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This article analyzes higher education research published in international higher education journals by researchers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Malaysia from 1980 to 2013. It does so based on publication counts, and co-authorship and cross-citation mapping, examining these countries' publication patterns in terms of thematic approach and community cohesion. The results show that each country has experienced distinct evolutions of higher education research, both in terms of the number of publications and thematic diversity. The research organization analyzed by co-authorship networks shows that higher education researchers in Hong Kong tend more to integrate two higher education research approaches--teaching and learning, and policy studies--into their research work. It is also in Hong Kong where most higher education researchers focus their research on both teaching and learning, and policy topics. Higher education researchers in China, Japan, and Malaysia are more thematically specialized in terms of both their positioning and their co-authorship preference. These findings suggest that a broader integration of different thematic areas may be linked more to path-dependent and contextual characteristics than to differences related to the development stage of higher education systems. This is confirmed by the cross-citation analysis, which shows that higher education researchers based in Hong Kong tend to cite each other more frequently than do those based in Japan, China, and Malaysia, suggesting a much greater community cohesion in Hong Kong than in these other countries. The findings highlight that while the maturity of a higher education system influences community cohesion, other factors influence thematic leaning and integration.

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in the elderly. Prior studies suggest a link between chronic inflammation and cognitive dysfunction, while aging‐associated epidermal dysfunction has been connected to elevations in circulating cytokines. Objective: We assessed here whether improvements in epidermal function can mitigate the progression of cognitive impairment. Methods: This randomized, open‐label pilot trial was carried out in two cities in northern China. A total of 200 participants aged ≥65 years were randomly assigned to the emollient‐treated and untreated groups at 1:1 ratio. Participants in the treated group were treated topically with Atopalm cream® twice‐daily from November to the following May each year for three consecutive years, while the untreated subjects served as controls. The Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) was used to assess the severity of cognitive impairment, while epidermal biophysical properties were measured on the forearms and the shins in parallel. Results: Over the three‐year trial, GDS significantly increased from baseline (P < 0.0001) in the controls, while in the treated group, GDS stabilized. While stratum corneum hydration on the forearms did not change significantly in the controls, transepidermal water loss rates (TEWL), significantly increased by the end of the trial compared to baselines in the controls (P < 0.0001). On the forearms of the treated group, stratum corneum hydration increased (P < 0.0001) while skin surface pH decreased from baseline (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results suggest that improvements in epidermal function with topical emollient can mitigate the progression of cognitive impairment. However, the sample size was relatively small, and trials in a larger cohort are needed to validate the present results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ measurements of the mass concentration of black carbon (BC) and mixing ratios of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were made at Guangzhou, an urban measurement site in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), China, in July 2006. The average ± standard deviation (SD) concentrations of BC, CO, and CO2 were 4.7±2.3 μgC m-3, 798±459 ppbv, and 400±13 ppmv, respectively. The trends of these species were mainly controlled by synoptic-scale changes in meteorology during the campaign. Based on back trajectories, data are analyzed separately for two different air mass types representing northerly and southerly flows. The northerly air masses, which constituted ~25% of the campaign, originated mostly in the PRD and hence represent observations on regional scales. On the other hand, during southerly flow (~75%), the measurements were influenced by dilution due to cleaner marine air. The diurnal patterns of BC, CO, and CO2 exhibited peak concentrations during the morning and evening hours coinciding with rush-hour traffic. The ratios of OC/BC were lower during the morning hour peaks in the concentrations of primary pollutants due to their fresh emissions mainly from vehicular traffic in Guangzhou. The diurnal variations of BC observed in southerly air masses tended to follow the traffic patterns of heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) in Guangzhou, while the roles of other sources need to be investigated. The slopes of ΔBC/1CO, ΔBC/ΔCO2, and ΔCO/ΔCO2 observed during northerly flows were 0.0045 μgC m-3/ppbv, 0.13 μgC m-3/ppmv, and 49.4 ppbv/ppmv, respectively, agreeing reasonably with their respective emission ratios derived from regional emission inventories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free tropospheric aerosol particles were collected using a balloon-borne particle impactor in August of 2002 and March of 2003 at Dunhuang in northwestern China (40°00′N, 94°30′E), and the morphology and elemental composition of the aerosol particles were analyzed in order to understand the mixing state of coarse dust particles (diameter >1 μm) over the desert areas in the Asian continent in spring. Electron microscopic experiments on the particles revealed that dust particles were major constituents of coarse mode particles in the free troposphere over the Taklamakan Desert in spring and summer. Si-rich or Ca-rich particles are major components of dust particles collected in the free troposphere over dunhuang and the values of [number of Ca-rich particles]/[number of Si-rich particles] differs markedly between spring and summer, being about 0.3 in the spring of 2003 and about 1.0 in the summer of 2002 at heights 3–5 km above sea level. It is likely that the condition of the ground surface and the strength of vertical mixing in source areas of Asian dust are potential factors causing the difference in the chemical types of dust particles. Comparison of the elemental compositions of these particles with those of particles collected over Japan strongly suggests that these particles were chemically modified during their long-range transport in the free troposphere. Analysis of wind systems shows that both the predominating westerly wind in the free troposphere and the surface wind strongly controlled by the geographical structure of the Tarim Basin are important in the long-range transport of KOSA particles originating in the Taklamakan Desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on providing a direct insight into the process by which sulfate is formed on mineral dust surface in the actual atmosphere. Six sets of aerosol measurements were conducted in the outskirts of Beijing, China, in 2002–2003 using a tethered balloon. The mineralogy of individual dust particles, as well as its influence on the S (sulfur) loadings was investigated by SEM-EDX analysis of the directly collected particles. The mixed layer in the urban atmosphere was found to be quite low (500–600m), often appearing as a particle dense stagnant layer above the surface. It is suggested that mineral dust is a common and important fraction of the coarse particles in Beijing (35–68%), and that it is relatively enriched with Calcite (>28%). An exceptional amount of S was detected in the mineral particles, which can be explained neither by their original composition, nor by coagulation processes between the submicron sulfates and the dust. Heterogeneous uptake of gaseous SO2, and its subsequent oxidation on dust was suggested as the main pathway that has actually taken place in the ambient environment. The mineral class found with the largest number of particles containing S was Calcite, followed by Dolomite, Clay, Amphibole etc., Feldspar, and Quartz. Among them, Calcite and Dolomite showed distinctly higher efficiency in collecting sulfate than the other types. A positive correlation was found with the number of S containing particles and the relative humidity. Calcite in particular, since almost all of its particles was found to contain S above 60% r.h. On the other hand, the active uptake of SO2 by the carbonates was not suggested in the free troposphere downwind, and all the mineral classes exhibited similar S content. Relative humidity in the free troposphere was suggested as the key factor controlling the SO2 uptake among the mineral types. In terms of sulfate loadings, the relationship was not linear, but rather increased exponentially as a function of relative humidity. The humidity-dependent uptake capacity of mineral types altogether showed an intermediate value of 0.07 gSO42− g−1 mineral at 30% r.h. and 0.40 gSO42− g−1 mineral at 80%, which is fairly consistent with laboratory experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian continent is recognized as one of the most important sources of mineral (or soil) particles. These particles have a large potential to effect global changes through the biogeochemical cycle of particulates and through radiative balance (IPCC Third Assessment Report, 2001). Therefore, comparison of particle compositions near the source region and those after long-range transport is important in understanding the long-range particle transport phenomenon. Individual aerosol particles were collected in Dunhuang (40°09′N; 94°41′E), China. Particles were collected at the campus of the Meteorological Bureau of Dunhuang City (17 August 2001) and near the Mogao Grots, located approximately 30 km from Dunhuang (18 August 2001, 18 October 2001 and 13 January 2002) using a two-stage low-volume impactor. The morphology of individual aerosol particles and their elemental compositions were examined via a scanning electron microscope (Hitachi, S-3000N) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyzer (Horiba, EMAX-500). The particles collected at these locations were comprised primarily of minerals, with the exception of sulphate particles in the submicron range that were contained in the sample collected on 18 October 2001 (likely, ammonium sulphate). The most abundant elements were found to be Si and Al. Approximately 46–77% of the collected particles were Si-rich particles (composed primarily of quartz and aluminosilicate), and 13–41% of the collected particles were Ca-rich particles, such as calcite (CaCO3), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2), and gypsum (CaSO4ċ2H2O). The fractions of Fe-rich, Mg-rich, Ti-rich, K-rich, and Cl-rich were 3–10, 0–7, 0–3, 0–1, and 0–1%, respectively. Similar types of mineral particles were found in the free troposphere over Japan (Trochkine et al., 2002). A number of differences were found to exist between the particles collected in China and those collected in Japan, and these differences can be explained by chemical modification of the particles during transport from China to Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of aerosol were made in August and October 2001, and January 2002, at Dunhuang, China (40°00′N, 94°30′E), to understand the nature of atmospheric particles over the desert areas in the Asian continent. Balloon-borne measurements with an optical particle counter suggested that particle size and concentration had a noticeable peak in size range of super micron in not only the boundary mixing layer but also the free troposphere. Thickness of the boundary mixing layer, from distributions of particle concentration, was about 4 km in summer (17 August 2001), about 2.5 km in fall (17 October 2001), and about 3 km in winter (11 January 2002), which suggest active mixing of particles near the boundary in summer. Number-size distribution of particle showed a noticeable peak in the super micron particles size range in the mixing boundary layer: 0.4–2 particles cm-3 at diameter >1.2 μm in summer, 0.05–4 particles cm-3 at diameter >1.2 μm in fall, and 0.1–5 particles cm-3 at diameter >1.2 μm in winter. In winter strong inversion of atmospheric temperature was found in the height range from the boundary to about 3 km and vertical distribution of particle concentration well corresponded with the temperature distribution. Chemical elements of individual aerosols, which were collected in the boundary layer atmosphere at Dunhuang (18 October 2001) were analyzed with an electron microscope equipped with EDX. Those single particle analysis suggested that most of the particles with super micron size were soil particles, and those particles had little sulfate on its surface. This is a very important different point, comparing with the chemical state of soil particles, which were transported from the desert area of China to Japan, and showed frequently the existence of sulfate on the particle surface. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that dust particles can be chemically modified during their long-range transport from desert areas to Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which identifies the selection of Japanese Medaka embryo-larval assay (ELA) as the bioassay to study the toxicity of leachates from the Nanji Island landfill in China. The author cites that the bioassay had been used to measure the toxicity of a number of chemicals and complex mixtures. The ELA showed that the Nanji Island landfill leachates were highly toxic. Further, the leachates differed in the type and frequency of the lesions induced in the exposed embryos. The leachate collected from landfill sampling site caused reduced heart beat and circulation in 73 percent of the exposed embryos but did not induce pericardial hemorrhage and edema.

This study investigated the large-scale distributions of persistent toxic substances (PTSs) and heavy metals in sediments of the Yellow Sea, collected from six transects between latitudes 32 and 37 degrees north (n = 35). Elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were detected near the mainland, with a predominance of low-chlorinated congeners (di to tetra, ∼60%), indicative of atmospheric deposition. Analysis of traditional and emerging polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (t-PAHs and e-PAHs) revealed notable enrichment in the Central Yellow Sea Mud Zone (CYSM), attributing fossil fuel combustion as the significant source. Styrene oligomers and alkylphenols exhibited notable accumulation near the Han River Estuary in South Korea and the Yangtze River Estuary in China, respectively. The accumulation of heavy metals was predominantly observed in the CYSM, with element-specific distribution patterns. Cluster analysis revealed distinct distribution patterns for PTSs and metals, highlighting their source-dependent and grain size-dependent behaviors. In addition, the distribution and accumulation of PTSs tended to depend on their partitioning coefficients, such as the octanol-air partition coefficient (log K OA ) and octanol-water partition coefficient (log K OW ). This study offers valuable insights into the sources, transport, and fate of hazardous substances in the Yellow Sea, emphasizing the necessity for targeted environmental management strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) is essential for assessing environmental conditions, yet its application in the optically complex waters of the eastern Yellow Sea (EYS) is challenged. This study refines the Chl-a algorithm for the EYS employing a switching approach based on normalized water-leaving radiance at 555 nm wavelength according to turbidity conditions to investigate phytoplankton bloom patterns in the EYS. The refined Chl-a algorithm (EYS algorithm) outperforms prior algorithms, exhibiting a strong alignment with in situ Chl-a. Employing the EYS algorithm, seasonal and bloom patterns of Chl-a are detailed for the offshore and nearshore EYS areas. Distinct seasonal Chl-a patterns and factors influencing bloom initiation differed between the areas, and the peak Chl-a during the bloom period from 2018 to 2020 was significantly lower than the average year in both areas. Specifically, bimodal and unimodal peak patterns in Chl-a were observed in the offshore and nearshore areas, respectively. By investigating the relationships between environmental factors and bloom parameters, we identified that major controlling factors governing bloom initiation were mixed layer depth (MLD) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the offshore and nearshore areas, respectively. Additionally, this study proposed that the recent decrease in the peak Chl-a might be caused by rapid environmental changes such as the warming trend of sea surface temperature (SST) and the limitation of nutrients. For example, external forcing, phytoplankton growth, and nutrient dynamics can change due to increased SST and limitation of nutrients, which can lead to a decrease in Chl-a. This study contributes to understanding phytoplankton dynamics in the EYS, highlighting the importance of region-specific considerations in comprehending Chl-a patterns and bloom dynamics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The biogeographical range shift of insect pests is primarily governed by temperature. However, the range shift of seasonal long-distance migratory insects may be very different from that of sedentary insects. Nilaparvata lugens (BPH), a serious rice pest, can only overwinter in tropical-to-subtropical regions, and some populations migrate seasonally to temperate zones with the aid of low-level jet stream air currents. This study utilized the CLIMEX model to project the overwintering area under the climate change scenarios of RCP2.6 and RCP8.5, both in 2030s and 2080s. The overwintering boundary is predicted to expand poleward and new overwintering areas are predicted in the mid-latitude regions of central-to-eastern China and mid-to-southern Australia. With climate change, the habitable areas remained similar, but suitability decreased substantially, especially in the near-equatorial regions, owing to increasing heat stress. The range shift is similar between RCP2.6-2030s, RCP2.6-2080s, and RCP8.5-2030s, but extreme changes are projected under RCP8.5-2080s with marginal areas increasing from 27.2 to 38.8% and very favorable areas dropping from 27.5 to 3.6% compared to the current climate. These findings indicate that climate change will drive range shifts in BPH and alter regional risks differently. Therefore, international monitoring programs are needed to effectively manage these emerging challenges., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen is one of the most important external nutrient sources. We investigated the concentrations of NO 3 - in airborne particles at both an offshore and an inshore site in the Yellow Sea. At the offshore site, devoid of local sources and located downwind from the highly developed areas of Korea and China, the concentrations of atmospheric particulate NO 4 + in airborne particles at both an offshore and an inshore site in the Yellow Sea. At the offshore site, devoid of local sources and located downwind from the highly developed areas of Korea and China, the concentrations of atmospheric particulate NO 3 - and NH 4 + were ∼88 ± 101 nmol m -3 and ∼102 ± 102 nmol m -3 , respectively, likely due to the transboundary long-range transport of pollutants. The inshore site showed a concentration ∼2 times higher than the offshore site. Considering not only dry inorganic nitrogen deposition but also wet and organic material deposition, the total atmospheric nitrogen deposition was estimated to contribute roughly 10 % to the new production in the Yellow Sea., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Macrophages play an important role in managing the onset and progression of chronic inflammatory diseases. The primary objective of this study is to explore the antioxidant potential and anti-inflammatory properties of Sargassum hemiphyllum ethanol extract (SHE) and its fraction. SHE and its five constituent fractions were assessed for overall antioxidant capabilities and inhibitory effects on LPS-induced inflammation by modulating macrophages polarization in both RAW 264.7 macrophages and bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). Among the organic solvent fractions of SHE, the ethyl acetate fraction displayed the highest total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity. Notably, the n-hexane (Hex) fraction showed the most substantial suppression of LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor α secretion in BMDM among the five fractions of SHE. The SHE and Hex fraction significantly reduced the heightened expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammation-inducible enzymes induced by LPS in RAW 264.7 macrophages. In particular, the SHE and Hex fraction inhibited M1 macrophage polarization by reducing the mRNA expression of M1 macrophage markers in macrophages that were polarized toward the M1 phenotype. Furthermore, the SHE and Hex fraction attenuated the induction in nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 and its target genes, which was accompanied by an alteration in antioxidant gene expression in M1-polarized BMDM. The findings suggest that both SHE and its Hex fraction exhibit inhibitory effects on LPS-triggered inflammation and oxidative stress by modulating the polarization of M1 macrophages within macrophage populations.

Three species of the genus Chilo are studied in China. Chilo argenteus sp. nov. collected from Yunnan and C. sinuafasciata sp. nov. collected from Hainan are described as new in science. Chilo partellus (Swinhoe, 1885) is newly recorded for the Chinese fauna. Images of adults and genitalia of the three species are provided. A list of 19 known Chilo species in China is included.

Historical trends of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination were reconstructed from eleven sediment cores located in intertidal zones of the Yellow and Bohai seas for a period encompassing the last 80 years. The analysis encompassed 15 traditional PAHs (t-PAHs), 9 emerging PAHs (e-PAHs), and 30 halogenated PAHs (Hl-PAHs), including 10 chlorinated PAHs (Cl-PAHs) and 20 brominated PAHs (Br-PAHs). Concentrations of target PAHs were highest in industrial and municipal areas situated along the coast of the Bohai Sea, including Huludao, Yingkou, Tianjin, and Dandong, constituting a substantial mass inventory. All target PAHs showed increasing trends since the 1950s, reflecting the development history of South Korea and China. High molecular weight PAHs accumulated in sampling sites more than low molecular weight PAHs. A positive matrix factorization model showed that the PAH sources were coal and gasoline combustion (35%), diesel combustion (33%), and biomass combustion (32%). Over the last 80 years, the contribution of coal and gasoline combustion increased in all regions, while diesel combustion and biomass combustion varied across regions and over time. Toxicity equivalence values were highest for t-PAHs (>99% contribution), followed by Cl-PAHs, Br-PAHs, and e-PAHs. Concentrations of t-PAHs in Eastern Asia seas have increased since the 1900s, particularly in intertidal areas compared to subtidal areas. The intertidal zone removed 83% of the total flux of PAHs originating from land and thus appears to serve as a buffer zone against marine pollution. Overall, this study provides novel knowledge on the historical trends and sources of PAHs on a large scale, along with insights for future coastal management., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Distribution and sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the glacimarine sediments (35 sites) of Svalbard were investigated. PCBs (32 congeners), traditional PAHs (15 homologs), emerging PAHs (11 homologs), and alkylated PAHs (16 homologs) were widely distributed in the Svalbard sediments (ranges: below method detection limit to 20, 21 to 3600, 1.0 to 1400, and 31 to 15,000 ng g -1 dry weight, respectively). Compositional analysis indicated that PCBs mainly originated from combustion sources, with PAHs being strongly influenced by local sources. Positive matrix factorization analysis showed that PAHs were associated with vehicle and petroleum combustion, coal, and coal combustion. Coal-derived PAHs contributed significantly to the sediments of Van Mijenfjorden. Remnants of coal mining activity trapped in the permafrost appear to enter the coastal environments as ground ice melts. Consequently, PAHs are currently emerging as the most significant contributors to potential risks in the Svalbard ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Despite significant research on student learning performance, the literature on preschool education is limited. The learning performance of different institutes in China has not been satisfactory, and students are not given enough technological resources to help them improve their learning performance. Although Chinese preschool students are active learners, their learning performance is inadequate. As a result, this research aimed to discover how project-based learning, semi-immersive virtual reality, and mental health influence learning performance. For data collection, 800 questionnaires were distributed to high schools, and 290 valid questionnaires were considered for the data analysis using Smart PLS-SEM. According to the study's findings, project-based learning is critical for improving learning performance. This study's findings are significant because they show that mental health and semi-immersive virtual reality significantly mediate the relationship between project-based learning and learning performance. The study's findings are critical for educational institutions interested in improving student performance through project-based learning opportunities. Furthermore, because it employs an innovative technology acceptance model, this study has significant practical implications for project-based learning and student learning performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zang, Kim and Dong.)

East Asian countries experience severe air pollution owing to their rapid development and urbanization induced by substantial economic activities. South Korea and China are among the most polluted East Asian countries with high mass concentrations of PM 2.5 . Although the occurrence of transboundary air pollution among neighboring countries has been recognized for a long time, studies involving simultaneous ground-based PM 2.5 monitoring and source apportionment in South Korea and China have not been conducted to date. This study performed simultaneous daily ground-based monitoring of PM 2.5 in Seoul and Beijing from January to December 2019. The mass concentrations of PM 2.5 and its major chemical components were analyzed simultaneously during 2019. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) as well as dispersion normalized PMF (DN-PMF) were utilized for the source apportionment of ambient PM 2.5 at the two sites. 23 h average ventilation coefficients were applied for daily PM 2.5 chemical constituents' data. Nine sources were identified at both sites. While secondary nitrate, secondary sulfate, mobile, oil combustion, biomass burning, soil, and aged sea salt were commonly found at both sites, industry/coal combustion and incinerator were identified only at Seoul and incinerator/industry and coal combustion were identified only at Beijing. Reduction of the meteorological influences were found in DN-PMF compare to C-PMF but the effects of DN on mobile source were reduced by averaging over the 23 h sampling period. The DN-PMF results showed that Secondary nitrate (Seoul: 25.5%; Beijing: 31.7%) and secondary sulfate (Seoul: 20.5%; Beijing: 17.6%) were most dominant contributors to PM 2.5 at both sites. Decreasing secondary sulfate contributions and increasing secondary nitrate contributions were observed at both sites., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the current contamination status and potential sources of traditional and emerging polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (t-PAHs and e-PAHs) in the sediments across a wide area of the Yangtze River, spanning nine cities. Fifty-seven sediment samples were collected in 2019, from which 15 t-PAHs and 11 e-PAHs were analyzed using GC-MSD. In addition, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) in sediments were measured to evaluate associations with PAHs contamination. OC, TN, and their stable isotope ratios showed a wide range of site-specific contents and values, indicating high variation in contamination and sources. Concentrations of t-PAHs and e-PAHs in sediments ranged from 0.6 to 200,000 ng g -1 dry weight (dw) and 1.1 to 20,000 ng g -1 dw, respectively. Hotspot sites located in Nanjing (PuKou), Taizhou (JingJiang), and Suzhou (ZhangJiaGang). PAHs contamination reflected land use type and human activity in the surrounding area. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) modeling showed that, on average (n = 57), vehicle emissions were the most dominant contribution (57%), followed by petroleum (28%) and fossil fuel combustion (15%). Sites with high PAHs contamination in sediments were of severe ecological risk. Contributions to the potential risks of PAHs were most significant in the order of dibenz[a,h]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and benzo[a]pyrene. The primary origin of these compounds appeared to be fossil fuel combustion. The results of this study are expected to provide useful baseline data on the current contamination status and potential sources of traditional and emerging pollutants in the sediments of the Yangtze River, China., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a form of primary prevention for cervical cancer. The HPV vaccination rate of female university students is not high in Korea and China. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and compare the factors associated with intention to receive HPV vaccination between Korean and Chinese female university students., Methods: The participants were 273 Korean and 317 Chinese female university students who had not been vaccinated for HPV, and data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire about attitudes toward HPV vaccination, HPV knowledge, perceptions of HPV infection, and intention to receive HPV vaccine., Results: There were no significant differences between the Korean and Chinese female university students in HPV knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and vaccination intention. The factors influencing the intention of HPV vaccination in Korean students were a positive attitude toward the HPV vaccine and a high HPV knowledge score. For Chinese students, sexual experience, awareness of genital warts, a positive attitude toward the HPV vaccine, a high HPV knowledge scores, a perception of the seriousness of HPV infection, and negative emotions regarding HPV infection were significant factors., Conclusions: It is important to improve attitudes and knowledge about HPV and the HPV vaccine in order to enhance HPV vaccination both in Korea and China. Perceived seriousness and negative emotions regarding HPV infection should be used as a framework to develop subject-tailored interventions in China., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Fatality rates such as fatalities per full-time equivalent workers are officially used to compare the risk level of the construction industry among various countries. However, each country evaluates the fatality rate using different conditions. This paper presents the comparison of fatality rates of various countries using conventional (national data) and pair (equivalent condition) methods through a time-series approach. The research was conducted in three stages. The risk level was evaluated in order in South Korea (1.54), Japan (0.84), Mexico (0.83), China (0.70), United Kingdom (0.15), and Singapore (0.13) in terms of national data. However, the risk level was re-evaluated in order in China (2.27), South Korea (2.05), Mexico (1.23), Singapore (0.98), Japan (0.80), and United Kingdom (0.47) in terms of equivalent conditions. The risk level of each can be changed when the fatality rate is compared under given equivalent conditions.

The aim of this study was to characterize the physicochemical properties and microbial communities of particulate matter (PM) in Seoul, Korea. We collected long-term (2017-2019) precipitation samples and PM 10 and PM 2.5 monitoring data to determine the impact of soluble and insoluble chemical species on the soil surface. Ambient PM 10 concentrations were higher than PM 2.5 concentrations during the monitoring period, but both decreased during rainfall due to the washing effect of precipitation. PM 2.5 particles had a "fluffy" shape and contained sulfur (0.2%), but suspended particles (SPs) contained many carbon particles (approximately 60%). Spherical particles containing metal oxides, Fe and Al, might be originated from coal combustion, wild fires, and metal-refining processes under high-temperature conditions. Dissolved ions in precipitation included those eluted from salts and coal combustion based on the correlation coefficients of Na and Cl (R = 0.953) and F and NO 3 (R = 0.706). The δ 15 N-NO 3 and δ 34 S-SO 4 of precipitation were enriched as the atmospheric temperature decreased from 9.8 to -1.6°C, implying the influence of domestic coal combustion. Backward trajectories showed that, in winter, air parcels passed through industrialized cities from China to South Korea. The microbial communities associated with PM were strongly influenced by atmospheric conditions. Proteobacteria (range from 4.6 to 76.7%) and Firmicutes (range from 6.0 to 91.4%) were the most dominant phyla and were significantly affected by changes in the PM 2.5 environment. The results indicate that the acidity of precipitation and the composition of aerosols were affected by fossil fuel combustion and mineral dust, and that atmospheric conditions may change as PM 2.5 concentrations increase., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The study examines dietary advice-giving in regular consultations for patients with chronic conditions in two types of clinical practices: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine practiced in mainland China. Dietary habits are unanimously considered relevant to the patient's health, particularly in chronic conditions. This article reports the differences in where and how dietary advice is occasioned and co-constructed by participants in two settings. One significant finding of this paper is that while Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors take dietary talk to instruct patients and put it into the treatment recommendation, WM doctors may treat it as incidental and only valuable for diagnostic assessment, leaving its treatment opaque and not discussed with the patient. Data are in Mandarin Chinese. Using Conversation Analysis, the article describes the interactional organisation of dietary advice delivery in different medical practices and ascribes their differences to clinical pathology., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous studies have reported that high ambient temperature is associated with increased risk of suicide; however, the association has not been extensively investigated with drug overdose which is the most common method of unsuccessful suicidal behavior in Japan. Therefore, this study aims to examine the short-term association between daily mean temperature and the incidence of self-harm attempts by drug overdose in Tokyo, Japan., Methods: We collected the emergency ambulance dispatch data and daily meteorological data in Tokyo from 2010 to 2014. A quasi-Poisson regression model incorporating a distributed lag non-linear function was applied to estimate the non-linear and delayed association between temperature and drug overdose, adjusting for relative humidity, seasonal and long-term trends, and days of the week. Sex, age and location-specific associations of ambient temperature with drug overdose was also estimated., Results: 12,937 drug overdose cases were recorded during the study period, 73.9% of which were female. We observed a non-linear association between temperature and drug overdose, with the highest risk observed at 21 °C. The highest relative risk (RR) was 1.30 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.10-1.67) compared with the risk at the first percentile of daily mean temperature (2.9 °C) over 0-4 days lag period. In subgroup analyses, the RR of a drug overdose at 21 °C was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.02-1.81) for females and 1.07 (95% CI: 0.66-1.75) for males. Also, we observed that the risk was highest among those aged ≥65 years (RR = 2.54; 95% CI: 0.94-6.90), followed by those aged 15-34 years (RR = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.89-1.77) and those aged 35-64 years (RR = 1.15; 95% CI: 0.78-1.68). There was no evidence for the difference in RRs between urban (23 special wards) and sub-urban areas in Tokyo., Conclusions: An increase in daily mean temperature was associated with increased drug overdose risk. This study indicated the positive non-linear association between temperature and incomplete attempts by drug overdose. The findings of this study may add further evidence of the association of temperature on suicidal behavior and suggests increasing more research and investigation of other modifying factors.

Background: The differential effects of PM 2.5 fractions on children's lung function remain inconclusive. This study aimed to examine whether lung function in asthmatic children was associated with increased PM 2.5 fractions in urban areas in Nagasaki prefecture, Japan, where the air pollution level is relatively low but influenced by transboundary air pollution., Methods: We conducted a multiyear panel study of 73 asthmatic children (boys, 60.3%; mean age, 8.2 years) spanning spring 2014-2016 in two cities. We collected self-measured peak expiratory flow (PEF) twice a day and daily time-series data for PM 2.5 total mass and its chemical species. We fitted a linear mixed effects model to examine short-term associations between PEF and PM 2.5 , adjusting for individual and time-varying confounders. A generalized linear mixed effects model was also used to estimate the association for worsening asthma defined by severe PEF decline. Back-trajectory and cluster analyses were used to investigate the long-range transboundary PM 2.5 in the study areas., Results: We found that morning PEFs were adversely associated with higher levels of sulfate (- 1.61 L/min; 95% CI: - 3.07, - 0.15) in Nagasaki city and organic carbon (OC) (- 1.02 L/min; 95% CI: - 1.94, - 0.09) in Isahaya city, per interquartile range (IQR) increase at lag1. In addition, we observed consistent findings for worsening asthma, with higher odds of severe PEF decline in the morning for sulfate (odds ratio (OR) = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.12, 4.77) and ammonium (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.84) in Nagasaki city and OC (OR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.15) in Isahaya city, per IQR increase at lag1. The significant chemical species were higher on days that could be largely attributed to the path of Northeast China origin (for sulfate and ammonium) or both the same path and local sources (for OC) than by other clusters., Conclusions: This study provides evidence of the differential effects of PM 2.5 fractions on lung function among asthmatic children in urban areas, where the Japanese national standards of air quality have been nearly met. Continuous efforts to promote mitigation actions and public awareness of hazardous transboundary air pollution are needed to protect susceptible children with asthma., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

While the coastal pollution of persistent toxic substances (PTSs) has been widely documented, information on offshore environments remains limited. Here, we investigated the spatial distribution and sources of PTSs in the offshore sediments (n = 34) of South Korea. Sediment samples collected from the Yellow Sea (n = 18), the South Sea (n = 10), and the East Sea (n = 6), in 2017-18 were analyzed for a total of 71 PTSs. Target compounds include 31 PCBs, 15 PAHs, 9 emerging PAHs (e-PAHs), 10 styrene oligomers (SOs), and 6 alkylphenols (APs). Sedimentary PCBs showed relatively low concentrations with no significant difference across the three seas (0.16-6.9 ng g -1 normalized organic carbon, OC). Low-chlorinated PCBs (tri- and tetra Cl-CBs) were predominant (mean: 77%), primarily indicating atmospheric inputs. PAHs widely accumulated in the three seas with low to moderate level (22-250 ng g -1 OC), and dominated by high molecular weight PAHs (4-6 rings). PMF analysis revealed coast-specific PAHs sources; i.e., originated from mainly coke production (77%) in the Yellow Sea, vehicle emissions (68%) in the South Sea, and fossil fuel combustion (49%) in the East Sea. SOs showed significant contamination than other PTSs, with elevated concentrations in the Yellow Sea (mean: 350 ng g -1 OC). APs showed a similar regional distribution to SOs, but concentrations were much lower (mean: 17 ng g -1 OC). SOs and APs seemed to be introduced from rivers and estuaries on the west coast of Korea, where industrial and municipal activities are concentrated, then might be transported to offshore through tide or currents. Overall, the novel data presented for various PTSs in offshore Korean sediments warrant the necessity of a long-term monitoring effort and urgent management practice to protect marine ecosystem., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Multiple sulfur (δ 34 S sulfate , Δ 33 S sulfate , & Δ 36 S sulfate ), nitrogen and oxygen (δ 15 N nitrate & δ 18 O nitrate ) and strontium ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) isotope compositions of precipitation collected from Seoul, South Korea were analyzed to study the sources, transportation and deposition of air pollutants in East Asia. The δ 34 S sulfate values (from 1.9 to 14.6‰ with a median of 4.7‰) and the δ 15 N nitrate values (from -2.0 to 13.3‰ with a median of 1.0‰) suggest that fossil fuel use (emission from coal combustion and vehicle exhaust) is a predominant source for sulfur and nitrogen, but other natural sources including biogenic contributions of DMS also add to their total budget. The seasonal variations are observed in δ 34 S sulfate and δ 15 N nitrate values (both higher in winter season), which is likely to result from the increase of coal use for domestic heating in China. The δ 18 O nitrate values also varied seasonally depending on the NO x oxidation pathway, being about 20‰ higher in winter than in summer season. The Δ 33 S sulfate and Δ 36 S sulfate values are not anomalous, showing the absence of MIF signals in precipitation of Seoul. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of the precipitation samples range from 0.70988 to 0.71487 with a median of 0.71073, indicating the influence of at least three end-member (silicate dust, carbonate dust and anthropogenic emission). Ionic ratios such as (K + +NH 4 + )/(Ca 2+ +Mg 2+ ) and Cl - /Na + suggest the overwhelming effect of anthropogenic input rather than carbonate dust on the end-member with lower 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Identifying critical source areas (CSAs) is the first step to effectively managing nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Increasing variability in climate can affect identification of CSAs. In this study, we identified present and future CSAs of NPS pollution in the Nakdong River watershed and examined how climate change will influence the identification of CSAs. Nine NPS pollution-related factors affecting the watershed environment and water quality were considered. These factors were rescaled through a min-max normalization to propose an index system that ranks basins based on the sensitivity of basins to climate change on identifying CSAs. For analyses, past rainfall was replaced with future rainfall under two RCP scenarios, RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5. Results showed insignificant differences in the spatial distribution of CSAs between the present and the future and between the future scenarios. Basins that are on or adjacent to the Nakdong River mainstream were mainly identified as CSAs, in addition to many basins of the Geumho and Nam rivers. Highly ranked CSAs including the level 1 CSAs, were mainly distributed in the mid- and downstream areas of the Nakdong River, indicating high need of NPS pollution management. This study can provide a foundation for the effective management of NPS pollution in the present and the future., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

This study investigates changes in fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) concentration and air-quality index (AQI) in Asia using nine different Coupled Model Inter-Comparison Project 6 (CMIP6) climate model ensembles from historical and future scenarios under shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). The results indicated that the estimated present-day PM 2.5 concentrations were comparable to satellite-derived data. Overall, the PM 2.5 concentrations of the analyzed regions exceeded the WHO air-quality guidelines, particularly in East Asia and South Asia. In future SSP scenarios that consider the implementation of significant air-quality controls (SSP1-2.6, SSP5-8.5) and medium air-quality controls (SSP2-4.5), the annual PM 2.5 levels were predicted to substantially reduce (by 46% to around 66% of the present-day levels) in East Asia, resulting in a significant improvement in the AQI values in the mid-future. Conversely, weak air pollution controls considered in the SSP3-7.0 scenario resulted in poor AQI values in China and India. Moreover, a predicted increase in the percentage of aged populations (>65 years) in these regions, coupled with high AQI values, may increase the risk of premature deaths in the future. This study also examined the regional impact of PM 2.5 mitigations on downward shortwave energy and surface air temperature. Our results revealed that, although significant air pollution controls can reduce long-term exposure to PM 2.5 , it may also contribute to the warming of near- and mid-future climates.

In January 2020, anthropogenic emissions in Northeast Asia reduced due to the COVID-19 outbreak. When outdoor activities of the public were limited, PM 2.5 concentrations in China and South Korea between February and March 2020 reduced by - 16.8 μg/m 3 and - 9.9 μg/m 3 respectively, compared with the average over the previous three years. This study uses air quality modeling and observations over the past four years to separate the influence of reductions in anthropogenic emissions from meteorological changes and emission control policies on this PM 2.5 concentration change. Here, we show that the impacts of anthropogenic pollution reduction on PM 2.5 were found to be approximately - 16% in China and - 21% in South Korea, while those of meteorology and emission policies were - 7% and - 8% in China, and - 5% and - 4% in South Korea, respectively. These results show that the influence on PM 2.5 concentration differs across time and region and according to meteorological conditions and emission control policies. Finally, the influence of reductions in anthropogenic emissions was greater than that of meteorological conditions and emission policies during COVID-19 period.

Background: Social networking services (SNSs) are recognized to be a promising approach to easily deliver health interventions and to enhance social support for exercise adherence. However, the patterns and aspects of social support through SNSs have not been reported and their influence on other social-cognitive factors remains inconclusive., Objective: Our objective is to explore how social support delivered through SNSs impacts interactions among Korean-Chinese (KC) middle-aged women and to identify how this approach influences social-cognitive factors for exercise (eg, sense of community, self-efficacy for exercise, and social support for exercise)., Methods: A mixed methods design was used. Text analysis of SNS messages and text mining using the Korean Natural Language Application (KoALA) were conducted. Social-cognitive factors (eg, sense of community, self-efficacy for exercise, and social support for exercise) were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks using a structured questionnaire. A comparison of social-cognitive factors at baseline and at 12 weeks was conducted to identify any potential significant changes, using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test., Results: A total of 259 SNS messages were collected from 24 KC women, distributed among four chat groups, who participated in a 12-week walking intervention program between August and October 2018. The individual average frequency of chatting via the SNS was 10.79 (range 0-34) and the most frequent type of social support through the SNS was network support (172/259, 66.4%). The most common words extracted from the SNS were Health, Exercise, Participation, and We. Overall, the perceived levels of sense of community (P<.001) and social support for exercise (P=.002) were significantly increased at 12 weeks compared with baseline. Group 1 (P=.03) and Group 4 (P=.03), whose members demonstrated the highest frequency of network support, experienced a significant increase only in the level of sense of community., Conclusions: By integrating these data and conducting a mixed methods analysis, we observed that among the types of social support, network support was a key point for the promotion of social-cognitive factors in increasing exercise adherence. Therefore, network support through SNS-based interventions should be considered as a useful strategy to help vulnerable migrant populations make changes to exercise behaviors., (©Hyeyeon Lee, Hyeonkyeong Lee, Youlim Kim, Sookyung Kim, Young-Me Lee. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 05.11.2020.)

Vitamins are the essential elements for human life and, particularly, for infant health. Human milk is the best source of nutrients for newborns, however, the information of vitamins in Asian maternal milk is still limited. In this study, we have collected 580 Asian maternal milk samples from Korea ( n = 254), China ( n = 137), Pakistan ( n = 92), and Vietnam ( n = 97). The vitamin concentrations, including vitamin B-groups (8 vitamins), fat-soluble vitamin (retinol, D, E, K) and lutein in the breast milk of were investigated. The concentration of thiamin (B 1 ), biotin (B 7 ), and folic acid (B 9 ) in mother's milk of four countries were not considerably different, while riboflavin (B 2 ), pantothenic acid (B 5 ), and pyridoxine (B 6 ) level in Vietnam samples were significantly lower than those in other countries. In contrast, retinol (A) and tocopherol (E) were found to be higher levels in Vietnamese maternal milk. Korean and Chinese maternal milk had low concentrations of retinol that may cause vitamin A deficiency in children. However, Chinese mother's milk was distinguished with a high concentration of lutein. Pakistani mother's milk was observed as having a significant problem of folic acid (B 9 ) deficiency. Regardless of the country, vitamin B 12 , K, and D did not seem to be provided sufficiently through maternal milk. The moderate positive correlations were found between vitamin concentrations in each country and the pooled sample. The data obtained in this study were able to provide vital information to assess the nutritional status of breast milk in Asian countries and contributed to the efforts of ensuring the best nutrition for Asian children.

Background: Korean-Chinese (KC) women make up the largest group of female migrants in South Korea. To prevent and manage chronic diseases in middle-aged KC women working full time, it is necessary to develop health promotion programs that utilize an online platform because such a platform would allow individuals to participate in health promotion interventions at their convenience., Objective: This study aimed to develop a living lab for a mobile-based health (LLm Health) program focused on improving the physical activity and cultural adaptation of KC women workers., Methods: We used a mixed methods design. Living lab principles were factored into the LLm Health program, including the use of multiple methods, user engagement, multistakeholder participants, real-life settings, and cocreation. The program was developed using the 4 steps of the intervention mapping method: needs assessment, setting of objectives, identification of intervention strategies, and intervention design. Needs assessment was conducted through a literature review, focus group interviews with a total of 16 middle-aged KC women, and an online survey related to health promotion of migrant workers given to 38 stakeholders. KC middle-aged women participated in the early stages of program development and provided the idea of developing programs and mobile apps to enhance physical activity and acculturation. The mobile app developed in the program was validated with the help of 12 KC women and 4 experts, including 3 nursing professors and a professor of physical education. They were asked to rate each item based on content, interface design, and technology on a 4-point scale using a 23-item Smartphone App Evaluation Tool for Health Care., Results: The LLm Health program comprised a 24-week walking program using Fitbit devices, the mobile app, and social cognitive interventions. The mobile app contained 6 components: a step counter, an exercise timer, an online chat function, health information, level of cardiovascular risk, and health status. The cultural aspects and lifestyles of KC women were accommodated in the entire process of program development. The content validity of the mobile app was found to be 0.90 and 0.96 according to the 12 KC women and 4 experts, respectively., Conclusions: The mobile app was found to be valid and acceptable for KC women. The living lab approach was a useful strategy for developing a culturally adaptive LLm Health program for KC women workers, leading to their active participation in the overall research process, including needs assessment, program composition, and pre-evaluation., (©Youlim Kim, Hyeonkyeong Lee, Mi Kyung Lee, Hyeyeon Lee, Hyoeun Jang. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 08.01.2020.)

Background: Although memory loss and other symptoms of dementia pose tremendous burdens on patients and societies, there is currently no cure for dementia., Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the anti-dementia effects of Danggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS), which is derived from natural resources. We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to June 2019. We searched PubMed, Embase, Korean databases (Research Information Service System and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System), Chinese databases (China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and Wanfang Database), and Japanese databases (CiNii and J-STAGE). Studies were included if they were a RCT, investigated the efficacy of DSS or its modified form, and included participants with dementia. Use of DSS with other treatment (eg, acupuncture, anti-dementia drugs, etc) was included. Items of each trial were evaluated by 2 independent reviewers. Data were pooled by using random-effect models., Results: A total of 482 studies were identified, and 5 eligible studies for Alzheimer disease (AD) and 4 studies for vascular dementia (VD) were included in the final analysis, representing a total of 567 participants. As for AD, pooled results of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (mean differences [MD] 4.60; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.29, 4.91) and activities of daily living (MD 11.40; 95% CI 10.94, 11.86) favored DSS. DSS had synergistic effect with acupuncture over acupuncture alone in MMSE (MD 1.69; 95% CI 1.05, 2.34), Hasegawa Dementia Scale (MD.62; 95% CI -0.20, 1.44), and activities of daily living (MD 2.38; 95% CI 1.92, 2.85). In VD, pooled results showed a significant difference in the score of dementia scales such as MMSE and Hasegawa Dementia Scale compared with nootropic drugs. DSS significantly reduced symptoms (odds ratio 5.02, 95%, CI 2.76-9.11) in patients with VD. The respective size of each RCTs was small and some included studies were of low quality due to their limited description on methodological issues., Conclusion: These estimates suggest that DSS provides clinically important reductions in symptoms of AD and VD and can be a promising anti-dementia drug candidate.

Environmental regulations affect employment through productivity output and factor substitution. This paper employs a difference-in-differences (DID) method to investigate the effect of China's Two Control Zones (TCZ) policy on the urban employment in 287 cities from 1994 to 2009. We apply the DID method to two time points: 1998 for policy issuance and 2000 for the policy implementation. From the results of analyses on full-sample cities, the TCZ policy did not contribute to increasing total urban employment. Moreover, a negative impact on employment resulted from sulfur dioxide and acid rain controls in secondary and tertiary industries, respectively. In the acid rain control zone, the TCZ policy increased the average wage of urban workers. Negative effects on employment were observed in larger cities. The policy triggered labor migration from larger to smaller cities, resulting in significant increases in primary and tertiary industry employment in smaller cities, although the effects on mid-size cities were insignificant. This study provides important empirical evidence and insight into the impact of the TCZ policy on urban employment.

Bats have increasingly been recognized as the natural reservoir of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), coronavirus, and other coronaviruses found in mammals. However, little research has been conducted on bat coronaviruses in South Korea. In this study, bat samples (332 oral swabs, 245 fecal samples, 38 urine samples, and 57 bat carcasses) were collected at 33 natural bat habitat sites in South Korea. RT-PCR and sequencing were performed for specific coronavirus genes to identify the bat coronaviruses in different bat samples. Coronaviruses were detected in 2.7% (18/672) of the samples: 13 oral swabs from one species of the family Rhinolophidae, and four fecal samples and one carcass (intestine) from three species of the family Vespertiliodae. To determine the genetic relationships of the 18 sequences obtained in this study and previously known coronaviruses, the nucleotide sequences of a 392-nt region of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene were analyzed phylogenetically. Thirteen sequences belonging to SARS-like betacoronaviruses showed the highest nucleotide identity (97.1-99.7%) with Bat-CoV-JTMC15 reported in China. The other five sequences were most similar to MERS-like betacoronaviruses. Four nucleotide sequences displayed the highest identity (94.1-95.1%) with Bat-CoV-HKU5 from Hong Kong. The one sequence from a carcass showed the highest nucleotide identity (99%) with Bat-CoV-SC2013 from China. These results suggest that careful surveillance of coronaviruses from bats should be continued, because animal and human infections may result from the genetic variants present in bat coronavirus reservoirs.

Voluntary Medical Male circumcision (VMMC) is an evidence-based, yet under-utilized biomedical HIV intervention in China. No study has investigated acceptability of VMMC among male sexually transmitted diseases patients (MSTDP) who are at high risk of HIV transmission. A cross-sectional survey interviewed 350 HIV negative heterosexual MSTDP in Shenzhen, China; 12.0% (n = 42) of them were circumcised at the time of survey. When the uncircumcised participants (n = 308) were informed that VMMC could reduce the risk of HIV infection via heterosexual intercourse by 50%, the prevalence of acceptability of VMMC in the next six months was 46.1%. Adjusted for significant background variables, significant factors of acceptability of VMMC included: 1) emotional variables: the Emotional Representation Subscale (adjusted odds ratios, AOR = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.06-1.18), 2) cognitive variables derived from Health Belief Model (HBM): perceived some chance of having sex with HIV positive women in the next 12 months (AOR = 2.48, 95%CI: 1.15-5.33) (perceived susceptibility), perceived severity of STD infection (AOR = 1.06, 95%CI: 1.02-1.10), perceived benefit of VMMC in risk reduction (AOR = 1.29, 95%CI: 1.16-1.42) and sexual performance (AOR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.26-1.71), perceived barriers against taking up VMMC (AOR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.81-0.95), and perceived cue to action (AOR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.23-1.61) and self-efficacy (AOR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.26-1.35) related to taking up VMMC. The association between perceived severity of STD infection and acceptability was fully mediated by emotional representation of STD infection. The relatively low prevalence of circumcision and high acceptability suggested that the situation was favorable for implementing VMMC as a means of HIV intervention among MSTDP in China. HBM is a potential suitable framework to guide the design of future VMMC promotion. Future implementation programs should be conducted in STD clinic settings, taking the important findings of this study into account.

This paper aims to examine the preventive measures taken against the plague in colonial Korea, particularly as applied to the control of Chinese coolies in 1911, soon after the annexation. The Government General of Korea began preventive measures with a train quarantine in Shin'uiju and Incheon in response to the spread of the plague to the Southern Manchuria. Shin' uiju had become urbanized due the development of the transportation network, and the seaport of Incheon was the major hub for traffic with China. Examining the transportation routes for the entry and exit of Chinese to and from Korea makes clear the reason why the Korea Government General initiated preventive measures in mid-January, 1911. The Government General of Korea tried to block the entry of Chinese through the land border crossing with China and through ports of entry, primarily Incheon. During the implementation of the preventive measures, quarantine facilities were built, including a quarantine station and isolation facility in Incheon. It was also needed to investigate the population and residential locations of Chinese in Korea to prevent the spread of plague. A certificate of residence was issued to all Chinese in Korea, which they needed to carry when they travelled. The preventive measures against plague which broke out in Manchuria were removed gradually. However, there was no specific measures against Chinese coolies, those who had migrated from China to work in the spring in Korea. Still the Government General of Korea had doubt about an infection of the respiratory system. As a result, the labor market in colonial Korea underwent changes in this period. The Government General recruited Korean laborers, instead of Chinese coolies whose employment had been planned. This move explains the Government General's strong preventive measures against plague and uncertainty in the route of plague infection, which influenced subsequent regulations on the prohibition of Chinese coolies working on the public enterprise sites and the improvement of labor conditions for Korean laborers.

The 3D compartment model POSEIDON-R was applied to the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas to simulate the transport and fate of (90)Sr in the period 1945-2010 and to perform a radiological assessment on the releases of (90)Sr due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident for the period 2011-2040. The contamination due to runoff of (90)Sr from terrestrial surfaces was taken into account using a generic predictive model. A dynamical food-chain model describes the transfer of (90)Sr to phytoplankton, zooplankton, molluscs, crustaceans, piscivorous and non-piscivorous fishes. Results of the simulations were compared with observation data on (90)Sr for the period 1955-2010 and the budget of (90)Sr activity was estimated. It was found that in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea the riverine influx was 1.5% of the ocean influx and it was important only locally. Calculated concentrations of (90)Sr in water, bottom sediment and marine organisms before and after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident are in good agreement with available experimental measurements. The concentration of (90)Sr in seawater would return to the background levels within one year after leakages were stopped. The model predicts that the concentration of (90)Sr in fish after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident shall return to the background concentrations only 2 years later due to the delay of the transfer throughout the food web and specific accumulation of (90)Sr. The contribution of (90)Sr to the maximal dose rate due to the FDNPP accident was three orders of magnitude less than that due to (137)Cs, and thus well below the maximum effective dose limits for the public., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Municipal solid waste management (SWM) is a major challenge for local governments in rural China. One key issue is the low priority assigned by the local government which is faced with limited financing capacity. We conducted an economic analysis in Eryuan, a poor county in Yunnan, China, where the willingness- to- pay (WTP) for an improved solid waste collection and disposal service was valuated and compared with project cost. Similar to most previous studies in developing countries, this study found that the mean WTP is approximately 1% of the household income. The economic internal rate of return of the project is about 5%, which signifies the estimated social benefit to be already higher than the project cost. Moreover, we believe our estimation of social benefit to be a conservative one since our study only focuses on the local people who will be directly served by the project; wider positive externality of the project, such as CO2 emission reduction and groundwater pollution alleviation, etc., whose impact most probably surpass the frontier of Eryuan county, are not considered explicitly in our survey. The analysis also reveals that the poorest households are not only willing to pay more than the rich households in terms of percentage income but are also willing to pay no less than the rich in terms of absolute value in locations where solid waste services are unavailable. This result reveals the fact that the poorest households have stronger demands for public SWM services, whereas the rich may have the ability to employ private solutions., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

This paper presents a study of the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for surface water quality improvement in China. In the Huaping County of Yunnan Province, we found that people are willing to pay 74 Yuan (or US$12.33 in 2012 prices) per household per month (or 5% of household income) continuously for five years to achieve an improvement of water quality in the two major local rivers from the current Grade IV to Grade III, which denotes a level suitable for swimming and fishing and matches the water quality level from 10 years ago. This WTP study is based on an actual investment project that was under serious consideration by the government and is based on the multiple-bounded discrete choice (MBDC) approach, which explicitly recognizes the potential uncertainties involved in the study. The potential ordering effects associated with the MBDC approach are empirically tested, and the results indicate that although the presentation order of the polychotomous likelihood choices may not have a significant impact on the WTP estimation, the presentation order of bid levels may have a significant impact., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims/hypothesis: Most genetic variants identified for type 2 diabetes have been discovered in European populations. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in a Chinese population with the aim of identifying novel variants for type 2 diabetes in Asians., Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of three GWAS comprising 684 patients with type 2 diabetes and 955 controls of Southern Han Chinese descent. We followed up the top signals in two independent Southern Han Chinese cohorts (totalling 10,383 cases and 6,974 controls), and performed in silico replication in multiple populations., Results: We identified CDKN2A/B and four novel type 2 diabetes association signals with p < 1 × 10(-5) from the meta-analysis. Thirteen variants within these four loci were followed up in two independent Chinese cohorts, and rs10229583 at 7q32 was found to be associated with type 2 diabetes in a combined analysis of 11,067 cases and 7,929 controls (p meta = 2.6 × 10(-8); OR [95% CI] 1.18 [1.11, 1.25]). In silico replication revealed consistent associations across multiethnic groups, including five East Asian populations (p meta = 2.3 × 10(-10)) and a population of European descent (p = 8.6 × 10(-3)). The rs10229583 risk variant was associated with elevated fasting plasma glucose, impaired beta cell function in controls, and an earlier age at diagnosis for the cases. The novel variant lies within an islet-selective cluster of open regulatory elements. There was significant heterogeneity of effect between Han Chinese and individuals of European descent, Malaysians and Indians., Conclusions/interpretation: Our study identifies rs10229583 near PAX4 as a novel locus for type 2 diabetes in Chinese and other populations and provides new insights into the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.

To identify the genetic bases for nine metabolic traits, we conducted a meta-analysis combining Korean genome-wide association results from the KARE project (n = 8,842) and the HEXA shared control study (n = 3,703). We verified the associations of the loci selected from the discovery meta-analysis in the replication stage (30,395 individuals from the BioBank Japan genome-wide association study and individuals comprising the Health2 and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Diabetes cohorts). We identified ten genome-wide significant signals newly associated with traits from an overall meta-analysis. The most compelling associations involved 12q24.11 (near MYL2) and 12q24.13 (in C12orf51) for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 2p21 (near SIX2-SIX3) for fasting plasma glucose, 19q13.33 (in RPS11) and 6q22.33 (in RSPO3) for renal traits, and 12q24.11 (near MYL2), 12q24.13 (in C12orf51 and near OAS1), 4q31.22 (in ZNF827) and 7q11.23 (near TBL2-BCL7B) for hepatic traits. These findings highlight previously unknown biological pathways for metabolic traits investigated in this study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare Korean and Chinese nursing students with respect to their nursing curricula and educational outcomes including critical thinking, professionalism, leadership, communication skills, and nursing practice skills., Methods: Data were collected from 762 nursing college students (355 in Korea and 407 in China) using the validated self-report questionnaires. The instruments were translated into Chinese for the Chinese students., Findings: Korea offered various nursing courses more focused on specific nursing compared to China. With respect to critical thinking skills, the Korean students had significantly higher scores than the Chinese students. The Chinese students had significantly higher scores than the Korean students on the professionalism and communication skills. There were no differences between the groups in scores of leadership and nursing practice skills., Conclusion and Recommendations: This study provides preliminary information on cross-national nursing educational outcomes. A comparison of educational outcomes among nursing students of other countries as well as China will determine differences in nursing educational outcomes that the nursing program is located in, and an international flow of students through the nursing educational should develop a general direction for nursing education., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the characteristics of extracted humic substances (HS) which are ubiquitous in river waters and affect the treatment of the water. HS were extracted from the Han River and the samples obtained were analyzed before/after oxidation with the following analytical methods: DOC, THMFP, UV-abs, chemical composition, molecular weight distribution, IR. Ozonation experiments were conducted in batch-type reactors. Ozone dose was 1 mg/L and contact time was varied from 0 to 20 minutes. The fraction of hydrophobic matter was 56.0% of total organic carbon in the Han River and the ratio of humic/fulvic acids was 22.4/77.6, showing high fractions of aromatic and/or double carbon bond functional groups and high fractions of saturated aliphatic carbons. Oxygen fraction of Han HS was relatively high compared with other humic substances (Suwannee River humic and fulvic acids), which are consistent with the results of IR spectra. The IR spectra showed the increase in aliphatic groups by ozonation of the Han HS. Humic substances could not completely be oxidized to CO2, H2O etc., but were partly oxidized to low molecular weight matter (aliphatics, aldehydes, carboxylics, polysaccharides etc.), so low removal efficiencies in terms of DOC (31-35% with 5 minute contact) were observed. For UV254, 5 minute or shorter contact showed more than 80% removal efficiencies.

To evaluate the effectiveness of Vi polysaccharide vaccine (Vi vaccine) in preventing typhoid fever, an analysis was done of an outbreak of typhoid fever among students attending a middle school in the People's Republic of China, where Vi vaccine is licensed for use. Vi vaccine effectiveness was analyzed by using Cox proportional hazards modeling to account for the time-dependent nature of vaccination and illness status during the outbreak. Among 1260 students who had been immunized before the outbreak, receipt of Vi vaccine was associated with 73% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32%-89%) protection. Among the additional 441 students immunized during the outbreak, receipt of Vi vaccine was associated with 71% (95% CI, -9% to 92%) protection. These results provide the first evidence about the effectiveness of Vi vaccine when deployed routinely in a typhoid-endemic area and support the use of Vi vaccine as a public health tool to control typhoid fever.

Dipsacus saponin C (DSC) administered intrathecally (i.t.) showed antinociceptive effect in a dose-dependent (from 3.75 to 30 microg) manner as measured by the tail-flick assay. The antinociception induced by DSC at the dose of 30 microg reached at peak 7.5 min and almost returned to the control level after 60 min. 5-Amino-valeric acid (5-AVA, a GABA(A) receptor antagonist, from 1 to 20 microg) and SR 95531 (a GABA(B) receptor antagonist, from 0.1 to 2 ng) dose-dependently attenuated i.t. administered DSC-induced increase of the inhibition of the tail-flick response. The i.t. injection of yohimbine (an alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor antagonist, from 1 to 20 microg) and methysergide (a serotonin receptor antagonist, from 1 to 20 microg), but not naloxone (from 2 to 8 microg), significantly attenuated inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by DSC (30 microg) administered i.t. Sulfated cholecystokinin (CCK, from 0.05 to 0.5 ng) injected i.t. significantly reduced the inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by DSC (30 microg) administered i.t. Our results suggest that DSC shows an antinociceptive effect when it is administered spinally and GABA(A), GABA(B), alpha(2)-adrenergic and serotonin receptors located at the spinal cord level, but not opioid receptors, may be involved in DSC-induced antinociception. Furthermore, CCK may play an important role for the modulation of i. t. injected DSC-induced antinociception.

Rotundines A (1), B (2), and C (3), three novel sesquiterpene alkaloids with an unprecedented carbon skeleton, were isolated from the rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus. The structures of 1-3 were elucidated by spectral and chemical methods.

Two new lavandulylated flavanones, (2S)-2'-methoxykurarinone (1) and (-)-kurarinone (2), were isolated from the root of Sophora flavescens, together with two known lavandulyl flavanones, sophoraflavanone G (3) and leachianone A (4), and two known isoflavonoids, formononetin and l-maakiain. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined on the basis of optical rotation and spectral evidence and by comparison with known compounds. Compounds 1-4 exhibited cytotoxic activity against human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells.