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In science education, chemistry is a discipline that involves macroscopic matter and microscopic particles. It is difficult for the traditional teaching approach to help learners comprehend abstract chemical knowledge. Researchers have attempted to use Virtual Reality (VR) to help learners realize meaningful knowledge via visualizing the learning content. However, merely engaging students in experiencing the scientific contexts is not enough. To fill this gap, the present study adopted Spherical Video-based Virtual Reality (SVVR) to create authentic learning contexts for learners, and proposed an exploration-based SVVR approach which aimed to promote students' understanding of abstract concepts and improve their competence of completing chemistry experiments. A quasi-experimental design was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A total of 136 junior high school students from three classes were recruited for the experiment. The experimental group adopted the exploration-based SVVR approach, control group I adopted the conventional SVVR approach, and control group II adopted traditional instruction. The results showed that the exploration-based SVVR approach not only improved students' learning achievement, but also increased their learning motivation, learning attitude, and creative thinking tendency. Besides, students adopting this approach had more positive behaviors, including finding problems, making assumptions, investigating and verifying, and discussion.

As future healthcare professionals, Master of Nursing Specialist (MNS) students will play an important role in nursing and healthcare. MNS education emphasises the cultivation of students’ critical and clinical thinking. Traditional classroom methods often result in students being unable to combine theory with practice and reduce their ability to problem-solve within the scope of clinical or professional services. However, in economically underdeveloped areas with insufficient educational resources, it is difficult to use real clinical situations or virtual reality technology to carry out teaching. To fill this gap, we introduced the digital story teaching method into classroom teaching in Shanxi Province in northern China, which is an economically underdeveloped agricultural province. Real clinical cases were adapted into stories, with integrated digital media elements. A before-and-after study design was adopted to compare the differences between the digital story teaching method group and the traditional teaching method group. The results indicate that students engaged in learning with the digital story teaching method demonstrated more active learning styles, clinical problem-solving skills, and higher academic achievements in classroom performance and examinations. As a continuous and low-cost flexible education method, the digital story teaching method is a teaching mode suitable for popularisation in areas where clinical teaching resources are relatively scarce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher emotion has become an important issue in English language teaching as it is a crucial construct in understanding teachers' responses to institutional policies. The study explored teachers' emotion labor and its impact on teachers' pedagogical decision-making in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching in a university of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China. Drawing on a poststructural perspective, the study examined data from two rounds of semi-structured interviews, policy documents and teaching artifacts. The analysis of data revealed that the major emotion labor facing the participants revolved around students' disengagement in class. Teachers experienced mixed feelings of anticipation, disappointment, anger, and empathy toward students and distanced themselves from institutional feeling rules enforcing objective assessment of students' performance and punishing students for lack of engagement in class. The study found that teacher emotion labor served as the site for their pedagogical modifications. ESP teachers' beliefs in the importance of attending to students' needs become a powerful discourse in supporting teachers to strategically subvert institutional feeling rules and critically reflect on the dysfunctions of curriculum, orienting teachers' agentic actions in modifying pedagogical practices. We thus underscore this empowering discourse as the bridge to connect teachers' policy negotiation and their actual classroom practices. We also highlight teachers' pedagogical decision-making as a process of the interactions of teacher emotion, teachers' reflexive practices, and power relations. The study ended by suggesting more longitudinal research where teachers' beliefs as previously appropriated discourses could be examined comprehensively as they were both the construct of emotion labor and the potential subverting power in supporting teachers' pedagogical decision-making in policy negotiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dipteris shenzhenensis, a new species of ferns from Shenzhen, Guangdong, southern China, is identified and described. It closely resembles D. chinensis but possesses several unique traits, such as long rhizome scales, castaneous stipe, and abaxially pale fronds with two fan-shaped fronds connected by a broad wing. Molecular evidence showed that D. shenzhenensis is allied to D. conjugata, whereas it has morphologically significant differences (P < 0.05) on the basis of quantitative trait statistical analysis. Overall, the morphological evidence, taken together with the result of cpDNA indicated that D. shenzhenensis is a distinct species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the grain yield and agronomic traits of inbred and hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) 'Yuxiangyouzhan' and 'Shenliangyou 58 xiangyouzhan' at 11 different planting sites during 2013-2017 in Southern China. The grain yield, growth period, panicle number m-2, productive tiller percentage, plant height, panicle length, grain number per panicle, filled grain number per panicle, filled grain percentage, and grain weight were evaluated. Results indicated that 'Shenliangyou 58 xiangyouzhan' produced higher grain yields than 'Yuxiangyouzhan' which was attributed to high grain weight and panicle length. Grain yield showed an increasing trend during 2013-2017 and the yield gaps among different years were attributed to differences in plant height, filled grain percentage and grain weight. The differences in grain yield among sites were mostly due to the combination effect of the agronomic traits which was greatly affected by the different climate conditions. The grain yield was significantly and positively correlated with the plant height, grain number m-2, filled grain number per panicle, filled grain percentage and grain weight. Moreover, principal components analysis (PCA) suggested that grain number per panicle and filled grain number per panicle are critical parameters attributed to grain productivity. Therefore, flowering and post-flowering stage is the most critical in this regard to improve the grain number and filled grain number per panicle to get better yields in the agro-climatic conditions of southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape pattern change (LPC) can provide comprehensive insight into the effects of mining activities on regional ecosystems. This paper examined the impact of coal mining on LPC of Peixian mining area, China. An analysis of LPC was conducted based on GIS-RS technology from 1994 to 2014. The influence of coal mining on the LPC was studied quantitatively from the perspective of life cycle. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) The LPC of the study area changed significantly during the study period. Landscape type index showed a rising trend in fluctuation, and landscape fractal characteristics tended to be simplified and regularized. 2) Landscape indices of cultivated land and waterlogged subsidence zones were highly correlated with annual coal production, and the correlation coefficients were -0.634, -0.748 and 0.991, respectively. 3) The abrupt changes of largest patch index (LPI) and aggregation index (AI) of cultivated land occurred in 1999 and 2001, respectively. The LPI of waterlogged subsidence zones had a sustained upward trend since 1995, but the AI had a significant rising trend in 1997-2006 and 2011-2013. These results could provide useful guidance on sustainable land use planning and restoring the damaged landscape for underground coal mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitochondrial (mt) genome of Eumeta variegata Snellen (Psychidae) has been sequenced and annotated. The mt genome has a total length of 15,793 bp, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA, two rRNA genes, and an AT-rich control region (GenBank accession no. MN242985). The nucleotide composition was extremely AT-rich, and the AT content is 81.57%. The gene order is consistent with other sequenced mt genome of moths and butterflies from Ditrysia. The sequence similarity of E. variegate mt genomes between the specimen of China and South Korea is 98.38%, whereas the similarity between the specimen of China and Japan is 90.61%. The sequence of PCGs and rRNAs among different specimens are similar, and many differences are detected at the region of AþT-rich region and the tRNA block ‘ARNS1EF’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important multifunctional protein involved in regulation of mitochondrial metabolism, CHCHD2 was identified as a causative gene for Parkinson's disease (PD), yet the relationship between CHCHD2 and neurodegenerative dementia is not well understood. We directly sequenced the entire coding region of CHCHD2 gene in 150 AD patients, 84 FTD patients, and 417 controls. Four rare putative pathogenic variants of CHCHD2, including rs142444896 (c.5C>T, p.P2L), rs752705344 (c.15C>G, p.S5R), rs145190179 (c.94G>A, p.A32T), and rs182992574 (c.255T>A, p.S85R) were identified from a cohort composed of 150 AD and 84 FTD patients. These results suggest that CH CHD2 gene play an important role in other neurodegenerative disorders from our dementia study in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heishui county, located in northwest Sichuan province, southwestern China, is an endemic area of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and is the most intractable area. VL is never destroyed in it. Asymptomatic dogs (Leishmania parasites have been diagnosed but clinically healthy) are considered to be a potential reservoir host in zoonotic VL area, and most can lead to infection of individuals, that is a new challenge for controlling VL in humans. The present study aimed to assess the Leishmania infection rate of asymptomatic dogs in Heishui county. Total 105 asymptomatic domestic dogs were gathered from 4 districts in Heishui county to investigate the infection rate with serological and molecular methods based on ELISA and kinetoplast minicircle DNA(kDNA) PCR, respectively. Out of 105 dogs, 44 (41.9%) were positive by more than 1 method; 21 (20.0%) were positive by ELISA, and 30 (28.6%) were positive by kDNA-PCR. Our study showed that Leishmania infection of domestic dogs which is clinically healthy is prevalent in the studied district, and the asymptomatic dogs infected by Leishmania may be the primary reason for the prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) has been reported to result from mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2) genes and to function as an "oncometabolite." To evaluate the clinical significance of serum 2-HG levels in hematologic malignancies, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in particular, we analyzed this metabolite in distinct types of human leukemia and lymphoma and established the range of serum 2-HG in appropriate normal control individuals by using gas chromatograph-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Aberrant serum 2-HG pattern was detected in the multicenter group of AML, with 62 of 367 (17%) patients having 2-HG levels above the cutoff value (2.01, log2-transformed from 4.03 µg/mL). IDH1/2 mutations occurred in 27 of 31 (87%) AML cases with very high 2-HG, but were observed only in 9 of 31 (29%) patients with moderately high 2-HG, suggesting other genetic or biochemical events may exist in causing 2-HG elevation. Indeed, glutamine-related metabolites exhibited a pattern in favor of 2-HG synthesis in the high 2-HG group. In AML patients with cytogenetically normal AML (n = 234), high 2-HG represented a negative prognostic factor in both overall survival and event-free survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed high serum 2-HG as a strong prognostic predictor independent of other clinical and molecular features. We also demonstrated distinct gene-expression/DNA methylation profiles in AML blasts with high 2-HG compared with those with normal ones, supporting a role that 2-HG plays in leukemogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that assessed the prognostic value of a prolonged electrocardiograph (ECG) QRS duration in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in China. The study analyzed the initial 12-lead ECG for QRS duration in 212 consecutive patients with IPAH. It reveals 35 patients with IPAH found to have a QRS duration of equal to or more than 120 milliseconds, including 21 with right bundle-branch block

Previous palaeoclimatic studies in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (NETP) during the Holocene, mainly using lake sediments, have deepened our understanding of the climatic system in this remote region. The timing and forcing mechanisms of climatic change in this region are still controversial, however. Aeolian sand and silt deposits, which are widely distributed in the NETP, can be readily dated by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques and reveal the sensitive response of the landscape to climatic change. In this study, aeolian sand and loess at six sites around Qinghai Lake were studied to reconstruct millennial-scale climatic changes during the Holocene. Multiproxy data along with 24 OSL age determinations show that low effective moisture and aeolian activity occurred at c. 13 ka, 10—9.1 ka, and 8.9—7.8 ka. Periods of greater effective moisture may have occurred at ~11 ka and 9 ka, and there is evidence for a previously undocumented wet climate at 4—3 ka. These results show that millennial-scale Holocene palaeoclimatic changes in the NETP cannot be explained simply as direct responses to changes in monsoon precipitation forced by summer insolation. We suggest that changes in effective moisture were determined by the balance between monsoon-induced rainfall and evaporation loss (mainly controlled by temperature). Thus, climatic change in the NETP may have been influenced by complex interactions between the monsoon circulation and local convection/evaporation effects, in addition to large-scale change in the Asian monsoon and the westerlies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To understand the processes of invasions by alien insects is a pre-requisite for improving management. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a cryptic species complex that contains some of the most invasive pests worldwide. However, extensive field data to show the geographic distribution of the members of this species complex as well as the invasion by some of its members are scarce. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used field surveys and published data to assess the current diversity and distribution of B. tabaci cryptic species in China and relate the indigenous members to other Asian and Australian members of the complex. The survey covered the 16 provinces where indigenous B. tabaci occur and extends this with published data for the whole of China. We used molecular markers to identify cryptic species. The evolutionary relationships between the different Asian B. tabaci were reconstructed using Bayesian methods. We show that whereas in the past the exotic invader Middle East-Asia Minor 1 was predominant across China, another newer invader Mediterranean is now the dominant species in the Yangtze River Valley and eastern coastal areas, and Middle East-Asia Minor 1 is now predominant only in the south and south eastern coastal areas. Based on mtCO1 we identified four new cryptic species, and in total we have recorded 13 indigenous and two invasive species from China. Diversity was highest in the southern and southeastern provinces and declined to north and west. Only the two invasive species were found in the northern part of the country where they occur primarily in protected cropping. By 2009, indigenous species were mainly found in remote mountainous areas and were mostly absent from extensive agricultural areas. Conclusions/Significance: Invasions by some members of the whitefly B. tabaci species complex can be rapid and widespread, and indigenous species closely related to the invaders are replaced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1985, originally forested mountainous areas of China have been allowed to return to their natural state after years of exploitation including agriculture, development, and logging. The reforms began earlier in less accessible locations, so that today the successional process is more advanced there. The vegetation in Luquan, Qiongzhusi, and Xishan near Kunming, central Yunnan, exhibits, in a limited area, a range of stages of plant succession that are widely encountered throughout the broader region, and thus affords a special opportunity for a comprehensive study. We analyzed the successional sequence of these various plant communities. They ranged from pioneer coniferous and/or pioneer deciduous broad-leaved stands to pre-mature semi-humid evergreen broad-leaved stands, through mixed coniferous and broad-leaved or mixed deciduous and evergreen broad-leaved stands. The succession proceeded from pioneer coniferous Pinus and Keteleeria, and deciduous Platycarya and Alnus, to late-successional evergreen broad-leaved Cyclobalanopsis and Castanopsis. Two regeneration types of woody species in either the early successional (15–50 years), the mid-successional (40–80 years), or the late-successional (80–180 years) stage were classified. Relatively high species diversity was found in the seral phase at the three study sites. The late-successional stage was commonest where human disturbance was least evident. Poor soil chemical properties under pioneer Pinus were seen as a limitation to plant growth, while the abundance of Alnus at the early stage led to an improved level of organic matter and nitrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the plasma lipid levels in a national representative sample of subjects and to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia in the Chinese population. Methods Plasma lipid profile was analyzed using the data obtained during the Chinese national nutrition and health survey (CNHS) in 2002 which involved 14 252 participants at the age of 18 years or older. Results The mean levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the participants were 3.81 mmol/L, 1.10 mmol/L, and 1.30 mmol/L, respectively. In the groups of participants at the age of 18–44 years, 45–59 years, and over 60 years the mean TC level was 3.70 mmol/L, 4.09 mmol/L and 4.21 mmol/L, respectively, and the mean TG level was 07 mmoI/L, 1.21 mmol/L, 1.20 mmol/L, 1.29 mmol/L, 1.33 mmol/L, and 1.33 mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in Chinese adults was 18.6% and 22.2% in males and 15.9% in females. Dyslipidemia prevalence was higher in urban districts than in rural areas (21.0% vs. 17.7%). The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL cholesterol was 2.9%, 11.9%, and 7.4% respectively among the participants. Conclusion Dyslipidemia has become one of the important health risk factors in the Chinese population. There is no significantly difference in the prevalence of dyslipidemia between the groups of participants at the age of 45–59 years and over 60 years. This study provides important lipid profile data for policy making and guideline development for the prevention of dyslipidemia in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The larch caterpillar moth, Dendrolimus superans Butler (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), is a serious pest in the northeastern part of China. In order to develop an effective method for monitoring D. superans, we began a project to identify the sex pheromone of D. superans and preliminary results were published in a note in 2001. Here we report complete laboratory and field results to support the identification. ( Z, E)-5,7-Dodecadienal, ( Z, E)-5,7-dodecadienol, ( Z)-5-dodecenol, and ( Z)-5-dodecenal (100:95:75:71) were identified by gas chromatography (GC) and coupled GC-mass spectrometry in extracts of pheromone glands of female D. superans. However, only ( Z, E)-5,7-dodecadienal elicited strong responses from conspecific male antennae in coupled GC-electroantennography studies. Field tests with synthetic compounds indicated that baits containing ( Z, E)-5,7-dodecadienal as a single component attracted male D. superans moths, whereas addition of one, two, or all three of the possible minor components did not increase the attractiveness of lures. ( Z, E)-5,7-Dodecadienyl acetate, one of the pheromone components in sympatric Dendrolimus species, was antagonistic, but the analog ( Z, E)-5,7-dodecadienyl propionate, another pheromone component in sympatric Dendrolimus species, was not. Since 2005, pheromone traps baited with ( Z, E)-5,7-dodecadienal have been used effectively for monitoring populations of D. superans in various areas of northeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field relations, isotope systematics, and plate tectonic reconstructions require that felsic adakites in the Yangtze Block and the Dabie Orogen, eastern China, were not derived from a subducting slab, despite the signature of a mantle component in the contemporaneous mafic adakite hosts of Cu-Au deposits in the same areas. The apparently contradictory requirements are accounted for by (a) a deep crustal melting origin for barren adakites and (b) a crustal delamination origin, followed by ascent through lithospheric mantle, for adakites associated with mineralization. The crustal delamination process associated with the prospective porphyries duplicates the metallogenically essential aspects of the subduction environment. The importance of adakitic magmas in the genesis of porphyry-style Cu-Au deposits is affirmed by these findings, but the range of prospective tectonic environments is extended to include an important intraplate, postsubduction setting. The porphyries of eastern China demonstrate a previously unrecognized relationship between one particular tectonic environment and porphyry-style mineralization that may occur elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To evaluate the effect of Happy 10 program on the promotion of physical activity, physical growth and development of primary-school students, and on obesity control and prevention. Methods Two similar primary schools from one district of Beijing, China were selected, one as an intervention school and the other as a control school. Happy 10 program was implemented at least once every school day in the intervention school for two semesters, whereas no intervention was adopted in the control school. The information on energy expenditure and duration of physical activity was collected by a validated 7-day physical activity questionnaire. Height and weight were measured by trained investigators following the standardized procedure. Energy expenditure and intensity of each Happy 10 session was measured by a physical activity monitor. Results The average energy expenditure and duration of total physical activity per day among students in the intervention school increased significantly from 15.0 to 18.2 kcal/kg, and 2.8 to 3.3 h respectively, whereas the figures significantly decreased in the control school. There was a significant difference in change of weight and BMI between girls in the intervention and control school (2.4 kg vs 4.6 kg, -0.47 kg/m² vs 0.66 kg/m²). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the intervention school decreased by 0.4%-5.6%, as compared to the increase by 0.6%-4.5% in the control school. The average energy expenditure and intensity per 10-minute session ranged from 25.0-35.1 kcal, 4.8-6.2 kcal/kg/h respectively in grades 1-5. Conclusion Happy 10 program provides a useful strategy to promote physical activity among school children and also plays a positive role in building up physical growth and development of girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To estimate the relative risks of dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndromes among overweight and obese Chinese children compared with their normal weight counterparts. Methods Overweight and obesity were defined by age- and sex-specific BMI classification reference for Chinese children and adolescents. Pediatric metabolic syndrome (MetS) and each risk factor for MetS were defined using the criteria for US adolescents. Definition of hyper-TC, LDL, and dyslipidemia for adults was applied as well. General linear model factor analysis and chi-square test were used to compare the difference in metabolic indicators among normal weight, overweight, and obese groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratio of metabolic abnormalities between obesity, overweight, and normal weight children, after adjustment for living area, family economic level, age, sex, and dally exercise time and TV watching time, as well as different dietary indices in the model. Results Significant increases in blood lipids, glucose, and blood pressure were found among overweight and obese children as compared with their counterparts with normal weight. By applying WGOC-recommended BMI classification, the risks for hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL and dyslipidemia among overweight children were 1.9, 1.4, and 1.5 times, and was 3.3, 1.5, and 1.8 times among obese groups compared to their counterparts with normal weight after adjustment for age, sex, region, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and dietary intakes. The overweight and obese children (15-17.9 years) had a high-risk of developing hypertension, which was 2.3 and 2.9 times higher than their counterparts with normal weight. Above 90% obese adolescents had abdominal obesity, while less than 1% normal weight ones had abdominal obesity. No obese adolescents were free from any risk factors for MetS, while 36.9% of normal weight adolescents were from the risk factors. 83.3% obese boys and all obese girls had metabolic syndrome, while only 15.5% normal weight boys and 18.8% normal weight girls had metabolic syndrome. Four risk factors for metabolic syndrome were found in 8.3% obese boys while none in normal weight boys and girls. The prevalence of MetS among normal weight, overweight, and obesity groups was 1.5%, 18.3%, and 38.1% respectively. Conclusion The cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are clustered in obese Chinese children. Our observations strongly suggest that efforts should be made to prevent the onset of overweight and its associated diseases during early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents issues in the design concept, analysis, and test results of a harp-shaped single span cable-stayed bridge, Hongshan Bridge, located in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. The bridge has a 206 m span, with a pylon inclined at 58° from the horizontal and 13 pairs of parallel cable stays without a back stay. This paper discusses the design approach for the main components of the bridge. Emphasis will be put on the following three aspects. First, the weight of the pylon and all dead loads of the main girder in addition to part of the live loads must be in a balanced condition. Second, the main girder should be an orthotropic steel-concrete composite box girder because of the superior safety and weight reduction of this type of structure. Third, the cable stays should be anchored at the neutral axis of the pylon to prevent the development of high secondary moments caused by other anchor approaches. Furthermore, based on results from tests carried out on three models, namely, scaled full model tests in a scale of 1:30, scaled section model tests in a scale of 1:6, and wind tunnel tests, the following four key issues were studied: (1) the local stability of orthotropic steel-concrete composite box girder subjected to combined bending and axial loads; (2) the characteristics under loads of 13-m-long cantilever beams; (3) the safety of the bridge under some other dangerous conditions; and (4) the characteristics of wind resistance and wind tunnel testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design. Retrospective epidemiological study. Objective. To describe differences based on biological sex in the epidemiology and treatment of the economic burden of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in China (2013-2018). Summary of Background Data. Although there have been many regional single-center studies on TSCI in China, there are few reports involving multicenter data, especially those that report on discrepancies related to biological sex. Materials and Methods. This study is a nationally representative hospital-based retrospective study. The treatment data of TSCI patients in 30 hospitals in 11 provinces/cities from January 2013 to December 2018 were analyzed. Sociodemographic characteristics, accident and related injury characteristics, treatment methods, and hospital costs were obtained. Regression models were used to evaluate differences in the outcomes of interest based on biological sex and other factors. Results. There were 13,465 individuals with TSCI, with a mean age of 50.0 years, and females (52.2) older than males (49.3). Overall, the average ratio of males to females was 3.1:1, ranging from 3.0:1 in 2013 to 2.8:1 in 2018. The overall proportion of patients with TSCI increased from 2013 to 2018 [annual percentage change (APC)= 6.8%, 95% CI, 3.3-10.4] (P < 0.05). The percent increase in females (APC= 8.2%, 95% CI, 5.6-10.8) was greater than that of males (APC =6.3%, 95% CI, 2.1-10.6). Overall, high-level falls mainly affected males (30.8%), and lowlevel falls mainly occurred in females (36.6%). Females demonstrated a higher frequency of thoracolumbar trauma and less severe neurological impairment. Conclusions. This study suggests that although the main population of TSCI is male, the average ratio of males to females is decreasing. The frequency of TSCI may be increasing faster in females than in males. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sexspecific public prevention measures. In addition, more medical resources should be devoted to improving the ability of hospitals to perform early surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban lakes in China, particularly those with relatively small surface areas and closed watersheds, have suffered from severe eutrophication over the past few years. To investigate the causes and to examine the underlying mechanisms, a two-dimensional uncertainty eutrophication model was developed. The model reflected the interactions between nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton. Moreover, it can be utilized to describe seasonal and regional water quality changes. The two-dimensional hydraulic model was set up using Navier-Stokes equations and was calculated by applying the finite volume method. The Bayesian method was employed to calibrate the model parameters and obtain the parameter posterior distribution. The two-dimensional hydraulic information and the parameter posterior distribution were utilized to calculate a two-dimensional uncertainty eutrophication model, for which the 95% confidence interval (uncertainty bounds which can provide the trend and range for water quality changes) and mean value of every water quality index (nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, Chl. a and dissolved oxygen) were simulated. Comparisons between the model simulations and the field data indicated that the models were able to calculate the hydrodynamic information and the eutrophication dynamics with reasonable accuracy (all the relative errors lower than 11%). The simulated concentrations of water quality indexes (nitrate, ammonia, phosphate and Chl. a) in the vicinity of the lake were higher than that in the middle of the lake during the simulation period, indicating that the nutrient load of the rainwater runoff had significant impacts on algal blooms and water quality. Therefore, the urban lake was vulnerable to the influence of rainwater runoff. To reduce the eutrophication risk, rainwater runoff needs to be controlled. Two-dimensional uncertainty eutrophication models, such as those used in this study, can provide a powerful management tool that will continue to improve prediction reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten samples of slope-wash and colluvial deposits from a trench wall at Xiyangfang, Yanqing County, located in the northern margin fault zone of the Yanqing Basin, about 90 km northwest of Beijing, have been dated by both green light stimulated emission (GLSL) and infra-red stimulated emission (IRSL). Four of the samples were measured in both Adelaide (Risø equipment) and Beijing (Daybreak equipment), with essentially consistent results. The paper gives a comparison of equivalent dose values obtained by both GLSL and IRSL. The Xiyangfang trench wall presents four fault-scarp-collapsed wedges, showing a clear normal faulting pattern, which can be interpreted as a record of palaeo-earthquake events, covering a time period from about 100 ka to the modern. A return time of about 7000 yr is suggested for events at this site. An attempt is made to correlate the dating records with the local earthquake history of destructive earthquakes in the last 2000 yr. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Volcanic-hosted iron deposits of the eastern Awulale metallogenetic belt in Central Asia possess a reserve of over 1.2 billion tons of iron ores and constitute one of the most important basements for high-grade iron resources in China. Skarns are widespread in these deposits and closely associated with iron mineralization. The ages of these skarns are unclear, and their genesis remains debated, preventing further investigation into their metallogenic processes. We focused on garnets in nine ore-bearing skarns from three largescale iron deposits (Chagangnuoer, Dunde, and Beizhan) in the eastern Awulale belt. U-Pb dating was conducted on these garnets using our in-house reference material, the Taochong garnet (TC-13, Pb-Pb isochron age: 126.2 ± 2.3 Ma, initial 207Pb/206Pb ratio: 0.845 ± 0.022). Laser-ablation-multicollector- inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) was employed in the garnet U-Pb dating, and high-precision U-Pb ages (0.3%-1.6%) were obtained, highlighting the advantages of LA-MC-ICP-MS in dating low-U minerals. The garnet U-Pb ages of the nine skarn samples fall into three groups, i.e., 329.0 ± 5.1-326 ± 3.3 Ma (two samples), 316.3 ± 2.9-311.2 ± 2.4 Ma (six samples), and 295.6 ± 1.0 Ma (one sample), implying three episodes of skarn alteration in the volcanichosted iron mineralization system. The first and second episodes of skarns formed as a result of contact metasomatism between coeval volcanic rocks and limestone, and they have economically important iron mineralization. The third was likely caused by a local postcollision granitic intrusion, but its metallogenic potential deserves further assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses an epidemiological study on a large-scale spinal trauma in Mainland China. "The Chinese Database of Traumas. Patients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM)" from 2001 to 2007 has provided the data for this study. Results show that falls and motor vehicle accidents (MVA) were the two major causes of spinal traumas. It notes that this study has an important implications for future health care planning in China.

Echovirus 11 (E11) has gained attention owing to its association with severe neonatal infections. From 2018 to 2023, a surge in severe neonatal cases and fatalities linked to a novel variant of genotype D5 was documented in China, France, and Italy. However, the prevention and control of E11 variants have been hampered by limited background data on the virus circulation and genetic variance. Therefore, the present study investigated the circulating dynamics of E11 and the genetic variation and molecular evolution of genotype D5 through the collection of strains from the national acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) surveillance system in China during 2000-2022 and genetic sequences published in the GenBank database. The results of this study revealed a prevalent dynamic of E11 circulation, with D5 being the predominant genotype worldwide. Further phylogenetic analysis of genotype D5 indicated that it could be subdivided into three important geographic clusters (D5-CHN1: 2014-2019, D5-CHN2: 2016-2022, and D5-EUR: 2022-2023). Additionally, variant-specific (144) amino acid mutation sites and positive-selection pressure sites (132, 262) were identified in the VP1 region. Cluster-specific recombination patterns were also identified, with CVB5, E6, and CVB4 as the major recombinant viruses. These findings provide a preliminary landscape of E11 circulation worldwide and basic scientific data for further study of the pathogenicity of E11 variants.

Further information on the distribution of Aporia procris Leech, 1890 is provided. The population of A. procris from the upper Dadu River, W. Sichuan, previously recognized as ssp. yaozhui Huang, 2021, is treated as a new subspecies, viz., A. p. huangsiyaoi ssp. nov., based upon evidence from external features, with its genital and molecular characters given.

A new species, Celaenorrhinus qianhanae Li & Liu sp. nov., is described from Hainan, China. Its unique genital characteristics and wing markings are compared with other congeneric species from this island and adjacent regions, including Vietnam and China, etc. In addition, its COI gene is sequenced for molecular analysis, and the secondary sexual character, hair tufts on hind tibiae, is discussed for comparison.

Objectives: To assess participants' satisfaction with and predictors of upper gastrointestinal cancer screening in rural areas., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Ten screening centres in seven cities across five provinces in China., Participants: Of the 452 participants screened during the survey period, 438 completed the survey (response rate: 96.90%)., Primary Outcome Measures: Screening satisfaction was the primary outcome and it was assessed using the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the predictors of satisfaction., Results: The percentages of satisfaction with the General Satisfaction, Technical Quality, Interpersonal Manner, Communication, Financial Aspects, Time Spent With Doctor, and Convenience and Accessibility dimensions were 95.89%, 79.68%, 88.36%, 83.56%, 75.11%, 82.19% and 66.44%, respectively. Education (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.90), health self-assessment (OR 15.29, 95% CI 2.86 to 81.78) and family history of cancer (OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.29 to 13.71) were associated with General Satisfaction. Residence (OR 4.31, 95% CI 1.89 to 9.81) was associated with Technical Quality. Occupation (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.88), health self-assessment (OR 11.30, 95% CI 3.94 to 32.43), screening purpose (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.92) and distance from the screening centre (OR 4.59, 95% CI 1.35 to 15.61) were associated with interpersonal manner. Gender (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.34), residence (OR 3.23, 95% CI 1.23 to 8.53) and endoscopy in the previous year (OR 2.79, 95% CI 1.13 to 6.90) were associated with Communication. Body mass index (BMI; OR 5.06, 95% CI 1.40 to 18.25) and health self-assessment (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.12 to 3.88) were associated with financial aspects. Gender (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.07 to 3.38), residence (OR 3.19, 95% CI 1.30 to 7.79), BMI (OR 5.26, 95% CI 1.14 to 24.34) and health self-assessment (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.06 to 4.34) were associated with time spent with doctor. Gender (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.60) and residence (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.46 to 6.88) were associated with convenience and accessibility., Conclusion: There was heterogeneity across the dimensions of satisfaction with rural upper gastrointestinal cancer screening. Project manager should prioritise improving the aspects related to the convenience and accessibility dimension. Furthermore, to improve the efficiency of potential interventions, the predictors of the various dimensions should be considered., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

New information of Stibochiona nicea is presented. Stibochiona nicea wangyukunae ssp. nov. is described from Hainan Island, S. China based on wing patterns, and S. nicea subucula is recorded from China for the first time. The adults and the male genitalia of all the three subspecies of N. nicea from China are illustrated.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of modifiable risk factors for upper digestive tract cancer (UDTC) and its coprevalence, and investigate relevant influencing factors of modifiable UDTC risk factors coprevalence among residents aged 40-69 years in Yangzhong city, China., Design: Cross-sectional study., Participants: A total of 21 175 participants aged 40-69 years were enrolled in the study. 1962 subjects were excluded due to missing age, marital status or some other selected information. Eventually, 19 213 participants were available for the present analysis., Main Outcomes Measures: Prevalence and coprevalence of eight modifiable UDTC risk factors (overweight or obesity, current smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, insufficient vegetables intake, insufficient fruit intake and the consumption of pickled, fried and hot food) were analysed., Results: The prevalence of overweight/obesity, current smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, insufficient vegetables intake, insufficient fruit intake and the consumption of pickled, fried and hot food in this study was 45.3%, 24.1%, 16.2%, 66.1%, 94.5%, 68.1%, 36.0% and 88.4%, respectively. Nearly all (99.9%) participants showed one or more UDTC risk factors, 98.6% of the participants showed at least two risk factors, 92.2% of the participants had at least three risk factors and 69.7% of the participants had four or more risk factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that men, younger age, single, higher education, higher annual family income and smaller household size were more likely to present modifiable UDTC risk factors coprevalence., Conclusions: The prevalence and coprevalence of modifiable UDTC risk factors are high among participants in Yangzhong city. Extra attention must be paid to these groups who are susceptible to risk factors coprevalence during screening progress. Relative departments also need to make significant public health programmes that aim to decrease modifiable UDTC risk factors coprevalence among residents aged 40-69 years from high-risk areas of UDTC., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Aim: To determine the miss rate for colorectal flat adenomas during colonoscopy and the risk factors., Methods: Flat adenomas are frequently missed during colonoscopy. However, the risk factors that influence their miss rates are unclear. This was a multicenter, retrospective study in which patients diagnosed with colorectal adenomas at a diagnostic colonoscopy and followed within 3 mo by a second therapeutic colonoscopy were pooled out from the established database. The "per-patient" and "per-adenoma" adenoma miss rates (AMR) for overall adenomas and flat adenomas, and patient-, adenoma-, and procedure-related risk factors potentially associated with the "per-adenoma" AMR for flat adenomas were determined., Results: Chromoscopy and high-definition colonoscopy were not taken under consideration in the study. Among 2093 patients with colorectal adenomas, 691 (33.0%) were diagnosed with flat adenomas, 514 with concomitant protruding adenomas and 177 without. The "per-patient" AMR for flat adenomas was 43.3% (299/691); the rates were 54.3% and 11.3%, respectively, for those with protruding adenomas and those without (OR = 9.320, 95%CI: 5.672-15.314, χ (2) = 99.084, P < 0.001). The "per-adenoma" AMR for flat adenomas was 44.3% (406/916). In multivariate analysis, older age, presence of concomitant protruding adenomas, poor bowel preparation, smaller adenoma size, location at the right colon, insufficient experience of the colonoscopist, and withdrawal time < 6 min were associated with an increased "per-adenoma" AMR for flat adenomas. The AMR for flat adenomas was moderately correlated with that for overall adenomas (r = 0.516, P < 0.0001). The AMR for flat adenomas during colonoscopy was high., Conclusion: Patient's age, concomitant protruding adenomas, bowel preparation, size and location of adenomas, proficiency of the colonoscopist, and withdrawal time are factors affecting the "per-adenoma" AMR for flat adenomas.

Aim: To explore whether routine biopsies at the high incidence spot of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) cancer are justified in endoscopic screening., Methods: This was a multicenter population-based study conducted in eight high-risk areas in China. A total of 37396 participants underwent endoscopic examination. Biopsies were obtained from visible mucosal abnormalities or from normal-appearing mucosa at the high incidence spot of esophagogastric junction cancer when no abnormality was detected. Specimens showing high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HIN) or higher grade lesions were deemed as pathologically "positive". The ratios of positive pathologic diagnosis between participants with abnormal and normal-appearing mucosa were compared using the Pearson χ(2) test. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for potential confounders, were calculated using logistic regression., Results: A total of 37520 individuals participated in this study and 37396 (99.7%) participants had full information and were suitable for analysis. During endoscopic examinations, 9.11% (3405/37396) participants were found to have visible mucosal lesions. Of the participants who had normal-appearing mucosa at the EGJ, only 0.28% (94/33991) were diagnosed with HIN or higher grade lesions, whereas 6.05% (206/3405) of participants with abnormalities at the EGJ had a positive pathologic result. After controlling for other variables, visible abnormal mucosa detected under endoscopy strongly predicted a positive pathologic result (OR = 32.51, 95%CI: 23.96-44.09). The proportion of participants with "positive" pathologic diagnoses increased as the total number of endoscopic examinations performed by the doctors increased (< 5000 cases vs 5000-10000 cases vs > 10000 cases, Z = -2.7207, P = 0.0065, Cochran Armiger trend test). The same trend was found between the proportion of participants with positive pathologic diagnoses and the total number of years the doctors performed endoscopy (< 5 years vs 5-10 years vs > 10 years, Z = -10.3222, P < 0.001, Cochran Armiger trend test)., Conclusion: Additional routine biopsies from the high incidence spot of EGJ cancer are of limited value and are unjustified.

Genetic factors are thought to be crucial in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Recent studies have reported that ERAP1, TGBβ1 and TLRs genes are likely to have association with AS in different populations. We carried out this study to determine whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms covering the three genes are associated with AS in a Chinese Han population. Genomic DNA was isolated from the peripheral blood of 328 patients with AS and 627 healthy blood donors from Jinan region as a case-control study. The diagnosis of AS was made according to the modified New York criteria. The ERAP1 rs27044, TGBβ1 rs1800470 and TLR9 rs55704465 were genotyped by a polymerase chain reaction--restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Strong association with AS was observed for marker rs27044, but no significant differences were observed between AS patients and controls in the frequencies of the carriership of the alleles rs55704465 and rs1800470. Our data thus indicate that ERAP1 likely constitutes one of AS-associated loci of susceptibility after HLA in Chinese Han population. On the contrary, TGFB1 and TLR9 variations show no association with the susceptibility of AS.

A survey of Clonorchis sinensis infection in residents and residents' behaviors was performed in Fuyu County, 2009, the infection rate was 78.8%, and the main way of infection was eating raw fish. It is necessary to strengthen the clonorchiasis control in Fuyu County.

Interleukin 2 (IL2) is a typical Th1 cytokine, and interleukin 4 (IL4) is an inducible Th2 cytokine. These cytokines are critical mediators of the Th1/Th2 balance and apoptosis potential and involved in the process of inflammation-mediated carcinogenesis in human organs, including the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that functional variants in IL2 and IL4 were associated with risk of gastric cancer by genotyping two promoter polymorphisms in IL2 G-330T (rs2069762) and IL4 T-168C (rs2070874) in a case-control study of 1045 patients with incident gastric cancer and 1100 cancer-free controls in a high-risk Han Chinese population. We found that, compared with the IL4 -168TT genotype, heterozygous -168TC and combined -168TC/CC genotypes were associated with a significantly decreased gastric cancer risk [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.67-0.98 for -168TC; OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.69-1.00 for -168TC/CC, respectively]. Furthermore, this significant protective effect was more evident for gastric cardia cancer patients (adjusted OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.56-0.95 for -168TC/CC vs. -168TT). For IL2 G-330T, subjects carrying GT/TT genotypes also had a significantly reduced risk of gastric cardia cancer (adjusted OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.46-0.99), compared with those carrying the GG genotype. Our results indicate that IL4 T-168C and IL2 G-330T promoter polymorphisms may contribute to the etiology of gastric cardia cancer in Chinese populations.