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Based on data from China Education Panel Survey, this article examined the impact of teacher gender on student human capital development at the junior secondary education level. The research findings showed that female teachers were more capable of promoting cognitive and non-cognitive ability development of both girl and boy students than their male counterparts; and that student cognitive and non-cognitive performance was significantly and negatively related to the increase in the percentages of male teachers in the class and school.

This study investigated the role of cognitive-(absorptive capacity), psychological-(subjective-wellbeing) and cultural-fit-factors as predictors of academic achievement-novelty in a Chinese-C9-league-University. We addressed the question of what drive student's achievement of high graduations requirements and innovativeness in their Host-University; focusing mainly on whether interactionistic-nature-(fit-capabilities) are better mechanisms. The quantitative approach was adopted; collect 234 valid data via survey questionnaire (Note 1), and conduct analysis via structural equation modeling technique. We found that individual-absorptive-capacity has significant effect on supervisor-fit, but a non-significant effect on university-fit dimensions of cultural-fit. Subjective-wellbeing significantly affects both dimensions of cultural-fit. The findings further show how supervisor-fit and university-fit indirectly mediate the (absorptive-capacity, subjective-wellbeing)-achievement-novelty relationship. We highlight the importance of cultural-diversity-awareness; considering supervisor-institutional-fit-factors in research-mentorship-development to support international-students 'induction for research productivity in educational-settings.

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Drought intensity and frequency have increased in recent years, which poses significant threats to forest ecosystems, especially in the context of global climate change. This paper is aimed at summarizing the current state of research and global development trends regarding drought-induced tree mortality mechanisms in tree physiology. Developing a robust literature foundation will facilitate in-depth research and foster the exchange of knowledge related to this subject. A literature review was conducted using tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the Bibliometrix R-package to review the literature from the Web of Science's core database from 1985 to 2023. We intend to determine the current state and evolution of global research on drought-induced tree mortality mechanisms. The results reveal that research on drought-induced tree mortality mechanisms gained momentum predominantly in the last two decades, with a marked surge post-2012. The United States is the epicenter of research, leading the global scientific community with its preeminence in publication volume, citation rates, and the scope of collaborative networks, with China in close pursuit. Tree Physiology stands out as the leading journal in this domain, boasting 129 articles. McDowell NG emerges as the most prolific author, with an H-index of 41, underscoring his influence in the field. There is a clear upward trend in collaborations spanning authors, journals, research institutions, and countries. The analysis of frequently cited keywords and topic evolution suggests that drought and tree mortality will likely remain key research areas for the foreseeable future. The future of research on drought-induced tree mortality mechanisms in physiology is promising, as it emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches and global collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nitrogen application rate (NAR) has a significant effect on the contents of wheat grain protein and its composition. There is still no consensus regarding the appropriate NAR, given the differences in studied conditions and influence of factors such as geographical location, climate, and soil nutrient contents. In this study, 66 papers related to wheat grain protein and its composition published from 1984 to 2021 were selected for meta-analysis in comprehensively evaluating the response of wheat grain protein content and composition to NAR in China. The results reveal that NAR significantly increased total protein content by 9.49–28.6%, gliadin by 9.13–30.5%, glutenin by 12.9–45.4%, albumin by 5.06–15.8%, and globulin by 8.52–24.0% of wheat grain in China, respectively, compared to no nitrogen application. The optimal NAR is 240–300 kg ha−1 when specific planting conditions are not being considered. Under different growing conditions, the NAR that provided the greatest increase in wheat grain protein and its composition varied as follows: 180–240 kg ha−1 in Northwest China and at >100 m altitudes; >300 kg ha−1 in North China and at <100 m altitudes and lower soil base nutrient levels; 240–300 kg ha−1 in Southeast China, with higher soil nutrients levels and for all average annual temperatures and precipitation ranges. In conclusion, the results of the present study reveal that it is feasible to systematically enhance the contents of wheat grain protein and its related fractions by appropriate NAR under different cropping conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astragalus membranaceus is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., which has the same medicinal and edible uses in China. It is also widely used in daily food, and its pharmacological effects mainly include antioxidant effects, vascular softening effects, etc. Currently, it is increasingly widely used in the prevention of hypertension, cerebral ischemia, and stroke in China. Formononetin and its glucopyranoside (ononin) are both important components of Astragalus membranaceuss and may play important roles in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study conducted metabolic studies using formononectin and its glucopyranoside (ononin), including a combination of the in vitro metabolism of Formonetin using rat liver S9 and the in vivo metabolism of ononin administered orally to rats. Five metabolites (Sm2, 7, 9, 10, and 12) were obtained from the solution incubated with formononetin and rat hepatic S9 fraction using chromatographic methods. The structures of the five metabolites were elucidated as (Sm2)6,7,4′-trihydroxy-isoflavonoid; (Sm7)7,4′-dihydroxy-isoflavonoid; (Sm9)7,8,4′-trihydroxy-isoflavonoid; (Sm10)7,8,-dihydroxy-4′-methoxy-isoflavonoid; and (Sm12)6,7-dihydroxy-4′-methoxy- isoflavonoid on the basis of UV, NMR, and MS data. Totally, 14 metabolites were identified via HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn analysis, from which the formononetin was incubated with rat hepatic S9 fraction, and the main metabolic pathways were hydroxylation, demethylation, and glycosylation. Then, 21 metabolites were identified via HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSn analysis from the urine samples from SD rats to which ononin was orally administered, and the main metabolic pathways were glucuronidation, hydroxylation, demethylation, and sulfonation. The main difference between the in vitro metabolism of formononetin and the in vivo metabolism of ononin is that ononin undergoes deglycemic transformation into Formonetin in the rat intestine, while Formonetin is absorbed into the bloodstream for metabolism, and the metabolic products also produce combined metabolites during in vivo metabolism. The six metabolites obtained from the aforementioned separation indicate the primary forms of formononetin metabolism, and due to their higher contents of similar isoflavone metabolites, they are considered the main active compounds that are responsible for pharmacological effects. To investigate the metabolites of the active ingredients of formononetin in the rat liver S9 system, network pharmacology was used to evaluate the cardiovascular disease (CVD) activities of the six primary metabolites that were structurally identified. Additionally, the macromolecular docking results of six main components and two core targets (HSP90AA1 and SRC) related to CVD showed that formononetin and its main metabolites, Sm10 and Sm12, may have roles in CVD treatment due to their strong binding activities with the HSP90AA1 receptor, while the Sm7 metabolite may have a role in CVD treatment due to its strong binding activity with the SRC receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the impacts of global climate change, paths for sustainable development are of particular importance. Biochar has multiple advantages, including but not limited to climate change mitigation, waste management, soil fertility improvement, and pollution remediation. Forest soils play a significant role in terrestrial ecosystems. The application of biochar in forest soils (ABFS) is therefore considered an essential tool for improving soil quality, capturing carbon, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Web of Science Core Collection database was utilized for the bibliometric analysis of ABFS publications published between 2002 and 2022. Three bibliometric software were used to analyze bibliometrics, networks, and research directions for ABFS: Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. The analysis shows that research on ABFS is always rapidly developing. Research on ABFS is engaged globally in a complex network of collaborations, and the main research has occurred in China and the United States. Collaboration among authors is relatively diffuse. Research on ABFS involves interdisciplinary integration. In the early stages of research, the origin of biochar (history and boreal forests) and its characteristics (dynamics, nitrogen content, and chemical composition) were the focus of attention. As research progressed, more attention was given to ABFS (carbon, organic matter, vegetation, and heavy metals). Our research shows that while ABFS research has a certain history, its development trend has been consistently upward and shows no signs of declining. Thus, future research will likely concentrate on ABFS. Due to the complexity of biochar functions, ample research opportunities exist in ABFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensible use of forest resources and the sound management of forests have become increasingly important throughout the years. In keeping with the trend, a composite forestry operation model has emerged. Traditional Chinese culture and forest management are particularly intertwined in China. Thus, use of the forest–medicine compound management model is recommended. The majority of research on the management of forest–medicine compounds has focused on how to grow more effective medicinal plants, ignoring the effects of the chemicals used on the soil environment, particularly the soil micro-environment. A forest–medicine system was established in South China to investigate the impacts of planting Aspidistra elatior on the variety of rhizospheric microorganisms and their ability to use carbon sources. In the plots with or without A. elatior, three dominant plants (Castanopsis hystrix, Psychotria rubra, and Ficus hirta) grew soil rhizosphere microbes, which were analyzed using Biolog EcoPlates. The study found that planting medicinal plants in the understory improved the soil's nutritional content, increased the inter-root microbial communities of other medicinal plants, and enhanced the microbes' ability to use soil carbon sources. The forest–medicine complex model, which rationalizes the use of forest clearings and generates economic and ecological benefits, can significantly increase the quantity of dominant microorganisms and enhance the enrichment of other species, resulting in a positive impact on the soil environment. These findings suggest that the forest–medicine compound management model can improve the use of soil carbon sources throughout the forest system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research and development (R&D) of novel adjuvants is an effective measure for improving the immunogenicity of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) recombinant protein vaccine. Toward this end, we designed a novel single-stranded RNA-based adjuvant, L2, from the SARS-CoV-2 prototype genome. L2 could initiate retinoic acid-inducible gene-I signaling pathways to effectively activate the innate immunity. ZF2001, an aluminum hydroxide (Al) adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 recombinant receptor binding domain (RBD) subunit vaccine with emergency use authorization in China, was used for comparison. L2, with adjuvant compatibility with RBD, elevated the antibody response to a level more than that achieved with Al, CpG 7909, or poly(I:C) as adjuvants in mice. L2 plus Al with composite adjuvant compatibility with RBD markedly improved the immunogenicity of ZF2001; in particular, neutralizing antibody titers increased by about 44-fold for Omicron, and the combination also induced higher levels of antibodies than CpG 7909/poly(I:C) plus Al in mice. Moreover, L2 and L2 plus Al effectively improved the Th1 immune response, rather than the Th2 immune response. Taken together, L2, used as an adjuvant, enhanced the immune response of the SARS-CoV-2 recombinant RBD protein vaccine in mice. These findings should provide a basis for the R&D of novel RNA-based adjuvants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, shrubs dominated by the genus Caragana have expanded in a large area in Xilin Gol grassland, Inner Mongolia, China. This study comprehensively evaluated the performances of multiple factors for mapping shrub coverage across the Xilin Gol grassland based on the spectral and temporal signatures of Sentinel-2 imagery, and for the first time produced a large-scale shrub coverage mapping result in this region. Considering the regional differences and gradients in the types and sizes of shrub in the study area, the study area was divided into three subregions based on precipitation data, i.e., west, middle and east regions. The shrub coverage estimation accuracy from dry- and wet-year data, different types of vegetation indices (VIs) and multiple regression methods were compared in each subregion, and the key phenological periods were selected. We also compared the accuracy of four mapping strategies, which were pairwise combinations of zoning (i.e., subregions divided by precipitation) and non-zoning, and full time series of VIs and key phenological period. Results show that the mapping accuracy in a dry year (2017) is higher than that in a wet year (2018). The optimal VIs and key phenological periods show high spatial variability. In terms of mapping strategies, the accuracy of zoning is higher than that of non-zoning. The root mean square error (RMSE), overall accuracy (OA) and recall for 'zoning + full time series (or + key phenological period)' strategy were 0.052 (0.055), 76.4% (79.7%) and 91.7% (94.6%), respectively, while for 'non-zoning + full time series (or + key phenological period)' strategy were 0.057 (0.060), 75.5% (74.6%) and 91.7% (88.6%), respectively. The mapping using VIs in key phenological periods is better than that of using full time series in the low-value prediction of shrub cover. Based on the strategy of 'zoning + key phenological period', the shrub coverage map of the whole region was generated with a RMSE of 0.055, OA of 80% and recall of 95%. This study not only provides the first large-scale mapping data of shrub coverage, but also provides reference for shrub dynamic monitoring in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate spatially continuous air temperature data set is crucial for multiple applications in the environmental and ecological sciences. Existing spatial interpolation methods have relatively low accuracy, and the resolution of available long-term gridded products of air temperature for China is coarse. Point observations from meteorological stations can provide long-term air temperature data series but cannot represent spatially continuous information. Here, we devised a method for spatial interpolation of air temperature data from meteorological stations based on powerful machine learning tools. First, to determine the optimal method for interpolation of air temperature data, we employed three machine learning models: random forest, support vector machine, and Gaussian process regression. A comparison of the mean absolute error, root mean square error, coefficient of determination, and residuals revealed that a Gaussian process regression had high accuracy and clearly outperformed the other two models regarding the interpolation of monthly maximum, minimum, and mean air temperatures. The machine learning methods were compared with three traditional methods used frequently for spatial interpolation: inverse distance weighting, ordinary kriging, and ANUSPLIN (Australian National University Spline). Results showed that the Gaussian process regression model had higher accuracy and greater robustness than the traditional methods regarding interpolation of monthly maximum, minimum, and mean air temperatures in each month. A comparison with the TerraClimate (Monthly Climate and Climatic Water Balance for Global Terrestrial Surfaces), FLDAS (Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Land Data Assimilation System), and ERA5 (ECMWF, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Climate Reanalysis) data sets revealed that the accuracy of the temperature data generated using the Gaussian process regression model was higher. Finally, using the Gaussian process regression method, we produced a long-term (January 1951 to December 2020) gridded monthly air temperature data set, with 1 km resolution and high accuracy for China, which we named GPRChinaTemp1km. The data set consists of three variables: monthly mean air temperature, monthly maximum air temperature, and monthly minimum air temperature. The obtained GPRChinaTemp1km data were used to analyse the spatiotemporal variations of air temperature using Theil–Sen median trend analysis in combination with the Mann–Kendall test. It was found that the monthly mean and minimum air temperatures across China were characterised by a significant trend of increase in each month, whereas monthly maximum air temperatures showed a more spatially heterogeneous pattern, with significant increase, non-significant increase, and non-significant decrease. The GPRChinaTemp1km data set is publicly available at 10.5281/zenodo.5112122 (He et al., 2021a) for monthly maximum air temperature, at 10.5281/zenodo.5111989 (He et al., 2021b) for monthly mean air temperature, and at 10.5281/zenodo.5112232 (He et al., 2021c) for monthly minimum air temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plantation forests productivity is severely limited by the seasonal drought and fertilization practices in South China. Soil nutrient and water availability influence soil fungal community, functional group diversity and the variation of plant productivity; however, the effects of irrigation and fertilization on fungal responses have rarely been studied. Here, we investigate the responses of fungal community structure and functional groups in Eucalyptus plantation soils to short-term fertilization (F), dry-season irrigation (W), short-term fertilization combined with dry-season irrigation (FW), and control (CK) treatments for ten months. A higher proportion of Basidiomycota was observed in the irrigation and/or fertilization treatments; conversely, lower proportions of Ascomycota and Mucoromycotina were observed in the only irrigation and fertilization treatments. Higher soil carbon contents and symbiotroph fungi (mainly Ectomycorrhizas) proportion were detected in the FW treatment, while low proportions of saprophytic and pathogenic fungi were observed in the FW treatment when compared with those in other treatments. These results may indicate that Eucalyptus tree growth under irrigation and fertilization condition was better than under fertilization only, irrigation only, or neither management. The results highlight that short-term fertilization and dry-season irrigation can shift fungal community structure and functional groups by regulating available soil moisture and nutrients. They also provide a theoretical basis for the development of more appropriate management approaches in the early stages of forest plantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the protective efficacy and mechanism of ZF2001 (a protein subunit vaccine with conditional approval in China) to SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant-induced severe pneumonia, the lethal challenge model of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice was used in this study. An inactivated-virus vaccine at the research and development stage (abbreviated as RDINA) was compared to ZF2001. We found that ZF2001 and RDINA could provide the protective effect against Delta variant-induced severe cases, as measured by the improved survival rates, the reduced virus loads, the alleviated lung histopathology and the high neutralizing antibody geomean titers, compared to aluminum adjuvant group. To prevent and control Omicron or other variant epidemics, further improvements in vaccine design and compatibilities with the novel adjuvant are required to achieve better immunogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linking local COVID-19 and population statistics to a U.S.-based survey we recently conducted, we examine the spatial variation in the impact of COVID-19 on Americans' attitudes toward China. The research strategy capitalizes on differential local COVID-19 incidence rates as varying dosages of COVID-19 impact across local contexts in the United States. Our results reveal negative yet heterogeneous effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on Americans' attitudes toward China. We find that greater local exposure to COVID-19 is associated with a lower level of trust in Chinese and a less favorable attitude toward China. These findings lend consistent support to behavioral immune system theory by bridging the literature on contextual variations in public attitudes, with broader implications for U.S.-China relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to assess the differences in mental health conditions among the general population, quarantined population and healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. An online rapid assessment captured depressive and anxiety symptoms, and sleep quality data. A total of 2689 participants (n=374 general population, n=403 healthcare workers, n=1912 quarantined population) were included in the final statistical analysis. The proportion of individuals with mild and/or serious depression and anxiety were higher in the general population when compared to the quarantined population and healthcare workers (58.6% vs. 25.1%vs. 48.6%, P<0.001; 41.2% vs. 18.5% vs. 35.7%, P<0.001). The prevalence of sleep disturbance was higher among healthcare workers than the general population and quarantined population (29.8% vs. 24.1% vs. 22.7%, P=0.013). Logistic regression analysis showed that, perceived effect on daily life was associated with depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance in the general population, quarantined population and the healthcare workers. The general population had a greater risk of developing psychological problems. The healthcare workers suffered the poorest sleep quality. Future research must further explorethe targeted measures for the general population and healthcare workers while combating COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most commonly used imaging method to evaluate glioma recurrence. However, conventional MRI has difficulty distinguishing glioma accurately. This study aimed to explore the value of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in evaluating glioma recurrence and post-treatment-related changes. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database and China Science and Technology Journal Database were extensively searched in accordance with inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria to obtain appropriate included studies. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool. Combined sensitivity and specificity and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Seventeen high-quality studies were included. The combined sensitivity was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.76–0.87), the specificity was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.76–0.89), the positive likelihood ratio was 4.9 (95% CI: 3.2–7.5), the negative likelihood ratio was 0.21 (95% CI: 0.15–0.30), the diagnostic odds ratio was 23 (95%: CI 11–48), and the area under the SROC was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87–0.92). This meta-analysis suggests that DWI has high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in differentiating glioma recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vertigo and dizziness (VD) are among the most frequently seen symptoms in clinics and are important for medical students, especially for those in Chinese standardized residency training (SRT). The aim of our study was to examine the PAL method's feasibility in the clinical teaching of VD-related diseases for SRT students in China. Methods: This is a randomized, controlled, multicenter study. A total of 228 residents were invited to participate in this study, of which 198 completed the program. The students were randomized into two groups, and VD-related diseases were taught using lecture-based learning (control group) or peer-assisted learning (PAL). An examination paper and a rating scale were used to evaluate students' performance in the mastery of VD-related theoretical knowledge and clinical skills, meanwhile students' perceptions, satisfaction, and risk of burnout were also analyzed using a questionnaire. Independent-samples t-test and chi-square analysis were performed to evaluate statistical significance for continuous variables and categorical variables, respectively, using SPSS 18.0 software. Results: The PAL group performed better in mastering theoretical knowledge and clinical skills than the control group. And more students believed that PAL could help improve their personal qualities such as teamwork skills. However, more students reported that PAL increased the risk of burnout. Conclusions: PAL was a suitable and effective method in the clinical teaching of some specialized diseases, especially it was recommended for students who had gained initial knowledge and skills, such as Chinese SRT students. However, we should draw attention to the increased risk of burnout if PAL is intended to be widely used in clinical teaching. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN53773239, 05/07/2021, retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In confronting the sudden epidemic of COVID-19, China and other countries have been under great deal of pressure to block virus transmission and reduce death cases. Fangcang shelter hospital, which is converted from large-scale public venue, is proposed and proven to be an effective way for administering medical care and social isolation. This paper presents the practice in information technology support for a Fangcang shelter hospital in Wuhan, China. The experiences include the deployment strategy of IT infrastructure, the redesign of function modules in the hospital information system (HIS), equipment maintenance and medical staff training. The deployment strategy and HIS modules have ensured smoothness and efficiency of clinical work. The team established a quick response mechanism and adhered to the principle of nosocomial infection control. Deployment of network and modification of HIS was finished in the 48 hours before patient admittance. A repair hotline and remote support for equipment and software were available whenever medical workers met with any questions. No engineer ever entered the contaminated areas and no one was infected by the coronavirus during the hospital operation. Up to now, Fangcang shelter hospital is adopted by many regions around the world facing the collapse of their medical systems. This valuable experience in informatization construction and service in Wuhan may help participators involving in Fangcang shelter hospital get better information technology support, and find more practical interventions to fight the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recent emergence and dissemination of high-level mobile tigecycline resistance Tet(X) challenge the clinical effectiveness of tigecycline, one of the last-resort therapeutic options for complicated infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. Although tet(X) has been found in various bacterial species, less is known about phylogeographic distribution and phenotypic variance of different genetic variants. Methods: Herein, we conducted a multiregional whole-genome sequencing study of tet(X)-positive Acinetobacter isolates from human, animal, and their surrounding environmental sources in China. The molecular and enzymatic features of tet(X) variants were characterized by clonal expression, microbial degradation, reverse transcription, and gene transfer experiments, while the tet(X) genetic diversity and molecular evolution were explored by comparative genomic and Bayesian evolutionary analyses. Results: We identified 193 tet(X)-positive isolates from 3846 samples, with the prevalence ranging from 2.3 to 25.3% in nine provinces in China. The tet(X) was broadly distributed in 12 Acinetobacter species, including six novel species firstly described here. Besides tet(X3) (n = 188) and tet(X4) (n = 5), two tet(X5) variants, tet(X5.2) (n = 36) and tet(X5.3) (n = 4), were also found together with tet(X3) or tet(X4) but without additive effects on tetracyclines. These tet(X)-positive Acinetobacter spp. isolates exhibited 100% resistance rates to tigecycline and tetracycline, as well as high minimum inhibitory concentrations to eravacycline (2–8 μg/mL) and omadacycline (8–16 μg/mL). Genetic analysis revealed that different tet(X) variants shared an analogous ISCR2-mediated transposon structure. The molecular evolutionary analysis indicated that Tet(X) variants likely shared the same common ancestor with the chromosomal monooxygenases that are found in environmental Flavobacteriaceae bacteria, but sequence divergence suggested separation ~ 9900 years ago (7887 BC), presumably associated with the mobilization of tet(X)-like genes through horizontal transfer. Conclusions: Four tet(X) variants were identified in this study, and they were widely distributed in multiple Acinetobacter spp. strains from various ecological niches across China. Our research also highlighted the crucial role of ISCR2 in mobilizing tet(X)-like genes between different Acinetobacter species and explored the evolutionary history of Tet(X)-like monooxygenases. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical impact of these mobile tigecycline resistance genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diarrhea is a ubiquitous digestive system disease, leading to loss of fluid and electrolytes, and may be life-threatening, especially in children and adults who are immunosuppressed or malnourished. Berberine has a broad-spectrum antibiotic activity and is very widely used to treat diarrhea in China. No systematic review has been carried out to evaluate the evidence presented in clinical trials. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of berberine in diarrhea treatment among children and adults. Methods: Seven databases and two clinical trial registries were searched on 1 September 2019. Randomized controlled trials were included, where participants were diagnosed (first diagnosed) as having diarrhea according to clear diagnostic criteria. Berberine alone or in combination with Western medication as intervention were included. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on children or adults, acute or persistent diarrhea, infectious or noninfectious and treatment courses. Primary outcomes were clinical cure rate and duration of diarrhea. The GRADE tool was used to assess the quality of evidence. Results: A total of 38 randomized controlled trials were included involving 3948 participants (including 27 trials on 2702 children) were included. Compared with antibiotics, berberine plus antibiotics showed better results in both adults and in children in general, especially when given for 7 days or 3 days in acute infectious diarrhea of children. Compared with the control groups, using berberine alone or in combination with montmorillonite, probiotics, and vitamin B increased the clinical cure rate of diarrhea. The use of berberine alone or berberine combined with montmorillonite reduced the duration of hospitalization. Using berberine had significantly better laboratory indicators (isoenzyme, inflammatory factors, myocardial enzyme, and fecal trait) and fewer systemic symptoms than the no berberine groups. Overall, 22 of 27 trials on children used berberine as an enema. No deaths and serious adverse events were reported. The quality of evidence of included trials was moderate to low or very low. The impact of different dosages, frequencies and treatment durations on the outcomes was not evaluated due to insufficient number of trials. Conclusion: This review demonstrated that berberine was generally effective in improving clinical cure rates and shortening the duration of diarrhea compared with control groups. No severe adverse event was reported. However, there is still a lack of high-quality evidence for evaluating the efficacy and safety of berberine. Trial registration: PROSPERO CRD42020151001 (available from http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reduced throughfall exacerbates drought stress, resulting in slower tree growth. • Reduced throughfall limits the net photosynthetic rate of Eucalyptus in the dry season. • Eucalyptus adapts to drought stress by changing its leaf morphological traits. Global climate change is triggering more occurrences of drought events, which is continuously enlarging a worldwide area of arid and semi-arid regions. South China is a typical area that suffers seasonal drought events, which reduce plantation productivity and increase tree mortality. Eucalyptus is widely cultivated in South China due to its fast growing speed and high dry mass yield, but its response to severe drought stress is still not assessed. In this study, we analyzed how a 50 % throughfall reduction (TR) and season affected stand growth, foliar gas exchange parameters, leaf stomatal morphological traits, and hydraulic conductance. Three-year observations showed that TR intensified drought stress in the dry season by decreasing soil relative water content, resulting in the diameter at breast height growth, tree height growth, and stand volume growth of TR were 12.6 %, 19.0 %, and 23.7 % lower than those of the control treatment (CK), respectively. With the continuous drought, TR decreased the net photosynthetic rate, while having little effect on the transpiration rate and water use efficiency. Photosynthetic pigment analysis revealed a significant interaction between throughfall reduction and season, TR markedly decreased photosynthetic pigments during the wet season. Hydraulic conductivity declined by TR, which primarily existed during the dry season. To limit water loss, Eucalyptus adapted to drought stress by altering these functional traits, which were not entirely consistent with the drought resistance mechanisms of other tree species. Overall, our study indicated that the simulated drier climate included growth decline and variation in functional traits of Eucalyptus trees in South China. This study is important for understanding the drought resistance mechanisms of Eucalyptus , as well as predicting the risk of declining Eucalyptus timber production owing to global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purposes of the study were to test the performance of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and to understand the key factors responsible for generating soil erosion in the Nanling National Nature Reserve (NNNR), South China, where soil erosion has become a very serious ecological and environmental problem. By combining the RUSLE and geographic information system (GIS) data, we first produced a map of soil erosion risk at 30 m-resolution pixel level with predicted factors. We then used consecutive Landsat 8 satellite images to obtain the spatial distribution of four types of soil erosion and carried out ground truth checking of the RUSLE. On this basis, we innovatively developed a probability model to explore the relationship between four types of soil erosion and the key influencing factors, identify high erosion area, and analyze the reason for the differences derived from the RUSLE. The results showed that the overall accuracy of image interpretation was acceptable, which could be used to represent the currently actual spatial distribution of soil erosion. Ground truth checking indicated some differences between the spatial distribution and class of soil erosion derived from the RUSLE and the actual situation. The performance of the RUSLE was unsatisfactory, producing differences and even some errors when used to estimate the ecological risks posed by soil erosion within the NNNR. We finally produced a probability table revealing the degree of influence of each factor on different types of soil erosion and quantitatively elucidated the reason for generating these differences. We suggested that soil erosion type and the key influencing factors should be identified prior to soil erosion risk assessment in a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are increasing evidences that the biodilution effect can significantly reduce the biomagnification of mercury (Hg) in fish. The significant antagonism of selenium (Se) -Hg may have a potential diluting effect on Hg in fish; however, there is still lack of knowledge on such effect. To reveal the Se-Hg interaction and its role in controlling the biodilution effect of Hg, we investigated levels of Hg and Se in the muscle and liver of redlip mullet from Jiaozhou Bay, China, an urbanized semi-enclosed bay highly impacted by human activities. In general, Hg levels in fish muscle were significantly negatively correlated to the levels of Se in the liver and fish size for fish with a size of < 200 mm, indicating that the antagonistic effect of Se on Hg increased with fish growth. This relationship was not significant for fish with a size of > 200 mm, possibly because the normal metabolism of Hg in muscle was hindered by homeostatic regulation or physiological activities such as gonadal development in vivo. Furthermore, the molar ratio of Se in the liver/Hg in the muscle was significantly increasing with Se/Hg in the liver, suggesting that the liver may be the key organ involved in Se-Hg antagonism. Moreover, both ratios continued to decrease with increasing fish size, implying that the antagonistic effect weakens with fish growth. These results indicate that Hg sequestration by liver may be a key mechanism of Se-Hg antagonism in fish and function as a driver for the biodilution effect of Hg, especially at a size of < 200 mm. These findings are further supported by the established linear model of Se-Hg antagonism at different developmental stages. [Display omitted] • Se and Hg concentrations in the liver were higher than those in the muscle. • Sequestration of Hg Muscle by Se Liver may be the mechanism of antagonistic effect. • Se-Hg antagonism may be the driving for Hg biodilution in muscle of redlip mullet. • Interaction of Se with Hg varies with the body length of the redlip mullet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) decreased in the last decade worldwide, the number of deaths due to HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases including syphilis, hepatitis, and tuberculosis had dramatically increased in developing countries. Education and behavior are incredibly important factors to prevent these diseases’ spread. This study highlights the range of differences in knowledge, attitude, and behavior of 434 sexually active medical students towards HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Because the surveyed population constitutes the forefront of healthcare providers and was originated from different area of the world, this is the first time a study sought to investigate the behavioral attitude of this group of population irrespective of the three levels of their academic and professional knowledge. Several factors including sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behavior, HIV/AIDS, and STIs related patterns play a key role in medical student attitude and behavior towards people infected with HIV/AIDS and STIs. Our findings add consistent value in prior studies which aimed to stop new infections and also imply further investigations on the management of the studied infections by medical students. The present study arouses much interest among participants and provides evidence of reinforcing medical students’ education on HIV/AIDS and STIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess how the transition from state socialism to a market economy has impacted the social stratification order in China, some prior studies have debated whether the economic privileges of the political redistributors have declined relative to the emerging market elites, while others have examined the coevolution between the two in urban institutional contexts. This study provides new insights into how political capital influences economic inequalities in contemporary rural China by revisiting informal social institutions. Drawing upon a unique nationally representative household survey and using surname sharing with the village cadres to infer shared lineage membership, we find that lineage-based political ties help rural Chinese households to materialize income as well as asset advantages over fellow villagers bereft of such ties. Furthermore, the economic privileges of political connections are larger in villages with lineage groups than those without, and larger for villages of more frequent kin interactions than those of less frequent kin interactions. Our results extend prior findings on the coevolution between political and market elites by going beyond formal institutions and examining grassroots-level evidence in contemporary rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence and burden of stroke in China is increasing rapidly. However, little is known about trends in mortality during stroke hospitalization. The objectives of this study were to assess trends of in-hospital mortality among patients with stroke and explore influence factors of in-hospital death after stroke in China. Methods: 109 grade III class A hospitals were sampled by multistage stratified cluster sampling. All patients admitted to hospitals between 2007 and 2010 with a discharge diagnosis of stroke were included. Trends in in-hospital mortality among patients with stroke were assessed. Influence factors of in-hospital death after stroke were explored using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Overall stroke hospitalizations increased from 79,894 in 2007 to 85,475 in 2010, and in-hospital mortality of stroke decreased from 3.16% to 2.30% (P<0.0001). The percentage of severe patients increased while odds of mortality (2010 versus 2007) decreased regardless of stroke type: subarachnoid hemorrhage (OR 0.792, 95% CI = 0.636 to 0.987), intracerebral hemorrhage (OR 0.647, 95% CI = 0.591 to 0.708), and ischemic stroke (OR 0.588, 95% CI = 0.532 to 0.649). In multivariable analyses, older age, male, basic health insurance, multiple comorbidities and severity of disease were linked to higher odds of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: The mortality of stroke hospitalizations decreased likely reflecting advancements in stroke care and prevention. Decreasing of mortality with increasing of severe stroke patients indicated that we should pay more attention to rehabilitation and life quality of stroke patients. Specific individual and hospital-level characteristics may be targets for facilitating further declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In subtropical plantations in southern China, how soil microbial communities respond to climate change-induced drought is poorly understood. A field experiment was conducted in a subtropical Eucalyptus plantation to determine the impacts of 50% of throughfall reduction (TR) on soil microbial community composition, function, and soil physicochemical properties. Results showed that TR reduced soil water content (SWC) and soil available phosphorus (AP) content. TR significantly altered 196 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs), most of them belonging to Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, while there were fewer changes in fungal OTUs. At the phylum level, TR increased the relative abundance of Acidobacteria at 0–20 cm soil depth by 37.18%, but failed to influence the relative abundance of the fungal phylum. Notably, TR did not alter the alpha diversity of the bacterial and fungal communities. The redundancy analysis showed that the bacterial communities were significantly correlated with SWC, and fungal communities were significantly correlated with AP content. According to predictions of bacterial and fungal community functions using PICRUSt2 and FUNGuild platforms, TR had different effects on both bacterial and fungal communities. Overall, SWC and AP decreased during TR, resulting in greater changes in soil bacterial community structure, but did not dramatically change soil fungal community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea buckthorn berries are rich in bioactive compounds and can be used for medicine and food. The variety and drying method used have an important influence on quality. In this study, different sea buckthorn varieties from China were selected and dried with four common drying methods. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), contents of 12 phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in vitro were analyzed. The results showed that the TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity of two wild sea buckthorn berries were higher than those of three cultivated berries, and for the same varieties, measured chemical contents and antioxidant activity of the freeze-dried fruit were significantly higher than those obtained with three conventional drying methods. In addition, forty-one compounds in sea buckthorn berry were identified by UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS, most of which were isorhamnetin derivatives. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed narcissin and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside varied significantly in sea buckthorn berries of different varieties and with different drying methods; they were potential quality markers. Strong correlations were found between TPC, gallic acid and antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05). The results revealed how components and antioxidant activity varied in different sea buckthorn, which provides a valuable reference for quality control and further development and utilization of sea buckthorn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the urinary arsenic metabolism characteristics in individuals with essential hypertension and to analyze the relationship between lipid metabolism gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to essential hypertension in individuals in high-arsenic areas in western China. A case-control study was conducted and involved individuals exposed to high arsenic levels (in this study, the arsenic content in the pressurized well water was 0–510.2 μg/L, and that in the mechanical well water was 167 μg/L) in two adjacent high-arsenic areas in Shanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. A total of 699 samples were collected, including 192 case samples (patients with hypertension) and 507 control samples (no hypertension). Blood pressure measurement data obtained from an epidemiological survey were used to determine whether the subjects had hypertension, and a logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between lipid metabolism gene polymorphisms and hypertension susceptibility. Blood and urine samples were collected based on epidemiological methods, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped using a SNPscan™ multiple SNP typing kit, and urinary arsenic concentrations were determined using the hydride generation atomic fluorescence method (HG-AFS). ADIPOQ/rs266729 was the dominant genetic model [(GC + GG) vs CC = 0.686:1, 95 % CI = 0.478−0.983], and FABP2/rs1799883 was the recessive genetic model [TT vs (CC + TC) = 1.690:1, 95 % CI = 1.014–2.816]. The distribution of the urinary arsenic secondary methylation ratio (SMR) [dimethylated arsenic (DMA)/monomethylated arsenic (MMA)] was different between hypertensive patients and controls. ADIPOQ/rs266729 and FABP2/rs1799883 polymorphisms affect susceptibility to essential hypertension in individuals exposed to high levels of arsenic; there was a clear difference in the urinary arsenic metabolism pattern between hypertensive patients and controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The present study aimed to reflect the current situation of social participation in rural areas of China, willingness to participate in social activities, association between health-related quality of life and social participation, and factors related to social participation. Methods A total of 2644 rural adults aged 60 years and older were randomly selected and surveyed with a self-rating questionnaire. We used the unified definition of social participation in our study. The Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey was used to measure health-related quality of life. Results The overall engagement of social activities was 26%. Those who participated in social activities were more likely to have high scores of health-related quality of life. Older men with a high educational level (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.01-2.29) living alone or with a spouse (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.08-2.12), high objective social support (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.00-1.17) and high support utilization (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.07-1.21) were inclined to engage in social participation. Older women with high individual income (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.25-2.43), single marital status (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.11-2.10), normal weight (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.10-3.34), overweight (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.24-4.19), living alone or with a spouse (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.20-2.00), objective social support (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.18) and subjective social support (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.10-1.20) were more willing to engage in social participation. Conclusions Engagement in social activities is relatively low in rural areas, and associations of willingness and health-related quality of life with social participation were found. Policy-makers and government workers should make appropriate types of encouragement policies around social participation for older adults in rural areas. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1593-1602. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reference standard is needed for quality control of protein subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to meet urgent domestic needs. The Chinese National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) launched a project to establish the first reference material for the protein subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to be used for calibration of antigen testing. The potency and stability of the national candidate standard (CS) were determined by collaborative calibration, and accelerated and freeze–thaw degradation studies. Moreover, a suitability study of the CS was performed. Eight laboratories in mainland China were asked to detect antigen content of CS using a common validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit established by NIFDC and in-house kits in the collaborative study. Six laboratories returned valid results, which established that the antigen content of the CS was 876,938 YU/mL, with good agreement across laboratories. In the suitability study, the CS exhibited excellent parallelism and a linear relationship with four samples produced by different expression systems and target proteins. In addition, good stability in the accelerated and freeze–thaw degradation study was observed. In conclusion, the CS was approved by the Biological Product Reference Standards Sub-Committee of the National Drug Reference Standards Committee as the first Chinese national standard for determining antigen content of protein subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, with an assigned antigen content of 877,000 U/mL (Lot. 300050–202101). This standard will contribute to a standardized assessment of protein subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in China and may provide experience for developing reference materials for antigen content detection of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Identifying two fates of CO 2 generated by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 to estimate CO 2 emission. • Rainfall improved carbon sink flux by reducing CO 2 emission. • The δ13C DIC did not reflect the contribution of H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 to karstification. To determine the mechanism underlying the effect of rainfall on the karst-related carbon cycle while controlled by that of H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 , high-resolution monitoring was conducted in Lanhuagou Spring, which is a typical epikarst spring in southwest China. During the monitoring period, the signals from major elements and stable isotopes showed that the CO 2 generated by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 entirely escaped from the water. Therefore, the CO 2 consumption induced by H 2 CO 3 and CO 2 emission induced by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 jointly affected the karst-related carbon cycle. The CO 2 consumption induced by H 2 CO 3 dropped following rainfall events and recovered gradually thereafter, which was only affected by the retention time of infiltrating water (dilution effect of rainfall). However, the CO 2 emission induced by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 had showed a downward trend from the first rainfall event (R1) to the end of monitoring. The effects of rainfall on CO 2 emission induced by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 were related to both the dilution effect and the removal of H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3. Although the average CO 2 consumption induced by H 2 CO 3 dropped from 2.8 mmol/L before rainfall to 2.21 mmol/L thereafter (decreased by 21.07 %), the average CO 2 emission induced by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 dropped from 1.29 to 0.49 mmol/L (decreased by 62.02 %); the range of CO 2 emission induced by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3 decline (0.8 mmol/L) was larger than that of CO 2 consumption induced by H 2 CO 3 (0.59 mmol/L), resulting in higher net CO 2 consumption (CO 2 consumption induced by H 2 CO 3 minus CO 2 emission induced by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3) after rainfall than before rainfall in the monitoring period. Therefore, in the model used to predict karst-related carbon flux caused by global climate change, it is necessary to consider the impact of rainfall on CO 2 emission induced by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3. Importantly, the net CO 2 consumption rather than CO 2 consumption induced by H 2 CO 3 , as well as runoff should be considered as two multipliers when carbonate weathering is interfered by H 2 SO 4 and/or HNO 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The most frequently reported fatal Lepiota ingestions are due to L. brunneoincarnata. We present a case of L. brunneoincarnata poisoning with endoscopic nasobiliary drainage known to be the first in China. The patient suffered gastrointestinal symptoms 9 h post ingestion of mushrooms. The patient was hospitalized 4 days after eating the mushrooms with jaundice. The peak ALT, AST, APTT, TBIL and DBIL values of the patient were as follow: ALT, 2980 U/L (day 4 post ingestion); AST, 1910 U/L (day 4 post ingestion); APTT, 92.8 seconds (day 8 post ingestion), TBIL, 136 μmol/L (day 10 post ingestion), DBIL 74 μmol/L (day 10 post ingestion). UPLC-ESI-MS/MS was used to detect the peptide toxins in the mushroom and biological samples from the patient. We calculated that the patient may have ingested a total of 29.05 mg amatoxin from 300 g mushrooms, consisting of 19.91 mg α-amanitin, 9.1 mg β-amanitin, and 0.044 mg γ-amanitin. Amatoxins could be detected in bile even on day 6 after ingestion of L. brunneoincarnata. With rehydration, endoscopic nasobiliary drainage and intravenous infusion of Legalon SIL, the patient recovered after serious hepatotoxicity developed. Highlights • This study is the first to systematically report a Lepiota brunneoincarnata poisonging case in China. • With endoscopic nasobiliary drainage and Legalon SIL, the patient recovered after ingestion of 0.38 mg/kg amatoxin. • Amatoxins could be detected in bile even on day 6 after ingestion of Lepiota brunneoincarnata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucalyptus is widely planted in Southern China with its rapid growth and high productivity. Nevertheless, seasonal droughts and low soil fertility exist in South China and a deeper understanding of the impacts of coupled fertilization and irrigation management on forest productivity and carbon (C) storage is still required. We investigated the effects of fertilization and dry-season irrigation on timber production and component C stocks in the ecosystem of Eucalyptus plantations. The results showed that fertilization coupled with dry-season irrigation mitigated nutrient limitation and dry-season drought stress, significantly increasing the stand volume of Eucalyptus plantations, with an increase of 161.3 % compared to the control treatment. Combined management of fertilization and dry-season irrigation significantly increased C stocks in the plantation ecosystem, by 37.3 % compared to the control treatment. Moreover, we found that the increased C storage was mainly from the vegetation layer, while the soil layer carbon storage decreased, thus changing the distribution of C stocks in the ecosystem. These results indicate that fertilized and dry-season irrigated Eucalyptus plantations have great timber production benefits beyond C sequestration, which also provide an important practical exploration of forest management in seasonally dry areas. • Fertilization combined with dry-season irrigation can increase stand volume. • Fertilization couple with dry-season irrigation can enhance ecosystem carbon stocks. • These two approaches can change the pattern of forest carbon stock allocation. • It provides an essential practical exploration of seasonal dryland forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shortage of irrigation with clean water is one of the major factors restricting grain production. To provide sufficient irrigation water for crops via utilizing the solar distillation process, a solar hydroponic planting system combined with multi-stage interfacial distillation units is proposed in this work, and its water production performance and economy are evaluated. The system adopts a tubeless design to reduce irrigation costs, and the collected solar energy can be reused many times to distillate seawater for directly irrigating crops. An experimental prototype with four-stage desalination units was tested in outdoor weather. According to the energy and mass transfer relation of each component, a thermodynamic model is established, and its correctness is verified by experimental data. Through the model, the temperature, water production, evaporation efficiency, and GOR (gain output ratio) of the system are evaluated, and the optical and thermal losses are investigated in detail. Results indicate that with the increase of irradiation and the decrease of interlayer spacing, the evaporation efficiency and GOR could be significantly improved. Under the condition of 1000 W/m2 irradiation, the GOR of the ten-stage system can reach 2.64, and the evaporation efficiency of the first-stage desalination unit achieves 84.2 %. Additionally, through the established model, the annual water production of the system under the weather conditions is predicted in different cities in China, and the water production cost is estimated to be 0.013 $/L in Guangzhou City. This study provides a potential solution to alleviate the shortage of irrigation water in offshore areas. • A solar hydroponic planting system with interfacial distillation was proposed. • Optical and thermal losses of the system were analyzed. • The measured water productivity of the four-stage system was 9.12 kg/m2/day. • The GOR of the ten-stage system could reach 2.64 at 1000 W/m2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucalyptus is widely planted in South China and has high economic and ecological values. However, the seasonal drought in southern China severely limits the productivity of Eucalyptus plantation. In this study, the dry-season irrigation was carried out after the conventional production and planting of Eucalyptus. The diurnal changes of photosynthetic characteristics of Eucalyptus plantations were measured in July, October 2017 and January, May 2018 to explore the diurnal and seasonal variations and their responses to both dry-season irrigation and environmental factors. The results showed that during the first-year growth of Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis plantation, (1) the diurnal changes of the trees under different treatments showed single-peak curves with the varied occurrence time of the highest photosynthetic characteristics in different months; the E. urophylla × E. grandis without dry-season irrigation (CK and F) had transpiration midday depression in January and that with the only dry-season irrigation (W) exhibited both photosynthetic and transpiration midday depression in May. (2) The trees of CK and F were subjected to mild drought stress in the dry season and their maximum photosynthetic and transpiration rate were lower than those of W and WF treatment respectively, but they had higher maximum WUE. The trees of W had significantly higher daily net CO 2 assimilation and daily water transpiration in dry season. (3) The diurnal changes of photosynthetic characteristics were mainly influenced by water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) at the corresponding time of the month. (4) In the short-term treatments, dry-season irrigation and fertilization significantly increased the biomass of E. urophylla × E. grandis. Dry-season irrigation alleviated the mild drought stress for gas exchange in the dry season and further promote the biomass of E. urophylla × E. grandis. This study provided an important practical exploration for improving the productivity of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantation in seasonal arid areas. • Most diurnal photosynthetic and respiration rate showed "single peak" curves. • Environmental factors affected diurnal and seasonal photosynthetic characteristics. • Dry-season irrigation alleviated the mild drought stress for the growth. • CK and F had transpiration midday depression in January. • W exhibited photosynthetic and transpiration midday depression in May. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new arylalkenyl α , β -unsaturated δ -lactones, cryptobrachytones A – C (1 – 3), together with one known analogue kurzilactone (4), were isolated from the leaves and twigs of Cryptocarya brachythyrsa. Their structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analysis. All the isolates were evaluated in vitro for anti-proliferative activity against a panel of five human cancer cell lines and one human normal cell, respectively, and the results showed 1 , 2 and 4 possessing significant selective cytotoxicity toward the human cancer cell lines with IC 50 values from 5.41 to 15.43 μM. This is the first study for C. brachythyrsa. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing incidence of diseases caused by Coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) and the presence of various mutants in the population present significant public health challenges. Given the concurrent development of multiple vaccines in China, it is challenging to objectively and accurately evaluate the level of neutralizing antibody response to different vaccines. The choice of the detection strain is a crucial factor that influences the detection of neutralizing antibodies. In this study, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control collected a prototype strain (Gdula), one subgenotype D1, as well as 13 CV-A6 candidate vaccine strains and candidate detection strains (subgenotype D3) from various institutions and manufacturers involved in research and development. We evaluated cross-neutralization activity using plasma from naturally infected adults ( n  = 30) and serum from rats immunized with the aforementioned CV-A6 strains. Although there were differences between the geometric mean titer (GMT) ranges of human plasma and murine sera, the overall trends were similar. A significant effect of each strain on the neutralizing antibody test (MAX/MIN 48.0 ∼16410.3) was observed. Among all strains, neutralization of the S112 strain by 15 different sera resulted in higher neutralizing antibody titers (GMT S112  = 132.0) and more consistent responses across different genotypic immune sera (MAX/MIN = 48.0). Therefore, S112 may serve as a detection strain for NtAb testing in various vaccines, minimizing bias and making it suitable for evaluating the immunogenicity of the CV-A6 vaccine.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with needle stick and sharps injuries (NSSIs) among health-care workers (HCWs) in a tertiary hospital in China., Materials and Methods: This retrospective survey was conducted with 562 HCWs at a tertiary hospital in China in July 2023. Information was collected using a self-designed questionnaire, and all enrolled members were required to fill in the demographic characteristics, occurrence of NSSIs and other associated factors in the past year. Logistic analysis was used to identify variables associated with NSSIs., Results: The proportion of participants with at least one injury within the year preceding the investigation was 21.2%. Male (AOR = 2.116 [1.265, 3.538]), working hours per week > 40 (AOR = 1.718 [1.056,2.796]), rarely checking blood-borne infections before invasive operations (AOR = 2.219 [1.303,3.782]) were significantly associated with NSSIs., Conclusion: The prevalence of NSSIs was not low in the survey area, especially in male, individuals with longer working hours, and rarely checking blood-borne infections before invasive operations. Therefore, it is necessary to promote educational programs to enhance awareness of standard prevention measures, especially for key populations, and reduce heavy workloads to decrease the occurrence of such injuries., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Understanding the environmental fate of organic carbon associated with iron (OC-Fe) is critically important for investigating OC preservation in aquatic systems. Here, we first investigate 13 C and 14 C isotopes of OC-Fe within grain size-fractionated sediments retrieved from the East China Sea and estimate their sources and reactivities of OC-Fe through isotope-mixing models and thermal pyrolysis approaches in order to reveal the fate of OC-Fe on continental shelves influenced by hydrodynamic processes. Our results show that the OC-Fe proportion in total OC ( f OC-Fe ) in the sortable silt fractions (20-63 μm) is the highest among three grain size fractions, likely suggesting that hydrodynamics may enhance the iron protection on OC. In addition, Δ 14 C OC-Fe values fall within the range of from -358.73 to -64.03‰, and both Δ 14 C OC-Fe values and ancient OC-Fe% exhibit strong positive linear relationships with f OC-Fe . This emphasized that the hydrodynamic processes may cause the ancient OC to be tightly associated with Fe, accompanying OC-Fe aging. Our findings shed new light on the preservation of OC-Fe in marginal seas to advance the recognition of carbon "rusty sinks" in seafloor sediments.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of disease duration on clinical phenotypes in Chinese patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) and examine the correlation between clinical phenotypes and onset age, age at diagnosis, and disease duration., Methods: Data from 952 patients diagnosed with pSS in China between January 2013 and March 2022 were analyzed based on medical records. Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on disease duration: short (<5 years), moderate (≥5 and <10 years), and long (≥10 years) group. Clinical characteristics were compared among the 3 groups, and pSS patients with a long disease duration were compared with the other patients after matching age at diagnosis and age at onset., Results: Among the patients, 20.4% had a disease duration over 10 years. After matching for age at onset and age at diagnosis, pSS patients with a long disease duration exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of dry mouth ( p <0.001), dry eyes ( p <0.001), fatigue ( p <0.001), arthralgia ( p <0.001), and dental caries ( p <0.001) and higher rates of anti-Sjögren syndrome A ( p < 0.05), anti-Ro52 ( p < 0.05), and anti-SSB ( p < 0.05) positivity than their control groups, with prevalence increasing with disease duration ( ptrend < 0.001). However, no differences were noted in the prevalence of interstitial lung disease and leukopenia between different disease duration groups after matching for age at onset, although differences were shown when matching for age at diagnosis., Conclusion: Longer disease duration in pSS patients correlates with increased prevalence of sicca symptoms, fatigue, and arthralgia and higher positivity of autoantibodies associated with pSS. However, the prevalence of interstitial lung disease and leukopenia did not correlate with disease duration after matching for age at onset., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Arsenic (As) is an abundant metalloid in marine environments, while the biogeochemical cycling of As in cold seeps remains poorly understood. We characterized the speciation of As and investigated controls of As distribution in cold seeps of South China Sea. High methane concentrations (0.2-5.5 mmol/L) and rapid sulfate depletion were observed in the seepage. Dissolved inorganic arsenic (DIAs) was enriched in the porewater ranging from 7.5 to 23.5 μg/L. As in the solid phase ranged from 2.9 to 22.6 μg/g, and sulfide mineral-bound As dominated the total arsenic (TAs) pool, followed by iron (manganese, aluminum) oxide-bound As. The significant correlations between porewater Fe 2+ and DIAs reflect the controls of iron on DIAs release. Incubation experiments showed that adsorption to the solid phase and sulfate reduction activity affected the bioavailability and removal of DIAs, suggesting that multiple processes regulate the speciation and transformation of As in seep sediments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Neutralizing antibodies (NtAbs) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are indicators of vaccine efficacy that enable immunity surveillance. However, the rapid mutation of SARS-CoV-2 variants prevents the timely establishment of standards required for effective XBB vaccine evaluation. Therefore, we prepared four candidate standards (No. 11, No. 44, No. 22, and No. 33) using plasma, purified immunoglobulin, and a broad-spectrum neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Collaborative calibration was conducted across nine Chinese laboratories using neutralization methods against 11 strains containing the XBB and BA.2.86 sublineages. This study demonstrated the reduced neutralization potency of the first International Standard antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern against XBB variants. No. 44 displayed broad-spectrum neutralizing activity against XBB sublineages, effectively reduced interlaboratory variability for nearly all XBB variants, and effectively minimized the geometric mean titer (GMT) difference between the live and pseudotyped virus. No. 22 showed a broader spectrum and higher neutralizing activity against all strains but failed to reduce interlaboratory variability. Thus, No. 44 was approved as a National Standard for NtAbs against XBB variants, providing a unified NtAb measurement standard for XBB variants for the first time. Moreover, No. 22 was approved as a national reference reagent for NtAbs against SARS-CoV-2, offering a broad-spectrum activity reference for current and potentially emerging variants.

Purpose: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a chronic fibroinflammatory pancreatic disease that severely impacts patients' quality of life (QoL). The Pancreatitis Quality of Life Instrument (PANQOLI) is an 18-item measure specifically designed to assess QoL amongst patients with CP. This study aimed to develop a Chinese version of PANQOLI and assess its reliability and validity in the Chinese CP cohort., Methods: Translation was performed according to forward-backwards translation steps and transcultural adaptation. Five hundred Mandarin Chinese-speaking patients with CP were enrolled, 250 for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and 250 for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Item analysis, reliability analysis (internal consistency, split-half reliability, test-retest reliability), and validity analysis (content validity, construct validity, and convergent validity) were performed., Results: Item analysis of the Chinese version of PANQOLI revealed that the absolute t values of all items were > 3. Reliability analysis showed that Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.868, split-half coefficient was 0.934, and intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.859, demonstrating excellent reliability. For content validity, item level content validity index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.8 to 1.0, and average of I-CVI scores across all items (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.91. In construct validity analysis, EFA produced four dimensions after rotation, and results of CFA showed χ 2 /df = 2.346, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.929, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.915, and root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.074. The analysis of convergent validity indicated that the Chinese version of PANQOLI was moderately correlated with the physical (r = 0.436, P < 0.001) and mental component summary (r = 0.518, P < 0.001) of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey., Conclusion: The Chinese version of PANQOLI appears to be culturally appropriate, reliable, and valid for assessing the QoL amongst Chinese patients with CP., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

We examined the vertical distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P) and their ecological stoichiometric ratios in 0-80 cm soil profile under three forest stand types in the middle and lower reaches of the Beijiang River, including broad-leaved forest, coniferous forest, and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest. The results showed that soil C, N and P contents of the three forest stand types were 12.17-14.25, 1.14-1.31, and 0.27-0.30 g·kg -1 , respectively. The contents of C and N decreased with the increases of soil depth. The content of C and N in each soil layer showed that coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest > coniferous forest > broad-leaved forest. There was no significant difference in P content among the three stand types, and there was no obvious variation in the vertical profile. The soil C/N, C/P, and N/P of the three forest types were 11.2-11.3, 49.0-60.3, and 4.5-5.7, respectively. There was no significant difference in soil C/N among the three stand types. The highest soil C/P and N/P were found in the mixed forest. There was no interaction between soil depth and stand type in affecting soil C, N, P contents and their stoichiometric ratios. There was significant positive correlation between C and N, and between N and C/P in each stand type and soil layer. Soil C/P and N/P had stronger ecological indicating effects on stand types. The coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest was strongly limited by P availability.

People may perceive and expose negative sentiments in days with PM 2.5 pollutions, but evidence is still insufficient about the joint effects of PM 2.5 and socioeconomic factors on human sentiments. In this study, a total of 8032 facial photos of urban green space visitors were obtained from Sina Weibo in 50 cities of East China and rated for happy, sad, neutral scores and net positive emotion index (NPE; happy minus sad). Seasonal air PM 2.5 concentrations were collected from days when people exposed faces in cities that were categorized to medium, large, outsize, and mega sizes according to resident populations (RPs). In summer, people posted lower sad score (11.28 %) than in winter (13.51 %; P = 0.0357) and higher NPE (35.86 %) than in autumn (30.92 %; P = 0.0009). Multivariate linear regression on natural logarithms revealed that factors of gross domestic product per capita (parameter estimate: 0.45), RP (0.59), non-production electricity consumption (0.34), and length of road transport (0.34) together generated positive contributions to posted happy score, while the total retail trade of consumer goods (-1.25) and PM 2.5 (-0.50) were perceived as joint depressors on NPE. Overall, cities with more rich households and activated retail sales attracted more people who exposed smiles in weathers with PM 2.5 compared to cities where local economy is reliable on heavy industry. The summertime in mega cities will be recommended to enjoy a higher frequency to perceive satisfaction due to exposure to low PM 2.5 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Neutralizing antibody (NtAb) levels are key indicators in the development and evaluation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines. Establishing a unified and reliable WHO International Standard (IS) for NtAb is crucial for the calibration and harmonization of NtAb detection assays. National and other WHO secondary standards are key links in the transfer of IS to working standards but are often overlooked. The Chinese National Standard (NS) and WHO IS were developed by China and WHO in September and December 2020, respectively, the application of which prompted and coordinated sero-detection of vaccine and therapy globally. Currently, a second-generation Chinese NS is urgently required owing to the depletion of stocks and need for calibration to the WHO IS. The Chinese National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) developed two candidate NSs (samples 33 and 66-99) traced to the IS according to the WHO manual for the establishment of national secondary standards through a collaborative study of nine experienced labs. Either NS candidate can reduce the systematic error among different laboratories and the difference between the live virus neutralization (Neut) and pseudovirus neutralization (PsN) methods, ensuring the accuracy and comparability of NtAb test results among multiple labs and methods, especially for samples 66-99. At present, samples 66-99 have been approved as the second-generation NS, which is the first NS calibrated tracing to the IS with 580 (460-740) International Units (IU)/mL and 580 (520-640) IU/mL by Neut and PsN, respectively. The use of standards improves the reliability and comparability of NtAb detection, ensuring the continuity of the use of the IS unitage, which effectively promotes the development and application of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in China., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Guan, Mao, Tan, Liu, Zhang, Li, Liu, Wang, Cheng, Cui, He, Wang, Gao, Wang, Bian, Wu, Hou, Liang and Xu.)

Catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) for biomass treatment is a research hotspot but there is little information about the difference between the in situ and ex situ methods. In present work, the Ni-Fe/CaO-Al 2 O 3 catalysts with different Ni/Fe ratios have been synthesized by coprecipitation method, and the product distribution about the Chinese herb residue (CHR) catalytic fast pyrolysis by in situ and ex situ methods in a quartz tube reactor system has been investigated. The results show that the CFP pyrolysis would upgrade the quality of bio-oil but decrease the yields, no matter in situ or ex situ CFP process. During the in situ CFP process, heteroatoms may be absorbed by the catalyst support and cannot be transferred to the bio-oil, but the results of ex situ CFP are the opposite. In addition, the ex situ CFP reaction significantly increases the content of aromatic hydrocarbons. As to the gas products' distribution, the effect of Fe in catalysts to promote CH 4 formation is reflected in in situ CFP process, while the promotion effect of H 2 generation for Ni added in catalyst is mainly reflected in ex situ CFP process. However, due to the high reaction temperature (800 °C), the adsorption of CO 2 by CaO support is not particularly significant. The possible mechanism of CHR in CFP process has also been summarized for understanding the process of in situ and ex situ CFP, and this study may provide a choice or reference for CHR treatment., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been commonly deployed to prevent and control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in a worldwide decline in influenza prevalence. However, the influenza risk in China warrants cautious assessment. We conducted a cross-sectional, seroepidemiological study in Shandong Province, Northern China in mid-2021. Hemagglutination inhibition was performed to test antibodies against four influenza vaccine strains. A combination of descriptive and meta-analyses was adopted to compare the seroprevalence of influenza antibodies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall seroprevalence values against A/H1N1pdm09, A/H3N2, B/Victoria, and B/Yamagata were 17.8% (95% CI 16.2%-19.5%), 23.5% (95% CI 21.7%-25.4%), 7.6% (95% CI 6.6%-8.7%), and 15.0 (95% CI 13.5%-16.5%), respectively, in the study period. The overall vaccination rate was extremely low (2.6%). Our results revealed that antibody titers in vaccinated participants were significantly higher than those in unvaccinated individuals (P < 0.001). Notably, the meta-analysis showed that antibodies against A/H1N1pdm09 and A/H3N2 were significantly low in adults after the COVID-19 pandemic (P < 0.01). Increasing vaccination rates and maintaining NPIs are recommended to prevent an elevated influenza risk in China., (© 2022. Higher Education Press.)

Three new aaptamines ( 1-3 ) together with two known derivatives ( 4-5 ) were isolated from the South China Sea sponge Aaptos suberitoides . The structures of all compounds were unambiguously elucidated by spectroscopic analyses as well as the comparison with literature data. All the compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against five human cancer cell lines including H1299, H520, SCG7901, CNE-2 and SW680 cells. As a result, compounds 3-5 showed moderate cytotoxicities against H1299 and H520 cells with IC 50 values ranging from 12.9 to 20.6 μg/mL. Besides, compounds 3-5 also showed potent inhibitory activities toward cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (CDK2) with IC 50 values of 14.3, 3.0 and 6.0 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, compounds 3-5 significantly induced G1 arrests of H1299 cells at low concentrations. Drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) experiments were carried out and further demonstrated that compound 3 could effectively bind with CDK2 protein and protect it from the degradation by pronase.