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Agriculture water use accounts for 70% of the total water withdrawal worldwide. The evapotranspiration during crop growth is one of the important hydrological processes in the agricultural water cycle. This study proposed the concept of artificial irrigation evapotranspiration of irrigated crops to describe that the evapotranspiration caused by irrigation water use. Irrigated crops rely on two kinds of water sources: precipitation and irrigation water. With the construction of irrigation schemes, the artificial irrigation evapotranspiration plays an increasingly important role in the dualistic water cycle system of irrigated cropland. To reveal the amount of artificial irrigation evapotranspiration of 17 categories of irrigated crops in China, this study proposed a new quantitative model system which was established based on traditional evapotranspiration models and soil water balance models. Based on the new model system, we calculated the annual artificial irrigation evapotranspiration of irrigated crops for the period 2013 to 2017 in China. The results showed that the proportion of artificial irrigation evapotranspiration to the total evapotranspiration of irrigated crops was 41.3%, whose value was 228.1 km3 a−1. The artificial irrigation evapotranspiration in different agricultural water management regions were 90.0 km3 a−1 in the northeast region, 86.0 km3 a−1 in the southeast region, and relatively low 52.2 km3a−1 in the west region. The results of this study can provide methods for water management and policy–making in agricultural irrigated areas, and it can also provide a preliminary understanding of the influence of human activities on the dualistic water cycle in cropland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the impact of China's economic stimulus plan in 2008 on the total factor productivity (TFP) of China's listed firms. We hypothesize that firms operating in regions characterized by greater resource misallocation would experience a more pronounced decline in TFP following the implementation of the stimulus plan. To gauge the extent of resource misallocation, we employ the proportion of state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) as a measure. Our findings reveal a substantial decrease in TFP for firms located in provinces with higher SOE shares compared to those in provinces with lower SOE shares, amounting to approximately 9.2%. These results highlight the unintended policy consequence of the stimulus plan for firm‐level productivity in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wave-induced seabed liquefaction significantly jeopardizes the stability of marine structures and the safety of human life. Susceptibility assessment is key to enabling spatial predictions and establishing a solid foundation for effective risk analysis and management. However, the current research encounters various challenges, involving an incomplete evaluation system, poor applicability of methods, and insufficient databases. These issues collectively hinder the accuracy of susceptibility assessments, undermining their utility in engineering projects. To address these challenges, a susceptibility assessment method with the safety factor was developed as the key assessment parameter, allowing for a comprehensive susceptibility assessment across the silt-dominated nearshore environment using Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK). The safety factor is determined by combining the cyclic stress ratio (CSR) and the cyclic resistance ratio (CRR), which characterize wave loadings and sediment properties in the study area, respectively. This method was applied in the Chengdao region of the Yellow River Estuary, China, a typical silt-dominated nearshore environment where wave-induced liquefaction events have been reported as being responsible for multiple oil platform and pipeline accidents. By collecting the regional wave and seabed sediment data from cores spanning from 1998 to 2017, the safety factors were calculated, and a zonal map depicting the susceptibility assessment of wave-induced seabed liquefaction was created. This study can serve as a valuable reference for the construction and maintenance of marine engineering in liquefaction-prone areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few decades, China's power demand has been increasing, and the power fiber plays a key role in ensuring the orderly dispatching of all links of the power system. The study used a wavelet decomposition and reconstruction method, which is a signal processing technique used to decompose complex optical power data into low-frequency and high-frequency signals with different frequency components. Through this decomposition, we can more clearly observe periodic fluctuations, trend changes, and noise components in optical power data. The study also examined different prediction models, including GRU, LSTM, ARMA), etc. The performance of these models in predicting optical power trends is then analyzed, taking into account their accuracy, stability, and computational efficiency. Finally, we carefully evaluated the GRU-ARMA combined prediction model and determined its superior performance in predicting optical power trends. The outcomes show that after adjusting the input data length of the gating cycle cell model and the relevant parameters of the autoregressive sliding mean model, the residual mean value was 0.0141. At the same time, the root mean square error calculated by the combined prediction model of the gating cycle unit-autoregressive moving mean model was 0.000618, which successfully improved the accuracy of predicting the optical power trend of power fiber. This research result provides an important reference for the aging state assessment of power fiber lines, and has an important practical application value for the maintenance of power fiber lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-industrial parks are the real-world implementation of green supply chain management. There is a growing need to include the circular economy concept into supply chain management as a means of striking a better economic, social, and environmental balance, as the importance of the external sustainability of the supply chain is challenging. Using 357 questionnaires filled out by enterprises in China's eco-industrial parks, we examine the connections and causal relationships between resource efficiency, environmental impact, green supply chain management, and circular economy. To learn how a green supply chain's circular economy affects resource efficiency and environmental performance in the China region, this study makes use of the instrumental variable approach (structure equation model (SEM)). The results of this study indicate that environmentally responsible supply chain management and circular economy have beneficial effects on environmental performance and resource efficiency. The management of the GSC has a negative and small impact on economic performance, although each of the components is a substantial contributor to better performance in the environment. Conclusions from this study will assist those responsible for making decisions within supply chains in developing a plan that is useful for increasing a company's performance along economic and environmental dimensions. This study not only broadens our understanding of the factors that influence green supply chain management but also offers theoretical direction for the implementation of successful green production practices by businesses located in eco-industrial parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NADC34-like porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV) has had a significant impact on the pig industry, particularly in China. However, the evolutionary characteristics and pathogenicity of NADC34-like PRRSV strains within intensive farming systems are not well understood, particularly regarding the biological characteristic variation of successive outbreaks on a farm. In this study, we conducted continuous surveillance in an intensive farm that experienced a PRRSV outbreak. Two PRRSV strains, GDHZ109/2020 and GDYS162/2022, were isolated and fully sequenced from the same swine farm in Guangdong Province in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Evolutionary analysis based on the ORF5 gene revealed that both strains clustered with NADC34-like strains and shared 96.5% homology. Analysis of the full-length genome and NSP2 gene classified the strains into lineage 1.8, represented by the NADC30 strain. Recombination analysis suggested complex recombination patterns for both strains, involving NADC30-like, NADC34-like, and JXA1-like strains. Although many recombinant regions were nearly identical, there were differences observed in the NSP5–NSP7 region. Pathogenicity experiments conducted on piglets demonstrated that GDHZ109/2020 exhibited higher pathogenicity compared to GDYS162/2022. Piglets in the GDHZ109/2020 infected group had more severe clinical signs and higher mortality. Moreover, analysis of respiratory microbial diversity indicated a significant increase in the abundance of potentially pathogenic microbiota, such as Klebsiella and Erysipelothrix contributing to the respiratory tract of PRRSV-infected piglets, suggesting secondary infections due to differences in immune defense. These findings highlight the importance of NADC34-like recombinant strains' evolution during the farm's epidemic period, which may have contributed to changes in pathogenicity. This study improves our understanding of the current prevalence of PRRSV and provides novel insights into the prevention and control of PRRSV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wolfberry is rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins, alkaloids, betaines and other bioactive ingredients. For over 2,000 years, wolfberry has been used in China as a medicinal and edible plant resource. Nevertheless, the content of bioactive ingredients varies by cultivars, resulting in uneven quality across wolfberry cultivars and species. To date, research has revealed little about the underlying molecular mechanism of the metabolism of flavonoids, carotenoids, and other bioactive ingredients in wolfberry. Results: In this context, the transcriptomes of the Lycium barbarum L. cultivar 'Ningqi No. 1' and Lycium chinense Miller were compared during the fruit maturity stage using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing platform, and subsequently, the changes of the gene expression profiles in two types of wolfberries were analysed. In total, 256,228,924 clean reads were obtained, and 8817 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, then assembled by Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) similarity searches and annotated using Gene Ontology (GO), Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (KOG), and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). By combining these transcriptome data with data from the PubMed database, 36 DEGs related to the metabolism of bioactive ingredients and implicated in the metabolic pathway of carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, vitamins, etc., were identified. In addition, among the 9 differentially expressed transcription factors, LbAPL, LbPHL11 and LbKAN4 have raised concerns. The protein physicochemical properties, structure prediction and phylogenetic analysis indicated that LbAPL and LbPHL11 may be good candidate genes involved in regulating the flavonoid metabolism pathway in wolfberry. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence for the differences in bioactive ingredient content at the transcription level among different wolfberry species, as well as a research and theoretical basis for the screening, cloning and functional analysis of key genes involved in the metabolism of bioactive ingredients in wolfberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planktonic archaea and bacteria play important roles in biogeochemical cycling, but their biogeographical patterns and underlying ecological processes remain poorly understood, particularly in large‐scale rivers.We collected 43 water samples covering a 2279 km reach of the Jinsha River, one of the largest rivers in southwest China, and performed high‐throughput sequencing analysis on planktonic archaeal and bacterial communities. Partial Mantel analysis and neutral model were used to assess the factors influencing microbial distributions. The associations among different microbial species and their geographical distribution patterns were linked through co‐occurrence networks, and the putative key taxa in the archaeal and bacterial networks were analysed.The Shannon index of both archaeal and bacterial communities was highest in the midstream reach. The Pielou's evenness of archaea did not vary among the three reaches, whereas those of bacteria increased from upstream to downstream. The archaeal and bacterial community compositions were significantly different in the three reaches, but the differences among the bacterial communities were greater than among the archaeal communities.Both dispersal limitation and environmental selection affected the community compositions of the archaea and bacteria, but dispersal limitation was the most influential factor. Compared to archaea, bacteria were less affected by dispersal limitation and more by environmental selection.The co‐occurrence network analysis demonstrated that, compared with the bacterial network of all sites, the archaeal network with larger graph density had higher connectivity and complexity, but a lower proportion of negative correlations. The putative key taxa belonged to Nitrososphaeraceae and Candidatus_Nitrocosmicus from the archaeal community, and Hydrogenophaga and Sphingorhabdus from the bacterial community.Taken together, these findings demonstrated that the planktonic archaea were more dispersal‐limited and showed more network connectivity than the planktonic bacteria in the Jinsha River. This study enhances our understanding of the biogeographical distribution patterns and underlying ecological processes of planktonic microorganisms over large‐scale freshwater systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization has a great impact on urban evapotranspiration. Water evaporation inside buildings is an important part of urban water vapor resources and a crucial core of urban hydrological processes. The systematic studies on building water evaporation (BWE) are mostly the method of experimental monitoring. This study proposed a new method to simulate and estimate water evaporation flux inside buildings in urban areas. Based on the nighttime light data and urban per capita gross domestic product (GDP), a new modeling system was built to simulate the total BWE. Building area was calculated using the nighttime light data. And the BWE coefficient Df was estimated according to the important indicator of economic development per capita GDP value. Then the water evaporation inside urban buildings and the spatial distribution of water evaporation inside buildings in typical cities could be obtained. The results showed that the total amount of water evaporation inside buildings in China's urban areas was 24.5 billion m3. Among the 31 provincial capitals in China, Shanghai had the largest BWE of 1.08 billion m3. The minimum water evaporation of buildings in Lhasa was 20.0 million m3. Studies of BWE can assess urban water budgets, support on‐demand allocation of water resources, and provide a fundamental understanding of the relationship between water resources and energy heat island effects in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heritage buildings are a crucial aspect of a country's cultural heritage, serving as a means of preserving and passing down its history and traditions to future generations. The heritage buildings in southern China possess significant conservation, utilization, and research value. However, research is lacking on the spatial distribution characteristics and subdivision types of these buildings in the region. This study aimed to investigate the spatial agglomeration and distribution characteristics of heritage buildings in southern China, as well as the factors contributing to the formation of these spatial distribution patterns. This article focused on the protection of 981 heritage buildings in southern China since the founding of China. The study examined the buildings' spatial agglomeration and distribution characteristics from various dynasties and subdivided types. It utilized the average nearest neighbor analysis, unbalance index, and kernel density estimation to analyze this distribution. Additionally, this study also investigated the primary factors influencing the spatial distribution and differentiation of these buildings. The results demonstrated the following: (1) In general, the spatial distribution of heritage buildings in southern China is characterized by unevenness and clustering, with a concentration in the eastern coastal and Sichuan provinces. (2) In terms of temporal dimension, the spatial distribution of heritage buildings exhibits unique characteristics in various dynastic zones. (3) In the type dimension, the number of different types of heritage buildings varies greatly. (4) Further analysis of the distribution and types of heritage buildings indicates that quantitative differences are primarily influenced by natural, human, and socio-economic factors. This research was unique as it explored the geospatial distribution characteristics and determinants of heritage buildings. It offers a valuable perspective on the spatial distribution of heritage buildings and can serve as a reference for future studies on the preservation and protection of such buildings in China. Additionally, the findings can provide guidance for the management and rational use of heritage buildings in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2018, the outbreaks of genotype II African swine fever virus (ASFV) in China and several eastern Asian countries have caused a huge impact on the local swine industry, resulting in huge economic losses. However, little is known about the origin, genomic diversity, evolutionary features, and epidemiological history of the genotype II ASFV. Here, 14 high-quality complete genomes of ASFVs were generated via sequencing of samples collected from China over the course of 3 years, followed by phylogenetic and phylodynamic analyses. The strains identified were relatively homogeneous, with a total of 52 SNPs and 11 indels compared with the prototype strain HLJ/2018, among which there were four exceptionally large deletions (620–18,023 nt). Evolutionary analyses revealed that ASFV strains distributed in eastern Asia formed a monophyly and a 'star-like' structure centered around the prototype strain, suggesting a single origin. Additionally, phylogenetic network analysis and ancestral reconstruction of geographic state indicated that genotype II ASFV strains in eastern Asia likely originated from Western Europe. Overall, these results contribute to the understanding of the history and current status of genotype II ASFV strains in eastern Asian, which could be of considerable importance in disease control and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment, consisting of different aggregation fractions, is a hotspot site for transport and transformation of various pollutants including antibiotics. However, the fate of different antibiotics in aquatic sediments mediated by sediment aggregation fraction adsorption and the mechanism behinds are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the adsorption behavior of two fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin) on four aggregation fractions separated from the sediment of Taihu Lake, a typical lake contaminated by antibiotics in China. The results showed that the adsorption of ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin fitted the Freundlich model, irrespective of sediment aggregation size. The adsorption of ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin was depended on the size of sediment aggregation fractions, and the macroaggregation (> 200 μm) exhibited the strongest capacity, followed by large microaggregation (63–200 μm), medium microaggregation (20–63 μm), and small and primary microaggregation (< 20 μm). This fraction size-dependent effects of sediment aggregations on antibiotic adsorption might be closely related to the differences in their specific surface areas, organic matter contents, and surface functional groups. The adsorption of ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin by sediment aggregation fractions was characterized by a combination of chemical and physical adsorptions, with the former being the dominant process. Compared with ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin could be more rapidly and easily absorbed by four sediment aggregation fractions, and more readily complexed with carboxyl groups on macroaggregation surface. The adsorption of two antibiotics by extracellular polymeric substance showed that tryptophan and tyrosine protein-like, humic-like substance on the surface of sediment could bind to both antibiotics through a complexation reaction. The π-π electron donor–acceptor interaction and hydrogen bonds were responsible for the antibiotic adsorption by sediment aggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale oil resources are important supplements for the gradually decreasing oil production from conventional reservoirs. Although the exploitation and development of shale oil have achieved considerable progress in the last decade, the commercial extraction of hydrocarbons from shales is still difficult, especially in the lacustrine sedimentary basins of China. One of the key points controlling the successful extraction of hydrocarbons from shale systems is the understanding of the occurrence mechanism of shale oil. This study comprehensively summarizes the theories and techniques to characterize oil occurrence state, occurrence space, oil content, and oil movability in shale systems. Sophisticated instruments, such as high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and high-energy ray imaging, were utilized to qualitatively analyze the pore networks of shales. Advanced physical experiments and numerical simulation techniques, including step-by-step rock pyrolysis, solvent extraction, and NMR, were introduced to characterize shale oil adsorption and movability. By the comparative analysis of the occurrence space, it is found that the image observation technique especially focuses on concentrated pores, such as organic matter-hosted pores. The fluid injection technology yields particular pore size information, which should be calibrated using other information. The 3D digital core, demonstrating the spatial distribution of minerals and pores, is an effective input for shale oil flow simulation. Geological controls analysis about oil retention in organic-rich shales has found that the inorganic matter pores and fractures are probably the "sweet spot" of shale oil, due to the low oil adsorption and high light hydrocarbons content. Many physical experiments measure the total free oil content but neglect the hydrocarbon–rock interaction and the sequential migration of hydrocarbon compounds. Thus, micro-scaled experiments measuring the hydrocarbon adhesion forces are needed to uncover the occurrence mechanism of shale oil in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women with a high mortality rate. However, the awareness and participation of women in cervical cancer screening were not high, and rare attention was paid to cervical cancer screening. The extensive promotion and execution of cervical cancer screening in China are still facing difficulties. In order to fully comprehend and evaluate the barriers and promote factors of cervical cancer screening in women, the objective of this study was to develop a scientifically sound and clinically useful Chinese cervical cancer screening intention scale. This study would allow for the development of targeted interventions which may contribute to the increase of individual participation in cervical cancer screening going forward. Methods: This study used the Delphi method to construct a Chinese cervical cancer screening intention scale based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and evaluate its validity. The study was based on the overview of the TPB questionnaire proposed by Ajzen, and was conducted through the literature search and two rounds of the Delphi expert consultation. According to the literature search published from 2012 to 2022, the scale item pool was established and a questionnaire was designed. A survey of 16 experts from 6 different provinces, cities and regions in China was conducted, and the Delphi technique was used to collect and analyze expert opinions data. Results: The final scale consisted of 4 dimensions and 23 items. The response rates in two rounds of expert consultation were 80% and 93.75%, respectively, with authority coefficients of 0.928 and 0.930. Variation coefficients varied from 0.07 to 0.21. Dimensions included "attitude towards behavior", "subjective norm", "perceived behavioral control" and "behavioral intention". Conclusions: Women's cervical cancer screening intentions could be assessed with the scale, since it had high validity and reliability, as well as high authority and coordination, meanwhile affording explanations and improving the efficiency of interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), a single (+) RNA virus, is characterized by high genome variability and constant evolution. Owing to increasingly complex mutations, there is a growing difficulty in accessing the whole genome. Additionally, there is limited knowledge on PRRSV intra‐host nucleotide variants, which may reflect the complex viral‐host dynamics. Here, we performed next‐generation sequencing on four clinical lung tissues to reveal the genomic diversity and highlight virus‐host interactions. The complete genomes of the HN0713 and GDYJ1224 strains shared 90.7% and 91.3% homology with the lineage 1 strain NADC30, respectively, while the GDGZ0408 and GDHY0425 strains shared 92.0% and 91.6% homology with the JXA1 strain, respectively. Recombination analysis showed that the ORF5–7 genes of the GDGZ0408 and GDHY0425 strains, whose complete genomes belong to lineage 8.7 based on the phylogenetic tree, are both recombined with lineage 3 strains. Furthermore, nsp3, nsp10–12, ORF2 genes and a part of the 3′‐UTR of the GDHY0425 strain were provided by the lineage 5.1 strain. Two lineage 1 strains (GDYJ1224 and HN0713) were produced by a recombination of lineages 8.7 and 1. Additionally, the lineage 3 strain was associated with the recombinant HN0713 strain. We determined the intra‐host single nucleotide variant frequencies and found more than 200 sites at a frequency of >1% in all samples. GDGZ0408 with parts of the nsp9 and nsp10 genes of HP‐PRRSV lineage 8.7 presented more genetically diverse populations than others, indicating that lineage 8.7 might drive robust intra‐host single nucleotide variants (iSNVs). Moreover, in the iSNV pools, nsp2 and ORF2a presented the highest mutation dynamic. Overall, this study provided evidence for the alarmingly increasing recombination and ever‐changing evolutionary dynamics of PRRSV, and revealed the potential causes of vaccine escape, providing a novel insight into the nucleotide variant population in clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast abscess is developed on the basis of acute mastitis, which will cause damage to the physical and mental health of lactating women and is an important factor affecting the rate of breastfeeding. This study examined the risk factors for mastitis to develop into breast abscess, and analyzed the distribution of pathogenic bacteria, bacterial resistance, and treatment outcome. Methods: The medical records of 316 cases of mastitis and 219 cases of breast abscess were retrospectively collected. We analyzed the bacterial distribution of mastitis and breast abscess, and compared the differences of bacterial drug resistance. Univariate analysis and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the following aspects: age, primiparity or not, history of breast surgery, body temperature, puerperium or not, onset time, located in the nipple/areolar complexe area or not, history of massage by non-professionals, staphylococcus aureus/methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or not, diabetes and white blood cell count. Results: Of the 535 patients, 203 (37.9%) were positive for staphylococcus aureus. There were 133 (65.5%) cases of methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and 70 (34.5%) cases of MRSA. Concerning bacterial drug resistance, a statistical analysis showed that MSSA had high resistance rate to penicillin (96.2%), ampicillin (91%), clindamycin (42.9%) and erythromycin (45.9%). MRSA had a high resistance rate to penicillin (100%), ampicillin (98.6%), oxacillin (95.7%), erythromycin (81.4%), clindamycin (80%), and amoxicillin (31.7%). Risk factors for progression of mastitis to breast abscess include a body temperature<38.5°C, a postpartum time ≥ 42 days, an onset time ≥ 2 days, lesions in the nipple/areolar complex area, a history of massage by non-medical staff and bacterial cultures for milk or pus that test positive for staphylococcus aureus or MRSA (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The most common pathogenic bacteria of mastitis and breast abscess is staphylococcus aureus. There are many risk factors for mastitis to develop into breast abscess. We should take effective measures for its risk factors and select sensitive antibiotics according to the results of bacterial culture to reduce the formation of breast abscess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible and medicinal mushrooms are extensively cultivated and commercially consumed around the world. However, green mold disease (causal agent, Trichoderma spp.) has resulted in severe crop losses on mushroom farms worldwide in recent years and has become an obstacle to the development of the Ganoderma industry in China. In this study, a new species and a new fungal pathogen on Ganoderma sichuanense fruitbodies were identified based on the morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of two genes, the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) and the second-largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) genes. The new species, Trichoderma ganodermatigerum sp. nov., belongs to the Harzianum clade, and the new fungal pathogen was identified as Trichoderma koningiopsis. Furthermore, in order to better understand the interaction between Trichoderma and mushrooms, as well as the potential biocontrol value of pathogenic Trichoderma, we summarized the Trichoderma species and their mushroom hosts as best as possible, and the phylogenetic relationships within mushroom pathogenic Trichoderma species were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop and validate a pretreatment computed tomography (CT)-based deep-learning (DL) model for predicting the treatment response to concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) among patients with locally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC).Methods and Materials: We conducted a prospective, multicenter study on the therapeutic efficacy of CCRT among TESCC patients across 9 hospitals in China (ChiCTR2000039279). A total of 306 patients with locally advanced TESCC diagnosed by histopathology from August 2015 to May 2020 were included in this study. A 3-dimensional DL radiomics model (3D-DLRM) was developed and validated based on pretreatment CT images to predict the response to CCRT. Furthermore, the prediction performance of the newly developed 3D-DLRM was analyzed according to 3 categories: radiation therapy plan, radiation field, and prescription dose used.Results: The 3D-DLRM achieved good prediction performance, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.897 (95% confidence interval, 0.840-0.959) for the training cohort and 0.833 (95% confidence interval, 0.654-1.000) for the validation cohort. Specifically, the 3D-DLRM accurately predicted patients who would not respond to CCRT, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% for the validation cohort. Moreover, the 3D-DLRM performed well in all 3 categories, each with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of >0.8 and positive predictive values of approximately 100%.Conclusion: The proposed pretreatment CT-based 3D-DLRM provides a potential tool for predicting the response to CCRT among patients with locally advanced TESCC. With the help of precise pretreatment prediction, we may guide the individualized treatment of patients and improve survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study aimed to investigate whether soluble dietary fibers (SDFs) could protect against obesity by influencing weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat rate (BFR), visceral fat rate (VFR), or waistline. Methods. We examined obese adult patients from western China at 0 and 3 weeks after an SDF diet. Index assessments of obesity including height, weight, BMI, BFR, VFR, and waistline were carried out. We used the Mann–Whitney U test to examine the difference between the usual diet and the SDF group. Results. Weight, BMI, BFR, and waistline were reduced in both the control group and the SDF group (P < 0.001). The reduction of the four indices in the SDF group was significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.001). Higher intake of various SDFs has significantly reduced the weight, BMI, BFR, and waistline than the usual diet group in obesity. Conclusion. Our results indicated that increased intake of SDFs in the diet of obese patients would protect against obesity in the first 3 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of gallbladder carcinoma (GBM) in China has increased in recent years. Here, the functional mechanism of lncRNA TTN-AS1 in GBC was preliminary elucidated. Methods: The expression levels of lncRNA TTN-AS1, miR-107, and HMGA1 in tissues and cell lines were assessed by RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assays. Cell invasion and migration abilities were evaluated by Transwell assays. The relationship between miR-107 and lncRNA TTN-AS1 or HMGA1 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. Results: Upregulation of lncRNA TTN-AS1 and downregulation of miR-107 were detected in GBC. Furthermore, the expressions between TTN-AS1 and miR-107 were mutually inhibited in GBC. Functionally, lncRNA TTN-AS1 promoted cell viability and motility in GBC by sponging miR-107. In addition, miR-107 directly targets HMGA1. And HMGA1 can be positively regulated by lncRNA TTN-AS1 in GBC. Furthermore, HMGA1 promoted GBC progression by interacting with lncRNA TTN-AS1/miR-107 axis. Conclusion: LncRNA TTN-AS1 acted as a tumor promoter in GBC by sponging miR-107 and upregulating HMGA1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African swine fever has caused substantial economic losses to China's pig industry in recent years. Currently, the highly pathogenic African swine fever virus strain of genotype II is predominantly circulating in China, accompanied by a series of emerging isolates displaying unique genetic variations. The pathogenicity of these emerging strains is still unclear. Recently, a novel ASFV strain with a distinguishable three-large-fragment gene deletion was obtained from the field specimens, and its in vivo pathogenicity and transmission were evaluated in this study. The animal experiment involved inoculating a high dose of YNFN202103 and comparing its effects with those of the highly pathogenic strain GZ201801_2. Results showed that pigs infected by YNFN202103 exhibited significantly prolonged onset and survival time, lower viremia levels, and less severe histopathological lesions compared to GZ201801_2. These findings contributed valuable insights into the pathogenicity and transmission of ASFV and its prevention and eradication strategies in practical settings. • This animal study compared the pathogenicity of the African swine fever virus strains YNFN202103 and GZ201801_2. • The time of onset and survival for animals infected with YNFN202103 were significantly extended compared with the highly pathogenic GZ201801_2. • Viral loads, viral shedding, and histopathological lesions in sentinel pigs indicated a lower virulence for YNFN202103. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microeukaryotes are considered critical for biogeochemical cycles and material transformation in river ecosystems, but their biogeography and underlying mechanisms of their assemblages remain poorly understood.We collected 35 water samples and 26 sediment samples covering an 1,148 km reach of the Lancang River, a highly regulated large river in south‐western China. The planktonic and sedimentary microeukaryotic communities were analysed by sequencing the V4 region of eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene. Factors associated with patterns in microeukaryotic communities were assessed by canonical correlation analysis and neutral models. Species interactions and keystone species in microeukaryotic communities were investigated by co‐occurrence network analysis.The results showed that community composition was distinct between planktonic and sedimentary microeukaryotes, as well as between upstream natural sites and regulated sites downstream. Similar environmental (pH, nutrient concentrations) and spatial (altitude, distance) variables were associated with patterns in community composition of planktonic and sedimentary microeukaryote communities, except that turbidity and water temperature were associated only with patterns in planktonic communities.Neutral models were an excellent fit to the distributions of both planktonic (r2 = 0.67) and sedimentary (r2 = 0.50) microeukaryotic communities. The estimated immigration rate (m) from planktonic communities (m = 0.032) was higher than from sedimentary communities (m = 0.022).Co‐occurrence pattern analysis showed that planktonic microeukaryotic networks had more connectivity but a lower proportion of positive interactions than sedimentary microeukaryotic networks. Keystone species, in particular those belonging to phylum Ascomycota, played essential roles in maintaining stability of both planktonic and sedimentary microeukaryotic communities.Our results showed that the composition of planktonic and sedimentary microeukaryote communities differ, and that diversity in both communities was influenced by river regulation. Given the important roles played by microeukaryotes in nutrient cycling and food webs, such impacts may alter other ecosystem processes in rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The vulnerability of cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients' health abilities, combined with the severity of the disease and the overlapping risk factors, leads such people to bear the economic burden of the disease due to the medical services. We estimated the economic burden of CVD and identified the weak link in the design of the medical insurance.Methods: Data from 5610 middle-aged and elderly with CVD were drawn from the 2015 wave of "China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study" (CHARLS). The recommended method of the "World Health Organization" (WHO) was adopted to calculate "catastrophic health expenditure" (CHE), "impoverishment by medical expenses" (IME), and applied the treatment-effect model to analyze the determinants of CHE.Results: The incidence of CHE was 19.9% for the elderly families with CVD members, which was 3.6% higher than for uninsured families (16.3%). Families with CVD combined with > 3 other chronic diseases (38.88%) were the riskiest factor for the high CHE in the new rural cooperative medical system (NCMS). Moreover, families with members > 75 years old (33.33%), having two chronic disease (30.74%), and families having disabled members (33.33%), hospitalization members (32.41%) were identified as the high risky determinants for the high CHE in NCMS.Conclusions: Elderly with physical vulnerabilities were more prone to CHE. The medical insurance only reduced barriers to accessing health resources for elderly with CVD; however it lacked the policy inclination for high-utilization populations, and had poorly accurate identification of the vulnerable characteristics of CVD, which in turn affects the economic protection ability of the medical insurance. The dispersion between the multiple medical security schemes leads to the existence of blind spots in the economic risk protection of individuals and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the association between real earnings management and the cost of equity from the perspective of the heterogeneity of institutional investors. Based on a sample of publicly listed high-tech firms in China from 2008 to 2017, our empirical results suggest that there is a significant negative correlation between earnings management and the cost of equity capital. This finding is contrary to previous conclusion, indicating that, in China, real earnings management cannot be effectively identified by external investors, and the company could easily obtain financing from the capital market and reduce its cost of equity due to its masked excellent performance by manipulating the real earnings management. Furthermore, we find that compared with transient institutional investors, stable institutional investors with the intention of holding the stock for the long-term can effectively reduce the cost of equity. Our results also show that real earnings management under the supervision of stable institutional investors could be more easily identified by shareholders and stable institutional investors could diminish the impact of earnings management on the cost of equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firm innovation is embedded in a collaboration network among researchers and a knowledge network composed of knowledge elements; the two networks are decoupled. Guided by social network theory, this study puts forward the definition and the classification of firm dual network structure, probes into the influence of dual network structure on firm performance, and explores the alignment between innovation strategy and firm dual network structure. We conduct an empirical study of 183 listed companies in China from 2004 to 2018. It is found that the four types of dual network structure all have positive impacts on firm performance, and the impact of a collaboration network is slightly higher than that of a knowledge network. Besides, innovation strategy plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between dual network structure and firm performance. Our findings provide new ideas for firms to identify and optimise knowledge and collaboration network structures and match them with innovation strategy to improve performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of unstable sealing in the sealing section of a gassy, soft coal seam, a seal reinforcement material for gas extraction boreholes was developed, which was mainly made of ordinary Portland cement and blended with additives such as aluminium powder, quicklime, and gypsum. Firstly, in order to obtain the necessary expansion and compressive strength of reinforcement material, key factors affecting the material properties were determined. Key factors affecting the expansion properties and compressive strength of reinforcing materials were investigated by a single-factor test. Moreover, according to the central combination (Box–Behnken) experimental principle and response surface analysis (RSA), the interactions of various factors on the expansion and compressive strength were determined, and the optimal experimental conditions were acquired. The experimental results indicated that the optimum ratio of the material was 2% for gypsum and 0.52% for aluminium powder and quicklime at the experimental temperature of 20°C, and the ratio of water to material was 0.6. Finally, in the N1103 working face of No. 3 coal seam of Yuwu coal mine, Luan Group, China, the sealing property of the reinforcement material was validated, and the problem of hole collapse at the borehole orifice was solved (resulting in a gas concentration 2.48 times that measured before borehole reinforcement), and the gas drainage effect was enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Recreational nitrogen oxide (N2O) abuse can cause nervous system damage. There was a sharp increase in the number of patients with neurological disorders associated with recreational N2O use in China, as recreational N2O use became popular in young people nationwide. Among cases with neurological disorders caused by N2O abuse, a few showed skin hyperpigmentation, which has rarely been reported. We explored the characteristics of hyperpigmentation in N2O abusers to draw the attention of clinicians to this rare cutaneous symptom related to N2O abuse. Methods: We retrospectively collected data of patients with neurological disorders related to recreational N2O abuse in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2014 to June 2019. Detailed clinical data were gathered from patients who manifested skin pigmentation, including the history of N2O abuse and characteristics of neurological lesions and skin pigmentation. Results: In total, 66 patients (average age: 22.7 ± 4.5 years, 36 males) with neurological disorders due to N2O abuse were included; four of them (17–23 years old, 1 male) manifested skin hyperpigmentation. The duration of N2O abuse of the four patients ranged from 2 to 24 months, and they all had peripheral neuropathy; the two patients also had subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord. One patient exhibited significant hyperpigmentation throughout the body (trunk, limbs, and face), with no abnormalities in cortisol and other biochemical tests. One patient presented with punctuate pigmentation throughout the trunk. Two patients presented with finger skin pigmentation, especially in the distal phalanxes. Pigmentation after N2O use remitted slowly with vitamin B12 supplementation. Conclusion: Skin hyperpigmentation is a rare symptom in N2O abusers, which can distribute locally in hands or diffusely throughout the body. Therefore, attention should be paid to a history of N2O abuse and serum vitamin B12 level should be tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropospheric ozone in the surface air has become the primary atmospheric pollutant in Hangzhou, China, in recent years. Previous analysis is not enough to decode it for better regulation. Therefore, we use the traditional atmospheric model, Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with Community Multi-scale Air Quality (WRF-CMAQ), and machine learning models, Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP), Random Forest (RF) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) to analyze and predict the ozone in the surface air in Hangzhou, China, using meteorology and air pollutants as input. We firstly quantitatively demonstrate that the dew-point deficit, instead of temperature and relative humidity, is the predominant meteorological factor in shaping tropospheric ozone. Urban heat island, daily direct solar radiation time, wind speed and wind direction play trivial role in impacting tropospheric ozone. NO 2 is the primary influential factors both for hourly ozone and daily O 3 -8 h due to the titration effect. The most environmental-friendly way to mitigate the ozone pollution is to lower the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the highest ozone formation potentials. We deduce that the tropospheric ozone formation process tends to be not only non-linear but also non-smooth. Compared with the traditional atmospheric models, machine learning, whose characteristics are rapid convergence, short calculating time, adaptation of forecasting episodes, small program memory, higher accuracy and less cost, is able to predict tropospheric ozone more accurately. Image 1 • Dew-point deficit is the predominant meteorological factor in shaping tropospheric ozone. • Urban heat island has little impact on tropospheric ozone. • The chemical reaction to produce tropospheric ozone tends to be non-smooth. • RNN is the best model to predict tropospheric ozone. • Reducing the VOCs with the highest OFP is the most eco-friendly and effective regulation on ozone pollution. Dew-point deficit is the predominant meteorological factor in shaping tropospheric ozone and the chemical reaction to produce ozone tends to be non-smooth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower respiratory tract illness is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, however, information about the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of LRTIs caused by HMPV and HBoV in China is limited. Objectives: Human bocavirus (HBoV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) are two important viruses for children with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). We aimed to assay the correlation between viral load and clinical characteristics of HBoV and HMPV with LRTI in Changsha, China. Methods: Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) from children with LRTI were collected. Real‐time PCR was used to screen HBoV and HMPV. Analyses were performed using SPSS 16.0 software. Results: Pneumonia was the most frequent diagnosis. There was no significant difference between HBoV‐ and HMPV‐positive patients in age (P = .506) or hospitalization duration (P = .280); 24.1% and 18.2% were positive for HBoV and HMPV. HBoV infections peaked in summer (32.2%), and HMPV infections peaked in winter (28.9%). The HBoV‐positive patients had a shorter hospitalization duration than the HBoV‐negative patients (P = .021), and the HMPV‐positive patients had a higher prevalence of fever than the HMPV‐negative patients (P = .002). The HBoV viral load was significantly higher among patients aged <1 year (P = .006). The mean HBoV and HMPV viral loads were not significantly different between patients with single infections and coinfections. Patients infected with HBoV only were older than those coinfected with HBoV and other respiratory viruses (P = .005). No significant difference was found in the clinical characteristics of patients infected with HMPV only and those coinfected with HMPV and other respiratory viruses. Conclusion: Pneumonia was the most frequent diagnosis caused by HBoV and HMPV. Neither HBoV nor HMPV viral load was correlated with disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To translate the Self-care Ability Scale for the Elderly into Simplified Chinese and to test the Chinese version of the scale regarding its reliability and validity among older people. Background Self-care is an important topic in nursing. When assessing older people's self-care ability, it is essential that a reliable and valid instrument is used. Design This study employed across-sectional design. Methods We translated the English version of the Self-care Ability Scale for the Elderly into Simplified Chinese according to Brislin's translation guidelines and carried out a questionnaire survey among 610 older people, including both community-dwelling people and hospital patients, in Jinzhou City, People's Republic of China. Eighty participants completed the instrument twice for test-retest reliability. Data analyses were performed using spss 17.0 and Mplus, version 5, to assess reliability and validity. Results A Cronbach's alpha coefficient of .89 and statistically significant item-to-total correlations showed evidence of homogeneity. An intraclass correlation coefficient of .99 for the test-retest between total scores and intraclass correlation coefficients between .87-.99 for the test-retest scores of each item explained the almost perfect test-retest reliability noted in this study. Content validity was found to be good, and a three-factor model was obtained in an exploratory factor analysis (explaining a variance of 57%) and modified in a confirmatory factor analysis (χ2 = 261.559, df = 98, root mean square error of approximation = 0.074; standardised root mean square residual = 0.059), which reflected an acceptable construct validity. Conclusions This study shows that the Chinese version of the Self-care Ability Scale for the Elderly has sufficient psychometric properties for assessing self-care ability among older people in China. Relevance to clinical practice A reliable and valid instrument is available to assess the self-care ability of older Chinese people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study aimed to translate the English version of the Nutritional Form For the Elderly into Simplified Chinese, as well as to test the reliability (homogeneity and stability) and validity (content and construct validity) of the Chinese version of the Nutritional Form For the Elderly (NUFFE-CHI).Design: The study adopted a cross-sectional design. The English version of the NUFFE was translated into Simplified Chinese and a questionnaire survey was conducted. The data were analysed with statistical methods to estimate the homogeneity, stability, content and construct validity.Setting: Jinzhou City, China.Subjects: A total number of 701 community-dwelling older adults answered the questionnaire, including background variables and the NUFFE-CHI. A small group of the participants (n 50) completed the NUFFE-CHI twice for test-retest reliability.Results: Cronbach's α was 0·65 and the split-half reliability was 0·67. Item-to-total correlation analyses showed that the scale has sufficient internal consistency. The test-retest reliability regarding the total scores of NUFFE-CHI was reflected in an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0·88. The intra-class correlation coefficients between the test and retest of the NUFFE-CHI items varied between 0·43 and 0·98. A content validity index of 0·83 explained good content validity. Construct validity was demonstrated in an exploratory factor analysis with a six-factor solution, explaining 57·65 % of the variance.Conclusions: This first testing of the NUFFE-CHI indicates sufficient evidence for reliability, content and construct validity. Further testing studies regarding homogeneity, concurrent validity, sensitivity and specificity are required before the NUFFE-CHI can be used as a screening instrument in clinical settings and in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cyanopeptides of emerging ecotoxicological concern were detected in Taihu. • Cyanopeptides were stronger factors than nutrients in driving microbial turnover. • Cyanopeptides degradation was co-affected by degraders and microbiological setups. • Stochasticity of microbial assembly could be mediated by cyanopeptides. Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) are globally intensifying and exacerbated by climate change and eutrophication. However, microbiota assembly mechanisms underlying CyanoHABs remain elusive. Especially, cyanopeptides, as a group of bioactive secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria, could affect microbiota assembly and ecosystem function. Here, the trajectory of cyanopeptides was followed and linked to microbiota during Microcystis -dominated CyanoHABs in Lake Taihu, China. The most abundant cyanopeptide classes detected included microginin, spumigin, microcystin, nodularin and cyanopeptolin with total MC-LR-equivalent concentrations between 0.23 and 2051.54 ppb, of which cyanotoxins beyond microcystins (e.g., cyanostatin B and nodularin_R) far exceeded reported organismal IC 50 and negatively correlated with microbiota diversity, exerting potential collective eco-toxicities stronger than microcystins alone. The microbial communities were differentiated by size fraction and sampling date throughout CyanoHABs, and surprisingly, their variances were better explained by cyanopeptides (19-38%) than nutrients (0-16%). Cyanopeptides restriction (e.g., inhibition) and degradation were first quantitatively verified as the deterministic drivers governing community assembly, with stochastic processes being associated with the interplay between cyanopeptide dynamics and lake microbiota. This study presents an emerging paradigm in which cyanopeptides restriction and degradation co-mediate lake water microbiota assembly, unveiling new insights into the ecotoxicological significance of CyanoHABs to freshwater ecosystems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To establish the reliability and validity of an automated hearing screening test system for children. Design: Cross-sectional within a comparative study of subjects. Study sample: Subjects were 325 first-grade and second-grade children (6-10 years old) from primary schools in Shenzhen, China. Results: Using the conventional pure-tone screening test with the pass/refer criterion set as 25 dB HL, as the ʽgold standard', the sensitivity and specificity of the automated hearing screening test was 0.63 and 0.82, respectively. No specific pattern in the failure rates was observed to relate to the students' grade. There was no statistically significant age effect or gender effect. Conclusions: The results suggest that with further improvement in terms of its sensitivity and specificity, it may be feasible to use the automated hearing screening test system to conduct routine school hearing screenings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oilfield drilling sites are the potential dispersive pollution source of groundwater, especially to shallow groundwater. The pollution risk assessment in these areas is an important reference for effective groundwater management and protection. The vulnerability assessment alone is not sufficient for groundwater contamination risk assessment. In this study, we developed a comprehensive groundwater pollution risk assessment method for oilfield drilling sites that combine groundwater vulnerability, pollution source hazard, and groundwater value function to produce a more comprehensive result. Consider the oilfield drilling area in Yitong County of Jilin Province, China, as an example. Thematic maps of the three aspects (groundwater vulnerability, pollution source hazard, and groundwater value function) were generated in ArcGIS environment to assess the contamination risk of groundwater in quaternary pore unconfined aquifer. The results show that 9.92% of the study area is characterized as being at high risk. These areas are mainly distributed around the center position of the oil drilling site, floodplains, and the reservoir. The moderate risk area accounts for 21.04% of the total area. It is distributed in the first-level terrace, mainly because of the high function value of groundwater. The remaining 69.04% of the study area is characterized as none and mild risk, mainly distributed in the valleys and terraces. This integrated groundwater contamination risk assessment method is suited for comparative assessment of multiple-point sources of contamination at a regional scale. Finally, the groundwater contamination risk grade distributed in this area provides a reference for effective protection and sustainable supply of groundwater in the oilfield drilling area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juvenile hormone and ecdysone are key regulators in the metamorphosis and development. Grocho (Gro) is a highly conserved protein required for metamorphosis and development. Brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) is a major pest affecting rice production in China and many Asian countries. Although the molecular function of Gro has been investigated in holometabolous insects such as Aedes aegypti and Drosophila melanogaster, their role in the hemimetabolous insect, brown planthopper, and the relationship between NlGro/NlGro1-L and JH/ecdysone signaling pathway, remained unknown. In this study, NlGroucho (NlGro) and NlGroucho1-like (NlGro1-L) were cloned. An analysis of the predicted protein sequence showed that NlGro has highly conserved Q domain and WD40 domain, and NlGro1-L has a highly conserved WD40 domain. The expression profiles of both genes were studied by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Their relative expressions were high in egg, head, wing, ovary, and testis. NlGro and NlGro1-L were found to interact genetically with juvenile hormone and ecdysone signaling by hormone treatment and RNAi of JH/ecdysone signaling-related genes. Moreover, when NlGro or NlGro1-L was down-regulated alone, the survival rate was decreased, the ovarian development was delayed, and the oviposition was also affected. All defects were aggravated when NlGro and NlGro1-L were down-regulated together. This study will help to develop new pesticides on the basis of the function of NlGro and NlGro1-L, and provide new possibilities for the control of Nilaparvata lugens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithopone pigments are an important group of white inorganic pigments, with production exceeding 240,000 tons/year in China. Nevertheless, our understanding of its environmental behavior is still limited. In this work, we reported the fast and extensive release of Zn2+ from the commercial lithopone pigment under solar exposure. The lithopone pigment released 40.97% of its total Zn within 24-h simulated sunlight exposure, generating a significant amount of nanoparticles. The commercial lithopone pigment had bandgap energy of 3.63 eV. It can be excited within the solar spectrum (wavelength <342 nm). As suggested by the photocurrent and surface photovoltage results, the pigment generated electrons and holes with good separation and transfer efficiency upon solar irradiation. The pigment also produced hydroxyl radical and superoxide by the oxidation of surface-bound OH− and H 2 O by the holes and direct transfer of the electrons to oxygen molecules. The photogenerated holes can oxidize the pigment, leading to its photo-dissolution and consequently the release of Zn2+. The water chemistry, including pH, coexisting anions, and organic carbons, influenced the photo-dissolution kinetics of the pigment by changing the valence band edge, forming stable precipitates, competing for the holes, and screening effect. The release of Zn2+ from the commercial lithopone pigment was fast and extensive under natural conditions, with 35.16% Zn released within 6-h solar exposure. Our results highlighted the crucial role of photochemistry in the environmental risk assessments and regulations of commercial lithopone pigments. [Display omitted] • Lithopone pigments will undergo photo-dissolution under the solar spectrum. • Zn2+ was released during the solar-induced dissolution of the lithopone pigments. • Lithopone pigments have good charge separation efficiency upon irradiation. • The photo-dissolution process was mediated by interactions with photogenerated holes. • Water chemistry significantly influenced the release kinetics of Zn2+ from pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Evaluating population genetic background and genomic selection signatures can provide important insights into the uniqueness and the genetic relationship among breeds. In this study, we analyzed the genetic diversity, population structure, and phylogenetic relationships between Huaxi cattle and its ancestors. The results showed that Huaxi cattle has formed its own unique genetic structure features, which could be clearly distinguished from its ancestors and similar populations. Moreover, some genes associated with important economic traits, including growth and development, reproduction, milk quality, and immune response, were identified by scanning potentially selected genomic regions, which may play an essential role in the excellent environmental adaptability and growth performance of Huaxi cattle. Our study will contribute to the genetic evaluation and rational breeding strategy, and give an extensive reference for understanding the genetic basis of economically important traits in Huaxi cattle. Huaxi cattle, a specialized beef cattle breed in China, has the characteristics of fast growth, high slaughter rate, and net meat rate, good reproductive performance, strong stress resistance, and wide adaptability. In this study, we evaluated the genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic relationships of Huaxi cattle and its ancestor populations at the genome-wide level, as well as detecting the selection signatures of Huaxi cattle. Principal component analysis (PCA) and phylogenetic analysis revealed that Huaxi cattle were obviously separated from other cattle populations. The admixture analysis showed that Huaxi cattle has distinct genetic structures among all populations at K = 4. It can be concluded that Huaxi cattle has formed its own unique genetic features. Using integrated haplotype score (iHS) and composite likelihood ratio (CLR) methods, we identified 143 and 199 potentially selected genes in Huaxi cattle, respectively, among which nine selected genes (KCNK1, PDLIM5, CPXM2, CAPN14, MIR2285D, MYOF, PKDCC, FOXN3, and EHD3) related to ion binding, muscle growth and differentiation, and immunity were detected by both methods. Our study sheds light on the unique genetic feature and phylogenetic relationship of Huaxi cattle, provides a basis for the genetic mechanism analysis of important economic traits, and guides further intensive breeding improvement of Huaxi cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cletus punctiger is a famous economic crop pest in China, especially for rice. Here, we first reported the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of this pest. The mitochondrial genome is 16,166 bp in length, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region (D-Loop). The maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree confirmed that C. punctiger belonged to the Coreidae subfamily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheum rhabarbarum is widely used in China to treat gout and constipation. We assembled and annotated the complete chloroplast genome of R. rhabarbarum. The length of the chloroplast genome is 161,723 bp, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 87,004 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 12,761 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 30,979 bp. The chloroplast genome included 130 genes, consisting of 36 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, 2 pseudogenes, and 84 protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the position of R. rhabarbarum within the family Polygonaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We develop a framework to explore the underlying factors in city's CE performance. • Recycling industry in higher recycling rate cities had a more prominent function. • Manufacturing, mining and the internal environment are the key sectors. • Mutualism with recycling industry benefitted cities' CE performance. • Competition with recycling industry inhibited cities' CE performance. Confronting intense resource and environmental pressures, China initiated circular economy (CE) strategies and has implemented promoting local practice to approach the challenge. Cities are key policy executors in promoting CE policies. To evaluate a city's CE performance, most studies have adopted only indicators. However, the correlation between CE indicators and the internal socioeconomic metabolic system is unclear but important to understand the formation mechanism of CE performance. Therefore, this study aims to establish a correlation via ecological network analysis and provides an analytical framework to explore the mechanism behind CE performance. Taking 16 cities of Shandong Province as example, a city's ecological network model with 9 sectors was constructed to identify the key factors based on standardized material flow accounting. The results showed that a strong positive correlation presented between urban resource productivity and the economic development level. Recycling industry in the cities with higher recycling rate had a more prominent function in urban system because of their large volumes and the great effects on other sectors. CE performances were mainly affected by the key sectors including manufacturing, mining and internal environment (IE) that have large effects or specific ecological relationships with the recycling industry (RI) and IE. The sectors in mutualism or competition relationships with RI benefitted or inhibited city's CE performance, respectively. The sectors that presented a resource-exploitation relationship or control relationship with IE limited city's CE performance. Our research provides a method for analyzing a city's CE performance from the perspective of socioeconomic metabolism. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether PM 2.5 can be long-range transported and what role secondary inorganic aerosols play in the episodes of haze have aroused numerous debates. In this work, Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) is used to analyze and predict ambient PM 2.5 in eight regional core cities in China to resolve the clashes, and the conclusions are listed as follows. Gaseous air pollutants (SO 2 , NO 2 , O 3 and CO) are way more momentous than meteorological conditions in shaping PM 2.5. PM 2.5 level is dominated by the ups and downs of gaseous air pollutants, indicating the predominance of secondary inorganic aerosols and the existence of thermodynamic equilibrium between PM 2.5 and gaseous air pollutants. The secondary PM 2.5 tends to be generated within one hour. We quantitatively demonstrate that the primary emissions change and long-range transport are ubiquitously and conspicuously insignificant throughout the main cities of China and reductions of the gaseous air pollutants are most essential for regulating PM 2.5. Furthermore, the phenology of local flora as the minor cause and lopsided thermodynamic equilibrium shift triggered by temperature change as the major cause elicit the severity of PM 2.5 in wintertime--for every Celsius degree of temperature drop, PM 2.5 increases by 5.9 μg/m3. • Gaseous air pollutants (SO 2 , NO 2 , O 3 and CO) are more momentous than meteorological conditions in shaping PM 2.5. • PM 2.5 level is chiefly predominated by the secondary inorganic aerosols throughtout China. • The insignificances of primary emissions change and long-range transport are quantitatively verified in shaping PM 2.5. • The severity of PM 2.5 in wintertime is attributed to the lopsided thermodynamic equilibrium shift and the phenology of local flora. • In wintertime, for every Celsius degree of temperature drop, PM 2.5 increases by 5.9 μg/m3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1. Pinus Sylvestris var. mongolica is more conducive to increasing the soil organic carbon and available phosphorus contents. • 2. Pinus tabuliformis is more beneficial for increasing the total nitrogen content. • 3. Robinia pseudoacacia and Caragana korshinskii are more effective for increasing available potassium content. Vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid areas plays an extremely important role in improving the ecological environment and preventing soil erosion. The construction of the Three-North Shelter Forest (SF) in Northwestern China commenced several decades ago to increase forest productivity, improve soil fertility, and achieve better ecological benefits in arid and semi-arid zone. To date, many studies have researched the effect of SF on the soil nutrients in Northern Shaanxi, China, but their results have often been contradictory. Therefore, we could comprehensively review these studies to evaluate the impacts of SF on soil nutrients from the following three aspects: soil layer, planting year and tree species. This study compiles the results of 2308 observations from studies ranging from 1978 to 2018 to assess the effects of SF on the distribution of the soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium contents in Northern Shaanxi, China. Compared with farmland or abandoned land, the results showed that the greatest increases in the soil organic carbon (118.57%) and total nitrogen (86.19%) contents were observed in the 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers, respectively. However, compared with farmland or abandoned land, the greatest increases in both the soil available phosphorus (14.17%) and available potassium (71.13%) contents were observed in the 0–20 cm soil layer. Planting Pinus Sylvestris var. mongolica (PS) is more conducive for increasing the soil organic carbon (120.86%) and available phosphorus (74.33%) contents. Additionally, Pinus tabuliformis (PT) is more beneficial for increasing the soil total nitrogen content (73.82%). Meanwhile, Robinia pseudoacacia (RP) and Caragana korshinskii (CK) are more effective for increasing the available potassium (72.93%) content. This study demonstrated that soil organic carbon (104.07%), total nitrogen (130.28%), and available potassium (125.60%) contents were most affected in planting years >30 years, and the available phosphorus content was most affected in planting years 0–10 years (27.33%). In conclusion, SF can significantly increase soil nutrient contents in areas of Northern Shaanxi, China. Planting shelter forest is recommended to improve the soil environment and achieve the greatest soil fertility benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hangzhou, one the most prosperous cities in China, suffers from severe atmospheric quality degradation in recent years. For the good of nine million local citizens and incoming Asian Games, Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) and Random Forest are used to analyze the air pollution in Hangzhou. Compared with the traditional atmospheric models, machine learning models are faster, more accurate and less costly in simulating all the pollutants without using the pollution inventory. The Feature Importance (FI) generated by Random Forest reveals the complicated relationships among air pollutants and meteorology. Carbon monoxide (CO) plays an important role in shaping ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and particulate matters (PM) in the atmospheric environment. Dew-point deficit plays a more important role than relative humidity in shaping air pollutants. Urban heat island effect is not obvious for the air pollutants from non-point source. Furthermore, a WRF/RNN-based method to forecast air pollutants, including SO 2 , NO 2 , CO, PM 2.5 , PM 10 and O 3 , in the future 24 h is proposed and a RNN-based method to estimate regional transport rate of air pollutants and reversely identify air pollution emission sources is introduced. At last, policy assessment is made to better regulate the air pollution in Hangzhou, prior to the 2022 Asian Games. • The complex relationships among air pollutants and meteorology are quantitatively revealed. • Dew-point deficit plays a more important role than relative humidity in shaping air pollutants. • Urban heat island has little impact on air pollutants. • A WRF/RNN-based method to forecast air pollutants in the future 24 h is proposed. • A RNN-based method to estimate regional transport rate of PM 2.5 and PM 10 is introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the characteristics of domestic sewage discharge in different rural areas is an important prerequisite for effective sewage treatment. Here, we revealed the spatial variation in the water quantity and quality of rural domestic sewage and its influencing factors in 31 provinces and cities of China, based on a multi-factorial analysis. The results showed that the water quantity of rural domestic sewage discharge generally increased from Northwest to Southeast in China and the water quality had opposite pattern. The water quantity was positively correlated with water resources, gross domestic product, rainfall, and temperature, but negatively correlated with altitude. Water resources, with an influence weight of 25.04% by principal component analysis, had the greatest impact on the spatial variation in water quantity. Differently, gross domestic product, which was directly negatively correlated with ammonium-nitrogen and total phosphorus in structural equation model, was a dominant factor influencing water quality. These findings will help us to better understand the factors of controlling rural domestic sewage discharge at a national scale and to optimize the treatment technology of rural domestic sewage. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To review the clinical symptoms, auxiliary examination findings, and outcomes of patients with nitrous oxide (N2O) abuse, and analyze the factors that affect outcomes. Methods: Patients with N2O abuse treated in the Department of Neurology between January 2018 and December 2020 were included. The clinical data of these patients were collected, and follow‐up was conducted to determine the outcomes. Results: The average age of the 110 patients with N2O abuse was 21.4 ± 4.2 years (range: 14–33 years). Clinical presentation primarily included neurological symptoms, such as limb numbness and/or weakness (97%), psychiatric symptoms, changes in appetite, and skin hyperpigmentation. Laboratory test results were characterized by vitamin B12 deficiency (60%, 34 out of 57 cases) and high homocysteine level (69%, 31 out of 45 cases). Electromyography indicated mixed axonal and demyelination injury (92%, 80 out of 87 cases). Motor and sensory nerves were simultaneously involved, and injury primarily involved the lower limbs. One hundred and seven (97%) patients were clinically diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, of whom 26 (24%) exhibited spinal abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging, supporting a diagnosis of subacute combined degeneration. Treatment included N2O withdrawal and vitamin B12 supplementation. Reexamination of six patients indicated that treatment was effective. Follow‐up was completed for 51 patients. Thirty‐four patients (67%) recovered completely, 17 patients (33%) had residual limb numbness, and only one patient experienced relapse. Sex was an independent prognostic factor; the outcomes of female patients were better than that of male patients. Conclusion: The recreational use of N2O has largely expanded among youth in recent decades, which has become a growing public health concern in China. It highlights the importance of the recognition of various clinical symptoms, particularly limb numbness and/or weakness related to the cases of N2O abuse. The therapeutic administration of vitamin B12 supplementation and N2O withdrawal can make the overall prognosis good, especially for female patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of mixed methylene blue (MB) compound injection for treatment of vulvar non-neoplastic epithelial disorders (NNEDs).Methods: A prospective observational study among 118 women with vulvar NNEDs treated with intradermal injection of mixed MB compound at a hospital in Wuhan, China, between 2013 and 2016. Itching score, skin hypopigmentation area percentage (SHAP), and recurrence were assessed by interview and physical examination before and after treatment. Adverse effects were recorded.Results: Before treatment, mean ± SD itching score was 7.78 ± 1.59. It decreased rapidly immediately after treatment and remained low thereafter (1.82 ± 2.31, 1.69 ± 2.39, 1.97 ± 2.73, 2.05 ± 2.72, and 2.19 ± 2.86 at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively). Before treatment, mean ± SD SHAP was 28.01% ± 18.28%. SHAP decreased gradually and remained stably low 6 months later (26.28% ± 17.95%, 21.19% ± 18.42%, 19.19% ± 18.67%, 18.68% ± 18.91%, and 18.65% ± 19.20% at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively). The recurrence rate in 2 years was 21.2% (25/118) with no major complications.Conclusions: Intradermal injection of mixed MB compound was found to be an effective and safe treatment for vulvar NNEDs. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03200808. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the complication rates after uterine artery chemoembolization (UACE) followed by dilation and curettage (D&C) guided by different types of monitoring for treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP).Methods: A randomized controlled trial was undertaken of women with CSP attending a hospital in Wuhan, China, between June 1, 2010, and June 30, 2014. Using sealed opaque envelopes containing random numbers, participants were randomly allocated to undergo D&C with hysteroscopy monitoring, ultrasonography monitoring, or no monitoring. Participants and investigators were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was the number of participants with complications at 2 months of follow-up after D&C. Analyses were by intention to treat.Results: Among 144 participants, 48 were assigned to hysteroscopy monitoring, 44 to ultrasonography monitoring, and 52 to no monitoring. Complications were noted for 1 (2.1%) patient in the hysteroscopy group, 2 (4.5%) in the ultrasonography group, and 12 (23.1%) in the no monitoring group (P=0.001).Conclusion: Hysteroscopy or ultrasonography monitoring of D&C after UACE for CSP treatment can decrease the complication rate. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02357095. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dam construction causes phosphorus (P) accumulation in reservoir sediments and significantly affects the generation of available P. However, the effect of dam construction on the activity of sediment alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which is encoded by the bacterial phoD gene and participates in P mineralization, in river sediments remains unclear. Here, we investigated the ALP activities in 78 sediment samples collected from the cascade reservoir regions located in the Lancang River and the Jinsha River, two highly regulated rivers in southwestern China. The abundance and community composition of phoD -harboring bacteria were determined based on the phoD gene using quantitative real-time PCR and MiSeq sequencing, respectively. Comparison of control and affected sites indicated that dam construction significantly increased sediment ALP activity in both rivers. The abundances of phoD -harboring bacteria increased and their community compositions varied in response to dam construction; the relative abundances of the dominant genera Methylobacterium and Bradyrhizobium were particularly higher in affected site than control site. Co-occurrence network analyses revealed much higher network connectivity and relative abundances of keystone species in affected sites. Some microbial factors including phoD -harboring bacterial abundances, network clustering coefficients, and relative abundance of keystone species were positively correlated with ALP activity. The relative abundance of keystone species was identified as the most important microbial factor contributing to variation in ALP activity based on structural equation modeling analysis. These findings enhance our understanding of how dam construction affects the functions of phoD -harboring bacteria and their role in the P biogeochemical cycle in highly regulated rivers. • Sediment alkaline phosphatase activity was markedly enhanced by dam construction. • Damming altered the abundance and community composition of phoD -harboring bacteria. • Damming enhanced connectivity and cooperation in phoD -harboring bacterial network. • Keystone species of phoD -harboring bacteria were enriched in reservoir sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Human CoV-HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1) has been isolated from a 71-year-old man with pneumonia; however, the impact and role of emerging HCoV-HKU1 have not been defined in children with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI). Objective: To investigate the Prevalence and clinical characteristics of HCoV-HKU1 in children with ARTI in Lanzhou, China. Study design: The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or PCR was employed to screen HCoV-HKU1 and other common respiratory viruses in 645 nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) specimens collected from children with ARTI from November 2006 to October 2008. All PCR positive products were sequenced. And the demographic and clinical data were collected for all patients. Results: Nineteen of 645 (2.95%) specimens tested positive for HCoV-HKU1, and all HCoV-HKU1 positive specimens were distributed in the winter and spring season. The HCoV-HKU1 co-infection rate with other respiratory viruses was 47.37% (9/19). There was no statistically significant difference in the detection rate between groups by age or gender, except between patients with and without underlying diseases. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that HCoV-HKU1 genotype B was circulating in the years 2007 and 2008 in children with ARTI in Lanzhou, China. Conclusions: HCoV-HKU1 is an uncommon virus existing among Chinese children with ARTI. Children with underlying diseases are more vulnerable to viral infection. Only HCoV-HKU1 genotype B circulated locally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Canine distemper virus (CDV) infects a variety of carnivores, including wild and domestic Canidae. Genetic/antigenic heterogeneity has been observed among the various CDV strains, notably in the haemagglutinin (H) gene, that appears as a good target to gather epidemiological information. Based on sequence analysis of the H gene, wild-type CDV strains cluster into distinct geographic lineages (genotypes), irrespective of the species of isolation. The sequence of the H gene of 28 CDV strains detected from both vaccinated and non-vaccinated breeding foxes, raccoon dogs and minks from different geographical areas of China during the years 2004–2008 was determined. All the CDV strains but two (strains HL and HLJ2) were characterized as Asia-1 genotype and were highly similar to each other (96.2–99.7% at the amino acid [aa] level) and to other Asia-1 strains (96.1–99.5% aa) previously detected in China. The CDV strains HL and HLJ2 were both collected from foxes in Heilongjiang province in 2005. Strain HL resembled CDVs of the Arctic genotype (GR88-like) and displayed high aa identity (98.0%) to the Chinese canine strain Liu. By converse, strain HLJ2 was barely related to CDVs of the Asia-2 genotype (88.7–90.3% aa identity), and could represent a novel CDV genotype, tentatively proposed as Asia-3. These results suggest that at least three different CDV genotypes, distantly related (81.8–91.6% aa identity) to the vaccine strains, Onderstepoort-like (America-1 genotype), are currently circulating in breeding foxes, raccoon dogs and minks in China, and that the genotype Asia-1 is predominant. Whether the diversity between wild-type CDVs and the vaccine strains may affect, to some extent, the efficacy of the vaccines deserves further investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]