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The outbreak and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the implementation of physical education theory (PET) curriculums among global colleges and universities. This study aimed to describe the design and students' evaluation of a blended "Sports Multimedia Courseware Design" course among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using information communication technologies, a 4-month blended course was developed, which consisted of 36 credits (18-credit online self-learning + 18-credit offline group-learning). A total of 1300 Chinese university students who majored in physical education, completed the blended course from Mar to Jun 2020, among which 238 (69.75% males; 21 ± 1.2 years) were randomly recruited to evaluate the course in terms of three aspects: (1) online self-learning, (2) offline group-learning, and (3) overall learning outcomes. A descriptive analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS 27.0. Students' overall positive evaluation supported a successful development and implementation of the blended course. Over 90% of students fulfilled the learning tasks and satisfied with the online learning resources. About 83% of students indicated high levels of autonomous motivation and engagement in online self-learning. Approximately 88% of students showed positive attitudes to the offline group-learning content, while the participation rate (60%) was relatively lower than of the online self-learning. Over 50% of the students indicated self-improvements in diverse aspects after attending the blended course. Blended online and offline pedagogy shows apparent promise in delivering the PET course among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further application and comprehensive evaluation are warranted in the future.

This study evaluates the efficiency of China's seven emission trading schemes (ETS) piloted in 2013. We evaluate seven pilots' overall technical and scale efficiencies and temporal dynamics during 2014–2023. We use a bootstrap correction data envelopment analysis (bootstrap-DEA), which guarantees a more accurate efficiency estimation than the traditional DEA model. The results show that the average overall (pure technical) efficiency of the seven pilot markets increased from 0.612 (0.844) in 2014 to 0.898 (0.990) in 2023. Furthermore, we document that seven ETS pilots differ remarkably in efficiency and transaction price, whilst all have shortages. Specifically, the small-scale market transaction is the main constraint effect on the average scale efficiency of the ETS. This study provides concrete recommendations for policy makers to consummate institutional designs to improve ETS efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on cutting-edge echocardiographic technologies that enhance the understanding and management of atrial functional mitral regurgitation. Topics include the impact of atrial fibrillation on mitral valve remodeling, the role of advanced echocardiographic tools in assessing mitral valve anatomy and function, and the importance of early restoration of sinus rhythm to prevent disease progression.

Hypertriglyceridemic waist (HW), hypertriglyceridemic waist-to-height ratio (HWHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) have been shown to be indicators of cardiometabolic risk factors. However, it is not clear which indicator is more suitable for children and adolescents. We aimed to investigate the relationship between HW, HWHtR, WHR, and cardiovascular risk factors clustering to determine the best screening tools for cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents. This was a national cross-sectional study. Anthropometric and biochemical variables were assessed in approximately 70,000 participants aged 6–18 years from seven provinces in China. Demographics, physical activity, dietary intake, and family history of chronic diseases were obtained through questionnaires. ANOVA, χ2 and logistic regression analysis was conducted. A significant sex difference was observed for HWHtR and WHR, but not for HW phenotype. The risk of cardiometabolic health risk factor clustering with HW phenotype or the HWHtR phenotype was significantly higher than that with the non-HW or non-HWHtR phenotypes among children and adolescents (HW: OR = 12.22, 95% CI: 9.54-15.67; HWHtR: OR = 9.70, 95% CI: 6.93-13.58). Compared with the HW and HWHtR phenotypes, the association between risk of cardiometabolic health risk factors (CHRF) clustering and high WHR was much weaker and not significant (WHR: OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.97-1.34). Compared with HWHtR and WHR, the HW phenotype is a more convenient indicator with higher applicability to screen children and adolescents for cardiovascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the emotional needs of the elderly in urban space design has increasingly become a vital concern. This study innovatively integrates emotional theories with the design of community outdoor spaces, thereby expanding the research on emotional categorization in urban spaces. At 8 community outdoor space sites in Yi Jie Qu, China, 330 elderly residents were randomly recruited to assess their color emotional responses (CER) to the color landscapes of these spaces. Based on the Affective Circumplex Model and Japanese Color Image Theory, a Color Emotion Circumplex was constructed to visually represent the overall emotional tendencies and significant positive emotions of the elderly. The second innovation of this research lies in exploring the driving factors behind positive emotional responses of the elderly, the primary user group of community outdoor spaces. We analyzed the significant differences in CER between autumn and winter scenes, employing variance analysis, correlation, and regression to investigate the substantial effects of individual factors and color characteristics on positive CER. The study discovered that the elderly exhibit a stronger CER towards clean and healthy emotions. Notably, CER was more pronounced in autumn scenes compared to winter. Furthermore, educational level, visit frequency, and color brightness positively influenced positive CER, whereas walking time from residence and the color area ratios of blue and gray negatively impacted CER. These findings not only provide a theoretical basis for age-friendly color design in community spaces, but also offer new perspectives and practical guidance for the international community planning and design domain. Our research underscores the importance of incorporating the emotional needs of the elderly into urban space design, offering novel theoretical and practical guidance for future urban planning and community design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, digital transformation (DT) has become an inevitable choice for manufacturing enterprises to achieve sustainable development. As a large number of enterprise groups, small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs) play an important role in the industrial development of China. However, due to insufficient resource investment, high transformation costs, lack of talents, and unclear transformation pathways, how the government can help SMMEs carry out DT has become an important research topic. Based on this background, this study considers the strategies of government, third-party demonstration enterprises (TDEs) and SMMEs, develops and builds a three-party evolutionary game model, and puts forward a governance mechanism for effective DT strategies (TDEs guide DT and SMMEs conduct DT). This study has drawn many interesting conclusions. (1) If the government chooses not to regulate, when SMMEs are risk-neutral, the government only needs to increase the rewards for SMMEs to effectively promote DT. When SMMEs are risk-averse, the government needs to increase the penalties for SMMEs and increase the rewards for TDEs to effectively promote DT. (2) If the government chooses to regulate, when SMMEs are risk-neutral, the government needs to increase the penalties for both TDEs and SMMEs to effectively promote DT. When SMMEs are risk-averse, the government only needs to increase penalties on SMMEs or TDEs to effectively promote DT. (3) When SMMEs are risk-averse, the government's best choice is regulation. Because when the government does not regulate, DT may fail even if the government increases the penalties for SMMEs and increases the incentives for TDEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse the spatial and temporal characteristics of the transfer of pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH3), non‐methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOX), and particulate matter with particle size below 10 microns (PM10), which are embodied in the bilateral trade between China and India, and the transfer paths between various industries. A multiregional input–output model (MRIO) is constructed based on the EORA Database to track the economic connections and the effects of specific products across regional supply chains. The empirical results indicate the following significant findings. China is a net exporter of embodied pollutants in bilateral trade, and India is a net importer. CO accounted for the most significant amount of pollutants emitted by the bilateral trade between China and India. The energy intensity has mainly adverse effects on emissions of six pollutants, while the consumption scale has overall positive effects. Metal products and mining and quarrying are the top two industries producing the highest emissions at the export ends. The emissions of certain pollutants, such as SO2, are also particularly pronounced in individual sectors. Construction and electrical and machinery are the highest CO‐importing sectors of China and India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To drive health innovation that meets the needs of all and democratize healthcare, there is a need to assess the generalization performance of deep learning (DL) algorithms across various distribution shifts to ensure that these algorithms are robust. This retrospective study is, to the best of our knowledge, an original attempt to develop and assess the generalization performance of a DL model for AF events detection from long term beat-to-beat intervals across geography, ages and sexes. The new recurrent DL model, denoted ArNet2, is developed on a large retrospective dataset of 2,147 patients totaling 51,386 h obtained from continuous electrocardiogram (ECG). The model's generalization is evaluated on manually annotated test sets from four centers (USA, Israel, Japan and China) totaling 402 patients. The model is further validated on a retrospective dataset of 1,825 consecutives Holter recordings from Israel. The model outperforms benchmark state-of-the-art models and generalized well across geography, ages and sexes. For the task of event detection ArNet2 performance was higher for female than male, higher for young adults (less than 61 years old) than other age groups and across geography. Finally, ArNet2 shows better performance for the test sets from the USA and China. The main finding explaining these variations is an impairment in performance in groups with a higher prevalence of atrial flutter (AFL). Our findings on the relative performance of ArNet2 across groups may have clinical implications on the choice of the preferred AF examination method to use relative to the group of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation strategies can reduce the negative impacts of climate change on food security. As an important part of food security, more attention should be paid to seed security, as it determines the crop planting area and ultimately affects food production, especially in major seed production locations, such as the Hexi Corridor in China. This region is an important production base of grain (including field maize and wheat) and maize seed, but the shortage of water resources and low use efficiency of water and nitrogen (N) seriously constrain the sustainable development of agriculture. Formulating an adaptation strategy to balance the seed and food production and resource use efficiency is an important way to maintain regional as well as national food production. We established an optimization‐simulation framework, which consists of a novel crop production function and a grid‐based crop model, APSIM. This framework was used to optimize agricultural management and evaluate its performance considering the spatio‐temporal variability of climate and soil properties, actual crop water consumption and N uptake during each growth stage, and interactive sensitivity coefficients of water and N at different growth stages under climate change. We show that the proposed adaptation strategy could save 0.31 km³ of irrigation water and 22 thousand tonnes of N fertilizer, and increase seed and food production by 33 thousand tonnes, compared with traditional practices. Significant increases in irrigation water productivity and N use efficiency can be expected by using the adaptation supporting the sustainable development of agriculture. Plain Language Summary: Food security is negatively affected by climate change, while adaptive strategies can change this situation. Grain crop production is generally used to evaluate food security. However, seed yield is often ignored and affects crop planting area and yield. To ensure food security, the government and farmers should pay more attention to the high‐yield, high‐efficiency, and sustainable development of agriculture. Hexi Corridor is a major seed‐ and grain‐producing area in China. We established an optimization‐simulation framework in Hexi Corridor for seed crop (seed maize) and grain crops (field maize), which consists of a novel crop production function and a grid‐based crop model. Considering the spatio‐temporal variability of climate and soil properties, actual crop water consumption and N uptake during each growth stage, and interactive sensitivity coefficients of water and N in growth stages under climate change, we thereby formulate an adaptive management strategy to balance the seed and food production and resource use efficiency. Our findings show that the adaptive distributed irrigation and nitrogen fertilization strategy in Hexi Corridor can ensure seed production for China's 67% field maize cultivation and adequate food production in 2021–2050, with a significant improvement in irrigation water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency. Key Points: High yield and high resource use efficiency in the Hexi Corridor can be achieved through an adaptation strategy under climate changeAn adaptation irrigation and nitrogen strategy can ensure future seed and food productionThe maize seed production under the adaptation strategy in Hexi Corridor can ensure 67% of China's field maize planting area [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union and the People's Republic of China 'in principle' concluded the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). Considering that the agreement has been passed in the backdrop of dynamic multi-fora trade and investment policy-making practices, both parties' negotiations at the bilateral, multilateral and plurilateral levels require testing. This is important to understand whether the growth of bilateral and regional agreements and the fragmentation of international economic law are enablers or roadblocks to further liberalisation of international trade and investment. This Special Issue shall analyse the CAI and argue in favour of the importance of this development. It will examine the current hyper-politicisation and geo-politicisation of investment treaties to situate the symbolic importance of the CAI. In lieu of the uncertainty of final ratification of CAI and sanctions imposed by China, this article (and the whole Special Issue it introduces) are a timely academic contribution that shall trace its scope and potential effectiveness and enable much-needed discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Older adults aged 60 years and above are classified as being of high-risk for infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the associations of psychological factors (motivational factors: risk perception, health knowledge, attitude, subjective norm, motivational self-efficacy, and intention; volitional factors: volitional self-efficacy, planning, and action control) of preventive behaviors with three preventive behaviors (hand washing, facemask wearing, and social distancing) among Chinese older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was administered via SOJUMP, a widely used online survey platform in China. A total of 928 older adults (mean = 67.24 years, age range: 60–90 years, SD = 6.43, 55.9% females) were recruited using a snowball sampling approach from Hubei Province (n = 667) and outside Hubei Province (n = 261) in China during May 18, 2020 to June 7, 2020. Multiple hierarchical regressions were conducted with four models to examine the association between demographic, past behavior, psychological factors and each preventive behavior. Principal Findings: All three preventive behaviors in older adults increased dramatically during the pandemic of COVID-19. Gender, living status, educational level, past behavior, health knowledge, intention and planning significantly predicted hand washing behavior, R 2 = 0.395, F (10, 927) = 54.372, p < 0.001. Gender, education level, important others (e.g., family members or friends) infection, past behavior, health knowledge, planning and action control significantly predicted mask wearing behavior, R 2 = 0.202, F (10, 927) = 23.197, p < 0.001. Living place, past behavior and health knowledge significantly predicted social distancing behavior, R 2 = 0.204, F (9, 927) = 26.201, p < 0.001. Major Conclusions: Past behavior and health knowledge predicted all three preventive behaviors. Planning was an important psychological factor for both hand washing and mask wearing behaviors. All those critical demographic and psychological factors are critical for future interventions to facilitate older adults to comply with three preventive behaviors in daily life and to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older adults are at a higher risk from COVID-19. Individual preventive behaviors including frequent hand washing, mask wearing, and social distancing play important roles in reducing the transmission of COVID-19 in the community. This study aimed to identify the determinants of three preventive behaviors of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic by using an Integrated Social Cognition Model.Methods: Using a prospective study design, 516 Chinese older adults from Hubei province of China (mean age = 67.55 years, SD = 6.60, 57.9% females) completed two online questionnaire surveys. The demographics, social cognition constructs (motivational self-efficacy, risk perception, attitude, subjective norm, health knowledge, intention, volitional self-efficacy, planning, action control) and three preventive behaviors were measured during the first-wave online survey from 18 May 2020 to 7 June 2020. One month later, three preventive behaviors were measured again during the second-wave online survey. Data were analyzed by structural equation modelling.Results: Models showed attitude, motivational self-efficacy and subjective norm were consistent predictors of intention, motivational self-efficacy was a consistent predictor of volitional self-efficacy, planning and volitional self-efficacy were consistent predictors of action control, and health knowledge was a consistent predictor of behaviors across all three preventive behaviors. In addition, mediating relationships were found in the model of hand washing behavior. In particular, planning (β = .109, p = .042) and action control (β = .056, p = .047) mediated between volitional self-efficacy and hand washing respectively. Action control also mediated between planning and hand washing (β = .087, p = .044). Moreover, the inclusion of past behaviors in three models attenuated most of the structural relations.Conclusions: The current study's findings basically supported the Integrated Social Cognition Model and identified key modifiable determinants of preventive behaviors. Based on this model, future interventions aiming to promote COVID-19 preventive behaviors among older adults are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues related to effective knowledge sharing and diffusion are pressing and have emerged in the field of offsite construction. Significant research on project-based organization knowledge management was conducted from a social network perspective, but little is known about the micromechanism underlying knowledge exchange networks. This study aims to understand social formation mechanisms in knowledge exchange networks and map patterns of intrateam knowledge exchange with a focus on the sender–receiver dyadic perspective in offsite construction projects. Based on social cognitive theory, a theoretical model is proposed that focuses on how individual cognitive and social context factors influence knowledge exchange connections. An exponential random graph model was used to explore these dynamics in two offsite construction projects in China. The study found that structural patterns of transitivity and decentralization emerge in intrateam knowledge exchange networks. The cognitive factor of knowledge self-efficacy was found to show a preferential attachment trend and was positively related to knowledge sending. Additionally, maintaining strong informal relationships and increasing task dependence among team members were found to facilitate building knowledge exchange connections. These findings provide practical project management insights into ways of promoting offsite construction knowledge diffusion in project team settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 30 December 2020, the European Union (EU) and China agreed in principle to a revamped investment treaty: The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). Notably, the EU and China have not decided which investment dispute resolution system will be included under the new agreement. Instead, the EU and China are continuing negotiations on this contentious topic. This article discusses the key features of the proposed investment court system in the context of the CAI negotiations to assess whether China could agree on such a paradigmatic change that would have systemic consequences. The article explains the objective reasons behind China's partial support for the proposed reforms to the existing investor-state arbitration system. For example, China has supported adding an appellate body without accepting the EU's full-fledged investment court proposal. Finally, the article identifies the points of convergence and divergence which will shape the CAI negotiations and pave the way to global investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study shows that China's export value‐added tax (VAT) rebate system is a major industrial policy that affects its exports. We use export data at the HS6 product level for a panel of 329 Chinese cities over the 2003–2012 period to assess how changes in the export VAT tax have affected China's export performance. We consider different trade margins in terms of volumes, prices, and the number of countries served. To counter endogeneity, we exploit variations in the expected impact of the export VAT rebates by trade regime, which come from an eligibility rule disqualifying certain export flows from the rebates. Our results suggest that a 1 percent decline in the export VAT tax leads to a 7.2 percent relative increase in eligible export values at the city level. This effect is due to an adjustment of quantities and the number of foreign markets served while the average unit values of exports remain unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses dispute resolution in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from the perspective of the debate on unity, diversity and fragmentation of international law. This article presents a critical perspective that although the BRI preaches unity through greater economic (and social) integration, it currently increases fragmentation by failing to offer a unified dispute resolution mechanism. The analysis considers how some of the major procedural issues perceived in the BRI—at the time of transnational dispute management—are being addressed. Approaching this from the perspective of diversity in international law provides a novel method to consider BRI adjudication, and (potentially) a concrete target (of unity) to aim towards for strengthening the BRI as a genuine transnational law-making process. However, the consequences of increased fragmentation in BRI dispute resolution are many, including multiplications of disputes in different forums (with different procedures, case law and legal remedies) which, in the long term, will bring deep fragmentation among BRI countries and become an impediment to the BRI's success. Finally, this article asks whether unity in BRI dispute resolution is a realistic target, considering the Chinese State's (perceived) preference for maintaining flexibility in relation to the initiative, and highlights the long-term consequences for international lawyers of the fragmentation in BRI dispute resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rural houses are mostly courtyard-style independent houses. Such houses have certain characteristics, e.g., small mutual influences between houses, strong transformation flexibility, and an easier approach to using the natural environment to develop passive energy-saving characteristics. Therefore, rural houses have large energy-saving potential. In this study, for the first time, the cold alleys between buildings were used as an energy source for passive cooling and ventilation. Traditional houses in Shuhe, China, were used as a case study. The cold alleys in the settlements were used to compensate for the natural conditions in summer, and the cold air in the cold alley was introduced into each room using hot-press ventilation and by employing an accumulation effect from a corresponding patio. The room was ventilated and cooled, and air ducts were used to connect the rooms on both sides of the patio to improve the cooling efficiency. The research variables included the existence or non-existence of wall heat radiation (WHR), and the importance and influence of the WHR on the indoor conditions were verified. The cold air trapped in the new system formed an air partition wall, effectively blocking the direct influence of solar radiation on the room, reducing the heat transfer rate of the residential wall, and consuming part of the heat. In winter, based on using air ducts as supporting members, a glass roof was added to the patio, which improved the heat storage capacity of the patio and turned it into a constant-temperature heater for heating the building interior. Based on calculations, in the new system without WHR, the annual cooling load reduction was 55,417.33 kWh. With WHR, the annual cooling load reduction was 28,537.57 kWh. The annual cooling load of the air insulation wall of the new system was reduced to 1133.7 kWh. In winter, using the glass roof to increase the heat storage capacity of the patio reduced the heating load to 54,537.78 kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stop-jumping task is one of the most important technical actions in basketball. A previous study showed 70% probability of non-contact ACL injuries during stop-jumping tasks. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the differences in lower extremity biomechanical changes between the rear foot as the initial contact area to terminate the jump (SJR) and the fore foot as the initial contact area to also terminate the jump (SJF) during the horizontal landing during a stop-jumping phase. In total, 25 male amateur Ningbo University basketball athletes from China were recruited for this study. The participants were asked to jump vertically by using two different stop-jumping strategies. Kinematic and kinetics data were amassed during a stop-jumping task. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis was used to find the differences between SJR and SJF. Our results indicated that the change of different ankle range of motion caused significantly different values for knee angle (p < 0.001), velocity (p = 0.003) (p = 0.023) (p < 0.001), moment (p = 0.04) (p < 0.001), (p = 0.036) and power (p = 0.015) (p < 0.001) during the stop-jumping phase and the horizontal landing phase. The same biomechanical parameters of the hip joint were also significantly different for hip angle (p < 0.001), moment (p = 0.012) (p < 0.001) (p < 0.001), and power (p = 0.01) (p < 0.001) (p < 0.001). These findings indicate that altering the primary contact at the ankle angle might effectively reduce the risk of a knee injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the effects of descending (DSE) or ascending (ASE) stair exercise on body composition, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory markers in young Chinese women with obesity. Thirty-six participants were randomly assigned into three groups DSE, ASE and a control group. The DSE and ASE groups performed three sessions of stair walking per week for 12 weeks with a gradual increase in repetitions. Following the exercise interventions, body composition related variables obtained by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans significantly decreased. Abdominal fat decreased in the DSE group only. Moreover, Insulin sensitivity improved significantly 3.5-fold in the DSE group compared with ASE group (insulin: −33.2% vs. −9.8%, homoeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance: −35.6% vs. −10.8%). Pro-inflammatory factors showed significant decreases in tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (−39.9% vs. −23.2%) for both intervention groups. The reduction in TNF-α concentrations in the DSE group was significantly different compared to the other two groups. Interleukin-6 significantly decreased in both exercise protocols. Our results show that 12-weeks induced stair walking improved body composition parameters in Chinese females with obesity. The results also demonstrate the superiority of the DSE protocol for improving insulin sensitivity. These findings may be attributable to the decreases observed in TNF- α levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the global development of new international commercial dispute resolution centers, the China International Commercial Court (CICC) represents a genuine innovation in China's legal history. The CICC aims to become a dispute resolution "one stop shop" (combining litigation, arbitration, and mediation) for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) related disputes. Despite its name and ambition, however, the CICC operates more like a domestic court. The CICC's stringent jurisdictional requirements and conservative institutional design show that the CICC cannot serve its stated objective of attracting new investment opportunities or foreign parties to the Chinese forum. These defects are not fatal but will have to be addressed for the CICC to reach its full potential of hybridization of litigation and arbitration both in and beyond China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A panel of geochemical techniques is used here to investigate the taphonomy of fossil feathers preserved in association with the skeleton of the Jurassic theropod Anchiornis huxleyi. Extant feathers were analysed in parallel to test whether the soft tissues morphologically preserved in the fossil also exhibit a high degree of chemical preservation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicate that clays and iron oxide pseudomorphs occur in the surrounding sediment and also reveal the preservation of melanosome‐like microbodies in the fossil. Carbon gradient along a depth profile and co‐occurrence of carbon and sulphur are shown in the fossil by elastic backscattering (EBS) and particle‐induced x‐ray emission (PIXE), which are promising techniques for the elemental analysis of fossil soft tissues. The molecular composition of modern and fossil soft tissues was assessed from micro‐attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (micro‐ATR FTIR), solid‐state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (CP‐MAS 13C NMR) and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry in the presence of TMAH (TMAH‐Py‐GC‐MS). Results indicate that the proteinaceous material that comprises the modern feathers is not present in the fossil feathers. The fossil feathers and the embedding sediment exhibit a highly aliphatic character. However, substantial differences exist between these samples, revealing that the organic matter of the fossil feathers is, at least partially, derived from original constituents of the feathers. Our results suggest that, despite the morphological preservation of Anchiornis feathers, original proteins, that is keratin, were probably not preserved in the 160‐myr‐old feathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As of 16 May 2020, more than 4.5 million cases and more than 300,000 deaths from disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been reported. Reliable estimates of mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection are essential for understanding clinical prognosis, planning healthcare capacity, and epidemic forecasting. The case-fatality ratio (CFR), calculated from total numbers of reported cases and reported deaths, is the most commonly reported metric, but it can be a misleading measure of overall mortality. The objectives of this study were to (1) simulate the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 using publicly available surveillance data and (2) infer estimates of SARS-CoV-2 mortality adjusted for biases and examine the CFR, the symptomatic case-fatality ratio (sCFR), and the infection-fatality ratio (IFR) in different geographic locations.Method and Findings: We developed an age-stratified susceptible-exposed-infected-removed (SEIR) compartmental model describing the dynamics of transmission and mortality during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Our model accounts for two biases: preferential ascertainment of severe cases and right-censoring of mortality. We fitted the transmission model to surveillance data from Hubei Province, China, and applied the same model to six regions in Europe: Austria, Bavaria (Germany), Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Lombardy (Italy), Spain, and Switzerland. In Hubei, the baseline estimates were as follows: CFR 2.4% (95% credible interval [CrI] 2.1%-2.8%), sCFR 3.7% (3.2%-4.2%), and IFR 2.9% (2.4%-3.5%). Estimated measures of mortality changed over time. Across the six locations in Europe, estimates of CFR varied widely. Estimates of sCFR and IFR, adjusted for bias, were more similar to each other but still showed some degree of heterogeneity. Estimates of IFR ranged from 0.5% (95% CrI 0.4%-0.6%) in Switzerland to 1.4% (1.1%-1.6%) in Lombardy, Italy. In all locations, mortality increased with age. Among individuals 80 years or older, estimates of the IFR suggest that the proportion of all those infected with SARS-CoV-2 who will die ranges from 20% (95% CrI 16%-26%) in Switzerland to 34% (95% CrI 28%-40%) in Spain. A limitation of the model is that count data by date of onset are required, and these are not available in all countries.Conclusions: We propose a comprehensive solution to the estimation of SARS-Cov-2 mortality from surveillance data during outbreaks. The CFR is not a good predictor of overall mortality from SARS-CoV-2 and should not be used for evaluation of policy or comparison across settings. Geographic differences in IFR suggest that a single IFR should not be applied to all settings to estimate the total size of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in different countries. The sCFR and IFR, adjusted for right-censoring and preferential ascertainment of severe cases, are measures that can be used to improve and monitor clinical and public health strategies to reduce the deaths from SARS-CoV-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study first analyzes the national and global infection status of the Coronavirus Disease that emerged in 2019 (COVID-19). It then uses the trend comparison method to predict the inflection point and Key Point of the COVID-19 virus by comparison with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) graphs, followed by using the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model, Autoregressive Moving Average model, Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving-Average with Exogenous Regressors, and Holt Winter's Exponential Smoothing to predict infections, deaths, and GDP in China. Finally, it discusses and assesses the impact of these results. This study argues that even if the risks and impacts of the epidemic are significant, China's economy will continue to maintain steady development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: The optimal strategy for initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with severe acute kidney injury in the context of septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is unknown.Objectives: To examine the effect of an early compared with a delayed RRT initiation strategy on 60-day mortality according to baseline sepsis status, ARDS status, and severity.Methods: Post hoc analysis of the AKIKI (Artificial Kidney Initiation in Kidney Injury) trial.Measurements and Main Results: Subgroups were defined according to baseline characteristics: sepsis status (Sepsis-3 definition), ARDS status (Berlin definition), Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3), and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA). Of 619 patients, 348 (56%) had septic shock and 207 (33%) had ARDS. We found no significant influence of the baseline sepsis status (P = 0.28), baseline ARDS status (P = 0.94), and baseline severity scores (P = 0.77 and P = 0.46 for SAPS 3 and SOFA, respectively) on the comparison of 60-day mortality according to RRT initiation strategy. A delayed RRT initiation strategy allowed 45% of patients with septic shock and 46% of patients with ARDS to escape RRT. Urine output was higher in the delayed group. Renal function recovery occurred earlier with the delayed RRT strategy in patients with septic shock or ARDS (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Time to successful extubation in patients with ARDS was not affected by RRT strategy (P = 0.43).Conclusions: Early RRT initiation strategy was not associated with any improvement of 60-day mortality in patients with severe acute kidney injury and septic shock or ARDS. Unnecessary and potentially risky procedures might often be avoided in these fragile populations. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 01932190). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's 'dual carbon' goals seek to achieve peak CO 2 emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. China is one of the world's largest emitters of agricultural greenhouse gases. Although existing studies have evaluated GHG mitigation potential in Chinese agriculture, few built models by incorporating socioeconomic conditions, technology diffusion, and carbon pricing policies. This study developed a bottom-up Agricultural Technology Optimisation Model (ATOM) for GHG mitigation, which selected optimal mitigation measure portfolios by minimising costs based on inventories of agricultural GHG and mitigation measures. It was employed to quantify long-term mitigation potential in Chinese agriculture under a range of socioeconomic and carbon pricing scenarios. GHG emissions in Chinese agriculture totalled 720.3 MtCO 2 e in 2017. Assuming an SSP2 scenario, the maximum technical mitigation potential of the evaluated measures in 2060 will be 554.1 MtCO 2 e, with 78.2% contributed by mitigation measures for crop production. 38.9% of this potential is possibly achievable with negative cost mitigation measures, and carbon pricing can help achieve greater emission reductions. Chinese agriculture theoretically possesses significant mitigation potential, but the implementation of mitigation measures may be hindered by multiple obstacles. The government should adopt counterstrategies to ensure that the agricultural sector remains on track to meet China's carbon neutrality goal. • A bottom-up model (ATOM) for agricultural GHG mitigation was developed. • GHG mitigation pathways in Chinese agriculture were simulated. • Chinese agriculture theoretically possesses considerable GHG mitigation potential. • There is spatial heterogeneity in mitigation potential within Chinese agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speleothem δ18O is widely used to reconstruct past hydroclimate variability, particularly over Asia. However, the interpretation of this proxy is still in debate. While this proxy is originally interpreted as regional rainfall amount of the Asian monsoon, other studies have interpreted it as upstream monsoon rainfall or atmospheric circulation changes. To better understand the signal preserved in speleothems over various time scales, this study employs a state‐of‐the‐art isotope‐enabled climate model to quantify contributions to the oxygen isotope composition of precipitation (δ18OP) over China. Results suggest that orbital‐scale speleothem δ18O variations at Chinese sites mainly record the meridional migration of the Asian monsoon circulation, accompanied by an early northward movement of the East Asian rain belt. At interannual scales, Chinese speleothem δ18O is also tied to the intensity of monsoonal circulation, via a change in moisture source locations: Enhanced moisture delivery from remote source regions leads to more negative δ18OP, particularly in late summer and early autumn. Our results have implications for the hydroclimatic interpretation of speleothem δ18O from Chinese caves and suggest that this interpretation is time scale dependent. Key Points: At orbital scales, Chinese speleothem oxygen isotopes mainly represent the meridional migration of the East Asian monsoon circulationAt orbital scales, low values of Chinese speleothem oxygen isotopes are associated with early northward movement of the East Asian rainbeltAt interannual scales, Chinese speleothem oxygen isotope ratios are mainly controlled by the change of moisture source locations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the significant development of China's economy and scientific activity, its scientific publication activity is experiencing a period of rapid growth. However, measuring China's research output remains a challenge because Chinese scholars may publish their research in either international or national journals, yet no bibliometric database covers both the Chinese and English scientific literature. The purpose of this study is to compare Web of Science (WoS) with a Chinese bibliometric database in terms of authors and their performance, demonstrate the extent of the overlap between the two groups of Chinese most productive authors in both international and Chinese bibliometric databases, and determine how different disciplines may affect this overlap. The results of this study indicate that Chinese bibliometric databases, or a combination of WoS and Chinese bibliometric databases, should be used to evaluate Chinese research performance except in the few disciplines in which Chinese research performance could be assessed using WoS only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examine the spatial and temporal characteristics of water stress in China for the historical (1971–2010) and the future (2021–2050) periods using a multimodel simulation approach. Three water stress indices (WSIs), that is, the ratios of water withdrawals to locally generated runoff (WSIR), to natural streamflow (WSIQ), and to natural streamflow minus upstream consumptive water withdrawals (WSIC), are used for the assessment. At the basin level, WSIR estimates generally match the reported data and indicate severe water stress in most northern basins. At the grid cell level, the WSIs show distinct spatial patterns of water stress wherein WSIR (WSIQ) estimates higher (lower) water stress compared to WSIC. Based on the WSIC estimates, 368 million people (nearly one third of the total population) are affected by severe water stress annually during the historical period, while WSIR and WSIQ suggest 595 and 340 million, respectively. Future projections of WSIC indicate that more than 600 million people (43% of the total) might be affected by severe water stress, and half of China's land area would be exposed to stress. The found aggravating water stress conditions could be partly attributed to the elevated future water withdrawals. This study emphasizes the necessity of considering explicit upstream and downstream relations with respect to both water availability and water use in water stress assessment and calls for more attention to increasing levels of water stress in China in the coming decades. Plain Language Summary: Severe water stress in China has been widely reported, but its time evolution and spatial patterns are rarely assessed. We examine the spatial and temporal change patterns of water stress in China by using multimodel simulations and three different water stress indices (WSIs). Results suggest that different WSIs imply distinct spatial patterns of water stress over China. The WSIs indicate that water stress conditions in northern China are quite distinct from that in southern China. During the past decades (1971–2010), severe water stress is found in northern areas while little is found in southern areas. In the future (2021–2050), however, water‐stressed areas might expand in southern China and water stress levels might aggravate in urban areas, putting considerably more people exposed to severe water stress. This assessment provides useful information for regional water planning/management within the context of future climate change and socioeconomic development in China. Key Points: Water stress estimates can be much different with the consideration of upstream water withdrawal and consumptionSevere water stress conditions are found in northern China in the pastWater‐stressed areas significantly expand over southern China in the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and 10 µm (PM10) is a widespread concern and has been demonstrated for 103 countries. During the past few years, the exposure-response function (ERf) has been widely used to estimate the health effects of air pollution. However, past studies are either based on the cost-of-illness or the willingness-to-pay approach, and therefore, either do not cover intangible costs or costs due to the absence of work. To address this limitation, a hybrid health effect and economic loss model is developed in this study. This novel approach is applied to a sample of environmental and cost data in China. First, the ERf is used to link PM2.5 concentrations to health endpoints of chronic mortality, acute mortality, respiratory hospital admission, cardiovascular hospital admission, outpatient visits-internal medicine, outpatient visits-pediatrics, asthma attack, acute bronchitis, and chronic bronchitis. Second, the health effect of PM2.5 is monetized into the economic loss. The mean economic loss due to PM2.5 was much heavier in the North than the South of China. Furthermore, the empirical results from 76 cities in China show that the health effects and economic losses were over 4.98 million cases and 382.30 billion-yuan in 2014 and decreased dramatically compared with those in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) genotype dominance has shifted to genotype I (GI) from genotype III (GIII) in China as demonstrated by molecular epidemiological surveillance. In this study, we performed a serological survey in JEV-non-vaccinated pigs to confirm JEV genotype shift at the sero-epidemiological level. The average ratio of GI/GIII infection was 1.87, suggesting co-circulation of GI and GIII infections with GI infection being more prevalent in pigs in China. To gain an insight into the reasons for this JEV genotype shift, the replication kinetics of seven recently-isolated JEV isolates including three GI strains and four GIII strains were compared in mosquito C6/36 cells, chicken fibroblast cells (DF-1) and porcine iliac artery endothelial cells (PIEC). We observed that GI strains replicated more efficiently than GIII strains in DF-1 and PIEC cells, particularly in DF-1 cells with titers reaching 22.9–225.3 fold higher than GIII strains. This shows an enhanced replication efficiency of GI viruses in avian cells. To examine this enhanced replication efficiency in vivo, young domestic ducklings were used as the animal model and inoculated with GI and GIII strains at day 2 post-hatching. We observed that GI-inoculated ducklings developed higher viremia titers and displayed a comparatively longer viremic duration than GIII-inoculated ducklings. These results conform to the hypothesis of an enhanced replication efficiency for GI viruses in birds. There are 36 amino acid differences between GI and GIII viruses, some of which may be responsible for the enhanced replication efficiency of GI viruses in birds. Based on these findings, we speculated that the enhanced replication of GI viruses in birds would have resulted in higher exposure and therefore infection in mosquitoes, which could result in an increased transmission efficiency of GI viruses in the birds-mosquitoes-birds enzootic transmission cycle, thereby contributing to JEV genotype shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a structural decomposition method was applied to research the factors affecting the changes in air pollution emissions in China. Based on 1995-2009 data from the World IO Database, we combine China’s (Import) Noncompetitive IO Table and the Environmental Account Table. The results indicate that emission intensities represent the most important factor for reducing air pollution emissions in China. In contrast, economies of scale and the intermediate input product structure constitute the major causes for acceleration in the growth of air pollution emissions in China. From the perspective of final demand, the economic scale effect caused by investment demand is the main reason for this accelerated growth in China’s air pollution emissions in recent years. Consumption-driven economic growth is cleaner, while investment-driven economic growth is dirtier. This study constructed a structure decomposition model based on the input-output tables, which is suitable for studying the driving forces of various economic indicators, such as energy, carbon dioxide, and economic growth. At the same time, this method is helpful for analyzing the factors that influence changes in economic indicators that result from different economic pull modes, such as the final demand mode. However, the model does have limitations; for example, it does not consider the difference between general trade and processing trade in exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite retrieval of vertical column densities (VCDs) of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is critical for NOx pollution and impact evaluation. For regions with high aerosol loadings, the retrieval accuracy is greatly affected by whether aerosol optical effects are treated implicitly (as additional "effective" clouds) or explicitly, among other factors. Our previous POMINO algorithm explicitly accounts for aerosol effects to improve the retrieval especially in polluted situations over China, by using aerosol information from GEOS-Chem simulations with further monthly constraint by MODIS/Aqua AOD data. This study updates the retrieval algorithm to POMINO v1.1, by constructing a monthly climatological dataset of aerosol extinction profiles, based on Level-2 CALIOP/CALIPSO data over 2007-2015, to better constrain the modeled aerosol profiles. We find that GEOS-Chem captures the month-to-month variation of CALIOP aerosol layer height but with a systematic underestimate by about 300-600 m (season and location dependent), due to a too strong vertical gradient of extinction above 1 km. Correcting the model aerosol extinction profiles results in small changes in retrieved cloud fraction, increases in cloud top pressure (within 2-6 % in most cases), and increases in tropospheric NO2 VCD by 4-16 % over China on a monthly basis in 2012. The improved NO2 VCDs (in POMINO v1.1) are more consistent with independent ground-based MAX-DOAS observations (R² = 0.80, NMB = -3.4 %) than POMINO (R² = 0.80, NMB = -9.6 %) and DOMINO v2 (R² = 0.68, NMB = -2.1 %) are. Especially on haze days, R² reaches 0.76 for POMINO v1.1, much higher than that for POMINO (0.68) and DOMINO v2 (0.38). Furthermore, the increase in cloud pressure likely reveals a more realistic vertical relationship between cloud and aerosol layers, with aerosols situated above the clouds in certain months instead of always below the clouds. Our POMINO v1.1 algorithm will be applied to the recently launched TropOMI sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that he wanted to resurrect the legendary Silk Road; he proposed a titanic project to build hundreds of roads, bridges, and railroads to connect China and Europe. In China, the government also speaks of the 'Belt and Road initiative' (One Belt, One Road - abbreviated OBOR) to describe the project that will span more than 50 years. OBOR is President Xi Jinping's most important project and it marks a radical change in China's foreign policy as it constitutes a new economic model that also aims to strengthen China's position as an economic superpower. Despite its major impact on international trade and investment, OBOR does not belong to present-day categories of international pacts and treaties. For the first time in its modern history, China is attempting to export its development model, that is, China is relying on massive investment in infrastructure, roads, ports, and railways, at home and abroad, to accelerate industrial development throughout the region. At a time when the globalization of the economy is tilting the balance towards the East, OBOR will redistribute the maps of trade and investment to an extent which this Article assesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A legitimate expectation is said to arise as a result of a promise, a representation, a practice or a policy made, adopted or announced by or on behalf of a government or a public authority. Even in the absence of a contractual or substantive right, a legitimate expectation may enable an individual to seek legal redress which makes the legitimate expectation a key principle in a number of domestic and international legal orders. First, this article presents the concept of legitimate expectations in its broader context with the objective to define in different (and sometimes overlapping) legal orders. The source of the concept in each legal order shall be briefly discussed. Second, this article focuses on invoking the concept of legitimate expectations in bringing judicial review proceedings before a Hong Kong court and an investment arbitration dispute before an international arbitral tribunal. Great effort was made to identify and compare the discrepancies of the concept in the two legal orders. In particular, the analysis seeks to conclude whether international investment law or domestic public law provides a broader notion of the concept in favour of the suing party. Third, in light of the contexts, it was concluded to which the concept applies. Finally, the article demonstrates that the concept of legitimate expectations under international law applies a wider notion of that than in the domestic judicial review proceedings. However, having acknowledged the wide and divergent socio-legal considerations of domestic public law and international investment law, this article concludes that whether an applicant is more strategic to launch a judicial review proceeding or an international investment arbitration is based on the facts of each particular case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Web-based multiple health behavior change (MHBC) interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in promoting physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) among Chinese college students. However, there is limited research examining their effects on promoting a healthy lifestyle (ie, adhering to both PA and FVC behavioral recommendations) among Chinese college students. In addition, the salient psychosocial mediators of successful MHBC interventions need to be researched.Objective: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a previous 8-week web-based MHBC program for promoting a healthy lifestyle and enhancing the psychosocial determinants (intention, self-efficacy, planning, and social support) of behavior change among Chinese college students. Furthermore, the study aims to identify whether changes in these psychosocial determinants mediate intervention effectiveness on the immediate and sustained lifestyle changes.Methods: This was a secondary analysis for a 3-arm randomized controlled trial. Chinese college students (N=552) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: a PA-first group (4-week PA intervention followed by 4-week FVC intervention), an FVC-first group (4-week FVC intervention followed by 4-week PA intervention), and a placebo control group. The intervention content was designed based on the health action process approach model. Data for analyses were collected at baseline (T0), postintervention assessment (T1), and 12-week follow-up assessment (T2).Results: At baseline, 13.9% (77/552) of the participants maintained a healthy lifestyle. After 8 weeks, more (200/552, 36.2%) participants achieved a healthy lifestyle. PA-first and FVC-first groups were, respectively, 3.24 times and 5 times more likely to adopt a healthy lifestyle than the control group at T1. After 12 weeks, 35.5% (196/552) of the participants adopted a healthy lifestyle. Intervention groups were approximately 2.99 times (PA first) and 4.07 times (FVC first) more likely to adopt a healthy lifestyle than the control group at T2. Intervention effects favored both intervention groups in self-efficacy and planning for PA and in intention and planning for FVC compared with the control condition. In addition, changes in PA self-efficacy and FVC intention mediated intervention effectiveness on the immediate lifestyle change after 8 weeks. Changes in FVC intention were identified as a salient mediator for facilitating sustained lifestyle change after 12 weeks.Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of an 8-week theory- and web-based MHBC intervention program on promoting a healthy lifestyle, self-efficacy and planning for PA, and intention and planning for FVC among Chinese college students. These research findings add new knowledge to the underlying psychosocial mechanisms of successful MHBC interventions. Overall, this study has considerable implications for future web-based MHBC research and practice in terms of addressing PA self-efficacy and FVC intention and helping students to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle independently of whether PA or FVC is addressed first.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03627949; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03627949. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, southern China has been considered to be an important source for emerging influenza viruses since key hosts live together in high densities in areas with intensive agriculture. However, the underlying conditions of emergence and spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV) have not been studied in detail, particularly the complex spatiotemporal interplay of viral transmission between wild and domestic ducks, two major actors of AIV epidemiology. In this synthesis, we examine the risks of avian influenza spread in Poyang Lake, an area of intensive free-ranging duck production and large numbers of wild waterfowl. Our synthesis shows that farming of free-grazing domestic ducks is intensive in this area and synchronized with wild duck migration. The presence of juvenile domestic ducks in harvested paddy fields prior to the arrival and departure of migrant ducks in the same fields may amplify the risk of AIV circulation and facilitate the transmission between wild and domestic populations. We provide evidence associating wild ducks migration with the spread of H5N1 in the spring of 2008 from southern China to South Korea, Russia, and Japan, supported by documented wild duck movements and phylogenetic analyses of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 sequences. We suggest that prevention measures based on a modification of agricultural practices may be implemented in these areas to reduce the intensity of AIV transmission between wild and domestic ducks. This would require involving all local stakeholders to discuss feasible and acceptable solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial transformation has been regarded as a significant measure for promoting fishery prosperity, fishing village revitalization and fishermen living conditions, and draws attentions in coastal areas since the turn of the new millennium. Although this relationship has been recognized, it was poorly studied in terms of the impact on fishing village revitalization, especially at the level of fishing villages. In this study, a new composite indicator is proposed to evaluate the impact of industrial transformation on fishing village based on the "Three F″ dimension, namely Fishery, Fishing Village and Fishermen, and their development process, internal logic, driving forces and mechanisms have also been explored. Wangjiataihou Village, located in the most rapid urbanized area, Qingdao West Coast New Area of China, was selected as a case study to empirically investigate the industrial transformation in fishing villages through in-depth interviews and observations. The results show that Wangjiataihou Village has undergone an industrial transformation from primary industry, fishery to tertiary industry, fishing village tourism since 2004. With the evolution and restructuring of socio-economic morphology, significant changes have occurred in the "Three F". On the whole, industrial transformation has boosted the overall revitalization to a certain degree. However, there still exist some problems, such as the loss of attractiveness and competitiveness and the low participation of villagers in decision making. Accordingly, this paper puts forward some suggestions, which aim to optimize industrial development and promote revitalization of fishing village, including accelerating infrastructure construction, enriching the local culture by diversifying tourism products and activities, exploring new driving forces and mechanisms to adapt to the new developing patterns of fishing villages. • A new composite indicator was proposed to evaluate the impact of industrial transformation on fishing village based on the "Three F″ dimension: Fishery, Fishing Village and Fishermen. • Industrial transformation from fishery to fishing village tourism promotes the overall revitalization to a certain degree. • New driving forces and mechanisms were explored to adapt to the new developing patterns in fishing villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The living hyena species (spotted, brown, striped and aardwolf) are remnants of a formerly diverse group of more than 80 fossil species, which peaked in diversity in the Late Miocene (about 7-8 Ma). The fossil history indicates an African origin, and morphological and ancient DNA data have confirmed that living spotted hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta) of Africa were closely related to extinct Late Pleistocene cave hyenas from Europe and Asia. The current model used to explain the origins of Eurasian cave hyena populations invokes multiple migrations out of Africa between 3.5-0.35 Ma. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences from radiocarbon-dated Chinese Pleistocene hyena specimens to examine the origin of Asian populations, and temporally calibrate the evolutionary history of spotted hyenas. Our results support a far more recent evolutionary timescale (430-163 kya) and suggest that extinct and living spotted hyena populations originated from a widespread Eurasian population in the Late Pleistocene, which was only subsequently restricted to Africa. We developed statistical tests of the contrasting population models and their fit to the fossil record. Coalescent simulations and Bayes Factor analysis support the new radiocarbon-calibrated timescale and Eurasian origins model. The new Eurasian biogeographic scenario proposed for the hyena emphasizes the role of the vast steppe grasslands of Eurasia in contrast to models only involving Africa. The new methodology for combining genetic and geological data to test contrasting models of population history will be useful for a wide range of taxa where ancient and historic genetic data are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine is a new ACT that is administered as single daily dose for three days and has been demonstrated to be tolerated and highly effective for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Piperaquine was used alone to replace chloroquine as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in China in response to increasing chloroquine resistance in the 1970s. However, the rapid emergence of piperaquine-resistant strains that resulted in the cessation of its use in China in the 1980s, suggests that there is cross-resistance between piperaquine and chloroquine. Very few data are available on cross-resistance between piperaquine and chloroquine, and the data that do exist are often contradictory. Methods In total, 280 P. falciparum isolates, collected between April 2008 and June 2012 from patients hospitalized in France with imported malaria from a malaria-endemic country, were assessed ex vivo for piperaquine and chloroquine susceptibilities by using the standard 42- hour 3H-hypoxanthine uptake inhibition method. The chloroquine resistance-associated mutation K76T in pfcrt was also investigated for the 280 isolates. Results The IC50 for piperaquine ranged from 9.8 nM to 217.3 nM (mean = 81.3 nM. The IC50 for chloroquine ranged from 5.0 nM to 1,918 nM (mean = 83.6 nM. A significant but low correlation was observed between the Log IC50 values for piperaquine and chloroquine (r = 0.145, p < 0.001). However, the coefficient of determination of 0.021 indicates that only 2.1% of the variation in the response to piperaquine is explained by the variation in the response to chloroquine. The mean value for piperaquine was 74.0 nM in the Pfcrt T76 wildtype group (no = 125) and 87.7 nM in the 76 K mutant group (no = 155). This difference was not significant (p = 0.875, Mann Whitney U test). Conclusions The present work demonstrates that there was no cross-resistance between piperaquine and chloroquine among 280 P. falciparum isolates and that piperaquine susceptibility is not associated with pfcrt, the gene involved in chloroquine resistance. These results confirm the efficacy of piperaquine in association with dihydroartemisinin and support its use in areas in which parasites are resistant to chloroquine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inversion scheme based on time-warping is presented for estimating seabed sound attenuation from modal dispersion of close-range single-hydrophone data. The dispersion information is extracted directly from the warped signal spectrum. Seabed sound speed and density are inverted from the modal group velocity curves, and the attenuation is inverted from the normalized modal amplitudes. The method is applied to experimental data collected in the Yellow Sea of China during the winter of 2002. The inverted sound speed and density are consistent with the sand-silt-clay sediment at the site, and the attenuation is nonlinear over the frequency band from 125-500 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A full understanding of life history characteristics of invasive species is a fundamental prerequisite for the development of management strategies. Two introduced goby species ( Rhinogobius cliffordpopei and Rhinogobius giurinus) have established highly abundant populations in Lake Erhai (China). In the present study, we examined the reproductive biology of these two species with the aim of improving the efficiency of management strategy. The results indicated that R. cliffordpopei spawned from February to June, whereas R. giurinus spawned from April to August. Rhinogobius cliffordpopei showed higher gonado-somatic indices and had larger eggs than R. giurinus. The adult sex ratio of R. cliffordpopei was female skewed, but that of R. giurinus was equal. Rhinogobius cliffordpopei showed a male-skewed sexual size dimorphism, whereas the body size of R. giurinus varied only slightly between males and females. The different reproductive traits appear as a crucial biologic aspect for developing control programs. Specifically, control measures should be implemented and/or intensified from September to February for R. cliffordpopei and from January to April for R. giurinus. The body size of the smaller R. cliffordpopei females is the determinant for minimal mesh size of the nets used in physical removals of R. cliffordpopei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1957 and 1968 influenza pandemics, each of which killed ≈1 million persons, arose through reassortment events. Influenza virus in humans and domestic animals could reassort and cause another pandemic. To identify geographic areas where agricultural production systems are conducive to reassortment, we fitted multivariate regression models to surveillance data on influenza A virus subtype H5N1 among poultry in China and Egypt and subtype H3N2 among humans. We then applied the models across Asia and Egypt to predict where subtype H3N2 from humans and subtype H5N1 from birds overlap; this overlap serves as a proxy for co-infection and in vivo reassortment. For Asia, we refined the prioritization by identifying areas that also have high swine density. Potential geographic foci of reassortment include the northern plains of India, coastal and central provinces of China, the western Korean Peninsula and southwestern Japan in Asia, and the Nile Delta in Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study presents high-resolution oxygen and carbon isotopic records of paleosol carbonates from fluvial sediments and lacustrine carbonates, sampled from the Jingou He and Kuitun He stratigraphic sections, located in the northern Tianshan piedmont. These sections expose remarkable outcrops of Junggar foreland basin sediments that have been previously dated by high-resolution magnetostratigraphy to between ∼23.6 and ∼1Ma, and ∼10.5 and ∼3.1Ma. A total of 216 samples of fluvio-lacustrine sediments were collected from which isotopic analyses yield δ18O (SMOW) values that range from 13.7‰ to 29.9‰ in the Jingou He section, and 16.3‰ to 21.0‰ in the Kuitun He section. δ13C (PDB) values range from −12.9‰ to 3.0‰ in the Jingou He section and from −7.8‰ to −4.0% in the Kuitun He section. δ18O values decrease between ∼25 and 23Ma, and then remain relatively steady, with the exception of one period that contains samples with higher oxygen isotope values at ∼16Ma. During the periods when there are samples that overlap in time from the Kuitun He and Jingou He sections, we observe a difference of ∼1.7% between values from the two locales. The δ13C values also decrease between ∼25 and 23Ma, and then remain relatively steady until ∼10Ma with, again, one short period of higher values at ∼16Ma. Then, between ∼10 and 3.1Ma, carbon isotope values progressively increase. We interpret that δ18O and δ13C isotopic values during lacustrine periods (∼25–23Ma and ∼16Ma) as largely controlled by evaporation and opening/closing of the lake to external inputs. We interpret the δ18O values of paleosol carbonate in the Junggar Basin to be influenced by the hypsometry of the high Tianshan range while the δ13C values may record the uplift history of the depositional area in the foreland basin itself as well as the isotopic composition of plants. Consequently, we conclude that the Jingou He and Kuitun He drainage basins in the Central Tianshan have remained at relatively unchanged elevations for the past ∼20Ma. We also suggest that the elevation of the southern part of the foreland basin increased between ∼10 and ∼3.1Ma, probably as a result of tectonic deformation in the piedmont and sedimentary filling of the sedimentary basin. The carbon isotope record remains relatively stable through time, and isotopic values suggest that there was little or no expansion of C4 plants in this region in the late Miocene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The changes in hydraulic geometry of the Hwang River downstream of Hapcheon Dam have been investigated since 1982. The study reach is 45 km long from the Hapcheon Re-regulation Dam to the confluence with the Nakdong River, in South Korea. The geographic information system (GIS) analysis of a time series of aerial photographs taken in 1982, 1993 and 2004 showed that the non-vegetated active channel width decreased an average of 152 m (47% width reduction since 1982). The average median bed material size increased from 1.07 mm in 1983 to 5.72 mm in 2003, and the bed slope of the reach decreased from 94 to 85 cm/km from 1983 to 2003. The analysis of aerial photographs and field surveys shows that the 2004 channel width was asymptotically approaching the estimated equilibrium width from the Julien and Wargadalam (Julien, P.Y. and Wargadalam, J., 1995. Alluvial channel geometry: theory and applications. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 121 (4), 312-325) hydraulic geometry equations. An exponential model is proposed and is in good agreement with field measurements. The sediment transport model GSTAR-1D shows that the thalweg elevation will reach equilibrium around 2013-2015. The thalweg elevation simulated for 2013 is expected to remain almost identical to the predictions for 2023. The bed elevation changes should affect primarily the 20 km reach immediately downstream of the re-regulation dam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]