How has rural tourism influenced the sustainable development of traditional villages? A systematic literature review.

Rural tourism has been widely recognized as a means of promoting the revival of traditional villages and has been supported by numerous researchers. It has the potential to provide significant social and economic advantages, making it a popular strategy for rural development in both developed and developing countries. Nevertheless, a growing body of research has substantiated the significant disruptions that rural tourism has imposed on traditional villages. This study employed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) qualitative method to systematically analyze 92 papers from WOS and SCOPUS that investigate the impact of rural tourism on traditional villages. The papers were categorized into five groups: spatial, economic, sociocultural, and holistic. This categorization allowed for the identification of the purpose, theme, sub-topics, research methods, and data sources used in these papers, which in turn provided an overview of the characteristics and overall trends in research in this field. It compensates for the deficiencies of lesser reviews that just emphasize rural tourism as the primary catalyst for the sustainable development of traditional villages. Based on a thorough investigation, this paper asserts that the development of tourism in traditional villages should be differentiated from typical rural tourism sites that prioritize the preferences of tourists. The primary objective should be to prioritize the preservation of community values, with a strong emphasis on community participation. This should be done while considering the interests of various stakeholders and promoting a diverse range of livelihoods that are rooted in traditional practices. By doing so, the essence of authenticity in traditional villages can be reinforced, leading to a greater sense of connection and loyalty among tourists. The preservation of traditional village genes fosters a symbiotic relationship with rural tourism, resulting in a mutually beneficial cycle.

Effects of large-scale land consolidation projects on ecological environment quality: A case study of a land creation project in Yan'an, China.

Large land consolidation projects modify the structures and functions of regional ecosystems through the reshaping of the territorial spatial pattern, thereby affecting the ecological environmental quality (EEQ). To investigate the effects of large-scale land consolidation projects on EEQ, this study takes the major land consolidation project of "bulldoze mountains to create land" (BMCL) in Yan'an City as a research object and evaluates the change of EEQ based on Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI). The consolidated area and the control area were set up to comparatively analyze the EEQ change processes and spatial distribution characteristics of these two areas in the full life cycle of BMCL. According to the results, the mean RSEI of the consolidated area was 0.128 lower than that of the control area, and the EEQ of the consolidated area was always lower than that of the control area. BMCL had a strong negative impact on the EEQ grade of the consolidated area, especially in the early stage. However, the positive effect of BMCL on EEQ gradually emerged in the late stage of the large land consolidation project. The overall EEQ grade of the consolidated area has also improved. The results of the stepwise regression analysis indicated that the wetness component and the normalized differential vegetation index played key roles in improving the EEQ of the BMCL. Overall, the local BMCL strongly affected the EEQ of the consolidated area but would not cause the EEQ of the whole region to experience any dramatic, abrupt change in the short term. This study provided references for the evaluation and analysis of the ecological effects of land consolidation at the regional scale, offering a feasible way to evaluate the spatio-temporal change of EEQ in BMCL.

Exploring the collision, acoustic and thermal energy dissipation distribution of discrete mass.

This research delves into the transfer and loss of energy in a discrete mass when subjected to forced vibration. Using discrete element method (DEM), we analyzed the dynamic behavior of regular spherical granular assemblies and the energy distribution characteristics under different excitation frequencies and reduced accelerations. Moreover, the energy transfer and dissipation process of granular assemblies under different vibration states are studied using an experimental method. The results show that the granular assemblies will produce collision energy dissipation, thermal energy dissipation, acoustic energy dissipation and other forms of energy dissipation in the forced vibration state and the proportion of different energy dissipation under different excitation is given. The collision and friction of granular assemblies are the key to affecting other forms of energy dissipation. When the excitation increases, the energy dissipation forms are generated inside the granular assemblies, and the proportion of collision energy dissipation of the granular assemblies increases. The acoustic energy above 20 kHz occupies the main part of the acoustic energy dissipation. Thermal energy consumption always exists, which takes a long time to play a role. The granular also have other forms of energy loss, which is hard to be measured, including Rayleigh waves generated by granular collision. In this study, the relationship between the forced vibration state of the granular assemblies and the energy loss distribution is established. Various types of energy transfer and conversion distribution which further enriches the energy dissipation of discrete element calculation of the granular assemblies is discussed and provides a reference for the energy loss analysis of the granular assemblies.

Mitigation of retinol-induced skin irritation by physiologic lipids: Evidence from patch testing.

BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of effective treatments to counter retinol-induced skin irritation. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of three potential mitigants: (i) phytosteryl/octyldodecyl lauroyl glutamate (PLG), (ii) a physiologic lipid mixture (PLM) comprised of ceramide three and cholesterol, and (iii) niacinamide, in ameliorating irritation instigated by retinol. METHODS: An occlusive human patch test, spanning 5 days, was undertaken on 18 Chinese participants aged between 23 and 40. It was designed as a randomized, double-blind, and vehicle-controlled study. Clinician erythema assessment (CEA) and instrumental evaluations were employed pre and post-test. Subsequently, a 4-week consumer in-use test, randomized and double-blind in nature, was executed to substantiate the soothing effects of PLG. RESULTS: Data from CEA and bioengineering assessments revealed that, in comparison to the vehicle control, both 2% PLG and 5% PLM notably curbed retinol-induced skin erythema and inflammation. Notably, PLG outperformed PLM. Conversely, 3% niacinamide did not offer relief against retinol-induced discomfort. The subsequent consumer in-use test affirmed that treatments with 2% PLG were better tolerated than those with the vehicle alone. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first confirmation that physiologic lipids effectively mitigate retinol-induced irritation. Given their capacity to counter retinol-induced irritation, physiologic lipids, particularly PLG, are recommended for incorporation in retinol regimens. Additionally, the Visia-CR a* value can serve as a robust objective measure for interpreting patch test outcomes.

Comprehensive analysis of mitophagy in HPV-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common tumour type in otorhinolaryngology, and its occurrence is related to long-term exposure to tobacco and alcohol. Recently, HPV infection has become an increasingly important contributor to HNSCC, and HPV-associated HNSCC has a different clinical course and better prognosis than non-HPV-associated HNSCC. However, the exact molecular mechanism of HNSCC is unclear. Here, we obtained data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and gene expression omnibus (GEO) to analyse the mitophagy process and related influencing factors of HPV-associated HNSCC via the integration of bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. We found that in HPV-associated HNSCC, process of mitophagy affects tumour development, immune cell infiltration and prognosis. In the mitophagy process of HPV-related HNSCC: NOS2, IL17REL, TMSB15A, TUBB4A and other hub genes showed significantly higher expression levels than in non-HPV-related HNSCC. Furthermore, this was also confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT‒PCR), which was used to detect the expression of differentially expressed genes in HNSCC tissues. Furthermore, we found that the unique immunological characteristics by expressing CD8+ T cell in a high level in HPV-related HNSCC, and the scores obtained from the score model affected the prognosis of patients. In conclusion, our study revealed the unique biomolecular signature of mitophagy in HPV-associated HNSCC, which may contribute to the development of precise treatment regimens for HPV-associated HNSCC patients.

Pharmacological Activities and Mechanisms of Hirudin and Its Derivatives - A Review.

Hirudin, an acidic polypeptide secreted by the salivary glands of Hirudo medicinalis (also known as "Shuizhi" in traditional Chinese medicine), is the strongest natural specific inhibitor of thrombin found so far. Hirudin has been demonstrated to possess potent anti-thrombotic effect in previous studies. Recently, increasing researches have focused on the anti-thrombotic activity of the derivatives of hirudin, mainly because these derivatives have stronger antithrombotic activity and lower bleeding risk. Additionally, various bioactivities of hirudin have been reported as well, including wound repair effect, anti-fibrosis effect, effect on diabetic complications, anti-tumor effect, anti-hyperuricemia effect, effect on cerebral hemorrhage, and others. Therefore, by collecting and summarizing publications from the recent two decades, the pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, novel preparations and derivatives, as well as toxicity of hirudin were systematically reviewed in this paper. In addition, the clinical application, the underlying mechanisms of pharmacological effects, the dose-effect relationship, and the development potential in new drug research of hirudin were discussed on the purpose of providing new ideas for application of hirudin in treating related diseases.

Pre-treatment with nimodipine and 7.5% hypertonic saline protects aged rats against postoperative cognitive dysfunction via inhibiting hippocampal neuronal apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of pre-treatment with nimodipine and 7.5% hypertonic saline (HS) on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in aged rats. METHODS: Healthy Sprague-Dawley aged rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups: POCD group, nimodipine group, HS group, and nimodipine+HS group. Rats in POCD group received normal saline injection and then splenectomy 30min later under 1.8% isoflurane inhalation for 2h. In remaining groups, rats received injection of 1mg/kg nimodipine (i.p) and/or 4ml/kg 7.5% HS (i.v) and then splenectomy. Morris water maze test was performed before and after surgery. The hippocampus was harvested for the detection of neuronal apoptosis rate (AR), cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]i), Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA expression and hippocampal neuronal ultrastructure. RESULTS: When compared with POCD group, the latency to escape, neuronal AR, [Ca2+]i, Bax mRNA expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio reduced dramatically, but the times of crossing the platform and Bcl-2 mRNA expression increased significantly (P<0.05) in nimodipine group, NS group and nimodipine+HS group. In addition, the latency to escape, neuronal AR, [Ca2+]i, Bax mRNA expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio reduced markedly, but the times of crossing the platform and Bcl-2 mRNA expression increased significantly in nimodipine+HS group as compared to nimodipine group and NS group (P<0.05). Hippocampal neuronal ultrastructure damage was observed in all 4 groups, but it was the mildest in nimodipine+HS group. CONCLUSION: Pre-treatment with both nimodipine and 7.5% HS exerts better protective effects, which is related to the inhibition of hippocampal neuronal apoptosis.