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Enhalus acoroides (L.f.) Royle is a large and important foundation seagrass species in the tropical Indo-Pacific. The northern marginal populations in China have been declining over the last decades. The reproductive phenology and fruit set of this dioecious seagrass were investigated from June 2017 to February 2018 in two areas in Li'an lagoon, Hainan Island, China. We found that E. acoroides flowered year-round. However, the flowering intensity varied among seasons and was highest in the summer and lowest in the winter. The shoot sex ratio was male-biased, and the pollen-ovule ratio was approximately 104: 1, based on the sex ratio and the number of male florets per inflorescence. Female and male plants flowered at the same time in this population. Despite the high reproductive investment in terms of flower formation observed throughout the year, the abundance of the mature fruits was low, possibly due to physical disturbance and cover by epiphyte and algae. This study provides insight into the reproductive ecology of E. acoroides, which will be useful for the future conservation of this threatened seagrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subfamily Cercidoideae is an early‐diverging lineage of Leguminosae, within which the number and classification of genera have been controversial. Cheniella is a recently described genus in the Cercidoideae which requires revision and testing of its monophyly and circumscription. Here we infer the phylogenetic position and infrageneric relationships of Cheniella as well as the intergeneric relationships of Cercidoideae using 48 newly sequenced plastid genomes, including 34 individuals representing all species of Cheniella. Our phylogenetic analyses yield a well‐resolved tree of Cercidoideae with robust support at most nodes. We also present morphological studies through field work and herbarium studies to re‐assess the classification and circumscription of the genus. Based on the results of molecular analyses and morphological studies combined with distribution data, we broaden the circumscription of Cheniella to comprise a total of 15 species and 3 subspecies, including three new species (C. hechiensis, C. longistaminea, C. pubicarpa), one new combination (C. tianlinensis) and one new status and combination (C. longipes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the spatiotemporal distributions of atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 mixing ratios and regulation mechanisms over the China shelf sea, two field surveys were conducted in the southern Yellow Sea in China in November 2012 and June 2013, respectively. The results observed showed that mean background atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 mixing ratios were 403.94 (±13.77) ppm and 1924.8 (±27.8) ppb in November 2012 and 395.90 (±3.53) ppm and 1918.0 (±25.7) ppb in June 2013, respectively. An improved data-filtering method was optimised and established to flag atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 emission from different sources in the survey area. We found that the spatiotemporal distributions of atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 mixing ratios over the southern Yellow Sea were dominated by land–sea air mass transport, which was mainly driven by seasonal monsoon, while the influence of air–sea exchange was negligible. In addition, atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 mixing ratios over the southern Yellow Sea could be elevated remarkably at a distance of approximately 20 km offshore by land-to-sea air mass transportation from the Asian continent during the early-winter monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most economically developed region in China, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region contributed to ~17% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions from China. However, the studies of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 in this area are relatively sparse and unsystematic. Here, we analyze the changing characters of those gases in different development periods of China, based on the 11-year atmospheric CO2 and CH4 records (from 2010 to 2020) at one of the four Chinese sites participating in the World Meteorological Organization/Global Atmospheric Watch (WMO/GAW) program (Lin'an regional background station), located in the center of YRD region, China. The annual average atmospheric CO2 and CH4 mole fractions at LAN have been increasing continuously, with growth rates of 2.57 ± 0.14 ppm yr−1 and 10.3 ± 1.3 ppb yr−1, respectively. Due to the complex influence of regional sources and sinks, the characteristics of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 varied in different periods: (i) The diurnal and seasonal variations of both CO2 and CH4 in different periods were overall similar, but the amplitudes were different. (ii) The elevated mole fractions in all wind sectors tended to be uniform. (iii) The potential source regions of both gases expanded over time. (iv) The growth rate in recent years (2016–2020) changed significantly less than that in the earlier period (2010–2015). Our results indicated that the CO2 and CH4 mole fractions were mainly correlated to the regional economic development, despite the influence of special events such as the G20 Summit and COVID-19 lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the application value of next‐generation sequencing (NGS) technology in the detection of pathogenic bacteria in the periprosthetic joint infection after arthroplasty. Twenty‐two cases of patients with joint infection after arthroplasty in our hospital from March 2020 to March 2021 were selected, with 11 cases of knee and 11 cases of hip, including 8 cases of male and 14 cases of female, and an average age of 63.55 ± 13.11 years old (range from 28 to 85). Microbiological culture results of synovial fluid and periprosthetic joint tissue and NGS results of periprosthetic joint tissue were collected. The detection rate of NGS and microbiological culture were calculated and statistically analysed by paired χ2 test. Among the 22 patients with joint infection after arthroplasty, the positive rate of NGS was 90.91% (20/22), whereas the positive rate of bacterial culture was 50.00% (11/22). Paired chi‐square test showed a statistically significant difference in the detection rate between the two groups (P =.0029). In the detection of pathogenic microorganism, NGS detected 12 kinds of bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus in 3 patients, Staphylococcus epidermidis in 5 cases, Streptococcus 1 case, Streptococcus dysgalactiae 1 case, Xanthomonas campestris 3 cases, Escherichia coli 2 cases, Bacillus cereus 2 cases, Klebsiella pneumoniae 1 case, Finegoldia magna 1 case, Corynebacterium klopensteriella in 1 case, Brucella 1 case, and Aspergillus flavus 1 case. Bacterial culture detected 6 kinds of bacteria, included 5 cases of Staphylococcus epidermis (including 3 cases of Methicillin‐resistant coagulase‐negative Staphylococcus, (MRSCoN)), 2 cases of Staphylococcus aureus (both Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA)), 1 case of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 1 case of Staphylococcus hominis (MRSCoN), 1 case of G+bacillus, and 1 case of Brucella. Compared with bacterial culture, NGS technology has some advantages in the detection efficiency, detection rate, and comprehensiveness, which might be greater diagnostic value in the joint fluid of infection after arthroplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising age of the population in rural China and the labor intensity of grafting have resulted in a decrease in the number of grafters and a subsequent increase in their wages. Manual grafting can no longer satisfy the increasing demand for watermelon-grafted transplanting; thus, machine grafting will be an effective alternative. In order to accelerate the implementation of machine grafting in China, a comparative analysis between the automatic grafting machine (model 2TJGQ-800) and traditional hand grafting was conducted. The reliability and feasibility of machine grafting were evaluated through a comprehensive evaluation of the production capacity and grafting seedling quality. This study focuses on the grafting application of watermelon plug-tray seedlings. The scion and rootstock seeds were sown on 9 November 2022. Grafting experiments using an automatic grafting machine, skilled workers, and ordinary workers were conducted with the root-pruned one-cotyledon grafting method on 24 November 2022. The results showed that the machine grafting had a high uniformity and grafting speed. The grafting speed of the grafting machine was 774 plant·h−1 and 1.65–2.55-fold higher than the hand grafting. With training, workers can improve their grafting speed, but it will still be slower than machine grafting. In addition, there was no significant difference in the grafting survival rate between the machine grafting and hand grafting. However, using machine grafting, the success rate decreased from 100% to 90.07% and the rootstock regrowth rate increased from 18.44% to 72.69%. Incomplete rootstock cutting, clip supply failure, and grafting drop failure are the three main factors that result in machine grafting failure. In conclusion, the grafting machine has advantages in terms of grafting speed and uniformity. Upon improving the accuracy of the cutting mechanism and grafting success rate, it will be adopted by commercial nurseries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is the most developed region in China. Influenced by intensive and complex anthropogenic activities, atmospheric pollution in this region is highly variable, and reports are sparse. In this study, a seven-year history of the atmospheric O3 and NOx mixing ratios over a typical city, Hangzhou, was presented to enrich the studies on air pollution in the YRD region. Our results revealed that the diurnal variation in NOx corresponded to traffic rush hours, while O3 was mainly impacted by photochemical reactions in the daytime. The weekend effect was significant for NOx, but inapparent for O3. Two O3 peaks in May and September were caused by seasonal atmospheric stability and climatic conditions. The lower NOx and higher O3 levels observed suggested direct effects from traffic restrictions and large-scale industrial shutdowns during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 compared with those in the periods before and after lockdown. The model simulation results showed that O3 mixing ratios were not only related to regional anthropogenic emissions but were impacted by air mass transportation from surrounding provinces and the China shelf seas. The NOx mixing ratios showed a decreasing trend, while the O3 mixing ratios showed the opposite trend from 2015 to 2021, which is indicative of the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Acton Plan issued by the Chinese government in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both paleoclimatic change and anthropogenic habitat destruction can have adverse effects on species demography and, in turn, could lead a species towards being endangered and rare. Understanding the relative importance of these natural and anthropogenic factors driving species endangerment and rarity is thus crucial for effective conservation planning but remains elusive. Here, we examine the phylogeography and demographic history of an endangered conifer species in China, Torreya jackii Chun, and assess the relative importance of natural and anthropogenic factors that might have put the species in its endangered state. We collected tissue samples from all the 13 extant wild populations, and analyzed the genetic variation using eight nuclear microsatellites and four chloroplast and one mitochondrial DNA fragments. We found low genetic and nucleotide diversities, which could explain the absence of spatial and phylogeographic structure. Using a hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation technique, we identified the demographic scenario that best fits the genetic data and found that effective population size was low at least 200 000 years ago but expanded after the last glacial maximum (LGM). The paleoclimatic niche model revealed a profound effect of precipitation on the distribution of T. jackii and predicted that the current distribution areas were suitable during the LGM. Despite the post‐LGM expansion, the best‐supported scenario showed a dramatic population collapse during the past 300 years, when anthropogenic disturbances also increased dramatically. Overall, our study sheds light on how historical factors and human impacts jointly threaten the persistence of a species, and these aspects should be duly considered in species conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diet specialization may affect the population genetic structure of pollinators by reducing gene flow and driving genetic differentiation, especially in pollen‐specialist bees. Colletes gigas is a pollen‐specialist pollinator of Camellia oleifera, one of the most important staple oil crops in China. Ca. oleifera blooms in cold climates and contains special compounds that make it an unusable pollen source to other pollinators. Thus, C. gigas undoubtedly plays a key role as the main pollinator of Ca. oleifera, with biological and economic significance. Here, we use a population genomic approach to analyze the roles of geography and climate on the genetic structure, genetic diversity, and demographic history of C. gigas. A total of 1,035,407 SNPs were identified from a 582.77 Gb dataset. Clustering and phylogenetic analyses revealed a marked genetic structure, with individuals grouped into nine local clusters. A significant isolation by distance was detected by both the Mantel test (R =.866, p =.008) and linear regression (R2 =.616, p <.001). Precipitation and sunshine duration were positively and significantly (R ≥.765, p ≤.016) correlated with observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He). These results showed that C. gigas populations had a distinct phylogeographic pattern determined by geographical distance and environmental factors (precipitation and sunshine duration). In addition, an analysis of paleogeographic dynamics indicated that C. gigas populations exhibited patterns of glacial expansion and interglacial contraction, likely resulting from post‐glacial habitat contraction and fragmentation. Our results indicated that the peculiar phylogeographic patterns in C. gigas populations may be related to their specialization under long‐term adaptation to host plants. This work improves our understanding of the population genetics in pollen‐specialist bees. The distinct genetic clusters identified in this study should be taken into consideration for the protection and utilization of this specialized crop pollinator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The effect of eustasy driven by climatic oscillations on species diversification across the East China Sea (ECS) remains unclear. In this study, Machilus thunbergii (红楠, red nanmu in Chinese) was used as a model species to determine whether the ECS acted as either a "species pump" or "species vacuum" during the Pleistocene. Locations: Eastern China, and southern and central Japan. Taxon: Lauraceae. Methods: Ecological niche modelling was employed to predict the potential distribution of M. thunbergii during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the last interglacial period. Nuclear microsatellite and chloroplast markers were used to reveal the phylogeographic pattern and infer the population history of 33 M. thunbergii populations. Results: The ecological niche models suggested that the ECS provided potentially suitable habitats for M. thunbergii during the LGM. A sharp change in cpDNA haplotypes was found along the eastern China coasts, while microsatellites revealed a clinal pattern for genetic composition from eastern China to central Japan. The divergent lineages formed an admixture on the Zhoushan Archipelago of China and Kyushu Island of Japan. The estimated divergent and admixture times were c. 68 kyr and c. 15 kyr, corresponding to the periods where there were rising sea levels after the MIS4 glaciation and falling sea levels during the LGM, respectively. Main conclusions: Machilus thunbergii probably underwent alternating population isolation during interglacial periods and connection during glacial maxima across the ECS, but such periodicity of isolation and connection seems not to have promoted diversification as suggested by the species pump hypothesis. Incipient divergence has been periodically wiped out due to frequent coalescence, rendering the ECS more like a "species vacuum", particularly for species with relatively long generation lengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether or not China can succeed at the forefront of international development in the coming decades will largely hinge on its ability to adapt to low-carbon economic development and its efforts to promote the Unified National Emission Trading System (UNETS). To understand the evolution of China's carbon market, this paper firstly divides the development of China's regional carbon markets into three phases: pilot construction (phase 1, before 31 May 2015), preparation for the UNETS (phase 2, 1 June 2015–19 December 2017), and formal construction of the UNETS (phase 3, 20 December 2017–present). Then this research reviews the trading performance and employs four robust variance ratio (VR) tests to capture structural changes and examine the efficiency of China's eight regional carbon markets in different periods. Results show that compared to phase 1, smaller price volatility, larger daily trading volume, and higher market liquidity are more frequent at the later stages of majority markets. Despite these improvements, results from the VR tests indicate that the statistic in majority of China's regional carbon markets is insignificant in any given period and, therefore, they are not weak-form efficient. The additional detrended cross-correlation analysis demonstrates that market liquidity affects market efficiency in the Hubei market only, which implies that Hubei, where the market liquidity reaches almost 100% in phase 3, is highly likely to be weak-form efficient shortly. Finally, several recommendations are provided to improve the efficiency and maturity of China's carbon markets, including strengthening legislation, improving the market design, and constructing information platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been a plethora of algorithms and techniques for the one-to-one correspondence matching between two small graphs at the element level. However, it is a daunting task for large graphs. It is necessary to design an aggregate statistical measurement to measure the degree of matching at the coarse grained level between two large graphs. This work presents a novel contribution with the proposal of an aggregate statistical measurement of the matching between two large networks at the macro topological structure level. In the viewpoint of strategic planning application, decision makers want to know whether the road infrastructure network meets the traffic flow network at the macro level rather than the micro level. The macro topological structure of the graph is described by a partition of all the vertices by the singular value decomposition based on the weighted vertex-path incidence matrix. The topological structure matching measurement (TSMM) of the two graphs is defined as the degree of similarity between two partitions. As a case study, the TSMM is considered between the road network and the traffic flow network for Shanghai. The result is 0.2129, which shows that the two networks mismatch to a certain degree. This, agreeing with the current situation of the traffic congestion in Shanghai, suggests the improvement in the urban traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinicoccus halodurans H3B36 is a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from a sediment sample of Qaidam Basin at 3.2 m vertical depth. Strain H3B36 accumulate N-acetyl -α -lysine as compatible solute against salinity and heat stresses and may have potential applications in industrial biotechnology. In this study, we sequenced the genome of strain H3B36 using single molecule, real-time sequencing technology on a PacBio RS II instrument. The complete genome of strain H3B36 was 2,778,379 bp and contained 2,853 protein-coding genes, 12 rRNA genes, and 61 tRNA genes with 58 tandem repeats, six minisatellite DNA sequences, 11 genome islands, and no CRISPR repeat region. Further analysis of epigenetic modifications revealed the presence of 11,000 m4C-type modified bases, 7,545 m6A-type modified bases, and 89,064 other modified bases. The data on the genome of this strain may provide an insight into the metabolism of N-acetyl -α -lysine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the inequality in the internationalization of higher education in China and the major industrialized countries. Topics include the status of international student mobility in China, the lower academic level of foreign students in the country, and the process of internationalization of higher education among the industrialized and developing countries.

Recently discovered intermediate-basic volcanic rocks in the Devonian strata at Dachang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are dominated by basalts and andesites. Most of them belong to the calc-alkali and alkali series. Petrology and geochemistry data indicate that the volcanic rocks may be formed in a continental rift environment. The volcanic rocks are in conformable contact with the overlying and underlying wall rocks, with such typical sedimentary structures as laminated and striped ones, and the host rocks of the volcanic rocks contain lots of marine fossils such as tentaculite. Many pieces of evidence indicate that the eruption environment of the volcanic rocks is a sea-facies one. The volcanic rocks are of the LREE-enrichment type, with high ratios of light rare-earth elements to heavy rare-earth elements. In addition, they display moderately negative δEu anomalies and moderately negative δCe anomalies with a higher degree of LREE and HREE fractionation. Through the Q-cluster analysis of the REE samples, it is indicated that the ores have a closer relation with the layered volcanic rocks, and also possess a certain inheritance-consistency relationship with the layered volcanic rocks. The source of ore-forming materials may be related with volcanism. It is proposed that the ore deposit in the study area should be genetically explained as the result of marine volcano-sedimentary exhalation of hot water and late superposition-reworking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technology is an essential component to decarbonize society and reach carbon neutrality. Its success depends on not only technological advances but also people's reaction to it. This study applied traditional content analysis to uncover the CCUS reporting landscape and employed the Socio-Political Evaluation of Energy Deployment (SPEED) framework to explore how different aspects of the CCUS value chain were discussed in Chinese newspapers. A total of 492 news items from November 21st 2002 to May 8th 2021 were identified and analyzed. Results showed that news coverage of CCUS technology in China started in 2005. The media explained the nature and sources of carbon dioxide (CO 2), framed CCUS by various terms, for example, " greengen " and " a clean energy technology ", as well as demonstrated various tones in CCUS. The analysis found 71.3% (N = 351) of newsletters took an affirmative stance towards CCUS. It was also revealed that environmental frames appeared in almost every article, while much less attention was paid to other issues. Moreover, this research demonstrated that CCUS-related policies were driving media coverage closely year by year. However, current news presentations were inadequate due to technical misperceptions and a lack of comprehensive coverage. Therefore, this research proposed a science-for-the-community communication strategy that involved several key factors such as policy guidance, newspaper functions at different levels, journalist training, direct engagement of the public as well as student education. • This paper pioneered to investigate Chinese newspaper coverage of CCUS technology. • The frequency of CCUS inclusion in newspapers was somehow affected by policies in China. • CCUS reporting revolved its emission reduction potential, and CCUS influences on health and safety issues were limited framed. • The current CCUS reporting landscape had misperceptions and lacked comprehensive coverage of the value chain. • A science-for-the-community communication strategy that can make media communication effective was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relevance of accountability and evaluation of higher education in China. The author states that accountability evaluation and assessment on the efficiency in higher education is necessary in streamlining strategy as well as optimizing the outcome of effective education. The author notes that the country's educational system should maintain high quality to eliminate the effects of institutional economy as well as stimulate creative explorations. It also cites the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of accountability evaluation which include self satisfaction, improved knowledge as well as best practice.

Objective: To study the interactive effect of job stress and genetic susceptibility (or gene polymorphism) on hypertension. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in 452 workers from a thermal power plant in China. Extrinsic effort, occupational reward, and over-commitment were measured. Hypertensive patients were defined by three phases of screening, reexamination, and final diagnosis. β2-AR genotypes and allele frequencies at amino acid positions 16 (β2-AR-16: Arg→Gly) and 27 (β2-AR-27: Gln→Glu) were identified by PCR-RFLP. Results: Job stress was related with the prevalence of hypertension in males (P<0.05), whereas no significant relationship was found in females (P>0.05). Differences in genotypes and allele frequencies of the β2-AR-16 were statistically significant between the hypertension and control groups (P<0.05), whereas those of β2-AR-27 were not (P>0.05). The prevalence of hypertension was higher in individuals carrying Gly16 allele than in those carrying Arg16 allele of the high job stress group (P<0.01 or 0.05). Conclusion: High job stress and polymorphism of β2-AR-16 have an interactive effect on the prevalence of hypertension in male workers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lindera megaphylla (Lauraceae) is an ecologically important and dominant evergreen broad-leaf tree species in the warm-temperate and subtropical zone of China. In this study, we sequenced and assembled two complete genomes of L. megaphylla (LM01 and LM02) based on the next-generation sequencing data. The two complete chloroplasts of L. megaphylla are 152,741 bp in length, including two same length inverted repeats of 20,067 and 20,068 bp, a small single copy of 18,882 and 18,914 bp and a large single copy of 93,726 and 93,691 bp for LM01 and LM02 respectively. They all contain 84 protein-coding, 36 tRNA and eight rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis based on chloroplast genomes indicates that L. megaphylla is closely related to another Lindera and Litsea species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is considered a critical carbon dioxide reduction technology for climate change mitigation. More recently, it has been attracting significant attention from the Chinese government, industry and academia in relation to its research, development and deployment. This paper screens 1,202 unique scientific articles from Web of Science related to China's CCUS and employs Citespace to conduct a knowledge mapping of the domain. The results show that the number of publications have increased and CCUS has become a multidisciplinary area of study. The paper visually demonstrates the most productive institutions, main authors, and primary sources of China's CCUS research domain. Moreover, the paper explains how the research topics have changed over time and discovers the current research frontiers including "pipeline", "shale gas" and "steel". Of significant interest is the finding that China's CCUS research progress appears to be directly related to the increasing policy support through China's five-year planning process. However, research regarding public perception, financial mechanisms and appropriate business models for CCUS deployment is found to be less prevalent. Recommendations to improve research in these areas are provided from the perspective of government intervention. This paper also highlights the importance of continued government support for CCUS as part of the national development strategy for carbon emissions reduction and transitioning towards a low carbon future. • The evolution of China's CCUS research is identified using a bibliometric method. • Outlines research foci, most productive organizations, main authors and top-tier journals. • Government intervention appears the most significant driver for CCUS development in China. • Three research areas−"pipeline", "shale gas" and "steel"− are receiving strongest policy support. • The topics "public perception", "financial mechanisms", and "business models"− lack sufficient focus in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is the first case to study the fine-scale spatial genetic structure of Zostera japonica. • Significant SGS patterns were found at both the ramet and genet level within 2 m. • The clonality intensified the fine-scale spatial genetic structure of Zostera japonica. • The sexual dispersal variance was larger than the clonal spread variance in this population. Clonality and sexual reproduction are important drivers of spatial genetic structure (SGS) in seagrass meadows. However, few genetic studies have focused on the annual or short-lived perennial seagrass Zostera japonica , which has been declining dramatically along coastal regions of China. In this study, we assessed the effects of asexual and sexual reproduction on the dispersal of Z. japonica using spatial autocorrelation analysis at both the genet and ramet levels. Clonal richness was moderate (0.6) at a ramet sampling interval of 1 m. The clone subrange was short (5.1 m) relative to other known seagrass species, which may be related to its short life history. The Sp statistic (reflecting the rate of decrease of pairwise kinship with the logarithm of the distance) was stronger at the ramet than the genet level, indicating that clonality intensified the SGS pattern for Z. japonica. Comparisons of sexual and asexual variances of gene dispersal suggested that sexual reproduction was more important than clonal spread for seagrass meadow persistence in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), has been deemed an essential component for climate change mitigation and is conducive to enabling a low-carbon and sustainable future. Since the 12th Five-year Plan, China has included this technology as part of its future national carbon mitigation strategies. China's policy framework in relation to CCUS has had a strong influencing role in the technology's progress to date. This paper employs the "policy cycle" to analyze China's existing CCUS regulatory framework at the national and provincial level, evaluate its performance and clarify its shortcomings in light of the comparisons of policy movements undertaken in other countries. The results indicate that China's CCUS policy is insufficient for further development of the technology and many issues remain to be solved. This includes the lack of an enforceable legal framework, insufficient information for the operationalization of projects, weak market stimulus, and a lack of financial subsidies. These factors may be the reason we have seen low participation rates of Chinese companies in CCUS and little public understanding of what the technology offers. To overcome these challenges, suggestions are provided for improving China's CCUS legal and policy framework. • The development of China's CCUS policy framework is reviewed. • China's national Five-year Plans referring to CCUS affect provincial policies as they share similar objectives since 2011. • China's national policies influence China's research and engineering practices related to CCUS. • China's CCUS fails to meet the proposed targets in technology roadmap issued during the period of the 12th Five-year Plan. • Recommendations to amend the regulatory framework for CCUS in China are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment is recognized as the largest reservoir and source of methane (CH 4) in the ocean, especially in the shallow coastal areas. To date, few data of CH 4 concentration in sediment have been reported in the China shelf seas. In this study, we measured CH 4 concentration in sediment and overlying seawater columns, and conducted an incubation experiment in the Bohai Sea in May 2017. CH 4 concentration was found to be ranged from 3.075 to 1.795 μmol/L in sediment, which was 2 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than that in overlying seawater columns. The surface sediment was an important source of CH 4 , while bottom seawater acted as its sink. Furthermore, the net emission rate via sediment water interface (SWI) was calculated as 2.45 μmol/(m2∙day) based on the incubation experiment at station 73, and the earthquake may enhance CH 4 release from sediment to seawater column in the eastern Bohai Sea. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Determinants of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption in China. • The study uses yearly data, 1980–2016, and time series techniques. • Financial development and per capita income rises energy demand. • Trade openness raises non-renewable energy consumption. • Study offers important policy suggestions for China. The present study is designed to empirically investigate the effect of financial development, per capita income and trade openness on renewable and non-renewable energy consumption in China. To achieve that, we make use of annual data from 1980 to 2016 and employ several robust time series econometric techniques. Our empirical findings from the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) technique suggest that increase financial development and per capita income contribute for higher energy demand of both renewable and non-renewable energy sources in China. The evidences also show that their impact is more on renewable energy than that of non-renewable energy. These findings indicate that both financial development and per capita income are the important factors in driving renewable energy consumption in China. In contradiction to that, the trade openness positively affects non-renewable energy consumption, while it negatively impacts on renewable energy. This therefore infers that the internationalization of trade is putting more pressure on non-renewable energy sources in China. Given these findings, we discuss and provide numerous practical and policy implications for China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a new regional feed-in tariff (FIT) pricing mechanism for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy in China, informed by real option (RO) theory and incorporating the increasing significance of tradable green certificate (TGC) policy revenues. The mechanism aims to balance government and consumer burdens with investor benefits. By factoring in additional income from green certificate sales, the study calculates the internal rate of return (IRR) to fall between 8 and 16% and uses a Monte Carlo simulation to determine optimal FITs for 30 Chinese provinces. These optimal FITs are then compared with current FITs, which are categorized by three types of solar resource regions, revealing that many current FITs are set within an inappropriate range and require adjustment. Additionally, the study observes minor differences in provincial FITs within six regional power grids, suggesting that setting FIT guide prices at the regional grid level is more practical than by solar resource regions. A sensitivity analysis examines the impact of green certificate prices, carbon prices, and technological advancements on the FIT for solar PV, comparing scenarios in a realistic environment versus a more favorable one. The results indicate that in a better environment—with higher TGC and carbon prices and encouraged corporate innovation—the FIT for solar PV is closer to the cost of coal-fired electricity, thus promoting grid parity. The study advocates for adjustments to the FIT mechanism, higher TGC and carbon prices, and the encouragement of innovation to enhance the competitiveness of solar PV energy in China's energy market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on patent applications and sales volumes of Huawei Company between 2005 and 2012, the paper conducts the correlation analysis of patents and economic benefits via regression methods. The research results show that there is the significant and positive linear correlation (P = 0. 000) between patents and sales in Huawei Company, and its regression curve is Y = 11748.380 +3.185 X (r = 0.983). There is the significant positive linear correlation (P = 0. 001) between R&D investment and patents in Huawei Company, and the regression analysis curve is Y = 13887.517 +1.639 X (r = 0.930). So more R&D investment leads to more patents, and intellectual property has the direct and important impact on company's future economic benefits. The corresponding intellectual property strategies should be given and carried in Chinese enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an important indirect greenhouse gas and has been measuring by many sites around the world. In this study, a 14-years (2004–2007 as well as 2010–2019) observed atmospheric CO record at the Mount. Waliguan (WLG), the only global station of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) in Eurasia, was presented. The characteristics of atmospheric CO including daily and seasonal cycles, long-term trends, and spatiotemporal source distributions in different episode were compared and analyzed. Our results show that there was an increasing trend for atmospheric CO with the highest annual average of 129.7 ± 0.2 (σ = 4.6) ppb in 2007 in earlier years but a decreasing trend in later years with an annual average of 110.7 ± 0.2 (σ = 5.3) ppb in 2019. The characteristics of atmospheric CO at the site was dominated by regional economy development strategy such as the China's western development strategy, carbon emission reduction strategy in China's economic development plan. After the infrastructure construction period from 2004 to 2007, the regional emissions of CO at the Qinghai and Gansu provinces stimulated the atmospheric CO at the WLG and changed the patterns of seasonal variation, source regions as well as the long-term trends. A weak decreasing trend with value of −0.47 (σ = 0.01) ppb yr−1 was observed during the observation period, which was less than most of the stations in China. On the whole, we concluded that the CO mole fractions observed at the Mt. Waliguan station might only denote the conditions in regional scale instead of the well mixed condition in Eurasia. • Atmospheric CO observations for 15 years (2004–2019) for the study of carbon emission trends over the Tibetan Plateau. • The REBS filtering method was applied to the observed CO data series. • Potential sources from the southwest and northwest regions of the site increased. • During 2004–2019, the average CO growth rate was −0.47 ± 0.01 ppb yr−1 at WLG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• R ocket launching has influences on biodiversity in Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. • R ocket launching can reduce forest insect diversity and abundances. • Rocket launching reduces the amplification of forest diversity on insect diversity. Rocket launches are such rare events that their impacts on the environment or biodiversity are almost never studied. Here we report on changes in local insect diversity in the immediate aftermath of a rocket launch conducted on June 25th, 2016 from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, southern China. Rocket fuel emissions and disturbance associated with rocket launches may negatively influence local insect biodiversity. We compared insect community structure before and after the rocket launch in two different tropical tree plantations near the launch site. We studied insect species richness (total species numbers) and abundances (total individuals. of all species) using insect net and mercury lamp trapping in a total of six 20 × 20 m2 plots distributed three each in a mixed plantation of coconut (Cocos nucifera) with 10 native tree species, and a pure coconut plantation. Comparing insect species richness and abundances, we found that species richness and abundances were overall greater in the mixed species plantation compared to the coconut monoculture. We also found that species richness and abundance were overall lower after the launch event. However, there was no significant difference in the response of the two plantations, either in richness or abundance, to the launch disturbance. Therefore, the negative effect appeared indiscriminate with respect to plantation type, and the greater plant diversity or insect diversity in the mixed plantation did not protect against this disturbance. Therefore, the general impact of rocket launching disturbance may be similar to catastrophic disturbances (e.g., typhoons) that cause widespread mortality irrespective of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents are actively involved in patient assessment and all aspects of patient care, and they are critical in providing nutritional support education and treatment for patients with cancer. This study aims to assess the nutritional knowledge and performance of resident physicians, providing insights into existing gaps in awareness and practices related to cancer nutrition. A total of 300 resident physicians undergoing standardized residency training in China participated in this study. An anonymous online questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, nutritional knowledge, clinical practice, and training requirements was designed and administered through the "Wenjuanxing" platform. Data were collected from June 1, 2023, to July 31, 2023. Among the participants, only 40.00% demonstrated adequate knowledge of cancer nutrition, and merely 32.00% exhibited proficient performance in nutritional care. Socio-demographic analysis revealed that residents without affiliations and those specializing in obstetrics and gynecology had superior knowledge, while surgery specialists showed significantly worse performance. Most participants expressed a lack of exposure to cancer nutrition education during academic and standardized residency training. The study highlights the demand for enhanced education and the preference for case-based teaching methods. The findings underscore an urgent need for comprehensive oncology nutrition education within China's standardized residency training. Targeted interventions and curriculum enhancements are essential to improve medical talent development and enhance patient care outcomes in oncology. The study emphasizes the critical role of practical, case-based teaching methods in addressing identified gaps in nutritional knowledge and practices among resident physicians., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to American Association for Cancer Education.)

Introduction: Patients with clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are recommended to be treated with non-selective beta-blockers (ie, carvedilol) to prevent the first hepatic decompensation event by the renewing Baveno VII consensus. CSPH is defined by hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG)≥10 mm Hg; however, the HVPG measurement is not widely adopted due to its invasiveness. Liver stiffness (LS)≥25 kPa can be used as a surrogate of HVPG≥10 mm Hg to rule in CSPH with 90% of the positive predicting value in majority aetiologies of patients. A compelling argument is existing for using LS≥25 kPa to diagnose CSPH and then to initiate carvedilol in patients with compensated cirrhosis, and about 5%-6% of patients under this diagnosis criteria may not be benefited from carvedilol and are at risk of lower heart rate and mean arterial pressure. Randomised controlled trial on the use of carvedilol to prevent liver decompensation in CSPH diagnosed by LS remains to elucidate. Therefore, we aimed to investigate if compensated cirrhosis patients with LS≥25 kPa may benefit from carvedilol therapy., Methods and Analysis: This study is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. We will randomly assign 446 adult compensated cirrhosis patients with LS≥25 kPa and without any previous decompensated event and without high-risk gastro-oesophageal varices. Patients are randomly divided into two groups, with 223 subjects in group A and 223 subjects in group B. Group A is a carvedilol intervention group, while group B is a placebo group. All patients in both groups will receive aetiology therapies and are followed up at an interval of 6 months. The 3-year incidences of decompensated events of cirrhosis-related and liver-related death are the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes include development of each complication of portal hypertension individually (ascites, variceal bleeding or overt hepatic encephalopathy), development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and other bacterial infections, development of new varices, growth of small varices to large varices, delta changes in LS and spleen stiffness, change in hepatic dysfunction assessed by Child-Pugh and model for end-stage liver disease score, change in platelet count, development of hepatocellular carcinoma, development of portal vein thrombosis and adverse events with a 3-year follow-up. A predefined interim analysis will be performed to ensure that the calculation is reasonable., Ethics and Dissemination: The study protocol has been approved by the ethics committees of the Sixth People's Hospital of Shenyang (2023-05-003-01) and independent ethics committee for clinical research of Zhongda Hospital, affiliated to Southeast University (2023ZDSYLL433-P01). The results from this trial will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and will be presented at international conferences., Trial Registration Number: ChiCTR2300073864., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The Taihe Black-Bone silky fowl chicken (BB-sfc) is a renowned dietary and medicinal chicken globally recognized for its high nutritional and medicinal value. Compared to the local Black-Bone black-feathered chicken (BB-bfc), the Taihe silky fowl chicken has higher levels of amino acids, trace elements, and unsaturated fatty acids in their muscles, which offer anti-aging, anti-cancer, and immune enhancing benefits. Despite this, the unique nutritional components, genes, and proteins in Taihe silky fowl chicken muscles are largely unknown. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive transcriptome and proteome analysis of muscle development between BB-sfc and BB-bfc chickens using RNA-Seq and TMT-based quantitative proteomics methods. RNA-Seq analysis identified 286 up-regulated genes and 190 down-regulated genes in BB-sfc chickens, with oxidoreductase activity and electron transfer activity enriched in up-regulated genes, and phospholipid homeostasis and cholesterol transporter activity enriched in down-regulated genes. Proteome analysis revealed 186 significantly increased and 287 significantly decreased proteins in Taihe BB-sfc chicken muscles, primarily affecting mitochondrial function and oxidative phosphorylation, crucial for enhancing muscle antioxidant capacity. Integrated transcriptome and proteome analysis identified 6 overlapped up-regulated genes and 8 overlapped down-regulated genes in Taihe silky fowl chicken, related to improved muscle antioxidant status. Taken together, this research provides a comprehensive database of gene expression and protein information in Taihe Black-Bone silky fowl chicken muscles, aiding in fully exploring their unique economic value in the future., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Xiong et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: The site of lymph node metastasis (LNM) may affect the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). To investigate the prognoses of pararespiratory and paradigestive LNM and to propose a novel N (nN) staging system that integrates both the LNM site and count., Methods: This study was a multicenter, large-sample, retrospective cohort study that included ESCC patients with LNM between January 2014 and December 2019 from three Chinese institutes. Patients were set into training (two institutes) and external validation (one institute) cohorts. The primary outcomes were survival differences in LNM site and the development of novel nodal staging system. The overall survival (OS) of patients with pararespiratory LNM only (Group A), paradigestive LNM only (Group B), and both sites (Group C) was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify the independent prognostic factors. An nN staging system considering both the LNM site and count was developed and evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)., Results: In total, 1313 patients were included and split into training (n = 1033) and external validation (n = 280) cohorts. There were 342 (26.0%), 568 (43.3%) and 403 (30.7%) patients in groups A, B and C, respectively. The OS of patients with pararespiratory and patients with paradigestive LNM presented significant differences in the training and validation cohorts (P < 0.050). In the training cohort, LNM site was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio: 1.58, 95% confidence intervals: 1.41-1.77, P < 0.001). The nN staging definition: nN1 (1-2 positive pararespiratory/paradigestive LNs), nN2 (3-6 pararespiratory LNs or 1 pararespiratory with 1paradigestive LN), nN3 (3-6 LNs with ≥ 1 paradigestive LN), nN4 (≥ 7 LNs). Subsets of patients with different nN stages showed significant differences in OS (P < 0.050). The prognostic model of the nN staging system presented higher performance in the training and validation cohorts at 3-year OS (AUC, 0.725 and 0.751, respectively) and 5-year OS (AUC, 0.740 and 0.793, respectively) than the current N staging systems., Conclusions: Compared to pararespiratory LNM, the presence of paradigestive LNM is associated with worse OS. The nN staging system revealed superior prognostic ability than current N staging systems., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the immune checkpoint modulator (ICM) subscale of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Immune Checkpoint Modulator (FACT-ICM) scale and to validate the FACT-ICM scale in Chinese cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment., Methods: In total, 354 cancer patients treated with ICIs were included in our cross-sectional study including 2 phases. Firstly, the ICM subscale was translated and culturally adapted by standardized procedures. Then the FACT-ICM scale was validated, which included item analysis, content validity, floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity, convergent/divergent validity, and known-group validity., Results: The content validity indexes at the item and scale level of the ICM subscale were greater than 0.8. No floor and ceiling effects were found. The Cronbach's α and McDonald's omega coefficients of the simplified Chinese version of the FACT-ICM scale were 0.935 and 0.936, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.833 (95% confidence interval: 0.574-0.940). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the 5-subscale structure of the simplified Chinese version of the FACT-ICM scale (χ 2 /df = 2.144, RMSEA = 0.057, SRMR = 0.072, and CFI = 0.848). Convergent and divergent validity further supported the construct validity of the simplified Chinese version of the FACT-ICM scale. The known-group validity of the simplified Chinese version of the FACT-ICM scale was confirmed in patients with different physical statuses., Conclusions: The simplified Chinese version of the FACT-ICM scale is a valid and reliable instrument and can be used in clinical practice and research on cancer patients receiving ICIs treatment., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

China is approaching a critical period of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. To assess the impact of carbon peak and carbon neutrality measures, an accurate understanding of the variations of the spatial and temporal distribution of greenhouse gases is crucial. Gas chromatography, a classical approach for greenhouse gas observation, can be employed for the high-precision analysis of partial greenhouse gases. In this research, a new greenhouse gas analytical system capable of measuring five gases (CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , N 2 O and SF 6 ) on a single instrument was developed based on the traditional gas chromatography approach. The following are the chromatographic operation conditions. The carrier gases were high purity N 2 (99.999%) and argon-methane (5% methane in argon, 99.9999%), and a stainless steel switching valve triggered the injection. Compressed CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , N 2 O and SF 6 mixed standard gases were stored in a 0.029 m 3 aluminum alloy steel cylinder for this experiment. After numerous rounds of calibration by Greenhouse Gas Laboratory of Atmospheric Sounding Center of China Meteorological Administration, the gas scale met the primary standard of World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The main performance of the system, including the measurement precision, accuracy and linear response, was tested. The results showed that the detection performance of the system met the quality standards of WMO/Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW). Precision test results indicated that the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the mole fractions of CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , N 2 O and SF 6 were 0.08%, 1.90%, 0.05%, 0.08%, and 0.66%, respectively. For the linear and accuracy test, the C1-C5 tested standard gases were employed and the deviations of five gases (CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , N 2 O and SF 6 ) between the calculated mole fractions of the regression equation and calibrated mole fractions were 0.15×10 -9 , 0.20×10 -9 , 0.37×10 -6 , 0.35×10 -9 and 0.02×10 -12 , respectively. For CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , N 2 O and SF 6 , the linear regression coefficients ( R 2 ) between the peak areas or heights and calibrated mole fractions were 0.9999. The linear regression residual and accuracy could roughly meet the expanded target of WMO/GAW quality control. The atmospheric greenhouse gases in the Hangzhou urban area were continuously measured from May 2021 to July 2021 using the developed system. The results revealed that atmospheric CH 4 , CO, CO 2 and N 2 O have visible diurnal variation characteristics that were primarily affected by anthropogenic emissions. The target standard gases were measured every 2 h to monitor the stability of the system operation, and the gas mole fractions of the system response were routinely computed and compared with the assigned calibrated values. The results demonstrated that the system had good stability during the observation period and could meet the requirements of high-precision monitoring. The comprehensive test and trial operation results showed that the developed system had good precision, accuracy, linearity and stability.

BACKGROUND Renal dysfunction is a leading cause of death in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) and often occurs later than respiratory complications. Whether respiratory complications can predict renal impairment remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pleural effusion and renal dysfunction in AP. MATERIAL AND METHODS Medical records were reviewed from individuals who were hospitalized with AP from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups, based on the presence or absence of pleural effusion on admission. Disease severity, renal function parameters, and outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS A total of 222 patients were enrolled, 25 of whom had pleural effusion on admission and 197 who did not. Patients with AP who had pleural effusion had more serious illness (higher incidences of pancreatic inflammation, pancreatic fluid collection, and moderate-to-severe AP; worse Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis score; and a higher modified computed tomography severity index [all P<0.05]) plus worse outcomes (higher incidences of ventilation and vasopressor use [both P<0.05]). Moreover, patients with pleural effusion had a higher level of blood urea nitrogen and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (both P<0.05). After adjustment for potential confounders, pleural effusion was a risk factor for renal failure in patients with AP (odds ratio 6.32, 95% confidence interval 1.08-36.78, P=0.040). CONCLUSIONS Pleural effusion is associated with severe renal dysfunction in AP. Therefore, efforts should be made to improve early recognition and timely treatment of renal failure by closely monitoring renal function in patients with AP and pleural effusion on admission.

Background: The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is widely applied to stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it may be inaccurate when applied to East Asian HCC patients. In this study, a large Chinese HCC cohort was analyzed to evaluate possible modifications for the BCLC staging system., Methods: Between January 1995 and December 2009, 622 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy were enrolled. Prognostic risk factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The ability of the modified system to predict survival was evaluated by determining the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve., Results: Patients without bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT; 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival, 80%, 60% and 48%, respectively) showed a substantial survival advantage over those with BDTT (1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival, 77%, 42% and 23%, respectively; χ 2  = 6.280, P = 0.012). In BCLC stage 0-A patients, significant differences were identified between the BDTT group and the non-BDTT group, while no such differences were found in BCLC stage B patients. Based on this finding, BCLC stage 0-A BDTT patients were recategorized into stage B. The modified BCLC classification featured better performance in the prediction of overall survival than the original system (modified BCLC χ 2  = 53.596, P < 0.001; original BCLC χ 2  = 46.335, P < 0.001). The ability to predict mortality was also slightly higher using the modified BCLC system., Conclusions: Modification of the BCLC system to include BDTT status might further enhance its prognostic ability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We certify that Authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Calanthe masuca and C. sinica are two genetically closely related species in Orchidaceae. C. masuca is widely distributed in Asia, whereas C. sinica is restricted to Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces in southwest China. Both play important roles in horticulture and are under the pressure of population decline. Understanding their genetic background can greatly help us develop effective conservation strategies for these species. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are useful for genetic diversity analysis, presumably providing key information for the study and preservation of the wild populations of the two species we are interested in., Results: In this study, we performed RNA-seq analysis on the leaves of C. masuca and C. sinica, obtaining 40,916 and 71,618 unigenes for each species, respectively. In total, 2,019/3,865 primer pairs were successfully designed from 3,764/7,189 putative SSRs, among which 197 polymorphic SSRs were screened out according to orthologous gene pairs. After mononucleotide exclusion, a subset of 129 SSR primers were analysed, and 13 of them were found to have high polymorphism levels. Further analysis demonstrated that they were feasible and effective against C. masuca and C. sinica as well as transferable to another species in Calanthe. Molecular evolutionary analysis revealed functional pathways commonly enriched in unigenes with similar evolutionary rates in the two species, as well as pathways specific to each species, implicating species-specific adaptation. The divergence time between the two closely related species was tentatively determined to be 3.42 ± 1.86 Mya., Conclusions: We completed and analysed the transcriptomes of C. masuca and C. sinica, assembling large numbers of unigenes and generating effective polymorphic SSR markers. This is the first report of the development of expressed sequence tag (EST)-SSR markers for Calanthe. In addition, our study could enable further genetic diversity analysis and functional and comparative genomic studies on Calanthe.

To compare the differences in dietary status and knowledge of esophageal cancer (EC) between residents of high- and low-incidence areas. We investigated dietary conditions and EC knowledge among residents in high- and low-EC incidence areas (Yanting and Qingzhen counties). Residents in Yanting consumed more pickled vegetables, salted meat and barbecued food (P < 0.05). Analysis of the past ten-year trend in Yanting consumed fresh vegetables/fruits, beans, sauerkraut, hot food, and barbecued food had gradually increased, and the trend was less than that in Qingzhen County. However, the gradual increasing trend in consumption of pickled vegetables, pickled meat, and spicy food over the past 10 years was greater (P < 0.05). Drinking water in Yanting County was healthier than that in Qingzhen County (P < 0.05). In terms of EC knowledge, the proportions of residents in Yanting who had a clear understanding, knowledge or had heard of EC or knew the common causes, primary symptoms, therapeutic measures, preventive measures, and government interventions for EC were all higher than in Qingzhen (P < 0.05). Residents in Yanting had greater EC knowledge but more harmful dietary habits than those in Qingzhen.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver tumor in Asian countries, and hepatectomy is currently regarded as the optimal curative treatment for HCC; however, the postoperative outcome remains unsatisfactory. Aiming at further clarification of prognostic factors after hepatectomy, we adopted a detailed stratification on survival periods. A total of 428 HCC patients undergoing curative hepatectomy were firstly divided into two groups using 2-year survival as cutoff point. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor-related factors, including vascular invasion (P < 0.001), high Edmondson grade (P < 0.001), large tumor size (P < 0.001) and high serum alpha-fetoprotein level (P = 0.001), were significant determinants for early death within 2 years, while postoperative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was demonstrated a protective factor (P = 0.013). Then the 281 patients with survival > 2 years were divided into two subgroups according to survival or death during follow-up to examine the late death related factors. We found that high serum γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), indicating severity of underlying liver disease, was significantly linked to death in this stage (P = 0.006). In further comparison of survival rates between subgroups stratified by early- and late-death indictors, we found the long-term outcomes of patients with high serum GGT were poor, regardless of the factors related with primary tumor. Furthermore, postoperative TACE decreased late death rate of patients with high GGT levels. In conclusion, despite the overwhelmed effects of primary tumor in the early stage after hepatectomy, postoperative TACE is beneficial for HCC patients with poor liver status.

Premise of the Study: Polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed in Torreya jackii, an endangered species in China, to provide markers for further studies on the genetic diversity of this species., Methods and Results: Eight polymorphic loci and one monomorphic locus were developed and characterized in four T. jackii populations (Xianju, Songyang, Pujiang, and Tonglu) from Zhejiang Province, China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to eight across 80 T. jackii individuals. At the eight polymorphic loci, the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.150 to 1.000 and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.185 to 0.796., Conclusions: The microsatellite loci developed and characterized in this study will facilitate future analyses of the genetic diversity of T. jackii. Such information will aid in designing strategies to conserve this currently endangered species.

Objective: To analyse the relationship between coping strategy and occupational stress in rail freight dispatchers., Methods: 115 rail freight dispatchers were investigated by using group sampling method, investigation contents included coping strategies, occupational stressors, strains and personalities., Results: The proportion of using coping strategy in rail freight dispatchers is lower. The scores of job future ambiguity, type A behavior and work locus of control in workers with insufficient coping strategy were higher than those in workers with sufficient strategy (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), but the score of organization commitment score in workers with insufficient coping strategy was lower than those in workers with sufficient strategy (P < 0.05), the differences of scores of some occupational stressor, strain and personality variables between workers with insufficient and those with sufficient in social support, job-family balance, job involvement coping factors of coping strategy were remarkable significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), the differences of scores of occupational stressor, strain and personality variables between workers with insufficient and those with sufficient in ask, logic and time management factors of coping strategy weren't significant (P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that risk of being job dissatisfaction and daily life stress in workers with insufficient social support coping was three or four times than those with sufficient coping (OR = 3.06 or 4.38, respectively), risk of being daily life stress in workers with insufficient job involvement coping was three times than those with sufficient coping (OR = 3.26)., Conclusion: The proportion of using coping strategy in rail freight dispatchers is lower. Coping strategy has influence on the individual's perception of occuaptional stressors, strains and personalities.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of patients with crush injury in Wenchuan earthquake and the corresponding operational methods., Methods: From May 12th 2008 to June 18th 2008, 202 patients with crush injury of soft tissue were treated, including 110 males and 92 females. Twenty-five patients aged 19 months to 16 years, 129 patients aged 17-60 years and 48 patients aged above 61 years. The crushed time was 30 minutes to 154 hours. Sixty cases of open injuries were treated by debridement and dressing or suture; 16 cases of damaged extremities (18 limbs) and 6 cases of acute renal failure due to crush syndrome (8 limbs) received amputation; 32 cases of interfascial space syndrome crisis (42 limbs) were treated by fascia cavity decompression; 15 cases received the resection of necrotic muscle for 31 times; and 9 cases received continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT)., Results: All the wounds healed except 2 cases which died from intestinal bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage during the treatment of CRRT. Two cases were discharged 8 months after treatment, while the other 198 cases recovered and were discharged 15-120 days after treatment. The average hospitalization time was 53 days. Twenty-two cases (26 limbs) were fixed with artificial limbs 3-6 months after amputation and achieved good functional outcome., Conclusion: The treatment principle of crush injury is "be active to decompress and be prudent to amputate", the hardening muscle and the increasing level of creatine kinase and blood potassium are the golden indicators of fascia cavity decompression. Decompression at an earlier period is preferred when there is a dilemma to choose, and open amputation should be performed when the necrotic muscle is hard to clear or the necrosis boundary is not distinct.

Objective: To study the interactive effect of job stress and genetic susceptibility (or gene polymorphism) on hypertension., Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in 452 workers from a thermal power plant in China. Extrinsic effort, occupational reward, and over-commitment were measured. Hypertensive patients were defined by three phases of screening, reexamination, and final diagnosis. beta2-AR genotypes and allele frequencies at amino acid positions 16 (beta2-AR-16: Arg-->Gly) and 27 (beta2-AR-27: Gln-->Glu) were identified by PCR-RFLP., Results: Job stress was related with the prevalence of hypertension in males (P < 0.05), whereas no significant relationship was found in females (P > 0.05). Differences in genotypes and allele frequencies of the beta2-AR-16 were statistically significant between the hypertension and control groups (P < 0.05), whereas those of beta2-AR-27 were not (P > 0.05). The prevalence of hypertension was higher in individuals carrying Gly16 allele than in those carrying Arg16 allele of the high job stress group (P < 0.01 or 0.05)., Conclusion: High job stress and polymorphism of beta2-AR-16 have an interactive effect on the prevalence of hypertension in male workers.