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Purpose: Our study aimed to develop and validate a homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) scoring algorithm in the Chinese breast cancer population. Methods and materials: Ninety-six in-house breast cancer (BC) samples and 6 HRD-positive standard cells were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Besides, 122 BCs from the TCGA database were down-sampled to ~ 1X WGS. We constructed an algorithm named AcornHRD for HRD score calculated based on WGS at low coverage as input data to estimate large-scale copy number alteration (LCNA) events on the genome. A clinical cohort of 50 BCs (15 cases carrying BRCA mutation) was used to assess the association between HRD status and anthracyclines-based neoadjuvant treatment outcomes. Results: A 100-kb window was defined as the optimal size using 41 in-house cases and the TCGA dataset. HRD score high threshold was determined as HRD score ≥ 10 using 55 in-house BCs with BRCA mutation to achieve a 95% BRCA-positive agreement rate. Furthermore, the HRD status agreement rate of AcornHRD is 100%, while the ShallowHRD is 60% in standard cells. BRCA mutation was significantly associated with a high HRD score evaluated by AcornHRD and ShallowHRD (p = 0.008 and p = 0.003, respectively) in the TCGA dataset. However, AcornHRD showed a higher positive agreement rate than did the ShallowHRD algorithm (70% vs 60%). In addition, the BRCA-positive agreement rate of AcornHRD was superior to that of ShallowHRD (87% vs 13%) in the clinical cohort. Importantly, the high HRD score assessed by AcornHRD was significantly correlated with a residual cancer burden score of 0 or 1 (RCB0/1). Besides, the HRD-positive group was more likely to respond to anthracycline-based chemotherapy than the HRD-negative group (pCR [OR = 9.5, 95% CI 1.11–81.5, p = 0.040] and RCB0/1 [OR = 10.29, 95% CI 2.02–52.36, p = 0.005]). Conclusion: Using the AcornHRD algorithm evaluation, our analysis demonstrated the high performance of the LCNA genomic signature for HRD detection in breast cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the mechanism of action of oil and fatty acid accumulation and desaturase gene expression in how oilseed flax responds to different fertilization conditions, a three-factor split-plot experiment was conducted to investigate the accumulation trends of oil and fatty acids. The results revealed that soluble sugar (SS) and sucrose (SUC) contents decreased, and the starch (ST) content increased gradually with the grain development and maturity of oilseed flax. The application of sheep manure promoted the accumulation of nonstructural carbohydrates in the grains. Soluble sugar (SS) and sucrose (SUC) contents were negatively correlated with the oil content. Compared with chemical fertilizer, organic manure decreased the total saturated fatty acid but increased the unsaturated fatty acid. Organic manure significantly upregulated the expression of various genes, and fad2a gene expression was higher with the 5.8 t ha−1 chicken manure treatment. The 25 t ha−1 sheep manure treatment was more conducive to the expression of fad3a and fad3b genes and promoted the accumulation of linolenic acid (LIN), and the LIN content increased by 0.64–3.90% compared with other treatments. Consequently, an ongoing anthropogenic sheep manure input may impact the regulation of grain oil quality and yield per unit area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various crop rotation patterns can result in differences in nutrient consumption and the accumulation of toxic substances in the soil, indirectly impacting the soil environment and its nutrient supply capacity. Implementing optimized crop planting practices is beneficial for maintaining the favorable physical and chemical properties of farmland soil in the arid area of northwestern China. This study aimed to establish a crop rotation pattern to improve key enzyme activities and soil nitrogen conversion efficiency, as well as understand the underlying mechanism for enhancing nitrogen supply capacity. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of four flax planting patterns, which included 13 crop rotation patterns with different crop frequencies: 100% Flax (Cont F), 50% Flax (I) (WFPF, FPFW, PFWF, FWFP), 50% Flax (II) (FWPF, WPFF, PFFW, FFWP), 25% Flax (WPWF, PWFW, WFWP, FWPW), on the key enzyme activities and the rate of soil nitrogen conversion, as well as the nitrogen supply capacity. Here, F, P, and W represent oilseed flax, potato, and wheat, respectively. The results indicated that the wheat stubble significantly increased the intensity of soil ammonification and denitrification before planting. Additionally, the activity levels of soil nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase under wheat stubble were significantly increased by 66.67% to 104.55%, while soil urease activity significantly decreased by 27.27–133.33% under wheat stubble compared to other stubbles. After harvest, the activities of soil nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase under the wheat stubble decreased significantly, and the intensity of soil ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification reduced significantly by 7.83–27.72%. The WFWP and FWFP treatments led to a significant increase in soil nitrogen fixation intensity under various crop rotations after harvest and significantly increased the levels of inorganic nitrogen in the soil before the planting of the next crop. This study suggests that the long-term rotation planting patterns WFWP and FWFP can significantly enhance the key enzyme activities of soil nitrogen conversion and significantly improve soil nitrogen conversion before crop sowing. This may increase the rate of soil nitrogen transfer and raise the available nitrogen content of the soil. These findings are crucial for reducing soil nitrogen loss and improving soil nitrogen nutrient supply capacity in dry areas of the Loess Plateau of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic fertilizers could be useful for agricultural sustainability. Therefore, this study explored green cultivation techniques to improve the grain yield of oilseed flax in dry areas of the Loess Plateau of China. With no fertilization (CK) as the control, the effects of sheep manure (S1: 12.5 t ha−1; S2: 25 t ha−1), poultry manure (C1: 5.8 t ha−1; C2: 11.6 t ha−1), and chemical fertilizers (F1: N 112 kg ha−1, P 75 kg ha−1, K 67.5 kg ha−1; F2: N 225 kg ha−1, P 150 kg ha−1, K 135 kg ha−1) on the growth and development, the grain filling characteristics, and the yield of the Zhangya 2 oilseed flax (Linum usitatisimum L.) variety were compared and analyzed based on a two-factor split plot experiment. The results showed that the application of manure significantly increased the emergence rate (ER) of oilseed flax. Poultry manure increased plant height while sheep manure increased stem diameter. The dry matter production was higher in the 25 t ha−1 sheep manure treatment by 2.47–40.11% compared with that of the other treatments, and it promoted the distribution ratio of dry matter to grains after anthesis. The observed relationship was in accordance with that presented by the logistic equation between grain weight and days after anthesis, and there were significant positive correlations between the 1000-grain weight and the average filling rate (V-ave), the maximum filling rate (V-max), and the growth at the maximum filling rate (W-max). The application of organic manure accelerated the grain filling rate (GFR); under the treatment with 25 t ha−1 sheep manure, V-ave, V-max, and W-max increased by 4.84–22.72%, 1.16–17.54%, and 4.58–22.63%, respectively, and the grain yield and the net income per unit area increased by 6.35–39.25% and 3.04–95.07%, respectively, compared with those under the other treatments. Consequently, the treatment with 25 t ha−1 sheep manure can significantly promote the growth and development of oilseed flax plants, optimize the grain filling characteristics, and increase the grain yield and net income, making it a suitable fertilization technique for oilseed flax in dry areas of the Loess Plateau of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic fertilizers are an important source of nutrients for improving farmland fertility. To explore high-yield, efficient and green production technology for oilseed flax in dryland agricultural areas, a field split plot experiment was conducted in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau in northwest China from April to August in 2020 and 2021. The study compared and analyzed the effects of different nutrient sources and their application rates on water consumption characteristics, grain yield and water use efficiency of oilseed flax. The main plots were fertilizer types (sheep manure, chicken manure and chemical fertilizer), while the subplots were fertilizer application rates (sheep manure: S1-12,500 kg·hm−2 and S2-25,000 kg·hm−2; chicken manure: C1-5800 kg·hm−2 and C2-11,600 kg·hm−2; chemical fertilizer: F1-N 112.5 kg·hm−2, P 75 kg·hm−2, K 67.5 kg·hm−2 and F2-N 225 kg·hm−2, P2O5 150 kg·hm−2, K2O 135 kg·hm−2). The results showed that compared with chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers significantly increased the soil water storage capacity of the 0–160 cm soil layer during the whole growth period of oilseed flax and significantly reduced water consumption. During two growing seasons, the application of 25,000 kg·hm−2 sheep manure significantly reduced water consumption during the seedling-bud period and green fruit period-maturity period of oilseed flax by 16.13% and 23.19% compared with CK, respectively. Thousand-grain weight, yield and water use efficiency were significantly increased by 14.70%, 48.32% and 61.29%, respectively. These results indicate that the application of 25,000 kg·hm−2 sheep manure can significantly increase soil water storage capacity of the 0–160 cm soil layer, reduce water consumption during the whole growth period of oilseed flax and thus improve grain yield and water use efficiency of oilseed flax. It is a suitable fertilization technology for the high-yield, efficient and green production of oilseed flax in the semi-arid areas of northwest Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using recent cross-sectional data of rural children aged from 8 to 18 in Hunan Province of China, this article examines psychological, behavioral, and educational outcomes and the psychosocial contexts of these outcomes among children left behind by one or both of their rural-to-urban migrant parents compared to those living in nonmigrant families. The results showed that left-behind children were disadvantaged in health behavior and school engagement but not in perceived satisfaction. The child's psychosocial environment, captured by family socioeconomic status, socializing processes, peer and school support, and psychological traits, were associated with, to varying extent, child developmental outcomes in rural China. These influences largely remain constant for the sampled children regardless of their parents' migrant status.

Large‐scale rural‐to‐urban migration has shaped the socialization contexts of rural adolescents in China and can potentially impact their developmental outcomes. In this study, using data from the first wave of the China Education Panel Study collected in 2013, we focused on self‐efficacy, an important but under‐studied facet of noncognitive development, and assessed how it was influenced by family migration status. We also explored the mediating role of family and school resources. We compared three groups of rural‐origin adolescents with different family migration statuses: rural left‐behind children (LBC), rural not‐left‐behind children (NLBC), and rural‐to‐urban migrant children (MC). Structural equation modeling was performed to estimate the main effects of rural‐origin groups on self‐efficacy and the mediating effects of family income, family social capital, and school social capital for the significant group effects on self‐efficacy. We found similar levels of self‐efficacy among MC and NLBC, who in turn, exhibited greater self‐efficacy than LBC. Discrepancies in family and school resources mediated the self‐efficacy gaps between LBC and their MC and NLBC counterparts. Notably, when their disadvantages in family and school resources were controlled for, LBC were more efficacious than MC and NLBC, indicating LBC's resilience and the potential for promoting self‐efficacy in LBC by providing adequate resources and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of proteasome inhibitors (PIs), new immune modulators (IMiDs), and other new drugs, as well as high‐dose chemotherapy combined with autologous stem cell transplantation has considerably improved the survival of young patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, the improvement in survival among elderly patients remains insufficient. Optimal treatment recommendation models for elderly patients with MM have not been developed especially there are quite few study in the real world. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the treatment patterns and outcomes of 328 Chinese patients (≥65 years) with MM in a real‐world setting. Patients were divided into three groups according to induction regimens. Results: The median age of the cohort was 70 (65–86) years. The patients were divided into group 1 (PIs based regimens, n = 218), group 2 (IMiDs based regimens, n = 48) and group 3 (PIs + IMiDs, n = 62). Induction regimens in group 3 produced higher overall response rate than group 1 and 2 (85.42% vs. 71.08% vs. 66.67%, p = 0.016). The median follow‐up of the cohort was 30 (interquartile range [IQR] 18–36) months. For the entire cohort median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 26 (IQR 12.00–42.89) months and overall survival (OS) was 60 (IQR 40.00–67.20) months. The PFS were not significantly different among the three groups (28 months vs. 18 months vs. 26 months, p = 0.182). So were the OS (60 months vs. 59 months vs. not reached, p = 0.067). Multivariate analysis revealed that age >70 year, frailty status (Geriatric vulnerability score), induction efficacy < partial remission, and no maintenance treatment were independent poor prognostic factors for OS. Conclusion: Front‐line induction regimens combining PIs and IMiDs developed more deep response than single PI or IMiD based regimens. Maintenance treatment can further improve the clinical outcome in elderly MM patients in real‐world setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to examine serum leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) levels in osteoporosis subjects to confirm its association with osteoporosis. Methods A total of 204 adult subjects were recruited. Bone mineral densities (BMD) were assessed and blood samples were collected for measurements of biomedical parameters and the bone turnover markers. Serum LECT2 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationships between serum LECT2 levels and other parameters were analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results Serum LECT2 levels were significantly increased in osteoporosis subjects over controls. We found a significantly negative correlation of serum LECT2 with BMD, 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, and creatinine and a significantly positive correlation with C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen and total cholesterol. Conclusion Serum LECT2 levels were significantly upregulated in osteoporosis subjects and correlated with the severity of bone loss. Serum LECT2 could be a potential biomarker to assess the risk of bone loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thrombopoietin mimetic peptide for injection is a second-generation thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO-RA) used in the treatment of patients with immune thrombocytopenia. The aim of the present study was to assess the safety, tolerance, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of thrombopoietin mimetic peptide for injection in Chinese healthy volunteers. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-escalation study was conducted in healthy Chinese subjects aged 18–50 years. Thirty subjects received single subcutaneous injection of 0.3 μg/kg, 1.0 μg/kg, 2.0 μg/kg thrombopoietin mimetic peptide or placebo. Thrombopoietin mimetic peptide was safe and well tolerated at doses of 0.3–2.0 μg/kg. There was no significant change in mean platelet count (PLT) from baseline at the 0.3 μg/kg or placebo groups. The mean PLT of subjects in the 1.0 μg/kg and 2.0 μg/kg groups peaked at day 12 (± 1), began to decline around day 17, and returned to the baseline level at day 28 (± 1). Platelet aggregation rates of the three dose groups showed no significant change before and after administration. Serum concentrations of thrombopoietin mimetic peptide in all subjects were below the quantization limit. This was the first study to demonstrate that subcutaneous injection of thrombopoietin mimetic peptide at doses of 0.3–2.0 μg/kg was safe and well tolerated in Chinese healthy subjects. As a second-generation TPO-RA, thrombopoietin mimetic peptide is effective at improving PLT after single subcutaneous injection at dose of ≥1 μg/kg. P lain l anguage s ummary What is the context? ● Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a rare, serious autoimmune disorder characterized by low platelet count (PLT) without an alternate cause. The treatment goal of ITP is to increase the platelet count to a safe level that can stop active bleeding and reduce the risks of future bleeding. ● Thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs, e.g. eltrombopag, avatrombopag, hetrombopag, and romiplostim) have shown high response rates in stimulating platelet production and reducing the risk of bleeding. TPO-RAs provide ITP patients with well-tolerated, long-term treatment choices. What is new? ● The thrombopoietin mimetic peptide for injection is a new TPO-RAs developed by Shandong Quangang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (China). ● This study showed that thrombopoietin mimetic peptide is effective at improving PLT after a single subcutaneous injection. ● The thrombopoietin mimetic peptide is safe and well-tolerated in Chinese healthy subjects. What is the impact? ● This study provides evidence for the further development potential of the thrombopoietin mimetic peptide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of a Chinese version of the 5-C Model of positive youth development (PYD), originally developed in the U.S., with a sample of rural and urban young adolescents in China. The Cs represent five youth strengths: competence, confidence, character, caring, and connection. The results of the exploratory factor analyses showed a reasonable data fit with the 5-C Model. The total and subscale scores evinced good internal reliability (α =.7 to.9) and the confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the convergence of the five Cs on a second-order latent factor of PYD, showing adequate goodness of fit (CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.04). Metric and scalar invariance were found across gender. Metric and partial scalar invariance were found for rural-urban groups. Supportive evidence on convergent and discriminatory validity was also found. We conclude that the Chinese version of the 5-C PYD Scale is a reliable and valid instrument, with good construct validity for Chinese young adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia volatilization from agricultural land has a negative impact on the atmospheric, aqueous, and land environments. However, this process is still not fully understood. In this study, a 2‐year field experiment is conducted in the Taihu Lake region of China to monitor ammonia volatilization from a paddy soil. The ammonia volatilization losses are in the range of 43.4 to 53.6 kg N ha−1 in the year 2013 and 25.9 to 35.4 kg N ha−1 in the year 2014, which account for 19.7% to 19.9% and 11.8% to 13.1% of the applied nitrogen with two different N treatments (N1: 220 kg N ha−1, N2: 270 kg N ha−1). The ammonia volatilization loss is highest during the basal fertilizer application, followed by the tillering and the ear‐differentiation stages. Then, two empirical models and one mechanistic model are used to simulate the ammonia volatilization process. These models are calibrated and validated with field experimental data. The results show that none of the three models accurately predict the ammonia volatilized from the rice field (R2 < 0.40), however, among the three models evaluated, the mechanistic model is more effective in simulating the ammonia volatilization process (R2 = 0.38). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between acoustic signals and genetics is not fully understood as of yet. It is unclear whether the acoustic characters of insect calling songs are correlated with insect genetic divergence. Here, we analyzed the genetic distance using 16S rDNA and cytochrome b sequences and calculated acoustic distance by the intensity distribution histograms statistic on the spectrograms of calling songs. After the alignment, 510 bp of cytochrome b and 542 bp of 16S rDNA sequences were used to calculate the genetic pairwise distance. The Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic analysis of both sequences was generally concordant with taxonomy. For acoustic signals, the L1 norm distance was in the range of [0.133, 0.434], showing a good reflection of the "vocal print" of the species. Finally, based on the two genetic distance matrice and one acoustic matrix, a multiple regression analysis was performed. The cubic regression diagram formed an upward sloping surface, suggesting that the genetic distance was positively correlated with the acoustic distance. This study demonstrates that the evolution rate of mating signal is sufficient in accordance with the gene at an interspecies level in insect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the introduction of complex social network theory and methods, this study reveals enterprises' patent layouts to help Chinese enterprises distinguish the core competitors. This study uses the social network analysis method and the system cluster analysis method to systematically analyze the macro technology development trend and competitors' micro technology innovation points. Based on the structure of enterprise resource investment, a two-dimensional matrix with the keyword "similarity-technological competition intensity" was constructed to accurately identify BYD's core technological competitors. In China, BYD company should regard GX company and ND company as core technology competitors, pay attention to the technology development direction and patent layout of YW company and HD company, and pay attention to the patent dynamics of GLM company and YQ company in specific technological innovation points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to investigate treatment options and the prognosis of patients with WM in China. This retrospective study included 1141 patients diagnosed with symptomatic WM between January 2003 and December 2019 at 35 tertiary hospitals in 22 provinces of China. Fifty-four patients (7.3%) received monotherapy, 264 (36.0%) received chemoimmunotherapy, 395 (53.8%) received other combination regimens without rituximab, and 21 (2.9%) received ibrutinib. Using a multivariable Cox regression model, age > 65 years old, platelets <100 × 109/L, serum albumin <3.5 g/dl, β2 microglobulin concentration ≥4 mg/L and LDH ≥250 IU/L predicted poor OS. In summary, our study showed that frontline treatment choices for WM are widely heterogeneous. We validated most of the established prognostic factors in the rIPSS (age >65 years, LDH ≥250 IU/L, ALB <3.5 g/dl and β2 microglobulin ≥4 mg/L) together with PLT ≤ 100 × 109/L indicate a poor prognosis for patients with WM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the associations between living alone and psychological and cognitive health and explores the moderating effects of age, gender, marital status, social engagement and family income among middle-aged and older adults in China. Data is drawn from a longitudinal sample of 9,469 participants in the 2010 and 2014 waves of the China Family Panel Study (CFPS). Cognitive health is captured by scores on word and math tests. Psychological health is measured by depressive symptoms. The results show that living alone has no health benefits in this sample of middle-aged and older Chinese, though it seems to be injurious for psychological health among the unmarried and detrimental to cognitive health for men. Study implications are discussed, specifically the need for more research into the mediating and moderating effects of the link between living alone and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of additive manufacturing technology is one of the main approaches to achieving the rapid casting. Additive manufacturing technology can directly prepare casting molds (cores) with no need of patterns, and quickly cast complex castings. The combination of additive manufacturing and traditional casting technology can break the constraint of traditional casting technology, improve casting flexibility, and ameliorate the working environment. Besides, additive manufacturing promotes the realization of "free casting", greatly simplifying the processing procedures and shortening the manufacturing cycle. This paper summarizes the basic principle of additive manufacturing technology and its development situation domestically and overseas, mainly focusing on the development status of several main additive manufacturing technologies applicable to the foundry field, including three-dimensional printing, selective laser sintering, stereolithography, layered extrusion forming, etc. Finally, the future development trend of additive manufacturing technology in the foundry field is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has considered all children while investigating adult children's role in their older parents' health and well-being. In this study, we examine the effect of filial piety across all children on parental depressive symptoms. A sample of 432 older parents with 1,223 adult children in a rural county in northern China rated the filial piety level for each child individually. Ratings were then combined across multiple children and organized into an ordinal variable of filial piety including three levels: all children being filial, some of the children being filial, and none of the children being filial. Ordinary least squares linear regression analyses were performed. The results reveal a significant and negative relationship between adult children's filial piety levels and older parents' depressive symptoms after controlling for age, gender, marital status, financial strain, chronic conditions, and social support from family and friends, respectively. That is, one level lower in the adult children's filial piety corresponds to increase in level of older parents' depressive symptoms. Filial piety seems to benefit older Chinese parents' mental health net of social support from family and friends in this sample. Including information from all children in the analyses is informative for better understanding the psychological significance of filial piety for healthy aging in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the impact of boarding school on academic achievement has been extensively debated, the differential effects on distinct student groups divided institutionally have yet to be thoroughly explored. Moreover, previous studies focus on comparing boarding schools vs. day schools, which tend to suffer from bias due to the sorting processes of different school types. In this study, we employ the school-fixed effect model and inverse probability weighting approach to examine the association of boarding on middle-school students' academic outcomes in China, where most schools have a mixed population of boarders and non-boarders. Based on the two waves of panel data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) in 2013 and 2014, we find that boarding is positively associated with students' academic scores, particularly math and Chinese. Rural-origin students, including rural local students and rural migrant students, benefit more from living on campus. Reduced study distractions, such as housework and playing can partially explain this positive boarding effect. This study lends empirical support to the positive effect of boarding on academic performance among students who are segregated by Hukou and migration status in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish sex is often associated with its economic traits, such as growth and body color. The mechanism of fish sex determination is always a hot spot for scientific research. Fish is one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates, and its sex determination mechanism is diverse and complex. Blunt-snout bream (BSB), belonging to Cyprinidae and the genus Megalobrama , is an important economic fish in China. Ordinary consumers are more inclined to buy male fish that does not carry eggs, hence the preparation of this all-male group of BSB meets the needs of the industry. In this study, we applied a whole genome resequencing approach to search sex-linked markers and better characterized sex determination in this fish. Our results confirmed that BSB uses a male heterogametic (XX/XY) system. Individuals from two populations including 10 males and 10 females were sequenced using a whole genomic sequencing method. A large potential sex differentiated region with approximately 6 Mb at the beginning of linkage group (LG) 9 of female BSB genome was identified using genome comparative analysis. This region contained a high density of male-biased genetic polymorphisms and harbored 275 genes, whereas reported sex-related genes didn't exist in this region. With the help of male genome, some male-biased sequences were identified using genome-wide associated analysis, and subsequently a male-specific marker was developed. Our results exhibited that BSB had a considerably large sex locus on LG9, which was likely sex chromosome of this species. Moreover, we developed a male-specific marker for BSB. Our study not only is of great practical significance to the development of sex-controlled breeding technology, but also is of theoretical significance to further explore the sex determination mechanism in fish. • A re-sequencing strategy was conducted to explore sex genetic differences between males and females. • A large sex differentiated region (∼6 Mb) was identified on linkage group 9 of blunt snout bream. • Male-specific fragments were identified in blunt snout bream, which help us establishing a sex-specific marker. • Blunt snout bream was confirmed to use a male heterogametic system (XX-XY). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Avian paramyxoviruses (APMVs), also termed avian avulaviruses, are of a vast diversity and great significance in poultry. Detection of all known APMVs is challenging, and distribution of APMVs have not been well investigated. Methods: A set of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays for detection of all known APMVs were established using degenerate primers targeting the viral polymerase L gene. The assays were preliminarily evaluated using in-vitro transcribed double-stranded RNA controls and 24 known viruses, and then they were employed to detect 4,346 avian samples collected from 11 provinces. Results: The assays could detect 20-200 copies of the double-stranded RNA controls, and detected correctly the 24 known viruses. Of the 4,346 avian samples detected using the assays, 72 samples were found positive. Of the 72 positives, 70 were confirmed through sequencing, indicating the assays were specific for APMVs. The 4,346 samples were also detected using a reported RT-PCR assay, and the results showed this RT-PCR assay was less sensitive than the assays reported here. Of the 70 confirmed positives, 40 were class I Newcastle disease virus (NDV or APMV-1) and 27 were class II NDV from poultry including chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons, and three were APMV-2 from parrots. The surveillance identified APMV-2 in parrots for the first time, and revealed that prevalence of NDVs in live poultry markets was higher than that in poultry farms. The surveillance also suggested that class I NDVs in chickens could be as prevalent as in ducks, and class II NDVs in ducks could be more prevalent than in chickens, and class II NDVs could be more prevalent than class I NDVs in ducks. Altogether, we developed a set of specific and sensitive RT-PCR assays for detection of all known APMVs, and conducted a large-scale surveillance using the assays which shed novel insights into APMV epidemiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial carbon storage is split predominantly between vegetation and soils. However, the spatial distribution of terrestrial carbon and its presence in each carbon pool remains unclear. This study explored the spatial distribution of terrestrial carbon in these two carbon pools across Chinese ecosystems, which differ in vegetation types. Carbon storage was estimated using the carbon transfer rate method, which uses net primary productivity (NPP) and the turnover rate to estimate vegetation and soil carbon pools under the assumption of steady state. The distribution of carbon storage per unit area (carbon density) was shown based on the latest vegetation map (2008). Compared with recent estimates of 89.27 Pg C, our results showed that a total of only 55.46 Pg C have been stored over recent decades. Of this total, 18.19 and 37.27 Pg C were stored, respectively, in vegetation and in soil carbon pools. Among the eleven vegetation types in this study, needleleaf forest had the largest carbon storage (13.57 Pg C). The eleven vegetation types were classified into four major vegetation classes (forest, scrub, grass, and cultivated), of which forests had the higher carbon storage (21.7 Pg C) and the highest carbon density. Our estimates of the spatial distribution of carbon were consistent with previous studies. Both terrestrial and soil carbon pools exhibited higher carbon density in northeast China and the southeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. Vegetation exhibited a high carbon density in eastern China but low carbon density in western China. Furthermore, our results had a higher spatial resolution of carbon distribution (75,000 polygon patches of the latest vegetation map) than previous studies. These results contribute to understanding carbon accumulation in different ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple genetic variants associated with leprosy. To investigate the single and combined associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the development of leprosy, we therefore performed generalized multi-analytical (GMDR) analysis in Chinese leprosy household contacts and constructed a risk prediction model. Patients and Methods: This case–control study included 229 leprosy cases and 233 healthy household contacts in Zhejiang province, China. Participants were genotyped for 17 polymorphisms selected from GWAS. The Pearson χ2 test, logistic regression and GMDR analysis were performed to investigate gene–gene interactions and construct a risk prediction model for leprosy. Results: The genotype and the allele distributions of rs142179458, rs2275606, rs663743 and rs73058713 were significantly different between patients and controls. rs2275606, rs6478108, rs663743 and rs73058713 showed an association after adjusting for sex and age in the logistic regression. A five-way interaction model consisting of rs2058660, rs2275606, rs4720118, rs6478108 and rs780668 was chosen as the optimal model for determining leprosy susceptibility. The model classified 237 (51.3%) into the low-risk group and 225 (48.7%) individuals into the high-risk group. The area under the curve (AUC) of this model was 0.757 (95% CI: 0.712– 0.803), and the odds ratio for leprosy between the high- and low-risk groups was 9.733 (95% CI: 6.384– 14.960; P< 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the model were observed to be 74.7% and 76.8%, respectively. Conclusion: Our results suggest that rs2058660, rs2275606, rs4720118, rs6478108 and rs780668, five SNPs with a significant sole effect on leprosy, interact to confer a higher risk for the disease in leprosy household contacts (HHCs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive bridge design should consider simultaneous actions of wind and temperature. The current load combination method of directly superposing extreme wind and temperature actions ignores the correlation between wind and temperature, resulting in too conservative bridge load estimates, and limiting the further development of the bridge span. Therefore, this paper proposes a method to determine the joint distribution of wind speed, wind direction, and air temperature actions on long-span bridges based on trivariate metaelliptical and Plackett copulas. First, the technique of establishing the trivariate joint distribution via trivariate metaelliptical and Plackett copulas is introduced. Next, the conditional joint distributions of wind speed and air temperature under the specific wind directions are derived from these. Using the concept of conditional bivariate Kendall return period (KRP) proposed in this paper, the conditional KRP isolines of wind speed and air temperature for specific wind directions are constructed. Then, conditional joint estimates of wind speed and air temperature actions for several specific wind directions are obtained using the following principle: the conditional bivariate design return period should be equal to the conditional univariate one. The method feasibility is verified by the case study of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge in China, which is currently under construction and will be the largest cable-stayed bridge in the world. The results show that the joint actions of wind and temperature on the bridge greatly reduce as compared with the simple superposition of extreme wind and temperature actions specified in the design code. Moreover, a significant contribution of wind direction in the above joint distribution on the large-span bridge load is proved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that subjective socio‐economic status (SES) and school social capital are associated with a wide range of socio‐emotional outcomes for children. Less is known about whether subjective SES is linked to overall child development and whether school social capital is a mediator in developing countries. The current study aimed to examine the association between subjective SES and positive youth development (PYD) among young adolescents in China, explore whether student–teacher relationships and student–student relationships mediated this association, and test whether there were gender differences in these associations. The analytical sample included a total of 1011 seventh‐graders (mean age = 13.24, SD =.69; 53.70% boys) recruited from Beijing and Anhui Provinces. The results showed that subjective SES was positively and significantly associated with PYD and that student–teacher relationships and student–student relationships played independent and joint mediating roles in the link between the two constructs. In addition, girls benefited more than boys from having closer relationships with teachers. Our findings highlight the importance of promoting school social capital in reducing PYD disparities across subjective SES levels, and suggest that school should be an effective venue for interventions to promote PYD among young adolescents in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanelate navel orange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) is a late-ripening citrus cultivar increasingly planted in China. The physiological disorder juice sac granulation often occurs in the fruit before harvest, but the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder remain elusive. In this study, we found that fruit granulation of the late-ripening navel orange in the Three Gorges area is mainly caused by the low winter temperature in high altitude areas. Besides, dynamic changes of water content in the fruit after freezing were clarified. The granulation of fruit juice sacs resulted in increases in cell wall cellulose and decreases in soluble solid content, and the cells gradually became shrivelled and hollow. Meanwhile, the contents of pectin, cellulose, and lignin in juice sac increased with increasing degrees of fruit granulation. The activities of pectin methylesterase (PME) and the antioxidant enzymes peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase, and catalase increased, while those of polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulose (CL) decreased. Furthermore, a total of 903 differentially expressed genes were identified in the granulated fruit as compared with non-disordered fruit using RNA-sequencing, most of which were enriched in nine metabolic pathways, and qRT-PCR results suggested that the juice sac granulation is closely related to cell wall metabolism. In addition, the expression of PME involved in pectin decomposition was up-regulated, while that of PG was down-regulated. Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamol dehydrogenase (CAD), and POD related to lignin synthesis were up-regulated, while CL involved in cellulose decomposition was down-regulated. The expression patterns of these genes were in line with those observed in low-temperature treatment as revealed by qRT-PCR, further confirming that low winter temperature is associated with the fruit granulation of late-ripening citrus. Accordingly, low temperature would aggravate the granulation by affecting cell wall metabolism of late-ripening citrus fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little work has considered the relationship between parental dissatisfaction and health and well-being among older adults. This study investigates whether parental dissatisfaction is linked to four health and well-being outcomes and whether the proposed associations are partly mediated by self-esteem and feeling useless in a 2014 sample of 432 community-dwelling older Chinese parents aged 60 to 79 years. Results from logistic and ordinary least squares regression modeling show that parental dissatisfaction is significantly associated with the four outcomes (physical health, mental health, depression, and life satisfaction), net of age, gender, and financial hardship. Findings from mediation analyses reveal that these associations are attributable to self-esteem and feeling useless both independently and jointly (with varying effects on different outcomes). Parental satisfaction contributes to healthy aging in China. It is important to develop interventions that enhance self-esteem and reduce feeling useless among older adults who are dissatisfied with their parental roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the construction of suspension bridges, the stress state of the pylon (tower) is improved by pushing the pylon saddle by an appropriate distance at the proper time. An analytical algorithm for the assessment of the required timing and displacements for the pylon saddle pushing at particular construction stages is proposed and verified in this study. The timing calculation is based on the assessment of current hanger tensile forces at each construction stage and the pylon stress state, while the pushing distance/displacement is derived from the conditions of elevation difference closure and the conservation of unstrained length of the main cable segments. This algorithm was successfully applied during the construction of a particular suspension bridge in China with a main span of 730 m. The results obtained strongly indicate that the bending moment in the pylon bottom is contributed by both horizontal and vertical forces of the main cable. The horizontal constituent is dominant and its share gradually increases in the bridge construction process. In a suspension bridge with side spans of various lengths, the stresses in the pylon bottom on the side with a larger side span is more likely to exceed the limit. Therefore, the respective strength criterion controls the pylon saddle-pushing schedule. The proposed analytical algorithm is quite straightforward and is recommended for wider application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic matter is the material basis of shale hydrocarbon generation. The current organic matter content in shale is controlled by the original sedimentary organic matter abundance. Therefore, the study of the enrichment mechanism of sedimentary organic matter in shale has become an important issue to be solved. The Upper Yangtze area is the important exploration and exploitation area of marine shale gas in China. The shale of the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation-Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in the Yangtze area is the research object. Choosing redox indicator and biological productivity indicator, the study explores the enrichment mechanism of sedimentary organic matter from two aspects, sealing of water and volcanic activity. The results show that excess siliceous mineral in the shale of the Wufeng Formation-Longmaxi Formation in the Upper Yangtze area is bioorigin. Excess siliceous mineral can be used as one of the indicators of biological productivity. On the one hand, layer phenomenon occurred since the strong water sealing during the sedimentary period of Wufeng and the lower section of the Longmaxi Formation, which results in the high content of oxygen in surface water. On the other hand, the active volcanic activity brought volcanic ash which was beneficial to biological reproduction. Both of these factors led to higher biological productivity during this period. At the same time, the strong sealing of water made the lower layer of the water more reductive, and the active volcanic activity caused climate change, enhancing the reduction of the lower layer of the water, which made the rich organic matter deposited from the surface water well preserved. In the sedimentary period of the upper section of the Longmaxi Formation 1st member in the Upper Yangtze area, on the one hand, due to the weakened sealing of water, the oxygen content of the upper water decreased. On the other hand, the volcanic activity weakened until it stopped, and the source of volcanic ash rich in nutrient elements decreased. These two aspects led to lower biological productivity during this period. At the same time, the weaker water sealing could lead to a decrease in the reduction of the lower layer of the water, and the gradual cessation of volcanic activity no longer affected the climate, causing the destruction of sedimentary organic matter by oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upper Ordovician-lower Silurian shale has always been the main target of marine shale gas exploration in southern China. However, the shale gas content varies greatly across different regions. The organic matter content is one of the most important factors in determining gas content; therefore, determining the enrichment mechanisms of organic matter is an important problem that needs to be solved urgently. In this paper, upper Ordovician-lower Silurian shale samples from the X-1 and Y-1 wells that are located in the southern Sichuan area of the upper Yangtze region and the northwestern Jiangxi area of the lower Yangtze region, respectively, are selected for analysis. Based on the core sample description, well logging data analysis, mineral and elemental composition analysis, silicon isotope analysis, and TOC (total organic carbon) content analysis, the upper Ordovician-lower Silurian shale is studied to quantitatively calculate its content of excess silicon. Subsequently, the results of elemental analysis and silicon isotope analysis are used to determine the origin of excess silicon. Finally, we used U/Th to determine the characteristics of the redox environment and the relationship between excess barium and TOC content to judge paleoproductivity and further studied the mechanism underlying sedimentary organic matter enrichment in the study area. The results show that the excess silicon from the upper Ordovician-lower Silurian shale in the upper Yangtze area is derived from biogenesis. The sedimentary water body is divided into an oxygen-rich upper water layer that has higher paleoproductivity and a strongly reducing lower water that is conducive to the preservation of sedimentary organic matter. Thus, for the upper Ordovician-lower Silurian shale in the upper Yangtze region, exploration should be conducted in the center of the blocks with high TOC contents and strongly reducing water body. However, the excess silicon in the upper Ordovician-lower Silurian shale of the lower Yangtze area originates from hydrothermal activity that can enhance the reducibility of the bottom water and carry nutrients from the crust to improve paleoproductivity and enrich sedimentary organic matter. Therefore, for the upper Ordovician-lower Silurian shale in the lower Yangtze region, exploration should be conducted in the blocks near the junction of the two plates where hydrothermal activity was active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study examines whether living in skipped-generation households (SGHs) is prospectively linked to happiness among middle-aged and older grandparents in China and explores the moderating effects of age, gender, education, income and rural-urban status on this link. The analyses use the two most recent waves of data (collected in 2012 and 2014) from the China Family Panel Studies. The outcome is a continuous, single-item happiness scale composed of data taken from the latter wave, while the key predictor is a categorical measurement of the respondents' living arrangements in 2012. The analyses use ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression analyses to assess the relationship between the two variables of interest. Overall, grandparents living in SGHs are less happy than those living only with a spouse or those living in three-generation households. Age group and rural-urban status are found to be significant moderators. The negative link between living in SGHs and happiness is largely absent in the oldest age group (i.e., age 70 or above) and among urban dwellers. Highlights • Living in SGHs is prospectively and negatively associated with happiness among middle-aged and older grandparents in China. • Variations in the magnitude of the negative impacts exist for different age or rural-urban groups. • The younger elderly group is the most emotionally vulnerable to living in SGHs compared to the middle aged and oldest group. • The detrimental effects of living in SGHs are the strongest among rural native grandparents. • Gender, education and income are not moderators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of body mass index (BMI) in breast cancer (BC) patients remained conflicting. We aimed to investigate and modify the impact of BMI on clinicopathological significance and survival in western Chinese BC patients. Materials and Methods. 8,394 female BC patients from Western China Clinical Cooperation Group (WCCCG) between 2005 and 2015 were identified. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportion hazard regressions were used to examine the difference of clinicopathologic and survival characteristics between BMI categories. Results. For the premenopausal, overweight and obese (OW) patients tended to have large tumor size (>5cm) (odds ratio [OR], 1.30, P<0.01) and triple-negative BC (OR, 1.31; P=0.01) compared with normal weight (NW) patients. Premenopausal underweight (UW) patients had a significantly higher risk of HER2 positive (OR, 1.71; P=0.02) and distant metastasis (OR, 2.59; P=0.01). For postmenopausal patients, OW patients showed higher risks of large tumor size (>5cm) (OR, 1.46; P=0.01), nuclear grade III (OR, 1.24; P=0.04), and lymphovascular invasion (OR, 1.46; P=0.01) compared with NW patients. An "U" shaped relationship between BMI and DFS was found (UW versus NW, adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 2.80, P<0.001; OW versus NW, adjusted HR, 1.40, P=0.02), whereas no significant difference of disease-free survival (DFS) between OW and NW premenopausal patients (adjusted HR=1.34, P=0.18) was revealed. Conclusion. We concluded that UW and OW were associated with aggressively clinicopathological characteristics, regardless of menopausal status. An "U" shaped association of BMI and DFS was revealed, and no significant difference of DFS between OW and NW in postmenopausal subgroup was revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Maanshan Bridge over Yangtze River in China is a new long-span suspension bridge with double main spans of 2 x 1080 m and a closed streamline cross-section of single box deck. The flutter and buffeting performances were investigated via wind tunnel tests of a full bridge aeroelastic model at a geometric scale of 1:211. The tests were conducted in both smooth wind and simulated boundary layer wind fields. Emphasis is placed on studying the interference effect of adjacent span via installing a wind deflector and a wind separating board to shelter one span of the bridge model from incoming flow. Issues related to effects of mid-tower stiffness and deck supporting conditions are also discussed. The testing results show that flutter critical wind velocities in smooth flow, with a wind deflector, are remarkably lower than those without. In turbulent wind, torsional and vertical standard deviations for the deck responses at midspan in testing cases without wind deflector are generally less than those at the midspan exposed to wind in testing cases with wind deflector, respectively. When double main spans are exposed to turbulent wind, the existence of either span is a mass damper to the other. Furthermore, both effects of mid-tower stiffness and deck supporting conditions at the middle tower on the flutter and buffeting performances of the Maanshan Bridge are unremarkable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the association between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and clinical outcomes (including all-cause mortality, recurrent myocardial infarction, heart failure, serious cardiac arrhythmias and ischemic stroke) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Based on PLR quartiles, 5886 patients with STEMI were categorized into 4 groups: <98.8 (n = 1470), 98.8 to 125.9 (n = 1474), 126.0 to 163.3 (n = 1478), >163.3 (n = 1464), respectively. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the relation between PLR and clinical outcomes. Mean duration of follow-up was 81.6 months, and 948 patients (16.1%) died during follow-up. The lowest mortality occurred in the lowest PLR quartile group (P = 0.006), with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.18 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.55), 1.31 (95% CI, 1.18-1.64), and 1.59 (95% CI, 1.33-1.94) in patients with PLR of 98.8 to 125.9, 126.0 to 163.3, >163.3, respectively. Higher levels of PLR were also associated with recurrent myocardial infarction (Ptrend = .023), heart failure (Ptrend = .018), and ischemic stroke (Ptrend = .043). In conclusion, a higher PLR was associated with recurrent myocardial infarction, heart failure, ischemic stroke, and all-cause mortality in patients with STEMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using survey data collected from Shanghai and Shenzhen, two popular destinations for rural-to-urban migration in China, this study found a significantly higher level of psychological distress among rural migrants in Shenzhen compared to those in Shanghai, which are partly attributable to the lower earnings and longer work hours among rural migrants in Shenzhen. In addition, a range of structural (e.g., socioeconomic status and work hours), social (i.e., frequency of home visits, perceived social support, and neighbourhood social cohesion), and personality (i.e., optimism) factors were found to be important correlates of psychological distress. Compared to those in Shanghai, rural migrants in Shenzhen were socioeconomically disadvantaged but psychosocially advantaged. A significant and negative interaction effect between optimism and long work hours was also found. Without the presence of the observed psychosocial advantages among rural migrants in Shenzhen, the Shenzhen-Shanghai gap in rural migrant’s mental health would have been even greater. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study’s objectives were, first, to examine the association between social engagement and the odds of taking hypertensive medications and treatment among adults in China; and second, to explore the lifestyle and psychological mechanisms underlying this association. Data were from the WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (WHO-SAGE), a national survey of 11,046 participants aged 18 to 69 conducted in China in 2010. The key outcome was a dichotomous indicator of whether the respondent was taking hypertensive medication or other treatment. A series of logistic regression models were fitted to examine the research questions. Higher levels of social engagement were found to be associated with a lower odds of taking hypertensive medication or treatment, and the association was stronger for women than for men. Lifestyle factors (i.e. smoking and BMI) and perceived overall life satisfaction were significant covariates. Life satisfaction helped explain some of the social engagement benefit for both men and women and BMI only appeared to be a mediator for men. Being married was not significantly associated with lower odds of taking hypertensive medication or treatment in either men or women. Social engagement seems to be protective against hypertension for adult men and women in China, although causation could not be determined in this cross-sectional study. Psychosocial mechanisms are probably at work, but these vary by gender. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Korotkoff approach is the only blood pressure (BP) measurement technique that allows contemporary data to be compared with decades of research. We randomly recruited 4483 people (53.3% women; mean age 52.1 years) from Gaoyou County, Jiangsu Province, China. Nine observers recorded the participants™ BP three times consecutively following Chinese Society of Hypertension guidelines. We assessed the BP phenotype based on five criteria: completeness of readings, percentage of identical BP readings, odd BP readings, end-digit preference and trends in BP from the first to the third reading. The proportion of participants with identical readings were 2.0% and 3.1% for systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respectively. Among 26,898 BP values, 0.3% ended in an odd number. Among observers, the prevalence of identical readings varied from 0% to 5.3% for SBP and from 0% to 6.8% for DBP. Compared with the expected frequency of 20%, those ending in 0 had a lower frequency (17.2%;p < 0.001), whereas those ending in 8 had a higher frequency (22.4%;p < 0.001). From the first to the third measurement, SBP and DBP decreased (p < 0.001) by 0.87 and 0.55 mmHg, respectively. In conclusion, the procedures set up in the Gaoyou study produced a high-quality BP phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines the associations between parental and sibling rural-to-urban migration and blood pressure (BP) of rural left-behind children (LBC) in rural China. Analysis was based on the 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2009 waves of longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, which is an ongoing prospective survey covering nine provinces with an individual-level response rate of 88%. Blood pressure levels were measured by trained examiners at three consecutive times on the same visit and the means of three measurements were used as the final BP values. An ordinal BP measure was then created using a recently validated age–sex-specified distribution for Chinese children and adolescents, distinguishing normal BP, pre-hypertension and hypertension. Random effect modelling was performed. Different migration circumstances play different roles in LBC's BP with mother-only and both-parent migration being particularly detrimental and father-only and sibling-only migration either having no association or a negative association with LBC's BP levels or odds of high BP. In conclusion, the link between family migration and left-behind children's blood pressure is complex, and depends on who is the person out-migrating. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The genetic diversity, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy of some coronaviruses dominant in birds other than chickens remain enigmatic. In this study we sequenced the genome of a newly identified coronavirus dominant in ducks (DdCoV), and performed a large-scale surveillance of coronaviruses in chickens and ducks using a conserved RT-PCR assay. The viral genome harbors a tandem repeat which is rare in vertebrate RNA viruses. The repeat is homologous to some proteins of various cellular organisms, but its origin remains unknown. Many substitutions, insertions, deletions, and some frameshifts and recombination events have occurred in the genome of the DdCoV, as compared with the coronavirus dominant in chickens (CdCoV). The distances between DdCoV and CdCoV are large enough to separate them into different species within the genus Gammacoronavirus. Our surveillance demonstrated that DdCoVs and CdCoVs belong to different lineages and occupy different ecological niches, further supporting that they should be classified into different species. Our surveillance also demonstrated that DdCoVs and CdCoVs are prevalent in live poultry markets in some regions of China. In conclusion, this study shed novel insight into the genetic diversity, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy of the coronaviruses circulating in chickens and ducks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how parental rural-to-urban migration may affect left-behind children's development in rural China. We used two-wave data collected on 864 rural youth age 10–17 years in the Guangxi Province, China in 2010. We tested psychometric properties of a positive youth development (PYD) model theorized and corroborated in the US, compared a range of developmental outcomes among rural youth by their parental migration status, and explored the mediating role of family economic and social resources in observed associations between developmental outcomes and parental migration. The results showed the PYD model had some international validity although modifications would be needed to make it more suitable to Chinese settings. Little difference in the PYD outcomes was detected by parental migration status. On other outcomes (i.e., self-rated health, school grades, educational aspirations, problem behavior), positive influences of parental migration were observed. Increased income but not social resources in migrant families helped explain some of these patterns. The take-home message from this study is that parental migration is not necessarily an injurious situation for youth development. To advance our knowledge about the developmental significance of parental migration for rural Chinese youth, we urgently need large-scale representative surveys to collect comprehensive and longitudinal information about rural children’s developmental trajectories and their multilevel social contexts to identify key resources of PYD in order to better help migrant and non-migrant families nurture thriving youth in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Splenomegaly and pancytopenia are common in Wilson’s disease (WD) and splenectomy is one of the conventional treatments for splenomegaly and the associated pancytopenia. However, splenectomy remained controversial for hypersplenism in WD as it was reported that splenectomy leaded to serious emotional and neurological deterioration in WD patients with hypersplenism. In the current study, we present our experiences in 70 WD patients with hypersplenism who had undergone splenectomy, outlining the safety and efficacy of splenectomy in WD. The clinical database of 70 WD patients with hypersplenism who had undergone splenectomy in our hospital between 2009 and 2013 were reviewed and followed-up regularly. Before splenectomy, all the patients accepted a short period of anti-copper treatment with intravenous sodium 2, 3-dimercapto-1-propane sulfonate (DMPS). All the patients demonstrated a marked improvement in platelet and leucocyte counts after splenectomy. No severe postoperative complication was observed. In particular, none of the 37 patients with mixed neurologic and hepatic presentations experienced neurological deterioration after splenectomy, and none of the patients with only hepatic presentations newly developed neurological symptoms. During the one year follow-up period, no patient presented hepatic failure or hepatic encephalopathy, no hepatic patient newly developed neurological presentations, and only 3 patients with mixed neurologic and hepatic presentations suffered neurological deterioration and these 3 patients had poor compliance of anti-copper treatment. Quantative analysis of the neurological symptoms in the 37 patients using the Unified Wilson’s Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS) showed that the neurological symptoms were not changed in a short-term of one week after splenectomy but significantly improved in a long-term of one year after splenectomy. Additionally, compared to that before splenectomy, the esophageal gastric varices in most patients significantly improved one year after splenectomy. Thus, we may conclude that splenectomy is a safe and effective therapeutic measure for hypersplenism in WD patients who had been preoperatively treated with DMPS for powerful anti-copper therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine factors associated with angle-closure disease, particularly in those with structural or functional damage to the eyes, in an elderly Chinese population. Methods: A total of 460 individuals aged over 72 years were recruited. The association of angle-closure diseases, including primary angle-closure suspect (PACS), primary angle-closure (PAC) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), with various systemic and ocular characteristics was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Of 374 phakic subjects, 199 (53.2%) had angle-closure disease, including 135 PACS, 46 PAC, and 18 PACG. The majority of those with untreated PACG (10/13, 76.9%) had presenting intraocular pressure (IOP) < 20 mmHg. Independent risk factors for angle-closure disease were lower Van Herick grading, shallower central anterior chamber depth (ACD), and higher post-mydriatic IOP (all p < 0.05). Central and peripheral ACD estimation correlated weakly, only 60.8% of angle-closure eyes had generalized narrowing of ACD as a Van Herick grading ≤2 and central ACD ≤ 2.83 mm. A criterion considering either central or peripheral ACD identified 91% of angle-closure eyes, including all PACG. A higher post-mydriatic IOP was associated with a diagnosis of PAC or PACG among angle-closure eyes ( p = 0.002). Conclusion: Both central and peripheral ACD should be evaluated and shallowing of either one should be an indication for gonioscopic examination to maximize detection of angle-closure disease in elderly Chinese persons. PAC and PACG were associated with higher post-mydriatic IOP than PACS, although subjects with PACG frequently presented with normal IOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Phosphorus (P) loss from cropland is accelerating the eutrophication of waters around the world such as the Three Gorges Reservoir ( TGR) in China. We investigated whether purple paddy soil under long-term P applications was a major source of P efflux to the TGR. RESULTS Substantial surplus P in the plough layer (0-20 cm) was evident after 15-year P applications. Available P (Olsen-P) in the plough layer ranged from 1.9 to 42.4 mg kg−1 and some of which will exceed the threshold of 30 mg kg−1 for environmental concern within 7 years of P application (inorganic NPK with or without organic fertiliser). Between 30 and 70% of Olsen-P was leached out of the 0-30 cm soil layer. Surplus P resulted in high P concentrations in the surface water during the rice cropping season, and these concentrations exceeded those in most waters of the TGR and exceeded the critical level for eutrophication (0.1 mg L−1) during the first 10 days after rice planting. Furthermore, total P in run-off due to rainfall events exceeded the level for eutrophication, with a total loss of 43.2-147.9 g P ha−1 depending on the fertilisation. CONCLUSION Current agronomic P management in purple paddy soil is environmentally unsustainable in terms of the adverse impact on surface water quality. Integrated P management practices are urgently required to optimise crop yield while minimising P loss in order to protect surface water quality in the TGR region. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a multi-stage cluster sampling approach, we collected healthcare and demographic data from 531 migrants and 529 local urban residents aged 16-64 in Shanghai, China. Logistic regressions were used to analyze the relationship between gender-migration status and healthcare utilization while controlling for predisposing, enabling and needs factors. Other things equal, female migrants and male locals had significantly lower actual healthcare utilization rates, compared to female locals. Female migrants were more likely to report 'no money' as a reason for not seeking care, while male locals were more likely to report 'self-medication' as a reason. Considering established gender differences in healthcare utilization, we conclude that female migrants as a group face the most healthcare access barriers among all groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect evaluation of environmental education has become an important and challenging theme in ecotourism research, and the result is of value both practically and theoretically. An experimental comparison research was conducted in this thesis with the samples divided into 2 groups: compared group and experimental group with the latter being exerted pre-designed environmental education intervention. Then, the closely related published research results--"the indexes, approaches and model of effect evaluation on environmental education in ecotourism" were applied to measure and evaluate the effect of environmental education in the case study zone. Results show in the 1st level indexes, the mean, median, standard deviation, maximum, and minimum were respectively 43.49, 36.52, 27.40, 100.00, and 10.80 in the experimental group, and 33.40, 24.60, 21.52, 80.94, and 9.21 in the compared group, with the former being 10.09, 11.92, 5.88, 19.06, and 1.59 more than the latter respectively, which means the effect of ecotourism environmental education in the former group was "very bad" while that in the latter group was " extremely bad" The cumulative percentage of " very satisfied" and "satisfied" in the experimental group was as high as 80% while that in the compared group was only as low as 19. 32%. The mean of tourist's self-assessment score of "ecotourist degree" by means of subjective self-assessment method in experimental group was 73.46, where as that in the compared group was 56.62, which presents the relatively obvious advantages of the former group over the latter group. In the case of 2nd level indexes composed of knowledge, consciousness, ethics opinion, comment and suggestion, skill, behavior, and willingness, the mean scores were respectively 10.25, 11.40, 8.79, 7.83, 2.32, 2.39, and 2.74 (for the experimental group) and 8.22, 8.92, 6.84, 6.49, 1.69, 2.32, and 2.35 (for compared group), which indicates that the experimental group was only a little higher than the compared group in the scores of such indexes as skill, behavior and willingness, yet much higher in such indexes as knowledge, consciousness, ethics opinion, and comment and suggestion. The above comparison shows that initiative environmental education intervention had some positive effect on the improvement of ecotourism environmental education, yet the effect was still limited, which shows that there existed other factors that might influence the final effect. Both ANOVA and Chi-square tests show, with p = 0.10, the degree of formal education, travel motivation and pre-tour ecotourism experience were all significantly related to the change of the sample' s total personal score, which proves that the three factors were the main factors that did influence the effect of environmental education. In the meantime, GLM ANOVA shows environmental education intervention and the above-mentioned 3 factors had a significant influence on the effect of environmental education. However, the interaction effect between and among those 4 indexes was not significant, which proves that they did not influence one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Outdoor air pollution is one of the most worrying environmental threats China faces today. Comprehensive and quantitative analyses of the health consequences of air pollution in China are lacking. This study reports age- and sex-specific life expectancy and health expectancies (HEs) corresponding to different levels of air pollution based on associations between air pollution and individual risks for a host of health conditions and mortality net of individual- and community-level confounders. Methods. This is a multilevel prospective cohort study based a nationally representative sample of Chinese elders. The main outcome measures in this study include life expectancy estimated from mortality and HEs based on five health conditions including activity of daily living, instrumental activity of daily living, cognitive status, self-rated health, and chronic conditions. Results. Net of the controls, exposure to outdoor air pollution corresponded to subsequent reductions of life expectancy and HEs for all five health conditions. These detrimental pollution effects were stronger for women. The gap in life expectancy between areas with good air quality and moderately heavily polluted areas was 3.78 years for women of age 65 and 0.93 years for men. The differences in HEs at age 65 were also large, ranging from 1.47 years for HE for good self-rated health in men to 5.20 years for activity of daily living disability-free HE in women. Conclusions. Air pollution has devastating health impacts on Chinese elders reducing longevity and shortening HEs. Women are more vulnerable than men. More strict air policy should be implemented to pursue sustainable development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: During the past three decades, an estimated 200 million rural residents have moved to urban centers in China. They are “sojourners” in the cities and maintain close ties with their home communities, which we term trans-local ties. This paper examines the relationship between migrants'' social ties and their mental health, and contrasts the trans-local ties with migrants'' ties in the receiving communities, which are termed local ties. We expect that for the migrants, trans-local ties foster better mental health not only through providing emotional support but also through generating favorable social comparisons; whereas local ties may furnish important social support, but may also produce negative social comparisons. We use data collected in Shanghai to test our expectations. We compare the migrants to a sample of Shanghai natives to assess patterns of relationship between social ties and mental health that are unique to the migrants. We find that for the migrants, more numerous trans-local ties are associated with better mental health, whereas the number of local ties is not a significant predictor. This pattern is not observed among the Shanghai natives. Moreover, for migrants, trans-local ties foster a favorable evaluation of their status in Shanghai and buffer their perception of discrimination; in contrast, more numerous local ties tend to be associated with a more negative perception of social status. The findings highlight an often-overlooked pathway between social ties and health outcomes, namely, through influencing social comparison and perceived social status. This study also suggests that in addition to reducing institutional and personal discrimination, facilitating close bonds between the migrants and their home communities may be a productive way to foster their well-being, in the context of contemporary urban China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]