college students from the aspects of deeply planting family and national feelings, enhancing political identity, strengthening cultural self-confidence, cultivating Chinese temperament, clarifying the meaning of life, strengthening mission responsibility, enhancing civic awareness, and developing law-abiding habits. Strictly regulate the behavior of contemporary college students in the online environment, give full play to the role of legal education, and reduce the incidence of online incidents such as online fraud and cyber violence. This paper puts forward some problems in the current legal education of college students in China and points out the root causes of these problems. Methods for structural reform and advanced cultural construction based on social development are proposed. From a strategic point of view, it is believed that only by managing the reform of legal education and cultivating civic awareness can we completely solve various contradictions and problems among college students in the network environment and pave the way for the development of college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information technology (IT) based "instant evaluation" is supported by IT, which allows instant evaluation of teaching phenomena based on certain evaluation criteria and provides instant feedback. In anatomy teaching, we explored and practiced the application of instant evaluation based on a platform called "Rain classroom." We found that IT-based instant evaluation had higher practicability and better student satisfaction, which could improve teaching efficiency during class time, help students improve learning methods, and promote knowledge mastery. Additionally, instant evaluation positively impacted teachers' evaluation ability and teaching skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper describes a new species of freshwater flatworm of the genus Dugesia from Guizhou province, China, based on an integrative approach, combining morphological, histological and molecular information. This new species, Dugesia gemmulata Sun & Wang, sp. nov., is characterized by the ventral part of the most posterior section of the bursal canal being provided with a voluminous, ellipsoidal muscular swelling; sac- or egg-shaped seminal vesicle situated near the ventral body surface in anterior portion of the penis bulb; postero-dorsal wall of seminal vesicle communicating with a narrow duct that first runs almost vertically but then shows a postero-dorsally directed loop before connecting with a small diaphragm; an ejaculatory duct opening terminally or subterminally; an asymmetrical penis papilla, with its dorsal lip being provided with a bump; oviducts opening asymmetrically into female copulatory apparatus, with the left oviduct opening into the common atrium and the right oviduct opening into the vaginal section of the bursal canal. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the new species belongs to a clade comprising species from the Australasian and Oriental regions, while it shares a sister-group relationship with D. umbonata Song & Wang, 2020, a species characterized by a muscular swelling on the dorsal side of its bursal canal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of Huatuo Jiaji (EX-B 2) is the representative of the knowledge construction of ancient anatomy, reflecting the academic thought of Huatuo 's school. Through deeply analyzing the classic theory of acupuncture and its cultural and historical materials, it is believed that the five-body constituents are the structural basis of Huatuo Jiaji (EX-B 2), qi and blood are the material one, while biaoben (the sites where meridian qi gathers and diffuses) and qijie (the common pathways through which meridian qi gathers) indicate its functions. Huatuo Jiaji (EX-B 2) reveals the rules of the transverse distribution of meridian points and the relevant indications, providing the theoretic foundation for acupuncture treatment. It highlights the importance of the anatomical knowledge in acupuncture effect and proposes a new idea for establishing an effective classification system of meridian points.

Hexangulaconulariids, an extinct family of medusozoan small shelly fossils (SSFs), were a conspicuous component of early Cambrian, shallow marine platform communities in South China. Described herein is Septuconularia crassiformis sp. nov. from Bed 5 of the Yanjiahe Formation (Cambrian Stage 2) in the Three Gorges area of Hubei Province. The new species differs from the type and only other known species, S. yanjiaheensis, in the shape of the abapical portion and in the degree of curvature of the adapertural margin. The anatomy of the apical portion of the new species is unknown. The diagnosis of the genus Septuconularia is emended and the spatio‐temporal distribution of hexangulaconulariids in South China is summarized. Finally, S. yanjiaheensis, with its slit‐like aperture and very narrow transverse cross‐section, may have been better adapted to the shallow platform environment than the broader S. crassiformis, which appears to have been less common than the type species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A deeper understanding of the anatomy of the intercondylar notch of the femur may help reduce technical errors during anatomic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Purposes: To classify the number of ridges on the lateral intercondylar wall, identify factors influencing the number of ridges, and define the relationship between the area of denser bone on the lateral intercondylar wall and the lateral intercondylar ridge. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Included were 89 patients with computed tomography (CT) images of the knee joint. On full lateral view of the lateral femoral condyle, the authors evaluated for the presence of a lateral intercondylar ridge. The height and area of the lateral intercondylar wall (notch height and lateral notch area) and the length of Blumensaat line were calculated. Notch outlet length, axial notch area, notch width index, and transepicondylar length were also calculated using 3-dimensional CT. Maximum intensity projection was used to identify the area of denser bone on the femoral lateral intercondylar wall, and the relationship between this area and the lateral intercondylar ridge was investigated. Results: The lateral intercondylar ridge exhibited 3 types of morphological variations. The invisible type (no ridge) was observed in 20 knees (22.5%); the ridge type (1 ridge), in 23 knees (25.8%); and the plateau type (2 ridges), in 46 knees (51.7%). There were significant differences in notch height, lateral notch area, Blumensaat line length, and denser bone area among the ridge types (P ≤.031 for all). The locations of the anterior ridge of the plateau type and of all 23 ridges of the ridge type corresponded to the anterior margin line of the area of denser bone. Conclusion: Significant differences were seen in the 3 types of lateral intercondylar ridges. The anterior margin line of the denser bone area on the lateral intercondylar wall was found to correspond to the anterior border of the plateau type and the ridge type. Clinical Relevance: The variations in the lateral intercondylar ridge may affect measurement accuracy during evaluation of ACL tunnel position while using the ridge as a landmark. The plateau-type ridge and the area of denser bone on the lateral intercondylar wall may provide a new way for surgeons to determine the femoral tunnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new permineralized gymnospermous fossil trunk with only secondary xylem being preserved, Protocupressinoxylon baii sp. nov., is described from the Upper Shihhotse Formation (Permian) in Yangquan City, Shanxi Province, North China. The pith, primary xylem, and bark are not preserved. The wood is pycnoxylic, composed of tracheids, rays, and axial parenchyma. True growth rings are absent. However, growth interruptions are well-developed. In cross section, tracheids in the growth interruption vary gradually in diameter from thin-walled, larger cells to thick-walled, smaller cells, and change at an opposite direction, forming a symmetrical boundary. Radial tracheidal pitting is uni- to biseriate. When uniseriate, pits are contiguous or separately arrayed. When biseriate, pits are mostly alternately arranged. Rims of Sanio and tangential pits are absent. The percentage of abietinean pitting of current fossil wood is 23.6%, and the araucarian pitting is 76.4%. Axial parenchymatous cells are irregularly distributed among the xylem tracheids with opaque contents. Rays are homogeneous, commonly uniseriate, and are 1–24 cells high. The cross-field pitting is mainly of the cupressoid type, and there are commonly 1–2, rarely 3–4 pits in each cross-field unit. The fossil trunk represents the first record of Protocupressinoxylon Eckhold from the Permian of the Cathaysia. Fungal hyphae present in tracheids and rays, demonstrating the association between the current trunk and fungi. The absence of true growth rings, and the presence of growth interruptions suggest suitable climatic conditions with episodic drought for the flourishing of plants during the time when the Upper Shihhotse Formation was deposited in the Permian. • Protocupressinoxylon is first documented from the Permian in Cathaysia. • Fungus-plant association is demonstrated by the hyphae present in tracheids and rays. • Episodic drought occurred during the Guadalupian in North China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body donation is a valuable resource in medical education, research, clinical diagnosis, and treatment. Consequently, donors are honored as "Silent Mentors" in Chinese medical schools. This article briefly reviews the history, current status, and strategies to promote body donation in China (excluding data from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions) and discusses the problems encountered in body donation work in China. After establishing the People's Republic of China in 1949, the central government issued regulations on the use of dissected bodies. In 2001, the "Shanghai Regulations on Body Donation" were officially implemented and became China's first local legislative regulation on body donation. Subsequently, local legislative regulations and rules on body donation were issued in various regions to promote smooth and orderly body donation. There has been tremendous development in body donation in China for more than 40 years; however, the progress of this partial work has been uneven in various areas owing to the influence of traditional ethical concepts. It is, therefore, imperative to legislate body donations at a national level. Raising the public's scientific literacy and changing the traditional concept of funerals can create a positive social atmosphere for body donation, thus increasing the public's awareness and willingness to donate their bodies. Donating the body at the end of life contributes to life science and medical causes and is a noble act worthy of praise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]