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In the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, China provided medical assistance on an unprecedented scale. While some observers have underscored the strategic purposes of China's COVID-19 aid, referred to as "mask diplomacy," they have yet to assess this argument against empirical evidence. We seek to examine whether China's medical aid was used as a strategic tool, or it remained reactionary and fragmented, by combining a new dataset on the global distribution of Chinese in-kind medical aid with a qualitative analysis of government and news reports during the first wave of the pandemic. Our findings show that although COVID-19 aid did have the potential to strengthen China's influence over recipients and promote Chinese knowledge of health governance, Chinese policymakers were underprepared to use aid strategically during the pandemic. The reactionary and fragmented nature of China's COVID-19 aid was reflected in its allocation, its policy-making processes, and its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2015, China began to promote eco-sustainability in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through not only vision statements but also specific guidelines and governance initiatives. What has driven these policy changes? Bringing together theories of norm localization, norm subsidiarity, and policy deliberation, we argue that China's move toward green BRI began as a norm localization process where environmental norms emerged in the open policy space created by China's top leaders carrying the ambition to make the BRI a new global governance model. After adopting a broad norm on environmental stewardship, state bureaucracies found opportunities to create procedural and operational rules. A novel procedural rule-making methodology emphasizing inclusive dialogue with host countries has emerged, driven by top leaders' pursuit of international leadership and preexisting local norms guiding South–South cooperation. With operational rules, different actors follow their preferences to localize existing international standards or develop new ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. In this study, we aimed to determine the biological function and regulatory mechanism of GMEB2 in CRC. We found that GMEB2 was highly expressed in CRC and significantly promoted the growth of CRC in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, GMEB2 acted as a transcription factor to activate ADRM1/NF-κB signalling and was upregulated by YTHDF1 through enhancing its mRNA stability. Our findings suggest that GMEB2 may serve as a new therapeutic target for CRC treatment in the future. Transcription factors are frequently aberrantly reactivated in various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, as a transcription factor, the role of GMEB2 in cancer is still unclear, and further studies are needed. Here, we aimed to identify the function and mechanism of GMEB2 in regulating the malignant progression of CRC. GMEB2 was found to be highly expressed in online data analyses. We demonstrated that GMEB2 was markedly upregulated at both the mRNA and protein levels in CRC cells and tissues. GMEB2 knockdown inhibited CRC cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, as a transcription factor, GMEB2 transactivated the ADRM1 promoter to increase its transcription. Rescue experiments showed that ADRM1 downregulation partially reversed the promoting effects of GMEB2 on CRC growth in vitro. Moreover, the GMEB2/ADRM1 axis induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB, thus activating NF-κB signalling. Finally, we further revealed that YTHDF1 recognized and bound to the m6A site on GMEB2 mRNA, which enhanced its stability. Taken together, our findings reveal the crucial role and regulatory mechanism of GMEB2 in CRC for the first time and provide a novel potential therapeutic target for CRC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's approach to International Development Cooperation (IDC) has been one of continuous evolution. The 2000s version of Chinese IDC applied a request-/project-centrism methodology, focused on the infrastructure sector, and mixed aid with business. Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the methodological dimension of the existing IDC model has changed by virtue of a growing emphasis on top-level design, sectoral programmes, and high standards for project implementation. How to explain these changes? Different from the conventional material-functionalist approaches, this article attributes the development of China's IDC to cognitive evolution—an intra-community collective learning mechanism that drives changes in norms and practices. Cognitive evolution consists of the following three interconnected processes: uncertainty build-up; experimentation; and selection. Three factors that may shape the trajectories of cognitive evolution are as follows: the legacy of orthodox norms; the availability of transferable local ideas; and the communal interpretation of candidate ideas' performance. The IDC model of the 2000s was constructed based on critical reflections on the internationalist foreign aid model of the Mao era and on the IDC policy community's interpretation and transplantation of China's development experience. The methodology of this IDC model—request-/project-centrism—has come under new pressure for change due to the BRI's ambition to engender more substantial and sustainable developmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Levels of heavy metals and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in fishes sampled in Jilin Songhua Lake, China. Concentrations and congener profiles of these contaminants varied by fish type. The highest concentrations of Zn, Cu, Mn, and Cd were found in three omnivorous fish (Carassius carassius, Hypomesus olidus, and Hemiculter leucisculus). The highest concentrations of Ni, Cr, and Hg were found in Silurus asotus and Hemibarbus maculatus which are two kinds of carnivorous fish. The minimum total concentration of the seven PBDEs of fish was 0.093 ng/g wet weight (ww) in Ctenopharyngodon idellus, while the maximum, 0.342 ng/g ww, was detected in Aristichthys nobilis. Of all the congeners, BDE 28 and 47 were dominant. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of these metals and PBDEs via consuming the fishes was estimated to be 1.159–10.121 μg/kg bw/day and 0.046–0.597 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. The total hazard quotients (THQs) of both types of pollutants were far below 1, indicating that the health risks of these pollutants were low for the people who consumed the fish species from the Songhua Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The detection rate of Rocahepevirus was 12.95 % (36/278) in animals of order rodentia. • All Rocahepevirus sequences amplified in this study belong to HEV-C1. • HEV-C1 was isolated in one Niviventer Fulvescens for the first time. • The HEV-C1 isolated in this study remained phylogenetically distant from HEV-C1 in North America and Europe. The Rocahepevirus ratti hepatitis E virus genotype C1 (HEV-C1) has been documented to infect humans. However, the understanding of HEV-C1 remains constrained. This study aims to determine the prevalence and genomic characteristics of HEV-C1 in small animals in Yunnan province of southwestern China. A total of 444 liver tissues were collected from animals covering the orders Rodentia, Soricomorpha, Scandentia and Erinaceomorpha in three regions in Yunnan. Then Paslahepevirus balayani and Rocahepevirus were examined using RT-qPCR. The detection rate of Rocahepevirus was 12.95 % (36/278) in animals of order Rodentia, with 14.77 % (35/237) in Rattus tanezumi and 33.33 % (1/3) in Niviventer fulvescens. No Paslahepevirus balayani was detected. Additionally, two full-length Rocahepevirus sequences (MSE-17 and LHK-54) and thirty-three partial ORF1 sequences were amplified and determined to be HEV-C1. MSE-17 and LHK-54 shared moderate nucleotide identity (78.9 %-80.3 %) with HEV-C1 isolated in rats and humans. The HEV-C1 isolated from Niviventer fulvescens demonstrated a 100 % nucleotide identity with that from Rattus tanezumi. The rat HEV-C1 sequences isolated in our study and other Asian HEV-C1 sequences were phylogenetically distant from those isolated in North America and Europe. Furthermore, the two full-length sequences isolated in our study had less amino acid substitutions in the motifs of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain (F 204 L and L 238 F), compared with other Asian sequences. In summary, HEV-C1 commonly spreads in rats in Yunnan province of China. Our findings suggest a spatially associated phylogeny, and potential cross-species transmission of HEV-C1. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Drought exposure was quantified to assess vegetation drought risk in China. • Vegetation in the temperate climate zone suffered the highest drought risk. • Cropland in northern China faced high drought risk. • Extreme rainfall has aggravated vegetation drought risk in north China. Quantitative assessment of vegetation drought risk is crucial for addressing drought problems and vegetation management under global warming. In this study, we employed a framework based on long-term (2001–2019) vegetation Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) to quantify drought risk, considering vegetation vulnerability, exposure, and hazard to drought. The results revealed that vegetation drought risk was influenced by drought hazard (55.15%), exposure (24.46%), and vulnerability (20.39%). Approximately 48% of study pixels experienced moderate to high drought risk, primarily concentrated in northeastern to southwestern China. In terms of vegetation types, forest suffered the highest drought risk, followed by cropland, while grassland had the mildest drought risk. Notably, croplands in northern China experienced relatively high drought risk, posing a threat to food security. Therefore, it is imperative to consider appropriate crop management practices such as irrigation and crop rotation to mitigate the impact of droughts. Temperature and precipitation are key climatic factors affecting vegetation drought risk in moderate-to-high risk areas. Warming inhibited drought risk by promoting vegetation growth, but also consumed water to promote drought risk. Meanwhile, increased rainfall in parts of northern China may be caused by extreme weather events that intensify vegetation vulnerability, thus aggravating drought risk. Our research provided scientific guidance to understand and cope with drought risk induced by climate change on vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]