Developing an Evaluation System Suitable for Coastal Rural Houses' Characteristic Style and Its Inspiration for Rural Revitalization: Case Study of Rongcheng in Shandong Province.

The characteristic style of rural houses is an important manifestation of the historical and cultural values of rural areas and is the key focus of the implementation of the strategy for the construction of beautiful China and the revitalization of rural areas. Taking 17 villages in the Rongcheng of Shandong as an example, this article integrated multidimensional data, including geospatial data, survey data and socio-economic data, and constructed a suitable index system to evaluate the characteristic style of coastal rural houses in 2018 and put forward the characteristic style regionalization of coastal rural houses. The results show that the characteristic style of coastal rural houses can be measured by the overall village environment, coastal architectural value and traditional folk culture, among which the coastal architectural value is the most critical. Two villages scored over 60 points in the comprehensive evaluation, namely the Dongchu Island village and Dazhuang Xujia Community. Different dominant characteristic styles of rural houses were identified according to single-factor evaluation. Based on the evaluation results and factors such as location, nature, social economy and the status quo of protection and development management, characteristic styles of rural houses in the research area can be divided into four continuous areas: historical and cultural characteristics, folk customs and industrial development characteristics, natural scenery characteristics and folk customs characteristics. Combined with regional positioning and development planning, the construction direction of different regional types was defined, and then the protection and improvement measures of rural residential features were put forward. This study not only provides a certain basis for the evaluation, construction and protection of the characteristic features of coastal rural dwellings in Rongcheng City but also provides guidance for the implementation of rural construction planning.

Effect of Huaji Jianpi Decoction on the semen quality of high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Background: At present, the incidence of obesity is increasing. Several studies have shown that obesity can reduce male fertility by affecting spermatogenesis and semen quality. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has fewer side effects and stable efficacy in the treatment of related diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Huaji Jianpi Decoction on the semen quality of high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Methods: The obese male mice model was constructed by using high-fat diet and the Huaji Jianpi Decoction was processed into an aqueous extract. Mice were allocated in the normal group (n=30) and five different treatment groups (n=50). Huaji Jianpi Decoction was applied in low-, medium- and high-dose [17.52 g/(kg·d), 35.04 g/(kg·d) and 70.07 g/(kg·d), respectively]. The body weight, body fat, testis wet weight, testis coefficient, and routine sperm parameters were detected and analyzed. Meanwhile, transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to observe testis ultrastructure. reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the expression of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Results: Compared with normal mice (ND), the testis wet weight and testis coefficient of mice in the blank group were significantly decreased, while the number of mitochondria was observed to be decreased on testis ultrastructure examination, and apoptotic cells and germ cells in the spermatogenic tubules were shed. After Huaji Jianpi Decoction administration, the body fat and blood lipid levels of obese mice were decreased, the testis wet weight and testis coefficient were increased, and semen parameters were increased. Different doses of Huaji Jianpi Decoction could improve testicular weight, sperm density, sperm motility, forward motility, and total sperm motility. Huaji Jianpi Decoction could also downregulate TNF-α and MCP-1 expression and inhibit germ cell apoptosis to improve semen quality. Conclusions: Huaji Jianpi Decoction can improve the semen quality of high-fat diet-induced obese mice by reducing weight and lipid levels.