Functional montmorillonite can be dispersed in polymer coatings and organic species and polymers can be intercalated into the interlayer space or grafted onto the surface of the functional montmorillonite. The addition of functional montmorillonite into polymer-based coatings can significantly improve anti-corrosion, refractory, super-hydrophobicity, antibacterial activity, and absorption of solar radiation by the resulting montmorillonite/polymer coatings. Montmorillonite can be functionalized for this purpose by ion exchange, intercalation, exfoliation, or combinations of these treatments. The rigid montmorillonite layers interspersed within the polymer matrix inhibit the penetration of corrosive substances, minimize the impact of high-temperature airflow, and thereby lead to strong resistance of the coating to corrosion and fire. The combination of polymers and dispersed montmorillonite nanolayers, which are modified by metal ions, metal oxides, and hydrophobic organic species, allows the resulting  composite coating to have quite a rough surface and a much smaller surface free energy so that the montmorillonite/polymer coating possesses superhydrophobicity. The interlayer space of functional montmorillonite can also host or encapsulate antibacterial substances, phase-change materials, and solar energy-absorbing materials. Moreover, it can act as a template to make these guest species exist in a more stable and ordered state. Literature surveys suggest that future work on the functional montmorillonite/polymer coatings should be targeted at the manufacture of functional montmorillonite nanolayers by finding more suitable modifiers and tuning the dispersion and funtionalities of montmorillonite in the coatings.

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common infection in the world, and its epidemics result in heavy disease burdens. Over the past decade, HFMD has been widespread among children in China, with Shanxi Province being a severely affected northern province. Located in the temperate monsoon climate, Shanxi has a GDP of over 2.5 trillion yuan. It is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the basic features of HFMD in those areas that have similar meteorological and economic backgrounds to northern China. We aimed to investigate epidemiological characteristics, identify spatial clusters and predict monthly incidence of HFMD. All reported HFMD cases were obtained from the Shanxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall HFMD incidence showed a significant downward trend from 2017 to 2020, increasing again in 2021. Children aged < 5 years were primarily affected, with a high incidence of HFMD in male patients (relative risk: 1.316). The distribution showed a seasonal trend, with major peaks in June and July and secondary peaks in October and November with the exception of 2020. Other enteroviruses were the predominant causative agents of HFMD in most years. Areas with large numbers of HFMD cases were primarily in central Shanxi, and spatial clusters in 2017 and 2018 showed a positive global spatial correlation. Local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that hot spots and secondary hot spots were concentrated in Jinzhong and Yangquan in 2018. Based on monthly incidence from September 2021 to August 2022, the mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE) of the long short-term memory (LSTM) and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models were 386.58 vs. 838.25, 2.25 vs. 3.08, and 461.96 vs. 963.13, respectively, indicating that the predictive accuracy of LSTM was better than that of SARIMA. The LSTM model may be useful in predicting monthly incidences of HFMD, which may provide early warnings of HFMD epidemics.

The findings regarding the associations between red meat, fish and poultry consumption, and the metabolic syndrome (Mets) have been inconclusive, and evidence from Chinese populations is scarce. A cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the associations between red meat, fish and poultry consumption, and the prevalence of the Mets and its components among the residents of Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, China. A total of 4424 participants were eligible for the analysis. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the OR and 95 % CI for the prevalence of the Mets and its components according to red meat, fish and poultry consumption. In addition, the data of our cross-sectional study were meta-analysed under a random effects model along with those of published observational studies to generate the summary relative risks (RR) of the associations between the highest v. lowest categories of red meat, fish and poultry consumption and the Mets and its components. In the cross-sectional study, the multivariable-adjusted OR for the highest v. lowest quartiles of consumption was 1·23 (95 % CI 1·02, 1·48) for red meat, 0·83 (95 % CI 0·72, 0·97) for fish and 0·93 (95 % CI 0·74, 1·18) for poultry. In the meta-analysis, the pooled RR for the highest v. lowest categories of consumption was 1·20 (95 % CI 1·06, 1·35) for red meat, 0·88 (95 % CI 0·81, 0·96) for fish and 0·97 (95 % CI 0·85, 1·10) for poultry. The findings of both cross-sectional studies and meta-analyses indicated that the association between fish consumption and the Mets may be partly driven by the inverse association of fish consumption with elevated TAG and reduced HDL-cholesterol and, to a lesser extent, fasting plasma glucose. No clear pattern of associations was observed between red meat or poultry consumption and the components of the Mets. The current findings add weight to the evidence that the Mets may be positively associated with red meat consumption, inversely associated with fish consumption and neutrally associated with poultry consumption.

The association between milk consumption and the metabolic syndrome remains inconclusive, and data from Chinese populations are scarce. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the association between milk consumption and the metabolic syndrome and its components among the residents of Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, China. A total of 5149 participants were included in the final analysis. A logistic regression model was applied to estimate the OR and 95 % CI for the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components according to milk consumption. In addition, the results of our study were further meta-analysed with other published observational studies to quantify the association between the highest v. lowest categories of milk consumption and the metabolic syndrome and its components. There was no significant difference in the odds of having the metabolic syndrome between milk consumers and non-milk consumers (OR 0·86, 95 % CI 0·73, 1·01). However, milk consumers had lower odds of having elevated waist circumference (OR 0·78, 95 % CI 0·67, 0·92), elevated TAG (OR 0·83, 95 % CI 0·70, 0·99) and elevated blood pressure (OR 0·85, 95 % CI 0·73, 0·99). When the results were pooled together with other published studies, higher milk consumption was inversely associated with the risk of the metabolic syndrome (relative risk 0·80, 95 % CI 0·72, 0·88) and its components (except elevated fasting blood glucose); however, these results should be treated with caution as high heterogeneity was observed. In summary, the currently available evidence from observational studies suggests that higher milk consumption may be inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome.

Underground Nuclear Astrophysics in China (JUNA) will take the advantage of the ultra-low background in Jinping underground lab. High current accelerator with an ECR source and detectors were commissioned. JUNA plans to study directly a number of nuclear reactions important to hydrostatic stellar evolution at their relevant stellar energies. At the first period, JUNA aims at the direct measurements of 25Mg(p,γ)26 Al, 19F(p,α) 16 O, 13C(α, n) 16O and 12C(α,γ) 16O near the Gamow window. The current progress of JUNA will be given.

This study investigated the effect of pre-exercise α-lactalbumin ingestion on subsequent endurance exercise performance, muscle pain and mood states. In a two-stage cross-over counterbalance design, eleven male endurance runners (age: 31 (se 2) years, height: 169·5 (se 4·4) cm, weight: 63·6 (se 5·1) kg, V̇O2max: 58·8 (se 6·3) ml/kg per min) consumed two solutions (carbohydrate+α-lactalbumin, CA; carbohydrate+whey protein isolate, CW) 2 h before a self-paced 21-km run. Creatine kinase, IL-6, muscle pain, pressure pain threshold (PPT) and mood states were assessed 2 h before exercise, immediately before exercise (Pre-ex0) and immediately after exercise (Post-ex0). No difference was found in 21-km running performance between two trials (CA v. CW: 115·85 (se 5·20) v. 118·85 (se 5·51) min, P=0·48). Compared with CW, CA led to higher PPT at Pre-ex0 (41·77 (se 2·27) v. 35·56 (se 2·10) N/cm2, P<0·01) and Post-ex0 (38·76 (se 3·23) v. 35·30 (se 3·55) N/cm2, P=0·047). Compared with CW, CA reduced the feeling of fatigue at Post-ex0 (P<0·01); CA also reduced salivary cortisol levels at Post-ex0 (0·72 (se 0·07) v. 0·83 (se 0·13) ng/ml, P<0·01). In conclusion, the ingestion of α-lactalbumin did not improve the 21-km time-trial performance. However, compared with the pre-exercise ingestion of whey protein, that of α-lactalbumin led to superior results during similar levels of endurance exercise: it elevated PPT and reduced the feeling of fatigue and the cortisol levels.

In this paper, field effect transistors (FET) based on different kinds of non-graphene materials are introduced, which are MoS2, WSe2 and black phosphorus (BP). Those devices have their unique features in fabrication process compared with conventional FETs. Among them, MoS2 FET shows better electrical characteristics by applying a SiO2 protective layer; WSe2 FET is fabricated based on a new low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method; BP FET acquires high on/off ratio and high hole mobility by using a simple dry transfer method. Those novel non-graphene materials inspire new design and fabrication process of basic logic device.

We investigate the cytoprotective effects and the molecular mechanism of genistein in oxidative stress-induced injury using an endothelial cell line (EA.hy926). An oxidative stress model was established by incubating endothelial cells with H2O2. According to the present results, genistein pretreatment protected endothelial cells against H2O2-induced decreases in cell viability and increases in apoptosis. Genistein also prevented the inhibition of B-cell lymphoma 2 and the activation of caspase-3 induced by H2O2. Genistein increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) levels and attenuated the decrease in these antioxidants during oxidative stress. We also found that genistein induced the promoter activity of both nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and PPARγ. Additionally, genistein induced the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and PPARγ. While genistein caused the up-regulation of both Nrf2 and PPARγ, it also activated and up-regulated the protein expression and transcription of a downstream protein, haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Moreover, the use of Nrf2 small interfering RNA transfection and HO-1- or PPARγ-specific antagonists (Znpp and GW9662, respectively) blocked the protective effects of genistein on endothelial cell viability during oxidative stress. Therefore, we conclude that oxidative stress-induced endothelial cell injury can be attenuated by treatment with genistein, which functions via the regulation of the Nrf2 and PPARγ signalling pathway. Additionally, the endogenous antioxidants SOD, CAT and GSH appear to play a role in the antioxidant activity of genistein. The present findings suggest that the beneficial effects of genistein involving the activation of cytoprotective antioxidant genes may represent a novel strategy in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular endothelial damage.

A general least-squares technique for X-ray diffraction line broadening analysis has been developed. The technique can be used to determine single, double, and triple line broadening effects caused by small particle sizes, microstrain, stacking faults, or all three presented in a closed-packed hexagonal nanomaterial. The technique was applied to characterize the microstructure of β-Ni(OH)2, a negative electrode material in nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Double line broadening effects caused by both small crystallite sizes and stacking faults in β-Ni(OH)2 were detected and analyzed. Triple line broadening effects caused simultaneously by small crystallite sizes, microstrain, and stacking faults were detected in β-Ni(OH)2 after activation and charge-discharge cycle tests. The triple line broadening effects were found to be selective and most pronounced for diffraction lines with h−k=3n±1. The broadening effects were larger when l=even, but smaller when l=odd. The shape and the average size of the crystallites, microstrain, and stacking fault probability in β-Ni(OH)2 changed dramatically after activation and charge-discharge cycles. The method was also applied to characterize and investigate the microstructure of nano ZnO materials. Results indicate that no selective broadening appears in the XRD patterns of the nano ZnO materials. The average crystallite sizes were different slightly, and the stacking fault probabilities differed significantly with different dopants.

Prophylaxis and treatment with oseltamivir effectively controlled a community outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in China. The genetic makeup of strains of different generations seemed to be stable. Travel in confined settings might accelerate the transmission of pandemic influenza in a community outbreak.

Progenies derived from rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) plants pollinated by Oenothera biennis exhibited numerous morphological and developmental traits. Some variant individuals appeared in generation D2. From generations D3 to D6, a large number of variants were observed, showing distinct variable traits including giant embryos. Statistical analysis on D6 lines showed significant differences between progenies and their rice parental line in several main traits, including plant height (49.2–164.5 cm), panicle number (12.1–38.2), panicle length (20.3–30.3 cm), length of sword leaf (13.8–57.5 cm), leaf width (11.1–25.2 mm), grain number of main panicle (142.0–367.0), percentage of seed setting (0.8–99.0%), 1000-grain weight (19.7–33.8 g) and time from germination to panicle emergence (90.0–108.0 days). Most of the variable coefficients were above 20% (the highest was 40.8%). Through pedigree selection of these plants, genetically stable lines were obtained, which are useful for rice breeding. Results from amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis showed that several rice lines contained extensive genetic variations, which included disappearance of rice parental bands and/or appearance of novel bands.

Based on quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, the gene for porcine uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) was chosen as a candidate gene for pig fat deposition and meat quality traits. In this study, a partial coding region of the UCP3 gene was sequenced and one single nucleotide polymorphism (cSNP) was found at 395 bp. The mutation was G→A and resulted in the amino acid change from glycine to arginine. This site was also recognized by restriction endonuclease SmaI. The UCP3 SmaI polymorphism was analysed among 186 individuals of Large White×Meishan F2 progeny using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The genotypes of the UCP3 SmaI polymorphism were AA, AB and BB. The frequency of A and B alleles was respectively 0.56 and 0.44. Statistical analyses showed that the SmaI polymorphism in the F2 population was significantly associated with back-fat thickness at thorax–waist and buttock, as well as with intramuscular fat, drip-loss rate and water-holding capacity. The additive effect of UCP3 SmaI was clearly shown. The genotype AA reduced back-fat thickness and drip-loss rate, increased water-holding capacity, and decreased the intramuscular fat. The effect of the pig UCP3 SmaI polymorphism needs to be analysed in other populations using larger samples.

Background. Psychiatric epidemiological surveys in China have repeatedly found much lower prevalence estimates than in most other parts of the world.

Method. Face-to-face household interviews of 5201 subjects (2633 in Beijing and 2568 in Shanghai respectively) were conducted from November 2001 to February 2002 using a multistage household probability sampling method. A Chinese version of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used for assessment.

Results. Twelve-month prevalence of any DSM-IV mental disorder in metropolitan China is estimated to be 7·0%, with major depressive disorder (2·0%), specific phobia (1·9%), and intermittent explosive disorder (1·7%) the most common disorders. Of these, 13·9% are classified as serious, 32·6% moderate, and 53·5% mild. Only 3·4% of respondents with any disorder sought treatment within the previous 12 months.

Conclusions. Although the general pattern of disorders, risk factors, and unmet need for treatment are similar to those in other countries, a low prevalence of mental disorders is found in metropolitan China. Resolving methodological problems that cause downward bias in estimates, such as stigma-related under-reporting and diagnostic incongruity with a somatopsychic mode of symptom presentation may lead to more accurate and probably higher prevalence estimates in future epidemiological studies. As a low prevalence still translates into an enormous number of people in China, measures are urgently needed to address the huge unmet need for treatment of mental disorders.

SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) films were prepared on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates at 750 °C in oxygen by the metalorganic decomposition method. SBT film capacitors were postannealed in Ar (N2) at 350–750 °C and then reannealed in O2 at 750 °C. Effects of annealing atmosphere on the structure, morphology, and ferroelectric properties have been investigated systematically. The composition analyses indicate Ar- or N2-annealing at 750 °C leads to Bi evaporation and oxygen loss. Above 550 °C 100% Ar or N2 postannealing, the remnant polarization decreases and the coercive field increases significantly. The subsequent O2 recovery can hardly rejuvenate the electrical properties. The result is different from that with the effective O2 recovery in forming gas processing (annealing in an atmosphere containing 5% hydrogen). The possible origin and mechanism is discussed and proposed.