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Global climate change has led to shifts in the distribution ranges of many terrestrial species, promoting their migration from lower altitudes or latitudes to higher ones. Meanwhile, successful invaders have developed genetic adaptations enabling the colonization of new environments. Over the past 40 years, Rattus tanezumi (RT) has expanded into northern China (Northwest and North China) from its southern origins. We studied the cold adaptation of RT and its potential for northward expansion by comparing it with sympatric Rattus norvegicus (RN), which is well adapted to cold regions. Through population genomic analysis, we revealed that the invading RT rats have split into three distinct populations: the North, Northwest, and Tibetan populations. The first two populations exhibited high genetic diversity, while the latter population showed remarkably low genetic diversity. These rats have developed various genetic adaptations to cold, arid, hypoxic, and high-UV conditions. Cold acclimation tests revealed divergent thermoregulation between RT and RN. Specifically, RT exhibited higher brown adipose tissue activity and metabolic rates than did RN. Transcriptome analysis highlighted changes in genes regulating triglyceride catabolic processes in RT, including Apoa1 and Apoa4 , which were upregulated, under selection and associated with local adaptation. In contrast, RN showed changes in carbohydrate metabolism genes. Despite the cold adaptation of RT, we observed genotypic and phenotypic constraints that may limit its ability to cope with severe low temperatures farther north. Consequently, it is less likely that RT rats will invade and overlap with RN rats in farther northern regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to global public health, and excessive antimicrobial use (AMU) in animals is a major contributing factor. We used national AMU data for food animals to examine the current status and trends for AMU in food animals in China from 2018–2020. In 2020, China used 32,776.30 tons of antimicrobials in food animals, amounting to 165 g of antimicrobials per ton of animal products. AMU in China increased throughout the 2018–2020 study period; however, the data still showed a consistent and notable reduction from those of 2017, coinciding with the implementation of the China National Action Plan for Combating Animal Antimicrobial Resistance. Among the antimicrobials used, tetracyclines, macrolides and β-lactams (including β-lactam inhibitors) were the most commonly used in food animals. Analysis by antimicrobial class revealed shifts in usage patterns, such as decreased tetracycline use and increased macrolide and β-lactam use. Furthermore, the use of antimicrobial growth promoters decreased sharply, from 51.78% in 2018 to 28.7% in 2020. Compared with AMU data from other countries, China used more antimicrobials, but the values were relatively lower when adjusted for population correction units. These findings highlight China's remarkable efforts in combating antimicrobial resistance and promoting antimicrobial stewardship, thus contributing significantly to global initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Weak theory of mind (ToM) ability is a core deficit in children with autism. A growing body of work has found that there is a close relation between complement syntax and ToM in autistic children. However, researchers have not yet investigated whether other linguistic components may explain the difficulties in ToM reasoning in autistic children. Aims: To determine whether verb factuality (i.e., mental and action verbs) is related to ToM ability, as measured by a false belief understanding (FBU) task after controlling the effect of complement syntax for Mandarin‐speaking autistic children. Methods & Procedures: Participants were verbal autistic children, aged 4–7 years. Their IQ performance (verbal, performance and total IQ) and the comprehension of complement syntax were evaluated. A total of 38 children scoring over 9 points in complement syntax test and 90 points in the verbal IQ test were selected to complete verb factuality and FBU task. The χ2 tests and correlation analyses were carried out on two relations: (1) ToM ability and understanding of verb factuality; and (2) ToM ability and comprehension of complement syntax. Outcomes & Results: A total of 11 autistic children completed the action verb factuality task, while 14 completed the mental verb factuality task and 13 completed both tasks. Participants performed well on the verb factuality task, and their ToM performance appeared to be related to their linguistic ability, regardless of the type of verb (i.e., action or mental verb). However, complement syntax scores did not significantly predict the success of the FBU task for the autistic children. Conclusions & Implications: The results of this study link weaker ToM ability with the understanding of verb factuality among autistic children aged 4–7 and provide new evidence for the view that the development of language facilitates improvement of ToM skills. The findings shed new light on how language affects or determines social interactions. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: ToM ability is crucial for social interaction. It has been claimed that mental verb factuality (e.g., think, had thought) may play a role in the development of ToM reasoning in typically developing children, but whether there is a link between the mastery of verb factuality and ToM skills in autistic children is still unclear. What this study adds to existing knowledge: Correlational analysis revealed links between verbal ToM measured by unexpected location task and factuality test of mental verbs as well as action verbs. More importantly, this study confirmed the extra role of verb factuality in explaining ToM ability after excluding the influence of the complement syntax. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This study suggests that the factuality of verbs could serve as a tool for autistic children to infer the mental states of others. Thus, training on this linguistic structure could be taken into consideration when improving the social skills of autistic children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter begins with a discussion of the unique experience of adolescents and emerging adults who grew up with globalization in China and how it has affected their sense of self. We then discuss the effects of globalization on identity development in general, with a special focus on the sociohistorical context of China. We also review and critique the psychological literature that has been conducted on identity within Chinese and Chinese American populations. Finally, we discuss the applicability of Western concepts of identity on a culture that does not necessarily share the same value structure.

Accompanied by China's rapid economic growth, significant urban greening has occurred in Chinese cities, in particular in the urban core areas. In contrast, rapid urbanization and economic growth also led to a high probability of vegetation degradation in urban fringe regions. However, these significant spatial differences in urban greenness associated with economic growth in Chinese cities are not well understood. This study explored the spatiotemporal characteristics of the nighttime light (NTL) and annual maximum enhanced vegetation index (EVImax) in urban areas from 2001 to 2020. A strong decoupling status between economic growth and urban greenness on the national scale was found. Overall, 49.15% of urban areas showed a decoupling status. Spatially, this percentage of urban areas with a decoupling status would significantly decrease when the long-term average NTL surpasses 51. Moreover, this significant threshold of decoupling status was found in 189 cities out of 344 (54.65%) in China. This threshold in each city showed significant spatial heterogeneity but can mostly be attributed to the gradient in the long-term average precipitation (Pmean) of each city during the period of 2001–2020. Specifically, a spatial increase in Pmean of 100 mm responded to a decrease in the threshold of 0.4 DN (p < 0.01). In contrast, there was no significant correlation between the threshold and the economic growth status of each city. Our results provide valuable insights for coordinating the development of urban greening and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the project-based construction industry, organizations build collaborative relationships through specific projects. The owners and contractors who are the key project stakeholders have gradually formed a complex project-based industry-level collaborative network in many different projects, closely related to knowledge exchange and industry development. Based on the data set of the National Quality Engineering Award (NQEA) projects in China from 2013 to 2021, we empirically analyze the characteristics and evolution of project-based collaborative networks between owners and contractors in the construction industry by using social network analysis (SNA) and network motif analysis (NMA) method. The results show that (1) the owner–contractor collaborative network exhibits small-world network characteristics. The island effect caused by small groups in the network makes the overall connectivity of the network low. During the study period, the collaborative network became more compact. (2) State-owned construction companies, such as China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Corporation Limited, China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau Corporation Limited, and China Construction Second Engineering Bureau Corporation Limited, with high degree centrality and betweenness centrality, are the core companies in the collaborative network. In China, state-owned construction enterprises are favored by owners and have established collaborative relationships with many owners and contractors. (3) There are two local collaborative patterns in the collaborative network: motif and anti-motif. Motifs include some triangle-based tight collaborative patterns, while anti-motifs involve some loose binary collaborative patterns. The results help understand the structure and evolution of the industry-level collaborative relationship network between owners and contractors and can provide references for owners and contractors to develop relationship cultivation strategies more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little attention has been paid to the impact of future urban expansion patterns on carbon emissions based on the existing urban pattern of a region. This study used the Central Guizhou Urban Agglomeration as the study area, and the relationships between regional urbanization and CO2 emissions in the study area were analyzed based on historical data. Urban growth patterns were then simulated in four scenarios that focused on the next 15 years, and they were based on the cellular automaton model. In each different scenario, the CO2 emissions were predicted, and some implications regarding the impact of those emissions were provided. The results showed that as urban land-use intensity increases, CO2 emissions first increase then decrease; however, the rate of decline for CO2 emissions is much slower than the rate at which it rises. Moreover, in the next 15 years, urban expansion will lead to a significant increase in CO2 emissions. The CO2 emissions were found to be lowest in the spatial agglomeration scenario and highest in the spatial dispersion scenario. The spatial agglomeration scenario was conducive to understanding how CO2 emissions eventually peak; however, different cities in the study area should adopt different urban expansion patterns. These research results can provide a reference guide for the government with regard to urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dissociative (conversion) disorder in children is a complex biopsychosocial disorder with high rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidities. We sought to identify the characteristics and outcomes of children with dissociative (conversion) disorders in western China. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 66 children admitted with dissociative (conversion) disorders from January 2017 to July 2019, and analyzed their clinical characteristics, socio-cultural environmental variables, and personality and psychiatric/psychological characteristics. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the variables associated with clinical efficacy. Results: Of these 66 patients, 38 (57.6%) were male and 28 (42.4%) were female, 46 (69.7%) had an antecedent stressor, 30 (45.5%) were left-behind adolescents, and 16 (24.2%) were from single-parent families. In addition, 30 patients (45.5%) were not close to their parents, 38 patients (59.4%) had an introverted personality, and 34 (53.1%) had unstable emotions. Thirteen families (19.7%) were uncooperative with the treatment. Patients who had cormorbid anxiety or depression exhibited significantly lower cognitive ability (P < 0.01). Logistic regression found that better treatment outcomes were positively associated with having a close relationship with parents, parental cooperation with treatment, and having a father with a lower level of education (i.e., less than junior college or higher). Conclusions: The characteristics and outcomes of children with dissociative (conversion) disorders are related to socio-cultural environmental variables and psychiatric/psychological factors. Timely recognition and effective treatment of dissociative (conversion) disorders are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that alcoholic liver disease (ALD), induced by long-term heavy alcohol consumption, encompasses a progressive clinical-histological spectrum of liver injuries from simple fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis, hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. It notes that hepatitis virus infection exerts a synergistic effect on alcohol-induced liver injury. It adds that ALD could both accelerate the development and progression of liver diseases.

Infrastructure investment is vital to a nation's long-term development and its performance needs to be carefully evaluated to ensure the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of infrastructure decisions. Though some studies attempt to evaluate the development level of infrastructure systems, most of them focus on economic influence but neglect other aspects such as societal benefits. To advance the accuracy of the current method, we expanded a multi-attribute evaluation framework based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA) based Malmquist productivity index (MPI) to evaluate the longitudinal efficiency of China's infrastructure investment. The statistical data from 2004 to 2014 in 30 provincial-level administrative divisions were collected as inputs and outputs of the model for a dynamic cross-provincial comparison. We found that, firstly, the overall efficiency of infrastructure investment during the study periods was improved by 2.4% and the increase was primarily due to technical change rather than efficiency change. Secondly, an uneven distribution of the efficiency level existed among different regions, with the eastern region as the best performance of an average MPI of 1.067 and the western region being the lowest. Thirdly, each provincial-level administrative division exhibited a distinctive changing profile over the period, with Beijing (20.5%) and Shanghai (20.4%) as the fastest growing provinces yet Shandong the slowest (−13.1%). The yearly change, its interpretation and in-depth analysis of MPI's decomposition have also been discussed. The proposed approach and findings can provide insights for making long term investment strategies and infrastructure policies in China and similar countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The incoordination status between economic growth and urban greenness was found in >60% of cities in China. • At pixels levels, only 11.61% of urban areas showed a strong coordination status in China. • Identify the thresholds of long-term average NTL that explain the spatial heterogeneities of incoordination status between economic growth and urban greenness. Rapid urban expansion reflects the increasing economic growth in China. As an original conceive for urban sustainability, economic growth contributes to vegetation changes. However, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the relationships between these two factors remains unclear in China. After analyzing the spatiotemporal characteristics of the urban expansion in different cities in China from 2002 to 2020, we found a rapid and continuous urban expansion in China, with the mean annual expansion of 1710.96 km2 year−1 (p < 0.01). However, based on the trends of annual maximum enhanced vegetation index (EVI max) and the nighttime light (NTL), a strong incoordination status (areas with significant increasing NTL (p < 0.05) but significantly decreasing EVI max) between urban greenness and economic growthwas found during this rapid urban expansion period. Spatially, >60% of cities showed incoordination status and 38.08% of cities showed strongly incoordination status. At pixels levels, these strong incoordination status in urban areas can be fully explained by long-term average NTL digital Number (DN) gradient.Based on a piecewise linear regression model, the proportion of areas with the strong incoordination status was significantly increased by the 1.07% DN−1 (p < 0.01) when multi-year average NTL value is <50, but decreased strongly afterward, with the slope of −2.96% DN−1 (p < 0.01). The strong incoordination between urban greenness and economy can be rapidly mitigated with the rapid economic growth. This threshold can be a critical indicator for decision-makers in identifying and analyzing the status of ecological civilization in various regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) is a major global environmental pollutant due to its high toxicity on human and animal health. This study collected 427 relevant papers to study As concentrations in Chinese arable soil and evaluate the health risk of exposure to As for humans. Results showed that the average of As concentration was 9.46 mg/kg in Chinese arable soil. Soil As concentrations in Hunan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region posed high carcinogenic and non-cancer risks on human health through diet, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, and Xinjiang provinces had relative high health risks, while As concentrations in the other provinces posed low health risks on humans. The physical factors controlled the spatial pattern of health risk on a provincial scale, but the As-related human activities introduced high health risk on people, particularly the agricultural activities such as sewage irrigation and fertilizer application should be given more attention due to its large area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, fine-grain quartz was used for luminescence dating for lava baked samples from different sites in Datong. Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermal transferred OSL (TT-OSL)/recuperated OSL (Re-OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating protocols were applied. For these samples, the OSL signals saturate at about 300–400 Gy, which limits their age to less than 100 ka based on their ambient dose rates. The TT-OSL/Re-OSL method has poor dose recovery. TL dating gives reliable results, and multiple-aliquot regenerative-dose TL method with sensitivity change correction based on the 325 °C TL peak of a test dose can be applied for samples up to 400 ka. The results indicate that the ages of the volcanoes in Datong are from 380 ka to 84 ka. The volcanic activity started earlier in the southeast area than those in the northwest part, which is consist with the literature data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore whether there are socioeconomic, ethnic, and geographical inequalities in dental caries among 12-year-old Chinese children. Methods Data from 2,307 12-year-old children living in Guangxi, Hubei, Jilin, and Shanxi and who participated in the Third National Oral Health Survey in China were used for this study. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and clinical examinations with children. The decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth ( DMFT) index and number of decayed teeth ( DT) were the outcome measures for analysis. Inequalities in DMFT and DT by socioeconomic position (parental education), ethnicity, and geography (province of residence and urbanicity) were assessed in unadjusted and adjusted negative binomial regression models. Results Ethnicity and geographical factors, but not parental education, were significantly associated with childhood dental caries in unadjusted models. However, only geographical factors remained significantly related to dental caries after mutual adjustments. The DMFT index and DT were higher among children living in Jilin and Guangxi than those of children living in Hubei and Shanxi, and also higher among children living in rural areas than in those living in urban areas. Conclusion This analysis shows inequalities in dental caries among 12-year-old children in four provinces of China. There were considerable inequalities in children's DMFT and number of decayed teeth by geography but not by ethnicity or parental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) concentration in arable soil has drawn broad public attention due to its direct effect on Cd concentration in food. However, there have been few studies of surveying Cd accumulation on the national scale in China. This paper collected 486 studies of Cd concentrations in Chinese arable soil. The results showed that the average Cd concentration was 0.27 mg/kg, higher than its background value, indicating that Cd had been introduced into arable soil by human activity. The Cd concentrations in areas of mining and smelting, urban areas, and areas irrigated by wastewater were obviously higher than that in remote areas. Spatially, Cd concentrations were lower in the north than those in the south, and many hotspots existed throughout China due to mining and smelting activities. Most Cd in the arable soil were accumulated from external sources in all investigated provinces except Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method evaluating the ecological risk for provincial land-use overall planning is introduced so as to construct an environment-friendly land-use pattern. The ecological risk degree is determined by risk source intensity and ecological vulnerability degree. In order to quantify them, the calculation process, classification standard, and acceptability analysis are established. With an example, it evaluates the ecological risk of land-use overall planning in Sichuan Province. The results show: (1) the implementation of planning can reduce the potential ecological risk effectively, and the whole ecological risk level is on the decline during the planning period; (2) the spatial difference of ecological risk is significant. However, the basic pattern of ecological risks, which is higher in the east and lower in the west, has not changed after the planning implementation, and the higher risk areas mainly distribute in the economically developed and densely populated areas; (3) according to the spatiotemporal characteristics, the emphasis of ecological risk prevention and control can be identified, and some countermeasures can be suggested in order to decrease the potential adverse effects. The method proposed in the article can provide decision basis for provincial land-use overall planning, and is helpful to ecological risk analysis of other planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current social conflicts largely result from the serious separation between the and concrete facets of human beings. People are reduced to an existence, which in particular means some leaders who control public resources regard the concrete individuals as symbols. This distorted view on human beings has greatly undermined people's interests and turned the scientific outlook on development into an empty notion. This inhuman reduction of human beings is closely related to such factors as the transition in the themes of the times, the implementation of market economy, and the dominance of capitalist ideology. Because of the complexity of human existence, it is necessary to the defining features of human beings if we want to cultivate and protect the essence of human beings. In today's China, there is a paradox concerning the generalization of human nature : inadequate generalization coexists with excessive reduction (the latter being more common). The former leads to treating people's interests according to one's personal wishes while the latter greatly obscuring them. Both of them are severe distortions of human nature. An appropriate generalization of human nature will reveal its four essential elements, i.e. natural need, social need, intellectual need, and moral need. The recognition of these four elements will correspondingly lead to four human forces : passion for life, affinity with society, control of reasoning, and commitment to morality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the history of social theories, Durkheim is the first to advance the notions of solidarity and anomie to characterize the modern societies. It is Marshall who first recognized the positive effects exerted by the universal citizenship on the transformation of social structure and the abolishment of social inequalities and unfairness. Following Durkheim and Marshall, Parsons successfully incorporated into his theoretical framework of social community the relationship between mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity, of which Durkheim failed to develop an effective analysis. He also successfully applied Marshall's theory of universal citizenship to the studies on the solidarity in modern societies, thus providing an effective theoretical basis and perspective for social integration today. Parsons' theory can also furnish us with some important resources to address the conflicts in social stratification and the tension due to the ethnic diversity in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores and identifies the rules of the unsteady evolution of NH3-N in the upper and middle reaches of Minjiang River through multi-scale analysis on the weekly NH3-N data for the last six years provided by the water quality monitoring station, Minjiang River Bridge, Leshan City, Sichuan Province. The results of wavelet analysis indicate that the NH3-N index oscillates alternatively and differently at each time-scale in a 1 year cycle, and the density of NH3-N, subject to the runoff volume, the effects of Wenchuan earthquake and agricultural seeding and industrial construction, etc., is high in winter and spring, mild in summer and autumn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To investigate the current status and the distribution of tooth loss in middle-aged people and elders in Northeast China, and provide scientific basis for the establishment of oral health care policies. METHODS: An equal-sized stratified multi-stage random sampling design was applied according to the third national oral health investigation of epidemiology, tooth loss was examined among 4752 people aged 35-44 and 65-74 in northeast China. The data were analyzed with SPSS13.0 statistical software for independent-sample t test and Chi-square test. RESULTS: Of all the subjects, 3135 people had tooth loss, the rate of tooth loss was 66.80%, mean tooth loss was 4.95; 392 persons were half edentulous, the rate of edentulous jaw was 8.35%, 223 persons were edentulous, the rate edentulous jaw was 4.75%. Statistical analysis showed tooth loss rate in females was significantly higher than that in males (P<0.05). There was significantly difference of tooth loss between city and rural area (P<0.05). There was significant difference in file amount and rate of tooth loss between Jilin Province and Liaoning Province, and Jilin Province and Heilongjiang Province as well (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The tooth loss rate is very high in middle-aged people and elders in Northeast China. Measures should be taken to prevent dental caries and periodontal disease in these population so that to promote the status of middle-aged people and elders on oral health and to improve their quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To assess the oral health status of the 65-74 years old people in the northeast of China, analyze the distribution of caries and periodontal diseases in this group of people, and provide scientific basis for establishing oral health care policies. METHODS: The representative samples were selected by multi-stage, stratified and random sampling from the three provinces of northeast of China. The diagnostic standard of dental caries and periodontal diseases were based on WHO criteria. SPSS 12.0 software package was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Among 2364 people aged 65-74 years, the prevalence of dental caries was 67.5% and DFT was 2.68, and the data in urban was higher than in rural. The prevalence rate of periodontal disorders, such as health, gingival bleeding, dental calculus, periodontal pockets, loss of attachment was respectively 15.4%,72.0%,86.6%,58.0% and 60.1% ,The prevalence rate of Heilongjiang and Liaoning province was lower than that of Jilin Province. CONCLUSIONS: Dental caries and periodontal diseases were the common diseases in northeast of China, systematic community based oral health promotion should be strengthened and preventive-oriented oral health care systems are needed in the northeast of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To study the prevalence of dental caries in primary dentition of 5-year-old children in Northeast of China, and assess the risk factors for dental caries. METHODS: The representative samples were selected by multi-stage, stratified and random sampling from the three provinces of Northeast of China. Dental caries of 2353 children at five-year age were recorded according to WHO criteria. The questionnaire were finished by 1191 parents of the children and analyzed with χ²test and logistic regression using SPSS 12.0 software package. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental caries in 5-year-old children was 75.82% and dmft was 4.63. The lowest caries prevalence was noted in Heilongjiang province. The important predictors of dental caries were the educational level of parents (P<0.001) and eating sweet food before sleep (P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the dental caries in primary dentition, oral health education for the parents should be emphasized and sugar-intake before sleeping should be controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization in China has made the construction sector become a significant industry for CO 2 emissions. Accurately measuring the CO 2 emissions performance of the construction industry is a key to CO 2 emissions management and the basis for successful implementation of the national carbon neutral strategy. From a total-factor production perspective, CO 2 emission performance refers to the degree to which the desirable outputs are maximized, and the CO 2 emissions are minimized under a certain level of inputs in production activities. To measure the dynamic evolution of CO 2 emission performance and its reasons more reasonably, a global Malmquist CO 2 emissions performance index (GMCPI) that can evaluate CO 2 emission performance of multi-input and multi-output production process is proposed in this study. By using this index, the CO 2 emissions performance of the construction industry in China's 30 provinces from 2004 to 2016 was investigated with three key findings. First, the overall CO 2 emissions performance was improved by 13.6% during the study period, mainly contributed by technological progress rather than the increase of technical efficiency. Second, an imbalance growth of CO 2 emissions performance was observed in different regions. The performance in the eastern region ranked the best, with an average annual increase of 14.5%. Third, the reasons contributing to different levels of CO 2 emissions performance in different provinces were explained according to the decomposition of GMCPI. Thirteen provinces are the slow-efficiency-growth type with low technical efficiency change(EFFCH) and low technology change(TECHCH). Five provinces are the technology-driven type with high TECHCH and low EFFCH, four provinces are the technology-management dual-driven type with high EFFCH and high TECHCH. Eight provinces are the management-driven type with high EFFCH and low TECHCH. China's construction industry should further improve the overall CO 2 emission performance by strengthening the driving role of technological progress and promoting the exchange of advanced management experience to reduce regional differences. • A global Malmquist CO 2 emission performance index (GMCPI) is proposed. • CO 2 emission performance of China's construction industry is measured. • Provincial spatial and temporal differences in CO 2 emission performance is investigated. • GMCPI was mainly driven by technology change from 2004 to 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We identified 56 different viruses from 37 viral families, including 25 human DNA, RNA and retroviruses in 70% of the studied pools. • Anelloviruses are widely distributed and dominate the blood virome in healthy individuals. • Human herpesviruses and GBV-C are commonly prevalent in asymptomatic humans. • The prevalence of RNA viruses often causing acute infection, like HEV, HPIV, RSV and HCoV-HKU1, revealing of a transmissible risk of asymptomatic infection. • Several viruses possible related to transfusion safety were identified, including human Merkel cell polyomavirus, Papillomavirus, Parvovirus B19 and Herpesvirus 8 in addition to HBV and HIV. Emerging evidence indicates that gut virome plays a role in human health and disease, however, much less is known about the viral communities in blood. Here we conducted a direct metatranscriptomic sequencing of virus-like-particles in blood from 1200 healthy individuals, without prior amplification to avoid potential amplification bias and with a strictly bioinformatic and manual check for candidate viral reads to reduce false-positive matches. We identified 55 different viruses from 36 viral families, including 24 human DNA, RNA and retroviruses in 70% of the studied pools. The study showed that anelloviruses are widely distributed and dominate the blood virome in healthy individuals. Human herpesviruses and pegivirus-1 are commonly prevalent in asymptomatic humans. We identified the prevalence of RNA viruses often causing acute infection, like HEV, HPIV, RSV and HCoV-HKU1, revealing of a transmissible risk of asymptomatic infection. Several viruses possible related to transfusion safety were identified, including human Merkel cell polyomavirus, papillomavirus, parvovirus B19 and herpesvirus 8 in addition to HBV. In addition, phages in Caudovirales and Microviridae , were commonly found in pools of samples with a very low abundance; a few sequences for invertebrate, plant and giant viruses were found in some of individuals; however, the remaining 31 viruses mostly reflect extensive contamination from commercial reagents and the work environments. In conclusion, this study is the first comprehensive investigation of blood virome in healthy individuals by metatranscriptomic sequencing of VLP in China. Further investigation of potential false positives representing a major challenge for the identification of novel viruses in mNGS, will offer a systemic idea and means to reveal true viral infections of human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation restoration on degraded lands has been encouraged worldwide due to its ecological services and function of controlling soil erosion and improving carbon (C) stocks in terrestrial ecosystems. Although the processes of runoff and sediment detachment and transport are well recognized, the effects of vegetation restoration on organic C loss through soil erosion are not fully understood within a given landscape. This study conducted a synthesis from 66 sites to evaluate the effects of vegetation restoration on annual C loss induced by soil erosion across the key areas of the 'Grain for Green' Program (GGP) in the Loess Plateau, China. The results showed that vegetation restoration has significantly reduced the annual C loss in sediment and from runoff. Since 2000, a total of 8.6 × 106 ha degraded land has been converted to forests, shrubs and grasslands under the GGP, which has reduced runoff by 1.5 × 109 m3 and is associated with 7.3 × 103 Mg C; furthermore, lost sediment has reduced by 348.7 Tg, which is associated with 1.8 Tg C per year, across the Loess Plateau. In the zone with a mean annual precipitation (MAP) < 550 mm, the degraded lands that have been converted to grasslands and shrubs have reduced more soil and water losses than have the lands that have been converted to forests; additionally, in the zone with a MAP >550 mm, the degraded lands that have been converted to forests have less soil erosion than do the lands that have been converted to grasslands and shrubs. Moreover, C loss induced by soil erosion was mainly affected by plant cover, soil porosity, slope, land-use change, and rainfall intensity on the Loess Plateau. This study suggests that optimal vegetation restoration measures should be adopted based on local conditions to reduce C loss induced by soil erosion. • Vegetation restoration significantly reduced C loss in annual runoff and sediment. • Vegetation restoration driven by land-use changes could reduce the soil erosion. • Soil, topography, land uses and rainfall intensity affecting soil erosion induced C loss. • Optimal vegetation restoration measures should be adopted based on local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The island development of functional polycentricity was lagging than that of the morphological dimension. • Spatial regression model performs well in fitting the association between polycentric urban variables and island landscape changes. • The effects of dual polycentric urban indicators on island landscape changes varied spatially and temporally. • Polycentric urban development generally contributed to fragmented and complex island landscape patterns on the periphery areas of subcenters and reclamation. Polycentric urban development has become popular worldwide as expected to generate greater agglomeration externality and facilitate socioeconomic achievements. Despite much insightful work on urban polycentricity in coastal agglomerations or megacities, few studies have focused on how polycentric urban development affects landscape sustainability in vulnerable island cities. This paper characterized the urban polycentricity from the perspective of morphological and functional dimensions during 1990–2020 in Yuhuan island city, China, and quantified the association between polycentric urban variables and island landscape changes by spatial regression. The results showed that there was a mismatch in development between the morphological and functional polycentricity, in which the functional dimension was lagging. In response, island landscape patterns became fragmented and scattered. With the application of GWR models, the effects of two polycentric factors on island landscape changes varied spatially and temporally. The stronger relationships between them were identified in regions where more heterogeneous patterns were presented, such as the subcenters and their surroundings and reclamation areas. These trends were mainly attributed to industrial suburbanization and the development of new economic zone and Damaiyu port. Our findings call for a more balanced functional urban polycentricity; and local-specific landscape effects should be scheduled in island planning practice and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• EIMFS is a severe developmental epileptic encephalopathy with extensive genetic heterogeneity. • Different genes have special clinical features, and prognosis maybe related to genotype. • Larger cohorts are required to figure out the phenotype-genotype correlation in EIMFS. Epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures (EIMFS) is a rare and severe developmental epileptic encephalopathy. The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of EIMFS by using phenotype-genotype correlation. We recruited, performed clinical genetic testing, and summarized the clinical features and genetic characteristics in five patients with EIMFS in China. The five recruited patients included 2 males and 3 females. The median age of seizure onset was 2 months (range, day 3 to 3 months). All patients exhibited the characteristics of clinically migrating focal motor (tonic or clonic) seizures. Typical migrating ictal electrical patterns were found in 1 patient; the remaining four patients presented with overlapping seizures with different areas of ictal onset in differing hemispheres. All the patients had the associated variants, including KCNT1 , SCN1A , SCN2A, TBC1D24 and ALG1. All patients received two or more antiseizure medications, and 1 patient became seizure-free, 1 reported >75 % seizure reduction, 2 reported >50 % seizure reduction, and 1 patient showed no improvement. Varying degrees of psychomotor developmental delays were observed in all patients. The course of EIMFS could be related to the type of gene variant present, and different genes may have specific clinical features. Larger cohorts are required to elucidate such potential phenotype-genotype correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose a framework for evaluating urban public services and ecosystem services. • Identify the thresholds that can prevent a rapid decline in ecosystem services. • Make suggestions on how to coordinate urban public services and ecosystem services. Over the past three decades, China has experienced rapid urbanization, and with the continuous increase in urbanization, urban public services have improved dramatically. However, many studies have found that urbanization damages the ecosystem, causing a decline in ecosystem services. Nevertheless, few studies have analyzed the spatial interaction between urban public services and ecosystem services. This study aims to determine whether urban public services and ecosystem services can achieve positive synergies. We quantified five critical ecosystem services, i.e., carbon sequestration and oxygen production (CSOP), habitat quality (HQ), water conservation (WC), PM2.5 removal (PR), and temperature reduction (TR), and five urban public services, i.e., education services (EDS), medical services (MS), living services (LS), social security services (SSS) and tourism facilities (TF). We found that a few win–win areas form in the center of Hangzhou city and that it is difficult to achieve positive synergies between urban public services and ecosystem services in urban areas without appropriate ecological conditions. In addition, we found thresholds of urban public services that can prevent a sharp decline in ecosystem services in the process of urban expansion. This research proposes an approach to spatial interaction analysis involving urban public services and ecosystem services and provides insights into the harmonious development of urban ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPD1) gene defect can cause hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), which usually occurs in infants. The gene defect has rarely been reported in adult HTG patients. In the present study, we described the clinical and functional analyses of a novel GPD1 missense variant in a Chinese adult patient with recurrent hypertriglyceridemia‑related acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP), consuming a high-fat diet and smoking heavily., Methods: Exome sequencing was used to analyze the DNA of the adult patient's blood sample. It was found that there was a new variant of GPD1 gene-p.K327N, which was verified by gold standard-sanger sequencing method. In vitro, the corresponding plasmid was constructed and transfected into human renal HEK-293T cells, and GPD1 protein levels were detected. A biogenic analysis was performed to study the population frequency, conservation, and electric potential diagram of the new variant p.K327N. Finally, the previously reported GPD1 variants were sorted and their phenotypic relationships were compared., Results: A novel heterozygous variant of GPD1, p.K327N (c.981G > C), was found in the proband. Furthermore, the patient's daughter carried this variant, whereas his wife did not carry the variant. The proband with obesity suffered eight episodes of HTG-AP from the age of 36 years, and each onset of AP was correlated to high-fat diet consumption and heavy smoking. In vitro, this variant exerted a relatively mild effect on GPD1 functions, which were associated with its effect upon secretion (~ 25% of secretion decreased compared with that of the wild-type); thus, eventually impairing protein synthesis. Additionally, 36 patients with GPD1 variants found in previous studies showed significant transient HTG in infancy. The proband carrying the GDP1 variant was the first reported adult with recurrent HTG-AP., Conclusion: We identified a novel GPD1 variant, p.K327N, in a Chinese adult male patient with recurrent HTG-AP. The variant probably exerted a mild effect on GPD1 functions. The heterozygosity of this GPD1 variant, in addition to high-fat diet consumption and heavy smoking, probably triggered HTG-AP in the patient., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (2021-370-02) and was conducted under the Declaration of Helsinki ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Informed consent was obtained from the children’s parents. All participants provided both written and verbal consent to be part of this study. Consent for publication: Written informed consent for publication of clinical details was obtained from the guardians of the patient. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Impervious surface area, due to its high energy storage and low permeability, hinders the cycles of material and energy between soil and atmosphere, thus affecting the sustainable supply of ecosystem services. It is of great practical significance to explore the influence of impervious surface areas on ecosystem services for territorial spatial planning and ecological construction projects. Correlation analysis and decoupling are used to explore the spatiotemporal variation and interaction between impervious surface areas and six ecosystem services in Hangzhou Bay from 1996 to 2018. The results show that different abundance levels of impervious surface areas are negatively correlated with ecosystem services, and with the increase of the impervious surface areas, the correlation coefficients with ecosystem services gradually decrease; there are mostly weak decoupling (79.2%) and strong decoupling (11.9%) between impervious surface areas and ecosystem services from 2007 to 2018, and the central areas that have achieved urbanization are mostly dominated by strong and weak decoupling, while the peripheral areas of the central cities are dominated by expansive recoupling and expansive connection. These results indicate that the loss of ecosystem services can be mitigated with the continuous advancement of urbanization and the enhancement of land use intensification. Finally, based on the aforementioned results, differentiated control suggestions are proposed, in order to provide insights for the sustainability of the urbanization of Hangzhou Bay and other cities with similar characteristics around the world., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cyberchondria has become a severe health problem and a significant public concern. In addition to the impacts that cyberchondria involves, individual psychological and behavioral factors have been identified. However, the role of family function and the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying these relations are not understood well, especially among adolescents. Based on family functioning and cognitive-behavioral theory, this study sought to examine whether family dysfunction was associated with cyberchondria, and a moderated mediation model was prepared as a means of exploring whether health anxiety was a mediator of relationships between family dysfunction and cyberchondria, as well as whether optimism moderated these mediating processes. A total of 2074 Chinese adolescents (mean = 15.08 years, SD = 1.79) reported their demographic information, family dysfunction, health anxiety, optimism, and cyberchondria. The findings showed that family dysfunction was positively related to cyberchondria. Moreover, health anxiety partially mediated the relationship between family dysfunction and cyberchondria. Finally, optimism moderated the interplay among health anxiety and cyberchondria. Consistent with the expectancy-value models, this positive relationship was weaker for adolescents with a higher level of optimism. These results suggest that it is vital to simultaneously consider individual and family factors as a means of understanding adolescent cyberchondria when performing cyberchondria intervention programs.

Background: Anti-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) encephalitis is a rare autoimmune synaptic encephalitis associated with autoantibodies that cause a selective decrease in surface expression and changes in receptor localization. Anti-AMPAR encephalitis is poorly recognized, especially in children, and its clinical phenotype is incompletely described., Case Presentation: We report a case of anti-AMPAR GluR1 antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalitis in a 12-year-old male. The patient manifested as a fulminant course, with ataxia, cerebellar degeneration at the onset, and rapidly evolved into hyperthermia, coma and rhabdomyolysis. Antibodies against AMPAR GluR1 receptors were detected in the cerebrospinal fluid by cell-based assay. Diffuse slow waves were found by electroencephalograph, and the left cerebellar vermis and hemisphere were affected on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), methylprednisolone combined with plasma exchange. Symptoms were alleviated after immunotherapy and the patient sustained clinical improvement. This is the first time that acute rhabdomyolysis symptom has been identified in a pediatric patient with anti-AMPAR encephalitis., Conclusions: This case expands the clinical spectrum of anti-AMPAR encephalitis and highlights that despite poor clinical manifestation at the outset, recovery remains possible., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Medical facilities help to ensure a higher quality of life and improve social welfare. The spatial accessibility determines the allocation fairness and efficiency of medical facilities. It also provides information about medical services that residents can share. Although critical, scholars often overlooked the level of medical facilities, the composition of integrated transportation networks, and the size of service catchment in the literature on accessibility. This study aims to fill this research gap by considering the integrated transportation network, population scale, travel impedance between medical facilities and residential areas, and the impact of medical facilities' levels on residents' medical choices. An improved potential model was constructed to analyze the spatial accessibility of medical facilities in Changning District of Shanghai, China. Interpolation analysis was conducted to reveal the spatial accessibility pattern. Cluster and outlier analysis and Getis-Ord G i * analysis were applied for the cluster analysis. Results show that the spatial accessibility of medical facilities is quite different in different residential areas of Changning District, Shanghai. Among them, the spatial accessibility of medical facilities is relatively high in Hongqiao subdistrict, Xinjing Town, and part of Xinhua Road subdistrict. In addition, residents have overall better access to secondary hospitals than to primary and tertiary hospitals in the study area. This study provides a spatial decision support system for urban planners and policymakers regarding improving the accessibility of healthcare facilities. It extends the literature on spatial planning of public facilities and could facilitate scientific decision making.

Background: The training of orthopedic nurse specialists is gradually increasing in China, but the effect of the training, namely the specialized nursing work carried out by them upon returning to work after training, is unknown. This study aimed to further our understanding of the effect of training orthopedic nurse specialists and provide a basis for improving the training program., Methods: A total of 201 clinical nurse specialists who graduated from the training base of orthopedic nurse specialists in the Jiangsu Province were interviewed via a self-made questionnaire., Results: All orthopedic nurse specialists completed a series of specialized nursing work after returning to their posts. In particular, the clinical nurse specialists with senior professional titles participated in more specialized nursing work projects, such as continuous improvement of orthopedic nursing quality, and so on. The influence of having attained different educational levels on the specialized nursing work of orthopedic nurse specialists was not significant., Conclusions: The orthopedic nurse specialists carried out a series of specialized nursing work after returning to their posts, which not only helps to improve the quality of orthopedic nursing, but also assists in promoting the popularization and homogenization of new knowledge and skills in orthopedic nursing in the Jiangsu Province.

As the population is aging rapidly, the irrationality of residential care facility (RCF) configuration has impacted the efficiency and quality of the aged care services so significantly that the optimization of RCF configuration is urgently required. A multi-objective spatial optimization model for the RCF configuration is developed by considering the demands of three stakeholders, including the government, the elderly, and the investor. A modified immune algorithm (MIA) is implemented to find the optimal solutions, and the geographic information system (GIS) is used to extract information on spatial relationships and visually display optimization results. Jing'an District, part of Shanghai, China, is analyzed as a case study to demonstrate the advantages of this integrated approach. The configuration rationality of existing residential care facilities (RCFs) is analyzed, and a detailed recommendation for optimization is proposed. The results indicate that the number of existing RCFs is deficient; the locations of some RCFs are unreasonable, and there is a large gap between the service supply of existing RCFs and the demands of the elderly. To fully meet the care demands of the elderly, 6 new facilities containing 1193 beds are needed to be added. In comparison with the optimization results of other algorithms, MIA is superior in terms of the calculation accuracy and convergence rate. Based on the integration of MIA and GIS, the quantity, locations, and scale of RCFs can be optimized simultaneously, effectively, and comprehensively. The optimization scheme has improved the equity and efficiency of RCF configuration, increased the profits of investors, and reduced the travel costs of the elderly. The proposed method and optimization results have reference value for policy-making and planning of RCFs as well as other public service facilities.

Background: This study examined the feasibility of transabdominal intestinal ultrasonography in evaluating acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI)., Methods: A total of 116 patients were included. Intestinal ultrasonography was conducted daily within 1 week after admission to the intensive care unit. Ultrasonography indicators including intestinal diameter, changes in the intestinal folds, thickness of the intestinal wall, stratification of the intestinal wall, and intestinal peristalsis (movement of the intestinal contents) were observed to determine the acute gastrointestinal injury ultrasonography (AGIUS) score. The gastrointestinal and urinary tract sonography ultrasound (GUTS) protocol score was also calculated. During the first week of the study, the gastrointestinal failure (GIF) score was determined daily. The correlations between transabdominal intestinal scores (AGIUS and GUTS) and the GIF score were analyzed to clarify the feasibility of evaluating AGI through observation of the intestine. The utility of intestinal ultrasonography indicators in predicting feeding intolerance was investigated to improve the ability of clinicians to manage AGI., Results: A total of 751 ultrasonic examinations were performed with 511 images (68%) considered to be of "good quality." AGIUS and GUTS scores differed significantly between AGI patients (GIF score 0-2) and non-AGI patients (GIF score 3-4) (p < 0.001). Both scores correlated positively with GIF score (r = 0.54, p < 0.001; r = 0.66, p < 0.001). These ultrasonography indicators could predict feeding intolerance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.60 (0.48-0.71; intestinal diameter), 0.76 (0.67-0.85; intestinal folds), 0.71 (0.62-0.80; wall thickness), 0.77 (0.69-0.86; wall stratification), and 0.78 (0.68-0.88; intestinal peristalsis). Compared to patients with a normal rate of peristalsis (5-10/min), patients with abnormal peristalsis rates (< 5/min or > 10/min) have increased risk for feeding intolerance (16/83 vs. 25/33, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The transabdominal intestinal ultrasonography represents an effective means for assessing gastrointestinal injury in critically ill patients. Intestinal ultrasonography indicators, especially the degree of intestinal peristalsis, may be used to predict feeding intolerance., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT03589248. Registered 04 July 2018-retrospectively registered.

Ancestry informative markers play an important role in medical genetics and forensic analyses. Several ancestry informative SNP panels have been developed and validated that can differentiate global populations into continental or major regional groups. These global panels have served as good first-tier genetic markers; however, their performance in discriminating populations within regions appears unsatisfactory. To boost ancestry inference for regional populations, second-tier panels with more refined discrimination power among subpopulations within each of the regions need to be developed. In East Asia, Han Chinese, Japanese, and Korean show highly similar externally visible characteristics and are genetically closely related. Reliable ancestry informative genetic markers appear invaluable in discriminating these populations. In the present study, we compiled a genome-wide SNP dataset composing of 317,439 clean SNPs for a total of 1101 unrelated individuals from Han Chinese (817), Koreans (184), and Japanese (100). From this starting dataset, we developed a set of four nested ancestry informative SNP panels including 36, 59, 98, and 142 SNPs, respectively. The results of cross-validation tests indicate that these panels can discriminate the Chinese Han, Japanese, and Korean populations with overall average accuracies ranging from 90% to 99%. In the further performance assessments, these panels also manifested high sensitivity and specificity. In combination with the first-tier global panels, these second-tier panels would contribute to medical genetics and forensic research in East Asia., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/University College London.)

Wetlands are the most threatened ecosystem in China, and wetland conservation is a national priority because of their importance for water security, flood mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. A goal has been established for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region (BTH) to recover 340 km 2 of wetlands by 2020. To guide restoration and protection efforts, policymakers need information on the trends of wetland loss, conversion of wetlands, and their associated human drivers. The main drivers of changes in different wetland types in the BTH were identified and quantified from 2000 to 2015. In 2015, there was 6264.07 km 2 less wetland area than in 2000, with the remaining wetlands primarily located in Hebei and Tianjin. Reservoirs/ponds were the most abundant wetland type, followed by herbaceous swamps, rivers, canals and channels, and then lakes as the least represented. There were continuous losses of wetlands from 2000 to 2015, with marked decreases for rivers (30.48%), channels/canals (23.30%), and herbaceous swamps (16.12%). However, there was an increase in the area of lakes and reservoirs/ponds, with increases of 54.96% and 3.47%, respectively. The largest changes in natural wetlands were due to agricultural production followed by artificialization and grassland expansion. The driving forces of the observed changes were specific to each local region. According to an aggregated boosted trees (ABT) analysis, gross farm production, total aquatic products, and irrigated area were the top three drivers of the decrease in natural wetlands, which agreed with the main patterns of change in the BTH. The purpose of this study was to provide guidance for policy makers working to meet the 2020 BTH wetland recovery target. Recommendations were provided at the provincial level, including water transfers across provincial boundaries, the control of agricultural expansion, exploration of species-specific irrigation deficits, a reduction in the artificialization of land surfaces, the development of a sustainable intensified aquaculture model, and the promotion of awareness of wetland importance among local people.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in river sediments becomes increasingly serious, and phytoremediation has been used to remediate Cd contaminated sediments, but the remediation efficiency needs to be improved. In this study, tea waste derived biochar (TB) was used to facilitate the phytoremediation of Cd contaminated sediments. Results showed that TB at 100, 500 and 1000 mg kg -1 increased Cd accumulation and translocation in ramie seedlings by changing Cd speciation in sediments and altering the subcellular distribution of Cd in plant cells. TB at low contents alleviated Cd induced toxicity in ramie seedlings by promoting plant growth and mitigating the oxidative stress. In addition, the activities of urease-, phosphatase-, and catalase-producing microbes in the Cd contaminated sediments were promoted by the application of TB. These findings demonstrated that biochar at low concentrations could improve the phytoremediation efficiency and mitigating Cd-induced toxicity to plants and microbes in Cd contaminated sediments. This study herein provides a novel technological application of waste biomass in controlling and mitigating risks of heavy metals., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Landscape change is an important aspect of coastal ecological conservation and has an essential influence on the sustainable development of the coastal economy. With remoting-sensing (RS) images between 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015, using geographic information system (GIS) technologies, we examined ecosystem spatial changes in the Bohai coastal zone. Results showed that wetlands, mainly constituted by reservoirs/ponds, were the dominant landscape types. The urban ecosystem has the largest area increment and the fastest growth rate from 2000 to 2015. The quantification of landscape metrics revealed that spatial patterns have changed significantly, and the change direction of these ecosystems had moved toward increased heterogeneity and fragmentation. In addition, natural and socio-economic data were used to analyze the major driving forces triggering ecosystem spatial changes through redundancy analysis (RDA). The results revealed that the output of aquatic products (AQ) and population (Pop) were the main factors related to wetland ecosystem change. Pop and gross domestic product per capita (GDPpc) were closely related to the urban ecosystem change. Annual mean temperature (ATm), crop acreage (CA), and grain yield (GY) had positive correlations with the agriculture ecosystem changes.

Background: Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome (WDSTS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by facial gestalt, neurodevelopmental delay, skeletal anomalies and growth retardation, which is caused by variation of KMT2A gene. To date, only 2 Chinese WDSTS patients have been reported. Here, we report the phenotypes and KMT2A gene variations in 14 unrelated Chinese WDSTS patients and investigate the phenotypic differences between the Chinese and French cohorts., Methods: Next generation sequencing was performed for each patient, and the variants in the KMT2A gene were validated by Sanger sequencing. The phenotypes of 16 Chinese WDSTS patients were summarized and compared to 33 French patients., Results: Genetic sequencing identified 13 deleterious de novo KMT2A variants in 14 patients, including 10 truncating, 2 missenses and 1 splicing variants. Of the 13 variants, 11 are novel and two have been reported previously. One of the patients is mosaic in the KMT2A gene. The variation spectra and phenotypic profiles of the Chinese WDSTS patients showed no difference with patients of other ethnicities; however, differ in the frequencies of several clinical features. We demonstrated that variations in the KMT2A gene can lead to both advanced and delayed bone age. We identified 6 novel phenotypes, which include microcephaly, deep palmar crease, external ear deformity, carpal epiphyseal growth retardation, dyslipidemia, and glossoptosis. In addition, patients harbored missense variants in the CXXC zinc finger domain of KMT2A showed more severe neurophenotypes., Conclusion: Our study consists of the largest cohort of Chinese WDSTS patients that continues to expand the WDSTS phenotypic and variation spectrum. Our results support the notion that the CXXC zinc finger domain of KMT2A gene is a hotspot for missense variants associated with more severe neurophenotypes.

Co-ancestry of human surnames and Y-chromosomes in most human populations and social groups suggests the possibility of inferring one from the other. However, such an intuitive perspective remains to be formally explored. In the present study, we develop two computational methods, based on cosine distance (d cos ) and coalescence distance (d coal ) respectively, to infer surnames from Y-STR profiles. We also survey Y-STR variations at 15 loci for 19,009 individuals of Shandong Province in China. For a total of 266 surnames included in the data set, our methods can pinpoint to a single surname with an average accuracy of 65%, and with an average accuracy higher than 80% when providing >4 candidate surnames. We also demonstrate that increasing the sample size of surnames and the number of STR loci improves the accuracy of surname inference. Our results indicate that the 15 non-duplicated Y-STR loci contain information from which surname can be reliably inferred for Chinese populations, showing a promising application in forensics., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Multiple genetic loci associated with lipid levels have been identified predominantly in Europeans, and the issue of to what extent these genetic loci can predict blood lipid levels increases over time and the incidence of future hyperlipidemia remains largely unknown., Methods and Results: We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of lipid levels in 8344 subjects followed by replication studies including 14 739 additional individuals. We replicated 17 previously reported loci. We also newly identified 3 Chinese-specific variants in previous regions (HLA-C, LIPG, and LDLR) with genome-wide significance. Almost all the variants contributed to lipid levels change and incident hyperlipidemia >8.1-year follow-up among 6428 individuals of a prospective cohort study. The strongest associations for lipid levels change were detected at LPL, TRIB1, APOA1-C3-A4-A5, LIPC, CETP, and LDLR (P range from 4.84×10(-4) to 4.62×10(-18)), whereas LPL, TRIB1, ABCA1, APOA1-C3-A4-A5, CETP, and APOE displayed significant strongest associations for incident hyperlipidemia (P range from 1.20×10(-3) to 4.67×10(-16)). The 4 lipids genetic risk scores were independently associated with linear increases in their corresponding lipid levels and risk of incident hyperlipidemia. A C-statistics analysis showed significant improvement in the prediction of incident hyperlipidemia on top of traditional risk factors including the baseline lipid levels., Conclusions: These findings identified some evidence for allelic heterogeneity in Chinese when compared with Europeans in relation to lipid associations. The individual variants and those cumulative effects were independent risk factors for lipids increase and incident hyperlipidemia., (© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background: The world's population is aging, and the need for nurses is increasing. Working with older adults, however, has always been an unpopular career choice among student nurses. It is important to understand student nurses' motivation for choosing gerontological nursing as a career., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the motivation for choosing gerontological nursing as a career and to identify the associated factors among student nurses., Design: Cross-sectional survey., Settings and Participants: Participants were last-semester student nurses from 7 universities offering nursing undergraduate programs in Shandong, China. Of the 1290 student nurses, 916 completed the survey (a response rate of 71.0%)., Methods: The outcome variable was the motivation to choose gerontological nursing as a career. This was measured using a motivation questionnaire that included expectancy and value subscales. Other instruments included the Chinese version of the Facts on Aging Quiz I, the Geriatrics Attitudes Scale, the Anxiety about Aging Scale, a clinical practice environment questionnaire and a self-administered general information questionnaire., Results: Student nurses' expectancy and value aspects of motivation for choosing gerontological nursing as a career were both at a moderate level; the highest value they held was of personal interest. Clinical practice environment, anxiety about aging and the attitudes about geriatrics were the main factors influencing student nurses' motivation to choose gerontological nursing as a career in China., Conclusions: It is imperative for nurse educators to improve the gerontological nursing clinical practice environment for student nurses. Moreover, cultivating student nurses' positive attitudes about geriatrics and relieving anxiety about aging could be beneficial., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: To analyze the electroclinical features and evolution of patients diagnosed with convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (CwG) from southwest China., Methods: We reviewed and analyzed the medical records of 34 patients (13 males) diagnosed with CwG and followed-up for at least 12 months., Results: The age of onset was 6-29 months and the female/male ratio 1.62. Seizures were generalized in 32 cases. Single seizures in 15 cases were <5 min and multiple seizures 24-48 h after seizure onset were seen in 18 cases. Seizure duration was <1 min in 32.35%, between 1 and 5 min in 55.88%, and between 5 and 10 min in 8.82% of seizures. The average interval between the onset of gastroenteritis and seizures was 2.47 days. Rotavirus antigen was positive in stools in 26.47% of cases. During the acute phase, diazepam and phenobarbital as first-line treatment were effective in 25% and 83.33% of cases, respectively. Fourteen patients showed non-specific anomalies in the interictal electroencephalography. During 12-36 months follow-up, 33 cases showed normal psychomotor development and no seizures., Conclusions: CwG occurred mostly in toddlers. During the acute phase, phenobarbital is more effective in controlling seizures. For a good prognosis, it is unnecessary to administrate long-term anticonvulsants., (Copyright © 2013 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of dental caries in elderly population in northeast China., Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study among 2376 elderly subjects (age: 65-74 years) from nine urban areas and nine rural areas in three provinces of northeast China was conducted using multistage stratified random sampling per the World Health Organization oral health survey methodology. Decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed-filled teeth (DFT) indices were used to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries. Face-to-face questionnaire survey on oral health was performed in a randomly selected subset (n = 1197). T test and chi square test were employed to compare groups for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: 67.5% of elderly subjects reported dental caries (average DFT = 2.68±3.40), and the prevalence was higher in urban areas (P<0.01). Missing teeth accounted for 80.72% of DMFT, and filled teeth due to caries accounted for 2.08% with a rate higher in urban areas (P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis indicated significant association among elderly population in urban areas (OR 1.713; 95% CI 1.337-2.195), smoking (OR 1.779; 95% CI 1.384-2.288), and individuals without dental insurance (OR 2.050; 95% CI 1.120-3.754) with dental caries., Conclusions: The prevalence of dental caries in the elderly population in northeast China is high. The elderly from urban areas who smoke and who do not have a dental insurance are at a higher risk to develop dental caries.

The aridification from Middle Miocene onwards has transformed the Asian interior into an arid environment, and the Pleistocene glacial-interglacial oscillations exerted further ecological impact. Therefore, both aridification and glaciation would have considerably influenced the evolution of many mid-latitude species in temperate Asia. Here, we tested this perspective by a phylogeographic study of the mesobuthid scorpions across temperate Asia using one mitochondrial and three nuclear genes. Concordant mitochondrial and nuclear gene trees were obtained, which are consistent with species tree inferred using a Bayesian approach. The age of the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of all the studied scorpions was estimated to be 12.49 Ma (late Middle Miocene); Mesobuthus eupeus diverged from the clade composing Mesobuthus caucasicus and Mesobuthus martensii in early Late Miocene (10.21 Ma); M. martensii diverged from M. caucasicus at 5.53 Ma in Late Miocene. The estimated MRCA ages of M. martensii and the Chinese lineage of M. eupeus were 2.37 and 0.68 Ma, respectively. Central Asia was identified as the ancestral area for the lineage leading to M. martensii and M. caucasicus and the Chinese lineage of M. eupeus. The ancestral habitat of the genus Mesobuthus is likely to have been characterized by an arid environment; a shift towards more humid habitat occurred in the MRCA of M. martensii and a lineage of M. caucasicus, finally leading to the adaptation of M. martensii to humid environment. Our data strongly support the idea that the stepwise intensified aridifications from Mid-Miocene onwards drove the diversification of mesobuthid scorpions, and suggest that M. martensii and M. eupeus observed today in China originated from an ancestral lineage distributed in Central Asia. Both the colonization and the ensuing evolution of these species in East Asia appear to have been further moulded by Quaternary glaciations., (© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

We reviewed the clinical and electrophysiologic features of 293 children with Guillain-Barré syndrome admitted to the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between 2000 and 2009. The male/female ratio was 2.02, and the syndrome occurred most frequently in those between 1 and 4 years of age. There was no seasonal variation. A total of 46.1% patients had experienced an infection 1 to 4 weeks before the onset of the syndrome. The main subtype was acute motor axonal neuropathy (50.0%), with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (38.1%) ranked as second in frequency. The mean motor disability score at nadir was 3.36 ± 1.00 for all patients, with mild variations among the different subgroups. No significant difference was found in age, seasonal occurrence, cerebrospinal fluid abnormality, and functional status at nadir between the acute motor axonal neuropathy and the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy groups. A total of 36.5% patients had sensory symptoms at admission. Approximately 9.5% of patients required mechanical ventilation. Typical cytoalbuminologic dissociation at cerebrospinal fluid examination was demonstrated in 88.0% of those who underwent lumbar puncture., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diagenetic effect during burial on the hydroxyapatite in enamel and dentin from fossil human and animal teeth was examined, using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). For the enamel and dentin of all fossil teeth, XRD patterns exhibit bulge line and overlap between major reflections of hydroxyapatite, and the crystallinity of hydroxyapatite is low. For each infrared spectrum, H2O and OH(-) have distinct peaks of absorbance, and PO4(3-) and CO3(2-) ions have intensive infrared vibration modes at the fundamental wave numbers. The component of hydroxyapatite of all fossil teeth is similar to the modern biological hydroxyapatite. Furthermore, the index (PCI) which reflects the hydroxyapatite crystallinity of each sample ranges from 2.4 to 4.0 while the index (BPI) reflecting the amount of type B carbonate to phosphate indicates that the values of CO3(2-) content in hydroxyapatite are rather high, accordingly the crystallinity of all fossil hydroxyapatites are poor. It could be concluded that little alteration of hydroxyapatites from fossil human and animal teeth occurred in the process of diagenesis in Jinsha Relict, Chengdu, China.