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The river–lake ecotone supports diverse aquatic life, but its food web structure and topology are poorly understood. Baiyangdian Lake, northern China's largest shallow lake, depends on external environmental flows, of which the Fu River provides the most stable water supply. Here, we used stable isotopes and topological analysis to explore the food web structure along a spatial gradient using data from field surveys from 2018 to 2019. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes and the food web structure were associated with environmental factors for four ecosystem types (river, river mouth, lake mouth, lake). Detritus, phytoplankton, and zooplankton δ13C values became more depleted along the gradient from the river to the lake, whereas δ13C of submerged macrophytes was enriched in the ecotones compared to the river and lake. Higher δ15N values for basal resources and zooplankton occurred at the lake mouth and river mouth. The top consumers were omnivorous fish: Hemiculter leucisculus (trophic level [TL] = 3.85 ± 0.89) in the river and Pseudorasbora parva (TL = 4.54 ± 0.58) in the river mouth. Carnivorous Erythroculter dabryi occupied the highest TL (3.61 ± 0.36 and 4.46 ± 0.36, respectively) in the lake mouth and lake. These results together led to a change from a detritus-based to phytoplankton-based food web along the gradient from the river to the lake. The species richness, number of trophic links, link density, and mean food chain length all are greatest in the lake, followed by the lake mouth, and the lowest were in the river. Our results provide a holistic view of the ecotone ecosystem and its food web, suggesting that it supports a more diverse species assemblage and more complex food web structure than the adjacent river ecosystem, rather than the adjacent lake ecosystem. Therefore, management should emphasize the combined effects of altered hydrological regimes and poor water quality on the ecotone food webs to manage the river and lake more sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On July 29, 2021, from 11:51 to 15:14, the Weather Modification Center of Hebei Province in China conducted warm cloud seeding experiments on the periphery cloud system of Typhoon "In-Fa" in the central and southern regions of Hebei Province, using a KingAir-350 aircraft to disperse warm cloud seeding agents (17 sticks of YF-1 warm cloud flares, including hygroscopic agents such as calcium chloride and potassium chloride, 400 g/stick). One hour after the operation, a band-shaped maximum precipitation area appeared downwind, indicating a significant increase in rainfall. The cloud physics detection equipment carried on the aircraft was used to detect the rainband on the periphery cloud system of the typhoon. The airborne detection data showed that the concentration of large particles (>50 µm) in warm clouds in the periphery cloud system of the typhoon was significantly higher than in other weather systems. The concentration of large particles had a higher correlation with water content than small particles. The water content of the warm clouds could reach 0.9 g/m3. After the warm cloud seeding agent was dispersed, the area where it was dispersed showed an increase in CIP (Cloud Imaging Probe, particle diameter >50 µm) concentration and a decrease in CDP (Cloud Droplet Probe, particle diameter <50 µm) concentration, indicating that the collision-coalescence process in the warm clouds was significantly enhanced. The rapid growth of large droplets due to collision with small droplets was related to the artificial seeding of hygroscopic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'hydrological connectivity' is used in different disciplines to refer to the water-mediated transfer of matter, energy, and/or organisms within or between elements of the hydrologic cycle. Extensive research has been devoted to methods of evaluating hydrological connectivity. However, most of these methods pertain to the connectivity of runoff, sediment, chemicals, and organisms. To our knowledge, no evaluation of thermal energy connectivity has been conducted to date, and there is no consistent assessment framework available that takes into account thermal energy connectivity based on flux. Thermal energy flux affects many basic biogeochemical reaction processes and ecological functions of healthy river-lake systems. Here, we propose a method to evaluate runoff and thermal connectivity based on a modified version of the index of runoff/sediment connectivity proposed by Borselli et al. (2008). It was tested in an urban area (Tongling, China, which covers an area of 3008 km2) — characterized by the presence of numerous rivers and lakes — during normal, wet, and dry periods from year 2016 to year 2018. We found that areas with poor runoff connectivity exhibited high thermal connectivity in dry periods. Connectivity variation in lakes was higher than that in rivers. Models of the measured data were satisfactory for the test periods. Overall, our results indicate that public data can be used to map runoff and thermal connectivity within an existing joint evaluation framework. Evaluations of thermal connectivity can assist research on hydrological connectivity, and the proposed method can serve as a valuable tool for analyzing the runoff and thermal connectivity of urban river-lake systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The dominance effect is a kind of non‐additive effect due to the interaction between alleles at the same locus. Quantitative traits such as growth traits in farm animals have been found to be influenced by dominance effects. However, dominance effects are usually ignored in the genome‐wide association study (GWAS) of complex traits for farm animals. In this study, we performed GWAS and genetic parameters estimation for the two traits age at 100 kg (AGE) and backfat thickness at 100 kg (BF) of 3572 Large White pigs. The pigs were from three breeding farms of China and were genotyped by an in‐house designed 50k SNP chip. Our results showed significant non‐zero variance for the dominance effect of AGE, while the dominance effect of BF was not significant. Using a GWAS model accounting for both additive and dominance effects, we identified three additive and two dominance significant SNPs for the trait AGE. For the trait BF, three genome‐wide significant additive SNPs were detected, but no significant SNP was found for the dominance effect. In total, six important functional genes (NPAS3, USP16, PARN, ARL15, GPC3, ABHD4) near significant SNPs were identified as candidate genes associated with AGE or BF. Notably, ARL15 and PARN were associated with AGE near the dominance association signals. Overall, the newly detected SNPs and newly identified candidate genes in our study added new information about the genetic architectures of growth and fatness traits in pigs, and have the potential to be applied to the pig breeding program in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has become a widely used technology that can accurately detect individual pathogens. This prospective study was performed between February 2019 and September 2019 in one of the largest clinical neurosurgery centers in China. The study aimed to evaluate the performance of mNGS on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from neurosurgical patients for the diagnosis of external ventricular and lumbar drainage (EVD/LD)-associated ventriculitis and meningitis (VM). We collected CSF specimens from neurosurgical patients with EVD/LD for more than 24 h to perform conventional microbiological studies and mNGS analyses in a pairwise manner. We also investigated the usefulness of mNGS of CSF for the diagnosis of EVD/LD-associated VM. In total, 102 patients were enrolled in this study and divided into three groups, including confirmed VM (cVM) (39), suspected VM (sVM) (49), and non-VM (nVM) (14) groups. Of all the patients, mNGS detected 21 Gram-positive bacteria, 20 Gram-negative bacteria, and five fungi. The three primary bacteria detected were Staphylococcus epidermidis (9), Acinetobacter baumannii (5), and Staphylococcus aureus (3). The mNGS-positive coincidence rate of confirmed EVD/LD-associated VM was 61.54% (24/39), and the negative coincidence rate of the nVM group was 100% (14/14). Of 15 VM pathogens not identified by mNGS in the cVM group, eight were negative with mNGS and seven were inconsistent with the conventional microbiological identification results. In addition, mNGS identified pathogens in 22 cases that were negative using conventional methods; of them, 10 patients received a favorable clinical treatment; thus, showing the benefit of mNGS-guided therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Intensive artificial selection has been imposed in Yunshang black goats, the first black specialist mutton goat breed in China, with a breeding object of improving reproductive performance, which has contributed to reshaping of the genome including the characterization of SNP, ROH and haplotype. However, variation in reproductive ability exists in the present population. A WGS was implemented in two subpopulations (polytocous group, PG, and monotocous group, MG) with evident differences of litter size. Following the mapping to reference genome, and SNP calling and pruning, three approaches – GWAS, ROH analysis and detection of signatures of selection – were employed to unveil candidate genes responsible for litter size. Consequently, 12 candidate genes containing OSBPL8 with the minimum P‐value were uncovered by GWAS. Differences were observed in the pattern of ROH between two subpopulations that shared similar low inbreeding coefficients. Two ROH hotspots and 12 corresponding genes emerged from ROH pool association analysis. Based on the nSL statistic, 15 and 61 promising genes were disclosed under selection for MG and PG respectively. Of them, some promising genes participate in ovarian function (PPP2R5C, CDC25A, ESR1, RPS26 and SERPINBs), seasonal reproduction (DIO3, BTG1 and CRYM) and metabolism (OSBPL8, SLC39A5 and SERPINBs). Our study pinpointed some novel promising genes influencing litter size, provided a comprehensive insight into genetic makeup of litter size and might facilitate selective breeding in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the long‐term geomorphic evolution of an estuarine tidal flat consequent to flow alteration and erosion has been widely documented, the short‐term ecological responses of such ecosystems to multiple stressors remain poorly understood. We combined a mechanism‐based ecomorphodynamic model with a hydrodynamic and sediment numerical model to examine the ecological response of an estuarine tidal flat ecosystem to different magnitudes of flow discharge and erosion conditions in the Yellow River Estuary (YRE) of China. The ecological benefits of flow discharge and erosion are reported in terms of the state of the tidal flat system: (1) a patterned state with high primary production and strong sediment stabilization; and (2) a homogeneous state with low primary production and severe erosion. We focused on the nonlinear flow‐ecology relationship and identified the minimum threshold of flow discharge at which a patterned state occurs. Both flow discharge and erosion rates were shown to be important determinants of the state of the estuarine tidal flat ecosystem. We showed that a change in flow discharge altered the sediment deposition rate Sin and induced a state transition of the tidal flat ecosystem. Erosion increased the minimum threshold value of flow discharge at which a patterned state occurred. Our model framework provides an insightful method with a strong mechanistic basis to determine thresholds of flow discharge at which ecological benefits change dramatically, thereby providing a tool to make decisions regarding flow allocation in estuarine tidal flat ecosystems that are suffering from degradation caused by restricted flow and sediment load. Key Points: A change in flow discharge alters the sediment deposition rate and induces a state transition of the estuarine tidal flat ecosystemErosion increases the threshold value of flow discharge at which a patterned state occursOur model provides an insightful method with a strong mechanistic basis to assess environmental flow in estuarine tidal flats ecosystems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Anyue gas field is located in the middle part of the Sichuan Basin, SW China. It occurs in the oldest marine carbonate strata and is characterized by the highest degree of thermal evolution and the largest gas reserves in China. A significant breakthrough was made with the Gaoshi-1 risk-taking exploration well deployed in 2011. As of 2015, the proven geologic reserves of natural gas were 657.4 billion m3, and the total gas reserves including proven reserves, controlled reserves, and predicted reserves exceeded 1.5 trillion m3. A total of three sets of gas-bearing strata are developed in the Anyue gas field in a descending sequence: The gas reservoir in the Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation (1l) is treated as a structure-lithologic gas reservoir; the gas reservoir in Section No. 4 of the Dengying Formation (Z2dn4) is a structure-stratigraphic gas reservoir; and the gas reservoir in Section No. 2 of the Dengying Formation (Z2dn2) is a structural gas reservoir. A comparative analysis of the gas sources has shown that the gas Cambrian of reservoirs was mainly from mudshale of the lower Cambrian Maidiping and Qiongzhusi formations and the gas of the Dengying Formation reservoirs was from mudshale of the Qiongzhusi Formation and mudstone of Section No. 3 of the Dengying Formation. All gas reservoirs are referred to as reservoirs of dry gas with medium or low contents of sulfur and medium contents of CO2. Gas reservoirs in 1l are characterized by a large burial depth, a high temperature, and a high pressure, while the gas reservoirs in Z2dn2 and Z2dn4 are characterized by an ultralarge depth, a high temperature, and a normal pressure. The accumulation of gas reservoirs is controlled mainly by two factors. The distribution of hydrocarbon generation centers is controlled by the late Sinian-early Cambrian intracratonic rift, which acts as effective updip sealing conditions for gas reservoirs in the Dengying Formation. The late Sinian-early Cambrian Gaoshiti-Moxi paleouplift experienced a long-term inherited development, which controlled the generation and distribution of three sets of large-scale high-quality reservoirs in Z2dn4, Z2dn2, and the Longwangmiao Formation and the generation of three sets of high-quality reservoir-caprock assemblages. An inherited giant structural trap with a longterm stable development is always a favorable zone for petroleum accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of melanoma is rising globally including China. Comparing to Caucasians, the incidence of non‐cutaneous melanomas is significantly higher in Chinese. Herein, we performed genomic profiling of 89 Chinese surgically resected primary melanomas, including acral (n = 54), cutaneous (n = 22), and mucosal (n = 13), by hybrid capture‐based next‐generation sequencing. We show that mucosal melanomas tended to harbor more pathogenic mutations than other types of melanoma, though the biological significance of this finding remains uncertain. Chromosomal arm‐level alterations including 6q, 9p, and 10p/q loss were highly recurrent in all subtypes, but mucosal melanoma was significantly associated with increased genomic instability. Importantly, 7p gain significantly correlated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in non‐cutaneous melanomas, representing an intriguing prognostic biomarker of those subtypes. Furthermore, focal amplification of 4q12 (KIT, KDR, and PDGFRα) and RAD51 deletion were more abundant in mucosal melanoma, while NOTCH2 amplification was enriched in acral melanoma. Additionally, cutaneous melanomas had higher mutation load than acral melanomas, while mucosal melanomas did not differ from other subtypes in mutation burden. Together, our data revealed important features of acral and mucosal melanomas in Chinese including distinctive driver mutation pattern and increased genomic instability. These findings highlight the possibilities of combination therapies in the clinical management of melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rice paddy ecosystem, application of nitrogen fertilizer and straw to soil methanogenic bacteria provides abundant methanogenic substrates, which significantly influences methane (CH4) emission from paddy fields. The effects of nitrogen fertilizer and straw returning on CH4 emissions in rice paddy fields were studied during a two year of the field experiment in Chao lake basin, China. The experiment consisted of 4 treatments: Control (CK), Traditional fertilizer (CT), Optimized fertilizer (CO) and CO with straw-return (CO + SR). The cumulative effects of straw-returning practices on greenhouse gas emission in a rice-wheat rotation system were determined, along with an estimation of CH4 in a rice growing season. According to our results, The CH4 emission fluxes from paddy field showed three different peak trends; Compared to CK, CT, CO, and CO + SR increased seasonal CH4 emission by 36.6%, 45.8% and 42.0% in 2013 and by 42.0%, 48.5% and 80.1% in 2014, respectively. Anaerobic decomposition of wheat straw accelerates the decline of soil redox potential (Eh) after flooding, thereby providing suitable environmental conditions for the growth of methanogens and promoting CH4 production in the subsequent rice season. The CH4 emission fluxes of CK, CT, CO, and CO + SR were significantly correlated with soil temperatures at 5 cm depth. Therefore, our findings show that application rates of nitrogen fertilizer and straw returning to a paddy field could significantly affect the CH4 emissions in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water deficit is one of the main environmental constraints affecting the yield of winter wheat. We quantified the effect of water stress on the grain yield of winter wheat in northern China, by using meta-analysis method. Database was obtained through 1921 experimental observations derived from 53 research articles of the 2000 to 2017 period. The results showed that the grain yield was significantly affected by the water and latitude. Grain yield and number of spikes (ha-1) increased with the total water from 1001 m³ ha-1 to 4000 m³ ha-1. However, grain yield and number of spikes did not increase further at higher rates (>4000 m³ ha-1). The grain yield, number of spikes and thousand grain weight were higher at a total water of 1-1000 m³ ha-1, than those at 1001-2000 m³ ha-1. Water stress had no significant effect on grain number per ear. The grain yield first increased with the latitude to a maximum of 36-37° and then decreased with increasing latitude (>37°). In conclusion, the maximum yield of winter wheat was attained at 36-37° latitude and 3001-4000 m³ ha-1 total water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate pore networks of the lower Cambrian Niutitang Shale in the Cen-gong Block, multiple techniques, including geochemical analysis, low-pressure gas (CO2 and N2) adsorption, mercury intrusion capillary porosimetry (MICP) and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), were performed to investigate pore structure, including pore-size distribution (PSD), pore volume and surface area of black organic-rich shales from two wells to better understand the mechanism of shale-gas accumulation. Geochemical analysis shows that equivalent vitrinite reflectance ranges from 2.1 to 3.5% and are overmature. Surface areas and pore volumes of micropores calculated from CO2 adsorption, which vary from 8.23 to 37.39 m2/g and from 3.06  10−3 to 10.89  10−3 cm3/g, respectively, can provide large amounts of adsorptive sites for shale-gas accumulation. N2 adsorption shows reversed S-shaped isotherms, which are classified into type H2 and H3 hysteresis loops, indicative of ink-bottle pores and slit-or plate-like pores. N2 adsorption and MICP analysis indicates that the inorganic-associated pores in shales may play a significant role in the storage and production of hydrocarbons. High-resolution FE-SEM analysis suggests that OM pores (OMPs) are common in Niutitang samples with a dominant diameter less 50 nm, but a sample with the highest total organic carbon (TOC) of 10.01 wt% has few OMPs, whereas a sample with the TOC of 7.51 wt% has more OMPs. The percentage of OMP area vs total organic matter area (Øs) ranges from 1.70 to 7.92%. The pore structure characteristics of TX1 well, calculated by multiple techniques, are better than samples from TM1 well. In addition, pore types are dominated by interparticle, intraparticle and organic matter pores, and the minor amounts of OMPs in TM1 well indicates that most of the organic matter may have lost the potential to generate hydrocarbons owing to the release of formation pressure with some graphitisation and high-angle fractures larger in the TX1 well. TOC content, mineral composition and tectonically related thermal maturity may be the main controlling factors of the pore structure and the lower Cambrian Niutitang Shale demonstrates the greatest potential for shale-gas production in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The change of land use from grassland to cropland in Northern China has raised serious concern about regional carbon (C) cycle and greenhouse gas balance. We measured soil methane (CH4) uptake using manual static chambers in grassland and cropland soils in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia over three growing seasons (2010-2012). The primary aims were to assess the effect of undisturbed grassland and croplands from converted grassland with different land use histories on gas fluxes and systematically compare the site-specific CH4 uptake factor. We found a significant difference (P < 0.001) in CH4 uptake between grassland and croplands from reclaimed grassland for 5, 10 and 50 years old, and cropland soils in 5 and 10 years old were a significant sink of CH4. Compared with cropland soils, the grassland had the lowest cumulative CH4 uptake, with 141.4, 210.0 and 236.0 mg/m² during growing seasons of 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Over the 3 growing seasons, the cumulative CH4 uptake of croplands aged 5, 10 and 50 was 544.5, 361.7 and 266.1 mg/m². With the increase of farming time, the methane accumulation and absorption of C5, C10 and C50 decreased. Differences in CH4 uptake of grassland and cropland with different length of cropping history can be explained by the amount of soil ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) and soil moisture. We conclude that (ⅰ) croplands for 5 and 10 years old from reclaimed grassland are the best approach considered here for optimizing the land use as a sink for atmospheric CH4, and (ⅱ) the practice that croplands from grassland reclaimed for more than 10 years old should be planted into grasslands is recommended for managing CH4 uptake and soil carbon sink in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Metformin and acarbose have comparable efficacy as initial therapy for HbA1c reduction in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. However, not all participants achieved glycaemic control. Our aim was to discover a monotherapy predictor for therapeutic response in Type 2 diabetes on the basis of baseline features. Methods Data from the MARCH trial were collected, resulting in 698 individuals being available for longitudinal analyses. All participants were divided into subgroups based on successful and unsuccessful achievement of the glycaemic target according to primary endpoints at week 24 (HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol; 7.0%). Logistic regression analysis with stepwise variable selection was performed to assess the independent risk factors for good glycaemic control of monotherapy with metformin or acarbose. Results Median HbA1c was 66 ± 1 mmol/mol (8.2 ± 0.07%) in the metformin group at baseline, and 66 ± 1 mmol/mol (8.2 ± 0.07%) in the acarbose group. After 24 weeks of monotherapy, 79.8% of participants in the metformin group achieved glycaemic targets compared with 78.7% of those in the acarbose group. Multivariate regression analysis showed that BMI and fasting blood glucose were significant independent predictors for the maintenance of good glycaemic control in the metformin group, whereas phase I insulin secretion (Insulin/Glucose at 30 min, I30/G30) and duration of diabetes were associated with good glycaemic control in the acarbose group. Conclusions For newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, some clinical features and laboratory parameters are important prognostic factors for predicting drug responsiveness. Participants with a higher BMI and lower fasting blood glucose achieved good glycaemic control when metformin was selected as the initial treatment. Acarbose was best for participants with higher phase I insulin secretion (I30/G30) and shorter duration of Type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To test the hypothesis that delivery of integrated care augmented by a web-based disease management programme and nurse coordinator would improve treatment target attainment and health-related behaviour. Methods The web-based Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation ( JADE) and Diabetes Monitoring Database ( DIAMOND) portals contain identical built-in protocols to integrate structured assessment, risk stratification, personalized reporting and decision support. The JADE portal contains an additional module to facilitate structured follow-up visits. Between January 2009 and September 2010, 3586 Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes from six sites in China were randomized to DIAMOND ( n = 1728) or JADE, plus nurse-coordinated follow-up visits ( n = 1858) with comprehensive assessments at baseline and 12 months. The primary outcome was proportion of patients achieving ≥ 2 treatment targets (HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol (7%), blood pressure < 130/80 mmHg and LDL cholesterol < 2.6 mmol/l). Results Of 3586 participants enrolled (mean age 57 years, 54% men, median disease duration 5 years), 2559 returned for repeat assessment after a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 12.5 (4.6) months. The proportion of participants attaining ≥ 2 treatment targets increased in both groups ( JADE 40.6 to 50.0%; DIAMOND 38.2 to 50.8%) and there were similar absolute reductions in HbA1c [ DIAMOND −8 mmol/mol vs JADE −7 mmol/mol (−0.69 vs −0.62%)] and LDL cholesterol ( DIAMOND −0.32 mmol/l vs JADE −0.28 mmol/l), with no between-group difference. The JADE group was more likely to self-monitor blood glucose (50.5 vs 44.2%; P = 0.005) and had fewer defaulters (25.6 vs 32.0%; P < 0.001). Conclusions Integrated care augmented by information technology improved cardiometabolic control, with additional nurse contacts reducing the default rate and enhancing self-care. (Clinical trials registry no.: NCT01274364) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report for the first time the polymorphisms of MICA and MICB in a healthy Li population of 344 unrelated individuals. By using polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific priming ( PCR-SSP) and sequence-based typing ( PCR-SBT), 17 MICA-sequence alleles and 5 MICA-STR (short tandem repeats, STR) alleles, as well as 17 MICB alleles were detected, among which MICA*010, MICA* A4 and MICB*005:02 were the most frequent alleles. In addition, linkage disequilibrium was investigated and the most common two-locus haplotypes were MICB*005:02- MICA*010 and MICB*008- MICA*002:01. These results present informative genetic markers for the investigation of possible origins and the evolution of MHC class I haplotypes in the Li population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Splitting failure, which is recognized as a special engineering geology phenomenon, occurs continually in the brittle rock mass of caverns during underground excavation. In this paper, a splitting model of linear slippage crack groups is built with fracture mechanics, energy analysis, and crack extension theories. Considering intrinsic cracks in rock mass and change of outer stress, intrinsic cracks propagate into macroscopical splitting cracks that are approximately parallel to the side wall of caverns. The splitting criterion of cavern rock mass and the method for predicting displacement in view of splitting opening displacement are proposed. In the end, the forecasting method is applied to the Jinping-I Hydropower Station, underground caverns engineering in China, the splitting failure zone and forecasting displacement are accordant with the monitoring data. The new forecasting displacement method is proven to contribute to the construction of similar underground caverns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Environmental protection is constructed by two sub-processes. The process of expenditures utilized to establish environmental facilities is the first stage. The process of facilities used to reduce pollutant emissions is the second stage. This study introduces the undesirable output value-chains model to assess the environmental protection establishment and treatment efficiency of 30 regions in China. Through the empirical results, some suggestions are provided, including:1. For improving efficiency, enhancing the efficiency of environmental protection facility establishment is more important than the treatment efficiency of facilities. Under given expenditures, how to increase the quantity of environmental protection facilities is the first subject for improvement. 2. In the coastal area, although most funds are utilized towards environmental protection, the environmental performance is better than the western area. 3. The environmental protection efficiency of the central area is the worst, no matter the establishment or treatment item. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What is known and objective There is great interindividual variability in citalopram ( CIT) pharmacokinetics. We attempted to establish a population pharmacokinetic ( PPK) model of CIT in Chinese healthy subjects, to evaluate the effect of genetic polymorphism on CIT pharmacokinetics and to compare the PPK and non-compartmental ( NCA) assays in the estimation of CIT bioequivalence. Methods Blood samples of 23 healthy subjects were collected after administration of CIT; plasma concentration of CIT was analysed using LC/ MS- MS. CYP2 C19 and CYP2 D6*10 genotypes were determined. PPK model was established by using nonlinear mixed-effect modelling ( NONMEM). The model was evaluated using goodness-of-fit plots and relative error measurements. Bioequivalence of CIT was evaluated by both PPK and NCA method. Results and discussion The estimated population absorption rate constant ( ka), clearance ( CL/ F) and volume of distribution (Vd/F) in Chinese healthy subjects are 0.64 L/h, 12.7 L/h and 705 L, respectively. Different CYP2 C19 and CYP2 D6 genotypes have impacts on CIT pharmacokinetics. There is about 5.5% decrement of CL/ F for each CYP2 C19*2 or CYP2 D6*10 allele. The 90% confidence interval of CIT bioavailability obtained from NCA and PPK model were 96.4-105.4% and 92.5-103.4%, respectively. What is new and conclusion The PPK of CIT is best characterized by a one-compartment disposition model with first-order absorption. CYP2 C19 and CYP2 D6 genotypes have impacts on the CL/F of CIT. Bioequivalence of CIT can be estimated by both NCA and PPK model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: To validate the clinical value of the One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) Breast Cancer System for the intraoperative detection of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases in early-stage breast cancer patients in a Chinese population, a prospective, multicenter trial, the China Breast Cancer Clinical Study Group (CBCSG)-001c trial, was conducted. The present study focused on the prospective comparison of the performance between OSNA and touch imprint cytology (TIC). Methods: The retrieved SLNs were divided into sections. Alternate slices from the tissue blocks were subjected either to OSNA analysis or to postoperative histopathology evaluation through serial sectioning. TIC was performed on every sample surface of each tissue block and was used by the surgeon to determine whether to perform an immediate ALND. Results: A total of 552 patients qualified for the analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of OSNA were 87.8%, 89.6%, and 88.4%, respectively, on a per-patient basis compared with those of TIC, which were 81.3%, 96.9%, and 92.0%, respectively. OSNA detected more micrometastasis-involved nodes than TIC (52.8% vs. 25.0%; p = 0.029) on a per-node basis. Tissue allocation bias (TAB) was the main cause of discordant results. The performance of TIC varied significantly among the institutes, while the performance of OSNA was steady. Conclusions: Both OSNA and TIC can serve as qualified intraoperative assessments of SLNs. For institutes lacking the support of experienced cytopathologists, OSNA can be the first choice for the intraoperative assessment. In addition, OSNA can be applied as a complement to histopathology assessment. However, the results of the present study do not support the routine application of OSNA in the entire SLNs in place of pathology with serial sectioning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An individual non-motile (NM) cell was isolated from a surface sediment sample collected in Guangxi, China and subsequently established as a dinoflagellate strain in culture. The motile cells are 22.5–32.5 µm long and 20.0–30.0 µm wide, with a plate formula of Po, X, 4′, 3a, 7″, 6c, 5(?)s, 5″′, 2″″, fitting the description of Vulcanodinium rugosum. The Chinese strain shares 99.8%, 97.4% and 96.7% similarity (LSU sequence) with those from Australasia, France and Japan. Asexual division of V. rugosum takes place either in the thecate motile stage or within a NM division cell. Motile cells divided by binary fission inside the parent cell and transformed to NM division cells within 24 h. The NM cell underwent one to three consecutive divisions within the parent wall. The divisions were not always synchronous and neither was the release of motile cells from the NM cells. It generally took 4 to 6 days for the NM cells to complete one division. NM cells survived for 1 month at 4 °C in the dark, suggesting that they might play an important role in species dispersal. A novel pinnatoxin was detected at 20 pg cell−1 and no other known pinnatoxins (A–G) were detected. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Diabet. Med. 29, 515-521 (2012) Abstract Aim To describe the status of glycaemic control, self-reported adherence to treatments, psychological well-being and quality of life in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes in 2006. Methods Subjects having registered for care for > 12 months at a diabetes clinic were enrolled in this study. Glycaemic control was determined by HbA1c and plasma glucose levels; information about self-reported adherence to treatments was obtained by questionnaire; psychological well-being was assessed by use of a modified World Health Organization-5 Well-being Index; and quality of life was measured by use of a modified Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN) survey. All data were tabulated and statistical analyses were performed. Results A total of 2702 patients were enrolled during 2006. Only 23% of patients achieved an HbA1c level of < 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) as per the 2007 China guideline for Type 2 diabetes and only 16.2% followed all treatment recommendations from healthcare providers. Of the patients, 46.0-68.6% of the patients showed positive psychological well-being. A quality-of-life survey showed that 28.5-50.6% of the patients experienced various diabetes-related emotional problems. Large percentages (approximately 50%) of patients were experiencing psychological insulin resistance. Conclusions Although in China therapies for Type 2 diabetes are more effective and available than ever before, the patient outcomes remain disappointing. Problems with glycaemic control, self-reported adherence to treatments, psychological well-being and quality of life, all of which are key to diabetes control, are common among Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Water shortages and quality deterioration are serious dilemmas for lake managers as both problems sharply decrease the ecosystem services and functions provided by a lake. In this paper, using WASP as a tool, we have established and calibrated a water quality simulation model for Baiyangdian Lake and then analyzed water quality variations in scenarios with different pollution load reductions and different environmental flow releases into the lake and discovered the sustainable schemes for environmental flow management. From the results, in the scenarios of 30%, 50%, and 90% pollutant load reduction, the sustainable environmental flows are 3.52, 3.13, and 2.12 m3/s, and the corresponding lake levels could attain 7.45 m, 7.35 m, and 7.05 m from the initial 6.0 m. The obtained results indicated that water release could improve the lake volume and quality simultaneously. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Water shortages and deterioration of water quality become more serious as a result of industrial development and urbanization, but both can be mitigated by optimal management of environmental flows. In this paper, we used Baiyangdian Lake as a case study of this form of management. We divided the lake into 13 sub-areas using GIS software, and analyzed water-quality processes in each sub-area using an eutrophication model based on the WASP 7 software. The model considered the dissolved oxygen content, the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and phytoplankton growth. We used monitoring data for Baiyangdian Lake to parameterize and validate the model. Using the model, we then analyzed water quality variations for different non-point-source pollution load scenarios and artificial water release scenarios to reveal the relationships between water quality and these factors. We found that return water such as industrial wastewater and domestic sewage with a large organic load worsened eutrophication, whereas reducing pollutant loads, transferring water into the lake, or a combination of the two approaches improved water quality. The detailed spatial distribution of water quality supplied key information to support further analysis of ecological water demand and water allocation. Our simulation revealed environmental flows of 3.87x108, 3.70x108, and 3.23x108 m³/a, respectively, for scenarios with pollutant load reductions of 30, 50, and 90% under various water-release strategies. On this basis, we propose optimal water quality management strategies for Baiyangdian Lake to improve its water environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sewage systems are important nodes to monitor enteric pathogens transmitted via water. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of rotaviruses in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and receiving streams in Beijing, China, to evaluate the reductions of rotaviruses in WWTPs and to provide viral fate and transport data for further epidemiological studies. Two PCR-based methods, including an RT-qPCR and another quantitative RT-PCR (ICC-RT-qPCR), which was integrated with cell culturing, were applied to conduct a 1-year monitoring of infectious rotaviruses and viral genes in effluents from three WWTPs and the receiving waters in Beijing, China. The ICC-RT-qPCR was able to detect more positive samples than RT-qPCR, showing positive results for 67% of primary effluents, 47% of secondary effluents and 14% of tertiary effluents, in comparison with 44, 22 and 6% by RT-qPCR, respectively. Seasonal variations of rotaviruses were observed in all effluents with higher occurrences in winter than in summer, which correlated well with the seasonal pattern of rotaviruses in the river receiving wastewater effluents. The reduction efficiencies by different treatment processes were assessed. Secondary treatments can remove most of infectious rotaviruses in primary sewage, with annual average reduction values of 2·08 ± 0·63, 2·83 ± 0·49 and 2·00 ± 1·10 log for the three WWTPs, respectively. Tertiary treatments were able to further remove infectious rotaviruses. The results showed a year-round distribution of rotaviruses in three WWTPs in Beijing and provided important information regarding the transport and susceptibility of rotaviruses to different levels of wastewater treatment processes. This study, for the first time, revealed the whole year prevalence and reductions of rotaviruses in WWTPs and the corresponding receiving waters in China, and demonstrated the impact of wastewater discharge on the potential spreading of infectious rotaviruses and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UHRF1BP1 encodes a highly conserved protein with unknown function. Previously, a coding variant in this gene was found to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in populations of European ancestry (rs11755393, R454Q, P=2.22 × 10−8, odds ratio=1.17). In this study, by a combination of genome-wide study and replication involving a total of 1230 patients and 3144 controls, we confirmed the association of this coding variant to SLE in Hong Kong Chinese. We also identified another coding variant in this gene that independently contributes to SLE susceptibility (rs13205210, M1098T, P=4.44 × 10−9, odds ratio=1.49). Cross-population confirmation establishes the involvement of this locus in SLE and indicates that distinct alleles are contributing to disease susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess and compare the efficacy and safety of liraglutide with those of glimepiride, both in combination with metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Asian population from China, South Korea and India. A 16-week, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, four-arm, active control trial was carried out. In total, 929 subjects with type 2 diabetes with a mean (±s.d.) age of 53.3 ± 9.5 years, HbA of 8.6 ± 1.0% and body weight of 68.1 ± 11.7 kg were randomized (liraglutide 0.6, 1.2 or 1.8 mg once daily or glimepiride 4 mg once daily all in combination with metformin: 1 : 1 : 1 : 1). One subject withdrew immediately after randomization and before exposure. HbA was significantly reduced in all groups compared with baseline. Treatment with liraglutide 1.2 and 1.8 mg was non-inferior to glimepiride (mean HbA reduction: 1.36% points, 1.45% points and 1.39% points, respectively). No significant difference was shown in the percentage of subjects reaching American Diabetes Association HbA target <7% or American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists target ≤6.5% between liraglutide 1.2 and 1.8 mg and glimepiride. Liraglutide was associated with a 1.8-2.4 kg mean weight reduction, compared with a 0.1 kg mean weight gain with glimepiride. Liraglutide led to a significantly greater reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared with glimepiride. Two subjects in the glimepiride group reported major hypoglycaemia while none in the liraglutide groups. Liraglutide was associated with about 10-fold lower incidence of minor hypoglycaemia than glimepiride. Gastrointestinal disorders were the most common adverse events (AEs) for liraglutide, but were transient and resulted in few withdrawals. In Asian subjects with type 2 diabetes, once-daily liraglutide led to improvement in glycaemic control similar to that with glimepiride but with less frequent major and minor hypoglycaemia. Liraglutide also induced a significant weight loss and reduced SBP and was generally well tolerated. The most frequently reported AE was transient nausea. The effect of liraglutide in this Asian population is comparable to the effects seen in Caucasian, African American and Hispanic populations in global liraglutide phase 3 trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal preparation is a possible method to reject mercury from coal prior to coal combustion. To evaluate this approach, two coal samples were collected from the Laoshidan coal preparation plant in Neimenggu Province and the Tangshan coal preparation plant in Hebei Province, China for this study. Although energy recovery and ash reduction of the two samples were similar at a heavy medium separation of 1.80 specific gravity, there were distinguished differences between the two samples on sulfur and mercury reductions. Sequential extraction tests were used to analyze the mode of mercury occurrence and a polarizing reflection microscope was used to investigate the size of mercuride indirectly. The results indicate that the mode of mercury occurrence and the size of mercuride are important factors to reject mercury from coal by coal preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear whether the shift in leaf traits between species of high- and low-rainfall sites is caused by low rainfall or by species replacement, because leaf traits vary substantially among species and sites. Our objective was to test if the within-species relationship between specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf N concentration (N) shifts across a rainfall gradient in the semi-arid sandy lands of northern China. Data for SLA and N of dominant species and related canopy and soil variables were collected from 33 plots along a rainfall transect (270-390 mm) having similar temperatures in the Mu Us, Inner Mongolia. We further investigated the generality of Mu Us data using 12 additional plots in the southeastern Qaidam Basin, Qinghai. Artemisia ordosica is a widespread species in both regions. Across and within species, the positive SLA-N relationship shifted between two plant groups in the lowest rainfall plots (270 mm) and other higher rainfall plots (320-390 mm), which was confirmed by additional data from Qinghai. For A. ordosica populations, leaf area index (LAI) decreased and N increased with decreasing rainfall, while the foliage N pool and SLA varied little. Rainfall was the limiting factor that determined variations in N and LAI. Accordingly, N/SLA ratios continually increased with decreasing LAI along the rainfall gradient (r = −0.76, P < 0.001). Results indicate a low rainfall-induced shift in the SLA-N relationship associated with changes in LAI and foliage N pool, suggesting a link between leaf characteristics and ecosystem function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A skeletal mound is described for first time from a Middle-Late Permian succession that contains the Guadalupian-Lopingian (G/L) boundary at the Tieqiao section in the Laibin area, Guangxi Province, South China. The Tieqiao mound grew on a deep-water, south-facing carbonate ramp during the late Middle Permian. The mound features a range of grainstone-packstone to rudstone-floatstone facies together with sponge boundstone facies. Both sponges and algae acted as frame builders which colonised skeletal debris on the ramp and initiated mound growth. Diverse benthic biota comprising mound dwellers and constructors proliferated in the Tieqiao mound complex. The water depth changes recorded in the Tieqiao mound successions reflect the refined trajectory of global sea-level changes during the great regression at the end of the Middle Permian. The timing of sea-level lowstand coincides with disappearance of the Jinogondella granti conodont zone at Tieqiao. The change to sea-level rise pre-dated the G/L boundary. Growth and demise of the mound is interpreted to have been controlled by changes in sea-level. Abrupt disappearance of both body fossils and fossil fragments of leading fossil groups at Tieqiao is interpreted as the result of the G/L mass extinction rather than environmental change. The potential extinction horizon is ∼30 cm above the G/L boundary at Tieqiao and also records a rise in sea-level. The regional fall in sea-level destroyed the Tieqiao mound, but the G/L crisis halted redevelopment of the mound in the earliest Late Permian. Most mound builders suffered severely the Lazarus effect of the G/L mass extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease with complex genetic inheritance. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BANK1 and TNFSF4 have been shown to be associated with SLE in Caucasian populations, but it is not known whether they are also involved in the disease in other ethnic groups. Recent data from our genome-wide association study (GWAS) for 314 SLE cases and 920 controls collected in Hong Kong identified SNPs in and around BANK1 and TNFSF4 to be associated with SLE risk. On the basis of the results of the reported studies and our GWAS, SNPs were selected for further genotyping in 949 SLE patients (overlapping with the 314 cases in our GWAS) and non-overlapping 1042 healthy controls. We confirmed the associations of BANK1 and TNFSF4 with SLE in Chinese (BANK1, rs3733197, odds ratio (OR)=0.84, P=0.021; BANK1, rs17266594, OR=0.61, P=4.67 × 10−9; TNFSF4, rs844648, OR=1.22, P=2.47 × 10−3; TNFSF4, rs2205960, OR=1.30, P=2.41 × 10−4). Another SNP located in intron 1 of BANK1, rs4522865, was separately replicated by Sequenom in 360 cases and 360 controls and was also confirmed to be associated with SLE (OR=0.725, P=2.93 × 10−3). Logistic regression analysis showed that rs3733197 (A383T in ankyrin domain) and rs17266594 (a branch point-site SNP) from BANK1 had independent contributions towards the disease association (P=0.037 and 6.63 × 10−8, respectively). In TNFSF4, rs2205960 was associated with SLE independently from the effect of rs844648 (P=6.26 × 10−3), but not vice versa (P=0.55). These findings suggest that multiple independent genetic variants may be present within the gene locus, which exert their effects on SLE pathogenesis through different mechanisms.Genes and Immunity (2009) 10, 414–420; doi:10.1038/gene.2009.16; published online 9 April 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we compared the association of several newly discovered susceptibility genes for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) between populations of European origin and two Asian populations. Using 910 SLE patients and 1440 healthy controls from Chinese living in Hong Kong, and 278 SLE patients and 383 controls in Thailand, we studied association of STAT4, BLK and PXK with the disease. Our data confirmed association of STAT4 (rs7574865, odds ratio (OR) =1.71, P=3.55 × 10−23) and BLK (rs13277113, OR=0.77, P=1.34 × 10−5) with SLE. It was showed that rs7574865 of STAT4 is also linked to hematologic disorders and potentially some other subphenotypes of the disease. More than one genetic variant in STAT4 were found to be associated with the disease independently in our populations (rs7601754, OR=0.59, P=1.39 × 10−9, and P=0.00034 when controlling the effect of rs7574865). With the same set of samples, however, our study did not detect any significant disease association for PXK, a risk factor for populations of European origin (rs6445975, joint P=0.36, OR=1.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.93–1.21). Our study indicates that some of the susceptibility genes for this disease may be population specific.Genes and Immunity (2009) 10, 219–226; doi:10.1038/gene.2009.1; published online 19 February 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gene Yr26 confers resistance to all races of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (PST), the casual pathogen of wheat stripe rust in China. Here, we report development of a molecular marker closely linked to Yr26 using a resistance gene-analog polymorphism (RGAP) technique. A total of 787 F2 plants and 165 F3 lines derived from the cross Chuanmai 42/Taichung 29 were used for linkage analysis. Eighteen near-isogenic lines (NILs) and 18 Chinese wheat cultivars and advanced lines with different genes for stripe rust resistance were employed for the validation of STS markers. A total of 1,711 RGAP primer combinations were used to test the parents and resistant and susceptible bulks. Five polymorphic RGAP markers were used for genotyping all F2 plants. Linkage analysis showed that the five RGAP markers were closely linked to Yr26 with genetic distances ranging from 0.5 to 2.9 cM. These markers were then converted into STS markers, one, CYS-5, of which was located 0.5 cM to Yr26 and was closely associated with the resistance gene when validated over 18 NILs and 18 Chinese wheat cultivars and lines. The results indicated that CYS-5 can be used in marker-assisted selection targeted at pyramiding Yr26 and other genes for stripe rust resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harvested chestnut is characterized by a short shelf life, exposing many Chinese producers to a storage problem as product losses are very high. The objective of this study was to develop a suitable technology to extend the shelf life of harvested chestnut fruits for commercial use. The effect of whey protein isolate–pullulan (WPI–Pul) coating on fresh-roasted chestnuts (FRC) and roasted freeze-dried chestnut (RFDC) quality and shelf life was studied under 2 different storage temperature (4 and 20 °C) conditions. Coatings were formed directly onto the surface of the fruits by dipping them into a film solution. SEM micrographs showed homogeneous WPI–Pul to cover the whole surface of chestnut with good adherence and perfect integrity. Moisture loss or gain, fruit quality, and shelf life were evaluated by weight loss or gain, surface color development, and visible decay during the storage period of 15 to 120 d at 4 and 20 °C, respectively. WPI–Pul coating had a low, yet significant effect on reducing moisture loss and decay incidence of FRC, hence delaying changes in their external color. The results were satisfactory when the coating was done with freeze-drying at low temperature storage, thus improving the quality and increasing the shelf life. This provides an alternative strategy to minimize the significant losses in harvested chestnut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples of surface air and rain water were collected at the Mt. Guanfeng site located at Guiyang, China. The monthly mean 210Pb concentrations in surface air exhibited a U-pattern with high values appearing in winter and low values in summer and early autumn. The annual mean of 210Pb concentrations in surface air was estimated to be 2.7 ± 0.6 mBq m−3, which was at least four times higher than the annual mean reported from a large number of monitoring stations located throughout the world. The amounts of enriched Uranium in soil at the region could significantly contribute a great deal of release of 222Rn that decay to 210Pb which gets attached to the atmospheric aerosols. The site was under the influence of a monsoon climate. The distribution of monthly mean of 210Pb concentrations in surface air correlates well with the reciprocal of monthly average of observed air temperature and rainfall. The partition coefficients of 210Pb between rain water-surface air in the winter and spring were larger than those in the summer and autumn. The type and duration of rain depending on season played key roles for the changes of partition coefficients, although the rain amount is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two hundred and eighty-five isolates of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae were randomly collected from 22 rice-growing provinces in China. Ninety-one representative isolates were chosen to assess the differential characteristics of 24 near-isogenic rice lines containing a single resistance gene or two to four genes. Most isolates were avirulent on pyramided lines, except IRBB51, and hence, the pyramided lines cannot be used as differentials for the virulence analysis of X. oryzae pv. oryzae in China. The 13 rice lines with a single gene were used further to establish a system of races classification of X. oryzae pv. oryzae in China. IR24 and IRBB10 were susceptible to the isolates with several exceptions, whereas IRBB5, IRBB7 and IRBB21 were resistant. Based on the interactions between the isolates of X. oryzae pv. oryzae and the 13 near-isogenic rice lines, six single-gene rice cultivars (IRBB5, IRBB13, IRBB3, IRBB14, IRBB2 and IR24) were chosen as differentials, and the 285 tested isolates were classified into nine races. The reaction patterns of the nine races in order were: RRRRRR, RRRRRS, RRRRSS, RRRSSS, RRSSSS, RSRRRS, RSSRRS, RSSSSS and SSSSSS. The race frequencies were 10.18%, 10.53%, 4.91%, 10.18%, 24.21%, 5.96%, 11.23%, 22.46% and 0.35% respectively. The virulence of representative strains of eight Philippine races on 13 rice lines with a single gene was determined and compared with the Chinese races. The frequency distributions of X. oryzae pv. oryzae races were primarily described for the different regions in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential hypertension (EH), a complex disease, is an important worldwide public-health challenge and is considered to be caused by the interaction of genetic determinants and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crosswell seismic data recorded at 620–650 m offsets in an oil-bearing sand/shale reservoir formation at the Liaohe Oil Field, northeast China, provide robust evidence for waveguide action by low-velocity reservoir layers. Crosswell-section velocity models derived from survey-well sonic logs and further constrained by observed waveguide seismic wavegroup amplitudes and phases yield plausible evidence for interwell reservoir–sand continuity and discontinuity. A pair of back-to-back Liaohe crosswell vector-seismic surveys were conducted using a source well between two sensor wells at 650 and 620 m offsets along a 200-m-thick reservoir formation dipping 7° down-to-east between depths of 2.5 and 3 km. A downhole orbital vibrator generated seismic correlation wavelets with frequency range 50–350 Hz and signal/noise ratio up to 5:1 over local downhole ambient noise. The sensor wells were instrumented with a mobile 12- to 16-level string of clamped vector-motion sensor modules at 5 m intervals. Using 5 m source depth increments, crosswell Surveys 1 and 2 cover source/sensor well intervals above and through the reservoir of, respectively, 600 m/600 m (13 000 vector traces in 9 common sensor fans) and 300 m/560 m (7000 vector traces in 7 common sensor fans). Survey 1 common sensor gathers show clear, consistent high-amplitude 20 ms waveletgroup lags behind the first-arrival traveltime envelope. Such arrivals are diagnostic of seismic low-velocity waveguides connecting the source and sensor wells. Observed Survey 1 retarded wavegroup depths tally with source and sensor depths in low-velocity layers identified in sonic well logs. Finite-difference acoustic model wavefields computed for waveguide acoustic layers constrained by well-log sonic velocity data match the observed waveguide traveltime and amplitude systematics. Model waveforms duplicate the observed m-scale and ms-scale sensitivity of waveguide spatio-temporal energy localization. Survey 2 crosswell data, in contrast, provide no comparable evidence for waveguide action despite a sensor-well sonic well log similar to that of Survey 1. Instead, acoustic wavefield modelling of Survey 2 data clearly favours an interpreted waveguide model with 10° downdip interrupted by a 75–100 m throw down-fault near the sensor well. The absence of clear waveguide arrivals is adequately explained by dispersal of waveguide energy at the fault discontinuity. Auxiliary well sonic velocity and lithologic logs confirm the model-implied 75–100 m of down-throw faulting near the sensor well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: High serum phosphorus levels are a common problem in patients receiving long-term dialysis treatment. Lanthanum carbonate (Fosrenol®) is a new nonaluminum, non-calcium phosphate binder developed for the treatment of hyper phosphatemia in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We report data from a recent trial, which, for the first time, assessed the efficacy and tolerability of lanthanum carbonate treatment, compared with placebo, in Chinese patients with ESRD. Patients and methods: Following a one- to three-week wash out phase and a four-week, open-label lanthanum carbonate dose-titration phase, male and female hemodialysis patients were randomized (1:1) to receive either lanthanum carbonate or placebo for four weeks. The primary efficacy parameter of the study was the control of serum phosphorus levels (≤ 1.8 mmol/l [≤ 5.6 mg/dl]). Secondary end points included the profile of serum phosphorus during titration and parathyroid hormone, calcium, and calcium × phosphorus (Ca × P) product levels. The safety and tolerability of lanthanum carbonate were assessed by monitoring adverse events throughout the study. Results: Mean serum phosphorus level at the end of washout was 2.5 ± 0.5 mmol/l (7.7 ± 1.5 mg/dl; n = 73), and there was no evidence of a difference in levels between the treatment groups pre-randomization. At the end of the study, lanthanum carbonate-treated patients had significantly lower phosphorus levels (1.6 ± 0.5 mmol/l [5.1 ± 1.5 mg/dl]; n = 30) than those receiving placebo (2.3 ± 0.4 mmol/l [7.2 ± 1.3 mg/dl]; n = 31; p < 0.001). In addition, a significantly higher proportion of patients receiving lanthanum carbonate had con trolled serum phosphorus levels (60%) compared with the placebo group (10%; p < 0.001). Ca × P product levels were also significantly lower in the lanthanum carbonate group at the end of randomized treatment (p < 0.001). Lanthanum carbonate was well tolerated; only one serious adverse event was reported, which was unrelated to treatment. Conclusions: Lanthanum carbonate was shown to be an effective and well-tolerated phosphate binder for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in Chinese patients with ESRD. This finding supports the results of previous US and European studies, which have also shown that lanthanum carbonate treatment effectively controls serum phosphorus levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores environment-related provisions in the agreements of the World Trade Organization. Information on the preamble and decision on trade and environment; Details on the agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures; Implications of the environment-related provisions for China.

Summary The aim of this work was to study the relationship between excess body weight and the risks of hypertension and diabetes in the population of northeastern China. Subsections of a cross-sectional survey in Da Qing City were used to assess the relationship of excess weight to risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). A 6-year prospective study also assessed the probability of developing Type 2 diabetes. A total of 2856 adults (25–70 years of age) were assessed cross-sectionally and 629 non-diabetic subjects of similar age were followed-up for 6 years. Blood pressure, plasma fasting glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoporotein (HDL) cholesterol and fibrinogen levels were measured as well as weight, height and waist and hip circumferences. About 45% of adults had a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25.0. Risk factors increased with increasing BMI from a baseline value of 21.0: at a BMI of 23.0–24.9, the risk of hypertension and hypertriglyceridaemia doubled; the risk increased threefold at a BMI of 25.0–26.9. The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes increased progressively in women within the normal BMI range and in men from a BMI of 25.0. Type 2 diabetes was four times as common if the BMI was >27.0. Increasing waist measurements predicted 10-fold increases in hypertension and a three-to-five times increased risk of diabetes. Suitable waist cut-off points were 85 cm for men and 80 cm for women, with statistical analysis showing waist as the more dominant predictor of risk than age, waist-to-hip ratios or BMIs. Hence, small increases in BMI, and particularly in waist circumference, predict a substantial increase in the risk of diabetes and risk for CHD, especially hypertension, in Chinese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether kidney grafts from living related donors older than 50 years were safe for the donors and recipients in the long term. Methods: One hundred seven living related donor kidney transplantations were performed in our center from April 1994 to December 2007. No prisoners or organs from prisoners were used in the collection of these data. Donors were divided into 2 groups: >50 years of age (range, 51–78 years), designated as the study group, and ≤50 years of age (range, 21–50 years), designated as the control groups. The mean time of follow-up was 49 months (range, 12–180 months). Clinical data were compared, including donor serum creatinine (Scr) levels, glomerular filtration rates (GFR) before and after the procedures operative complications, and postoperative short-term and long-term recovery of renal function in recipients as well as their complications and recipient and kidney survivals. Results: All operations were successfully performed. Before the operation, the mean Scr and GFR were 82.16 ± 10.86 umol/L and 85.82 ± 6.26 mL/min, respectively, in the study group versus 78.66 ± 10.41 umol/L and 88.74 ± 9.44 mL/min, respectively, in the control group. There were no significant differences in mean Scr or GFR values between the groups at various preoperative or postoperative times (P > .05). No severe perioperative complications occurred, and no subsequent renal function failure was observed upon long-term follow-up of donors in the 2 groups. Comparisons of recipient age, gender ratio, duration on dialysis, HLA matches, cold/warm ischemia times, and immunosuppression therapy showed a correlations between the 2 groups. Mean Scr levels of recipients, which were compared from 1 week to 3 years following surgery, were slightly higher among the control than the study group, but the difference was not significant (P > .05). There were no significant differences between the study and control groups in 1-,3-,5-, and 8-year recipient/graft survival rates (P > .05). Conclusions: Long-term follow-up showed that transplantations using grafts from donors older than 50 years of age yielded similar results to those with younger donors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: Hand--foot--mouth disease (HFMD) is the most common infectious disease in China. Spatial and temporal patterns of HFMD in China provide valuable information on the relationship between HFMD and the geographical environment, and help in the prediction of HFMD transmission. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Total HFMD morbidity per 10 days from May 2008 to March 2009 was recorded in 1966 counties in China. Empirical orthogonal function (FOF) analysis was used to obtain spatial and temporal patterns of HFMD. Results: The first five modes of HFMD morbidity explained 84.24% of the total variance. The dominant mode (first mode showing the highest variance) showed high HFMD morbidity in the western counties of Bohai Bay, the mid-south of China, the Yangtze River delta, the Pearl River delta and the areas bordering Vietnam from early May to late July 2008. The second mode showed high HFMD morbidity in the western counties of Bohai Bay, the north-east of China, north of Xinjiang and the Yangtze River delta from late May to the middle of August 2008. The third mode showed high HFMD morbidity in the Yangtze River delta, the Pearl River delta and the middle of the Huaihe River basin in early May 2008. Conclusions: EOF analysis of HFMD morbidity shows the main spatiotemporal patterns and can explain variance in HFMD in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 2 years after the start of pandemic H1N1, the world is fortunate that the impact, to date, has been moderate. An evaluation of the global response to the first wave of the pandemic is still ongoing. The results of an analysis of the situation in China is presented in order to gain a better understanding of the episode; to summarize the experiences in preparedness, control and mitigation of the pandemic; and to identify issues for further consideration and investigation in order to improve the response to possible next waves of the pandemic. China's response shows how a huge challenge can be transformed into an opportunity, and may offer some valuable lessons to face another wave of the pandemic or other potential public health emergencies in the future, not only for China but also for the international community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) pollution in freshwater poses a risk to various ecosystems and health security. In 2018, the Chinese government banned fishing since 2018 in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), but the fate and risk of MPs in wild fish remain unclear. Therefore, a detailed investigation was conducted into the occurrence of MPs in 18 wild fish species in the TGR using a Micro Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer, and the trophic transfer and risks were assessed. MPs in fish were aged, with abundances ranging from 0.68 ± 0.98 to 4.00 ± 2.12 items/individual. Most particles were less than 1 mm in size (73.4 %), with fibers being the dominant shape (48.9 %) and transparent as the dominant color (35 %). Polyethylene (PE) was the most prevalent type. The bioconcentration factor (BCF), bioaccumulation factor (BAF), trophic magnification factor (TMF) and polymer hazard index (PHI) were low, suggesting no trophic transfer and a low risk of MPs. The BAF may provide a more reasonable description of the degree of enrichment of MPs, and 'items/individual' or 'g/individual' can be used to describe MPs concentrations in fish. This study proposes new insights and prospectives that can help researchers better understand MPs enrichment in fish across various trophic levels., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection (HPI) is extremely common in the world, particularly in less developed areas, but the primary causes of childhood HPI are unspecified., Objectives: To determine the influences of exposure to home environmental factors (HEFs), outdoor air pollutants (OAPs), and parental stress (PS), as well as their interactions on children's HPI., Methods: We implemented a retrospective cohort study with 8689 preschoolers from nine districts at Changsha, China, was conducted using questionnaires to collect data of health and HEFs. Temperature and OAPs data were collected from ten and eight monitoring stations, individually. Temperature and OAPs exposures were calculated for all home addresses using the inversed distance weighted (IDW) model. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the separate and combined impacts of HEFs, OAPs, and PS on HPI., Results: Children's HPI was significantly associated with exposure to moisture-specific indoor allergens in one-year preceding conception, gestation, and first year, smoke-specific air pollution throughout life, and plant-specific allergens in previous year. Outdoor exposures to CO in the 7th-9th month before conception, as well as PM 2.5 in the second trimester and previous year, were associated with HPI, with ORs (95 % CIs) of 1.22 (1.05-1.41), 1.23 (1.03-1.46), and 1.33 (1.14-1.55). Parents' socioeconomic and psychological stress indicators were positively related to HPI. High socioeconomic indicators and psychological stresses increased the roles of indoor renovation and moisture indicators as well as outdoor SO 2 , PM 2.5 and O 3 on children's HPI over their entire lives. Parental psychological stress interacts with indoor renovation-specific air pollution, moisture- and plant-specific allergens, as well as outdoor traffic-related air pollution on HPI, during a critical time window in early life., Conclusions: Indoor and outdoor air pollutants, as well as allergens, separately and interactively exert important effects on childhood HPI, lending support to the "(pre-) fetal origin of HPI" hypothesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the correlation between programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and evaluate the prognostic value of PD-L1 and TILs in Chinese triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients with different molecular subtype METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at 2020. Specifically, the pre-chemotherapy clinical data and non-stained tissue blocks of 465 TNBC patients visited the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) between 2008 and 2014 were collected, with their blocks sliced and stained using PD-L1(SP142), and the outcome of subsequent chemotherapy obtained in 2020. The relapse-free survival (RFS) of the study population was calculated. The baseline PD-L1 expression status correlations with TILs and molecular subtypes were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were undertaken to evaluate the prognosis value of TILs and PD-L1 expression., Results: PD-L1 expression status on IC was moderately and positively correlated with stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) (r s = 0.502, P <0.001) and iTILs (r s = 0.410, P < 0.001), respectively. PD-L1 expression status and TILs showed significant differences among molecular subtypes (P < 0.001), with the highest proportion of PD-L1+ and high TILs patients observed in the immunomodulatory (IM) subtype. TILs were significantly associated with RFS. Moreover, sTILs could act as an independent predictor of RFS (RR 0.953, 95 % CI 0.920 ∼ 0.987, P = 0.007), while PD-L1 expression status did not show the same prognostic significance., Conclusions: The incorporation of pre-treatment TILs and PD-L1 expression status as valuable tools for optimizing patient selection for immunotherapy and managing the risks associated with chemotherapy in Chinese TNBC patients., Data Availability: The data sets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Intertidal wetlands undergo dynamic water and salinity variations, creating both promising and challenging habitats for diverse organisms. Crabs respond strongly to these variations by means such as altering their movements, thereby restructuring their spatial distribution and influencing coastal ecosystem resilience. However, the movements of crabs under varying environmental conditions require further elucidation. We conducted a systematic mesocosm experiment using the ubiquitous intertidal crab species Helice tientsinensis with four amount levels and six salinity levels of sprayed water applied through a custom apparatus, with a primary focus on crab movement. Crab movement from the experimental side of the apparatus (with altered conditions) to the control side (resembling field conditions of the intertidal wetlands of China's Yellow River Delta) and vice versa was recorded. The results revealed significant differences in moving out of the experimental side and moving in among the different water and salinity conditions, both separately for the two factors and simultaneously. Decreases in water content had a more pronounced effect on crab movement, leading to an increased number of crabs moving out of the experimental side of the apparatus. Conversely, as the experimental side became wetter, crabs tended to move towards it, and this movement was intensified by increases or decreases in water salinity. A structural equation model revealed that the moving-out and moving-in played fundamental roles in determining the number of resident crabs at the end of each experiment. While crabs preferred moist sediment with lower salinity, changes in salinity alone had minimal direct effect compared to sediment water contents. Our results clarify crab movements under varying water and salinity conditions, offering valuable insights to support adaptive interventions for crab populations and inform adaptive conservation and management strategies in intertidal wetlands., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)