Evaluation of cesarean delivery rates in different levels of hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China, using the 10-Group classification system.

OBJECTIVE: To compare cesarean delivery (CD) rates in referral and non-referral hospitals in Maternal Safety Collaboration in Jiangsu province, China. METHODS: Sixteen participants (4 referral hospitals, 12 non-referral hospitals) from Drum Tower Hospital Collaboration for Maternal Safety reported CD rates in 2019 using ten-group classification system and maternal/neonatal morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 22,676 CDs were performed among 52,499 deliveries and the average CD rate was 43.2% (range 34.8-69.6%). CD rate in non-referral hospitals (44.7%) was significantly higher than it was in referral hospitals (40.4%, p < .001). Term singleton cephalic nulliparous women with spontaneous labor (Group 1) or induced labor (Group 2a) had higher CD rates if they were cared in non-referral hospitals compared with those in referral hospitals (Group 1: 11.8% vs. 4.4%, p < .001; Group 2a: 29.1% vs. 21.3%, p < .001). In non-referral hospitals, CD rate in Group 5 and the proportion of Group 5 to the overall population were also significantly higher than those in referral hospitals (98.5% vs. 92.5%, p < .001; and 21.0% vs. 14.5%, p < .001). CONCLUSION: To decrease the CD rate, we need to take efforts in decreasing unnecessary operations for term singleton cephalic nulliparous women and increasing the rate of trial of labor after CD.

Photocatalytically improved azo dye reduction in a microbial fuel cell with rutile-cathode.

Reductive decolorization of azo dye in wastewater was investigated in a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) equipped with cathodes made of graphite or rutile-coated graphite. Rapid reduction of methyl orange (MO) with concomitant electricity production was achieved when the rutile-coated cathode was irradiated by visible light. The electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) indicate that the polarization resistance (R(p)) of the rutile-cathode MFC decreased from 1378 Omega in dark to 443.4 Omega in light, demonstrating that photocatalysis of rutile can enhance the cathodic electron transfer process. The combination of the biologically active anode and photocatalysis-supported cathodic reduction of MO obeyed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. The analysis of decolorization products indicates that the azo bond of MO was probably cleaved by photoelectrons at the irradiated rutile-cathode, resulting in the products of colorless hydrazine derivatives. In addition, concurrently enhanced electricity generation in the MFCs involving photocatalyzed cathodic reduction of MO was observed throughout this study.

Mechanisms of premating isolation between Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Helicoverpa assulta (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa assulta are sympatric sibling species, and in the laboratory they can interbreed and produce viable offspring. To assess the contributions of temporal barriers and sexual barriers to premating isolation, we investigated both the temporal rhythms of calling behavior and pheromone titers of H. armigera and H. assulta females and the behavioral responses of males to conspecific and heterospecific calling females in a wind tunnel. Both H. armigera and H. assulta females called throughout the scotophase, and there was more calling during the second half of the scotophase than during the first half. Maximal pheromone titer and maximal calling activity in H. armigera synchronously occurred at the sixth hour into the scotophase, whereas, in H. assulta, the maximal pheromone titer occurred 2 h before the peak of calling. Pheromone blend ratios of the two species were opposite and, within each species, changes in the ratio within the scotophase and at different ages were relatively small. Males of both H. armigera and H. assulta responded strongly to their conspecific calling females in the wind tunnel and completed the whole courtship sequence. In contrast, they did not land and had no copulation attempts in response to heterospecific calling females. These results show that the two species do not have obvious temporal differences in calling behavior and pheromone production, and the specificity of sex pheromone blend emitted by females plays a key role in their premating isolation. In addition, we summarized the potential isolation mechanisms of H. armigera and H. assulta.

Behavioral and electrophysiological responses of Helicoverpa assulta, H. armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), their F1 hybrids and backcross progenies to sex pheromone component blends.

Two sibling species, Helicoverpa assulta and Helicoverpa armigera both use (Z)-9-hexadecenal and (Z)-11-hexadecenal as their sex pheromone components but in almost reversed ratios, 93:7 and 3:97, respectively. H. assulta and H. armigera males performed upwind flight in response to the H. assulta sex pheromone blend (93:7). H. armigera responded strongly to the H. armigera blend (3:97), whereas H. assulta males remained inactive upon exposure to this blend. Both species gave clear dose-dependent electrophysiological responses to (Z)-11-hexadecenal. However, (Z)-9-hexadecenal evoked strong dose-dependent electrophysiological responses in H. assulta males but not in H. armigera. The two male F1 hybrids exhibited similar behavioral responses to two sex pheromone blends and electrophysiological responses to two pheromone components as H. armigera males. This indicated that H. armigera genes appear dominant in determining the behavioral response and electrophysiological responses. Behavioral and electrophysiological responses of backcrosses of male F1 hybrids (H. armigera female x H. assulta male) with female H. assulta and H. armigera were close to that of H. assulta and H. armigera, respectively. However, backcrosses of female F1 hybrids (H. assulta female x H. armigera male) with male H. assulta and H. armigera showed reduced behavioral responses but normal electrophysiological responses compared to males of the respective parental line.