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White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is a herbaceous, perennial plant that has become one of the most widely distributed legumes in the world. It is cultivated in a large area in China, mainly for animal husbandry feed, artificial grassland, garden greening and ecological construction. In 2022, leaf spot disease was observed on white clover in China's Sichuan province, and the strain was isolated. The pathogenicity of the isolates was confirmed using Koch's postulates. The fungus was/were red on PDA, and two types of conidia were observed after 6 days of cultivation on straw juice medium. The pathogen was identified as Fusarium graminearum by the amplification of part of the ITS and TEF-α genes and by phylogenetic analysis. Currently, this is the first report to indicate that the causal agent of leaf spot disease on white clover is F. graminearum. • The first report of Fusarium graminearum Causing Leaf Spot of white clover (Trifolium repens) in China. • Fusarium graminearum was identified by ITS and TEF1-α genes. • This can be helpful for the control of white clover leaf spot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Although halophilic archaea are rich in natural environments, their biotechnological applications are not as prevalent as those of other extremophiles, such as thermophiles and alkaliphiles. This study presents an simple method to prepare a hydrogel composite using crude cell lysate of a halophilic archaea, Halorubrum ejinoor sp. (H.e.) which was isolated from a saline lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Furthermore, formation mechanism and potential applications of the hydrogel as an adsorbing material are discussed. Results: Halorubrum ejinoor sp. (H.e.) cell lysate was firstly prepared by adding pure water onto the H.e. cell pellet, followed by a short incubation at 60 °C. The cell lysate was injected into different metal ion (or H+) solutions to obtain the hydrogel composite. It was observed that H+, Fe3+, La3+, Cu2+, and Ca2+ induced gelation of the cell lysate, while Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+ did not. DNA and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) in the H.e. cell lysate were found to be responsible for the gelation reaction. These results suggest that DNA and EPS should be crosslinked by metal ions (or H+) and form a networked structure in which the metal ion (or H+) serves as an anchor point. Potential application of the hydrogel as an adsorbing material was explored using La3+-induced H.e. hydrogel composite. The hydrogel composite can adsorb the fluoride, phosphate and DNA-binding carcinogenic agents, such as acridine orange. Conclusions: The simplicity and cost effectiveness of the preparation method might make H.e. hydrogel a promising adsorbing material. This work is expected to expand the technical applications of haloarchaea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research examines the critical considerations of driving factors that contribute to eco-efficiency in grain production as a pivotal component of China's energy transition. As China strives to align agricultural practices with sustainable energy objectives, it becomes imperative to identify and understand the key determinants that impact eco-efficiency in grain production. This research unveils the intricate dynamics at play within the intersection of grain production and China's energy transition. It employs super-SBM-windows-DEA model, which accounts for unexpected outputs, to assess the eco-efficiency of grain production across China's 31 provinces spanning the years from 1998 to 2021. Furthermore, it delves into the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, employing the panel Tobit model to dissect the mechanisms governing various influencing factors. Currently, China's grain production eco-efficiency registers at a relatively low level. The study identifies a pattern where major grain-consuming areas exhibit the highest efficiency, followed by major grain-producing areas, and the lowest efficiency is observed in regions where grain production and consumption are in balance. Over the decade from 1998 to 2021, China's grain production eco-efficiency follows a fluctuating pattern of increase, decrease, and increase, indicative of a generally stable overall trend. The spatial distribution of grain production eco-efficiency showcases a pattern of higher concentrations in peripheral areas and lower concentrations in central areas, and the spatial correlation reveals a randomly dispersed distribution. Several factors wield significant influence: economic development level, agricultural production structure, urban-rural income gap, and labor-to-planting area ratio all exert significant positive effects on grain production eco-efficiency. Conversely, disaster level and replanting index are found to significantly inhibit grain production eco-efficiency. These findings are valuable for policymakers, agricultural stakeholders, and environmental advocates seeking to steer China toward a more sustainable and energy-efficient grain production landscape. • It becomes imperative to identify the key determinants that impact eco-efficiency in grain production. • This research sheds light on the intricate interplay between grain production and energy transition in China. • The results indicate the overall level of ecological efficiency in China's grain production is relatively low. • While economic development, urban-rural income gap exert significant inhibitory effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professor Min Zhang presented the Food Drying Application Excellence Award to Professor Sun Jincai. Professor Gu Zhengbiao (Vice President of Jiangnan University), Professor Wu Bin (Director of Science and Technology Committee of China Astronaut Research and Training Center) and Professor Arun S. Mujumdar (Honorary Chairman of the Conference) attended (via video participation) the opening ceremony with welcome speeches (Figure 2). [Extracted from the article]

Background: Bone cancer pain presents a clinical challenge with limitations of current treatments. Many patients seek additional therapies that may relieve pain. Many external applications of traditional Chinese medicines (EAs-TCMs) have been evaluated in clinical trials, but fewer are known about them outside of China. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy for bone cancer pain.Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in seven databases until December 2014 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about EAs-TCMs in the treatment of bone cancer pain. The primary outcome was total pain relief rate. The secondary outcomes were adverse events at the end of treatment course. The methodological quality of RCTs was assessed independently using six-item criteria according to the Cochrane Collaboration. All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.2.0. We included any RCTs evaluating an EA-TCM for the treatment of bone cancer pain. We conducted a meta-analysis.Results: We included six RCTs with 534 patients. In general, the reporting of methodological issues was poor. Compared with morphine sulfate sustained release tablets (MSSRTs) or radiotherapy or bisphosphonates, we analyzed data from five trials reporting on complete response effect score (relative risk (RR) = 5.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.80-10.31, P < 0.00001) and partial response (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.02-1.37, P = 0.02) and six trials reporting on total pain relief rate (RR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.43-1.67, P < 0.00001). Six RCTs showed significant effects of EA-TCM for improving pain relief in patients with bone cancer pain. In addition, no severe adverse events were found.Conclusion: This systematic review showed positive but weak evidence of EA-TCM for bone cancer pain because of the poor methodological quality and the small quantity of the included trials. Future rigorously designed RCTs are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's transportation industry has made great achievements in the past 40 years of reform and opening up. At the same time, it has gradually accumulated a series of problems. These problems have led to closer and more complex social and economic connection within and between regions of different scales. The existing research only carries out the characteristic analysis of urban network spatial connection and pattern from a single perspective such as "flow space" theory, spatial interaction model and accessibility method, and fails to accurately describe the complex socio-economic relations between regions. Based on the big data of railway passenger flow, this study selected weighted average travel time, railway network density, and the economic connection model to express the urban network spatial connection and structure of China in 2016 from the perspectives of time, space, and interaction. In 2016, the accessibility, connectivity, and total urban external economic connection of the railway network showed a trend of declining from the east to the west. The top 50 cities ranked by interurban economic connection were all located in the central and eastern regions and showed "diamond shape" distribution characteristics. The four diamond-shaped pairs were Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Chengyu urban agglomerations. This shape was basically in line with the T-shaped space that has existed for a long time in China's regional development. The accessibility, connectivity, and total external economic connection of national-level urban agglomerations were greater than those of regional-level urban agglomerations, and far greater than those of local-level urban agglomerations. The results showed that there was a mismatch between the layout of the railway network and the population. It will still be necessary to focus on strengthening the construction of transportation infrastructure in urban agglomerations and densely populated areas in the future. This study enriches the "flow space" theory, more fully describes urban network spatial connection and structure in China by considering the three perspectives of time, space, and interaction, and can provides reasonable suggestions for the development of national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network planning, regional spatial structure optimization, and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shenzhen is a coastal city in south China that has developed rapidly over the past four decades, but the microbial diversity and functions of the coastal waters are still not well characterized. Here, we assessed spatial variability of water quality and microbial communities in four areas of Shenzhen coast. The results showed a significant difference on the microbial composition and function between water samples from eastern coast and western coast. The abundance of Rhodobacteraceae bacterium HIMB11, Candidatus Pelagibacter ubique , and alpha proteobacterium HIMB59 were significantly higher in eastern waters (p < 0.01), while Candidatus Aquiluna sp. IMCC13023 and Arcobacter butzleri were more abundant in western samples. Functional analysis of the metagenome indicated there were 504,613 genes on average in each sample. Eastern samples harbored more family genes that classify into glycosyl transferases, carbohydrate esterases, auxiliary activities and polysaccharide lyases compared to western samples. Moreover, KEGG pathways including amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy metabolism were enriched in eastern coastal waters. The total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, and number of harmful marine vibrio were significantly higher in western coast, suggesting water quality may have impact on the microbial alteration. The findings anticipate future development of effective indicators of coastal health monitoring and subsequent management strategies to control the anthropogenic disturbance in the Shenzhen coastal waters. • It's the first time to comprehensively identify the metagenome of coastal waters from Shenzhen, south China. • KEGG pathways including amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy metabolism were relatively depleted in western coastal waters. • Water quality was worse in western coast compared to eastern coast, which have an impact on the microbial component and functions of coastal waters. • Our findings anticipate future development of effective microbial indicators of coastal health monitoring to control the anthropogenic disturbance in Shenzhen coastal waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation characteristics of Chinese yam during multiphase microwave drying (MMD) was evaluated by image processing, and the effects of MMD on the drying characteristics, physical properties, shrinkage behavior, and microstructure of the samples were also investigated. The drying time was significantly reduced by increasing microwave power density. Compared with Scheme I, the time of Scheme V was shortened by 22.22%. The moisture content at the transition point from sublimation to evaporation drying stages (TP S-E) significantly affected the shrinkage of the samples. In Scheme I, the lowest moisture content at TP S-E of 0.354 g. g−1 was found, and the dried products with the shrinkage ratio and bulk density closest to those of FD. The deformation of Chinese yam mainly appeared in the evaporation drying stage. At this stage, the rate of change in cross-sectional area of dried samples ranged from 9.74% to 26.76% for Schemes II to Scheme V, compared to 2.03% for Scheme I. Similarly, the shrinkage ratio of the dried samples in Schemes II, III, IV, and V increased from 16.82% to 21.12% at TP S-E to 29.23% to 51.28% at the end of drying, respectively. Additionally, the shrinkage caused by the pores collapse of the samples because of the high moisture content at TP S-E (Scheme III, IV, and V) during the evaporation drying stage resulted in increases of bulk density. The present study can provide valuable insights for rational control of shrinkage and deformation of fruits and vegetables in MMD. Chinese yam is a widely used food and medicinal resource in China due to its rich nutritional and medicinal values. Since the moisture content of Chinese yam can reach as high as 70–80%, drying serves as an effective method to broaden its application. However, shrinkage and deformation of materials during drying are common forms of appearance deterioration that can directly impact consumer acceptability. MMD has proven to be a promising drying technology. Nevertheless, improper drying parameter settings may lead to a deterioration of the appearance quality of MMD products. Therefore, comprehending the information of shrinkage and deformation of Chinese yam during MMD and effectively regulating these processes is essential. Mastering these aspects is critical for enhancing the economic value and consumer acceptance of dried Chinese yam products. • The moisture content at transition point was affected by microwave power density. • The sample cross section's deformation was the middle part of edge shrinking towards center. • Samples' shrinkage deformation was more severe when water content at TP S-E was higher. • Higher microwave power density affected the microstructure of the samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• People's mask-saving intention in the post-COVID-19 period is first revealed. • Integrating TPB and NAM to construct a new and comprehensive theoretical model. • Information publicity, environmental concern, subjective norms, and person norms are key drivers. • The optimism performance of the mask market and supply chain has not significantly affected people's saving intention. • The publicity for COVID-19 should be effective and appropriate to avoid panic caused by excessive publicity. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in the demand for medical masks over the past few months. Many countries and regions have experienced a shortage of masks and raw materials, as well as soaring prices. Understanding mask-saving behavior is an important way to help improve medical resource sustainability and respond to the outbreak. This study integrates the theory of planned behavior and normative activation to propose a new comprehensive theoretical framework, which aims to reveal people's mask-saving intentions (MSI) and behaviors in the post-pandemic period. Using the partial least squares structural equation modeling method, a total of 1057 questionnaires randomly collected from China were measured and empirically analyzed. Results indicate the following: (i) Reducing the frequency of going-out is the main approach to saving masks in China, and the majority of people reuse a mask from two to five times. (ii) Personal norms, subjective norms, attitudes and perceived behavioral control all have significant positive effects on MSI; awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility also indirectly affect MSI through personal norms. (iii) As for extended factors, environmental concerns, perceived risk and information publicity positively affect MSI, but supply chain performance does not have a significant role. (iv) Excessive information publicity may weaken the impact of personal norms, subjective norms and perceived risk on MSI. Given the above findings, some insightful management implications are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to determine the distribution of the most commonly mutated genes ( SOD1, TARDBP, FUS/TLS , and C9ORF72 ) associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) and the association between genotype and phenotype in 242 Chinese patients., Methods: A total of 58 families were screened for ALS-associated mutations in SOD1，TARDBP, FUS , and C9ORF72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion. These mutations were analyzed to evaluate the relationship between genotype and phenotype in Chinese FALS patients., Results: Partial clinical data were obtained for 242 relatives of the 58 analyzed families, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.2:1 and a mean age of disease onset of 45.9±12.0 (13-80) years. 26 mutations associated with pathogenesis were identified in 32 probands from 58 different families. Mutations in SOD1, FUS, TARDBP , and C9ORF72 accounted for 32.8%, 12.1%, 8.6%, and 1.7% of FALS, respectively. FALS patients showed longer survival times; however, bulbar-onset ALS and the male-to-female ratio for them were lower than those reported previously. The site of onset, age of onset, and lifespan differed in FALS patients with SOD1, TARDBP, and FUS mutations., Discussion: In this study, patients with SOD1 mutations exhibited heterogeneous survival times that showed a bimodal distribution, while patients with FUS mutations showed rapid disease progression. Our results showed the relative contributions of the different types of mutations associated with ALS and provided phenotype-genotype correlations with clinical features in Chinese patients.

Background: Interleukin-10(IL-10) is a multifunctional cytokine with both immunosuppressive and antiangiogenic functions. Polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene promoter genetically determine interindividual differences in IL-10 production. This study was performed to determined whether polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene promoter were associated with breast cancer in a Chinese Han population., Methods: We genotyped 315 patients with breast cancer and 322 healthy control subjects for -1082A/G, -819T/C and -592A/C single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter region of the IL-10 gene by polymerase chain reactionerestriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)., Results: There were no significant differences in genotype, allele, or haplotype frequencies in all three loci between patients and healthy controls. Analysis of breast cancer prognostic and predictive factors revealed that the -1082AA genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of lymph node (LN) involvement (P = 0.041) and larger tumor size (P = 0.039) at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, in the haplotype analysis of IL-10 gene, we found that patients carrying ATA haplotype were in higher LN involvement (p = 0.022) and higher tumor stage(p = 0.028) of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis compared with others., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that IL-10 promoter polymorphisms participate in the progression of breast cancer rather than in its initial development in Chinese Han women.

Purpose: This clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Palonosetron in preventing chemotherapy-induced vomiting (CIV) among the Chinese cancer patients., Patients and Methods: Two hundred and forty patients were scheduled to be enrolled and randomized to receive a single intravenous dose of palonosetron 0.25 mg, or granisetron 3 mg, 30 min before receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy. The primary efficacy endpoint was the complete response (CR) rate for acute CIV (during the 0-24-h interval after chemotherapy). Secondary endpoints included the CR rates for delayed CIV (more than 24 h after chemotherapy)., Results: Two hundred and eight patients were accrued and received study medication. CR rates for acute CIV were 82.69% for palonosetron and 72.12% for granisetron, which demonstrated that palonosetron was not inferior to granisetron in preventing acute CIV. Comparisons of CR rates for delayed CIV yielded no statistical difference between palonosetron and granisetron groups and did not reveal non-inferiority of palonosetron to granisetron. Adverse events were mostly mild to moderate, with quite low rates among the two groups., Conclusions: A single dose (0.25 mg) of palonosetron is not inferior to a single dose (3 mg) of granisetron in preventing CIV and possesses an acceptable safety profile in the Chinese population.