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1. Due to seasonal breeding, geese breeds from Southern China have low egg yield. The genetic makeup underlying performance of local breeds is largely unknown, and few studies have investigated this problem. This study integrated 21 newly generated and 50 publicly existing RNA-seq libraries, representing the hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, to identify candidate genes and importantly related pathways associated with seasonal breeding in male Lion-Head geese. 2. In total, 19, 119 and 302 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, respectively, of male Lion-Head geese between non-breeding and breeding periods. These genes were significantly involved in the neuropeptide signalling pathway, gland development, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, JAK-STAT signalling pathway, cAMP signalling pathway, PI3K-Akt signalling pathway and Foxo signalling pathway. 3. By integrating another 50 RNA-seq samples 4, 18 and 40 promising DEGs were confirmed in hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, respectively. 4. HOX genes were identified as having important roles in the development of testis between non-breeding and breeding periods of male Lion-Head geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of BRCA1/2 large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) and their underlying mechanisms have not been fully evaluated in Chinese women with breast cancer. In this study, we determined the prevalence of BRCA1/2 LGRs in 834 patients with familial breast cancer (FBC) and 660 patients with sporadic triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) who were negative for BRCA1/2 small‐range mutations using the multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification method. We found that 20 index patients (2.4%) in the FBC group carried a BRCA1 or BRCA2 LGR, and the frequencies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 LGRs were 1.6% and 0.8%, respectively. Seven index patients (1.1%) carried a BRCA1 LGR in 660 sporadic TNBC patients, whereas no BRCA2 LGRs were found in these patients. Among the BRCA1/2 LGRs, 48.1% (13/27) were novel, and the breakpoints of the majority of the LGRs were identified. ΨBRCA1‐mediated homologous recombination (HR) and Alu‐mediated HR/non‐homologous end‐joining (NHEJ) accounted for 40% and 30% of the BRCA1 LGRs, respectively. Alu‐mediated HR accounted for 71.4% of the BRCA2 LGRs, and the remaining one‐third was generated through Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE)‐mediated NHEJ. Our findings suggest that both FBC patients and sporadic TNBC patients should be tested for BRCA1/2 LGRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study which determines the prevalence of syphilis, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients infected with HIV-1 in Shandong, China. The study includes medical screening of 10 milliliter blood samples collected from HIV/AIDS high-risk populations, as well as laboratory methods and data analysis gathered from the screened serum. Results of the study suggest the importance of screening of syphilis, HBV and HCV for Chinese HIV-infected patients.

The aim of the study was to investigate the characteristics and risk factors for hyperglycemia in Chinese female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). One hundred and fortysix female SLE patients without a history of diabetes underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test to evaluate glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta cell function. According to the 1999 World Health Organization criteria, all patients were divided into three groups: normal glucose regulation, impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus. Glucocorticoid doses, insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta cell function were compared among these groups. Risk factors for hyperglycemia were analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Our results showed that 46 of the 146 female SLE patients (31.5 %) were hyperglycemic, including 21 (14.4%) diabetes mellitus patients and 25 (17.1%) impaired glucose tolerance patients. These female SLE patients with hyperglycemia were characterized by insulin resistance and reduced pancreatic beta cell function, and they were relatively young. Age ≥35 years and high glucocorticoid doses were risk factors for hyperglycemia in Chinese female SLE patients. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance are quite high in Chinese female SLE patients. It is suggested that plasma glucose concentration should be monitored regularly and oral glucose tolerance test should be recommended for SLE patients who have risk factors for hyperglycemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pollution loads from land sources and their impact on the receiving waters can be predicted by using land-use and surface water quality models, respectively. In this paper details are given of the development of an integrated modelling system for managing water quality in coastal basins. The system includes a model linking the pollution input loads to land-use and a model for simulating surface flow and chemical and biological processes. The land-use model consists of two main components: a database and a model base. It uses a GIS system, namely ArcGIS, as the model platform. The database, built in the Geo-database format, includes six data sets containing information on social, economical, bathymetrical and hydrological aspects of a study area. The model base includes a series of transfer functions that link the pollution loads to key sources, including those from: industrial, domestic and agricultural inputs, and fish and animal farming. The water quality model is a numerical model which solves the governing equations representing the physical, chemical and biological processes in coastal waters. The modelling system was set up for Bohai Bay in China, with the land-use model being used to provide nutrient loadings from individual inputs and the water quality model used to predict the impact of these inputs on the receiving waters. Model simulations were also undertaken to predict the water quality conditions for various development and management scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes two phenol-degrading yeast strains collected from marine sediments of the Xiamen Western Sea of China. Phenols are produced during biodegradation of aromatics such as anthracene, napthalene, lignin and other aminio acid precursors. These chemicals are associated with pollution from refineries, chemical industries, pulp mills and coal mines. Phenol-degrading yeasts appear to be able to use phenol as the sole source of carbon and energy and are more efficient than bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Bacillus. Two yeast strain genomes were amplified using Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) and DNA and RNA strains were sequenced and found to be very similar to Candida sp.

A novel HLA-DRB1 allele, DRB1*0449, has been identified in the Han population of Guangdong Province of China. Compared with DRB1*0406, it has only one single-nucleotide mutation from G to A at position 18 of exon 2, which causes a change in the protein sequence from valine to isoleucine at codon 11 of DR beta chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "First Report of a Soft Rot of Philodendron 'Con-go' in China Caused by Dickeya dieffenbachiae," by B.R. Lin and colleagues is presented.

Data from clinical trials of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines showed that women naïve (negative for both type-specific antibodies and DNA) to vaccine types would derive benefit from vaccination; therefore, an understanding of the proportion of naïve women in different age groups is important for developing HPV vaccination strategies. From November 2012 to April 2013, a total of 7372 healthy women aged 18 – 45 years were recruited in five provinces in China. Cervical specimens and serum samples were collected for each woman at entry. Cervical specimens were first tested by the HPV DNA enzyme immunoassay method; if positive, the specimens were then tested by reverse hybridization line probe assay and HPV-16 and HPV-18 specific polymerase chain reactions. Neutralizing antibodies against HPV-16 or HPV-18 were tested with a pseudovirion-based neutralization assay. The overall prevalence of high-risk HPV DNA was 14.8% (1088/7367, 95% CI 14.0–15.6), and the seroprevalence of neutralizing antibodies against HPV-16 and HPV-18 was 12.6% (925/7367) and 4.9% (364/7367), respectively. In younger women (18–26 years) and middle-aged women (27–45 years), 83.8% (3116/3719) and 81.4% (2968/3648) were naïve to both HPV-16 and HPV-18 (both neutralizing antibodies and DNA were negative), respectively. In addition, 98.5% (3664/3719) and 98.0% (3575/3648) of the younger or middle-aged women were naïve to at least one HPV type (HPV-16 or HPV-18). This study revealed that the majority of Chinese women aged 18 – 26 years and 27 – 45 years were naïve to both HPV-16 and HPV-18 and would thus derive full benefit from bivalent HPV vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and a major public health problem in the Chinese population, especially among women. The current study aims to understand prevalence of depression symptoms and provide detailed epidemiological factors associated with depression among reproductive women in rural areas which was paid less attention in previous surveys. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Face-to-face household interviews were conducted on 1058 women (age: 15-49 years) in rural areas from July 2012 to August 2012. Questionnaires were used to investigate the influencing factors of depression among women. Pearson's χ², logistic regression analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were applied to analyze the related factors. Results: The prevalence of depression among women was 30.7% [95% confidence interval (CI): 27.9%-33.5%]. Compared with non-depressed individuals, those with depression were more likely to be short of social support [odd ratio (OR): 0.940, P < 0.001) and have no one to talk with (OR: 0.366, P < 0.001), to be dissatisfied with the house (OR: 2.673, P < 0.001) and economy (OR: 2.268, P < 0.01) of their family, and to have great pressure (OR: 2.099, P < 0.01), negative life events (OR: 1.485, P < 0.05) and physical diseases (OR: 1.364, P < 0.05). Pressure status, social support assessment, and socio-economic status were negatively related to depression (correlation coefficient: -0.57, -0.27 and 0.17). Conclusions: The high prevalence of depression among reproductive women in rural areas is of particular concern. Factors associated with depression may assist health care administrations to identify and assess high-risk women and target strategies accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies about the combined effects of gaseous air pollutants and particulate matters are still rare., Objectives: This study was performed based on baseline survey of the Diverse Life-Course Cohort in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) Region of North China to evaluate the association of long-term air pollutants with blood pressure and the combined effect of the air pollutants mixture among 32821 natural han population aged 20 years or above., Methods: Three-year average exposure to air pollutants (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , PM 1 , O 3 , SO 2 , NO 2 , and CO) and PM 2.5 components [black carbon (BC), ammonium (NH 4 + ), nitrate (NO 3 - ), sulfate (SO 4 2- ), and organic matter (OM)] of residential areas were calculated based on well-validated models. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to estimate the associations of air pollutants exposure with the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), Mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure (PP) and prevalent hypertension. Quantile g-Computation and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) were employed to assess the combined effect of the air pollutant mixture., Results: We found that long-term exposures of O 3 , PM 2.5 , and PM 2.5 components were stably and strongly associated with elevated SBP, DBP, and MAP and prevalent hypertension. O 3 increased SBP, DBP, and MAP at a similar extent, but with greater effects; while, PM 2.5 and PM 2.5 components had a greater impact on SBP than DBP, which increased PP simultaneously. In multi-pollutant models, the combined effects of the air pollutant mixture on blood pressure and prevalent hypertension was predominantly influenced by O 3 , PM 2.5 , and O 3 , OM in different models, respectively. For example, O 3 , PM 2.5 contributed 57.25 %, 39.22 % of the positive combined effect of the air pollutant mixture on SBP; and O 3 , OM positively contributed 70.00 %, 30.00 % on prevalent hypertension, respectively. There were interactions between O 3 , CO, SO 2 and PM 2.5 components on hbp, SBP and PP., Conclusions: The results showed positive associations of air pollutant mixtures with blood pressure, where O 3 and PM 2.5 (especially OM) might be primary contributors. There were interactions between gaseous air pollutants and PM 2.5 components on blood pressure and prevalent hypertension., 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Incineration is a promising sustainable treatment method for solid waste. However, the ongoing revelation of new toxic pollutants in this process has become a controversial issue impeding its development. Thus, identifying and regulating high-risk pollutants emerge as pivotal strides toward reconciling this debate. In this study, we proposed a workflow aimed at establishing priority monitoring inventories for organic compounds emitted by industries involving full-component structural recognition, environmental behavior prediction, and emission risk assessment, specifically focusing on solid waste incineration (SWI). A total of 174 stack gas samples from 29 incinerators were first collected. Nontarget full organic recognition technology was then deployed to analyze these samples, and 646 organic compounds were identified. The characteristics, i.e., toxicity effects, toxicity concentrations, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential, of these compounds were assessed and ranked based on the TOXCAST database from the US Environmental Protection Agency and structural effect models. Combined with consideration of changes in seasons and waste types, a priority control inventory consisting of 28 organic pollutants was finally proposed. The risks associated with SWI across different regions in China and various countries were assessed, and results pinpointed that by controlling the priority pollutants, the average global emission risk attributed to SWI was anticipated to be reduced by 71.4%. These findings offer significant guidance for decision-making in industrial pollutant management, emphasizing the importance of targeted regulation and monitoring to enhance the sustainability and safety of incineration processes.

Six previously undescribed 2, 9-deoxyflavonoids (1/2a, 1/2b, 6, and 7), along with six known compounds (3-5, and 8-10), were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Aglaia odorata. Their structures were determined by a combination of spectral analysis, ECD calculation and enzymatic hydrolysis assay. Surprisingly, (±) aglaindanone E (11a, 11b) were unexpectedly formed as the derivatives of compounds 3-6 when exposed to ambient natural light. Furthermore, the plausible biosynthetic pathway of 2, 9-deoxyflavonoids was proposed and chemically mimicked. In biological activity assay, compounds 1/2a, 1/2b, 4, and 6 showed potential protective effects in the 0.75%CSE-induced BEAS-2B cells injury model., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The fat-to-muscle mass ratio (FMR), integrating the antagonistic effects of fat and muscle mass, has been suggested as a valuable indicator to assess cardiometabolic health independent of overall adiposity. However, the specific associations of total and regional FMR with cardiometabolic risk are poorly understood. We aimed to examine sex-specific associations of total and regional FMR with single and clustered cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs)., Methods: 13,505 participants aged 20 years and above were included in the cross-sectional study. Fat mass and muscle mass were assessed using a bioelectrical impedance analysis device. FMR was estimated as fat mass divided by muscle mass in corresponding body parts (whole body, arm, leg, and trunk). Clustered CRFs was defined as the presence of two or more risk factors, including hypertension, elevated blood glucose, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance (IR), and hyperuricemia. IR was assessed by the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to explore the associations of FMR in the whole body and body parts with single and clustered CRFs., Results: The odds ratios (ORs) increased significantly for all single and clustered CRFs with the per quartile increase of total and regional FMR in both sexes (P for trend < 0.001), following adjustment for confounders. Among the regional parts, FMRs of the legs presented the strongest associations for clustered CRFs in both men and women, with adjusted OR of 8.54 (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.12-10.24) and 4.92 (95% CI: 4.24-5.71), respectively. Significant interactions (P for interaction < 0.05) were identified between age and FMRs across different body parts, as well as between BMI status and FMRs in different regions for clustered CRFs. Restricted cubic splines revealed significant non-linear relationships between FMRs of different body parts and clustered CRFs in both sexes (P for nonlinear < 0.05)., Conclusions: FMRs in the whole body and different regions were significantly associated with single and clustered CRFs in the general Chinese population. The association between FMR and clustered CRFs was more pronounced in youngers than in the elderly., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly dependent on adherence, and adherence behavior is influenced by motivation. The aim of this study was to explore the longitudinal relationship between PrEP motivation and change in adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Western China., Methods: From November 2019 to June 2021, we conducted a PrEP prospective cohort study. Motivation to take medicine was measured by the PrEP Motivation Scale at baseline, and was grouped into different levels of latent categories by Latent Profile Analysis (LPA). A multinomial logistic regression model was used to explore the longitudinal relationship between change in adherence (improvement, decline, no change) and different levels of PrEP motivation., Results: MSM were divided into two categories of PrEP motivation, a "high motivation group" (n = 506, 69.89%) and a "low motivation group" (n = 218, 30.11%). High PrEP motivation had no significant effect on the change in short-term adherence, however, it contributed to the improvement in long-term adherence [odds ratio (OR) = 3.028 (1.100-8.332), p = 0.031]. The predictive power of the adherence model was significantly enhanced with the addition of the PrEP motivation factor., Conclusions: There was a positive correlation between high PrEP motivation at baseline and an improvement in long-term adherence. Surveillance and intervention of PrEP motivation in MSM can increase their adherence, and then promote PrEP efficacy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

China's renewable energy industry is facing the challenge of overcapacity. The environmental management literature suggests that consumers' participation in the green electricity market holds immense potential in addressing renewable energy consumption concerns. However, the question of how payment policies influence China's consumers' willingness to pay for green electricity remains unresolved. Based on 2854 valid questionnaires from a survey conducted in China's four first-tier cities in 2023, our research findings reveal: (1) While 97.9% of consumers express a willingness to use green electricity, only 63.1% are willing to pay a higher cost, indicating the existence of a "value-action" gap between environmental awareness and actual willingness to pay. (2) China's consumers' willingness to pay for green electricity is approximately 38.4 RMB per month. This figure has decreased by 5.7 RMB compared to our survey in 2019. (3) Consumers' willingness to pay will be influenced by the attitudes of those around them. (4) The voluntary payment policy positively impacts consumers' willingness to pay for green electricity. (5) Male, younger, lower education level, higher income, and larger household size consumers exhibit a higher willingness to pay. (6) Electricity price sensitivity weakens the impact of payment policies on willingness to pay., 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.)

Cooperative green technology innovation is potentially the answer to the lack of motivation for independent green innovation, which can effectively alleviate many difficulties faced by enterprises engaging in independent green innovation. Internet development provides new opportunities to stimulate innovative cooperation of enterprises. However, little literature has studied the impact of Internet development on enterprises' cooperative green technology innovation. Based on the data of Chinese A-share 3284 listed companies from 2010 to 2019, this paper uses a panel two-way fixed effects model to assess the effect of Internet development on enterprises' cooperative green innovation. The findings are: (1) Internet development significantly drives firms' collaborative green innovation behavior. The result remains robust even after performing a series of robust tests. (2) The Internet empowers green innovation cooperation among firms by improving information availability, including market information availability and technical information availability. (3) The heterogeneous results show enterprises use the Internet to accomplish high-quality collaborative green innovation. Internet development is more helpful in encouraging the cooperative green innovation of enterprises located in central cities and state-owned enterprises. This study provides novel and targeted policy implications to empower enterprises' green innovation cooperation and drive sustainable economic development through Internet development., 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.)

Background: The role of peripheral eosinophils in chronic kidney disease (CKD) requires further evaluation. We aimed to determine whether an eosinophil count increase is related to the occurrence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD)., Methods: This single-center, observational, retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2016 and December 2018 in Hangzhou, China, and included 3163 patients, categorized into four groups according to peripheral eosinophil count (PEC) quartile values. The main outcome was ESRD development during follow-up. We evaluated the relationship between the serum eosinophil count, demographic and clinical information, and ESRD incidence. Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used., Results: A total of 3163 patients with CKD were included in this cohort, of whom 1254 (39.6%) were females. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 75 [64, 85] years, and the median (IQR) estimated glomerular filtration rate was 55.16 [45.19, 61.19] mL/min/1.73 m 2 . The median PEC was 0.1224 × 10 9 /L (IQR, 0.0625-0.212). Among the 3163 patients with CKD, 273 (8.6%) developed ESRD during a median follow-up time of 443.8 [238.8, 764.9] days. Individuals in the highest PEC quartile had a 66.2% higher ESRD risk than those in the lowest quartile (hazard ratio, 1.662; 95% confidence interval, 1.165-2.372). The results from the Kaplan-Meier survival curves confirmed the conclusion., Conclusions: Alongside traditional risk factors, patients with CKD and an elevated PEC are more likely to develop ESRD. Therefore, more attention should be paid to those patients with CKD who have a high PEC.

Although tourist-to-tourist interaction (TTI) has been identified as an essential element in tourist experiences, the effect of TTI quality on tourist loyalty, and the mechanism underlying this effect is scarcely discussed in the literature. Based on the self-determination theory, this study aims to examine whether and how TTI quality influences tourist loyalty, representing a significant means to achieve destination sustainability. More specifically, this study tested a moderated mediation model in which basic psychological needs satisfaction mediated the relationship between TTI quality and tourist loyalty, while sociability moderated the link between TTI quality and basic psychological needs satisfaction. A survey research approach was used, and 746 complete, usable responses were collected in multiple cities in China. The results revealed that the direct impact of TTI quality on tourist loyalty is mediated by basic psychological needs satisfaction. Furthermore, sociability positively moderates the influence of TTI quality on tourist loyalty. This study extends the TTI literature by demonstrating the mechanism of basic psychological needs satisfaction and tourists' sociability in the relationship between TTI quality and tourist loyalty. Managerial suggestions are provided for industry practitioners to improve tourist relationship management and the sustainability of destinations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Gao et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The Chinese government has implemented environmental regulations to address the deterioration of air quality associated with rapid industrialization. However, there is no consensus on whether environmental regulations are beneficial to environmental performance. The technical challenges related to endogeneity and spatial correlation may bias the estimation of the emission reduction effect of regulations. In this study, we comprehensively evaluate the environmental performance of sulfur dioxide regulations in Chinese cities using a novel stochastic frontier model that introduces the single control function to correct estimation errors caused by spatial spillovers and endogeneity. Our analysis emphasizes that insufficient resolution of endogeneity or spatial spillovers may lead to underestimation or neglect of the environmental performance improvements achieved by these regulations. On the contrary, our revised research results indicate that regulations aimed at reducing sulfur dioxide emissions not only successfully control sulfur dioxide emissions, but also have a positive impact on reducing carbon emissions. In addition, we conduct in-depth research on the mechanisms by which environmental regulations improve performance by stimulating green technology innovation and promoting industrial structure upgrading. Based on our research findings, we propose policy recommendations to establish a city cooperation mechanism of technology exchange to achieve synergistic emission reduction and strengthen regional factor circulation., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

Urban areas contribute 85% of China's CO 2 emissions. Green finance is an important means to support green energy development and achieve the low-carbon transformation of high-energy-consuming industries. The motivation of this article is to investigate the impact and mechanism of green finance on urban carbon intensity. Most existing literature uses linear models to investigate urban carbon intensity, ignoring the nonlinear relationships between economic variables. The nonparametric models can fill the inherent shortcomings of linear models and effectively simulate the nonlinear nexus between economic variables. Based on the 2011-2021 panel data of 237 cities in China, this paper applies the nonparametric additive model to survey the influence of green finance on urban carbon intensity. Empirical findings exhibit that green finance exerts an inverted U-shaped effect on urban carbon intensity, indicating that the carbon reduction effect of green finance has gradually shifted from inconspicuous in the early stages to prominent in the later stages. Then, from the perspectives of region, city size, and carbon intensity, this article conducts heterogeneity analysis. The results show that the impact of green finance on various carbon intensities all exhibits obvious nonlinear feature. Furthermore, this article employs a mediation effect model to conduct mechanism analysis. The results display that technological progress and industrial structure are two important mediating variables, both of which produce an inverted U-shaped nonlinear impact on urban carbon intensity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We hope this article will be considered for publication in “Journal of Environmental Management”. No conflict of interest exits in the submission of this manuscript, and manuscript is approved by all authors for publication. I would like to declare on behalf of my co-authors that the work described was original research that has not been published previously, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. All the authors listed have approved the manuscript that is enclosed., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Volunteer motivation is essential to advancing community service, education, and career development of nursing students. However, few studies have been conducted on nursing students' volunteer motivation., Objectives: To investigate the relationship between social support benefit finding and volunteer motivation among nursing students and the role of social support in these relationships., Method: This study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 2166 nursing students were recruited from eighteen medical schools in Henan Province, China. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Social Support Scale, the Benefit Finding Scale, and the Volunteer Motivation Scale online between March and May 2022. Correlation and mediation analyses were used to explore the mediating role of social support in the relationships among social support, benefit finding, and volunteer motivation., Results: A total of 2166 valid questionnaires were collected in this study. Benefit finding positively affected volunteer motivation (β = 0.422, p < 0.01), and perceived social support positively affected volunteer motivation (β = 0.407, p < 0.01). Perceived social support played a mediating role between benefit finding and volunteer motivation (β = 0.112, 95 % confidence interval 0.076, 0.148)., Conclusions: The study provides evidence on the mechanisms of action between benefit finding and volunteer motivation among nursing students. Professionals in schools and voluntary organizations should prioritize guiding nursing students to explore the motivations behind volunteering while also fostering a supportive environment for student volunteers in nursing., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors claim that they have no known competing economic interests or personal relationships that may affect the work reported herein., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The research and development (R&D) of renewable energy (RE) is crucial for cost reduction in electricity generation and enhancing power system stability. Compared to traditional fossil fuels, it demands more financial support. To investigate Chinese residents' willingness to pay (WTP) for the R&D of RE and its influencing factors, we conducted a large-scale online survey in four first-tier cities in China in 2023. The research findings indicate that (1) Chinese residents are willing to pay approximately 31.20 yuan (4.34 USD) per month for the R&D of RE. (2) WTP is higher under a mandatory payment model than a voluntary one. (3) Electricity consumption, environmental concern, environmental behavior, willingness to participate, satisfaction with government RE policies, and trust in the government's environmental governance capability significantly influence WTP. (4) Younger, male, and larger household residents exhibit higher WTP. Based on these findings, targeted policy recommendations were proposed., 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.)

Aims: The evidence for joint and independent associations of low muscle mass and low muscle strength with diabetes is limited and mixed. The study aimed to determine the associations of muscle parameters (muscle mass, strength, quality, and sarcopenia) and sarcopenia obesity with diabetes, and the previously unstudied mediating effect of inflammation., Materials and Methods: A total of 13,420 adults from the 2023 China National Health Survey (CNHS) and 5,380 adults from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in this study. Muscle mass was determined using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in the CNHS, and whole-body dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in the NHANES. Muscle strength was assessed using digital hand dynamometer. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations of muscle parameters and sarcopenia obesity with diabetes. Inflammatory status was assessed using blood cell counts and two systemic inflammation indices (platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and system inflammation response index (SIRI)). Mediation analysis was conducted to examine inflammation's role in these associations., Results: Low muscle mass and strength were independently related to diabetes. Low muscle quality was associated with elevated diabetes risk. Sarcopenia has a stronger association with diabetes compared to low muscle strength alone or mass alone (CNHS, odds ratio (OR) = 1.93, 95 % confidence interval (CI):1.64-2.27; NHANES, OR = 3.80, 95 %CI:2.58-5.58). Participants with sarcopenia obesity exhibit a higher risk of diabetes than those with obesity or sarcopenia alone (CNHS, OR = 2.21, 95 %CI:1.72-2.84; NHANES, OR = 6.06, 95 %CI:3.64-10.08). Associations between muscle parameters and diabetes were partially mediated by inflammation (mediation proportion: 1.99 %-36.64 %, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Low muscle mass and muscle strength are independently or jointly associated with diabetes, and inflammation might be a potential mechanism underlying this association. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of sarcopenia and obesity could significantly increase diabetes risk., 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.)

Due to the coastal wetland degradation caused by human activities and environmental changes, many coastal wetland restoration studies have been carried out in China to restore the degraded ecosystems, but it still lacks a comprehensive assessment of restoration effectiveness at national scale. In this study, a meta-analysis of 78 field studies was conducted to quantitatively assess the restoration effectiveness of biodiversity and ecosystem services in China's coastal wetlands. At the same time, we evaluated the impact factors such as ecosystem types, restoration methods and measures, and restoration time on restoration effectiveness. The results show that coastal wetland ecological restoration has improved the biodiversity and ecosystem services by 36.8 % and 38.2 % respectively within the time range reported in the research literature, but neither has returned to the level of natural ecosystems. Biodiversity recovery is significantly positively correlated with the recovery of ecosystem services, indicating the simultaneous recovery outcome. Compared with degraded wetlands, the effectiveness of passive restoration is better than that of active restoration. In the mangrove ecosystem, invasive species removal is the most effective among the restoration measures, and the restoration effectiveness of polyculture plantations is better than that of monoculture plantations. When time ranges from 0 to 20 years, the recovery level of coastal wetlands tends to increase with the extension of restoration time. However, when the restoration time is >20 years, the recovery level decreases, which may be related to the lack of maintenance and management measures in the later stage. Our study showcases the scientific evidence for future coastal wetland ecological restoration in 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 © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Ixekizumab, a monoclonal antibody against interleukin-17A, is efficacious and well tolerated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. However, there are limited data on the real-world safety of ixekizumab in Chinese patient populations. We performed an observational study of ixekizumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in routine clinical practice in China. Here we present a further safety analysis of this study., Methods: In this prospective, observational, single-arm, multicenter, post-marketing safety study, adults (≥18 years) with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis receiving ixekizumab were enroled at dermatology departments in hospitals across China and prospectively followed for 12 weeks or until their last dose of ixekizumab. In this analysis, we evaluated adverse events (AEs) of special interest (AESIs) identified using MedDRA ® search strategies. We also analyzed AEs and AESIs occurring in greater than ten patients in subgroups by age (< 65/≥ 65 years), sex, body weight (< 60/60 kg to < 80/≥ 80 kg), renal impairment, hepatic impairment, history of tuberculosis, history of HBV infection, recent or active infection, history of allergic reaction/hypersensitivity, and number (0-1/2-4/5-7) of ixekizumab 80 mg injections after baseline until day 105., Results: This analysis included 663/666 patients enrolled in the primary study. At least one AESI was reported in 224 (33.8%) patients and considered related to ixekizumab in 181 (27.3%); the most common were injection site reactions (n = 131, 19.8%), infections (n = 80, 12.1%), and allergic reactions/hypersensitivity events (n = 59, 8.9%). The proportion of patients with ≥ 1 AE was higher for females versus males (99/186, 53.2% versus 184/477, 38.6%, p = 0.0006). The proportion of patients with ≥ 1 AE increased with the number of ixekizumab injections after baseline [61/188 (32.4%) for zero to one injection, 151/338 (44.7%) for two to four injections, and 61/106 (57.5%) for five to seven injections; p = 0.0001]., Conclusions: In this real-world study, ixekizumab was well tolerated in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, with no difference in safety across most patient subgroups., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Transplant treatment with chlorantraniliprole (CAP) is a proactive approach to protect transplanted plants from pests during early establishment and has been comprehensively applied in tobacco fields in Guangdong Province, China. However, it is not known whether the high dose of CAP in transplant treatments has lethal or sublethal effects on the generalist predator Rhynocoris fuscipes Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). To address this concern, the mortalities of R. fuscipes were assessed when 2nd instar larvae of R. fuscipes were in direct contact with or consuming CAP and when their eggs were exposed to CAP. Furthermore, 2nd instar nymphs R. fuscipes were long-term exposed to CAP until they reached adulthood, and their life table parameters were determined. After exposure to CAP, the activity of detoxification enzymes (P450, CaeE and GST) and the functional respond of R. fuscipes to their preys Agrotis ipsilon larvae were determined. In this study, CAP at all concentrations did not significantly increase the mortality of 2nd instar of R. fuscipes nymphs in comparison with the control. The detoxification enzyme (P450, CarE and GST) activities and the number of A. ipsilon larvae consumed by R. fuscipes in the transplant treatment were not affected by CAP after 3-d or long-term exposure. These results indicated that CAP was harmless to R. fuscipes according to IOBC protocols. However, during the treatment of 2nd instar nymphs with a label rate of 15 g AI/ha and a 5× label rate of 75 g AI/ha, CAP significantly prolonged the pre-adult and pre-oviposition periods, and treated adults had lower oviposition. Attention should be given to the time interval between transplant treatment and the release of this biocontrol agent into the field to minimize the impact of CAP on the predator R. fuscipes., 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Both thermal and environmental processes are significant factors influencing the existing characteristics, e.g., congener distributions, and existing levels, of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in the environment. Soil plays an important role in the life cycle of PCNs, but degradation of PCNs in soils has never been reported. In this study, we collected surface soil samples from 13 cities in the Yangtze River Delta, which is one of the most crowded areas of China and analyzed the samples for 75 PCNs. The long-range transportation from polluted areas was the major source for PCNs in remote areas, but the PCN profiles in remote areas reported in our previous studies were different from those in human settlement in this study, indicating there is a transformation of PCNs after emissions from anthropogenic activities. Two experiments were then designed to reveal the degradation mechanisms, including influencing factors, products, and pathways, of PCNs in surface soils. Based on the experiments, we found that the major factor driving the losses of PCNs in surface soils was volatilization, followed by photo irradiation and microbial metabolism. Under photo-irradiation, the PCN structures would be destroyed through a process of dechlorination followed by oxidation. In addition, the dechlorination pathways of PCNs have been established and found to be significantly influenced by the structure-related parameters., 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.)

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between cross-border e-commerce and logistics co-development strategies within the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China. The primary objective is to formulate an empirical model capable of estimating the utility and flexibility of cross-border e-commerce logistics, specifically focusing on its role in achieving competitive advantage for SMEs. The research employs a comprehensive approach, considering various factors that influence the formulation and implementation of cross-border e-commerce logistics strategies. Factors such as scale, quality, potential, and infrastructure are scrutinized to provide a nuanced understanding of the dynamic interplay. Real-world data is analyzed using advanced statistical techniques to derive meaningful insights. The data of CBEC and logistics planning in Guangdong from 2013 to 2018 was used as a case example to demonstrate its and flexibility and usefulness of empirically proposed model estimation and develop a holistic indicator system for the evaluation of the synergistic development of CBEC and logistics. This research focus on the modelling of the CBEC for the synergistic effect analysis and evaluate the usefulness and flexibility of CBEC to achieve competitive advantage. The study aims to uncover insights into the most effective approaches for Chinese SMEs in navigating the landscape of cross-border e-commerce. By examining the results derived from the empirical model, the research sheds light on the impact of cross-border e-commerce logistics on competitive advantage. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how SMEs can strategically position themselves in the cross-border e-commerce arena. Through the analysis of real-world data and the application of advanced statistical methods, this research offers valuable insights for Chinese SMEs. The insights generated from the study not only illuminate the intricacies of cross-border e-commerce logistics but also provide practical recommendations to reduce associated costs. Ultimately, the study aims to equip SMEs with the knowledge necessary to thrive in the evolving landscape of cross-border e-commerce., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Qi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Global human activities were significantly impacted by the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV infection in Central Fujian Province during the pandemic., Methods: Cervical samples were collected from 21,612 outpatients and 12,664 females who underwent physical examinations and HPV screening at the People's Hospital of Fujian Province in Fuzhou from April 2020 to April 2023. HPV detection and genotyping were conducted using PCR hybridization., Results: The overall HPV infection rate was 16.1% during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the outpatient group exhibiting a greater infection rate (19.0%) than did the healthy group (12.3%). The top five high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes in both groups were HPV52, HPV53, HPV58, HPV16, and HPV51. Additionally, HPV81 and HPV43 were the two most common low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) genotypes in the patient group, while HPV81 and HPV42 were the two most common LR-HPV genotypes in the healthy group. The highest prevalence of HPV infection was observed in individuals aged ≤ 24 years (28.4%, 95% CI 25.9-30.9), followed by those aged ≥ 55 years (23.6%, 95% CI 21.6-24.7) and other age groups. The prevalence decreased from 23.0% (95% CI 22.4-23.7) in 2018-2019 to 13.8% (95% CI 12.0-15.5) in 2023., Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and genotypes of HPV infection in the female population of Central Fujian Province from 2020 to 2023. The findings indicate that the prevalence of HPV infection in Central Fujian Province remains relatively low compared to the national average. Furthermore, the prevalence of HPV decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, as the pandemic waned, there was potential for an increase in HPV infection rates. Therefore, it is crucial to strengthen HPV screening and vaccination strategies to prevent the potential spread of HPV., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Perampanel (PER) is a new type of antiseizure medication used for partial or generalized seizures. However, the plasma concentration shows obvious individual variability in children. The present study aims to ascertain the effect of age, comedications, and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4/5 polymorphisms on PER exposure in Chinese pediatric patients with epilepsy. Clinical data were retrospectively collected in a tertiary children's hospital medical records system from January 2021 to December 2022. The influence factors on the daily dose, plasma concentration, and concentration-to-dose ratio (CDR) of PER were investigated. A total of 135 pediatric patients with 178 blood samples were involved. With a median daily dose of 4.0 mg (interquartile range, 3.0-5.0 mg), the median plasma concentration was 409.4 ng/mL (interquartile range, 251.7-639.4 ng/mL). The CDR in patients aged less than 4 years was significantly decreased by 48.0% and 39.1% compared with those aged 4-11 years and 12 years or older, respectively. Enzyme inducers significantly decreased the CDR of PER by 34.5%, while valproic acid showed an increase of 71.7%. In addition, genotype CYP3A5*3/*3 carriers presented a significant increase of 21.5% compared to the CYP3A5*1/*3 expresser. No correlations were observed between the CDR and CYP3A4∗1G polymorphism. PER showed high variations in individual plasma concentrations. Age younger than 4 years, comedication with enzyme inducers or valproic acid, and possession of the CYP3A5*3 genotype potentially predicted PER exposure in pediatric patients with epilepsy., (© 2024, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Clinical cure (herein referred to as functional cure) is currently recognized as the ideal therapeutic goal by the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) at home and abroad. China has achieved significant results in research and exploration based on pegylated interferon alpha therapeutic strategies to promote the effectiveness of CHB clinical cure rates in clinical practice. The summary and optimization of clinical cure strategies in different clinical type classifications, as well as the exploration of clinical cure continuity and long-term outcomes, are of great significance for solving the current bottleneck problem and our future efforts in the developmental directions of clinical cure in CHB populations.

Objective: To assess the association between ultra-short heart rate variability (US-HRV) and short-term mortality in patients with COVID-19 and develop prognostic prediction models to identify high-risk patients as early as possible., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on 488 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from December 2022 to January 2023. 10-s electrocardiogram (ECG) data were available for these patients. The US-HRV parameters including standard deviation of all normal-to-normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of successive differences between normal-to-normal R-R intervals (rMSSD) were calculated using Nalong ECG software. The endpoint was short-term mortality, including in-hospital mortality or mortality within 1 week after discharge., Results: Of the 488 patients, 76 (15.6%) died. The SDNN and rMSSD in the death group were significantly lower than those in the survival group (P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for SDNN and rMSSD to predict mortality was 0.761 and 0.715, respectively. The combined use of SDNN and rMSSD had an AUC of 0.774. The mortality rate in the group with SDNN ≤7.5 ms was higher than that of SDNN >7.5 ms group (P < 0.05). With the decrease of SDNN, the mortality of patients showed an upward trend, and the mortality of patients with SDNN ≤2 ms was the highest (66.7%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified SDNN as an independent predictor of prognosis (odds ratio (OR) = 5.791, 95% confidential interval (CI) 1.615-20.765, P = 0.007). The AUC of Model 1 (simple model) was 0.866 (95% CI 0.826-0.905). The AUC of Model 2 (comprehensive model) was 0.914 (95% CI 0.881-0.947)., Conclusion: SDNN was associated with short-term mortality and provided the additional discriminatory power of the risk stratification model for hospitalized COVID-19 patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The impact of shale gas extraction on surrounding environmental media remains unclear. In this study, the current state of contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are high-frequency contaminants of shale gas, was investigated in the soil surrounding emerging shale gas development sites. The source analysis of PAHs was conducted in the soils of shale gas extraction sites using positive matrix factorization (PMF). The health risk assessment (HRA) was calculated for ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation exposures, and the priority sources of PAHs in the soil were jointly identified by PMF and HRA to refine the contribution level of different individual PAHs to the carcinogenic risk. The results showed that both Sichuan and Chongqing mining site soils were contaminated to different degrees. Shale gas extraction has an impact on the surrounding soil, and the highest contributing source of PAHs in the mining site soil of Sichuan was anthropogenic activity, accounting for 31.6%, whereas that in the mining site soil of Chongqing was biomass combustion and mixed automobile combustion, accounting for 35.9%. At the two mining sites in Sichuan and Chongqing, none of the three exposure pathways (ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation) posed a carcinogenic risk to children, whereas the dermal exposure pathway posed a carcinogenic risk to adults. Health risk assessments based on specific source assignments indicate that when managing soil pollution, the control of fossil fuel combustion and vehicular emissions should be prioritized., 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 synergistic enhancement of pollution reduction and carbon mitigation (PRCM) is an inevitable requirement for China's ecological civilization construction. Existing studies primarily focus on macro-level research, and there is a relative lack of research specifically addressing the micro-level of industrial chains. Based on non-competitive IO tables, this study employed the structural path decomposition analysis method to analyze the synergistic disparities of the PRCM industry chain and its driving factors. The findings reveal: (1) The crucial emission industrial chains for CO 2 , SO 2 , and PM show a high overlap degree, accounting for 46.67 %, 46.67 %, 60.00 %, 50.00 %, and 56.67 % during 2002-2020. The PRCM industrial chains are operating at a low synergistic level, with proportions of only 13.33 %, 23.33 %, 20.00 %, and 16.67 %. PRCM exhibits a "similar origin with different paths" phenomenon. (2) China's carbon mitigation policies can reduce pollution, whereas pollution reduction policies have limited carbon mitigation effects. (3) The emission control effect is the primary disparate factor in PRCM synergy, while other factors exhibit consistent impact direction to three emissions. The study's conclusions and corresponding policy suggestions hold significant theoretical and practical implications for relevant authorities to systematically plan synergistic emission reduction pathways and establish targeted synergistic policies., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To analyze the trends in the application of fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) in fundus diseases over ten years., Method: It was a retrospective study. Patients who underwent FFA examinations between Jan 2012 and Dec 2021 in Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were included, excluding infants. Data included the fundus disease and examination time of FFA., Results: A total of 37,038 cases underwent FFA examinations in our hospital in the past decade, and the number of each year was 3,628, 2,232, 2,230, 2,351, 3,546, 3,924, 5,325, 4,202, 4,432 and 5,168 from 2012 to 2021, respectively. The top three diseases were central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) over the years from 2012 to 2021. The fourth to eighth ranked diseases were uveitis, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), choroidal neovascularization (CNV), optic neuropathy (ON) and polypoid choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) 9 years from 2012 to 2020; while retinal artery occlusion (RAO) ranked eighth and PCV fell out of the first eight in 2021. Tumor, Eale's disease, macular hemorrhage (MH), epiretinal retinal membrane (ERM) and Coat's disease had consistent proportions over the years. There was a significant statistical difference in the proportion of disease components over the years from 2012 to 2021(p = 0.000)., Conclusion: Despite changes in annual distribution, CSC, DR, and RVO consistently ranked as the top three diseases requiring FFA examination. Changes might be related to the development of non-invasive fundus examination instruments and technologies. Indicated that FFA still hold its irreplaceable nature in diagnosing and understanding fundus diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The contribution of urban non-point source (NPS) pollution to surface water pollution has gradually increased, analyzing the sources of urban NPS pollution is of great significance for precisely controlling surface water pollution. A bibliometric analysis of relevant research literature from 2000 to 2021 reveals that the main methods used in the source analysis research of urban NPS pollution include the emission inventory approach, entry-exit mass balance approach, principal component analysis (PCA), positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, etc. These methods are primarily applied in three aspects: source analysis of rainfall-runoff pollution, source analysis of wet weather flow (WWF) pollution in combined sewers, and analysis of the contribution of urban NPS to the surface water pollution load. The application of source analysis methods in urban NPS pollution research has demonstrated an evolution from qualitative to quantitative, and further towards precise quantification. This progression has transitioned from predominantly relying on on-site monitoring to incorporating model simulations and employing mathematical statistical analyses for traceability. This paper reviews the principles, advantages, disadvantages, and the scope of application of these methods. It also aims to address existing problems and analyze potential future development directions, providing valuable references for subsequent related research., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Childhood obesity not only has a negative impact on a child's health but is also a significant risk factor for adult obesity and related metabolic disorders, making it a major global public health concern. Recent studies have revealed the crucial role of gut microbiota in the occurrence and development of obesity, in addition to genetic and lifestyle factors. In this study, we recruited 19 normal-weight children and 47 children with varying degrees of obesity. A questionnaire survey was conducted to inquire about the family background, lifestyle habits and dietary composition of the 66 children. Findings indicate that fathers of obese children tend to be obese themselves, while children with highly educated mothers are more likely to maintain a normal weight. Furthermore, overweight children tend to spend more time on electronic devices and less time on physical activities compared to their normal-weight counterparts. Obese children exhibit significant differences in breakfast and dinner dietary composition when compared to children with normal weight. Additionally, the gut microbiota of these 66 children was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Analysis of gut microbiota composition showed similar compositions among children with varying degrees of obesity, but significant differences were observed in comparison to normal-weight children. Obese children exhibited a reduced proportion of Bacteroidota and an increased proportion of Firmicutes, resulting in an elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio. Moreover, Actinobacteriota were found to be increased in the gut microbiota of children with varying degrees of obesity. PICRUSt analysis indicated significant metabolic differences in the microbiota functions between obese and normal-weight children, suggesting the composition of gut microbiota could be a crucial factor contributing to obesity. These findings provide valuable insights for the treatment of childhood obesity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Pollution status and ecological risks associated with sediment heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cr) were investigated around Xincun Bay, assessing their spatial variations and relationship with sediment physiochemical factors. Higher concentrations and associated risks were observed in the central region, where mariculture activities were concentrated, compared to non-maricultured areas. Despite with overall low concentrations, Cd had a higher ecological risk. Correlation and principal component analyses revealed similar sources for all metals in Xincun Bay. Heavy metal concentrations varied with expansion of mariculture operations in terms of quantity and scale, confirming the influence of mariculture activities. Sediments around mariculture had higher contents of clay, silt, and total organic carbon (TOC), and finer particle sizes. Quantitative analyses through correlation and linear regression indicated that TOC significantly regulated heavy metal concentration and distribution (p < 0.05). Considering its significant association with TOC, the influence of mean grain size should not be overlooked., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Since large carbon emissions are transferred through international trade, it is vital to explore the role country-specific trade policy has on carbon-intensive industries. The present study contributes to a deeper understanding of the connection between trade and environment in the literature, especially the impacts of trade barriers on carbon emissions. This topic has received little attention despite the importance of trade barriers to climate change and carbon emissions. Thus, we investigate the asymmetric trade barriers in carbon-intensive industries across different countries and describe the facts and motivations of these trade barriers in carbon-intensive industries. We list some political and trade explanations for the existence of trade barriers and empirically test the impacts of interest groups on trade barriers by the IV-2SLS method. Further, we have observed that certain highly developed countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, and Japan, are providing a notable implicit subsidy valued at over 200 USD per ton for carbon-intensive imported products. Our work carries essential implications for understanding how the manipulation of trade barriers could cause impacts on the environment., 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.)

Combating climate change and reducing carbon dioxide emissions are serious challenges shared by countries around the world. In the current era, digitalization has a significant impact on CO 2 emissions. However, prior studies have not assessed the synergy between digitalization and industrialization on carbon emission performance. The principal component analysis and non-radial directional distance function (NDDF) are used to measure the digitalization and total factor carbon emission performance of Chinese 245 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2019. This study establishes a fixed effects model to study the panel data. The findings are as follows: (1) Digitalization can significantly promote Chinese cities' CO 2 emission reduction. This result still holds after several robustness checks. (2) The heterogeneity results indicate that digitalization mainly improves central cities' carbon emission performance. Meanwhile, the impact of digitalization is more obvious after 2011. (3) Digitalization improves urban carbon emission performance through energy efficiency, industrial transformation, and technological innovation. (4) It is worth noting that digitalization synergizes with industrialization to improve carbon emission performance in Chinese cities. This study provides empirical evidence and some constructive policy recommendations for the government to push the collaborative development of the digitalization and low-carbon economy., 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.)

Background: Given the rapid rise in HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China, they may be a potential bridge for HIV transmission to the general female population, and increasing condom use is an important protective measure. This study aimed to explore factors that influence the intention of condom use during sexual intercourse with regular female partners among MSM in Western China, based on the Health Action Process Approach model., Methods: This study used a baseline sample from a cohort study of the National Science and Technology Major Project. A nonprobability sampling method was adopted to recruit MSM from western China. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, HIV-related characteristics, sexual behavior, and constructs of the Health Action Process Approach model was collected through structured questionnaires, and the data were analyzed using a structural equation model., Results: Among 232 participants, 62.9% (146 of 232) intended to use condoms every time they had sex with their regular female partners during the following 3 months. The results of the structural equation model showed that self-efficacy had the greatest influence on behavioral intention (β = 0.398, P < 0.001), followed by negative outcome expectancy (β = -0.303, P < 0.05). In addition, risk perception (β = 0.206, P < 0.05) and positive outcome expectancy (β = 0.270, P < 0.01) had indirect effects on intention, whereas self-efficacy played a mediating role in these indirect influencing factors., Conclusions: Risk perception, outcome expectancy, and self-efficacy are predictors of condom use intention, with self-efficacy in particular serving as a significant medium for future interventions. These findings could provide a reference for future targeted interventions to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission from MSM to the female population., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest and Sources of Funding: None declared., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests.

The relationship between the carbon intensity constraint policy (CICP) and green technology innovation (GTI) has been well documented in the literature. However, the allocation method of the carbon abatement target is often ignored. The allocation method plays a decisive role in the policy effect. After alleviating the possible endogenous problems through quasi natural experiment, we find that the CICP with the special allocation method promotes GTI in the western provinces but inhibits GTI in the eastern provinces. Especially, the positive impact in the western provinces presents an intensifying trend. To discuss the potential mechanism, we further construct a three-dimensional panel, which contains 1.84 million observations. Our macro and micro evidences reveal that manufacturing firms in the eastern provinces tend to move westward under carbon constraints rather than GTI. In other words, the industrial relocation has a substitution effect on GTI, which further explains why the CICP inhibits GTI in the eastern provinces. The above findings offer targeted policy reference for regulators and government departments concerned with the issues of carbon emission reduction and GTI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Capital and energy are essential input factors in the production and operation of firms, and they are closely interconnected. Nudging firms to improve energy performance during capital investment is crucial for attaining green competitiveness. Nonetheless, little is known about how capital-biased tax incentives affect firm energy performance in the process of encouraging firms to update or expand fixed assets. To fill this critical gap, this paper leverages the 2014 and 2015 accelerated depreciation policy for fixed assets as quasi-natural experiments to investigate the impact of capital-biased tax incentives on firm energy intensity. This study uses information from a unique dataset of Chinese firms, and the staggered difference-in-difference strategy is constructed to address identification challenges. The findings of this paper are as follows: (1) The accelerated depreciation policy for fixed assets significantly increases firm energy intensity by approximately 11.2%. A series of validations reinforce the robustness of this result. (2) Restructuring energy use and the factor substitution of energy for labour are the main channels through which the accelerated depreciation policy for fixed assets increases firm energy intensity. (3) The accelerated depreciation policy for fixed assets has a more remarkable effect on the energy intensity enhancement of small-scale firms, capital-intensive firms, and firms in energy-endowed regions. These conclusions support shaping policy options moderately by coordinating tax incentives and government regulation as key factors in promoting sustainable firm development. Overall, this research provides empirical evidence regarding the micro-environmental consequences of capital-biased tax incentives and offers valuable insights for enhancing corporate energy performance., 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.)

Aerosol black carbon (BC) is a short-lived climate pollutant. The poorly constrained provenance of tropical marine aerosol BC hinders the mechanistic understanding of extreme climate events and oceanic carbon cycling. Here, we collected PM 2.5 samples during research cruise NORC2016-10 through South China Sea (SCS) and Northeast Indian Ocean (NEIO) and measured the dual-carbon isotope compositions (δ 13 C- Δ 14 C) of BC using hydrogen pyrolysis technique. Aerosol BC exhibits six different δ 13 C- Δ 14 C isotopic spaces (i.e., isotope provinces). Liquid fossil fuel combustion, from shipping emissions and adjacent land, is the predominant source of BC over isotope provinces "SCS close to Chinese Mainland" (53.5%), "Malacca Strait" (53.4%), and "Open NEIO" (40.7%). C 3 biomass burning is the major contributor to BC over isotope provinces "NEIO close to Southeast Asia" (55.8%), "Open NEIO" (41.3%), and "Open SCS" (40.0%). Coal combustion and C 4 biomass burning show higher contributions to BC over "Sunda Strait" and "Open SCS" than the others. Overall, NEIO near the Bay of Bengal, Malacca Strait, and north SCS are three hot spots of fossil fuel-derived BC; the first two areas are also hot spots of biomass-derived BC. The comparable δ 13 C- Δ 14 C between BC in aerosol and dissolved BC in surface seawater may suggest atmospheric BC deposition as a potential source of oceanic dissolved BC.

Introduction: Do-it-yourself artificial pancreas system (DIY APS) is built using commercially available insulin pump, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and an open-source algorithm. Compared with commercial products, DIY systems are affordable, allow personalised settings and provide updated algorithms, making them a more promising therapy for most patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Many small and self-reported observational studies have found that their real-world use was associated with potential metabolic and psychological benefits. However, rigorous-designed studies are urgently needed to confirm its efficacy and safety., Methods and Analysis: In this 26-week randomised, open-label, two-arm, two-phase, crossover trial, participants aged 18-75 years, with T1DM and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 7-11%, will use AndroidAPS during one 12-week period and sensor-augmented pump during another 12-week period. This study will recruit at least 24 randomised participants. AndroidAPS consists of three components: (1) real-time CGM; (2) insulin pump; (3) AndroidAPS algorithm implemented in Android smartphone. The primary endpoint is time in range (3.9-10.0 mmol/L) derived from CGM. The main secondary endpoints include percentage of sensor glucose values below, within and above target range; mean sensor glucose value; measures of glycaemic variability and centralised HbA1c. Safety endpoints mainly include the frequency of hypoglycaemia events, diabetic ketoacidosis and other serious adverse events., Ethics and Dissemination: This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. There will be verbal and written information regarding the trial given to each participant. The study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations., Overall Status: Recruiting., Study Start: 11 February 2023., Primary Completion: 31 July 2024., Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT05726461)., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Fiscal transfer payments (TRANS) are the institutional supplement of Chinese-style fiscal decentralization, which is of great significance to economic development. However, the relationship between TRANS and energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) remains to be further discussed. Using panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2020, this study empirically examines the impact of TRANS on energy-environmental performance (EEP) from the perspectives of influence mechanism, regional heterogeneity and nonlinearity. The results show that the influence of TRANS on ECER presents an obvious U-shaped relationship, and this influence has regional heterogeneity. At the same time, the investment-driven effect, infrastructure effect and industrial structure effect are important channels through which TRANS affect ECER. The partially linear functional coefficient models show that TRANS have different effects in different development stages. With the continuous improvement of economic level and urbanization level, the promotion effect of TRANS on ECER is more and more obvious. These results indicate that the government should increase fiscal investment in ECER, and pay attention to the development stage of different regions., 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.)

Background: Studies comparing the effects of different sizes and concentrations of ambient particulate matter (PM) on pulmonary function in different regions and sexes remain sparse., Objectives: To investigate the associations of different sizes and levels of long-term ambient PM exposure with pulmonary function among people of different sexes in typical areas of South and North China., Methods: In 2021, a total of 1,592 participants aged 20-73 years were recruited to participate in the pulmonary function test from the baseline survey of the Diverse Life-Course Cohort (DLCC) in typical areas of Guangdong Province and Hebei Province. The three-year (2018-2020) average ambient PM concentrations were assessed from the ChinaHighPM 1 dataset, ChinaHighPM 2.5 dataset and ChinaHighPM 10 dataset. Mean differences in pulmonary function were used in multilevel models for different regions and sexes., Results: We discovered significant associations of ambient PM exposure with reduced forced vital capacity (FVC) and increased forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity ratio (FEV 1 /FVC) among men and lower levels of FEV 1 and FVC among women, such that a 5-μg/m 3 concentration increase in PM 1 , PM 2.5 , and PM 10 was associated with decreases in FVC of 122.1 ml (95% confidence interval (CI): 30.8, 213.4), 54.6 ml (95% CI: 15.8, 93.3) and 42.9 ml (95% CI: 12.7, 73.1) and increases in FEV 1 /FVC of 2.2% (95% CI: 0.6, 3.9), 1.1% (95% CI: 0.4, 1.9) and 0.9% (95% CI: 0.3, 1.5) among men and decreases in FEV 1 of 51.1 ml (95% CI: 9.7, 92.4), 21.6 ml (95% CI: 4.3, 38.9) and 16.7 ml (95% CI: 3.3, 30.1) and in FVC of 77.8 ml (95% CI: 10.0, 145.6), 38.7 ml (95% CI: 9.0, 68.5) and 31.1 ml (95% CI: 8.1, 54.1) among women in Hebei Province. There was no association between ambient PM and pulmonary function in Guangdong Province., Conclusion: Long-term exposure to different sizes and concentrations of ambient PM were associated with FEV 1 and FVC among men and women differently. The impact of ambient PM on FVC should be of greater concerned., 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 © 2023 Liu, Pan, Yang, Ou, Sun, He, Hu, Tu, Lin, Lao, Liu, Li, Fan, Niu, Wang and Shan.)

Background: Variations in the prevalence and pattern of multimorbidity might be attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of common chronic diseases and to reveal multimorbidity patterns among adults in Guangdong province with Chaoshan, Hakka, and island cultures., Methods: We used data collected at the baseline survey (April-May 2021) of the Diverse Life-Course Cohort study and included 5,655 participants aged ≥20 years. Multimorbidity was defined as the presence of two or more of the 14 chronic diseases collected by self-reports, physical examinations, and blood tests. Multimorbidity patterns were explored by association rule mining (ARM)., Results: Overall, 40.69% of participants had multimorbidity, and the prevalence among coastland (42.37%) and mountain residents (40.36%) was higher than that among island residents (37.97%). The prevalence of multimorbidity increased rapidly with higher age groups and showed an inflection point at 50 years, beyond which >50% of the middle-aged and older adults had multimorbidity. The proportion of people with two chronic diseases accounted for most cases of multimorbidity, and the strongest association was found between hyperuricemia and gout (lift of 3.26). The most prevalent multimorbidity pattern was dyslipidemia and hyperuricemia in the coastland areas and dyslipidemia combined with hypertension in the mountain and island areas. Furthermore, the most common triad combination consisted of cardiovascular diseases, gout, and hyperuricemia, which was verified in the mountain and coastal areas., Conclusion: These observations of multimorbidity patterns, including the most frequent multimorbidity and associations, will help healthcare providers develop healthcare plans that improve the effectiveness of multimorbidity management., 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 © 2023 Hu, He, Ou, Nai, Pan, Chen, Tu, Zeng, Pei, Wang, Lin, Liu and Shan.)