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Recent studies have accumulated to suggest that children, akin to adults, exhibit a processing advantage for formulaic language (e.g. "save energy") over novel language (e.g. "sell energy"), as well as sensitivity to phrase frequencies. The majority of these studies are based on formulaic sequences in their canonical form. In natural language use, however, many formulaic sequences, collocations in particular, can be modified with words intervening in between the individual constituents (e.g. "save energy [right arrow] save all forms of energy"). For some collocations, their nonadjacent forms are equally, and even more frequently used than their adjacent form. Despite this, it remains almost unknown whether the processing advantage and sensitivity to phrase frequencies persist in nonadjacent collocations in children. Based on reading times in a self-paced reading experiment, the current study found that two age groups -- third and sixth graders -- exhibited a processing advantage for Chinese collocations and sensitivity to phrase frequencies, with two and even four Chinese characters inserted in the middle. The persistence of processing advantage and sensitivity was affected by insertion length as well as age. These results are in line with a usage-based theoretical approach to language learning, processing and use.

Improving people's well-being is a key way to meet people's needs for a better life, and is of great importance in resolving the major contradictions in Chinese society. In this study, we evaluated peer relationships and self-actualization as potential mediators between physical exercise and subjective well-being in a sample of Chinese middle school students. A total of 1056 middle school students from six middle schools in Sichuan, China volunteered to complete questionnaires comprising the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Student Peer Relationship Scale, Short Index of Self-Actualization, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation, and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS statistics 19.0. and AMOS 21.0 statistical software. The results showed that peer relationships and self-actualization partially mediate between physical exercise and subjective well-being. The mediation analysis revealed two paths: first, the single mediating path via peer relationships [indirect effect = 0.091, 95% CI: (0.053, 0.132)] and second, the serial mediating path via peer relationships and self-actualization [indirect effect = 0.015, 95% CI: (0.008, 0.024)]. The study confirmed for the first time the serial mediating role of peer relationships and self-actualization between physical exercise and subjective well-being of middle school students. It was suggested that middle school students could improve their peer relationships during physical exercise, thereby increasing the level of self-actualization, which results in better subjective well-being.

The mindset is a crucial factor influencing the behavior of individuals. This study aims to evaluate the growth mindset of 10- and 15-year-old adolescents and the relationship between their mindsets and social and emotional skills from the viewpoints of students, parents, and teachers, using OECD's SSES 2019 data from Suzhou City. The research results show that the growth mindset of students is affected by their socioeconomic status; and that the growth mindset of students, parents, and teachers can significantly and positively predict student social and emotional skills?

Purpose: This study traces the development of China's online education policy over the past 20 years. Design/Approach/Methods: Employing a textual research method, this study examines online education policymakers, policy content and influence, and related policies and regulations. Findings: This study identifies the starting point of China's online education policy and divides its development into four stages: namely, the pilot exploration stage (1999-2002), the standard development stage (2002-2012), the transformation stage (2012-2017), and the governance improvement stage (2017-present). Policy development reflects three characteristics: the need to meet the requirements of the times, shifting from a single management to multiple governance approach, and developing from one object for some people to one object for everyone. Current policy focuses on regulating institutions, content, and products, as well as guiding social capital to participate in online education. Originality/Value: This study systematically analyzes the development of China's online education policies, discerns policy characteristics, and identifies current policy priorities. In doing so, this study enhances our understanding of the current status and potential needs of online education in China so as to promote its development from the perspective of education policy and governance.

Objective: Attending college involves a stressful period of adaptation for many first-year college students. The aim of the current study was to better understand the relationship among maladaptive perfectionism, daily hassles, and depressive symptoms. Participants: The sample comprised 454 Chinese first-year college students. Methods: All participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, the Chinese College Student Psychological Stress Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Conflicts with roommates, forming the bad habits, and difficulties in learning were the top three stressful daily hassles. Maladaptive perfectionism predicts daily hassles, which in turn predicts depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Maladaptive perfectionism asserts its effects on depressive symptoms of first-year college students experiencing minor events on a daily basis. Implications for school educators and counselors and directions of future research are also discussed.

Considering the ubiquity, large volume of similar courses, and the huge cost of a course, it becomes imperative to understand factors affecting MOOCs course enrolments. This paper aims to investigate how the home page elements of a MOOC influence students' enrolments. The elements in the home page include course category, course description, team teaching, university, National Superior Course title, video introduction, course times, and user ratings. Information of these web elements from 673 course web pages was garnered from Chinese university MOOC (a government-backed MOOC platform) and Ordinary Least Squares is employed to testify their influencing effects. In descending order, the results demonstrate that the National Superior Course title, university reputation, and team teaching positively affect course enrolments significantly. Course times show the U-shape effect and user ratings show inverted U-shape effect. Course description and video introduction have no significant effects on enrolments, while the course category shows a significant moderating impact on the relationship between course description and enrolments. The result of this study extends the understanding of the e-learning course enrolments through the lens of a more detailed and nuanced scope on web elements, which have received little attention in education research, and is helpful for assisting courses and platform designers in attracting more learners.

Jazz arrived in mainland China as early as the 1920s. It has since been a popular music genre among the middle and upper classes. Similar to that in the West, jazz education in China has been increasingly formalized, with a growing number of universities and academies offering jazz degree programs or courses. Despite a few studies on jazz and its early education in China, little is known about how formal jazz education is implemented in contemporary Chinese academic settings. In the present study, we examined and contrasted jazz program policies across three higher education institutions in China wherein at each one, a specialized unit for implementing jazz education has been established. The comparison foregrounded commonalities and differences across the three programs. We also discussed how the institutions responded to the local political and economic contexts in developing their jazz programs. We have concluded by deliberating on the future of jazz education in China in relation to public acceptance of jazz and the recent development in school curriculum.

This study investigates the impact of psychological stimuli on students' continuance intention to use massive open online courses (MOOCs), through the mediation effects of emotions under a stimulus-organism-response framework. Perceived competition, perceived risk, and curiosity are the psychological stimuli. Four emotions (happiness, interest, sadness, and anxiety), enjoyment, and stress are considered as the organism. Continuance intention to use MOOCs for learning is the response. To test the hypotheses empirically, 574 valid responses were collected from individuals who claimed that they had learning experience on the Chinese University MOOC. This is a well-known, official online learning platform supported by the Chinese Education Ministry and has the largest number of active MOOC users in China. The study employs partial least squares structural equation modeling to validate the research model. The results show that perceived competition has both positive and negative effects, perceived risk has no significant effect, curiosity only has a beneficial effect, and the four emotions play important mediation roles. This research unveils the internal effect mechanisms of psychological factors and emotions on continuance intention in the context of online learning.

This study proposed and validated a mediation model based on the nearest developmental zone and mediation concepts of sociocultural theory to explore the mediating role of emotional intelligence and ethnic categories between teacher-student relationships and feedback literacy among high school students in Tibetan areas of China. A questionnaire survey was administered to 422 Tibetan high school students (including 136 Han Chinese students and 286 Tibetan students) using the Feedback Literacy Scale, the Teacher-Student Relationship Scale, and the Emotional Intelligence Scale. The results showed that teacher-student relationships of high school students in Tibetan areas significantly and positively predicted their feedback literacy. The result of the mediation model analysis indicated that the emotional intelligence of high school students in Tibetan areas partially mediated the effect between teacher-student relationships and feedback literacy. In addition, the moderated mediation model analysis indicated that the teacher-student relationship had a stronger effect on feedback literacy through emotional intelligence for Han Chinese high school students than for Tibetan high school students. The present findings not only enrich our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the influence of teacher-student relationships and feedback literacy, but also reveal the differential role played by ethnic categories. The study also provides a discussion of the results, corresponding recommendations, and directions for future research.

This paper reports on the results of a quantitative study that was aimed to measure the use of socio-cultural strategies in learning English writing among a group of 155 Chinese university English major students. This quantitative survey was informed by the socio-cultural theory that holds that L2 learning is a mediational process in which a couple of socio-cultural factors tend to mediate the learning of the second/foreign language. The use of writing strategies was thus conceptualized by an array of mediational factors and measured by a self-designed questionnaire. Descriptive techniques were applied to analyze the collected data. The results revealed that the surveyed participants endorsed a medium to high level of socio-cultural writing strategies. They reported to most frequently use role-mediated strategies in their English writing learning, followed by sign-mediated strategies, rule-mediated strategies, community-mediated strategies, and tool-mediated strategies respectively. The results are implicative for L2 writing learning and instruction.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) camp program on rural students' self-efficacy and computational thinking skills. One hundred fifty-three third- and fourth-grade elementary school students from three different rural schools in China were recruited to participate. All participants took part in the camp program for three consecutive days. A single group pre- and post-test design was used, and the study employed both quantitative and qualitative analysis to examine elementary school students' self-efficacy and computational thinking skills in the context of STEM activities. The findings revealed that the robotics STEM camp program significantly affected the self-efficacy and computational thinking of students in rural elementary schools. In addition, students' experience with engineering-based activities had a statistically significant impact on computational thinking skills, and programming experience affected self-efficacy with regard to participation in STEM activities. There were gender differences in student satisfaction with the subject of the robotics STEM camp program. Finally, this study makes relevant suggestions for the future development of STEM camp activities and course design.

Sight translation has been widely used in aptitude testing to screen prospective trainee interpreters at leading interpreter training schools, including ESIT, ISIT, and EMCI. However, it has also been criticised for its lack of validity and reliability. No empirical study has thus far been conducted to explore its power to predict interpreting performance. To fill this gap, the present study adopts a data-driven approach to explore the predictive validity of sight translation for interpreting performance in both consecutive and simultaneous modes. A total of 33 graduate trainee interpreters (A language: Chinese; B language: English) enrolled in an interpreting programme of a leading Chinese university were tracked over the course of one and a half academic years. Two raters (A language: Chinese; B language: English) were asked to assess their performance based on the criteria of fidelity, language, and delivery. Statistical analyses suggest that, irrespective of language direction, the participants' performance in sight translation was not predictive of their performance in either consecutive or simultaneous interpreting. This study provides much-needed empirical evidence for the development, administration, and assessment of aptitude testing for interpreting and interpreter training at large.

The COVID-19 outbreak has created turbulence and uncertainty into multiple aspects of life in countries around the world. In China, the pandemic continues to pose a great challenge to the nature of traditional in-class education in schools. Chinese education has faced the difficult decision of whether to resume in-person teaching in an unprecedented and time-pressured manner. To ensure the quality of teaching and learning during this time, this study aims to explore the effectiveness of an "online + in-person" hybrid teaching model with a new three-part approach to the hybrid teaching lab, where students prepare for the in-person lab using virtual simulated experiments and learning modules and debrief their learning afterwards online as well. This approach not only enhances the efficiency during the in-person lab but also strongly reinforces concepts and laboratory skills by providing a "practice run" before physically attending the lab. A total of 400 medical undergraduates from Dalian Medical University in China were recruited for this study. In an undergraduate molecular biology laboratory course, we observed 200 students in a hybrid teaching model. We evaluated the learning outcomes from the "online + in-person" hybrid teaching model with a questionnaire survey and assessed the quality of experiment execution, report writing, and group collaboration. Moreover, the 200 students from the hybrid group were evaluated during an annual science competition at the university and compared to 200 students from the competition cohort who had no experience with a hybrid learning model. The comparison data were analyzed using a student's t-test statistical analysis. The students in the hybrid learning group demonstrated a strong enthusiasm for the model, high amount of time utilizing the online system, and high scores on laboratory evaluation assignments. Approximately 98% of the hybrid learning students reported that they preferred mixed teaching to the traditional teaching mode, and all students scored above 96% on the online laboratory report. Teachers of the course observed that the hybrid group had a noticeably higher level of proficiency in lab skills compared to the previous students. At the Dalian Medical University annual science competition, where we compared our hybrid group to a traditional learning group, scores for both the objective and subjective items showed that the students instructed with the hybrid lab model had superior performance (p < 0.05). In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a new three-part molecular biology laboratory course that strongly improved students' laboratory skills, knowledge retention, and enthusiasm for the course using online learning to improve their learning efficiency and expedite the in-person laboratory experience. We found that these students performed at a higher level in a combined theoretical/practical science competition compared to the students in traditional in-person lab courses. Additionally, our model subjectively fostered enthusiasm and excellence in both teachers and students. Further, cultivation of the students' independent learning and creative problem solving skills were emphasized. The exploration of an effective teaching model, such as the one described here, not only provides students with a solid foundation for their future medical studies and career development but also promotes more efficient in-person laboratory time.

In this article, a three-phase mixed-methods study was conducted to investigate timed reading effects on Chinese university students' English as a foreign language (EFL) reading rate. First, two equivalent reading rate tests were designed and validated with 30 participants. Second, 81 university students from two intact classes participated in the main study. Quantitative analyses revealed that the timed reading group made significantly greater improvement in reading rate than the comparison group, while both groups progressed significantly in reading rate. Third, semi-structured interviews with 14 participants from the treatment group were conducted to investigate students' perceptions of the effects of the timed reading approach. Despite some positive comments, some negative effects were identified. The findings shed new light on the implementation of timed reading instructions.

As a result of COVID-19, various forms of education and teaching are moving online. However, the notion of an online STEM camp is still in its beginnings, and there is little relevant research and experience in this context. At the beginning of April 2021, the research team launched an online STEM charity camp with the theme of "Shen Nong Tastes Herbs." Participants included 113 third- and fourth-grade primary school students ranging from 8 to 12 years of age from four schools in Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with weak educational capabilities. The camp lasted for 3 days and included 7 activities, while remote teaching was accomplished through "Dingtalk." Pre- and post-test questionnaires and interviews were used to explore the impact of this camp on students. We found that online STEM camps could improve students' self-efficacy, computational thinking, and task value, and there is a significant improvement in the self-efficacy (p = 0.000) and task value (p = 0.001) dimensions. In addition, students with high self-efficacy had higher scores in the other two dimensions. Finally, we summarized the experiences and gains of students and teachers and proposed suggestions for developing online camps based on this experience.

China's education system faces a loss of teachers and a decline in education quality, and the new fertility policy means that the demand for teachers will increase. Against this background, the motivations and perceptions of pre-service teachers (N= 2618) were investigated. The Factors Influencing Teaching Choice instrument was used, and its construct validity and reliability were assessed. The results indicate that social altruism motivation was the most influential, in contrast with the high ratings of perceived teaching ability and intrinsic value motivations in Western studies. Prior teaching and learning experience came next, highlighting the prominence of the practices of teacher education programmes. Female pre-service teachers reported significantly higher motivations from intrinsic career value and shaping the future of children/adolescents and fewer fallback-career motivations. With increasing college year, the study found significantly higher values for perception of high task demand. Social utility values and expert career were scored higher by rural pre-service teachers than by urban ones. It is argued that policy makers, politicians and others who care about improving students' intrinsic career value should enable pre-service teachers to undergo a longer internship time and targeted learning guidance.

Student motivation and engagement have been complex issues in basic mathematics education. Based on the theory of Motivation and Engagement Wheel, this study examined the relationships among student motivation, engagement, and mathematics achievement. A sample of 1,538 Chinese primary school students participated in the survey, and motivation and engagement were assessed through their responses to the Motivation and Engagement Scale. The results largely confirmed the hypothesized relationships between motivation, engagement, and mathematics achievement. Some consistent patterns of individual differences related to gender and grade level were also revealed. Cluster analysis revealed that the category of "struggling students" showed high levels of adaptive engagement in learning, but their mathematics scores were still low, which may be correlated to their high level of maladaptive motivation and engagement. These findings provide implications for developing a more comprehensive knowledge of the nature of students' mathematics learning motivation and improving their engagement in mathematic learning.

Associative learning strategy (ALS) is an important means of acquiring vocabulary--especially in L2 learning. This study proposes a method to identify the associative learning mechanism based on complex network theory. First, a distributed association strategy (DAS) for the associative learning of L2 learners based on distributed language learning is analyzed, and a dynamic vocabulary network model based on DAS is constructed. Second, by analyzing the topological parameters, the external form and overall characteristics of the vocabulary network and three questions regarding its impact on vocabulary acquisition are discussed. A case study involving the foreign language learning and teaching of undergraduate students is used to illustrate this method. The results show that the proposed method can effectively reflect the associative learning process of acquiring vocabulary. Results also reveal the dynamic and evolutionary laws governing vocabulary networks when using ALS, as well as small world and scale-free characteristics.

This study explores how China's education responses to COVID-19 from a perspective of policy analysis. Specifically, it involves building an educational policy system for COVID-19 to examine educational governance framework, school management and teaching, policies for teachers during the epidemic. The education policy during the epidemic has achieved positive results. Those results aim to ensure the physical and mental health of teachers and students, ensure the supply of epidemic prevention materials and educational resources, ensure the quality of students' learning, and enhance the application ability of teachers' teaching technology. The process of policy changes and effects of policy implementation have been examined to analyze how China's education responses to COVID-19. The characteristics and experience of China's education policy in response to the epidemic concentrate on forming a governance system under the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China, building a pattern in which families and schools cooperate closely to promote the smooth development of education and teaching, transforming from an emergency substitute during the crisis into an important motivation to promote the transformation of education paradigm, and paying great attention to remote and poor areas and disadvantaged student groups.

Previous studies on co-teaching have reported how a native English-speaking (NES) teacher and a non-native English-speaking (NNS) teacher jointly instruct students in their English language classes, yet little is known about their speech behaviour in teaching interpreting as a cross-language, cross-culture task. To bridge the gap, the study recorded the process of co-teaching by one NNS and one NES in a ten-week Chinese-English interpretation course. Using the initiation-response-follow-up talk analysis as its framework, it found that each teacher alternatively prompted and evaluated students in their class talk, with the NES treating and suggesting students' English use and the NNS demonstrating and diagnosing students' translation pitfalls. Interviews with the teachers and students revealed that both teachers served as quality inspectors and cultural advisors with complementary perspectives and knowledge. However, a negative side of co-teaching was that the increased teacher-teacher interactions could stifle students' active thinking, turning them into a kind of passive talk-show listeners waiting to be entertained. Based on those findings, the paper suggested some revised interaction patterns for co-teaching.

Abundant health knowledge resources are available on social media to facilitate technology-enhanced knowledge learning among older adults. The objective of this study is to investigate the predictors and the underlying formation mechanism of older adults' intention to learn health knowledge on social media. We propose a novel model to examine how older adults' emotional state (i.e., health anxiety) and cognitive state (i.e., e-health literacy) during knowledge acquisition influence threat appraisal (i.e. perceived severity and perceived susceptibility) and coping appraisal (i.e. self-efficacy and perceived benefits), thereby shaping older adults' intention to learn health knowledge. Survey data from 337 Chinese older adult users of social media was collected to test the research model. Results reveal that perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy and perceived benefits exert positive effects on older adults' health knowledge learning intention, while the impact of perceived severity on health knowledge learning intention is not statistically significant; health anxiety is positively correlated with perceived severity and perceived susceptibility, and e-health literacy is a powerful predictor of self-efficacy and perceived benefits. This paper enriches the literature related to technology-enhanced knowledge learning and online health behavior among older adults. Effective strategies are proposed based on the findings for practitioners dedicated to promoting health knowledge via social media and older adults who apply health knowledge to address health-related needs.

As a form of aptitude testing for interpreting, recall across languages has long been considered as a valid means of assessing candidates' linguistic, cognitive and communicative abilities. However, most of the existing research on this topic is only derived from the consensus among or the professional experience of interpreting researchers, practitioners and trainers. There is still a paucity of grounded research on the validity of the recall tests. Empirical research on this topic remains scant. To fill this gap, the present study adopts a data-driven approach to exploring the predictive validity of the recall tests as a whole as well as to what extent each of the four assessment parameters (fidelity, language, coherence and delivery) can predict the candidates' end-of-year interpreting performance in the Chinese context. Data analysis suggests that candidates' performance on the recall tests could predict their overall interpreting performance in both language directions, with the criterion of language as a more powerful predictor ([Beta][subscript 1] = 0.45) than the criterion of fidelity ([Beta][subscript 2] = 0.30) in the C-E recall and fidelity as a more powerful predictor ([Beta][subscript 1 = 0.44) than language ([Beta][subscript 2] = 0.31) in the E-C recall. Implications of the findings of this study were also discussed.

As learning institutions, U.S. universities aim to provide abundant learning opportunities to fulfill students' right to learn. Undergraduate education is considered an important component of lifelong learning and aims to enable students to "learn how to learn." During the undergraduate stage, schools pay special attention to cultivating students' critical thinking and curiosity, emphasizing five core competencies in writing, reading, research, quantitative analysis, and communication. They use summer reading, undergraduate research, seminars, learning communities, and academic advising as platforms to expand students' learning experiences, especially those of first-year students. They encourage students to innovate and start their own businesses, and promote equal access to education, thereby strengthening student retention and successful graduation. [Translated by Michelle LeSourd.]

To clarify the formation and distribution of feldspar dissolution pores and predict the distribution of high-quality reservoir in gravity flow sandstone of the 7th member of Triassic Yanchang Formation (Chang 7 Member) in the Ordos Basin, thin sections, scanning electron microscopy, energy spectrum analysis, X-ray diffraction whole rock analysis, and dissolution experiments are employed in this study to investigate the characteristics and control factors of feldspar dissolution pores. The results show that: (1) Three types of diagenetic processes are observed in the feldspar of Chang 7 sandstone in the study area: secondary overgrowth of feldspar, replacement by clay and calcite, and dissolution of detrital feldspar. (2) The feldspar dissolution of Chang 7 tight sandstone is caused by organic acid, and is further affected by the type of feldspar, the degree of early feldspar alteration, and the buffering effect of mica debris on organic acid. (3) Feldspars have varying degrees of dissolution. Potassium feldspar is more susceptible to dissolution than plagioclase. Among potassium feldspar, orthoclase is more soluble than microcline, and unaltered feldspar is more soluble than early kaolinized or sericitized feldspar. (4) The dissolution experiment demonstrated that the presence of mica can hinder the dissolution of feldspar. Mica of the same mass has a significantly stronger capacity to consume organic acids than feldspar. (5) Dissolution pores in feldspar of Chang 7 Member are more abundant in areas with low mica content, and they improve the reservoir physical properties, while in areas with high mica content, the number of feldspar dissolution pores decreases significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prof. Baldauf was one of the first who saw the planning agency as a central issue in examining the effectiveness of language planning (LP) endeavors (e.g. Baldauf, R. B. Jr. (1982). "The language situation in American Samoa: Planners, plans and planning." "Language Planning Newsletter," 1(8), 1-6). This paper chooses the language academy (LA) as a representation of language agency and examines its role in Chinese LP in modern history. China does not have an LA in the sense the term is used elsewhere in the world as Kaplan and Baldauf [(1997). "Language planning from practice to theory." Clevedon: "Multilingual Matters"] describe. However, a constellation of official or semi-official LP organizations of various LA formats related to Chinese LP has existed through a century of the Chinese language modernization movement. This paper evaluates the efforts of these organizations with a focus on the interaction between the LP activities, the LP agency and socio-political conditions. We argue that the socio-political landscape as an enabler for LP in China has seen phenomenal changes as a result of the economic development and technological advancement in recent decades; the societal behavior of the people as the targeted recipients of LP goods has been increasingly governed by a postmodernist mentality. In this context, this paper concludes that a national LA would enhance the effectiveness of future LP ventures in the Chinese context.

Teaching quality is the lifeline of the higher education. Many universities have made some effective achievement about evaluating the teaching quality. In this paper, we establish the Students' evaluation of teaching (SET) discriminant analysis model and algorithm based on principal component clustering analysis. Additionally, we classify the SET by clustering the result of extracting the indexes through the principal component analysis (PCA), then we also test the rationality of the rating using Fisher's discriminant function. Finally, the model and algorithm are proved to be effective and objective according to the empirical analysis.

The eco-tourism development has been addressed as a major driver of green recovery in countries. The primary purpose of this research is to determine the impacts of population aging on tourism market size and eco-tourism efficiency in six Chinese regions from 2000 to 2021. The findings confirm that population aging does not significantly impact eco-tourism efficiency, while it reduces the tourism market size in Chinese regions. Regarding short-term estimations, societal aging has only a negative and significant impact on the tourism market size in Chinese regions. In addition, the impacts of population aging on eco-tourism efficiency are only significant for Northeast China and Southwest China in the long and short term. The Chinese government can pay more attention to senior tourism, virtual tourism services, support of SMEs that deal with the tourism industry, and providing stimulating packages for aged people to use tourism services [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brain-drain caused by imbalanced economic development has produced a lack of qualified teachers in rural China. Short-term volunteer teaching has emerged as a response. Despite the popularity of such programs, little systematic data have been gathered regarding their strengths and weaknesses. A short-term volunteer teaching program was studied. The volunteer teachers' characteristics and teaching experience in the program were explored. It was found that volunteers did not receive sufficient training or support from the agency. Therefore, they experienced substantial challenges on site and suffered from burnout. Based on the volunteer teachers' opinions and agency staff's suggestions, the authors propose ways to improve short-term volunteer teaching programs in China.

This study examines the vogue of adopting foreign-origin place names in Chinese cities and the Chinese governments' endeavors to regulate the toponymic landscape. The place naming practices, management, and public attitudes concerning foreign toponyms are analyzed to reveal the cultural politics and ideologies of place naming in China's context. It is found that the foreign toponyms emplaced in urban space mostly have Western origins or roots, and their profusion is largely attributed to their associated symbolic capital, and the clientele's taste and class identity. In the rectification process, Chinese governments at different levels constructed themselves as protectors of traditional Chinese culture and guards against xenophilia, thus enhancing their symbolic power and governing legitimacy. The general public has resisted top-down toponymic planning via acts of citizenship to reclaim the rights of naming and owning public space. Our findings suggest that nowadays, even in highly regulated societies like China, it would be hard to achieve the expected planning goals when governments simply resort to hegemonic power to implement the place (re)naming policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tax evasion, by its very nature, is difficult to observe. We quantify the effects of tax rates on tax evasion by examining the relationship in China between the tariff schedule and the "evasion gap," which we define as the difference between Hong Kong's reported exports to China at the product level and China's reported imports from Hong Kong. Our results imply that a one-percentage-point increase in the tax rate is associated with a 3 percent increase in evasion. Furthermore, the evasion gap is negatively correlated with tax rates on closely related products, suggesting that evasion takes place partly through misclassification of imports from higher-taxed categories to lower-taxed ones, in addition to underreporting the value of imports.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, but none of the current treatments for PD can halt the progress of the disease due to the limited understanding of the pathogenesis. In PD development, the communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal system influenced by gut microbiota is known as microbiota–gut–brain axis. However, the explicit mechanisms of microbiota dysbiosis in PD development have not been well elucidated yet. FLZ, a novel squamosamide derivative, has been proved to be effective in many PD models and is undergoing the phase I clinical trial to treat PD in China. Moreover, our previous pharmacokinetic study revealed that gut microbiota could regulate the absorption of FLZ in vivo. The aims of our study were to assess the protective effects of FLZ treatment on PD and to further explore the underlying microbiota-related mechanisms of PD by using FLZ as a tool. In the current study, chronic oral administration of rotenone was utilized to induce a mouse model to mimic the pathological process of PD. Here we revealed that FLZ treatment alleviated gastrointestinal dysfunctions, motor symptoms, and dopaminergic neuron death in rotenone-challenged mice. 16S rRNA sequencing found that PD-related microbiota alterations induced by rotenone were reversed by FLZ treatment. Remarkably, FLZ administration attenuated intestinal inflammation and gut barrier destruction, which subsequently inhibited systemic inflammation. Eventually, FLZ treatment restored blood–brain barrier structure and suppressed neuroinflammation by inhibiting the activation of astrocytes and microglia in the substantia nigra (SN). Further mechanistic research demonstrated that FLZ treatment suppressed the TLR4/MyD88/NF- κ B pathway both in the SN and colon. Collectively, FLZ treatment ameliorates microbiota dysbiosis to protect the PD model via inhibiting TLR4 pathway, which contributes to one of the underlying mechanisms beneath its neuroprotective effects. Our research also supports the importance of microbiota–gut–brain axis in PD pathogenesis, suggesting its potential role as a novel therapeutic target for PD treatment. FLZ, a novel squamosamide derivative, can attenuate the gastrointestinal dysfunctions and motor deficits of the rotenone-intoxicated PD mouse model. The protective effects are mediated by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88/NF- κ B signaling pathway through microbiota–gut–brain axis. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes teacher education programs in Taiwan and recent changes in the status of teachers' colleges. Points out solutions to two problems in Taiwan's teacher education system: financial incentives for prospective teachers are weak, and the two-level teacher education system is not adequate in terms of contemporary educational philosophy. (SM)

To investigate the clinical and genetic factors influencing the survival of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients in China. Patients were enrolled in the study between December 2013 and December 2018. Clinical variables were recorded upon patient diagnosis. Causative genes related to ALS were screened by whole-exome sequencing and validated by Sanger sequencing. Each patient was followed up every 3–6 months until the endpoint (death or tracheotomy) or the last connection time on 31 December 2020. Propensity score matching analysis was performed to match the genetic and non-genetic ALS patients. The Kaplan–Meier method and multivariable Cox regression were performed for survival analysis. A total of 337 patients, including 32 with genetic ALS and 305 with non-genetic ALS, were enrolled in the study. Before matching, in univariate analysis, age of onset (P < 0.001), site of onset (P = 0.036), diagnostic delay (P < 0.001), ALSFRS-R score at diagnosis (P < 0.001), ΔALSFRS-R (P < 0.001), and causative mutations (P = 0.020) were significant prognostic factors. These factors remained statistically significant after multivariate analysis. After matching, in the multivariate analysis, age of onset (P = 0.003), site of onset (P = 0.014), diagnostic delay (P = 0.007), ALSFRS-R score at diagnosis (P = 0.010), ΔALSFRS-R (P = 0.007), and causative mutations (P = 0.003) were found to be significant prognostic factors. Both clinical factors and genetic factors influenced survival in our ALS cohort. Clarifying of the underlying mechanisms is crucial for the development of future therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, some large shipping companies have started large-scale joint ventures to seek future development and cooperation while seizing the opportunities of the times. Meanwhile, shipping alliances have become the main theme of the shipping market. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first that we use panel data models to analyze and explore the impact of the shipping alliance membership and antitrust exemption policies for the shipping industry on the performance of shipping companies. The results show that the shipping alliance membership and antitrust exemption policies have a significant positive effect on the performance improvement of shipping companies in European countries and USA, while there are no significant impacts in other countries. The antitrust exemption policies in the shipping industry have an undeniable effect on promoting the enhancement of the national shipping industry. This study offers relevant suggestions on the advancement of the China's antitrust exemption system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In previous educational research, scholars have rarely utilized quantitative methods to examine the link between teachers' emotions and professional identity. To fill this knowledge gap, this study surveyed 15,675 junior high school teachers in China to develop a framework of structural relationships between teacher emotions, emotional intelligence, professional identity, and creative instructional use. • This study provides evidence that the relationship between teachers' emotions and professional identity is mediated by emotional intelligence. For hypotheses 1 and 2, the results indicate that teachers' positive emotions are positively related to emotional intelligence while negative emotions are negatively related to emotional intelligence. • The results of this study provide powerful evidence that teachers' emotions are strongly linked to their professional identities. Emotional changes predicted the development of teachers' identities, with positive emotions reinforcing these identities and negative emotions inhibiting them. • The study results suggest that teachers with high emotional intelligence not only have stronger professional identities but are also more likely to teach for creativity. • The results of the study provide some useful implications for enhancing teaching for creativity. First, the study's use of a large sample to confirm the importance of emotional intelligence in TfC indicates that schools should actively seek to build and maintain teaching environments that nurture creativity. In addition, teacher educators should focus their efforts on developing the emotional intelligence of student-teachers. This can be achieved by teaching emotional regulation and monitoring strategies to enhance the enthusiasm and creativity of trainees. Second, the results suggest that strengthening teachers' professional identity is a prerequisite for more creative teaching. This can be achieved by boosting the public identity of teachers to enhance their sense of social satisfaction and honor in their profession, and by expanding the social, cultural, and institutional provision of resources for teaching. In terms of psychological factors, teachers' emotions can be used to promote teaching for creativity by transforming public identity into self-identity, and by enhancing positive professional emotions via a good working atmosphere and interpersonal relationships.. This research investigated the complex relationship between teachers' emotions, emotional intelligence, professional identity, and teaching for creativity. The study used a web-based questionnaire to survey 15,675 secondary school teachers in China. Structural equation modeling indicated that teachers' positive and negative emotions were positively and negatively related to their professional identities, respectively. The results of bootstrapping tests indicated that these relationships were mediated by teachers' emotional intelligence. The study also found that teachers' emotional intelligence not only influenced their professional identity but also had a strong association with teaching for creativity, with professional identity partly mediating between the two. The article concludes with some implications in terms of regulating teachers' emotions, improving professional identity, and enhancing teaching for creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition was reviewed and approved by the National Medical Products Administration and the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China in July 2020. The current edition was officially implemented on December 30, 2020. The general chapters of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia discuss the general testing methods and guidelines, which are the common requirements and basis for the implementation of drug standards in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Owing to adherence to the principles of scientificity, versatility, operability, and sustainable development, there is an improvement in the general chapters of the 2020 edition over those of the previous editions. Further, the application of advanced and mature analytical techniques has expanded, the development of testing methods for exogenous pollutants in traditional Chinese medicines has been strengthened, and technical requirements are now better harmonized with international standards. The updated edition provides technical and methodological support to ensure safety, effectiveness, and control of pharmaceuticals in China and will play an important and active role in encouraging the application of advanced technologies, improving the quality control of medicines, and strengthening the means of drug regulation in China. This review provides a comprehensive introduction of the main features of and changes to the general chapters in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition and aims to provide reference for its correct understanding and accurate implementation. [Display omitted] • The additions and revisions of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition general chapters are introduced. • The applications of advanced techniques have been expanded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020 edition. • The technical requirements will be better harmonized with ICH in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2025 edition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) has become a major global concern. Se offers multiple health benefits in humans; however, its inadequate or excessive intake can be harmful. Therefore, determining the factors driving Se abundance and bioavailability in paddy soils is essential to ensure the safety of human Se intake. This study investigated the accumulation, bioavailability, and distribution of Se in 820 paddy soil and rice grain samples from Luxi County, China to assess how soil properties (soil organic matter [SOM], cation exchange capacity [CEC], and pH), geographical factors (parent materials, elevation, and mean annual precipitation [MAP] and temperature [MAT]), and essential micronutrients (copper [Cu], zinc [Zn], and manganese [Mn]) govern Se accumulation and bioavailability in paddy soils. Results showed that the average soil Se content was 0.36 mg kg−1, which was higher than that in China (0.29 mg kg−1). Alternatively, the average rice grain Se content was 0.032 mg kg−1, which was lower than the minimum allowable content in Se-rich rice grains (0.04 mg kg−1). Five studied parent materials all had a significant effect on soil Se content but had little effect on Se bioavailability (p < 0.05). CEC, elevation, and SOM, as well as the soil contents of Cu, Zn, and Mn were positively correlated with soil Se content, but pH, MAP, and MAT were negatively correlated. Correspondingly, Se bioavailability was negatively correlated with SOM and soil Zn content, but positively correlated with MAP and grain contents of Cu, Zn, and Mn. Furthermore, partial least squares path analysis revealed the interactive impacts of the influencing factors on Se accumulation and bioavailability in soils. On this basis, prediction models were established to predict Se accumulation and bioavailability in paddy soils, thereby providing theoretical support for developing efficient control measures to meet Se challenges in agriculture. [Display omitted] • Physicochemical, geographical, and micronutrient effects of paddy soil–rice system Se are shown. • Partial least squares analysis determined interactive effects of studied factors. • Unlike soil Se content, Se bioavailability is rarely affected by parent materials. • SOM and Zn soil content dominantly influence Se accumulation in paddy soils. • Cu grain and SOM primarily influence Se bioaccumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important branch of medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been applied for the treatment of diseases for thousands of years in China and other countries in East Asia. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia (ChP) is a drug code formulated by the Chinese government, and it includes a special volume for the monographs of TCM, which plays an important role in ensuring the quality of drugs. The use of quality control technology has always been a complex and important factor in TCM. Owing to the chemical diversity of TCM, chromatography technology has been proven to be a comprehensive strategy for the assessment of the overall quality of TCM and has become the main analytical method in the ChP. This article provides an overview of the classical and modern chromatographic technologies applied in the ChP, and summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of each technique in the TCM monographs. In 2020, the new edition of the ChP (the 2020 edition) has been implemented at the end of 2020. This paper also contains a brief introduction about the application of chromatographic technologies in the new edition of the ChP. [Display omitted] • An overview of the classical and modern chromatographic technologies applied in the ChP. • A discussion of the reason why each chromatographic technologies was chosen in the quality control of TCM. • Introduction of the chromatographic technologies applied in the 2020 edition of ChP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most post-stroke patients experience upper limb functionality challenges. Emergent therapies using upper limb-based robot machines present opportunities to resolve the limitations inherent in Occupational therapy such as increased therapist-patient exhaustion, monotonous methods, and so forth. The aim of this parallel trial was to compare the effects of the upper limb robotic training with matched Occupational therapy training on upper limb function and independence-related quality of life in post-stroke patients within the Brunnstrom arm motor recovery stages 1 to 4. During one-year (2018–2019), 50 post-stroke patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to 2 groups; robot and Occupational therapy (n = 25) and Occupational therapy (n = 25). Both groups were trained for 50–70 minutes per day, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. The Chinese-adapted Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) was the primary outcome measure. The secondary outcome measures were the Brunnstrom Recovery Stages Scale (BRS) and the Chinese-adapted Barthel Index (BI). The treatment effect sizes of both groups were large in the following variables; transfers (1), BI total score (2.2), FMA-UE upper limb (1.1), wrist (1.8), elbow (1), fingers (0.9), and FMA-UE total scores (1.4). The treatment group in comparison to the control group had larger BRS changes, significant improvements in upper limb function, and partial independence in activities of daily living during the baseline to post-treatment period. Robotic-assisted training with occupational therapy may improve the upper limb movement foundation blocks; however, it does not translate into complete functional independence and improved quality of life. This study has been registered at the ISRCTN registry, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential toxic metal that is harmful to plants. To investigate the genetic mechanism of Cd tolerance in rice, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with Cd tolerance at the seedling stage were analyzed using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between PA64s and 93-11. A total of 36 QTLs associated with shoot length, root length, shoot dry weight, root dry weight and total dry weight were detected in Hangzhou and Lingshui of China. Among them, 15 QTLs were identified under the control condition and 15 QTLs were identified under the Cd stress condition, and 6 QTLs for Cd tolerant coefficient were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, 7 and 9. The qCDSL1.1 and qCDSL1.2 were identified in Hangzhou and Lingshui, respectively, and had overlapping intervals on chromosome 1. To further confirm the effects of qCDSL1.1 and qCDSL1.2 , we developed a chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL), CSSL qCDSL1 , in 93-11 background harboring qCDSL1.1 / qCDSL1.2 from PA64s. Compared to 93-11, CSSL qCDSL1 had increased shoot length under the Cd stress condition. These results pave the way for further isolation of those genes controlling Cd tolerance in rice and marker-assistant selection of rice elite varieties with Cd tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Class discussion as an instructional strategy is placed at the heart of the classroom learning experiences to elicit active student participation. Convenience sampling of 105 undergraduates, majority of which are English as a Second Language (ESL) learners at Wenzhou Kean University (WKU) in China, participated in this descriptive correlational online survey. Findings showed a strong and positive relationship between class discussion and class participation. When there is enough time given for a group of three to five students to discuss general and creative topics on discussion questions given by instructors, the students are more confident to actively participate in class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University-Enterprise-Cooperation (UEC) has been adopted by many universities globally to effectively utilize the high-quality resources of the construction industry, to improve the general competence, problem-solving skills and innovation capability of graduates of an engineering discipline. There are a limited amount of papers published in international journals on UEC, compared to a significant volume of Chinese published literature. However, based on the best knowledge of the authors, no existing literature has conducted a quantitative statistical analysis on UEC research in Chinese and international journals. In order to fill this knowledge gap, 300 highquality papers on UEC were derived through the Chinese CNKI database from 2010-2019. The general development trend of UEC research in the past 30 years was also mapped and analyzed. The most popular topics under the UEC theme and the most frequently adopted research methods within the UEC field were also identified. It was found that since the first UEC publication in 1990, the number of UEC publications experienced a steady increase during the last decade, aiding by strong promotion from the government and active practice within universities and from educators in China. Course development (52.94%) and practice resource development (24.89%) were two of the most popular research topics in the UEC field. The elaboration research method was adopted by more than half (55.94%) of UEC papers, followed by case study (21.25%). The findings of this study are valuable for researchers and practitioners globally, to better understand the development status of UEC research in China and embark on future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common pathogen that causes many diseases in young children. HCMV glycoprotein H (gH) genotypes may be associated with the type and severity of some diseases. In this study, systematic surveillance was conducted on the prevalence of HCMV infections and HCMV gH genotypes in children. Urine samples were collected from children admitted to the inpatient wards and outpatient departments between January 2015 and December 2016 in the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China), and these were tested by real-time PCR for HCMV DNA detection and HCMV gH genotyping. During the study period, a total of 32,542 urine samples were collected and analyzed using real-time PCR to confirm HCMV infection, and 5286 (16.2%) cases were positive for HCMV DNA. From our results, children aged less than one year were the most susceptible population to HCMV. Based on the data obtained from gH probes combined with real-time PCR assay, 964 HCMV-positive samples were genotyped for gH. Among them, 584 (60.6%) were positive for gH1 subtype, 307 (31.8%) for gH2 subtype, and 73 (7.6%) for both gH1 and gH2 subtypes. The gH2 rate of 42.9% indicated HCMV infection was the highest subtype in the group aged ≤28 days while gH1 rate of 77% was the highest in the group aged >3 years. The highest gH2 rate (36.4%) and lowest gH1 rate (50.0%) were detected in children with HCMV viremia, whereas the highest gH1 rates (65.0%) and lowest gH2 rates (28.8%) were found in children with HCMV hepatitis. The findings of our study show that children less than 1-year-old are the major population among HCMV-infected children. gH1 is the predominant genotype of HCMV in China, which occurs more frequently than gH2 genotype in the case of HCMV hepatitis. However, the opposite tendency is observed in HCMV viremia, where the gH2 genotype is predominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have become a global issue due to their serious threat to environmental ecology and rapid expansion around the world. Northeast China, characterized by a long ice period, has been ignored in the previous studies of HABs. However, Lake Hulun, a great lake located in Northeast China, has been found intense HABs since the 1980s. To evaluate HABs more precisely and efficiently through satellite images in Lake Hulun, an adjusted FAI (AFAI) method with an automatically identified threshold was developed. The method took full advantage of Landsat series sensors and MODIS products, and built a threshold selection range (0.01 ~ 0.02 for Landsat and 0.05 ~ 0.12 for MODIS) rather than a single threshold on all images. With the long-term satellite data from year 1983 to 2016, occurrences of HABs in Lake Hulun were investigated. There were total 169 occurrences of HABs during the periods and the first outbreak was detected in 1984. Though the initial outbreak date of HABs varied in each year, most HABs happened in July and August. The water quality of Lake Hulun have experienced a serious degradation especially in the past nine years as the outbreak frequency of HABs increased a lot since 2009. The reason of the degradation may be attributed to the continuous grazing around the lake, tourism, and anthropogenic activities on lake surface even in freezing period. Surrounding land use and land cover (LUCC), meteorological conditions, and water chemical and physical parameters were also related with the outbreak of HABs to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and gestational hypertension during pregnancy has not yet been established. To investigate the association between PAH exposure and GDM and gestational hypertension, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 4206 pregnant women from the Zunyi birth cohort in southwestern China. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to detect the urinary levels of 10 monohydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs). GDM and gestational hypertension were diagnosed and the relevant information was documented by specialist obstetricians and gynecologists. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression were employed to investigate their single and nonlinear associations. Stratified analyses of pregnancy and body mass index data were conducted to determine their moderating effects on the abovementioned associations. Compared with the first quartile of urinary ∑OH-PAHs, the third or fourth quartile in all study participants was associated with an increased risk of GDM (quartile 3: odds ratio [ OR ] = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–1.77) and gestational hypertension (quartile 3: OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.26–2.81; quartile 4: OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.04–2.39), respectively. Nonlinear associations of 1-OH-PYR with GDM (cutoff level: 0.02 μg/g creatinine [Cr]) and 1-OH-PHE with gestational hypertension (cutoff level: 0.06 μg/g Cr) were also observed. In pregnant women with overweight or obesity, 1-OH-PHE and 3-OH-PHE were more strongly associated with gestational hypertension. Our results indicate that exposure to PAH during pregnancy may significantly increase the maternal risks of GDM and gestational hypertension; however, this finding still needs to be confirmed through larger-scale prospective studies and biological evidence. [Display omitted] • PAHs are associated with an increased risk of GDM and gestational hypertension. • The Safety thresholds for PAHs in GDM and gestational hypertension are low. • Prepregnancy weight control might reduce the risk of gestational hypertension. • Prevention of PAH-associated risk of both conditions is critical in pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with rice grain shape and predicting candidate genes through genome-wide association study (GWAS) can provide a theoretical basis for discovery and utilization of excellent genetic resources in rice. Based on 16 352 SNPs, 161 natural indica rice varieties with various grain sizes in southern China were used for GWAS of grain shape-related traits, referring to grain length (GL), grain width (GW), 1000-grain weight (TGW), and grain length/width (GLW). Phenotypic statistics showed that coefficient of variation values for these four traits GL, GW, TGW and GLW were 9.92%, 9.09%, 20.20% and 16.38%, respectively. Each trait showed a normal distribution, and there was a certain correlation between these traits. Through general linear model correlation analysis, a total of 38 significant loci were identified, and a range of 100 kb upstream and downstream of the significant loci was identified as the candidate interval. On chromosome 3, GS3 and qGL3 were found to regulate GL. On chromosome 6, TGW6 and GW6a were found to regulate TGW. Also, some QTLs related to grain shape were found on chromosomes 5 and 9. Besides that, using sequenced 3K-germplasm resources, we found that there are 22 overlapped varieties between these two natural populations. Twenty-six SNPs and fourteen haplotypes were identified in five regions of GS3 genes. The detection of multiple candidate genes/QTLs within the candidate interval is beneficial for further excavation of superior rice genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pollution of toxic and carcinogenic chromium slags of the chromate industry has been a public concern and industrial symbiosis is proved to be feasible and efficient in recycling chromium slags. How to appraise and improve sustainability of chromate industrial symbiosis networks is still an open problem where functional and structural performance are key approaches to solve. This paper aims to explore chromium and carbon metabolic behavior of a chromate industrial symbiosis network with ecological network analysis at intra-firm level. Results show that industrial symbiosis reduces chromium slags emissions and improves resource utilization efficiency. Influenced by flow type and quantity, the chromium metabolism realizes mutualism but the carbon metabolism fails due to intense competition for carbon resource among the recycling processes (the aluminum hydroxide, sodium sulfide and alloy steel processes). The sodium dichromate process is the largest controller on the chromium and carbon metabolism and the sodium sulfide and alloy steel processes both rely on carbon resource support of the sodium dichromate process even to 100% which may explain the intense competition. Under disharmonious connection pattern of metabolic processes, structural defects both occur to the chromium and carbon metabolism. Even though, the chromium metabolism is closed to the stable condition while the carbon metabolism still requires more network efficiency. Overall, the combination of chromium and carbon metabolism provide more details in exploring metabolic behavior of the chromate industrial symbiosis network. The applied method may be helpful to refine management and optimization in developing industrial symbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soil respiration (Rs) exhibited differential responses to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition. • N and P showed an antagonistic interaction on Rs but synergistic affect microbial respiration (Rh). • Initial fine root biomass and microbial biomass carbon had opposite effects on cumulative Rh. Understanding feedback between terrestrial carbon (C) cycle and climate change is linked to the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) on soil respiration (Rs). However, the individual and interactive effects of N and P additions on soil respiration and its components (autotrophic [ Ra ] and heterotrophic respiration [ Rh ]) are not fully understood, especially in highly P limited subtropical forests. In this study, both field experiment and laboratory incubation (at 15 °C and 25 °C temperatures) were undertaken to examine the effects of N, P and N + P additions on Rs and Rh. Our results showed that N addition significantly increased Rs by 21.09%, but P and N + P additions exhibited no effects on Rs under field conditions. Under laboratory condition, N addition significantly suppressed Rh whereas P and N + P additions increased Rh compared with control. Meanwhile, N and P additions exhibited an antagonistic interaction on Rs , but N and P additions synergistically affected Rh under laboratory incubations at both incubation temperatures of 15 °C and 25 °C. Cumulative Rh was negatively correlated with fine root biomass, but was positively correlated with microbial biomass carbon regardless of incubation temperatures. Our findings indicated that both individual and interactive effects of N and P additions on Rs and Rh were required to be considered to improve prediction of N and P effects on forest C dynamics in the highly P limited subtropical forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of short-term (7 days) experimental ocean acidification (−0.4 pH units) and warming (+5 °C) on anti-predator defenses of two sympatric Mytilus species from China, M. coruscus and M. edulis , in the presence and absence of predator cues were investigated. Results suggested species-specific independent negative effects of acidification and warming on the number and weight of byssal threads, the force of thread attachment, and total thread plaque area. Similar negative effects were observed for clustering behaviour, with acidification and warming independently increasing the number of solitary individuals and decreasing the percentage of mussels in clusters. Acidification effects on byssus were strongly exacerbated when predators were present. Ultimately, this study suggests that short-term exposure to experimental warming and acidification can negatively impact anti-predator defense strategies in mussels with potential ramifications for predator-prey interactions and ecological functioning in systems where mussel beds play a key ecological role. Unlabelled Image • Predator, pH and temperature affected the mussels' anti-predator behaviour. • Species specific effects were observed between Mytilus coruscus and Mytilus edulis. • Low pH and high temperature reduced the anti-predation performance of mussels. • Predator induced mussel clustering while low pH and warming had negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]