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Many small-spacing interchanges (SSI) appear with the improvement of the expressway network. To investigate the speed and mental workload characteristics in the SSI and acquire the mechanism of the influence of speed on the drivers' workload, 37 participants were recruited to perform a field driving test. Each driver performed four driving conditions (i.e. ramp-mainline, mainline-ramp, mainline driving, and auxiliary lane driving). The speed and drivers' electrocardiogram (ECG) data were collected using SpeedBox speed acquisition equipment and PhysioLAB physiological instrument. The heart rate increase (HRI) index was used to analyse the drivers' mental workload regularity. The relationship model between speed and HRI was developed to examine the impact of speed on HRI. The results show that the speed variation in the SSI displayed two patterns: 'decrease - increase and continuous decrease.' The drivers' HRI variation presented four patterns: 'convex curve, continuously increasing, continuously decreasing and concave curve'. SSI's influenced area length is given based on the speed and HRI variation regularity. HRI is significantly higher when driving in the ramp-mainline condition in the SSI than when driving in other conditions, indicating that drivers are more nervous when merging with the mainline traffic. HRI increases significantly in the first 50% of the weaving area in four driving conditions, indicating that vehicle weaving greatly influences the drivers' mental workload. A positive correlation exists between vehicle speed and drivers' HRI without interference from other vehicles and road alignment. The shorter spacing of the interchange will result in a more difficult driving task for the drivers. This study shows that drivers have the highest mental workload in ramp-mainline driving condition at small-spacing interchanges. The first half of the weaving area is the area where drivers' mental workload increases significantly, and is a high-risk section for small-spacing interchanges. This study can provide a reference for the revision of the allowable minimum interchange spacing in the corresponding specification, and the calibration of the simulation test parameters for similar scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety, progress, and investment risks are correlated during the construction period of large-scale water transfer projects. However, previous studies have only considered individual risk factors, overlooking the potential systemic risk posed to safety, progress, and investment, as well as any underlying common cause failures. Since traditional risk analysis methods are ill-suited to addressing common cause failure, this paper's objective was to establish a comprehensive evaluation index framework and to identify the basic events of common cause failure. To do that, we developed a risk analysis method that models common cause failure based on a Bayesian network for assessing that systemic risk. The Henan Section of the Yangtze-to-Huaihe River Water Diversion Project in China was then used as a case study. The results show that a variety of common cause failure events, such as epidemic disease, design alteration, lagged approval process, heavy rain in the flood season, renewal material and failing equipment, construction accidents, and external interference, can significantly impact the safety, progress, and investment systemic risk. Design alteration poses the greatest risk, with renewal material and failing equipment exerting the strongest influence among all common cause failure events. It is also possible to elucidate the predominant causal chains; specifically, the contributing influence of each basic failure event to the systemic risk can be clarified by adjusting their respective initial state. The failure of renewal material and failing equipment was found to significantly increase the safety risk. This study effectively simulated the complex causal relationships and uncertainties of pertinent risk factors, thereby enhancing our understanding of the systemic risk associated with safety, progress, and investment in large-scale water transfer projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their oxidation products enhances ozone (O3) levels in the downwind areas. Qinling Mountain, with high altitude, affects the climate and air quality in China, but its impacts on VOCs transport and regional O3 pollution are poorly understood. The present study measured ambient VOCs at a high‐altitude site in Qinling Mountain in China in summer and winter in 2020, and investigated how the mountain influenced the regional transport of VOCs and O3. Transport of VOCs (formaldehyde up to 5 ppbv) across Qinling Mountain was observed, which caused rapid increase of O3 at night (80–152 ppbv) at the mountain top. In August, southeasterly air masses from surrounding areas were the main sources of oxygenated VOCs, while nonmethane hydrocarbons originated mainly from the Guanzhong Basin (GZB) north of the mountain. High loading of tropospheric formaldehyde was distributed on the pathway of the southeasterly air mass, which verified the transport of VOCs across Qinling Mountain. In December, westerly air masses passing through GZB contributed most to the ambient VOCs. Asian monsoon and local valley wind together drove the accumulation of O3 and VOCs on the mountain top, which exacerbated the O3 pollution in the adjacent areas. This study revealed the transport of O3 and VOCs across Qinling Mountain and highlighted the need for regional collaborative control of air quality in Northwest China. Plain Language Summary: Transport of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their oxidation products contributes to regional O3 pollution. Qinling Mountain, a major climatic and geographical boundary in Northwest China, influences the transport of VOCs and O3 across the region. Here we show, by measuring VOCs at a high‐altitude remote site on the eastern edge of the Qinling Mountain, that emissions from both north and south of the mountain can reach the site and affect its O3 levels. We also show that air masses crossing the mountain caused accumulation of O3 and VOCs in the high altitude remote sites, leading to enhanced O3 pollution in Northwest China. Key Points: The impacts of Qinling Mountain on the transport of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were investigated based on the field measurement and remote sensingOxygenated VOCs in Qinling Mountain mainly originated from the southerly air mass, and high loading of tropospheric formaldehyde distributed on the southeasterly pathwayNonmethane hydrocarbons mainly originated from Guanzhong Basin, and the local wind was the major driving force [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early indicators are needed to predict the prognosis of patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) has been shown to be related to mortality risk of patients with various diseases. This study evaluated the prognostic value of APRI and other inflammatory scores in HFRS patients. Data of hospitalized HFRS patients from a tertiary hospital in northwest China were collected and the inflammatory scores such as APRI and neutrophil to lymphocyte count ratio (NLR) were calculated at the day of patient admission. Independent factors related to the survival of patients were determined by multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the predictive value, and area under the curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for quantification. Of the 317 HFRS patients included in study, 15 patients died. Age (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04–1.16, p = 0.001), NLR (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02–1.19, p = 0.01), and APRI (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03–1.10, p = 0.001) were quantitative objective factors independently associated with the survival of patients. APRI had an AUC of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91–1.00, p < 0.001) for predicting the prognosis of patients, with a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 86.8%. The performance of APRI was better than that of age or NLR. Patients with an APRI ≥ 6.15 had significantly decreased survival compared with those with an APRI < 6.15. In conclusion, this simple index APRI calculated at admission can serve as a biomarker to identify HFRS patients at risk of poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water quality is directly linked to drinking water safety for millions of people receiving the water. The Danjiangkou Reservoir is the main water source for the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (MR-SNWDP), located in the vicinity of Henan and Hubei provinces in China. Aquatic microorganisms are key indicators of biologically assessing and monitoring the water quality of the reservoir as they are sensitive to environmental and water quality changes. This study aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal variations in bacterioplankton communities during wet (April) and dry (October) seasons at eight monitoring points in Hanku reservoir and five monitoring points in Danku reservoir. Each time point had three replicates, labeled as wet season Hanku (WH), wet season Danku (WD), dry season Hanku (DH), and dry season Danku (DD) of Danjiangkou Reservoir in 2021. High-throughput sequencing (Illumina PE250) of the 16S rRNA gene was performed, and alpha (ACE and Shannon) and beta (PCoA and NDMS) diversity indices were analyzed. The results showed that the dry season (DH and DD) had more diverse bacterioplankton communities compared to the wet season (WH and WD). Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were the most abundant phyla, and Acinetobacter, Exiguobacterium, and Planomicrobium were abundant in the wet season, while polynucleobacter was abundant in the dry season. The functional prediction of metabolic pathways revealed six major functions including carbohydrate metabolism, membrane transport, amino acid metabolism, signal transduction, and energy metabolism. Redundancy analysis showed that environmental parameters greatly affected bacterioplankton diversity during the dry season compared to the wet season. The findings suggest that seasonality has a significant impact on bacterioplankton communities, and the dry season has more diverse communities influenced by environmental parameters. Further, the relatively high abundance of certain bacteria such as Acinetobacter deteriorated the water quality during the wet season compared to the dry season. Our findings have significant implications for water resource management in China, and other countries facing similar challenges. However, further investigations are required to elucidate the role of environmental parameters in influencing bacterioplankton diversity in order to devise potential strategies for improving water quality management in the reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opisthopappus longilobus (Opisthopappus) and its descendant species, Opisthopappus taihangensis, commonly thrive on the Taihang Mountains of China. Being typical cliff plants, both O. longilobus and O. taihangensis release unique aromatics. To determine the potential differentiation and environmental response patterns, comparative metabolic analysis was performed on O. longilobus wild flower (CLW), O. longilobus transplant flower (CLT), and O. taihangensis wild flower (TH) groups. Significant differences in the metabolic profiles were found, not within O. longilobus, but between O. longilobus and O. taihangensis flowers. Within these metabolites, twenty-eight substances related to the scents were obtained (one alkene, two aldehydes, three esters, eight phenols, three acids, three ketones, three alcohols, and five flavonoids), of which eugenol and chlorogenic were the primary aromatic molecules and enriched in the phenylpropane pathway. Network analysis showed that close relationships occurred among identified aromatic substances. The variation coefficient (CV) of aromatic metabolites in O. longilobus was lower than O. taihangensis. The aromatic related compounds were significantly correlated with the lowest temperatures in October and in December of the sampled sites. The results indicated that phenylpropane, particularly eugenol and chlorogenic, played important roles in the responses of O. longilobus species to environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study described the length–weight relationships (LWRs) and diversity status of fishes in the midstream of the Jialing River, which is the largest tributary of the upper Yangtze River, China. A total of 4592 specimens from 53 fish species belonging to three orders and eight families were collected from December 2021 to November 2022. The results showed that Culter oxycephaloides, Xenocypris davidi, Hemibarbus labeo, Hemiculter tchangi were dominant fish species in the study region. Twenty-five fish species (IRI ≥ 10) were subjected to LWR analysis, and the regression parameters a and b for fish species varied from 0.006 to 0.333 and 2.129 to 3.391. Eleven fish species were determined to have isometric growth, and 14 fish species were determined to have allometric growth. The diversity analyses suggested that the diversity status of fishes were kept relatively stable during the sampling period and that the fishes suffered moderate disturbance in the midstream of the Jialing River. The present study provided basic biology data for fish conservation and management after the fishing ban in the Jialing River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The undifferentiated embryonic sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is an extremely rare malignant mesenchymal tumor with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis, accounting for 0.03% of all resected liver specimens in China. Since UESL has no specific clinical symptoms, many cases of UESL are misdiagnosed or treated with inappropriate surgical mode. Tumoral rupture would significantly impact tumoral TNM staging and patients' clinical outcomes. This report describes a clinical course of an acute abdomen patient with an upcoming rupture of UESL. Thanks to a successful emergency hepatectomy with a close cyst, the patient remained free of disease at a 15-month follow-up. Separated cystic-solid component of a hepatic mass on CT might be the most important suggestive of an UESL, and uneven cyst fluid, ballooned cyst, blunt liver edge, and effusion surrounding around the cyst might be the useful imaging clues of potential rupture of the cystic-solid liver mass. Emergency surgical removal of the liver mass was evidently promising and worth noting in case of tumor rupture and subsequent risk of tumor seeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing high-value crop planting industries according to local conditions is an important strategy for targeted poverty alleviation, and it is also a momentous solution for agricultural structure adjustment. However, previous studies mainly have focused on their spatiotemporal evolution and economic benefits instead of their environmental impact. An in-depth analysis of high-value crop planting industries is urgently needed. Taking Linquan County as the research area, this study applied emergy and economic analyses to explore the differences among different high-value crop planting systems and wheat planting system from the perspectives of economic benefit, environmental impact and overall sustainability. The results showed that high-value crop planting systems provide more competitive economic profit than that of wheat planting. Despite the high economic benefits, the three highvalue crop planting systems intensify the purchased nonrenewable resource inputs and lead to higher environmental stress, especially the ginger planting system. Under the trade-off of economic benefit and environmental performance, peony planting is considered a promising pattern for further sustainable agriculture considering its synergistic development of photovoltaic power generation. Several policy incentives are suggested to increase the financial attractiveness of environmentally sound patterns and promote a virtuous cycle for future sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) is an important economic fish species in China. Many carnivorous fish larvae feed on zooplankton or microdiets. However, the mandarin fish larvae feed on live prey fish exclusively, while refusing zooplankton or microdiets. A stable supply of palatable live prey fish results in high costs. Moreover, the application of live prey fish might bring the risk of pathogens. However, little is known about the genes underlying the food preference of mandarin fish larvae. Partial offspring of the domesticated strain could feed brine shrimp from three days post-hatching (dph), the open mouth day. In the present study, the mandarin fish larvae were randomly divided into three groups, then treated differently at 3 dph: (1) unfed; (2) fed with live prey fish; (3) fed with brine shrimp (Artemia). Differentially expressed genes were identified by RNA-seq. The differential expression of the transcription factors involved in retinal photoreceptor development and differentiation might contribute to the intake of brine shrimp in mandarin fish larvae. Meanwhile, the digestive enzyme genes involved in protein, fat, and carbohydrate digestion have been expressed in mandarin fish larvae at 3 dph, contributing to the digestion of ingested food. Our study provides an overview of genes and biological processes involved in the peculiar food preference at the first-feeding stage in mandarin fish larvae and has critical importance to the future application of non-fish live feeds in the culture of mandarin fish larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the existing characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus in the main rivers of Changchun City, the overlying water and sediment were sampled and tested. The results showed that the spatial distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus contents in overlying water and sediment was diverse. In overlying water, nitrogen and phosphorus contents in the north and west of Changchun were high, while their contents in the south were low. In the sediment, their contents were high in the south and west and low in the north. The pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus was serious in most rivers. Xinkai River, Chuan Lake, and West Lake had the acutest pollution of ammonia, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, and their contamination degree in Yongchun River was the lowest. In terms of time, with the government actively carrying out river management, the pollution control of ammonia and phosphorus has achieved remarkable results. The pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus was closely related to the quality of the water environment, and the phosphorus content in overlying water and sediment had the strongest correlation with other water quality parameters. Moreover, the change in chemical oxygen demand could be predicted by the partial least squares method on the basis of its high correlation with nitrogen and phosphorus in overlying water. This study provides a scientific reference for the investigation and treatment of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in surface water of typical old industrial cities in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The farmland loss caused by urban–rural land development has exacerbated China's challenges of using limited farmland to feed more than 1.4 billion people. Earlier studies shed light on the impacts of urban sprawl and rural settlement expansion, separately. However, there is little quantitative understanding of which one has more severe impacts on farmland and its net primary productivity (NPP). Thus, this study used spatially explicit satellite data including land-use maps and estimated NPP data, as well as spatiotemporal analysis methods to conduct a comparative analysis of farmland loss due to urban sprawl and rural settlement expansion at different scales from 2000 to 2020 in China. The results show that during the study period, urban sprawl resulted in a loss of 49,086.6 km2 of farmland area and 8.34 TgC of farmland NPP, while the loss of farmland area and farmland NPP due to rural settlement expansion reached 18,006.8 km2 and 3.88 TgC. The largest gap between the total area of farmland loss due to urban sprawl and the total loss area due to rural settlement expansion was 12,983.3 km2 in Eastern China, while the smallest gap was 1291.1 km2 in Northeastern China. The largest gap between the loss of farmland NPP due to urban sprawl and the total loss due to rural settlement expansion occurred in Eastern China at 1.97 TgC. Spatially, the total loss of farmland and its NPP due to urban sprawl and rural settlement expansion occurred mainly in the eastern and central regions of China; the areas of farmland loss by urban sprawl were more concentrated than that by rural settlement expansion. The negative impacts of urban sprawl on farmland area and its NPP were greater in southern China than that of rural settlement expansion. Noticeably, the loss of NPP per unit of farmland due to rural settlement expansion was higher than that by urban sprawl, especially in the Yangtze River Delta and Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. The results highlight the non-negligible impacts of rural settlement expansion on farmland in China. It is necessary to improve farmland protection policies by optimizing the spatial allocation of urban and rural construction land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing popularity of online foreign language teaching and learning practice, learners and teachers have developed a high demand for evaluation of teaching effectiveness. When we focus discussion on international Chinese teaching, which has been developed for a relatively short time and not experienced enough, online teaching effectiveness evaluation has become an important obstacle to the development of teaching. This paper introduces a hybrid technique based on fuzzy evaluation method, for determining and suggesting possible types of errors in international Chinese online listening and speaking instruction and giving suggestions for improvement. The system can help learners to identify and determine the types of errors in Chinese listening and speaking learning in a timely manner and make a more objective and comprehensive evaluation of learning performance; at the same time, it helps teachers to trace the effectiveness of teaching design and implementation in a targeted manner and make corresponding scientific decisions. This hybrid technology combines existing language teaching evaluation models, takes advantage of data from online education, and creates corresponding criteria through machine learning fuzzy algorithms and large data sample training, combined with the theory of effective teaching evaluation, which is beneficial for all participants of online Chinese listening and speaking teaching to improve their learning effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opisthopappus is a major wild source of Asteraceae with resistance to cold and drought. Two species of this genus (Opisthopappus taihangensis and O. longilobus) have been employed as model systems to address the evolutionary history of perennial herb biomes in the Taihang Mountains of China. However, further studies on the adaptive divergence processes of these two species are currently impeded by the lack of genomic resources. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved, a comparative analysis of these two species was conducted. Among the identified transcription factors, the bHLH members were most prevalent, which exhibited significantly different expression levels in the terpenoid metabolic pathway. O. longilobus showed higher level of expression than did O. taihangensis in terms of terpenes biosynthesis and metabolism, particularly monoterpenoids and diterpenoids. Analyses of the positive selection genes (PSGs) identified from O. taihangensis and O. longilobus revealed that 1203 genes were related to adaptative divergence, which were under rapid evolution and/or have signs of positive selection. Differential expressions of PSG occurred primarily in the mitochondrial electron transport, starch degradation, secondary metabolism, as well as nucleotide synthesis and S-metabolism pathway processes. Several PSGs were obviously differentially expressed in terpenes biosynthesis that might result in the fragrances divergence between O. longilobus and O. taihangensis, which would provide insights into adaptation of the two species to different environments that characterized by sub-humid warm temperate and temperate continental monsoon climates. The comparative analysis for these two species in Opisthopappus not only revealed how the divergence occurred from molecular perspective, but also provided novel insights into how differential adaptations occurred in Taihang Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to extract the polyphenols from three major seaweed species such as Sargassum miyabei, Undaria pinnatifida suringar, and Sargassum thunbergii, which are found in the coastal province (Guangdong), a longest coastal line in China. It was found that the Sargassum thunbergii produced more polyphenols (34.99 mg) as compared to Sargassum miyabei (23.26 mg) and Undaria pinnatifida suringar (25.34 mg), respectively. The orthogonal method was used for the extraction of phenolic compounds and extraction condition of each seaweed species was optimized. The antioxidant activity of extracted polyphenols from all three species stated that the polyphenols extracted from Undaria pinnatifida suringar demonstrated the highest antioxidative activity. Furthermore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) was used for qualitative analysis of polyphenols, which revealed that the major components of polyphenols extracted from Undaria pinnatifida suringar were gallic acid and arbutin followed by syringate in Sargassum miyabei and phloretin in Sargassum thunbergii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transmission of Unique Recombinant Forms (URFs) has complicated the molecular epidemic of HIV-1. This increasing genetic diversity has implications for prevention surveillance, diagnosis, and vaccine design. In this study, we characterized the HIV-1 URFs from 135 newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected cases between 2016 and 2020 in Shenyang, northeast China and analyzed the evolutionary relationship of them by phylogenetic and recombination approaches. Among 135 URFs, we found that the CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinants were the most common (81.5%, 110/135), followed by CRF01_AE/B (11.9%, 16/135), B/C (3.7%, 5/135), and others (3.0%, 4/135). 94.8% (128/135) of patients infected by URFs were through homosexual contact. Among 110 URFs_0107, 60 (54.5%) formed 11 subclusters (branch support value = 1) and shared the consistent recombination structure, respectively. Four subclusters have caused small-scale spread among different high-risk populations. Although the recombination structures of URFs_0107 are various, the hotspots of recombinants gathered between position 2,508 and 2,627 (relative to the HXB2 position). Moreover, the CRF07_BC and CRF01AE fragments of URFs_0107 were mainly derived from the MSM population. In brief, our results reveal the complex recombinant modes and the high transmission risk of URFs_0107, which calls for more attention on the new URFs_0107 monitoring and strict control in the areas led by homosexual transmission route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective governance of air pollution requires precise identification of its influencing factors. Most existing studies attempt to identify the socioeconomic factors but lack consideration of multidimensional heterogeneous characteristics. This paper fills this long-ignored research gap by differentiating governance regions with regard to multidimensional heterogeneity characteristics. Decision tree recursive analysis combined with a spatial autoregressive model is used to identify governance factors in China. Empirical results show several interesting findings. First, geographic location, administrative level, economic zones and regional planning are the main heterogeneous features of accurate air pollution governance in Chinese cities. Second, significant influencing factors of air pollution in different delineated regions are identified, especially significant differences between coastal and non-coastal cities. Third, the trends of heterogeneity in urban air governance in China are to some extent consistent with national policies. The approach identifies factors influencing air pollution, thus providing a basis for accurate air pollution governance that has wider applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the risk of gas overrun in coal mines and improve the risk analysis, a novel risk analysis method was proposed based on FAHP and Bayesian network. The risk analysis framework consisted of causal reasoning, logical reasoning, and sensitivity analysis. The gas overrun risk analysis was conducted by taking the Laohutai Coal Mine in China as the research object. Specifically, based on prior knowledge and sample data, the probability of the gas overrun was 3.2%, belonging to a small probability event. However, the probability of gas concentration exceeding 1% was 12%, and there was still potential danger. Logical reasoning diagnosed and identified that wind speed and air leakage were the direct causes of gas overrun. Sensitivity analysis indicated that wind speed, human error, and ground stress were key factors of the gas overrun. The case study showed this fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP)-Bayesian network (BN)–based risk analysis method can provide real-time and dynamic decision support for gas overrun control and treatment in coal mines to ensure the safe and efficient mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rare earth elements and yttrium (REY)-enriched phosphorites in the Zhijin region, southwest China, have attracted much attention, yet its origin has not been sufficiently addressed. The geology, mineralogy and geochemistry of samples from four sections of the early Cambrian age from the Zhijin region were studied to attain the redox condition and origin of REY. Data from in situ analysis show that REY are mainly contained in francolite, and the two types of francolite (bioclastic and granular) have no distinct difference in REY content (ΣREY). A Ce anomaly indicates an oxic condition in primary seawater. An Eu anomaly and ratios of redox sensitive elements (RSEs) indicate a fluctuating redox condition during phosphorite deposition. Shale-normalized REY patterns of whole rock and francolite show a hat-shaped pattern, indicating the effect of diagenetic processes. The Y/Ho ratio of the selected sections ranges from 38.13 to 61.93, and together with the Y anomaly, LaN/NdN ratio, LaN/SmN ratio, and LaN/YbN ratio, this indicates a seawater origin. This is supported by the Ce/Ce* of the phosphorite that ranges from 0.32 to 0.52 and the Eu/Eu* that ranges from 0.88 to 1.82, which is similar to the characteristics of seawater and deep-sea mud. We also propose a minor contribution of terrigenous debris and influence of diagenesis and hydrothermal processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurses play a core role and encompass the main workforce in health care systems. Their role model of health promoting lifestyle behaviors (HPLB) would directly or indirectly affect their clients' beliefs or attitudes of health promotion. There is limited evidence on HPLB in clinical registered nurses. The current study aimed to explore the HPLB and associated influencing factors among clinical registered nurses in China. Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional anonymous online survey was conducted in 2020. Participants were asked to complete social demographic information as well as the revised Chinese edition of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). Independent-Sample T-Test, One-Way ANOVA, and categorical regression (optimal scaling regression) were the main methods to analyze the relationship between demographic data and the score of HPLB. Results: 19,422 nurses were included in the study. The mean score of self-actualization, health responsibility/physical activity, nutrition, job safety, interpersonal support, and overall Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile were, 27.61(5.42) out of a score of 36, 22.71(7.77) out of a score of 44, 10.43(2.97) out of a score of 16, 22.05(3.97) out of a score of 28, 20.19(4.67) out of a score of 28, and 102.99 (19.93) out of a score of 144, respectively. There was a significant relationship among Hospital levels, working years, nightshift status, and monthly income per person, and mean score of all subscales and the overall HPLP (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Nurses who participated in the study presented a moderate level of health promoting lifestyle behaviors. Hospital levels, working years, nightshift status, and monthly income per person were predictors for all subscales and overall HPLP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Chinese perch, Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky), is one of the most commercially important cultured fishes in China. In the present study, a high‐density genetic linkage map of Chinese perch was constructed by genotyping‐by‐sequencing technique with an F1 mapping panel containing 190 progenies. A total of 2328 SNPs were assigned to 24 linkage groups (LGs), agreeing with the chromosome haploid number in this species (n = 24). The sex‐averaged map covered 97.9% of the Chinese perch genome, with the length of 1694.3 cM and a marker density of 0.7 cM/locus. The number of markers per LG ranged from 57 to 222, with a mean of 97. The length of LGs varied from 43.2 to 108.2 cM, with a mean size of 70.6 cM. The recombination rate of females was 1.5:1, which was higher than that of males. To better understand the distribution pattern of segregation distortion between the two sexes of Chinese perch, the skewed markers were retained and used to reconstruct the sex‐specific maps. The 16 segregation distortion regions were identified on 10 LGs of the female map, while 12 segregation distortion regions on eight LGs of the male map. Among these LGs, six LGs matched between the sex‐specific maps. This high‐density linkage map could provide a solid basis for identifying QTL associated with economically important traits, and for implementing marker‐assisted selection breeding of Chinese perch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yttrium (Y) is a critical metallic element that is used widely in modern scientific, technological, and industrial applications. Phosphorites in the Zhijin area of Guizhou Province, China, are famous for Y enrichment, but the enrichment characteristics and sources remain unclear. Previous studies suggested that the sources of rare earth elements (REEs, La–Lu) and Y (REYs, La–Lu+Y) were related to hydrothermal deposition. However, this study presents evidence refuting that hypothesis, with major and trace elemental data collected with quadrupole–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (Q–ICP–MS) analysis. These data show that Y in Zhijin REYs-containing phosphorites has a normal distribution and is particularly enriched relative to other REYs. The Y enrichment degree is different at different ∑REY intervals. Specifically, the Y enrichment degree is higher at lower ∑REY values and lower at higher ∑REY values. The REYs-containing phosphorites show features of primary phosphorites. Both REEs and Y have good correlations with P2O5 in the phosphorites with low REYs contents (total REYs < 535 ppm), whereas at high REYs contents (total REYs ≥ 535 ppm), REEs have a good correlation with P2O5 but Y does not. Inconsistent enrichment processes of REYs are suggestive of complex sources of Y. Thus, seafloor hydrothermal fluids were not the direct source of Y. Normal seawater mixed with terrestrial sources might have contributed to the origin of Y here. This study could lead to improvements in Y mineral resource explorations and the situation involving the global REYs supply crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiji-1, which is the first experimental satellite for space gravitational wave detection in China, relies on key technologies which include the laser interferometer, the gravitational reference sensor (GRS), the micro-thruster and the satellite platform. Similarly to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) pathfinder, except for the science interferometer, the optical bench (OB) of Taiji-1 contains reference and test mass (TM) interferometers. Limited by the lower mechanical strength of the carrier rocket and by the orbit environment, the OB of Taiji-1 is made of invar steel and fused silica, and it is aimed to achieve a sensitivity of the order of 100 pm/ Hz . The experimental results from in-orbit tests of Taiji-1 demonstrate that the interferometer can reach a sensitivity of 30 pm/ Hz in the frequency range of 0.01–10 Hz, which satisfies the requirements of Taiji-1 mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiji-1 is the first demonstrated experimental satellite of Taiji program in China. Phasemeter is one of the key components of the laser interferometer which is responsible for phase extraction of the heterodyne signals. In this paper, we present the architecture and implementation of Taiji-1 phasemeter. The DPLL architecture is used in Taiji-1 which is generally regarded as the best choice for space missions. We test the phasemeter on the ground and the results show that the phasemeter reaches the sensitivity of 600 μ rad/ H z in the frequency range of 0.01–1 Hz. It is further shown that it can reach the accuracy of 30 μ rad/ H z in the frequency range of 0.1–1 Hz, both of which are within the technical requirements of Taiji-1 mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess perceptions of risk and related factors concerning COVID-19 epidemic among residents in Chongqing city, China. Methods: With convenience sampling, a web questionnaire survey was conducted among 476 residents living in Chongqing on February 13rd to 14th in 2020, when citizens just started to get back to work. Results: Residents' estimated perceived risks were (4.63 ± 0.57), (4.19 ± 0.76), (3.23 ± 0.91) and (2.29 ± 0.96) for the infectivity, pathogenicity, lethality and self-rated infection possibility of COVID-19, respectively. Females (OR = 4.234), people with income ≥ 2000 yuan (2000–4999 yuan: OR = 5.052, 5000–9999 yuan: OR = 4.301, ≥ 10,000 yuan: OR = 23.459), the married status (OR = 1.811), the divorced status, widows or widowers (OR = 3.038), people living with families including children (OR = 5.085) or chronic patients (OR = 2.423) had a higher perceived risk level, as well as people who used free media websites (OR = 1.756), community workers (OR = 4.064) or community information platforms (OR = 2.235) as main media information sources. The perceived risk increased by 4.9% for every one-year increase of age. People who used WeChat contacts (OR = 0.196) as the main media information source, reported a lower perceived risk. Conclusion: Residents reported a high level of risk perception towards COVID-19 in Chongqing and it was impacted by the population demographic characteristics. Media information sources, including community information platforms and community workers may cause the increase of public risk perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial exploration and exploitation of coalbed methane (CBM) in Gujiao coalbed methane (CBM) field, Xishan coalfield, have rapidly increased in recent decades. The Gujiao CBM field has shown strong gas distribution heterogeneity, low gas content, and wide distribution of wells with low production. To better understand the geological controlling mechanism on gas distribution heterogeneity, the coal reservoir evolution history and CBM accumulation process have been studied on the base of numerical simulation work. The burial history of coal reservoir can be classified into six stages: shallowly buried stage; deeply buried stage; uplifting stage; short-term tectonic subsidence stage; large-scale uplifting stage; and sustaining uplifting and structural inversion stage. Mostly, coal seams have experienced two-time thermal metamorphisms with twice hydrocarbon-generation processes in this area, whereas in the southwest part, the coal seams in there suffered three-time thermal metamorphisms and hydrocarbon-generation processes. The critical tectonic events of the Indosinian, Yanshanian, and Himalayan orogenies affect different stages of the CBM reservoir accumulation evolution process. The Indosinian orogeny mainly controls the primary CBM generation. The Yanshanian orogeny dominates the second and third gas generation and migration processes. The Himalayan orogeny mainly affects the gas dissipation process and current CBM distribution heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) recombinants in the world are believed to be generated through recombination between distinct HIV-1 strains among coinfection or superinfection cases. However, direct evidence to support transmission of HIV-1 recombinants from a coinfected/superinfected donor to putative recipient is lacking. Here, we report on the origin and evolutionary relationship between a set of recombinants from a CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC superinfected putative donor and diverse CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinants from five putative recipients. Interviews on sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behaviors for these six HIV-1-infected men who have sex with men showed that they had similar ways of partner seeking: online dating sites and social circles. Phylogenetic and recombination analyses demonstrated that the near-full-length genome sequences from six patients formed a monophyletic cluster different from known HIV-1 genotypes in maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees, were all composed of CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC fragments with two common breakpoints on env, and shared 4–7 four breakpoints with each other. Moreover, 3' half-genomes of recombinant strains from five recipients had identical/similar recombinant structures with strains at longitudinal samples from the superinfected donor. Recombinants from the donor were paraphyletic, whereas five recipients were monophyletic or polyphyletic in the maximum clade credibility tree. Bayesian analyses confirmed that the estimated time to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) of CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC strains of the donor was 2009.2 and 2010.7, respectively, and all were earlier than the emergence of recombinants from five recipients. Our results demonstrated that the closely related unique recombination forms of HIV-1 might be the descendent of a series of recombinants generated gradually in a superinfected patient. This finding highlights the importance of early initiation of antiretroviral therapy as well as tracing and testing of partners in patients with multiple HIV-1 infection. Author summary: Recombination is a major mechanism for rapid evolution and diversification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Multiple HIV-1 infection is believed to be a prerequisite for generating new recombinant strains. Recombinants sharing some breakpoints might have a common ancestor or direct parental/progenitor relationship or be irrelevant in evolution. However, evidence to support transmission of HIV-1 recombinants from coinfected/superinfected donor to putative recipients with recombinant descendants is lacking. Here, we report on a set of HIV-1 CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC unique recombination forms (URFs) from six HIV-1-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in China with similar recombination structures and homologous parental strains. Moreover, the 3' half-genomes of all recombinants from five recipients had similar or identical forms with earlier continuous samples of a superinfected donor, and presented paraphyletic-monophyletic or paraphyletic-polyphyletic relationships in maximum clade credibility trees. These data suggest that HIV-1 superinfection might be a potential source of transmission of a series of closely related HIV-1 CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC URFs. Our study emphasizes the importance of continuous surveillance and early initiation of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1-superinfected individuals with active high-risk behavior and substance abuse to prevent the generation and spread of recombinant strains among HIV-infected individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During characterization of rhizobacteria, strain DBTS2T was isolated from the rhizosphere soil samples of healthy tomato plants and characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences showed this strain belonged to the genus Rhizobium and was most closely related to Rhizobium subbaraonis JC85T (99.1%) and Rhizobium daejeonense CCBAU 10050T (97%). Cells of strain DBTS2T were Gram-negative, short rod, aerobic and non-motile. This novel strain was found to grow at 20–45 °C (optimum 25–37 °C), pH 5–9 (optimum 8) and in the presence of 4% NaCl. It was positive for catalase and oxidase. The predominant cellular fatty acids were Summed Feature 8 (52.7%) and C19:0 cyclo ω8c (23.3%). The polar lipids of strain DBTS2T consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, unidentified aminophospholipid, unidentified aminolipid, four unidentified phospholipids, unidentified lipid, phosphatidylcholine, unknown glycolipid and unknown aminophosphoglycolipids. Q-10 was the major quinone. The DNA–DNA hybridization similarity values between the strain DBTS2T and R. subbaraonis JC85T, R. daejeonense CCBAU 10050T and Rhizobium azooxidifex DSM100211T were 46.4%, 20.7% and 25.5%, respectively. The ANI value was 91.96% between strain DBTS2T and R. subbaraonis JC85T and 75.18% between strain DBTS2T and R. daejeonense CCBAU 10050T. The DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 63.1 mol%. Based on these results, it was concluded that the isolate represents a novel species of the genus Rhizobium, for which the name Rhizobium rhizolycopersici sp. nov. is proposed, with DBTS2T (= CICC 24887T = ACCC61707 = JCM 34245) as the type strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: The small athecate dinoflagellate Karlodinium zhouanum is a species recently described in the coastal waters of China. K. zhouanum is morphologically similar to Karlodinium veneficum, a typical ichthyotoxic blooming karlotoxin‐producing species, and it is impossible to distinguish between these two species based on light microscopy. In this study, strains of K. zhouanum isolated from the East China Sea were studied. By analyzing toxins, toxicity, lipid characteristics and typical molecular and physiological traits of this species, K. zhouanum was shown to be nontoxic to brine shrimp and widely spread over the coastal waters of China. No karlotoxin‐like toxin was detected by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Instead of gymnodinosterol, the critical sterol in toxic K. veneficum, 27(nor)‐24S‐4α‐Methyl‐5α‐ergosta‐8(14)‐en‐3β‐ol (NEE) was dominant in K. zhouanum, while gymnodinosterol was absent. These sterol characteristics may provide not only support for the species separation between toxic and nontoxic species of Karlodinium but also environmental survey tools to differentiate the contribution of nontoxic Karlodinium strains, which has been unclear until now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contrasts two types of quasi-biweekly oscillations (QBWOs) over tropical Asia in late-summer and autumn (from August to October). Using a tracking method to calculate the frequency of QBWO events over the Asian monsoon region, two types of QBWOs in monsoon rainfall are revealed. One originates from 110° to 140°E and propagates westward to southern China with a notable impact on the regional rainfall, while the other initiates from 160°E to the dateline and does not affect southern China rainfall significantly. Analysis of the vertical structure of moisture flux shows that the moisture source for type 1 events is dominated by the zonal flux component and that for type 2 the meridional flux component. The nature of the moisture flux determines whether the oscillation can propagate across 120°E and affect rainfall over southern China. Results also show that the strength of the South Asian high and the western Pacific subtropical high differently modulate the generation of the two types of QBWOs. Specifically, mutually stronger (weaker) highs favor the first (second) type of the oscillation. A close relationship also exists between the QBWOs and western Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, suggesting that the SST anomalies can potentially trigger the QBWOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource constraints and environmental pollution are common problems that have long plagued sustainable development, and enhancing the efficiency of green development is the key to cracking the problems. Previous studies have not jointly examined the green economic production efficiency and environmental pollution control efficiency of industrial and service sectors, to fill this research gap, this paper use the constructed meta-frontier, dynamic network Super-SBM (slacks-based measure) model to evaluate the environmental efficiency in China's 30 provinces and 107 cities. The results reveal that, (1) the green production efficiency of industrial and service sectors showed a fluctuating downward trend, and the pollution control efficiency improved first and then decreased. The overall environmental efficiency of both sectors is low, indicating a strong potential for improvement of the green development in China. (2) The overall environmental efficiency of industrial and service sectors has obvious regional heterogeneity, and which decreases as the weight of treatment stage increases. Additionly, the overall environmental efficiency of industry is greater than that of service industry. (3) The input inefficiency of the production stage and output inefficiency of the treatment stage are the main sources of inefficiency for the industry and service industry. [Display omitted] • This paper construct a meta-frontier, dynamic network Super-SBM model. • We analyze historical efficiency of GEP and EPC in industrial and service sectors. • Two sectors's efficiency has not been significantly improved from 1991 to 2020. • There is sectoral, regional and stage heterogeneity in efficiency. • "High input of production" and "low output of control" hinder effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To assess the self‐management activities among rural patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and the influence of psychosocial and demographic factors on their self‐management activities. Background: Chronic hepatitis B is a serious public health concern. Rural patients may have limited access to healthcare services. Although self‐management is important for controlling chronic hepatitis B, few studies focus on the self‐management activities among rural patients with chronic hepatitis B. Understanding self‐management activities and related factors in this population are important to design and implement appropriate intervention strategies. Design: A cross‐sectional study. Methods: From June–December 2017, totally 236 rural patients with chronic hepatitis B were recruited from hepatology department in two hospitals in Chongqing, China. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, Chronic Hepatitis B Self‐Management Scale, Self‐Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease, and Social Support Rating Scale. The study followed the STROBE checklist. Results: Rural patients with chronic hepatitis B reported poor self‐management activities for the score indexes of symptom management (57.36%), lifestyle management (54.89%), psychosocial coping (54.84%) and disease information management (53.11%) were all below 60%. Self‐efficacy, objective support, subjective support, gender, education level and marital status showed significant effect on self‐management activities. Conclusion: Rural patients with chronic hepatitis B were found to perform insufficient self‐management activities. Self‐efficacy, social support, gender, education level and marital status were identified to influence their self‐management activities. Relevance to clinical practice: Self‐management activities should be promoted among rural patients with chronic hepatitis B. The factors that were identified in this study should be addressed when developing interventions to promote the performance of self‐management activities for rural patients with chronic hepatitis B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient safety is crucial to healthcare quality. It is important to assess the nursing students' safety attitudes to identify the weaknesses for developing education program and fostering students' engagement in patient safety practices. This study aimed to assess attitudes towards patient safety culture among postgraduate nursing students in China, and explore the factors that affect their safety attitudes and the relationships of safety attitudes and safety-related behaviors. This study used a cross-sectional survey design. A convenience sample of 231 postgraduate nursing students from ten medical universities in China completed the Chinese version of Safety Attitude Questionnaire, including six domains: teamwork climate, safety climate, perceptions of management, job satisfaction, working conditions and stress recognition. The mean scores of the six domains ranged from 65.22 to 70.75 on a 100-point scale. Percentages of positive responses for the six domains were below 55%, with the two lowest percentages for working conditions (35.9%) and safety climate (30.7%). Significantly lower domain scores were found in students with younger age, no work experience, higher workload and received safety education. There were positive correlations between the six domains and safety-related behaviors except for stress recognition. Nursing educators should focus more on the improvement of patient safety education and establishment of supportive work environment to enhance postgraduate nursing students' attitudes towards safety culture. • Postgraduate nursing students had low positive attitudes towards patient safety culture. • Safety attitudes affected by age, work experience, workload and safety education among postgraduate nursing students. • Students' safety attitudes were related to their safety-related behaviors. • Patient safety education should be emphasized to enhance their safety attitudes. • Supportive work environment should be provided for nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have been constructing modern ground transportation projects. This raises questions about the impacts of such projects on development of impervious surfaces, yet there have been few attempts to systematically analyze these impacts. This paper attempts to narrow this information gap using the Hangzhou Bay Bridge project, China, as an exploratory case study. Using remotely sensed data, we developed a framework based on statistical techniques, wavelet multi-resolution analysis and Theil-Sen slope analysis to measure the changes in impervious surfaces. The derived changes were then linked to the bridge project with respect to socio-economic factors and land use development activities. The findings highlight that the analytical framework could reliably quantify the area, pattern and form of new urban area and urban intensification. Change detection analysis showed that urban area, GDP and the length of highways increased moderately in the pre-Hangzhou Bay Bridge period (1995–2002) while all of these variables increased more substantially during (2002–2009) and after (2009–2013) the bridge construction. The results indicate that the development of impervious surfaces due to new urban area came at the expense of permeable surfaces in the urban fringe and within rural regions, while urban intensification occurred mainly in the form of the redevelopment of older structures to modern high-rise buildings within existing urban regions. In the context of improved transportation infrastructure, our findings suggest that new urban area and urban intensification can be attributed to consecutive events which act like a chain reaction: construction of improved transportation projects, their impacts on land use development policies, effects of both systems on socio-economic variables, and finally all these changes influence new urban area and urban intensification. However, more research is needed to better understand this sequential process and to examine the broader applicability of the concept in other developing regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterlogging is one of the major water issues in most cities of China and directly restricts their urbanization processes. The construction of Sponge City is an effective approach to solving the urban water issues, particularly for the waterlogging. In this study, both the urban issues emerged at the stage of rapid urbanization in China and the demands as well as problems of Sponge City construction related with the water issues were investigated, and the opportunities and challenges for the Sponge City construction in the future were also proposed. It was found that the current stormwater management focused on the construction of gray infrastructures (e.g., drainage network and water tank) based on the fast discharge idea, which was costly and hard to catch up with the rapid expansion of city and its impervious surface, while green infrastructures (e.g., river, lake and wetland) were ignored. Moreover, the current construction of Sponge City was still limited to low impacted development (LID) approach which was concentrated on source control measures without consideration of the critical functions of surrounding landscapes (i.e., mountain, river, wetland, forest, farmland and lake), while application of the integrated urban water system approach and its supported technologies including municipal engineering, urban hydrology, environmental science, social science and ecoscape were relatively weak and needed to be improved. Besides, the lack of special Sponge City plan and demonstration area was also a considerable problem. In this paper, some perspectives on Good Sponge City Construction were proposed such as the point that idea of urban plan and construction should conform to the integral and systematic view of sustainable urban development. Therefore, both the basic theoretical research and the basic infrastructure construction such as monitoring system, drainage facility and demonstration area should be strengthened, meanwhile, the reformation and innovation in the urban water management system and the education system should also be urgently performed. The study was expected to provide a deeper thinking for the current Sponge City construction in China and to give some of suggestions for the future directions to urban plan and construction, as well as urban hydrology discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Elevated carboxypeptidase E (CPE) levels play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. This study investigated the expression and clinicopathological significance of CPE in early-stage cervical cancer.Methods: Elevated carboxypeptidase E expression was analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting in normal cervical tissue, cervical cancer cell lines, and in cervical cancer tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues (ANTs) from the same patient. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to examine CPE expression in tissue samples from 112 patients with early-stage cervical cancer (FIGO stages Ia2-IIa2), 60 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and 19 patients with normal cervical tissues (NCTs). Associations between CPE expression and prognostic and diagnostic factors were evaluated statistically.Results: CPE expression was significantly higher in cervical cancer cell lines and tissues than in normal tissues and ANTs. Semi-quantitative analysis of IHC indicated that CPE gradually increased from CIN I to cervical cancer, but was absent in NCTs. CPE expression was seen in 40.2 % (45/112) of the cervical cancer samples. CPE expression was significantly associated with FIGO stage (P = 0.003), tumor size (P = 0.012), stromal invasion (P < 0.001), lymphovascular space invasion (P = 0.016), parametrial infiltration (P = 0.027), vaginal involvement (P = 0.007), postoperative adjuvant therapy (P = 0.024), recurrence (P < 0.001), survival (P < 0.001), and pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM) (P < 0.001), and it was significantly higher in tissues from patients with PLNM than without PLNM. Logistic regression analysis identified high-level CPE expression as an independent risk factor for PLNM (P = 0.001). Patients with higher CPE expression had shorter overall survival duration than patients with lower CPE expression. Univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses suggested that high-level CPE expression is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in early-stage cervical cancer.Conclusions: High-level CPE expression was associated with a poor prognosis in early-stage cervical cancer. CPE may serve as a biomarker for predicting PLNM and survival in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the fast-track surgery (FTS) program in elderly patients (aged ≥75 years) who underwent open surgery for gastric cancer (GC) in China. Methods: A total of 256 patients with GC were randomly assigned to four groups, each of which consisted of 64 cases: the 45-74-year-old age group was subdivided into the FTS-1 group and the conventional care (CC)-1 group, and the 75-89-year-old age group was subdivided into the FTS-2 group and the CC-2 group. All patients underwent open gastrectomy by the same experienced surgical team. We compared the differences between the pairs of groups in different age ranges with respect to the postoperative recovery index, complications, and medical costs. Results: Compared with the CC-1 group, the FTS-1 group exhibited earlier postoperative flatus, a shorter postoperative hospital stay, lower medical costs, and a decreased incidence of sore throat ( P = 0.010, P = 0.000, P = 0.000, and P = 0.019, respectively). Compared with the CC-2 group, the FTS-2 group had more nausea and vomiting, stomach retention, and intestinal obstruction, as well as a higher readmission rate ( P = 0.015, P = 0.011, P = 0.041, and P = 0.013, respectively). Conclusion: The application of FTS can significantly speed up postoperative rehabilitation, shorten the hospitalization time, and lower the medical costs for 45-74-year-old GC patients, but this procedure does not show the same benefits for elderly patients. These findings suggest that we should carefully consider whether the FTS program should be applied to elderly patients with GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of malachite green (MG) in fish farming is prohibited in China due to its potentially toxicological and carcinogenic nature, but it is still illegally used in some places. The aim of this study was to investigate the time and concentration-dependent responses of xenobiotic metabolizing and detoxification-related genes in diverse fishes exposed to MG both in vivo and in vitro. Experimental fish were administered to two exposure groups of malachite green (MG) (0.10 and 0.50 mg L−1) for 8 h. The hepatocytes isolated from Nile tilapia were incubated with MG (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg L−1) for 8 and 24 h, respectively. In vivo, exposure to 0.10 and 0.50 mg L−1 MG for 8 h caused significant changes of the detoxification-related genes on the mRNA expression levels. Low-concentration (0.10 mg L−1) level of MG induced significant increase on the mRNA expression level of GSTR gene in Nile tilapia and other fishes. The mRNA expression of grass carp UCP2 was significantly induced when exposed to 0.5 mg L−1 MG. However, the mRNA expression levels of GSTA, CYP1A, and GPX were inhibited significantly by 0.5 mg L−1 MG in Nile tilapia, grass carp, and Taiwan snakehead. In vitro, the significant increase of mRNA expression of these genes was detected after exposure to 0.5 mg L−1 MG (UCP2), and 1.0 mg L−1 MG (CYP1A1, GSTA, GSTR, and UCP2). The induction of hepatic CYP1A1, GSTA, GSTR, and UCP2 in response to MG suggested a potential role of fish CYP1A1, GSTA, GSTR, and UCP2 in MG metabolism. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life-history traits of Acrossocheilus fasciatus were examined using 384 specimens collected monthly during May 2009 and April 2010 in the Huishui Stream of the Qingyi watershed, China. Using scales for age determination, female and male fish comprised five and four age groups, respectively. The monthly changes in marginal increment ratio suggested that annuli on scales were formed during March through May. Total lengths back-calculated significantly increased with age for both sexes and varied significantly between the two sexes at each age. The fact that females had larger body size and grew faster than males indicated the sexual size dimorphism for this species. Both sexes got their 50% maturity at age 3, when females and males were 105.3 and 112.1 mm total length, respectively. Based on the monthly changes in the gonado-somatic index and egg-development process, fish spawned from April through August. Absolute fecundity ranged from 295 to 3,573 eggs per fish and increased significantly with age. But relative fecundity, ranging from 11.77 to 69.96 eggs/g, was not significantly different among age groups. Compared with the life-history traits of an upstream population in the Puxi Stream (a headwater stream within this study watershed), the downstream population of A. fasciatus in the Huishui Stream (a 4th-order stream) exhibits larger body size, faster somatic growth, later sexual maturity, and lower reproductive investment. These variations in life-history strategies between the two populations could perhaps be explained by the spatial heterogeneity in habitat environment along the upstream-downstream gradient in this watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver glutathione S-transferase (GST) plays a major role in the detoxification of microcystins (MCs) via conjugation to glutathione (GSH). We evaluated the relationship between seasonal variation in fish gut contents and the expression of GST isoforms in mud carp ( Cirrhina molitorella) and Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus). We quantified the abundance and diversity of plankton in the water column and foregut of mud carp and Nile tilapia in the tropical Xiangang Reservoir between October 2007 and July 2008. The mRNA expression of 7 liver GST isoforms was determined by real-time RT-PCR. The gut contents of both species were dependent on the amount and type of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the water. The expression of liver GST genes in Nile tilapia and mud carp was positively and negatively correlated, respectively, with the abundance of toxic cyanobacteria in the fore-gut. The expression of liver GST mRNA was correlated to the abundance of toxic cyanobacteria in the gut contents of both species, suggesting that mRNA expression of GST isoforms could be used as a biomarker in Nile tilapia and mud carp to monitor cyanobacteria blooms in reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects of the structural imbalance in fiscal expenditure on the coordinated growth of regional economy. The analysis shows that when productive expenditure is equal to the nonproductive expenditure, the economic growth in each area reaches the maximum in speed. On this basis, this paper constructs an index to measure the structural imbalance in fiscal expenditure, and by using the index, we find that the central part of China ranks the first, the eastern region the second, and the western part the third in terms of the degree of imbalance. Then we use the index and the panel data from 1994 to 2007 to conduct an empirical analysis of the effects of the structural imbalance in fiscal expenditure on the coordinated growth of the regional economy by using the method of SGMM. The empirical results show that the structural imbalance in fiscal expenditure of eastern region promotes the economic growth, but its effects on the economic growth in the central and western regions are not significant. Therefore, the fiscal expenditure structure of the local governments in our country needs further improvement, which will promote a balanced economic growth in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is currently confronted with the great challenge of feeding a soaring population given finite resources while simultaneously curbing negative environmental impacts. Thus, the sustainability of different types of agricultural production must be quantified to identify the best way to meet the associated challenges. Taking the Tongxiang region as a case study, emergy and economic analyses were used to evaluate the overall performance of three agricultural production types, including traditional rice monoculture, integrated farming (i.e., rice-fish and rice-duck), and non-grain production (NGP) systems (i.e., nursery plantation, pond fish farming, vegetable production and duck rearing). The environmental pollution caused by different types of agricultural production, which is usually neglected in other studies, was included in the emergy accounting. The results show that intensive NGP systems, especially duck rearing and pond fish farming, were not sustainable, as indicated by high non-point source pollution discharge, high environmental pressure and low ecological sustainability. While rice monoculture and integrated farming systems were both under benign development, they could not provide economic profits competitive with those from NGP systems. With economic benefits increasing by 2.32–2.35 times and the agricultural non-point source pollution decreasing by 10.21%–59.01% in comparison with rice monoculture, integrated agricultural production proved to be a promising pattern for sustainable agriculture. Some policy incentives were proposed to increase the financial attractiveness of integrated agricultural production and promote a virtuous cycle for future cleaner production. • The overall performance of three types of agricultural production are evaluated. • The agricultural non-point source pollution are incorporated in the emergy account. • Despite high economic profits, non-grain production systems have low sustainability. • The integrated farming systems are promising to achieve sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the major winter wheat planting area of China is selected as the study area, with the time scale of the growth period of winter wheat (a total of 56 growth periods during October 1961 to May 2016). The significance, stability, magnitude of the trend and the average trend of the study area with eight temperature indices and seven precipitation indices of 453 meteorological stations are tested by Mann–Kendall method and Sen's nonparametric method. The following observation can be made: (1) the cold extreme indices show strong and stable downward trend in most of the stations in the study area, while the hot extreme indices show a strong and stable upward trend, especially in the northern winter wheat planting area and the north of the southern winter wheat planting area. (2) The trends of extreme precipitation indices in most of the sites in the study area are insignificant and unstable. Only in R20mm, a significant and stable decreasing trend is shown in some stations, which is mainly located in the northern winter wheat planting area and part of the central and western regions in the study area. The results in some ways could enrich the references for understanding the climate change in the growth period of winter wheat in the region and help to formulate a better agronomic management practice of winter wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies in teleost have demonstrated the adaptive strategy to maintain hepatic lipid homeostasis within certain limit. The excess of fat-intake could induce abnormal lipid deposition in liver but not adipose tissue. However, the molecular mechanism between the impaired lipid homeostasis and the aggravated lipid deposition in liver has not been elucidated well in fish. Methods: Four isonitrogenous diets with different fat levels (2, 7, 12 and 17%) were formulated, named L2, L7, L12 and L17 respectively, and fed Chinese perch (44.50 ± 0.25 g) to apparent satiation for five weeks. Growth index, triglyceride concentrations and expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism were measured. Results: The maximal growth performance and food intake were observed in L12 group. The lipid content in liver and serum were comparable in L2, L7 and L12 groups, while they were increased significantly in L17 group. Histology analysis also demonstrated that mass lipid droplets emerged in hepatocyte and then induced hepatic steatosis in L17 group. Compared to L2 group, the lipolytic genes related to fatty acids (FAs) transport (lpl & hl) and FAs β-oxidation (cpt1 & cs) were increased in L7 and L12 group. Relative mRNA levels of the gluconeogenesis (pc, pepck & g6pase) were also increased, in contrast, the lipogenic genes (srebp1, accα & fas) were decreased. Compared to L12 group, L17 group had higher mRNA levels of the FAs transport and the lipogenesis. But the lipolytic genes related to FAs β-oxidation were steady and the mRNA levels of gluconeogenesis were down-regulated instead. Conclusions: Within certain limit, the increase of dietary fat in L7 and L12 group was propitious to reduce the consumption of protein and improve growth performance in Chinese perch. It was due to the homeostasis of hepatic triglyceride (TG) pool and serum glucose through promoting the FAs β-oxidation and gluconeogenesis respectively. Both the increase of lipogenesis and the absence of FAs β-oxidation in L17 group could trigger the esterification of FAs, indeed, the inhibition of gluconeogenesis could also aggravate triglyceride accumulation in liver and induce hepatic steatosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The types of ignition sources in coal mines have complicated diversity and susceptibility due to the environmental complexity in the coal mine production process. To determine the actual ignition cause of a potential accident scene and prevent the occurrence of gas explosions, this work provides a new risk analysis method for mine ignition source based on the fuzzy Bayesian network (FBN). The first step relates to risk factor analysis and the BN model establishment. In light of the expert group decision- making method, risk topological structural models of ignition sources are constructed. The second step is fuzzification and defuzzification. To ensure the reliability of data in the process of expert investigation, this study proposes to calculate the weights of experts using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method based on subjective and objective expert weights. The last step uses causal reasoning, logical reasoning and sensitivity analysis to calculate the probability of occurrence of potential risk events and the probability distribution of risk factors. Through the case study of Babao Coal Mine in China, it is demonstrated that the FBN simulation provides a feasible method for accurately identifying the cause of gas explosion ignition. The proposed model can be used by analysts and decision-makers in the coal mine as a decision support tool to increase the probability of the ignition source in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas explosion is one of the most deadly hazards in underground coal mining. Risk assessment has played an effective role in avoiding gas explosions and revising coal mine regulations. However, the traditional methods are deficient in quantitative evaluation, dynamic control and dealing with uncertainty. In this paper, a method of quantitative assessment the risk of gas explosion in underground coal mine using Bayesian network was proposed. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method based on subjective and objective information of experts was developed in the process of fuzzification. Through the Bayesian inference, the probability of occurrence of potential risk events and the probability distribution of risk factors can be calculated in real time according to on prior knowledge and evidence updating. Meanwhile, the most likely potential causes of accidents can be determined. A sensitivity analysis technique was utilized to investigate the contribution rate of each risk factor to a risk event, so as to determine the most critical risk factor. Taking Babao Coal Mine in China as the case, this study conducted a gas explosion risk assessment. The results show that the mothed of fuzzy AHP and Bayesian Network is feasible and applicable. It can be used as a decision-making tool to prevent coal mine gas explosions and provide decision makers with a technical guide for managing the coal mine gas explosion risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The transverse mixing is a more dominant process in water-quality managementthan either vertical or longitudinal mixing, especially for two-dimensional process. Inthis study, a series of transient tracer experiments were performed based on theammonia solution and red ink instantaneously injected into an urban river in thenortheast of China. A three-dimensional sampling device was designed to track thetransport of pollutants, observe the behavior of real-time processes and collect thetrace data. The outcomes of the tests show that the concentration change in thetransverse section was close to a normal distribution as the tracer was released intothe center of the stream section. The average value of the transverse dispersioncoefficient (Ey) in the study was 0.0038 m2/s. However the dimensionless coefficientwas smaller than the value estimated from the empirical formula because of theoriginal characteristics of urban river destructed by human activities. The analysis ofexperiment found that the Ey was sensitive to the channel aspect ratio and affected bythe specific gravity of the contaminant. This paper presents a theoretical formulaof the Ey derived by the friction term, channel aspect ratio and specific gravity.The newly proposed theoretical formula can estimate the pollutant transport in theriver, which may be of significant support to the emergency treatment of urbanrivers. * The first two authors Lu Gao and Xiangzhou Xu contributed equally to this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five undescribed biscembranoids, bistrochelides H−L, along with four known biscembranoids, glaucumolides A−B and bistrochelides A−B, were isolated from the soft coral Sarcophyton serenei collected off the Xisha Island in the South China Sea. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by HRESIMS (high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy) spectrometry, NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and the comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. In bioassay, some compounds showed a strong inhibitory effect on osteoclast precursor cells at the concentration of 10 μM. Additionally, all compounds exhibited weakly antimicrobial activity against Vibrio harveyi. [Display omitted] • Five undescribed biscembranoids were isolated from soft coral Sarcophyton serenei. • The configurations of bistrochelide H was elucidated by X-ray diffraction analysis. • Some compounds showed strong inhibitory effect of osteoclast precursor cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea cucumber is a commercially important marine organism in China. Of the different colored varieties sold in China, albino sea cucumber has the greatest appeal among consumers. Identification of factors contributing to albinism in sea cucumber is therefore likely to provide a scientific basis for improving the cultivability of these strains. In this study, two-dimensional liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry coupled with isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification labeling was used for the first time to quantitatively define the proteome of sea cucumbers and reveal proteomic characteristics unique to albino sea cucumbers. A total of 549 proteins were identified and quantified in albino sea cucumber and the functional annotations of 485 proteins have been exhibited based on COG database. Compared with green sea cucumber, 12 proteins were identified as differentially expressed in the intestine and 16 proteins in the body wall of albino sea cucumber. Among them, 5 proteins were up-regulated in the intestine and 8 proteins were down-regulated in body wall. Gene ontology annotations of these differentially expressed proteins consisted mostly of ‘biological process’. The large number of differentially expressed proteins identified here should be highly useful in further elucidating the mechanisms underlying albinism in sea cucumber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]