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Previous studies of "the Chinese learner" have confounded the effects of culture and context or have used heterogeneous samples of students. In this study, 134 British students and 207 students from mainland China following 1-year postgraduate programmes at six British business schools completed the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI). The two groups yielded the same factor structure on both instruments. There were no significant differences in their scores on the CEQ. On the RASI, the British students produced higher scores on deep approach and strategic approach. These differences could not be attributed to differences in response style. In short, when British and mainland Chinese students were compared within the same educational context, their perceptions and approaches to studying showed the same underlying constructs, but in the present context Chinese students were less likely to exhibit deep or strategic approaches to studying.

It has been claimed that students from "Confucian-heritage" cultures approach studying in higher education differently from Western students. This study investigated the experiences and the approaches to studying of students at a university in China. A total of 356 students completed both the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI). Their responses to the CEQ yielded two factors concerned with student support and course demands. Their responses to the RASI yielded two factors: a deep/strategic approach and a surface approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of student support were more likely to adopt a deep/strategic approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of course demands were less likely to adopt a surface approach. In broad terms, the students' perceptions and approaches to studying were similar to those of Western students, though with some specific differences. The findings add to the literature on Chinese students' approaches to learning and also have practical implications for teachers seeking to promote more desirable forms of studying in their students. (Contains 5 tables.)

Background. Policy changes are often necessary to contain the detrimental impact of epidemics such as those brought about by coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In the earlier phases of the emergence of COVID-19, China was the first to impose strict restrictions on movement (lockdown) on January 23rd, 2020. A strategy whose effectiveness in curtailing COVID-19 was yet to be determined. We, therefore, sought to study the impact of the lockdown in reducing the incidence of COVID-19. Methods. Daily cases of COVID-19 that occurred in China which were registered between January 12th and March 30th, 2020, were extracted from the Johns Hopkins CSSE team COVID-19 ArcGIS® dashboards. Daily cases reported were used as data points in the series. Two interrupted series models were run: one with an interruption point of 23 January 2020 (model 1) and the other with a 14-day deferred interruption point of 6th February (model 2). For both models, the magnitude of change (before and after) and linear trend analyses were measured, and β-coefficients reported with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the precision. Results. Seventy-eight data points were used in the analysis. There was an 11% versus a 163% increase in daily cases in models 1 and 2, respectively, in the preintervention periods (p ≤ 0.001). Comparing the period immediately following the intervention points to the counterfactual, there was a daily increase of 2,746% (p < 0.001) versus a decline of 207% (p = 0.802) in model 2. However, in both scenarios, there was a statistically significant drop in the daily cases predicted for this data and beyond when comparing the preintervention periods and postintervention periods (p < 0.001). Conclusion. There was a significant decrease the COVID-19 daily cases reported in China following the institution of a lockdown, and therefore, lockdown may be used to curtail the burden of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hail size records are analyzed at 2254 stations in China and a hail size climatology is developed based on gridded hail observations for the period 1960–2015. It is found that the annual percentiles of hail size records changed sharply and national-wide after 1980, therefore two periods, 1960–79 and 1980–2015, are studied. There are some similarities between the two periods in terms of the characteristics of hail size such as the spatial distribution patterns of mean annual maximum hail size and occurrence week of annual maximum hail size. The 1980–2015 period had higher observation density than the 1960–79 period, but showed smaller mean annual maximum hail size, especially in northern China. In the majority of grid boxes, the annual maximum hail size experienced a decreasing trend during the 1980–2015 period. A Gumbel extreme value model is fitted to each grid box to estimate the return periods of maximum hail size. The scale and location parameter of the fitted Gumbel distributions are higher in eastern China than in western China, thereby reflecting a greater likelihood of large hail in eastern China. In southern China, the maximum hail size exceeds 127 mm for a 10-yr return period, whereas in northern China maximum hail size exceeds this threshold for a 50-yr return period. The Gumbel model is found to potentially underestimate the maximum hail size for certain return periods, but provides a more informed picture of the spatial distribution of extreme hail size and the regional differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All the organizational, technical, fiscal, and physical changes of libraries are designed to serve the two ultimate purposes of helping in the political indoctrination of the people and improving and increasing production. (Author)

During the May–June 2016 International Cooperative Air Quality Field Study in Korea (KORUS-AQ), light synoptic meteorological forcing facilitated Seoul metropolitan pollution outflow to reach the remote Taehwa Research Forest (TRF) site and cause regulatory exceedances of ozone on 24 days. Two of these severe pollution events are thoroughly examined. The first, occurring on 17 May 2016, tracks transboundary pollution transport exiting eastern China and the Yellow Sea, traversing the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), and then reaching TRF in the afternoon hours with severely polluted conditions. This case study indicates that although outflow from China and the Yellow Sea were elevated with respect to chemically unperturbed conditions, the regulatory exceedance at TRF was directly linked in time, space, and altitude to urban Seoul emissions. The second case studied, which occurred on 9 June 2016, reveals that increased levels of biogenic emissions, in combination with amplified urban emissions, were associated with severe levels of pollution and a regulatory exceedance at TRF. In summary, domestic emissions may be causing more pollution than by transboundary pathways, which have been historically believed to be the major source of air pollution in South Korea. The case studies are assessed with multiple aircraft, model (photochemical and meteorological) simulations, in situ chemical sampling, and extensive ground-based profiling at TRF. These observations clearly identify TRF and the surrounding rural communities as receptor sites for severe pollution events associated with Seoul outflow, which will result in long-term negative effects to both human health and agriculture in the affected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A neotype for Anaphes brevis Walker (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is designated from among specimens reared in a laboratory culture on Lygus sp. (Hemiptera: Miridae). Based on specimens examined, the distribution of A. brevis extends west-east from UK (Wales) apparently as far as China and north-south from Germany to Morocco. The species also apparently occurs in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People often avoid information and situations that have the potential to contradict previously held beliefs and attitudes (i.e., situations that arouse cognitive dissonance). According to the motivated social cognition model of political ideology, conservatives tend to have stronger epistemic needs to attain certainty and closure than liberals. This implies that there may be differences in how liberals and conservatives respond to dissonance-arousing situations. In two experiments, we investigated the possibility that conservatives would be more strongly motivated to avoid dissonance-arousing tasks than liberals. Indeed, U.S. residents who preferred more conservative presidents (George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan) complied less than Americans who preferred more liberal presidents (Barack Obama and Bill Clinton) with the request to write a counter-attitudinal essay about who made a “better president.” This difference was not observed under circumstances of low perceived choice or when the topic of the counter-attitudinal essay was non-political (i.e., when it pertained to computer or beverage preferences). The results of these experiments provide initial evidence of ideological differences in dissonance avoidance. Future work would do well to determine whether such differences are specific to political issues or topics that are personally important. Implications for political behavior are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social connections are essential for the survival of a social species like humans. People differ in the degree to which they are sensitive to perceived deficits in their social connections, but evidence suggests that they nevertheless construe the nature of their social connections similarly. This construal can be thought of as a mental representation of a multi-faceted social experience. A three-dimensional mental representation has been identified with the UCLA Loneliness Scale and consists of Intimate, Relational, and Collective Connectedness reflecting beliefs about one's individual, dyadic, and collective (group) social value, respectively. Moreover, this mental representation has been replicated with other scales and validated across age, gender, and racial/ethnic lines in U.S. samples. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent to which this three-dimensional representation applies to people whose social lives are experienced in a collectivistic rather than individualistic culture. To that end, we used confirmatory factor analyses to assess the fit of the three-dimensional mental structure to data collected from Chinese people living in China. Two hundred sixty-seven young adults (16-25 yrs) and 250 older adults (50-65 yrs) in Beijing completed the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and demographic and social activity questionnaires. Results revealed adequate fit of the structure to data from young and older Chinese adults. Moreover, the structure exhibited equivalent fit in young and older Chinese adults despite changes in the Chinese culture that exposed these two generations to different cultural experiences. Social activity variables that discriminated among the three dimensions in the Chinese samples corresponded well with variables that discriminated among the three dimensions in the U.S.-based samples, indicating cultural commonalities in the factors predicting dimensions of people's representations of their social connections. Equivalence of the three-dimensional structure is relevant for an understanding of cultural differences in the sources of loneliness and social connectedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: High-resolution seismic imaging has previously revealed sudden changes in the dip of subducted oceanic plates. This ‘kinking’ feature is crucial because in many subduction zones it is thought to coincide with the disappearance of the low-velocity layers associated with subducted oceanic crust. In this study, we present petrological evidence for this phenomenon derived from oceanic blueschist- and eclogite-facies rocks from the Chinese Tianshan. The investigated samples span a large range of peak metamorphic conditions, with temperatures between 330 and 580°C at 1.5 to 2.3GPa. Such variable peak metamorphic conditions, together with the intimate interlayering of high- and ultrahigh-pressure rocks, have also been reported from other Tianshan localities. These observations suggest that the rocks were derived from varying depths within the subduction zone and then juxtaposed during exhumation in the subduction channel. Multi-point Lu–Hf isochrons from four high-pressure rocks yield consistent garnet-growth ages of 313±12, 315.8±2.9, 313.9±4.8, and 315.2±1.6Ma. These, in conjunction with the ~311Ma cluster of published 40Ar–39Ar and Rb–Sr white mica ages from the same vicinities imply fast exhumation rates. The Lu–Hf ages confirm that the eclogite-facies metamorphism of the Tianshan high-pressure rocks occurred during a single subduction event in the Late Carboniferous. However, the previously reported peak metamorphic P-T estimates from UHP metasediments and eclogites all lie on a lower geothermal gradient – and thus on a colder P-T path at the slab-wedge interface – than the HP eclogites and meta-volcaniclastic rocks from this study. This suggests that the slab-subduction angle steepened sharply at a depth greater than approximately 90km, i.e., between the depths at which the HP and UHP rocks equilibrated. In addition to the negative buoyancy of mafic UHP rocks in subduction zones, the kinking may act as a geometric hindrance to the exhumation of such rocks, thereby explaining their rarity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

By performing important artistic and moral functions, the poems in The Pilgrim's Progress add the touch that brings the allegorical novel to life. In the long history of its Chinese translation dated back to the mid-nineteenth century, different translators attempt many and varied strategies and style of translating the poems in the literary classic. Through a critical examination of three representative translations, this article analyzes the special phenomena of poetry translation, especially the choice of poetic forms, rhyming patterns and so forth. According to James Holmes, a leading translation theorist, there are four major forms of poetry translation: mimetic form, analogical form, organic form, and deviant or extraneous form. Based on Holmes' theory, I propose that William C. Burns' translation in the 1850s mainly adopts the analogical form by taking into full consideration of the poetic traditions of the target culture. Meanwhile, Xie Songgao's translation in the 1930s integrates the analogical and organic forms, which reflects the pluralistic landscape during the transition period of the Chinese poetic circles in the early twentieth century. Principally employing the mimetic form, Xi Hai's translation in the 1980s makes efforts to reproduce the forms and poetics of the original texts. By investigating the evolution of the strategies and style as shown in these three translations, the current case study displays the major trends of development of poetic forms, and more importantly, substantiates our understanding of the history of poetry translation in modern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protestant missionaries had a clear objective of evangelism in mind while embarking on the enterprise of translating Christian literature in nineteenth-century China. This paper adopts a descriptive-explanatory approach to examine critically William Muirhead's (1822-1900) Chinese translations of a leading Christian tract which aimed to convert the Confucian scholars in late Qing China: John Angell James's (1785-1859) The Anxious Inquirer after Salvation Directed and Encouraged. The purpose of this case study is two-fold: to scrutinize the ways in which missionary translators negotiate the gaps between cultural and religious ideologies, specifically Christianity and Confucianism, and to shed light on the Chinese reception of translated Christian tracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both interdenominational co-operation and denominational competition featured in the Protestant missionary literary enterprise in nineteenth-century China. The interdenominational Religious Tract Society in London became the most vital link between the missionary translators, printing presses and target audiences in the production, publication and distribution of Christian tracts. Ideally, interdenominational missions would pool resources and promote cooperation among missionaries with different denominational affiliations. Doctrinal disputes, however, seem to have been inevitable among them in the everyday operation of missions. The first tract committee established in China, the Shanghai Tract Committee in the 1840s is a case in point. Unequal denominational representation resulted in heated doctrinal controversies and the resignation of a Committee member over the publication of a problematic tract in Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction While de qi, the acupuncture needling sensation, has been considered as an important component of acupuncture, little is known of the acupuncture patient's experience and beliefs about de qi in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to describe Chinese acupuncture patients' perceived sensations of, and beliefs about, acupuncture needling. Methods We developed a questionnaire and conducted a survey study at two time periods among 200 subjects at six outpatient acupuncture clinics in Beijing, China. Results Respondents were 55% female and had a mean age of 41 years. The most common types of needling sensations reported by subjects were the terms 'distended' (94%), 'sore' (81 %), 'electric' (81%) and 'numb' (78%). Eighty-nine percent of subjects reported that the needling sensation travelled away from the puncturing points or travelled among the needling points. Eighty-two percent of subjects believed that the needling sensation was very important for acupuncture treatment, and 68% further indicated that the stronger the needling sensation, the more effective the therapy. Eighty-one percent of subjects found the acupuncture process to be very comfortable and relaxing. Conclusion Chinese acupuncture patients described the common characteristics of de qi and its migratory nature. The sensations were believed to be important in producing clinical efficacy by most patients. Measuring the sensations described as de qi in future prospective studies will help us understand the degree to which this phenomenon has an effect on the physiological outcome and clinical response to acupuncture. There appears to be a limit to the number of sensations that can be discriminated by each individual patient, and further development of the questionnaire is planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Expectancy has been shown to affect the response to psychological and medical interventions; however, the lack of validated measure of expectancy in the setting of acupuncture limits the quantitative evaluation of the effects of expectancy on clinical response to acupuncture therapy. We seek to develop and validate an instrument that measures patients' expected response from acupuncture.Setting/design: We developed the acupuncture expectancy scale by eliciting items from patients and then conducted a survey study in two phases to test the reliability and validity of the instrument among 200 subjects at six outpatient acupuncture clinics in Beijing, China.Results: Our final scale consisted of four items measuring the expectation of improvement of illness, enhanced coping, increased vitality, and symptom alleviation as a result of acupuncture therapy. Scores of acupuncture expectancy scales ranged from four to 20, with a median of 17, and 21% at the maximum score. No item had over 5% missing data. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) was .82. Principal components analysis revealed one general component accounting for 64% of the variance. Expectancy of response was positively correlated with selected questions of perceived efficacy (0.44), satisfaction (0.49), and confidence in prescribed acupuncture therapy (0.51), all with P < .001.Conclusion: We developed a simple four-item instrument with valid and reliable score that measures expectancy about acupuncture therapy and correlates to subject reported response. The reliability and validity of acupuncture expectancy scale score needs to be tested in other types of populations. Incorporating this instrument in clinical trials can evaluate the role of expectancy as part of the complex social-behavioral component of acupuncture therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relates the experience of a Chinese student who went to the U.S. to pursue his studies and chose to stay. Education and survival in the U.S. as a student; Dilemma posed by the takeover of China by the Chinese Communist Party to the students; Problems brought by the Korean War to stranded Chinese students; Difficulty experienced by the students in finding a job in the U.S.

Provides an overview of the Chinese emigration from the Wenzhou region in the Chinese province of Zhejiang and the establishment of the Wenzhou community in New York City. Geography of the Wenzhou region; Tradition of culture and education in Wenzhou; Community organizations in the New York City Wenzhouese community; Wenzhouese business enterprises in New York City.

Focuses on the seismogenesis and occurrence of earthquakes in China with the use of observed temporally continuous gravity variations. Geological and seismo-tectonic settings; Gravity variation data reduction; Importance of groundwater and fluids; List of possible rupture mechanisms.

This paper discusses in terms of transactions costs how foreign investors choose contractual forms. It argues that the unusually wide choice of contracts available in China can be shown roughly to correspond to varying degrees of within-firm governance. Other factors, particularly locational choice within China, contribute to reducing the scope for opportunism on the part of the host country where a well-enforced legal framework is lacking. Technology transfer is rendered more complex by the importance of team organization in the technology on offer from firms from Hong Kong, the largest foreign investor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yijing benzhi 易經本旨 (original meaning of the Yijing, 1774) constitutes a unique piece of Christian literature produced by the Chinese Catholic believer Lü Liben 呂立本 in the Qing period. Following in the footsteps of Jesuit missionaries such as Joachim Bouvet (1656–1730), Lü represents a rare Chinese voice of the Figurist interpretation of the Yijing by claiming that ancient Chinese sages had received and recorded God's divine revelation in this venerated Chinese classic. Focusing on his narratives of Christ's Passion, this paper examines the ways in which Lü interprets the symbolic meanings of the trigrams/hexagrams and deduces their theological connotations in light of Catholic thought. The interweaving of religious devotion, tradition and experience underpinned a creative re-interpretation of the Passion narratives, which strives to sustain the faith of Chinese Catholic communities in the context of the Qing prohibition and persecution of Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the establishment of the Books-for-China Fund, a project that would collect books in North America and donate them to university libraries in China. The Ocean University of China in Qingdao was designated as the receiving station of the books. It notes that the EPEH Co. has provided the project with free storage. It cites the approach taken by the project to facilitate the collection of books from West Coast donors.

• The palm species has the higher throughfall and stemflow. • The solutes in rainwater have been enriched when passing through the tree canopy. • Base cations perform CL process, while most anions are uptaken by urban trees. • F. microcarpa perform CL for NO3 − hypothetically due to its unique aerial roots. Rainwater is altered hydrologically and chemically as it passes through tree canopies to reach the soil surface, but this aspect of urban forest ecosystems has received less attention than that of natural ecosystems. Hydrological partitioning and changes in solute composition of rainfall were examined in an urban forest within Guangzhou city, in southern China, with reference to three typical subtropical urban tree species (Roystonea regia , Ficus microcarpa , and Lagerstroemia speciosa) with large but morphologically distinct canopies. Three components of rainfall, namely throughfall, stemflow, and interception, were measured and sampled from September 2018 to September 2019. A canopy budget model was used for estimating the contribution of canopy exchange and dry deposition to net rainfall (throughfall + stemflow) solute flux. Being a palm, R. regia recorded the highest percentages of throughfall (72.60%) and stemflow (8.68%) whereas interception was higher in F. microcarpa (33.48%) and L. speciosa (30.54%). The concentrations of almost all the solutes (Ca2+, K+, Na+, Mg2+, Cl−, NO 3 −, and SO 4 2−) in throughfall and stemflow were higher than those in rainfall, suggesting that water was enriched with these solutes as a result of passing through the canopy. The model of canopy budget also showed that whereas all the three species were similar in terms of the leaching of macronutrient cations, the species differed in term of anions: whereas R. regia and L. speciosa generally absorbed or retained anions on foliage, twigs, or trunks, F. microcarpa leached Cl− and NO 3 − (presumably because of its unique aerial root). These results can inform the design of urban forests. For example, the lack of NO 3 − uptake by F. microcarpa suggests that it would be less suitable for mitigating the problems of N deposition which are significant in southern China than the other two species; on other hand, the rainfall partitioning and canopy exchange characteristics of L. speciosa make it more suitable for intercepting rainwater as well as for alleviating the problem of N deposition. The findings of this study therefore have significant implications for the selection of urban tree species in similar subtropical regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic aerosol (OA) generally accounts for a large fraction of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the urban atmosphere. Despite significant advances in the understanding their emission sources, transformation processes and optical properties in the submicron aerosol fraction (PM 1), larger size fractions - e.g., PM 2.5 - still deserve complementary investigations. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis on sources, formation process and optical properties of OA in PM 1 and PM 2.5 under haze and foggy environments in the Yangtze River Delta (eastern China), using two aerosol chemical speciation monitors, as well as a photoacoustic extinctiometer at 870 nm. Positive matrix factorization analysis - using multilinear engine (ME2) algorithm - was conducted on PM 1 and PM 2.5 organic mass spectra. Four OA factors were identified, including three primary OA (POA) factors, i.e., hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), cooking OA (COA), and biomass burning OA (BBOA), and a secondary OA (SOA) factor, i.e., oxidized oxygenated OA (OOA). An enhanced PM 1-2.5 COA concentration was clearly observed during cooking peak hours, suggesting important contribution of fresh cooking emissions on large-sized particles (i.e., PM 1-2.5). The oxidation state and concentration of PM 2.5 HOA were higher than that in PM 1 , suggesting that large-sized HOA particles might be linked to oxidized POA. High contribution (44%) of large-sized OOA to non-refractory PM 2.5 mass was observed during haze episodes. During foggy episodes, PM 1 and PM 2.5 OOA concentrations increased as a positive relationship over time, along with an exponential increase in the PM 2.5 -OOA to PM 1 -OOA ratio. Meanwhile, OOA loadings increased with the aerosol liquid water content (ALWC) during foggy episodes. Random forest cross-validation analysis also supported the important influence of ALWC on OOA variations, supporting substantial impact of aqueous process on SOA formation during haze and/or foggy episodes. Obtained results also indicated high OOA contributions (21%–36%) and low POA contributions (6%–14%) to the PM 2.5 scattering coefficient during haze and foggy episodes, respectively. Finally, we could illustrate that atmospheric vertical diffusion and horizontal transport have important but different effects on the concentrations of different primary and secondary OA factors in different particle size fractions. • Sources of OA in non-refractory PM1 and PM2.5 were quantified with a ME-2 model. • Evident increase of large-sized COA during cooking peak hours was observed. • Enhanced OOA formation and the OOA2.5 to OOA1 ratio were observed during foggy episodes. • OOA formation linked to aqueous process during foggy episodes was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) was first deployed in Beijing, China for characterization of summer organic and inorganic aerosols. The non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) species, i.e., organics, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and chloride were measured in situ at a time resolution of ∼15 min from 26 June to 28 August, 2011. The total NR-PM1 measured by the ACSM agrees well with the PM2.5 measured by a Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM). The average total NR-PM1 mass for the entire study is 50 ± 30 μg m−3 with the organics being the major fraction, accounting for 40% on average. High concentration and mass fraction of nitrate were frequently observed in summer in Beijing, likely due to the high humidity and excess gaseous ammonia that facilitate the transformation of HNO3 to ammonium nitrate particles. Nitrate appears to play an important role in leading to the high particulate matter (PM) pollution since its contribution increases significantly as a function of aerosol mass loadings. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) of ACSM organic aerosol (OA) shows that the oxygenated OA (OOA) – a surrogate of secondary OA dominates OA composition throughout the day, on average accounting for 64%, while the hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) shows a large increase at meal times due to the local cooking emissions. Our results suggest that high PM pollution in Beijing associated with stagnant conditions and southern air masses is characterized by the high contribution of secondary inorganic species and OOA from regional scale, whereas the aerosol particles during the clean events are mainly contributed by the local emissions with organics and HOA being the dominant contribution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection and was first reported in central China in December 2019. Extensive molecular surveillance in Guangdong, China's most populous province, during early 2020 resulted in 1,388 reported RNA-positive cases from 1.6 million tests. In order to understand the molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in China, we generated 53 genomes from infected individuals in Guangdong using a combination of metagenomic sequencing and tiling amplicon approaches. Combined epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses indicate multiple independent introductions to Guangdong, although phylogenetic clustering is uncertain because of low virus genetic variation early in the pandemic. Our results illustrate how the timing, size, and duration of putative local transmission chains were constrained by national travel restrictions and by the province's large-scale intensive surveillance and intervention measures. Despite these successes, COVID-19 surveillance in Guangdong is still required, because the number of cases imported from other countries has increased. • 1.6 million tests identified 1,388 SARS-CoV-2 infections in Guangdong by 19 March • Virus genomes can be recovered using a variety of sequencing approaches • Analyses reveal multiple viral importations with limited local transmission • Effective control measures helped reduce and eliminate chains of viral transmission Genomic and epidemiological analyses provide insights into how COVID-19 was contained in China's most populous province using a combination of surveillance and travel restriction measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical mechanisms responsible for rapid sulfate production, an important driver of winter haze formation in northern China, remain unclear. We propose a potentially important heterogeneous hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS) chemical mechanism. Through analyzing field measurements with aerosol mass spectrometry, we show evidence for a possible significant existence in haze aerosols of organosulfur primarily as HMS, misidentified as sulfate in previous observations. We estimate that HMS can account for up to about one-third of the sulfate concentrations unexplained by current air quality models. In addition, HMS in the presence of hydroxyl radicals can trigger rapid sulfate production in aerosol water. Heterogeneous production of HMS by SO2 and formaldehyde is favored under northern China winter haze conditions due to high aerosol water content, moderately acidic pH values, high gaseous precursor levels, and low temperature. These analyses identify an unappreciated importance of formaldehyde in secondary aerosol formation and calls for more research on sources and on the chemistry of formaldehyde in northern China winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ozone Water-Land Environmental Transition Study, 2018 (OWLETS-2) measured total non-methane hydrocarbons (TNMHC) and EPA PAMS Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) on an island site in the northern Chesapeake Bay 2.1 and 3.4 times greater in concentration, respectively, than simultaneous measurements at a land site just 13 km away across the land-water interface. Many PAMS VOCs had larger concentrations at the island site despite lower NEI emissions over the water, but most of the difference comprised species generally consistent with gasoline vapor or exhaust. Sharp chemical differences were observed between the island and mainland and the immediate air ~300 m above the water surface observed by airplane. Ozone formation potential over land was driven by propene and isoprene but toluene and hexane were dominant over the water with little isoprene observed. VOC concentrations over the water were noted to increase diurnally with an inverse pattern to land resulting in increasing NO x sensitivity over the water. Total reactive nitrogen was lower over the water than the nearby land site, but reservoir compounds (NO z ) were greater. Ozone production rates were generally slow (~5 ppb hr -1 ) both at the surface and aloft over the water, even during periods of high ozone (>70 ppbv) at the water surface. However, specific events showed rapid ozone production >40 ppb hr -1 at the water's surface during situations with high VOCs and sufficient NO x . VOC and photochemistry patterns at the island site were driven by marine sources south of the island, implicating marine traffic, and indicate ozone abatement strategies over land may not be similarly applicable to ozone over the water. Implications : Measured chemical properties and patterns driven primarily by marine traffic sources over water during ozone conducive conditions were starkly different to immediately adjacent land sites, implying ozone abatement strategies over land may not be similarly applicable to ozone over the water.

The type specimens of salticid species from Northeast India described by B. K. Biswas and K. Biswas kept in the National Zoological Collections, Kolkata were studied. Four new synonyms are recognized: Marpissa mizoramensis Biswas & Biswas, 2007 syn. nov. and Evarcha optabilis (Fox, 1937) syn. nov. with Evarcha flavocincta (C.L. Koch, 1846), and Phidippus tirapensis Biswas & Biswas, 2006 syn. nov. and Hyllus maskaranus Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 syn. nov. with Hyllus diardi (Walckenaer, 1837). A new combination is proposed: Pancorius manipuriensis (Biswas & Biswas, 2007) comb. nov. (ex. Marpissa). P. manipuriensis is illustrated for the first time and redescribed based on the type material. Detailed digital illustrations of the examined type material and distributional map are also provided.

The genus Psilota Meigen, 1822 is recorded for the first time from China, and the species Psilota bashanensis Huo and Zhao sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on the adult male. The complete cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of this new species has been successfully obtained and compared to that of other congeneric species. An updated key to adult males of the genus Psilota from the Palaearctic Region is also provided.

People spend increasing amounts of time at home, yet the indoor home environment remains understudied in terms of potential exposure to toxic trace metals. We evaluated trace metal (and metalloid) concentrations (As, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and health risks in indoor dust from homes from 35 countries, along with a suite of potentially contributory residential characteristics. The objective was to determine trace metal source inputs and home environment conditions associated with increasing exposure risk across a range of international communities. For all countries, enrichments compared to global crustal values were Zn > Pb > Cu > As > Cr > Ni; with the greatest health risk from Cr, followed by As > Pb > Mn > Cu > Ni > Zn. Three main indoor dust sources were identified, with a Pb-Zn-As factor related to legacy Pb sources, a Zn-Cu factor reflecting building materials, and a Mn factor indicative of natural soil sources. Increasing home age was associated with greater Pb and As concentrations (5.0 and 0.48 mg/kg per year of home age, respectively), as were peeling paint and garden access. Therefore, these factors form important considerations for the development of evidence-based management strategies to reduce potential risks posed by indoor house dust. Recent findings indicate neurocognitive effects from low concentrations of metal exposures; hence, an understanding of the home exposome is vital.

Background and Purpose: The purpose was to provide an overview of genotype and phenotype distribution in a cohort of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and related disorders from central south China., Methods: In all, 435 patients were enrolled and detailed clinical data were collected. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification for PMP22 duplication/deletion and CMT multi-gene panel sequencing were performed. Whole exome sequencing was further applied in the remaining patients who failed to achieve molecular diagnosis., Results: Among the 435 patients, 216 had CMT1, 14 had hereditary neuropathy with pressure palsies (HNPP), 178 had CMT2, 24 had distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN) and three had hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN). The overall molecular diagnosis rate was 70%: 75.7% in CMT1, 100% in HNPP, 64.6% in CMT2, 41.7% in dHMN and 33.3% in HSAN. The most common four genotypes accounted for 68.9% of molecular diagnosed patients. Relatively frequent causes were missense changes in PMP22 (4.6%) and SH3TC2 (2.3%) in CMT1; and GDAP1 (5.1%), IGHMBP2 (4.5%) and MORC2 (3.9%) in CMT2. Twenty of 160 detected pathogenic variants and the associated phenotypes have not been previously reported. Broad phenotype spectra were observed in six genes, amongst which the pathogenic variants in BAG3 and SPTLC1 were detected in two sporadic patients presenting with the CMT2 phenotype., Conclusions: Our results provided a unique genotypic and phenotypic landscape of patients with CMT and related disorders from central south China, including a relatively high proportion of CMT2 and lower occurrence of PMP22 duplication. The broad phenotype spectra in certain genes have advanced our understanding of CMT., (© 2021 European Academy of Neurology.)

Tanyxiphium longissimum Huber, syn. n. (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is synonymized under T. harriet (Zeya) based on examination of specimens from Hainan Island and Yunnan Province in the Oriental part of China, Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, and Thailand. These are new country distribution records except for Thailand. The previously unknown male of T. harriet is described from Sulawesi Island, and the female is redescribed and illustrated based on non-type material examined.