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BACKGROUND Anning is an important industrial and mining city in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It is a fulcrum for economic development and ecological civilization construction in the Central Yunnan New Area. The investigation of geochemical water system sediments and hydrogeology in the Anning area was last performed in the 1970s and the 1980s. In recent years, the impact of human production and life on the ecological environment remains unclear. OBJECTIVES Surface sediment samples from the Anning area were investigated to reveal their pollution status, spatial distribution characteristics, and potential ecological risks of river sediments. METHODS X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and other methods were used to systematically analyze the contents and distribution characteristics of major elements, trace elements, and 16 priority-controlled PAHs. Geoaccumulation index, Hankanson ecological risk index, and sediment quality criteria were used to assess the ecological risk of eight typical heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, and Hg) and PAHs. RESULTS Results showed that the heavy metal content in the river sediments from the Anning area was higher than the background values of the national and southern rivers. The spatial distributions of the heavy metals were highly variable and uneven. Additionally, Cd, Hg, and Ad showed medium to severe potential ecological risks. The average content of ∑PAHs was 20856ng/g, and the detection rate of the 16 monomers was ~100%. The overall ecological risk of PAHs was low, and their main sources were petrochemical industry and combustion of petroleum fuels. The major risks of pollutants in the river sediments of the Anning area were mainly concentrated in the vicinity of steel plants and chemical factories in the Tanglangchuan River. CONCLUSIONS This research provides a scientific basis for local governments to strengthen key industrial point source pollution control, and reduce and control industrial sewage discharge.

Periodical impulses in vibration signals are key features in rolling element bearing fault diagnosis. Based on an overcomplete dictionary composed of different morphological atoms, morphological component analysis can be used to extract the signal components of different types of morphologies. A new morphological component analysis method based on a novel over-completed dictionary was proposed herein. According to morphological differences between components in rolling element bearing fault vibration signal, the method after improved dictionary could more targeted to extract impulse components containing fault feature. Then through envelope spectrum analysis, the fault characteristic frequency was extracted accurately, and rolling element bearing local faults were diagnosed. Compared with the Fast Kurtogram method for bearing fault diagnosis, the new method could avoid non-accuracy and non-optimality problems caused by artificial choice of resonance band, and improve the effectiveness of fault diagnosis. By analyzing both the simulation signal and the experimental dataset of rolling element bearing faults, the proposed method is validated.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between health literacy, self-care agency, social support and health status among elderly Chinese nursing home residents in Xinjiang. Design: Participants were selected using a stratified cluster random sampling design. Setting: The study was conducted from September 2011 to June 2012 in 44 nursing homes in four cities of Xinjiang, China. Methods: A total of 1,452 participants aged between 60 and 99 years met the study inclusion criteria. Data were collected using the Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire, the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale, the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire and the Activities of Daily Living Scale. Subsequently, 1,452 questionnaires were distributed with a response rate of 96.14% (1,396 of 1,452). Results: Path analysis with structural equation modelling was used to test a hypothesised model linking health literacy to self-care agency, social support and health status. The optimal fitted model indicated that pathways linking health literacy to health status consisted of one direct path (path coefficient = 0.074) and three indirect paths (path coefficient = 0.194), with a total path coefficient of health literacy to health status being 0.268. Conclusion: Improving health literacy may enable older adults to more appropriately use self-care agency and social support as part of health promotion. The outcomes of this study suggest that to enhance the effects of health promotion interventions, health professionals should aim at raising the health literacy levels of elderly people in China.

Abstract: Aim: To explore the effectiveness of the teach‐back method for improving the health literacy of older adults in nursing homes in Ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang, China. Methods: Among the 27 registered nursing homes, 10 were selected randomly by size and divided into the intervention and control groups. A total of 127 older adults in the intervention group and 136 in the control group met the inclusion criteria. The intervention and control groups were educated by using the teach‐back and traditional methods, respectively, in this 6 month study. The Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire was used to evaluate the effects of the interventions. Results: Pre‐intervention, the health literacy level of the cohorts was relatively low. Postintervention, the total health literacy score of the intervention group increased, while the total health literacy score of the control group had increased to a lesser extent. The total and four‐dimension scores of the two groups were statistically significant. The intergroup difference in the two groups, and the intervention group's total health literacy score and each dimension score were higher than in the control group; these differences were statistically significant . Conclusions: The teach‐back method can improve the health literacy level of older adults through short‐term educational intervention. The teach‐back method should be adopted by more healthcare providers and applied to improve the health literacy education of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]