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As an exquisite asset of Chinese traditional culture, traditional opera occupies a place of high esteem within the world's cultural and artistic treasury. The impact of emerging cultures has threatened the future of traditional opera culture, necessitating a thorough examination of the historical context of the Grand Canal and traditional opera. There is insufficient research on the spatial evolution of the traditional opera culture along the Grand Canal; thus, this study takes ancient opera stages, a representative cultural relic of traditional opera, as an entry point and employs methods such as kernel density analysis and standard deviation ellipse analysis to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of the traditional opera culture along the Grand Canal. The results showed that: (i) Nationwide, opera stages in the areas along the Grand Canal exhibit a significant clustering characteristic. (ii) The changes in the number and locations of opera stages in the areas along the Grand Canal are closely related to the rise and fall of the Canal. The opera stages emerged along the Canal, gradually prospered with the development of the Canal, and finally clustered in a band-like cluster along the Grand Canal. (iii) From the Ming Dynasty to the founding of the People's Republic of China, the opera stages in the areas along the Grand Canal spread in the "southeast–northwest" direction, which was consistent with the main direction of the Grand Canal, indicating its driving influence. (iv) On the centennial scale, from the 14th century to the 20th century, the evolution characteristics of the distribution centroid of opera stages in the areas along the Grand Canal were closely related to the key time nodes of Grand Canal construction and basin expansion. This study reveals the relationship between the Grand Canal and the spatial pattern evolution of traditional opera culture, aiming to promote the construction of the Grand Canal cultural belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined villagers' intention of pro-environmental behavior while supporting the Landcare Policy in China. The research team conducted field surveys of villagers from four famous scenic spots of Cili, which is near the world natural heritage site of the Zhangjiajie natural landscape core area. This area has developed rural tourism, many local villagers rely on tourism to obtain their livelihood income. However, the area is now affected by the environmental remediation policy called Landcare Policy. Cultivated land near the tourist area needs to be repaired, which affects the tourism income of some local villagers. Therefore, local villagers are facing a contradiction between tourism development and environmental protection. The study chose the change in local villagers' pro-environmental intention as the research content. Then we adopted an empirically validated norm activation model (NAM) from Schwartz, and merged the NAM with the expectancy theory of Vroom, based on 511 valid responses from the field questionnaire surveys, we aimed to develop a theoretical framework for researchers to understand the change in villagers' pro-environmental behaviors, concerning the balance between rural tourism livelihood benefits and environmental remediation behavior. Structural equation modeling was conducted for each index of the responses, the findings showed that the merged model had 76.46% better predictive accuracy of villagers' pro-environmental intentions than applying Schwartz's NAM independently. This study found that the motivational force of this new theory significantly influences environmental personal norms due to the joint impact of valence, instrumentality, and expectancy. Villagers with a positive pro-environmental behavior intention expect good tourism benefits and environmental living conditions under the impact of the Landcare policy in rural tourism destinations near the famous natural heritage site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mufushan massif, as continental intra-plate magmatites located in the Jiangnan-Xuefeng orogenic belt of the South China. The Mufushan massif constitutes the largest Mesozoic intrusive complex, intruded the Mesoproterozoic Lengjiaxi Formation. Multiple geochronometric dating was used to reconstruct their evolution from emplacement to exhumation. The Mufushan granitoids were emplaced at ∼150 Ma (U-Pb zircon) as post-orogenic magmatites contributing to Triassic crustal thickening. Onset of regional extension at ∼128 Ma (40Ar/39Ar white mica and biotite) manifests a tectonic regime switch. Intense exhumation prior to ∼55 Ma was followed by slow denudation and peneplanation for the next 37 Ma (∼55'18 Ma). Accelerated cooling since ∼18 Ma may have been caused by a far-field effect of the collision between India-Asia Plate or the Pacific-Plate subduction. Through a multi-geochronometric approach, this study provides a new comprehensive model for the cause of the intra-plate magmatism formation in the South China, and also established a reliable geochronological framework of the post-orogenic tectonic evolutions of the Jiangnan-Xuefeng orogenic belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment resuspension is closely related to the endogenetic release of nutrients in Lake Taihu. Thus, understanding the factors associated with sediment resuspension is important. In this study, a new technology, which integrates a hydrodynamic model and remote sensing techniques, was applied to derive the distribution of the erosion flux and obtain the spatially variable critical shear stress. Then, the spatially variable critical shear stress was used in the sediment simulations at Lake Taihu. Compared to the traditional model, based on uniform values of critical shear stress, the new method, using variable values of critical shear stress calibrated from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) data, significantly improved the sediment simulations at Lake Taihu. Based on the erosion flux from August 6-8, 2013, the correlations between erosion and wind speed, wind fetch, mud depth, and water depth were analyzed for different subsections and spots in Lake Taihu. The potential sources of error were also addressed. Further improvement of the model is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated system including eutrophication simulation and algal bloom predication was established and applied in Lake Taihu. The mechanic models, which are based on a three-dimensional numerical model coupling hydrodynamic module, pollutant transport module, suspended sediment resuspension module, wind wave module and algal bloom predication module, can simulate not only the single function such as current pattern, nutrient distribution, sediment concentration and wave height field, but also the interaction among them. Using these models, some complex phenomenon such as endogenous pollution can be simulated. In the study, some key technologies are introduced to make the simulation reasonable and feasible. First, a new method for predicting algal bloom is introduced. Differing from the traditional phytoplankton dynamic model, judging the algal bloom through biomass or chlorophyll concentration, the method quantitatively estimates algal growth state switching among bloom, collapse and steady based on algal stability criterion in water column. Second, the sediment resuspension is estimated using calibrated critical shear stresses derived from remote sensing data and the wave-enhanced bottom stress during the windy days. Third, a user-friendly operation environment based on plug-in development and geographic information system is developed. The tests demonstrated that the system could both simulate the reactive solutes such as BOD and DO and the suspended sediment correctly under interaction of gravity and turbulent diffusion. The simulation results demonstrated that the system could obtain reasonable and reliable simulated results in Lake Taihu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An anomaly detection and diagnosis method for wind turbines. • Abnormal data recognition algorithm based on LOF and adaptive K-means. • Normal behavior model based on LSTM-SDAE. • Anomaly location by contribution analysis and XGBoost. An anomaly detection and diagnosis method for wind turbines using long short-term memory-based stacked denoising autoencoders (LSTM-SDAE) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) is proposed in this paper. First, an abnormal data recognition algorithm based on the local outlier factor and adaptive K-means was developed to implement data preprocessing and noise extraction. The LSTM-SDAE model was then established to obtain the nonlinear temporal relationship among multivariate variables in normal behavior modes. The Mahalanobis distance was calculated based on reconstruction errors and the threshold for anomaly detection was set with a 99.7% confidence interval for the distribution curve fitted by kernel density estimation. An alarm mechanism based on the sliding window technique was set up to detect abnormalities in real time. Finally, contribution analysis was conducted to extract the parameter features under different abnormal modes, and the XGBoost was trained by extended data from wind turbines of the same type in the same wind farm to realize anomaly location and diagnosis. To verify the proposed method, real SCADA data from a wind farm located in northeastern China were applied. The results show the capability of the proposed method in anomaly detection and diagnosis for wind turbines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The function, cost and environmental performance are the primary decision-making factors for scheme selection in green design. For the comprehensive and accurate decision-making in selecting green product design scheme, a quantitative analysis method of multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) is presented. With analysing the multi-attribute of scheme selection, the MADM model is established, which takes environmental impact of materials, disassembly performance, recycling performance, energy efficiency, noise, pollutants to environmental and functional values. Fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution method is applied to solve this model for the feasible solutions. Finally, a case study is given to validate the application of this methodology as a useful design guideline for scheme selection in green design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Permian Emeishan large igneous province (LIP) developed in response to an ascending mantle plume beneath the southwestern Yangtze Craton, China. Mantle plume models predict two types of thermal effect on the lithosphere: (1) high lithospheric heat flow anomalies due to the ascending magma, and (2) heating of underlying country rocks by erupted lava flow. Evidence for these two effects of the Emeishan LIP may be documented in pre-LIP strata. As such, we determined the maximum temperature of sedimentary rocks deposited before and after the LIP using zircon fission-track (ZFT) thermochronology, which is sensitive to temperatures of 150–250 °C. ZFT ages of post-LIP sedimentary rocks are variable and overlap with depositional ages, reflecting post-LIP burial heating should be lower than the ZFT closure temperature. Pre-LIP samples yield scattered ZFT ages younger than their depositional ages, and contain an older age component that increases with depth. This indicates that the upper part of the pre-LIP strata should have experienced higher temperature than lower ones. Such a heating pattern cannot be explained by pre- or post-LIP burial heating, which predict higher temperatures and thus younger ages for stratigraphically lower samples. We propose that the downward increasing age pattern is evidence for massive top-down lava heating. Forward thermal modelling suggests that a >1.5-km-thick effusive basalts is required to reset the ZFT ages of rocks that are ∼3 km beneath the LIP. Our results support the existence of massive effusive basalts in the intermediate zone of the Late Permian Emeishan LIP. • ZFT thermochronology reveals the thermal effects of the late Permian Emeishan LIP. • A downward increasing ZFT age pattern resulted from lava heating by effusive basalts. • Forward modelling supports the existence of massive basalts effusion during the Emeishan LIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on geographic information system (GIS) technology in conjunction with two methods for assessing landslide susceptibility (LS)—namely, a method using experts' knowledge and experience, and a mathematical/statistical method—the LS of southern Anhui, China is assessed using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) via an AHP-weighted information content method. Landslide-affecting factors are categorized into three main types and 10 subtypes. The values of spatial characteristics of the landslide-affecting factors are obtained using GIS technology. The AHP method is then employed to compare the importance and weights of landslide-affecting factors. The information content method is used to convert the measured values of the landslide-affecting factors in the study area to data reflecting regional stability. The closeness of the relationships between the classification levels of each landslide-affecting factor and landslide occurrence are calculated. The LS of the study area is assessed using the proposed method. The LS assessment shows that high LS, relatively high LS, moderate LS, relatively low LS and low LS regions account for 21.3%, 20.6%, 20.1%, 11.7% and 26.3% of the study area, respectively. Finally, the accuracy of the LS assessment results is analyzed using two methods: the assessment, including an analysis of random landslide sites for the validating models; and the area below a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of area under curve (AUC) value. The results show that the proportion of landslide sites in the regions of each LS level determined using the AHP-weighted information content method increases as the LS level increases, and that the accuracies of the AHP-weighted information content method were 8.1% and 5.7% higher than those of the AHP method and information content method, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) and wind power (WT) resources can influence each other in some scenarios, and this influence tends to show that the rise of PV resources may indicate the drop of WT resources, and vice versa. This pattern of PV and WT resources influencing each other is called the complementary characteristics of PV and WT power. The complementary characteristics of the power outputs of different kinds of distributed renewable energy resources (DRERs) and the correlation between DRERs outputs and loads can impact the consumption of DRERs by the loads within the grid, which represents the rate of DRER outputs consumed by loads instead of being reduced. In this regard, this paper investigates a planning strategy for DRERs considering these two factors. An improved co-variance matrix method is applied to generate complementary samples of DRERs and correlated samples of DRERs and loads. The samples generated are used to study the impacts of the degree of correlation between DRERs and loads on the consumption ability of DRERs. The concept of the cluster is introduced as a region including DRERs with complementary characteristics. Based on the cluster partition method and the samples generated, the DRERs planning model is proposed to maximize the profits of different DRER stakeholders. The planning model is transformed into a single objective model through the ideal point method. A Benders decomposition-based method is developed to efficiently solve the proposed model, and an actual network in China is used to illustrate its performance. The results show DRER consumption can be significantly improved by the proposed planning model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product manufacturing stage is one of the main contributors for greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in China. The study aims to find the potential to control GHG emissions during forging machine's manufacturing stage in China for substantially reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions. Taking hydraulic press slider, a typical part of forging machines, as the research object, a complete GHG emission calculation method is proposed for its manufacturing stage, and the key factors affecting the GHG emissions are analyzed in order to provide support for the low carbon design and manufacturing of forging machines. The results show that the use of raw material of steel sheet is the largest contributor to GHG emissions in the manufacturing stage of forging machines, followed by welding. Some possible solutions to reduce the GHG emissions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontier studies have neglected the impact of digital transformation (DT) on the synergy for pollution and carbon reduction (SPCR) from the perspective of micro enterprises. This paper explores the SPCR effect of DT, as well as its mechanism at micro-firm level. The study found that: (1) DT significantly facilitates corporate SPCR. For every 10% increase in the level of DT, the ranking of SPCR will rise by about 2.3 places. This effect is more obvious in high-tech firms and non-heavy polluters, firms in the eastern region in China, and non-SOE. (2) DT creates innovation-driven and structure-optimizing effects, which enhance the corporate green innovation ability, optimize the business structure and capital allocation structure of enterprises, and then drive the SPCR. (3) External public environmental concerns (PEC) and internal corporate ESG governance act as "accelerators" promoting the SPCR effect of DT. Based on these, policy implications are made to accelerate the pace of corporate DT, give full play to the first-mover advantage, and break the "pollution (carbon) lock-in" with a view to providing theoretical references for the listed enterprises' digitalized governance of SPCR, as well as the governmental departments' formulation of relevant guiding policies, and striving to achieve the high-quality development goal. • Explore the effect of DT on synergy for pollution and carbon reduction (SPCR). • Analyze the heterogeneity of DT affects corporate SPCR. • Investigate the mechanism by which DT affects corporate SPCR. • Discuss the moderating effects of informal regulations that improve the SPCR effect of DT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Borehole temperature logs, the thermal parameters and 71 high-quality heat-flow values were reported. • The whole thermal conductivity column of the strata and rocks in different geologic age in the NJB were first established. • The two-dimensional temperature distribution characteristics of the NJB were simulated and discussed. • The causes of the distribution pattern and geodynamic implications of these heat-flow data were discussed. Heat flow and thermal state complement seismic information and provide strong constraints on the thickness, geophysical properties, and tectonic evolution of the lithosphere. The North Jiangsu Basin (NJB) is located in the Lower Yangtze Craton as a wedge block of ancient plate boundary-adjacent to the southeast corner of the North China Craton experienced destruction in the Late Mesozoic, and it is of great interest to learn the geothermal characteristics of the basin. We present 71 new heat flow measurements derived from temperature logs and detailed thermal conductivity measurements of 189 dry core samples and 24 outcrop samples. We analyze these new data in combination with published data to plot the temperature gradient and heat flow distribution maps. The results show that: (1) temperature gradient values in the NJB are in the 21.5–59.2 °C km−1 range, with a mean value of 30.2 ± 6.5 °C km−1; (2) heat flow values are in the 45.7–109.7 mW m−2 range, with a mean value of 67.9 ± 7.7 mW m−2; (3) the highest temperature gradient and heat flow value is located in or around the Jianhu Uplift, and thermal refraction is the leading cause; and (4) the destruction of the North China Craton at the end of the Late Mesozoic was likely to affect the NJB, and the unified deep dynamic mechanism makes the NJB and the Bohai Bay Basin now in a similar thermal state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Borehole temperature logs, the thermal parameters and five high-quality heat-flow values were reported. • The relationship between high heat flow in the Lu-zong Basin and high heat production in the upper crust were discussed. • The relationship between 350 °C isotherm along the STLFZ and the maximum depth of recorded seismicity were discussed. • The geodynamic implications of these heat-flow data were discussed. We present new heat flow and heat production data to constrain the lithospheric thermal structure along the southern Tan-Lu Fault Zone (STLFZ), a continuous active deep crustal fault zone in East Asia, and use these thermal data to infer how the thermal structure of the STLFZ influences regional focal depths. We report five new high-quality heat flow measurements derived from temperature–depth profiles at five well sites and detailed thermal conductivity measurements of 13 outcrop samples and 115 dry core samples from five wells along the STLFZ. We analyze these new data in combination with published data to derive a thermal profile along the STLFZ and map the 350 °C isotherm along the STLFZ, which correlates well with the maximum depth of recorded seismicity. The results indicate that: (1) the thermal gradient along the STLFZ increase from 22.2 °C km–1 in the south to 34.8 °C km–1 in the north; (2) heat flow values are in the 44.0–75.4 mW m–2 range along the STLFZ, with a mean value of 59.9 ± 10.5 mW m–2; (3) the highest heat flow value is located in Lu-Zong Basin, with extremely high radioactive heat production of 15–20 μW m–3 in the upper crust that may be related to local ore bodies; and (4) the bottom boundary of the shallow-earthquake seismic zone in the STLFZ coincides with the 350 °C isotherm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years growing evidence has shown that organic nitrogen (ON) constitutes a significant fraction of the nitrogen budget in particulate matter (PM). However, the composition and sources of ON in Chinese PM are not clear to date due to the lack of field measurements and receptor modeling interpretations. In this study, water-soluble ON (WSON), free amino acids (FAAs) and primary amines, together with water-soluble ionic species and carbonaceous components, were quantified in PM 2.5 collected in Xi'an, China from 2008 to 2009. The yearly average WSON concentration (300 nmol N m −3 , ranging from 29 to 1250 nmol N m −3 ) was one order of magnitude higher than that reported in other urban and rural regions in U.S. A total of 24 organic nitrogen species were determined, with an average total concentration of 2180 pmol m −3 , which account for 1.2% of the WSON in PM 2.5 . Glycine, β-alanine and methylamine were the most abundant protein type amino acid, non-protein type amino acid and primary amine, respectively, contributing to 21.1%, 5.2% and 20.6% of the total quantified organic nitrogen species (TONS). Strong linear correlations (Pearson's correlation) (r = .72, p < 0.001 ) between WSON and one of biomass burning tracer (K + ) potentially indicate the contribution from biomass burning (especially in spring and fall) and the correlation (r = .76–.87, p < 0.001 ) between WSON and secondary species ( NH 4 + , NO 3 − , and SO 4 2 − ) also suggests the important contribution to WSON from secondary formation processes. Moreover, both protein type amino acids and primary amines revealed good correlations with water-soluble ions in spring, which indicates that seasonal variability occurred in primary sources and secondary formation pathway of the organic nitrogen species were found in Xi'an. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) needs booster vaccination. We evaluated the long-term safety and immunogenicity of heterologous boosting with a SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine SYS6006. A total of 1000 participants aged 18 years or more who had received two (Group A) or three (Group B) doses of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine were enrolled and vaccinated with one dose of SYS6006 which was designed based on the prototype spike protein and introduced mutation sites. Adverse events (AEs) through 30 days and serious AEs during the study were collected. Live-virus and pseudovirus neutralizing antibody (Nab), binding antibody (immunoglobulin G [IgG]) and cellular immunity were tested through 180 days. Solicited all, injection-site and systemic AEs were reported by 618 (61.8%), 498 (49.8%), and 386 (38.6%) participants, respectively. Most AEs were grade 1. The two groups had similar safety profile. No vaccination-related SAEs were reported. Robust wild-type (WT) live-virus Nab response was elicited with peak geometric mean titers (GMTs) of 3769.5 (Group A) and 5994.7 (Group B) on day 14, corresponding to 1602.5- and 290.8-fold increase versus baseline, respectively. The BA.5 live-virus Nab GMTs were 87.7 (Group A) and 93.2 (Group B) on day 14. All participants seroconverted for WT live-virus Nab. Robust pseudovirus Nab and IgG responses to wild type and BA.5 were also elicited. ELISpot assay showed robust cellular immune response, which was not obviously affected by virus variation. In conclusion, SYS6006 heterologous boosting demonstrated long-term good safety and immunogenicity in participants who had received two or three doses of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Traditional training methods such as card teaching, assistive technologies (e.g., augmented reality/virtual reality games and smartphone apps), DVDs, human-computer interactions, and human-robot interactions are widely applied in autistic rehabilitation training in recent years. In this article, we propose a novel framework for human-computer/robot interaction and introduce a preliminary intervention study for improving the emotion recognition of Chinese children with an autism spectrum disorder. The core of the framework is the Facial Emotion Cognition and Training System (FECTS, including six tasks to train children with ASD to match, infer, and imitate the facial expressions of happiness, sadness, fear, and anger) based on Simon Baron-Cohen's E-S (empathizing-systemizing) theory. Our system may be implemented on PCs, smartphones, mobile devices such as PADs, and robots. The training record (e.g., a tracked record of emotion imitation) of the Chinese autistic children interacting with the device implemented using our FECTS will be uploaded and stored in the database of a cloud-based evaluation system. Therapists and parents can access the analysis of the emotion learning progress of these autistic children using the cloud-based evaluation system. Deep-learning algorithms of facial expressions recognition and attention analysis will be deployed in the back end (e.g., devices such as a PC, a robotic system, or a cloud system) implementing our FECTS, which can perform real-time tracking of the imitation quality and attention of the autistic children during the expression imitation phase. In this preliminary clinical study, a total of 10 Chinese autistic children aged 3-8 are recruited, and each of them received a single 20-minute training session every day for four consecutive days. Our preliminary results validated the feasibility of the developed FECTS and the effectiveness of our algorithms based on Chinese children with an autism spectrum disorder. To verify that our FECTS can be further adapted to children from other countries, children with different cultural/sociological/linguistic contexts should be recruited in future studies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Guobin Wan et al.)

We reported the discovery and identification of emerging sulfur-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, namely polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs), in PM 2.5 collected from two typical regions of China, Taiyuan and Guangzhou. Until now, there is no research on contamination status, sources and potential health risks of this unexpected group of organic contaminants in PM 2.5 . High atmospheric concentrations (ngm -3 ) and significant time-dependent variations were determined in PM 2.5 of Taiyuan from 2017 to 2018. Coal combustion/secondary formation and traffic emission/secondary formation were apportioned as possible pollution sources for the PM 2.5 -bound PASHs in Taiyuan and Guangzhou, respectively. Dithiothreitol and cell viability assays were applied for evaluations of PASH-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell toxicity based on the determined real exposure levels for adults. The results illustrated that PASHs in PM 2.5 possibly caused oxidative stress and inhibition of human bronchial epithelial cells in seriously polluted regions such as Taiyuan, suggesting that the pollutant-induced health concerns may need more investigations. This study provides new insights into PM 2.5 pollution, and is beneficial for the development of effective contamination control strategies and reduction of risks on public health., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Many studies have explored the clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), especially patients with cardiovascular disease. However, associated mechanisms and markers remain to be further investigated. This study aimed to investigate the effect of α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (α-HBDH) levels on disease progression and prognosis of patients with COVID-19., Methods and Results: One thousand seven hundred and fifty-one patients from the Leishenshan hospital in Wuhan were divided into elevated and normal groups by α-HBDH level, and the clinical information between the two groups was compared retrospectively. The main outcome evaluation criteria included in-hospital death and disease severity. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses, survival curves, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic curve models were performed to explore the relationship between elevated α-HBDH and the two outcomes. Besides, curve fitting analyses were conducted to analyse the relationship between computed tomography score and survival. Among 1751 patients with confirmed COVID-19, 15 patients (0.87%) died. The mean (SD) age of patients was 58 years in normal α-HBDH group and 66 years in elevated α-HBDH group (P < 0.001). The mortality during hospitalization was 0.26% (4 of 1559) for patients with normal α-HBDH levels and 5.73% (11 of 192) for those with elevated α-HBDH levels (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis confirmed an association between elevated α-HBDH levels and higher risk of in-hospital mortality [hazard ratio: 4.411, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.127-17.260; P = 0.033]. Multivariate logistic regression for disease severity and α-HBDH levels showed significant difference between both groups (odds ratio = 3.759; 95% CI, 1.895-7.455; P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier curves also illustrated the survival difference between normal and elevated α-HBDH patients (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Our study found that serum α-HBDH is an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality and disease severity among COVID-19 patients. α-HBDH assessment may aid clinicians in identifying high-risk individuals among COVID-19 patients., (© 2020 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: The organ donation in China has developed rapidly since fully launched donations after citizens death in 2015. This study was conducted to evaluate how the Chinese general public views changed on deceased organ donation, and to improve the donation process., Methods: A total of 110 eligible studies, including 103, 410 individuals, were selected to analyze through searching PubMed, CBMdisc, CQVIP, CNKI, and Wanfang Data from Jan 1, 1990 to May 31, 2019. The pooled proportions (and 95% CIs) of cognition, attitudes and willingness related to organ donation were calculated using the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation., Results: The pooled proportions of knowing about organ donation and willing to donate increased from 84.6% (73.0-93.4) and 32.4% (23.9-41.6) before 2015, to 86.4% (74.5-95.1) and 39.9% (32.8-47.2) after 2015, respectively. The willingness to posthumous organ donation for cornea, heart, kidney, and liver had a significant improvement. Especially, the proportion of willingness to donate cornea increased to 56.0% (43.3-68.3) after 2015, from 39.2% (31.2-47.4) before 2015. However, although 69.7% (62.7-76.4) of participants approved the deceased organ donation, only 35.6% (29.7-41.8) and 43.9% (37.2-50.8) were willing to donate their own and relatives organs postmortem, respectively. The leading reasons for refraining from donating organs postmortem were distrusting the medical professionals (49.8%, 35.2-64.4) and traditional Chinese values (40.6%, 32.4-49.0). Popularizing knowledge about organ donation (61.5%, 45.7-76.1), humanitarian aid (57.1%, 48.8-65.3), and priority of using donated organs for relatives (53.1%, 30.8-74.7) were the applauded strategies to improve the willingness to posthumous organ donation., Conclusions: The willingness toward posthumous organ donation has a significant improvement among Chinese general public since 2015, however, several important measures still need to be taken to promote the favorable attitudes and willingness toward organ donation.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) plays a key role in the protection against allergic reaction induced by allergen as well as the differentiation of T helper 1 cells in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), exerting its biological effects through binding to specific IL-12 receptors (IL-12Rs) termed IL-12Rβ1 and IL-12Rβ2. In this study, we investigated the relationship between polymorphisms in the IL-12R gene and AR in the Chinese Han population. A total of 543 patients with AR and 749 normal controls were genotyped for IL-12Rβ1/rs438421, IL-12Rβ2/rs3790565, rs3790567, and rs6679356 using a PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The association study of each polymorphism of the IL-12Rβ1 and IL-12Rβ2 gene and AR showed that a significantly increased prevalence of the homozygous rs438421 GG genotype and G allele appeared in the AR patients compared with healthy controls. A significantly decreased prevalence of AG in rs438421 in AR patients is compared with healthy controls. Our research demonstrated an important association between polymorphisms in IL-12Rβ1 and AR in the Chinese Han population. A strong association between rs438421 in a single nucleotide polymorphism of IL-12Rβ1 and AR was identified.

Background: Heredity and environmental exposures may contribute to a predisposition to allergic rhinitis (AR). Autoimmunity may also involve into this pathologic process. FCRL3 (Fc receptor-like 3 gene), a novel immunoregulatory gene, has recently been reported to play a role in autoimmune diseases., Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the potential association of FCRL3 polymorphisms with AR in a Chinese Han population., Methods: Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms of FCRL3, rs945635, rs3761959, rs7522061, rs10489678 and rs7528684 were genotyped in 540 AR patients and 600 healthy controls using a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies were compared between patients and controls using the χ2 test. The online software platform SHEsis was used to analyze their haplotypes., Results: This study identified three strong risk SNPs rs7528684, rs10489678, rs7522061 and one weak risk SNP rs945635 of FCRL3 in Chinese Han AR patients. For rs7528684, a significantly increased prevalence of the AA genotype and A allele in AR patients was recorded. The frequency of the GG genotype and G allele of rs10489678 was markedly higher in AR patients than those in controls. For rs7522061, a higher frequency of the TT genotype, and a lower frequency of the CT genotype were found in AR patients. Concerning rs945635, a lower frequency of the CC genotype, and a higher frequency of G allele were observed in AR patients. According to the analysis of the three strong positive SNPs, the haplotype of AGT increased significantly in AR cases (AR = 38.8%, Controls = 24.3%, P = 8.29 × 10(-14), OR [95% CI] 1.978 [1.652~2.368])., Conclusions: This study found a significant association between the SNPs in FCRL3 gene and AR in Chinese Han patients. The results suggest these gene polymorphisms might be the autoimmunity risk for AR.

Objectives: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory disorder of the upper airway. Interleukin-27 (IL-27), a novel IL-12 family member, has recently been reported to play a role in some immune-related disorders. This study was performed to evaluate the potential association of IL-27 polymorphisms with AR in a Chinese Han population., Design and Methods: A case-control study was performed in 445 Chinese AR patients and 691 healthy controls. Three SNPs in the IL-27p28 gene, including rs153109, rs17855750 and rs181206, were detected using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay (PCR-RFLP)., Results: A significantly increased prevalence of the rs153109 TT genotype and the T allele was found in AR patients, while a decreased prevalence of the CT and CC genotypes and the C allele was found. For rs153109, the TT genotype and the T allele were significantly associated with the risk of AR, but the CT and CC genotypes and the C allele decreased the risk of AR; for rs17855750, the TT genotype and T allele were risk factors for AR, and the GT genotype and G allele provided protection. TTT and TTC haplotypes in the IL-27p28 gene were positively correlated with AR, while CGT, CTC and CTT haplotypes were associated with a significantly decreased risk of AR., Conclusion: This study indicates that IL-27p28 polymorphisms rs153109 and rs17855750 are likely involved in AR susceptibility, making them potentially useful genetic biomarkers for AR susceptibility in the Chinese Han population., (Copyright © 2014 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Concentrations and spatial distribution of PFOS and PFOA in surface water from East Lake in Wuhan, Hubei, China were studied. The total concentration of PFCs ranged from 31.1 to 237 ng x L(-1), and the mean value was 115 ng x L(-1), revealing lake-wide contamination in East Lake. PFOS and PFOA were detected in all samples with maximum values of 132 ng x L(-1) and 158 ng x L(-1), respectively, whereas the mean values of PFOS and PFOA were 60.4 and 55.0 ng x L(-1), respectively. The highest concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were found in the eastern area of lake, followed by the southern area of lake, and the western and northern areas of East Lake were the least contaminated regions. The specific distribution and composition profile of PFOS and PFOA, and the lack of significant correlation between PFOS and PFOA, suggested that there were various sources of PFCs. The PFOS concentrations at 30 sample sites (63%) were greater than 43 ng x L(-1), which was used to estimate an avian wildlife value for PFOS. The PFOA concentrations at 20 sample sites (42%) were greater than 40 ng x L(-1), which was a health-based guidance level recommended by the State of New Jersey for PFOA.