Understanding the effects of flash drought on vegetation photosynthesis and potential drivers over China.

Flash droughts characterized by rapid onset and intensification are expected to be a new normal under climate change and potentially affect vegetation photosynthesis and terrestrial carbon sink. However, the effects of flash drought on vegetation photosynthesis and their potential dominant driving factors remain uncertain. Here, we quantify the susceptibility and response magnitude of vegetation photosynthesis to flash drought across different ecosystems (i.e., forest, shrubland, grassland, and cropland) in China based on reanalysis and satellite observations. By employing the extreme gradient boosting model, we also identify the dominant factors that influence these flash drought-photosynthesis relationships. We show that over 51.46 % of ecosystems across China are susceptible to flash drought, and grasslands are substantially suppressed, as reflected in both sensitivity and response magnitude (with median gross primary productivity anomalies of -0.13). We further demonstrate that background climate differences (e.g., mean annual temperature and aridity) predominantly regulate the response variation in forest and shrubland, with hotter/colder or drier ecosystems being more severely suppressed by flash drought. However, in grasslands and croplands, the differential vegetation responses are attributed to the intensity of abnormal hydro-meteorological conditions during flash drought (e.g., vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and temperature anomalies). The effects of flash droughts intensify with increasing VPD and nonmonotonically relate to temperature, with colder or hotter temperatures leading to more severe vegetation loss. Our results identify the vulnerable ecological regions under flash drought and enable a better understanding of vegetation photosynthesis response to climate extremes, which may be useful for developing effective management strategies.

Rainfall effect on soil respiration depends on antecedent soil moisture.

Climate change has a discernible influence on rainfall patterns, thus potentially affecting the intricate dynamics of soil respiration (Rs) and soil carbon storage. However, we still lack a profound understanding of the determinants of Rs response to rainfall events. Here, utilizing a comprehensive 10-year dataset (2004-2013), we explored the direction and magnitude of Rs response to rainfall events and the underlying determinants in a temperate forest. Based on the identified 368 rainfall events over the study period, we demonstrate that rainfall suppresses Rs when the soil moisture is optimal and moist in the growing season, whereas its effect on Rs during the non-growing season is minimal. Notably, antecedent soil moisture, rather than rainfall amount, shows a substantial impact on Rs during the growing season (coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.37 for antecedent soil moisture, and R2 < 0.01 for rainfall amount). Incorporating antecedent soil moisture significantly enhances the explanatory power (R2) from 0.09 to 0.45 regarding the relative changes in Rs following rainfall events. Our results highlight the environmental dependency of Rs response to rainfall events and suggest that incorporating the role of antecedent soil moisture could enhance predictability and reduce uncertainty in ecosystem modeling.

Association between physical activity and depressive symptoms in adolescents: A prospective cohort study.

It remains uncertain whether a protective association between physical activity and depression exists among adolescents and what the optimal level of physical activity might be. This study aimed to estimate the associations of physical activity levels with depressive symptoms and new-onset depression, while identifying potential modifying factors influencing the relationships. In this cohort study, we initially enrolled 1957 participants at baseline and followed up with 1738 of them after two years. Our analysis focused on data from 1482 students who provided complete information on both physical activity and depressive symptoms. Generalized linear regression and restricted cubic spline regression models were performed. Our adjusted models revealed that engaging in 4-7 h/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) at baseline was negatively associated with subsequent depressive symptoms and new-onset depression compared to the non-MVPA group. However, exceeding 7 h/week of MVPA did not provide substantial benefits. Furthermore, drinking and screen time potentially modified the relationship between MVPA and new-onset depression. Our findings suggest that 4-7 h of MVPA per week may be an appropriate level to reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents. Moreover, individual behaviors (e.g., drinking and screen time) warrant heightened attention in interventions targeting the reduction of depression in this population.

Identification and evaluation of soil moisture flash drought by a nonstationary framework considering climate and land cover changes.

Soil moisture flash drought can cause extensive damage to agriculture, ecosystems, and economies due to its sudden onset. Previous research identified soil moisture flash drought using stationary methods, in which, stationary probability distributions were employed to derive cumulative percentages (CPs) of given soil moisture values, and then based on the CPs sequence, the run theory was used to identify soil moisture flash drought events. However, because changes in climate or land cover can induce significant variations in the underlying probability distributions of soil moisture, the method's usual assumption of stationarity should be questioned. In this study, a nonstationary framework based on the nonstationary frequency analysis method and the run theory was developed for identifying soil moisture flash drought events. This framework was applied to the study of the pentad average root-zone soil moisture (PRZSM) of the Pearl River basin (PRB) in South China based on the ERA5-Land and the GLEAM datasets from 1981 to 2020. The results of the ERA5-Land were general consistent with those of the GLEAM, and the major findings include: (1) without considering the nonstationarity of soil moisture, the onset rate of flash droughts may be underestimated. The average onset rate of flash droughts in nonstationary conditions is slightly greater by 1 %/pentad -2 %/pentad than that in stationary conditions; (2) without considering the nonstationarity of soil moisture, the severity of flash droughts may be overestimated. The average severity of flash droughts in nonstationary conditions is smaller by 10% ⋅ pentads-20% ⋅ pentads than that in stationary conditions; and (3) the trends of the characteristics of soil moisture flash drought are consistent between the stationary and the nonstationary conditions. In conclusion, the above findings contribute to a better understanding of the implications of soil moisture nonstationarity on flash drought identification.

Knowledge, attitude and practice about myopia prevention and control among young children s parents in Guangzhou City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the status and associated factors of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) about myopia prevention and control among young children s parents in Guangzhou, so as to provide reference for family health education on myopia prevention and control.@*Methods@#During January to February 2023, 4 584 parents of children from kindergarten and primary school (grade 1-3) were recruited. Two to three kindergartens and 2 primary schools were selected from each of the 3 urban districts and 2 suburb districts of Guangzhou by stratified cluster random sampling method. Parents of children were administered with online questionnaire survey on KAP about myopia prevention and control. Descriptive analyses and multivariate Logistic regression models were used.@*Results@#The proportion of parents reaching standard of KAP about myopia prevention and control was 61.54%, the knowledge awareness rate was 57.30%, the positive attitude holding rate was 76.98% and the health practice formation rate was 63.31 %. Internet (70.35%) and lectures on school health education/health education materials (66.14%) were the most common ways for obtaining knowledge for parents. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that urban area, higher education ( college /undergraduate or above), annual household income 50 000-90 000, 100 000-290 000, 300 000-490 000, 500 000- 590 000 , and ≥600 000 Yuan, being aware of vision status (normal/poor) of their children, one or both parents with myopia, both parents with non myopia, acquiring knowledge by multi ways(2, 3, ≥4) were associated with higher KAP about myopia prev ention and control ( OR =1.23, 1.34, 1.36, 1.25，1.49, 1.93, 2.34, 1.64, 1.66, 1.89, 3.48, 3.09, 2.42, 1.65, 2.29, 3.22, P ＜ 0.05).@*Conclusion@#Knowledge and practice about myopia prevention and control among young children s parents in Guangzhou are insufficient, yet the attitude was satisfactory. It is necessary to carry out targeted education for parents, especially those living in suburb area, with low education and income level.

Co-exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids and heavy metals mixtures associated with impaired kidney function in adults: A community-based population study in China.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have separately linked either perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) or heavy metal exposure with kidney dysfunction. However, the relationships of co-exposure to PFAAs and heavy metals with kidney function are still unclear. OBJECTIVES: To explore the associations between exposure to PFAAs and heavy metals mixtures and kidney function in adults. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional community-based population study in Guangzhou, China, enrolling 1312 adults from November 2018 to August 2019. We quantified 13 PFAAs in serum and 14 heavy metals in plasma. We chose estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) as outcomes of interest. Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) were used to check nonlinearity of individual pollutant with kidney function. Joint associations of pollutant mixtures on kidney function were assessed by Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) models. We further explored modification effects of gender. RESULTS: Most individual PFAA and heavy metal were associated with declined kidney function in single-pollutant models. We also observed significant dose-response relationships of pollutant mixtures with reduced eGFR levels and increased odds of CKD in BKMR models. Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS), arsenic (As) and strontium (Sr) were the predominant contributors among pollutant mixtures. A change in log PFHpS, As and Sr concentrations from the 25th to the 75th percentile were associated with a decrease in eGFR of -5.42 (95% confidence interval (CI): -6.86, -3.98), -2.14 (95% CI: -3.70, -0.58) and -1.87 (95% CI: -3.03, -0.72) mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively, when other pollutants were at their median values. In addition, the observed associations were more obvious in females. CONCLUSIONS: We provided new evidence that co-exposure to PFAAs and heavy metals mixtures was associated with reduced kidney function in adults and PFHpS, As and Sr appeared to be the major contributors. Further studies are warranted to confirm our findings and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Scoliosis and associated factors among middle school students in Guangzhou City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the general situation of scoliosis and influencing factors among middle school students in Guangzhou, so as to provide evidence for behavioral intervention measures.@*Methods@#By stratified cluster random sampling method, 2 121 students from 8 middle schools of Guangzhou were selected to conduct questionnaire survey and physical examination.@*Results@#The detection rate of scoliosis among middle school students in Guangzhou was 8.20%, girls (9.50%)＞boys (7.00%), urban area (10.45%)＞suburb area (4.77%), senior high school (10.08%)＞junior school (6.39%) ( P ＜0.05). Among the most of the 174 positive students were found to have large thoracic curve, right lateral bending, being girls with medium scoliosis. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that students in urban area ( OR=2.56, 95%CI =1.71-3.82), with mobile electronic devices usage time≥3 h/d( OR=1.59, 95%CI =1.12-2.27), prolonged near vision work ≥1 h ( OR=1.40, 95%CI =1.00-1.95), outdoor activity time＜2 h/d( OR=1.82, 95%CI =1.24-2.67) had a higher detection rate of scoliosis ( P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#The detection rate of scoliosis among middle school students in Guangzhou is much higher, which might be related to district, mobile electronic devices usage, prolonged near vision work and insufficient outdoor activity. Health education regarding spinal knowledge should be strengthened.

Relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity, screen time and depressive symptoms among middle school students in Guangzhou / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To describe the prevalence and relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity(MVPA), screen time (ST) and depressive symptoms among middle school students in Guangzhou, and to provide a reference for adolescent depression prevention and control.@*Methods@#Using stratified cluster random sampling method, a total of 2 140 students were selected from one urban area and one suburban country for MVPA, ST and depressive symptoms investigation. Logistic regression was used to analyze relations among MVPA, ST and their combined patterns for depressive symptoms.@*Results@#A total of 89.72% students failed to meet the MVPA recommendations, girls (95.52%) were higher than boys(84.38%). Totally 67.38% of the students failed to meet the ST recommendations, boys (69.75%) were higher than girls(64.81%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27.01%, girls (31.58%) higher than boys(22.80%). MVPA, ST failure compliance rate and depression symptoms detection rate of vocational high school and ordinary high school were higher than junior high school ( χ 2=6.40,121.71,27.37, P ＜ 0.05 ). Logistic regression analysis showed that the OR for depressive symptoms was 1.19 ( P =0.35) in students whose MVPA time achieving 1 h<7 d in the last week, and was 1.93 ( P <0.01) in students with the ST>2 h/d independently, no significant interactions were observed. Students with both MVPA time 1 h<7 d in the last week and the ST>2 h/d were more likely to report depressive symptoms( OR=2.03, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Insufficient MVPA, prolonged ST and high prevalence of depressive symptoms are observed among middle school students in Guangzhou. Students with both insufficient MVPA and prolonged ST are more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms. Specific psychological care and health education regarding physical activity and screen behavior should be implemented to students with different characteristics, as well as their parents for depressive symptom prevention.

Reforestation and surface cooling in temperate zones: Mechanisms and implications.

Land-use/cover change (LUCC) is an important driver of environmental change, occurring at the same time as, and often interacting with, global climate change. Reforestation and deforestation have been critical aspects of LUCC over the past two centuries and are widely studied for their potential to perturb the global carbon cycle. More recently, there has been keen interest in understanding the extent to which reforestation affects terrestrial energy cycling and thus surface temperature directly by altering surface physical properties (e.g., albedo and emissivity) and land-atmosphere energy exchange. The impacts of reforestation on land surface temperature and their mechanisms are relatively well understood in tropical and boreal climates, but the effects of reforestation on warming and/or cooling in temperate zones are less certain. This study is designed to elucidate the biophysical mechanisms that link land cover and surface temperature in temperate ecosystems. To achieve this goal, we used data from six paired eddy-covariance towers over co-located forests and grasslands in the temperate eastern United States, where radiation components, latent and sensible heat fluxes, and meteorological conditions were measured. The results show that, at the annual time scale, the surface of the forests is 1-2°C cooler than grasslands, indicating a substantial cooling effect of reforestation. The enhanced latent and sensible heat fluxes of forests have an average cooling effect of -2.5°C, which offsets the net warming effect (+1.5°C) of albedo warming (+2.3°C) and emissivity cooling effect (-0.8°C) associated with surface properties. Additional daytime cooling over forests is driven by local feedbacks to incoming radiation. We further show that the forest cooling effect is most pronounced when land surface temperature is higher, often exceeding -5°C. Our results contribute important observational evidence that reforestation in the temperate zone offers opportunities for local climate mitigation and adaptation.

The anticaries effects of pit and fissure sealant in the first permanent molars of school-age children from Guangzhou: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Analyses of the effects of pit and fissure sealant have been based on small samples and lack large-scale field evaluation data in China. The aim of this study was to understand the effect of pit and fissure sealant in preventing caries in the first permanent molars (FPMs) of children in Guangzhou. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using the database of the pit and fissure sealant program of Guangzhou. The carious status and sealant retention of the FPMs were assessed in 4,822 school children who received pit and fissure sealant 3 years prior to the study. The control group included 4,396 children who had indications for receiving pit and fissure sealant but were not treated and were matched according to sex, age and school. RESULTS: In the sealant group, the rate of sealant retention in the FPMs was 72.2%. Children in the sealant group had a 37% decreased risk of dental caries compared with the control group (adjusted HR = 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.57-0.69], P < 0.001). Compared to no sealant use, the use of pit and fissure sealants reduced the risk of developing dental caries by 44% after 3 years in the FPMs of children from rural areas, reflecting a greater reduction than that among urban children (35%) during the same period (urban: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65 [95% CI, 0.58-0.72]; rural: adjusted HR = 0.56 [95% CI, 0.45-0.70], P < 0.001). The mean number of decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth (DMFT) in the control group was higher than that in the sealant group, and the difference was statistically significant regardless of sex. CONCLUSIONS: Pit and fissure sealant has a significant preventive effect against dental caries in the FPMs, especially for children in rural areas; thus, this sealant represents an effective technique for preventing and controlling dental caries.

Prevalence of body dissatisfaction and its effects on health-related quality of life among primary school students in Guangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between body dissatisfaction (BD) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been well documented in adolescents and adults but is less clear in children, particularly in China. The aims of this study were to describe body image perception and dissatisfaction and to examine their effects on HRQoL among primary school students in Guangzhou, China. METHODS: A total of 5734 children aged 8-12 years from 29 schools completed self-report questionnaires, which included the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 for measuring HRQoL and Ma figural stimuli for measuring BD. Based on their level of BD, the children were divided into three groups: no dissatisfaction, mild dissatisfaction and moderate or high dissatisfaction. Based on the children's perceptions of their own body image, the groups were also categorized into just right, too fat and too thin groups. Height and weight were objectively measured using standardized methods, and a BMI z-score was derived using the age- and sex-specific WHO references from 2007 for children aged 5-19 years. Weight status was classified as underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese. RESULTS: A total of 78.10% of children aged 8-12 years in Guangzhou had different levels of BD; boys had slightly higher levels BD than girls (p < 0.01), and obese children demonstrated the highest degree of BD (p < 0.01). However, BD levels did not differ significantly according to age (p = 0.194). Gender differences in body image perceptions were only found in children with a healthy weight (p < 0.01), but age differences in body image perception were present in both children with a healthy weight (p < 0.05) and underweight children (p < 0.05). Of the children with a healthy weight who were dissatisfied with their body image, 65.54% of the boys wanted to be heavier, whereas 52.95% of the girls wanted to be thinner (p < 0.01), and older children were more inclined to perceive themselves as too fat (p < 0.01). After controlling for the influence of confounding factors, significant trends for lower HRQoL scores with increasing BD levels persisted in all domains (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: BD is as common in children as in adolescents and adults and might be independently associated with HRQoL impairment. The present findings suggest that the current epidemic of BD is a threat to the health of primary school children in China, and prevention programmes for this population should be implemented in the future.

Association between poor vision and time spent in outdoor activity of students in Guangzhou / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the association of poor vision with time spent in outdoor activity among students from primary and middle schools, as well as from universities in Guangzhou, so as to provide targeted scientific basis for prevention and control of low vision.@*Methods@#According to the requirements of National Monitoring of Common Diseases and Health Risk Factors among Students Manual, a total of 2 908 students were selected in 1 urban area and 1 suburban county for monitoring and investigation in Guangzhou.@*Results@#The poor vision rate was 69.2% among students in Guangzhou, with girls (74.4%) > boys (64.2%), suburban country (76.3%) > urban areas (54.1%), university (95.0%) > vocational high school (82.5%) > regular high school (81.1%) > junior high school (73.4%) > primary school (45.6%). With the exception of primary students, the severe poor vision has the largest proportion in each age group. The proportion of spending less than 1 or 2 h for outdoor activities per day: girls>boys, suburban country > urban area, university and regular high school are higher. The poor vision rate of students who spent <2 h(72.3%) for outdoor activities daily was higher than those spent ≥2 h(65.6%). Compared with students who spent ≥2 h/d for outdoor activities, those spent < 2 h/d were at 1.24 times risk of being low vision(OR=1.24, 95%CI=1.04-1.48), controlling for the available confounders.@*Conclusion@#Poor vision rate of students in Guangzhou is high, occurring mainly with severe impairment and in younger age, the daily outdoor activity time is low. Girls, students from suburban country and junior high school should be considered as the emphasis for prevention and control of low vision.

Partitioning multi-source uncertainties in simulating nitrogen loading in stream water using a coherent, stochastic framework: Application to a rice agricultural watershed in subtropical China.

Uncertainty is recognized as a critical consideration for accurately predicting stream water nitrogen (N) loading, but identifying the relative contribution of individual uncertainty sources within the total uncertainty remains unclear. In this study, a powerful method, referred to as the Bayesian inference combined with analysis of variance (BayeANOVA) was adopted to detect the timing and magnitude of multiple uncertainty sources and their relative contributions to total uncertainty in simulating daily loadings of three stream water N species (ammonium-N: NH4+-N, nitrate-N: NO3--N and total N: TN) in a rice agricultural watershed (the Tuojia watershed) as influenced by non-point source N pollution. Five sources of uncertainty have been analyzed in this study, which arise from model structure, parameters, inputs, interaction effects between parameters and inputs, and internal variability (induced by random errors of model or environment). The results show that uncertainty in parameters relating to the processes of both N and hydrologic cycles contributed the largest fractions of total uncertainty in N loading simulations (58.83%, 63.48% and 61.64% for NH4+-N, NO3--N and TN loading, respectively). Additionally, three of the largest uncertainties (i.e. parameters, inputs and interaction effects) in all three simulated N loadings were on average significantly greater in the rice-growing season relative to the fallow season, primarily due to the excess fertilization application during the rice-growing season. The predicted TN uncertainty was mainly attributed to the inaccuracy of NO3--N simulation, which contributed to 75.48% of predicted TN uncertainty. It is concluded that reducing the parameter uncertainty of NO3--N loading simulation during the rice-growing season is the key factor to improving stream water N modeling precision in rice agricultural watersheds.

Analysis of influencing factors of dental caries in first permanent molars among children aged 10-12 years old in Guangzhou / 口腔疾病防治

Objective @# To know the influencing factors of dental caries in first permanent molars among children aged 10-12 years old in Guangzhou, and to give references for dental caries prevention.@*Methods @#The samples were selected by stratified random sampling method. Oral health examination and questionnaires were applied to all the 18 656 children who were 5 or 6-grade in 149 primary schools. @*Results @#The prevalence of dental caries in first permanent molars was 18.19%. Girls accouted for 19.96%, which was significantly higher than that of boys (16.71%) (χ2 = 32.817, P< 0.001). Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the influencing factors of dental caries in first permanent molars. After controlling school cluster and other factors, household register, gender, pit and fissure sealant, consumption of sweets and chocolates, consumption of sweet milk were influencing factors of permanent teeth caries. And household register, gender, pit and fissure sealant, consumption of sweets and chocolates were associated with mean DMFT.@*Conclusion @#school oral health education should focus on the consumption of sugars and cares should be put into the differences between urban and rural area. In addition, strengthening publicity of the sealant retention project,raising public awareness, and improving sealant retention quality are necessary to ensure the anti-caries effect.

Relationship between weight status and health-related quality of life in Chinese primary school children in Guangzhou: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between weight status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among pupils in Guangzhou, China. METHODS: The study comprised 5781 children aged 8-12 years from 29 schools. Height and weight were objectively measured using standardized methods, and BMI z-score derived using the age and sex specific WHO reference 2007 for 5-19 years. Weight status was classified as underweight (<-2SD), healthy weight (between -2SD and 1SD), overweight/obesity (>1SD). HRQOL was measured by the self-report version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. RESULTS: After controlling for gender, age, school type, parental education, and family income, HRQOL scores were significantly lower in overweight/obese compared with healthy weight children only in the social functioning domain (ß = -1.93, p = 0.001). Compared with healthy weight children, underweight children had significantly lower total (ß = -1.47, p = 0.05) and physical summary scores (ß = -2.18, p = 0.02). Subgroup analysis for gender indicated that compared to healthy weight, total (ß = -1.96, p = 0.02), psychosocial (ß = -2.40, p = 0.01), social functioning (ß = -3.36, p = 0.001), and school functioning (ß = -2.19, p = 0.03) scores were lower in overweight/obese girls, but not boys. On the other hand, being underweight was associated with lower physical functioning (ß = -2.27, p = 0.047) in girls, and lower social functioning (ß = -3.63, p = 0.01) in boys. The associations were mainly observed in children aged 10 and over, but were not significant in younger children. Children from private schools had generally lower HRQOL compared to those in public schools, but the associations with weight status were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between overweight/obesity and HRQOL in children in China is not as prominent as that seen in children in western or high-income countries. However, there appears to be gender and age differences, with more of an impact of overweight on HRQOL in girls and older children compared with boys and younger children. Underweight is also associated with lower HRQOL. Future intervention to prevent both obesity and undernutrition may have a positive impact on the HRQOL in children in China.

A missense mutation in TMEM67 causes Meckel-Gruber syndrome type 3 (MKS3): a family from China.

Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MKS) is a lethal autosomal recessive condition characterized by renal cysts and variably associated features, including developmental anomalies of the central nervous system (typically encephalocele), hepatic ductal dysplasia and cysts, and polydactyly. Genetic heterogeneity has been demonstrated at eleven loci, MKS1-11. Here, we present the clinical and molecular characteristics of a Chinese MKS3 family with occipital encephalocele and kidney enlargement. DNA sequencing of affected fetuses revealed a homozygous c.1645C>T substitution in exon 16 of TMEM67, leading to a p.R549C substitution in meckelin. The R549 residue is highly conserved across human, rat, mouse, zebrafish, chicken, wolf and platypus genomes. Hha I restriction analysis demonstrated that the c.1645C>T mutation was absent in 200 unrelated control chromosomes of Chinese background, supporting the hypothesis that it represents causative mutation, not rare polymorphism. Our data provide additional molecular and clinical information for establishing a better genotype-phenotype understanding of MKS.

The effects of land use change and precipitation change on direct runoff in Wei River watershed, China.

The principles and degrees to which land use change and climate change affect direct runoff generation are distinctive. In this paper, based on the MODIS data of land use in 1992 and 2003, the impacts of land use and climate change are explored using the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method under two defined scenarios. In the first scenario, the precipitation is assumed to be constant, and thus the consequence of land use change could be evaluated. In the second scenario, the condition of land use is assumed to be constant, so the influence only induced by climate change could be assessed. Combining the conclusions of two scenarios, the effects of land use and climate change on direct runoff volume can be separated. At last, it is concluded: for the study basin, the land use types which have the greatest effect on direct runoff generation are agricultural land and water body. For the big sub basins, the effect of land use change is generally larger than that of climate change; for middle and small sub basins, most of them suffer more from land use change than from climate change.

Statistical attribution analysis of the nonstationarity of the annual runoff series of the Weihe River.

Time-varying moments models based on Pearson Type III and normal distributions respectively are built under the generalized additive model in location, scale and shape (GAMLSS) framework to analyze the nonstationarity of the annual runoff series of the Weihe River, the largest tributary of the Yellow River. The detection of nonstationarities in hydrological time series (annual runoff, precipitation and temperature) from 1960 to 2009 is carried out using a GAMLSS model, and then the covariate analysis for the annual runoff series is implemented with GAMLSS. Finally, the attribution of each covariate to the nonstationarity of annual runoff is analyzed quantitatively. The results demonstrate that (1) obvious change-points exist in all three hydrological series, (2) precipitation, temperature and irrigated area are all significant covariates of the annual runoff series, and (3) temperature increase plays the main role in leading to the reduction of the annual runoff series in the study basin, followed by the decrease of precipitation and the increase of irrigated area.

Uncertainty analysis of coupling multiple hydrologic models and multiple objective functions in Han River, China.

Three different hydrological models are chosen to simulate rainfall-runoff relationships under each of three objective functions including mean squared errors of squared transformed flows, squared root transformed flows and logarithmic transformed flows; thus nine individual models are constructed. By weighted averaging over these nine models, the method of Bayesian model averaging (BMA) was used to provide both the mean value and the uncertainty intervals of flow prediction. Three kinds of uncertainty information can be generated: the uncertainty of individual member model's predictions; the total uncertainty of BMA mean prediction; the between-model and within-model uncertainties in the BMA scheme. Based on the estimated results in this study, the coupling of multiple models with multiple objective functions in general offers better results for both the mean prediction and the uncertainty intervals for the runoffs in a selected basin in Han River, China, than the individual models.

Chiral induction in the ionothermal synthesis of a 3D chiral heterometallic metal-organic framework constructed from achiral 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate.

A chiral heteometallic compound, [(EMIM)NaCu(1,4-ndc)2]n (1), constructed from the achiral 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate (1,4-ndc) ligand has been ionothermally synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized. The chiral induction effect of the enantiopure 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMIM) L-lactate additive in the ionothermal reaction is briefly discussed.