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Working memory capacity (WMC) and fluid intelligence (Gf) are highly correlated, but what accounts for this relationship remains elusive. Process-overlap theory (POT) proposes that the positive manifold is mainly caused by the overlap of domain-general executive processes which are involved in a battery of mental tests. Thus, executive processes are proposed to explain the relationship between WMC and Gf. The current study aims to (1) achieve a relatively purified representation of the core executive processes including shifting and inhibition by a novel approach combining experimental manipulations and fixed-links modeling, and (2) to explore whether these executive processes account for the overlap between WMC and Gf. To these ends, we reanalyzed data of 215 university students who completed measures of WMC, Gf, and executive processes. Results showed that the model with a common factor, as well as shifting and inhibition factors, provided the best fit to the data of the executive function (EF) task. These components explained around 88% of the variance shared by WMC and Gf. However, it was the common EF factor, rather than inhibition and shifting, that played a major part in explaining the common variance. These results do not support POT as underlying the relationship between WMC and Gf.

Experiencing bereavement due to the death of a close person is rife in the lives of young people. This review aimed to investigate how bereavement affects educational outcomes of students at various educational levels and what factors may be involved in moderating these outcomes. The systemic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines with searches of peer-reviewed literature in Embase, Emcare, Medline, PsycINFO and Scopus. Twenty-two studies (17 quantitative and 5 qualitative) were included. In general, bereavement can constitute a barrier to educational achievement in young people compromising academic performance, and educational engagement and attainment. Several factors can place young people at greater risk of experiencing this disadvantage and further research into these mechanisms and interventions to mitigate short- and long-term consequences, especially among high-risk groups, is warranted.

This study examined whether there is a developmental difference in the emergence of an item-position effect in intelligence testing. The item-position effect describes the dependency of the item's characteristics on the positions of the items and is explained by learning. Data on fluid intelligence measured by Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) and data on working memory tasks were collected from both primary school age children (7-8 years old) and secondary school age adolescents (12-13 years old). The item-position effect of SPM was represented and separated from the ability component by the fixed-links model. The results indicated a clear age difference: whereas the item-position effect was observed in the adolescents, it was not found in the primary school children. In addition, separating the item-position effect detected in the adolescents from the ability component led to a larger correlation with working memory than otherwise. These results suggest that age differences in intelligence test performance may not only reflect differences in the general ability but also in the sources of the item-position effect.

A newly characterized garlic virus, provisionally named garlic yellow curl virus (GYCV), is a Betaflexiviridae virus first reported in China in 2023. In this study, GYCV was also discovered in the Philippines through transcriptome sequencing of the Batanes White garlic variety from Batanes, the northernmost province of the country. The complete RNA sequence of GYCV from the Philippines (GenBank OR354819) spans 8184 bp, and the genome organization is typical of the subfamily Quinvirinae, which comprises five open reading frames: one replicase gene, three triple gene block protein genes, and one coat protein gene. The complete genome shares its closest relatedness with the first GYCV from China, showing approximately 76% genetic similarity and clustering within the GYCV clade in the phylogenetic tree. Additionally, analysis of the replicase and coat protein genes confirmed the virus's identity with > 72% similarity to GYCV. Among the Betaflexiviridae viruses, the GYCV clade exhibits a higher degree of relatedness to another new and unclassified garlic yellow mosaic-associated virus (GYMaV) recently reported in Brazil and Korea. The presence of GYCV in the Batanes White garlic samples was further confirmed through reverse transcription PCR and subsequent sequencing using primers designed from the generated complete genome. To date, this emerging virus does not belong to any known genera of viruses within the Betaflexiviridae family. This study represents the first detection and complete genome sequencing of GYCV in the Philippines and the second after China. These findings hold significance for virus management and resistance breeding programs aimed at safeguarding the country's garlic industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers are social-ecological systems. Yet, in urban contexts, they have often been degraded to lifeless conduits, failing to promote human-nature interactions. As a countermeasure, river restoration has progressively been implemented globally to improve rivers' ecological quality and rejuvenate human-nature connections. In China, urban river restoration has been facilitated to improve river water quality and enhance nature-based recreation. Despite this nation-driven effort towards restoration, scholarly understanding of whether and how river restoration could align with societal preferences remains scarce. This study examined the social-ecological interactions associated with urban rivers with a social science methodology; a questionnaire survey was conducted at three Water Museums in three Chinese cities in summer 2022 and collected 654 responses from highly educated respondents. The results revealed an appreciation for rivers' environmental and recreational value among urban residents, with childhood experiences playing a role in shaping these evaluations and perceptions. Respondents generally preferred prioritizing biological elements in urban river restoration. They also stress the importance of a balanced approach, integrating nature conservation and recreational functionality while maintaining physical water access. These findings challenge the current approach of urban river restoration in the three Chinese cities, which tend to emphasize aesthetic and recreational aspects over comprehensive ecological considerations. The ANCOVA analysis further indicated that preferences for river restoration are influenced by individuals' perceptions of the positive and negative social-ecological impacts of rivers, emphasizing the need to enhance environmental awareness regarding river ecosystems. Finally, in alignment with China's vision of promoting human-nature harmony, the study advocated for strategies that harmonize ecological functionality with societal needs in urban river management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This empirical paper aims to assess how social media can foster workplace learning within a globally dispersed project environment. In general, there are few studies on the use of social media in organizations, and many of these emphasize on issues related to knowledge transfer. Although learning traditionally has been as acquisition of knowledge, increasingly researchers point to learning-as-participation occurring through work collaboration. Social media promise increased opportunities for communication and collaboration, extending the context of collaboration beyond the local setting. However, there exists limited research on how social media can foster workplace learning, for example, between globally dispersed colleagues. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on an exploratory, in-depth single case study of an international professional service firm's implementation of an internal wiki system to address the research question: how are social media utilized in an organization to foster workplace learning among its dispersed individual experts? Data are gathered in 35 semi-structured interviews, as well as documents studies and observations. Data are coded and analyzed utilizing the context and learning factors of workplace learning. Findings: The paper shows how the wiki system enables hybrid knowledge management strategies linked to virtual collaboration on daily project tasks, involving documentation, search, interaction and knowledge exchange, as well as socialization and learning from practice among dispersed groups and individuals. The learning mechanisms involved in virtual collaboration do not differ much from what is reported on face-to-face workplace learning, however, the context factors are extended beyond the local setting. Practical implications: The findings identify four determinants for using the wiki that can be of use to other organizations implementing similar virtual collaboration technology. First, the wiki must directly relate to the daily work by offering interactive and updated information concerning current project challenges. Second, the system must enable transparency in the daily project work to allow search. Third, the intention with the search is of lesser degree to identify encyclopedic information than it is to visualize individual competence. Fourth, the quality assurance of the data posted at the wiki is important. Originality/value: The study reveals how an international knowledge-based organization can utilize social media to leverage knowledge and experiences from multiple geographically dispersed projects by enabling virtual collaboration. Extant empirical research on workplace learning emphasizes on face-to-face interactions in groups, for example, when engineers, or accountants, in teams interact and collaborate at client premises. However, there exists limited knowledge concerning how workplace learning can be achieved through virtual collaboration.

The current research investigated the variability of school effects on intelligence development in considering two economically and socially distinct groups of children. The data came from a nationally representative sample of primary school children from urban and rural areas of China. Two standardised reasoning tests were used to assess fluid intelligence. The between-grade regression discontinuity approach was applied to disentangle the schooling effect from the age effect. Results showed that the combined effects of schooling and age were 5.09 intelligence points per year, in which the schooling effect (4.37 points) was larger than the age effect (0.72 points). The patterns of schooling and age effects were different in urban and rural subsamples. For the urban subsample, the schooling effect was smaller than the age effect for children from grade 1 to 3, but the schooling effect became larger than the age effect from grade 4 to 6. For the rural subsample, however, the schooling effect was always larger than the age effect. The effect of one year of schooling for rural children (5.59 points) was larger than that for urban children (3.15 points). These results suggest that schooling effects are closely related to the context where children are growing up.

Objectives: Self-compassion is the ability to be kind to oneself in adversity. This multidimensional construct is typically assessed by the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). In Chinese samples, there have been inconsistent psychometric findings that impede cross-cultural research. This study aimed to explore the factor structure of the Chinese version (SCS-C). Methods: Two samples of young Chinese adults were recruited (Sample 1, N = 465, 141 men, Mean age [ M age] = 20.26; Sample 2, N = 392, 71 men; M age = 18.97). Confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used to examine previously reported four- and six-factor structures of SCS-C. Results: Although ESEM supported the six-factor structure when a problematic item was omitted, we found stronger evidence for a novel four-factor structure of the SCS-C revealed with self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, and uncompassionate self-responding. This suggests that Chinese individuals have a different understanding of the negative components of the original self-compassion definition, which was based on the United States and other mostly Western samples. Omega coefficients of the bifactor models suggested that using the SCS total score in Chinese samples is inappropriate. However, high factor determinacy and construct replicability indicated that the general factor of SCS-C could be used in a structural equation modeling context for both four-factor and six-factor structures. Conclusions: When using the existing SCS-C in path models, researchers should use a latent variable approach and establish the measurement construct rather than sum scores of the scale or subscales without checking the factor structure in future empirical studies. Also, the SCS-C needs to be revised, and we proposed directions forward for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railway development holds special importance in every major industrialized country. Despite its significance, the wholesale modernization of China's railway sector only began after the mid-2000s. Against this backdrop, this paper poses three research questions: First, why did China's high-speed railway (HSR) revolution start in the mid-2000s? Second, which domestic and international factors most decisively shaped the rapid development of China's HSR industry? Third, can other states replicate the Chinese model? This paper advances the perspective of 'market-creating states'. Through administrative centralization, the Chinese state created a national HSR market in which state-owned firms and sub- national governments collaborated with the central government to pursue rapid development. In doing so, the Chinese state successfully leapfrogged into the age of HSR, fostered indigenous innovation, and escaped dependency. High-speed rail development serves as a fruitful starting point for understanding the role of a 'market-creating state' in managing development in a globalized economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evergreen and deciduous species coexist in the subtropical forests in southeastern China. It has been suggested that phosphorus (P) is the main limiting nutrient in subtropical forests, and that evergreen and deciduous species adopt different carbon capture strategies to deal with this limitation. However, these hypotheses have not been examined empirically to a sufficient degree. In order to fill this knowledge gap, we measured leaf photosynthetic and respiration rates, and nutrient traits related to P-, nitrogen (N)- and carbon (C)-use efficiencies and resorption using 75 woody species (44 evergreen and 31 deciduous species) sampled in a subtropical forest. The photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), respiration rate per unit N and P (R d,N and R d,P, respectively) of the deciduous species were all significantly higher than those of evergreen species, but not in the case of photosynthetic P-use efficiency. These results indicate that, for any given leaf P, evergreen species manifest higher carbon-use efficiency (CUE) than deciduous species, a speculation that is empirically confirmed. In addition, no significant differences were observed between deciduous and evergreen species for nitrogen resorption efficiency, phosphorus resorption efficiency or N:P ratios. These results indicate that evergreen species coexist with deciduous species and maintain dominance in P-limited subtropical forests by maintaining CUE. Our results also indicate that it is important to compare the PNUE of deciduous species with evergreen species in other biomes. These observations provide insights into modeling community dynamics in subtropical forests, particularly in light of future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of China and the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative have intensified regional great power competition. Seemingly, China and Japan have been competing over the export of infrastructure projects and access to the Southeast Asian market. Against this backdrop, this paper sheds light on recipient states' agency. Specifically, this paper explores how Indonesia has responded to Sino-Japanese competition through the perspective of economic hedging. In the realm of domestic railway development and the need to establish connectivity on Java, why did the Indonesian government decide to work with China to develop the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Rail project and Japan on the North Java Upgrading Line, as the two lines are not interoperable? Railway policy in Indonesia is strategic and pragmatic. On the one hand, Sino-Japanese competition diversifies Indonesia's options as it continues striving to strengthen infrastructure development. On the other hand, the need continually to strike a balance between the two great powers requires skill and flexibility. Therefore, maintaining policy autonomy and accepting economic costs make-up secondary states' responses to great power competition in turbulent times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether the associations between (a) the quality of the parent-child relationship and peer acceptance and (b) early adolescents' life satisfaction differed depending on the importance of family values in the respective culture. As part of the Value of Children Study, data from a subsample of N = 1,034 adolescents (58% female, M age = 13.62 years, SD = 0.60 years) from 11 cultures was analyzed. Multilevel analyses revealed a positive relation between parental admiration and adolescents' life satisfaction independent of cultural membership. Further, the higher the importance of family values in a culture, the weaker was the positive effect of peer acceptance on adolescents' life satisfaction. The results highlight the universal importance of parental warmth and support in adolescence and underline the effect of culturally shared family values on the role of peer acceptance for adolescent development. (Contains 3 tables and 1 note.)

Rapid Westernization and modernization in most Chinese societies has triggered a process of acculturation to Western value orientations, which induced conflicts between Confucian-based collectivism and Western individualism at both the societal and individual levels. A review of research instruments indicated that a cultural conflict approach is often used when assessing the personality and psychological functioning of Chinese people within and outside the United States. In spite of the receptiveness toward Western influences, family and collectivistic orientation are Confucian virtues and remain dominant values that govern the interpersonal and normative relationships in Chinese societies. Within this cultural conflict context, the concept of collectivistic conflict is proposed to conceptualize the psychological adaptation and counseling concerns of the Chinese. The development of a compromising self and the reintegration of the indigenous coping mechanism of self-cultivation (i.e., striving to be a cultivated, cultured person) are postulated as therapeutic tasks when helping Chinese clients resolve collectivistic conflict. (Contains 1 table.)

The cross-cultural experiences of Chinese international students in Western countries have been subject to intensive research, but only a very small number of studies have considered how these students adapt to learning in an online flexible delivery environment. Guided by Berry's acculturation framework (1980, 2005), the investigation discussed in this article aimed to address this gap by exploring the adaptation processes of Chinese international students to online learning at an Australian university. This article reports on the challenges perceived by two students from Mainland China, their coping strategies, changes in their opinions of online learning, and their respective patterns of adaptation. By presenting two indicative case studies drawn from a wider study, this article aims to demonstrate the use of Berry's concepts as a means to frame such studies. (Contains 2 figures.)

Self-compassion, being kind to oneself in difficult times, is a way of relating to oneself that promotes better mental health, but little is known about how self-compassion affects interpersonal relationships. The current study examined the association between self-compassion and adolescent depressive symptoms from an interpersonal perspective in different cultural contexts. Adolescents (N = 422/570, Mean age = 14.44/13.41, UK/China) completed questionnaires about their perceptions of their parents' behaviour towards them, self-compassion, friendships and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modelling revealed that positive parenting was positively associated with higher self-compassion, positive friendship quality, and with fewer depressive symptoms in both samples. Additionally, we confirmed a negative association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. The pathway from positive parenting to lower depressive symptoms via higher self-compassion was also corroborated in both cultures. Contrary to our hypothesis, positive quality of friendship was associated with higher depressive symptoms in both countries. Conflicts were associated with more depressive symptoms in the Chinese sample only. There was evidence of a negative association between self-compassion and conflicts in the Chinese sample only. Finally, the direct association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms was greater in the UK sample, whereas in the Chinese sample, interpersonal factors were more strongly associated with self-compassion and depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that self-compassion may be a useful therapeutic target to improve social functioning and mental health among adolescents and that it may be necessary to account for cross-cultural differences in interpersonal factors when designing psychological interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ruckus doesn't have a clear answer to any of this, even while he does seem to assume that leftist social struggles play a role similar in China as they do in Euro-America, a premise about which I am considerably less convinced than he is. The lead-up to 1989 and the aftermath of the Tiananmen movement occupy a good deal of Ruckus's attention towards the last chapters of the book. The periodizing, then, gives an indication of what concerns Ruckus most: these are anti-systemic organized social movements that are neither Communist Party-led nor Communist Party-inspired, but rather that attempt to force the Party to live up to its proclaimed socialist pursuits. [Extracted from the article]

Sediment cores were collected from the Xiangxi River, a tributary of the Three Gorges Reservoir, the deposition time in the longest sediment core (90 cm) was measured by radiometry (137Cs, 210Pb) activities and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furan (PCDD/F) concentrations in different depths of the sediment core were measured. The results indicated that the mean deposition rate was 1.01 cm/a. The total PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 19.28 to 70.07 pg/g d.w. with a mean of 35.06 pg/g d.w. PCDD/Fs in the 1960–1990s were higher than others, which were significantly different in the various layers and cores (p < 0.05). PCDD occupied 63.42–87.33% of PCDD/Fs, and octachlorianted debenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) was the predominant congener. The ratio of PCDD to PCDF was 2.26–8.08. PCDD/Fs significantly correlated with total organic carbon (TOC) (p < 0.01). The toxic equivalent (TEQ) ranged from 0.15 to 0.98 pg/g d.w. No significant difference was found in TEQ (p > 0.05). It was concluded that the spatio-temporal heterogeneity determined by hydrodynamics and total organic carbon (TOC) was the distribution pattern of PCDD/Fs in the sediment cores of Xiangxi River, the concentrations of PCDD/Fs were low, with a low environmental pollution risk, and by-products of sodium pentachlorophenate might be the main source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed the dynamics of the international soybean market using econometric techniques and economic models to study the impacts of the US–China trade war. It considered the analysis of "spatial" (horizontal) price transmission during an approximately ten-year period from September 2009 to May 2019 using monthly time-series data. The research focused on the leaders in the international soybean market, namely, China, the USA, the EU, Brazil and Argentina. Several econometric techniques were employed. The stationarity of the price time series was determined using the augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) unit root test. Structural breaks were inferred using the ADF test with a breaks test and a Bai–Perron multiple break test. The long-term relation/cointegration amongst the series was determined using the Johansen cointegration test (1988), with the previous breaks input as dummy variables. The direction of the causality was inferred using the Granger causality test (1969). The long-term and short-term causal relations were determined using the vector autoregression model (VAR) and the vector error correction model (VECM). The results showed a highly efficient and cointegrated market. The incidents of the trade war, as represented by tariffs and subsidies, had minor effects on the market efficacy, cointegration and price transmission. The arbitrage process of the studied market managed to get around the tariffs. In other words, there was no empirical evidence to support the claim that the law of one price (LOOP) did not hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Allocating agricultural land carbon loss (ALCL) from consumption side helps promote equity. • The ALCL in China has been traced through transregional food consumption. • Physical food-orient multi-regional input-output table in China has been complied. • Developed provinces plundered massive land carbon stocks from others via inter-provincial trade. • Inter-provincial trade embodied ALCL accounted for 42 % of the national total ALCL. Agricultural land carbon loss (ALCL) has been increasingly triggered by transregional food consumption in China. Understanding land carbon burden from consumption side is then recognized to be essential for facilitating regional fairness. To this end, we combined physical food-orient multi-regional input-output table and ALCL inventory for 26 kinds of foods in 31 provinces to trace China's ALCL through cross-regional consumption. Results show that ALCL embodied in inter-provincial trade was up to 42 % of the national total ALCL. Food consumption in Guangdong caused the largest ALCL, while Tibet and Qinghai stood out from per capita perspective. Furthermore, consuming foods produced in areas with higher production ALCL intensity would elevate national ALCL, thus shrinking the adverse flows and controlling agricultural land expansion in high-intensity areas may help lessen national ALCL. This study contributes to equitable allocation of responsibility for land carbon loss, and enlightens future land carbon loss risks and restoration opportunities. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threadfin Eleutheronema are the important fishery resources in Indo-Pacific regions and classified as the endangered species with considerable conservation values. Their genetic diversity and population structure remain essentially unknown but are critical for the proper management and sustainable harvests of such important fisheries. Here, the mitochondrial DNA sequences of CO1 and 16s rRNA were determined from 75 individuals of Eleutheronema tetradactylum and 89 individuals of Eleutheronema rhadinum collected from different locations of South China Sea and Thailand coastal waters. Genetic diversity analysis revealed that both E. tetradactylum (Haplotype diversity, H = 0.105–0.211; Nucleotide diversity, π = 0.00017–0.00043) and E. rhadinum (H = 0.074–0.663, π = 0.00013–0.01088) had low diversity. Population structure analysis demonstrated the shallow genetic differentiation among the South China Sea populations. The limited communication between China and Thailand populations caused the high genetic differentiation in all groups due to the low dispersal ability. Reconstruction of CO1 phylogenetic relationships and demographic studies across Indo-West-Pacific regions provided strong evidence for a shared common origin or ancestor of E. tetradactylum and E. rhadinum. Eleutheronema rhadinum were further subdivided into two distinct genetic lineages, with Clade A dominantly distributing in Thailand and Malaysia and Clade B distributing in China coastal waters. Phenotypic divergence, characterized mainly by the depth of caudal peduncle and length of caudal peduncle, was also observed for all populations, which was possibly associated with specific local adaptations to environmental changes. Our study suggested a strong need for the development of proper fishery management strategies and conservation actions for the imperiled Eleutheronema species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Bone metastasis in breast cancer remains globally concerned. Accurate survival estimation would be beneficial for clinical decision-making, especially for the patients with potential indications of surgery. Based on a retrospective cohort from China, the study aimed to construct a prognostic prediction nomogram for breast cancer patients with bone metastasis. Methods. Breast cancer patients with bone metastasis diagnosed between 2009 and 2017 in our department were retrospectively selected. The total cohort was divided into construction and validation cohorts (ratio 7 : 3). A nomogram was constructed to predict the probability of survival, and the performance of model was validated. Results. A total of 343 patients were enrolled with 243 and 100 patients in construction and validation cohorts, respectively. The median overall survival for the total cohort was 63.2 (95% CI: 52.4–74.0) months. Elevated ALP (HR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.16–2.51; P = 0.006), no surgery for breast cancer (HR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.30–3.70; P = 0.003), synchronous bone metastasis (HR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.22–3.22; P = 0.006), and liver metastasis (HR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.20–2.37; P = 0.003) were independent prognostic factors for worse survival. The independent predictors and other five factors (including age at diagnosis, ER status, PR status, Her-2 status, and the performance of bisphosphonate) were incorporated to construct the nomogram. The C-index was 0.714 (95% CI: 0.636–0.792) and 0.705 (95% CI: 0.705) in the construction cohort and validation cohort, respectively. All the calibration curves were close to the 45-degree line, which indicated satisfactory calibration. Conclusion. A retrospective study aiming at prognostic estimation of breast cancer patients with bone metastasis was designed. Four independent prognostic factors were identified and a prognostic nomogram was constructed with satisfactory discrimination and calibration. The model could be used in survival estimation and individualized treatment planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two recent books illumine arenas of state practice in Qing and Republican China and/or in the People's Republic of China. One takes up state practice through the problem of the establishment of a national language in China's nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the other engages statecraft from the perspective of the 1950s efforts to collect data and account statistically for China's material conditions and its population. Each book contributes to narrower and broader areas of research and academic interest in China's and the world's modern history, and both could be of interest to scholars of nationalism, language, statistics, Chinese identity, and the Chinese state. This essay discusses the following works. Arunabh Ghosh. Making It Count: Statistics and Statecraft in the Early People's Republic of China. Histories of Economic Life Series. Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020. 340 pp. Hardcover ($45.00), softcover ($32.95), or e-book. | Gina Anne Tam. Dialect and Nationalism in China: 1860–1960. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. 261 pp. Hardcover ($99.99), softcover ($29.99), or e-book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining large‐scale patterns of plant elemental concentrations and stoichiometry along environmental gradients is critical for understanding plant adaptive strategies and predicting ecosystem biogeochemistry processes. However, it remains unclear as to how plant carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and their stoichiometry in different organs (leaves, stems and roots) respond to large‐scale environmental gradients in drylands.We determined C, N and P concentrations and their ratios in leaves, stems and roots of plants growing in the dryland ecosystems of China. Using threshold indicator taxa analyses, we identified indicator species of plant C, N and P responses to aridity and soil properties.The arithmetic averaged concentrations of C, N and P in drylands were 414, 18.7 and 1.38 mg/g for leaves respectively; 445, 12.1 and 1.08 mg/g for stems respectively; and 418, 10.5 and 0.89 mg/g for roots respectively. The C:N, C:P and N:P ratios were 25.2, 386 and 16.3 for leaves respectively; 42.8, 592 and 14.8 for stems respectively; and 46.8, 658 and 15.6 for roots respectively. Aridity and soil pH generally exerted positive effects on plant N and negative effects on C and P concentrations and, thus, were related negatively to C:N ratios and positively to C:P and N:P ratios. The C, N and P concentrations in organs generally increased with increasing corresponding soil C, N and P concentrations. Shrubs were mainly positive indicators of plant C, N and P concentrations in response to aridity and soil pH, and negative indicators of soil nutrients. In contrast, herbaceous species were mainly positive indicators of soil nutrients and negative indicators of aridity and soil pH.These findings indicate that plants tend to accumulate N rather than C and P with increasing aridity and soil pH. The identification of indicator species for plant elements in response to aridity and soil traits informs our understanding of species‐specific biogeographic patterns of organ elements and potential adaptive strategies of plants in drylands. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The concept of hair transparency has been claimed widely in the Japan (and now it is spreading to Asian) hair color market. Despite the general use of this concept, to date, there is no clear and objective description to accurately explain what it is. In this work, we have decoded and gave clarity to the concept of hair transparency via a technical model (validated for both Japan and China markets) composed of measurable parameters of hair property using a single device. Methodology and Results: A comprehensive study composed of various tests was used, starting with a qualitative identification of key parameters via in‐depth workshop discussions with over 40 Japanese stylists and a panel of 12 consumers. These identified parameters (luminosity, color visibility, and Shine) were then translated into technically measurable parameters of the hair fiber (Diffused light intensity, ratio of RGB channel intensities of Diffused light, and luster) via a single instrument—Hair SAMBA (a dual‐polarized imaging system). Afterward, 10 carefully selected anchor shades were used as visual stimuli in an online pairwise comparison (PC) study with 100 Japanese stylists to generate quantitative transparency perception data of the swatches. Technical parameters of these swatches were measured by SAMBA and consolidated with the PC output, for the creation and validation of the mathematical model. After, with another PC study (N = 100) in China, with seven shades from Japan study and 6 additional Chinese market shades, the applicability of the model in China market was validated. Conclusion: We have clarified and quantified the concept of hair transparency through a consumer centric approach and with objective data. Our findings will enable the development of optimum transparent shades which better suits consumer needs. Lastly, we would like to highlight the beauty of digitalization in the study: The digital evaluation pathways chosen allowed us to collect quantitative consumer data from two countries for the creation of a robust model under the impact of COVID‐19 and would definitely be the way to go for our future consumer evaluation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of digital social media in China has altered our understanding of who sets the policy agenda and forms public opinion. Using text mining analysis of more than 74,000 Weibo user comments (over 4 million words) on 6 years' worth of The People's Daily media coverage, this study investigates social media interactions on family planning policy issues between the state‐run news media and individual users in China. Our analysis demonstrates that Weibo postings about the topic by government‐run news networks and comments by the general public are affecting each other, but also presenting partially reverse or bottom‐up agenda‐setting effects. Through latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) modeling, we identified major latent topic sets (women's right to work, family culture/tradition, law/regulation, and social welfare/wellbeing) and found that Weibo users' main concerns on China's family planning have changed over time. We also found that gender differences affect the topics of commenters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from the FAOSTAT agri-food systems emissions database, relative to 236 countries and territories and over the period 1990-2019. We find that in 2019, world-total food systems emissions were 16.5 billion metric tonnes (Gt CO2eq yr-1), corresponding to 31 % of total anthropogenic emissions. Of the agri-food systems total, global emissions within the farm gate -from crop and livestock production processes including on-farm energy use--were 7.2 Gt CO2eq yr-1; emissions from land use change, due to deforestation and peatland degradation, were 3.5 Gt CO2eq yr-1; and emissions from pre- and post-production processes -manufacturing of fertilizers, food processing, packaging, transport, retail, household consumption and food waste disposal--were 5.8 Gt CO2eq yr-1. Over the study period 1990-2019, agri-food systems emissions increased in total by 17 %, largely driven by a doubling of emissions from pre- and post-production processes. Conversely, the FAO data show that since 1990 land use emissions decreased by 25 %, while emissions within the farm gate increased only 9 %. In 2019, in terms of single GHG, pre- and post-production processes emitted the most CO2 (3.9 Gt CO2 yr-1), preceding land use change (3.3 Gt CO2 yr-1) and farm-gate (1.2 Gt CO2 yr-1) emissions. Conversely, farm-gate activities were by far the major emitter of methane (140 Mt CH4 yr-1) and of nitrous oxide (7.8 Mt N2O yr-1). Pre-and post-processes were also significant emitters of methane (49 Mt CH4 yr-1), mostly generated from the decay of solid food waste in landfills and open-dumps. The most important trend over the 30-year period since 1990 highlighted by our analysis is the increasingly important role of food-related emissions generated outside of agricultural land, in pre- and post-production processes along food supply chains, at all scales from global, regional and national, from 1990 to 2019. In fact, our data show that by 2019, food supply chains had overtaken farm-gate processes to become the largest GHG component of agri-food systems emissions in Annex I parties (2.2 Gt CO2eq yr-1). They also more than doubled in non-Annex I parties (to 3.5 Gt CO2eq yr-1), becoming larger than emissions from land-use change. By 2019 food supply chains had become the largest agri-food system component in China (1100 Mt CO2eq yr-1); USA (700 Mt CO2eq yr-1) and EU-27 (600 Mt CO2eq yr-1). This has important repercussions for food-relevant national mitigation strategies, considering that until recently these have focused mainly on reductions of non-CO2 gases within the farm gate and on CO2 mitigation from land use change. The information used in this work is available as open data at: https://zenodo.org/record/5615082 (Tubiello et al., 2021d). It is also available to users via the FAOSTAT database (FAO, 2021a), with annual updates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief essay meditates on the advent of the ideal of horizontal social relations, exemplified in the early CCP years in the political term, "comrade" (tongzhi). It takes up Qu Qiubai as exemplary of a Marxist political thinker whose commitments to horizontality/comrade relations can be illustrated through his theories of literature, translation and language. It proposes that despite Xi Jinping's recent rhetorical admonishments to re-activate "comrade" as a political term, it is the LGBTQ community's appropriation of "comrade" in contemporary China that actually holds the potential for a substantive reanimation of the utopian ideals begun a century ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aimed to examine the reasons people are single, that is, not in an intimate relationship, across eight different countries—Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, and the UK. We asked a large cross-cultural sample of single participants (N = 6,822) to rate 92 different possible reasons for being single. These reasons were classified into 12 factors, including one's perceived inability to find the right partner, the perception that one is not good at flirting, and the desire to focus on one's career. Significant sex and age effects were found for most factors. The extracted factors were further classified into three separate domains: Perceived poor capacity to attract mates, desiring the freedom of choice, and currently being in between relationships. The domain structure, the relative importance of each factor and domain, as well as sex and age effects were relatively consistent across countries. There were also important differences however, including the differing effect sizes of sex and age effects between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Understanding the patterns and drivers of carbon isotope discrimination (13Δ) in C3 and C4 functional groups is critical for predicting C3/C4 vegetation ratio from the isotopic composition of soil organic matter. In this study, we aimed to evaluate how intraspecific variation will modify functional group-level 13Δ values and the associated prediction of C3/C4 vegetation ratio. Methods We investigated 13Δ of 726 individual plants (96 species; C3 and C4 functional groups) and topsoil organic matter in 26 grassland communities along an aridity gradient in northern China. The fraction of C4 contribution was calculated with mixing models that considered: (i) both intra- and interspecific effects on the 13Δ values of C3 and C4 functional groups; (ii) only interspecific effects; or (iii) none of these effects. Important Findings We found divergent responses of plant 13Δ at the intraspecific level to the changes of aridity across the gradient. The 13Δ of both C3 and C4 functional groups was negatively correlated with an aridity index, with higher sensitivity for C3 than for C4 functional groups. Intraspecific 13Δ variation played a key role in driving the total 13Δ variations of C3 plants. Overlooking such intraspecific effect in mixing models led to a greatly increased fraction of C4 contribution to soil organic carbon. A correction for the effects of intraspecific variation is therefore essential for correctly inferring C3/C4 vegetation ratio in the past. Our findings provide basic information for the reconstruction of past vegetation change from bulk materials in arid and semiarid biomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many models are published which predict outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The generalizability of many is unknown. We evaluated the performance of selected models from the literature and our own models to predict outcomes in patients at our institution.Methods: We searched the literature for models predicting outcomes in inpatients with COVID-19. We produced models of mortality or criticality (mortality or ICU admission) in a development cohort. We tested external models which provided sufficient information and our models using a test cohort of our most recent patients. The performance of models was compared using the area under the receiver operator curve (AUC).Results: Our literature review yielded 41 papers. Of those, 8 were found to have sufficient documentation and concordance with features available in our cohort to implement in our test cohort. All models were from Chinese patients. One model predicted criticality and seven mortality. Tested against the test cohort, internal models had an AUC of 0.84 (0.74-0.94) for mortality and 0.83 (0.76-0.90) for criticality. The best external model had an AUC of 0.89 (0.82-0.96) using three variables, another an AUC of 0.84 (0.78-0.91) using ten variables. AUC's ranged from 0.68 to 0.89. On average, models tested were unable to produce predictions in 27% of patients due to missing lab data.Conclusion: Despite differences in pandemic timeline, race, and socio-cultural healthcare context some models derived in China performed well. For healthcare organizations considering implementation of an external model, concordance between the features used in the model and features available in their own patients may be important. Analysis of both local and external models should be done to help decide on what prediction method is used to provide clinical decision support to clinicians treating COVID-19 patients as well as what lab tests should be included in order sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) introduced the Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT IT) into China to build a special capacity and equip public health professionals with an effective tool to support developing countries in strengthening their operational research. The paper aims to investigate and analyze the implementation, outcomes and challenges of the first cycle of SORT IT in China. Main text: As a result of the successful implementation, SORT IT China, Cycle 1 has demonstrated fruitful outputs as exemplified by the 18-month follow-up to the post-training initiatives of the twelve participants, who all achieved the four milestones required by SORT IT. Eleven of twelve (92%) manuscripts generated that focused on the prevention and control of malaria, influenza, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, schistosomiasis, tuberculosis and Japanese encephalitis were published by peer-reviewed international journals with the impact factor ranging from 2.6 to 4.8. The most up-to-date citation count on February 19, 2021 was 53 times out of which 31 times were cited by Science Citation Index papers with 94.827 impact factor in total. Six senior professionals from China CDC also facilitated the whole SORT IT training scheme as co-mentors under the guidance of SORT IT mentors. The twelve participants who gained familiarity with the SORT IT courses and training principles are likely become potential mentors for future SORT IT, but they as the non-first language speakers/users of English also faced the challenge in thoroughly understanding the modules delivered in English and writing English academically to draft the manuscripts. Conclusion: The outcomes from the first cycle of SORT IT in China have led to studies contributing to narrowing the knowledge gap among numerous public health challenges nationally and internationally. It is believed the researchers who participated will continue to apply the skills learned within their domain and help build the training capacity for future operational research courses both in China and in developing countries with similar needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in China in 2020 has led to an unprecedented shortage of nadroparin. Most patients, especially those kept in hospital for surgery, are currently treated with prophylactic anticoagulation (AC). In search of alternatives for nadroparin (fraxiparine), we found no sufficient data on alternatives for neurosurgical patients, such as tinzaparin of European origin. We compared nadroparin and tinzaparin concerning adverse events (bleeding versus thromboembolic events) in neurosurgical patients. Methods: Between 2012 and 2018, 517 neurosurgical patients with benign and malignant brain tumors as well as 297 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were treated in the Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Leipzig, receiving prophylactic anticoagulation within 48 h. In 2015, prophylactic anticoagulation was switched from nadroparin to tinzaparin throughout the university hospital. In a retrospective manner, the frequency and occurrence of adverse events (rebleeding and thromboembolic events) in connection with the substance used were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test and the chi-squared test. Results: Rebleeding rates were similar in both nadroparin and tinzaparin cohorts in patients being treated for meningioma, glioma, and SAH combined (8.8% vs. 10.3%). Accordingly, the rates of overall thromboembolic events were not significantly different (5.5% vs. 4.3%). The severity of rebleeding did not vary. There was no significant difference among subgroups when compared for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). Conclusion: In this retrospective study, tinzaparin seems to be a safe alternative to nadroparin for AC in patients undergoing brain tumor surgery or suffering from SAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's grand strategy is evolving towards greater activism under Xi Jinping – from 'keeping a low profile' to 'striving for achievement'. New initiatives such as forging 'a new type of international relations', 'a community with a shared future for mankind', and the Belt and Road Initiative have become marked features of the 'Xi-change' in China's grand strategy. From an economic statecraft perspective, this article hypothesises that the Xi-change led to a power centralisation in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Railroad Economic Belt. To support its geopolitical and geoeconomic objectives, the Chinese state has replicated the domestic state-industrial complex. In the context of the Jakarta–Bandung High-speed Rail Corridor, the domestic roles of the National Development and Reform Commission and the China Railway Corporation have been internationalised to ensure the globalisation of China's high-speed rail industry could be conducted in a concerted and choreographed fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aim: Fine roots play an important role in biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, our understanding of large scale biogeographical patterns and drivers of fine‐root C:N:P stoichiometry is extremely limited. Location: China. Methods: We compiled data for fine‐root carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations at 165 sites across China to explore large‐scale biogeographical patterns and drivers of fine‐root C:N:P stoichiometry. Results: The geometric means of fine‐root C, N, and P concentrations were 448.81, 10.73, and 0.9 mg/g, respectively, whereas C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios were 41.84, 508.32, and 11.73, respectively. The fine‐root elemental concentrations and their ratios varied widely among plant groups and biomes, and showed clear latitudinal and longitudinal trends, as a consequence of differences in climate, soil, and plant type. However, plant type was the largest contributor to the total variance in fine‐root C, N, and P and their ratios compared to climate factors or soil features. Main conclusions: The data reveal the existence of broad biogeographical patterns of fine‐root C:N:P stoichiometry in China. These results advance our knowledge about the biogeochemical cycling of fine roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's bet on infrastructure in Africa rests on an assumption that African development will be similar in a macro trajectory and technological path to Chinese development from 1952 till now.i Thus far, this has proven relatively accurate. Though sundry parts of post-colonial Africa have developed, industrialized, and urbanized at varying rates, the differences in these rates are arguably less extreme than was true between various provinces of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A highly significant and positive scaling relationship between bamboo leaf dry mass and leaf surface area was observed; leaf shape (here, represented by the quotient of leaf width and length) had a significant influence on the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area. Context: The scaling of leaf dry mass vs. leaf area is important for understanding how plants effectively intercept sunlight and invest carbon to do so. However, comparatively few, if any, studies have focused on whether leaf shape influences this scaling relationship. Aims: In order to explore the effects of leaf shape on the scaling relationship between leaf dry mass and area, we examined 101 species, varieties, forms, and cultivars of bamboo growing in China and identified the relationship between the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area and leaf shape. This taxon was used because its leaf shape is conserved across species and, therefore, easily quantified. Methods: Ten thousand and forty-five leaves from 101 bamboo species, varieties, forms, and cultivars growing in China were collected, and leaf dry mass, the quotient of leaf width and length, leaf area, and leaf dry mass per unit area were measured. The effect of leaf shape that can be easily quantified using the quotient of leaf width and length on the relevant and ecologically important scaling exponents was explored using this data base. Results: Leaf dry mass and area differed significantly across bamboo genera, and even within the same genus. However, a statistically robust log-log linear and positive scaling relationship was observed for mass and area with a 1.115 scaling exponent (95% CI = 1.107, 1.122; r2 = 0.907). Leaf shape had a significant influence on the numerical values of the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area. When the median of the quotient of leaf width and length was below 0.125, the numerical value of the scaling exponent increased with increasing quotient of leaf width and length. When the median of the quotient of leaf width and length was above 0.125, the scaling exponent numerically decreased toward 1.0. Conclusion: We show, for the first time, that a significant relationship exists between leaf shape and the numerical values of scaling exponents governing the scaling of leaf dry mass with respect to leaf area. In addition, we show that with the quotient of leaf width and length increasing mean LMA increases, which implies a negative correlation between mean LMA and the estimated exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area for the grouped data based on the sorted quotients of leaf width and length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It acknowledged that skin care is an important part of atopic dermatitis therapy. However, clinical evidences are limited for the best bathing practices, especially the skin health performance of cleansing products on children's atopic dermatitis skin. Methods: A randomised controlled clinical study was conducted in China among 4‐ to 18‐year‐old children with mild‐to‐moderate atopic dermatitis to evaluate the skin health effect of three cleansing systems (a mild synthetic bar, an ultra‐mild body wash with lipids, and an ultra‐mild body wash with lipids and zinc pyrithione) by measuring SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), consumption of topical corticosteroid and the characteristics of microbiome. Results: Increased Staphylococcus aureus abundance and decreased microbial diversity were observed in atopic dermatitis lesion sites compared with healthy control sites. After 4 weeks of treatment, all three treatments showed clinically important improvement from baseline in SCORAD. Four‐week corticosteroid consumption was significantly lower for the two body wash groups than the bar group. A significant decrease in S. aureus abundance and increase in microbial diversity were observed in the lesion sites for the two body wash formulas, while the microbial diversity was statistically insignificant for the mild cleansing bar group. However, there were no incremental benefits provided by the body wash formulas based on the assessment of SCORAD. Conclusions: These results demonstrated the safety and efficacy of using the investigational body wash formulas with lipids in reducing the needs for corticosteroid and improving the healthy composition of skin microbiome vs. the mild synthetic bar soap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol and cloud properties over southern China during the 10-year period 2006–2015 are analysed based on observations from passive and active satellite sensors and emission data. The results show a strong decrease in aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the study area, accompanied by an increase in liquid cloud cover and cloud liquid water path (LWP). The most significant changes occurred mainly in late autumn and early winter: AOD decreased by about 35 %, coinciding with an increase in liquid cloud fraction by 40 % and a near doubling of LWP in November and December. Analysis of emissions suggests that decreases in carbonaceous aerosol emissions from biomass burning activities were responsible for part of the AOD decrease, while inventories of other, anthropogenic emissions mainly showed increases. Analysis of precipitation changes suggests that an increase in precipitation also contributed to the overall aerosol reduction. Possible explanatory mechanisms for these changes were examined, including changes in circulation patterns and aerosol–cloud interactions (ACIs). Further analysis of changes in aerosol vertical profiles demonstrates a consistency of the observed aerosol and cloud changes with the aerosol semi-direct effect, which depends on relative heights of the aerosol and cloud layers: fewer absorbing aerosols in the cloud layer would lead to an overall decrease in the evaporation of cloud droplets, thus increasing cloud LWP and cover. While this mechanism cannot be proven based on the present observation-based analysis, these are indeed the signs of the reported changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze copy number variants (CNVs) in subjects with small for gestational age (SGA) in China.Methods: A total of 85 cases with estimated fetal weight (EFW) or birth weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age were recruited, including SGA associated with structural anomalies (Group A, n = 20) and isolated SGA (Group B, n = 65). In all cases, cytogenetic karyotyping and infection screening were normal. We examined DNA from fetuses (amniocentesis or cordocentesis) and newborns (cord blood) to detect CNVs using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, n = 75) array or low-pass whole-genome sequencing (WGS, n = 10).Results: Of 85 total cases, 3 (4%) carried pathogenic chromosomal abnormalities, including 2 cases with pathological CNVs and 1 case with upd(22)pat. In Group A, the mean gestational age at the time of diagnosis was 26.8 (SD 4.1) weeks and mean EFW/birth weight was 907.2 (SD 567.8) g. In Group B, the mean gestational age at the time of diagnosis was 34.1 (SD 5.8) weeks. Mean EFW/birth weight was 1879.2 (SD 714.5) g. The pathologic detection rate was 10% (2/20) in Group A and 2% (1/65) in Group B. It was inclined that the lower the EFW percentile, the more frequent the occurrence of CNVs.Conclusions: Pathological subchromosomal anomalies were detected by CMA or low-pass WGS in 10% and 2% of SGA subjects with and without malformation, respectively. SGA fetuses with structural anomalies presented with higher pathological subchromosomal anomalies. The molecular genetic analysis is not recommended for isolated SGA pregnancies without other abnormal findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and genotypic characteristics of Cronobacter isolated from powdered infant formula (PIF) manufacturing facilities and to identify a potential source of contamination. A total of 42 Cronobacter isolates (5%) were detected in 835 environmental samples collected during the surveillance study. These isolates included C. sakazakii (n = 37), C. malonaticus (n = 3), and C. turicensis (n = 2). The isolates were divided into 14 sequence types (STs) by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and 21 pulsotypes (PTs) using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The dominant C. sakazakii sequence types were ST3 (n = 12) and ST21 (n = 10), followed by ST136 (n = 6). The major PTs were PT22 (n = 12) and PT17 (n = 4) based on 100% similarity. Strains isolated from samples collected at the same production facility showed closer phylogenetic relation than those collected from distinct facilities. The result of extensive traceback sampling showed that PIF residues (PIF dust in production areas), fluid beds, drying areas, floors, and soil samples collected adjacent to the production facilities were the primary positive areas for Cronobacter. The present study outlines an effective approach to determine prevalence and genetic diversity of Cronobacter isolates associated with contamination of PIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is next to impossible to write today, now, in this fraught historical moment about the May Fourth Movement and its centenary with anything other than sheer astonishment—still!—over the number of different sorts of people in China who organized themselves at that time, and who, in the extended process of self-organization, articulated—however inchoately and sometimes even incoherently—an intellectual and activist program of resistance and opposition to the corrupt domestic governmental systems, global institutions, local organizations, and specific individuals who were betraying the very principles of democracy and sovereignty that were supposed to be upheld. The betrayal of democratic and sovereign principles was part of an ongoing process of the elaboration of an establishment political position exercised by and through the wished-for domination of political and economic possibility by the powerful and by those who strove for power. As that process of imperialist-colonial expansion along with anti-democratic state-formation and sociocultural hegemonizing—sometimes in tandem with one another, and sometimes separately—became ever more evident, an increasingly vocal opposition posed itself as an active political force and not merely as a detached or abstract form of remonstrance. Through their activist political interventions and in the ensuing contingent realization of an incipient mass movement—incomplete, urban-based, and often elitist, to be sure—a new political consciousness and a new political discourse arose: a consciousness and discourse of the possibilities of and in mass mobilization, of a political practice of mass democracy. The May Fourth Movement, in its temporal proximity to and political juxtaposition with the Korean and Indian movements of the same year, and in the political space created by the ongoing revolution in Russia, helped constitute a world historical moment. That protracted moment can be seen as the inflection of the forces of global capitalism and imperialism into modern historical consciousness and political activism in China, as elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate recent prevalence data (2011-2013) on traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) provider use and sociodemographic and health related correlates in nationally representative population samples from 32 countries from all world regions.Methods: This secondary analysis was based on the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), 2011-2013, Health and Health Care Module. In a cross-sectional population-based survey (N=52,801), simple or multi-stage stratified random sampling was used, resulting in representative samples of the adult population of respective countries.Results: Overall, the 12-month TCAM provider use prevalence was 26.4%, ranging from under 10% in Bulgaria, Poland and Slovenia to over 50% in China mainland, the Philippines and Republic of Korea. Over 80% TCAM treatment satisfaction was found in Europe in Denmark, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland, in Asia in Taiwan (China) and USA. Multivariate logistic regression found sociodemographic variables (middle age, female sex, lower educational status, not having a religious affiliation, and lower economic indicators) and health variables (perceived poor or fair health status, being unhappy and depressed, having a chronic condition or disability, and having positive attitudes towards TCAM) were associated with TCAM provider use.Conclusions: A high prevalence TCAM provider use was found in all world regions and several sociodemographic and health related factors of its use were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer survivors are at high risk for fracture due to cancer treatment-induced bone loss, however, data is scarce regarding the scope of this problem from an epidemiologic and health services perspective among Chinese women with breast cancer.Methods: We designed a cross-sectional study comparing prevalence of vertebral fractures among age- and BMI-matched women from two cohorts. Women in the Breast Cancer Survivors cohort were enrolled from a large cancer hospital in Beijing. Eligibility criteria included age 50-70 years, initiation of treatment for breast cancer at least 5 years prior to enrollment, and no history of metabolic bone disease or bone metastases. Data collected included sociodemographic characteristics; fracture-related risk factors, screening and preventive measures; breast cancer history; and thoracolumbar x-ray. The matched comparator group was selected from participants enrolled in the Peking Vertebral Fracture Study, an independent cohort of healthy community-dwelling postmenopausal women from Beijing.Results: Two hundred breast cancer survivors were enrolled (mean age 57.5 ± 4.9 years), and compared with 200 matched healthy women. Twenty-two (11%) vertebral fractures were identified among breast cancer survivors compared with 7 (3.5%) vertebral fractures in the comparison group, yielding an adjusted odds ratio for vertebral fracture of 4.16 (95%CI 1.69-10.21, p < 0.01). The majority had early stage (85.3%) and estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positive (84.6%) breast cancer. Approximately half of breast cancer survivors reported taking calcium supplements, 6.1% reported taking vitamin D supplements, and only 27% reported having a bone density scan since being diagnosed with breast cancer.Conclusions: Despite a four-fold increased odds of prevalent vertebral fracture among Chinese breast cancer survivors in our study, rates of screening for osteoporosis and fracture risk were low reflecting a lack of standardization of care regarding cancer-treatment induced bone loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a cellular automata-based Industrial and Residential Land Use Competition Model to simulate the dynamic spatial transformation of industrial land use in Shanghai, China. In the proposed model, land development activities in a city are delineated as competitions among different land-use types. The Hedonic Land Pricing Model is adopted to implement the competition framework. To improve simulation results, the Land Price Agglomeration Model was devised to simulate and adjust classic land price theory. A new evolutionary algorithm-based parameter estimation method was devised in place of traditional methods. Simulation results show that the proposed model closely resembles actual land transformation patterns and the model can not only simulate land development, but also redevelopment processes in metropolitan areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]