Fe2+-catalyzed transformation of poorly crystalline ferrihydrite into highly crystalline forms is critical in the biogeochemical cycles of Fe, nutrients, and trace elements. The co-existence of ferrihydrite and kaolinite is widespread in soils of tropical and subtropical regions. In this investigation, three associations of ferrihydrite–kaolinite with ratios of 10, 30, and 50% (10% Fhy–Kln, 30% Fhy–Kln, and 50% Fhy–Kln) were examined to study the impact of the initial Fe2+ concentration and pH on Fe2+-catalyzed transformation under anoxic conditions. The findings reveal that the ferrihydrite in the 10% Fhy–Kln associations has the smallest particle size and the largest number of surface hydroxyl groups. At 0.5 mM Fe2+ and pH 7.5, ferrihydrite underwent transformation into lepidocrocite, with the presence of kaolinite promoting the formation of goethite. Moreover, the presence of kaolinite influenced the morphology of the resulting transformation products. A decrease in pH hindered the transformation of ferrihydrite, while an increase in Fe2+ concentration resulted in the formation of magnetite. The impact of kaolinite in the association system on the transformations of ferrihydrite occurs primarily through alteration of the properties of ferrihydrite during its formation process.

This paper retrospectively analysed the prevalence of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) in some parts of China. Between January 2013 and December 2019, we collected 4,145 respiratory samples, including pharyngeal swabs and alveolar lavage fluid. The highest PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae was 74.5% in Beijing, the highest resistance rate was 100% in Shanghai, and Gansu was the lowest with 20%. The highest PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae was 74.5% in 2013, and the highest MRMP was 97.4% in 2019; the PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae for adults in Beijing was 17.9% and the MRMP was 10.48%. Among the children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), the PCR-positive and macrolide-resistant rates of M. pneumoniae were both higher in the severe ones. A2063G in domain V of 23S rRNA was the major macrolide-resistant mutation, accounting for more than 90%. The MIC values of all MRMP to erythromycin and azithromycin were ≥ 64 μg/ml, and the MICs of tetracycline and levofloxacin were ≤ 0.5 μg/ml and ≤ 1 μg/ml, respectively. The macrolide resistance varied in different regions and years. Among inpatients, the macrolide-resistant rate was higher in severe pneumonia. A2063G was the common mutation, and we found no resistance to tetracycline and levofloxacin.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in online gaming behaviour among college students. This study aimed to examine the impact of online self-help interventions consisting of different components within the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework on college students’ gaming disorder and gaming frequency. Additionally, it evaluated the effectiveness of both interventions in addressing psychological distress among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. One intervention was a full ACT program, which consists of six core components, while the other intervention focused on the engaged components of ACT (specifically targeting value-based actions). The study employed a 2 conditions (Full ACT vs. Engaged ACT) × 3 times (pre-, mid- and post-program) design to examine the effectiveness of these interventions. Each intervention consisted of 10 sessions, delivered at a frequency of five sessions per week over a 2-week period for both groups. The participants in this study were enrolled in two online classes. Participants with gaming disorder scores in the top 20% were selected and assigned to either the Full group (N = 49) or the Engaged group (N = 41) for the interventions. The study assessed outcome variables, including gaming disorder, psychological flexibility, daily gaming hours, weekly gaming days and psychological distress, at pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention and one-month follow-up for both groups. No significant differences were observed between the two groups on these outcomes at the pre-intervention stage. The findings of this study indicate that both interventions effectively reduced gaming disorder and weekly gaming frequency, while enhancing psychological flexibility. Nonetheless, the Engaged group exhibited a significant reduction in daily gaming hours. There was no substantial change in psychological distress in either group during and after the intervention. The implications and limitations of this study were also reported.

For decreasing sequences $\{t_{n}\}_{n=1}^{\infty }$ converging to zero and initial data $f\in H^s(\mathbb {R}^N)$, $N\geq 2$, we consider the almost everywhere convergence problem for sequences of Schrödinger means ${\rm e}^{it_{n}\Delta }f$, which was proposed by Sjölin, and was open until recently. In this paper, we prove that if $\{t_n\}_{n=1}^{\infty }$ belongs to Lorentz space ${\ell }^{r,\infty }(\mathbb {N})$, then the a.e. convergence results hold for $s>\min \{\frac {r}{\frac {N+1}{N}r+1},\,\frac {N}{2(N+1)}\}$. Inspired by the work of Lucà-Rogers, we construct a counterexample to show that our a.e. convergence results are sharp (up to endpoints). Our results imply that when $0< r<\frac {N}{N+1}$, there is a gain over the a.e. convergence result from Du-Guth-Li and Du-Zhang, but not when $r\geq \frac {N}{N+1}$, even though we are in the discrete case. Our approach can also be applied to get the a.e. convergence results for the fractional Schrödinger means and nonelliptic Schrödinger means.

The prevention, treatment and control of Haemonchus contortus have been increasingly problematic due to its widespread occurrence and anthelmintic resistance. There are very few descriptions of recombinant antigens being protective for H. contortus, despite the success of various native antigen preparations, including Barbervax. We recently identified an H. contortus excretory–secretory antigen, H. contortus adhesion-regulating molecule 1 (HcADRM1), that served as an immunomodulator to impair host T-cell functions. Given the prophylactic potential of HcADRM1 protein as a vaccine candidate, we hereby assessed the efficacies of HcADRM1 preparations against H. contortus infection. Parasitological and immunological parameters were evaluated throughout all time points of the trials, including fecal egg counts (FEC), abomasal worm burdens, complete blood counts, cytokine production profiles and antibody responses. Active vaccination with recombinant HcADRM1 (rHcADRM1) protein induced protective immunity in inoculated goats, resulting in reductions of 48.9 and 58.6% in cumulative FEC and worm burdens. Simultaneously, passive administration of anti-HcADRM1 antibodies generated encouraging levels of protection with 46.7 and 56.2% reductions in cumulative FEC and worm burdens in challenged goats. In addition, HcADRM1 preparations-immunized goats showed significant differences in mucosal and serum antigen-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels, total mucosal IgA levels, haemoglobin values and circulating interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-17A production compared to control goats in both trials. The preliminary data of these laboratory trials validated the immunoprophylactic effects of rHcADRM1 protein. It can be pursued as a potential vaccine antigen to develop an effective recombinant subunit vaccine against H. contortus under field conditions.

Hierarchically porous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) monolithic composites were fabricated by nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method without any template for the first time. A homogeneous hierarchical porous structure with relatively large specific surface area containing both mesopores and macropores was confirmed by pore size distribution plots and scanning electron microscopy images, respectively. Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR) revealed that PLLA and PCL were physically blended. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis further showed that the two components were physically blended but had a slight thermal compatibility. Meanwhile, X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests indicated that the addition of PCL hindered the crystallization of PLLA. Herein, the formation of the mesopores and macropores during the phase separation process was explained from the microscopic point of view according to the results of XRD and DSC. The present monolithic composites with hierarchically porous structures had promising prospect for applications of tissue engineering.

This study draws on a case study of Wukan and interviews with migrants and peasants in other sites to examine how migration shapes popular resistance in migrant-sending communities (i.e. rural China). Findings demonstrate multidimensional roles played by migrants and returned migrants who act as a vehicle of informational and ideological transmission and at times directly participate in or even lead rural resistance in origin communities. Both the transmission and participation processes foster political consciousness and action orientations among peasants. The importance of migrants is exemplified in the Wukan protests but is also found in other settings under study. In general, migrants represent a latent political force that acts upon serious grievances back home. The findings provide a useful lens for understanding the diffusion of popular resistance and the linkage between urban and rural activism in China.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the effect of breast-feeding and formula-feeding on body composition of preterm infants. We searched the literature using PubMed, Cochrane Central Library Issue, Ovid (Medline), Embase and other resources such as Google Scholar, electronic databases and bibliographies of relevant articles; two reviewers collected and extracted data independently. All the authors assessed risk of bias independently using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). A fixed-effects meta-analysis was undertaken with RevMan 5 software (The Cochrane Collaboration) using the inverse variance method (P≥0·05; χ2 test). In contrast, a random-effects meta-analysis was carried out. Altogether, 630 articles were identified using search strategy, and the references within retrieved articles were also assessed. A total of six studies were included in this systematic review. In formula-fed infants, fat mass was higher at term (mean difference 0·24 (95 % CI 0·17, 0·31) kg), fat-free mass was higher at 36 weeks of gestational (mean difference 0·12 (95 % CI 0·04, 0·21) kg) and the percentage of fat mass was higher at 36 weeks of gestation (mean difference 3·70 (95 % CI 1·81, 5·59) kg) compared with breast-fed infants. Compared with breast-feeding, formula-feeding is associated with altered body composition from birth to term in preterm infants. The effects of formula-feeding on preterm infant body composition from term to 12-month corrected age are inconclusive in our study. Well-designed studies are required in the future to explore the effects of formula-feeding compared with breast-feeding.

The middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain is a globally important wintering area for waterbirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Ornithologists have reported on wintering waterbirds in the floodplain since the 1950s. However, an integrated analysis of the long-term changes in waterbird diversity is not available. Here, we synthesise existing information on changes in wintering waterbird abundance and distribution in the floodplain, summarise possible influencing factors and propose some priorities for further research. Waterbird richness and abundance have declined over the past 60 years. Declining trends have been observed in a number of areas and species. Nevertheless, a few areas and species showed different trends. In addition, waterbirds have become more concentrated in a few suitable areas such as Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake. Land reclamation, hunting, dam operation and extensive aquaculture are probably the four major threats to wintering waterbirds, while establishment of nature reserves is beneficial to waterbird conservation. Our study suggests that waterbirds in the floodplain are vulnerable, and that effective conservation measures are needed to protect and restore the waterbird diversity of this area.