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Introduction: The moth species Athetis lepigone (Moschler) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which has recently been identified as a pest of summer maize (Zea mays L.) in China, has demonstrated a rapid proliferation with in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain region since its initial discovery in Hebei Province in 2005. It has become a prevalent pest of corn crops, and its ability to adapt quickly to its surroundings is currently being investigated. One of the key characteristics of its siphoning mouthparts is not only the feeding apparatus itself but also the chemosensory organs that enable the detection of chemical signals from the surrounding environment. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on the genes responsible for chemosensory and metabolic mechanisms in the proboscises of male and female A. lepigone adults. Methods: In this study, we utilized transcriptome analysis to identify a total of fifty chemosensory genes from six distinct families, including 19 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 22 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), one co-receptor (Orco), six odorant receptors (ORs), four ionotropic receptors (IRs), and two sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) in the proboscis. Notably, seven OBPs, two CSPs, and one OR were discovered for the first time. Additionally, fourteen genes related to metabolism, including cytochrome P450 (CYPs) and carboxylesterases (CXEs), were also identified. Furthermore, a qualitative analysis was conducted on the relative transcript levels of eight related genes. The expression of 21 annotated chemosensory and metabolic genes was compared between A. lepigone adults and larvae using qRT-PCR, revealing tissue specificity. The majority of genes exhibited predominant expression in the antennae and proboscis during the adult stage, while showing slight expression in the combination of sixth-instar larval head oral appendages (maxilla, labium, and antenna) and pheromone gland-ovipositors of female adults. Results/discussion: Our study points to a new pest control strategies that these newly discovered genes have the potential to serve as targets for enhancing future pest control, including mating disruption and the use of food attractants. And it would be advantageous to ascertain the distribution of chemosensory gene expression and gain insights into the functionalities of these genes, thereby establishing a novel theoretical framework for the advancement of eco-friendly pesticides and efficient pest management strategies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Proteus mirabilis is the one of most important pathogens of catheterassociated urinary tract infections. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. mirabilis severely limits antibiotic treatments, which poses a public health risk. This study aims to investigate the resistance characteristics and virulence potential for a collection of P. mirabilis clinical isolates. Methods and results: Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed fourteen MDR strains, which showed high resistance to most β-lactams and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and a lesser extent to quinolones. All the MDR strains were sensitive to carbapenems (except imipenem), ceftazidime, and amikacin, and most of them were also sensitive to aminoglycosides. The obtained MDR isolates were sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq. The core genome-based phylogenetic tree reveals the high genetic diversity of these MDR P. mirabilis isolates and highlights the possibility of clonal spread of them across China. Mobile genetic elements SXT/R391 ICEs were commonly (10/14) detected in these MDR P. mirabilis strains, whereas the presence of resistance island PmGRI1 and plasmid was sporadic. All ICEs except for ICEPmiChn31006 carried abundant antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the HS4 region, including the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) gene blaCTX-M-65. ICEPmiChn31006 contained the sole ARG blaCMY-2 and was nearly identical to the global epidemic ICEPmiJpn1. The findings highlight the important roles of ICEs in mediating the spread of ARGs in P. mirabilis strains. Additionally, these MDR P. mirabilis strains have great virulence potential as they exhibited significant virulence-related phenotypes including strong crystalline biofilm, hemolysis, urease production, and robust swarming motility, and harbored abundant virulence genes. Conclusion: In conclusion, the prevalence of MDR P. mirabilis with high virulence potential poses an urgent threat to public health. Intensive monitoring is needed to reduce the incidence of infections by MDR P. mirabilis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although sleep quality is clearly associated with job burnout as shown in the existing research, the mechanism underpinning such relationship remains undefined. This work, thus, aimed to assess the current situation of sleep quality and burnout in Chinese psychiatric nurses, and to analyze the relationships between sleep quality, burnout and coping style, in order to provide possible targets to enhance mental health and wellbeing among psychiatric nurses. Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out in seven rehabilitation centers located in four different regions of China. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Epworth Sleeping Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey, and the Coping Style Questionnaire were distributed to 853 nurses in various mental hospitals, with a total of 664 participants being recruited in the final research. Results: The results of this current study showed a high prevalence of sleep disorders and burnout in Chinese psychiatric nurses. Moreover, emotional exhaustion (r = 0.456), cynicism (r = 0.323) and negative coping style (r = 0.191) in nurses were all positively correlated with total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, while professional efficacy (r = -0.079) and positive coping style (r = -0.140) were negatively correlated with total PSQI score. More interestingly, of all negative coping strategies, we found that self-blame had the most significant effect (β = 0.156). Conclusions: The above results showed that coping style mediates the association of poor sleep quality with job burnout in Chinese psychiatric nurses. This study claimed that there is an urgent need to development the coping skills to sustain a healthy work life for nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All current global climate models (GCMs) only utilize grid-averaged surface heat fluxes to drive the atmosphere, and thus, their subgrid horizontal variations and partitioning are absent. This can result in many simulation biases. To address this shortcoming, a novel parameterization scheme considering the subgrid variations of the sensible and latent heat fluxes to the atmosphere and the associated partitioning is developed and implemented into the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Climate Earth System Model 1.2 (CESM1.2). The evaluations show that in addition to the improved boreal summer precipitation simulation over eastern China and the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal, the longstanding overestimations of precipitation on the southern and eastern margins of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in most GCMs are significantly mitigated. The improved precipitation simulation on the southern and eastern margins of the TP is from suppressed large-scale precipitation. Moisture advection for precipitation production is blocked toward the southern edge of the TP, and the intensity of the moisture transport to the eastern edge is weakened. The corrected large-scale circulation in the lower atmosphere due to the realistic simulations of the grid-scale surface radiative and heat fluxes is responsible for the change in moisture transport. In terms of global annual mean states, some improvements are obtained by the new scheme compared to the default CESM1.2 and the scheme stochastically allocating the subgrid surface heat fluxes to the atmosphere (i.e., without subgrid partitioning included). This study highlights the importance of subgrid surface energy variations and partitioning to the atmosphere in the simulation of the hydrological and energy cycles in GCMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following three species assigned to the Czernyola biseta group of the genus Czernyola Bezzi, 1907, from China are described as new to science: C. luteigenis sp. nov., C. planipalpis sp. nov., and C. shanxiensis sp. nov. A key to the known species of Czernyola from China is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of the genus Neophyllomyza, N. clavipalpis sp. nov., N. motuoensis sp. nov., and N. obtusa sp. nov., are described from China. A revised key to the six Chinese species of Neophyllomyza is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following three species of the genus Phyllomyza Fallén from China are described as new to science: P. guangxiensis sp. n., P. luteigenis sp. n., and P. quadratpalpus sp. n. A key to the known species of Phyllomyza from China is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main body of Hebi City is located in the transition zone between the mountain and the plain on the north bank of the Yellow River. It includes two major geomorphological units, the bedrock uplift area of the Taihang Mountain and the sedimentary area of the North China Plain. The Shinaimiao (SNM) core locates in Hebi City of China, belongs to the accumulation plain of the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains which is part of the North China Plain, and composed by quaternary alluvium and flood deposits in lithology. The SNM core is 126.64 m deep. Environmental magnetism and ESR dating method are used to divided the lower and middle Pleistocene, and determine the quaternary bottom boundary. OSL and radiocarbon (14C) dating methods are used for the division of the middle and upper Pleistocene, and Holocene. Quaternary stratum of SNM core is divided by multiple dating methods, which have provided the basic data for the study of urban active fault detection and environmental evolution in Hebi City and its vicinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating whether the quartz Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) signals were completely bleached at the time of deposition is critical to sediment ESR dating. Datong volcanic group is located in Datong City, Shanxi Province, which is one of the most famous volcanic groups in China. The eruption of the Datong volcanoes during the geological period produced a large amount of high-temperature lava flow, which directly covered the Quaternary lacustrine deposits and caused high-temperature baking on the underlying lacustrine layer. Therefore, by investigating the field profile in the Yujiazhai area, located to the southeast of the Datong Volcanic Group, we propose a new pattern to evaluate the signal bleaching degree of ESR centers by comparing the ages of the baked and unbaked sediment layers by lava flow. The result showed that the quartz Al and Ti-Li centers in the lacustrine sediments can be adequately bleached during transportation and bleaching in natural conditions in our study area. In addition, the chronology of volcanic eruption in the Yujiazhai area is about 350 ka. The determination of the eruption age will help us to better understand the detailed eruption history of the Datong volcanic group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of dietary fiber offers the health benefit of lowering the risk of many chronic diseases. Pineapple core fiber (PCF) in this study was extracted and incorporated into dough and mantou (i.e., steamed bread). The effects of PCF substitution and fiber size on textural and rheological properties of dough and mantou were evaluated by a texture analyzer. The substitution of wheat flour by PCF resulted in a stiffer and less extensible dough with or without fermentation. The hardness and gumminess of mantou signifi- cantly increased as the PCF substitution increased from 0% to 15%, but the cohesiveness, specific volume, and elasticity significantly decreased with the fiber substitution. Ten percent PCF-enriched dough and mantou with various fiber sizes had similar rheological and textural properties, except for the k 1 and k 2 values. By sensory evaluation, 5% PCF- enriched mantou and the control bread had better acceptability in texture, color, odor, and overall acceptability, compared to mantous enriched with 10% or 15% PCF. Significant correlations existed between the rheological properties of dough and textural parameters of mantou and between the sensory quality and textural parameters of mantou. Therefore, we suggest that fiber-enriched mantou can be prepared with 5% PCF substitution to in- crease the intake of dietary fiber and maintain the quality of mantou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although advance directives (ADs) are already exercised in many Western countries, cultural differences surrounding death and dying may potentially pose challenges to the implementation of ADs in a Chinese community. It is therefore relevant to explore the experience with and attitudes towards ADs of health care professionals, who are trained in Western medicine but working in a Chinese cultural setting. Hong Kong represents a unique setting for this. Objective: The study objective was to evaluate clinicians' experience with and attitudes towards discussing ADs with terminally ill patients and their families. Methods: In this descriptive pilot study, we conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey among doctors working in the largest teaching hospital at the University of Hong Kong. Results: Seventy-seven out of 269 doctors working in the surveyed departments completed the questionnaire. The majority of participants ( n=72; 94%) indicated willingness to initiate discussions about ADs and 62% ( n=48) supported the AD to be recognized as a legally binding document but only 49% ( n=38) had past experience of such discussions. Conclusions: Clinicians were generally receptive of the concept of the AD, willing to practice it clinically, and supported its legal recognition. However, AD discussions were an infrequent encounter, hence many clinicians lack experience and are unfamiliar with relevant guidelines. Large-scale studies within the health care professions as well as qualitative studies further exploring potential barriers should follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: China is the largest energy consumer and producer in the world. Energy is crucial for the enduring and healthy development of China. Promoting urbanization has been regarded as a strategic measure for China to release the potential of domestic demand against the background of enduring international financial crisis. Usually, urban areas are more energy intensive than rural ones. Therefore, it's very meaningful to understand the relationship between energy and urbanization. The main aim of the paper is to study the relationship between energy and urban developments based on the analysis of China's energy and urban development, and provide a clear picture of the impacts of urbanization on energy development, which contributes to forming a base for further study of urban and energy relevant policies.Scope: The paper presents a thorough analysis of China's energy development and urbanization. Then it conducts a systematic and in-depth study of the impacts of urbanization on energy development quantitatively and qualitatively. Finally, some helpful recommendations are provided for the coordinated development of China's energy industry and urbanization.Core findings: (1) Urban development will bring about interregional impacts on energy flow pattern. The new pattern is likely to be described as remaining stable in the eastern region, speeding up in the central and gradually increasing in the western. (2) Urban development will promote to form new intraregional energy systems. The city will be the most energy-intensive in the new system. The layout of the urban industrial system will be a "U-shape" in terms of energy intensity. The urban industrial system can be divided into three parts, namely, the core zone including the city itself, suburb zones and exurban zones. The core zone is the most energy intensive among the three. The exurban zones are more intensive than the suburb zones. (3) Urban development will increase energy consumption. In the period of 2015~2020, the incremental energy consumption effected by urban development will be 664 million tce; in the period of 2021~2030, that will be 774 million tce. (4) Urban development will influence energy mix thanks to people's awareness of environmental and eco-system protection, and implementing such technologies as smart grid, UHV transmission and so on. Also, urban development will increase electricity consumption.Conclusions: Urbanization and energy development are two strategically important issues. By 2030, hundreds of millions of people will transfer from village to city. Many new cities and city clusters will emerge, which will give rise to the transfer of industry and influence the development of energy. China's urban development both provides a precious opportunity and constitutes an immense challenge for its energy development. Firstly, the plan for urban development and that for energy development should be coordinated in terms of infrastructure layout, energy mix, energy supply and distribution, etc. Secondly, give full play to smart grid in such aspects as integrating renewables, promoting energy conservation, leading to consumption habits and meeting the demand of divers and multilateral services, accommodating electric vehicles and so on. Thirdly, adhere to such principles as advocating environmental and eco-system protection, developing in a way of being driven by innovation, and taking urban and rural situations into account accordingly. Fourthly, combine the transformation of its energy production and consumption with the development of urbanization, more organically, systematically and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caspase-8 and caspase-10 play crucial roles in both cancer development and chemotherapy efficacy. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively assess single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the caspase-8 (CASP8) and caspase-10 (CASP10) genes in relation to toxicity outcomes with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We genotyped 13 tag SNPs of CASP8 and CASP10 in 663 patients with advanced NSCLC treated with platinum-based chemotherapy regimens. Associations between SNPs and chemotherapy toxicity outcomes were identified in a discovery set of 279 patients and then validated in an independent set of 384 patients. In both the discovery and validation sets, variant homozygotes of CASP8 rs12990906 and heterozygotes of CASP8 rs3769827 and CASP10 rs11674246 and rs3731714 had a significantly lower risk for severe toxicity overall. However, only the association with the rs12990906 variant was replicated in the validation set for hematological toxicity risk. In a stratified analysis, we found that some other SNPs, including rs3769821, rs3769825, rs7608692, and rs12613347, were significantly associated with severe toxicity risk in some subgroups, such as in nonsmoking patients, patients with adenocarcinoma, and patients treated with cisplatin combinations. Consistent results were also found in haplotype analyses. Our results provide novel evidence that polymorphisms in CASP8 and CASP10 may modulate toxicity outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. If validated, the findings will facilitate the genotype-based selection of platinumbased chemotherapy regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Att present China''s coal price can''t reflect the true cost of coal resources and the value of resources isn''t adequately compensated, for which absence of full cost of coal resources is mainly responsible. Based on the discussion of constitutes of coal full cost, this paper analyzes the economic behavior of coal mining using the theoretical methodology of economics and comes up with the policy mechanisms for the realization of full cost of coal resources. The results show that full cost of coal is a key factor to influence the price of coal and the optimal allocation of resources, and market pricing system and government supervision mechanism are necessary to ensure the realization of full cost of coal resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study is to examine the emergence of trust as a dynamic process and develop a dynamic model of trust building within regional tourism alliances (RTAs) in China. Previous studies of trust were used to identify a potential trust-building process for partners in interorganization with four potential stages: previous history, (re)negotiation, commitment, and execution. A case study approach was then used to explore the development of trust within RTAs. The results indicate that the process of trust building can be examined as a sequential process. The previous stage enables trust building in the next stage. The output of the previous stage is an input into the next stage. The previous history represents the input of trust building. The negotiation stage has an input from previous history and output to commitment. The execution stage has an input from commitment and output to the next cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Hong Kong, approximately one in ten adults have diabetes which is the predominant form of diabetes even in subjects with young onset of disease. Genetic factors and aging interact with environmental factors contributing to the epidemic of this disease. The objective of this study is to identify gene polymorphisms conferring risk for type 2 diabetes in Hung Kong Chinese. In the preliminary genotype screening study, eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of seven genes in the chromosome 1q21-25 region were selected based on a Hong Kong Chinese microsatellite genome-wide scan result, and five SNPs were chosen based on their relation to metabolic syndrome. These SNPs were genotyped in a case control cohort consisting of 208 Hong Kong Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with age of onset ≤40 years (age=39.027±6.808, 66.1% female) and 77 healthy controls (age=42.16±8.47, 50.65% female) using TaqMan genotyping assay. In preliminary analysis, one SNP in the prostacyclin synthase gene (PTGIS), rs7267348(C/T), yielded significant association with diabetes (p=0.029) which was however not confirmed when the control sample was increased to 203 (age=42.66±8.21, 49.0% female, p=0.098). When the samples were stratified by HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) level, in low HDL-C group (<1mmol/l in male and <1.3mmol/l in female), CT and CC genotypes were higher in the diabetic group than the control group (44.1% vs 23.1%, p=0.053, odds ratio=2.63, 95% CI=0.967-7.144). Further analysis stratified by sex indicates that in females, the CC and CT genotypes in the diabetic group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (45.3% vs 31.4%, p=0.031, odds ratio=l.813, 95% CI=1.055-3.117) whereas the geno-type distribution were similar in men with or without diabetes. PTGIS has been shown to be involved in diabetic vascular complications. This is the first study demonstrating that the CT and CC genotypes of rs7267348 at PTGIS confer genetic susceptibility to young onset type 2 diabetes, especially in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of the Chinese guidelines and current U.S. guidelines for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. The direction of China's research program is toward clinical applications of stem cells, such as the use of stem cell therapies for leukemia and myocardial infarction. The "Ethical Guiding Principles for Research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells" and "Ethical Principles and Conduct Norms for Human Assisted Reproductive Technologies" prohibit human reproductive cloning and the development of embryos beyond 14 days for research purposes. Meanwhile, hESC in the U.S. has been politically charged and there has been opposition to the use of embryos for research purposes on religious grounds.

In order to improve the precision and sensitivity of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy device on detecting heavy metal, parameter optimization should be done. After selecting the initial delay time parameter in detecting navel orange experiment of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy device, a cell range from 1.10 to 1.30 micros of delay time containing the initial parameter was extracted and experiment on it was conducted. There are more than one peak in the curve of element line intensity and signal-to-background ratio vs the delay time in the cell range, and the peak values are higher than the initial one. Confidence interval of the delay time calculated indirectly by interval estimation in Statistics is (1.13, 1.25). The relative standard deviation decreases from 0. 103 269 548 to 0. 025 322 279 5 when the delay time adjusted from 1.20 to 1.14 micros in the confidence interval. It is suggested that parameters range of LIBS experimental device can be adjusted freely in the range while detecting measured elements so as to improve the precision and sensitivity.