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Developing effective aptitude test batteries for conference interpreting is highly relevant for China given its large and fast-growing interpreting trainee population. This paper reports on the aptitude tests implemented to 23 first-year students at a CIUTI member and UN MOU university in China. We compared the validity of recall, a test commonly used in interpreting aptitude testing, with that of the lexical-syntactic flexibility test (LSFT) newly developed at the university, in predicting the students' subsequent performance on simultaneous interpreting (SI) exams. The quantitative analyses of recall, LSFT and SI data using correlation and multiple regression analysis were backed up by qualitative analyses of students' output and interview data. The results suggest that recall, believed or found to be a predictor of interpreting aptitude by some studies, is not predictive of the Chinese (A)-English (B) SI performance, while the LSFT significantly predicts the performance of bidirectional Chinese (A)-English (B) SI and could be a potential SI-specific aptitude predictor and a new testing option to add to the existing pool of text-based tests. The study is expected to inform the discussion and practice of aptitude testing for conference interpreting in China and to shed light on aptitude testing worldwide.

Understanding the mechanisms for cellular aging is a fundamental question in biology. Normal red blood cells (RBCs) survive for approximately 100 days, and their survival is likely limited by functional decline secondary to cumulative damage to cell constituents, which may be reflected in altered metabolic capabilities. To investigate metabolic changes during in vivo RBC aging, labeled cell populations were purified at intervals and assessed for abundance of metabolic intermediates using mass spectrometry. A total of 167 metabolites were profiled and quantified from cell populations of defined ages. Older RBCs maintained ATP and redox charge states at the cost of altered activity of enzymatic pathways. Time-dependent changes were identified in metabolites related to maintenance of the redox state and membrane structure. These findings illuminate the differential metabolic pathway usage associated with normal cellular aging and identify potential biomarkers to determine average RBC age and rates of RBC turnover from a single blood sample.

Through analysis of the strategic ambitions of China's top universities, this article studies the relationship between governance structures at the system level and strategic institutional adaptations. In China, some top universities are governed directly by the national authorities while others have regional affiliations. By analyzing the strategic plans of a sample of universities in both categories the article examines how these differences in governance modes may impact the formal ambitions and objectives of the universities and discuss the potential system implications of these different governance modes, especially related to issues of excellence and diversity. The article find that differences in governance modes do affect the strategic positioning of Chinese universities, and different ways in which governance arrangements can be used to foster both excellence and diversity in a system perspective are discussed.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the perceptions of women who have undergone unsuccessful in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, and to explore how treatment failure has impacted their lives and relationships, thereby enabling the public to understand the unique experiences of these women. Design: A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, with purposive sampling used to recruit participants from the gynecological department of a traditional Chinese medicine clinic at a large tertiary hospital in Zhejiang province. Twelve women undergoing IVF treatment was involved in the study. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed verbatim. Conventional content analysis methods were used to analyze the data. Results: Following analysis, three main categories emerged: 1) The Psychological Experience of Initial Miscarriage from IVF Treatment, 2) The Psychological Experience of Repeated Treatment Failure, and 3) Interpersonal experiences and challenges. Women experiencing initial failure from IVF treatment reported emotions such as surprise, doubt, sadness, disappointment, and embarrassment. They perceived the process as harder than expected, leading to unexpected daily life challenges and difficulties in achieving success. As unsuccessful attempts persisted, they endured psychological suffering and lived in the shadow of repeated treatment failures. Doubts, perplexity, and anxiety grew, making reproduction seem like an insurmountable obstacle in their lives. In their interpersonal experience, women often felt guilt toward family, faced social isolation, and found it challenging to discuss IVF openly everywhere. They encountered a lack of understanding from others but also found mutual sympathy and support among people who shared similar experiences. Conclusions: The study provided an insight into the suffering of Chinese women undergoing IVF treatment, highlighting the challenges of overcoming treatment failures. The findings not only inform Chinese infertile women considering IVF treatment but also contribute to the development of more effective support services by healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese Lunar New Year is a significant festival in China that leads to indoor and outdoor air pollution with distinct characteristics compared to normal times. In this study, indoor and outdoor air samples were collected and analysed to investigate the indoor and outdoor pollution of PM2.5 and its metal elements during the Chinese New Year. The findings reveal that there is a notable positive correlation between indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations during the Chinese New Year, with outdoor concentrations being higher on average. The levels of PM2.5 concentrations indoors and outdoors started to increase on Chinese New Year's Eve and peaked after the early hours of the Chinese New Year. The total concentrations of six metal elements (Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb and Zn) in indoor and outdoor PM2.5 during the Chinese New Year in 2022 were 738.73 ± 134.93 mg/kg and 1124.38 ± 553.14 mg/kg, respectively. Principal component analysis suggests that the main sources of indoor metal elements were from outdoor combustion sources and human activities, while outdoor sources were fireworks displays and emissions from coal combustion. Based on the U.S. EPA risk assessment carried out, both indoor and outdoor PM2.5 metal elements could pose a carcinogenic risk to adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring metal phosphonates with new crystal structures is of significance for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In this work, two new copper phosphonates, [tetraauqa-1,4-phenylenebis(hydroxymethylene))bisphosphonate biscopper(II)] bishydrate [Cu2(H2L)(H2O)4]·2H2O (1) and 1,4-phenylenebis(hydroxymethylene))bisphosphonate-(4,4'-bipy) copper(II) [Cu(H4L)(4,4'-bipy)] (2) (4,4'-bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine), have been synthesized from a hydroxy functionalized bisphosphonate ligand, H6L = (1,4-phenylenebis(hydroxymethylene))bis(phosphonic acid). The introduction of a hydroxy group can regulate the crystal structures. The bisphosphonate ligand in 1 is hexadentate, binding six copper ions with its six phosphonate oxygen atoms and two hydroxy oxygen atoms, forming a three-dimensional framework structure with rectangle channels running along the b-direction. For 2, the bisphosphonate ligands are double deprotonated and chelate or bridge two copper ions, showing a two-dimensional layered crystal structure. These compounds have interesting fluorescence properties with emission maxima (307 and 410 nm) lying in the blue region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and Fenton pretreatment (FP) are effective methods currently being used to treat lignin. However, there are few reports of combining the two techniques and applying them in the treatment of lignin. Additionally, the synergistic effect of the two techniques on the physicochemical properties of lignin has not been widely investigated. Therefore, this study innovatively combined Fenton pretreatment with hydrothermal carbonization to investigate the synergistic effect on two types of structurally different lignans, and to reveal the changes in physicochemical properties of lignin under the synergistic effect. In this work, 13C NMR, XPS, FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and automated calorimetry were used to determine the physicochemical properties and characterize the chemical structure of lignin. The results showed that the synergistic effect of FP–HTC increased the carbon fixation rate of herbal lignin (HL) and de-alkalized lignin (DAL) by 46.07 and 59.27%, respectively, and heating value of HL and DAL by 45.53 and 46.07%, respectively. The synergistic action of FP–HTC broke the stubborn and complex chemical barrier of lignin, and effectively enhanced the degree of aromatization and demethoxylation of lignin. It is notable that the synergistic effect of FP–HTC induced the formation of more stable 4-O-5 bonds and C–C bonds in the lignin structure, resulting in a moderate enhancement of the lignin chemical structure and material properties. In this study, the synergistic effect of Fenton pretreatment and hydrothermal carbonization is utilized to convert lignin into sustainable carbon materials, and the effect of the synergistic effect on the physicochemical properties of lignin is analyzed in detail, which provides valuable references for the subsequent research on the conversion of waste lignin into carbon materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corn straw hydrochar was prepared by a two-step method of hydrothermal carbonization and chemical activation. Hydrochar (HC) is a promising adsorbent due to its porous and abundant carbon structure. Chemical activation can improve the HC surface structure and properties and enhance the HC adsorption capacity. In this study, different concentrations of KOH solution were used to activate the original HC, improve the adsorption performance of the original HC, and efficiently remove Cd2+ from the solution. The surface properties of activated hydrochar were characterized using SEM, FTIR, XPS, elemental analysis, and other methods. The results showed that the activation of KOH enriched the active sites of HC. Among them, the HC activated by 1 mol/L KOH has the best adsorption (31.40 mg/g), which is 5.38 times the original HC adsorption. After KOH activation, surface complexation and ion exchange were enhanced, which facilitated the removal of Cd2+. Therefore, KOH activation of HC is an efficient and easy-to-operate method to convert straw hydrochar into an adsorbent with better adsorption capacity to remove Cd2+ in the solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear-architecture defects have been shown to correlate with the manifestation of a number of human diseases as well as ageing (1-4).It is therefore plausible that diseases whose manifestations correlate with [...]