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Teachers' practical knowledge is closely related to teaching practice. The purpose of this research was to develop an instrument for assessing upper-secondary school science teachers' perceived practical knowledge about practical work. The development of this instrument was based on five components in the conceptual framework of PCK about practical work: orientations of practical work, knowledge of curriculum materials in practical work, knowledge of students in practical work, knowledge of educational strategies for practical work, and knowledge of assessment in practical work. After the questionnaire was developed, 636 Chinese upper-secondary school science teachers participated in this research voluntarily. The results from exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis and confirmatory factor analysis provided sufficient evidence for the construct validity of instrument. The high Cronbach coefficient indicated that the instrument had good internal consistency reliability. Finally, an instrument with six factors and 25 items was documented. The instrument would benefit science teacher educators and researchers.

This research aimed to examine the contributions of different sources in developing high school chemistry teachers' practical knowledge of teaching with practical work in China. The examination was conducted on a theoretical framework in which the conceptualization of PCK and nine sources of teachers' PCK were involved. Through a questionnaire survey of 323 chemistry teachers, the findings included the following aspects. Firstly, among the nine sources, overall, 'teaching practices', 'curriculum materials', 'classroom observations', and 'peer coaching' were recognized as the core sources, whereas 'learning experience' was regarded as the peripheral source. Secondly, for the five components of PCK of teaching with practical work, the contributions of the nine sources are different. Thirdly, three sources were found to be significantly different among teachers who have different years of teaching experience: 'pre-service training experience', 'classroom observations', and 'peer coaching'. In the last part of this paper, the implications of the findings and the suggestions for the further studies were discussed.

This study examined the associations of long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) compositions/ozone with methylation of peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promoters. A total of 101 participants were recruited from a cohort in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China. They underwent baseline and follow-up surveys in 2011 and 2015. DNA methylation levels were detected by bisulfite-PCR amplification and pyrosequencing. Participants' three-year average levels of PM2.5 compositions and ozone were estimated. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to examine the joint effects of pollutants on methylation levels. Exposure to PM2.5 compositions and ozone mixtures at the 75th percentile was associated with increased methylation levels at CpG2 of BDNF promoter (203%, 95% CI: 89, 316) than the lowest level of exposure, and sulfate dominated the effect in the BKMR models.Our findings provide clues to the epigenetic mechanisms for the associations of PM2.5 compositions and ozone with BDNF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All provinces of China respond to the central government, predict future carbon dioxide emissions, and formulate action plans detailing how the province intends to fulfill its target of carbon emission peaking before 2030. Based on the bottom‐up energy consumption prediction and top‐down goal verification, this paper constructs a set of regional carbon dioxide emission prediction methods. Compared to the traditional bottom‐up prediction method, this method could simplify the parameters while improving the prediction accuracy. This model is used to predict and analyze the process of carbon dioxide emission peaking in Zhejiang. The results show that the mean absolute percentage error of the retrospective prediction value is only 1.56%. Zhejiang will reach carbon dioxide emission peaking around 2029–2030, and the peak value will be 569.7 million tons. Different factors have different effects on the process of carbon dioxide emission peaking. There is a strong correlation between the peak time of carbon dioxide emission and the production time of major energy‐consuming projects in Zhejiang. Meanwhile, if the 16 nuclear reactors are not put into operation, Zhejiang will not be able to achieve the goal of carbon dioxide emission peaking. Besides, the basic data used in this model is mainly from the local statistical departments of the region. Thus, it can be applied to other provinces and regions conveniently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, grid workers have increasingly become an indispensable and important force in basic social governance. They not only undertake several tasks, such as gaining publicity, collecting information, resolving conflicts, and assisting in management, but they also actively serve the grid residents enthusiastically and engage in proactive service behaviors. In order to better cultivate this important force, we hope to have a better understanding of the factors contributing to the behavioral performance of grid workers, especially the impact of organizational and personal factors. In this study, we sought to establish what factors influence the proactive service behaviors of grid workers. Based on a theoretical consideration of factors such as public service motivation, occupational identity, and organizational climate, a multi-factor influence hypothesis model was constructed to explain the proactive service behaviors of these workers. By analyzing data based on 348 paired survey samples received in two stages in eastern China, these hypotheses were then tested. The results reflect that grid workers' public service motivation can stimulate proactive service behaviors. Furthermore, occupational identity plays a mediating role, while organizational support and organizational service climate play a positive moderating role between public service motivation and occupational identity. This finding clarifies the important influencing factors of proactive service behaviors among grassroots workers, such as grid workers, and has important implications for how to effectively motivate these groups to provide more proactive services, promoting their sustainable development and improve the effectiveness of grassroots governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drilling and blasting method used for excavation causes damage to surrounding rock mass, and frequent blasting often leads to cumulative damage effects. Thus, understanding the distribution of Blast-Induced Damage (BID) zone is critical to assess the slope stability of open-pit mines. Herein, this study aims to investigate the cumulative damage effects and safety control criteria on the final wall of the open-pit slope under blasting. The cumulative damage zone was defined using a continuous damage model coupled with tensile damage and Drucker–Prager yield criteria embedded in the finite difference method. The simulation results were validated against field data collected from the Wushan open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia, China. The results demonstrate that the cumulative damage of the final wall exhibited a non-linear decreasing trend from the bench face to the interior of the slope, successfully reproducing the spatial distribution of the BID obtained from the in situ test, and revealing that the maximum cumulative damage depth occurred at the slope crest. Additionally, a safety control criterion for the critical damage zone of open-pit final slope was proposed based on the investigation of the effects of dynamic loading rate and stemming length on excessive overbreak. The results highlight how important it is to account for cumulative damage effects when assessing the final slope stability of an open pit and optimizing the mining design. Highlights: The cumulative damage effects on the final wall of the open-pit under blasting are investigated. A model coupled with tensile damage and Drucker-Prager yield criteria is established and incorporated into finite difference method to simulate the blast-induced damage zone. The subsurface damage depth is obtained using the digital drilling images technology. The dynamic loading rate and stemming length could significantly affect the excessive overbreak along the crest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted in northeast China to examine the response of nitrogen cycling enzymes, that is, protease, N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (NAG), amidase, urease, and peptidase, as well soil organic nitrogen (SON) fractions and their relationships to RT (no maize residue application), NT (no tillage with maize residues placed on the surface), TT (plow maize residues into the soil at 0–35 cm depth in the first year, 0–20 cm in the second year, and 0–15 cm in the third year), and PT (plow maize residues into soil at 0–35 cm depth). The results have shown that NT significantly enhanced the activities of protease and NAG at 0–10 cm soil depth in comparison with other treatments. NT and TT significantly enhanced the activities of protease compared to RT and PT at 10–20 cm soil depth. TT significantly enhanced the activities of NAG in comparison with RT at 10–20 cm soil depth. TT and PT significantly enhanced the activities of NAG and peptidase compared to RT and NT at 20–35 cm soil depth. PT significantly increased the activities of protease in comparison with RT at 20–35 cm soil depth. NT, TT, and PT significantly enhanced the activities of peptidase compared to RT at 10–20 cm soil depth. NT significantly increased the concentration of hydrolyzable NH4+‐N$$ {\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}\hbox{-} \mathrm{N} $$ in comparison with other treatments at 0–10 cm soil depth. PT significantly enhanced the concentration of hydrolyzable NH4+‐N$$ {\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}\hbox{-} \mathrm{N} $$ and amino acid N compared to other treatments at 20–35 cm soil depth. Redundancy analysis showed that protease played a crucial role in the cycling of SON under RT and NT, whereas peptidase and NAG played a significant role in the cycling of SON under TT and PT, respectively. This study provided a comprehensive understanding of crop residue return methods for regulating soil N cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis plays essential roles in shaping rhizosphere soil available phosphorus (P) and organic P mobilization. However, current methods for assessing soil P often do not fully consider the potential role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in supplying biologically‐based phosphorus (BBP) to Eucalyptus. This study aims to investigate the effects of AMF on the soil BBP of Eucalyptus plantations and which species prefer to translocate them in phosphorus‐deficient soils. Rhizosphere soil samples of Eucalyptus plantations (in south China) exhibiting different ages (varying between 1 to 12 years) were selected to investigate the evolution of AMF and BBP in soils, as well as their interaction mechanism. The impacts of eight AMF families on BBP were investigated in rhizosphere soil. All BBP contents are significantly positively correlated with Olsen P in the rhizosphere soil of Eucalyptus plantations (p < 0.01). The BBP in soil was notably influenced by AMF diversity, while AMF richness showed little effect on BBP. The abundance of Glomeraceae taxa showed a positive correlation with BBP and a negative correlation with Paraglomeraceae. In contrast, the relative abundance of Glomeraceae was higher in older plantations (including Archaeosporaceae, Claroideoglomeraceae). From the above results, we concluded that different species of the AMF modulated their mycorrhizal traits by improving BBP uptake in the rhizosphere soil. AMF groups (such as Glomeraceae, Archaeosporaceae, Claroideoglomeraceae) should be introduced or amplified at the beginning of planting to promote the uptake and utilization of bioavailable P in Eucalyptus plantations. This study will deepen our understanding of AMF for effective BBP utilization in Eucalyptus plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent micro-level research on government institutional reform emphasizes the importance of taking charge behavior in the context of institutional reform. This study constructs a structural equation model from survey data of 823 civil servants in Longgang, China, based on the theory of planned behavior, to examine the impact of workload and non-economic rewards on civil servants' taking charge behaviors in the context of institutional reform. Results confirm the difference paths of workload and non-economic rewards on taking charge behavior and the embeddedness of community mechanisms in government internal governance. The findings of this study are theoretically and practically relevant as they offer new perspectives into the triggers of continuous reform and the psychological mechanisms underlying the effects of workload and non-economic rewards on taking charge behavior in the context of institutional reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent consumption of sexually explicit material (SEM) on the internet may influence attitudes toward sex (e.g., sociosexuality), and sociosexuality may influence people's preferences for potential partners' facial dimorphism. However, few studies have focused on the association between dimorphism preference and pornography consumption, and fewer have examined it in heterosexual‐identifying and homosexual‐identifying men. A total of 234 heterosexual‐identifying and 133 homosexual‐identifying men were asked to respond to questions regarding their preferences toward facial dimorphism, sociosexual orientation, and frequency of viewing SEM. Frequency of SEM consumption was related to sociosexuality and preference for potential partners' sex‐typical facial features, sociosexuality worked as a full mediator in this relationship, and similar mediating associations were found among heterosexual‐identifying and homosexual‐identifying men. The results identified associations between consumption of pornographic material and sexual dimorphic preference for the first time. Findings suggest not only that homosexual‐identifying men prefer masculinity in same‐sex partners but also that the sexual script theory that pornographic material consumption may influence men's short‐term relationship orientation among sexual minorities and under a conservative sexual culture. This study contributes to the understanding of the preference for facial dimorphism from a perspective on social learning and mate choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the recognition of the relationship between technological innovation and tourism development, there is a dearth of rigorous empirical specifications to examine the effect of technological innovation on the latter. With 27 cities of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA) in China as an empirical case, this study explores whether technological innovation can promote tourism development by using a series of panel regression models. The empirical results indicate that technological innovation has a positive effect on the development of tourism in the YRDUA. With respect to different regions, types of cities, and stages, there are differences in the positive impact of technological innovation on tourism development. Additionally, the impact of different types of technological innovations on tourism development is also diverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we adopt the human capital formation framework to understand the association of the various risk and protective factors in the family settings of rural children with their cognitive performance as measured by vocabulary and math test scores. We examine the role of caregiver reading or storytelling to children at younger age and the deprivation of parental care due to labor migration at different stages of childhood on child performance in vocabulary and math tests when they are over 10 years old. Our findings confirm the crucial role of parental presence in child's cognitive development both during early childhood and later ages. Extended periods of parental absence during early and later years of childhood are most pernicious for child cognitive performance. Our analysis also reveals significantly positive effect of caregiver reading and storytelling on children's vocabulary test performance. This study provides strong evidence for the benefits of programs that promote good parenting practice and caregiver involvement in child cognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-absorbing particles (LAPs) deposited on snow can significantly reduce surface albedo and contribute to positive radiative forcing. This study firstly estimated and attributed the spatio-temporal variability in the radiative forcing (RF) of LAPs in snow over the northern hemisphere during the snow-covered period 2003–2018 by employing Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, coupled with snow and atmospheric radiative transfer modelling. In general, the RF for the northern hemisphere shows a large spatial variability over the whole snow-covered areas and periods, with the highest value (12.7 W m−2) in northeastern China (NEC) and the lowest (1.9 W m−2) in Greenland (GRL). The concentration of LAPs in snow is the dominant contributor to spatial variability in RF in spring (~73%) while the joint spatial contributions of snow water equivalent (SWE) and solar irradiance (SI) are the most important (>50%) in winter. The average northern hemisphere RF gradually increases from 2.1 W m−2 in December to 4.1 W m−2 in May and the high-value area shifts gradually northwards from mid-altitude to high-latitude over the same period, which is primarily due to the seasonal variability of SI (~58%). More interestingly, our data reveal a significant decrease in RF over high-latitude Eurasia (HEUA) of −0.04 W m−2 a−1 and northeastern China (NEC) of −0.14 W m−2 a−1 from 2003 to 2018. By employing a sensitivity test, we find the concurrent decline in the concentration of LAPs in snow accounted for the primary responsibility for the decrease in RF over these two areas, which is further confirmed by in situ observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slash disposal changes soil quality by affecting soil properties and nutrient cycling, and the appropriate disposal approaches remain controversial. This work aimed to explore the impact of different slash disposal methods on soil qualities. For this purpose, a Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla plantation that had been cultivated in 2002 and felled for the third time in 2016 was established in Hezhou City, China. Burning forest (BF, for moderate intensity fire) and no-burning forest (NF) were set in the plantation, and the native evergreen broadleaf forest near the plantation was used as the control (CK). Soils were sampled quarterly in 2017, and 27 indicators that represent soil physical, chemical, and biological properties were analyzed and compared through the analysis of the sustainability index (SI), which adopts five indices to calculate soil quality. The obtained data showed that the indicators of BF and NF, except for the total potassium content, were much lower than those of CK. The physical properties (Max-WHC, CWHC, Min-WHC, MMC, CPD, TPD) of NF were significantly better (29.07%, 30.98%, 29.61%, 52.08%, 21.89%, 19.76%) than those of BF, unlike the chemical properties of BF (SOM, TN, ACa, AFe, AMn, ACu, AZn) were significantly better than those of NF (45.61%, 81.33%, 12.78%, 23.18%, 96.13%, 144.30%, 114.04%). The enzymatic activities of NF (URE, APHO) were significantly better (43.33%, 156.58%)than those of BF, except the activities of INV (− 25.21%). Results of SI showed that the soil quality of CK was much better than that of BF, and NF the worst. But it exhibited the most unevenness of CK, followed by NF, and BF the best. The change rules of BF and NF were contrasting, and soil quality reached the same level after half a year. In summary, the soil qualities, either BF or CK, were not comparable to that of CK. BF increased the soil quality fleetly and transiently, and NF was sustainable for the eucalyptus plantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lespedeza potaninii Vass is a highly drought-resistant China native legume plant, which plays an important role in animal husbandry and ecological restoration. However, there are few reports on the agricultural practices of its seed production. We evaluated the effect of four plant densities (33,333, 44,444, 66,666, and 133,333 plants ha−1) and five phosphate fertilizer rates (0, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg ha−1) on seed yield, seed yield components and agronomic traits from the year 2020–2022. Correlation and structural equation model (SEM) analyses were used to determine the contribution of yield components to seed yield per plant. Year, plant density, phosphorus fertilizer rate and their interaction (P <0.05) significantly influenced the seed yield of L. potaninii Vass. The maximum average seed yield over 3 years (570 kg ha−1) occurred at the plant density of 44,444 plants ha−1 and phosphate fertilizer rate of 90 kg/ha. All the yield components, except 1000-seed weight, were significantly correlated with seed yield per plant. The racemes per stem, florets per raceme and pods per raceme had significant positive correlation, and stems per square meter and biomass had significant negative correlation with seed yield per plant. Increasing phosphorus fertilizer increased seed yield per plant. However, increasing plant density decreased seed yield per plant. Our findings enable further understanding of the mechanism of seed yield response to plant density and phosphorus fertilization in L. potaninii Vass and provide a reference for appropriate agronomic measures to improve seed yield of L. potaninii Vass and similar shrubs. • Increasing L. potaninii production promote its further utilization. • Optimum plant density and phosphate fertilizer improving L. potaninii seed yield. • Plant density and phosphate fertilization affect yield components. • Racemes and florets positively correlated with seed yield of L. potaninii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paphiopedilum armeniacum is a rare and endangered lady's slipper orchid in China. It is distributed around the mid-elevations of the Nu Mountains in southwest China. Due to over-harvest, habitat loss, and degradation, wild populations of P. armeniacum has declined drastically. A combination of approaches involving biotechnology, habitat restoration, and interspecific relationship reconstruction was used to carry out the reintroduction of the species. Integrated conservation program for this species included in-situ protection, ex-situ conservation, and reintroduction, which helped to rebuild a harmonious relationship between local farmers and P. armeniacum. The sustainable utilization of native plant resources in poor areas can promote regional sustainable development which is compatible with species protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large deformation has always been a focus and difficult issue in the construction of deep-buried tunnels in squeezing rock. Previous studies mainly focused on the large deformation of medium and small span railway/highway tunnels in soft ground. However, there are limited researches on the large deformation control methods for large-span (three-lane) highway tunnels constructed in unfavorable geological environment. Based on the Lianchengshan Tunnel of the Baoji-Hanzhong expressway in Shaanxi Province, China, this paper studied the deformation behaviors and mechanical mechanisms of a large-span tunnel excavated in chlorite schist formation with single primary lining method and double primary lining method by in-situ test and numerical simulation. The achieved results indicate that the double primary lining method is much more effective than that of the single primary lining method in restraining the deformation of surrounding rock, and the maximum vertical displacement and horizontal convergence are reduced by 67% and 66%, respectively. The support method of double HK200b-type steel sets combined with large-diameter foot reinforcement bolt (FRB) and deep invert could effectively control the large deformation of the case tunnel, which effectively avoided the supporting structure failure, repeated clearance invasion and multiple reshaping work caused by the single primary lining method and conformed to the energy-saving construction concept of "no clearance interfering, no support reshaping" of tunnels in squeezing ground. Simulation analysis of surrounding rock deformation, supporting structure stress and plastic zone distribution was performed to evaluate the support effect of the two deformation-controlled methods. Finally, the deformation and stress characteristic curves of rock-support of the two deformation-controlled methods were established, which revealed the supporting mechanism of double primary linings for large-span tunnels in chlorite schist. The research results can provide a theoretical basis and practical reference for the large-deformation control of similar large-span tunnels in squeezing rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The partial substitution of mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizer by crop straw can mitigate its consumption and losing risk to the environment. However, the changes in soil P availability, acid phosphatase (AcP) activity, and grain yield under mineral P fertilizer reduction and crop straw incorporation remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the effects of a 20% reduction in mineral P fertilizer plus maize straw addition on soil P availability, AcP activity, and maize grain yield, as well as their relationships in a 5-year continually planted maize field in northeast China. Results showed that five years of continuous 20% of mineral P fertilizer reduction and maize straw incorporation significantly increased soil NaHCO3-Po and NaOH I-Pi concentrations, and did not decrease soil labile inorganic P concentration and grain yield compared to the treatment where 100% mineral P fertilizer was applied without straw addition. Additionally, there were significant positive correlations between soil AcP activity, labile inorganic P concentration, and grain yield, indicating AcP might play an important role in maintaining soil P availability and grain yield. Overall, the addition of maize straw can effectively replace 20% of the mineral P fertilizer and could be used as an appropriate fertilization practice in northeast China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of super-large-span tunnels is increasing in both new construction and reconstruction projects in China recently. In super-large-span tunneling engineering, the deformation properties and mechanical behaviors of tunnel portal structure are more complex than those of common tunnel due to the flatter shape and larger construction span. The mechanical behaviors of rock mass change in response to different sequential excavation methods and supporting parameters. The upper bench CD method has been gradually applied in the construction of super-large-span tunnels in China. In this paper, the design parameters for the supporting structure of super-large-span tunnel were studied by the field monitoring and numerical modeling in a case study of Laohushan tunnel. It was found that the crown settlement was larger than the clearance convergence, and the stress of arch was greater than that of the side wall in tunnel portal section. The invert structure was flat with small curvature. Therefore, the shotcrete was mainly subjected to tensile stress. The use of H200 × 200 steel rib with spacing of 60 cm and C25 shotcrete with thickness of 30 cm is recommended. The results of this paper provide basis for the development of design specifications and construction standards for super-large-span tunnels and provide reference for similar projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding kind and hostile communicative intentions that are conveyed by others is essential for successful human interaction. However, it still remains unknown whether gender differences exist in understanding others' social interactive intentions, especially behind their body movements. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the gender effects in understanding kind and hostile intentions (versus neutral intention) displayed by two actors (or actresses) and their body movements. We recruited 60 participants from a university in China and recorded the accuracy and reaction times when participants performed an intention inference task. Significant main effects of the gender on accuracies were found. The results showed female observers performed better than males on accuracy of intention inference task. The outcome also indicated observers exhibited higher accuracy of understanding intentions for actors than actresses. Moreover, the results indicated higher accuracy and shorter reaction times for understanding hostile intention than those for kind intention. In addition, there was an interaction effect between the gender of actor/actress and intention conditions on reaction times. In particular, the reaction times for understanding actors' kind intentions was longer than those for actresses; whereas the reaction times for understanding hostile intentions showed a reverse pattern. In conclusion, the evidence demonstrated that behavioral processing underlying social intention understanding differs with different types of communicative intentions, which was also moderated by the gender of the actors/actresses. The findings of the study will facilitate a better understanding of gender vulnerability in neuropsychiatric impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this study, a field temperature test was performed to reveal the insulation effect of the thermal insulation layer installed at lining surface. The thermal insulation layer is made of polyphenolic, and the thickness is 7 cm. According to the test results, the temperature of the thermal insulation layer and lining continuously changes with the air temperature in the tunnel in an approximately trigonometric function. The temperature of tunnel lining without thermal insulation layer is close to the air temperature, which results in the lining frost in winter. The maximum temperature difference between the two sides of the thermal insulation layer can be 27°C. In the section whose buried depth is more than 11.4 m, the temperature of lining with thermal insulation layer in winter is mainly influenced by the cold air in the tunnel. When the monthly mean and lowest daily mean air temperature are lower than −10°C and −14.3°C in the coldest month, the temperature at the inner side of the thermal insulation layer is below 0°C. When the buried depth is less than 11.4 m, the temperature of lining is also influenced by the low temperature at ground surface. The temperature of lining is lower. The thicker thermal insulation layer and even active heat measure are needed. Therefore, the design of thermal insulation layer thickness should consider the air temperature distribution and tunnel buried depth along the tunnel length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drylands are characterized by stressful conditions with the limitation of both carbon (C) and nutrients, particularly nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Biological C, N, and P releases from soil organic matter by enzymes are essential components for biogeochemical cycles and are sensitive to the climate in drylands. However, how the ecoenzymatic C:N:P stoichiometry responds to environmental factors (i.e., climatic and edaphic factors) over broad geographical scales remains largely unclear. We examined the patterns of ecoenzymatic C:N:P ratios across a 3,700‐km aridity gradient (0.43 < aridity < 0.97) in northern China. In wetter sites (aridity < 0.70), the relative C:N:P acquisition ratios via enzymes remained relatively constant with increasing aridity. In contrast, in drier sites (aridity > 0.70), the enzymatic C:nutrient (N and P) ratios declined as the aridity increased, while the enzymatic P:N ratios were mostly lower than those in the wetter sites. In drier sites with low C availability, the increasing carbon use efficiency and the increasing proportion of C converted to biomass (than the proportion of respiration) contributed to the declines of the enzymatic C:nutrient ratios as the aridity increased. The overall lower enzymatic P:N ratios were related to the higher soil P availability compared with N availability (higher organic P and lower soil NH4+:available P ratios) in drier sites. Overall, our findings indicate that intrinsic linkages of biological C, N, and P acquisitions and cycles were broken at the aridity threshold of 0.70, with higher acquisition efforts for N and P (particularly for N) with increasing aridity in drier sites with aridity > 0.70. Key Points: Ecoenzymatic C:N:P ratios remained relatively constant in wetter sitesEcoenzymatic C:N and C:P ratios declined with increasing aridity in drier sitesEcoenzymatic P:N ratios varied and were generally lower than 1 in drier sites [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions remain regarding how best to define problematic online sexual activities (OSAs) and about paths that may lead to problematic use of OSAs and their consequences. Although frequency and duration of use and motivational drive, as expressed through craving, to view pornography have been implicated in problematic OSAs, their inter-relationships warrant direct examination. We propose and test a model by which pornography craving may promote more frequent engagement in OSAs and more time spent engaging in OSAs, and this may lead to problematic OSAs and subsequent negative consequences like negative emotions. Data from 1070 college students suggested that 20.63% of students were at risk of problematic OSAs use, and this group had greater frequency of OSAs, more usage time, higher pornography craving and more negative academic emotions. Our proposed path model was partially supported. Pornography craving was associated with problematic OSAs use more, so through frequency than quantity of OSAs, and OSAs were related to negative academic emotions. Future studies of problematic OSAs use should consider the complexity of relationships between craving, use of OSAs and negative health measures in college students and other groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freeze-thaw (FT) events can influence soil functions. However, the overall impact of FTs on soil bacterial communities, especially in temperate regions, remains unclear. In this study, soil samples were collected from a midtemperate region in the northeast of China, and three incubation tests were then designed with varied FT amplitudes (i.e., at a freezing temperature of −15, −9, and −3°C, respectively), frequencies of FT cycles (i.e., under one, six, and 15 FT cycles, respectively) and soil water content (SWC) values (i.e., at 10 and 30% SWC, respectively). High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was performed and the functional profile was further predicted based on these data, in addition to examinations of bulk microbial properties. Data analyses suggested that, first of all, the FT amplitude significantly influenced the bulk microbial properties and bacterial community (composition and function); certain taxa showed a nonlinear response to the three amplitudes. Next, compared to a single FTC, multiple FT cycles had only minor effects on the bacterial functional capabilities, although the bulk microbial properties changed significantly after multiple FT cycles. In addition, the bacterial response to FTs was influenced by the SWC, characterized by the significantly different bacterial community structures (composition and function) and the opposite trends of enzyme activities. Finally, RDA plots and a correlation network assembled data from all soil samples across the three tests and suggested that bacterial response trajectories changed because some species were influenced mainly by other species (i.e., biotic environment) during FT processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Soil organic nitrogen (N) turnover is significantly influenced by elevated N deposition, precipitation and human-caused disturbances, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Identifying the relationships among the soil organic N fractions and N-mineralizing enzymes activities may advance our knowledge of the dynamics of soil organic N. Methods: A field experiment was conducted in a semi-arid steppe and an abandoned cropland in northern China to investigate the effects of elevated N deposition and precipitation on soil organic N fractions and their relationships with N-mineralizing enzymes, i.e., protease, amidase, urease and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities. Results: The concentrations of N in various fractions were consistently lower in the abandoned cropland compared with the steppe. Nitrogen addition consistently decreased amino acid N content and activities of urease, protease and amidase in both sites but increased amino sugar N content and NAG activity in the steppe. Water addition decreased hydrolysable ammonium N content but increased amino sugar N content and activities of protease and NAG in both sites. Furthermore, urease and NAG activities were significantly positively correlated with the proportions of amino acid N and amino sugar N and, explained significant proportions of the variations in soil organic N fractions in the steppe. However, soil organic carbon (C), rather than N-mineralizing enzymes, explained greatest proportion of the variations in soil organic N fractions in the abandoned cropland. Conclusions: The concurrent increase of N deposition and precipitation could promote the recovery of soil N (and C) losses in the abandoned cropland resulting from previous agriculture. Furthermore, in the steppe where NH was available at relative high concentrations, enzymatic mineralization was the dominant route involved in potential soil organic N turnover. However, the direct route may be favored over the enzymatic mineralization route with decreasing availability of C relative to N in the abandoned cropland, which is driven by the need for C. These findings confirmed that the forms of N available, and the relative availability of C and N determine N uptake pathways both through enzymatic mineralization route and direct uptake route in the semi-arid grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As incomes have risen, quality-of-life issues have become increasingly prominent in China. How does the growing salience of quality-of-life issues affect Chinese politics and policy? Drawing on data from a Chinese national survey, the article examines the patterns of public attitudes toward food safety, a major quality-of-life concern in contemporary China. The article finds that the young, well-educated, as well as public sector employees tend to have a high level of concern for food safety risks. The article also finds that lack of confidence in food safety erodes public trust in both local and central authorities. These findings point to the importance of food safety as a public policy issue and help explain the Chinese leadership’s policy and institutional responses to food safety concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: All-oral regimens are associated with higher effectiveness and shorter treatment duration for chronic hepatitis C. Given its superior effect and enormous patients in China, clinicians or patients may be compelled to consider delaying treatment for all-oral regimen. Objective: To estimate cost-effectiveness of delaying treatment for all-oral regimen in the subsequent years under different assumptions about their price and efficacy compared with standard of care in China. Methods: A state-transition Markov model was developed to estimate lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and net monetary benefit (NB) were calculated. And sensitivity analyses were also performed to assess the impact of uncertainty. Results: For treatment naive patients with Genotype 1, immediate treatment with all-oral regimen under assumed cost and efficacy at present was cost-effective compared with peginterferon α-2a (PegIFN) regimen at present with an ICER of $12536 per QALY gained and a positive NB of $6832 at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $21209. And it was more than 95% likely to be cost-effective if weekly drug cost was less than $1000. Moreover, patients delaying treatment for all-oral regimen in the 1st year were associated with increase in QALYs of 0.62 and increase in cost of $10114 compared with initiating PegIFN regimen at present, which resulted in a positive NB of $3115. Conclusion: From a payer perspective, all-oral regimen is associated with good long-term health and economic benefit for treatment-naive patients infected with HCV genotype 1. Particularly, if all-oral regimen would become available at lower price in the future, delaying treatment for all-oral regimen may be a good choice for patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Residues lost potassium rapidly but carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus slowly. • Residue decomposition was affected by residue type and treatment. • Soil nutrient concentrations were the lowest with residue removal. • Residue decomposition and nutrient outflow affected soil nutrients. Retained residues can return large amounts of nutrients to soil in high-intensity management eucalypt plantations, in which recycling of nutrients is critical for soil quality and forest sustainability. However, the effects of different residue treatments on eucalypt residue decomposition remain unclear. The aim in this study was to determine residue decomposition and nutrient release and soil chemical properties under different treatments of residues in a Eucalyptus urophylla × grandis plantation in southern China. Harvest residues were removed (RR), retained and spread evenly on the soil surface (ER), or retained but stacked into strips on the soil surface (SR). Decomposition of leaves was significantly faster than that of twigs and thick branches and was negatively correlated with initial carbon:nitrogen ratio. The loss of potassium was rapid, whereas losses of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were generally slow. Compared with SR, mass loss and nutrient release accelerated significantly in ER, with shorter half-lives of leaves, twigs, and thick branches. The lowest levels of soil nutrients were in RR, but there were no significant differences between ER and SR. Thus, in this study, residue decomposition was affected by residue type and residue treatment. Decomposition of residues affected soil nutrients by affecting nutrient outflow. In the ER treatment, residues accelerated nutrient cycling and facilitated the accumulation of soil organic carbon, but appropriate fertilization is still needed in E. urophylla × grandis plantations. However, future studies are required to determine whether changes in decomposition rate under different residue management practices lead to long-term changes in soil organic carbon content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from a multiyear national survey, this study examines people's level of concern about care in old age and its temporal change. Our results indicate a rapidly increasing level of anxiety about old age care for people of various age groups, socio-economic status and regions. Our analysis also reveals that a higher proportion of urban residents are concerned about old age care than rural residents in recent years. The concerns have grown amid rapid economic growth and serious government efforts to broaden social insurance coverage. Our data suggest a growing demand for more government involvement in providing for retirement and old age care and such a demand for state paternalism will likely help reshape state–society relations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive exotic species pose a growing threat to the economy, public health, and ecological integrity of nations worldwide. Explaining and predicting the spatial distribution of invasive exotic species is of great importance to prevention and early warning efforts. We are investigating the potential distribution of invasive exotic species, the environmental factors that influence these distributions, and the ability to predict them using statistical and information-theoretic approaches. For some species, detailed presence/absence occurrence data are available, allowing the use of a variety of standard statistical techniques. However, for most species, absence data are not available. Presented with the challenge of developing a model based on presence-only information, we developed an improved logistic regression approach using Information Theory and Frequency Statistics to produce a relative suitability map. This paper generated a variety of distributions of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisilfolia L.) from logistic regression models applied to herbarium specimen location data and a suite of GIS layers including climatic, topographic, and land cover information. Our logistic regression model was based on Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) from a suite of ecologically reasonable predictor variables. Based on the results we provided a new Frequency Statistical method to compartmentalize habitat-suitability in the native range. Finally, we used the model and the compartmentalized criterion developed in native ranges to "project" a potential distribution onto the exotic ranges to build habitat-suitability maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates consumers' preferences for mandatory labelling conveying the health and safety attributes of genetically modified soybean oil. The enhanced mandatory labelling includes allergen presence labelling, nutrient and compositional change labelling and traceability codes. The data were collected from a consumer survey in the eastern, central and western regions of China, with a total sample size of 804 respondents. We evaluated consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for enhanced mandatory labelling using a choice experiment approach. The results show that Chinese consumers are most favorable to traceability codes with a WTP of RMB 8.92, followed by allergen presences labelling, with RMB 6.57. Eastern consumers would like to pay a higher premium for the three types of enhanced mandatory labelling information, while central consumers only show a positive preference for traceability codes. The results imply that the efforts and policy strategies for enhanced mandatory labelling will benefit residents. Further studies can be expended to other genetically modified (GM) foods. This study provides information for the agency to improve mandatory GM food labelling management. This paper contributes to the growing body of the GM food literature by explicitly investigating consumer preference and WTP for mandatory labelling conveying the health and safety attributes of the GM foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several scales assessing problematic pornography use (PPU) are available. However, in most previous studies, primarily nonclinical and Western samples were used to validate these scales. Thus, further research is needed to validate scales to assess problematic pornography use across diverse samples, including subclinical populations. The aim of the present study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties of the PPCS-18 in Hungarian and Chinese community samples and in subclinical men. A sample of Chinese community men (N1 = 695), a sample of subclinical men who were screened for PPU using the Brief Pornography Screen (N2 = 4651), and a sample of Hungarian community men (N3 = 9395) were recruited to investigate the reliability and validity of the PPCS-18. Item-total score correlation, confirmatory factor analyses, reliability, and measurement invariance tests showed that the PPCS-18 yielded strong psychometric properties among Hungarian and Chinese community men and indicated potential utility in the subclinical men. The network analytic approach also corroborates that the six factors of the PPCS-18 can reflect the characteristic of the participants from different cultural contexts, and participants from community and subclinical populations. In sum, the PPCS-18 demonstrated high generalizability across cultures and community and subclinical men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chen, L. and Wang, Y., 2020. Study on plant configuration and planning of landscape architecture in coastal cities. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 17-20. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The development and progress of society put forward higher requirements for the development of coastal cities. Strengthening the planning and construction of coastal cities has become an important task and work at present. Plant landscape is the most direct and only landscape that can make people feel the changes of life. Its richness and diversity will have a profound impact on people's life and spirit. It can directly show the beauty of plants, give people a feeling of being close to nature, and can coordinate with the surrounding coastal city environment to change the ecological environment. In this paper, the classification and characteristics of seasonal plants are summarized, and the design principles, common plant configuration forms and plant selection of coastal city landscape gardens are systematically discussed. On this basis, the design points of coastal city planning are put forward in order to promote the continuous improvement of ecological planning and design level of coastal cities in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the association between short-term exposures to PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤1 μm, ≤2.5 μm and ≤10 μm, respectively) and hospital admission for ischemic stroke in China. Daily counts of hospital admission for ischemic stroke were collected in 5 hospitals in China during November 2013 to October 2015. Daily concentrations of PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 were collected in 5 cities where the hospitals were located. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used to examine the hospital-specific PM-ischemic stroke association after controlling for potential confounders. Then the effect estimates were pooled using a random-effect meta-analysis. A total of 68,122 hospital admissions for ischemic stroke were identified from 5 hospitals during the study period. The pooled results showed that exposures to PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 were significantly associated with increased hospital admission for ischemic stroke on the current day and previous 1 day. The RRs (relative risk associated with per 10 μg/m3 increase in each pollutant) and 95%CIs (confidence intervals) for the cumulative effects of PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 on ischemic stroke during lag 0–1 days were 1.014 (1.005, 1.0023), 1.007 (1.000, 1.014) and 1.005 (1.001, 1.009), respectively. In total, 3.5%, 3.6% and 4.1% of hospital admissions for ischemic stroke could be attributable to PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 , respectively. Exposures to ambient PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollution showed acute adverse effects on hospital admission for ischemic stroke. The health effects of PM 1 should be considered by policy-makers. Image 1 • Hospital admission for stroke was significantly associated with PM 1 (RR = 1.010). • Hospital admission for stroke was significantly associated with PM 2.5 (RR = 1.006). • Overall, 3.9% of hospital admissions for ischemic stroke were attributable to PM 1. • Totally 4.0% of hospital admissions for ischemic stroke were attributable to PM 2.5 PM 1 pollution showed acute adverse effects on hospital admission for ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice storms greatly affect the structure, dynamics, and functioning of forest ecosystems. Studies on the impact of such disasters, as well as the post-disaster recovery of forests, are important contents in forest biology, ecology, and geography. Remote-sensing technology provides data and methods that can support the study of disasters at the large-to-medium scale and over long time periods. This study took Chebaling National Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province, China, as the study area. First, field-survey data and remote-sensing data were comprehensively analyzed to demonstrate the feasibility of replacing the forest stock volume with the mean annual value of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), to study forest growth and change. We then used the EVI from 2007 to 2017, together with a variety of other remote-sensing and forest sub-compartment data, to analyze the impact of the 2008 ice storm and the subsequent post-disaster recovery of the forest. Finally, we drew the following conclusions: (1) Topography had a considerable effect on disaster impact and forest recovery in Chebaling. The forest at high altitudes (700–1000 m) and on steep slopes (25–40°) was seriously affected by this disaster but had a stronger post-disaster recovery ability. Meanwhile, the hardest-hit area for coniferous forest was higher and steeper than that for broad-leaved forest. (2) In the same terrain conditions, coniferous forests were less affected by the disaster than broad-leaved forests and showed less variation during the post-disaster recovery process. Nevertheless, broad-leaved forests had faster recovery rates and higher recovery degrees; (3) Under the influence of human activities, the recovery and fluctuation degree for planted forest in the post-disaster recovery process was significantly higher than that for natural forest. The study suggests that forest has high disaster resistance and self-recovery ability after the ice storm, and this ability has a strong correlation with the type of forest and the topographic factors such as elevation and slope. At the same time, human intervention can speed up the recovery of forests after disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) is an infectious disease that emerged in China in 2010. It has caused serious economic losses to the poultry industry and may pose a threat to public health. We aimed to develop a new Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis)-based oral vaccine to control DTMUV transmission among poultry; to this end, we constructed a B. subtilis strain that can secrete DTMUV E protein. Ducklings were orally immunized, and serum antibodies, mucosal antibodies, and splenic cytokines were detected. The results showed that, in addition to high levels of specific IgG, there were also high levels of specific secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in ducklings orally treated with recombinant B. subtilis. In addition, the levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 in spleens were significantly boosted by recombinant B. subtilis. Recombinant B. subtilis could effectively enhance ducklings resistance to DTMUV and significantly reduce viral load (p <0.01), along with pathological damage in the brain, heart, and spleen. This is the first study to apply a B. subtilis live-vector vaccine platform for DTMUV disease prevention and control, and our results suggest that B. subtilis expressing DTMUV E protein may be a candidate vaccine against DTMUV. • A recombinant Bacillus subtilis expressing Duck Tembusu virus E protein was constructed. • Recombinant Bacillus subtilis induces high levels of intestinal specific sIgA. • Recombinant Bacillus subtilis can activate humoral and cellular immunity. • Recombinant Bacillus subtilis can reduce brain, heart, and spleen damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining organic materials with chemical fertilizers is gradually becoming the primary fertilization strategy in China for increasing soil phosphorus (P) concentration; however, the relationships between soil available P, P composition and phosphatase activities in treatments with long-term crop straw or animal manure combined with chemical NPK fertilizers are not fully understood. In this study, a field fertilization experiment was conducted in a light sandy loam soil from the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China to determine the variation in soil available P, P composition and phosphatase activities with 23 years of continuous application of maize straw or cattle manure in combination with chemical fertilizers at the depth of 0–20 cm, with special attention paid to their relationships. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with three replications for each treatment, including the unfertilized control (CK), chemical nitrogen (N) with phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) (NPK), NPK plus maize straw (NPKS), and NPK plus cattle manure (NPKM). Results indicated that all fertilization treatments significantly increased soil P concentration and crop yields. Among the fertilization treatments, NPKM treatment showed the significantly highest total P and available P concentrations, while no significant difference in either wheat or maize yield between NPK, NPKS and NPKM treatments was found. Compared to the application of chemical NPK fertilizers alone, the NPKS treatment significantly increased soil organic P, pyrophosphate and orthophosphate concentrations, as well as soil phosphatase activities. The increase in orthophosphate concentration under the NPKS treatment may be associated with the hydrolysis of organic P and pyrophosphate catalyzed by acid phosphomonoesterase (AcP), phosphodiesterase (PD) and inorganic pyrophosphatase (IPP), which was conducive to keeping soil available P concentration under NPKS treatment at an appropriate level that could not only satisfy crop P demand but also have no negative impacts on the environment. However, the increase of orthophosphate and available P concentrations under NPKM treatment may be primarily related to the manure P inputs, and although NPKM treatment significantly increased soil inorganic P concentration in comparison to other fertilization treatments, it also increased the risk of P leaching. Overall, from the perspective of P nutrient management, our results suggest that NPKS treatment might be an effective long-term fertilization practice in the light sandy loam soil of Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excavation damage zone in rock slopes after drill-and-blast operations is of great significance for assessing the slope stability and design of open pit mines. The traditional method simplifies, the spatial distribution of the damage zone in a slope following blasting is as a single radius distributed, which leads to an inaccurate evaluation of slope stability. Herein, a model coupling the tensile damage and the Drucker-Prager yield criteria is established to investigate the spatial distribution characteristics of blast-induced damage zone in the final wall of an open-pit. Explosive explosion is converted to an equivalent pressure time history acting on the blasthole wall and the extension of the damage observed in the field test is reproduced successfully by numerical simulation. The proposed model is verified on the basis of the site-monitored data from the Wushan Copper mine, a large-scale open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia, China. The results show that the damage decreases with increasing depth, exhibiting a nonlinear distribution behind the slope face. The maximum depth and scopes of horizontal and vertical damage occur at the slope crest. The proposed model is compared with five widely used damage models and proves to be more capable of representing the spatial distribution of the damage zone observed in the site test. Finally, the formation mechanism of the maximum damage depth along the crest is also revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • TAG, PE and SM accounted for 79.78% of the total molecular species number (132 ± 30). • The energy supply, PUFA-containing PLs and choline were low from the lipids of Tibetan human milk. • The comparison of lipid contents was OPO > OPL, PC34:2 > PC36:2 and SM34:1:2 > SM42:2:2. • Tibetan human milk possessed high contents of OCFAs-containing TAGs. • The contents of TAGs and DAGs with PUFAs were low in Tibetan human milk. The unique geographical characteristics and food culture of Tibet can affect the nutrition of human milk lipids. But little has been done in the comparison of the lipids between Tibet and other areas. This study gives in-depth analysis of the species, concentration and composition of lipid subclasses at the molecular level of the Tibetan human milk. There were averagely 132 ± 30 species of lipids, among which triglycerides (TAGs), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and sphingomyelin (SM) accounted for 79.78% of the total species number in the Tibetan human milk samples. The contents of TAG, SM, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and PE in the Tibetan human milk were 85.84%, 17.79%, 25.94% and 55.81% of those in the comparative human milk of China, respectively. The contents of TAGs and diglycerides (DAGs) with PUFAs in Tibetan human milk were significantly lower than those in the comparative group. However, the content and percentage of TAGs and DAGs with odd-chain saturated fatty acids were both higher in the Tibetan human milk than those in the comparative human milk. In total, 18 molecular species of lipids were downregulated and 5 ones were upregulated in the Tibetan human milk compared with those in the comparative human milk of China. The profile of lipids in the Tibetan human milk at the molecular level provided the scientific basis for maternal diet and supplemented the Chinese human milk lipids database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term cultivation of woody species would change soil microbial community and metabolites composition, and then affect soil ecological function. Camellia oleifera is an important economically cultivar grown in subtropical regions of China but its effect on soil quality and health remains unclear. Soil bacterial communities and metabolome composition are investigated in this study via high-throughput sequencing and soil metabolomics to determine soil quality under different growth stages (sapling, maturity, and degeneration periods) of C. oleifera. Main results revealed that soil metabolite composition reaches equilibrium faster than microorganisms. Higher carbohydrate content (such as trehalose, mannopyranose, and sucrose) during degeneration stages of C. oleifera induces the decrease of Chloroflexi and Actinobacteria abundances and results in lower disease resistance potential than that of sapling and mature stages. Long-term cultivation of C. oleifera soil showed significantly higher abundance of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus metabolism, and presented significantly higher soil organic matter, available nitrogen, and available phosphorus contents. Results demonstrated that long-term C. oleifera cultivation can significantly improve soil fertility but potentially cause the decline of soil ecological health. • Soil metabolite composition reached equilibrium more quickly than microorganisms did • Soil carbohydrate content may play an important role in regulating soil ecological function • Long-term C. oleifera cultivation could significantly improve soil fertility but suppress soil ecological health [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tillage strongly affects the process of soil aggregate stabilization, which involves a variety of binding mechanisms interacting at a range of spatial scales. To understand how binding mechanisms interact to promote soil aggregation, the impacts of three tillage systems (no tillage (NT), ridge tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT)) on soil aggregate binding agents (i.e., organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass and glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSPs)) and aggregation were studied in the black soil of Northeast China. Compared with CT, RT increased all the aggregate-associated SOC, and NT only increased the SOC in the microaggregates. However, the contents of microbial biomass and GRSPs within bulk soil and different aggregate fractions were higher in NT and RT than in CT. Among the four aggregate fractions, greater values of SOC, microbial biomass and easily extractable GRSP (EEGRSP) were found in microaggregates and macroaggregates, respectively; while the total GRSP (TGRSP) was distributed equally among aggregate fractions. Structural equation modelling revealed that SOC, microbial biomass, and GRSPs accounted for 79% of the variation in soil aggregation. Soil organic carbon influenced aggregate stability indirectly through the effects on MBC and MBN. Microbial biomass and glomalin were more important driving factors for aggregate stability in the RT and NT systems. Our results suggest that conservation tillage (RT and NT) is beneficial for soil structure due to its positive effects on aggregation processes in black soil region of Northeast China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: China''s “super” hybrid rice breeding project has developed many new varieties using a combination of the ideotype approach and intersubspecific heterosis. It is controversial whether these “super” hybrid varieties have increased the yield potential of irrigated rice. This study was conducted to compare grain yield and yield attributes among “super” hybrid, ordinary hybrid, and inbred varieties. Field experiments were done in Liuyang (moderate-yielding site) and Guidong (high-yielding site) counties, Hunan Province, China, in 2007 and 2008. Two varieties from each varietal group were grown in each field experiment under moderate and high N rates. Grain yield, yield components, aboveground total dry weight, harvest index, total N uptake, and crop radiation use efficiency (RUE) were measured for each variety. A significant difference in grain yield was observed among the varieties and varietal groups but not between the two N rates. “Super” hybrid varieties have increased rice yield potential by 12% compared with ordinary hybrid and inbred varieties. The higher grain yield of “super” hybrid varieties was attributed to improvement in both source and sink. “Super” hybrid varieties produced more biomass than ordinary hybrid and inbred varieties. Long growth duration and high accumulated incident radiation were partially responsible for high biomass production for the “super” hybrid varieties. “Super” hybrid varieties had significantly larger panicle size (spikelets per panicle) than ordinary hybrid and inbred varieties, which resulted in larger sink size (spikelets per m2). Crop RUE did not explain the yield superiority of “super” hybrid rice. Our study suggests that “super” hybrid rice varieties do not necessarily require more N fertilizer to produce high grain yield. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Site selection is an important and necessary issue for waste management in fast-growing regions. Because of the complexity of waste management systems, the selection of the appropriate solid waste landfill site requires consideration of multiple alternative solutions and evaluation criteria. Based on actual conditions of the study area, we considered economic factors, calculated criteria weights using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and built a hierarchy model for solving the solid waste landfill site-selection problem in Beijing, China. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to manipulate and present spatial data. All maps are graded from 1 (lowest suitability) to 5 (highest suitability) using spatial information technologies. The candidate sites were determined by aggregation based on the criteria weights. The candidate sites are divided by "best," "good," and "unsuitable" landfill areas. Best landfill areas represent optimal sites; good landfill areas can be used as back-up candidate sites. Our work offers a siting methodology and provides essential support for decision-makers in the assessment of waste management problems in Beijing and other rapidly developing cities in developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Oxidases and hydrolases were negatively correlated with soil organic matter (SOM). • Soil oxidases showed significant and positive correlations with hydrolases. • SOM increased under pH 5.0–7.0 and decreased under pH 7.0–8.0. • Soil oxidases and hydrolases mediated SOM accumulation in chernozem. An enzymatic latch on carbon store in peatlands or desert soils has been verified but has rarely been examined in a cultivated field with a high pH and a high calcium carbonate content. Soil organic matter (SOM) contents of chernozem have decreased over the last few decades in northeast China. However, the enzymatic mechanism of SOM loss in this region remains unclear. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of soil oxidases and hydrolases on SOM, the correlations between soil oxidases and hydrolases, and the relationships between soil microbial community and related soil enzymes with 40 soil samples from different cultivated fields in Lishu County, northeastern China. The results showed that SOM increased significantly over the pH range of 5.0–7.0, and decreased sharply in the range of 7.0–8.0. Soil oxidases (peroxidase and total oxidases) activities showed significant and negative correlations with SOM content but positive correlations with hydrolases (β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase and total hydrolases) activities. The SOM content was significantly and negatively correlated with α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, β-xylosidase, and total hydrolases activities. Results of redundancy analysis indicated that all soil hydrolases activities had positive relationships with bacteria i15:0, 16:3 ω6c and 16:0. Peroxidase and total oxidases activities were positively associated with bacteria cy17:0 ω7c, 15:0 DMA, i16:0, 18:0, i17:0, 14:0, 15:0 and actinomycetes 17:0 10-methyl, 18:0 10-methyl, while phenol oxidase activity was positively associated with bacteria i17:1 ω9c, 17:1 ω8c, i14:0 and fungi 18:1 ω9c. These findings confirmed the enzymatic latch mechanism of SOM accumulation in this test chernozem, which means that oxidases relieve the inhibition of hydrolases, resulting in SOM hydrolysis by higher hydrolases activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Low rate of residue application enhanced active-soil organic N (SON) supply. • Moderate and high rates of residue application improved stable-SON pool. • Residue application increased N-hydrolyzing enzymes activities. • Microbial biomass C and pH explained the variations of SON fractions in topsoil. • Protease and N -acetyl-β- d -glucosaminidase controlled SON hydrolyzing in subsoil. Soil nitrogen (N) cycling can be affected by no-tillage and crop residue application. However, it remains unclear how crop residue application rates affect soil organic N (SON) fractions, N-hydrolyzing enzymes and their relationships. A field experiment was conducted in northeastern China to investigate the effects of no-tillage (NT) and residue application at either 0 (NTR0%), 33 (NTR33%), 67 (NTR67%) or 100% (NTR100%) on SON fractions, soil N-hydrolyzing enzyme activities, and their relationships at depths of 0−10 and 10−20 cm. The results showed that in the 0−10 cm soil layer, compared with the NTR0% treatment, concentrations of hydrolysable NH 4 +-N, amino sugar-N and active-SON and N -acetyl-β- d -glucosaminidase (NAG) activity were significantly increased in the NTR33% treatment. Amidase showed a significantly higher activity under the NTR100% treatment. Urease activity was significantly increased in residue application treatments. In the 10−20 cm soil layer, compared to the NTR0% treatment, the NTR33% treatment showed a significantly higher concentration of active-SON. Concentrations of hydrolysable unknown-N and stable-SON were significantly increased in both NTR67% and NTR100% treatments. NTR33% and NTR67% treatments significantly increased protease and amidase activities, respectively, and urease showed a significantly higher activity under the two treatments. The results of redundancy analysis indicated a relationship of SON fractions with soil microbial biomass carbon and pH in the 0−10 cm soil layer, and with protease and NAG activities in the 10−20 cm soil layer. These results suggested that crop residue application at a low rate (33 %) had a greater potential for enhancing active SON supplies, whereas moderate and high rates (67 % and 100 %) of crop residue application were more effective in maintaining a stable SON pool in the Phaeozem area of northeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a comprehensive measurement of air temperature in Zuomutai tunnel in China was conducted. Meteorological monitoring was performed at both outsides of the tunnel. The results show that the air temperature in the whole tunnel changes periodically with the ambient air temperature out of the tunnel in an approximately trigonometric function, even if the tunnel length is approximately 3000 m and the height is 7.1 m. The lowest temperature is lower than −8 °C. In winter, the air temperature outside the tunnel is lower than that inside the tunnel, which causes the dominant airflows from the low elevation portal to high elevation portal. It is contrary in summer. Therefore, the temperature changes in the sections at the two sides of the tunnel are different, and the temperature distributions are asymmetrical along the tunnel length. The air temperature at the tunnel vault is generally higher than that at the waist and side wall in winter, especially nearby the dominant airflow outlet. With the temperature rising, the temperature difference decreases. The sharp rises or drops of air temperature in the tunnel caused by the intermittent traffic winds or natural winds blowing to the tunnel are transient. The air temperature will soon return to the overall change trend. The results can provide references for frost-proof design in cold region tunnels. • A field air temperature measurement was conducted in a long cold region tunnel. • The temperature distribution characteristics and changing rules in the whole tunnel were revealed. • The influence factors of the air temperature in the tunnel were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An in situ structural health monitoring approach based on diffuse ultrasonic waves. • A benchmark-less method, beneficial real-world engineering applications. • A capacity of assessing the holistic health status of railway turnouts with a sparse sensor network. • A capacity of monitoring the turnouts in a robust manner. • Conformance tests showing the effectiveness and feasibility. Real-time damage evaluation is a critical step to warrant the integrity of turnout systems in railway industry. Nevertheless, existing structural health monitoring (SHM) approaches, despite their proven effectiveness in laboratory demonstration, are restricted from in-situ implementation in engineering practice. Based upon the continued endeavors of the authors in developing SHM approaches and exploring real world applications, an in-situ SHM approach, exploiting active diffuse ultrasonic waves (DUW) and a benchmark-less method, has been developed and implemented in a marshalling station in China. When trains passing a railway turnout, the train-induced loads on the rail track can lead to the growth of defects in the rail, and such growth disturbs the ultrasound traversing at the defect and gives rise to discrepancies between the DUW signals acquired before and after the train's passage. On this basis, a damage index, making use of the defect growth-induced changes in DUW signals, is proposed to identify the presence of defect. The probability of defect growth induced by the train-related load can be used to assess the severity of the defect. Via an online diagnosis system, conformance tests are implemented in Chengdu North Marshalling Station, in which defects in switch rails are identified and the health status of in-service rail tracks are continuously monitored. The results have demonstrated the effectiveness and reliability of DUW-driven SHM towards real world railway turnout applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phloretin is a natural dihydrochalcone (DHC) that exhibits various pharmacological and therapeutic activities. Malus hupehensis Rehd. ( M. hupehensis ) is widely planted in the middle of China and its leaves contain an extremely high content of phloridzin, a glycosylated derivative of phloretin. In the present study, we observed a significant increase in phloretin content in the leaves of M. hupehensis planted at high altitudes. To investigate the mechanisms of phloretin accumulation, we explored changes in the proteome profiles of M. hupehensis plants grown at various altitudes. The results showed that at high altitudes, photosynthesis- and DHC biosynthesis-related proteins were downregulated and upregulated, respectively, leading to reduced chlorophyll content and DHC accumulation in the leaves. Moreover, we identified a novel phloridzin-catalyzing glucosidase whose expression level was significantly increased in high-altitude-cultivated plants. This work provided a better understanding of the mechanism of phloretin accumulation and effective and economic strategies for phloretin production.

This study examined the associations of long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) compositions/ozone with methylation of peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promoters. A total of 101 participants were recruited from a cohort in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China. They underwent baseline and follow-up surveys in 2011 and 2015. DNA methylation levels were detected by bisulfite-PCR amplification and pyrosequencing. Participants' three-year average levels of PM 2.5 compositions and ozone were estimated. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to examine the joint effects of pollutants on methylation levels. Exposure to PM 2.5 compositions and ozone mixtures at the 75th percentile was associated with increased methylation levels at CpG2 of BDNF promoter (203%, 95% CI: 89, 316) than the lowest level of exposure, and sulfate dominated the effect in the BKMR models.Our findings provide clues to the epigenetic mechanisms for the associations of PM 2.5 compositions and ozone with BDNF.