Search

Under the influence of the stable snowstorm circulation situation of the typical double-resistance type warm area in northern Xinjiang, an extremely heavy snowfall event occurred in Altay, from January 6 to 12, 2024. Several meteorological stations broke the historical maximum records for the same period, resulting in avalanches in several places of the Altay Mountains. This event can be divided into three stages according to the evolution of circulation situation and snowfall characteristics. In this study, the snowfall characteristics, circulation situation, extreme causes, and model forecasting performance of the event were analyzed using the hourly observation data of national and regional meteorological stations, ERA5 reanalysis data, and CMA-GFS, CMA-MESO, CMA-TYM, ECMWF model forecast data. The results are as follows: (1) The event was characterized by several extreme features, such as long duration, large accumulated precipitation, and large hourly precipitation. The precipitation distribution was increasing from the plain areas to the mountain areas. The strong snowfall process mainly concentrated in the second and third stages. In these two stages, the increase in snow accumulation, large hourly snowfall, and high snow-to-water ratio in the mountainous areas along the northern Altay provided key meteorological conditions for the avalanches. (2) During this event, a strong polar front at 500 hPa continuously split short-wave systems, which successively moved eastward to affect Altay. The warm shear line at 850-700 hPa was maintained for a long time, accompanied by strong warm front frontogenesis. Heavy snowfall occurred in the divergence area at the exit of the polar front jet at 300 hPa, from the north of the shear line at 850 hPa to the regions near the shear line at 700 hPa. (3) In the second and third stages, the water vapor conditions in the north of Altay, especially in the northern mountains, were abnormally strong. With the effect of terrain amplification, the low-level dynamic uplift was exceptionally strong and maintained for a long time. These were the important reasons for the extremely heavy snowfall. (4) The regional model performed better than the global model in predicting heavy snowfall, but the capability to forecast extreme snowfall was still limited. ECMWF Extreme Forecast Index (EFI) forecast product and the Ensemble Average Abnormal Weather Forecast (EMAF) product were better at identifying extreme weather signals at medium-range lead time. It is suggested to strengthen the application of related products and make adjustments according to the quantitative forecast results of the model to further improve the precision service effect of forecasting and warning of extreme weather events.

The warm zone blizzard are both infrequent and highly destructive， making their accurate prediction a challenging and crucial focus.This study utilized four distinct cloud microphysics schemes （Lin， Thompson， WDM6， and WSM6） within the WRF mesoscale model to conduct a numerical simulation of a typical warm zone blizzard process in the northern Xinjiang in the middle of November 2016.The research objectives encompassed the evaluation of the model's capacity to simulate the warm zone blizzard， the selection of an optimal parameterization scheme， an analysis of the vertical distribution and evolution of hydrometeors during the snowstorm， and an exploration of the developmental patterns of related mesoscale systems contributing to the snowstorm.The analysis yielded the following key findings： （1） Among the diverse cloud microphysics parameterization schemes tested， the Lin scheme demonstrated the most favorable performance， effectively simulating snowfall magnitudes， spatial distributions， and trends.（2） In the cloud， all kinds of water condensate particles are active in the lower and middle troposphere， with graupel and snow being the most.Ice crystals， snow， cloud water and graupel particles are distributed from the upper layer to the lower layer.Near the windward slope of Altai Mountain is the center of the large concentration of each water condensate particle.The vertical alignment of the high value center of the four kinds of cloud water condensate particles in the strong snowfall area is conducive to the transformation of each particle.（3） High-humidity systems upstream moved westward， with the intensification of low-level southward jet streams resulting in pronounced moisture convergence.The western foothills of the Altai Mountains acted as a barrier， promoting moisture convergence by blocking the windward side； The low-level southerly jet also provides a continuous updraft and unstable condition for the generation of the blizzard.Strong snowfall is located in a wide updraft area between two groups of secondary circulations.The explosive growth of vertical movement is conducive to triggering the release of unstable energy， providing strong dynamic lifting conditions for the development and maintenance of the blizzard.

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment is common in chronic schizophrenia patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of Shen-based Qigong Exercise (SBQE) in improving the cognitive impairment of stable schizophrenia patients in rehabilitation wards. Methods SBQE is derived from the theory of “body-spirit syncretism (xin shen he yi)” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is extracted from the four traditional Qigong techniques. In this 12-week, randomized, single-blind, controlled study, a total of 40 schizophrenia patients were randomly assigned to either the SBQE group or the control group. The scores for the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were recorded at baseline and week 12, respectively. Results At week 12, the mean RBANS total score was 84.5 points in the SBQE group and 72.8 points in the control group. The estimated mean difference was − 11.60 points (2-sided 95% CI, -22.41 to -0.79; P = 0.04). This difference was statistically significant (time-by-group interaction effect estimates, F(1,38) = 5.07; P = 0.03). Conclusions Our preliminary findings indicated that SBQE led to an improvement in cognitive impairment in stable schizophrenia patients in rehabilitation wards. Further research with robust design and larger sample sizes is necessary to validate the effects of SBQE on cognitive function and psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia, thus providing more substantial evidence for the clinical application of SBQE. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05310955 on 22/02/2022; http://www.chictr.org.cn/ Identifier: ChiCTR2200057373 on 10/03/2022.

Urban development of clusters situated along rivers significantly affects the health of the river ecosystems, the quality of urban environments, and the overall well-being of local communities. Ecosystem service supply value (ESSV) measures the delivery of ecosystem goods and services within a specific timeframe in a particular area. Using the lower Yellow River urban agglomeration (Shandong section) as a case, we comprehensively applied land use structure and intensity change analysis, quantitative calculation of ESS, and geographical probe methods to unveil ESS and its mechanism of response to the spatio-temporal evolution of the intensity of land use in urban agglomeration along the river. The key results were as follows: (1) Over the past two decades, farmland and construction land areas have continued to decrease and increase, respectively, with the intensity of land use change being highest from 2005 to 2010. (2) ESS has continued to rise over the past 20 years, with the income in 2020 being 11.142 billion yuan, an increase of 31.13%. The “low-value areas” are mainly concentrated in Liaocheng City, Dezhou City, and Tai’an City, which are characterized by predominantly flat terrains where farmland constitutes the principal land use type. Conversely, “high-value areas” are largely in the counties bordering the Yellow River, including the upper estuary in the north and the rugged, southeastern terrains. (3) Areas with concentrated ESSV were primarily localized in the northern estuary area and along the Yellow River in a scattered point-like pattern. The spatial distribution of hotspots has become increasingly concentrated, transitioning from points to planes. Conversely, cold spots initially increased in number before subsequently decreasing. Waterbody was the most sensitive ESSV-determining factor. (4) The spatial heterogeneity of ESSV emerges as a consequence of the interaction of multiple factors, and among these interactions, those involving NDVI and POP contain the greatest explanatory power. Our findings are expected to offer a scientific foundation for optimizing land spatial patterns and enhancing ecological management in the lower Yellow River region.

Introduction: Negative symptoms and cognitive impairment are common residual symptoms of schizophrenia that seriously affect the quality of life and social function of patients. The intervention of residual symptoms is an important part of schizophrenia rehabilitation. Traditional Chinese exercise has been applied as a supplementary rehabilitation method for schizophrenia. However, research on its use and pertinence in the rehabilitation of residual symptoms remains lacking. In this study, we will verify the intervention effect of a new method, namely, shen-based qigong exercise, on the residual symptoms of schizophrenia, in the hopes of finding a safe and effective rehabilitation method for the residual symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: This is a single-centre randomised controlled trial. A total of 60 schizophrenics who meet the criteria will be randomly divided into the control and intervention groups in accordance with the ratio of 1:1. Conventional drug treatment will remain unchanged in both groups. In this case, the control group will be given daily rehabilitation, whereas the intervention group will be given daily rehabilitation and shen-based qigong exercise intervention. The intervention period will be 12 weeks. The primary outcome will be negative symptoms assessed by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. The secondary outcome will be the global cognitive function assessed by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status and event-related potential P300. Other outcomes will include specific cognitive domain (i.e. working memory), quality of life and social function. The results will be measured within 1 week before and after the intervention. Discussion: The results of this study will likely help find an economical and convenient rehabilitation method for the residual symptoms of schizophrenia and, at the same time, may promote the popularisation and application of traditional Chinese exercises and traditional Chinese medicine theories in the treatment of mental diseases. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registry number: NCT05310955.